It Was Supposed to Be a Staff, Wasn't It?

"Brother Xiaoyu, don't let the color of this Soul Ring fool you. It's just a special deep-yellow, five-hundred-year Soul Spirit that I absorbed."

Chu Yan spouted nonsense with a perfectly straight face. He didn't even blush; anyone who didn't know better might have thought he was telling the truth.

A special Soul Spirit?

What kind of special Soul Spirit could change the color of a Soul Ring?

"Yan, you're joking, right? What kind of special five-hundred-year Soul Spirit could have that color?"

Xu Xiaoyu frowned at the deep-yellow Soul Ring, his brow furrowed. He didn't remember learning anything like this in class.

At that, Chu Yan didn't so much as blink. He continued to explain with a perfectly serious expression, "Brother Xiaoyu, you might not know this, but the Spirit Pagoda's technology is advancing all the time. There's a rare Soul Spirit called 'Gold Pattern.' The Soul Rings it produces are this color. It's only five hundred years old, but because the Soul Spirit is high quality, its color is deeper than an ordinary five-hundred-year Soul Ring. Its form is just a pattern of light, though."

He'd thought up this explanation that morning.

Since he couldn't reveal the secret of condensing a Soul Ring on his own, he had to come up with a plausible source.

After all, the Spirit Pagoda launched all kinds of new Soul Spirits every year. Outsiders had no way of knowing the specifics, and even if the Xu Clan asked, the Spirit Pagoda wouldn't disclose its customers' information.

Xu Xiaoyu regarded Chu Yan with doubt, but in the end, he nodded.

Although he found it a little strange, he didn't think Chu Yan would lie to him.

"Then let me see just how strong this special Soul Spirit of yours is!"

Xu Xiaoyu stamped a foot and shot toward Chu Yan like an arrow loosed from a bow. The Ice Staff in his hand drew a white arc through the air, and a biting chill instantly spread around them.

He wasn't using a Soul Skill, but the speed and strength of a Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster spoke for themselves. If that blow landed, an ordinary person would be sent flying.

Chu Yan's gaze sharpened. He held the Yan Divine Weapon across his body, bent his knees slightly, and lowered his center of gravity.

Hunyuan Staff Technique: Opening Stance!

He'd only learned this that morning, yet now it came naturally to him.

Clang!

The Ice Staff collided with the long staff, ringing out sharply.

Chu Yan's body trembled slightly as he stepped back.

Xu Xiaoyu, however, didn't budge. A flicker of surprise crossed his face.

"Solid footing!"

He'd thought the blow would force Chu Yan back at least three or four steps. He hadn't expected him to steady himself after just one.

This future brother-in-law of his, six years his junior, was far stronger than he'd expected.

Chu Yan regained his balance, excitement flashing in his eyes.

This was his first real fight since awakening. It was only a spar, but the feeling of trading blows had his blood racing.

"Brother Xiaoyu, watch out!"

He took the initiative, sweeping the Yan Divine Weapon across.

Hunyuan Staff Technique: Sweeping Stance!

The long staff swept sideways with a whoosh, heading straight for Xu Xiaoyu's waist.

Xu Xiaoyu calmly lowered the Ice Staff and blocked the blow with precision.

Clang!

The Ice Staff collided with the Yan Divine Weapon again. This time, Chu Yan was ready. His stance was as steady as a pine, and he only gave half a step before regaining his balance.

Xu Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow. As a Soul Grandmaster, he was far stronger than a newly awakened child like Chu Yan.

He'd held back, but it was still incredible that an eleven-year-old Tool Soul Master could take a direct hit without being put at a disadvantage.

"Yan, you're in better shape than a child who just awakened should be," Xu Xiaoyu said sincerely.

"You're too kind, Brother Xiaoyu." Chu Yan smiled faintly. He'd started training before his awakening, after all. Yet his feet never stopped moving. He stepped back, turned, twisted at the waist, and sent the Yan Divine Weapon thrusting upward toward Xu Xiaoyu's chin.

Hunyuan Staff Technique: Lifting Stance!

The move came suddenly. Xu Xiaoyu leaned aside and dodged it, but when the staff wind brushed his cheek, he clearly felt a sharp aura. It didn't feel like he'd been grazed by a staff-type Martial Soul. It felt more like... something sharp had skimmed past him.

Xu Xiaoyu didn't think much of it, though. Chu Yan himself had said his Martial Soul was a staff, so this might simply be one of its unusual traits. Strange as it was, it wasn't impossible.

"My turn."

Xu Xiaoyu took half a step back to open some distance. He spun the Ice Staff lightly in his hand, and the blue gem at its tip suddenly lit up.

A Yellow Soul Ring flickered beneath his feet, and the cold gathered at a visible rate.

"First Soul Skill: Ice Spike!"

Whoosh!

An ice spike, about half a meter long and glittering from end to end, shot from the staff's tip. It moved so fast that it was almost in front of Chu Yan the moment it left Xu Xiaoyu's hand.

Chu Yan's pupils contracted. His body reacted instinctively, and he swept the Yan Divine Weapon sideways, knocking the ice spike off course with the shaft.

Bang!

The ice spike struck the protective barrier at the edge of the Martial Arts Arena and burst into a shower of ice fragments. The chill spilled everywhere, and a thin layer of frost instantly formed across the ground.

Xu Xiaoyu froze for a moment. His first Soul Skill came from a Hundred-Year Soul Ring, but the ice spike flew so fast that even an ordinary two-ring Soul Master might struggle to catch it. Yet Chu Yan, a child who'd only just awakened, had knocked it aside with his staff?

This kid... His reaction speed is incredible!

Chu Yan gave him no time to think. He pushed off the ground and charged forward, rotating the Yan Divine Weapon in his hands and turning his sweep into an overhead strike.

The blow carried the weight he'd practiced that morning. After a whole morning of training with the Ironwood Staff, that feeling for the staff remained even with the Yan Divine Weapon. The downward strike landed with even more weight than before.

Xu Xiaoyu naturally had no trouble dealing with an attack like that. He raised the Ice Staff and easily caught the blow.

Only after catching it did he realize that although Chu Yan's strength was far below his own, he had a mature feel for turning an opponent's force against them. When one strike failed, he withdrew the staff smoothly, leaving no opening at all.

"Interesting..." Xu Xiaoyu's mouth curled into a smile, his fighting spirit roused. "Yan, from the look of it, you didn't just pick up that staff technique at random."

"Brother Xiaoyu, we've only just started." Chu Yan lowered his staff and stepped back to open some distance again. His breathing had quickened slightly, but his eyes were brighter than before.

Xu Xiaoyu nodded, taking the spar more seriously than he usually did. He slowly raised the Ice Staff, and the blue gem at its tip lit up again. This time, its glow was much richer than before, and the temperature around them dropped sharply.

"Second Soul Skill: Ice Wheel!"

The Ice Staff spun rapidly in Xu Xiaoyu's hands, drawing the surrounding chill into a circular barrier of ice crystals.

The ice barrier stood about as tall as a person, its surface shimmering with pale-blue light. It looked like a shield, but also like a device that could charge forward at any moment and trap an enemy.

"Yan, see if you can break through it." Xu Xiaoyu's voice came from behind the Ice Wheel, carrying a hint of amused anticipation.

Ordinary two-ring Soul Masters couldn't break through his defense. He was only teasing Chu Yan.

Chu Yan studied the ice barrier, rapidly weighing his options. Ice Wheel was a defensive Soul Skill that also restricted its target. It could protect its user while charging forward to pin down an enemy. With his current eleven levels of Soul Power and purely physical staff techniques, he probably couldn't break through by force.

Then... I'll try a Soul Skill.

Chu Yan took a deep breath and made up his mind.

"Brother Xiaoyu, then you try this."

He gripped the Yan Divine Weapon tightly and poured his mental power into it.

Fine cracks spread across the dark-gold staff. One, two, three, four small golden swords flew from the fissures and hovered around him, their points facing outward. A sharp aura suddenly filled the air.

At the same time, the deep-yellow Soul Ring flared brightly!

"First Soul Skill: Phantom Sword Style!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The four golden swords shot out like living creatures, tracing four golden paths through the air as they stabbed at Xu Xiaoyu's Ice Wheel barrier from different angles!

Xu Xiaoyu's pupils contracted sharply.

What is this?!

Wasn't it supposed to be a staff?!

Why are there flying swords?! And that aura... so sharp!

He reacted quickly too. The Ice Wheel spun faster, the cold gathering furiously as the ice barrier instantly thickened.

Clang, clang, clang, clang!