Time slipped by, and three years passed.
The blazing sun beat down, its scorching heat baking the ground until it cracked.
On a broad yellow dirt road, a plainly dressed youth in black robes trudged along, sweat covering his head. Every step landed like a heavy weight, kicking up a spray of yellow dust.
Up close, an enormous black ruler could be seen strapped to his back. Strange patterns covered its pitch-black surface, spreading across almost every part of it and complementing its ancient, unadorned black finish.
It actually looked rather mysterious.
This was Xiao Yan's second martial soul, the Heavy Xuan Ruler. After his soul power reached level thirty, he had replaced his original Black Ruler, forged from black iron, and begun cultivating with his second martial soul, the Heavy Xuan Ruler, strapped to his back instead.
As for the original Black Ruler Tang San had forged, Xiao Yan had not thrown it away. He had stored it in a cheap soul tool he had bought.
The Heavy Xuan Ruler was almost longer than Xiao Yan was tall. Walking through the streets with such an unusual combination occasionally drew curious glances from passersby.
Yet no one would have imagined that this black ruler was actually the youth's martial soul.
Ever since he began cultivating with the Heavy Xuan Ruler strapped to his back, Xiao Yan had finally learned what true exhaustion meant.
With this strange black ruler on his back, the soul power within Xiao Yan was suppressed until it crawled like a tortoise. His apparent soul power was now only around level twenty at most.
But once he took the black ruler off, his soul power level would soar back to thirty. This did offer Xiao Yan an advantage: others could not see through his true strength.
Arriving