The morning sun brushed Bai Yunfei's face, gently rousing him.
Sitting up on the bed, his head throbbed with a nauseating ache. He'd never touched alcohol before. That he'd made it back to his room and slept through the night was a miracle.
After minutes of groggy recovery, he rubbed his temples, muttering, "How did I get back? I only remember... drinking a jug of wine, then... nothing. Is this a hangover? How do I make it stop?"
As the thought formed, a strange energy surged within him. Warmth flooded his limbs—like sinking into a hot bath. He nearly moaned in relief.
When the sensation faded, his discomfort had vanished. He felt alarmingly alert.
"This..." Bai Yunfei shook his head in disbelief. A profound awareness dawned—something unique existed deep within him, beyond flesh, rooted in his soul...
"Could it be...?" He raised his right hand, staring at the Spatial Ring. With fierce concentration, he willed himself to command that mysterious presence.
Finally, energy flowed down his arm and into the ring. A space unfolded in his mind.
A five-meter cube held three scroll-like objects and a spear, all floating in emptiness.
"It's true! This energy... is soul power!"
He tried summoning the spear. An alien force repelled him. The first scroll resisted too. The second—he focused—and a gray scroll materialized in his palm. The third remained locked.
Bai Yunfei studied the scroll: palm-length, two fingers thick. Its material blurred between cloth and leather. No opening seam. Strange, intricate symbols covered its surface.
"Sealed... Does it need soul power?"
He channeled a wisp of energy into it. Chaos erupted in his mind. Information flooded his consciousness. He shut his eyes, steadying himself, absorbing the torrent.
"Soul Cultivation Art"
The foundational method to grow and restore soul power.
Soul and body are inseparable. Soul commands the body; the body nourishes the soul. Soul dwells within flesh. Only Soul Masters perceive and control this force...
Three Initial Realms of Soul Masters:
Soul Apprentice — Controls skin and muscleSoul Warrior — Controls bone and bloodSoul Soldier — Controls meridians and acupoints
Soul Apprentice Chapter...
Much later, Bai Yunfei opened his eyes. "Only the skin-muscle control method for the Apprentice realm... But I sensed deeper knowledge—Warrior and Soldier realms. Is it locked because I'm just an early-stage Apprentice?"
He rose and walked to a stack of six bricks in the corner. Focusing, he clenched his right fist.
Slowly, the skin and muscles of his arm began to ripple. Skin tightened like leather; muscles swelled. His right arm thickened, dwarfing the left, pulsing with raw power.
"Hah!"
He punched the brick stack.
BOOM!
The explosion shook the room. Dust rained from the ceiling.
"Hey! What are you doing to my house?! I swear, if you've damaged it—" The door slammed open. A mustached man stormed in—then froze.
His eyes locked on Bai Yunfei's monstrous arm, the fist dusted red with brick powder, and the crumbled ruins at his feet.
"You... uh... carry on..." The landlord backed out, bowing nervously. "No disturbances..."
Bai Yunfei barely registered him.
"Just basic skin-muscle control... yet it multiplied my strength tenfold." He stared at the debris, then inward at his faint but tangible soul power. Excitement ignited. "I've become a Soul Master! One step closer to vengeance..."
He cleaned the room, ate sparingly, then returned to the bed. After experimenting, he stored his remaining bricks, daggers, and coins inside the Spatial Ring.
He adored this little marvel. Pure convenience.
Ring in hand, he focused: "Enhance."
Enhancement Succeeded.
Equipment Tier: Advanced
Enhancement Level: +6
Bonus Attribute: Strength +19
Enhancement Cost: 12 Soul Points
"Soul Points ARE soul power!" The familiar drain struck—but now he recognized it. The energy flowing out was his cultivated soul force.
He enhanced relentlessly (one failure among successes).
Equipment Tier: Advanced
Enhancement Level: +8
Bonus Attribute: Strength +33
Enhancement Cost: 16 Soul Points
He stopped. "Common daggers shatter beyond +8. Would this ring? I can't risk it..."
His soul power felt depleted. He enhanced a dagger to +8, consuming half his reserves.
Halting, Bai Yunfei cycled his soul power through the pathways described in the "Soul Cultivation Art", replenishing it.
When fully restored, he pushed further, feeling the energy grow thread by thread.
Moonlight silvered the floor when he finally opened his eyes.
"Soul Points = Soul Power. Restored and amplified through cultivation..." He flicked the ring. Daggers appeared in his palm. "If so... my power can be quantified. Time to measure."
Hours later...
Enhancement Failed.
Equipment Destroyed.
"Damn it! Failed again! Reaching +10 is brutal!" He shook his spinning head. "This is my limit... 219 Soul Points used."
"Enhance."
...
Bai Yunfei's first act upon waking was checking his soul power.
"It grew!" Though anticipated, confirmation made him tremble.
Exhausting Soul Points via enhancement increased his reserves.
The implication stunned him: While other Soul Masters relied solely on cultivation, he had a shortcut. A path only he could walk.
Calming his racing heart, he analyzed the data: "219 Soul Points drained to exhaustion. That first night... enhancing one brick emptied me. Roughly 60 points—maybe 70. I was physically and spiritually weak then. So... a robust ordinary person? Around 100 points."
"Enhancement Technique, "Soul Cultivation Art", skin-muscle control... So much to explore..."
For ten days, Bai Yunfei lived like a hermit—eating, sleeping, occasional supply runs—devoting every moment to cultivation and research. His discoveries multiplied.
First: Soul Power.
Exhausting it nightly granted ≈10 extra points each dawn. His reserves now exceeded 300—mid-stage Soul Apprentice.
Ten days. Early to mid-stage. Any other Soul Master hearing this would smash their head against a wall in despair.
Second: Body Control.
With soaring soul power, he prioritized mastering skin-muscle manipulation. Letting control lag behind strength was dangerous.
Now, channeling full power:
Punch force, speed, leap height ≈ 10x an ordinary human'sDefense (skin density) ≈ 10x
He neared the absolute physical limit achievable without soul power.
Third: Enhancement Technique.
After exhaustive tests, he grasped its basics:
Attack Objects (swords, stones, etc.): Display "Attack Power." Enhancement adds bonus damage.Defense Objects (clothing, armor): Show "Defense." Regular fabrics offer 1-2 points; enhancement barely helps.Accessories (rings, necklaces): Randomly gain one of four attributes:Strength (common)Stamina (common)Agility (common)Spirit (extremely rare — boosts Soul Power itself!)
He'd enhanced dozens. Only one gained "Spirit"—and it shattered later.
Equipment Tiers:
Only his Spatial Ring was "Advanced." Everything else: "Common."
Common items:
+8 max before destruction riskBonus attributes minimal (e.g., +3 Strength)Shatter long before +10
On the tenth day, Bai Yunfei ended his seclusion.
The reason was simple:
"I'm broke..."