"Then let's try it!" Su Yan said, grabbing the blade and stabbing it straight through the carriage.
Ah Rou was even more excited. "I'll be the referee! Both sides ready? Three, two, one!"
"Quiet, all of you!" Bibi Dong barked.
The three of them hunched their shoulders and fell silent, like mice that had spotted a cat.
Su Yan and Tang Chi didn't dare say a word. One slid the blade into his belt, while the other put away his Martial Soul.
Ah Rou folded her arms and pouted. "If we don't try it, those five Gold Soul Coins will have gone to waste. We could've bought a lot of carrots with them."
"New Divine Land," Bibi Dong said coolly.
Ah Rou hurriedly covered her mouth, her bright eyes darting around.
Bibi Dong continued, "We'll go back to Spirit Hall and try it in the training grounds."
Half a day later, at the training grounds of Notting City Martial Soul Hall.
"Hey, why are you all rushing off? Where are you going?"
"Yun Tao, don't you know? The Holy Maiden bought a Dragon-Slaying Blade, and some kid's going to test it against his Martial Soul. They're at the training grounds."
"Si Si, let's go too. Slow down, and be careful of the baby."
"I know, I know. You say it a hundred, a thousand times a day. I've got calluses on my ears."
Under the blazing sun, the Dragon-Slaying Blade gleamed brilliantly. Its edge shone so dazzlingly that it was almost impossible to look at.
Su Yan held the blade high, standing at one side, ready for anything.
Tang Chi gripped the Thunderclap Hammer with both hands, poised to strike from the other side.
In the middle, Ah Rou raised a flag and swung it down with all her strength. "Round one, begin!"
The two charged toward each other. No fancy moves, no Soul Skills—just a head-on clash, blade against hammer, the Dragon-Slaying Blade against the Thunderclap Hammer.
The Dragon-Slaying Blade could slice through iron like mud.
The Thunderclap Hammer was as hard as Mysterious Iron.
Neither of them would give an inch.
Clang!
Sparks burst across the training grounds.
Su Yan was startled, then delighted. "Again!"
Tang Chi felt his Soul Power trembling and his blood boiling. "Bring it!"
The blade and hammer collided again, as simply and directly as before.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The two relied on brute strength to clash, sparks bursting like fireworks.
"I've got to say, this blade really holds up!"
"Normally, a blade would be no match for a hammer. But after all those blows, the edge hasn't even chipped."
"If anything, it looks like the hammer's missing a corner."
Bibi Dong was a little surprised too. This Dragon-Slaying Blade really had something to it. What a pity it wasn't a Martial Soul; otherwise, it could've ranked among the top weapon-type Martial Souls.
The two fought hundreds of times on the training grounds, and their strength was nearly spent.
"Tang Chi."
"Su Yan."
"One last blow!" they said in unison.
The blade and hammer met for the final time. The Thunderclap Hammer dissolved into Soul Power, while the Dragon-Slaying Blade flew from Su Yan's hand, drawing blood before turning into a streak of light and vanishing in midair.
The two lay on the ground, utterly exhausted.
"Where's the blade?"
"Didn't you see it turn into light?"
"What a shame. It was a good blade."
With the spectacle over, the onlookers began to disperse.
Zhu Zhuqing appeared beside Su Yan with Pikachu in her arms, using Resonance Step. Seeing his palm worn raw and bloody, she felt an indescribable pang. "I told you, that blade was hard on your hands!"
Su Yan grinned foolishly.
"The blade's gone, and you're still smiling?" Bibi Dong said. She crouched down and sprinkled Spirit Hall's specially made Golden Wound Ointment over his injury.
"The Dragon-Slaying Blade is still here!" Su Yan said softly, raising his right hand. "Martial Soul, Dragon-Slaying Blade."
The Dragon-Slaying Blade that had vanished in a streak of light reappeared in Su Yan's hand.
The entire room fell silent.
Suddenly, Bibi Dong gasped, and Zhu Zhuqing did too.
When Ah Rou heard them, she leaned closer and gasped as well.
Tang Chi was lying on the ground, and for some reason, he gasped too.
Xue Ke sat far off in her wheelchair and, for some reason, gasped as well.
"This..." Bibi Dong didn't know what to say.
The Dragon-Slaying Blade had turned into a Martial Soul, completely overturning everything she had learned about Martial Souls over the years.
Ah Rou was even more curious. She grabbed the Dragon-Slaying Blade and ran her delicate hand back and forth over it. "It really is a Martial Soul!"
The group shared a sudden, unspoken understanding. Bibi Dong hauled Su Yan up, Ah Rou hauled Tang Chi up, and with Pikachu perched on Zhu Zhuqing's shoulder, they wheeled Xue Ke into Bibi Dong's room.
Before long, the room had turned into a scene from Six Great Sects Siege Bright Summit, with everyone demanding that Su Yan hand over the Dragon-Slaying Treasure Blade.
Left with no choice, Su Yan raised his right hand and summoned the Dragon-Slaying Blade.
"Xiaoyan, do you know something?" Bibi Dong asked.
"Spit it out, or you won't get any carrots!" Ah Rou chimed in.
"Brother Yan." Zhu Zhuqing fixed him with a cool stare.
"Su Yan, you brat, tell us the truth!" Tang Chi said, looking extremely envious.
"Brother Su Yan, is there anything else that can turn into a Martial Soul?" Xue Ke asked curiously.
"Pika, pika, pika!" Pikachu waved its tiny golden paws.
Standing in the middle, Su Yan looked troubled. "I don't know. I really don't."
He suddenly remembered that he still had half a scroll of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Slaying Saber. He took out the bamboo slip and unfolded it completely.
It was nothing more than a story.
Golden-Haired Lion King Xie Xun seized the Dragon-Slaying Blade and saw Cao Mengde harassing You Erjie in front of Lion Tower. He drew his blade to help her, only to be knocked back by a Nine-Tooth Rake.
Aside from making Su Yan feel that he'd gotten a fake education in his previous life and read fake books—that he was a complete ignoramus—it was of no help at all.
Su Yan recalled what had happened at the time and murmured, "Maybe the blade recognizes its master through a drop of blood?"
Then he took out the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card and let a drop of blood fall onto it.
The card didn't change at all. It even seemed a little disgusted.
"That approach doesn't work either. Maybe the Dragon-Slaying Blade has to taste blood before it'll recognize its master," Su Yan said.
Seeing that the Martial Soul was indeed strange but having no idea what was going on, the others could only give up and return to their own quarters to rest.
Before leaving, Ah Rou poked Su Yan on the shoulder. "If you figure out how to get a Carrot Martial Soul, you absolutely have to tell me."
Su Yan nodded. If he really managed to figure it out.
To reward them for completing their training, Bibi Dong gave them a week off.
Su Yan and Tang Chi made a trip back to their village.
Zhu Zhuqing wandered around Notting City with Pikachu and Xue Ke.
Bibi Dong kept her promise to Ah Rou. The two of them went to New Divine Land and ate carrots for five whole days. Five days!
With the time to regroup drawing near, Su Yan returned to Notting City Martial Soul Hall early.
The entrance to Spirit Hall was unusually lively. A crowd of commoners in coarse clothes sat outside, shouting, "Spirit Hall is bullying the common people!"
"Spirit Hall is running a scam!"
"Spirit Hall is failing to do its job!"
The doors to Spirit Hall opened, and a young man hurried out. "Everyone, please calm down. I'm Su Yuntao, a Spirit Hall deacon. You can tell me what's wrong."
"Give us back all the money we worked so hard to earn!"
"Arrest the Spirit Hall member selling Strength Pills!"
"Cure all the side effects in the children who took Strength Pills!"
The crowd shouted over one another, their words all tangled together.
"Quiet!" Su Yuntao infused his voice with Soul Power to calm the crowd. "Choose someone to speak for you!"
The commoners all turned toward an old man.
The man came forward, leaning on his cane. "Young man, our demands are simple. First, give us our money back. Second, arrest the culprit. Third, treat the children."
Su Yuntao asked, "Elder, could you briefly tell me what happened?"
The old man struck the ground hard with his cane, his anger flaring at once. Gritting his teeth, he said, "A year ago, someone came by claiming to be from Spirit Hall. He was selling Strength Pills made by Spirit Hall. One pill to clear your mind, two to keep you from ever getting tired, and three to guarantee you'd awaken Soul Power."
"I paid for them and gave them to my grandson. He didn't awaken Soul Power, and now he's constantly running a high fever and is delirious. We took him to the doctor, but nothing helped. We're at our wits' end!"
"I came here last year, and the law enforcers took down the details. They still haven't solved the case."
"Now so many more people have been cheated. We came here to demand an explanation from Spirit Hall—and compensation!"
Before you continue