Xu Yuan's Inner Turmoil

The sky was just beginning to brighten, a faint, fish-belly white rising in the distant east.

Xu Yuan sat down on the mountaintop, his eyes locked intently on that pale, brightening sliver of white in the east.

He inhaled slowly through his nose and exhaled gradually through his mouth; the breath was continuous and soft, forming a perfect, rhythmic cycle.

Within that brightening fish-belly white on the horizon, a faint trace of purple energy seemed to flicker.

"Concentrate."

Hearing the words of God King Tang San, Xu Yuan focused his mind, his eyes fixed tightly on that fleeting wisp of purple.

The purple energy did not last long; as the fish-belly white was gradually overtaken by the color of the rising sun, the purple vanished entirely.

Having finished practicing the Purple Demon Eye, Xu Yuan felt his vision was sharper than before.

"How is it?" God King Tang San appeared beside Xu Yuan to ask.

"I feel... I can see very far," Xu Yuan replied truthfully, his tone laced with a hint of amazement.

This Purple Demon Eye was truly worthy of its reputation; a single session of breathing exercises had yielded a noticeable improvement in his sight.

God King Tang San's blue phantom nodded slightly, ripples of blue light shimmering across his form: "The Purple Demon Eye cultivates not just vision, but spiritual power. Practicing at dawn when the purple energy appears is the fastest way to increase your mental strength. It is crucial for hunting soul beasts and sensing danger."

Xu Yuan stood up, stretched his neck, and swept his gaze over the village at the foot of the mountain.

"My Lord, besides seeing far, does this Purple Demon Eye have other uses?" Xu Yuan withdrew his gaze and looked at God King Tang San.

A flicker of approval crossed God King Tang San's eyes, as if he were quite satisfied with the follow-up question: "Naturally. When cultivated to a deep level, it can see through illusions, shake an opponent's mind, and even attack them directly with spiritual power."

He paused, his tone deepening, "Remember, spiritual power is a soul master's second life. Especially for your Blue Silver Grass martial soul, powerful spiritual power will allow you to control your soul skills better, achieving perfect mastery."

Listening to God King Tang San describe the Purple Demon Eye, Xu Yuan couldn't help but feel the man was bragging.

He recalled that the Purple Demon Eye wasn't quite that overpowered, was it?

Whatever, forget it; at least he wasn't losing anything.

"Follow me."

God King Tang San said to Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan nodded to show he understood, followed God King Tang San down the small hill, and arrived at an open space.

God King Tang San told Xu Yuan: "Next, I will teach you a top-tier movement technique, one that will allow you to surpass soul masters of the same rank."

God King Tang San's blue light suddenly flared, tracing countless intersecting light trails across the open ground like an invisible web.

God King Tang San's blue fingers swept across the ground where the light trails intertwined, leaving behind a fluid arc: "Watch closely."

Before the words had even faded, his figure suddenly blurred in place, and three afterimages darted out in different directions.

One lunged straight toward a boulder on the left, one slid along the ground toward the bushes on the right, and one even traced an arc to appear behind Xu Yuan.

The true body, however, used the cover of the afterimages to land silently in the center of the clearing, his feet tapping lightly on the light-traced footprints, splitting off two new afterimages.

"In the initial stage, you must first memorize these thirty-six basic nodes." Tang San's voice came from all directions, the voices of the afterimages and the true body overlapping until it was impossible to tell which was which. "Every three steps, you must use your internal energy to twist your waist, causing the trajectory of the afterimages to shift. The opponent watches your front shadow, but your true body has already circled to the side; they think you are retreating, but you use the momentum of the afterimages to lunge forward."

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

He thought this Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was truly impressive. If he didn't have his cheat, he would never be able to beat Tang San in a one-on-one fight.

Not to mention, Tang San possessed other peerless arts.

Unless he had an overpowered martial soul, there would be no way to defeat Tang San.

God King Tang San came before Xu Yuan, his blue palm pressing lightly against Xu Yuan's forehead, and a stream of cool information instantly flooded his mind.

It was the complete essence of the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, from the thirty-six basic nodes and the flow of internal energy to the timing of afterimage generation, and even techniques for adapting to different terrains—all were crystal clear, as if countless dynamic diagrams were unfolding in his mind.

Xu Yuan felt a swelling sensation in his forehead and instinctively closed his eyes, yet those light trails, footwork patterns, and energy routes were etched into his brain, impossible to shake off.

He could see his own figure moving between the light trails, each step corresponding to a specific internal energy node, how his soul power surged from his dantian to his legs when turning, and he could even predict the judgment errors an opponent might make.

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

If the man didn't intend to possess his body, he would certainly treat him as a teacher, but unfortunately, the man's goal was exactly that.

Whatever, he would give God King Tang San a chance later; if the man insisted on possessing him, then he would just have to get rid of God King Tang San.

God King Tang San withdrew his hand, the light on his blue phantom dimming slightly: "Memorized it? This is only the basic framework. The true Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track must be honed in actual combat, turning these nodes into your instinct."

"Alright, start practicing."

Xu Yuan steadied himself, suppressing the complex thoughts in his heart, and fixed his gaze on the light trails that had yet to fade from the ground.

In his mind, the diagrams of the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track seemed to come alive; every node and every trajectory of soul power flow was perfectly clear.

Xu Yuan took a deep breath, parted his feet, and began to practice the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track according to the diagrams.

God King Tang San watched quietly, offering pointers to Xu Yuan from time to time.

Time ticked by, and Xu Yuan had lost count of how many times he had practiced the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.

"Alright, that's enough for now, you can go back and eat." God King Tang San said to Xu Yuan when he felt the time was right.

He didn't want Xu Yuan to cause any damage to the body; this body would be his in the future, and it had to be well cared for.

Xu Yuan stopped, his legs feeling as heavy as lead. Sweat from his forehead dripped down his jawline, hitting the grass at his feet and leaving small, dark marks.

He panted heavily, looking at the messy light trails he had trampled on the ground, while the diagrams of the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track in his mind grew clearer than ever.

"Thank you, My Lord." Xu Yuan bent over to rub his sore calves, his voice raspy from the exertion.

During the practice just now, God King Tang San had pointed out the flaw in his soul power connection during turns. Those few words of guidance were like piercing through a layer of paper, allowing him to suddenly grasp the trick of fusing footwork with soul power, and in the final few attempts, he had managed to maintain the afterimages for two full seconds.

God King Tang San's blue phantom nodded slightly: "Soak your feet in warm water when you get back, don't let your muscles stiffen. After you've rested, come back here to practice other Tang Sect arts."