Brilliant golden light enveloped his body, and his strength and defense surged by thirty percent in an instant!
Without any flashy moves, he planted his foot and launched himself forward like a cannonball, charging straight at Yue Guan. The "Light Blade" gathering in his hand cleaved down with a sharp whistle through the air!
Yet Yue Guan merely stood where he was, without even releasing his Martial Soul.
He raised two fingers, delicately lifting them in a graceful orchid-finger pose. It seemed like a casual gesture, but he caught Ye Feng's powerful Light Blade with pinpoint precision.
"Your speed is good, but your strength is too scattered."
"Your Soul Power isn't woven into a single rope!"
As he easily fended off the attack, Yue Guan offered his guidance and flicked his fingers lightly.
A gentle yet irresistible force struck Ye Feng. His Light Blade instantly crumbled, and he staggered back seven or eight steps before regaining his balance.
In the shadows nearby, Gui Mei watched the scene. For the first time in ten thousand years, a faint, barely perceptible nod appeared on his unchanging face.
Back when he and Chrysanthemum Guan were young, they hadn't been nearly as impressive as this kid.
That ruthless determination and keen insight—he was born to be a warrior.
"Again!"
Yue Guan crooked a finger at him.
Ye Feng gathered his Light Blade again. This time, he didn't rush forward. Instead, he closed his eyes and carefully recalled the feeling of being repelled just now.
Scattered...
His teacher had said his strength was too scattered.
Like a handful of sand: it looked substantial, but fell apart at the slightest touch.
His teacher's strength, on the other hand, was like a steel needle. It seemed small, yet nothing could break it!
Woven into a single rope!
How was he supposed to do that?
Ye Feng began adjusting the way his Soul Power circulated. He no longer simply and forcefully channeled it from his dantian to his palm, but tried to make it accelerate in a spiral through his meridians!
Bzzz!
The golden Light Blade in his hand shuddered. Its radiance seemed to draw inward, but its keen edge was now far sharper than before!
"Go!"
Ye Feng roared and charged at Yue Guan again!
This time, Yue Guan's movements were no longer so casual.
He still raised two fingers, but a faint layer of pink Soul Power now clung to their tips.
"Clang!"
A crisp sound rang out, like metal striking metal.
Ye Feng's Light Blade was caught firmly. This time, it didn't crumble at once!
Though it still couldn't advance even an inch, the blade itself trembled violently, fiercely resisting the Soul Power at Yue Guan's fingertips!
"Now we're getting somewhere."
Yue Guan's praise slipped from his lips:
"You've learned to compress it, but it's still not enough. Your compression is only superficial—you're forcing it together, not truly fusing it."
As he spoke, his fingers pressed harder.
"Crack!"
The Light Blade let out a mournful whine, snapped in two, and scattered into a sky full of points of light.
Ye Feng was thrown back again, but this time he only retreated three steps. His blood and breath remained steady, clearly showing that he had already adapted to this level of resistance.
"Teacher, how can I achieve true fusion?"
Ye Feng sincerely sought his guidance.
"Good question."
With his hands behind his back, Yue Guan began explaining in earnest:
"Soul Power is alive. You can't treat it like a dead thing and force it to bend. You have to guide it, feel it, and let it serve you willingly."
"Take your Light Blade, for example. Right now, all you're doing is piling a heap of light elements together into the shape of a blade.
"But the real skill is to connect every light particle with the others, forming a stable whole. It's like a craftsman forging steel through a hundred refinements, hammering it again and again to remove every impurity and fuse all its essence into one!"
"Steel through a hundred refinements..."
Ye Feng murmured to himself, deep in thought.
He thought of the "Light Particle Theory" he had been developing. It was remarkably similar to what his teacher had described!
The only difference was that his teacher was explaining it in terms of combat techniques, while he was envisioning it through the more microscopic structure of particles.
Different paths leading to the same destination!
"Again!"
Ye Feng's fighting spirit blazed to life. His eyes shone as he formed the Light Blade for the third time.
This time, he didn't attack immediately. Instead, he used his mental power to carefully sense the flow of Soul Power inside the blade.
In his perception, countless golden specks of light collided chaotically, repelling one another and remaining extremely unstable.
Guide them! Fuse them!
Ye Feng's thoughts stirred. He tried using his mental power as a bridge to link these restless light particles together.
This was a hundred times harder than simply compressing them, and it took an immense toll on his mental power!
In just a few short breaths, beads of sweat had already formed on Ye Feng's forehead.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei, standing in the courtyard, could both tell that Ye Feng was attempting something entirely new. Neither said a word to disturb him; they simply watched in silence.
At last, just as Ye Feng's mental power was about to run dry, the Light Blade underwent a marvelous change.
It was no longer made of pure radiance. Instead, it had taken on a hint of metallic texture, and fine spiral patterns had even appeared along its edges.
He did it!
Ye Feng's heart leaped with joy. He planted his foot and put all his strength into slashing out with the Light Blade he had poured his heart and soul into!
"Now that's more like it!"
With a soft laugh, Yue Guan finally stopped using just two fingers.
He raised his right hand, pressed his fingers together like a sword, and casually pointed forward.
His fingertip met the tip of the Light Blade with pinpoint accuracy.
There was no violent explosion, nor any piercing sound.
Ye Feng's all-out strike was stopped in complete silence. Beneath Yue Guan's fingertip, the energy at the front of the Light Blade was steadily obliterated and dispersed.
They remained locked in a stalemate for a full three seconds before the Light Blade finally crumbled.
Ye Feng gasped for breath. His Soul Power was completely spent, yet he broke into a smile—a thoroughly unrestrained one.
"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher!"
"You're a quick learner."
Yue Guan nodded with satisfaction:
"You have excellent insight, and your instincts in battle are strong as well. That's enough for today. First, recover your Soul Power, then prepare to take the Holy Flame Grass."
"Yes, Teacher!"
Ye Feng immediately sat cross-legged and used his meditation technique to recover the Soul Power he had expended.
An hour later, Ye Feng's Soul Power was fully restored, and he was brimming with energy.
"The Holy Flame Grass has mild medicinal properties, but they're also very pure.
"It won't raise your Soul Power Level. It will only act on your Martial Soul Origin and purify your light attribute."
"When you absorb it, don't think about anything. Sink your mind into your Martial Soul and guide that energy to fuse with it."
"This disciple understands."
Ye Feng opened it.
A strange herb wreathed in pale golden flames lay quietly inside. A warm, sacred aura washed over him.
Without hesitation, he picked up the Holy Flame Grass and put it in his mouth.
The herb melted as soon as it entered his mouth, becoming a warm torrent that slid down his throat and into his abdomen.
Unlike the violent energy of the Whale Rubber he had absorbed before, this energy was like the warm winter sun, flowing gently through the meridians in all four of his limbs.
Following Yue Guan's instructions, Ye Feng immediately gathered his thoughts and sank his consciousness into his Martial Soul—Light and Shadow.
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