"Xing Jue pays his respects to Elder Cang!" Xing Jue was no fool. He immediately guessed the elderly man's identity, knelt down on the ground, and said respectfully.
"Haha, there's no need to stand on ceremony! Quickly, get up, get up!" Seeing that Xing Jue had actually knelt down, Elder Cang hurriedly helped him up. His eyes were filled with kindness, as if he were an elder looking at his own junior.
Xiao Qian, who saw the close interaction between them, smiled happily from the sidelines.
After a long chat, Xing Jue finally understood. This elderly man was actually one of the elders from back then, an elder of the Soul Eater Clan! After the Soul Eater Clan suffered the calamity that almost wiped them out, this elder had led a group, including Xiao Qian, to protect the young members of their clan and escape.
However, because there was a traitor amongst their ranks who had leaked their whereabouts, their group had eventually been caught, and this elder had been killed. However, his soul had managed to escape amidst the chaos and had eventually ended up here.
Although he had successfully escaped, Elder Cang's soul had been severely injured. Because of this, his strength had continuously declined, and by now, he had fallen to the Middle Stage Martial God level. He was only one level higher than Xiao Qian.
"I can't believe Elder Cang's strength has declined to this level! I remember back then, Elder Cang was…" Xiao Qian felt a pang in her heart when she heard that Elder Cang's strength had regressed to such an extent.
"Alas, it's best not to dwell on what happened back then. Just being alive now is fortunate enough. More importantly, in my lifetime, I was lucky enough to see a descendant of our clan with my own eyes! This is a stroke of luck amidst all the misfortune!" Saying this, Elder Cang smiled and looked at Xing Jue.
"I've also heard of the Soul Locking Curse before. Back then, most of our clansmen's souls perished after being struck by it! Elder Cang, you're truly amazing to have been able to hold on for so long!" Xiao Qian said after listening to Elder Cang's words.
The Soul Locking Curse was an extremely vicious technique. Once a Soul Body was struck by it, their Soul Power would rapidly dissipate until, ultimately, they met their demise.
"The only reason I've been able to live until now is because of the power of the Spirit Soul! Otherwise, I would have died just like the other members of our clan, my soul completely exhausted!" Elder Cang said with a faint smile.
"Spirit Soul? What is that?" Xing Jue asked in puzzlement. This was the first time he had ever heard of a "Spirit Soul"!
"Haha, Xing Jue, you know about Souls and Beast Souls, right?" Elder Cang asked with a smile.
"Of course." Xing Jue nodded. The soul was unique to each human being and the Soul Body, such as Elder Cang, was pure soul energy. As for Beast Souls, he was naturally familiar with them. It was only the Spirit Soul that he had never heard of before.
"A Spirit Soul is rarer and more precious than both a Soul and a Beast Soul."
"A Spirit Soul is not born from a human body, nor is it born from a beast. It is born from within heaven and earth. In the Tianwu Continent, Spirit Souls are extremely rare in existence."
"Each Spirit Soul possesses terrifying Soul Power. Back then, our Soul Eater Clan had a collection of three Spirit Souls. Two of them were refined by the experts of our clan right before the great battle."
"This one was the one I brought out with me. If it wasn't for the Soul Power within this Spirit Soul, I would have long since died from the Soul Locking Curse." Elder Cang said slowly, his words laced with lingering fear.
With that said, he reached into his body and pulled out a lotus-shaped object. This was the Spirit Soul!
The Spirit Soul was light blue and shaped like a blooming lotus. It was about the size of a palm, and faint light blue gas swirled around it.
Although the gas seemed thin and weak, Xing Jue could sense an incomparably powerful Soul Power emanating from it.
"This is the Spirit Soul?" Xing Jue could not help but stare at the Spirit Soul in Elder Cang's hand. Such powerful Soul Power! If he could refine it, his Soul Power would soar to unimaginable heights!
"It's a pity that our clan's treasured Soul Eater Secret Technique is lost. Otherwise, Xing Jue could refine this Spirit Soul after learning it," Elder Cang said with a tinge of regret on his face.
"Hehe, Elder Cang, are you talking about something like this?" Hearing Elder Cang's words, Xing Jue chuckled. With a flick of his wrist, a black book appeared in his hand.
"Soul Eater Secret Technique? My heavens! It really is the Soul Eater Secret Technique! This is amazing! Amazing!" When Elder Cang saw the book in Xing Jue's hands, he immediately snatched it and began flipping through it. When he confirmed that it was indeed the Soul Eater Secret Technique, he burst out laughing in excitement.
"R-Reporting…Elder Cang, b-back then, during the chaos, I…I took the Soul Eater Secret Technique…and hid it," Xiao Qian said somewhat timidly. The Soul Eater Secret Technique was after all, their clan's most treasured treasure. She had committed a grave offense by stealing and hiding it.
Although the Soul Eater Clan was no more, Xiao Qian could not help but feel fear course through her upon recalling the clan's glory days.
"Haha, Xiao Qian, there's no need to be afraid! In fact, I should thank you! If not for you, our clan's treasured cultivation technique would have been lost to this world!" Elder Cang said with a smile. He could sense Xiao Qian's anxiety.
"Th-Thank you, Elder Cang," Xiao Qian heaved a sigh of relief and broke into a happy smile.
"Xing Jue, have you cultivated the Soul Eater Secret Technique before?" Elder Cang turned towards Xing Jue and asked with a smile on his face.
"Reporting to Elder Cang, Young Master Xing Jue has not only cultivated the Soul Eater Secret Technique, he has even relied on his astonishing talent to break through to the Soul Healing level."
"In fact, the reason why we came here this time was to find a way to help Young Master Xing Jue cultivate the Soul Eater Secret Technique further."
"Now that Elder Cang is here, that would be perfect!" Before Xing Jue could even answer, Xiao Qian cried out in excitement. It could be that she was simply too happy that Elder Cang did not blame her for stealing the Soul Eater Secret Technique.
"You girl..." Elder Cang looked at Xiao Qian meaningfully and let out a chuckle. Clearly, he was not surprised that Xiao Qian knew about the Soul Eater Secret Technique.
"Xing Jue, from today onwards, I will personally guide you in cultivating the Soul Eater Secret Technique. Mastering the Soul Eater Secret Technique is not an easy task. Your talent is indeed very important, but you will also have to endure a lot of hardship. Are you prepared for this?" Elder Cang asked Xing Jue pointedly.
"Yes! I'm willing to endure any hardship as long as I can become stronger," Xing Jue said resolutely. His words were filled with conviction.
"Good! From tomorrow onwards, I will begin teaching you the Soul Eater Secret Technique! Hahaha…" Elder Cang was clearly very satisfied with Xing Jue's attitude and laughed heartily.
The next morning, deep in the Ancient Mountains, Xing Jue began cultivating the Soul Eater Secret Technique under Elder Cang's guidance.
"Xing Jue, the first thing you need to train is Soul Defense. In battle, good defense is the best foundation. Now, mix your Soul Power and Martial Qi, and focus it on your chest." Elder Cang stood in front of Xing Jue and explained.
Xing Jue quickly did as he was told…
"Are you ready?" Elder Cang asked.
"Yes." Xing Jue nodded in response.
"Bang!" At that moment, Elder Cang suddenly thrust his palm forward, striking Xing Jue's chest! The strong Soul Power sent Xing Jue flying. He landed on the ground with a heavy thud and coughed out a mouthful of blood. He had clearly suffered a serious injury.
"Your defense is not strong enough. Heal yourself with Soul Healing. Come back when you are completely healed," Elder Cang said sternly, his face expressionless despite seeing Xing Jue coughing up blood.
Xing Jue wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and used Soul Healing to treat the injury on his chest.
When his wounds were no longer life-threatening, Xing Jue went before Elder Cang, and said, "Elder Cang, I'm ready."
"Bang!" Seeing Xing Jue standing in front of him once again, Elder Cang showed no mercy. He thrust his palm out once more. Once again, Xing Jue was sent flying back from the force of the blow. This time, however, he did not vomit a large mouthful of blood. Instead, a small trickle of blood slowly seeped out from the corner of his mouth.
Seeing that his defenses were actually effective, Xing Jue continued to train diligently. This form of cultivation, which was almost like self-mutilation, went on for an entire week! Finally, after a week, Xing Jue was able to withstand Elder Cang's palm without suffering serious injuries!
Afterward, Xing Jue began Soul Attack training and Soul Movement training. The training became increasingly difficult and agonizing as time passed. After three months of cruel training, Xing Jue finally mastered all three soul techniques. Now, all that was left was the final technique, Soul Burst!
However, Elder Cang did not immediately make him start training the Soul Burst technique. Instead, he instructed Xing Jue to focus on cultivating his cultivation technique and try to break through to the Martial King level.
Naturally, Xing Jue followed Elder Cang's instructions. Every day, he diligently cultivated his cultivation technique, absorbing the rich Martial Qi of the Ancient Mountains. After a month of such training, one day, Xing Jue finally broke through the Martial Lord level and reached the Martial King level that he had always dreamed of!
"I broke through! I broke through! Haha, I broke through!" Xing Jue ran excitedly to the cave and announced his breakthrough to Elder Cang and Xiao Qian, who were chatting.
"Yes, that's good. A few days earlier than I had expected," Seeing that Xing Jue had actually reached the Martial King level, Elder Cang smiled and said. Then, he brought Xing Jue back to the place where he had been training.
"Xing Jue, do you know why I didn't make you start Soul Burst training previously?" Elder Cang asked with a smile on his face.
"I don't really know…Please enlighten me, Elder." Xing Jue shook his head.
"Soul Burst is the most advanced form of Soul Control in the Soul Eater Secret Technique. If one were to successfully cultivate it, it's possible for a Low Stage Martial King, for example, to instantly raise their power to that of a Middle Stage Martial King!"
"However, such a powerful technique is difficult to cultivate. The difficulty in cultivating it is several times greater than all previous forms of training you've undergone combined! That is why it is practically impossible to cultivate Soul Burst without first reaching the Martial King level." Elder Cang explained to Xing Jue.
Xing Jue smiled and nodded in understanding.
"Well then! Soul Burst is essentially a combination of the Soul Defense, Soul Attack, and Soul Movement techniques you've already mastered. Try using all three techniques together at the same time," Elder Cang said slowly to Xing Jue.
"Alright!" Xing Jue responded before doing as he was told. However, after a short while, he said, somewhat frustratedly, "It's so difficult. I can't do it!"
"Haha, that's to be expected! To achieve Soul Burst, the body must first be subjected to extreme stimulation. Only then can one unleash Soul Burst! What comes next is what you must truly endure!" Elder Cang said slowly. Then, with a wave of his sleeve, a peculiar water tank appeared.
"Alright! Go fetch a few buckets of water and fill this tank. Wake me up after it's full." Elder Cang instructed. Then, he plopped down on a nearby rock and drifted off to sleep.
"You're kidding, right? This is the training? This is too easy!" Xing Jue mumbled under his breath. He walked up to the strange water tank, reached out, and wrapped his arms around it.
"Up!" With a grunt, Xing Jue channeled all of his Martial Qi into his arms! However, to his surprise, even with all of his strength, the tank did not budge!
"Heavens! What kind of tank is this?!" Xing Jue collapsed weakly onto the ground. He stared helplessly at the unmoving tank. He had originally planned to carry the tank to the water source and then carry it back when it was filled with water.
However, he never expected the seemingly ordinary tank to be so heavy! Left with no choice, Xing Jue could only go back into the cave and find two buckets. Then, he made his way to the water source.
"Hehe…" Elder Cang, who had been pretending to be asleep, peeked open one eye. He stole a glance at Xing Jue and let out a sly chuckle.