Battle Experience Repaid

If he had broken through the first bottleneck of the Mysterious Heaven Skill three months ago and entered the second stage, his inner strength would have grown much deeper.

Then the power of both the Mysterious Jade Hand and Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track would have increased greatly. How could he have lost to Ye Chen's Torchic Martial Soul?

Helplessness, resentment, and every other negative emotion stirred Tang San.

Just then, a surging wave of Soul Power burst from Ye Chen's body. It was a sign that his Soul Power had increased.

After the battle, Torchic had gained plenty of combat experience. Its Martial Soul Origin had repaid Ye Chen, raising his Soul Power by one level. He now had level eleven Soul Power.

However, since he had yet to advance by obtaining his First Soul Ring, that level of Soul Power could only accumulate inside him. He couldn't display it.

"Didn't learn any new moves?"

Ye Chen wondered to himself. He knew Torchic's Martial Soul would learn a move on its own after reaching a certain level, just like Torchic in the Pokemon World, but he didn't know the exact level or which move it would learn.

"I lost this spar," Tang San said, suppressing his frustration and helplessness as he walked over to Ye Chen. "You said earlier that during these three months, the loser could challenge the winner, and the winner couldn't refuse, right?"

Ye Chen nodded. "That's right. Once you're familiar with using your Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul, I'll accept your challenge."

"Good. Then we'll leave it at that for now. I'll come find you after a while. I hope you won't go back on your word."

With that, Tang San turned away from Ye Chen, bowed slightly to Old Jack, then left on his own.

Though he had been defeated, this was undoubtedly a good chance to learn about Martial Souls and experience one firsthand.

Once he realized that, Tang San became even more interested in his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul and Hammer Martial Soul.

Since he had hidden his Hammer Martial Soul, he would spend this time getting proficient with his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.

Once he learned to use his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul alongside the Tang Sect techniques, he would challenge Ye Chen again. This time, he would surely win.

That night, the bright moon hung overhead.

Outside Holy Soul Village stood a hill a hundred meters tall.

Ye Chen stood in the open space at its foot. At a thought, a red streak shot from his body in a parabolic arc.

When it struck the ground, it turned into Torchic.

Then a golden light circled around Torchic, making it seem to glitter from head to toe.

"Tor-chic?" Torchic cried out in concern, asking if Ye Chen was hurt.

Clearly, Torchic's memories were still stuck on its fight with Tang San earlier that day.

Ye Chen smiled and shook his head to show that he wasn't hurt.

After confirming this, Torchic laughed. Its "Tor-chic, Tor-chic" cries echoed through the woods.

It seemed this Torchic had a very Jolly Nature.

With the advantages of Pokemon, Torchic not only had the Speed Boost Ability, but its nature also enhanced some of its attributes.

For example, a Torchic with a Jolly Nature would have greater Speed than its other physical attributes, while its energy attacks would be comparatively weaker.

Based on that, Torchic's training should focus on Speed and physical attacks.

As the saying went, in the martial world, speed was the only thing that couldn't be beaten. With its Jolly Nature maxing out its Speed talent, the Flash effect doubling its physical attributes, and its Speed Boost Ability increasing its Speed by ten percent each turn—

If Ye Chen also gave Torchic a First Soul Ring that enhanced its attack power and attack speed, it would become a terrifying fighting chicken.

Unfortunately, he had no connections to help him hunt Soul Beasts. He would have to wait until he joined Nuoding Academy to consider getting a First Soul Ring.

"Let's fight, Torchic. We'll see if we can get combat experience repaid after fighting each other too," Ye Chen suddenly suggested.

Torchic truly lived up to its name, Kung Fu Torchic. The moment it heard the word "fight," it sprang to life. Its harmless demeanor turned eager for action, and its clear eyes took on a hint of Taunt.

It began bouncing from side to side on its two feet, using the Pendulum Step it had used against Tang San earlier.

Ye Chen bounced from side to side too. He had studied many modern fighting styles. Though his knowledge was broad but shallow, the boost from his Body Martial Soul and Soul Power was enough to let him fight like a superhuman.

"Tor-chic?" Torchic asked if they could start.

Ye Chen raised his fists into a fighting stance and nodded, signaling it to attack.

One minute later.

Bang, bang, boom, boom, aaah—

As the screams abruptly stopped, Torchic knocked Ye Chen to the ground.

"Tor-chic? Tor-chic?"

The fight ended quickly. Torchic's fiery fighting spirit gave way to its usual clear-eyed look. It cried out with concern, asking if Ye Chen was hurt.

Getting up from the ground, Ye Chen cautiously tested his body and limbs. Fortunately, Torchic had held back, and he had only suffered superficial injuries.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Ye Chen rubbed Torchic's head and realized that, in terms of strength alone, he was slightly stronger than Torchic with its Speed Boost Ability stacked five times.

The main reason Torchic had knocked him down was that he had to bear the cost of two Soul Powers, putting too much strain on his body.

As an External Martial Soul, Torchic could fight independently, but every time it used a move, it drew a little Soul Power from him.

Meanwhile, Ye Chen also had to use his Body Martial Soul and Soul Power to fight. With only level eleven Soul Power, he couldn't sustain the drain for long.

Unless he found a way to reduce his overall Soul Power consumption, then whenever he fought an opponent, he would lose the advantage from depleted Soul Power before he could even defeat them.

Ye Chen considered the problem for a long time, but couldn't think of a way to use both Martial Souls in battle while reducing his Soul Power consumption.

He decided to set the issue aside for now and review his fight with Torchic.

As long as Torchic, an External Martial Soul, didn't suffer a fatal injury in battle, any damage Ye Chen took while supported by his Body Martial Soul would be negligible.

And when Ye Chen, its host, fought Torchic, neither side could gain combat experience repaid, no matter who won.

In addition, Torchic had to defeat the opponent itself for Ye Chen to receive combat experience repaid.

After confirming these three points, Ye Chen quickly worked out a training plan for the coming days.

Torchic's Martial Soul only consumed Soul Power when being summoned or recalled. Once released, it didn't drain Ye Chen's Soul Power unless it used a move.

That meant he could let Torchic roam the wilderness and fight wild animals like boars, rabbits, and monkeys.

Although wild animals weren't as powerful as Soul Beasts, they would still serve as useful targets for gaining experience.

While Torchic roamed freely, Ye Chen could also train his Soul Power using the Meditation Manual that Su Yuntao had given him.

That would let him increase his Soul Power faster than other Soul Masters.