The student nearest to the stage, facing the Spirit Stone, was the first to notice the anomaly. He screamed in shock, "Look! The Spirit Stone—it’s glowing!!"
The revelation sent shockwaves through the crowd. All eyes turned to the stone.
Zuo Heng stiffened. Wu Qiyue trembled slightly, her serene eyes rippling like disturbed water.
Time seemed to freeze. The translucent Spirit Stone glowed faintly, stealing everyone’s breath.
"It is Martial Soul light!"
Qin Zhen’s voice trembled. "Quick—check its grade!"
Martial Soul tests could manifest up to nine soul lights, grouped into three tiers: Lower, Middle, and Upper. Legends spoke of a tenth light—a Supreme rank.
Xiao Chen remained calm. Touching the stone, a soothing warmth spread through him, even nourishing his soul.
But then—his left shoulder twitched. An indescribable force surged through his meridians.
The mark!
Damn it—what is this thing? It’s out of control!
Xiao Chen’s eyes widened as the mark’s violent energy flooded the Spirit Stone.
Suddenly, a bright light bloomed, instantly blinding the eyes of everyone present.
Immediately afterwards, there was a "click", and the spirit stone cracked in response."
What... Just happened?
The bright light dissipated, and everyone was dumbfounded.
A broken spirit stone, unheard of.
Wu Qiyue shuddered. Hidden within her sleeves, her jade-like fingers trembled.
Her lively black eyes gathered strands of blood vessels, forming intricate circles that wove into a bizarre array.
Yes, she was the only one in the audience who saw a little. That's not a light!
Rather, it was a strong light that bloomed in an instant from the ten soul rays!
I was careless! she berated herself.
Ten soul lights flashed—but my “Azure Soul Eye” wasn’t fully activated. I missed it!
Suddenly, the scene of the riots became very quiet.
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A depressing aura gradually began to spread.
Then the sky darkened, dark clouds churned, thunder roared, and lightning pierced the sky.
A violet flame ignited the heavens in an instant.
A suffocating pressure descended—as if an army of thousands trampled the air.
The aura didn’t just blanket Tiancong Academy—it engulfed the entire city!
"What’s happening?!"
Panic spread from the stage to Bai Shui City’s streets. Every powerhouse in the capital stared skyward--thunderclouds churning with violet fire.
Wu Qiyue raised her gaze, pupils flickering cyan.
Within her eyes, blood threads coiled into chains, interlacing into a matrix. A colossal azure eye emerged, its depths like a starless void, swallowing galaxies.
She formed a seal, activating her Azure Eye to pierce the phenomenon. But as she focused—
Boom!
It seemed that a purple bolt of lightning descended, shattering the huge blue eye in an instant.
The Azure Soul Eye collapsed!
Wu Qiyue convulsed. Her senses vanished.
In her mind’s void,a colossal figure loomed, wreathed in violet fire and lightning, gazing down.
Terror flooded her soul.
Wu Qiyue staggered, blood trickling from her eyes.
The celestial phenomenon loomed like a god-king. Her Martial Soul cowered, prostrate and trembling.
Wu Qiyue stood pale-lipped, as if adrift in a stormy sea of dread.
Around her, Zuo Heng and Qin Zhen channeled their energy, barely resisting the pressure.
Thud!
Thud!
A dozen figures collapsed, knees buckling.
Zuo Heng, drenched in cold sweat and trembling uncontrollably, clutched his chest in pain before vomiting blood and collapsing to his knees with a thud.
Yu Liang followed, twitching like a seizure victim.
Around them, students alike crumpled under the weight of an unseen force and stared in horror.
Those without awakened Martial Souls felt nothing—unworthy of the pressure.
Even Qin Zhen, a stalwart man, trembled like autumn leaves in a storm, sweat dripping.
Xiao Chen gazed blankly at the sky.
Amidst the roiling clouds, a titanic silhouette stood cloaked in purple flames, sovereign of heaven and earth.
Deep within Tiancong Academy, a dimly lit chamber housed a massive, glowing array.
Is this… my Martial Soul?
His left shoulder burned.The mysterious mark seethed, its energy coursing through his veins like wildfire.
A white-bearded elder hovered mid-air, robes pristine—a hallmark of the True Martial Realm.
The chamber quaked. The array flickered.
The elder’s meditation shattered. A phantom behind him disintegrated.
Cough!
Blood sprayed. He stared at his trembling arms, ripples surging from shoulders to fingertips.
"Martial Soul suppression!" he rasped.
The world knew Martial Souls by tiers: Supreme, Upper, Middle, Lower. But beyond lay grades: Emperor, King, Lord, Common.
A Lord-grade Martial Soul, unrivaled across the Northern Five Kingdoms!
Yet now, a mere aura crushed it.
The elder—Qing Bu Li, dean of Tiancong Academy, revered as the "Martial King"—raced outside.
Soaring into the sky, he faced a violet sea of clouds, crackling with lightning—like the apocalyptic sky.
Terrifying pressure radiated, blinding and oppressive.
Qing Bu Li bowed deeply, voice trembling.
"Esteemed one, forgive this humble servant’s failure to welcome you to our academy!"
No reply came—only lightning lashing the clouds.
He squinted. Amidst the storm, golden light pulsed behind thunderclouds, descending like a dragon.
A memory struck—lightning through his mind.
" Ten aeons of annihilation flames… Armies scattering before wrath...This Martial Soul is... It’s..."
Horror choked his words.
