A Challenge from His Martial Nephew

How many thousand years was the second soul ring?

"Eighteen."

"Huh?"

Chen Dong was stunned.

What did eighteen mean?

Level eighteen?

How could absorbing a soul ring make someone drop in level?

"It was a soul ring with eighteen thousand years of cultivation." Seeing Chen Dong's dumbfounded expression, Chen Ming smiled brilliantly.

Eighteen thousand years.

Chen Dong's expression froze.

Didn't that mean eighteen thousand years?

His eyes widened as he stared at Chen Ming, the suspicion in his gaze practically tangible.

Impossible!

"My second soul ring really is eighteen thousand years." Chen Ming spread his hands, looking aggrieved and helpless.

Chen Dong took two steps back, clutching his chest as he stared wide-eyed at Chen Ming.

"What about your Soul Power?"

"Not as high as yours."

Chen Dong fell silent for a long while. He did not ask any more questions, instead turning and walking away with a carefree air.

He would sleep at Yang Spring tonight!

He would break through to level twenty-six at Yang Spring tonight!

Watching Chen Dong flee, Chen Ming chuckled. The anger from getting his butt slapped had eased a little.

"I've crossed the first great mountain and surpassed Old Chen. Next, I'll surpass Senior Disciple Brother."

As for Vina?

She was someone who slacked off and coasted through life.

In terms of cultivation speed, she was on par with many geniuses from Shrek Academy. As for why she had been able to participate in the Soul Master Competition as a Soul Emperor at the age of twenty?

Heh. Six Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings—even if each ring only raised her by two levels, that would still be enough for her to coast from level fifty to level sixty.

Oh, if she really wanted to maximize her coasting, she could also count the two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring slots of her first martial soul. That made eight Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings in total.

She could even coast her way to nearly level seventy.

Chen Ming's Soul Power had already surpassed that of this senior sister, who was two years older than him.

As for his goals, after catching up to Chen Dong, the next one would naturally be Senior Disciple Brother Long Aotian.

Long Aotian and Chen Dong had both obtained their second rings last year. However, Long Aotian had absorbed a thousand-year soul ring and immediately advanced to level twenty-two. After returning, he quickly broke through to level twenty-three. After cultivating for a year, by the time Chen Ming had left the Body Sect to hunt soul beasts, he had already reached level twenty-seven.

Now that three months had passed, he was probably already level twenty-eight.

"By this calculation, Senior Disciple Brother might break through level thirty and obtain his third soul ring this year. I can't fall behind either."

Chen Ming pondered this. No matter what, he had to catch up. That way, the two martial brothers could hunt soul beasts together, without troubling their teacher to make another trip.

Yang Spring.

Upon entering Yang Spring, Chen Ming felt incredibly at home.

"The power of the Life Gold has been tapped into. Next, my Soul Power will enter another period of rapid growth."

Just like the lotus seed he had taken last time, the Life Gold contained even greater energy. As Chen Ming digested it, his Soul Power progressed rapidly.

The next day.

"Xiao Ming."

Chen Dong stopped Chen Ming.

"I'm leaving."

"Huh?"

Chen Ming was caught off guard.

"I have to return to the Mad Saber Sect with Lei Zhen. Cultivate well in the Body Sect by yourself."

Chen Dong sounded rather emotional.

After working hard through the night yesterday, he had indeed broken through to level twenty-six. But he knew that Chen Ming would catch up again sooner or later. Besides, Lei Zhen had truly stayed in the sect for a long time and was preparing to return to the Mad Saber Sect.

His martial soul, the Wolf Lord, was ultimately a blade. The Body Sect lacked a corresponding mimicry cultivation environment. After weighing his options, he still decided to leave the Body Sect and return to the Mad Saber Sect to cultivate.

After bidding Chen Ming farewell, Chen Dong left with Lei Zhen.

However, while Lei Zhen left, his disciple Yuan Liu remained behind.

After the Body Sect's research and a year of observation, Yuan Liu's martial soul, "Flow," had indeed been confirmed as a Body Martial Soul. It was part of his body. They had him join the Body Sect and cultivate alongside the other disciples, striving to build a solid foundation for his Second Awakening.

Yuan Liu was already fifteen years old, yet his Soul Power had reached level forty-two.

That was right. Yuan Liu was already a four-ring Soul Ancestor.

A fifteen-year-old four-ring Soul Ancestor—even at Shrek Academy, such talent would be considered top-tier.

His first four soul rings had all been absorbed beyond his level. His first two soul rings had exceeded the hundred-year limit, while his third and fourth soul rings had respectively exceeded it by three hundred and five hundred years.

Although their colors matched the optimal soul ring configuration, Yuan Liu's soul rings were actually somewhat stronger.

Before leaving, Lei Zhen had also told Yuan Liu to cultivate more with Chen Ming. He had also instructed Chen Ming that if he wanted to train his combat techniques, he could seek out Yuan Liu.

"Martial Uncle Xiao Ming, my teacher said you're very strong and told me to learn from you properly."

Yuan Liu felt extremely awkward calling Chen Ming Martial Uncle. After entering the Body Sect, he had barely met Chen Ming because he had learned from his teacher, Lei Zhen, that he was a generation below Chen Ming, so he had avoided him.

Today, as he saw his teacher off, he met Chen Ming. There was no way around addressing him now.

Still, calling him Martial Uncle was one thing. He needed to have abilities worthy of convincing others, right?

"You want to spar with me?" Chen Ming asked in surprise.

Since beginning his cultivation, he had rarely engaged in actual combat. No one at the same level had been regarded by him as an opponent, while challenging higher-level Soul Masters was not yet something he had reached the stage for.

Once his combat system matured, he would seek out powerful Soul Masters to test himself and adapt to the methods of this life.

But it was not time yet.

Du Busi had not taught Chen Ming much actual combat for the time being either, because at Chen Ming's current stage, cultivating Soul Power was his main priority.

A seven-year-old child learning to fight?

All that could be said was that he should first train his foundations. Once his basics were solid and his body had mostly stabilized in development, he could then receive practical combat training.

"Yes. Teacher said you're already a Soul Grandmaster, and your soul rings have extremely high cultivation years. You should be able to suppress the vast majority of Soul Elders. Even though I'm a Soul Ancestor, I should still be cautious when fighting you," Yuan Liu said.

Chen Ming smiled.

The level of a Soul Elder?

Indeed, a Soul Grandmaster's Soul Power made it difficult to fully unleash a Ten-Thousand-Year soul skill.

But what if the specific effect of that Ten-Thousand-Year soul skill was not explosive power?

What if the soul skills had synergy with one another?

Those were things beyond Lei Zhen's consideration.

"I accept your challenge."

Cultivating Soul Power and tempering his body every day was dull. Chen Ming also wanted to vent through battle. Since Yuan Liu had challenged him, he naturally accepted.

The two arrived at the Body Sect's training grounds—the vast open space behind the village.

Yuan Liu took up his stance, and a long saber appeared in his hand.

It was a genuine iron long saber, not a Soul Tool.

"I'm already a Soul Ancestor. It wouldn't be fair to you, Martial Uncle, if I used a Soul Tool," Yuan Liu said.

Chen Ming did not mind.

He released his martial soul.

Two soul rings spread out around him. One shone with a noble purple radiance, while the other was black as ink, as though it could devour one's mind.

Seeing the purple and black soul rings, Yuan Liu suppressed the shock in his heart and released his martial soul.

Streams of light swirled around his body, while two yellow and two purple soul rings slowly emerged as well.

The pale-blue streams of light merged into the long saber in his hand, immediately giving it a spiritual quality, as though it had undergone some sort of transformation.

Chen Ming's gaze shifted slightly.

At this moment, the saber felt as though it had become a martial soul?

In truth, Chen Ming's feeling was correct.

Even the four soul rings that had originally circled Yuan Liu now encircled the long saber, merging into it one after another and leaving four bands of patterns on the blade—two yellow and two purple.

Starting tomorrow, the sixteenth, there will be three updates a day.