On the outskirts of Spirit City, the "Purgatory Training Camp" lay shrouded in black Soul Power mist year-round, sealing out even the slightest ray of sunlight. There was no laughter within the camp—only the sharp clang of metal, the thunderous eruptions of soul skills, and the occasional howl of someone tortured to the brink of collapse. This was Spirit Hall's forge for creating "blades of slaughter." Everyone who entered had to strip away every "weak" emotion amid ultimate pain and brutality.
Ye Jin stood in the center of the training camp's plaza, his black robe long soaked through with sweat. His bare arms were covered in wounds of varying depths; some still bled, while others had already scabbed over. He had just finished a "trial of life and death"—a battle against three other soul masters who had entered the camp, with only one rule: survive until the end. His opponents now lay unconscious on the ground, while his Shadow Weaving Spider martial spirit had yet to fully retract. Blood stained its Black Spider Silk, gleaming with a cold sheen.
"What are you standing around for? Useless trash!" The Spirit Hall bishop in charge of training strode over and kicked Ye Jin in the knee. Ye Jin staggered down onto one knee, which slammed against the hard stone paving with piercing pain, yet he did not so much as frown. Over the past three days, this sort of beating and torture had already become routine.
"Remember this: here, there are no feelings, no weaknesses—only slaughter and obedience!" The bishop's voice was fierce as he raised the whip in his hand, ready to lash Ye Jin again. Ye Jin instinctively lifted his arm to block it, but just as the whip was about to strike, Lin Zhixia's smile suddenly flashed through his