Chen Xin Destroys His Martial Soul, Awakens Spirit Fetus! Begins Cultivation!

Yet among the ministers standing below, not one dared to speak up in agreement.

Because none of them were blind.

The emperor digging pits in the mud might have been covered head to toe in muck, but the force behind each swing of his hoe, and the powerful blood-and-qi fluctuations faintly radiating from his body...

He was absolutely a top-tier powerhouse whose strength was unfathomable!

An emperor who possessed peerless martial might was actually willing to personally go down into the fields to test formations for the sake of crop yields.

Such an utterly pragmatic way of doing things was almost frightening.

In the Sky Screen.

Yankang Imperial Preceptor looked at the dazed Chen Xin and smiled as he patted him on the shoulder.

"Fellow Daoist, let's go. His Majesty has always enjoyed tinkering with crops and farming."

The Imperial Preceptor strode forward, not minding the rotten mud on the ground at all, and walked straight over.

"Your Majesty, I have brought a friend to meet you."

The Imperial Preceptor's voice was not loud, but it carried clearly to the center of the paddy field.

When Emperor Yanfeng heard the Imperial Preceptor's voice, he immediately threw down the hoe in his hand.

He casually washed his hands in the ditch beside him, then strode over through the mud.

"Ah, Imperial Preceptor, you're finally here!"

As Emperor Yanfeng walked, he complained loudly.

"Those bookworms from the Ministry of Works draw formation diagrams entirely by guesswork. Come and take a look at this—"

Halfway through his words, Emperor Yanfeng's gaze fell on Chen Xin, who was standing behind the Imperial Preceptor.

Emperor Yanfeng stopped in his tracks, and in those seemingly easygoing eyes, a sharp gleam suddenly flashed.

With just that one look, Chen Xin felt a mountainous, overwhelming imperial pressure rush straight at him, even a few degrees more domineering than when he had faced the Imperial Preceptor earlier.

This mud-legged emperor was definitely a ruthless character who killed decisively!

"This old gentleman is quite unfamiliar."

Emperor Yanfeng sized Chen Xin up and down a couple of times, then keenly sensed the pure killing sword intent within Chen Xin's body.

"What fierce sword qi! But the path of this cultivation method is somewhat strange. Imperial Preceptor, who is this?"

The Imperial Preceptor smiled faintly and stepped forward to introduce him.

"Your Majesty, this is Fellow Daoist Chen Xin. He comes from another world beyond the Great Ruins, and he is a pure sword cultivator."

"Just now at the Imperial Academy, I exchanged one move with him. His killing sword intent is extremely pure, so I took the liberty of recruiting him into our Yankang Kingdom."

When he heard that Chen Xin was a sword cultivator from another world, Emperor Yanfeng's eyes instantly lit up.

He put on no imperial airs whatsoever. Instead, he strode forward and grabbed Chen Xin's arm.

"A swordsman from another world? Excellent!"

Emperor Yanfeng's face was full of excitement, and he did not care at all that the mud on his hands had rubbed onto Chen Xin's snow-white sleeve.

"If his sword intent can catch the Imperial Preceptor's eye, then it's definitely something good."

Emperor Yanfeng turned to look at the Imperial Preceptor.

"Imperial Preceptor, our army fought those sect rebels at the border some time ago. The soldiers of the Divine Strategy Battalion have plenty of killing intent, but their swordsmanship still isn't sharp enough."

"Since Old Mister Chen's sword intent is so pure, why not have him take up a post as an instructor in the Divine Strategy Battalion and teach our soldiers how to kill? What do you think?"

Chen Xin stood to the side, listening in utter bewilderment.

Just like that, he was being given an official post?

They had met less than half a cup of tea ago, and without even investigating his ancestry for eight generations, the emperor was directly sending him into the army as an instructor?

This magnanimity of trusting those he employed brought a long-lost warmth to Chen Xin's heart.

"Thank you for Your Majesty's great favor!"

Chen Xin hurriedly took a step back and gave a deep, respectful bow.

"This old man will teach everything he knows and hold nothing back!"

Emperor Yanfeng burst into hearty laughter and helped Chen Xin up with one hand.

"Good! What our Yankang Kingdom lacks most are straightforward, decisive people like you."

"Tonight, I will hold a banquet in the palace. The three of us, ruler and ministers, will drink a few cups properly."

"I just dug up a few plump Spirit Armor Crabs from the experimental fields. They're delicious!"

Night gradually deepened.

In a side hall of the imperial palace, the lamps burned brightly.

There was none of the imagined extravagant scene of hundreds of palace maids and eunuchs waiting in attendance.

Seated around a broad Eight Immortals table were Emperor Yanfeng, Yankang Imperial Preceptor, and a somewhat reserved Chen Xin.

Several delicate side dishes were laid out on the table, and in the middle sat a huge steaming basin of bright-red Spirit Armor Crab.

Emperor Yanfeng did not even use chopsticks. He grabbed a crab leg and snapped it open with his hands, biting into it with crisp cracks.

"Old Master Chen, don't just sit there. Eat."

"This Spirit Armor Crab is excellent for replenishing blood and qi."

As Emperor Yanfeng ate, he lifted his wine bowl and raised it toward Chen Xin.

Chen Xin hurriedly picked up his own wine bowl and drained it in one gulp.

The strong liquor went down his throat like a ball of fire exploding in his chest.

After a few bowls of wine, Chen Xin loosened up considerably.

He looked at the emperor and the Imperial Preceptor sitting opposite him, neither of them putting on the slightest airs, and the decision in his heart grew clearer and clearer.

He set down his wine bowl and took a deep breath.

"Your Majesty. Lord Imperial Preceptor."

Chen Xin rose to his feet, his expression turning incomparably solemn.

"This old man has a request."

Emperor Yanfeng set down the crab shell in his hand and picked up a cloth to wipe his hands.

"Old master, speak freely."

Chen Xin glanced down at his feet.

With a thought, the nine colorful soul rings slowly emerged, glimmering faintly in the dim side hall.

"Today, after hearing Lord Imperial Preceptor's teaching, this old man suddenly saw the light."

"This system built from the remnant souls of wild beasts is indeed a cage that locks away one's potential."

Chen Xin raised his head. In those aged eyes burned the resolve of a man ready to burn his boats.

"This old man wants to cripple these nine rings, to cripple all the soul power in this body."

"I want to learn Yankang's orthodox methods. I want to open the Spirit Embryo Divine Treasury!"

"I humbly ask the two lords to grant this wish and teach me the way to break free!"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere inside the side hall instantly fell silent.

Outside the screen, the entire Douluo Continent also sank into a deathly hush.

Inside Shrek Academy, Yu Xiaogang's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the floor once more, his lips trembling nonstop.

"He's mad. Chen Xin has truly gone mad..."

"A peak Douluo at rank ninety-seven! He's giving up invincible power under heaven to learn some so-called Divine Treasury system?"

Hearing this, Tang San, at the side, also clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging into his flesh.

He could not understand such an act.

On Douluo Continent, soul power was everything, and soul rings were life itself.

To abolish one's soul rings voluntarily was a hundred times crueler than killing a soul master.

"If he doesn't abolish them, his upper limit will be locked forever."

At the side, Dai Mubai swallowed, his voice extremely dry.

"For someone like Sword Douluo, not being able to see the road ahead must be more painful than becoming a cripple."

At the same time, within the Sky Screen, Emperor Yanfeng looked at Chen Xin, a deep trace of admiration flashing through his eyes.

"To cut off one's own wrist like a true warrior. What courage."

Emperor Yanfeng nodded, then turned to look at the Imperial Preceptor.

"Imperial Preceptor, since you brought him back, I'll leave this matter to you."

Yankang Imperial Preceptor set down the wine bowl in his hand and stood up.

He walked over to Chen Xin, the gentleness on his face receding, replaced by the solemnity of a strict teacher.

"Fellow Daoist, have you thought this through?"

The Imperial Preceptor pointed at the nine soul rings, his tone extremely grave.

"These nine halos have already tangled themselves together with your meridians, your flesh and blood, and even your soul."

"To forcibly strip them away would be no different from breaking every inch of the meridians in your entire body, tearing your soul apart, and stitching it back together again."

"The pain involved is no less than taking a trip down through the eighteen levels of hell."

"One slight mistake, and your body and soul will be destroyed on the spot."

Chen Xin listened to these warnings, yet there was not the slightest hint of retreat on his face.

He suddenly slapped his chest and laughed loudly.

"Hahaha! The National Preceptor underestimates this old man!"

"This old man crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood in this life."

"As long as I can see the scenery of the Great Dao from a higher place, what does a little pain of flesh and soul amount to?"

Chen Xin abruptly took a step back.

He sat down cross-legged directly on the hard bluestone floor of the side hall.

"Please, National Preceptor, do it!"

The National Preceptor looked at Chen Xin, whose eyes were closed and whose face was full of resolve, and took a deep breath.

"Good."

"Since you possess such a heart for the Dao, fellow daoist, I will lend you a hand."

The National Preceptor slowly raised his right hand.

A surge of pure azure vital energy condensed in his palm into a seemingly solid sword of light.

"The crux of this system lies in the meridians being blocked by these foreign energies. They must first be broken before they can be rebuilt."

The National Preceptor's gaze sharpened, and the azure sword of light in his hand stabbed without hesitation toward the first yellow soul ring beneath Chen Xin's feet.

Crack!

A crisp shattering sound rang out.

That yellow soul ring, which represented a hundred years of cultivation, instantly broke apart under the National Preceptor's exquisitely precise sword energy.

"Ugh!"

Chen Xin's eyes snapped open, and he let out an extremely suppressed groan.

His body trembled violently, and a large mouthful of blood mixed with black impurities spurted straight out, splattering across the bluestone floor.

That was the agony of having one's soul torn apart.

But he forcibly clenched his teeth and did not cry out.

"Steady your mind."

The National Preceptor's voice exploded beside Chen Xin's ear like a great bell.

The azure sword of light in his hand swung out again.

Crack! Crack!

The second yellow soul ring and the first purple soul ring shattered one after another.

Blood began seeping from all over Chen Xin's skin.

His originally ruddy face turned pale as paper, and the veins on his forehead bulged like earthworms, making him look incomparably ferocious.

Outside the light screen, Ning Fengzhi covered his eyes, already unable to keep watching.

"Uncle Sword..." Ning Fengzhi's voice carried a sob. This self-mutilating pain made even him, a mere onlooker, feel his heart pound with fear.

Inside Spirit City.

Bibi Dong watched this scene coldly, the corner of her mouth curving into a sneer.

"Utterly foolish. For the sake of some illusory new system, he's giving up everything he has accumulated over a lifetime."

"I would like to see whether, after crippling your soul rings, you can open that so-called Divine Treasury!"

Inside the Sky Screen, the stripping process was still continuing.

As the sword of light in the National Preceptor's hand kept falling, purple and black soul rings turned into fragments one after another.

A thick, foul, bloody stench spread through the air inside the great hall.

It was the smell of beast remnant souls being forcibly drawn out of Chen Xin's body and dissipating.

When the strike fell toward the final and also most powerful ninth soul ring—

The National Preceptor's hand paused slightly.

"This is the most central shackle. Once it is broken, your soul power will be completely reduced to zero."

"Fellow daoist, guard the final trace of clarity on your spiritual altar!"

With a loud shout, the National Preceptor turned the azure sword of light into a dazzling stream of light and brought it down fiercely upon that deep black soul ring.

Boom!

A tremendous explosion erupted inside the side hall.

The black ten-thousand-year soul ring shattered with a crash like glass.

Chen Xin tilted his head back and let out an utterly shrill roar.

Every pore on his body burst open in that instant, and a mist of blood sprayed into the air.

His aura plummeted at a cliff-like speed.

Level ninety... level eighty... level fifty... level ten...

Until it returned to zero.

The swordsmanship peak who had once awed Douluo Continent now collapsed limply in a pool of blood like a heap of rotten mud.

Even his breathing had become almost imperceptible, as if he were an ordinary dying old man who might breathe his last at any moment.

"He's become a cripple."

Countless soul masters on Douluo Continent felt a surge of sorrow rise in their hearts when they saw this.

This act of crippling his own cultivation was simply impossible to understand.

However, inside the side hall, the National Preceptor and Emperor Yanfeng showed no panic at all.

The National Preceptor put away his vital qi lightsword and looked at Chen Xin on the floor, his tone turning more solemn than ever before.

"The shackles have shattered, and the old power is spent."

"Fellow Daoist, now is the moment!"

"Cast aside stray thoughts. Use your pure killing sword intent to sense that speck of spiritual light deep within your brow!"

"Sink your qi into your dantian and draw the vital qi of heaven and earth into your body."

"Open up a new world in your brow for me!"

The National Preceptor's words seemed to carry some kind of magic, piercing straight through Chen Xin's hazy consciousness.

Chen Xin, who lay paralyzed in the pool of blood, twitched his finger slightly.

With great difficulty, he formed a strange hand seal with both hands.

Though not a trace of soul power remained in his body, the sword heart he had tempered through countless trials, that indomitable killing intent pure to the extreme, had not vanished along with the shattering of his soul rings.

On the contrary, after the impurities of those beasts' remnant souls were stripped away, this sword intent became even clearer, even sharper!

"I... still want to... practice the sword..."

Chen Xin's shriveled lips opened and closed faintly.

The rhythm of his breathing suddenly changed.

It was no longer that hurried panting, but became long and deep, carrying a wondrous cadence.

This was precisely the most basic breathing technique of Yankang Kingdom.

With each breath he took, outside the side hall, the spiritual qi of heaven and earth above the imperial palace suddenly seemed to receive some deadly pull and surged madly toward the side hall.

This spiritual qi turned into specks of white light visible to the naked eye, pouring endlessly through the pores all over Chen Xin's body and drilling into him.

Without the obstruction of his soul rings, this spiritual qi flowed unobstructed through his meridians, finally gathering into a vast torrent that rushed straight toward his brow.

"Crack..."

A faint, crisp sound that only Chen Xin himself could hear rang out deep within his mind.

That Spirit Fetus barrier which had trapped countless mortals and stood like an iron wall, under the impact of Chen Xin's utterly pure killing sword intent and the enormous vital qi, was instantly covered in cracks.

"Open... for me!"

Chen Xin let out a soundless roar in his heart.

Boom!

The barrier shattered.

A dazzling silver-white light suddenly erupted from Chen Xin's brow, directly illuminating the entire side hall.

Outside the light screen, every sound vanished completely at that moment.

Everyone stared fixedly at the Sky Screen, not even daring to blink.

Within that blinding silver light, deep within Chen Xin's brow, a small humanoid phantom formed from pure sword qi and vital qi slowly opened its eyes.

In the phantom's hand, it was even holding a miniature Seven Kill Sword.

This was the first step of Yankang's Divine Treasury system.

The awakening of the Spirit Fetus!

The instant the Spirit Fetus opened its eyes, Chen Xin's originally shriveled, aged body began madly absorbing the surrounding spiritual qi like a withered tree finally meeting sweet rain after a long drought.

The wounds on his body healed at a visible speed, and his gray-white hair actually regained a trace of black luster.

An aura that, though not as vast as level ninety-seven soul power, was far more condensed and far more sharp-edged, rose once more from within the old man's body.

He had succeeded.