"I've seen all there is to see of hidden weapons."
Su Chen tossed the broken arrow to the ground and turned toward the edge of the forest.
Yue Guan followed behind him, unusually slow to speak.
He had watched the entire fight: Tang San firing his Sleeve Arrows, the Purple Thunder Spirit Sword splitting into sword shadows, and Tang San's wrist being broken with a single strike.
A Titled Douluo naturally had far better eyesight than Tang San.
And because Yue Guan had seen everything so clearly, it all seemed even more wrong.
When the Purple Thunder Spirit Sword flew out, it looked as though an invisible thread were pulling it.
But that thread wasn't attached to the sword.
It was in Su Chen's heart.
Yue Guan stared at Su Chen's back for a long time.
"Your Highness."
"Hmm?"
"What was that move you used just now called?"
"Light-Splitting Shadow Sweep."
"The first move in the Sword Control Art."
Yue Guan raised an eyebrow.
"The first move?"
"I just came up with it after watching someone use hidden weapons."
Yue Guan stopped in his tracks.
"Just came up with it?"
Su Chen looked back.
"Elder Ju, why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"
"The old ghost is the one who looks like a ghost."
Yue Guan retorted without thinking, then looked at the Purple Thunder Spirit Sword.
"I wanted to ask how you made the sword fly on its own."
"I controlled it with spiritual energy."
"And what is spiritual energy?"
"Something refined from Soul Power."
Yue Guan furrowed his brows.
"You can refine Soul Power?"
"Why couldn't you?"
"Soul Masters absorb Soul Power and store it. They use Soul Rings to turn Soul Power into Soul Skills. For thousands of years, that's how everyone has cultivated."
"Just because people have done it that way for thousands of years doesn't mean it's right."
Su Chen stepped over a bloodstained blade of grass.
"Ordinary Soul Power is like unfiltered water, with all sorts of things mixed in. Spiritual energy is filtered water. There's less of it, but it's more useful."
Yue Guan fell silent.
The explanation was straightforward.
And terrifying.
Soul Masters cultivated to become Titled Douluo through accumulation, Soul Rings, Martial Soul quality, talent, and resources.
But the path Su Chen walked clearly had nothing to do with any of those things.
From creating the Supreme Guidance Art, to tempering his sword with lightning, to condensing a Thunder Soul Ring by himself—each feat had been shocking enough. Now, after seeing Tang San's hidden-weapon techniques, he had created the Sword Control Art as well.
Yue Guan had thought the boy simply had terrifying comprehension.
Only now did he understand: Su Chen wasn't learning.
He was redefining how power could be used.
"Your Highness, can you teach this Sword Control Art to others?"
Su Chen stopped walking.
"I can teach them a little."
Yue Guan's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"But most people can't learn to control a sword."
"Why not?"
"Because Soul Masters are used to throwing their power out."
Su Chen raised two fingers.
The Purple Thunder Spirit Sword flew from his waist, made a circle in the air, then came to a steady halt between them.
"Controlling a sword isn't about throwing it out."
"You have to know where the power comes from, where it passes through, and where it should land in the end."
"If you're even a little off, the sword veers away. A little further off, and it'll strike you first."
Yue Guan stared at the sword hanging in the air, the corner of his eye twitching.
It sounded simple.
But actually doing it was probably harder than creating a Self-Created Soul Skill.
A Titled Douluo had plenty of Soul Power, and his spiritual power was no slouch either.
But Yue Guan had to ask himself: if he sent out his Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum Martial Soul, could he change its direction repeatedly in the space of a few breaths, while cutting through three fast-flying Sleeve Arrows?
At the very least, he couldn't do it with such precision.
"Absolute control..."
Yue Guan murmured the words.
Su Chen heard him.
"More or less."
"Having lots of Soul Power isn't impressive. If you can solve a problem with one part of your strength, there's no point using ten. Even if you win, it's nothing to be proud of."
Yue Guan's lips twitched.
If anyone else had said that, it would have sounded arrogant.
But after seeing that sword with his own eyes, Yue Guan couldn't find a reason to disagree.
He could have easily blocked Tang San's hidden weapons, even without using a Soul Skill.
But Su Chen was different.
Su Chen hadn't merely blocked them.
The instant the hidden weapons came flying, he had understood Tang San's force, their trajectories, and the changes in their mechanisms. Then, with a single sword, he had demonstrated even finer control.
This was no longer a matter of talent.
It was something no one could understand.
Yue Guan suddenly smiled.
"I'm feeling rather fortunate now."
"Fortunate about what?"
"Fortunate that you belong to Spirit Hall."
Su Chen glanced at Yue Guan.
"Elder Ju, you're quite the sweet talker today."
"I'm always a sweet talker."
"Then buy me fruit tea when we get back."
"Sure. As much as you want."
"Make it sweet."
"Of course, you little ancestor."
By the time they left the Soul Hunting Forest, night had fallen.
Su Chen wasn't hurt. His clothes were only smudged with a little dirt.
But Yue Guan spent the whole way thinking about the Sword Control Art.
It wasn't until they entered Spirit City that Yue Guan managed to put those thoughts aside.
The most important thing now wasn't studying this art.
It was reporting everything that had happened today to His Holiness the Pope, without leaving out a single word.
Inside the Papal Hall.
Bibi Dong sat high above, her fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.
Hu Liena stood beside her, glancing toward the hall's entrance every so often.
"Teacher, why hasn't Su Chen come back yet?"
"The Soul Hunting Forest isn't close."
"But Elder Ju is a Titled Douluo. It should be quick for him to bring someone back."
"Nana."
"This disciple won't ask again."
Hu Liena agreed, but she still didn't take her eyes off the entrance.
At last, the doors opened.
Su Chen walked in. His first words were:
"Teacher, is there any dinner left?"
Bibi Dong's brows moved slightly.
Hu Liena first breathed a sigh of relief, then put on a stern face.
"You went to the Soul Hunting Forest to fight, and the first thing you ask when you get back is about food?"
"People have to eat to live."
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Senior Sister, would you like to check right now?"
Hu Liena's face warmed.
"Who wants to check you!"
Yue Guan entered behind them, making a delicate gesture with his fingers as he smiled.
"Miss Nana, His Highness really isn't hurt. Someone else, however, got hurt quite badly."
Bibi Dong raised her eyes.
"Who did you encounter?"
"Yu Xiaogang, and a child named Tang San."
Hu Liena froze.
"That Yu Xiaogang? The one who wrote the Ten Core Competencies?"
"The very same Grandmaster."
Yue Guan put a faint emphasis on the word "Grandmaster."
Bibi Dong's expression didn't change.
"Speak."
Yue Guan's smile faded as he recounted everything that had happened in the Soul Hunting Forest, from beginning to end.
Tang San had grown resentful over the matter of the Soul Beast.
Tang San had fired Sleeve Arrows from behind.
Tang San had followed up with Iron Caltrops, the Mysterious Jade Hand, and strange footwork.
After observing the hidden weapons, Su Chen had created the Sword Control Art, breaking the arrows with one strike and Tang San's wrist with another.
Yu Xiaogang had sent Luo Sanpao to stop him, only for it to be blown away by the sword's thunderous energy. Yu Xiaogang had been so frightened that he'd wet himself.
In the end, Tang San had dragged Yu Xiaogang away as they fled the forest.
Silence fell over the hall.
Hu Liena's eyes widened as she listened.
"Isn't Tang San only six?"
"About that."
"He fired a poisoned arrow at someone's back when he was only six?"
Su Chen sat down to one side and poured himself a cup of water.
"Being young doesn't mean your heart is small."
Hu Liena scrunched up her nose in anger.
"And he dares to speak ill of Spirit Hall? He was the one who tried to kill someone first."
"That's why his hand got broken."
"Good."
Bibi Dong looked at Su Chen.
"Why didn't you kill him?"
Su Chen looked up.
"Teacher, do you think I should have?"
"I'm asking what you think."
"Tang San had ambushed me once. I crippled one of his hands; that settled the score."
"Yu Xiaogang tried to stop me. I gave him a sword strike as a warning."
Su Chen paused.
"Besides, Yu Xiaogang had already lost enough face."
Yue Guan couldn't help turning his head and chuckling.
Before you continue