Xiao Wu was extremely obedient. Her fair cheeks flushed pink with a hint of anticipation as she gently poked her index finger at Ye Qiu's little tadpole.
In the next instant!
The little tadpole on Ye Qiu's hand, within the yellow spirit ring, suddenly dissolved and spread toward Xiao Wu's fingertip. A warm, soothing sensation washed over her, and her long eyelashes fluttered slightly.
In the blink of an eye, the blackness wrapped tightly around her entire arm, fitting like a second skin.
Ye Qiu gently reminded her:
"Don't resist!"
"Mm."
Xiao Wu nodded slightly. She didn't intend to resist at all. At this moment, she felt as if she were basking in warm sunlight, her entire body relaxed and cozy.
As the blackness spread, their consciousnesses linked again. Ye Qiu skimmed through Xiao Wu's recent memories, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
No wonder kissing her tasted so sweet…
So she secretly ate something of mine?!
Xiao Wu trembled slightly, glancing at Ye Qiu with a look of embarrassment and fear on her face.
By now, her whole arm had been cloaked in black, followed by her shoulder, neck, and body.
Unknowingly, Xiao Wu had already entered a state of Martial Soul Possession. Two soft pink bunny ears stood tall, swaying slightly in the wind. A tiny, fluffy tail, white tinged with pink, popped out at her lower back.
Buzz!
As the blackness closed up, Ye Qiu's yellow spirit ring lit up, and Xiao Wu's yellow spirit ring beneath her feet also glowed, seemingly in harmony, resonating strangely together.
After just a few breaths, the blackness slowly retreated back into Ye Qiu's palm. Xiao Wu's pretty face was once again exposed to the cool evening breeze.
She couldn't help but shiver, feeling as though someone had seen her entire body. The features of her Martial Soul Possession began to fade.
When the blackness fully reformed in Ye Qiu's hand and turned back into the little tadpole, a transformation suddenly occurred, bringing a smile to Ye Qiu's face.
"Huh? Ye Qiu... your little tadpole changed shape? Is it broken?"
Xiao Wu bent over, curiously staring at the tadpole in Ye Qiu's hand.
Ye Qiu rolled his eyes at her.
"This is my Martial Soul. How could it be broken, you silly bunny?"
"Ah—bunny!"
Upon hearing Ye Qiu's teasing, Xiao Wu didn't react at first. Instead, she looked at his palm and cried out in surprise.
There, the black-and-white tadpole had unconsciously transformed into a miniature rabbit—white ears, black body.
"So cute! Ye Qiu, your Martial Soul turned into a bunny!"
Xiao Wu exclaimed, her eyes wide with amazement. She bent down and poked one of the little bunny's white ears.
"Yeah, it turned into a bunny."
Ye Qiu chuckled. Soon, the little white rabbit turned back into the tadpole shape. However, within the yellow spirit ring, the imprint of a rabbit remained.
This was the first spirit skill Ye Qiu had obtained.
An enhancement of his venom replication ability, now adapted to the Douluo Continent's soul master physiology!
First Spirit Skill: Myriad Forms!
On the Douluo Continent, Martial Souls were everything. To unleash spirit skills, one needed to rely on their Martial Soul—and the continent was filled with countless varieties of them.
For Ye Qiu, relying solely on venom made it extremely hard to find spirit skills that truly suited him to replicate.
But now, things were different.
This skill allowed Ye Qiu to mimic any person's Martial Soul.
He could then replicate the spirit skills stored within their spirit rings, engraving them into his own. This drastically reduced the limitations of copying.
However, this first skill still came with restrictions.
He could not mimic Martial Souls indiscriminately.
For each spirit ring he added, he could mimic one more Martial Soul.
Also, since Martial Souls were tied to a soul master's soul essence, mimicking one required the subject's full consent.
Once replicated and the venom engraved their imprint—it could not be changed.
So, when choosing targets, he had to be extremely cautious.
In addition, if Ye Qiu linked up with a Titled Douluo, he could only use that person's first spirit skill.
That meant even with their Martial Soul and copied skill, if the number of rings exceeded his own, he still couldn't use those higher-level skills.
Even so, Ye Qiu was overjoyed.
Didn't this mean...
He could become a hexagonal warrior?!
Whether it was Control, Agility Attack, or even Support, he could handle it all!
But what thrilled Ye Qiu the most—
Was the potential ceiling of his power!
If he could one day become a god…
And if his copied targets also ascended to godhood…
Then could he even replicate the powers of the gods?
At that level...
Gods don't rely on Martial Souls in battle anymore!
If he succeeded—
Wouldn't that be absolutely defying the heavens?
Of course, that assumed the targets he copied had the potential to become gods too.
So...
Ye Qiu was very meticulous in choosing who to copy.
Looking across the Douluo Continent—
Now that he had arrived here, the ones most certain to become gods were Bibi Dong and her daughter. Bibi Dong was already undergoing the Divine Test, while Qian Renxue was the only one of the Angel Clan currently qualified to undergo the Angel God Test!
As for others…
They were still waiting to be discovered. Talent was important, but surviving long enough was even more crucial!
---
Off to the side—
As Ye Qiu basked in joy, Xiao Wu still looked dazed. She hugged her tiny body with both arms, her face flushed red.
She tugged at Ye Qiu's sleeve, glancing at him uncertainly:
"Ye Qiu, why did your Martial Soul change back into the little tadpole? And… why do I feel like I lost something?"
"Hmm?"
Ye Qiu shook off the unrealistic thoughts in his mind, turned toward Xiao Wu, and smirked mischievously. He grabbed her soft little hand and teased:
"You sneaky bunny! You're the one who's calling the thief to catch a thief! I'm the one who lost something, right?!"
"Huh? I—I just…"
Xiao Wu reacted like someone whose tail had been stepped on. She panicked, trying to pull her hand back, stammering incoherently.
"Just what? No wonder your lips were so sweet when I kissed you today!"
"Ah! Don't bring that up! You're the real perv!"
Xiao Wu's face turned bright red. She tried to cover Ye Qiu's mouth with her hands.
"Can't you just say Xiao Wu-jie took the reward early?! Don't talk about it again!"
"Heh… alright!"
Ye Qiu didn't press her further and let go of her little hand.
"Then I don't need to pay you a reward anymore."
"What?!"
Xiao Wu had just pulled her hand back, and now took two steps back in shock. Rubbing her hand, she cried out with wide crimson eyes and furrowed brows:
"Why not?! Xiao Wu-jie only took two of your grass-flavored ones! You still owe me three!"
"You steal from me and still want to argue?"
Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow.
"I—You weren't back at the academy then! I was going to tell you when you returned, but when I woke you up, y-you just… did that to me…"
Xiao Wu's face flushed even deeper. Looking at Ye Qiu, her eyes shimmered with both embarrassment and frustration.