Qi Follows the Heart, Myriad Transformations

A porpoise that couldn't refuse being forced!

As long as it was pressured hard enough, Tun Tun would do anything!

With the mindset that living was nice but dying was fine too, the Spirit Water Porpoise slowly shuffled over to Zhao Xuanzhen. Its body bloomed with dazzling light, releasing the aura of a Yin-Yang Attribute.

As if sensing something, Zhao Xuanzhen raised his right hand and gently placed it over the Yin-Yang Brand on the Spirit Water Porpoise's brow. Yin Yang Airflow suddenly erupted, like two black and white giant dragons wildly circling one man and one beast.

Seeing this, Leng Yaozhu and the Bai Sisters could not help but reveal delighted expressions. They had fused with several soul spirits before, so they naturally understood the situation.

The Spirit Pagoda's one-of-a-kind Auspicious Beast, the Indomitable Soul Spirit Number Ninety-Nine, was forming a contract with a human!

After a while, the Spirit Water Porpoise whimpered. Its adorably clumsy body seemed to turn into flowing water, gradually merging into Zhao Xuanzhen. During the process, the Black and White Qi Flow fluctuated with extraordinary intensity.

The instant the Spirit Water Porpoise completely merged with him, all the airflow surged into Zhao Xuanzhen's body like rivers flowing into the sea. A bright yellow ring of light, several times more radiant than an ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Beast soul ring, rose forcefully. Its surface was inscribed with the pale golden patterns unique to an auspicious beast.

Soul Power advanced, Level Thirteen!

The contract was successfully completed. Zhao Xuanzhen let out a long breath. No one liked being suppressed by the Golden Silver Dragon King into some roadside stray for no reason. Neither True Self nor the Spirit Water Porpoise feared bloodline pressure, and the huge stone weighing on his heart had finally been lowered halfway.

At times like this, smart people would ask: what about the other half?

A warning from the Trident!

"Xuanzhen, congratulations on obtaining your first soul spirit. Your future is boundless!" the Bai Sisters said with smiling eyes.

"Without Teacher, I wouldn't even have been qualified to see the Spirit Water Porpoise."

Zhao Xuanzhen waved a hand and smiled. Only the Head and Deputy Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda had the authority to dispatch an auspicious beast. The prerequisite for fusing with the Spirit Water Porpoise had actually been Leng Yaozhu.

"Alright, stop flattering me. Fusing with a soul spirit ultimately depended on you." Leng Yaozhu's lips curved slightly. "Since we're already here, how about challenging the Spirit Ascension Platform once?"

"Sure. I can test the soul skill's effects, and it'll be a good chance to help Tun Tun ascend."

Zhao Xuanzhen stretched his limbs, feeling refreshed and invigorated. After his martial soul awakened, the Yin and Yang Dual Qi hidden in his body had changed from dormant to active. He also very much wanted to witness the power of techniques from his past life combined with his martial soul in this life!

The Spirit Ascension Platform was a half-real, half-virtual space created by the Spirit Pagoda. Countless soul beasts lived within it, providing Federation soul masters with a place to battle and train.

Aside from improving battle experience, soul masters could absorb ten percent of the energy from soul beasts they killed within the Spirit Ascension Platform.

If Zhao Xuanzhen killed a Hundred-Year Darkgold Fearclaw Bear, his first soul ring would immediately gain ten years of cultivation. If Leng Yaozhu killed it instead, the energy would be distributed among all Nine Great Soul Rings, increasing each by roughly one year on average.

Therefore, provided a soul master could withstand and contain high-level soul rings, the earlier a soul spirit ascended, the easier it would be.

The True Self Martial Soul granted a powerful body and exceptional mental strength. Zhao Xuanzhen could easily withstand a Thousand-Year Soul Beast soul spirit. He planned to raise the Spirit Water Porpoise by four hundred years of cultivation in one go and advance his first soul ring!

Leng Yaozhu pressed a button. The wall slowly split apart, and a metal cabinet gradually slid out. Its appearance was somewhat inauspicious; it inexplicably looked a little like a coffin, just wide enough to hold a person lying down.

Zhao Xuanzhen lay inside the metal cabinet. Instrument suction pads swiftly emerged around him and adhered tightly to his body. Then Leng Yaozhu's gentle voice sounded:

"Xuanzhen, you're a one-ring soul master. You're about to enter the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform, which permits entry to soul masters below the Four Ring Soul Ancestor rank. Most soul beasts inside are ten-year and hundred-year soul beasts, though Thousand-Year Soul Beasts occasionally appear.

"The Spirit Ascension Platform connects through brainwaves. In theory, once your mental strength reaches the Spirit Connection Realm, there will no longer be any danger to your life. However, severe stimulation could still impact and heavily injure your Sea of Consciousness. If you encounter a soul beast you cannot defeat, remember to press the emergency signal device and leave the Spirit Ascension Platform."

"Understood."

The metal cabinet slid into the wall, and the Spirit Ascension Platform journey began. The last thing Zhao Xuanzhen saw was the Bai Sisters clenching their fists to cheer him on. Then the world turned completely dark.

Primary Spirit Ascension Platform.

Ancient trees towered into the clouds, while vast stretches of shrubbery filled the surroundings. There was no true path to be found. The sky was clear, the clouds light, and the sea of trees rose and fell in endless waves. The green of the Primitive forest stretched boundlessly.

Zhao Xuanzhen took a deep breath. Nature's fresh air was invigorating, and the abundant Life Energy delighted both body and mind. The Primary Spirit Ascension Platform was equivalent to the outer region of the Star Dou Great Forest in the past, an ancient sight that could no longer be seen in the Legend of the Dragon King Era.

Trusting his sixth sense, Zhao Xuanzhen chose a direction and advanced, beginning his search for the soul beasts living in the Spirit Ascension Platform. The Spirit Water Porpoise was a six-hundred-year soul beast. To raise his first soul ring by four hundred years, he needed to kill soul beasts totaling four thousand years of cultivation.

Time was short and the task heavy. Better get it done boldly and leave early!

In the room outside, Leng Yaozhu and the Bai Sisters watched Zhao Xuanzhen's every move through the Soul Guidance Screen.

Leng Yaozhu stood with her arms folded, her Title Douluo presence fully unleashed. The Bai Sisters unconsciously moved several steps farther away.

In Leng Yaozhu's view, a teacher needed to deeply understand a disciple's abilities, traits, strengths, and weaknesses before devising a detailed cultivation plan to help the disciple fully realize their talent.

She had taken the initiative to suggest training in the Spirit Ascension Platform because she wanted to observe Zhao Xuanzhen closely under a microscope. After all, nothing made it easier to see someone's abilities than actual combat.

On the screen, Zhao Xuanzhen was slender and strong. A red signal device had appeared on the back of his left hand, while his white robes fluttered lightly. He moved through the forest like a white wolf, agile and brimming with the unique vigor of youth.

His steps suddenly halted. Zhao Xuanzhen's gaze sharpened as he abruptly looked in one direction. Leng Yaozhu and the other two were drawn to his reaction, and then they spotted figures of soul beasts flashing through the forest. Their brows immediately furrowed tightly.

"Wind Baboons... a pack!"

More than twenty pairs of scarlet eyes lit up in succession. They belonged to hideously ugly baboons, their bodies covered in brownish-yellow fur. Their claws were tipped with sharp nails, fangs protruded from their lips, and their beastly eyes were savage and vicious!

"Godslayers? Interesting."

Zhao Xuanzhen's expression remained calm. It was like reliving the God of Emotions Huo Yuhao's first battle in the Star Dou Great Forest. His opponents today were also Wind Baboons, except there was an entire pack of them!

Wind Baboons did not deserve to be rated as high-level soul beasts. Their combat strength actually placed them in the lower-middle tier of the soul beast pyramid. In the eyes of soul beasts such as Darkgold Fearclaw Bears, they were little more than food. Yet a pack of more than twenty Wind Baboons was undoubtedly a fatal crisis for an ordinary one-ring soul master who had just set out!

"Roar—"

The Wind Baboon King had eight hundred years of cultivation. The instant it discovered a human in its territory, its eyes burst with brutal, cruel killing intent. It hammered its chest heavily with both fists, sending an attack signal to the pack. Receiving the command, the Wind Baboons charged forward on all fours with strange cries of "woof woof!"

A three-hundred-year Wind Baboon was the fastest. Baring its fangs, it lunged directly at Zhao Xuanzhen. Its long arms came together above its head before a massive hammering blow crashed downward!

The falling fists created a piercing sonic boom. Zhao Xuanzhen drew an arc with his left foot and retreated half a step. Soul Power surged as Martial Soul True Self possessed him, turning his black hair pale white!

The first soul ring blazed brilliantly. As Zhao Xuanzhen turned his palm and seized the Wind Baboon's wrist, black-and-white cyclones rose along his entire right arm!

"First soul skill, Qi Follows the Heart."

The Wind Baboon's powerful body suddenly lost its balance. Zhao Xuanzhen's fingertips traveled along its coarse beast arm to its left chest, like a calligrapher lifting a brush to trace a flying-white stroke!

"Screeeech!!!"

Its eyeballs nearly burst from their sockets as the Wind Baboon let out a shriek that pierced the sky. Terror soared to its limit from the excruciating pain, but nothing could change its inevitable fate. The Yin-Yang cyclone pierced through its heart, and a mist of blood refracted a bleakly beautiful glow in midair!

The vanguard, whose combat strength was second only to the king, had been instantly killed in a single strike. The sight was overwhelmingly shocking. The Wind Baboons' eyes widened round, and their feet honestly slowed as their charging momentum plummeted!

Zhao Xuanzhen's gaze turned icy. He bent both arms and shifted sideways, drawing a perfect circle. Yin-Yang cyclones appeared beneath his feet, and his entire body burst forth at a speed close to Instant Transmission. His afterimages condensed into a line, his robes fluttered, revealing the tense lines of muscle across his abdomen.

An uninvited guest had entered the Wind Baboon pack. Turning steps, Single Whip, Double Pushing Palms, Parry and Punch—every move was lethal. His techniques were displayed to perfection, yet not one motion was wasted. Every raised hand was a killing blow, and every strike claimed a life!

Qi Follows the Heart, Myriad Transformations. True Self mobilized the Yin and Yang Dual Qi within his body, altering their forms at will. It could be used at both range and close quarters, for offense, defense, or enhancement!

"Those moves look like the ancient martial arts Xuanzhen practiced slowly every day! This, this isn't right!"

Before the Soul Guidance Screen, Bai Haoze and Bai Zhicen stretched their necks so far they practically reached two miles. The sisters wanted nothing more than to charge into the Spirit Ascension Platform, grab Zhao Xuanzhen by the collar, and shake him senseless!

Wasn't it supposed to be splitting a watermelon in half? How had it turned into splitting a skull in half?!

Slow practice, fast fighting—kid, you didn't even leave a grain of salt behind!

"His strength and speed far surpass soul masters of the same rank. Combined with the power of his first soul skill, he can instantly kill ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Beasts." Leng Yaozhu's crimson eyes curved as a faint smile traced her lips. "His combat techniques are even more surprising. No wonder he loved studying ancient martial arts from childhood. He truly is a natural-born Battle Soul Master."

"Boom, boom, boom..."

How powerful was the Original Martial Soul's innate strength? Combined with the secondary enhancement Qi Follows the Heart provided to his arms, the Wind Baboons that had barely lost to the God of Emotions were like lambs awaiting slaughter before Zhao Xuanzhen. One after another, they fell.

Blood dyed the ground red. The surviving Wind Baboons were completely terrified. Their enemy was like mist they could not grasp, while more than half their pack had already died. The fists they flailed desperately before death could only sweep past his flying hair tips!

Hearing the mournful cries rising from his subordinates' throats, the Wind Baboon King howled at the sky and furiously pounded its chest. It forcibly reignited its pack's Fighting Spirit and commanded them to gather for another attack!

On one side was the king's irresistible command; on the other was a Human Soul Master who seemed like a descending demon. Reason and terror erupted together, and the Wind Baboons that had survived by chance nearly lost all ability to judge.

The conflict tore apart their already underdeveloped brains. Their companions' deaths were like wheat cut down in a field, while the thick stench of blood drove the Wind Baboons into madness. The wildness buried deep within their soul beast bloodlines gradually gained the upper hand. Opening their mouths, they activated their Innate Soul Skills, firing balls of light at Zhao Xuanzhen!

"Qi Dong Shan He!"

The light balls were effortlessly crushed into dust by the Yin-Yang cyclones. Above the sky, a majestic Taiji Diagram took shape. Black and pale white constantly revolved and intertwined in the air, carrying Yin and Yang Dual Qi as it descended with a thunderous crash like a blazing sun falling to earth!

Seeing the Taiji Diagram that resembled a natural disaster, the Wind Baboons' faces turned deathly pale. Despair filled their expressions as they spat out light balls in futile struggle.

"Suppress!"

The instant Zhao Xuanzhen brought his palms together, the Taiji Diagram dragged circular flames down toward the earth. The exploding Yin and Yang Dual Qi swept inch by inch across this section of forest. Rocks, soil, ancient trees—everything was reduced to ashes beneath the Yin-Yang baptism!

Strength crushed the enemy formation, like sunlight shattering clouds!

The Wind Baboons suffered heavy casualties, and a massive wave of Soul Power poured into Zhao Xuanzhen's solitary first soul ring.

Having received the power of the Godslayers, strengthening was inevitable. Within the translucent yellow soul ring, a noble, pure streak of purple faintly began to emerge.

"Your turn now, Super Godslayer..."

Zhao Xuanzhen locked his aura onto the Wind Baboon King, which staggered to its feet. This fellow had kept sending its underlings out to wear him down while secretly preparing to steal the final kill.

Who could have expected the enemy's mechanics and stats to be so absurdly overpowered? The battle had only begun a few minutes ago, yet in the blink of an eye, its entire pack had been wiped out. The Wind Baboon King was incredibly fortunate that it had stood a little farther away, and that it had activated its Innate Soul Skill to dodge immediately. Even so, it had nearly been caught in the aftershock of Qi Dong Shan He!

The Wind Baboon King shook its head. Its bloodshot pupils were filled with intense hatred, and the muscles in its arms bulged like hills. It had no thought of running. The blood feud of its exterminated pack was irreconcilable, and it had seen Zhao Xuanzhen's terrifying speed. Trying to flee would only mean death!

Its massive beast body charged toward Zhao Xuanzhen. A layer of pale green light appeared around it. After its cultivation surpassed eight hundred years, the Wind Baboon King could mobilize a trace of the Wind Element in the air. Its charging body left several illusory afterimages behind.

Zhao Xuanzhen advanced directly into the Wind Baboon King's charge. Every part of his body was part of the True Self Martial Soul. Qi Follows the Heart empowered his legs, making him far faster than the Wind Baboon King!

At the instant man and beast collided, Zhao Xuanzhen's palm sliced diagonally along the trajectory of the Wind Baboon's swinging arm. Taijiquan's signature Wild Horse Parts Mane redirected the Wind Baboon King's full-force strike, causing it to miss. At the same time, the Wind Baboon King was like an insect trapped in amber, watching helplessly as invisible force twisted its limbs into knots.

The final strike—Forward Elbow Strike!

"Boom—"

The Wind Baboon King flew away like a torn hemp sack, its expression frozen in disbelief. The flesh of its chest had been torn apart by Hidden Strength, and all the organs centered around its heart had been shattered into pulp!

"Done."

Stepping over the Wind Baboon King's corpse, which died with its eyes still open, Zhao Xuanzhen was satisfied with the strength of his martial soul and his first soul skill, Qi Follows the Heart. The Original Martial Soul True Self provided heaven-defying base stats, while Qi Follows the Heart supplied versatile mechanics. The Trisolarians of Douluo Continent were beginning to take shape!

Everything was ready; all that remained was persistence and hard work!

There had been twenty-two Wind Baboons in total: the eight-hundred-year Baboon King, the three-hundred-year vanguard, seven Hundred-Year Wind Baboons, and the rest were ten-year soul beasts.

At a ten-percent conversion rate, they had provided the Spirit Water Porpoise with nearly two hundred years of cultivation. The Spirit Ascension Platform mission was halfway complete, and Zhao Xuanzhen seemed to hear victory echoing in the distance!

Continuing deeper into the forest, Zhao Xuanzhen muttered to himself:

"Come to think of it, the Original Martial Soul really is simple and overbearing..."