Outside Tianhui Canyon, Zhu Ziyang quietly absorbed his soul ring.
A surge of soul power poured out from the ring, rushing violently through his meridians. His own soul power set up barriers, intercepting, absorbing, and assimilating it repeatedly. His widened meridians absorbed the energy, which was then transported through his blood to the rest of his body, gradually strengthening it.
Alongside this soul power came a strange gray energy—the death power hidden within the White Bone Scythe Fiend's bloodline. Under the guidance of Zhu Ziyang's martial soul, this death energy separated from the soul power and flowed toward his Heart Center Acupoint (膻中穴).
The soul ring absorption went smoothly. The soul ring was fully refined, and the death-attribute bloodline was completely absorbed by the Radiant Scythe at the acupoint. Zhu Ziyang let out a sigh of relief and focused on absorbing and refining the remaining soul power.
Meanwhile, outside the tent, Zhu Changhe noticed something strange—his son's body emitted a faint golden light, but the edges were surrounded by a ring of gray mist. It was very unusual.
Though confused, Zhu Changhe didn't dwell on it and instead eagerly awaited the changes that would come after the soul ring absorption was complete.
By the time Zhu Ziyang finished absorbing his first soul ring, it was around 3 or 4 p.m..
He opened his eyes, joy flashing within them, and immediately summoned his martial soul. A pale yellow soul ring glowed behind him, but his gaze remained fixed on the weapon in his hands.
A completely transformed Radiant Scythe had appeared. The 1.6-meter-long white shaft was now engraved with faint, incomplete golden patterns. The base of the handle now featured a round, slightly wider white orb engraved with a skull.
The blade on the right side had become sharper and shinier, now double-edged rather than single-edged—offering more combat versatility.
The secondary blade was still circular but had increased in size and sharpness, its cutting arc expanded from a quarter-circle to a half-circle—now resembling a small battle axe.
The spearhead at the top was also more defined. What was once a simple point had now become a diamond-shaped lance tip. Without the blades, it could easily pass for a silver spear. The pale skull on the tip had turned dark-colored, making it stand out against the weapon's overall pure white.
"What is that...?" Zhu Changhe looked over, eyes wide in surprise.
"I did it, Dad!" Zhu Ziyang beamed with joy. "I'm officially a Soul Master now!"
"Excellent!" Zhu Changhe was overjoyed as well, his heart full of pride as he looked at the yellow ring behind his son. For the moment, he forgot about the scythe's odd transformation. "Try out your soul skill. Let's see what it does."
"Okay!" Zhu Ziyang nodded and closed his eyes to sense the soul ring's gift.
Moments later—
He opened his eyes, took a step forward, and brandished the Radiant Scythe. The yellow soul ring behind him lit up as he slashed, unleashing a grayish-white X-shaped blade wave that struck a nearby tree, instantly slicing the massive trunk into four pieces. The blade wave then hit the ground, leaving a one-meter-wide X-shaped gash.
First Soul Skill: Blade of Death!
Infuses the Radiant Scythe's edge with death energy, unleashing a destructive blade wave forward.
Zhu Ziyang analyzed the results. That single strike had consumed about one-ninth of his soul power—quite efficient for such destructive force. But the most critical part was the special effect.
He approached the tree, noticing that the wound left by the slash was glowing faintly gray-white. The gray aura was slowly eroding the tree's life. This was Blade of Death's secondary effect: Life Drain!
It drains the life force of any living creature struck, causing gradual aging and eventual death.
Although similar to the evil soul masters' methods, this was actually a pure and refined use of the death attribute, fundamentally different—and even capable of restraining evil soul masters.
Best of all, Zhu Ziyang could control whether or not the effect activated. If he wanted the slash to drain life, it would. If not, it wouldn't.
"Not bad at all!" Zhu Ziyang chuckled to himself. "This first ring was a huge win—not only did I gain a powerful soul skill, it also strengthened the death attribute of my Radiant Scythe. Now it's truly a martial soul that combines light and death!"
His face lit up with excitement. A soul possessing both high-tier attributes—light and death—was undoubtedly superior to one with only light. But… would people mistake him for an evil soul master because of the death attribute?
A complex light flashed in his eyes.
"What destructive power!" Zhu Changhe exclaimed as he walked over. "Is that your first soul skill, Yangyang?"
"Yep! Pretty awesome, right?" Zhu Ziyang beamed.
"It really is. But why is it a blade wave type skill? That doesn't seem typical for Scythe Bone Fiends," Zhu Changhe asked, puzzled.
"Normal Scythe Bone Fiends can't, but this one was different," Zhu Ziyang explained. "It was a mutated Scythe Bone Fiend, with a death attribute. I read in a book that these variants can unleash death-type blade attacks. That's why I got a blade-wave skill after absorbing its soul ring."
"Death attribute?!" Zhu Changhe was shocked, then looked at his son with concern. "You absorbed a death-attribute soul ring? Are you okay?"
"Relax, Dad." Seeing his father's worry, Zhu Ziyang smiled calmly. "Let me explain."
"Go on then," Zhu Changhe said, forcing himself to stay calm as he stared at his son.
"My Radiant Scythe is a dual-attribute martial soul—light and death," Zhu Ziyang said. "That's why I could absorb the soul ring of the White Bone Scythe Fiend."
"What?!" Zhu Changhe's expression twisted in surprise—but instead of panic, he looked… relieved. "I can't believe… Grandpa was telling the truth after all..."
"Huh?" This time it was Zhu Ziyang who was confused.
"Your great-grandfather once told me that his grandfather, the very first soul master in the Zhu family, had a martial soul with both light and death attributes. I always thought he was joking—but I guess it was true," said Zhu Changhe.
"So that's how it is!" Zhu Ziyang said in realization.
"That's right," Zhu Changhe said, visibly excited. "Yangyang, your martial soul must be a reversion to an ancient bloodline! This means the Zhu family is destined for greatness!"
"Don't worry, Dad. With me around, the Zhu family will become the strongest clan on the continent!" Zhu Ziyang said confidently, his youthful face full of bold ambition.
"Excellent!" Zhu Changhe didn't dampen his son's enthusiasm. Smiling warmly, he said, "We've completed our mission. Let's head home and share the good news with your mother—she'll be so happy!"
"Let's go home!" Zhu Ziyang shouted joyfully.
The father and son set out on their return journey.
Now that Zhu Ziyang had become a true Soul Master, their travel speed increased significantly. The trip that had taken three days on the way out took only two on the way back.
By the sixth night after leaving home, they had returned to Beihe Village.
"Honey, we're back!"
As they entered the house, Zhu Changhe called out.
"Ah! Yangyang, how did it go? What kind of soul ring and skill did you get?" Liang Ying rushed out and hugged her son, bursting with excitement.
"Ugh—Dad, you tell her. I'm going to take a bath. I haven't bathed in six days, I feel disgusting," Zhu Ziyang said with a dramatic expression.
"Fine then," Liang Ying pouted slightly but didn't stop him. Instead, she grabbed Zhu Changhe's arm tightly and said in a half-coaxing, half-demanding voice, "You tell me!"
Zhu Changhe could only agree with a sigh.