The crowd around the arena roared.
The cheers nearly lifted the roof.
Everyone from Dorm Seven rushed forward.
Wang Sheng's face was bright red.
He waved his fists and shouted.
Zhang Tiedan howled.
Xiao Wu's eyes shone.
She stared intently at Ling Feng.
Tang San stood on the outside.
His gaze was complicated.
Ling Feng's expression did not change.
He raised a hand.
The Clear Sky Hammer disappeared.
That terrifying pressure vanished too.
He glanced down from the platform.
Xiao Yan lay like a heap of mud.
Teachers surrounded him, administering emergency treatment.
Served him right.
Ling Feng felt not the slightest ripple inside.
He looked up.
His gaze passed through the crowd.
It landed on the tall, thin figure about to slip quietly away.
The Grandmaster, Yu Xiaogang.
The Grandmaster happened to look over too.
Their eyes met.
The Grandmaster stopped.
His face showed none of the excitement or fear on everyone else's.
Only a kind of focus.
Like a scientist discovering a new species.
Burning.
Curious.
Wanting to cut it open and study it immediately.
Night deepened.
Nuoding Academy grew quiet.
Insects chirped.
Cold moonlight fell on the ground.
Dorm Seven had been rowdy for half the night.
At last, everyone slept.
Snores rose and fell.
Ling Feng sat propped against the head of his bed.
He was not asleep.
He was recalling those three hammer strikes from the day.
How he had exerted his strength.
What angles he had used.
The feeling at the instant Xiao Yan's Martial Soul shattered.
Creak-
The door made a soft sound.
A figure stood in the moonlight.
Thin.
His face stern.
It was the Grandmaster.
He had come.
Ling Feng was not surprised.
He had long since sensed someone hovering outside the door.
The Grandmaster glanced at the soundly sleeping work-study students.
His gaze settled on Ling Feng's bed.
He nodded.
He gestured for him to come outside and talk.
Ling Feng rose.
His footsteps were light.
He woke no one.
One behind the other, the two of them walked.
They reached the old locust tree behind the building.
Moonlight filtered through the leaves.
It left the ground mottled with light and shadow.
"I knew you would come," Ling Feng spoke first.
His voice was calm.
The Grandmaster looked at the boy in the moonlight.
He drew a breath.
Irrepressible excitement surfaced in his eyes.
"I'm not here as a teacher."
His voice was low.
But excited.
"I'm here as a theoretical researcher."
He stared at Ling Feng.
"About Xiao Yan."
"But not to hold you accountable."
Ling Feng said nothing.
He waited.
"The academy just finished a meeting."
The Grandmaster began speaking faster.
"Xiao Yan brought this on himself."
"His intentions were crooked."
"He's been expelled."
"Once his injuries heal, he's to get out of Nuoding City."
He paused.
He stressed his next words.
"You're in the clear."
"It was self-defense."
"Well done!"
Ling Feng had expected this result.
His strength was there for all to see.
So many people had watched.
The academy could not possibly protect a piece of trash.
He nodded.
Still, he said nothing.
But the Grandmaster stepped forward.
The moonlight illuminated his flushed face.
"I came to see you about something else!"
"Something more important!"
"Your fight today!"
He gestured with his hands.
"Those three hammer strikes!"
"You didn't use a Soul Skill!"
"You relied purely on strength!"
"Explosive physical power!"
"Technique pushed to its limit!"
"Especially the first strike!"
"You evaded the heavy blow."
"You struck his wrist when his old force was spent and the new force hadn't followed through!"
"That feel for combat!"
"That ability to seize an opening!"
"It wasn't something a child should possess at all!"
The Grandmaster's eyes gleamed.
"And your Clear Sky Hammer!"
"So heavy!"
"So oppressive!"
"That... 'momentum' that seemed capable of crushing everything!"
"It turned some of my ideas upside down!"
He caught his breath.
He tried to calm down.
But his words still came quickly.
"You know my theory."
"'Ten Core Competencies of Martial Soul.'"
Ling Feng murmured an acknowledgment.
This theory had been quite important in the original story.
"It says that the core of a Power Attack System Martial Soul is strength and attack."
The Grandmaster's gaze burned.
"But in my previous research."
"The focus was on Soul Skill combinations, attribute counters, and tactics."
"Today, you!"
"Taught me a lesson!"
"When a basic attribute-pure strength, for instance!"
"Reaches a certain level!"
"It becomes the most badass core competency all on its own!"
"Technique and Soul Skills are just extras!"
"Whoever has the bigger muscles is the boss!"
The Grandmaster clenched his fists.
"Your Clear Sky Hammer is proof!"
"Before its absolute strength."
"Xiao Yan's poison and defense were all bullshit!"
"This confirmed a vague idea I had!"
"The strength of a top-tier Martial Soul."
"May come from one of its basic attributes becoming 'absolute'!"
"Like the Clear Sky Hammer's 'absolute strength.'"
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's 'absolute amplification.'"
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's 'absolute lightning burst'!"
The look he gave Ling Feng.
Was grateful.
Wild joy.
"Ling Feng!"
"It was you!"
"Your battle helped me prove this!"
High praise.
Sincere recognition from the foremost authority on theory.
Something stirred in Ling Feng's heart.
His expression remained calm.
He recalled those battles between gods late in the original story.
Many flashy Soul Skills really were useless before absolute power and rules.
He spoke calmly.
As if making an offhand remark.
"Maybe an absolute attribute can become a rule itself once it reaches its limit?"
Buzz!
Those words struck Grandmaster's mind like lightning!
An absolute attribute... becoming a rule?!
The end of cultivation? The realm of gods?
Grandmaster froze.
His eyes went wide.
His mouth hung slightly open.
He even forgot to breathe.
This idea was far too ahead of its time.
Far too explosive.
Like lightning.
It split apart the fog shrouding his research.
And opened a new window.
Though the view was hazy.
He had a direction now.
"Rules... rules..."
He muttered to himself.
Lost in shock and thought.
The way he looked at Ling Feng changed completely.
He no longer saw a talented junior.
It was like looking at... a fellow traveler in thought? Or even... a guide?
This boy.
Not only was his talent terrifying.
His thinking was frighteningly profound, too.
Just... where had he come from?
A long while passed.
Only then did Grandmaster slowly come back to himself.
He drew several deep breaths of cool air.
Struggling to suppress his churning emotions.
He looked at Ling Feng again.
His tone grew more solemn.
It even carried a hint of discussing things as equals.
"Ling Feng, thank you."
He spoke sincerely.
"Your words have given me so much inspiration."
He hesitated.
Then carefully took an oilcloth bundle from inside his clothes.
It was wrapped tightly.
Inside was a thin booklet.
Its corners were worn.
It had been leafed through often.
"This is part of half a lifetime's work."
Grandmaster offered it with both hands.
His expression was serious.
"I traveled all over the continent."
"Consulted countless ancient books and legends."
"And compiled this manuscript, 'Illustrated Guide to Rare Soul Beasts and Analysis of Their Characteristics.'"
"It records some unusual Soul Beasts rarely seen elsewhere."
"Their habits, where they might be found, and... which Martial Souls I think are best suited to absorbing their rings."
He looked deeply at Ling Feng.
"Your path is different."
"Perhaps the things in here can offer you some... new ideas when choosing Soul Rings in the future."
This was a weighty gift.
Not just knowledge.
It held a great deal of Grandmaster's trust and expectations.
Ling Feng did not refuse.
He accepted it with both hands.
The booklet had some weight to it.
"Thanks." His reply was brief.
Grandmaster nodded.
As though he had accomplished something important.
He relaxed a little.
After a few more reminders to consolidate his Soul Power and not rush to obtain his second ring.
He turned and left.
His figure disappeared into the moonlight.
Looking lonely.
Yet filled with fresh drive.
Clearly, he was going back to spend the night sorting through that explosive idea.
Ling Feng returned to Dorm Seven.
By the faint light from outside the window.
He sat cross-legged on his bed.
And opened the oilcloth bundle.
It was a thread-bound, handwritten booklet.
The paper had yellowed.
The handwriting was neat.
With detailed drawings beside it.
It was Grandmaster's style.
He flipped through it quickly.
The Soul Beasts within came in all kinds of strange forms.
Many were ones he had never heard of in either of his lives.
There was the "Ice Soul Frost Toad," which lived on the frigid ice plains.
Its ring might grant powerful freezing abilities.
There was the "Ghost Vine Demon Tree," which lurked in the death swamps.
Its ring might grant mental attacks or the ability to devour things.
Grandmaster had not just recorded their appearances and habits.
He had also carefully analyzed the possible advantages and disadvantages of their rings.
And how dangerous absorbing them would be.
Very detailed.
Valuable.
As he reached the latter half of the booklet.
On a particular page.
Ling Feng's fingers stopped.
This page recorded an ancient Soul Beast called the "Earth-Shaking Divine Ox."
It was said to possess the blood of the Primordial Savage Ox.
And terrifying strength.
It had gone extinct long ago.
The key point was.
A small slip of paper had been tucked into the blank margin of this page.
The writing was newer than the main text.
And messier.
Like a thought jotted down casually.
It read:
[Speculation notes] Subject: Deep stimulation of the potential of strength-type Martial Souls Hypothesis: Although absorbing strength-type Soul Rings beyond one's limits can sharply increase immediate combat strength, might it already bring the body to its current limit? To further tap a Martial Soul's fundamental potential and break through the wall of innate talent, a new path must be found. Direction one: Ultimate Attribute resonance? Find specific rare Soul Beasts whose attributes are especially compatible with the Martial Soul's fundamental strength attribute (for instance, those possessing true dragon strength, Titan blood, or an earth origin soul). Might the Soul Bones they produce trigger a deep resonance within the Martial Soul, achieving a Second Awakening of its potential? Note: Such Soul Beasts are exceedingly rare, mostly found in legends or deadly places, and their Soul Bones are treasures among treasures. If encountered, exercise extreme caution; it could also be a tremendous opportunity! Case extrapolation: Taking the Clear Sky Hammer as an example, if one obtained the torso bone or left arm bone of a top-tier strength Soul Beast such as the "Titan Giant Ape" or the "Earth-Shaking Divine Ox"...
The notes broke off there.
Several lines afterward had been crossed out in ink.
It seemed even Grandmaster himself felt this idea was too bold and too remote.
But Ling Feng's eyes were fixed on several key terms:
Second Awakening of potential!
Titan Giant Ape!
Earth-Shaking Divine Ox!
Torso bone! Left arm bone!
His heart gave a sudden thump!
A sharp light shot from his eyes!
Grandmaster's manuscript was already a generous gift in itself.
But this slip of speculative notes tucked inside by chance...
Was worth far more than the manuscript!
This was not just knowledge.
It had practically pointed him toward a hidden path to leveling up!
The system provided Soul Rings.
Signing in provided rewards.
But deeply tapping a Martial Soul's fundamental potential.
Especially stimulating a top-tier Martial Soul like the Clear Sky Hammer a second time...
This conjecture Grandmaster had put forward based on a lifetime of research.
Clearly pointed in a tempting direction.
Soul Bones...
And top-tier strength Soul Bones especially compatible with the Clear Sky Hammer's source of strength...
Star Dou Great Forest... Titan Giant Ape...
Ling Feng's fingers gently brushed over the words "Titan Giant Ape."
His gaze was unfathomable.
It seemed that in future Soul Hunting.
His targets would have to be more clearly defined.
This "unexpected windfall."
Would require careful planning.