Become Mine

"Buzz—!"

Without warning, two black Soul Rings rose from beneath Lu Chen's feet.

Deep, cold, carrying an extreme aura of oppression and Destruction.

Against that pitch-black glow, the once bustling street seemed to plunge into the depths of winter.

"Black... two black ones?!"

Lang Kui's arrogant expression instantly froze.

His mouth hung wide enough to fit a fist, his eyes filled with incredulous horror.

The surrounding diners and passersby, even the well-informed Meiying, fell into deathly silence.

His first Soul Ring was ten thousand years old?

This was no longer genius. This was a monster!

"It's only been a little over a month, right? He actually advanced from a Soul Scholar to a Soul Grandmaster?"

Meiying was somewhat dazed, her gaze locked tightly onto Lu Chen.

Even though she had deliberately suppressed herself for a long time during the Soul Master stage, she was only level twenty-five now.

Yet the Soul Power emanating from Lu Chen was richer and purer than that of an ordinary Soul Elder.

"Y-you... who exactly are you?"

Lang Kui's voice began to tremble as his wary gaze swept the surroundings.

With such an absurd Soul Ring configuration, he had to have some top-tier power backing him.

Perhaps his guards were hiding in one of the nearby inns right now.

"Who I am isn't important. What's important is that you're about to die!"

Lu Chen raised his head, golden radiance flowing through his pitch-black eyes.

He never wasted words on those he intended to kill.

His first Soul Skill, Demonic Ape Transformation, and second Soul Skill, Dark Gold Body, activated simultaneously!

His body abruptly grew taller as sinister red steam burst from his pores.

It made him look like a demon god who had crawled out of hell.

"So this is the charm of pure stats..."

Feeling the power filling his body, Lu Chen's eyes gleamed with excitement. He felt like he could even trade blows with a Soul Emperor!

Sensing the terrifying aura radiating from Lu Chen, Lang Kui's pupils contracted sharply.

An intense sense of danger surged through him. How is this possible?

I'm a dignified level fifty-five Soul King, yet I'm sensing the aura of death from a Soul Grandmaster?!

As Lu Chen's aura grew ever stronger, Lang Kui could no longer hold back.

Gritting his teeth, he let out a desperate roar:

"Fifth Soul Skill: Blood Wolf Transformation!"

Soul Power surged around him. His body swelled, and his fur grew wildly as he prepared to fight to the death.

However, in Lu Chen's eyes, such sluggish movements were riddled with openings.

"Shadow Blitz!"

The Soul Bone on Lu Chen's right leg flashed. He took a step forward, moving so quickly that he became a blurred afterimage.

In the next instant, he appeared before Lang Kui.

Less than half a meter separated them.

"What?!"

Seeing that indifferent gaze so close before him, Lang Kui's expression changed drastically.

His arms crossed instinctively, his sharp wolf claws slashing toward Lu Chen.

"You're too slow."

Blue light flashed in Lu Chen's eyes. There was no flashy technique.

His right arm swung violently, and he drove a straight punch forward.

Heartburst Liberation Fist!

A violent blast of air instantly struck Lang Kui's swollen chest.

"Thud—!"

A muffled boom rang out—the sound of a heart being compressed and bursting in an instant.

Lang Kui's massive body stiffened in place, the light in his eyes rapidly fading.

A transparent hole the size of a bowl suddenly exploded through his chest.

A terrifying blast of air, carrying shattered flesh, shot out through his back.

It turned into a mist of blood that sprayed across the ground.

Lang Kui opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something.

In the end, he could only widen his eyes helplessly before collapsing like a heap of mud.

"Boss!"

The two Soul Ancestors fighting Long Aotian nearby cried out in shock.

Their attacks immediately fell into disorder. "How is this possible? Boss was killed with one punch!"

Long Aotian smacked his lips, his face filled with astonishment before admiration appeared in his eyes.

"As expected of Brother Lu. His strength is getting more and more terrifying!"

Xue Ling'er stood rooted to the spot, muttering to herself:

"A Soul King was punched to death by a Soul Grandmaster? Th-this... is he even human?"

"D-dead!"

The entire scene fell silent.

Everyone stared with widened eyes, their faces filled with disbelief.

"He's too strong! Who exactly is this person? His strength is actually this terrifying?!"

"Judging by his Martial Soul traits, he seems to be from the Body Sect!"

At that moment, a young man saw the familiar golden figure and suddenly shouted:

"I know who he is!"

His companion immediately pressed him, "Who is he? Hurry up and tell us!"

"Undying Monster Lu Chen! The strongest genius of the Body Sect!

Back in Heavenly Spirit City, he was hunted down by more than a dozen Soul Elders and four Soul Ancestors while still a Soul Scholar.

Not only did he defeat every Soul Elder, he even killed two Soul Ancestors in return!

By now, everyone in Heavenly Spirit City knows about it!"

"What?!"

Hearing this, everyone present sucked in a sharp breath. "A Soul Scholar killing Soul Ancestors? That record is probably unprecedented!"

"No wonder he could kill a Soul King as a Soul Grandmaster..."

Lu Chen withdrew his Soul Rings. The scarlet steam gradually dissipated, and his body returned to normal.

Looking at the stunned Meiying, a faint smile curled across his lips.

"What? Don't recognize me?"

Meiying swallowed as she looked at the young man she had known for such a short time, yet who had repeatedly overturned everything she thought she knew. She gave a bitter smile.

"Your rate of improvement... is too ridiculous.

A little over a month ago, you were still a Soul Scholar. Now you can punch a Soul King to death."

Lu Chen shrugged, his tone casual.

"Weren't you supposed to be studying at Dio Academy? Why did you come here alone?"

Meiying frowned slightly, her eyes full of confusion.

"How did you know I was at Dio Academy?"

The moment the words left her mouth, she seemed to realize something.

"Did Princess Vina tell you?"

The day after the battle at the Soul Arena ended, royal officials had gone to Duke Breaker Formation Estate.

They conveyed Princess Vina's verbal decree.

She was to be sent to study at Dio Academy.

Duke Breaker Formation dared not defy the princess's orders and immediately had Luo Du release her.

He even arranged academy credentials for her.

That was why she had assumed Princess Vina had shown her mercy.

Lu Chen rolled his eyes irritably.

"Has it ever occurred to you that I specifically had Vina issue that order?"

"How could that be possible?"

Meiying's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief.

Seeing her shocked expression, Lu Chen smiled.

"What's impossible about it? Didn't I ask what you wanted back then?

Since you didn't want to stay by Luo Du's side, I had you leave."

"You weren't... saying that just to drain my Soul Power?"

Meiying's tone was hesitant. She still could not believe it.

Lu Chen shook his head, his expression turning serious.

"I really did take a liking to your talent.

I forgot to tell you—I'm the Young Sect Master of the Body Sect.

If you want to completely awaken your abilities, join my ranks.

If you're unwilling, that's fine too. I'll give you time to think it over."

With that, he said nothing more and turned toward Long Aotian.

The Body Sect's current policy of recruiting only those with Body Martial Souls could no longer keep up with the times.

Body Martial Souls themselves arose through Martial Soul mutations.

They were rare occurrences.

This resulted in the Body Sect having far too few members.

It also limited its high-level combat power.

At present, the entire Body Sect had only a little over a thousand members.

That was not even as many as Mingde Hall's high-level Soul Engineers.

Let alone Shrek and the Holy Spirit Cult.

To expand the sect and become a dominant force on the continent, it had to recruit talent far and wide.

Body Martial Souls would remain one of the sect's core branches.

It would recruit those with Tool Martial Souls, Beast Martial Souls, Soul Engineers, and all kinds of other talent from outside.

Only then could it steadily expand its high-level combat power and ensure a constant succession of talent.

Although this would dilute the prominence of Body Martial Souls to some extent, it was necessary for development.

Unless they could find a way to reliably awaken Body Martial Souls.

"Become yours... and completely awaken..."

Meiying watched Lu Chen's departing back, her Twin Fists clenched tightly.