Qi Follows the Heart, Changes Ten Thousandfold

Chapter 5: Qi Follows the Heart, Myriad Transformations

A Tun that cannot refuse others' coercion!

As long as it's forced, Tun Tun will do anything!

Clutching the mentality of "living is fine, dying is also okay," the Spirit Water Porpoise slowly shuffled over to Zhao Xuanzhen's side, its body radiating a dazzling brilliance, exuding the aura of Yin-Yang attributes.

Zhao Xuanzhen seemed to sense something. He raised his right hand and gently placed it on the Yin-Yang brand between the Spirit Water Porpoise's brows. The Yin Yang Airflow surged abruptly, like two black and white giant dragons dancing wildly around the man and the beast.

Seeing this, Leng Yaozhu and the Bai Sisters couldn't help but show joy on their faces. Having fused with several soul spirits before, they naturally understood the current situation.

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

After a long moment, the Spirit Water Porpoise let out a whimper. Its chubby, endearing body flowed like water, merging bit by bit into Zhao Xuanzhen. During this process, the fluctuation of the Black and White Qi Flow became intensely violent.

The next second after the Spirit Water Porpoise fully merged, all the airflow converged like rivers returning to the sea, surging into Zhao Xuanzhen's body. A bright yellow halo, several times more dazzling than an ordinary hundred-year soul ring, rose fiercely. The surface of the soul ring was engraved with the special pale gold patterns of an auspicious beast.

Soul power advanced, thirteenth rank!

With the contract successfully completed, Zhao Xuanzhen let out a long breath. No one liked being inexplicably suppressed by the Golden Silver Dragon King into a roadside weed. Both his True Self and the Spirit Water Porpoise were unafraid of bloodline pressure, and the heavy stone hanging in his heart was finally half set down.

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

Trident warning!

"Xuanzhen, congratulations on obtaining your first soul spirit. The future is bright!" the Bai Sisters said with smiles.

"Without my teacher, I wouldn't even have the qualification to meet the Spirit Water Porpoise."

Zhao Xuanzhen waved his hand and chuckled. Only the Head and Deputy Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda had the authority to deploy the Auspicious Beast. The prerequisite condition for fusing with the Spirit Water Porpoise was actually Leng Yaozhu.

"Enough, no need to gild me. Fusing a soul spirit ultimately depends on yourself." Leng Yaozhu's lips curled slightly. "Since you're here, how about challenging the Spirit Ascension Platform once?"

"Sure, let's test the soul skill's effect. It's a good chance to help Tun Tun ascend."

Zhao Xuanzhen stretched his limbs, feeling refreshed. After his martial soul awakened, the Yin and Yang Dual Qi hidden within his body shifted from stillness to activity. He was also very eager to witness the power of his past life's techniques combined with this life's martial soul!

The Spirit Ascension Platform was a semi-real, semi-virtual space created by the Spirit Pagoda, teeming with countless soul beasts, providing combat training for Federation soul masters.

Besides improving combat experience, when a soul master killed a soul beast in the Spirit Ascension Platform, they could absorb ten percent of its energy.

If Zhao Xuanzhen killed a hundred-year Darkgold Fearclaw Bear, his first soul ring would directly gain ten years of cultivation. If Leng Yaozhu killed it instead, the nine great soul rings would share the energy, each increasing by about one year on average.

Therefore, as long as the soul master themselves could support and accommodate a high-level soul ring, the earlier a soul spirit ascended, the easier it was.

The True Self Martial Soul provided a powerful body and exceptional mental strength. Zhao Xuanzhen had no problem bearing a thousand-year soul spirit. He planned to push the Spirit Water Porpoise across four hundred years of cultivation in one go, advancing his first soul ring!

Leng Yaozhu pressed a button. The wall slowly split open, and a metal cabinet slid out. Its design was somewhat inauspicious, looking vaguely like a coffin on the outside, with a width just enough for one person to lie in.

Zhao Xuanzhen lay down in the metal cabinet. Around him, instrument suction cups quickly extended, fitting snugly against his body. Leng Yaozhu's gentle voice followed:

"Xuanzhen, you are a one-ring soul master. You're about to enter the Primary Spirit Ascension Platform, which allows soul masters below the Four Ring Soul Ancestor rank. Most of the soul beasts there are hundred-year or thousand-year, with occasional thousand-year ones appearing.

The Spirit Ascension Platform uses brainwave connection. In theory, once your mental strength breaks through the Spirit Connection Realm, there's no life-threatening danger. However, under intense stimulation, your Sea of Consciousness could be impacted and severely damaged. If you encounter a soul beast you can't defeat, be sure to press the distress signal device to exit the Spirit Ascension Platform."

"Understood."

The metal cabinet slid into the wall, and the Spirit Ascension Platform journey began. The last image in Zhao Xuanzhen's eyes was the Bai Sisters clenching their fists in encouragement. Then the world turned pitch black.

Primary Spirit Ascension Platform.

Ancient trees soared into the clouds, surrounded by vast stretches of shrubs. There was no real path to speak of. The sky was clear with light clouds, the sea of trees rolling endlessly, the green of the primitive forest stretching without bound.

Zhao Xuanzhen took a deep breath. The fresh, natural air was invigorating, and the abundant Life Energy brought joy to body and mind. The Primary Spirit Ascension Platform was equivalent to the outer area of the Star Dou Great Forest in the past—an ancient scene unseen in the Legend of the Dragon King Era.

Relying on his sixth sense, he picked a direction and began searching for soul beasts living within the Spirit Ascension Platform. The Spirit Water Porpoise was a six-hundred-year soul beast. To raise the first soul ring's limit by four hundred years, he needed to kill a total of four thousand years' worth of soul beasts.

Time was tight, the task heavy. Bold action, early finish!

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

Leng Yaozhu crossed her arms, her Title Douluo aura fully unleashed. The Bai Sisters instinctively moved a few steps away.

In Leng Yaozhu's view, a teacher needed to deeply understand a student's abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, then formulate a detailed training plan to help the student fully realize their talent.

She had proposed the Spirit Ascension Platform trial precisely to observe Zhao Xuanzhen under a microscope. After all, nothing revealed a person's abilities better than actual combat.

On the screen, Zhao Xuanzhen's figure was slender and strong. A red signal device was attached to the back of his left hand. His white robes fluttered gently as he moved through the forest like a white wolf—agile and full of the unique vitality of youth.

His steps suddenly halted. Zhao Xuanzhen's gaze sharpened as he snapped his head toward one direction. Leng Yaozhu and the Bai Sisters followed his line of sight and saw figures of soul beasts flashing through the forest. Their brows furrowed.

"Wind Baboons... a pack!"

Over twenty pairs of scarlet pupils lit up one after another. They were hideously ugly baboons, covered in brownish-yellow fur, with sharp claws and protruding canine teeth at the corners of their mouths. Their beastly pupils were fierce and murderous!

"Godslayer, huh? Interesting."

Zhao Xuanzhen's gaze was calm. His mind flashed back to the God of Emotions Huo Yuhao's first battle in the Star Dou Great Forest. Today, his opponent was also Wind Baboons—except the number was a whole pack!

Wind Baboons didn't deserve the evaluation of high-level soul beasts. Their combat power ranked in the lower-middle tier of the soul beast pyramid. In the eyes of soul beasts like the Darkgold Fearclaw Bear, they were no different from food. But a pack of over twenty Wind Baboons forming a group was undoubtedly a Fatal Crisis for a rookie one-ring soul master!

"Roar—"

The Wind Baboon King, eight hundred years in cultivation, sensed a human appearing in its territory. In an instant, its eyes erupted with brutal, murderous intent. It slammed its Two Fists heavily against its chest, sending an attack signal to the pack. Receiving the order, the Wind Baboons charged forward on all fours, howling wildly.

A three-hundred-year Wind Baboon was the fastest. Baring its fangs, it lunged straight at Zhao Xuanzhen. Its long arms came together above its head, smashing down in a heavy hammer blow!

The descending fist created a piercing Sonic Boom. Zhao Xuanzhen drew an arc with his Left Foot, stepping half a step back. Soul power surged, and his Martial Soul True Self manifested. His black hair turned pale white!

The first soul ring blazed with intense light. As his right hand turned and locked onto the Wind Baboon's wrist, his entire forearm swirled with black and white qi currents.

"First Soul Skill, Qi Follows the Heart."

The Wind Baboon's powerful body suddenly lost its balance. Zhao Xuanzhen's fingertips traced along the rough beast arm up to its left chest, like a calligrapher lifting his brush to sketch a flying white stroke.

"Squeak!!!"

Its eyes nearly bulged from their sockets. The Wind Baboon let out a piercing shriek that tore through the clouds. Fear spiked to its peak from the searing pain, but nothing could change the inevitable outcome. The Yin and Yang dual qi pierced through its heart, and blood mist refracted a tragic beauty in midair.

A vanguard whose combat power was second only to the king was killed in a single strike. The impact of this scene was overwhelmingly intense. The Wind Baboon's pupils went wide, its steps honestly slowed, and its forward momentum plummeted.

Zhao Xuanzhen's gaze was icy cold. He bent both arms, shifted sideways, and traced a perfect circle with his movement. The Yin and Yang dual qi appeared beneath his feet. His entire body erupted with speed approaching instant teleportation. Afterimages condensed into lines. The hem of his clothes fluttered, revealing the taut muscle lines of his abdomen.

An uninvited guest had crashed into the Wind Baboon pack. Turning, stepping wrong, single whip, double push palms, block and smash—every move was a lethal blow. The technique was executed to perfection, yet not a single motion was wasted. A raised hand meant certain death; a strike guaranteed a fallen foe.

Qi Follows the Heart, transformations without end. The True Self mobilized the Yin and Yang dual qi within the body, changing form at will. Close and long-range combat, offense and defense, amplification—all were possible.

"Those moves look exactly like the ancient martial arts Xuanzhen practices slowly every day! This, this can't be right!"

In front of the Soul Guidance Screen, Bai Haoze and Bai Zhicen stretched their necks out two miles. The sisters wished they could charge into the Spirit Ascension Platform, grab Zhao Xuanzhen by the collar, and shake him back and forth!

Wasn't it supposed to be cutting a watermelon in half, not splitting a skull in two!

Slow practice, fast fighting—you little brat didn't even leave a trace of salt!

"Strength and speed far exceed those of soul masters at the same rank. Paired with the power of his first soul skill, it's enough to instantly kill an ordinary hundred-year soul beast." Leng Yaozhu's crimson eyes curved, and a hint of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "His combat technique is the most delightful surprise. No wonder he loved studying ancient martial arts since he was young. He truly is a born Battle Soul Master."

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The innate power of an Original Martial Soul was immense. Combined with the secondary amplification provided by Qi Follows the Heart clinging to both arms, the Wind Baboon that had barely lost to the God of Emotions was like a lamb awaiting slaughter before Zhao Xuanzhen. One after another, they fell.

Blood dyed the earth red. The surviving Wind Baboons were utterly terrified. The enemy was like mist they couldn't grasp, yet more than half of their kin were already dead. The fists they wildly swung in their death throes could only graze the flying tips of his hair!

Hearing the mournful cries rising from the depths of his subordinates' throats, the Wind Baboon King raised its head and howled to the sky. It pounded its chest in fury, forcibly awakening its kin's fighting spirit, and commanded them to gather and attack!

On one side was the king's unbreakable command; on the other was the human Soul Master who descended like a demon. Reason and fear erupted together. The Wind Baboons that had survived by luck had nearly lost all judgment.

Fighting with both sides destroyed their already underdeveloped brains. The deaths of their companions were like a wheat field mowed down. The thick scent of blood drove the Wind Baboons into a frenzy. The wildness deep in their soul beast bloodlines gradually took over. They opened their massive maws and activated their Innate Soul Skills, firing clusters of light orbs at Zhao Xuanzhen!

"Qi Dong Shan He!"

The light orbs were easily crushed to dust by the Yin and Yang dual qi. In the sky above, a majestic Taiji Diagram wove itself together. Pitch black and pale white spun and intermingled endlessly in the air, carrying the Yin and Yang dual qi as they plummeted like a great sun crashing to the earth!

Seeing the Taiji Diagram that resembled a natural disaster, the faces of the Wind Baboons turned deathly pale. Despair spread across their features as they spat light orbs from their mouths in futile resistance.

"Suppress!"

The moment Zhao Xuanzhen's palms came together, the Taiji Diagram dragged a circular halo of light as it crashed into the earth. The exploding Yin and Yang dual qi swept inch by inch through this forest region. Rocks, soil, ancient trees—everything was reduced to ashes under the baptism of Yin and Yang!

Force drove through the enemy formation like a ray of heavenly light piercing the clouds!

The Wind Baboons suffered heavy casualties. A massive wave of soul power surged into Zhao Xuanzhen's solitary first soul ring.

Accepting the power of the Godslayer, strengthening was inevitable. Within the translucent yellow soul ring, a trace of noble, pure purple faintly gestated.

"Your turn, super Godslayer..."

Zhao Xuanzhen locked his aura onto the Wind Baboon King as it staggered to its feet. This bastard had been ordering its underlings to wear him down while secretly preparing to steal the kill.

Who would have thought the enemy's mechanics and stats were too overpowered? In just a few minutes from the start of the fight, in the blink of an eye, the underlings were wiped out. The Wind Baboon King was immensely grateful that it had stayed a bit farther away earlier and had immediately activated its Innate Soul Skill to dodge outward. Even so, it had nearly been caught in the residual waves of Qi Dong Shan He!

The Wind Baboon King shook its head. Hatred burned thick in its bloodshot pupils. Its arm muscles bulged like hills. It didn't entertain any thoughts of running. The blood feud of clan annihilation left no room for coexistence, and it had seen Zhao Xuanzhen's terrifying speed—fleeing would only mean death!

Its mighty beast body charged straight at Zhao Xuanzhen. A layer of pale green light emerged. After its cultivation broke through eight hundred years, the Wind Baboon King could mobilize a trace of the wind element in the air. Its charging body left behind a few illusory afterimages.

Zhao Xuanzhen met the Wind Baboon King's charge head-on. Every part of his body was part of the True Self Martial Soul. Qi Follows the Heart empowered his legs, making his speed more than a match for the Wind Baboon King's!

The moment man and beast collided, Zhao Xuanzhen's hand slashed diagonally along the trajectory of the Wind Baboon's swinging arm. The iconic Wild Horse Parts Mane of Taijiquan sent the Wind Baboon King's full-force strike veering off course. It hit nothing but air. At the same time, the Wind Baboon King was like a fly trapped in amber, watching helplessly as its limbs were twisted into a hemp sack by invisible force.

The final blow, Forward Elbow Strike!

"Boom—"

The Wind Baboon King flew up like a torn hemp sack, its expression frozen in disbelief. The flesh of its chest was torn apart by Hidden Strength, and all its internal organs centered around the heart were shaken into meat paste!

"Done."

Stepping over the Wind Baboon King's unseeing corpse, Zhao Xuanzhen expressed satisfaction with his martial soul's strength and the First Soul Skill, Qi Follows the Heart. The Original Martial Soul True Self provided heaven-defying base stats, while Qi Follows the Heart supplemented the versatile mechanics. The prototype of a Douluo Continent Trisolonian was beginning to show!

Everything was ready—only persistence and effort were needed!

This group of Wind Baboons totaled twenty-two. The king was eight hundred years, the vanguard three hundred years, seven were hundred-year Wind Baboons, and the rest were decade soul beasts.

Calculated at a ten percent conversion rate, they provided nearly two hundred years of cultivation for the Spirit Water Porpoise. The Spirit Ascension Platform mission progress was halfway done. Zhao Xuanzhen felt like he could already hear the sound of victory!

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

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