Chapter 23: Xu Yuan’s First Battle
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Xu Yuan held the Tianyuan Brush, sketching in the air.
With every stroke, a winding stream of water spiraled and danced through the air.
The streams of water coiled like water dragons, entangling and blocking the paths of the three Flame Lions.
"Roar!"
The largest Flame Lion didn't slow down but instead charged forward with even greater speed. Its flames burned more violently, with streaks of golden light flickering amidst the crimson blaze.
Xu Yuan remained calm and continued retreating, his brush moving without pause as it sketched continuously in the air.
With a swing of his right hand, a water dragon surged toward the Flame Lion.
Fight and retreat.
Though the water was evaporated by the raging flames, water ultimately overcame fire. Under Xu Yuan's manipulation, the Flame Lion's flames visibly weakened.
The Tianyuan Brush continued to sketch in the air, sending water dragons spiraling and clashing repeatedly with the Flame Lions.
The three Flame Lions were thoroughly enraged. Their fiery aura intensified several-fold as they suddenly charged forward, surrounding Xu Yuan from three directions.
Xu Yuan swung the Tianyuan Brush in his right hand forcefully, splashing a large amount of ink in front of him.
As the ink landed on the ground, thick grass grew rapidly, resembling vines that entangled the three Flame Lions.
Though they quickly broke free after burning through the vines, their charge was interrupted.
Xu Yuan retreated further.
After multiple attempts to wear them down, the Flame Lions seemed to lose patience. As if making a decision, one of them turned and fled.
At this moment, a streak of light shot out from within Xu Yuan's body, taking the shape of a spear and fusing into the Tianyuan Brush in his hand.
The bristles at the tip of the Tianyuan Brush instantly transformed into sharp metallic strands, growing longer and extending outward like metal spears.
The elongated metallic bristles swiftly closed in on the smallest of the three Flame Lions.
Puchi puchi.
The sharp spear tips pierced the Flame Lion's skin.
However, due to the nearly ten-meter distance, even though Xu Yuan had channeled the explosive power of the metal element with great speed, the long distance prevented the spear from fully penetrating the small Flame Lion.
Nevertheless, through the metallic spears, a massive surge of fire elemental energy flooded in.
In fact, using the spear tips, Xu Yuan managed to assimilate the flames covering the Flame Lion's surface. The fusion caused an instantaneous and violent explosion.
Boom!
A thunderous roar echoed through the ancient forest.
Xu Yuan no longer toyed around. His body shot forward, charging directly at the largest Flame Lion.
Seeing Xu Yuan counterattack and severely wound its companion before daring to rush forward, the six-hundred-year-old Flame Lion let out a furious roar. It raised its right claw, with golden flames flowing across its massive paw.
The Tianyuan Brush in Xu Yuan's hand had already transformed into the Tianyuan Spear.
The spear pointed directly at the oldest Flame Lion.
Since the three Flame Lions had scattered in different directions, even if they wanted to return and assist, it would take too long. Xu Yuan's direct thrust could easily transition into a defensive maneuver after the initial collision.
Thus, this spear strike contained all of Xu Yuan's strength.
The five elemental forces converged at the spear tip. In this moment, Xu Yuan poured all his spirit, energy, and focus into the attack.
If one were observing from the surrounding space, they would notice that the heavens and earth seemed to be influenced by him. It was as if the momentum of the surrounding world had been completely subjugated by Xu Yuan.
This spear—pierced through everything.
Puchi.
The spear pierced through the lion's paw, and then the spear tip's five-element spear aura exploded outward. As the energy scattered, Xu Yuan controlled it to redirect back toward the Flame Lion.
Puchi puchi puchi puchi puchi!
The five-element spear auras pierced into the Flame Lion's body.
Bang!
The Flame Lion crashed heavily to the ground.
Xu Yuan didn't have time to deliver a finishing blow, nor did he have time to withdraw the Tianyuan Spear. He turned to block an incoming attack.
The Tianyuan Spear remained embedded in the Flame Lion's paw. Xu Yuan released it, gripping the Five-Element Spear Spirit in front of him. Earth elemental energy enveloped the spear, and his presence shifted from an unstoppable momentum to one of immense heaviness. The once razor-sharp spear now felt as if it weighed a thousand jin in his hands.
Dong!
After a heavy impact, Xu Yuan was sent flying backward. He rolled twice and a half in midair before finally landing steadily.
Xu Yuan's eyes turned fierce.
Only this last Flame Lion remained capable of fighting. Naturally, he wouldn't waste any more time.
Holding the Five-Element Spear Spirit, he steadied his surging blood and qi before advancing.
The frenzied Flame Lion, regardless of consequences, burned its remaining flames and engaged Xu Yuan in a fierce battle.
The outcome of this fight was Xu Yuan's victory—the three Flame Lions were dead.
Xu Yuan pulled the Tianyuan Spear out of the paw of the strongest Flame Lion. From the corpses of the three Flame Lions, three streaks of crimson light floated toward Xu Yuan. Within a breath, they were fully absorbed into his body.
The rule of the Spirit Ascension Platform was that ten percent of the slain soul beast's cultivation years would be transferred to the soul master who killed it. This energy would then be evenly distributed among the soul master's soul rings.
Since Xu Yuan only had one soul ring, all the energy was absorbed into his first soul ring.
One two-hundred-year, one five-hundred-year, and one six-hundred-year Flame Lion.
The spiritual energy provided by these three Flame Lions was equivalent to that of a thousand-year soul beast, adding over 130 years of cultivation to Xu Yuan's first soul ring!
In less than half an hour of combat, Xu Yuan had increased his first soul ring by over 130 years.
The significance of the Spirit Ascension Platform for soul masters was evident.
Of course, Xu Yuan's efficiency in hunting was far beyond what an ordinary soul master could replicate.
A soul master capable of easily slaying these three Flame Lions would need to be at least a three-ring Soul Honored. With three soul rings dividing the energy, each ring would gain at most forty years of cultivation.
The difference was stark.
This battle lasted quite some time, mainly because Xu Yuan prioritized stability and employed a prolonged attrition strategy during the early and middle stages.
Had he fought aggressively in the Tianyuan Spear form, he could have ended the battle quickly.
But the result likely wouldn't have been better than this.
The consumption of soul power was self-evident. In the Tianyuan Brush form, about sixty percent of the elemental energy consumed came from the external origin energy of heaven and earth. However, in the Tianyuan Spear form, the battle purely drained his own soul power. Sixty percent—this was the optimal ratio Xu Yuan had developed for the Tianyuan Brush form, maximizing efficiency without compromising his basic control over elemental forces.
Aside from soul power consumption, Xu Yuan estimated he might have sustained some injuries.
"Let's leave here first."
Xu Yuan quickly left the area, finding a safe spot to recover.
This battle had been highly rewarding.
It was also his first true battle in life.
Tense, thrilling—and incredibly invigorating.
Though Xu Yuan appeared calm and composed throughout, whether it was the early and mid-stage attrition or the decisive strike when the opportunity arose, his heart burned with excitement.
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Outside
Xu Shengqun couldn't stop smiling.
"Xiao Yuan is a natural-born fighter."
Due to his young age, Xu Shengqun hadn't been able to provide much practical combat training over the past year. However, Xu Yuan's performance just now filled him with delight.
After killing the three Flame Lions, Xu Yuan quickly retreated from the battlefield to find a safer place to rest, which satisfied Xu Shengqun.
However, what Xu Yuan did next froze the smile on Xu Shengqun's face.
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Author's Note: To those who mentioned that the protagonist's martial soul is a brush but he fights in spear form, saying there's no creativity in that—I'm speechless.
Why would I set it as a brush if I didn't intend to use it properly? What would be the point of writing about a spear if I wasn't going to stay true to the brush concept?
Just because the spear has stronger single-target burst damage doesn't mean I'm abandoning the brush. The Tianyuan Brush form will also be developed.
The elegant combat style of wielding the brush with ink—that's something for the mid-to-late stages. It's tough to develop with just one soul skill.
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