Xu Yuan's Dilemma

The sky had only just begun to lighten, and a faint fish-belly white glow appeared in the distant east.

Xu Yuan sat down on the mountaintop, his eyes fixed intently on the gradually brightening patch of fish-belly white in the east.

He slowly breathed in through his nose, then gently exhaled through his mouth. His breaths were long and steady, forming a cycle.

In the gradually brightening fish-belly white at the edge of the distant sky, a faint trace of purple seemed to flicker.

"Focus."

At God King Tang San's words, Xu Yuan concentrated, his eyes fixed on that faint trace of purple.

The purple glow did not last long. By the time the rising sun's light had covered the patch of fish-belly white in the east, it had vanished completely.

After practicing the Purple Demon Eye, Xu Yuan felt that his eyesight had improved.

"How is it?" God King Tang San appeared beside Xu Yuan and asked.

"I feel... like I can see things far away," Xu Yuan answered honestly, his voice tinged with amazement.

The Purple Demon Eye truly lived up to its reputation. Just one session of breathing had noticeably improved his eyesight.

God King Tang San's blue phantom gave a slight nod, ripples of blue light spreading around him. "The Purple Demon Eye doesn't just train your eyesight. It also cultivates your spiritual power. Practicing when the morning's purple qi appears will strengthen your spiritual power faster than anything else. That will be vital when hunting Soul Beasts and sensing danger."

Xu Yuan stood and rolled his neck, his gaze sweeping over the village below.

"My lord, besides letting you see farther, does the Purple Demon Eye have any other uses?" Xu Yuan looked away from the village and turned to God King Tang San.

A flicker of approval crossed God King Tang San's eyes. He seemed pleased by Xu Yuan's question. "Of course. Once mastered, it can see through illusions, shake an opponent's mind, and even let you attack them directly with spiritual power."

He paused, his tone growing more serious. "Remember, spiritual power is a Soul Master's second life. That's especially true for your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul. Powerful spiritual power will help you control your Soul Skills better, letting you use them exactly as you wish."

Listening to God King Tang San describe the Purple Demon Eye, Xu Yuan couldn't help feeling that he was talking a load of crap.

As he remembered it, the Purple Demon Eye wasn't that amazing, was it?

Whatever. He wasn't losing anything either way.

"Come with me."

God King Tang San spoke to Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan nodded to show he understood, then followed God King Tang San down from the hillock to an open patch of ground.

God King Tang San said to Xu Yuan, "Next, I'll teach you a peerless footwork technique. It will let you surpass Soul Masters of your own rank."

The blue light around God King Tang San suddenly blazed brighter, sketching countless intersecting streaks of light across the open ground, like an invisible net.

God King Tang San's blue fingers swept across the crisscrossing lines of light, leaving a smooth arc behind. "Watch closely."

Before his words had even faded, his figure blurred where he stood, and three afterimages darted off in different directions at once.

One shot straight toward the boulder on the left, another skimmed along the ground toward the bushes on the right, while the third actually traced an arc around to Xu Yuan's back.

Taking cover behind the afterimages, his true body landed silently in the middle of the clearing. The footprints traced in blue light tapped lightly against the streaks of light, splitting into two more afterimages.

"At the beginner stage, you must first memorize these thirty-six basic nodes." Tang San's voice came from every direction, overlapping with the voices of his afterimages until it was impossible to tell which one was real. "Every three steps, use your inner force to twist your waist and shift the afterimage's path. Your opponent watches your image up ahead, while your true body has already circled around to the side. He thinks you're retreating, but you use the afterimage's momentum to suddenly surge forward."

Xu Yuan stared at the rapidly flickering afterimages, feeling dazzled.

He thought Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was really impressive. If he didn't have a cheat, then in a one-on-one fight against Tang San, there was no way he could win.

And that was without even mentioning Tang San's other secret arts.

Unless he had an insanely powerful Martial Soul, he wouldn't be able to beat Tang San.

God King Tang San stepped in front of Xu Yuan and gently pressed his blue palm to Xu Yuan's brow. A cool stream of information flooded into Xu Yuan's mind.

It contained every key to Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, from the positions of the thirty-six basic nodes to the routes of inner-force circulation, the timing needed to create afterimages, and even the adjustments required for different terrain. It was all perfectly clear, as if countless moving diagrams had unfolded in his mind.

Xu Yuan felt a swelling sensation between his brows and closed his eyes instinctively. Yet the streaks of light, footwork, and inner-force routes seemed carved into his brain, impossible to shake.

He could see himself moving between the streaks of light. Every step corresponded to a specific inner-force node; as he turned, he could tell how Soul Power flowed from his dantian into his legs. He could even anticipate the mistakes his opponent might make.

Looking at God King Tang San before him, Xu Yuan sighed inwardly.

If the other party hadn't wanted to take over his body, Xu Yuan would definitely have treated him as a teacher. Unfortunately, taking over his body was precisely what the other party intended.

Well, he'd give God King Tang San a chance in the future. If the other party still insisted on taking over his body, then Xu Yuan would deal with him.

God King Tang San withdrew his hand. The light around his blue phantom dimmed slightly. "Have you memorized it? This is only the basic framework. To truly master Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, you must hone it in real combat and turn these nodes into instinct."

"All right. Start practicing."

Xu Yuan steadied himself, suppressed the complicated thoughts in his heart, and focused on the streaks of light that still lingered across the open ground.

In his mind, the diagrams of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track seemed to come alive. Every node and every path of Soul Power circulation was perfectly clear.

Xu Yuan took a deep breath, set his feet slightly apart, and began practicing Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track according to the diagrams.

God King Tang San watched quietly, occasionally offering Xu Yuan a pointer.

Time passed second by second. Xu Yuan had already lost count of how many times he had practiced Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

"All right, it's about time. We can go back and eat," God King Tang San said when he judged that enough time had passed.

He didn't want Xu Yuan to hurt his body. That body would belong to him in the future, so he had to take good care of it.

Xu Yuan stopped. His legs felt heavy as lead, and sweat ran along his jaw before dripping onto the grass by his feet, leaving a small, dark patch.

Panting, he looked at the streaks of light he had trampled into disarray. Yet the diagrams of Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track in his mind had grown clearer still.

"Thank you, my lord." Xu Yuan bent down and rubbed his aching calves, his voice hoarse from exercise.

During practice, God King Tang San had pointed out a flaw in how Xu Yuan connected his Soul Power when turning. Those few words had pierced the paper between them, letting him suddenly grasp the knack of fusing the footwork with his Soul Power. In the final few attempts, he had even managed to maintain his afterimages steadily for two breaths.

God King Tang San's blue phantom gave a slight nod. "When you get back, soak your feet in warm water. Don't let your muscles stiffen. Once you've rested, come here and practice the other Tang Sect Secret Arts."