Light Pierce!

The instant the Soul Ring entered his body.

A tremendous force surged into Ma Hongjun's body.

Unlike when he absorbed the Holy Light Sparrow for the first time.

This power was more violent, more overbearing.

Although the Holy Light Falcon was also a Light Element soul beast.

Ancient phoenix blood flowed within it.

That bloodline power resonated intensely with Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul.

Hot.

But not the dry heat of Evil Fire.

It was a scorching, searing sensation, as if he had been thrown into a furnace.

Ma Hongjun clenched his teeth.

Veins bulged on his forehead.

He could feel it.

That power was transforming his body.

His meridians were expanding.

His bones were strengthening.

His muscles were being rewoven.

At the same time.

The Holy Light Falcon's light power and Evil Fire began another round of conflict.

But unlike the first time.

This time.

The light power held the upper hand.

That trace of ancient phoenix blood within the Holy Light Falcon.

Naturally suppressed Evil Fire.

It was the crushing force of a bloodline.

The absolute dominion of a superior over an inferior.

Evil Fire struggled.

It roared.

But it was futile.

That trace of phoenix bloodline was like a sharp scalpel.

It precisely cut into the core of Evil Fire.

Stripping away, purifying, and removing its most sinister and polluted parts bit by bit.

Amid the pain, Ma Hongjun's consciousness retained a sliver of clarity.

He could feel it.

The Evil Fire within him was being suppressed.

Was being cleansed.

Was being purified.

The evil nature that had always plagued him.

Was weakening at a visible pace.

Like a river that had been polluted for far too long.

Finally receiving a clear current from upstream.

The filth was washed away.

The river water gradually became clear.

--

He did not know how long had passed.

The pain faded.

In its place came an unprecedented sense of relief.

Ma Hongjun opened his eyes.

And found himself already standing on the ground.

He did not know when he had landed.

He did not even remember the process of landing.

Two Soul Rings rose beneath his feet.

The first one.

Yellow.

Wings of Light.

The second one.

Deep yellow.

Light...

Before he could inspect the name and effects of the soul skill.

He first sensed the changes in his Martial Soul.

Martial Soul Possession.

Flames surged from within his body.

They were no longer dark red.

They were golden red.

The flames were still primarily dark red.

But the proportion of golden patterns had risen from thirty percent before.

To over sixty percent.

The texture of the flames had changed as well.

Before, they had been scorching and violent.

They were still scorching now.

But less violent.

In their place was a calm, powerful presence.

The phantom that emerged behind him.

Had changed.

It was no longer that round, plump turkey.

Its neck had grown longer.

Its body had become more streamlined.

The feathers at its tail had separated into two slightly longer central tail feathers.

Though its outline was still unclear.

Though it was still far from being a phoenix.

It already bore the shadow of a "phoenix."

Flender stood where he was.

Watching the phantom behind Ma Hongjun.

He remained silent for a long time.

Li Yusong gripped the Dragon Pattern Staff tightly.

His knuckles turned slightly white.

Lu Qibin adjusted his glasses.

The lenses reflected that mass of golden-red flame.

"This Martial Soul... has come alive." Flender finally spoke.

His voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Come alive."

His voice was low. "I've never seen an evolution that changes a Martial Soul's attributes from the root like this before."

Lu Qibin adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting that mass of golden-red flame.

"It isn't a change in attributes. It's purification," he corrected. "The Evil Fire Phoenix always had the potential for a light attribute, but its evil nature suppressed it. What Hongjun did was use external force to remove that evil nature bit by bit, allowing the Martial Soul to return to its original form."

"Light Phoenix." Flender spoke those two words.

Those two words were like a key, opening the door to a certain possibility.

Ma Hongjun descended from the air, his Light Wings folding away as the flames receded.

His breathing was slightly hurried, but his eyes shone as though they held two stars.

"Teacher, I saw the second soul skill..."

"What effect does it have?"

Ma Hongjun raised his right hand and activated his Soul Power.

The deep-yellow second Soul Ring lit up.

He closed his eyes and sensed the power contained within the Soul Ring.

Sharp, penetrating, with the intent of an arrow loosed from the bowstring.

He opened his eyes and thrust his right hand forward.

A streak of golden light shot from his palm.

The light was about three feet long and shaped like a spear, its tip incomparably sharp, formed entirely from pure light power.

It flew so fast that the naked eye could barely follow it, leaving a golden afterimage in the air.

Pfft!

A tree a hundred meters away had a fist-sized hole pierced through its trunk.

Sunlight passed through the hole, casting a round patch of light on the ground beyond it.

Flender's pupils suddenly contracted.

"So fast," Li Yusong murmured.

"Such powerful penetration," Lu Qibin added.

Ma Hongjun looked down at his right hand, equally stunned.

He had only tentatively activated the soul skill just now and had not used his full strength.

Yet even so, the speed and penetrating power of that Light Spear had far exceeded his expectations.

"Second soul skill, Light Pierce," he muttered the name of the soul skill.

Flender stepped forward and carefully examined the pierced tree.

The edges of the hole were smooth and neat, as though they had been scorched by a red-hot iron rod, without the slightest splinter.

"It comes with a light-burning effect," Flender judged. "It isn't merely physical penetration. The instant the Light Spear strikes, its light power burns the tissue around the wound and prevents it from healing."

He turned around and looked at Ma Hongjun.

"Against dark-attribute and evil Martial Souls, this soul skill's destructive power will be doubled."

Ma Hongjun nodded, an uncontrollable excitement rising in his heart.

Light Pierce: a long-range attack, fast, highly penetrating, and carrying light burn.

It perfectly made up for the weakness of his first soul skill, which only provided flight and enhancement while lacking direct offensive means.

"Try it again," Flender ordered. "Full power."

Ma Hongjun took a deep breath, and his second Soul Ring lit up again.

This time, he held nothing back.

Golden-red flames surged upward, and the phoenix phantom behind him became clearer.

Especially at the instant he activated his second soul skill, the phantom's transformation was most apparent.

A slender neck, spread wings, forked tail feathers.

For that instant, what stood there was not a six-year-old child, but a true phoenix.

Though only for an instant.

That golden light shot from his palm, thicker, longer, and faster than before.

The Light Spear cut a straight path through the air with a piercing whistle.

Boom!

Another tree a hundred meters away was directly severed at the waist by the Light Spear.

The upper half of the trunk crashed to the ground, kicking up dust and fallen leaves.

Ma Hongjun panted heavily, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Using Light Pierce at full power consumed a great deal of Soul Power. With his current reserves, he could probably only use it three or four times consecutively.

But that was enough.

Three or four times would be enough to change the course of battle at a critical moment.

Flender walked over to the tree that had been severed and examined the break.