The Trial

A Test

"Five hundred years!" Su Ling'er exclaimed. "Do you know what you're saying? Some Soul Masters' Second Soul Rings might not even exceed five hundred years!"

Quan Yi remained calm. He replied coolly, "Mother, I know exactly what I'm saying. With my physical strength, five hundred years isn't even my limit."

"Indeed, your physical strength is comparable to that of an ordinary level-twenty Support System Tool Soul Master." Unlike Su Ling'er, Quan Yue did not seem shocked. Instead, he gave it some thought and found Quan Yi's reasoning quite sound, so he voiced his agreement.

Su Ling'er said anxiously, "This is different from your previous training. Absorbing a Soul Ring carries risks. At best, you could lose your Martial Soul; at worst, you could die. And once the absorption begins, not even a god can interfere. Xiao Yi, there's no need for you to take such an enormous risk."

Quan Yi did not answer, but he looked at Su Ling'er with unwavering eyes. Su Ling'er met his gaze, and the two fell into a standoff.

Both of them wanted to change the other's mind this way.

Just then, Quan Yue suddenly spoke. "I agree with your idea."

Quan Yi looked at Quan Yue in surprise. Just as he was about to thank him, Quan Yue continued, "But I have conditions."

Unsure of what Quan Yue meant, Quan Yi asked, "Please tell me, Father."

"I have two conditions. First, you must master the two sets of boxing techniques I teach you within two months. Second, you must obtain the Soul Ring yourself. Your mother and I will only watch from the side."

"If we step in, it means you have failed. When that happens, I hope you'll obediently absorb a four-hundred-year Soul Ring."

Quan Yi did not answer right away. Instead, he considered whether he could fulfill those two conditions.

Quan Yi saw this as a test. If he wanted to persuade his family, he needed to demonstrate his abilities. After pondering for a while, he nodded to show his agreement.

"Good. Go back for today. Come to the basement early tomorrow morning. I'll formally teach you how to cultivate." A faint smile appeared on Quan Yue's face when he saw that Quan Yi had agreed to his conditions.

After bidding his parents farewell, Quan Yi turned and left. When he reached the basement exit, he pulled out the bolt and slowly opened the heavy door. The guards at the entrance were left dumbfounded.

The iron door, which took two adults exerting all their strength to open, had been easily opened by a six-year-old child. It made them realize even more deeply just how vast the gap was between themselves and Soul Masters.

What they did not know was that Quan Yi had relied solely on his physical strength and had not used any Soul Power. It was clear from this that his body had already reached an unimaginable level of strength.

As Quan Yi stepped through the iron door, only half a day had passed, yet it felt like a lifetime ago.

Underground, Su Ling'er was questioning Quan Yue.

"How could you agree to him?" Su Ling'er complained.

"Didn't you notice Xiao Yi's eyes? Those were the eyes of someone who had already made up his mind. Even if we refuse, he'll definitely do it himself. By then, things will truly be beyond our control."

"Besides, Xiao Yi is different from ordinary children. Even if you can stop him once, you can't stop him again. He is destined to leave us and make his way through the world alone. The only things we can offer him are experience and skills."

Reluctance filled Quan Yue's eyes. Because of family affairs, he had not been able to spend much time with Quan Yi since childhood. Looking at the situation now, the time he could spend with him might only grow less.

But a fledgling eagle that wanted to soar could not be stopped by its parents. Quan Yue could only steel his heart and silently watch his child leap from the cliff.

Still, there were things he could do. The conditions he had proposed were strict, but they were not impossible to fulfill. This was both a test and a lesson.

Through this method, Quan Yue could teach Quan Yi his martial techniques. Since he could not stop him, he could only help Quan Yi in this way.

Quan Yi had already returned to his room. He took out the notes he had recorded on Soul Beasts and carefully sifted through them for Soul Beasts suited to him.

He was not intimidated by those harsh conditions. After four years of tempering, his heart had become incomparably strong. Such a small difficulty could not stop him.

He continuously recorded each qualifying Soul Beast separately. Fortunately, he had organized the Soul Beast materials beforehand, so Quan Yi quickly completed the screening.

After finishing, Quan Yi carefully put away his notes and took out a fresh sheet of paper.

At that moment, Quan Yi was thinking over his future training plan.

After becoming a Soul Master, Quan Yi had much more to cultivate.

The first was meditation. Soul Power was the most fundamental strength of a Soul Master, so meditation was what he needed to prioritize most in the future.

The second was physical training. As a Power Attack System Soul Master, physical training was even more indispensable. It also concerned whether he could absorb higher-level Soul Rings, making it an important part of his plan.

The third was technique training, including boxing techniques, Soul Power circulation, and more. Thinking about it, Quan Yi felt that he did not have enough time at all.

Fortunately, meditation in this world could replace sleep and restore the body, though one's mind would remain sluggish for a period afterward. This gave Quan Yi an entire day to cultivate.

Quan Yi wrote down everything he had thought of. This was not yet a true schedule; he would need to continually adjust it during his later cultivation.

Looking at the initial framework before him, Quan Yi smiled in satisfaction. With this plan, he knew what he needed to do from now on.

After finishing, Quan Yi went to the swimming pool to begin his midday workout. Yesterday, because of Martial Soul Awakening and the banquet, he had been unable to swim at noon or in the evening. Today, he had to make up for all the exercise he had missed.

Moreover, starting tomorrow, Quan Yi would begin boxing training. He might not be able to come to the swimming pool for some time. Thinking of this, Quan Yi increased his swimming speed.

Early the next morning, Quan Yi arrived at the basement. He saw Quan Yue sitting cross-legged on the ground, cultivating Soul Power.

Quan Yue also noticed the movement and slowly opened his eyes.

Quan Yi wore a white short-sleeved shirt and black shorts. He had clearly chosen simple clothing specifically to make moving easier.

Quan Yue nodded in satisfaction.

"It seems you're ready. Today, I'll first teach you a meditation method, then pass down the Quan Family's inherited boxing techniques."

"Come, sit here."

Quan Yue pointed to the prayer mat opposite him, signaling Quan Yi to sit down.

Quan Yi had not seen this prayer mat yesterday. It had likely been specially prepared for him.

Once Quan Yi had sat down, Quan Yue began explaining the key points of meditation.

There were few things to pay attention to during meditation. First, calm your mind and sense the Soul Power within your body. Then concentrate and circulate the Soul Power through your body. Each complete circulation would increase your Soul Power.

Quan Yi closed his eyes and quietly sensed the Soul Power in his body. As he focused, the image of his body's meridians appeared in his mind.

Could this be the legendary Inner Vision?

And though it was called meditation, wasn't this simply the method of cultivating Internal Power from martial arts novels? Why didn't this world have corresponding cultivation techniques, instead using such crude cultivation methods? Countless questions arose in Quan Yi's heart.