Chapter 8

A Secret Experiment

The morning sun painted the sky in soft hues of orange as Wang Xiaofeng sat cross-legged on his bed, his mind focused entirely on his martial soul.

He couldn't afford to waste time. If he wanted to challenge the traditional path, he needed to understand his own abilities first.

"Martial Soul Possession!"

A faint cyan glow enveloped his body as the blue gourd reappeared in his hand.

His instincts told him that his martial soul had some kind of energy absorption ability. But how exactly did it work?

"Let's test it."

Taking a deep breath, he carefully controlled the flow of his soul power, guiding it into the gourd.

At first, nothing happened.

But then—

Weng!

A low hum vibrated through his body, and he felt a subtle force pulling at his surroundings.

The air itself seemed to tremble, as if something invisible was being sucked in.

"It's working!"

Wang Xiaofeng's eyes widened as he sensed a small trace of soul power from the environment being drawn into his gourd.

It was slow—barely noticeable.

But it was there.

He clenched his fists in excitement.

"If I can refine and speed up this process, maybe I really don't need to kill soul beasts for soul rings!"

But before he could experiment further—

"Xiaofeng! Breakfast is ready!"

His mother's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

He sighed.

"I need to keep this a secret… for now."

With a flicker of his will, the martial soul vanished, and he got up to join his family.

A Mysterious Visitor

Later that day, Wang Xiaofeng sat outside the village, staring at the dirt road that led to the outside world.

His mind was still debating his next move.

"If I go to Wuhun Hall Academy, I'll have access to resources… but I'll also be under their watchful eye."

He frowned.

"But if I stay here, I won't get strong fast enough."

As he was deep in thought, a rustling sound caught his attention.

Snap.

His body tensed.

Someone was approaching.

A moment later, an old man with a cane stepped onto the road, his silver hair flowing down his back. His long, tattered robe made him look like a wandering hermit.

But what truly caught Wang Xiaofeng's attention was the strange aura surrounding him.

It was… restrained, yet terrifying.

Even though he wasn't releasing any soul power, Wang Xiaofeng instinctively felt that this man was dangerous.

The old man stopped a few meters away and chuckled.

"You've got a good sense of awareness, boy."

Wang Xiaofeng didn't reply immediately. Instead, he carefully observed the old man.

"...Who are you?"

The old man smiled. "Just a passerby. But I happened to hear that a child with level 5 innate soul power was born in this village."

Wang Xiaofeng's heart skipped a beat.

Was he from Wuhun Hall? Or some other faction?

Seeing his wary expression, the old man chuckled again.

"Relax. If I wanted to harm you, you'd already be dead."

Wang Xiaofeng frowned. Not comforting at all.

The old man took a step forward, tapping his cane on the ground.

"Tell me, boy… what do you think of the current cultivation system?"

Wang Xiaofeng's eyes widened slightly.

Why was he asking this?

The old man continued, "Do you think it's fair that only those who hunt soul beasts can grow stronger?"

Wang Xiaofeng's grip tightened.

"...No."

"Haha! Good answer." The old man smiled, his eyes filled with intrigue. "You're an interesting one. Most kids your age wouldn't even question the rules of this world."

Wang Xiaofeng's thoughts were racing.

Did he know about my martial soul's ability?

The old man suddenly leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"If you truly wish to change this world… then seek me out when you're ready."

He handed Wang Xiaofeng a small wooden token.

It was old and worn, but it had a strange marking on it—a symbol that Wang Xiaofeng didn't recognize.

Before he could ask anything, the old man turned around and walked away, disappearing into the distance.

Wang Xiaofeng stared at the token, his mind buzzing with questions.

"Who was that? And what does he know?"

One thing was certain.

His path was no longer ordinary.

And the deeper he went, the more secrets he would uncover.

The Decision

That night, Wang Xiaofeng sat in his room, the wooden token resting on his palm.

He had two choices.

Go to Wuhun Hall Academy. It was the safest route, providing resources and training. But it also meant being under constant surveillance.

Follow the old man's lead. A complete unknown. It could be a trap… or it could be an opportunity to break free from the traditional path.

His fingers tightened around the token.

No matter which path he chose, he needed to grow stronger.

Because sooner or later, the world would come after him.

His ability to create self-generated soul rings was too dangerous.

It was something that could overthrow the entire cultivation system.

And that meant… powerful forces would try to either control him or destroy him.

Taking a deep breath, he whispered to himself.

"I need to be ready."

A storm was coming.

And Wang Xiaofeng was standing at its very center.