Soul Seal

"Run!"

Without a shred of hesitation, Jiang Chen immediately turned and bolted.

Woooo...

But the moment he turned, that chill, like a cat catching the scent of blood, swept toward him at a terrifying speed and caught up in an instant.

"Get lost!"

Jiang Chen roared, driving his martial Blood Qi to its absolute limit as he threw a punch toward the source of the cold.

Bang!

His attack struck nothing.

The chill seemed intangible, sweeping over him and engulfing him completely.

Bone-piercing cold seeped through his pores, drilling madly into his body and heading straight for his soul sea.

In that moment, he was frozen stiff, completely unable to move, left only to desperately resist that chill with his consciousness.

Alas.

The chill was far too bizarre; ignoring his resistance, it barged into his soul sea with savage force, intent on devouring his soul.

Boom!

But the next instant, a vast and supreme Dao sound erupted from the Myriad Dao Chart, as if gods and buddhas from the nine heavens had awakened.

Immediately following, brilliant Dao light, like ten thousand immortal swords, flooded the entire soul sea.

The bizarre chill, which had been as fierce as a tiger moments before, vanished like melting snow under a scorching sun, dissolving into nothingness amidst terrified wails.

[Suppress Soul Demon, plunder talent]

A line of ethereal text appeared on the Myriad Dao Chart, much like cultivation experience.

"Haa!"

Jiang Chen's consciousness returned, and he regained control of his body.

"Soul Demon?"

"Talent?"

Jiang Chen took a quick glance at the Myriad Dao Chart, but with no time to examine it closely, he immediately sprinted away, remaining cautious and alert along the way for fear of running into more filthy things.

"Suppress Soul Demon, plunder talent... what is this?"

After safely returning to the Martial Arts Hall, Jiang Chen finally let out a long sigh of relief and turned his focus inward.

[Talent: Soul Seal 1 (0/10)+]

[Origin: 7 points]

Two lines of ancient characters had appeared on the Myriad Dao Chart at some point.

"So, besides recording techniques, enhancing comprehension, and maintaining cultivation realms, the Myriad Dao Chart also has the ability to suppress evil spirits and plunder talents?"

Jiang Chen studied it carefully and soon understood the new ability of the Myriad Dao Chart.

Everything fell into place in his mind.

That Soul Demon was the ghost that had been hiding in the haunted house.

He had accidentally stumbled into it back then, disturbing the Soul Demon, and by all rights, his soul should have been scattered.

Fortunately, the Myriad Dao Chart had been awakened, saving his life.

This was why he had encountered a ghost yet remained physically unharmed.

That time, the Myriad Dao Chart must have just been reviving, which was why it had let that Soul Demon escape.

This time, the Soul Demon wasn't so lucky; it was suppressed and killed on the spot, its talent even plundered.

"If I can plunder the talent of a Soul Demon, doesn't that mean I can plunder the talents of other demons and evil spirits too?"

This thought couldn't help but surface in Jiang Chen's mind.

And honestly, it was highly likely.

"I can't take the risk!"

Of course, the moment the thought appeared, he wiped it away.

He had been lucky both times; the Myriad Dao Chart just happened to counter those kinds of sinister soul entities.

If he ran into other types of demons or evil spirits, he would be the one to perish.

Until he had sufficient strength, it was best not to think about provoking demons or evil spirits.

"Let's try adding points."

Jiang Chen then focused his attention on the Soul Seal and the Origin points.

With a flick of his will, the 7 points of Origin vanished.

[Talent: Soul Seal 1 (7/10)]

[Origin: 0 points]

"This is..."

As the Origin points were added, the previously dull and gray Soul Seal was activated, and a formless, unique soul power surged within it.

Jiang Chen discovered that he could control that soul power as he pleased.

The level of control was even more sensitive than that of his own hands and feet.

And as the soul power permeated outward, everything appeared in his mind with absolute clarity, as if it had been scanned and printed.

This reminded him of an ability he had once read about in ancient texts during his past life:

"Divine Sense?!"

This type of soul power perception was extremely similar to the legendary Divine Sense, capable of scanning and sensing its surroundings.

"Let's check the range."

Jiang Chen suppressed the excitement in his heart and activated the Soul Seal.

The formless and intangible soul power quietly spread, extending a full five meters before it became exhausted and unstable.

"A straight line can reach five meters, and covering a circular area, it's about half a meter."

After testing it a few times, Jiang Chen grasped the capabilities of the Soul Seal.

This ability was incredibly practical.

When the soul power diffused, it could provide wide-range perception, preventing sneak attacks.

Like the ambush at the corner last time; if he had possessed the Soul Seal then, he would have sensed it in advance.

When the soul power was focused, it allowed for minute perception, enabling him to make predictions ahead of time.

Whether it was the ancient martial arts of his past life or the martial path of this world, the body would undergo subtle changes before making a move.

And the focused perception of the Soul Seal could clearly capture these changes.

Combined with his combat experience from his past life, this was more than enough to kill enemies across realms.

It was hard to say regarding the True Martial Realm, as he didn't know much about it yet.

But as for the Three Qi and Blood Gates, he had no more reservations.

"If a First-Order Soul Seal has such miraculous effects, I wonder what changes will occur once I step into the Second Order..."

This made Jiang Chen quite expectant.

Of course, he could only look forward to it for now.

If the Soul Seal wanted to advance, it required Origin points.

And to obtain Origin points, one must suppress demons and evil spirits.

He would not be greedy for instant gratification and rashly seek out demons and evil spirits.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After a long while, Jiang Chen calmed his mind and continued to practice the White Ape Fist diligently.

The danger he encountered tonight caused his sense of crisis to skyrocket.

This world was too dangerous; he had to improve his cultivation at the fastest possible speed.

As for the [Soul Seal], although it could significantly boost his combat power, it was ultimately an auxiliary ability; cultivation was the most important foundation.

"Hoo!"

Before he knew it, it was late into the night. Drenched in sweat, Jiang Chen retracted his fists and stood straight.

[Myriad Dao Chart]

[Dao Master: Jiang Chen]

[Cultivation Method: White Ape Fist · Perfection]

[Cultivation: Second Qi and Blood Gate · Mid-stage (4%)]

[Martial Arts: Stone Moving Method · Perfection]

[Talent: Soul Seal · First Order (7/10)]

[Origin: 0 points]

Looking at the cultivation column and his steadily increasing Qi and Blood, Jiang Chen, despite being physically exhausted, felt full of motivation.

As the saying goes, the feeling of having one's efforts rewarded was simply too good.

"Right."

As he headed toward the bathhouse, Jiang Chen seemed to remember something and pulled a money pouch from his robes.

It was the spoils of war from hunting Zheng Hao and the others.

Inside the pouch, including the banknotes and broken silver, there was a total of eighty-seven taels.

No wonder Zheng Hao and the others were so happy.

Well, it's all his gain now.

Though the silver isn't much, even a mosquito's leg is meat.

The next day, Jiang Chen habitually rose early.

"Senior Brother Sun, I have something I would like to ask..."

At seven in the morning, Sun Wu arrived. Jiang Chen, who was standing in a horse stance to rest, walked over.

"Demons and evil spirits? Junior Brother Jiang, why do you suddenly ask about this?"

Hearing Jiang Chen's words, Sun Wu was quite surprised.

"I heard there have been ghosts harming people in the city recently, so I thought I'd take some precautions."

Jiang Chen spouted nonsense.

He would never go out of his way to provoke demons or evil spirits.

But what if, like last night, one came knocking on his door?

As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

Having some prior understanding is always for the best.

"There have indeed been such rumors in the city lately, but Junior Brother Jiang, you don't need to worry; just don't go wandering around at night."

Recalling how Jiang Chen had once broken into a haunted house and encountered a ghost, Sun Wu smiled to comfort him.

As for what demons and evil spirits actually are, he couldn't really say.

He only knew they were non-human things, and once they appeared, they would inevitably trigger a bloodbath.

Fortunately, it was only in those turbulent lands that demons and evil spirits often appeared to wreak havoc.

In a place like their White Cloud County, it was rare to hear of evil spirits harming people.

Even the haunted house Jiang Chen had broken into could not be confirmed to contain any ghosts; it was merely hearsay.

It seems that ordinary True Martial Realm practitioners cannot yet come into contact with demons and evil spirits.

Jiang Chen whispered to himself.

To scout out specific intelligence on demons and evil spirits, one must reach a higher level.

"Time to test the Soul Seal perception!"

Immediately, Jiang Chen shifted his thoughts.

He activated the Soul Seal.

An invisible soul force quietly permeated the air, enveloping Sun Wu entirely.

At once, Sun Wu's skin, flesh, tendons, bones, and internal organs appeared clearly in his mind, as if the man had become transparent.

Muscles tightened in layers, the heart beat like a bronze drum, and blood surged like a rushing river...

That formidable vitality was comparable to a black bear; it was nothing like a human.

Throughout this process, Sun Wu remained completely unresponsive, clearly unaware of a thing.

So this is Martial True Qi!

Beneath that vigorous vitality, there was a terrifying current of air circulating within Sun Wu's body, forming a complete Great Circulation.

There was no need to ask; that terrifying current was the Martial True Qi of the True Martial Realm!

Though there is only a one-character difference between martial blood and Martial True Qi, the disparity in power is like that of a cat and a tiger; they are not on the same level at all.

No wonder the Three Qi and Blood Gates are only considered the entry level of the martial path.

Jiang Chen withdrew his soul force.

His current cultivation was far too weak.

He had to step into the True Martial Realm as soon as possible to possess even a modicum of self-preservation.