First Battle

Half an hour later.

Ye Zhou had dealt with his hunger. Nourished by the rich nutrients in the Soul Beast Meat, his Soul Power had also recovered to its peak. At that moment, within the lakeside Mimicry Training Ground, he stood facing Yu Tianheng.

"Yu Tianheng, a level nineteen assault-type Battle Soul Master. Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Please advise me!" As he spoke, Yu Tianheng began releasing his Martial Soul.

"Ye Zhou, a level ten assault-type Battle Soul Warrior. Martial Soul: Sun Moon Halberd. Please advise me!" Ye Zhou likewise summoned his first Martial Soul, the Sun Moon Halberd.

"Level ten? Didn't you just enroll? You've already reached level ten?" Yu Tianheng asked.

"Yeah." Ye Zhou was also startled inwardly. He had not expected this person to be Yu Tianheng, the captain of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Soul Master Team in the original story and the Young Sect Master of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.

"All right." It seemed this junior's talent was extremely high. His Innate Soul Power had to be either level eight or level nine.

Thinking this, Yu Tianheng nodded and said with the demeanor of a gentleman, "Junior, you're younger. You make the first move."

"Fine, Senior. Then I won't stand on ceremony!" As he spoke, Ye Zhou leaped up and swung the Sun Moon Halberd down at Yu Tianheng with all his strength.

Force Split Mount Hua!

"Heh~" Yu Tianheng chuckled. He stomped his right foot backward, and his entire body instantly sprang away from where he stood.

Bang! Ye Zhou's Sun Moon Halberd struck empty air.

Whoosh! At that moment, the sound of something slicing through the air rang out. Ye Zhou turned his head and saw Yu Tianheng charging toward him at incredible speed.

Without time to think, Ye Zhou immediately swung the Sun Moon Halberd at him.

This time, Yu Tianheng did not dodge. Soul Power transformed into lightning and covered his arms as he used his hands as weapons to engage Ye Zhou in close combat.

Bang! Bang! Bang! The two exchanged more than ten moves in quick succession. Then, Yu Tianheng's eyes lit up as he spotted an opening. He dodged the Sun Moon Halberd's attack and kicked Ye Zhou in the back, sending him flying.

"Ow~"

"Junior, your moves are unstructured. Looks like you lack real combat experience," Yu Tianheng said with a smile.

Ye Zhou climbed up from the ground.

Well, duh. He had never even fought anyone before.

The Three Points Return to One Qi skill book he had summoned from the system had only given him cultivation experience for that martial art, not combat experience.

Turning to look at Yu Tianheng, Ye Zhou put away his Sun Moon Halberd Martial Soul.

He had been wrong. At his current level, he was actually better off fighting barehanded than with a weapon!

"Senior, be careful!"

As he spoke, Ye Zhou threw a powerful punch at Yu Tianheng. Instantly, a streak of white light shot forth from his fist.

Yu Tianheng's pupils contracted as he immediately twisted aside to evade it.

Boom! The Heaven Frost Fist force struck a large boulder, instantly freezing it and blasting it away. When it flew into the air, the boulder suddenly exploded into countless tiny shards of ice.

"Good heavens, it's that move!" Yu Tianheng began taking the fight seriously.

"In that case, I won't hold back either. First Soul Skill—Thunder Dragon Claw!"

Yu Tianheng mobilized thirty percent of the Soul Power within his body and attached it to his right arm, condensing a terrifying Thunder Dragon Claw. Lightning crackled through the air, erupting with hair-raising snaps.

"Junior, you be careful too!" With that, Yu Tianheng stomped his right foot and burst forward, swinging his arm as the Thunder Dragon Claw swiftly clawed toward Ye Zhou.

"Heaven Frost Fist!" It was Ye Zhou's first time seeing such an enormous claw formed from lightning reaching for him. His eyes widened as he immediately mobilized all the Soul Power in his body, firing Heaven Frost Fist force from both hands while shouting aloud.

Well, shouting could boost his momentum and make his fist force more powerful.

Boom!

The two streams of Heaven Frost Force collided with the Thunder Dragon Claw Yu Tianheng had unleashed. With a thunderous boom, an explosion erupted, and a shockwave spread in all directions.

Bang! Ye Zhou was struck by the shockwave and instantly sent flying backward. His back slammed into a large tree, and his body slid down the trunk with several fallen leaves stuck in his hair.

On the other side.

"Ah!!!" Yu Tianheng was also struck by the shockwave and sent flying backward. However, he did not crash into a tree. Instead, he flew farther and fell directly into the lake, turning into a drenched mess.

"Cough, cough~" Ye Zhou coughed a few times and wiped his mouth. Hmm, good thing there was no blood.

Splash! Yu Tianheng poked his head out of the lake and spat out a mouthful of water. He panted heavily, then stared at Ye Zhou on the shore with an incredulous expression.

This junior, who had not even obtained his first Soul Ring yet, had actually fought him, using thirty percent of his Soul Power, to a draw?

Sure enough, he was no ordinary freshman!

"Senior, are you all right?" Ye Zhou got to his feet, walked toward the lake, and asked Yu Tianheng.

"I'm fine."

Yu Tianheng shook his head and leaped out of the lake. Though he was soaked from head to toe and looked extremely bedraggled, his face wore a delighted expression. He extended a hand to Ye Zhou and said, "Junior, you're very strong. It seems that among this year's freshmen, no one can surpass you."

"I wouldn't dare claim that. Senior, you only used thirty percent of your Soul Power. You're the true expert," Ye Zhou said, shaking Yu Tianheng's hand and praising him in return.

"Don't say that. I'm three years older than you, after all. If I used all my Soul Power, it would be unfair. By the way, you said earlier that your Soul Power has reached level ten. Why haven't you gone to hunt a Soul Beast and obtain a Soul Ring? Why are you here cultivating a Self-Created Soul Skill instead?" Yu Tianheng asked.

To him—or rather, to every Soul Master on the continent—obtaining a Soul Ring after reaching the limit of one's Soul Power was unquestionably the most important matter.

"I asked Education Committee Member Meng Shenji yesterday. He said he would arrange for a teacher to take me into the forest to hunt Soul Beasts in six days," Ye Zhou answered.

"I see. Then after you obtain your first Soul Ring, shall we have another match? Next time, I'll use fifty percent of my Soul Power," Yu Tianheng said with a smile.

"No problem. I'm also looking forward to sparring with you again, Senior," Ye Zhou replied politely.

The two tidied themselves up in the Mimicry Training Ground, then left together and waved goodbye outside.

On the way back to his dormitory, Ye Zhou could not help rubbing his back and thinking, That really hurts!

Yes, although Yu Tianheng had flown farther back in that clash and seemed to have come off slightly worse, he had actually been lucky enough to fall into the lake, where the water dissipated the force of the impact. Ye Zhou, on the other hand, had slammed straight into a tree. What terrible luck.

After returning to his dormitory, Ye Zhou sat cross-legged on his bed and circulated his cultivation technique to recover.

Unexpectedly, not long after he began circulating it, a breeze stirred the curtains. Then, a disheveled figure appeared before him.

"Swordsman Yan?"

"It's me. I'm back," Yan Chixia said.

A hint of joy appeared on Ye Zhou's face. He immediately stopped cultivating and guided his true qi and internal energy back into his dantian, then got out of bed and asked Yan Chixia, "How did it go? What Martial Soul did you awaken, Swordsman? And what age Soul Ring did you obtain?"

"You're very curious?"

"Of course I am!"

"Fine, then take a look." Yan Chixia raised his arm and opened his right hand. A Martial Soul identical in appearance to the Xuanyuan Divine Sword strapped to his back appeared in his hand.

That was nothing remarkable.

But immediately afterward, black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black, black—nine black Soul Rings emerged from beneath his feet, each one larger than the last. This, this...

Ye Zhou's eyes widened, and he froze on the spot.