First Meditation

"Hey, hey, hey! Sis, go easy on me!"

Despite Chu Heng's repeated pleas for mercy, Su Xianling grabbed him by the ear with one hand and flung him onto the floor.

"You've got some nerve, kid. You knew it was me outside the window and still attacked."

Su Xianling smoothed a few wrinkles in her coat left by Chu Heng's attack, then dusted off her hands, though there was no dust on them. She looked at him with interest.

Chu Heng struggled to his feet and gave her a smile.

"I wouldn't dare, sis. I really didn't know it was you out there..."

After saying that, Chu Heng guiltily rubbed his hands together beneath his coat.

In truth, Chu Heng had recognized Su Xianling the moment she appeared. He had simply felt a sudden urge to test himself against her.

The result spoke for itself. A Soul King was not someone "trash" like him, without even a Spirit Ring, could challenge.

"All right..."

Su Xianling waved a hand, unconcerned.

"I can't be bothered with your little tricks. I came tonight to tell you not to waste this precious time. Nighttime is especially good for meditation."

She walked to the meditation room, opened its door, and motioned for Chu Heng to go inside.

"Spirit Hall has prepared a dedicated meditation room for you and provided a meditation method. From now on, come here at this time every day to cultivate and keep your Soul Power Level rising steadily."

"Okay, sis."

Chu Heng entered the meditation room and sat cross-legged on the stone platform at its center.

The moment he sat down, he felt much calmer, with far fewer stray thoughts in his mind.

This thing is great!

Chu Heng shifted to examine the platform beneath him, but it looked no different from any ordinary stone platform.

Chu Heng looked toward Su Xianling...

"The meditation room has a special array engraved in it that helps people clear their minds. The lower someone's Soul Power Level, the stronger the effect."

In other words, the array had almost no effect on a Soul Master of Su Xianling's level.

"All right, don't waste time. Learn the meditation method, then try entering a meditative state."

Su Xianling gave Chu Heng that reminder.

Children who had just awakened their Martial Souls usually ran into at least some difficulty learning to meditate. Su Xianling did not want Chu Heng to waste precious time because of that, so she had come tonight specifically to stay by his side.

Once Chu Heng could use the meditation method proficiently, she had matters of her own to attend to.

"Okay, sis."

Chu Heng answered and began learning the meditation method.

"Clear the heart and gather the mind; sense and draw in the currents of heaven."

"Let the Martial Soul pull them in; let the soul chamber store their yield."

"Slowly complete the cycle..."

As Chu Heng silently repeated the verses, his restless thoughts gradually settled. He entered a wondrous state in which he could sense the specks of Soul Power around him, invisible to the naked eye, being drawn toward him and drifting closer.

It felt different from the Mysterious Heaven Skill. When he used that skill, Chu Heng felt Soul Power wash through every bone and tendon, entering through every inch of his skin. With the meditation method, he could clearly feel Soul Power gathering into a thin stream that flowed into his Martial Soul, which then fed it back through the channels of his body.

It worked!

Once the Soul Power had completed a full circuit through his body and finally settled in his soul chamber, Chu Heng had completed one round of meditation.

When he opened his eyes, he found Su Xianling still staring at him. Confusion, shock, admiration, and other emotions mingled in her gaze.

Su Xianling had expected Chu Heng to struggle with the meditation method. But when she saw his Martial Soul appear before him on its own, she knew he had entered a meditative state.

So Su Xianling took the opportunity to study his Martial Soul.

The information she had on Chu Heng's Martial Soul amounted to only a few words, such as "entirely new Martial Soul" and "no existing record." She was quite interested in it, but until now, she had forgotten to ask Chu Heng to show it to her.

Now that it had appeared before her, she studied it from every angle. It was indeed a completely new Martial Soul, and she could not tell what it was. Its form kept changing as Chu Heng meditated. One of its forms even resembled a firearm recently developed by Spirit Hall.

"Could Chu Heng's Martial Soul be a ranged-attack type?"

At the thought, Su Xianling's eyes lit up.

If so, that would be an even greater stroke of fate. Her Starbreak Bow was also a ranged-attack Martial Soul, so she would have more experience to draw on when teaching Chu Heng. And if he proved exceptionally talented, she could introduce him to her teacher. In Su Xianling's opinion, her teacher was unquestionably the foremost expert on ranged-attack Martial Souls on the continent.

"Sis?"

The call broke Su Xianling's train of thought. When she came back to herself, she found Chu Heng's eyes open and fixed on her.

"You've completed a round of meditation?"

Su Xianling sensed that Chu Heng's aura was a little stronger than before he meditated, but then her expression changed again.

"Why is your Soul Power Level so high?!"

Su Xianling clearly remembered that Chu Heng's Innate Soul Power had been level seven. Through the instincts that came with awakening his Martial Soul, he had raised it to level eight in half a month. But now his Soul Power was already approaching level nine?

Chu Heng said nothing. He had no idea how to explain it either, so he could only hope that the knowledgeable Su Xianling would come up with a reasonable explanation.

Su Xianling frowned and thought for a while, weighing what Chu Heng had just done against everything she had learned. At last, her slender brows relaxed. She seemed to have found a plausible answer.

"Chu Heng, based on my analysis, your Innate Soul Power was probably higher than level seven. Your condition or the environment may have affected you on the day of your awakening, so the test only showed level seven. The Soul Power it failed to detect has gradually emerged since then, which is why yours has grown faster than other people's."

Su Xianling explained her reasoning to Chu Heng.

Thank you so much, sis! I knew I could count on you!

Chu Heng's face brightened, as though he was delighted to learn this.

Seeing his expression, Su Xianling immediately turned stern.

"Don't tell anyone about this. It won't improve your current situation, and it might bring you other trouble."

Chu Heng nodded solemnly.

He understood that too. Even if his Innate Soul Power had been level eight—or even Innate Full Soul Power—he might not have received guidance from someone like Su Xianling at the outset. Yet now he had that chance. It was a fortunate opportunity.

Su Xianling nodded with approval at his response.

"All right. Since you've mastered the meditation method, you can cultivate on your own from here. But remember, don't practice for too long in a single day, or it could harm your Martial Soul."

With that, Su Xianling leaped out the window and vanished.

Chu Heng shook his head helplessly. She really does come and go as she pleases, without giving me a thought.

Su Xianling stood on the ledge outside Chu Heng's window, one foot planted on it, her back against the wall and her arms folded across her chest. Her eyes were closed.

Her Martial Soul hovered before her, giving off a faint glow.