Three Years

Ever since my Soul Power became Liquid Soul Power, I haven't used Liquid Soul Power to activate Eight Extremes Collapse yet, Dai Yao thought.

After all, Liquid Soul Power contained too much power. He worried that his body would not be able to withstand it.

After arriving at the Academy and recuperating for some time, his previously weakened body had gradually recovered. He could now try using Liquid Soul Power with Eight Extremes Collapse.

He acted immediately, circulating the Liquid Soul Power in his Dantian and directing it into his right arm.

At once, Dai Yao felt a swelling sensation in his right arm. Enormous energy filled the entire limb.

He went into the nearby forest, found a huge boulder, and punched it.

Thud—

The stone sank inward slightly. Dai Yao's right arm was numbed by the recoil, but when he looked at the boulder, he felt somewhat disappointed.

This strike had only increased the power of ordinary Eight Extremes Collapse by fifty percent.

It was still not enough to threaten a Soul Grandmaster.

Using Liquid Soul Power to activate Eight Extremes Collapse won't work. It seems I can only place my hopes on Hidden Strength, Dai Yao thought disappointedly.

In Battle Through the Heavens, after Xiao Yan unleashed Eight Extremes Collapse, it not only possessed overwhelming force but also carried Hidden Strength, making it impossible to guard against.

Hidden Strength, as its name implied, was strength concealed in the dark.

An ordinary-looking strike contained boundless force. After hitting someone's body, the victim would first feel pain in their internal organs, which would then spread outward.

The pain would grow more and more intense. Those who did not understand it might even stiffen up instantly.

Ye Nantian's guidance had indeed been insightful and lofty, coinciding with Dai Yao's own thoughts. Dai Yao had considered Hidden Strength before, but after many attempts without finding the right path, he had no choice but to give up.

But Ye Nantian's arrival had pointed him toward a clue.

That clue was compressing Soul Power.

Compress the Soul Power, use the force of a punch to transmit the compressed Soul Power into the opponent's body, then let it explode and inflict immense pain.

However, compressing Soul Power placed tremendous pressure on the body. The slightest mistake could cause the Soul Power to explode, resulting in irreversible injuries.

For that very reason, few people chose to create their own Soul Skills.

After all, blind experimentation could easily damage the body and cut off one's path as a Soul Master.

But Dai Yao was different. He had the Chaos Cyan Lotus protecting him. Even if his body was injured, he could recover.

He acted at once. Dai Yao first converted his Liquid Soul Power into gaseous form. After all, Liquid Soul Power contained too much energy; if the compression failed, the damage would be even greater.

Although the Green Lotus could restore him, it would take more time. Therefore, he would reduce the damage as much as possible.

He circulated the gaseous Soul Power into his arm, focused his mind, and slowly compressed it.

But as the compression continued, the repulsion between the Soul Power grew stronger and stronger. The massive energy caused Dai Yao's mind to lapse for an instant.

Not good!

Dai Yao cried out inwardly. The enormous Soul Power immediately slipped out of control and exploded in his arm with a bang.

A shocking blast wave erupted through the forest, spreading outward in a ring. The snow on the ground was blown away, leaving behind only frozen earth. The surrounding trees seemed to have been struck by fierce winds, toppling outward one after another.

Centered on Dai Yao, a circular clearing devoid of snow appeared.

At the very center of the clearing, Dai Yao clutched his right hand in pain. His right arm had turned pitch-black, and intense pain shot through it.

Sweat streamed down his face as Dai Yao panted heavily. "Chaos Cyan Lotus, heal me!"

The Green Lotus within his spiritual world immediately scattered cyan light, which flew toward Dai Yao's injured right arm.

A cool aura flowed through his right arm, like a spring breeze brushing over the earth and bringing life with it. The pain immediately lessened considerably.

But Dai Yao did not stop. Though his right arm was injured, he still had his left arm. He could try again.

If he still failed, he could only wait until he had fully recovered before trying again.

Following the same steps as before, Dai Yao slowly compressed his Soul Power. Just as it was about to explode, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he swiftly punched the huge boulder.

This Eight Extremes Collapse was somewhat weaker than the first, leaving only a small pit in the boulder.

Did I succeed? After keeping his mind intensely focused for so long, Dai Yao's body was exhausted. He panted heavily as he stared at the pit left by this Eight Extremes Collapse, doubtful.

He walked closer to the boulder, but there was no visible difference on its surface. He could only tell that this strike had been weaker, which made sense since the first had used Liquid Soul Power.

However, when he walked around to the back of the boulder, Dai Yao was immediately overjoyed.

On the boulder's reverse side, many fragments of stone had appeared, scattered sparsely across the ground. They had all fallen from the boulder.

The force of that strike had penetrated the thick boulder and traveled to its rear. One could imagine the miserable state of the stone's interior.

He used his Soul Power to slowly wear away at the boulder. Three hours later, it split open down the middle.

An astonishing sight appeared on the stone's cross-section. Starting from the point where Dai Yao's fist had struck, a fan-shaped area of shattered stone extended all the way to the back of the boulder.

In other words, the Hidden Strength in Dai Yao's punch had pierced through the entire boulder.

Meanwhile, at the point where his first punch had landed, only a few faint lines had appeared along the edge of the indentation.

The difference between the two was enormous.

The might of Hidden Strength was terrifying indeed.

I succeeded! Dai Yao thought excitedly.

Good. With the experience of this first success, completely mastering Hidden Strength is no longer wishful thinking. As long as I master Hidden Strength, I'll have a certain chance of winning in my competition with Dai Yaming! Dai Yao clenched his uninjured left hand and imagined the future.

...Three years later.

Beneath a waterfall sat a drenched young man.

Though he looked somewhat bedraggled, it did nothing to conceal his heroic bearing.

His muscles were well-proportioned, his body stood straight as a spear, and his face was resolute and vigorous.

His eyes shone brightly, his black pupils like cold stars.

This person was Dai Yao, now nine years old.

"The critical moment has arrived!"

Dai Yao steadied his mind and silently recited the words.

The Soul Power within his body surged like a sea, rushing toward the bottleneck within him.

The next moment, a powerful aura burst forth. The falling waterfall suddenly reversed course and surged upward, colliding with the descending stream before both crashed into the pool below with a deafening roar.

Like a caged bird flying into the sky and regaining its freedom, Dai Yao felt his body suddenly grow lighter. The previously surging Soul Power gradually calmed down as well.

"I finally broke through." His face was filled with heartfelt joy.

Three years of tireless cultivation, day and night, had finally been rewarded at this moment.

Today, his Soul Power had reached level twenty.

In just three years, rising from level eleven to level twenty qualified as genius-level talent.

And Dai Yao's Soul Power was liquid. He needed far more Soul Power than ordinary Soul Masters!

Feeling the abundant Soul Power within his body, Dai Yao silently thought that it was time to obtain his Second Spirit Ring.