Chapter 27. My Martial Spirit Is Pain

Huo Yuhao stared at Mu Yang in shock. In Huo Yuhao’s eyes, Mu Yang’s head had been smashed to pieces by Elder Xuan, who then took him away. Without any icy or snowy environment around, Mu Yang’s powerful regenerative abilities shouldn’t have worked—so how had he come back to life?

Taken aback, Huo Yuhao blurted out, “You’re actually not dead?”

Mu Yang looked at him and replied, “Were you hoping I would die? So you could take the Tang Blade for yourself once I was gone?”

“No, that’s not it! I was just shocked—your head was destroyed. How could you still be alive?” Huo Yuhao hurried to explain.

“Maybe I was just lucky and managed to recover.” Mu Yang reached down to stroke the Night Cat Demon nestled in his arms.

“Mu Yang, don’t target Huo Yuhao anymore. I called you both here to ask about your martial souls. Of course, if you’re unwilling to share, there’s no need to force it,” Elder Gong quickly interrupted their exchange. He sensed that if Huo Yuhao kept talking, something might go awry.

Huo Yuhao replied respectfully, “My first martial soul is the Spirit Eye. The second soul ring attached to it grants me the skill called Imitation. With Imitation, I can change my own appearance at will and even disguise my soul rings.”

Hearing this, Gong Changlong immediately understood. His eyes sparkled with interest. “Excellent, what a fascinating skill! This Imitation is no small matter. In the Star Dou Great Forest, a skill like yours could avert countless conflicts—extremely useful for hunting soul beasts. I am Gong Changlong, known as the Beast King.”

Mu Yang spoke up, “I can’t give you a precise description of my martial soul, only a general idea. It’s pain. My martial soul is somewhat similar to that of an evil soul master, but there are differences. The pain it draws on isn’t from others—it’s my own. Even emotional suffering counts, and the increase in soul power is significant. The reason I went to the Extreme North was because of this. The bone-chilling winds there help increase my soul power.”

After hearing Mu Yang’s explanation, Du Weilen and Gong Changlong’s opinions of him shifted. If one were to take an extreme view, Mu Yang’s martial soul could indeed be considered that of an evil soul master. However, since the suffering comes from himself—a kind of equivalent exchange—it was clear that Mu Yang’s strength had come at the cost of enduring tragedies unimaginable to others.

“But it doesn’t matter,” Mu Yang said with a smile, “my strength now is more than enough that most people can’t threaten me.” Yet that smile only made Elder Gong and Du Weilen feel a pang of sorrow. Even Huo Yuhao’s impression of Mu Yang began to change.

This was exactly the effect Mu Yang wanted; now, they wouldn’t probe into his secrets any further. After all, when he’d been torn apart by the wolf pack, the agony he’d endured had driven him to madness.

Elder Gong turned to Huo Yuhao once more and asked, “In the Grand Arena, I sensed that what you unleashed wasn’t merely pressure—there was also a bone-deep coldness. That must be your second martial soul. If you’re willing to tell me what it is, I promise to help you, within my abilities, to obtain a soul ring in the future. How about it?”

Huo Yuhao was overjoyed. Soul beasts with spiritual attributes were nearly impossible to find, and this teacher was evidently in charge of the Grand Arena. His help would save Huo Yuhao a great deal of time.

He nodded eagerly and replied with respect, “Teacher Gong, I’m willing to tell you.”

Du Weilen and the other teachers nearby all looked on with curiosity, but Huo Yuhao clearly didn’t intend to satisfy everyone’s curiosity equally. A flash of gold appeared in his eyes as he activated Spiritual Detection Sharing.

The miraculous Spiritual Detection was also a first for Gong Changlong, who couldn’t help but marvel, “What a skill! The combination of your two martial souls makes you one of the very best among twin martial soul holders. Excellent, truly excellent. So your second martial soul is that one—no wonder your ice attribute is so pure. The academy has truly found a treasure this time. Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret. I never thought I’d live to see a martial soul like yours.”

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave now and not disturb you further,” Mu Yang’s voice sounded from the side, cutting short Elder Gong’s joy at discovering Huo Yuhao’s twin martial souls.

Mu Yang’s words made Elder Gong feel awkward—after all, he had called Mu Yang here, but after hearing about the martial souls, he’d gotten distracted by the rarity of twin martial souls and forgotten about him. Now, as Mu Yang spoke up, Elder Gong could only clear his throat and say, “Mu Yang, do you have any requests? I will also help you as much as I can.”

After all, Mu Yang’s martial soul was quite different from Huo Yuhao’s twin souls. His was extremely unusual, and if Mu Yang hadn’t revealed it himself, no one would have known it was pain. Moreover, such a martial soul could easily be mistaken for that of an evil soul master.

“All right, I hope…”