Yellow Soul

"Have I succeeded?" 

Yeh Tian stood up from the bathtub, feeling an indescribable sense of comfort wash over him as he stretched his body, though a wave of inexplicable confusion lingered in his heart. 

Aside from the pleasant sensation, he experienced no discomfort or other reactions; it felt remarkably similar to before. 

"It seems like I've gained a lot of strength!" He casually threw a few punches, frowning as he began to sense the uniqueness of his devouring constitution. 

However, he realized that he wouldn't know its true utility until he tested it. With this thought in mind, Yeh Tian's gaze flickered, and he hurriedly changed into a fresh set of clothes before rushing out of his home. 

"Tian'er, you haven't had breakfast yet! Where are you going?" Lin Mei called after his departing figure. 

"Mother, I won't be back for lunch," Yeh Tian shouted back while running. 

"This child…" Lin Mei shook her head, unconcerned; after all, Yeh Tian had never been one to stay home for long, and she had grown accustomed to it. 

The familiar waterfall came into view as Yeh Tian dashed forward, eager to find the spot where he buried the blood-clothed warriors. He quickly dug into the soil, revealing the body of a blood-clothed warrior. 

The corpse's face was still pale, and its wide-open eyes stared blankly at Yeh Tian, filled with despair and unwillingness. 

"Amitabha, why are you looking at me? It's not like I killed you. Since you're dead, rather than let your soul dissipate into the void, you might as well let me devour it." 

Yeh Tian murmured as he reached out and closed the warrior's eyes with a gentle stroke. 

"I need to find a quiet place; who knows how long it will take to devour a soul!" He hoisted the corpse onto his shoulder and scanned the surroundings before running in a chosen direction, knowing a secluded cave was not far ahead. 

In no time, a small cave hidden among the trees appeared before Yeh Tian. With a swift motion, he entered the cave. 

Once inside, he placed the blood-clothed warrior's body down and took out the sheepskin scroll to review the crucial points about soul devouring once more. 

"Great Balarta, don't you dare fool me, or I, Yeh Tian, will haunt you as a ghost!" 

He muttered under his breath before sitting cross-legged before the corpse. He retrieved the warrior's blood knife and cut open the fabric, exposing the chest covered in a thick mat of hair. 

"Such a thick mane? Clearly a closet exhibitionist!" Yeh Tian paused for a moment before making a decisive cut, opening a long gash from which blood gushed forth, staining the warrior's chest. 

"Here we go—" 

At that moment, a gleam flashed in Yeh Tian's eyes as he swiftly gripped the edge of the blood knife. A sharp pain shot through him, causing blood to flow from his palms. 

Yet, he paid no heed to the pain; instead, he pressed his palms flat against the warrior's chest, and a hazy black light emanated from them, enveloping both the blood-clothed warrior and himself. 

The glow in the cave seemed to be swallowed by the darkness, and a black cocoon radiated a faint light. 

At this moment, Yeh Tian was shocked as he felt his consciousness entering the blood-clothed warrior's body. Before him appeared a miniature version of the warrior, no larger than a child. 

Thick meridians surrounded him, and a bloody heart lay in front of his eyes, but it had lost its vitality and no longer beat. 

The shrunken blood-clothed warrior had vacant, lifeless eyes, emanating a dazzling orange glow. 

"An orange soul—no wonder he's a blood-clothed warrior!" Yeh Tian exclaimed in astonishment, delight flooding his face. If he could devour this orange soul, his talent would surely surpass that of the others in the village; after all, the highest talent in Ye Family Village was merely an orange soul, while most possessed only red souls. 

Furthermore, with over a dozen blood-clothed warriors' corpses available for consumption, he might even upgrade to a yellow soul, solidifying his status as the most talented person in Ye Family Village, reclaiming the title of genius. 

With visions of a bright future in his mind, Yeh Tian quickly focused his thoughts and began to absorb the soul before him using the method outlined on the sheepskin scroll. 

A swirling black mist emerged, gradually making contact with the orange soul of the blood-clothed warrior. The soul trembled; despite having lost its sentience, it instinctively sensed danger and sought to evade capture. 

"Trying to escape? Ha!" 

Seeing the warrior's instinctive reaction, Yeh Tian sneered; in such a confined space, where could it possibly flee? Ultimately, it was consumed by the black mist. 

As the mist spread, the blood-clothed warrior's soul began to shrink, and within Yeh Tian's body, a miniature version of himself was gradually taking form. 

This mini Yeh Tian radiated a dim orange glow, less brilliant than that of the blood-clothed warrior's soul, yet he was utterly exhilarated; he finally possessed his own soul, and it was an orange one at that. 

Half an hour later, the blood-clothed warrior's soul had been entirely devoured by Yeh Tian, who then opened his eyes and let out an excited howl. 

"I finally have a soul!" 

Yeh Tian felt an overwhelming sense of relief and satisfaction, as if he had cast off the burdens that had weighed him down for so long. 

"Boom!" 

With the birth of his soul, Yeh Tian's spiritual awareness surged, and a vast influx of natural energy descended upon him, enveloping his entire being. 

"Energy flooding my body!" Yeh Tian gasped in surprise, then became even more excited. He quickly focused his thoughts, carefully sensing the changes within his body and urging his newly birthed soul to absorb the natural energy. 

The orange soul far surpassed the red ones in its speed of absorption; Yeh Tian's previously stagnant peak of Martial Apprentice Level 10 was abruptly shattered, allowing him to ascend to Martial Artist Level 1. 

Not only that, but due to the substantial accumulation of energy prior, this promotion propelled him directly into the mid-level of Martial Artist Level 1, marking a significant breakthrough. 

"I've finally become a Martial Artist!" 

When he opened his eyes again, Yeh Tian's gaze blazed with formidable brilliance, and a powerful aura erupted from within him, stirring up a whirlwind of dust. 

Martial Artist—the perplexing challenge that had plagued Yeh Tian was finally resolved. The gateway to the martial path had opened wide before him, and the road of strength awaited his exploration. 

"Tingting, wait for me!"

"Yeh Wei, Lin Jiaojiao, just you wait, hmph!" 

Yeh Tian's gaze was sharp, akin to a blade, as he clenched his fists tightly. A surging wave of profound energy coursed through his body, amplifying his strength far beyond his previous limits. 

The transition from Martial Apprentice to Martial Artist represented a qualitative transformation, one that was incomparable to the other. 

Now, Yeh Tian felt he was dozens of times stronger than before; he finally understood the immense power of a Martial Artist, realizing why Yeh Wei had easily defeated him the previous day. 

"An orange soul... this isn't enough. I must become even stronger. Compared to the vastness of the Divine Continent, Ye Family Village is far too small. I will eventually step beyond this remote mountain region!" 

A gleam sparkled in Yeh Tian's eyes; possessing memories from his past life, he was unwilling to confine himself to this mountainous area forever. He yearned to leave Ye Family Village, venture into the Divine Continent, and pursue the pinnacle of martial arts. 

With this resolve, Yeh Tian set about gathering the remaining corpses of the blood-clothed warriors, determined to absorb their souls one by one. 

Truly, only the most exceptional individuals could become blood-clothed warriors. Yeh Tian was astonished to discover that each of them possessed orange souls—none had even a single red soul. 

A total of twenty-one blood-clothed warriors yielded twenty-one orange souls. Yeh Tian devoured them all completely, and within him, his soul rapidly underwent transformation, evolving from light orange to deep orange. 

At last— 

A beam of pale yellow light erupted, illuminating Yeh Tian's dantian and clearly revealing the meridians within him. 

"A yellow soul!" Upon seeing this pale yellow glow, Yeh Tian's heart surged with excitement. 

Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet—the higher the level of a soul, the faster it absorbed the natural energy of the world, accelerating one's cultivation. The difference between levels is as vast as the chasm between heaven and earth. 

If a red soul absorbed natural energy at a rate of "one," then an orange soul would absorb it at a rate of "ten," and a yellow soul at a rate of "one hundred." 

This illustrates that the disparity between soul levels signifies the divide between genius and mediocrity. 

Undoubtedly, with this yellow soul, Yeh Tian's future cultivation speed would far surpass that of anyone else in Ye Family Village, including the village chief. 

"In the entire Baiyun Town, only the martial artist from Wang Family Village possesses a yellow soul; now I have one too. It's merely a matter of time before I become a martial artist," Yeh Tian's gaze burned with determination. 

Wang Family Village earned its place as the strongest among the three great villages of Baiyun Town due to its sole martial artist, who possessed a yellow soul. 

While Lin Family Village and Ye Family Village were strong, they lacked a martial artist, and thus remained overshadowed by Wang Family Village, forced into various alliances through marriage to counter its power. 

Once he became a martial artist, the entire Baiyun Town would lie at his feet. In the future, when he joined the blood-clothed warriors, he would undoubtedly be granted significant authority. 

Yeh Tian felt invigorated; with the yellow soul, becoming a martial artist was merely a matter of time. 

The village chief had been trapped at the peak of Martial Artist Level 10 for so many years due to his poor talent; an orange soul was merely his limit. Progressing further would likely be an arduous challenge. 

Yeh Tian, however, need not worry about such limitations. With his evolving devouring soul, he could absorb even more powerful souls as his strength grew, rendering the path of martial arts virtually limitless. 

"With my soul now established, as long as I train diligently as before, I will undoubtedly become a formidable force," Yeh Tian murmured, confidence brimming in his eyes. 

No one knew that within this secluded cave, a future powerhouse destined to shake the Divine Continent was being born. 

After properly burying the corpses of the blood-clothed warriors, Yeh Tian returned to Ye Family Village, infused with newfound confidence.