Encounter

Zhou You put the idea into action.

He immediately dismissed his Martial Soul, paying particular attention to the Soul Power that scattered when it dissolved. Rather than returning to nature, it entered his body.

That meant this portion of Soul Power had already been refined, but it did not settle in his Lower Dantian.

Zhou You tracked it throughout the process, but because the Soul Power was too dispersed, he could only make a rough judgment: it ultimately spread into the flesh and tissues throughout his body, like rain and dew falling on everything alike.

Through Inner Vision alone, Zhou You had a hard time discerning exactly where the Soul Power ended up.

He realized that the alternative path of cultivation known as the "Martial Soul" and the Qi Refiner system were two entirely different fields. They should be documented and studied separately.

What the Inner Vision Method could accurately observe was the Inner Circulating Qi System, comprising the Meridians, Acupoints, and Three Dantians. It was far less effective at observing specific flesh and tissues.

But when he summoned his Martial Soul again and actively mobilized the Acquired Qi in his body to assist it, he was finally able to directly "see" the entire process of the Martial Soul forming from nothing.

Yet even after the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella had fully materialized again, he still struggled to understand the principles behind it.

It was like watching a cell phone being assembled with his own eyes, except he couldn't see any of the other physical objects involved in its manufacture. The whole process was like a supernatural incident...

A Martial Soul constructed from Qi seemed no different from one made of Soul Power on the surface, but their strength was worlds apart.

Moreover, his mental connection to it was much closer, as though it were an extension of his own limbs. Unlike before, he no longer felt somewhat unfamiliar with his Martial Soul.

Holding the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella, he thumped it against the ground a few times. Just as in the Spirit Hall, he had clearly used little force, yet he smashed a shallow pit into the ground.

It weighed heavily on the scales but lightly in his hand; he lifted a great weight as though it were nothing.

Understanding dawned on Zhou You. The Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella was almost weightless to him, but in the physical world, its actual weight was no less than sixty kilograms, making it a heavy weapon.

If only he had learned the Object Manipulation Technique in his previous life. Zhou You couldn't help regretting it; he had a feeling that the technique might be very useful for studying Martial Souls.

He had only learned the Iron Umbrella Sect's Transformation of Objects and could use a few simple sword Qi techniques.

"It seems my 'observation' method still needs improvement." Zhou You rubbed the spot between his eyebrows, feeling that the effort had taken a considerable mental toll.

Just "looking" was this strenuous. He had no idea how much work it would take to study it in depth.

But Zhou You was not one to give up easily. He rested for a while and replenished his depleted mental strength through quiet cultivation, then prepared to "look" again.

Just then, Feidian, who had been playing at catching butterflies nearby, suddenly pricked up both ears and rose onto all fours, standing upright like a person as he stared into the depths of the wild bamboo grove.

Seeing this, Zhou You immediately put aside what he had planned.

Feidian had always been alert and wouldn't take such a stance for no reason. He must have discovered something.

Before long, Feidian dropped back to the ground. His four limbs moved, and he darted away at high speed, like a shadow flying along the ground.

Zhou You considered for a moment, then picked up the Heaven- and Earth-Harmonizing Umbrella and followed.

Feidian was far faster than him. Even though Zhou You had already used a movement technique to lighten his body and leap forward, he couldn't catch the slightest glimpse of Feidian.

He could only track him by the traces he left behind.

Now Zhou You truly suspected that Feidian was a lightning marten, and that his age might not be low, either.

Judging a Soul Beast's age depended mainly on a Soul Master's perception and experience. Zhou You's perception was adequate, but he lacked the relevant experience and couldn't determine Feidian's exact age.

It wasn't as if the little creature displayed a number outright.

After running for over ten minutes, Zhou You realized he had ventured rather deep. He had left the bamboo grove behind, and more and more tall trees were appearing around him.

He was already approaching the core area of the Jincheng Mountains.

The Jincheng Mountains weren't a gathering place for Soul Beasts, though. Most of the creatures here were ordinary wild animals, so Zhou You wasn't too worried.

But he was soon proven wrong.

He took a leap and landed on a branch of a pine tree. Looking down, he saw Feidian straining mightily against something.

The little white marten's front paws whirled like wheels of wind and fire as he frantically clawed at a gray "rock" on the ground, sparks flying from his claws.

Zhou You looked closer and saw that the head-sized object was no rock, but some kind of creature covered in scales.

He had only ever seen that kind of body and overlapping, tile-like scales on a pangolin before.

Animals covered in scales like this would curl themselves into a ball when danger approached, protecting themselves with the "armor" on their bodies.

Did Feidian hunt other animals besides eating Herbal Pills and mice?

Seeing him rush off in such a hurry, Zhou You had thought the little fellow had found something good.

As he grumbled inwardly, he suddenly caught sight of the "rock" glowing out of the corner of his eye.

A faint light shone through the gaps in its scales, blinking rhythmically like a breathing light, but Zhou You only felt that something was wrong.

He was just about to warn Feidian, but it was already too late.

The next moment, the ground went bang, as though a landmine had exploded. The powerful tremor could be distinctly felt even in the pine tree where Zhou You stood.

Zhou You's eyes widened as he saw a shockwave visible to the naked eye erupt from the "rock." Feidian, who was closest to it, was blasted away on the spot and flung more than ten meters.

"That's a Soul Beast!" Zhou You finally understood. The creature Feidian had set his sights on wasn't an ordinary animal, but a Soul Beast.

The little white marten bounced several times on the ground more than ten meters away. Dazed for a while, he struggled for quite some time before getting back up.

He didn't look seriously hurt, but his limbs were trembling a little and he couldn't stand very steadily. He had apparently taken a hard fall and was still somewhat muddled.

Seeing that Feidian was all right, Zhou You felt relieved and turned back to the Soul Beast.

The Soul Beast uncurled its body. To Zhou You's surprise, it wasn't a pangolin, but a strange insect with many pairs of legs beneath its body.

Zhou You had never seen an insect this large. Only when the creature uncurled did he notice that it looked a little like a giant isopod.

Seeing that it had escaped the danger for the moment, the strange insect hurriedly turned and dug into the ground. Before long, it had dug a hole large enough to hold itself.

Zhou You had figured out what was going on.

Feidian had probably wanted to prey on this Soul Beast, but he wasn't strong enough and had come to grief.

"Let me give you a hand!"

Zhou You immediately jumped down from the tree and thrust out the umbrella's tip, driving it into the earth beneath the strange insect's belly. With an upward flick of his wrist, he sent it flying.

The strange insect reacted quickly too. While still in midair, it curled itself back into a ball and smashed a pit into the ground when it landed. It was certainly no lightweight.

The next second, Zhou You saw the "ball" suddenly spin, then launch itself away in another direction!

Zhou You was about to give chase, but another figure was faster.

A white figure leaped out like lightning. It was Feidian, and as he raced forward, he bared his claws at the insect ball!