"No... don't... kill... me." In a forest, a man fell to the ground, frantically crawling backward with his hands, terror in his eyes as he looked at the dark figure slowly approaching him. Fear had consumed him entirely. Despite being a Spirit Master, he couldn't muster any strength; his limbs were cold as ice.
"Relax, and become my power." Eight sharp blades pierced the Spirit Master's body, lifting him off the ground. The blades stabbed straight through his body.
"Aaahhh…"
"Mmm~"
As he felt the spirit power and life force enter his body, the figure hidden beneath a black robe let out a satisfied sound.
The Spirit Master's voice grew weaker and weaker until it faded completely.
After absorbing all the energy from the corpse, the dark figure disdainfully flung the now withered body away, which rolled across the ground like garbage before coming to a stop against a tree.
"Almost there... just a little longer…" The dark figure disappeared back into the shadows, like a hunter waiting for the next prey.
...
Tianwen Academy
"Get up! With the strength you have now, do you still dream of winning the championship? You're just delusional." Casually strolling among seven people, Gu Yi looked down at the seven youths sprawled on the ground beside him.
"Zhu Zhuqing, don't you want to break free from your family's shackles? But look at you now." Gu Yi squatted beside Zhu Zhuqing, mocking her.
"Keep going."
Zhu Zhuqing endured the pain in her abdomen and took advantage of Gu Yi's pause to launch a sharp-clawed attack at him. Her speed was much faster than that of an ordinary Spirit Master.
"Oh, you've got a plan, but unfortunately, you're too slow, and your control over spirit power is too weak."
Zhu Zhuqing's claws stopped three inches from Gu Yi's face, seemingly blocked by something invisible, unable to go any further.
Gu Yi's comment wasn't directed at her but rather at Ma Hongjun, who had suddenly attacked.
Ma Hongjun's flames had become more explosive and much hotter. However, while the power increased, his control decreased. This was inevitable, no matter who it was.
Gu Yi took a step and instantly appeared beside Ma Hongjun, giving him a light push on his rounded belly. In an instant, Ma Hongjun was sent flying as if struck by immense force, crashing into the academy wall and involuntarily coughing up blood.
Gu Yi didn't play favorites; he dealt Zhu Zhuqing a similar blow, leaving her with no strength to retaliate.
"Look at yourselves, weak, disorganized, you can't even take a hit."
"Isn't Gu Yi going too far?" Shao Xin asked Zhao Wuji, watching the seven battered youths. Zhao Wuji, who hadn't been trained in a traditional academy but had fought his way up with his Martial Spirit and talent, didn't find this training excessive.
However, he acknowledged that it might be too much for students. Healing takes time, and with Oscar and the others at a critical point in their training, injuries could slow their progress, making it counterproductive.
Zhao Wuji chose not to intervene, believing that Gu Yi wouldn't harm the students unnecessarily and must have his own reasons.
"I'm sure Gu Yi knows what he's doing."
Just then, a flame appeared in Gu Yi's hand, which he tossed toward Zhu Zhuqing, the closest person to him.
"What kind of fire is that?" As a support-type Spirit Master, Shao Xin could sense the powerful life force and healing energy within the flame.
Before it could reach Zhu Zhuqing, the flame split into seven, with six smaller flames flying toward the others, while the main flame continued toward Zhu Zhuqing's forehead.
"What is this?" Zhu Zhuqing didn't understand the flame, but she could feel it healing her wounds rather than harming her. In just a short time, the pain in her abdomen had eased considerably.
The others also noticed that their bodies were healing rapidly.
Ma Hongjun, who was accustomed to fire, especially the Phoenix flames infused with Nirvana's flame, recognized it well. However, he didn't possess such a miraculous healing ability.
One by one, the seven youths began to stand up.
"Wow, Gu Yi, you can heal too?" Oscar exclaimed as he stood up, amazed by Gu Yi's abilities. Gu Yi was already incredibly powerful, and now with healing abilities, it seemed almost unfair.
The others looked at Gu Yi in awe. Was there anything this man couldn't do?
"Gu Yi, is there anything you can't do?" Ning Rongrong asked curiously, amazed at how versatile he was.
"I can't have babies," Gu Yi joked, a rare lighthearted moment among the group. He now had the mindset of a typical fifteen-year-old, no longer as serious as before. Seeing their shocked expressions, he brought them back to reality with a harsh truth.
"Starting today, if you're not dead, you train to the death." Now that Gu Yi could control the Nirvana flame with ease, it would be a great aid in their training. There was no need to worry about injuries or wasting time.
"Ah!"
Gu Yi was pleased with their reactions. Watching his students improve brought him joy. All the academies were intensifying their training, especially the top-ranked ones, eager to advance in the upcoming Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament.
This year, Gu Yi's Pure Yuan Gong and meridian theories had shocked the entire Spirit Master world. Especially those students with high comprehension but weak Martial Spirits, who made rapid progress after learning the Pure Yuan Technique.
The nobles realized that a great beast was sharpening its teeth, ready to snap their necks.
....
Spirit Hall
Bibi Dong, with her exceptional talent, understood that the Pure Yuan Gong Gu Yi had given her wasn't the most precious gift. The accompanying meridian theories were far more valuable. She knew that the Pure Yuan Gong was just the most basic method in Gu Yi's repertoire.
From her interactions with Gu Yi, Bibi Dong didn't believe he was the kind of person who would willingly give everything to the world. The meridian theories alone were already immensely rewarding, but creating a new technique based on them was nearly impossible.
"It seems I still need to find him." Bibi Dong looked out of the Pope's Palace with a complex expression.
"Your Holiness, the matter regarding Tang San has been investigated. He is indeed a twin Martial Spirit user and most likely a descendant of Tang Hao. However, he has been missing for the past few months and hasn't reappeared." The spy, kneeling on the ground, couldn't stop trembling as the atmosphere grew colder.
"I see. You may leave."
The spy felt the oppressive aura lift from his body and quickly retreated from the Pope's Palace.
In the vast hall, a ghostly voice echoed.
"Yu Xiaogang, you really are..."
(End Of Chapter)