At this moment, Zhu Ziyang was practicing martial soul control in a spacious, secluded clearing.
As a Tool Soul Master, mastering soul control was a crucial skill—it directly influenced one's combat strength and survival ability. After all, Tool Soul Masters didn't have the physical strength of Beast Soul Masters, and nearly all their fighting capabilities, including soul skills, were tied directly to their martial soul. If they couldn't even control their own martial soul, it would be nothing short of courting death.
Zhu Ziyang's goal was to reach the highest level of martial soul control—wielding his martial soul without revealing his soul rings, and channeling soul power freely through his weapon.
This level of mastery was known as divine-grade control—also called Unity of Man and Weapon.
Normally, Tool Soul Masters only attained this realm upon reaching Soul Saint, when they gained their Martial Soul Avatar. But Zhu Ziyang considered himself a genius. Naturally, he didn't want to wait until Soul Saint to master such a skill.
After all, there was a vast difference between actively mastering something and passively inheriting it.
Once Zhu Ziyang reached the level of divine control, he would begin crafting his own soul skills—that was his true ambition.
While practicing martial soul control, Zhu Ziyang was also consciously studying how to fight using his war scythe.
The war scythe, being a long-handled weapon, had both clear advantages and disadvantages. Its strength lay in its wide attack range—it was one of the longest among long-handled weapons. In open spaces, it gave a tremendous edge, allowing for feats like fighting ten or even a hundred enemies at once. However, its flaw was just as obvious—its weight. As the king of heavy weapons, it demanded great physical strength. Average users simply couldn't wield it, and in cramped spaces, it was difficult to maneuver.
Thus, using a war scythe required great flexibility. The user had to maintain distance to maximize sweeping attacks, but also be ready to block with the scythe's shaft or even use the reverse edge to strike. Zhu Ziyang's Hui Guang Scythe had a bladed back edge, allowing for attacks from either side. Additionally, its secondary ring-shaped blade could be used for trapping or close-quarters combat. All of this meant that using a war scythe demanded extreme adaptability from the user—only someone with sharp instincts could master it fully.
Also, the scythe's combat posture was extremely elegant—perfect for someone looking to show off.
In this way, Zhu Ziyang quickly found a rhythm to his life. During the day, he attended practical combat classes, and when there weren't any, he would find a quiet spot to cultivate alone. In the evenings, he cultivated together with Jiang Nannan. Life was full and fulfilling.
This peaceful routine lasted for over twenty days—until it was broken by a piece of news.
Jiang Nannan had reached rank 10.
"As expected of Nannan, reaching rank 10 so quickly!" In their dorm room, Zhu Ziyang praised her sincerely, his smile bright. "Tomorrow we'll go apply to leave the academy and head out to hunt your first soul ring!"
"Mhm!" Jiang Nannan was flushed with excitement, her cheeks rosy with joy.
"Right, Nannan—have you thought about what soul beast you want for your first ring?" Zhu Ziyang asked, his smile fading slightly, replaced by a focused, intelligent gleam in his eyes.
"Not yet," Jiang Nannan said with a hint of distress. "I only know about the most common soul beasts, and with all the schoolwork lately, I haven't had time to research what suits me."
"Is that so?" Zhu Ziyang's grin returned. "Then how about you let your big brother help you choose?"
"Yes, yes!" Jiang Nannan clapped her hands excitedly. "You're so knowledgeable, Brother Ziyang—you'll definitely find the perfect soul beast for me!"
Zhu Ziyang smiled while his mind worked rapidly.
Jiang Nannan's martial soul was the Soft Bone Rabbit. In every sense, it was an ordinary soul beast and martial soul—nothing special. Yet, the Soft Bone Rabbit held a strange and prominent place in history, thanks to one woman: Soft Bone Douluo.
She was the wife of the Sea God—Tang San. And, as Zhu Ziyang recently learned from the records of Spirit Hall, Soft Bone Douluo was actually a hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit who took human form!
No wonder she could achieve Title Douluo rank with such a seemingly mediocre martial soul.
In all of recorded history, only she had ever achieved this.
As a result, every Soft Bone Rabbit Soul Master after her had become obsessed with following her path. They blindly copied her soul ring and soul skill configuration without understanding the deeper truth. Zhu Ziyang found this behavior ridiculous.
Most of these Soul Masters didn't even understand their own martial soul's nature. They tried to mimic Xiao Wu's skills despite the fact she was a hundred-thousand-year soul beast in human form, whose abilities were perfected over an immense span of time. She never had to acquire external soul rings or consider soul evolution paths.
But these imitators were human Soul Masters. They didn't have Xiao Wu's foundation, yet they copied her rings without any thought to their martial soul's development or their personal growth trajectory. Even worse, they succeeded in replicating her skills—from Waist Bow to Soft Bone Lock—through repeated trial and error.
Why did it stop at five soul skills? Because the strongest of them never surpassed the Soul King level. Their soul rings had no logical progression. They were hollow imitations, and in the process, they ruined their martial souls—how could they possibly break through?
No wonder no other Soft Bone Rabbit Soul Master ever achieved fame after Soft Bone Douluo.
They deserved it.
This kind of blind copying wasn't unique to Soft Bone Rabbit users. Even the prestigious Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and Star Luo White Tiger martial souls had their own set ring setups for the first three soul skills—established over centuries of refinement by their clans. Their descendants could copy them freely because those combinations were proven optimal.
But for Soft Bone Rabbit and Blue Silver Grass users, imitating Soft Bone Douluo or Tang San was foolish.
Yes, Zhu Ziyang was calling out the Blue Silver Grass Soul Masters of Tang Sect. They were a bunch of deluded fools.
Tang San's soul ring setup for his Blue Silver Grass—clearly recorded in Tang Sect's books—was the most chaotic mess Zhu Ziyang had ever seen. Normally, Blue Silver Grass or Blue Silver Emperor, being tough and full of life, should have soul rings that boost vitality.
But Tang San didn't follow logic.
His first ring was from a Mandrake Snake. Second, a Ghost Vine. Third, a Human-Faced Demon Spider. Fourth, an Earth Cavern Spider.
Zhu Ziyang had been dumbfounded when he first read this. Was this really the setup of the legendary God of the World?
Any expert would see immediately—these rings were a terrible fit for Blue Silver Grass. Anyone else would've crippled their martial soul with such choices. The only reason Tang San didn't was because Blue Silver Emperor was a top-tier martial soul.
He didn't suffer—but the future generations of Blue Silver Grass users in Tang Sect certainly did.
They idolized Tang San and copied his setup without understanding the difference between Blue Silver Grass and Blue Silver Emperor. Tang Sect had to have known the truth, or their library wouldn't have contained such records.
Which meant… they all chose to ignore it.
They got what they deserved.
This sapling of a story still needs your care, dear readers!
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon, There is 2 Chapters Ahead of Release for Free Memebers on my Patreon.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.