All rights reserved to the respective authors.
"Dialogue": Represented in double quotes for conversations between characters.
'Thoughts': Represented in single quotation marks, indicating the characters' internal reflections.
[Diary]: Represented in square brackets, used for messages intended for the heroines or entries written by Tenshin.
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In the Competition Area
The second round between Tenshin and Tang San began.
This time, Tang San didn't charge forward immediately. Instead, he stood his ground — calm, composed, and patient — his eyes locked on Tenshin, waiting for the first move.
There was no time limit for the match. It would end only when one combatant exhausted their soul power or conceded defeat.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass martial soul consumed little soul power, even when using his first soul skill. If he played defensively, maintaining his distance while mixing in occasional close-combat exchanges, he could recover the energy spent in the first round.
'With this strategy, I can outlast him,' Tang San thought, his gaze steady. Yet beneath his composed exterior, a flicker of regret lingered. 'If only I could use hidden weapons... The Tang Sect's techniques are too lethal to be revealed in public. If I combined the Hidden Weapon Hundred Separation with my soul skills, Tenshin would already be at a disadvantage.'
Though he tried to shake the thought, an unease settled in his chest. It wasn't fear, but something he couldn't place. He refocused, studying every muscle twitch, every subtle shift in Tenshin's posture, as though trying to predict his opponent's next move.
But before Tang San could fully center himself—
Tenshin vanished.
Tang San's pupils contracted. His instincts flared. Without hesitation, he activated the Purple Demon Eye, his gaze cutting through the arena like a hawk's.
Left… right… above!
A shadow descended from the sky. Tenshin, like a falcon diving from great height, spear raised high, aimed for a devastating downward strike.
'Fast!' Tang San's heart raced.
In an instant, soul power surged through his body, merging with the inner qi of his Mysterious Heaven Skill — an unstoppable current rushing through his meridians. His palms began to glow with the white jade brilliance of the Mysterious Jade Hand, radiating an almost blinding light.
Tang San's arm shot up, instinctively blocking the incoming attack.
Boom!
A deafening impact rocked the arena, sending a shockwave through the air. Dust erupted from the point of collision, swirling around them as the ground trembled beneath their feet.
Meanwhile, in the audience, gasps rippled through the crowd.
"What just happened?"
"How did Tenshin move so quickly and appear right above Tang San? His speed is on par with, or even surpasses, that of a speed-type soul master!"
"I don't know, but what matters more is... who won this clash?"
"..."
Back in the competition area, two figures shot out from opposite sides of the arena. One soared higher, twisting mid-air before landing with grace and ease — Tenshin. The other, Tang San, was dragged across the floor, his feet skidding against the ground, leaving a trail of broken stone behind him.
Tang San twisted in mid-air, using the Blue Silver Grass to stabilize himself and land smoothly. On the surface, he seemed unharmed, but only he knew the true state of his left hand. 'Damn it! He broke my Mysterious Jade Hand! It'll take a long time to repair and restore its full strength. But how did he break it? It should've been able to withstand a simple spear strike.'
Tang San's eyes shifted to Tenshin, but something felt different. The air around Tenshin had completely changed. His presence was now so sharp, it felt like it could slice through anyone who dared to approach. Gone was the mocking, arrogant demeanor from earlier. In its place was a cold, emotionless expression.
'How does he have this aura?' Tang San thought, shocked and confused. This kind of presence—he recognized it instantly. His ancestors in the Tang Sect had warned him about it in his past life. Only those who had reached the peak of martial arts could exude such an aura. The warnings had been clear: if you encounter someone like this, you should run.
Those who reached this level typically did so after decades of training, whether with a weapon or through martial arts. For prodigies, it could take less time, but it was still an incredible feat. 'But how?' Tang San's mind raced. 'Tenshin is only 7 years old! He only began his training after awakening his martial soul, which means he's been training for about two years.'
'Tenshin must be a prodigy—no, a genius. He awakened and developed his intent on his own, without prior knowledge or guidance. After almost two years of studying here, I realize how rudimentary the training in this world is. Their over-reliance on martial souls has stunted their development in other areas.'
A wave of worry and regret washed over Tang San's face, but it quickly shifted into cold determination. 'Could he become an obstacle to my plan to establish the Tang Sect in this world? Should I have killed him when I had the chance? No... His martial soul is a book. If it were a spear, he would be a real threat. But with his current martial soul, his potential is severely limited. He won't be a problem.'
If Tenshin could read Tang San's thoughts at that moment, he would be torn between confusion and skepticism. He would find Tang San's mindset both simple and hypocritical — especially given Tang San's own reliance on hidden weapons. On the other hand, Tenshin might also feel a sense of relief, knowing that he didn't have to worry about any immediate assassination attempts for the time being.
Tenshin hadn't intended to use his spear intent emulation, but he didn't want to reveal that his martial soul now possessed combat power, especially the fire element. Instead, he chose to emphasize his spear skills through the spear intent, keeping his martial soul hidden for as long as possible.
Even so, he wasn't entirely surprised to see that Tang San's Mysterious Jade Hand protected him from the force of his attack. After all, Tenshin hadn't gone all out, and the technique itself had impressive defensive capabilities.
However, one thing brought him quiet satisfaction — he had managed to break through Tang San's technique. This meant Tang San would now be forced to spend a year repairing it, time that could have been used to strengthen the technique. And after that, it would take at least another year and a half to restore it to its previous level of power.
"Xiaosan! Are you okay?" Yu Xiaogang called out anxiously from his seat, noticing that Tang San's right hand had lost its usual pale color.
'How is Tenshin moving so quickly and delivering such powerful strikes?' Yu Xiaogang wondered, puzzled.
His gaze shifted to Tenshin's spear, and he noticed it was broken. A flicker of relief crossed his face. 'That's it! Tenshin's spear couldn't withstand the impact of the last exchange. He had been relying on it to gain an advantage in close combat, but now it's useless.'
'Tenshin is left with only two choices now,' Yu Xiaogang thought, carefully observing the battle in the arena. He then spoke aloud, "Tenshin has two options: either he abandons his spear, or he concedes the match."
The dean nodded slightly in agreement.
As long as Tang San could force Tenshin into close combat, the advantage would shift to Tang San. And as for Tenshin's martial soul... What could it do?
Meanwhile, in the audience:
"No, Tenshin's wooden spear is broken—he can't use it in battle anymore."
"Now, the victory is practically Tang San's. Unless a miracle happens, Tenshin has no chance of winning—he's at a disadvantage in both soul power and combat strength."
"True, but let's not be so hasty. It's important to note that Tenshin has already performed miracles throughout this competition."
"..."
Many spectators nodded in agreement.
Tenshin had advanced to the finals without ever using or even summoning his martial soul—and without relying on the physical strength boost that beast-type soul masters enjoy. Yet he managed to get this far.
Back in the competition area, Tenshin glanced at the broken spear in his hand and remarked casually, "It lasted long enough to be nothing more than a wooden training spear."
Without hesitation, he tossed the two halves of the spear out. A smile spread across his face as he added, "I guess it's time to use my martial soul."
A soft blue light surged from Tenshin, radiating outward. Almost immediately, a book materialized beside him, floating gently and emitting a soothing blend of blue and golden soul power.
Tenshin's decision shocked everyone present.
Why summon his martial soul now? After all, it was just a book—one that seemed to have no practical combat application. What could it possibly do? The onlookers, as well as Tang San and his master, were visibly puzzled.
"Why summon his martial soul?" Yu Xiaogang wondered aloud. His pupils suddenly contracted, as though he had uncovered something. 'Wait a minute... Didn't Tenshin say his martial soul is called the 'Celestial Book'?' He mused. 'Why give it such a bold name when it's just a book? Is this kid simply foolish, or is he arrogantly inviting trouble? Branding something with a flashy name without any proven power is asking for disaster.'
In Yu Xiaogang's eyes, Tenshin was nothing more than a civilian soul master—a dreamer living in a world of illusion and arrogance. After all, a martial soul without combat utility severely limits one's future achievements. Tenshin might cultivate it to a high level, but without inherent combat power—even with his spear skills—he would always be at a disadvantage against someone whose martial soul was designed for battle.
No matter how skilled he became, relying on external weapons would always place him behind those whose martial souls possessed real combat abilities. The only exception would be if he stumbled upon a legendary artifact, but such things were nothing more than myths in ancient records. None of the major forces had ever possessed one.
Moreover, no soul master—no matter how powerful—had ever been so arrogant as to name their martial soul with a term incorporating "Celestial." In short, giving your martial soul such an extravagant name without any proof, evidence, or actual power was simply asking for trouble.
Even if, by some miracle, the martial soul was powerful enough to justify such a name, it would be wiser to wait until it truly lived up to it. There were many who admired geniuses, but just as many who were consumed by envy and jealousy.
This was exactly why Yu Xiaogang had warned Tang San not to expose his second martial soul recklessly.
In the audience, many were excited but mostly skeptical and curious about why Tenshin had chosen to summon his martial soul. No one had expected that two young boys, not even eight years old, could create such an intense and unpredictable match today.
Competition Area
When Tang San saw Tenshin summon his martial soul, his first reaction was wariness, followed closely by disdain.
Yes—disdain.
To Tang San, Tenshin's actions seemed like a desperate attempt to turn the tide, and the calm, confident mask he wore was nothing more than a façade to cover up his underlying panic. With his spear gone, Tang San felt he had the upper hand. Even with his left hand temporarily paralyzed, he believed he could easily defeat Tenshin. After all, he still had the Tang Sect techniques and his martial soul at his disposal.
Before Tang San could formulate his next move, Tenshin launched a punch at him. Tang San pivoted to the right, intending to dodge and counterattack with his right arm. But just as he was about to strike, the punch landed squarely on his face, sending him stumbling toward the edge of the arena. There was no time to think. In the blink of an eye, Tang San used Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to narrowly avoid a kick aimed at the spot he had just vacated.
"Originally, I wanted to finish this while you were off guard," Tenshin commented casually, glancing at Tang San's new position a few meters away. "But I didn't expect you to react so quickly."
Tang San furrowed his brow and fixed his gaze on the book floating beside Tenshin. A thought crossed his mind—though unlikely, it was starting to form into something tangible. He decided to voice his suspicion. "How did you hit me? I'm sure I dodged your punch."
Tenshin paused, then responded in a calm tone. "Normally, I wouldn't reveal this, but you've probably already guessed it, or you'll figure it out in the upcoming matches."
He shifted his stance and addressed Tang San directly. "Do you remember what your master said when we first arrived at the academy?" Tenshin asked. "He said that people who awaken martial souls from books—whether or not they have soul power—still experience an increase in some intellectual or mental capacity. Whether it's comprehension, absorption, or retention of information."
Tang San had no idea where this conversation was going at first, but as Tenshin continued, his earlier suspicion began to solidify, and he didn't like where it was heading. After a moment of hesitation, he responded, "Yes."
Tenshin's smile turned knowing, his eyes glinting with amusement. "So I decided to verify this in the library. What I've inferred is that my martial soul has a mental or spiritual attribute. Given what you already know, I'm sure you can guess the rest..." His words were laced with sarcasm.
Tang San's mind raced as the pieces clicked into place. 'Illusions,' he thought, the realization striking him like a bolt of lightning. 'His soul ring must grant him some sort of illusion ability!'
Still, there was one thing that didn't add up. "But something doesn't make sense," Tang San said, frowning. "From what I know, your soul ring came from a Fire Tiger that's hundreds of years old, and they don't have any mental attributes!"
Tenshin's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh... so you know where my soul ring came from? It must have been your master who told you…" Tenshin mused, piecing together that Dean had shared this information with Yu Xiaogang, likely because the two were close.
But instead of answering immediately, Tenshin hesitated, then continued, choosing not to reveal everything. He knew that, in all likelihood, they would soon be enemies. "Normally, that would be true," Tenshin began, a hint of amusement in his voice. "But what you don't know is that the Fire Tiger I hunted was a mutant soul beast—one with a spiritual attribute. Honestly, I was lucky that it had been injured or poisoned beforehand…"