Furina glanced at the corpse of the Holy Turquoise Water Crocodile, then at the yellow hundred-year spirit ring floating above it. Her eyes shifted to her own blood-covered hand as she felt a gentle pat on her back.
It was yushui as she stepped forward, patting her softly. "Now, now, don't feel bad. You're going to become a powerful Soul Master. This is the first step in your journey, and you'll get used to it."
Sophie looked at Furina with a gentle expression. "First, let's clean your hands. Then you should absorb the ring before it disappears. After that, we should return before it gets dark."
Furina slowly came back to her senses. Seeing the three encouraging her, she wiped her tears, steadied her nausea, and managed a small smile.
After washing her hands in the river, she returned. With their guidance, she began the absorption. Since four hundred years was the limit for a first spirit ring, she knew it would be painful.
Prepared for the agony, she closed her eyes with a look of resignation, following their instructions carefully. Her whole body began to heat, a boiling sensation spreading through her veins. Bracing herself, she stiffened as the ring fully submerged into her. The yellow ring glowed brightly before vanishing and reappearing.
The process lasted for an hour, leaving the three companions dumbfounded by the dazzling light show. The ring's color began to shift, first bright yellow, then a deeper shade. Soon, a faint blue hue emerged.
Another hour passed, until at last the transformation was complete. the ring had turned into a radiant sky-blue.
After a minute, Furina finally awoke and looked around in confusion. 'Where is the pain they mentioned? Aside from feeling a little hot, I don't feel anything at all.'
She stood up and stared at her clean, milky-white hands. A radiant sky-blue ring shone brilliantly around her, and to her surprise, her height had increased. Previously she was 114 cm, but now she stood above 131 cm.
Children in Douluo truly grew quickly, and with the help of a soul ring, growth could increase by astonishing amounts. Furina touched her waist, her stomach, her cheeks, feeling nothing unusual. "Did they fool me? I didn't feel any pain."
Sophie and the others watched the confused little Fufu without disturbing her, quietly enjoying her silliness. Finally, after a while, they stepped forward and hugged her tightly.
"Ahh, my little Fufu has become even cuter and sillier."
"I want to kidnap you and take you home."
"I want to cuddle you for my whole life."
[Faith point: 450]
[Faith point: 420]
[Faith point: 450]
[Faith point: 460]
[Faith point: 450]
[Faith point: 443]
[Faith point: 454]
[Faith point: 440]
...to be continued
Furina, bewildered, didn't resist as she was smothered by six large "mountains" of affection. She tried to voice her resistance: "Uhh… wuuu… ummm… woooo…"
After satisfying themselves with cuddles and hugs, the three finally let go of the exhausted Furina. "Seriously, you three, at least let me have a break, hmm?" she retorted in her cute voice, pouting as she turned her head to the side.
Once everything settled, the three harvested the crocodile's corpse while Furina decided to test her new ability. She summoned her martial soul, an ocean-blue, exquisite sword appeared in her hand, and a sky-blue ring emerged beneath her feet before floating to her waist.
Her first soul ring ability was Salon Solitaire. Upon activation, it summoned three Salon members, a seahorse, an octopus, and a crab, each with their own thoughts and decisions.
[Salon Solitaire: Summons 3 Salon Members, the Ball Octopus-shaped Gentilhomme Usher, the Bubbly Seahorse-shaped Surintendante Chevalmarin, and the Armored Crab-shaped Mademoiselle Crabaletta. Each possesses 300% of the summoner's attributes for ten minutes.]
She activated her first ability, and the ring flashed with radiant sky-blue light, filling her with warmth. Three little water creatures appeared around her: a large octopus, a crab, and a seahorse especially all wearing hats.
"Surintendante Chevalmarin, shoot your strongest attack at that tree," Furina commanded, pointing to a tree forty meters away.
Surintendante Chevalmarin the sea horse danced wildly, nodded, then puffed her cheeks before thrusting her head forward. A small blue bubble shot from her mouth.
In an instant, the bubble struck the tree, exploding half the trunk while the other half remained standing. The blast drew Sophie and the others' attention, and they turned to watch in awe.
Furina puffed her cheeks with pride, hugging all three of the cute little creatures tightly. She released her martial soul, and both the sword and ring disappeared, yet the three little cuties remained.
"So, you three still exist even after deactivation? That's good. Summoning you already drained thirty percent of my soul power, but you can remain without my support and even recover independently. That's pretty convenient." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, then unsummoned them, turning to Sophie and the others with a smile.
"Did you see that? My first soul ring ability is pretty powerful," she said with a hint of pride.
[Faith point: 455]
[Faith point: 453]
[Faith point: 450]
[Faith point: 455]
...
"Huh?" Furina tilted her head, not understanding why faith points kept appearing. Still, the sight made her very happy.
Sophie stepped forward with a serious expression. "Remember, Furina, don't expose your soul ring carelessly. I don't know why it turned blue, but that might be your secret. We won't pry, but others may have ulterior motives. Be careful."
Xiaoli and Yushui nodded solemnly. Furina replied with sincerity, her soft voice steady: "Don't worry, big sister Sophie. I won't do anything reckless. As for my soul ring, I think its color changed because of my martial soul. That's likely the reason. But I'll be careful outside."
The three were overjoyed that she shared her secret so openly, though in truth it wasn't much of a secret, anyone could guess once they heard about a mutated martial soul.
In this world, everything could be explained by a mutated martial soul.
•You have innate full soul power, how? I have a Mutated martial soul.
• You got a girlfriend quickly with that suspicious face, how? I have a Mutated martial soul.
• You seduced the neighbor's wife, how? I have a Mutated martial soul.
• You wrote a complex scientific theory, how? I have a Mutated martial soul.
If you couldn't explain something, just say "I have a mutated martial soul",and everyone would believe it without hesitation.
The four rested for a while, preparing to leave. Furina amused herself by creating a ball of water, rolling it in her hands as she practiced her hydro control.