"Senior, are you there?"
Ming Dashan stood at the edge of the deep crater, feeling the scorching heat as a bead of sweat slid down his forehead.
He recalled a battle he had witnessed at an intermediate Soul Master Academy more than twenty years ago.
It had been an opening-day demonstration by the academy's principal, a powerful Soul Saint.
Back then, seven Soul Rings had circled the principal, their light dazzling. With just a casual sweep of his palm, he had blasted a huge crater into the diamond-paved training ground.
That had been the first time Ming Dashan understood what a true powerhouse was.
He crouched down and touched the scorched earth at the crater's edge with a fingertip.
"What incredible burning power!"
"One strike!"
"Enough to destroy heaven and earth!"
"Even if they aren't a Soul Saint, they must have at least six rings!"
Ming Dashan looked around. Every blade of grass and every tree within a hundred meters had been destroyed, and a pungent scorched smell filled the air.
Had Yu Chen heard those words, he would probably have cried out that he had been wronged.
He had used far more than one strike. Only a sustained bombardment had produced this level of destruction.
Ming Dashan remained where he was and waited a while longer.
The scorching heat in the air gradually faded. A breeze swept up the ashes, making him squint.
"They must have left already."
He raised a hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Whoever the visitor was, whatever their cultivation level, all that mattered was that they hadn't fought inside the academy.
He shook his head and left along the path.
After Ming Dashan left, Di Tian emerged from behind a charred tree.
He stood at the edge of the crater, a sharp gleam surging in his eyes.
"Has my lord's control over the elements become even more precise?"
"Or is that boy truly a heaven-blessed genius?"
Di Tian murmured to himself.
Having followed the Dragon God for countless years, he was naturally well-informed.
The Silver Dragon King excelled at elemental control.
Even with only a fragment of her divine soul attached to Xiao Bai Dragon's body, she was no match for an ordinary Soul Elder.
But the problem was that elemental control alone wasn't enough to unleash destruction on this scale. It also required Soul Power to sustain it.
The Soul Power Xiao Bai Dragon used belonged to Yu Chen himself.
No matter how one looked at it, a level-thirteen Soul Master should never have been able to launch an attack of this magnitude.
"By controlling the flow of energy, he continually gathered the escaping heat back together and layered it, ultimately creating an extreme temperature and releasing it all at once."
"It's a little like a domain, but not quite."
Di Tian stood with his hands behind his back, light flickering in his eyes.
"Even among Titled Douluos, very few can comprehend the power of a domain."
"Some peerless geniuses awaken an innate domain at level seventy. Even then, they're one in ten thousand."
"Level thirteen..."
Di Tian paused, a rare trace of shock entering his eyes.
"To touch upon the beginnings of a domain at level thirteen... what a monster!"
He gave the deep crater another glance, then turned and melted into the shadows.
Night.
The teachers' dormitory.
Yu Xiaogang sat at his desk, holding a yellowed Soul Beast Pokédex.
Suddenly, the shadow at the window darkened.
A figure vaulted in from outside, landing almost without a sound.
He was tall and tightly wrapped in black clothing. A broad-brimmed bamboo hat concealed his face.
"Who's there!"
Yu Xiaogang sprang to his feet, turning his right hand over to summon his Martial Soul.
The man in black slowly raised a hand. An immense aura poured out, instantly pinning Yu Xiaogang down.
"Grandmaster, it's been a long time."
He untied his hat's cord and lifted the brim, revealing a resolute face.
He had thick brows, large eyes, and sharply defined features. Yet his face was noticeably pale, and his lips were dry and peeling, as though he had only just recovered from a serious illness.
"You... you're Haotian!"
At the sight of him, Yu Xiaogang's pupils abruptly contracted, and even his voice trembled.
"There's no need to mention that old title. We did meet a few times back then."
Tang Hao waved a hand and withdrew his aura.
Gulp!
Yu Xiaogang's Adam's apple bobbed as he forced himself to calm down.
Memories from decades ago surged through his mind.
Back then, Tang Hao had stood proudly in the Soul Fighting arena, holding the Clear Sky Hammer aloft. The cheers below had roared like mountains shaking and seas surging, almost lifting the roof.
And he had been the loudest of them all.
Yu Xiaogang sat back down, his expression excited. "Your Excellency Haotian, it seems I guessed correctly. You really are little San's father!"
Tang Hao nodded. "Grandmaster, I know you've taken little San as your disciple. As his father, I should have come to see you long ago. But I'm leaving soon, and I want to entrust him to you."
Yu Xiaogang's brows twitched sharply. "Your Excellency Haotian, where are you going?"
Tang Hao's expression remained impassive, but deep in his eyes, a barely perceptible flicker passed, as though he were enduring excruciating pain.
"I'm injured. I need to find somewhere to recuperate, and I won't be back for several years."
"What?"
Yu Xiaogang sprang to his feet. "Injured! Who could possibly injure you!"
He knew Tang Hao's strength all too well.
The Clear Sky Douluo stood among the greatest of the Titled Douluos. Once his Clear Sky Hammer appeared, mountains crumbled and the earth split.
Back then, that name had been synonymous with invincibility in the Soul Master World.
What sort of terrifying being could have beaten Tang Hao so badly that he needed to hide away to recover?
"Beyond every great man is a greater one, and beyond every heaven is another heaven."
Tang Hao shook his head, the corners of his mouth pulling into a bitter smile.
"I once knew nothing of heaven's height or earth's depth. Only now do I realize I was nothing but a frog at the bottom of a well."
With that, he swept a hand, and a jet-black token landed before Yu Xiaogang.
The token was black all over, with six Martial Soul emblems engraved on its face.
Bang.
The door closed.
When Yu Xiaogang looked up again, Tang Hao was already gone.
After a long while, he reached out and picked up the token.
"Your Excellency Haotian, rest assured."
He spoke softly, his voice firm. "I will make Tang San a true powerhouse!"
Early the next morning.
Dawn was only just breaking, and a faint fish-belly white tinged the eastern horizon.
Tang San returned with the morning light at his back, fine beads of sweat still clinging to his forehead.
He rose punctually at five every morning to cultivate his Purple Demon Eye. He was the most diligent cultivator in Dorm Seven, perhaps even in the entire academy.
"Teacher! What are you doing here?"
As Tang San reached the entrance to Dorm Seven, he immediately spotted Yu Xiaogang standing outside.
Yu Xiaogang patted Tang San's shoulder. "I ran into Yu Chen on my way here. He said you go out to train every morning. Little San, you're even more diligent than I imagined!"
Tang San scratched his head sheepishly. "Teacher, I'm used to it."
"Little San, after discussing your cultivation with the principal, I specially prepared a training plan for you."
"What kind of plan?" Tang San asked curiously.
Yu Xiaogang clasped his hands behind his back, his expression serious. "For a Soul Master, meditation to increase Soul Power and training the body aren't enough. You also need actual combat experience."
"I've seen far too many Soul Masters with decent talent and fairly high Soul Power Levels who couldn't even handle a ten-year Soul Beast in a real fight."
Tang San nodded thoughtfully.
Yu Xiaogang continued, "The principal and I have decided to gather the academy's most outstanding students into a special training class. Principal Ming will personally teach practical combat, specifically honing your ability to fight both people and Soul Beasts."
Tang San clenched his fists, warmth surging through his chest.
Practical combat training and sparring with Soul Masters were exactly what he needed.
Before you continue