Inside the room, after finishing his bath, Zhu Ziyang felt completely refreshed. He lay lazily on the bed, not wanting to move a muscle. With eyes half-closed, he began to contemplate his future plans and arrangements.
The evolution of his martial soul into a dual-attribute one possessing both Light and Death was a surprising and pleasant development. Now, he needed to decide whether to continue strengthening the Death attribute or stick with his original plan and enhance the Light attribute.
He fell into deep thought.
While the Death attribute was indeed powerful, it came with several problems.
First, soul beasts with the Death attribute were at least high-level ones. They were typically strong and difficult to hunt. With his current background and strength, hunting a Death-attribute soul beast under a thousand years might not be too difficult, but anything above that would be nearly impossible—after all, his father wasn't exactly a powerhouse.
Second, Death-attribute soul beasts were extremely rare in both type and number. Encountering a Bone Scythe Fiend was already a stroke of incredible luck. From what Zhu Ziyang knew, none of the soul beast habitats near Anyang City harbored Death-attribute soul beasts.
And finally, and perhaps most crucially, if he focused on cultivating Death-attribute abilities, it was very likely he would be mistaken for an evil soul master.
Being labeled as an evil soul master was no trivial matter.
After the fall of the Church Era, the nobility rose to prominence—and so did evil soul masters. Without the suppression of the Spirit Hall, evil soul masters had become rampant. It was said that after thousands of years of development, they had even founded their own sects, a testament to their growing audacity.
So, what about the three empires? Had they done nothing about this? Zhu Ziyang wasn't sure about the Sun-Moon Empire, but the three great empires had adopted a zero-tolerance policy toward evil soul masters—better to mistakenly kill one than let a true one go free.
Unfortunately, that was all they did—have a stance. The only force on the continent with a clear mandate to exterminate evil soul masters was none other than Shrek Academy.
As the number one academy on the continent, Shrek took a firm and proactive stance against evil soul masters.
Zhu Ziyang still hoped to enroll at Shrek Academy. He didn't want to bring unnecessary trouble upon himself because of his martial soul.
In contrast, the Light attribute was different. It was just as powerful as the Death attribute but far more common. Light-attribute soul beasts were much more abundant and easier to deal with. Most importantly, there were Light-attribute soul beasts right near Anyang City.
The availability of suitable soul beasts nearby was a blessing. It meant he didn't have to travel far to hunt for soul rings—a huge time and energy saver.
Ultimately, Zhu Ziyang decided to focus on cultivating the Light attribute, with Death as a supplementary path.
"Sigh, this is the best I can do," Zhu Ziyang murmured to himself after making his decision.
In the end, it all boiled down to one thing—he lacked strength.
"Ah!" He sighed again and shook his head. "Whatever. I'm only at level 11. Still a long way from level 20. I'll worry about it later. Right now, the most important thing is improving my strength. Time to cultivate!"
With that thought, Zhu Ziyang cleared all the doubts and distractions from his mind. He sat upright and began to cultivate with full focus.
This would be his first cultivation session after absorbing his first soul ring—something he had looked forward to eagerly.
He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and prepared to enter meditation. Yet before he realized it, he had already begun practicing the Lesser Light Breathing Method. Zhu Ziyang paused, a bit surprised, but didn't stop.
Ever since awakening his martial soul, the Lesser Light Breathing Method had seemingly turned into nothing more than a regular breathing technique. That wisp of energy in his chest cavity hadn't moved in the slightest for seven days.
Zhu Ziyang had given up trying to investigate it further.
However, it seemed the Lesser Light Breathing Method had sensed his resignation. This time, as Zhu Ziyang practiced it once again, that wisp of energy—dormant for seven days—began to stir.
Startled, Zhu Ziyang's attention immediately focused on the wisp of energy. His curiosity was piqued.
Soon, the breathing method was completed. According to the usual pattern, the wisp should have returned to the center of his chest.
But this time, it didn't.
Instead, it continued moving. Zhu Ziyang, who had been monitoring it closely, instantly noticed the change. He stared, astonished, as the wisp of energy shot up toward the center of his forehead—toward the so-called Upper Dantian: the Sea of Consciousness.
The Niwan Point—known also as the Spiritual Sea—is the soul master's center of spiritual power. It corresponds to the lower Dantian where soul power is stored. Typically, only spiritual-type soul masters could access it at an early level. Others had to reach the Soul Elder stage before they could begin cultivating spiritual power.
Zhu Ziyang was stunned to find that the wisp of energy had entered his Sea of Consciousness effortlessly. Without time to think, he followed it with his consciousness—and realized, to his surprise, that his spiritual sea had already been opened. As soon as his awareness entered, a flood of spiritual power swept through his body, bringing with it a euphoric sensation akin to celestial bliss.
But he quickly steadied his mind.
Controlling his awareness, he explored the Sea of Consciousness to see what the wisp of energy was up to.
Inside his Sea of Consciousness was a desolate space. Aside from a small, blue spiritual lake, there was only that mysterious wisp of energy floating above it. The rest of the space was gray and hazy.
"So this is my spiritual sea? So barren!" Zhu Ziyang muttered to himself as he observed. "And that small pond… is this all my spiritual power? Why is there so much? No newly opened Sea of Consciousness should have this much power. Clearly, mine had already been opened long before I knew."
His eyes finally fixed on the wisp of energy, filled with suspicion.
"What exactly are you?"
No response.
Zhu Ziyang frowned in disappointment.
Then, in the next instant, his eyes widened in shock and fear. The wisp of energy exploded with a silent "bang," scattering into countless golden particles that spread across his entire Sea of Consciousness. Immediately after, a sharp pain struck his mind. His vision blurred, and he lost consciousness.
He didn't know how long had passed.
Inside the room, Zhu Ziyang slowly opened his eyes, his face brimming with joy and disbelief.
"I didn't expect this... I really didn't expect this! The Lesser Light Breathing Method... is actually the foundation of the Great Light Mantra!"
As it turned out, the Lesser Light Breathing Method was merely the foundational exercise of a far more advanced cultivation technique.
That technique was the Great Light Mantra!
The wisp of energy had been the key to the complete inheritance. Only by cultivating the wisp could one receive the Mantra. Once Zhu Ziyang's soul power reached level 11, the conditions were met, and the inheritance activated—manifesting as the explosion in his Sea of Consciousness.
Its sole purpose: to pass the Great Light Mantra to him.
Now, he had it.
"A cultivation technique... maybe it's similar to a meditation method?" Zhu Ziyang wondered.
The Great Light Mantra was a mysterious method. There was no memory of it in his past life, clearly indicating he hadn't received it before. The inheritance had only provided the formula and a meridian map. To truly understand its effects, Zhu Ziyang would have to practice it himself.
After a moment's silence, he made up his mind.
He closed his eyes and began.
Following the Great Light Mantra's route, he guided his soul power through his meridians. At first, it was awkward and slow, but after one complete cycle, he grew more proficient, and the speed increased naturally.
During the process, Zhu Ziyang discovered that his soul power would become imbued with light energy after leaving his Dantian. It would then slowly merge into his blood. Once it reached the center of his chest, the light-infused soul power would convert back into pure soul power, continuing its journey through his meridians.
When he finally exited his cultivation state, his face was full of excitement and joy.
He had discovered the true effects of the Great Light Mantra.
If the continent's common meditation methods were just ways to circulate soul power, then the Great Light Mantra was a superior technique that simultaneously cultivated soul power, spiritual power, physique, and Light elemental affinity!
He now knew: the mantra had at least four functions.
First, soul power cultivation.
Second, spiritual power enhancement.
Third, physical refinement.
And fourth, increasing his affinity with the Light element.
After a full night of cultivation, Zhu Ziyang felt a tangible growth in his spiritual power, a noticeable improvement in his physique, and—most crucially—his Glorious Scythe's Light attribute had strengthened again.
For someone like him, who had already chosen the path of Light, this was no doubt an incredible boost of confidence.
(End of Chapter)
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