บท 5: Chapter 5: Yu Xiaogang's Transformation—Kneeling to Take a Master
"Am I seeing things?"
"Could this be comparable to a top-tier weapon soul?"
Flender and Yu Xiaogang were utterly dumbfounded.
They had already known that Zhou Yi's martial soul had improved, but they could never have imagined it would mutate to such an astonishing extent—so overwhelmingly powerful.
Yu Xiaogang's eyes burned with fervor, his heart racing wildly.
Zhou Yi's martial soul had undergone a successful mutation! Did this mean his own martial soul could also succeed in mutating?
Originally planning to leave, Yu Xiaogang now eagerly approached Zhou Yi, his face alight with hope, to inquire about the secret behind his martial soul's mutation.
Although Zhou Yi didn't particularly like Yu Xiaogang, he couldn't entirely dismiss him, given that he was Liu Erlong's cousin. Deciding to share some "real insights," Zhou Yi didn't hold back.
"Xiaogang, do you think martial soul mutations can be controlled?" Zhou Yi opened directly, skipping any pretense or roundaboutness.
Liu Erlong, standing nearby, nodded inwardly. She was all too familiar with Zhou Yi's straightforward style.
"Controlled?"
Yu Xiaogang's fiery gaze instantly froze, his face turning pale as if he had been cast from the heights of hope to the depths of despair.
"If martial soul mutations could be controlled, mine wouldn't have turned out like this," Yu Xiaogang said with a self-deprecating smile, his tone full of bitterness.
His earlier excitement had been premature.
Zhou Yi's martial soul mutation had succeeded and improved—but that was merely luck, akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
For his own martial soul to successfully mutate, he would need that same luck.
And luck...
Ha!
"Xiaogang..." Flender hesitated, worried about his friend's sudden despondence but unsure how to console him.
"So, you believe martial soul mutations are uncontrollable?" Zhou Yi's powerful voice echoed through the hall, carrying an undeniable conviction that compelled attention.
"But I think otherwise. I believe martial soul mutations might not be entirely uncontrollable. At the very least, they can be influenced."
"What?"
Yu Xiaogang's previously lifeless eyes reignited with a fiery light. He stared fixedly at Zhou Yi, his gaze piercing and desperate.
"You're saying martial soul mutations can be controlled? How is that possible?"
Logic told him it was impossible. Yet, even a sliver of hope was enough for Yu Xiaogang to cling to.
"Martial soul... soul... The term itself suggests a connection to the human soul," Zhou Yi began, his voice clear and resonant.
"When we describe someone as rotten to their core, we say their soul is corrupted. This implies that the mind can influence the soul.
"This mind I speak of is the spiritual mind.
"I believe the spiritual mind possesses a form of power—a power that, while intangible and invisible, is very much real.
"I've always said, 'The strength of one's heart determines the strength of one's power.'
"Only with an indomitable heart can one become truly strong."
"So, the spiritual mind is a kind of power—a spiritual power," Zhou Yi declared with conviction.
"Spiritual power?"
Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and Liu Erlong listened as if in a trance. Zhou Yi's explanation seemed absurd at first, yet the more they pondered, the more plausible it felt.
They all knew how crucial a person's temperament was to their growth, and this temperament could indeed be considered a type of spiritual power.
But how could spiritual power influence martial souls?
Could it really alter them?
"Indeed, I believe spiritual power can influence martial souls," Zhou Yi affirmed confidently.
Gripping the Divine Dragon Sword in his hand, Zhou Yi exuded an unparalleled aura of dominance, like an emperor among swordsmen—a god of the blade.
"My martial soul was originally an unrefined iron sword, but I firmly believed it to be a divine blade—an indomitable weapon in my hands.
"Day after day, I honed my swordsmanship, using it to slay soul beasts and duel Soul Masters, undeterred by wind or rain.
"No matter the circumstances, I never wavered in my belief that it was a divine sword.
"Seasons came and went. For sixteen long years, I persisted with this conviction.
"On the surface, it showed no visible change, but I knew my faith, my heart, would eventually transform it—elevating it toward my ideal.
"This is the power of the spiritual mind!
"And after sixteen years, the accumulation reached its peak. On the night of my wedding with Erlong, when my emotions surged to their zenith, it finally broke through its last barriers.
"It emerged from its cocoon, a carp leaping into a dragon—a dull iron sword transformed into the Divine Dragon Sword!
"This is why we say, 'The edge of a treasured blade is forged through countless trials, and the fragrance of plum blossoms arises only from the bitter cold.'
"With the heart of a Sword God, I nurtured a supreme divine blade!"
The hall fell into a stunned silence.
Thunder rumbled in the heavens above.
Yu Xiaogang snapped out of his trance, his gaze feverish as he stared at Zhou Yi—not as a man, but as...
A sword. A divine sword, cleaving through the heavens.
A dragon. A divine dragon, soaring into the sky.
"What is your martial soul?" Zhou Yi suddenly turned to Yu Xiaogang, his sharp eyes piercing through him.
"Luo San Pao!" Yu Xiaogang blurted instinctively.
"Release your martial soul!" Zhou Yi commanded, his tone brooking no refusal.
Without hesitation, Yu Xiaogang summoned his martial soul.
His soul had mutated into a creature that resembled a dog but was as large as a pig.
Measuring over 1.5 meters in length, with a similarly impressive girth, it was covered in pale purple fur, its floppy ears drooping, and deep blue eyes blinking innocently. Its chubby body wobbled with each movement, its plump rear swaying comically as it shuffled forward.
On its head was a round bump, the purpose of which was unclear.
Upon appearing, it nuzzled against Yu Xiaogang's leg affectionately.
"Tell me—what is your martial soul?" Zhou Yi pressed.
"It's..."
Looking at Luo San Pao, Yu Xiaogang took a deep breath, mustering every ounce of his willpower. In the loudest voice he could muster, he declared:
"It's a dragon!"
"It's a dragon!"
"It's a dragon!"
"Correct!" Zhou Yi nodded approvingly, his resonant voice echoing:
"If you think of it as a pig or a dog, it will indeed remain a pig or a dog.
"But if you firmly believe it to be a dragon and treat it as such—nurturing it as a dragon—it just might become one!"
"This process may take ten years, twenty years, or even a lifetime.
"Can you do it?"
"I can!" Yu Xiaogang's face flushed with determination, a raging fire igniting in his heart.
With a resounding thud, he dropped to his knees and bowed deeply to Zhou Yi.
"Thank you, Teacher, for your guidance. This disciple understands now!"
Flender and Liu Erlong gawked, utterly dumbfounded by the scene before them.
Though Zhou Yi's theory seemed plausible, his methods had clearly gone overboard—convincing Yu Xiaogang to the point of kneeling.
"Xiaogang, what are you doing? Get up!" Zhou Yi quickly said. He had merely intended to give Yu Xiaogang a little push, not expecting him to go so far.
"Please accept me as your disciple!" Yu Xiaogang declared with resolve.
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