Su Yuntao said. "The pill caused our Martial Spirits to evolve into higher forms."
Ling Yuan inspected them one by one, seeing everyone smiling and nodding she couldn't help but get stunned. Even master Ma at side looked at them with surprise, he though he was the biggest gainer but it turned out to be them.
"It seems… this is what he meant by 'the earlier one takes the pill, the better the effect,'" Ling Yuan said, arms crossed, her eyes still watching Li Shen's figure as he practiced. The others around her nodded, now understanding the depth of his foresight.
Sun Yuntao muttered, "I wonder if I have become more talented if I have taken it when I first awakened my Martial Spirit…"
Sisi looked down at her hands, still faintly glowing with spirit energy. "If I had taken it later, maybe I wouldn't have gained this much…"
Ling Yuan didn't speak for a moment. Her expression remained calm, but her mind was already moving with precise calculation.
'I can give one pill to my niece… she's young and talented, it'll help her breakthrough early. As for the remaining three…'
She glanced again toward Li Shen, who now stood silent, sword raised, eyes closed in deep concentration.
'...the rest, I'll return it to him. It's only right he decides. After all, they came through him. And this Voice backing him… I would rather gain its favor than test its limits.'
And so, a whole week passed.
During that time, Li Shen reached Spirit Power Level 14, steadily progressing through his cultivation. More importantly, his proficiency with the first level - the Holy Sun Slash reached the Intermediate stage.
He could now release twice the strength of the original flaming wave compared to his first attempt. The radiant arc had become sharper, more focused, and far more destructive—no longer just raw power, but a refined technique forged through relentless repetition.
And now, Li Shen stood calmly in the Academy arena. On the opposite side stood a blue-haired boy—Tang San, his expression calm but focused.
"The match between Tang San and Li Shen will now begin," announced the adult teacher acting as referee. With a wave of his hand, he instructed,
"Both participants, release your Martial Spirits!"
Tang San stepped forward first. "Level 14 Spirit Master, Martial Spirit: Blue Silver Grass," he said as the familiar blue vine unfurled in his palm, glowing faintly with spirit energy.
Li Shen followed with composed ease. "Level 15 Spirit Master, Martial Spirit: White Fang," he declared.
In a flash of spirit light, Bai Hua appeared—not in her original beast form, but in a refined spirit armament form that Li Shen will now be using as his Martial Spirit in eyes of world from now on at Ling Yuan's suggestion to hide the true nature of his martial spirit. She hovered gracefully beside him, her presence ethereal yet commanding.
Her form took the shape of a white-thin katana — a long, white crystalline blade that gleamed with a radiant purity. Within the shimmering blade, golden crystalline veins melded seamlessly with the white steel-like edge, casting a mesmerizing glow.
The hilt and handguard were crafted from pure white material, accented with intricate golden patterns that looked less like a weapon and more like a masterpiece of art—delicate, elegant, and almost sacred.
"So beautiful…"
A girl in the crowd whispered in awe, captivated by the exquisite craftsmanship. Even Tang San's usually keen eyes were drawn toward Li Shen's spirit armament, his expression flickering with curiosity and envy.
None of them knew the truth: this was not Li Shen's true Martial Spirit, but Bai Hua manifesting herself through the Spirit Book of Infinity, and everyone believed it—her aura perfectly matched that of a Martial Spirit.
Not only that but people also noticed the absence of any Spirit Ring despite him saying he is level 15. Since Li Shen had only summoned his contracted beast in her armament form, not his actual Martial Spirit, no Spirit Rings manifested.
But as the crowd wondered why no Spirit Rings appeared, a teacher spoke up, "He must be using the Spirit Ring hiding method."
"It's a technique used by Spirit Masters to secretly conceal their Spirit Rings and catch opponents off guard with surprise attacks," the teacher explained. "But it takes a lot of skill to master—he must be very talented."
The crowd murmured in admiration, recognizing Li Shen's genius in using such a subtle and advanced technique to disguise his true power.
The match was about to begin, but already, Li Shen had captured the attention of everyone in the arena.
Yu Xiaogang, sitting quietly in the stands, nodded as he listened to the discussions around him. When he heard the comments about Li Shen using the Spirit Ring Hiding Method, he simply shook his head.
"Hiding Spirit Rings? Impressive, but meaningless," he thought to himself, eyes narrowing.
A deep, almost dismissive look crossed his face as he stared at Li Shen. "Boy, you may be talented… but you're destined to lose anyway."
In his heart, Yu Xiaogang held firm belief in his disciple—Tang San. After all, he had personally witnessed the true secret of Tang San's hidden strength: the power of a dual martial soul. Compared to that, he saw Li Shen's sword-like martial spirit as nothing more than a stepping stone on Tang San's path to greatness.
"A beautiful weapon set like yours will just make your defeat more dramatic," he thought with a faint smile.
The arrogance in his heart was not born of baseless pride—but from confidence in Tang San's overwhelming potential. And in this match, he believed, that potential would turn Li Shen's brilliance into nothing more than a fleeting spark before the inevitable extinguishing blow.
Thinking of this, Yu Xiaogang couldn't help but smirk to himself, his imagination running wild.
He pictured it vividly—Li Shen, defeated and humiliated in the arena, kneeling before him with bruised pride and desperation in his eyes.
"Please, Master Yu… make me your student… I'll do anything…" the imagined Li Shen begged.
"Heh… twin soul power, rare potential, and then I'll have proof of how great my teachings are," Yu Xiaogang mused darkly in his mind, folding his arms as the match down below finally began.
He didn't even consider the possibility of Li Shen winning. To him, the outcome was already decided—and what mattered now was how much value he could extract from the aftermath.
****
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