Chapter 3: The Return of Talent

Another hour has passed, and the surging and overwhelming fire energy in the Fire Abyss seems to have dissipated. The previous intense heat can no longer be felt, and even the magma has cooled down due to the thinning of the fire energy.

Although he has not yet fully awakened his original source and fused it with his martial soul, the two are closely related, as if they were one.

Because in the past, the martial soul would forcibly absorb the vital energy for its own use whenever it had gathered enough.

The youth seems to be swearing his return to the heavens, venting the oppression he has endured over the years, as well as the grievances unknown to ordinary people

Originally, he could only draw in a few glimmers of vitality, but now that vitality enveloped him like a thick mist, wrapping him entirely, as if he were draped in a luminous, ethereal garment.

The dual gaze swept away, able to discern some minute details, and the perception has also significantly strengthened

This strike caused the air to emit a series of whooshing sounds, resembling a demon python that has reached the sixth level of body tempering.

To awaken the original source, one must wait until reaching the Yuan Dan realm of cultivation.

Xiao Yun surveyed the surroundings, feeling somewhat bewildered in his heart

Yet this change was brought about by Xiao Yun

The emerald light blossomed, revealing primitive patterns on its surface, as if the chains of the great path enveloped the youth. Subsequently, the emerald branches extended out, piercing into the depths of the fiery sea of magma, beginning to draw forth the immense energy of fire within.

Upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that the branches plunged into the sea of fire have significantly thickened, with one branch even splitting off. After absorbing a substantial amount of this fiery essence, Xiao Yun's martial soul has evidently reaped tremendous benefits

From now on, this humiliation will no longer exist; how could he not be excited

Because his martial soul absorbed his own vitality, Xiao Yun endured for a full eight years, being ridiculed for nearly eight years.

It seemed that in response to Xiao Yun, the *spirit* of the martial soul emitted a resonant hum, indicating its sentience.

Even cultivators at the True Origin Realm can only barely manifest their martial souls, and cannot truly separate them from their bodies

This new leaf possesses a rich vitality of fire. Xiao Yun carefully sensed it and discovered that the tender leaves sprouting from the green branches were displaying a fiery red color, and they were also growing on the newly forked branches.

After collecting the Fire Spirit Flower, Xiao Ling raised her eyebrows and began to climb up the steep cliff

"The flames below are so intense that if I were to fall, I would surely be reduced to ashes." Xiao Yun's body fell towards the abyss, unable to control the downward trend, yet he still tightly held onto a spiritual flower in his palm, unwilling to let go

Xiao Yun was filled with excitement and could not help but let out a long howl towards the sky

In this abyss, flames burst forth, among which a cluster of emerald light shines brilliantly, appearing particularly dazzling

"My martial soul can absorb my sister's cold energy, it can also neutralize deadly poison, and now it can absorb the vitality of fire. Could it be that it can absorb all the vitality of heaven and earth?" With this thought, Xiao Yun's heart raced wildly.

This sudden discovery excited Xiao Yun

Bang

In this way, one will not delay their own cultivation any longer

Finally, as the magma completely cooled, the sea of fire transformed into a stretch of red rock. Only then did Xiao Yun's martial soul emerge from within, flashing with brilliance before merging into his sea of consciousness, reestablishing its roots deep within the chaos, and everything returned to normal

At the moment when Xiao Yun passed away, the heartless martial soul was buzzing incessantly, appearing exceedingly excited

After waiting for a moment, the martial soul showed no signs of movement, seemingly having no intention of absorbing this vital energy

Most importantly, Xiao Yun learned from this incident that martial souls can be upgraded by absorbing the vast vitality from the elemental veins through diagrams and books

"Why am I not dead?" Xiao Yun was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at the green branch still embedded in the lava. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, revealing a face full of astonishment. "Is this martial soul absorbing the fire energy from the flames?"

This sudden change left Xiao Yun in a state of astonishment. Has the martial soul separated from the body?

Dong!

At this point, Xiao Yun's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down

"Today, I will catch you to make soup, so that I can nourish my sister." With a swift strike, Xiao Yun seized the opportunity to leap forward like a lemur, his hand transforming into a claw, and he actually tore the fire python apart, completely killing it.

As he approached the summit of the mountain, he appeared particularly vigilant

Under the pressure of the fierce wind, Xiao Yun's body tilted, his palm slid, and he lost his balance, falling towards the fiery abyss

After a while, the martial soul remained silent. Xiao Yun's mind sank into the sea of consciousness, sensing the martial soul

Is this the benefit brought by the advancement of the martial soul? Xiao Yun was taken aback by this sudden surprise

Time has swiftly passed, and night has already fallen. The void is adorned with twinkling stars, and the night breeze occasionally sweeps in.

It was merely a span of one hour, yet he felt that he had already reached the pinnacle of the seventh level of body tempering

After venting his emotions, Xiao Yun composed himself. Upon seeing that the Fire Spirit Flower was still held in the palm of his hand, a smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of his mouth, "Fortunately, the Fire Spirit Flower has not been destroyed because of this. This time, I have finally reaped a bountiful harvest"

After making these discoveries, Xiao Yun was no longer astonished and began to allow the martial soul to absorb the nearby fire elemental energy

A strange cry echoed out as the fire python that ambushed Xiao Yun yesterday appeared, swinging its tail once again.

Martial Soul! The scorching flames surged forth, and at this critical moment, Xiao Yun quickly calmed down. He focused his senses, activated his Martial Soul, and attempted to drive the azure branch into the rock wall above to halt the downward trend.

Upon checking, he found that not only was he uninjured, but his vitality and spirit seemed to have become even stronger.

Do you really not want this vitality? Although the martial soul and oneself are originally one entity, they cannot truly empathize due to the lack of a fundamental awakening for complete integration. Therefore, one can only inquire and probe the intentions of the martial soul through the mind.

Am I still alive?" Xiao Yun scanned the surroundings with a look of astonishment on his face

As long as I can cultivate normally, I will definitely not be inferior to others. The young man stood at the mountain peak, his fists tightly clenched, gazing into the void with a resolute expression on his face, and a glimmer of hope blossomed in his eyes

After this discovery, the anxiety in Xiao Yun's heart completely dissipated, and he began to examine his own body

Such oppressive feelings are unbearable for an ordinary person, let alone a child

"Hmph, I almost died at your hands yesterday. Do you still want to act recklessly today?" Xiao Yun's gaze sharpened, and he did not panic. He grasped a rock with one hand while the other hand swiftly struck downwards, aiming a fierce palm at the serpent's tail.

From a young age, he imagined that one day, when the martial soul no longer drained his vitality, he would be able to restore his talents. For this, he waited a full eight years, practicing diligently every day, all for the arrival of this moment, which has finally come to fruition

Is it because the martial soul has absorbed a large amount of fire essence, and no longer requires my meager essence? Xiao Yun's mind turned, and in order to verify his thoughts, he began to draw upon the essence of heaven and earth in place, wanting to test the martial soul

Under the influence of Xiao Yun's thoughts, the martial soul in his sea of consciousness, the Azure Light, blossomed. A branch materialized in the palm of his hand, radiating brilliant azure light. Just as he was about to control the martial soul to penetrate the rock wall, the emerald branch trembled, emitting a joyful humming sound. Following this, the martial soul's light patterns, which were still embedded in Xiao Yun's sea of consciousness, flickered and unexpectedly emerged from the center of his brow

The martial soul detached from the body, and the azure light blossomed, embodying vibrant vitality. The dazzling radiance unfolded, renewing this realm and filling it with an inexplicable energy. Following closely, the martial soul took root in Xiao Yun's forehead, emanating intricate patterns that enveloped his entire being. It was at this moment that the young man's body had already plummeted into the abyss

The martial soul can only be separated from the body when one awakens their true essence, and this can only be achieved when the cultivator is completely fused with the martial soul

The azure light enveloped Xiao Yun as he plunged into the fiery abyss. Before he could fully submerge, a wave of flames surged from below, engulfing him entirely. The immense force of the impact left the young man dizzy and unconscious.

A dull sound echoed, and the fire python was directly knocked away, crashing violently against the mountainside

Now, the enhancement of the martial soul will also bring him tremendous benefits

Now he is enveloped in a green light, with a green branch rooted in the center of his brow. His entire body remains acutely aware, clearly indicating that he is still alive. However, when he looks around, he finds himself still in that sea of fire, which astonishes him

The peak of the Sevenfold Body Refinement is indeed formidable, even this Fire Python cannot withstand it. The sensation brought by such power greatly satisfied Xiao Yun, as he seized the Fire Python, which was as thick as a thigh, and agilely climbed to the summit of the mountain

With a single strike, a fierce wind was generated, and the powerful force shattered the nearby rocks

The entire Fire Abyss underwent a tremendous transformation in just one day

Hmph

The majestic fire energy was drawn and absorbed by the verdant branches, and the nearby sea of flames surprisingly calmed under the azure patterns emitted by the martial soul, no longer raging violently, but instead becoming docile like a sheep, as if it had encountered its nemesis

Yesterday, this place was still a scene of calamity, yet in the blink of an eye, it has transformed into this. If spoken of, it is sure to incite a commotion

Indeed, with the advancement of his martial soul, the speed at which he absorbs the essence of heaven and earth has increased by more than ten times

At this moment, he was not engaged in cultivation, but began to wait for the movement of the martial soul

If this is the case, it will not be difficult for his martial soul to advance

This is ... ... '' Xiao Yun was momentarily taken aback, sensing it and then surprisingly discovering that he had inexplicably achieved a breakthrough, having already stepped into the seventh level of body refinement. Thus, the realm he had stagnated in for nearly eight years was finally able to advance.

After the martial soul penetrated into the sea of consciousness, Xiao Yun's body suddenly trembled, as if his meridians had been connected. A rich essence of energy entered his dantian, and a long-lost sense of strength surged into all the muscles of his body, a power that seemed even stronger than the sixth level of body refinement

As the thought settled, Xiao Yun took a closer look and, upon discovering that his martial soul had already sprouted a branch and produced a crimson tender leaf, his heart began to race even more intensely. This change evidently confirmed his conjecture!

"To hell with you, what exactly do you want to do?" Upon encountering the martial soul that did not heed his commands, Xiao Yun's face was filled with bitterness, "It's one thing to drain my vitality, but now you want to jeopardize my life? How is it that I awakened such an extraordinary martial soul?"

This time, he can be said to have gained a great deal

"Do you really not want the energy within me?" This discovery left Xiao Yun both pleasantly surprised and somewhat confused. He had clearly been looking forward to this moment, yet now he felt a bit at a loss, as if he found it hard to believe this was happening.

As the bright moon sank in the west, a hint of fish's monologue began to emerge on the distant horizon. When the warm sunlight enveloped the earth, the youth wrapped in emerald light slowly awakened. Upon opening his eyes, he was momentarily taken aback