Only Soul Skills Were Allowed

Spirit City, Spirit Hall.

Hu Liena stood before Bibi Dong, recounting what she had encountered in Slaughter City. The more Bibi Dong heard, the tighter her brows drew.

"What about that child named Li Tianyi? Did he come back with you?"

Bibi Dong hadn't interrupted Hu Liena once. She needed to understand the whole situation.

A faint blush appeared on Hu Liena's face, and Tang San's face involuntarily came to mind.

But she quickly shook her head and pushed the thought aside.

"No. He should have returned to the Clear Sky Sect with Tang Yin."

"What!"

Bibi Dong gripped the Pope Scepter in her hand and slammed it against the ground.

"I don't yet know whether what you've told me is true, but you should at least have found a way to bring him back to Spirit Hall. He's only six years old. I refuse to believe that you, a Soul King nearly at level sixty, couldn't handle him!"

Hu Liena shrank back. She knew that an existence like Ling Chen could overturn the balance of power in the future. To capture Ling Chen, all it would take was one Soul Skill.

But back then, all she could think about was Tang Yin. She'd even come up with an excuse.

"Teacher, even if I brought him back, would the other elders of Spirit Hall believe he'd come out of Slaughter City? And if I hadn't told you any of this, would you have believed me?"

Hu Liena's words left Bibi Dong at a loss. Even now, she was still wondering whether what Hu Liena had said was true.

If they forcibly dragged someone over and made him join them, only for everyone here to treat him with cold stares and spit at him, it would be strange if they managed to win him over.

"You're not wrong, but in the end, this is still only your side of the story. Never mind the elders of Spirit Hall. I can't completely trust you just because you're my disciple."

Bibi Dong held immense power and understood this better than anyone.

A ruler who listened to slanderous advice was a foolish ruler. Spirit Hall hadn't achieved what it had through empty words.

"This disciple understands. Some things are hard to believe, but they'll prove themselves and make others believe."

Bibi Dong nodded in approval. As Spirit Hall's Holy Maiden, Hu Liena needed this kind of understanding if she hoped to become its future Pope.

"You've just returned from Slaughter City, and your level is now a little behind Xie Yue and Yan. Focus on improving your level for now. Later, you'll have something you need to do..."

"Yes, Teacher!"

A year later, at the Seven Kill Sword Pavilion of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Seven-year-old Ling Chen had grown a little taller and stronger. His long hair gave him the air of an immortal.

His temperament had grown cold and ruthless, like that of a sword cultivator. He was completely different from the person he'd been in Slaughter City.

For the past year, he had practiced swordsmanship and cultivated his mind every day, striving to comprehend sword intent. With Chen Xin's help, his level had risen at an astonishing pace, reaching level sixteen.

His strength had increased considerably, too. He could make a twenty-pound iron sword dance in a flurry of sword flowers. He no longer charged headlong into battle as he had before. His killing intent remained undiminished, but now he fought with more discipline.

However, Ling Chen's Peerless Domain was a bit of a problem. Its boost grew with his Soul Power and level, but the trouble was that it made no distinction between friend and foe.

Even when Ling Chen deliberately tried to control it, and infused it with killing intent and sword energy, it still couldn't tell friend from foe. Worse, it expanded as the battle went on.

The only way to make use of his Peerless Domain was to have him charge alone into the enemy ranks. The domain made Ling Chen feel as though he were at—Changban Slope!

At that moment, he was waiting for Chen Xin to lift the seal on his Martial Soul. Spirit Hall would take action before long. When the time came, whether he could save Chen Xin's arm would depend on his ability to break through the enemy ranks with the Green Steel Sword.

Chen Xin lightly touched Ling Chen's dantian with a finger, and then... nothing happened.

Ling Chen felt nothing. He tried to summon his Martial Soul, but the Green Steel Sword didn't appear.

"That's strange. Master, didn't you break the seal? Why can't I use it?"

Chen Xin merely gave him a faint, mischievous smile and handed him an iron sword.

"Until you've fully experienced the true weight of your Sword Martial Soul, I won't completely break the seal. For now, you can only use your Martial Soul when your life is in danger. You can use Soul Skills, though."

Ling Chen could only sigh helplessly and take the thirty-pound iron sword.

It was just like Slaughter City, turned upside down. No killing was allowed in the sect; everything had to be done by the rules. He could use Soul Skills, but not his Martial Soul.

But Ling Chen soon regained his composure. Chen Xin wouldn't harm him. If he could swing the Green Steel Sword with a hundred pounds of force, he couldn't even imagine who'd be able to stop him.

Chen Xin patted Ling Chen's head, looking a little troubled.

"I wonder what's been going on lately. Rongrong's always frowning, and it's got Fengzhi worried sick."

Ling Chen waved it off, unconcerned. He knew all about Ning Rongrong's feelings. Though he'd spent the whole year training hard in the Seven Kill Sword Pavilion and had hardly seen the young sect master, he was a transmigrator.

It was only natural for a girl who'd fallen in love to grow lovesick. Like the wife who sent her husband off to the battlefield in tears, then waited alone in an empty home for his return.

Ning Rongrong simply missed Oscar. Five years apart had only deepened her longing and sharpened her regret.

"Don't worry, Master. I may be younger than her, but I know a thing or two. The one who tied the knot must untie it. Once her sweetheart comes back, the problem will resolve itself."

Chen Xin narrowed his eyes without a moment's hesitation.

"You mean that little fellow named Oscar?"

Ling Chen's eyes darted away as he scratched his nose.

"I wouldn't know. You'll have to ask her."

Ling Chen knew who Oscar was, but Oscar didn't know him. One was in Slaughter City, and the other was in the Frozen Forest of the Far North. There was no way they seemed to have anything to do with each other.

Even though the Shrek Seven Devils had made a name for themselves at the elite tournament and become famous, how could a little kid like Ling Chen know about the relationship between two of them? Even if there were rumors around the sect, he wouldn't dare talk carelessly in front of Chen Xin.

"Fine. Keep getting used to the new iron sword. I'll go talk to Fengzhi."

Chen Xin leaped into the air, and the Seven Kill Sword appeared beneath his feet. He began to fly on his sword. A streak of light flashed past, and he vanished from Ling Chen's sight in an instant.

"Damn, that's cool!"

Ling Chen looked on with envy. What sword cultivator wouldn't want to soar through the air on a sword?

Unfortunately, he was only a little level-sixteen Soul Master. Ling Chen weighed the iron sword in his hand and began training.

By his reckoning, Tang San should have earned Tang Yuehua's approval and be getting ready to return to the Clear Sky Sect to claim his heritage. Ling Chen had already sent a Hundred Demon Shadow Clone to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. It only had to lie low in the shadows by the entrance and wait for Spirit Hall to make its move.