After word spread from one person to ten, then from ten to a hundred, about how Xing Tian had easily defeated Yu Tianheng despite their difference in rank, his title as Heaven Dou Royal Academy's number-one genius was all but set in stone.
Xing Tian himself didn't care, though. At the moment, he was puzzled.
Xing Tian stared blankly at his palm. A cloud of Haze slowly welled up from its center, then swirled over his hand and between his fingers.
"My Darkness Attribute seems unusual. It can protect me on its own and devour Yu Tianheng's lightning. Otherwise, I wouldn't have won so easily."
That's right. The final straw that had brought Yu Tianheng down—Xing Tian's Darkness Attribute—was so powerful and bizarre that it could devour his lightning element.
Xing Tian hadn't expected himself to possess such an overbearing ability.
When Yu Tianheng first used Thunderous Force, Xing Tian hadn't taken a direct hit. The lightning had only singed a few small holes in his clothes, but even so, a little of it had seeped into him.
That was when the invading lightning seemed to awaken the bizarre Darkness Attribute inside him.
When Yu Tianheng struck Xing Tian's shoulder with his final blow, the Darkness Attribute within Xing Tian became fully active, devouring all the lightning accompanying Yu Tianheng's attack.
That was how Xing Tian had remained completely unaffected by the lightning. The only catch was that it had consumed twice as much Soul Power as his first Soul Skill.
"My Dark Evil Spirit Mantis Martial Soul has the Darkness Attribute. Once classes started, I focused on studying darkness elements, but I searched every book in the academy on the subject and found nothing about a case like mine."
"Some Soul Masters with the Darkness Attribute can turn themselves into darkness elements through Soul Ring Skills to evade damage. Others use Soul Ring Skills to create small black holes that devour their opponents' attacks. But all of those Soul Rings are at least ten thousand years old!"
"But I seem to have been able to do it naturally. It's just that the ability has only now awakened."
"Could it be an innate Soul Skill?"
"But even if it is, isn't it a little too outrageous? Maybe I should ask Senior Dugu?"
Just as Xing Tian was about to seek Dugu Bo's advice, two voices called out.
"Xiao Tian, let's go eat!"
Xing Tian looked up and saw Osler and Yu Feng.
Suddenly, Xing Tian seemed to realize something. The corners of his mouth lifted into a sly smile.
Osler and Yu Feng instantly tensed as if facing a great enemy, cold sweat running down their foreheads.
Black Haze poured off Xing Tian, locking onto the two of them. He said coolly, "Do me a favor."
Terrified, Osler and Yu Feng clung to each other. They had never been so close before. Trembling, they cried out together, "Don't come any closer—"
"Xiao Tian, what are you trying to do? Why did we have to come all the way out to this remote grove?"
Osler watched Xing Tian circle him with trepidation, while Yu Feng leaned against a large tree, relieved to be out of it.
Xing Tian said impassively, "Possess your Martial Soul first."
Osler swallowed and hesitantly summoned his Martial Soul. His short blond hair turned black, his handsome face grew pale, and his pupils became vertical slits. Black fur sprouted all over his body, claws extended from his hands, and his knees bent slightly.
Seeing Osler's Martial Soul Possession, Xing Tian couldn't help nodding. "Just as I thought."
"What did you think?" Osler's confusion only deepened.
Xing Tian said nothing and silently walked behind Osler.
Osler started to turn around to ask, but Xing Tian cut him off. "Don't turn around. Just stand there."
Osler could only stand in place, tense and helpless. Xing Tian summoned his Dark Evil Spirit Mantis Martial Soul, then slowly raised his right hand, which was wreathed in thick Haze, and placed it against Osler's back.
In the next instant, Osler began to tremble all over—not from fear, but excitement, an excitement that came from his Martial Soul.
He suddenly felt as if he had undergone an earth-shaking transformation. An indescribable aura surged into his body from behind.
He felt as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss of darkness, yet that abyss was as warm as his parents' embrace. It was like a wanderer who had been away for years finally coming home.
Osler realized that he seemed to be assimilated by this aura. Something within him was growing stronger, rising to another level.
When the sensation reached its peak, Osler couldn't help letting out an excited Roar.
In an instant, strands of black light, thin as gauze, burst from his body and formed a black tornado around him. Osler stood at its center, his entire body stained black.
The next moment, the area within a hundred meters plunged into darkness. The surroundings seemed to sink into a cold night, and Yu Feng couldn't help shivering.
"What's going on?" Yu Feng hurriedly took a Soul Tool lantern from his storage Soul Tool. Strangely, the surrounding darkness seemed to devour most of its light, leaving it able to illuminate only Osler and Xing Tian faintly.
"My Martial Soul evolved!" Osler exclaimed excitedly.
Yu Feng stared at Osler, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.
The tornado of black light surrounding Osler had disappeared. Only a little black light slowly spread from his body, while the phantom of a Ghost Leopard appeared behind him. It looked very different from his original Ghost Leopard Martial Soul.
His Ghost Leopard Martial Soul was now grayish-black all over, its body covered in Black Veins that seemed to flow and devour light. Some of the fur on its shoulders and limbs looked as if it had turned into twisted metal armor, while its claws and eyes shone with a chilling, ashen glint.
Osler said excitedly, "According to the family records, our hereditary Ghost Leopard Martial Soul is a high-tier Martial Soul with the Darkness Attribute. If cultivated properly, it can evolve into the top-tier Martial Soul, the Black-Veined Ghost Leopard."
"But I'm certain my Martial Soul isn't the Black-Veined Ghost Leopard. It's even stronger than that!"
Yu Feng couldn't believe his eyes. Seeing Osler's Martial Soul evolve was more painful than being killed. "How is this possible? Xiao Tian touched you once, and your Martial Soul evolved!"
"Ah—" Yu Feng immediately flopped onto the ground, grabbed Xing Tian's trouser leg, and looked up at him with Baby-Doll Eyes. "Xiao Tian, touch me! Don't hold back!"
"Ugh—" Xing Tian shook Yu Feng off in disgust and said lazily, "I discovered this new ability of mine."
"After fighting Yu Tianheng, I realized that the Darkness Attribute inside me had fully awakened. I just couldn't figure out what this strange Darkness Attribute could do, not until you came in—or more precisely, when Osler came in."
"Back then, I just had a feeling—maybe it was a reaction from my Martial Soul—that I could strengthen Osler's Martial Soul, since his Martial Soul also has the Darkness Attribute."
Yu Feng looked at him hopefully. "So..."
Osler said smugly, "So there's no way your Martial Soul will evolve! Hahahaha!"
"This actually isn't Martial Soul Evolution!" Xing Tian suddenly doused Osler's excitement with a bucket of cold water.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Osler was completely lost.
Xing Tian explained, "Your Martial Soul changed because the Soul Power with my Darkness Attribute assimilated your Darkness Attribute, triggering the change. Your Martial Soul Origin didn't directly evolve, so..."
Yu Feng understood at once. He stood up and shoved Osler away, breaking the contact between Xing Tian's hand and Osler.
Osler's aura slowly faded, the black light gradually withdrew into his body, and his Martial Soul changed back into its original Ghost Leopard.
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