The clothing on Cheng Ying's body was formed entirely from his soul power his white robe fluttering in the wind, the Clear Sky Hammer in his hand dripping with magma like fresh blood. The juxtaposition of his immortal-like aura with the sheer brutality of the scene created a striking visual contrast.
Even the few young men who had followed him were stunned by the sight. Even Chao Tianxiang's gaze was filled with awe this destructive force was far greater than what Tang Chen had demonstrated before.
At the center of the crater-like battlefield, the tremendous kinetic energy had converted into heat, forming a lake of magma. The scene utterly shattered their understanding of what soul masters were capable of.
Was a full-powered strike from a Title Douluo really this powerful? No one knew...
Fortunately, this was only the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Forest. Otherwise, such a massive disturbance would've surely attracted a hundred-thousand-year soul beast.
Cheng Ying carried his hammer and approached Chao Changkong. The magma beneath his feet left a trail of blood-red behind him. Chao Changkong, collapsed on the ground, couldn't even muster the strength to stand—let alone resist. He could only close his eyes and wait for death.
With strength like Cheng Ying's, there was no reason to spare him. A mere Soul Sage posed no threat whatsoever.
Yet, the anticipated pain of death never came. Peeking open his eyes, he saw Cheng Ying reaching out his hammer-free hand toward him. "Get up. Killing isn't part of today's lesson plan."
Chao Changkong was momentarily dazed but instinctively grabbed Cheng Ying's hand and stood with his support.
"Senior, you are…" Even a fool could tell Cheng Ying wasn't as young as he looked.
"I'm no senior—just call me Cheng Ying," he replied, helping Chao Changkong up before returning to his three disciples. Confirming they were unharmed by the blast's shockwave, he finally relaxed.
"Why did you all run over here? Don't you know anything? What if I had lost? Didn't you think to absorb the soul ring while I was holding that Soul Sage off?" Cheng Ying scolded them.
As his disciples, how could they not know how to seize an opportunity?
"Uh…" The three of them were speechless. They had just begun to think their teacher looked a bit like a real expert—only to be immediately proven wrong. He really didn't have the demeanor of a mighty figure…
"What are you standing there for? Go absorb the soul ring!" Cheng Ying shot Meng Shu a glare. They'd all come running here—were they brainless? If the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent was just playing dead, it could have escaped!
But just as Meng Shu was about to begin the soul ring absorption, a choked cry suddenly came from beside them:
"Why?! Why does he get the soul ring?!"
"We were the ones who found it first! My father and I chased it for an entire week, eating in the wind and sleeping under the stars. We finally wounded it, and we were so close to capturing it! Why do you people just get to take it?! Are all our efforts for nothing? That's not fair!"
"Silence!" Even in his disheveled state, Chao Changkong instinctively shielded Chao Tianxiang. "What nonsense are you saying? Since it was Lord Cheng Ying who subdued the Phoenix-Tailed Crest Serpent, it naturally belongs to him!"
He waved his hand and slapped his daughter across the face—not because he was angry with her, but because he feared Cheng Ying might take matters into his own hands. There were too many powerhouses in the world who looked gentle on the outside but were terrifyingly cruel inside.
However, his hand was caught mid-air by Cheng Ying.
"She's not wrong," Cheng Ying said calmly. "There's no need to punish her. She's just a little naive."
Then, turning to Chao Tianxiang, he asked, "You feel this is unfair, don't you?"
Chao Tianxiang was clearly afraid, but still stubbornly nodded. Chao Changkong, now anxious, kept giving her frantic signals with his eyes, terrified she might anger Cheng Ying.
But Cheng Ying didn't get angry. Compared to his own era, where at least the unfairness of life was made clear on the surface, he actually appreciated her idealism.
"It's unfortunate, but many things in this world are unfair. Your father lost to me—that's why your week of effort was wasted. In the world of soul masters, the weak are prey to the strong.
"Remember this feeling. The injustice you feel today, you can inflict upon others in the future. Everyone has the right to strive. Everyone has the right to rise above others. For soul masters, that is the greatest—and only—form of fairness."
He looked into the girl's defiant eyes, genuinely curious what her response would be.
"No! Even if I become as strong as you, I won't be like you—I won't use my power to trample on the hard work of others!" she cried out, perhaps from anger or perhaps because of her nature, but either way, it was exactly what Cheng Ying had hoped she would say.
"So, you still refuse to accept this outcome?" Cheng Ying smiled. He liked her stubbornness. Maybe it was time to take a female disciple. Otherwise, as time moved forward, without guidance, women might take longer—and shed more blood—before reclaiming their place in the world.
"I don't accept it! I challenge you!" Chao Tianxiang said, defying her father's efforts to stop her.
Cheng Ying grew interested. Squatting down to meet her gaze, he asked, "And why should I accept your challenge? What wager do you offer that's worth my time?"
His words struck her dumb for a moment. Relying on her father was not an option—not if she wanted to be different from Cheng Ying himself.
"I… I offer myself!" she blurted out in a moment of impulse, placing herself on the line.
Cheng Ying grinned, triumphant, much to Chao Changkong's despair. "Then my wager will be the soul ring of that soul beast. If you lose, you'll become my disciple's girlfriend!"
"This isn't…" she started to protest.
"I know it's unfair—but you were the one who wanted to bet. I decide whether to accept." Cheng Ying's expression was insufferably smug in her eyes. Still, she insisted, "Then I want to choose what we bet on!"
"You can make a proposal. I'll decide if it's worth accepting." Cheng Ying stared into her eyes not backing down even slightly, treating her like a worthy opponent instead of a child.
Chao Tianxiang felt indignant, but Cheng Ying knew that if she didn't learn to adapt to the brutal reality of the soul master world, the hardships she would face in the future would be far worse. He wanted her to clearly see the thorns ahead before choosing her path.
"Fine!" she said, biting her lip. After thinking for a moment, she took out a bow from her storage tool. When Cheng Ying saw the bow, his eyes lit up it was a recurve bow!
As the name implied, while most bows curved like a crescent moon, recurve bows bent the opposite direction at the tips. This allowed them to be shorter while still producing more powerful and far-reaching shots. The one in her hand looked like a sniper's bow from this era.
"We'll compete with this," she declared. "If you can shoot farther and more accurately than me, you win!"
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/XenTronix