Soul Hunting

Hearing Xiao Xian's words, Oscar froze for a moment. He blinked his peach-blossom eyes, and a look of surprise gradually appeared on his face, though he still seemed unable to believe it.

"Brother Xian! You really broke through?!"

"Level thirty?!!"

"Mm, I broke through." A faint smile appeared on Xiao Xian's lips as he nodded. "I need to regulate my breathing for a while. If you can, help me ask Teacher Zhao Wuji for leave."

"Of course, no problem! Keep going, keep going!" Oscar leaped off the bed, flung open the door, and rushed out. "Dean! Dean! Teacher Zhao! Brother Xian broke through!"

Oscar's delighted shout came from outside.

It was no wonder Oscar was so excited.

In truth, everyone who had witnessed Xiao Xian's brutal training sincerely hoped he would succeed.

What was more, after living together for these ten months, Xiao Xian had treated every one of them quite well.

Especially Oscar.

During his occasional recovery periods, Xiao Xian had successfully taught Oscar how to control his Soul Curse, allowing him to hide several syllables of that embarrassing chant.

On the day he succeeded, Oscar had been so excited he nearly exploded. His joy was no less than when his Martial Soul Awakening had revealed his Innate Full Soul Power!

Flender and Zhao Wuji were eating in the cafeteria.

Hearing Oscar's voice, they exchanged a glance. Their eyes were also filled with shock and delight. They simultaneously put down their chopsticks, flashed out of the cafeteria, and rushed over!

But Oscar hurriedly stopped them in the end.

Before long, the entire Shrek Academy became lively.

"..."

For the moment, however, none of it had anything to do with Xiao Xian.

Xiao Xian glanced at the little wooden cabin's door, sighed helplessly, then slowly closed his eyes and began to calm his mind and focus his spirit.

His soul power had indeed broken through, but the breakthrough had been too fierce, leaving him with internal injuries.

After a full ten months of fighting, every section of his meridians had been widened to some extent, and his soul power had also become much more solid.

On top of that, Mysterious Jade Hand had transformed into Mysterious Jade Body.

Logically, he should not have suffered this kind of injury again.

But the First Soul Skill still had some side effects.

At the instant of breakthrough, his soul power slipped out of his control and became chaotic and violent again. Afraid of injuring his meridians, which had already faintly reached their limit, he directly guided the violent soul power into his internal organs...

Fortunately, it was nothing serious.

Having cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Skill for so many years, his internal organs were already stronger than those of ordinary Spirit Masters.

It was only coughing up blood. He had long since grown used to it.

His weakness had always been his meridians, not his physique or internal organs.

Level thirty was the starting point at which a Spirit Master could withstand a Thousand-Year Soul Ring. The demands on one's body were naturally much greater.

Xiao Xian's physique had long met the requirement.

It was only the limits of his innate meridians that had prevented him from breaking through.

But...

The Mysterious Heaven Skill, Mysterious Jade Hand, the First Soul Skill, the Second Soul Skill, a daily beating from Spirit Saint Zhao Wuji, Spirit Saint Shao Xin's sugar beans, sausages from Oscar, who possessed Innate Full Soul Power, and nearly two thousand battles at the Great Soul Arena.

Especially the battles.

Setting aside repeated opponents, he had faced nearly a thousand completely different Spirit Masters, nearly a thousand unique kinds of soul power, all washing over his body and soul power in their own ways.

Whenever his body adapted to the previous Spirit Master's soul power, the next battle immediately followed.

Exhaustion, despair, the desire to win, even the desire to survive.

He had been too naive before.

He had thought Flender could truly serve as his Protector, but Flender had truly been ruthless enough to watch him get pierced through the abdomen and nearly die.

Only when Xiao Xian lay on the cold arena floor and conceded did he truly understand with absolute clarity—no one could be relied upon!

If he wanted to defy fate with a mortal body without relying on immortal herbs or soul bones...

How could it be possible without the resolve to die?

Over the tens of thousands of years of history on the continent, which Spirit Master had not crazily sought to grow stronger? Why could they not do it, yet you could?

Xiao Xian circulated the Mysterious Heaven Skill. A layer of Mystic Jade gradually spread over every inch of his body again. His meridians quietly stabilized, while the violent soul power within him was suppressed bit by bit.

No matter what, he had succeeded.

"..."

The sun gradually set.

Only then did Xiao Xian slowly pull open the little wooden cabin's door. He was hungry.

"Congratulations, Brother Xian, on reaching Level 30!" Ma Hongjun stood in the middle, holding a large red flower bouquet. Dai Mubai stood to the left, carrying a square tray with a cake on it. Oscar stood to the right, holding a basket that was unexpectedly filled with flower petals and confetti.

"Woo—!" The moment Xiao Xian opened the door, Oscar grabbed a handful and excitedly tossed it into the air.

"Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!..."

Not far away stood Flender, Zhao Wuji, Shao Xin, Li Yusong, and Lu Qibin.

Unlike the students, who only knew that something might have gone wrong with Xiao Xian's body and made it difficult for him to break through—

These teachers all knew the truth.

Someone with Innate Half-Level Soul Power had actually broken through to Level 30 at just over thirteen years old and become a Soul Elder?

Before meeting Xiao Xian—perhaps even before today—they would have considered such a thing pure fantasy.

But.

It was actually real!

Every one of them was stunned.

Xiao Xian stepped out of the little wooden cabin and looked at everyone from Shrek. That familiar gentle smile slowly appeared on his face.

"Thank you."

"Thank you."

He accepted the large red bouquet from Ma Hongjun, the cake from Dai Mubai, then used Suction Palm to seize all the petals and confetti from Oscar's basket.

He raised his palm high.

Blowing Fire Palm struck without restraint!

Boom—!

A violent wind howled!

Watching the petals and confetti explode across the sky, the smile curling at Xiao Xian's lips became a little more sincere.

He turned to look at Shrek's teachers, especially Flender, and said with a soft smile, "Masters, Martial Uncle, I have not disappointed you."

"Good, good!" Flender stared at Xiao Xian, a trace of gratification on his face.

"..."

That night, everyone spent the entire night having fun in Suotuo City.

Xiao Xian paid generously.

After so many spirit battles, with his wins and losses gradually settling into a six-to-four ratio, he had saved up several thousand Gold Soul Coins.

The next day, after resting for half the day—

Flender came to find Xiao Xian.

He asked whether Xiao Xian had decided on his Third Spirit Ring and whether he wanted to go back and ask Master about it.

"I've decided, and I've investigated it too. It's in the Star Dou Great Forest," Xiao Xian answered honestly.

"Do you know its approximate location too?"

"Yes. Teacher bought information on this spirit beast, and there's a reliable map. Besides, this kind of spirit beast rarely leaves its own territory."

"Good. Give yourself ten minutes to prepare, then come find me."

Flender patted Xiao Xian on the shoulder, then turned and returned to his quarters. He seemed to have some preparations of his own to make.

Xiao Xian had nothing much to prepare. All his belongings were in his Storage Spirit Tool.

Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were being beaten up by Zhao Wuji, while Oscar was running laps around the village where Shrek was located.

No one had any free time.

So Xiao Xian did not say goodbye to them.

He sat in his little wooden cabin for a while.

Estimating that Flender should be nearly done packing, he went over and knocked on the door.

"Mm, let's go."

Flender had changed into a fitted black outfit. The moment he stepped out the door, he completed Martial Soul Possession.

Two chapters were posted in the early morning; there will only be one chapter tonight.