Five-Finger Fist, Heart, and Sword

"Lord Lang Ya!"

Fatty Liu excitedly pushed open a door on the fourth floor. Inside sat a young man in dark robes that covered him from head to toe.

Fatty Liu grinned. "Brother Lang Ya, I didn't think you'd actually come!"

"What's that supposed to mean, Fatty? We with Body Martial Souls are all brothers and sisters—one big family. You said you'd found a promising youngster with a Body Martial Soul, so of course I had to meet him. Where is he? Take me to see him!"

Lang Ya rose happily when Fatty Liu entered. Body Martial Souls were rare, and the Body Sect had few Soul Masters.

Over the years, nearly all of the Body Sect's thousand or so Soul Masters had come to know one another. Fatty Liu was particularly close to Lang Ya.

"The young fellow's downstairs right now. His Martial Soul is remarkably complete. From what I've seen, it could well encompass his entire body! He's rather like that boy Aotian."

As Fatty Liu spoke, he began to regret drinking before writing that letter.

He had been tipsy that night and hadn't asked just how complete Jiang Hao's Body Martial Soul was.

Thinking about it now, he found it a pity. If the Sect Master or a Consecrated Elder knew how exceptionally complete Jiang Hao's Martial Soul was, they might have come in person.

Fatty Liu shook his head. It would have been good if he could have made that connection for Jiang Hao.

Besides, Jiang Hao had helped him.

"Oh, Lord Lang Ya, what do you think would happen if I burned all my fat?"

Something seemed to occur to Fatty Liu. He asked Lang Ya the question while reaching out to stop him from pulling him outside.

"Burn your fat? Why would you think of that? Isn't fat your Martial Soul? Wouldn't burning it weaken your defense?" Lang Ya asked, puzzled. Fatty Liu sighed. "The child with the awakened Body Martial Soul I told you about said it. He said fat itself was a form of energy, and how I used it was up to me.

"I used to treat fat like bricks and walls for defense. But ever since he said that, I've felt more and more that fat isn't a brick. All this time, I've been holding finely crafted Soul Tools and using them only to crack walnuts."

"I want to try!"

"All right. In a moment, I'll take you back to the sect—with that child!"

"Wait, it sounds like trouble's broken out downstairs!"...

Three minutes earlier, Jiang Hao's fingers had cracked with anger. Did I cut Xu Sanshi so badly he lost his mind? Has he stopped caring about anything and fallen completely into becoming an Evil Soul Master?

Jiang Hao had the strange impression that Xu Sanshi now carried more negative emotion than Banner Bro had amassed after slaughtering his way through the Star Dou Great Forest.

(Such low Spiritual Power~

He committed all those vile acts, but couldn't take being punished for them?) —Master's Bro

"Move!"

Jiang Hao gripped his teacup and hurled it out the window. The warm tea splashed across Xu Sanshi's face. It happened so suddenly that Xu Sanshi found his scraggly hair drenched in tea leaves, and his whole body shook with rage.

"Uncle Xu, kill him!" Xu Sanshi screamed at the top of his lungs. Jiang Hao's aura surged. His First Soul Ring appeared, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Martial Soul amplified him, and boosts from various Support System Martial Souls piled onto him.

Jiang Hao pressed his palms together and entered the Fire Gazing state. Flames blazed, and his entire body burned as hot as the rising sun.

Jiang Hao's eyes snapped open, filled with reddish-gold light. A sun disk slowly rose behind him!

Crimson clouds gathered at his back like flames!

"Thirty-Person Group, move! Protect the goods!"

Jiang Hao gave the order!

Qingzhu, who had coughed up blood, stared in disbelief. His opponent's an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo, the strongest class of fighter below the Titled Douluo. How does a Two-Ring Soul Master dare face him?

But when she looked at Jiang Hao, she froze. His aura is clearly stronger than mine, and his Soul Power is greater too. A Two-Ring Soul Grandmaster?

Seriously? Does Shrek have this many hidden talents?

Jiang Hao felt a little sympathy for Xu Sanshi as he was now, but not much.

He channeled Soul Power and pulled a greatsword from Angel's Blessing, facing the Soul Douluo who stood before Xu Sanshi.

Both sides stood poised to strike.

Xu Sanshi urged, "Uncle Xu, what are you waiting for? Finish him!" The Soul Master hesitated, then manifested the Xuanming Shield Martial Soul in his hand.

Jiang Hao keenly sensed a chilling aura rising from him, accompanied by the scattered thoughts of the Undead.

He drew in a breath of the murky Soul Power drifting through the air, then burned it to ash with his scorching exhalation.

Jiang Hao trembled with excitement. Yes, that's it. Perfect. Now I won't feel guilty killing you!

Corrupted Evil Soul Masters cultivated using living people. Since I was the one who gave you the idea, it's my duty to correct my mistake.

Jiang Hao swung his greatsword at the Soul Douluo, searing Soul Power surging along with it.

After Jiang Hao had uninstalled Xu Sanshi's QQ, the Xuanming Sect had somehow followed the vine to the melon and uncovered the key to awakening a Martial Soul: chilling power.

And the cultivation method of an Evil Martial Soul was closely bound to that chilling power.

Cultivating with human lives, cultivating through slaughter—nothing gathered wickedness more easily. It forced their Martial Souls to evolve, but also magnified the trace of evil they retained without limit.

Jiang Hao channeled his Soul Power. The strength of a hundred Clones was now layered onto him, making him as fierce as a tiger.

He brought his sword down. It was as though he had once again unleashed the full strength he'd shown during that beast tide, enough to slay a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast alone without yielding an inch.

The greatsword struck the Xuanming Shield. There was no extravagant Soul Skill, only pure, honed fighting technique. Even so, the Eight-Ring Soul Master wielding the shield was left reeling by the assault.

Instinctively, he used no Soul Skill at all. Simply manifesting his Martial Soul shield was enough to block it.

"Had your fun, little brat?" The Eight-Ring Soul Douluo caught a gap in Jiang Hao's attacks and threw a punch at him.

The Soul Tool on Jiang Hao activated instantly. It was an exceptionally precious, single-use Defense System Soul Tool, capable of withstanding an Eight-Ring Soul Douluo's full-force blow.

The Soul Tool shattered. The force of the blow left Jiang Hao's ears ringing, but he did not give up. He began gathering strength throughout his body.

Just then, warmth spread across his back. An unfamiliar stream of Soul Power flowed into him at astonishing speed.

This feeling—it's Xiao Xiao's Martial Soul Fusion Skill! Jiang Hao felt a connection form within him as their two Martial Souls fused, and the flames from his Body Martial Soul grew hotter still.

Xiao Xiao's three Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons drifted toward Jiang Hao, their control passing to him.

In that moment, Jiang Hao fell into a sudden state of enlightenment. Then—

He drew back his right hand. The Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons flew into it, and his five fingers clenched!

Blazing Sun Five-Finger Soul-Suppressing Fist!

The phantom behind him swelled, towering like a small building. This was the Three-Life Soul-Suppressing Cauldron Martial Soul Fusion Skill!

Jiang Hao opened his eyes and thrust out a fist. Three Soul-Suppressing Cauldrons drove down within the massive fist toward the Eight-Ring Soul Master and Xu Sanshi.

The instant the attack launched, the Soul Douluo sensed the danger. He unleashed his second and sixth Soul Skills in rapid succession, shifting an innocent attendant into their place.

He and Xu Sanshi reappeared on the other side of the street.

"Still trying to dodge? Break!" Jiang Hao wrenched at his Soul Power, changing the attack's direction. The skin and flesh of his outstretched right arm burst open, exposing the taut, bulging muscles beneath.

Seeing he could not escape, the Xuanming Shield Soul Douluo summoned a sinister, cold turtle's head behind him. Evil energy spilled out, and countless tormented souls flew from his Martial Soul, wailing.

But the instant those souls touched Jiang Hao's blazing sun, they scattered like ash on the wind.

"Martial Soul Avatar!" Jiang Hao spat a mouthful of blood and looked at the thick fog erupting ahead. Smoke but no injuries. Looks like I'd better run.

Just as Jiang Hao prepared to switch Martial Souls and flee, a shield as black as ink-dark jade burst from the fog and hurtled toward him.

"Stop!" Fatty Liu's voice rang out. He plunged from above at tremendous speed, kicking up a cloud of dust as he put himself in the path of the fatal attack...