Staring at the trembling Blue Silver Emperor buried in the corner of the earth, a trace of severity flashed in Chen Yi's eyes. Loyalty and devotion were praiseworthy, but when it came to enemies or potential threats, he would never show mercy. This Blue Silver Emperor was deeply connected to Tang Hao and Tang San, father and son, and today, after seizing the fated soul bone from them, he had left it here. This was bound to become a problem in the future.
The Grand Elder's character and the fleeting determination in Chen Yi's eyes did not escape his notice.
"If you're going to cut the grass, you must pull up the roots. Though this thing is decayed, it is, after all, the foundation of a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast, and its origin and potential are not trivial. It's a pity to destroy it."
Hearing this, Chen Yi suppressed his harsh expression, looking curiously at the elder, wondering what he intended to do next.
The Grand Elder said little more, but turned his gaze back to the withered Blue Silver Emperor. In his eyes, an invisible vortex swirled. Spiritual power, more condensed than before, quietly spread out, enveloping the weakened core of the Blue Silver Emperor's consciousness with the precision of a master surgeon.
The Blue Silver Emperor, having suffered severe spiritual damage from the removal of its soul bone, was now invaded by this overwhelming spiritual force. Even its last struggle seemed utterly powerless.
Several times, the grass blades streaked with faint golden lines shuddered violently. At first, there was an aura of agility and sorrow, like a candle flame blown by the wind, quickly dimming and extinguishing, until ultimately, everything returned to complete chaos and namelessness.
The entire plant gradually dulled. Though its life force was still stronger than that of ordinary blue and silver grass, it had lost its unique "spirit," becoming nothing but an empty husk with no self.
Chen Yi could distinctly sense that the consciousness and spiritual wisdom of "A Yin" remaining within the Blue Silver Emperor had been completely obliterated by the Grand Elder's power.
Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked,
"Grand Elder, what did you do?"
The Grand Elder smiled indifferently, as if he had done something trivial, and explained,
"It's nothing. I simply erased all traces of the original consciousness, turning it into a blank vessel filled with immense vitality. If it gets a chance in the future, perhaps it may develop a new, pure consciousness—but that's all."
At once, Chen Yi understood the Grand Elder's intention: not only to eliminate future trouble, but also to preserve the value of this hundred-thousand-year-old Blue Silver Emperor. After all, its profound life origin and potential were real. Whether for research, alchemy, or as a medium for special rituals, it was priceless—so much so that even someone as powerful as the Grand Elder was moved, and hesitant to destroy it.
"I see."
Chen Yi nodded.
He stepped forward, focused his mind, and gathered his pure soul power into his palm, transforming it into a thin, lavender energy blade like a cicada's wing. His movements were precise and swift as he carefully dug out the unconscious Blue Silver Emperor, along with the soil entwined around its roots.
Then, he took out a high-quality, warm jade from his storage soul tool, quickly hollowed it out with his soul power, and polished it into a jade basin of suitable size. Soon, Chen Yi gently placed the Blue Silver Emperor into the jade basin, burying its roots in the original cave soil.
After all this, Chen Yi clapped his hands and said to the Grand Elder, who watched from the side,
"Grand Elder, we can go now."
The Elder nodded slightly, satisfied with Chen Yi's clean and proper handling.
The two prepared to leave the cave that had been hidden for years. But before leaving, the Grand Elder paused, as if recalling some unpleasant memory, and a playful, mocking smile appeared on his face.
"Heh, I've been too busy lately to pay attention to those rats. For things you can't measure yourself, just give them away, and make sure you don't get too lazy—find something to keep yourself busy."
With that thought, the Grand Elder's figure vanished, but his vast and imposing spiritual power reappeared. This time, it no longer probed gently, but carried the will of a sharp sword and an icy killing intent, instantly condensing into a massive sword before him.
"Slash!"
With a thought, the spiritual sword boldly cleaved down on the cave where the Blue Silver Emperor had been.
Rumble—!!!
There was no physical collision, but the entire cave and the mountain within it let out a deafening wail as the shockwave and will of pure soul power shattered the rock walls inch by inch, the summit collapsed, and the waterfall's flow was instantly thrown into chaos. In just a few breaths, the cave that had hidden the secret of a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast for so long completely collapsed, buried under countless rubble and muddy water. All traces were erased by overwhelming force.
…
At the same time, in Nuoding City, several miles away stood the Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy.
A little girl, dressed in a pink dress, her long hair woven into a scorpion braid, looked especially cute as she blinked her large eyes. She held hands with a boy of ordinary appearance but calm eyes, trembling with anticipation.
"Brother! Xiao Chenyu and the others said a new restaurant opened on East Street in Nuoding City, and the signature dish is said to be delicious! The flavor is called 'Fragrant Perfume'! Shall we go try it together?"
As she spoke, Xiao Wu sniffed vigorously, as if already savoring the tempting aroma, her face filled with longing.
Tang San, being pulled along, looked a bit troubled. He gently patted Xiao Wu's hand and tried to persuade her,
"Xiao Wu, I've heard about that place, but it's not cheap. We still need to save money to buy cultivation supplies… Maybe we should wait until the next allowance?"
At this, Xiao Wu immediately pouted, her small mouth forming a sulky expression, and stomped her foot in protest.
"I don't care! Tang San, didn't you just go to the Spirit Hall yesterday to get this month's soul master allowance? Ten or twelve gold soul coins is enough for a good meal. Take me there!"
Seeing the expectation and tears in Xiao Wu's big eyes, Tang San's resolve quickly melted. He was never stingy, especially not with his "little sister," as he saw her. He forced a helpless smile and compromised,
"All right, all right, I can't say no to you. Wait for me—I'll talk to Teacher and see if he needs anything."
"Okay, go, go!"
Xiao Wu instantly turned her anger to joy and pushed Tang San excitedly.
The two, hand in hand, walked down the somewhat old academy corridor toward the room where their master, Yu Xiaogang, resided.
Tang San politely raised his hand and knocked gently three times on the wooden door.
A low, cold, and hard voice sounded from within,
"The door's not locked. Come in."
Tang San and Xiao Wu pushed open the door. The furniture was simple, but books were piled everywhere. Yu Xiaogang sat behind the desk, surrounded by maps of soul beasts and martial spirit theory manuscripts, his brows furrowed as if he were organizing or researching a difficult problem. His usually stern and old-fashioned face now looked even more serious.
Seeing his most proud disciple, Tang San, and the lively Xiao Wu enter, Yu Xiaogang tried his best to force a gentle smile, but it looked rather awkward, almost uglier than crying. He was deeply satisfied with his disciple—innate soul power, twin martial spirits, and, most importantly, a persistent heart that respected his master and fully inherited his theories. It was his greatest hope to prove he was not "useless."
"Teacher."
Tang San greeted respectfully, first asking with concern,
"Have you had lunch? Please take care and don't overwork yourself."
Yu Xiaogang felt warmth in his heart at these caring words and nodded secretly, feeling that his disciple was truly right.
"Teacher, Xiao Wu and I are going to eat at the new restaurant on East Street, so we came to tell you."
Tang San explained his intentions.
Yu Xiaogang, hearing this, put down the information in his hand, looked at the expectant Tang San and Xiao Wu, and was moved. Then he said,
"Actually, I need to go to the Spirit Hall branch to confirm something, so let's go together. By the way, I also received this month's soul master stipend."
Tang San was overjoyed at this. Naturally, it would be better to have Teacher along to resolve any financial issues.
He quickly bowed and said,
"Thank you, Teacher!"
Yu Xiaogang waved his hand and stood up, straightening his slightly wrinkled old clothes.
Soon, the three—teacher and disciples—left Nuoding Academy together, heading for the Spirit Hall branch in Nuoding City. Yu Xiaogang walked in front, still looking a bit lonely, but his steps were noticeably faster than usual. Tang San and Xiao Wu calmly followed.
…
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