Chapter 16 – What Is the Nature of Soul Power?
Quan Yi ate while marking key parts of the academy guidebook. For him, the most important places were the library, the training field, and the mimicry environment.
The guide provided detailed addresses, and to his surprise, there was a small training field right near the freshman dormitory. It seemed like a considerate design to make training easier for students—perfect for Quan Yi.
His daily training plan was split into three sessions: extreme running in the morning, intense anaerobic exercise at noon, and martial arts practice at night. Training in the dormitory risked disturbing others, but with this field, he could train freely without any concern.
The most vital part of this plan, soul beast meat, would be delivered directly to him by the Quan family's shop in the city.
With the routine in place, he could now spend his free time learning other things.
He read extremely fast and soon finished the guidebook, marking the important parts. Looking outside, he estimated it was around six or seven in the evening.
He changed into a clean white shirt and black shorts, then headed to the empty training field. Though called a training field, it was really just a flat square plot of land with no equipment.
Quan Yi walked to the center and began his training.
His recent fight with the Exploding Rhinobeast had taught him much about martial arts and how to combine it with Gang and Jian.
Gang and Jian, when used alone—just by gathering soul power—couldn't compete with proper strength- or defense-type soul masters. But when used in combination with his Blazing Sun Gauntlets, it was a different story.
The Blazing Sun Gauntlets paired with Gang and Jian significantly enhanced both attack and defense to the level of true strength and defense-type soul masters.
Even if other soul masters learned Gang and Jian, it would only fill a gap. It was nowhere near as effective.
So Quan Yi took Gang and Jian training very seriously.
After months of practice, his control over soul power had steadily improved. He could now maintain the form for over ten minutes.
He began fusing Gang and Jian into his martial arts. As his techniques shifted, the soul power's form had to shift too, making the training much harder.
More than two hours passed. Quan Yi was soaked in sweat. He had already stored his shirt in the Blazing Sun Heart. It was August, hot and humid, and even without using his Martial Soul, the heat was oppressive.
After finishing the final set of movements, he had completely exhausted his soul power and stamina, too tired to move.
It was like a university student who never trained suddenly running a 3,000-meter sprint to the limit—that near-death sensation was what Quan Yi endured three times a day.
If not for the soul beast meat, his body would have collapsed long ago. He knew this well.
Even though his body wanted to give out, he forced himself to sit straight, regulating his breathing to avoid a total crash.
Gradually, his breathing steadied, and his condition improved.
This method, combining fitness knowledge from his past life and his personal experience, helped him recover faster than just lying down.
Once his breathing was adjusted, he began the most painful part—stretching.
He started with his legs. Wherever his muscles felt most fatigued, he stretched there. This made already sore muscles ache even more, turning his face pale from pain.
But it was necessary. Without it, tomorrow's training would suffer. This almost self-torturous routine helped him recover faster.
Beads of sweat covered his forehead—more than from the martial arts training itself.
After finishing, he felt a strange pleasure throughout his body. Even his heart, troubled by separation from his parents, became calm again.
Training done, Quan Yi reviewed his recent experience.
His physical growth had been abnormally fast, and he found it suspicious.
Ever since he gained soul power, his body had been changing.
He kept wondering—what exactly is soul power?
It wasn't like inner force from martial arts. There was no talk of refining essence into energy. Soul power was more like magic—absorbed from the outside—and it visibly improved the body.
Otherwise, how could he use meditation to replace sleep?
And the fact that soul masters had to absorb soul rings every ten levels to break through—didn't that mean they couldn't surpass their limits alone?
Yet soul beasts could. They could break their limits through self-cultivation.
It was like soul masters had shackles on their necks, forcing them into conflict with soul beasts. Kill a beast, gain its ring, and instantly gain powerful skills and massive strength.
But it felt more like a sweet trap.
Humans gained with ease what soul beasts spent hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years accumulating.
This world was strange indeed.
Quan Yi looked up at the night sky, as though searching for answers.
He stared for a long time, the cool breeze drying his sweat. Then he stopped and pulled out some dried soul beast meat from the Blazing Sun Heart, eating it heartily.
Post-training nutrition was critical. Eating was as much a part of cultivation as practice.
The dorms glowed in the night. Compared to the daytime, the dorm area felt more alive under the stars.
From the window lights, it was clear that many new students had already arrived.
He returned to his room and took a refreshing bath.
Afterward, he summoned the Blazing Sun Gauntlets and used his fire control to quickly dry off—just a bit of soul power saved him from using a towel.
That night, he sat on his bed and began a long meditation.
Soul power flowed through him, but he wasn't just meditating—he was experimenting with different circulation paths, trying to find more efficient ones.
He allowed himself two hours a night for such experimentation. But he never forgot the real goal—gaining more soul power.
He would never sacrifice results for theory.
At dawn the next morning, Quan Yi was already running laps at the field.
No one else was there, just like yesterday—he loved it.
Since the academy was built inside a forest, nature was everywhere. Even the training field was surrounded by trees. Running here felt like a spiritual experience.
He felt his body had grown a bit lighter.
After finishing his run, exhausted, he headed for the cafeteria.
He had high hopes. Soul beast meat was great, but he needed a balanced diet.
The cafeteria was massive and had three floors.
The first floor was basic—a public canteen serving simple breakfasts like steamed buns, eggs, and pickled vegetables. It was packed with students in line.
Without hesitation, Quan Yi went up to the second floor.
There, it was a buffet-style cafeteria. A variety of dishes were neatly arranged, and students could pick whatever they liked. It was also quieter and less crowded than the first floor.
However, the second floor was noticeably more expensive.
The third floor was for teachers only—students weren't allowed inside.
(end of chapter)