On a spacious stone platform in the Xuanyan Sect, a very unusual scene was unfolding:
Xu Tianxi, who didn't even have a single soul ring, was swinging his fists with the agility of a leopard, chasing down the already 24th-ranked Soul Grandmaster Xu Sanshi, beating him so hard the latter could only cry out in pain.
Xu Xiaoyun, who had lived for over two hundred years, had never seen such a scene before. Fortunately, his vision was extraordinary. With just a glance, he understood what was going on—
Xu Tianxi had taken a powerful tonic and was receiving external support, while Xu Sanshi had his strength restricted and wasn't using any soul skills. He was just holding his Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield, which lacked water elements, and taking the hits head-on.
Below the platform, Elder Yue had six soul rings—white, two yellow, two purple, and one black—rotating beneath his feet. He was operating a very rare healing soul tool. Every time Xu Tianxi's punches drew blood from the shield, the soul tool would emit green light to heal it.
With a Soul Emperor backing him, Xu Tianxi could fight however he wanted without worrying about soul power depletion.
Xu Sanshi's martial soul was restrained, and he could only exert about 50–60% of his usual strength. With the boost Tianxi had, the balance tipped, resulting in this strange scene.
From the looks of it, the two had been fighting for quite a while—Xu Sanshi's soul power was nearly exhausted, while Xu Tianxi remained energized, prompting the former to cry out for mercy.
However…"Even so, Sanshi has already absorbed two soul rings, and his body has been nourished by soul power. His physical attributes should far surpass Tianxi's. Just what did Tianxi eat to become so energized? And why is he still so fired up?"Xu Xiaoyun was full of doubts. With a ghostly step, he suddenly appeared behind Xu Fu and Elder Yue and asked in a low voice,"What have you two done while I was away?"Xu Fu, breaking out in a cold sweat, turned around with a forced smile and waved his hand,"It's nothing, really. We just gave Tianxi some nourishing seafood."Elder Yue bowed deeply and truthfully explained,"Lord Ancestor, at the son-in-law's request, I had someone brew a soup with several tonics, including thousand-year whale glue. Not long after the young master drank it, he felt hot and filled with strength. The young lord thought he needed to let off steam, so he had Second Young Master spar with him."Upon hearing this, Xu Xiaoyun's gaze turned sharp as he glared at Xu Fu."Thousand-year whale glue? Isn't that kind of tonic banned for disciples under fifteen? What's the meaning of this, Xu Fu?"A premium piece of thousand-year whale glue could significantly boost a soul master's physical qualities, increasing their tolerance for soul rings by around 500 years. But its extreme aphrodisiac effects made it strictly forbidden for any Xuanyan Sect disciple to consume before their martial soul's second awakening—it could ruin their cultivation path.
Not to mention, Xu Tianxi's main focus was a spirit-type body martial soul, and when absorbing a soul ring, the most important thing was the endurance of his spiritual sea, not physical strength.
This was outrageous!
Xu Fu's face twitched as he replied under pressure,"Ancestor, I just wanted the boy to have something nourishing… So I gave him that whale glue I got from the coast a few days ago. You see, nothing bad happened.""He's been fighting Sanshi for two hours now and is still full of energy, even more vigorous than before! I even sensed that his spiritual power slightly improved during the fight, meaning the tonic's effects are spreading…"Xu Xiaoyun glanced back at the stone platform. There, Xu Tianxi had turned into a berserker, throwing punch after punch at the Xuanming Tortoise Shell Shield, forcing Xu Sanshi to retreat again and again—his palms were already split open.
And that's where Elder Yue came in again—his green healing light instantly restored Xu Sanshi's wounds, allowing him to receive even more punishment.Clang! Clang!With two more punches, Xu Sanshi was knocked back three steps. Xu Tianxi shouted earnestly,"Second Brother, the most important thing for a defense-type soul master is strong endurance and willpower!""Only by withstanding the opponent's attacks over and over again can you find the chance to strike back! You must hold on!"Xu Sanshi yelled,"Tianxi, you're even more annoying than that jerk Beibei. Easy for you to say! You're not the one who can't use soul skills and just has to take the hits! Ahhh not again—!"Dragged out of bed early in the morning and used as a punching bag for nearly two hours, Xu Sanshi was sore all over. Now hearing Tianxi's pep talk made him even angrier.
If he could use his soul skills, he'd have knocked this brat out with one Xuanming Shock long ago. But as it was, his power wasn't much higher than an average soldier's, and against a frenzied Xu Tianxi, he was basically just a target.
Xu Tianxi didn't care about any of that. All he knew was that he felt no pain, every punch was exhilarating, and he didn't have to worry about safety since his sparring partner was Xu Sanshi.
So why think too much? Just keep pounding!
Under flashing light and shadows, Xu Tianxi's eyes gleamed like knives, sharp and invasive. His fists pounded relentlessly, and when he found an opening, he'd toss in a few powerful sweeping kicks.
To an outsider, this wouldn't look like a spirit-type soul master at all—but a full-blooded power-type attacker."From this angle, it seems fine. No matter how strong the medicine, if he's burning it off through exercise, it should be manageable."Watching the brotherly and heartwarming beatdown on the stage, Xu Xiaoyun's thoughts shifted. He nodded slightly, eyes shining with approval.
Xu Fu, seeing this, let out a breath of relief and leaned in with a grin,"Ancestor, you won't believe this—last night when Tianxi was resting, the crescent mark on his forehead started absorbing moonlight on its own, casting a shadow in the air where spiritual power and soul power interwove.""I observed it for a long time and confirmed—it's a sign of a star-type martial soul cultivating. By morning, his spiritual power had clearly improved.""What? Absorbing moonlight to cultivate spiritual power?" Xu Xiaoyun whipped his head around, his eyes blazing."Absolutely. I watched the whole night. I wouldn't be wrong," Xu Fu answered with confidence."That's fantastic…"Xu Xiaoyun turned his gaze back to Xu Tianxi, eyes nearly narrowed with glee.
What a year for surprises.
He had thought that Xu Sanshi, with his strong Xuanwu bloodline, was already the most outstanding genius of the Xuanyan Sect. But now it turned out his little brother was even more monstrous!"Hmm… From the looks of Tianxi now, he might even be able to try absorbing a thousand-year soul ring. The Evil Eye I caught might not be aged enough, but its quality is top-tier. There might not be a better match.""Hya—Hah!"On the stone platform, Xu Tianxi recalled a video from his past life and unleashed a step-in Beng Quan, smashing Xu Sanshi's shield at an angle. The latter flew backward like a kite with a broken string, landing hard on the ground after failing to absorb the impact.
Xu Tianxi pounced, and the two wrestled again. After about fifteen more minutes of fierce combat, he finally emerged victorious—Xu Sanshi's martial soul retracted, and he lost all combat ability.
Battle over. Ten-rank Soul Scholar Xu Tianxi, successfully defeats a powerless 24th-rank Soul Grandmaster Xu Sanshi!"Yo~ Tianxi's comprehension is impressive. After two hours of fighting, he figured out a suitable power technique?"Xu Xiaoyun's eyes gleamed. He had seen all of Tianxi's movements clearly and couldn't help but think—"The Body Sect always boasts that their martial souls are profound and their battle techniques peerless. After so long, Tianxi figured something out too—not surprising."
Xu Fu spoke cheerfully. Compared to last night when Xu Tianxi absorbed moonlight to cultivate his spiritual power, this was nothing worth mentioning.
"Indeed, right now Tianxi's momentum is at its peak, making it the perfect time to absorb his first soul ring."
Xu Xiaoyun knew that the combat skills of the original sect were considered the best on the continent, and they were left by generations of original spirit warriors. Without much thought, he waved his hand, sending out two streams of soul energy to support his two brothers, who were drenched in sweat.
"Phew~ Ancestor, you finally came to save me. If you hadn't come soon, your grandson would have died of exhaustion..."
Xu Sanshi saw Xu Xiaoyun and felt a bright ray of hope, excitedly rushing forward to cling to his leg.
Two whole hours — who knew how he had endured those two hours? Xu Tianxi was like a beast! This guy also awakened a spirit... wait, what spirit did he awaken again? He couldn't even remember clearly himself. It should be the Xuanming Turtle.
Xu Sanshi was about to complain to Xu Xiaoyun: both of them were defensive-type soul masters, so why could Tianxi eat such a powerful tonic soup and become so fierce? But just then, Xu Xiaoyun waved his large hand, and a huge spherical creature suddenly fell onto the ground with a thud.
Xu Sanshi stared carefully and was startled by its peculiar appearance — it was a silver-white huge eyeball with two tentacles!
"Is this the Evil Eye soul beast from the Sun Moon Empire? Ancestor, what did you bring this thing here for?"
"Of course, it's going to be your third younger brother's soul ring."
Xu Xiaoyun answered casually, then beckoned to Xu Tianxi, pointing at the now unconscious eyeball, and said kindly:
"Tianxi, this is a purely spiritual attribute Evil Eye that the sect master found in the Evil Forest. It has the pure bloodline of the Evil Emperor, making it an exceptional specimen among Evil Eyes, with a lifespan of over six hundred years."
"Your spiritual power is naturally stronger than some major soul masters. I estimate that you can withstand the resentment shock after this beast's death. The only concern was your physical strength, but now that's no longer an issue. Go ahead and finish it off."
"The Evil Eye tribe's innate abilities are many, each an excellent spiritual soul skill. There's nothing more suitable for you."
"Alright, Tianxi thanks the ancestor."
Xu Tianxi's eyes shone brightly as he bowed, then took out a high-quality level-six close-combat soul device — a large blade — and chopped the Evil Eye in half.
A level-six soul device truly lived up to its reputation; the destructive power was terrifying, instantly ending the Evil Eye's life.
The split eyeball twitched a few times before going still. Silver-white spiritual energy particles rose from the eyeball, gathering into a dense bright yellow halo over the corpse, forming a bright deep-yellow soul ring.
The inner ring flickered with silver-white light, radiating a noble aura, showing the Evil Eye's prestigious status when alive in its tribe.
"Sit down, calm your mind, and then try to use your Phantom Moon Mystic Eye to sense it. Circulate your soul energy and guide this soul ring onto yourself. Hold on and resist the pressure."
Xu Xiaoyun repeatedly instructed with utmost seriousness. Black light swirled in his palm, ready to intervene at any moment.
"Got it."
Xu Tianxi straightened his back and proudly responded. He sat down cross-legged, waving his hand to summon this top-grade spiritual soul ring, slowly closing his eyes.
First soul ring? Let me experience what it's like to absorb a soul ring, Xu Tianxi thought with some anticipation.
"Clatter—"
The Evil Eye soul ring fell, and the raging and resentful spiritual aura surged violently through Xu Tianxi's Phantom Moon Mystic Eye like an unleashed flood, uncontrollably rampaging and assaulting him.
The massive spiritual waves made Xu Tianxi involuntarily groan, furrowing his brows tightly as his body tensed up.
The Evil Eye's soul energy impact didn't affect his body much, but this spiritual force was really tough to endure.
Nearby, Xu Xiaoyun slightly relaxed. As long as Tianxi could endure this fiercest first impact, things would be much easier afterward. Tianxi did not disappoint him.
At that moment, Xu Xiaoyun's peripheral vision caught sight of Xu Sanshi, who stared blankly with his mouth wide open, looking utterly terrified.
"How can a spiritual-type soul master possibly have this kind of combat strength? This is unfair..."
Xu Sanshi's eyes went black; he thought he must be dreaming.
"Xiaofu?"
"Here."
"Sanshi is tired. Let him sleep a little longer. Call him back after Tianxi finishes absorbing the soul ring."
"Got it."