His Path Was Destined to Be Solitary from the Very Beginning

"Today's practical combat exercise was mainly meant to familiarize you with one another and assess what you've learned recently."

His voice was icy and emotionless. "Tang Wulin, your combination of strength and control was decent, but your use of Blue Silver Grass could be more aggressive. Don't limit yourself to restraining opponents. Xie Xie, speed is your advantage, but you rely on it too heavily. Against Control System Soul Masters, you can easily be restrained. You need to improve your adaptability and ability to break through difficult situations."

His assessment was concise and incisive, and both Tang Wulin and Xie Xie nodded seriously.

"Gu Yue, your elemental control is exquisite, and your sense of rhythm is strong. But remember, the purpose of control is not merely to restrict—it is to create an opportunity for a killing blow. Zhang Yangzi, the Dark Phantom Eagle grants you speed and the ability to launch surprise attacks, but you are too impatient. You are easily led around by your opponents. You need to calm yourself and look for an opportunity to win with a single strike."

Gu Yue's gaze flickered as she fell into thought.

Zhang Yangzi, meanwhile, looked ashamed and lowered his head.

Finally, Wu Zhangkong's gaze fell upon Situ Xuan, and the atmosphere across the entire training ground seemed to freeze.

"Situ Xuan."

Wu Zhangkong's voice remained calm, yet everyone could sense the unusual focus in it. "Your fighting style is completely different from the current mainstream Soul Master system."

Situ Xuan raised his eyes and met his gaze calmly.

"You did not rely on Martial Soul Possession, nor did you use that highly destructive Malevolent Qi. With only your movement techniques, finger techniques, and astonishing insight into the human body and the circulation of Soul Power, you easily dismantled Wang Jinxi's offense."

Wu Zhangkong spoke slowly. "This kind of technique is precise, efficient, and... extremely dangerous. It acts directly upon the most fundamental source of a Soul Master's power—the body and the Soul Power circuit."

He paused, and a sharp glint flashed through his ice-blue eyes. "I am very curious about the origin of this combat system. It is far beyond an ordinary Self-Created Soul Skill. There must be a complete and profound theory supporting it."

The moment he said this, everyone pricked up their ears.

They were equally curious and shocked by Situ Xuan's miraculous Pressure Point Striking techniques.

Situ Xuan fell silent for a moment. Just when everyone thought he would not answer, he spoke. His voice still carried that distinctive cold hardness and indifference. "It is called... the Fist of the North Star."

But he said nothing further.

"The Fist of the North Star."

The name carried an ancient, murderous air as it drifted through the cold wind, inexplicably chilling everyone's hearts.

Yet Situ Xuan had merely spoken its name before closing his mouth again, with no intention of explaining further.

Those deep eyes remained as indifferent and still as an ancient well, as though the martial art capable of shaking the Soul Master world was nothing more than some ordinary object picked up from the roadside.

Wu Zhangkong stared at him without urging him or asking further questions.

He understood Situ Xuan's personality and knew there was no use forcing him.

Learning this name from his mouth was already an unexpected gain.

His ice-blue eyes flickered faintly, as though he were pondering the meaning this name might contain.

After a moment, he spoke again, his tone returning to its usual coldness. "No matter what it is called or where it comes from, remember this: power is a tool. What matters is the one who wields it."

His gaze swept over everyone before finally settling on Situ Xuan. "Your restraint of your Malevolent Qi during battle, and your use of this more refined technique instead, is progress. But whether it is the savagery of Malevolent Qi or the precision of this fist art, both inherently contain an intense desire for destruction and control."

"Zero Class does not need a weapon that knows only destruction, nor does it need a lone traveler who stands above the team. How to truly integrate your strength into the team and turn it into the collective edge is a lesson you must face."

These words were both a warning to Situ Xuan and a reminder to everyone else.

After hearing them, Situ Xuan's expression remained unchanged, but the faint exhaustion hidden deep in his eyes seemed to deepen slightly.

He turned his head a little and looked toward the gray, hazy sky at the end of the training ground's horizon. No one knew what he was thinking.

"Today's practical combat class ends here."

Wu Zhangkong said no more and ended the lesson decisively. "Go back and reflect on your own. Be on time for class tomorrow."

With that, he turned and left without the slightest hesitation.

Only after Wu Zhangkong departed did the stifling atmosphere on the training ground ease somewhat.

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie gathered together, quietly discussing the battle just now and occasionally casting reverent glances toward Situ Xuan.

Gu Yue stood alone where she was, watching Situ Xuan's retreating back with an unfathomably complicated look in her eyes. No one knew what she was thinking.

Zhang Yangzi helped Wang Jinxi, who was still having trouble moving, to his feet. The two exchanged bitter smiles, both seeing profound helplessness in the other's eyes. Being in the same class as such a monster was simply too stressful.

Situ Xuan ignored everyone's gazes and headed straight toward the dormitories.

His steps remained steady, but only he knew that the threads of Malevolent Qi forcibly restrained within him for the Fist of the North Star were slowly settling in his meridians, bringing waves of faint burning pain and exhaustion.

"Team..."

He silently repeated the word, and a faint disdain flashed deep in his eyes.

How could those unable even to glimpse my back possibly be fit to walk alongside me?

The thought sank into his heart like a cold rock.

To him, a so-called team was merely an excuse for the weak to huddle together for warmth.

Wang Jinxi possessed strength but was clumsy and slow. Zhang Yangzi had decent speed but was impulsive and restless. Xie Xie relied too much on speed and lacked adaptability. Gu Yue... was deeply calculating, yet ultimately limited by her Soul Power and experience.

Even Tang Wulin, brimming with fighting spirit, was growing far too slowly to keep pace with his mastery of Malevolent Qi and cultivation of the Fist of the North Star.

They were no longer on the same level as him.

What he pursued was absolute power and will, using them to govern himself—and even govern the rhythm of battle.

Whether it was the savagery of the Black Heart Evil Palm, the precision of the Fist of the North Star, or other martial arts he might acquire in the future...

Their core was all ultimate "control."

Such a path was destined to be lonely.

Integrate into a team?

Cooperate with others?

In his eyes, that meant being held back. It meant accommodating others' rhythm. It meant restraining his own sharpness to adapt to a group of... "weaklings."

To him, that was a shackle, a regression.

Wu Zhangkong's warning echoed in his ears, but it stirred little within him.

He acknowledged Wu Zhangkong's strength and understood the reasoning behind his words, but that reasoning rested on the premise that "the gap between them was not great."

And when the gap was as vast as a heavenly chasm, so-called teamwork became a joke.

What he needed was perhaps not companions walking beside him, but... pawns he could command, or a battlefield where he could unleash himself without restraint.

Situ Xuan's figure disappeared around the corner of the dormitory building, completely cutting off those gazes of reverence, complexity, and curiosity from the training ground.

He returned to his silent room, sat cross-legged on his bed, and began circulating the Dragon-Turning Breathing Method once more, guiding the slightly restless Malevolent Qi within him back into calmness.

The turmoil of the outside world, his companions' discussions, and his teacher's expectations all seemed to have nothing to do with him.

His path had been destined to be solitary from the very beginning.