Mastering the Self

The intertwining images, rather than causing him discomfort, instead ignited a frantic urge to utterly destroy everything before his eyes.

His breathing grew heavy of its own accord, a wisp of black mist flickering between his brows. The aura radiating from his body became increasingly dangerous and unstable, as if he were a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Just as this baleful energy was about to further erode his mind and trigger even deeper demonic thoughts—

"Awoo—"

A low, yet undeniably majestic and soothing tiger roar resonated from the depths of his soul.

It was his soul spirit, the Little Black Tiger!

Although it had fallen into a deep slumber to digest the massive amount of spiritual light it had absorbed, the connection between its origin and that of Situ Xuan allowed it to sense the crisis of its host's mind on the brink of collapse.

This roar, originating from the source of his soul, was not a physical sound, yet it acted like a tolling bell, shattering the rampaging slaughter-filled illusions in Situ Xuan's mind and forcibly suppressing the surging, violent emotions.

Situ Xuan jolted, snapping awake from that near-demonic sense of euphoria, his back instantly soaked in cold sweat.

He gasped for air, a lingering sense of dread remaining in his eyes.

"That was close... This Black Heart Evil Palm is truly wicked!"

He felt a secret chill, "The power boost is fast, but its erosion of one's temperament is so tyrannical and fierce. If not for the Little Black Tiger's warning, just now..."

He gathered his focus, not daring to circulate the Black Heart Evil Palm at full capacity anymore. Instead, he kept it at a relatively gentle rhythm, using it primarily to absorb the stray baleful energy in the air to replenish himself, no longer deliberately pursuing breakthroughs.

Growth in power was important, but if he were to lose his original intent and become a monster that only knew how to kill, that would be putting the cart before the horse—something he absolutely did not want.

After this ordeal, Situ Xuan gained a deeper understanding of these two powers.

"The Dragon-Turning Breathing Method is the grand and righteous path; it builds a solid foundation, nourishes vitality, and provides insight into opportunities, but its progress is relatively moderate and balanced. The Black Heart Evil Palm takes a treacherous shortcut; its progress is rapid and its lethality terrifying, but it easily backlashes against the mind and shakes one's foundation."

"The fusion during the day was achieved under the pressure of life and death, where my spirit was highly concentrated and unified, using 'battle intent' as a bridge to reach a delicate, temporary balance. To pursue it deliberately would only make it harder to replicate due to the inconsistency of my state of mind."

"To truly fuse them, perhaps... I shouldn't force the fusion of their 'form,' but rather pursue the mastery of their 'intent'?"

A thought flashed through his mind like lightning.

"The Dragon-Turning Breathing Method cultivates the 'self'; it is about controlling oneself and observing external objects. The Black Heart Evil Palm draws upon the 'baleful'; it is about harnessing external forces and slaughtering all living things. If I can use the 'original will' tempered by the Dragon-Turning Breathing Method as the root, and the insight of 'striking before the strike' as the eyes, could I then harness the violent baleful energy of the Black Heart Evil Palm, allowing me to wield it like an extension of my own arm rather than being enslaved by it?"

"With my will, I shall command the ferocity of the baleful energy! It is not fusion, but... mastery!"

Thinking of this, Situ Xuan felt as if a new door had opened before him.

He no longer attempted to forcibly knead the two types of energy together within his meridians. Instead, he began to experiment: while maintaining the basic circulation of the Dragon-Turning Breathing Method to keep a sliver of clarity in his mind, he diverted his focus to guide wisps of the absorbed baleful energy. He did not let them merge into the mainstream of his soul power; instead, like taming a wild horse, he used his own formidable willpower to constrain, compress, and direct them toward specific, non-essential peripheral meridians, or even... his skin and bones!

This process remained full of risk and pain. The unruliness of the baleful energy far exceeded his imagination; every act of restraint felt like a miniature war being waged within his body, with tearing pain constantly surging through him.

But relying on the tenacious will honed in the Spirit Ascension Platform, as well as the sense of stability brought by his connection to the Little Black Tiger deep within his soul, he gritted his teeth and endured it.

Gradually, those wisps of separated and constrained baleful energy no longer conflicted with the pale gold mainstream of his soul power. Instead, like a bone-deep parasite, they took root in those peripheral areas, slowly permeating and strengthening his physical body. In particular, his skin began to faintly shimmer with a very faint, metallic black luster, exuding an aura that was both indestructible and dangerous.

This was not a perfect solution; it was more like a dangerous compromise and experiment.

But at least, he had found a path that might work—a path to increase his power while minimizing the risk of his mind being eroded.

"Tell me your own thoughts about yesterday's experience in the Spirit Ascension Platform."

Wu Zhangkong stood behind the podium, speaking indifferently to the six students in the classroom.

The five students in the front row had varied expressions. The exhaustion on the faces of Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi was evident, as if they had been plagued by nightmares all night.

Zhang Yangzi recalled the feeling of helplessness when he was instantly killed, his fists clenching involuntarily. Wang Jinxi still felt lingering fear regarding the cold compound eyes and hideous mouthparts of the Human-Faced Demon Spider; the terror of being torn apart bit by bit was not easily dispelled.

Xie Xie was no better off. The experience of being chased by a pack of Green Wolves with nowhere to run made his speed advantage as an agility-type soul master seem laughable. At this moment, his eyes were somewhat unfocused, as if he were still on guard against non-existent wolf howls.

Gu Yue, however, looked calm. From beginning to end, it seemed that nothing other than Tang Wulin could attract her attention...

Oh!

Situ Xuan was the exception; when he beat her up, Gu Yue's expression would naturally look very unpleasant.

She did not feel much annoyance about "dying" while covering for the team; instead, she was reviewing her elemental usage and tactical choices at the time, her eyes filled with contemplation.

Tang Wulin, on the other hand, felt genuinely happy because his soul spirit had evolved through golden light; he was the only one with an excited expression and bright eyes.

He had not only killed two century-level Soul Beasts, but more importantly, he had felt the trust and support of his partners, as well as the growth of his own power.

Situ Xuan...

Situ Xuan was slumped over his desk in the back row, sleeping. His breathing was even and long. He appeared to be in a deep sleep, but if someone proficient in aura perception were present, they would notice that his aura was extremely restrained, as if he had tucked all his sharpness deep within his body. Only a faint, lingering trace of baleful energy remained, a sign that he had not yet fully recovered from his attempt to "master" the baleful energy last night.

He turned a deaf ear to Teacher Wu's question, as if the experience in the Spirit Ascension Platform were as mundane as drinking a glass of water yesterday.

Wu Zhangkong's ice-blue eyes swept over everyone, taking in each person's reaction, and finally lingered on Situ Xuan for a moment without scolding him.

"Zhang Yangzi,"

Wu Zhangkong called out, "You go first."

Zhang Yangzi took a deep breath, stood up, his tone filled with unwillingness and self-reflection: "I... I was too careless and underestimated the dangers of the Spirit Ascension Platform. I thought I could handle it with the abilities of my Dark Phantom Eagle, but in the end... I was eliminated without even seeing the opponent's true strength. I understand now that actual combat is no game; any underestimation of the enemy can come at a price."

Wu Zhangkong nodded slightly, noncommittal, and turned his gaze to Wang Jinxi.

Wang Jinxi's voice was somewhat low: "I... I fell into a trap. Facing the Human-Faced Demon Spider, I felt... I felt very powerless. The gap in power was too great, and my Bone Dragon King martial soul seemed... seemed to be suppressed." His words carried a hint of confusion and frustration regarding his own martial soul.