In the Pope's Hall of the Martial Soul City,
Bibi Dong stood holding a scepter in the council hall, with Yue Guan by her side.
"Have you found out?" Bibi Dong asked in a deep voice.
"Yes, I have," Yue Guan nodded, "Miss previously used the connections of the Martial Soul Hall while in Tian Dou City to investigate a Soul Master named 'Su Cheng'. It was only shortly before returning to Martial Soul City a few years ago that she obtained specific information about this person. Her decision to abandon the mission this time should have a lot to do with him."
At this point, Yue Guan paused slightly, observing Bibi Dong's expression.
He remembered this name.
Bibi Dong had mentioned it once before, a long time ago.
Although back then it was just in passing, there was an inexplicable familiarity with this name, so he had kept it in mind.
Bibi Dong's expression indeed changed.
"She found this person?"
"Yes, she did, but..."
At this point, Yue Guan's expression was slightly puzzled, "That Su Cheng is now less than thirteen years old. When Miss began investigating with the help of the Martial Soul Hall, that child had just awakened his Martial Soul not long ago."
"Less than thirteen years old?"
Bibi Dong was taken aback.
"Tell me more about his situation."
"Alright."
...
In the Sunset Forest, Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eyes.
"Are you ready?"
Su Cheng looked at the spiritual body, Ah Yin, standing in front of him.
It had been over a year since he last absorbed the soul bones and met Ah Yin for a conversation.
The time until the start of the Soul Master Grand Competition was also not far off.
His cultivation had also made tremendous progress under the slow infusion of the immense energy of the hundred-thousand-year soul bone. Coupled with the optimized Nirvana Scripture for auxiliary cultivation, he had now reached the forty-ninth level, just one step away from advancing to a Soul King.
Su Cheng sat cross-legged on the ground, the Martial Soul Eternal Sword lying across his knees, and the Five Elements Domain spreading out to cover the surroundings.
The Five Elements Domain had undergone considerable changes compared to before.
Not only did it consume very little soul power, but it was also easier to control. Whenever Su Cheng was within the domain, he even had a feeling of "I am the world," with the speed of conversion between attributes increasing by more than one level.
If applied in battle, whether it was suppressing enemies or enhancing his own state, it was far beyond what he could achieve in the past.
All of this undoubtedly benefited from Ah Yin becoming the spirit of the Eternal Sword, which brought about enhancements to the operation of the Five Elements attributes.
Su Cheng felt that after attaching the fifth soul ring to the Eternal Sword, his domain would further improve, perhaps not inferior to the effects of the domains used by Soul Saints in their Martial Soul True Body state.
It was not only Su Cheng who benefited from this; Ah Yin also gained significantly.
Now, when she manifested her form, she could no longer be called a "soul body" but rather a "spirit body" would be more appropriate.
With Su Cheng's permission, she could already utilize a trace of Five Elements soul power to manifest in front of people.
However, compared to a real person, there were still significant differences.
Her body was slightly transparent, her aura fluctuated violently, and even an ordinary person could see that something was off about her just by looking with the naked eye.
At this moment, what Su Cheng was preparing to do was to use the power of the Five Elements, his own blood, and the essence of plants to build a simple temporary "physical body" for A Yin, based on the Nirvana Scripture.
It was called a physical body, but in reality, it was just a more realistic embodiment of her spiritual body.
But even so, in front of Soul Masters with lower cultivation levels, who couldn't reach the level of a Titled Douluo in spiritual power, she could still appear no different from an ordinary person.
In this way, not only could she move relatively freely, but more importantly, perhaps she could transform her nature from a "sword spirit" to a "sword spirit plus domain spirit," deepening Su Cheng's control over the domain.
If he failed, it didn't matter much; this was mostly an experimental attempt, which could help him gain a deeper understanding of his own martial soul and soul power.
After hearing Su Cheng's question, Ah Yin nodded silently, her expression seeming unnatural.
The next moment, a faint golden light radiated from Su Cheng's forehead.
His field of vision also changed accordingly.
The fair body once again appeared before his eyes.
But this time, Ah Yin seemed to be on guard. One arm was raised to cover her chest, while the other was placed below her abdomen.
Obviously, in the past year, Su Cheng had done similar things more than once.
Su Cheng didn't linger too much on this beautiful sight; his gaze delved deeper.
Ah Yin's abnormal skeletal meridians and muscle tissues were all displayed before his eyes.
Under the influence of multiple factors such as the Five Elements Domain, the hundred-thousand-year soul bone, and the approaching Soul King cultivation, the duration of his True Vision had greatly extended.
But even so, he didn't dare to waste any time.
Su Cheng's actions were non-stop. He used the Eternal Sword to cut open his palm, and blood gushed out, quickly dyeing the sword blade crimson.
Then, a large amount of plant essence, which had been laid out on the ground earlier, rose into the air, slowly condensing into a human form.
During this process, blood continued to flow, and Su Cheng's complexion became increasingly pale, his breath rapidly weakening.
After about ten minutes, Su Cheng's palm trembled, and the Eternal Sword's Martial Soul dissipated, the light on his forehead also dimming.
Su Cheng sighed heavily, closed his eyes, and concentrated his mind.
"Did it fail?"
"No, it succeeded."
Su Cheng took out a bottle of potion and poured it into his mouth, using soul power to activate the medicinal effect, while saying, "It's probably formed enough now. The rest will evolve naturally."
"It actually..."
Ah Yi stared at the still unformed "body," feeling a mix of emotions.
Although the body taking shape before her was just a hollow shell, with only simple meridians and bones, its strength was far inferior to an average person's.
According to Su Cheng's previous life, it was more like a "silicone doll"—it was his limit.
But at least it was a "body" she could inhabit. For Ah Yi, this undoubtedly exceeded her initial expectations.
Thinking of this, she glanced again at the pale Su Cheng, feeling complex emotions.
Compared to the past, the current Ah Yi seemed much more mature.
Although the transformation took a long time, her past level of thinking was actually quite simple due to her living environment.
"Why, did you really think I did all this just to see your body?" Su Cheng said casually, regaining some of his vigor as he opened his eyes.
Hearing such blunt words, Ah Yi was clearly taken aback.
Her face instantly flushed red, and she bit her lip inwardly.
Yet, she couldn't help but grow even more curious about Su Cheng.
After hesitating for a moment, she tentatively asked, "How did you do it? You're still so young, why do you know so much..."
She had actually been suspicious of this matter for a long time.
Combined with what Su Cheng had said about her "son" Tang San's situation in the past, although she never admitted it verbally, she had already believed it in her heart. That was why she felt that Su Cheng was not quite right.
After spending such a long time with him, she had gained considerable insight into Su Cheng.
She knew that if he didn't want her to know something, he would straightforwardly say it, but wouldn't deceive her with words.
Upon hearing Ah Yi's questioning, Su Cheng glanced at her.
"It's surprising that you waited so long to ask. But, aren't you afraid I might imprison you for a lifetime? Daring to inquire about such secrets?"
Ah Yi fell silent for a moment before coldly snorting, "You didn't plan to let me go in the first place, did you? Otherwise, why would you be willing to create this body for me?"
"You've got it wrong. I can't let you go now because my own strength is insufficient, and many secrets cannot be known to others. You know too much, and I'm afraid you might leak it out," Su Cheng said as he stood up, indifferently. "Besides, that Tang Hao, I can't currently surpass him. If I become invincible in the future, letting you go wouldn't be a problem."
Ah Yi was taken aback by his words.
She knew that Su Cheng had never held Tang Hao in high regard, but she didn't expect him to so openly admit that he couldn't match Tang Hao in strength.
"Weren't you always thinking that Tang Hao was nothing special? Why are you saying this now?"
"Recognizing one's own shortcomings is nothing to be ashamed of. If someone can't even recognize their own strength and weaknesses, they probably won't survive long in this world," Su Cheng said with a glance at A Yi, somewhat exasperated.
"And I don't like Tang Hao not because of his strength, but because of his intelligence and temperament. As for his strength, I've never said he's weak; he just can't compare to the Martial Soul Hall."
These words left Ah Yi momentarily speechless.
In her eyes, Su Cheng was different from many people in this world.
No, to be precise, he was different from everyone.
In terms of cultivation, all those conventional things, like the limits of soul rings, rules of soul power operation, and techniques for using soul skills, he seemed to ignore them entirely.
In addition to this, in his eyes, the Martial Soul Hall, the two empires, the top three sects, and even the lower four sects were all the same; they were all enemies of his soul beast race.
The reason why the top three sects kept a low profile was simply because of their lack of strength, not because they were of a different faction.
But these things were not very clear to her.
Although some of his words seemed reasonable, Ah Yi was actually very resistant to hearing such remarks.
Because as she encountered more and more of these things, she found that many of her original beliefs were slowly being shaken.
At this moment, she heard Su Cheng speak again.
"To be honest, whether intentional or unintentional, you have indeed helped me a lot. Whether it's this soul bone or your own existence, your contributions have far exceeded my initial expectations.
"As for the question you just asked..."
Su Cheng glanced at Ah Yin.
"Actually, my situation is somewhat different from Tang San's, but I can't figure out the specifics myself right now. Just consider me in a similar situation.
"Now, enough with the chatter. Go and try out your new body."
Ah Yin was pondering the deeper meaning behind Su Cheng's words just now when she heard his reminder, she suddenly remembered the matter of her body and hurriedly prepared to enter it to feel it out.
But just as she took a few steps forward, she suddenly realized something.
She quickly turned to Su Cheng and said, "You turn around first."
Su Cheng seemed somewhat surprised at her words. "Haven't you already gotten used to it?"
Hearing this, Ah Yin felt a surge of anger rising within her.
But soon, her face turned pale, and she looked bewildered.
She had indeed started to get used to it.
Su Cheng didn't pay attention to the changes in Ah Yin's expression at this moment.
He said indifferently, "Have you ever thought that you chose Tang Hao in the first place because you had already gotten used to it?"