Time flew by quickly, and just like that, three years had passed.
In the central region of the Tianhui Gorge, a secluded grassy clearing lay hidden from sight.
A middle-aged man with a refined air and a stunning girl of about eleven or twelve stood vigilantly scanning their surroundings. Behind them, a handsome boy around the same age was seated cross-legged on the ground. In front of him lay the corpse of a white horse with a single horn on its forehead, and from its body floated a purple soul ring, slowly drifting toward the boy.
These three were none other than Zhu Changhe, along with the eleven-year-old Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan.
At this moment, Zhu Ziyang was in the process of absorbing his third soul ring.
As evident from the scene, Zhu Ziyang had already reached the Soul Elder realm. Becoming a Soul Elder at the age of just eleven was nothing short of extraordinary across the entire continent—an unparalleled genius among geniuses. And for a remote border city like Anyang, this was simply earth-shattering.
Upon learning of this achievement, City Lord Hong Zhen was so excited he nearly lost control. His treatment of Zhu Ziyang was even warmer than if he were his own son—if he had one, that is.
The soul beast whose body lay in front of Zhu Ziyang was a Holy Light Unicorn with 4,500 years of cultivation. This type of soul beast possessed an extremely pure light attribute, with its holy power capable of powerful purification. Zhu Ziyang had chosen it after careful deliberation.
There were two reasons. First, the light attribute of the Holy Light Unicorn was incredibly strong and would significantly enhance the power of his Radiant Scythe. Second, Zhu Ziyang needed a light-attributed offensive soul skill, and the unicorn's strength ensured it would provide him with just that.
In the span of three years, Zhu Ziyang's progress wasn't just limited to soul power—it was comprehensive. His choice of this particular soul beast said it all. A 4,500-year soul ring was far above the average for a third ring. However, due to his cultivation of the Great Light Mantra and his daily body training, Zhu Ziyang's physical strength had long surpassed the norm, capable of enduring soul rings up to 6,000 years. Had a higher-level unicorn been available in the gorge, he wouldn't have settled for this one.
Thanks to his previous two experiences, this time the refining process went smoothly. In about half an hour, under the watchful eyes of Zhu Changhe and Jiang Nannan, the purple soul ring completely fused into Zhu Ziyang's body, becoming a part of him.
Zhu Ziyang opened his eyes and sprang to his feet. A splendid silver-white war scythe with golden patterns etched along its shaft appeared in his hand. This was his first martial soul—the Radiant Scythe.
Compared to when he first awakened it, the scythe had undergone remarkable changes. The once-incomplete pattern on the shaft was now nearly complete, due in part to the growing strength of its light attribute. Zhu Ziyang's light element affinity had already surpassed seventy. Now, the Radiant Scythe was only one step away from undergoing a complete transformation and becoming a top-tier martial soul.
When the Radiant Scythe manifested, a yellow and two purple soul rings floated behind him. Anyone who saw this would instantly be struck with awe at such monstrous talent.
"How is it? Did you get the soul skill you wanted?" Zhu Changhe stepped forward eagerly.
Watching his son grow rapidly and even about to surpass him, Zhu Changhe felt both proud and somewhat melancholic. Although his own cultivation had reached Level 37 over the past few years thanks to the Zhu Clan's meditation method, he knew that with Zhu Ziyang's pace, it wouldn't take another three years before he surpassed him.
"Yeah!" Zhu Ziyang smiled confidently as he retracted his martial soul. "Light's Banishment Slash—gathers potent light energy to purify all darkness and evil with destructive force. A powerful offensive soul skill."
As he spoke, his third soul ring lit up. The Radiant Scythe in his hand emitted a brilliant white glow. With a swift swing, it struck a massive boulder beside him, five meters tall and three meters wide. The boulder shattered on impact, fragments sparkling with specks of white light.
"Amazing!" Jiang Nannan clapped her hands in delight. "That move just boosted your combat power by a whole level!"
At eleven, Jiang Nannan had also grown tremendously thanks to Zhu Ziyang. Though her martial soul was the ordinary Soft Bone Rabbit, she was already a Level 25 Soul Grandmaster—undeniably a top-tier genius across the continent.
"With this, your chances of getting into Shrek Academy just got even better!" Zhu Changhe exclaimed, his face glowing with excitement.
Shrek Academy—the ultimate dream for generations of soul masters in Anyang. In fact, nearly every soul master on the former Douluo Continent viewed it with near-religious reverence. A graduate of Shrek Academy commanded immense respect wherever they went.
"Yeah, I will definitely get in." Zhu Ziyang nodded calmly.
Though Zhu Changhe didn't know Shrek Academy's exact admission requirements, Zhu Ziyang did. To qualify for the outer court entrance exam, one needed to meet three conditions: a letter of recommendation from the governor of one of the three empire's main cities, be under the age of twelve, and have a soul power of at least Level 15.
For Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan, the only tricky part was the letter. Anyang was only a secondary city, and Hong Zhen did not have the authority to recommend students to Shrek Academy. Luckily, Anyang fell under the jurisdiction of Long City, whose city lord sent out two recommendation letters each year to show favor to subordinate cities. Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan had each received one.
After checking the Holy Light Unicorn's body and confirming no soul bones were present, they removed its horn—by far the most valuable part.
The trio left Tianhui Gorge and returned to Anyang City within a day.
Zhu Ziyang and Jiang Nannan had long since stopped attending the Anyang Academy. After they each reached Level 20, they had far surpassed the graduation standard.
Now, they were simply waiting for next month to travel and take part in the Shrek Academy entrance exam.
——
North River Village, the back mountain forest.
Three days after returning, Zhu Ziyang was now training in the private area he had claimed for himself.
Over the past few years, he had long since achieved his early goals.
By the age of nine, his martial soul control had already reached the level of manifesting it without revealing any soul rings.
Now, he could even release his martial soul without producing a single trace of soul power fluctuation. This didn't just represent supreme mastery over his martial soul—it also showed astonishing soul power control.
At this point, the difference between Zhu Ziyang's control and the amplification of a Soul Saint's Martial Soul Avatar was only that amplification itself. He had full confidence that using only his martial soul and no soul rings, he could stand nearly unmatched.
With such refined control, Zhu Ziyang had begun to study self-created soul skills.
Self-created skills—the trademark of peerless prodigies.
(End of Chapter)
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