Within the thick bushes, Zhu Ziyang stood locked in a standoff with the Blazing Light Mantis.
This particular mantis had a cultivation of around 1,400 years. Perhaps it had just been through a fierce battle—its body was covered in wounds, and its emotions ran wild. It raised its forelimbs in a threatening posture, staring at Zhu Ziyang with blazing hostility.
'Settle the Blazing Light Mantis first!'
Zhu Ziyang made up his mind and immediately launched his attack.
With a swift step, he charged toward the mantis. His Radiant Scythe swung down with gusts of force, cleaving through the air.
The mantis let out shrill screeches in rage. Both of its forelimbs lit up with radiant light and slashed toward Zhu Ziyang.
The Radiant Scythe clashed with the mantis in midair, sending a sharp tremor through the air. The Blazing Light Mantis possessed great strength—Zhu Ziyang's arms trembled slightly from the impact—but the mantis, still wounded, fared worse. Its injuries deepened with the clash.
Zhu Ziyang suddenly exerted more strength, knocking the mantis backward while retreating several steps himself. At the same time, his first soul ring lit up behind him. A grayish-white blade aura imbued with a deathly stillness surged forth.
The mantis, caught off guard and enraged, let out a furious shriek. Its massive frame steadied itself as its scythe-like forelimbs turned completely into bronze. They radiated intense light as they slashed directly at Zhu Ziyang's Death Blade.
"Foolish creature," Zhu Ziyang sneered coldly. His hand remained steady and precise. The Radiant Scythe spun with a strange arc, and just as the blade aura collided with the mantis, he released his grip—sending the weapon flying straight at his foe.
The moment the mantis encountered the blade aura, an intense fear gripped it. A deep, instinctive terror—death. It flinched.
That moment of hesitation sealed its fate.
The Death Blade sliced off one of its forelimbs at the base. Before a drop of blood could spill, the gray aura engulfed the wound, covering muscle and nerves alike.
Then, under the mantis's terrified gaze, the rapidly spinning Radiant Scythe struck it squarely in the body. The razor-sharp blade showed no mercy, severing its head cleanly.
The Blazing Light Mantis was dead.
"Ha!" Zhu Ziyang laughed loudly as the Radiant Scythe returned to his hand. He looked at the purple soul ring slowly rising from the corpse and smirked. "In the end, it's still an insect. Even as a thousand-year beast, its intelligence was lacking."
With a flick of his wrist, he retracted both the Radiant Scythe and the glowing yellow soul ring from his first battle.
He then walked to the Brightsun Fruit tree. The fruit had fully ripened, its fragrance thick in the air. Zhu Ziyang smiled as he plucked it and stored it in his jade bracelet. The rich osmanthus aroma disappeared instantly—no longer attracting other soul beasts.
Having secured the fruit, Zhu Ziyang didn't rush to absorb the soul ring. Instead, he crouched down and began searching through the mantis corpses beneath the tree.
The mantis's scythe-like limbs were excellent materials for soul tools. A thousand-year-old Blazing Light Mantis's scythe bones were particularly sought-after. Zhu Ziyang figured these limbs could net his family a nice profit.
Of course, what he truly hoped for was a soul bone. Unfortunately, none of the five mantises—his own kill included—had produced one.
With a bit of regret, he collected the ten scythe limbs and set up a concealed shelter nearby, creating a small cave. Then he crawled inside, ready to begin the soul ring absorption.
Zhu Ziyang sat cross-legged, pulling the purple soul ring before him. With a solemn expression, he closed his eyes and activated the Great Light Mantra. His soul power surged, quickly connecting to the ring before him. A torrent of alien soul energy flooded into his meridians.
His martial soul and body began refining this power. He could feel the Radiant Scythe's light element slowly rising, becoming more refined with every moment.
Time passed quietly.
No one knew how long it took, but a young boy around eight or nine years old suddenly burst out of the dense shrubbery.
Excitement danced on his handsome face. In his hand was a battle scythe, pure white with a silvery luster and streaks of broken gold along the handle. Behind him floated two soul rings—one yellow and one purple.
It was Zhu Ziyang.
"Second Soul Skill: Light's Blessing!" he shouted with powerful conviction.
The purple soul ring behind him lit up, and in the next instant, the Radiant Scythe in his hand was bathed in a bronze glow. He swung it lightly, and everything within five meters—plants, stones—was sliced cleanly in half as if by a hot knife through butter.
Zhu Ziyang beamed with joy.
Light's Blessing—once activated, it doubled Zhu Ziyang's strength, doubled the durability and sharpness of the Radiant Scythe, and boosted his light element affinity by 50%.
He was extremely satisfied with the soul skill. It was rare for a thousand-year soul ring to grant such a powerful buff, and even rarer for it to enhance elemental power.
After absorbing the soul ring, his soul power reached level 21—just shy of 22. He estimated that in another half a month, he would break through. And don't forget—he still had the Brightsun Fruit.
His light element affinity now hovered around 50. The Radiant Scythe's light properties had grown significantly stronger. If he kept progressing like this, then by the time he reached his third ring, the Radiant Scythe might well qualify as a top-tier martial soul.
"Perfect! Mission accomplished. Time to go home!" Zhu Ziyang laughed, feeling quite pleased with himself.
—
Zhu Ziyang rushed through the night and returned to Anyang City by early morning. Exactly seven days had passed since his departure.
"Ah! Brother, you're back!"
As he entered the dorm, he ran into Jiang Nannan, who was just heading to class. The moment she saw him safe and sound, the girl threw herself at him, hugging him tightly with joyful tears in her eyes.
"Thank goodness... You don't know how worried I've been these past few days!" she sobbed, burying her head in his chest.
"There, there. I'm back now, aren't I?" Zhu Ziyang gently consoled her, patting her back. "And I brought some pretty amazing results. Want to see?"
"Mm!" Jiang Nannan sniffled and nodded, her voice still tinged with tears as she looked up at him.
"Alright, feast your eyes!" Zhu Ziyang smiled, stepped back, and released his martial soul.
The Radiant Scythe appeared, and behind him floated one yellow ring and one deep purple soul ring.
"This..." Jiang Nannan's eyes widened in disbelief, her mouth falling open in shock.
"Hehe! What do you think? Isn't your big brother amazing?" Zhu Ziyang said with a smug grin.
"Mhm! You're incredible, Brother!" Jiang Nannan was still stunned, but her pretty face was filled with awe and excitement. "A purple soul ring... You're amazing!"
She didn't have many words, but her emotions were heartfelt. Zhu Ziyang could feel it.
"You better work hard too!" Zhu Ziyang said, ruffling her hair. "Once you reach level 20, I'll help you find a thousand-year soul ring too."
Jiang Nannan was currently at level 16. She still had a way to go, but with her talent, she'd likely reach level 20 before the age of nine.
"I will! I'll work really hard!" she responded enthusiastically, inspired by his encouragement.
"By the way, are my parents back yet?" Zhu Ziyang asked.
"Not yet," Jiang Nannan replied.
"Still not back?" Zhu Ziyang frowned. It had already been nearly half a month. He was starting to feel concerned.
(End of Chapter)
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