Qin Yi struggled to climb up from the ground, while Murong Bai opposite him watched with ragged breaths. The onlookers in the arena all wore looks of sheer disbelief—after taking such a violent blow, he actually still had the strength to stand back up.
Yet, thinking about it, this was only natural. Back when he was thirteen, he had been jointly awarded the title of "genius" by several immortal prefectures. Three years had passed since then; although his overall cultivation had plummeted severely, his inborn natural talent and bone structure still surpassed ordinary mortals.
"Hehe, Senior Brother's punch can be considered the ultimate kill among all our fellow disciples!"
Qin Yi chuckled bitterly as he straightened up, his chest heaving irregularly, every breath bringing a tearing pain. Yet he clenched his teeth and forced his spine straight. A resolute light flickered in his eyes, as if saying: I will never fall like this.
The right hand Murong Bai used to grip his sword also trembled slightly; he had never seen anyone so resilient. And yet, this very person had once been his closest companion through life and death.
"You're not bad yourself. You're one of the very few who can still stand up after being knocked down by that punch of mine!"
Qin Yi's face was pale, his figure somewhat unsteady. Clutching his chest, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth: "Cough, cough... I'm afraid Senior Brother Murong is exhausted by now as well, right?"
"One-third, but it's enough to knock you down!"
No more nonsense.
Murong Bai continued to gather his sword intent, and the hilt radiated waves of piercing chill. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, seeming to pierce through all illusions.
The surrounding air was frozen by his sword intent, plunging the area into a dead silence.
Swish, swish, swish—
In that split second, everyone held their breath. They only saw Murong Bai's sword carve a graceful arc through mid-air, then accurately thrust toward Qin Yi's chest.
Clang—
A booming sound rang out. The sword in Murong Bai's hand actually began to vibrate incessantly, suspended in mid-air. He widened his eyes, staring at the longsword that had accompanied him through countless storms, which at this moment seemed to have lost all its vitality and struggled to break free from his grasp.
The surrounding air suddenly turned scorching hot, as if an invisible force were tugging at his sword.
An inexplicable fear surged in Murong Bai's heart—this was a situation he had never encountered before.
"This is! The Soul Origin Art?!"
Murong Bai tried to stabilize the sword body, but that force seemed to grow increasingly strong, directly hurling him away.
The crowd fell silent, the atmosphere instantly turning tense. Everyone held their breath, their gazes focused on the arena.
"He... he lost!?"
"Senior Brother Murong actually lost?"
"What was that move Senior Brother Qin Yi just used? Why have I never seen it before!"
"It's the Soul Origin Art! Senior Brother Qin Yi has awakened the Soul Origin Art..."
An uproar broke out among the spectators.
Up on the Immortal Terrace, Gu Lin, who had witnessed the entire process, was happier than anyone else right now. The boulder that had long weighed heavily on her heart finally dropped, leaving her immensely relieved.
She couldn't help covering her mouth and giggling, her voice as melodious as an oriole's: "He won, Brother Qin Yi won!"
"Hahaha, old man Fu, that disciple of yours is truly a monster, just like you. To be able to comprehend the Soul Origin Art during a match—across all fifteen immortal prefectures, I'm afraid there won't be a second one..."
...
On the martial arts arena, dust swirled. Murong Bai struggled to climb up from one end, his chest heaving violently, every breath bringing a sharp pain. He raised a hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, a trace of stubbornness flashing in his eyes.
Looking at the still-vibrating longsword beside him, he slowly reached out. When his fingertips touched the blade, a freezing sensation coursed through his entire body. He laboriously picked up the hilt, on which his own name was engraved—Murong Bai.
With unwillingness, he looked at the sword in his hand. It was his proudest weapon, yet now it trembled in his grasp.
Under the sunlight, his figure appeared so lonely, so helpless.
A generation's proud talent had actually lost!
"Junior Brother truly has endless surprises to offer people!" Murong Bai slowly turned around, dragging his longsword as he staggered toward the edge of the arena: "Three days from now, I hope you can still stand here just like today..."
Qin Yi remained silent.
Equally silent were the people watching from the stands. No one believed that Qin Yi had won this battle, but they had also truly witnessed the Soul Origin Art that Qin Yi had condensed—a Soul Origin Art that evolved all things through "State-Phase" and could withstand any ultimate strike. This was something no one had ever seen before.
Qin Yi watched Murong Bai depart, and also noticed a snowflake resting on his shoulder. He raised his gaze slightly to look up at the Immortal Terrace to the upper left; apart from Gu Lin, there was not a single other figure in sight.
Gu Lin waved her hand: "Brother Qin Yi!"
Qin Yi smiled as he turned his head, his gaze fixed intently on the direction of the Sixth Immortal Prefecture, and murmured inwardly: "Master?!"
...
A dim shadow covered the firmament, like a scroll stained with ink, slowly unfurling between heaven and earth.
Inside the small forest cabin on Reincarnation Mountain, Qin Yi sat cross-legged on the bed, the scene of the daytime match continuously flashing through his mind.
State-Phase Soul Origin?
Qin Yi carefully examined the Soul Origin force in his hand. It was like an irregular seven-colored stone, rough on the surface and exuding an ancient aura. He tried to urge the starlight power within his body to sense it, only to find that his soul power seemed to be guided by some force, uncontrollably pouring into that wispy Soul Origin Art.
Such a unique cultivation system had no record whatsoever in the entire Puyuan World!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
While deep in thought, Qin Yi felt another surge of warmth gathering at the center of his brows. Just as he wanted to close his eyes and sense it, his train of thought was interrupted by a shout.
"Senior Brother Qin Yi, are you home?"
"If you don't answer, I'm coming in!"
Qin Yi immediately frowned, slowly withdrawing his technique, then stood up from the stone bed and stepped out of the stone chamber.
He knew clearly in his heart that it must be that annoying fellow again.
The newcomer was Wang Xuan from the Sixth Immortal Prefecture. He had been admitted to the inner sect during the same inner sect examination batch as Qin Yi, and was also the culprit who caused Qin Yi to suffer a strange curse. Because he constantly harbored gratitude and guilt, every month he would bring Qin Yi good treasures he had hunted outside.