A myriad of thoughts swirled in his mind, yet in the outside world, it was but a fleeting moment.
When Lin Xiao opened his eyes again, Ji Juechen's calm expression showed a subtle change.
He was certain that, though his sword had not yet struck, his sword intent had definitely collided with something.
Yet, under this strike, Lin Xiao's aura didn't weaken. Instead, it grew stronger, as if he had undergone a transformation, with a faint trace of coldness emanating from him.
Ji Juechen's heavy sword was inches away, but Lin Xiao felt no panic. In that fleeting moment, a sudden clarity struck him.
His countless previous attempts finally bore fruit. As if breaking free from invisible shackles, Lin Xiao gently raised his hand, and his mental power and soul power naturally converged.
Though he couldn't yet fully infuse his will into it like Ji Juechen, he had gained enough strength to contend with this strike.
A faint floral fragrance suddenly filled the arena. The Higanbana flower in his palm trembled lightly, growing ever more vibrant.
Yet, this vivid flower brought no sense of vitality to the onlookers, only a bone-chilling cold.
The crowd's bodies gradually stiffened, their limbs unresponsive, as if their souls had left their bodies.
Ji Juechen, facing Lin Xiao, felt it even more intensely. His piercing sword intent began to wane, as if, under the Higanbana's witness, it was meeting its "death."
It felt like an eternity, yet it was but a moment. Ji Juechen's heavy sword finally descended.
But in the next instant, to the crowd's astonishment, the seemingly fragile flower blocked the heavy sword.
"How is that possible?"
A clamor erupted among the spectators.
Ji Juechen, holding the sword with both hands, maintained his stance for a long moment before slowly retracting it.
"I lost."
"No." Lin Xiao shook his head. "In terms of 'intent,' I'm far inferior to you. My victory was only due to my soul power and mental power surpassing yours."
Perhaps only Ji Juechen and Lin Xiao fully understood what had transpired in that moment.
Lin Xiao indeed lacked Ji Juechen's "sword intent," but when his mental power and soul power fused, they revealed a power unique to him.
The flower that bloomed on the shores of the underworld, witnessing death, had in that moment witnessed the "death" of Ji Juechen's sword intent.
And when the sword intent vanished, blocking the ordinary sword with his martial soul was effortless for Lin Xiao.
"Wait." Seeing Ji Juechen about to leave the arena, Lin Xiao suddenly called out.
Ji Juechen turned, silently watching Lin Xiao, who then solemnly clasped his fists toward him.
"Thank you. I'll remember this day."
With that, Lin Xiao didn't wait for Ji Juechen's response and turned to leave the arena.
In those brief moments, he had realized many things. The nightmares he had unwittingly fallen into, the countless futile attempts, and the sensations of using soul tools alongside Lin Jiayi's evaluations.
His ideas hadn't been wrong; fusing mental power with soul power had always been feasible. The reason his many attempts had failed likely had everything to do with his "dear teacher."
The shattering he felt wasn't an illusion. Under the stimulation of Ji Juechen's sword intent, his mental power instinctively resisted, and with internal and external forces combined, he broke through an invisible barrier.
It was this barrier that had rendered all his attempts with mental power fruitless. It was also this barrier that had kept him from "seeing" his sea of consciousness until today.
Lin Jiayi hadn't been wrong—his mental power was indeed different from others.
The recurring nightmares made Lin Xiao certain that Nightmare Douluo had left something on him. He had thought it was a simple mark, but now it seemed Nightmare Douluo had other intentions.
What could it be? Was he afraid Lin Xiao would discover his unique sea of consciousness and gain some special power, or did he have other motives?
No one could answer Lin Xiao's questions, and no one noticed the unusual expression on his face as he left the arena.
The disciples around the arena were buzzing about the fight. Some speculated Ji Juechen had held back, while others guessed Lin Xiao had used some advanced technique.
"Did you really hold back?"
A figure quietly approached Ji Juechen's side.
"No, I lost." Ji Juechen glanced at her and shook his head. She was one of his few friends in the academy, and he didn't mind saying a bit more. "He's strong. My sword wasn't his match."
"He withstood your strike after you built up so much momentum. That guy's strength must be extraordinary."
"Mm." Ji Juechen nodded, looking in the direction Lin Xiao had gone, lost in thought.
In the distance, Jing Hongchen turned to Lin Jiayi, whose face was beaming with pride. "Is this your new disciple?"
"Indeed." Lin Jiayi nodded. "What do you think, Hall Master?"
"His talent is impressive. He likely sensed our presence just now, and his mental power exceeds even your estimation." Jing Hongchen's eyes narrowed slightly. "If his soul power level were higher, he'd be worth considering, but…"
"Hall Master, Ji Juechen is also a well-known student in the academy. Few here could withstand that strike head-on," Lin Jiayi added quickly, seeing Jing Hongchen's hesitation.
"Mm, I know about Ji Juechen. I've already planned to specially recruit him into the Illustrious Virtue Hall's Control Department."
"And Lin Xiao?" Lin Jiayi pressed.
"I'll think about it." Jing Hongchen sighed softly and turned to leave.
Lin Jiayi didn't know Lin Xiao's origins, but Jing Hongchen did—he was the one who had arranged for Lin Xiao to enter the Sun Moon Imperial Academy.
If Lin Xiao's background were clean, his talent would make his admission to the Illustrious Virtue Hall a certainty, and Jing Hongchen would be willing to nurture him carefully. But Lin Xiao came from the Holy Spirit Cult.
Though they had cooperated in the past, the Holy Spirit Cult and he were not aligned. Moreover, they were evil soul masters, and no one could predict what they might do.
Meanwhile, Lin Xiao, the subject of Jing Hongchen and Lin Jiayi's discussion, had just returned to his dormitory, his steps slightly unsteady.
When he broke the barrier and his long-sealed sea of consciousness revealed its true form, he felt a transformation from within. Even his Higanbana martial soul seemed different from before.
He could sense the residual souls stored in the flower's stamen, as if they were whispering something—reminiscences or meaningless murmurs.
Lin Xiao knew his martial soul was deeply tied to souls, but he hadn't realized the connection was so profound, and for a moment, he couldn't fully adapt.