Inside Jiang Mo’s room, the air was still, lit only by the flickering flame of a single spirit lamp. Both Qian Renxue and Jiang Mo sat across a round table of dark redwood.
Jiang Mo leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow, his voice casual yet teasing, “Well, how can the busy you have time to come and meet me?”
It was clearly a taunt, one that carried the weight of old friendship and some bitterness. They had all grown up together in the inner hall, but over the last year, Qian Renxue had distanced herself, choosing solitude, duty, and cultivation over youthful camaraderie.
Qian Renxue didn’t deny it. She simply smiled, calm and composed. “You’ll understand soon.”
Before Jiang Mo could ask further, she cut to the point. “Do you want a martial soul stronger than your Coiling Dragon Staff?”
Jiang Mo's eyes narrowed. He stood up instinctively, as if trying to gauge her seriousness. “The Coiling Dragon Staff is a top-level martial soul. Its lineage is ancient—fierce offense, heavy soul pressure, and battlefield control.”
But even as he spoke, excitement flickered in his pupils. Curiosity always had a place when it came to martial souls. Still, he quickly tempered it and sat back down, tone more restrained. “Even so, it’s impossible to make it much stronger. Martial Soul evolution is... a fantasy for most.”
Qian Renxue tilted her head, golden strands of hair shifting as she narrowed her purple eyes slightly. “Is it really impossible… or just unattempted?”
She didn’t elaborate immediately. Instead, she watched him with a look that bordered on amusement and calculation.
Inwardly, she mused,
‘The incident with the martial soul evolution pills must have already reached the ears of the elders. But none of them pried—after all, I’m the granddaughter of Qian Daoliu, the Grand Worshiper of Spirit Hall. As long as it's in my hands, they’ll feign ignorance.’
‘They wouldn’t risk offending me or the Grand Worshiper by trying to seize information. So it makes sense that Jiang Mo doesn’t know what really happened. His reaction is valid…’
She said again, “What if I really had something that could make your Martial Soul evolve?”
Jiang Mo leaned back in his chair, his eyebrows raised. “If you can really evolve my Martial Soul... then I will become your loyal follower.”
Qian Renxue’s smile deepened. “Do you understand the weight of that statement? To be someone’s follower isn’t just about respect—it’s about allegiance.”
Though only six years old, Jiang Mo was not ignorant. Being the grandson of an elder in Spirit Hall, he does understand the concept of factions and hidden loyalties. Becoming Qian Renxue’s follower meant standing beside her, for better or worse.
“I understand very well what I’m saying,” Jiang Mo replied seriously, his eyes unwavering. “I said I’ll be your follower if you can give me a martial soul that surpasses the Coiling Dragon Staff. I won’t go back on my words.”
Qian Renxue smirked. “Don’t back off afterwards.”
With that, she pulled out a jade bottle from her soul guide and lightly rolled a greenish pill into her palm. The pill shimmered faintly, radiating an aura of vitality and unfathomable mystery.
“This will do it.”
Jiang Mo took the pill with doubt still lingering in his eyes, but as he brought it closer, the thick medicinal fragrance hit his nose. The scent was refreshing.
Qian Renxue waved her hand dismissively, “I’m not going to poison you. Your grandfather would beat me with his stick if I did that.”
Jiang Mo chuckled nervously, then popped the pill into his mouth. The moment it touched his tongue, it dissolved like mist, and its essence surged into his stomach.
Suddenly, his body trembled.
The medicinal energy didn’t just spread into his meridians, it burrowed directly into his soul sea. There, in that deepest part of his being, something began to stir.
The phantom of the Coiling Dragon Staff appeared behind him, flickering between corporeal and ethereal. But then, strange runes formed from the pill’s residual energy, runes made of rule-based power, the purest essence of spiritual evolution, wrapped around the staff like coiling vines. One by one, these runes etched themselves into the martial soul, twisting its shape.
CRACK!
A sound like the shattering of bone and stone echoed within his spirit. Jiang Mo’s eyes widened as intense pain seized his body, but beneath it, he felt a strange liberation.
His martial soul was undergoing metamorphosis.
Golden-green light surged through his body as his Coiling Dragon Staff emerged instinctively, its form flickering with chaotic energies.
And then, it cracked.
The old staff shattered into motes of light, then reformed with a booming sound that echoed across the room like a god's hammer on stone.
What took its place was no longer the Coiling Dragon Staff.
A long, black-gold cudgel floated before him, its surface covered in ancient carvings that seemed to ripple with subtle golden light. Its body was matte black with veins of glowing crimson etched across the middle, and it could shift in size with a thought. Thick, weighty, and awe-inspiring, it radiated the oppressive pressure of judgment and the wild spirit of rebellion.
Jiang Mo’s back was soaked in sweat, his breathing erratic. Yet when he opened his eyes, they were brighter, fiercer. His soul power surged to its peak, he had broken through a bottleneck.
His soul power had reached Level 10. Now, he is no different than a full innate soul power.
Jiang Mo shouted “ Heavenly Evil Breaking Cudgel”
This was an artifact like martial soul of absolute might, to defy all evil and shatter illusions, and pierce through corruption. Its presence was like a heavenly decree forged into iron.
Jiang Mo trembled as he gripped the handle. The weapon responded instantly, adjusting to his grip, pulsing in resonance.
He felt power surge into his limbs, his spirit sea cleared, and his aura exploded in strength.
Qian Renxue smiled, satisfied ‘ Another Ultimate Martial soul.’
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