Zhou Qing was certain: his Martial Soul a circulatory system-based soul was at least close to having innate full soul power, if not exactly that.
However, because he had cultivated the Xuantian Skill prior to his Martial Soul awakening, the internal energy he had developed in advance ended up being absorbed along with the innate soul power during his initial power assessment.
This meant that part of his Martial Soul's original innate soul power remained hidden inside him.
Since soul power is capped at level ten without a soul ring, no matter how much extra power you accumulate, it won't break that limit.
As for the theory that "after reaching a bottleneck, continued cultivation—even without acquiring a soul ring—will manifest its effects later once a soul ring is acquired", Zhou Qing found it flawed.
Whether it was Tang San or himself, they both continued to cultivate soul power after hitting that initial limit. But the increase in their power levels afterward came not from that continued cultivation effort, but from the soul ring itself, the energy carried by soul bones, and the innate power still hidden within their Martial Souls.
In other words: continuing to train soul power after hitting the limit, without obtaining a soul ring, might only help refine one's control. It wouldn't significantly boost power levels after eventually gaining a ring.
In short — it's not worth the effort.
Because any soul power not naturally tied to one's Martial Soul cannot be retained long term.
What defines "innate"?
Something one is born with.
Therefore, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang's theory probably only applies after a soul master has obtained their first soul ring. After all, Martial Souls possess their own instincts.
Upon awakening, during the soul power test where the crystal ball absorbs the user's energy, the Martial Soul may offer some passive resistance. The stronger the Martial Soul, the greater this resistance. It's quite possible that some innate soul power gets retained within the Martial Soul and isn't absorbed or detected by the crystal ball.
And once a soul master gains their first soul ring, that's when they truly begin to communicate with their Martial Soul, integrating even that previously withheld innate soul power into their control.
This likely explains why Tang San's soul power jumped straight to level thirteen after obtaining his first soul ring—not because of continued cultivation via the Xuantian Skill, but because the ring's own energy, combined with innate power from both his twin Martial Souls, fused into him.
After all, Tang San's "innate full soul power" was achieved through cultivating the Xuantian Skill before awakening. At the time, he also sensed that the internal energy he had cultivated was being absorbed by the crystal ball.
[Can't jump to conclusions. This theory needs further verification through interactions with more soul masters and large-scale data collection.]
Snapping back to the present, Zhou Qing stood up and stretched, his joints popping loudly. He'd grown seven or eight centimeters taller—approaching 1.7 meters—looking more like an adult in stature.
If not for his still-youthful face, anyone would've assumed he was already grown up.
"Zhou Qing, what's your first soul skill?" Xiao Wu asked, curious about what kind of ability his heart-based Martial Soul would produce.
"The Mou Chun Ox attacks by galloping forward on all fours, channeling the power of the earth into its horns to charge and smash," Zhou Qing explained. "I inherited that trait. My first soul skill allows me to draw upon the earth's power, reinforcing my vitality and soul power, and release it through my fists—treating them like horns."
As he spoke, Zhou Qing activated his Martial Soul. His first soul ring lit up.
Then, he walked up to a tree as thick as a man's torso, drew back his fist, and struck. A white shockwave burst from his punch with a sharp snap. The air trembled, and the tree was cleanly broken in two and toppled over.
"So powerful!" Romantina gasped, her mouth agape and her face flushed as her thoughts strayed. "Even some soul masters in their twenties might not be able to punch through a tree that size… I probably wouldn't survive a hit like that myself."
But for Zhou Qing, the raw force wasn't the most important part. The key was that the soul skill granted him an earth attribute not only completing one of the four innate primal forces within him, but also halving his soul power consumption when connected to the earth.
"So, does this soul skill have a name?" Xiao Wu asked.
"Normally, people who get a Mou Chun Ox soul ring call the skill something like 'Raging Bull Charge' or 'Ox Strength Heaven Piercer'," Zhou Qing replied. "But I think this skill deserves a different name: Wing Chun."
"Mou Chun Ox constantly lets out low moos in the spring, almost like it's singing to welcome the season's arrival. That's why 'Wing Chun'—which literally means 'Singing of Spring'—feels so fitting."
Even more importantly, after obtaining the Mou Chun Ox soul ring, Zhou Qing sensed a mysterious force travel through his spine—like a green sprout breaking through the soil in springtime.
Perhaps… the Mou Chun Ox really was the embodiment of spring itself.
And beyond that it was a tribute to his past life.
Wing Chun.
In his previous life, there had been a martial art by the same name.
Not that he worried about Tang San recognizing it—Tang San's original world probably resembled China's Ming Dynasty era. His usage of "Bodhi Blood" as a hidden weapon—a clear homage to the "Patriarch Bodhi"—proved as much.
Meanwhile, Wing Chun as a martial art didn't even exist in that timeline.
"Wing Chun? What a beautiful name!" Romantina praised, her face still flushed. "It makes me think of spring… of life awakening… of everything flourishing..."
Zhou Qing's eyelid twitched. Ignoring Romantina and her vivid imagination, he activated his first soul skill again.
But this time, he started running. With each step, his qi and blood surged stronger. Wisps of red mist rose from his body like flames, and faintly, the image of a blood-colored bull began to take shape on his body.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
His heart pounded, the ground trembled. Each step Zhou Qing took radiated tremendous force. After twenty meters, the red mist had fully formed a phantom Mou Chun Ox—etched in crimson lines, floating around him.
Zhou Qing halted. Clenching his fists, he thrust both arms forward—synchronizing perfectly with the horns of the phantom bull.
BOOM!
Both fists exploded forward, tearing through the air, accompanied by a thunderous "Moo!"
The phantom Mou Chun Ox charged out from Zhou Qing's body, barreling into the forest and knocking over more than a dozen thick trees before vanishing.
Tang San stared in stunned silence. "The Mou Chun Ox… has that much power?"
"It really does," Romantina replied, equally shocked. "It probably didn't show it before because I struck its brain first—it was dizzy. Plus, the Mou Chun Ox's strongest move requires a full-speed charge to hit peak force. Zhou Qing grappled it right away, then tripped it with a clever move. You and I followed up by targeting its weak points. In the end, it never got to use its full strength…"
She paused, her tone turning sheepish.
"…and then Zhou Qing just… well, obliterated it."