First Soul Skill: Electromagnetic Clarity

Long Hengxu took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He knew Bai Yushan was strong, but he had not known he was this strong. A One-Ring Soul Master, under the full suppression of a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, had not fallen. Instead, he only grew stronger as the battle went on.

Yu Zhen's eyes shone like two light bulbs. He turned toward Chen Qingquan, who leaned against his chair with his arms folded, a smile on his lips. That smile held pride, gratification, and a trace of heartache.

A yellow Soul Ring appeared above Bai Yushan's head.

First Soul Skill, Electromagnetic Clarity.

Bai Yushan marshaled minute electromagnetic forces to wash through his sea of consciousness and the neural pathways throughout his body, forcibly stimulating and activating his spiritual power with electromagnetic waves to instantly unlock clear, all-encompassing perception. His eyes closed, then snapped open.

A glimmer of blue-white light flashed through his pupils, and the entire world took on a different appearance in his eyes.

He could sense Wu Changkong's heartbeat, the flow of cold through the Heavenly Frost Sword, every ice crystal in the air, and every crack in the ground. He could see the minute movements of Wu Changkong's muscles, anticipate the course of his sword, and catch shifts in his center of gravity. Wu Changkong's movements slowed in his eyes-not because his speed had decreased, but because Bai Yushan's perception had become faster.

This was Electromagnetic Clarity.

By marshaling minute electromagnetic forces to wash through his sea of consciousness and the neural pathways throughout his body, forcibly stimulating and activating his spiritual power with electromagnetic waves, he instantly unlocked clear, all-encompassing perception and entered a perceptual state akin to the Transparent World. He could clearly catch every movement around him, the flow of Soul Power, and the windups and movement trajectories of his opponent, gaining an almost precognitive ability to anticipate. At the same time, he perfectly controlled every inch of his muscles and the circulation of his Soul Power, completely eliminating errors in movement and wasted Soul Power, vastly improving his reaction speed and the precision of his evasions and counterattacks.

To the people of this world, Soul Skills came from Soul Rings. They were gifts bestowed by heaven.

But to Bai Yushan, Soul Skills were his own creations. Through the mind-over-matter power of Electric Current Push, he transformed things he could already do into Soul Skills and fixed them in that form.

Even without using a Soul Skill, Bai Yushan could achieve this degree of control, but it consumed an enormous amount of spiritual power.

After all, the human brain and nerves were extraordinarily complex and important structures. A single careless mistake would force him to reap the bitter fruit of his own actions. But once he converted this into a Soul Skill, he no longer needed to carefully split off spiritual power to marshal electromagnetic forces.

He only needed to activate the Soul Skill to obtain the effect.

He had no other use for his Soul Power anyway. Rather than letting it sleep away inside him, he might as well put it to work doing something useful.

Bai Yushan became a precise fighting machine through and through.

Electromagnetic Clarity spread to its fullest extent. The breeze around him, Soul Power, the trembling ground-not the slightest detail escaped his perception. Sixty thousand volts of current surged at full speed, blue-white lightning coiling over his entire body. His muscles, Soul Power, and meridians were all under absolute control, without the slightest waste.

He shifted his stance and abruptly seized the offensive. His attacks piled upon one another in an unbroken torrent, pouring forth like a flood and leaving no gaps.

Thunder roared as his fists rose; lightning followed as his legs fell. Every move interlocked, every technique flowed into the next.

His advances, retreats, and turns were crisp and clean. The earlier frenzy fell away, leaving only a pure, precise rhythm of combat.

Lightning cracked across the training ground, its snapping reports unceasing. Bai Yushan spun and gathered his strength, the current around him surging as he let out a low shout.

"Lightning Whirlwind Cleave!"

With a single palm, he gathered the lightning filling the air and gave it shape, forming an enormous thunder axe. Its lightning blazed, its oppressive might surged, and it cleaved straight down with crushing force.

Wu Changkong's gaze tightened slightly. The Heavenly Frost Sword danced as swiftly as the wind, cold gleams surging as frost Qi layered into an ice wall, leaving his defense without a gap. He had deliberately restrained himself to the level of a Three-Ring Soul Elder, yet after several exchanges, he still could not suppress this nine-year-old, one-ring boy. The child's combat strength and instincts had long since exceeded all common sense.

Bai Yushan's mind was clear and empty, holding nothing but the will to fight. Under Electromagnetic Clarity, every movement in heaven and earth became a rhythmic thread.

He caught every minute movement of Wu Changkong's muscles, every circulation of Soul Power, and every shift of his body in advance.

Moves that looked perilous to others were merely ordinary exchanges of attack and defense to him.

He twisted and darted about, attacking and defending at will, his techniques ethereal and traceless. Up close, lightning from his palms struck straight at vital points; at range, thunder sealed off all directions. The force, placement, and timing of every strike were perfect. Every step avoided the bitter frost; every step pressed against the defensive line.

Lightning and frost collided again and again, scattering ice shards and sparks in all directions.

Bai Yushan's current output remained steady, his offensive intensifying layer by layer without any sign of exhaustion.

After several rounds of blocking and evading, Wu Changkong had grasped the full measure of Bai Yushan's abilities. The boy had no shortcomings in his overall capabilities, and his battle instincts and ability to withstand pressure far surpassed those of ordinary people. Conventional means of suppression were completely ineffective.

He decided to end the spar. His fifth Soul Ring abruptly lit up, a dim glow flowing through it as an extreme chill instantly covered the entire field.

"Frost Whisper Ice Wheel."

As his cool, clear voice fell, the Heavenly Frost Sword swept through the air, and the cold filling the sky condensed into a massive, thick ice wheel. Densely covered in sharp spikes, it spun at high speed and crushed forward with an imprisoning, frigid might, locking down every escape route around Bai Yushan.

The frozen domain sealed the field. There was nowhere to evade. Everyone in the stands held their breath, convinced that Bai Yushan was already trapped in a hopeless position.

Bai Yushan's gaze remained resolute, without the slightest panic. He gave a sharp, low cry.

"Body and spirit as one-strike the enemy at a single point!"

All the scattered lightning around him drew back in. Sixty thousand volts of current compressed to the utmost, gathering into a concentrated lightning sphere between his hands. Its radiance was contained and powerful, concealing tremendous explosive force.

Bai Yushan thrust both arms forward, driving force through his palms. The concentrated lightning sphere blasted out and crashed straight into the oncoming Frost Whisper Ice Wheel.

A thunderous impact shook the training ground.

The lightning's power exploded, instantly tearing through layer upon layer of icy cold. The hard ice wheel shattered inch by inch, ice fragments flying as the cold filling the air dispersed in an instant. Wu Changkong's fifth Soul Skill had been broken by a single strike.

The lightning's remaining force swept straight toward where he had stood. When the dust cleared, there was no one ahead.

Wu Changkong's movement was peerless. He instantly retreated several dozen feet, then circled behind Bai Yushan, his steps graceful and soundless, his mastery of footwork at the pinnacle.

Bai Yushan had only just finished his strike and had yet to steady his breathing when a cool sword edge gently touched his neck. Its chill slowly seeped into the surface of his skin. There was no killing aura, yet it sealed off any movement he might make.

"You lost."

Wu Changkong's voice was cool and level, merely stating the outcome of the fight.

The tension throughout Bai Yushan's body eased. The current inside him slowly settled, the flames of battle receded from his eyes, and Electromagnetic Clarity deactivated with them.

Feeling the chill against his neck, he harbored not the slightest resentment. Instead, he laughed softly, open and unrestrained.

"You're pretty good. Interested in teaching me?"

He was candid about victory and defeat. He had fought to his heart's content in this battle and had also clearly seen the gap between them. Wu Changkong's swordsmanship, footwork, and control of Soul Power were all at the highest level, worth seeking his instruction.

Wu Changkong sheathed his sword, his movements brisk and unhurried. He lowered his eyes toward the boy, surprise and appreciation hidden in his gaze.

He had seen countless geniuses, yet never someone like Bai Yushan. Nine years old, with one ring of cultivation, an extraordinary physique, a unique Martial Soul, and a combat mentality far beyond his peers-undiscouraged by defeat, openhearted and clear-minded.