Holding his mutated shield, Yang Ke looked at Tie Zhan beside him and motioned him forward, asking him to throw a punch at the shield to test its power.
Tie Zhan immediately rose to his feet, eagerness written all over his face.
The others, who had been chatting and joking, instantly perked up. They stood and gathered around, forming a loose circle around the pair, their curious gazes fixed on the shield at its center.
Everyone wanted to see for themselves what special abilities a shield martial soul would possess after undergoing a beneficial mutation.
Yang Ke planted his feet firmly, shield in hand. With a calm expression, he nodded slightly. "Go ahead. Hit me with everything you've got."
With permission granted, Tie Zhan hesitated no longer. He focused his mind, and yellow soul power erupted around him. Powerful earth-attribute soul power coiled through his limbs and body as his Earth Bear martial soul instantly possessed him.
The muscles in his thick arms bulged slightly, and a heavy force rode the wind of his strike. Holding nothing back, he gathered his strength and slammed his palm into the black shield before him.
Bang!
A deep, solid collision rang out. Soul power surged outward, stirring a faint wave of air.
The instant his palm struck the shield, Tie Zhan's confident expression changed sharply. Astonishment flashed through his eyes, and he instinctively cried out, "Something's wrong! It reflects force!"
He could clearly feel that the tremendous force of his blow had not been entirely dispersed or blocked by the shield. Instead, an opposing force rebounded from its surface, surging back through the meridians in his palm. His arm went slightly numb as more than half the force of his strike was sent straight back at him.
Yang Ke stood utterly motionless behind