Chapter 136 – Xuanzi: Why Are You Stealing My Soul Skills Too?!

In front of the Sea God Pavilion, two figures stood facing each other. Their soul power flared intensely, and it felt as though sparks of lightning clashed in the air.

The moment Elder Mu's voice faded, Zhou Sichen's entire body erupted in radiant golden light, and a brilliant golden dragon claw shot forward.

Xuanzi, standing opposite him, didn't dodge or retreat—instead, he directly engaged Zhou Sichen in close combat.

Xuanzi had suppressed his cultivation to the five-ring level. At this moment, he was trapped within Zhou Sichen's Sovereign's Domain, and was being further suppressed by the Light Holy Dragon martial soul. Every move he made required significantly more energy.

On the other hand, Zhou Sichen showed not the slightest sign of fear. Even in close-quarters combat, he wasn't at all inferior to the famously brutal Xuanzi.

Neither of them used any soul skills at this point. Their fists collided with raw power, flesh striking flesh in a fierce exchange. The more they fought, the more astonished Xuanzi became.

He had sparred with Zhou Sichen before and assumed the boy's incredible close-combat prowess came solely from his fusion with his powerful contracted soul beast.

After all, the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear's melee strength was among the very best in the continent.

But now, Zhou Sichen wasn't using the contracted soul beast. He was merely borrowing the strength of the Mirror Shadow Beast to replicate Elder Mu's martial soul and soul rings.

Yet, Zhou Sichen could still match him in hand-to-hand combat without using a single soul skill—and even seemed to hold a slight edge.

Xuanzi's iron fists were now shrouded in an earthy yellow radiance. He threw a heavy punch at Zhou Sichen's face while his first soul ring lit up. His mouth opened wide, letting out a thunderous roar.

Zhou Sichen's heart trembled for an instant, but his Sovereign's Domain, operating at full power, instantly neutralized the effect of Xuanzi's first soul skill. His own first soul ring lit up, and a golden dragon claw lashed out, grabbing hold of Xuanzi's iron fist.

Zhou Sichen chuckled. "Old Xuan, playing dirty now?"

Xuanzi, completely unbothered, replied calmly, "I was just testing your reflexes."

In the next instant, Xuanzi's fourth soul ring lit up, radiating purple light. He opened his mouth wide, and a massive concentration of soul power condensed into a beam-like energy blast.

Zhou Sichen quickly released Xuanzi's fist and retreated. As he moved, his second soul ring lit up, and a golden aura surged from his body. The golden light gathered into his dragon claw, forming the shape of a gleaming dragon head.

This was an amplification soul skill called Dragon Radiance of Sacred Glory. It concentrated the power of light into the form of a dragon's head, focusing entirely on offense.

The dragon head lunged forward and collided with the yellow light beam just before it struck Zhou Sichen's face, once again blocking Xuanzi's attack.

Their clash escalated, both soul skills and combat techniques in fierce play. Though it was Zhou Sichen's first time using Elder Mu's martial soul and soul skills, he handled them with surprising fluency, giving Xuanzi no opening to exploit.

As the battle continued, Zhou Sichen became increasingly attuned to the Light Holy Dragon martial soul. He began trying to draw on its soul core.

With a light wave of his right hand, boundless light poured into his golden dragon claw.

Radiating divine brilliance, the dragon claw condensed Zhou Sichen's overwhelming aura into a single point, giving it an invincible momentum.

Sensing this powerful surge of energy, Elder Mu's smile grew wider, and the elders nearby wore expressions of awe.

Xuanzi's eyes widened. "Kid, you're going all out now?"

Zhou Sichen's lips curled into a confident smile. His essence, energy, and spirit aligned perfectly. The Sovereign's Domain swiftly retracted and seemed to infuse itself into the dragon claw. A terrifying dragon roar echoed faintly in the air.

"Dragon Emperor – Evilbreaker Rend!"

The dragon claw thrust forward, releasing a terrifying force aimed straight at Xuanzi's face.

Dragon Emperor – Evilbreaker Rend was a powerful martial skill developed by Elder Mu, based on Sovereign's Domain and infused with the Light Holy Dragon's soul core. When unleashed, it obliterated all evil—an ultimate, sacred strike!

Xuanzi had no time to marvel at Zhou Sichen's talent. His fifth soul ring, pitch-black, lit up, and an earthy yellow aura surged around him. Behind him, the phantom of a terrifying, godlike Taotie Bull appeared, its blood-red maw gaping wide, ready to devour all.

"Fifth Soul Skill – Infinite Devour!"

As both unleashed their most devastating attacks, it was as if a Light Holy Dragon and a Taotie Bull were locked in a titanic confrontation.

The Light Holy Dragon struck with its fearsome claw, intent on annihilating all foes.

The Taotie Bull opened its massive maw, ruthlessly swallowing all attacks—light included.

They remained locked in stalemate until, at last, the Taotie Bull staggered back a few steps, its figure flickering. Xuanzi looked at Zhou Sichen, still emanating overwhelming might, with shock in his eyes.

Zhou Sichen smiled faintly. His fourth soul ring lit up once more, and the Light Holy Dragon's projection grew even more solid. Another golden dragon claw lashed out.

"Fourth Soul Skill – Sacred Dragon Phenomenon!"

Zhou Sichen had used Dragon Emperor – Evilbreaker Rend to forcibly drain Xuanzi's soul power, forcing him to defend at full strength.

Then, seizing the moment, he unleashed the powerful fourth soul skill to launch a second, follow-up strike.

Though this consumed both his soul power and spiritual energy, Zhou Sichen's current foundation allowed him to execute the combo with ease.

At the peak of his focus, his control over soul power was immaculate—down to the tiniest thread.

Xuanzi's expression changed. He knew he had fallen for it. He quickly gathered his soul power, activating his second soul skill. A terrifying pressure burst from his body, barely suppressing Zhou Sichen's aura by a fraction.

Then his right arm suddenly swelled. His iron fist, now surrounded by earthy yellow light, smashed forward with incredible force.

"Boom!"

Their attacks collided again. Xuanzi was forced to retreat two steps.

Zhou Sichen didn't budge. His dragon claw radiated with light energy, and he panted lightly.

Though their clash looked simple and brutal, his opponent was one of the true top-tier experts on the continent—someone who had long since mastered all kinds of techniques and simplified them to their essence.

With the simplest forms and the least soul power, he could launch the most powerful and explosive attacks.

This genuine martial soul clash had taught Zhou Sichen a great deal.

Seeing that Zhou Sichen was starting to pant, Xuanzi's face lit up with a grin.

This kid really was stronger than most Soul Kings. His deep foundation had surprised even Xuanzi, and his final strike even incorporated a soul bone skill.

Unfortunately, even though Xuanzi had suppressed his cultivation to the five-ring level, he still possessed the soul power reserves of a Hyper Douluo.

Though he'd been on the back foot early on, Zhou Sichen had burned through a massive amount of soul power. Now was the perfect time for a counterattack.

With a grin, Xuanzi launched forward like a spring, his massive iron fist pounding toward Zhou Sichen.

Zhou Sichen smirked strangely, rapidly burning soul power. A yellow aura unexpectedly began to surge around his body. He transformed his claw into a fist and struck out with terrifying force—matching Xuanzi's technique perfectly.

Xuanzi froze for a second. Wait a minute… isn't that my soul bone skill? How the hell does he know it too?!

Boom!

Their fists collided, and Xuanzi was blown backward, barely managing to stabilize himself as he stared at Zhou Sichen in disbelief.

Xuanzi blurted, "What the hell?! How do you even know my soul bone skill?!"

Elder Mu's expression shifted thoughtfully, quickly piecing things together.

The other elders also looked curiously at Zhou Sichen, clearly waiting for an explanation.

Zhou Sichen, nearly drained of soul power, gave a faint, exhausted smile. Without trying to hide anything, he explained:

"This is just one of the Mirror Shadow Beast's most basic abilities. Even though I copied Teacher Mu's martial soul, I'm still fused with the Mirror Shadow Beast. Stealing two skills is no big deal… Why act so surprised?"

Hearing this, Xuanzi suddenly understood, and the other elders nodded in realization as well.

Xuan Zi looked speechless as he said, "Your ability is honestly absurd. Copying someone else's martial soul and soul skills is already overpowered, but you can steal soul skills too?"

Zhou Sicheng chuckled. "Only if I have enough soul power to support it. When I stole your soul bone skill, it consumed my soul power. Using it also requires soul power. If I don't have enough, I'll just end up trapping myself."

As he spoke, Zhou Sicheng flipped his hand and summoned his Martial Soul—the Book of Contracts. A surge of soul power flowed from the book, instantly replenishing his own reserves.

Inside the Book of Contracts, Ah Da felt the rapid loss of soul power and immediately resumed cultivating to recover it.

Seeing Zhou Sicheng's soul power recover so quickly, the corner of Xuan Zi's mouth twitched involuntarily.

He had just been complaining about the cost of soul power being too high, and now—boom—his soul power was back at full in the blink of an eye? This Book of Contracts martial soul is really too convenient!

Having such a top-tier martial soul was already unfair enough, but Zhou Sicheng even knew how to exploit it to its full potential. How was anyone supposed to compete?

Xuan Zi dismissed his martial soul, his body returning to normal, then took out a cloak and draped it over himself. He pulled a wine gourd and a large drumstick from his soul tool and began to eat.

Taking a swig of wine and a bite of chicken, Xuan Zi muttered with resignation, "I'm done, I'm done! You've got so many contracted soul beasts now, and one of them is even at the hundred-thousand-year level. Your soul power reserves might be higher than mine. This just isn't fun anymore."

Hearing this, the other Elders nearby couldn't help but laugh.

Elder Mu smiled and said, "Xuan Zi, looks like your little scheme backfired."

Xuan Zi blushed with embarrassment and continued eating and drinking in silence.

Zhou Sicheng still wore a smile. "Elder Xuan, it's not like there are any rules against what I did—just as there are no rules saying you can't use your soul bones."

Xuan Zi turned his head away with a humph. "Hmph! I'd rather spar with that brat Dai Yueheng. Playing with you is no fun!"

Zhou Sicheng laughed again and silently mourned for Dai Yueheng. That guy was probably about to become Xuan Zi's personal punching bag.

Since Elder Xuan had given up, Zhou Sicheng also dismissed his Radiant Saint Dragon martial soul and walked over to Elder Mu.

Though Zhou Sicheng had retracted his martial soul, his appearance remained unchanged.

After consuming someone's blood, Zhou Sicheng could maintain the copied martial soul's form indefinitely—as long as he didn't run out of soul power or voluntarily deactivate the transformation.

Of course, maintaining a copied martial soul consumed soul power over time, and not a small amount either.

If it were the Mirror Shadow Beast itself, it certainly wouldn't keep a copy active for long. It would need time to cultivate, after all.

But Zhou Sicheng was different. His contracted soul beasts were basically living power banks. With so many of them, the energy consumption was negligible.

And besides recovering soul power through cultivation, his contracted soul beasts didn't even need to train. The feedback they received from Zhou Sicheng's growth was more effective than slow personal cultivation.

After experiencing this kind of cheat, who would still bother cultivating?

The Mirror Shadow Beast now fully understood what kind of monster it had signed up to follow.

Zhou Sicheng knelt in front of Elder Mu and said softly, "Teacher, I'll need some time to familiarize myself with your martial soul. I'm afraid I'll be bothering you a lot from now on."

Elder Mu smiled warmly. "You're welcome anytime. If you come by more often, I won't have to supervise those kids in the outer courtyard."

Ever since Zhou Sicheng and Ye Guyi began studying under Elder Mu at the Sea God's Pavilion, Elder Mu rarely visited the outer courtyard anymore.

With these young people by his side, his mood had improved noticeably.

Especially now that Shrek Academy had promising successors, he no longer felt the same pressure. All he hoped for now was for Zhou Sicheng and the others to grow stronger quickly.

Zhou Sicheng remained chatting with Elder Mu and the other Elders in the square outside the Pavilion. Every now and then, Elder Zhuang or the others would poke fun at Xuan Zi, saying he was acting too undignified for his age.

It was all in good fun, and Xuan Zi, being thick-skinned, had no problem coming up with clever retorts.

Still, while they teased, Elder Xuan, Elder Song, and Elder Lin had all quietly made up their minds: they would each give Zhou Sicheng a portion of their blood and pass on the essence of their martial souls. It was a truly selfless act.

If it had been anyone else, just receiving the teachings of one of these Elders would be the blessing of a lifetime.

But Zhou Sicheng was a once-in-a-generation genius. They were more than willing to teach him everything. With his talent, he could elevate their martial soul abilities to new heights.

Though they themselves might never reach the level of Ultimate Douluo in this lifetime, through Zhou Sicheng, they could glimpse what it would be like to reach that realm.

At their age and cultivation level, there weren't many things left to hope for. Witnessing the future greatness of their legacies was one of the few.

Zhou Sicheng accepted their kindness with humility. After all, even the most gifted genius had to integrate various abilities before they could truly become his own.

And if someone was willing to teach him for free—of course he'd learn everything he could!

Inside his spiritual sea, the Ice Empress was in disbelief. Weren't humans supposed to be selfish? Why did it feel like they were all begging Zhou Sicheng to take their legacy?

Everyone present was a top-tier powerhouse on the continent. Especially Elder Mu and Elder Xuan—even the Ice Empress felt a trace of fear toward them.

These experts treated Zhou Sicheng like he was their own son. She was now beginning to understand just how justified the Skydream Iceworm's confidence had been.

Not only was Zhou Sicheng absurdly talented and unrivaled among his peers, but he was also surrounded and nurtured by a group of old monsters. You'd be hard-pressed to find another person like him on the whole continent.

A lineup of Super Douluo raising him personally, backed by Shrek Academy—the most prestigious school on the continent for ten thousand years—she could practically see godhood on the horizon!

Good thing Zhou Sicheng hadn't revealed his full ambitions yet. Otherwise, even the Ice Empress and Skydream would've been shocked speechless!

In the following week, Zhou Sicheng continued studying under Elder Mu. The old man passed on his insights without reservation, even personally teaching Zhou Sicheng several of his ultimate techniques.

And who else but Xuan Zi would be the designated sparring partner? He had already accepted that he couldn't beat Zhou Sicheng in a straight fight, and now he was stuck doing grunt work.

But the one who suffered the most wasn't Xuan Zi—it was Dai Yueheng.

The semester had barely started, yet Elder Xuan dragged him off for "extra training" every single day.

Every night, Dai Yueheng returned to the dorm, collapsed into bed, and fell asleep instantly. Training? Elder Xuan must've taken the wrong medicine or something.

That wasn't "extra training"—it was clearly just venting frustration on him!

Still, under such intense practice, Dai Yueheng's improvement was extremely noticeable.

Even if it felt like he was dying a little every day.

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