The elder turned back to Xu Zihuang, his excitement even greater than when Wang Yan had first learned that Xu Zihuang possessed a body-type martial spirit.
In an instant, his greasy hand clamped onto Xu Zihuang's shoulder like iron pincers, urging impatiently:
"Hurry, demonstrate that soul skill you just used again!"
But with his soul power completely exhausted, Xu Zihuang had no strength left to resist. Even if he were in peak condition, he doubted he could replicate what had just happened.
Moments ago, it had been pure instinct—sensing danger, he had reflexively unleashed the third soul skill he had gained from the Dark Devilgod Tiger.
That third soul skill was very special: the stronger the opponent, the greater the soul power consumed.
And just now, to avoid the elder's casual grab, he had nearly drained his entire soul power in an instant. That alone showed how terrifying this elder's strength truly was.
The elder's greasy hand left dirty smudges on Xu Zihuang's white academy uniform.
Though he felt some dissatisfaction at such sloppiness, he was not foolish enough to show it. From the elder's appearance and demeanor, he had already guessed at the man's identity.
Beside him, Wang Yan quickly reacted and saluted.
He introduced, "Student Yu, this is Elder Xuan of the Sea God Pavilion. It was he who asked to see you."
That confirmed it.
This man was indeed one of the Sea God Pavilion's top experts, second only to Dragon God Douluo Mu En, a rank ninety-eight Super Douluo—Gluttonous Douluo Xuan Lao.
As expected.
Xu Zihuang calmed his heart and respectfully said:
"Greetings, Elder Xuan."
"None of those useless formalities! Quickly, show me that soul skill again. If you don't, I'll make sure your days in the academy are hard." Elder Xuan's face showed nothing but impatience. His anxious manner had none of the bearing of a mighty figure.
Xu Zihuang spread his hands helplessly, giving a bitter smile.
"Elder Xuan, I'd need sufficient soul power to use that soul skill again."
He knew well that Elder Xuan's words were never empty threats.
"Oh, I forgot about that." Elder Xuan froze for a moment, then before he even finished speaking, Xu Zihuang felt a vast torrent of soul power surge into his body from the elder's grip on his shoulder.
The influx was immense. Fortunately, Xu Zihuang's body had been cleansed by countless heavenly treasures since childhood, his meridians far tougher than ordinary soul masters'.
Like a whale swallowing, he absorbed it all.
Elder Xuan's expression grew strange as he watched.
Xu Zihuang's physical quality was far beyond his expectations. Even more shocking was the sheer purity of Xu Zihuang's soul power. Though he was only at rank thirty-four, his total soul power reserves were astonishing.
Over the years, Elder Xuan had seen many extraordinarily talented inner court disciples.
But even among the best, such as Zhang Lexuan and Ma Xiaotao, at the same level their soul power's quality could not compare to Xu Zihuang's.
"What a freak."
Within just a few breaths, Xu Zihuang's soul power was fully replenished.
What Elder Xuan had infused was condensed from his own soul core—pure origin soul power. There was no chance of conflict. After circulating once through Xu Zihuang's meridians, it became indistinguishable from the soul power he normally cultivated.
Moreover, because of how refined this origin soul power was, Xu Zihuang's cultivation rose significantly.
It wasn't enough to directly push him to rank thirty-five, but the increase equaled nearly a month of his usual hard cultivation.
With this interruption, Elder Xuan finally calmed somewhat.
"Now you can demonstrate it again, right?"
All the while, Wang Yan had been mulling over Elder Xuan's earlier words. Now he instinctively turned his gaze toward Xu Zihuang.
Meeting both their eyes, Xu Zihuang nodded solemnly.
This third soul skill would be revealed sooner or later—there was no point in hiding it.
A regal violet glow spread, dyeing the lakeside's azure waters, reflecting Xu Zihuang's tall figure and the three slowly pulsing violet soul rings beneath him.
The third ring, that violet streaked with black, flared brilliantly. Golden runes of obscure design etched themselves into the ground around him, spreading outward in a hundred-meter radius.
The golden halo twisted space itself, as though separating this domain from the world.
Though he stood right before them, Elder Xuan and Wang Yan suddenly found they could not clearly see Xu Zihuang's face.
Before their gazes, Xu Zihuang bent down to pick up a smooth pebble from the lakeshore. Holding it level with his eyes, he suddenly let go.
The stone did not fall, but instead hovered strangely in the air.
Yet neither Elder Xuan nor Wang Yan believed this soul skill controlled gravity. There was no trace of dense earth-attribute energy in the surroundings.
Elder Xuan frowned, eyes fixed on the floating stone. Suddenly, realization flashed across his face as he muttered:
"A rare time-attribute soul skill… and one akin to a domain. No wonder it caught me off guard earlier."
Truly knowledgeable, Elder Xuan had quickly grasped the essence of Xu Zihuang's third soul skill.
The stone had not defied gravity—it was falling so slowly that the naked eye could hardly perceive the motion.
Nearly at the point of time-stop.
Beside him, Wang Yan's eyes widened in shock and disbelief at Elder Xuan's words.
Just then, Xu Zihuang's ethereal voice sounded.
"Elder Xuan, you're correct. This third soul skill is called Temporal Distortion. Within this domain, I can alter the flow of time—speed it up or slow it down. But I cannot stop it."
This was why he had been so grateful to gain this soul skill from the Star Dou Forest.
The ability was beyond imagination.
One must know—even the Evil-Eyed Tyrant Master, ranked second among the top ten savage beasts, had cultivated for over seven hundred thousand years before barely grasping a trace of time's laws through the yin-yang balance of his dual spirit cores.
For Xu Zihuang to gain such an ability—luck was part of it, but the other reason was the Dark Devilgod Tiger's innate control over time.
When its soul ring fused with his Golden Eyes body-type martial spirit, this time-attribute soul skill was naturally born.
Of course, such a powerful skill had its limits.
He could indeed alter time's flow within this space, but the more weight an entity carried in this world, the harder it was to affect—and the higher the soul power consumption.
This was a rule that could not be broken.
That was why, when he used the skill against Elder Xuan, his soul power had been drained in an instant. But when used on a pebble, the cost was almost negligible.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 early chapters available on Patreon: [email protected]/facficmax10