On a wide stone platform deep within the Xuanming Sect, an utterly bizarre scene was unfolding:
Xu Tianxi, who had not yet obtained even a single soul ring, was throwing punches with astonishing speed and strength, chasing down and beating up Xu Sanshi, who was already a Rank 24 Grand Soul Master, making the older youth howl in protest.
Despite living for over two hundred years, Xu Xiaoyun had never witnessed anything quite like this. Fortunately, his sharp insight quickly allowed him to discern the situation:
Xu Tianxi had consumed a powerful tonic and was receiving support from outside the arena, while Xu Sanshi's strength had been deliberately suppressed. He wasn't using any soul skills and was relying solely on his Xuanwu Turtle Shield—without its water element enhancement—to defend himself.
Beneath the platform, a Soul Emperor stood quietly. Six soul rings—white, yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black—circled beneath his feet. He was operating a rare healing-type Soul Tool, and each time blood seeped from Xu Tianxi's fists after striking the shield, a beam of green healing light would shoot out to restore him.
With this kind of high-level external support, Xu Tianxi could strike as he pleased, without worrying about soul power consumption or physical strain.
Xu Sanshi's Martial Soul, the Xuanwu Turtle, was being hard-countered under these conditions, limiting his performance to perhaps fifty or sixty percent. Given this imbalance, the one-sided scene made sense.
Clearly, the fight had been going on for a while. Xu Sanshi's soul power was nearly drained, while Xu Tianxi remained energetic and tireless. No wonder he was begging for mercy.
But even so...
"Xu Sanshi has already absorbed two soul rings, and his body has been tempered by soul power. His physical condition should be far superior to Tianxi's. Just what kind of potent supplement did Tianxi take to match up to him like this—and still be this vigorous?"
Xu Xiaoyun's brow furrowed as he pondered. In a blur of motion, he appeared behind Xu Fu and the Moon Elder, speaking coldly:
"I was only away briefly. What exactly have you two done?"
Sweating profusely, Xu Fu stiffened and gave a forced smile as he tried to explain:
"Nothing serious, really. We just fed Tianxi some oceanic tonics..."
The Moon Elder bowed deeply and gave a more honest account:
"Reporting to Ancestor Xu: as per Young Master's instructions, we stewed a tonic soup for the Little Young Master using a blend of rare supplements, including Millennium Whale Rubber. Not long after he drank it, he started feeling hot and powerful. The Young Master thought he needed to let off steam, so he called in Second Young Master for some sparring."
Xu Xiaoyun's eyes turned icy as he glared at Xu Fu:
"Millennium Whale Rubber? Isn't that explicitly banned for disciples under fifteen? Xu Fu, care to explain?"
Millennium Whale Rubber was a top-tier body-strengthening material that significantly improved physical stats and increased a soul master's capacity for higher-aged soul rings by around 500 years. But it also had intense yang energy and aphrodisiac properties. Disciples of the Xuanming Sect were required to maintain pure yang bodies before their second Martial Soul awakening.
Even ignoring that risk, Xu Tianxi practiced a spirit-type innate Martial Soul. His main concern when absorbing a soul ring was not body durability, but whether his spiritual sea could endure the mental shock.
This was recklessness!
Xu Fu's face twitched uncontrollably. Under Xu Xiaoyun's powerful aura, he mumbled:
"I-I just wanted to give the kid something good... I had this piece of Whale Rubber I picked up by the coast a few days ago, so I stewed it for him. But look, everything turned out fine, didn't it?"
"He's been fighting Sanshi for two hours and he's still going strong! In fact, I even sensed that his spiritual power has increased a bit during the fight. The tonic's effects seem to have permeated deeply..."
Xu Xiaoyun looked back toward the platform.
There, Xu Tianxi looked like a berserker. His fists pounded relentlessly against the Xuanwu Turtle Shield, forcing Xu Sanshi back again and again. The skin between Xu Sanshi's thumb and index finger had begun to tear from the impact.
The healing Soul Tool activated once again, and green light flashed to mend the injury.
Only for the beatdown to continue…
Clang! Clang!
Two fierce punches pushed Xu Sanshi back three steps. Xu Tianxi raised his voice and shouted with all seriousness:
"Second Brother! As defense-type Soul Masters, our most important traits are endurance and willpower!"
"Only by withstanding the enemy's attacks again and again can we find a chance to counterattack. You must hold on!"
"Tianxi, you're worse than that bastard Bei Bei when it comes to running your mouth! Easy for you to say—you're not the one taking all the hits! Ahh, not another punch!"
Having been dragged from bed and pummeled for almost two hours straight, Xu Sanshi was already sore all over. Hearing these words, he was furious.
If he could use his soul skills, he would have knocked Tianxi unconscious with Xuanwu Tremor long ago! But right now, he was just a living punching bag.
Without soul skills, a Grand Soul Master's combat ability wasn't much greater than a trained adult. And with Xu Tianxi's ferocity, he was nothing more than a stationary target.
But Xu Tianxi didn't care. He felt invincible. Each punch was thrilling, blood surged through his veins, and—most importantly—his opponent was his brother, someone he didn't have to worry about hurting.
So why hold back? Just keep swinging!
His eyes gleamed like blades, glowing with aggressive spirit. His fists struck like hammers, and he even threw in the occasional sweeping kick. To an outside observer, he looked more like a power-type Soul Master than a spiritual one.
"Actually... it might be fine after all. As long as he's burning off the tonic through combat, there shouldn't be a problem."
Watching the passionate "exchange" on the platform, Xu Xiaoyun found himself nodding slightly. His gaze sharpened, lips curling into a small smile.
Xu Fu noticed and quickly stepped forward, eager to share more:
"Great-Grandfather, you won't believe this—last night while Tianxi was sleeping, the crescent mark on his forehead started absorbing moonlight on its own. In the air, it even projected a halo of spiritual and soul power intertwining!"
"I observed carefully for a long time and am sure this is a sign unique to celestial-type Martial Souls. After that one night, his spiritual power noticeably increased."
Xu Xiaoyun turned sharply:
"Absorbing moonlight to cultivate spiritual power?"
"Yes! I watched it all night—no mistake!" Xu Fu affirmed confidently.
"Marvelous…"
Xu Xiaoyun's eyes narrowed in delight.
He'd thought Xu Sanshi—blessed by the Xuanwu bloodline—was already the peak genius of their generation. He never imagined his younger brother would be even more monstrous.
"Judging from Tianxi's current state, he might even be able to absorb a Millennium Soul Ring... The Evil Eye I caught is just below that, but it's top-quality. We won't find a better match."
"Hup—hah!"
On the platform, Xu Tianxi recalled a move from an old martial arts video he had seen in a previous life. A sudden explosive punch struck the edge of the turtle shield, sending Xu Sanshi flying like a kite with a snapped string. Failing to disperse the impact, he crashed to the ground.
Xu Tianxi pounced instantly. After another 15 minutes of wrestling, he finally overpowered his older brother, forcing his Martial Soul to retreat and rendering him unable to fight.
Victory: Rank 10 Soul Scholar Xu Tianxi defeats Rank 24 Grand Soul Master Xu Sanshi (with restricted soul skill usage)!
"Whoa, Tianxi's got some great instincts! Two hours of fighting, and he's already figured out a solid power technique?"
Xu Xiaoyun's eyes lit up once again. His great-grandson was truly a genius.
"Heh, members of the Body Sect are always bragging about how their Martial Souls contain ancient mysteries and unparalleled comprehension. After two hours of sparring, developing a basic technique is no big deal."
Xu Fu chuckled. Compared to Tianxi absorbing moonlight for spiritual cultivation, this was minor.
"Exactly. Now's the perfect time for him to absorb his first soul ring while he's still fired up."
Xu Xiaoyun, knowing full well that the Body Sect's combat techniques were peerless on the continent, waved his hand. Twin streams of soul power lifted the two sweat-drenched brothers down from the platform.
"Whew~ Great-Grandfather, you finally came! Any later and your grandson would've dropped dead…"
Xu Sanshi ran over and latched onto Xu Xiaoyun's leg like a lifeline.
Two hours! Nobody knew what kind of hell he'd just endured. Tianxi was like a wild beast!
"His Martial Soul is… wait, what was it again?" Xu Sanshi blinked. "Isn't it the Xuanwu Turtle too?"
Just as he was about to start ranting about how unfair it was that he didn't get the same tonics, Xu Xiaoyun waved his hand, and with a loud plop, a strange, orb-like creature landed on the ground.
Xu Sanshi stared at it—then jumped.
It was a giant silver eyeball, with two writhing tentacles!
"That's an Evil Eye soul beast from the Sun Moon Empire! Great-Grandfather, why'd you bring this thing?"
"To give your little brother his first soul ring."
Xu Xiaoyun replied casually, then gestured for Tianxi to come forward. His eyes gleamed kindly.
"Tianxi, this is a pure spiritual-type Evil Eye, captured from the Evil Demon Forest. It carries the bloodline of the Evil Eye Tyrant, making it a top-grade variant. Its cultivation age is a little over 600 years."
"Your innate spiritual power surpasses that of most Grand Soul Masters. Based on my judgment, you should be able to withstand the soul shock upon its death. I was only worried about your physical body—but now, there's no problem. Kill it and begin absorption."
"The Evil Eye bloodline grants numerous innate soul skills—all of them top-tier spirit-type. There's no better match for you."
"Understood. Thank you, Ancestor."
Xu Tianxi bowed with glowing eyes. Then he drew a Grade 6 melee-type Soul Tool—a broadsword—and cleaved the Evil Eye in half.
As expected, the powerful Soul Tool ended the beast instantly.
The bisected eyeball twitched briefly, then went still. A silver halo of spirit power floated upward, and a brilliant golden-yellow soul ring began forming over the corpse.
Inside the ring shimmered flecks of silver light—evidence of the Evil Eye's noble bloodline.
"Sit down, calm your mind, and use your Illusory Moon Mystic Eye to sense it. Channel your soul power to guide the soul ring onto your body. Just endure the pressure."
Xu Xiaoyun's voice was calm but serious. His palm glowed black, ready to act at a moment's notice.
"Yes, sir."
Xu Tianxi nodded, sat cross-legged, and summoned the soul ring toward himself. He closed his eyes, eager.
"My first soul ring… Let's see what it feels like to absorb one."
"Whoooosh—"
The soul ring descended.
In an instant, a storm of madness and hatred flooded through his Illusory Moon Mystic Eye, pouring into him like a dam had burst. The spiritual shock hit like a tidal wave.
A low groan escaped Xu Tianxi's lips. His body tensed, brows furrowed tightly.
While the soul power itself wasn't much of a threat to his body, the spiritual force was utterly overwhelming.
Xu Xiaoyun let out a slow breath. As long as Tianxi could survive this first wild surge, everything after would be smooth. He hadn't disappointed so far.
Then his gaze flicked toward Xu Sanshi—who now stood frozen, mouth agape, expression like he'd seen a ghost.
"A spirit-type Soul Master… has this kind of combat power? That's insane..."
Xu Sanshi's vision darkened. He felt like he must be dreaming.
"Little Fu."
"Yes, sir?"
"Sanshi's exhausted. Let him sleep a bit. Wake him once Tianxi finishes absorbing his ring."
"Understood."