Chapter 22: He Really Is Strong

Gu Yecheng surged forward like a gust of wind, kicking up clouds of dust in his wake.

Kong Long could only eat his dust, unable to keep up no matter how hard he tried.

In just a few minutes, Gu Yecheng had left him far behind—even his horse couldn't match the speed. The distance between them was so vast that Kong Long couldn't even catch the dust anymore.

Up ahead was a particularly eye-catching figure—not because of anything else, but because of his shiny, glowing bald head, as bright as a lightbulb. He practically radiated mockery.

It didn't take long before Gu Yecheng caught up with the current second-place runner—Zui Wuqing.

The two ran side by side, stepping through the air in sync. Sometimes they sprinted; sometimes they flickered with short teleports—their rhythm surprisingly well-matched.

But while Zui Wuqing could only flash once at a time, Gu Yecheng could flash three times in a row. That was the true reason he had been able to catch up.

Zui Wuqing gave Gu Yecheng a sidelong glance and asked, puzzled, "Hey kid, what's your martial soul? Why does it feel so similar to mine?"

Gu Yecheng answered seriously, "Whatever your martial soul is—mine is too. But there's one thing I can't understand. I'd appreciate it if you'd enlighten me. Why are you hiding your true strength?"

"Hiding my strength? I…"

Zui Wuqing froze. He had been holding back. His martial soul gave him the ability to ignore gravity, walk on air, and flash three times consecutively.

He hadn't shown his full capabilities because he needed to keep some tricks hidden—so others wouldn't know all his cards. In life-or-death situations, these hidden abilities might be the difference between survival and death. That's why he'd chosen to use only one flash.

But somehow, this guy knew his trump card. And it didn't feel like coincidence.

So Zui Wuqing began to suspect that Gu Yecheng's martial soul might be similar to his—but still, they couldn't be exactly the same.

Similar?

In truth, they were nothing alike. Gu Yecheng's martial soul was a small red flower, with absolutely no relation to Zui Wuqing's.

The reason Gu Yecheng could use Zui Wuqing's abilities was because he had grasped the true essence of the Hellfire Red Lotus—not just its "Weakening" power.

The ultimate secret of the Hellfire Red Lotus was… Domination.

In the Flower God's illusionary world, Gu Yecheng had once controlled everything—forcing people to repeat words, forcing them to leave the illusion at his will. Everything within that world existed under his command.

That was true domination.

While Gu Yecheng's soul power wasn't strong enough to create his own illusionary world yet, he could still spread his soul power across an area. Within that range, all attributes of others would drop by 30%—this was why Wang Ba's speed had inexplicably slowed earlier.

And this was only passive control.

He also had active control: by detecting the strongest individual within his soul power domain, he could mimic them—gaining a large portion of their abilities. By controlling others, he also deepened his control over himself.

Anything touched by the power of the Red Lotus martial soul would fall under his domain.

The extent of his control depended on the strength of his soul power—the stronger he got, the more complete his domination became.

Zui Wuqing was clearly rattled by Gu Yecheng's response.

"What does he mean by 'whatever my martial soul is, his is too'? Is he messing with me? This kid is definitely not being honest."

Zui Wuqing refused to believe Gu Yecheng had the exact same martial soul. His was one of a kind—when he registered it at the Martial Soul Hall, even the registrar couldn't identify it, so they just gave it some strange, random name.

"You brat, stop playing games. No matter what your martial soul is, there's no way it can surpass mine. The essence of my soul? There's no way yours can compare!"

"I wasn't planning to use my trump card. But since you're being so cocky, I'll make an exception."

"If you have the same trump card, then I'll admit our souls are alike. But if not… see you at the finish line!"

As soon as he said that, Zui Wuqing's expression hardened. His shiny bald head seemed to glow even brighter. The air around him grew noticeably warmer.

Moisture thickened around him and began to sink, eventually condensing into a one-meter-wide, rainbow-colored cloud beneath his feet.

Standing on the vibrant cloud, Zui Wuqing smiled at Gu Yecheng.

"If I'm not mistaken, your martial soul's abilities are weakening and mimicry."

"A moment ago, my speed dropped by exactly 30%. That was your doing, right? Pretty dirty move, huh?"

"Still, I've got to admit—your soul abilities are impressive. But too bad—my martial soul's essence can purify. Your weakening effect is useless on me now."

"Sorry, I'll be taking my leave. If you can catch up with me using real skill, I'll respect you. Otherwise… I'll send you a thousand sneers!"

Whoosh!

The rainbow cloud accelerated like a tornado, spiraling into the distance. That was a soul essence ability—something Gu Yecheng couldn't imitate yet.

He really couldn't copy that move.

Zui Wuqing was truly strong.

As he watched the bald figure fade into the distance, Gu Yecheng thought to himself,

"What exactly is his martial soul? A rainbow cloud?"

"But… it doesn't feel like that's his final trump card. I'm sure he's still holding back. Just how much strength is he hiding?"

"I thought his ace was the triple flash—but he went and used a purification ability to cancel out my soul essence completely."

"Is my Hellfire Red Lotus really an Emperor-grade martial soul? What if the Flower God lied, and it's just a King-grade? Maybe his soul is the real Emperor-grade one…"

At this point, Gu Yecheng had climbed into third place. Barring any accidents, a top-four finish was essentially guaranteed.

He had achieved the goal he had originally set for himself.

But just a moment ago, he had quietly set a new one: defeat Zui Wuqing.

Since soul bones were allowed, then using his own soul abilities wasn't cheating either.

Clearing his thoughts, Gu Yecheng made a decision.

Even if I can't beat you, that doesn't mean others can't.

He murmured to himself, "Little sister… this time, I'm going to let you benefit."

Gu Yecheng continued stepping through the air—not with his own soul power (which he had already released externally), but by mimicking Zui Wuqing's technique.

He closed his eyes slightly, drawing on external soul power, and used it as a medium to send a message to the current first-place runner—Jiu Ying.

> "Hey, little sis. I'm Gu Yecheng—the guy who was dead last earlier. Your leg's injured, so you can't maintain your speed much longer. Let's team up. I'll help you win first place, and you help me knock that bald guy down a peg."

Jiu Ying looked around in confusion. Aside from the bald jerk behind her, there was no one else nearby.

"…Are you talking to me?" she asked suspiciously.

Gu Yecheng sighed.

> "Yes, little sis. Time's tight, no time to explain. Just help me beat Baldy, and I'll lift that 30% speed reduction I hit you with earlier. Plus, I'll give you the ability to walk through air like me. Deal?"

As she considered, that bald-headed jerk flew past her on a cloud—like some overpowered avian soul master.

That damn bald freak!

Watching him sail effortlessly past, she could only look up helplessly, filled with frustration.

No more hesitation—she made up her mind.

Jiu Ying huffed, "So it was you! No wonder my speed dropped by 30%! You're the worst! But… if it was you,

I guess I can forgive you. Hehe~"

"Alright! Just help me beat that bald jerk, and I'll owe you big time. Hurry!"

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End of Chapter 

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