Chapter Forty-Two: Soul Devouring Seal

“Ah... that was a truly satisfying sleep!”

Sunlight poured warmly through the window. Yang Yan stretched lazily and slowly climbed out of bed.

“Young Master Third, good morning!”

No sooner had Yang Yan stepped out the door than a servant bowed deeply and greeted him with utmost respect. This startled him—he had always been someone of little presence in the Zhang household, so this sudden deference felt unfamiliar.

He merely responded with a faint hum, not sparing the servant a glance as he strode away.

He had no patience for these fair-weather followers.

The sun shone brightly in a cloudless sky. Such fine weather was rare in early winter. After a casual breakfast, Yang Yan made his way toward the mountain behind the estate.

There were only five days left. Though the time was short, Yang Yan was determined not to waste it. Having spent two years as a so-called “good-for-nothing,” he was not about to become arrogant or impatient after his recent transformation. He understood well: those who can endure ridicule and disdain can also withstand praise and adulation. Past difficulties had never halted his steps; now that he had achieved a small measure of success, he was all the more resolved to be steady and unyielding. His ambitions went far beyond simply claiming first place in the Clan Tournament.

As for Sun Zhixin’s strength, Yang Yan knew little. She had only fought once, and the opponent she defeated in the first round was hardly formidable. It was impossible to glean her true power or hidden trump cards from that single match.

The only thing she had revealed was a mastery over spiritual energy far beyond her peers—a talent that touched on another realm of cultivation: the power of the soul.

Ordinary cultivators, upon reaching the peak of the Body Forging Stage, could begin to absorb and refine spiritual energy from the world.

In the world of cultivation, ranks ascended from lowest to highest as follows: Sense Spirit, Commune Spirit, Spirit Sea, Return to Origin, Forgetting Life, Dispersing Soul, Commanding Soul, and Pilgrimage—eight major realms, each broken into nine levels.

The first three realms—Sense Spirit, Commune Spirit, and Spirit Sea—focused on spiritual energy cultivation. The next four—Return to Origin, Forgetting Life, Dispersing Soul, and Commanding Soul—emphasized not only spiritual power, but also insight into the Dao and the laws of heaven and earth, as well as the cultivation of the soul itself.

The soul—ethereal and mysterious—seems to straddle the line between reality and illusion. Most people cannot feel its presence, much less wield its power.

Yet every person is born with a soul. It shapes thoughts, perceptions, the enjoyment of flowers blooming or birds singing. Without a soul, a person becomes nothing more than a walking corpse, indistinguishable from a blade of grass.

Cultivators, however, strengthen and employ this enigmatic “soul force” as a means of attack—an idea almost beyond belief.

As a cultivator’s strength increased, so too did their soul power—though the progress was slight. To truly enhance the soul, one must undertake direct cultivation.

Techniques that bolster the soul or unleash soul attacks are called “Soul Arts.” Across the entire Tianyuan Continent, such arts are exceedingly rare! This is because the strength of one’s soul is crucial for advancing to the Dispersing Soul and Commanding Soul realms.

Those who reach these heights are already considered the true powerhouses of the cultivation world, standing atop the pyramid. It is said that those in the Commanding Soul realm can even separate their soul from their body, allowing it to act as an independent entity in battle.

Though every newborn’s soul is weak, there are exceptions. Some favored by heaven are born with souls many times stronger than average. Among these few, if one possesses an innate fire body, they may become an alchemist or a forgemaster.

These two prestigious professions are coveted across the Tianyuan Continent. Their rarity is evident: not a single one has emerged from Jinhuan City’s tens of thousands of residents.

From Sun Zhixin’s deft control over her spiritual energy, it was clear: she was one of those rare prodigies with a naturally powerful soul. Furthermore, she possessed an innate fire body, naturally attuned to fire spiritual energy, giving her the qualifications to become an alchemist or forgemaster.

As for her opponent, Yang Yan, he had no true understanding of soul power, nor had he ever consciously used or released it. This boded ill for the decisive match five days hence.

Thus, Yang Yan resolved to spend these five days sensing and exploring the power of the soul.

The best way to do this was to train in the next seal of the “Shattering Seal”—the Soul Devouring Seal.

The Zhang family’s ultimate technique was not simply the “Shattering Seal,” but the “Threefold Shattering Seals.” The Shattering Seal was only the first.

Though “Threefold Shattering Seals” was only a high-level yellow-grade technique, it possessed a unique feature absent from others: it could be stacked. According to the records, once mastered, the combined power of the three seals could rival even a low-grade profound martial art.

Though there is but a single word’s difference between “yellow-grade” and “profound-grade,” the disparity is immense. Even the Xuan Sect has few profound-grade manuals in their collection. For the humble Zhang family of Jinhuan City to possess a technique comparable to a low-grade profound art was already a stroke of fortune.

However, the “Threefold Shattering Seals” grew exponentially harder to cultivate with each stage. Yang Yan knew that even his father, Zhang Tai, had failed to master the third—Annihilation Seal.

“For now, I had best focus on mastering the second—Soul Devouring Seal,” Yang Yan thought to himself.

Though the allure of a technique rivaling a profound-grade martial art was great, Yang Yan was not one to be blinded by ambition. The path must always be taken one step at a time, especially in cultivation.

With this in mind, Yang Yan cleared all distracting thoughts, focused his mind, and summoned his spiritual energy from his qi sea, channeling it into his right palm.

Gentle, translucent water energy surged forth, flowing along the prescribed meridian paths of the Soul Devouring Seal under his mental command.

Having already succeeded with the first seal, the energy’s circulation, if not quite effortless, was at least smooth. Moments later, a half-transparent, crystalline light seal appeared in the center of Yang Yan’s palm.

“I actually... did it?!”

Yang Yan was overjoyed. He had assumed that the Shattering Seal alone required that pale blue spiritual energy, let alone the more advanced Soul Devouring Seal. But, wary of the risks of overusing the blue energy and possibly entering that dangerous state again, he had decided to attempt it using only his own water spiritual energy.

To his surprise, he had actually succeeded in forming the seal!