Submission! The First Soul Spirit!

"Rip!"

A tearing sound rang out as the Dark Night Raven's razor-sharp talons sliced directly through the palm of the Shadow Monarch, a hint of mockery flashing in its blood-red eyes.

It could tear apart even a century-old Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, let alone the human Spirit Master before it, and it immediately prepared to strike at Jiang Xiu once more.

Though it possessed only eight hundred years of cultivation, it carried a top-tier bloodline; while not fully sentient, it possessed a certain level of intelligence.

It knew well that if it kept struggling and intimidating this human, the strange ritual would be canceled, just as it had done last time.

But just as it prepared for its next attack, the palm it had just shredded miraculously restored itself to its original state.

Caught off guard, it was seized by the throat in an instant, and at that moment, the golden runes within the hexagram array surged into its body once again.

"To think this Shadow Martial Soul can recover instantly; the Body Martial Soul is truly formidable."

Seeing this, Leng Yaozhu's eyes filled with surprise as she whispered in admiration.

Although the Body Sect had fallen into decline, the power of the Body Martial Soul was beyond doubt; after all, the founder of their Spirit Pagoda had also possessed a Body Martial Soul.

"Xiao Xiu's Shadow Martial Soul is more like an externalized martial soul. Besides, as long as the main body remains unharmed, how could the shadow be shattered? It only requires soul power to recover."

Hearing Leng Yaozhu's praise, a look of pride appeared on Mu Ye's face; after all, Jiang Xiu was the hope for the Body Sect's triumphant return.

"Come here!"

Jiang Xiu controlled the Shadow Monarch, gripping the Dark Night Raven's throat with both hands and dragging it before him.

The Dark Night Raven struggled incessantly, its talons flailing as extreme darkness-attribute soul power erupted, but every time it caused damage, the Shadow Monarch restored itself in an instant.

The Dark Night Raven's attacks were fierce, but its defense was its weakness, and furthermore, it had to constantly resist the golden runes entering its body during the Spirit Fusion ritual.

Soon, the Dark Night Raven was brought before Jiang Xiu, yet its dark red eyes remained filled with defiance, looking at Jiang Xiu with unyielding stubbornness.

"Look at me!"

Jiang Xiu showed no expression, merely staring calmly at the Dark Night Raven, forcing its eyes to meet his blood-red pupils as he barked the command, word by word.

"Screech!"

The Dark Night Raven let out a sharp cry, locking eyes with Jiang Xiu; as long as it held on, victory would still be its own.

"This silly bird is truly stubborn. If this continues, Xiao Xiu will surely exhaust his soul power first, and the Spirit Fusion ritual will fail."

Mu Ye's gaze darkened as he muttered to himself.

"Why else would they be called Unyielding Spirit Souls? There are ninety-nine Unyielding Spirit Souls in the Spirit Pagoda, and only three have ever been successfully absorbed by Spirit Masters."

Leng Yaozhu said, completely unsurprised.

"He must have another way. My intuition cannot be wrong; that peculiar pressure..."

Na'er's eyes glinted as she watched Jiang Xiu within the hexagram array intently.

"Do you think you can escape this way? Submit to me, and I will lead you to greater heights."

Jiang Xiu looked at the Dark Night Raven, but before it could respond, darkness began to surge from his body, like a drop of ink falling into the hexagram array, instantly spreading outward.

"Monarch Domain! Expand!"

Simultaneously, with a low shout, majesty flared in Jiang Xiu's blood-red pupils. The moment the Monarch Domain enveloped the Dark Night Raven, an inexplicable pressure slammed heavily onto its soul.

Even though its heart was filled with defiance and arrogance, it began to crumble before this pressure. Its violent, blood-red eyes took on a look of vacant confusion, and even its flailing talons slowed by half a beat.

"This is actually an innate martial soul domain? It seems you have taken in a good disciple, Your Excellency of the Body Sect."

Leng Yaozhu's pretty face shifted slightly, a flash of shock crossing her eyes; the higher one's cultivation, the better one understood the implications of this.

"So-so, just so-so. Xiao Xiu's talent is only a tiny bit higher than that of an ordinary Spirit Master."

Mu Ye waved his hand with feigned humility. Although he hadn't known the effect of Jiang Xiu's innate domain beforehand, it was clear that success was now certain.

Leng Yaozhu shook her head slightly. If not for the fact that Mu Ye couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth from curling upward, she might have actually believed him. A glint of light flashed in her eyes, though, as she pondered.

"So the source of the pressure was here. But why can I not see through this martial soul?"

Seeing this, Na'er felt the Silver Dragon King bloodline within her stir, and she suppressed it while lost in thought.

"Submit!"

Seeing the Dark Night Raven's gaze gradually clear and the unyielding spirit it radiated begin to dissipate, Jiang Xiu shouted once more. Like an ancient monarch issuing a divine decree, his voice pierced deep into the depths of the Dark Night Raven's soul.

"Caw!"

This time, the Dark Night Raven did not struggle. Instead, it lowered its noble head, resting it gently beneath Jiang Xiu's outstretched left hand as a sign of submission.

"Since you have submitted, hurry and fuse."

A look of satisfaction appeared in Jiang Xiu's eyes. He finally understood the suppression Tang Wulin's Golden Dragon King exerted over those beast-type martial soul masters; it was simply straightforward and overwhelming.

However, maintaining the Monarch Domain was also taking a significant toll on him.

"Screech!"

After a final cry, the Dark Night Raven dissolved into a mass of black mist, merging into the Shadow Monarch's body. The instant its form was completely absorbed, all the energy converged toward Jiang Xiu's own body.

"Hum!"

As time passed, a yellow soul ring slowly rose beneath Jiang Xiu's feet, and the edges of this ring were already faintly tinged with purple, nearing the threshold of a thousand-year soul ring.

A series of popping sounds erupted from within Jiang Xiu's body. With three consecutive breakthroughs, his soul power surged directly to the thirteenth level.

Before Jiang Xiu could even check his status, he felt a faint, ethereal message ripple through his sea of consciousness. The source of this information was none other than the shadow he had left behind in the Abyss Plane.

It was as if that shadow of his had also broken through some kind of shackle...

"Not bad, not bad. Now that's what I call a successor to my Body Sect."

The spirit-bestowal ceremony concluded, and the hexagram array slowly faded away. The moment Jiang Xiu's figure was revealed, Mu Ye stepped forward to inspect him carefully, checking to see if he had sustained any injuries.

"Your Excellency of the Body Sect, I noticed that your junior's mental power seems to have reached the Spirit Connection Realm. Why not have him stay at the Spirit Pagoda today and enter the Spirit Ascension Platform with Na'er tomorrow to raise his soul ring age to the thousand-year level?"

At this moment, Leng Yaozhu stepped forward and smiled faintly.

The instant Jiang Xiu had broken through, his mental power had risen along with it. Although it was only for a fleeting moment, Leng Yaozhu had still sensed it.

However, what she did not realize was that Jiang Xiu hadn't just broken through to the Spirit Connection Realm; he was born with it.

"This..."

"That is certainly no problem at all, wouldn't you agree, Junior Nephew?"

Just as Mu Ye hesitated, Han Tianyi's eyes flashed. He agreed immediately, signaling to Mu Ye with his gaze at the same time.

"Ah... right, no problem. We were planning to go to the Spirit Ascension Platform anyway, so staying here is actually more convenient."

Although Mu Ye didn't understand why his Martial Uncle had agreed, he trusted that his Martial Uncle would never lead him astray.

"Then we shall see you tomorrow."

Seeing Han Tianyi accept, Leng Yaozhu smiled once more.

"See you tomorrow."

Han Tianyi nodded slightly, then led Mu Ye and Jiang Xiu toward the exit of the Spirit Small World.

After the three of them left, a thoughtful look flickered in Leng Yaozhu's beautiful eyes as she whispered to herself.

"Perhaps the Body Sect really can rise to glory once again..."

Meanwhile, Na'er remained quietly by Leng Yaozhu's side, her eyes flickering slightly as she pondered something unknown.

"Mu Ye, the Vice Tower Master is intentionally trying to build ties with our Body Sect, and her goal is clearly because she sees Xiao Xiu's talent."

Han Tianyi brought Mu Ye and Jiang Xiu to his office. After having them sit down, he spoke after a moment of deliberation.

"Yes, Martial Uncle, I understand."

Mu Ye nodded slightly. He had already figured it out on the way; previously, when their Body Sect was in decline, these major powers might not have said anything to their faces, but they never truly thought highly of them in private.

Now, this could be considered the first step toward their return to the pinnacle.

"By the way, Xiao Xiu, what is your first soul skill? A soul skill granted by a Dark Night Raven with Ultimate Darkness and Time attributes shouldn't be weak."

Mu Ye asked softly, and Han Tianyi's gaze also fell upon Jiang Xiu.

Jiang Xiu nodded slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes as he spoke with a hint of excitement.

"It's not weak at all. The first soul skill the Dark Night Raven granted me is indeed a skill with the Time attribute..."

"It should be called... Time Stop!"