Only Soul Skills Can Be Used

Martial Soul City, Martial Soul Hall.

Hu Liena stood before Bibi Dong, recounting the events she had encountered in Slaughter City. The more Bibi Dong listened, the tighter her brows furrowed.

"What about that child named Li Tianyi? Did he not return with you?"

Bibi Dong did not interrupt Hu Liena throughout the entire account; she needed to understand the situation in its entirety.

A faint blush appeared on Hu Liena's face, and her mind involuntarily drifted to the face of Tang San.

But she quickly shook her head, casting the thought to the back of her mind.

"No, he likely returned to the Clear Sky Sect with Tang Yin."

"What!"

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

"I do not yet know if what you say is true, but you should have at least found a way to bring him back to Martial Soul Hall. He is a six-year-old child; I do not believe that you, a Spirit King nearing level 60, could not handle him!"

Hu Liena shrank back. She certainly knew that an existence like Ling Chen would overturn the future landscape. To capture Ling Chen, a single spirit skill would have sufficed.

Yet, at that time, her mind had been full of Tang Yin, and she had even concocted an excuse.

"Teacher, if I had brought him back, not to mention whether the other elders of Martial Soul Hall would believe he came from Slaughter City, if I had not told you these things, would you have believed it yourself?"

Hu Liena's question stumped Bibi Dong, as she was currently doubting whether what Hu Liena had said earlier was even true.

If they forcibly kidnapped someone to join them, only for everyone here to treat him with cold eyes and disdain, it would be a miracle if he could be recruited at all.

"What you say is not without reason, but this is, after all, only your side of the story. Not to mention the elders of Martial Soul Hall, I cannot fully trust you simply because you are my disciple."

Bibi Dong held a position of great power and understood this principle better than anyone.

To listen to the slander of petty men is the mark of a foolish ruler. The achievements of Martial Soul Hall today were not built on mere empty words.

"Disciple understands. Some existences are inherently difficult to believe in, but they will prove themselves and make others believe."

Bibi Dong nodded in satisfaction. As the Saintess of Martial Soul Hall, if Hu Liena wished to become the future Pope, she had to possess such resolve.

"You have just returned from Slaughter City, and your level has fallen behind Xie Yue and Yan. Spend this time focusing on increasing your level; there is a task later that will require all of you..."

"Yes, Teacher!"

One year later, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Seven Kill Sword Pavilion.

Seven-year-old Ling Chen had grown a bit taller and his body had become more robust. He wore his hair long, giving him an ethereal, sage-like appearance.

His temperament revealed the cold, ruthless nature of a sword cultivator, a stark contrast to the person he had been in Slaughter City.

Throughout this year, he had practiced his sword and cultivated his heart every day, gaining insight into sword intent. With the help of Chen Xin, his leveling speed was incredibly fast, reaching level 16.

His strength had also increased significantly; he could dance an iron sword weighing over twenty pounds with ease. His fighting style was no longer the reckless charging of before; while his lethality remained undiminished, it now possessed a sense of discipline.

However, Ling Chen's Peerless Domain remained a problem. Although the amplification increased with his spirit power and level, the critical issue was that it did not distinguish between friend and foe.

Even with Ling Chen's intentional control, and even after incorporating killing intent and sword qi, it still failed to differentiate. Furthermore, it would expand as the battle progressed.

To fully utilize his Peerless Domain, he would have to charge alone into the enemy ranks. The feeling this domain gave Ling Chen was exactly like being at--Changban Slope!

At this moment, he was waiting for Chen Xin to unseal his martial soul. It would not be long before Martial Soul Hall took action. When that time came, whether he could protect Chen Xin's arm would depend on him charging into the fray with the Green Steel Sword.

Chen Xin tapped his sword-finger lightly against Ling Chen's dantian, and then... nothing happened.

Ling Chen felt nothing. He tried to manifest his martial soul, but his Green Steel Sword did not appear.

"Strange, Master, didn't you unseal it? Why can't I use it?"

Chen Xin merely offered a faint, mischievous smile and handed an iron sword to Ling Chen.

"Until you fully grasp the original weight of your sword martial soul, I will not fully lift the seal. For now, you may only use your martial soul in life-or-death situations, though you may use your spirit skills."

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

This was just like an inverted Slaughter City; he couldn't kill within the sect, everything had to be done by the rules, and while he could use spirit skills, he couldn't use his martial soul.

However, Ling Chen quickly regained his composure. Chen Xin would not harm him. If he could swing the Green Steel Sword with the strength of a hundred pounds, he dared not imagine who could stop him.

Chen Xin patted Ling Chen's head, looking somewhat troubled.

"I don't know what has been going on lately, but Ning Rongrong has been looking miserable, and it has worried Ning Fengzhi greatly."

Ling Chen waved his hand dismissively, not caring at all. He didn't know Ning Rongrong's little secrets. Although Ling Chen had been cultivating hard in the Seven Kill Sword Pavilion for the past year and rarely saw the young sect master, he was a transmigrator.

It was normal for a young girl to have a change of heart and harbor deep affection. Just as a wife weeps for her husband marching to the battlefield, waiting alone in an empty house for his return.

Ning Rongrong was simply missing Oscar; five years of separation had only deepened her longing and intensified her regret.

"Master, don't worry. Although I am younger than her, I understand quite a bit. The one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it; once her beloved returns, the problem will naturally be solved."

Chen Xin did not hesitate, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Is it that little fellow named Oscar?"

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

"I wouldn't know about that; you would have to ask her yourself."

Ling Chen knew of Oscar, but Oscar did not know him. One was in Slaughter City, the other in the Frozen Forest of the Far North; no matter how one looked at it, they did not seem to have any connection.

Even if the Shrek Seven Devils had made a name for themselves and achieved great renown during the Elite Tournament, how could a little brat like Ling Chen possibly know about the relationship between two of them? Even if there were some rumors within the sect, Ling Chen wouldn't dare speak nonsense in front of Chen Xin.

"Fine, you continue getting used to the new iron sword; I'm going to have a chat with Fengzhi."

Chen Xin leaped into the air, the Seven Kill Sword appearing beneath his feet as he began to fly on the blade. With a flash of light, he vanished from Ling Chen's sight in an instant.

"Damn, that's cool!"

Ling Chen wore an expression of envy; one might ask, what sword cultivator wouldn't want to travel by stepping on their blade like that?

It was just a pity that, for now, he was only a lowly level 16 spirit master. Ling Chen weighed the iron sword in his hand and began his cultivation.

Calculating the time, Tang San should have already gained Tang Yuehua's approval and be preparing to head to the Clear Sky Sect to acknowledge his ancestors and return to the clan. Ling Chen had already sent a Hundred Demon Shadow Clone to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon family; it only needed to lurk in the shadows at their gate and wait for Martial Soul Hall to make its move.