Outside Tianhui Canyon, Zhu Ziyang sat silently as he absorbed the soul ring.
A torrent of soul power poured out from the soul ring, rushing violently through Zhu Ziyang's meridians. His own soul power formed layers of barriers, intercepting, absorbing, and assimilating the incoming force again and again. His expanded meridians absorbed it steadily, delivering the energy through his blood to the rest of his body, gradually strengthening his physique.
Mixed with the turbulent soul power was a stream of gray energy—this was the power of death contained in the White Bone Scythe Fiend's bloodline. Under Zhu Ziyang's intentional guidance through his martial soul, it separated from the soul power and flowed toward his Middle Palace acupoint.
The absorption process was smooth. The soul ring was refined successfully, and the death attribute bloodline energy was completely absorbed by the Radiant Scythe within his Middle Palace. Only after confirming this did Zhu Ziyang breathe a sigh of relief and begin fully refining the soul power.
Outside, Zhu Changhe was surprised to see a strange phenomenon occurring during his son's soul ring absorption—Zhu Ziyang's body emitted a faint golden glow, surrounded by a border of gray mist. It was unusual and inexplicable.
Though puzzled, Zhu Changhe didn't panic. He simply waited in anticipation to see what changes would result once Zhu Ziyang finished absorbing the soul ring.
By the time the process concluded, it was already around three or four in the afternoon.
Zhu Ziyang opened his eyes, joy flashing within them. Without hesitation, he summoned his martial soul. A pale yellow soul ring flickered behind him, but his attention was fully focused on the weapon in his hand.
A brand new Radiant Scythe had appeared. The snow-white scythe was 1.6 meters long, engraved with faint golden yet incomplete runes along its handle. A spherical pommel, slightly wider than the handle and carved with a skull, was added to the tail end.
The right-side blade of the scythe had become even sharper and shinier. It now featured an outer edge blade in addition to the original inner edge, allowing for more versatile combat styles.
The secondary blade, still a ring shape, had increased in size and its cutting edge now extended to half a circle, resembling a small axe.
The spear tip at the top of the scythe had also become more prominent—once just a pointed design, it now had the form of a true rhombic spearhead. If not for the attached blade, it would've looked like a formidable silver lance. The faint skull on the blade had darkened, standing out sharply against the pure white body of the scythe.
"What's this…" Zhu Changhe looked over, surprise filling his eyes.
"I did it, Dad!" Zhu Ziyang's eyes gleamed with delight. "I'm officially a soul master now!"
"Excellent!" Zhu Changhe smiled broadly. Seeing the yellow soul ring floating behind his son filled him with pride and satisfaction. He momentarily forgot about the abnormal changes in the martial soul and urged, "Quick, try out your soul skill."
"Okay!" Zhu Ziyang nodded and closed his eyes, focusing entirely on sensing the ability the soul ring had granted.
After a short moment, he opened his eyes, stepped forward, and swung the Radiant Scythe in a powerful arc. The yellow soul ring behind him pulsed with light.
In that instant, a grayish-white, cross-shaped blade of energy shot forward, slicing through a giant tree in the distance—one so thick it would take four or five people to encircle. The tree split neatly into four pieces, and the blade energy etched a one-meter-wide cross-shaped scar into the ground beyond.
First Soul Skill: Death Blade!
By infusing the Radiant Scythe with death energy, it unleashes a destructive blade of energy forward.
Zhu Ziyang stared at the damage, calculating internally. This attack consumed about one-ninth of his total soul power. Not bad in terms of power, but the key lay in its special effect.
He approached the cleaved tree and examined the severed area. The grayish-white hue at the wound slowly spread, visibly draining the tree's vitality.
This was the unique effect of Death Blade—life drain.
It stripped the vitality from anything it struck, accelerating decay and death.
Though it resembled the dark methods of evil soul masters, this technique represented the purest use of death-type power. Unlike evil soul masters who crudely devoured life force, this ability was both refined and controlled—capable of suppressing such enemies.
Most importantly, Zhu Ziyang could choose whether to activate the life drain. If he wanted the Death Blade to drain life, it would; if not, it wouldn't. That level of control made it incredibly versatile.
"Not bad at all." Zhu Ziyang smiled to himself. "This soul ring was absolutely worth it. Not only did I get a powerful soul skill, but I've also completed the death attribute of the Radiant Scythe. Now it's truly a martial soul of both light and death."
He was excited. A martial soul bearing both high-level elements—Light and Death—was undoubtedly superior to a pure light-element soul. But he worried slightly... would others mistake him for an evil soul master because of the death element?
His eyes glinted with thought.
"Such destructive force!" Zhu Changhe approached with shock in his eyes. "That was your first soul skill?"
"Yes! Isn't it awesome?" Zhu Ziyang replied proudly.
"It's very impressive. But... why is it a blade attack? As far as I know, Scythe Fiends don't possess that kind of skill." Zhu Changhe looked puzzled.
"Ordinary Scythe Fiends don't. But this one was different." Zhu Ziyang explained, "It was a mutated Scythe Fiend. I read about them—White Bone Scythe Fiends possess the death attribute and can unleash death slashes. That's why I gained this skill."
"Death attribute?!" Zhu Changhe was stunned. He looked at his son with concern. "You absorbed a soul ring with death energy? Are you alright?"
"Relax, Dad. Let me explain." Zhu Ziyang reassured him.
"Alright then." Zhu Changhe forced himself to calm down and listened closely.
"My Radiant Scythe has both light and death attributes," Zhu Ziyang said. "That's why I could absorb the White Bone Scythe Fiend's soul ring."
"What!" Zhu Changhe's expression turned complex—less shocked and more like a revelation. He muttered, "So Grandpa was right after all… I never thought it could be true…"
"Huh?" Zhu Ziyang blinked, confused.
"Your great-grandfather once told me that his own grandfather—our Zhu clan's first soul master—had a martial soul with both light and death attributes. I thought it was a joke, but it turns out it was real." Zhu Changhe said emotionally.
"So that's the origin!" Zhu Ziyang finally understood.
"Yes." Zhu Changhe looked excited. "Your martial soul must be a throwback! The Zhu clan is going to rise again!"
"Don't worry, Dad. With me around, our Zhu family will become the strongest in the continent!" Zhu Ziyang declared, his youthful face brimming with fearless confidence.
"Good!" Zhu Changhe didn't dampen his son's enthusiasm and smiled proudly. "Our mission is complete. Let's hurry home and give your mother the good news."
"Let's go!" Zhu Ziyang cheered.
Father and son began the journey home.
Now that Zhu Ziyang was officially a soul master, their travel speed had noticeably improved. The journey that took three days coming out only took two days going back.
So on the evening of the sixth day, they returned to Beihe Village.
"Honey, we're home!" Zhu Changhe shouted as they entered the house.
"Ah—Ziyang! So? What soul ring and soul skill did you get?" Liang Ying dashed out of the room and immediately hugged her son, excitement written all over her face.
"Ugh... Let Dad tell you. I'm going to bathe—I haven't had one in six days. I feel awful." Zhu Ziyang said, face full of urgency.
"Alright then." Liang Ying was a little disappointed, but she let her son go. However, that meant trouble for Zhu Changhe.
Liang Ying grabbed her husband's arm tightly to prevent him from escaping. Her voice had a blend of firmness and coquettishness as she said, "You tell me!"
Zhu Changhe could only nod helplessly.
(End of Chapter)
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