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**
"Yes!"
Hearing Mu Chen's words, Ling Xiao seemed to regain a spark of strength. He scrambled up immediately and began a slow jog toward the cafeteria. He felt as though he could devour an entire ox in his current state.
Watching his retreating figure, Mu Chen chuckled and murmured to himself, "While one can compensate for the energy drain of the Ox Demon Force Fist by consuming soul beast meat, it's a bit of a hassle to run off and eat every time hunger strikes."
"Furthermore, in the later stages, the meat of hundred-year soul beasts won't be very effective; only thousand-year soul beasts will suffice."
"Although Bibi Dong will provide for him, it's best to use a two-pronged approach. I should refine some Spirit Ginseng Pills for him to replenish his bodily consumption and accelerate his cultivation of the Ox Demon Force Fist."
Over the next ten days, Ling Xiao moved into the small courtyard where Mu Chen resided.
Aside from heading to the cafeteria for meals, he spent his time in meditative cultivation and practicing the two fist techniques. It seemed that physical aptitude shared a certain correlation with cultivation speed;
After his transformation, he felt that the speed of condensing soul power was noticeably faster than before. The cultivation of the two fist techniques also proceeded smoothly; with Mu Chen's guidance, he made significant progress in just ten days.
On the morning after those ten days, in a patch of woods behind Spirit Academy, near Mu Chen's residence:
"Eight Extremes Fist!"
A cool, sharp shout suddenly rang out through the trees.
A shadow flashed as a figure in white shot forward like a bolt, throwing a punch toward a tree thicker than a man's wrist.
With a muffled thud, wood chips sprayed in all directions.
Ling Xiao actually punched clean through the tree, creating a large hole.
His forearm passed through the trunk and emerged on the other side.
Following a series of harsh, creaking sounds, the relatively tall tree snapped at the hole, unable to support the weight above, and came crashing down. As the tree toppled, Ling Xiao had already withdrawn and retreated, landing lightly on a green rock.
Looking at his "handiwork," Ling Xiao smiled with satisfaction.
After so many days of practice, he had finally delivered a passing punch—truly succeeding in condensing his scattered fist force into a single point of vigor. When he first arrived on the first day, he could have broken a tree of this thickness, but the result would have been different.
Initially, he would have relied on brute force to snap it in half, leaving a jagged, messy break and scattered force. Now, he could punch through the trunk first; with the same amount of strength, his destructive power had jumped significantly.
"Mm." Mu Chen, watching from the side, nodded slowly.
To be able to throw such a punch within ten days, Ling Xiao's comprehension was exceptionally high. He said with satisfaction, "Not bad. To reach this level in just ten days is very good. However, you must not slacken because of this."
"You must realize that although you can throw such a punch now, you require time to focus your mind, steady your breath, and build momentum."
"You haven't yet reached the stage where every strike and kick naturally contains such condensed power. That is the realm of Great Mastery for the Eight Extremes Fist."
"Understood. This disciple will keep it in mind."
Hearing Ling Xiao's response, Mu Chen nodded and said, "A Soul Master's cultivation isn't just about training soul power and obtaining soul rings."
"Setting aside combat experience for a moment, the control over one's own physical power, soul power, and the source power of the Martial Soul are all critically important during the cultivation process."
"If one only focuses on meditation to raise their soul power rank while neglecting everything else, they will end up as nothing more than a 'silvery spearhead made of wax'—impressive to look at due to a high rank, but incapable of actually exerting their true strength. Do you understand?"
"Disciple understands. I am ashamed to say that before this, I thought the path of a Soul Master was monotonous and simple. But through your guidance, I have realized how small I truly am. On the path of a Soul Master, I still have much to learn."
"Haha, it is good that you think this way. Come with me." After speaking, Mu Chen led Ling Xiao back toward the residence, leaving Ling Xiao with a head full of questions.
"Teacher, why are we going back? It's not time for my meditation yet. Shouldn't I practice the Ox Demon Force Fist for a while longer?"
Mu Chen walked ahead, saying as he went, "No rush, no rush. I have one more thing to teach you."
"This is the last thing you will learn this month. Like the two fist techniques, it is something you will need to practice diligently over the next few years. It will assist you in the use of your Martial Soul."
"Oh? The use of the Martial Soul." Ling Xiao couldn't help but wonder what it could be.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, the two arrived at the boundary between the woods and Mu Chen's hut. Ling Xiao discovered to his surprise that a vast number of cylindrical wooden logs had been piled up at the entrance to the forest.
"Teacher, these are...?"
Mu Chen smiled and said playfully, "The last thing you need to learn. To put it simply: chopping wood."
"????"
A massive string of question marks popped into Ling Xiao's mind.
What was there to learn about chopping wood? Wasn't that the simplest thing in the world?
Aware of Ling Xiao's confusion, Mu Chen stopped joking and said seriously, "While the term 'chopping wood' is a bit of a jest, in form, it isn't incorrect."
"Xiao'er, go ahead and chop one first. Let me see."
Ling Xiao looked at Mu Chen suspiciously, utterly baffled, but he didn't argue.
He picked up a log, stood it upright on the ground, and with a flash of black-red light, released the Profound Sky Axe. With a single swing, the log was split in two. Unsurprisingly, given the sharpness of the Profound Sky Axe and Ling Xiao's strength, it was effortless.
"Teacher?" Ling Xiao looked at Mu Chen questioningly.
"Xiao'er, look closer. Look at what is drawn on the cross-section of that log."
Ling Xiao picked up a piece and looked closely.
"This is... a line?"
"Yes. Now, Xiao'er, chop another one. Follow the line exactly so that after the log is split in two, the pieces are of equal size."
Ling Xiao became thoughtful.
Following Mu Chen's instructions, he stood up another log, aimed at the drawn line, and brought the axe down.
However, the result was not ideal; he was slightly off-center. Frowning, Ling Xiao refused to accept defeat and chopped several more. Finally, on one attempt, his aim was true, and the two halves were equal.
His eyes flickered as he thought it over. It seemed he understood something.
"Teacher, are you trying to tell me that while I have power and speed with the Profound Sky Axe, I lack precision?"
"It's more than that. Accuracy alone is not enough. Xiao'er, as I said before, for a Soul Master, the strength of the soul ring is not the most important factor; mastering the origin power of the Martial Soul is."
"The foundation of a Soul Master's cultivation is the Martial Soul, not the soul ring. Absorbing soul rings is merely a primary method of cultivating the Martial Soul."
"And the most basic level of mastering a Martial Soul is the control over its physical form. A step deeper is the mastery of the Martial Soul Origin."
"Regarding the mastery of the Martial Soul Origin, the best way to learn is through soul ring skills. This is the most important function of a soul ring aside from strengthening the Martial Soul Origin."
**
Enjoying the story? Support the translation and get early access to future chapters here: www.patr eon.com/c/FanficTranslator
Thanks for reading!
I have 70 advanced chapter now on Patreon. I will post 5 advanced chapter on Patreon everyday except Sunday