"The second awakening of a Martial Soul of the Body?" Everyone couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
Inside Shrek Academy's inner court, during the course on Martial Soul theory, there was a special mention of the second awakening of Martial Souls of the Body.
The most terrifying aspect of a Martial Soul of the Body lay precisely in its second awakening.
Human Martial Souls all awaken at the age of six. At that time, the imprint of the Martial Soul appears on the body, and if one has innate soul power, then one can cultivate to become a soul master.
But the second awakening of a Martial Soul of the Body was something that no other type of Martial Soul possessed.
What is a second awakening? A second awakening refers to the evolution of a Martial Soul. In other words, a Martial Soul of the Body can evolve and elevate itself to another level.
For example, if at its first awakening, a Martial Soul of the Body had abilities comparable to a ground dragon, then after completing its second awakening, it might very well become a true dragon. This was a complete process of qualitative change.
Even among Martial Souls of the Body, there were differences in levels of second awakening. Within the Body Sect, these were divided into four tiers.
After a second awakening, a Martial Soul of the Body would possess the evolutionary ability of its second awakening, and almost always, a phantom image condensed from its Martial Soul would appear behind it. The color of this phantom was the key to distinguishing the effects of the second awakening.
If it carried a black metallic luster, it was called a Black Iron-level second awakening. After this awakening, the Martial Soul's combat power could increase by about thirty percent.
If it shone with a bronze luster, it was called a Bronze-level second awakening. After this awakening, combat power could rise by about sixty percent.
Above that was the extremely rare Silver-level second awakening. This usually appeared only in important parts of the body, such as the torso, head, eyes, and so on. Once completed, when releasing the Martial Soul, combat power could double. Some experts could even temporarily raise their combat power by an entire rank.
And among Martial Souls of the Body, the most terrifying and rarest was the Gold-level second awakening, with a golden phantom behind them. The explosive power of such soul masters was incomparably frightening. When they used their second awakening, their attack power could erupt to one to three times their normal level.
Likewise, the higher the tier of the second awakening, the greater the amplification of the soul master's physical attributes.
Aside from those evil soul masters, only the monsters of the Body Sect could possess soul ring configurations far beyond the conventional. Those with innate second awakenings of Martial Souls of the Body could even fuse a thousand-year soul ring as their very first soul ring. This was partly because the innate second awakening dramatically strengthened their body, and also because of the particular traits of Martial Souls of the Body.
For instance, if someone's Martial Soul was their right arm, then the toughness of that arm would far surpass the rest of their body. When absorbing a soul ring, the primary bearer of the ring's force would be the right arm. Naturally, this allowed them to absorb higher-year soul rings.
Because of this, when Xu Zihuang's first soul ring was a thousand-year one, Elder Xuan and Elder Mu had not paid it too much attention.
They had simply assumed that Xu Zihuang possessed an innate second awakening of the Martial Soul of the Body.
Hearing Xu Zihuang's words now, the chicken leg that Elder Xuan was about to put into his mouth froze in midair, his eyes flashing brilliantly. Having it confirmed from Xu Zihuang's own mouth settled the guess in their hearts.
"What level is your second awakening of the Martial Soul of the Body?"
Under Elder Xuan's lock, Xu Zihuang felt a huge pressure, but his expression quickly returned to calm.
"It should be a Silver-level second awakening."
"What did you say?!" Elder Xuan was immediately excited, looking at Xu Zihuang as if he were gazing at a peerless treasure.
"Hahaha! A Silver-level second awakening of the Martial Soul of the Body. The Academy has truly struck gold!"
A Silver-level second awakening of the Martial Soul of the Body was extremely rare, even within the Body Sect. Only when one reached this level did one have some chance of completing a Gold-level awakening upon breaking through to Title Douluo.
Thankfully, he hadn't been discovered by the Body Sect earlier.
Thinking of this, Elder Xuan felt a burst of relief and ordered the stunned crowd:
"No one is to speak of today's matter. Otherwise, watch out when I start making things difficult for you in the Academy."
"Yes, Elder Xuan." Everyone responded hastily, and the way they looked at Xu Zihuang changed once again.
Wu Ming suddenly thought of something and bluntly asked, "Junior Yu, you're not from the Body Sect, are you?"
"Ming'er, if Tianhuang were from the Body Sect, with such talent, he'd have long been nurtured as the next sect master. How could he possibly have come to our Shrek Academy?" Zhang Lexuan smiled gently. Turning to look at Xu Zihuang, who was even taller than herself, her gaze softened.
She was the third person, besides Elder Mu and Elder Xuan, who knew Xu Zihuang's true origins.
"Senior Sister, I was overthinking." Wu Ming laughed heartily.
"But such a treasure must be kept well hidden. If the Body Sect finds out, they'll surely try to poach him."
"Who could possibly poach from Shrek Academy?" Elder Xuan snorted domineeringly, his words full of confidence.
After learning Xu Zihuang was a Silver-level second awakening, Elder Xuan hesitated, then asked again.
"Are you certain you can absorb this Silver Shadow Beast's soul ring?"
"Elder Xuan, I wouldn't joke with my own life," Xu Zihuang said solemnly.
"Ever since my second awakening, I've felt a force continuously remolding my body. Elder Xuan, my body is stronger than you think. And since I am a spiritual-type soul master, the soul shock from absorbing a ten-thousand-year soul ring has little effect on me."
These words were half-true, but spoken with such certainty that they convinced Elder Xuan.
After all, Shrek Academy's understanding of Martial Souls of the Body was surely less than that of the Body Sect. Whether the Martial Soul of the Body was truly as unique as Xu Zihuang described, Elder Xuan could not be sure.
After some thought, he finally nodded.
With Elder Xuan's agreement, Zhang Lexuan had no objections.
Protected by the group, Xu Zihuang slowly approached the Silver Shadow Beast, extended his right hand, and a dark-red spear shimmering with dazzling radiance condensed into his palm.
With swift precision, he pierced through the Silver Shadow Beast's eye, thrusting into its skull and stirring forcefully.
The unconscious Silver Shadow Beast died instantly without even feeling pain.
A black soul ring quietly rose from its head.
Soul beasts experienced clear leaps in power at ten thousand, thirty thousand, fifty thousand, seventy thousand, and one hundred thousand years.
Though the Silver Shadow Beast was barely considered a second-tier soul beast, it had over thirty-five thousand years of cultivation. When its soul ring appeared, the oppressive pressure surpassed even that of last night's ten-thousand-year Nether Ghost Tiger.
Xu Zihuang dared not be careless. He quickly released his Martial Soul, sat cross-legged before the Silver Shadow Beast, and guided the black soul ring toward himself with his soul power.
Immediately, his spiritual sea quaked violently. An intense spiritual aura poured into his Golden Eyes, rushing straight into his spiritual sea. Within him, his soul power surged turbulently.
The immense spiritual fluctuations, terrifying spiritual force, and soul power impact made Xu Zihuang's body swell with pain, brimming with madness.
His soul power boiled like lava, yet Xu Zihuang remained calm. He controlled his spiritual sea to assimilate the invading spiritual force while guiding his soul power through his meridians.
Although his bones, meridians, and muscles ached and throbbed painfully, his expression did not change. From his turbulent childhood onward, hardship had forged his unyielding character.
Elder Xuan and the others watched closely. After a quarter of an hour, Xu Zihuang's face was still calm. Though silver light flickered across his body and it swelled slightly, he showed no sign of faltering.
Everyone felt a chill of awe.
This was clearly the state of nearing one's limit. The pain endured was unimaginable.
Yet Xu Zihuang did not move, nor did his expression change.
They were all inner court disciples, but who among them could claim to have such composure?
Zhang Lexuan felt it most keenly.
Back when she absorbed her eighth hundred-thousand-year soul ring, she had been in the same state as Xu Zihuang was now. She had needed half a year of rest afterward.
"It's still too much of a strain," Zhang Lexuan sighed inwardly, her eyes filled with concern.
Equally alarmed was the Skydream Iceworm.
In Xu Zihuang's spiritual sea, it condensed its form, its golden eyes glowing as it murmured with emotion:
"Zihuang, you're almost at your limit. Let me seal the remaining soul ring power for you temporarily."
This time, it did not call itself "big brother."
Xu Zihuang conveyed a firm thought to it, then returned to immersing himself in the fusion of the soul ring.
Before starting, he and the Skydream Iceworm had agreed that he would push himself to the brink, and only if he truly could not endure would it intervene.
His persistence was rewarded.
He absorbed and fused the vast majority of the Silver Shadow Beast's soul ring energy. In the end, the Skydream Iceworm only sealed away power equivalent to five thousand years.
In other words, once fusion was complete, his fourth soul ring would wield the strength of a thirty-thousand-year ring.
With the Iceworm's help, the rest of the fusion held no suspense. After enduring the initial torment, the black fourth soul ring gradually branded itself onto his soul and body.
No one knew how much time passed.
Xu Zihuang opened his eyes, sprang up, and stretched forcefully. A powerful sense of strength filled his body. His flexibility increased, and the breakthrough in soul power made his overall strength leap again.
With a thought, golden light surged in his eyes.
Purple, purple, purple, black — four soul rings rose from his feet, and wild soul power swept the field.
Though the Silver Shadow Beast had cultivated for over thirty-five thousand years, after fusing its soul ring, Xu Zihuang's rank only rose by two levels, reaching forty-two.
This showed how difficult it was for Ultimate Martial Souls to increase in rank. Yet, correspondingly, his soul power foundation was much deeper than that of ordinary soul masters.
He was now only rank forty-two, but most Soul Kings likely had less soul power than he did.
Feeling it carefully, Xu Zihuang's heart filled with joy.
As he wished, he obtained the Silver Shadow Beast's Copy skill. But combined with his Golden Eyes Martial Soul, his fourth soul skill possessed even greater advantages.
Only after calming himself did he notice that night had fallen again. Elder Xuan was nowhere in sight.
Zhang Lexuan, Wu Ming, Chu Qingtian, and Ye Liu stood guard by his side.
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