Shi Nian looked at Gu Xuan with uncertainty and suspicion. Since Gu Xuan had already broken free from his Brutal Dream, he had no choice but to finish what he started.
However, before Shi Nian could activate his power, Gu Xuan moved.
"Since you're here, you might as well stay."
Gu Xuan's voice rang out indifferently. He slowly raised both hands. His left arm transformed into a crimson draconic limb flowing with Fire Dragon Flame, while his right arm turned into an ice-blue draconic limb permeated with frigid air. Every scale on the dragon arms was as warm and smooth as exquisitely carved jade.
"Ice and Fire Dragon King Secret Technique: Ice and Fire Dragon Arms!"
"Fire Dragon Flame, Ice Dragon Flame!"
As Gu Xuan spoke, a flicker of flame rose from the palms of his heterochromatic dragon arms. In an instant, the Fire Dragon Flame in his left hand seemed capable of incinerating all things, while the Ice Dragon Flame in his right could freeze all life.
"Ice-Fire Dual Polar Swirl!"
Gu Xuan suddenly merged the two different ultimate powers in his palms. He then expanded them outward, like a rotating Taiji diagram. Ultimate heat and cold erupted simultaneously, the two extreme forces clashing with enough violence to destroy everything within their reach.
(Effect similar to the Emperor Hero's marble-rubbing finisher against the four magic beasts.)
However, since Tang San was still there, Gu Xuan used a sliver of power to shield him. His clothes were completely dissolved, and his body felt an endless cycle of extreme heat and cold, but he suffered no substantial damage. Gu Xuan wasn't sure if Tang Hao was peeking from the shadows, and Tang San still had great utility later on; he couldn't let the boy "perish" just yet.
Shi Nian, on the other hand, was not so lucky. The two terrifying forces were released under Gu Xuan's compressed soul power. As a specialist in mental power with mediocre physical stats, Shi Nian was utterly unable to resist these two ultimate forces.
"Ah! No—!"
Before he could even shout a threat or beg for mercy, Shi Nian was dissolved until not a single trace remained.
In the spot where Shi Nian had stood, a colorful glow remained. It was a soul bone. The red and blue flames on Gu Xuan's hands dissipated, the dragon scales receded, and the terrifying ultimate move was naturally withdrawn.
Gu Xuan reached out and pulled the soul bone into his hand, sighing softly. "A 20,000-year-old gem-type left arm bone. It truly suits Rongrong."
After storing the soul bone, Gu Xuan turned to look at Tang San, only to be met with his naked form. Gu Xuan's mind wandered for a second as he glanced down.
'That thing... doesn't even compare to a fraction of mine. Needs more development,' Gu Xuan thought with a mental tsk.
He then took out a blanket to wrap around Tang San and patted his shoulder.
"Xiao San, the crisis is over."
Tang San had naturally felt the strangeness in his body. It was only after Gu Xuan patted his shoulder that he slowly opened his eyes. From start to finish, Tang San had no idea what had happened; he had only felt a powerful surge of soul power and two opposing auras before it all ended.
Noticing the blanket wrapped around him, Tang San's face turned red. "Big Brother Gu, just now...?"
Gu Xuan's expression remained unchanged. "It's been dealt with. It was confirmed to be Shi Nian, the Dean of Canghui Academy."
Hearing this sent shockwaves through Tang San's heart. 'The Dean of Canghui Academy, Shi Nian? Wasn't he a Soul Saint? Big Brother Gu handled him that casually? Or was it an expert protecting Gu Xuan from the shadows?' After all, given Gu Xuan's status, having a guardian was only natural.
Tang San knew Gu Xuan's Martial Soul was the Eight Dragon Swords[1], and those peerless sword intents were the strongest at their rank, but they certainly didn't feel like the "Ice and Fire Dual Heaven" sensation he just experienced.
Gu Xuan didn't explain much, and Tang San didn't dare press him. He didn't even dare consider the possibility that Gu Xuan had killed Shi Nian himself; it was too inconceivable. No matter how strong Gu Xuan was, he was at most a Soul King, right? The gap between a Soul King and a Soul Saint isn't just twenty levels—it's two ten-thousand-year soul rings!
"I will handle the matter of Shi Nian. Don't overthink it, and there's no need to worry," Gu Xuan said, ending the topic. Since the snake had been lured out and the soul bone was in hand, there was no need for further talk.
Tang San was a smart man; seeing Gu Xuan's attitude, he refrained from asking more. The two continued their walk in the park as if nothing had happened. Tang San found a secluded corner to change into spare clothes; walking around a park wrapped in a blanket with another man was just begging for misunderstandings.
The few commoners in the park were unaffected. Shi Nian's Brutal Dream had initially cloaked them, and Gu Xuan's attack was confined only to Shi Nian's immediate vicinity. Once Shi Nian died, the illusion vanished, leaving the commoners unharmed.
As they chatted, the conversation eventually turned to Tang San's own troubles. His current revealed Martial Soul was just Blue Silver Grass. Though he had reached Rank 42—a level considered "somebody" in the soul master world—facing the geniuses of the tournament made him feel like his Martial Soul was falling behind. Blue Silver Grass was, after all, a recognized "trash" Martial Soul.
Finally, Tang San began to vent. "Big Brother Gu, you know my Martial Soul is just Blue Silver Grass. Though I've reached Rank 40, as my level rises, the weakness of the grass becomes clearer. Can I really contend with other soul masters in the future with this?"
Gu Xuan pondered for a moment.
"Xiao San," Gu Xuan said eventually, "It's true. Blue Silver Grass is a trash Martial Soul, perhaps the most famous one. Usually, anyone with it wouldn't even have the chance to cultivate. But what about you? Tell me, what was your status at your awakening? You told me before—you have Innate Full Soul Power, right?"
Tang San nodded.
"What does Innate Full Soul Power signify? It signifies the foundation of the Martial Soul. Even my innate soul power was only Rank 8, while yours was Rank 10, and yet you have 'cultivatable' Blue Silver Grass." Gu Xuan asked, "What does that mean?"
Tang San looked at him blankly. He had been stumped by this as well.
"It means," Gu Xuan said slowly, "that your Blue Silver Grass is different." Gu Xuan looked at him seriously. "Actually, you must have secrets you haven't told me, likely regarding your Martial Soul. I may not have spent decades studying theory like your teacher, the Grandmaster, but I know common sense."
Hearing this, Tang San's heart began to race. 'Has Big Brother Gu guessed that I have twin Martial Souls?'
Gu Xuan continued, "Blue Silver Grass is a trash soul. 99% of people with it have no soul power. The rare few who do never exceed Rank 1, and their limit is the two-ring Soul Grandmaster rank. But you? You're only fourteen and already a Soul Ancestor, a top-tier one at that."
"So, I've ruled out all other possibilities. First, it cannot be a mutation. Blue Silver Grass is too low-level; negative mutations don't even exist because there's nothing lower. So, your Innate Full Soul Power amazed me at first, but after thinking it over... if it can't be a mutation, there is only one other option."
Tang San watched Gu Xuan in shock. This logic was almost identical to what the Grandmaster had said. Was Big Brother Gu's wisdom truly on par with his teacher's? It made sense; Gu Xuan's own innate Rank 8 talent and his status as a Soul King at eighteen proved his brilliance.
Gu Xuan paused, his gaze burning like a torch. "So, I suspect you are a possessor of Twin Martial Souls."
([1] Tang San does not know of Gu Xuan's Marital Soul; Tang San thinks Gu Xuan's Soul Bone, Sword Dragon Eight Wings, is his Martial Soul)
(End of Chapter)
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