This... was a power only a god could possess, wasn't it?
If she really could forget all her pain and start over...
That seemed like a rather good choice, too.
After a long while, Ah Yin's thoughts sounded again, carrying a hint of relief and a hint of pleading.
"Then... I'll leave everything to you."
Chen Xuan nodded.
"Open your mind. Don't resist."
He summoned an even purer source of life. This power no longer nourished her; instead, it transformed into countless tiny blue specks of light. Guided by his divine sense, they precisely seeped into the source of Ah Yin's soul.
Like gentle erasers, the specks began to slowly wipe away the memory imprints that held her pain, sorrow, and regret.
Memories of Tang Hao, of Spirit Hall, of the sacrifice...
All her love and hate faded slowly into nothing beneath that blue light.
The entire process was gentle, yet thorough.
Ah Yin's soul was like a gemstone wiped clean, once more shining with pure, flawless light.
Only after completing all this did Chen Xuan slowly withdraw his divine sense.
A moment later, a thought brimming with curiosity and innocence sounded in his mind.
"Who... are you?"
The thought was as clear as a spring, no longer carrying even a trace of the lifeless sorrow from before.
Though she had lost her memories, she instinctively felt an immense closeness and dependence toward Chen Xuan because of his presence.
A faint smile slipped across Chen Xuan's lips.
"From now on, just call me teacher."
"Teacher..."
Ah Yin's thoughts carried a natural gentleness and obedience.
"Yes, teacher."
Just then, light footsteps approached from behind.
Qian Renxue had finished tending to her two subordinates' injuries and walked over.
With graceful steps, Qian Renxue came to a stop behind Chen Xuan.
She gazed at her teacher's back. He seemed aloof and composed, as if one with heaven and earth. He was clearly right before her, yet somehow felt a world away.
She hesitated for a moment, then gathered her courage and asked softly, "Teacher, were you... communicating with that Blue Silver Emperor just now?"
Chen Xuan turned around and looked at her calmly.
"Is something the matter?"
His voice was mild, yet it somehow put Qian Renxue's heart at ease.
Qian Renxue gathered her thoughts and voiced the greatest question on her mind.
"This disciple is bold enough to ask you something."
"Why... why does your Blue Silver Grass possess such tremendous power?"
"It could even... shatter Tang Hao's Clear Sky Hammer with a single blow."
This was what she could not make sense of, no matter how hard she tried.
Blue Silver Grass was widely acknowledged across the continent as a Trash Martial Soul. How could it possibly display such world-shattering might?
It completely overturned everything she had believed for more than twenty years.
Of course, asking was only one of her motives.
Qian Renxue herself hadn't realized that she simply wanted to spend more time with this mysterious teacher and say a few more words to him.
From the moment she first saw him, a strange feeling had taken root in her heart.
She wanted to draw closer, to understand him, to... see every part of him clearly.
She had never felt anything like it in her more than twenty years of life.
Chen Xuan glanced at her and said mildly, "The strength of a Martial Soul has never depended on the Martial Soul itself, but on the person who wields it."
"People call Blue Silver Grass a Trash Martial Soul only because they're incapable of discovering its true power."
Qian Renxue pondered his words.
It depended on the person who wielded it...
The words exploded in her mind like a thunderclap, seeming to open a door to a whole new world.
"Come closer," Chen Xuan said.
Qian Renxue's heart skipped a beat. She stepped forward without thinking, closing the distance between them to less than a foot.
A fresh, grassy scent washed over her. It was more pleasant than any flower she had ever smelled, making her heart flutter.
The next moment, Chen Xuan raised his hand and gently touched the space between her brows with his slender index finger.
The cool touch at his fingertip made Qian Renxue's body tense instantly.
A current ran from her forehead through her entire body, bringing back the strange sensation in her chest when he had held her up earlier.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Her heartbeat suddenly quickened, as if it might leap straight out of her throat.
Her cheeks began to warm despite her efforts to control them.
"Put aside your distracting thoughts."
Chen Xuan's calm voice rang clearly beside her ear.
Qian Renxue shuddered, panic surging through her heart.
Could he... could he have seen through my thoughts?
Impossible!
She didn't dare let her mind wander any further. Quickly, she steadied her thoughts and tried to calm herself.
She wore the crown prince's usual attire to conceal her feminine figure. But in her nervousness, she straightened slightly, making her breathtaking curves stand out even more.
Her long, beautiful legs, especially, were wrapped in trousers, straight and taut, radiating stunning allure.
The instant her mind settled.
Boom—!
An endless torrent of information poured from Chen Xuan's fingertip into her Sea of Consciousness.
It was theory after theory that she had never heard or seen before!
"The absorption of a Soul Ring should never be limited by a Soul Beast's age. As long as the soul is powerful enough and the spirit sufficiently resilient, absorbing a ten-thousand-year Soul Ring as one's First Soul Ring is not impossible."
"A Martial Soul's form is not set in stone. It can continually evolve, transform, and break through so-called innate shackles according to its Soul Master's will, convictions, and power."
"What is a Soul Skill? Nothing more than a crude way to use Soul Power. A true powerhouse should use Soul Power to manifest myriad techniques. With a single thought, mountains and rivers change color..."
One revolutionary theory after another struck Qian Renxue's heart like a heavy hammer.
At that moment, her worldview collapsed completely, only to be rebuilt anew!
So... the theories passed down by Spirit Hall for a thousand years and revered by every Soul Master were all wrong!
They had been like frogs in a well!
As her heart trembled with shock, an immense surge of life energy poured into her limbs and body along with that torrent of information.
Hum!
Qian Renxue felt as if she were bathing in a spring breeze. Every cell in her body was rejoicing.
The Soul Power within her surged wildly, like a river bursting its banks!
Level sixty-six!
Level sixty-seven!
Level sixty-eight!
Before that vast life energy, the bottleneck was as fragile as a sheet of paper. It tore through with ease.
In just a few breaths, her Soul Power had surged all the way from level sixty-five to the peak of level sixty-eight!
One step more, and she would enter the ranks of level sixty-nine Soul Emperors!
Qian Renxue slowly opened her eyes, her golden gaze filled with shock.
She felt the Soul Power surging through her body and the profound, mysterious truths in her mind, yet for a moment, she was speechless.
Three levels at once?
Just one bit of guidance, and she had risen three levels?!
What kind of heaven-defying power was this?!
Before you continue