With a faint smile, Xiao Changfeng rose from his seat. His figure flashed, and in an instant, he stood a hundred meters away from Xu Tianxi, hands clasped behind his back. His flowing robe stirred like ripples in the air, exuding an ethereal elegance.
"Alright then, Master Uncle, be careful!"
Xu Tianxi leapt down from the pavilion. A yellow and a purple soul ring rose into the air—his soul rings.
As his Phantom Moon Mystic Eye activated, silver ripples gathered in his eyes, a glowing mark lit up on his brow, and a pale moon took shape behind his head, casting down its cold radiance.
Without a word, he stomped the ground and shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. When he was only a few meters from Xiao Changfeng, he suddenly drove a punch forward from his waist.
At the same time, the moon behind him shifted—a shadow of black light bloomed, spreading across its surface like a lunar eclipse. A sense of danger surged forth as Xu Tianxi's fist radiated a black, vortex-like glow.
"A mutation of the martial soul... This seems to be an early-stage fusion of spiritual and soul power? Remarkable talent."
A flash of surprise crossed Xiao Changfeng's eyes. His right hand, which had been calmly folded behind his back, flipped forward in a blur and met Xu Tianxi's punch head-on.
For someone of his level, standing still and taking the blow directly would have posed no risk. But he chose to return the strike—to better understand the attack and to show full respect.
Bang!
Fists collided.
Xu Tianxi felt as though his hand had slammed into an indestructible divine iron. Xiao Changfeng's punch appeared unremarkable but carried an unstoppable force that numbed Xu Tianxi's entire arm. He stumbled backward over ten meters before he could steady himself.
Xiao Changfeng glanced at the scuffed, uneven ground, eyes shining with approval.
"That punch was no joke. A typical Soul Elder using a thousand-year soul skill wouldn't take it so easily. Has Master already taught you the battle art Divine Beast Astral Manifestation?"
"Divine Beast Astral Manifestation? What's that?" Xu Tianxi blinked. "Master never taught me anything like that… I didn't even use the Xuanming Turtle Shell Shield."
"You haven't? Then where did that punch come from?"
Seeing Xu Tianxi's confusion, Xiao Changfeng teleported before him in a swirl of mist, expression growing more curious.
"I was just trying to mimic Master's Xuanwu projection when he fought the Tongtian Baxia Ancestor. My Phantom Moon Martial Soul can reflect lunar images, so I thought I'd try using that principle. The more I thought about it, the more I drifted into deep meditation… and then I just… threw the punch."
Xu Tianxi scratched his head, sheepish.
Xiao Changfeng's mouth twitched ever so slightly.
Wait… You're telling me you randomly watched a battle, thought about it for a bit, and slipped into a deep meditative state… and actually created a fused soul-and-spirit technique?!
When did deep meditation become so easy?!
He couldn't help but sigh in disbelief.
He himself had only entered deep meditation a few rare times across decades of cultivation—and not for the first time until he reached Soul Elder level. Now this junior just… walked right into it?
And not only that—he'd witnessed a top-tier battle, gained enlightenment, and came out swinging with a fusion technique that even surprised him.
"Well…" Xu Tianxi chuckled awkwardly. "It kind of just worked. You're my senior—got any advice?"
"Advice?" Xiao Changfeng exhaled. "Train more. Observe more. Keep studying the moon's phases and their changes. And fight more. Learn to find the perfect balance between spirit and soul force. You've opened a path—now you need to walk it well."
"Master's signature technique, Divine Beast Astral Manifestation, is the Xuanwu projection you saw. Since you've got the talent, I'll pass on its foundations. It should help you."
"That sounds a bit vague," Xu Tianxi frowned. "Can you break it down more?"
"From what I saw, your punch embedded both spirit and soul power into the moonlight projection of your martial soul. And the moon's phase changed—it was a total lunar eclipse, right?"
Xiao Changfeng closed his eyes, recalling the moment of the strike. The lunar eclipse transformed Xu Tianxi's punch into a swirling vortex of soul and spirit force. It had delivered both spiritual and physical impact—and its might approached that of a Soul Ancestor.
Even discounting the mental damage, the raw force alone rivaled a thousand-year soul skill—an impressive feat for a spirit-type control soul master, considered the weakest in physical combat.
Only one explanation: Xu Tianxi had developed his martial soul far beyond his current level, touching on its true origin—the essence. Even if it was just the tip of the iceberg, it was extraordinary.
Kong Xiyue had walked this path too, Xiao thought. But she was a Soul Ancestor at the time, older than Xu Tianxi, and had Master's direct guidance. This boy's done it all on his own…
"Yup. I read about how powerful moon-based soul skills involve lunar phases—waxing, waning, blood moons, illusions. Star-type martial souls can also channel celestial power. That's where I got the idea," Xu Tianxi said simply.
"Smart." Xiao Changfeng nodded. "Any other concepts you're working on?"
"Yeah. For example, splitting the moon into crescents for cutting power—watch this."
Swoosh—
The full moon behind him split into three crescent moons. Xu Tianxi formed his palm into a blade and sliced three times—a tree fell into four clean pieces.
Xiao Changfeng's eye twitched.
Alright. That's more than reasonable, but still impressive…
"Not bad. Sharpness on par with a weapon-type Soul Elder. What else?"
"This is Illusory Moon. It enhances the hypnotic effect of my second soul skill. Take a look."
He activated Mirror Flowers, Water Moon, and his body vanished into the illusion.
"Excellent… Any more?"
"This one's Flash Moon. It strengthens my first soul skill."
With that, his first ring lit up, and the lunar projection condensed into two beams of icy white light—like lightning—which pierced a massive boulder, leaving two gleaming holes.
Boom—
Cracks spread outward from the holes, and the whole boulder soon shattered. Even Xiao Changfeng could sense a biting cold deep within the stone.
"I have a hunch this form might let me use Cold Moon Stare later… but my control isn't there yet."
Xu Tianxi picked up a chilled stone fragment, fascinated.
Behind him, Xiao Changfeng was speaking into a soul communicator.
"Master Uncle, what are you doing?" Xu asked.
"I'm having them build you a proper Moon Observation Platform and ordering some high-grade soul tools—like a level 7+ star observatory lens and a light-condensing tool. If I'd known your martial soul was this special, I would've gotten them ages ago."
"Level 7 and up? That's hard to get, isn't it?"
"I have contacts in the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy. I just bought some gear from them. These aren't combat tools, so they're easier to obtain. If they won't cooperate, I'll just post a bounty on the black market."
...Who the heck is this "contact" that dares to smuggle gear right under Jing Hongchen's nose? Xu Tianxi wondered. Still, he just bowed and said:
"Thank you, Master Uncle."
No need to dig too deep into elder affairs. When he got to the Sun Moon Empire, he'd find out. And if this "bad apple" was really leaking high-end soul tools—well, that could be useful.
"It's nothing." Xiao waved it off, but then turned solemn.
"Your martial soul is the most exceptional I've ever seen. You must not waste this gift."
"After Rank 30, Ultimate Martial Souls slow down. You must break through to Rank 30 in three years. Once you do, I'll take you to get your third soul ring."
"Understood."
Xu Tianxi nodded, then asked:
"Master Uncle, how exactly am I supposed to enter the Sun Moon Empire? I can't just say 'I'm here to avenge my mother,' can I?"
"Of course not," Xiao said, a sly smile playing on his lips.
"Right after your martial soul awakened, Master set some things in motion. Officially, your innate soul power was reported as only Level 7, and your martial soul as a basic Moon Shadow."
"Also, by now, rumors should be spreading that the 'Third Young Master of the Xuanming Sect ran away from home with an old servant'…"
"Ran away from home?!" Xu Tianxi blinked.
"Exactly. When word spreads, certain people will be very happy to hear it."
Xiao's eyes turned cold as he gazed toward Shrek City, his voice dropping into a growl.
"There's something Master never told you. Two years ago, not long after your martial soul awakened, he and your father discovered that Yan Shaozhe had secretly contacted Xue Lingxun, your stepmother, encouraging her to find every allowable way to make things difficult for you."
"Xue Lingxun is clever. She just gave you some toys and brushed it off. Master buried the matter and started quietly spreading the rumor that you were 'unfavored' in the sect—all for this very moment."
Xu Tianxi lowered his head, silent for a while. Then, his gaze turned icy.
His brows lifted, and his eyes gleamed like sharpened blades.
"Yan Shaozhe… one day, I will kill you.
I am still young. But when I grow strong… the world will change."