บท 124: Clear Phoenix
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"What's going on with him?" 12 youths, each with their own specific quality, could be seen practicing in a well-equipped training environment. A wilderness, only in name and structure, but this was one of the many specialized training grounds of the Spirit Academy. With the carefully developed environment, the pace of cultivation of a spirit master with a reptilian martial soul would grow slightly.
The men and women looked at each other. Wearing the silver uniforms of the Spirit Academy, the group revealed a sense of pride in their bearings while they kept on standing and waiting. One particular dark-haired youth didn't seem to conform with the silver attire of the Spirit Academy. He wore a set of deep blue training robes with a thick silver belt around his waist and stomach.
The sky was bright and the sun was no longer harsh since constant raining. But as the meditating youth breathed, every second, a sparkle of electricity would buzz around him. Like a small pop and a flash of a speck.
This was none other than Yu Xiaogang. Stuck in a critical moment of breakthrough from rank 39 to 40, he placed all his attention on the task at hand while the sense of natural tyranny in his bearings grew. If Bibi Dong and Ja Sun saw him now, they wouldn't recall Yu Xiaogang by a single sight. Those around him felt natural because of close proximity and daily interactions and even his master, the Golden Crocodile Douluo would not have realized it and even if he did, who doesn't feel confident after growing as a spirit master? It would be strange if Yu Xiaogang didn't feel different after finally doubling his rank.
But things ran deeper than the observation on the surface.
Why Ja Sun didn't try to forcefully kill Tang Yuehua's Clear Sky Swallow was evident now.
Originally a scholar made out of helplessness, Yu Xiaogang had long realized the value of necessary knowledge on martial souls and various concepts even being a strong spirit master because that's all he had when he was pushed aside by his own father in the clan. However, strangely, the more he grew, the higher Yu Xiaogang realized his lack of interest in scrolls anymore.
He wanted something else.
Something that could bring him the satisfaction of living. And this sensation would grow as he grew. Once again, Yu Xiaogang himself didn't find anything strange and with his breakneck pace of cultivation, the thought of focusing on getting strong was by itself the driving factor for the development of the aversion to books temporarily. Even Golden Crocodile supported this method of growth.
If Spirit Masters actually focused on other professions then the face of smithing, array creations, alchemy, and many other professions would quite different. But they didn't. Those who did and realized the benefits kept to themselves. This world wasn't an informative one, after all.
*Crackle*
*Roar*
A disturbing roaring sound echoed the moment long-lasting arcs of blue lightning erupted from around Yu Xiaogang's body.
His dark locks whipped without any gust of air but sheer spirit energy oozing out of him. Above his head, the arcs of electricity condensed into a shadow of a sleek dragon that shot into the sky with a loud blast.
*Boom*
Needless to say, desperately controlling their spirit energy every day, toiling in this laborious act, Bibi Dong and her students would roll their eyes at this display. Even Liu Erlong's breakthrough had turned much tamer than before.
Still, the pressure of Yu Xiaogang's martial soul suppressed everyone around him.
Legends describe dragons as the overlord of a plane. Subsequently, proving the strength of a species is the fact that any martial soul or spirit beast with a dragon's lineage will reveal extraordinary qualities, oftentimes physical.
After a few minutes of silence, Yu Xiaogang opened his eyes. His originally dark pupils now a little grey with a hint of electrical blue-purple irises freckled within.
With a smile, he looked at his teammates. The cream of the crop from the academy. Ironically, many of them were the ones Bibi Dong rejected but then again, only Bibi Dong had enough strength to even keep reigns on her strange group.
"It's time we get my fourth spirit ring. At this speed, even if I'm not a Spirit King by the competition... he won't be either, too."
Ja Sun's image flashed past Yu Xiaogang's mind. He was right. Both of them were Spirit Grandmasters when they first met and when Ja Sun arrived at the Spirit Hall, he was simply a Spirit Elder. With his martial soul ' reset,' Yu Xiaogang had the chance to once again absorb stronger spirit rings which propelled his cultivation and pushed him past rank 30. To him, Ja Sun did not have similar benefits. Even with an extraordinary Martial Soul, Ja Sun could not have been able to progress at a speed greater than his own.
---
"What's going on—" Liu Erlong began when Ja Sun waved his only good hand. It was early in the morning but everyone was woken up by a strange spiritual pressure. Ah Yin had already activated her domain without any need for explicit direction. If they can feel it, then this spiritual disturbance will surely be felt by spirit beasts and they needed to make sure that they were hidden.
Gazing at Erlong, Ja Sun made a silencing gesture over his lips and everyone silently gazed at Tang Yuehua. She sat cross-legged, her back straight without any support, clothes sticking to her body with a dreadful odor spreading from her body, and her hair matted and otherwise drenched because of gushing dark liquid from her pores that marred her elegance.
However, others were barely fazed by the scent.
In front of Tang Yuehua, only basking her in a deep and dark golden glow was a wheel-sized egg, the surface of which, undulated in a strange rhythm. It followed the Yuehua's breathing pattern.
Over the last two weeks, Ja Sun had used the mental acupuncture technique on Yuehua. He, of course, wasn't big-hearted enough to actually give out such a cheat technique that indirectly allowed him to face against a Titled Douluo, but he also wasn't petty enough to not use the technique to support someone like Yuehua. Other's mental energy and fortitude would grow with every spirit ring but Yuehua needed something to start her path. The pain from the technique also tempered her mind quite a bit.
Right now, Ja Sun's heart was boiling in excitement. It wasn't his rational side that developed such feelings for excitement but something much more primal. His Martial Soul.
Even without being an enlightened martial soul, every martial soul has the capacity to provide feedback of sorts. The Three-eyed Silver Lion did just that. It, and in return his body, was excited by the transformation Yuehua was going through and this desire was directed at the golden egg with feathers carved on its surface.
*Puu*
Yuehua's lips parted and a pitch-black stream of blood gushed from her lips and streamed down her chin and onto her body like a weak waterfall. Her shoulders trembled and when Ah Yin frowned, readying herself to take action and heal Yuehua should the situation grow worse, a soft cracking sound stiffened everybody up.
A thin crack spread through the golden egg and began spreading over its surface. From one crack it branched into two and then four and then more and more. But even when its entire surface was scarred with cracks, the egg didn't break. Instead, streams of pitch-black energy emerged from within the golden egg, marking a brilliant contrast and entering Yuehua's body.
*Chhaaaa*
A sharp, piercing cry reverberated from the egg as the golden shells turned into a cloud of dust while the surroundings shook violently. With a thought, Ja Sun let out his own martial soul. The feeling within his body had reached a climax and it needed an outlet. Better this than anything unsavory.
The silver, green-eyed lion with a fluffy mane and solid phoenix claws instantly roared silently. Its wolf-like muzzle parted widely and the sharp canines visible for all to see. As if resonating with the lion, the pitch-black sphere of energy rising from the golden ashes of the broken shells that concentrated into a halo around Yuehua before merging into her trembled violently. It was at this moment, Yuehua felt a sense of unprecedented dignity that threatened to overpower her will but not to gain control of her mind... strangely, it was just to become a part of her. However, her own mind was powerful, capable enough to handle pain unknown probably even to her brother. The sweep of dignity dissipated as soon as it came. Strangely, disappearing from existence itself and Yuehua finally felt her own martial soul 'growing.'
The sphere of pitch-black energy expanded by a notch and from within, a beautiful set of raven-black wings sprouted and the remainder of the black energy moved like a thick liquid, carving itself into a feathered pattern that quickly turned into a figure of a four-limbed beast.
Opposite to the holy-looking three-eyed silver lion, the beast was the size of a modern-world dog. Pure-black. The fur and the feathers on its body so brilliant that even the black glimmered. Body of a lion and the claws of a phoenix. But the head belonged to a beautiful, onyx-beaked and golden, glass-eyed phoenix with a golden sphere marked on the middle of its head. A long and furry tail akin to a carefully combed horse.
Ja Sun was aware of this mythological beast.
A Griffin!
The martial soul gazed at the Three-eyed Silver Lion that slowly dissipated and then at Ja Sun before flying towards Yuehua at a shocking speed and seemingly disappearing into her body as its own body simply grew smaller and intangible.
"Huff..."
Yuehua slowly opened her eyes, looking confused. She continued to remain dazed before looking towards Ja Sun with a shocked expression.
"I... broke through? I did it?"
She inquired as if living a dream. Her eyes warm with tears, partly because she couldn't believe it and just wanted to cry and partly because of the smell. It physically stung her eyes.
Indeed. She had broken through rank 9 and entered the peak of Spirit Scholar rank: 10.
Just the single level made all the difference to her as accumulated tears began rolling down her face but she herse wasn't crying. It was truly strange. She still looked a little dazed and even with impeded vision due to her glazed gaze, she looked at everyone for confirmation while her chest heaved in excitement.
"Did I?!" She inquired loudly, forgetting all her training in etiquettes.
"Congratulations," Ja Sun sighed softly and nodded with a smile. Seeing her, he couldn't help but recall his past self in this world too traumatized to even train his martial souls.
"I did it! I did it! Clear Phoenix! Hahahaha!" Yuehua giggled foolishly and loudly, tearing up and laughing simultaneously as she fell on her back and spread her arms.
But nobody felt like going forward at this point.
They would regret their actions of breaking Yuehua's current mental state. A state of exhilarating euphoria.
If they were frustrated for wanting something for years and years ever since they knew what is right and not, and finally getting it, the pleasure could only be imagined. Even someone highly trained in etiquettes such as Yuehua couldn't control herself and seeing her, Jun'er couldn't help but tear up a little herself.
Everyone felt emotional at the moment and for various reasons. But silently, all sat down and waited for Yuehua to calm down.
---
"Yes," Yuehua smiled, completely refreshed after a bath and a change of clothes, "This is Clear Phoenix."
Saying so, Yuehua rubbed the head of the phoenix-headed Griffin as it closed its glassy golden eyes and chirped softly. With a body belonging to a pedaled beast, it could stay on the land as its wings were folded back.
Everyone gazed at the majestic martial soul curiously. Even Ja Sun did.
Unlike the Enlightened Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the Enlightened Clear Phoenix didn't have a single shred of tyrannical intent. Instead, its actions were graceful and filled with genuine elegance and dignity that even Yuehua couldn't possess. A noble breed of Martial Souls that made others envy just based on its looks. The gem-like talons placed on Yuehua's laps didn't hurt her at all and she continued to rub the martial soul's head.
It only lasted for a few minutes however as the Clear Phoenix realized the lack of spirit energy within Yuehua to keep its form and disappeared into her body voluntarily.
"Can you communicate with Clear Phoenix?" Ja Sun inquired and Yuehua nodded.
"Yes, even though it's a martial soul, Clear Phoenix feels like a living being. We can share a few intents but nothing more yet."
"That's a one good-looking dog," Jun'er muttered enviously.
"It's not a dog, Phoenix. My martial soul is a Phoenix!" Yuehua sighed but felt giddy. Like Dragons, Phoenix had an equally amazing reputation.
Why wouldn't she feel happy?
But Bibi Dong was the one to breach a rather dismaying topic.
"We all are happy for you, Tang Yuehua," Bibi Dong smiled, "But after this experience, I need to know in front of everybody if your thoughts of sticking to our team are still the same or do you have second thoughts now."
Yuehua's lips parted before she looked at Ja Sun. She didn't let her gaze stay on Ja Sun too long and then continued to look at everyone for a moment and then exhaled deeply, "Please, continue teaching me and taking care of me. And I hope to be useful to the team as soon as possible... which should be possible with my awakened domain and..."
Feeling a little embarrassed, Yuehua glanced at Ja Sun and smiled slightly, "Thank you so much for everything, Brother Ka-ul. Even all the pain you inflicted on me..."
"Just be sure not to say the exact words to your brothers. Wouldn't want them to think I didn't leave you innocent enough for a marriage," Ja Sun shrugged.
"Ow!" He exclaimed suddenly and glared at Bibi Dong before he felt another pinch and then he stared at Ah Yin, and then Liu Erlong, and then even Hu Lana while Yuehua's expression had fallen deeply already into a mess of blush.
"I stand by my statement! And didn't Birdy just say she's especially thankful to me? The hell is wrong with you all! If I said I'm thankful to Ah Yin for all the pain she inflicted on me, what would you all think?"
His question stunned everyone.
"That's right, see? You've all got the mind for it, I just spoke what's inside of it."
Ja Sun snorted as Yuehua finally calmed everyone down. This group was volatile enough to break into sudden fights and sparring sessions just because.
Once things calmed down, Yuehua began to describe every detail and sensation she felt during this event to Ja Sun because he had been coaching her through this entire process and frankly, Yuehua felt that if there was anyone who should be told about this information is none other than Ja Sun himself. This kind of knowledge won't be useful to him directly but he had already revealed himself to be a collector of strange knowledge and techniques that can prove useful at times. And truly, although he hadn't received anything as remarkable as a heaven and earth treasure from Ground Devil's spirit essence tool, he could still point this collection of gold and treasure as to the source of anything he reveals in the future.
***
A/N: Actually, I had first planned Yu Xiaogang's team to be filled with Martial souls related to mythological beasts such as a hippocampus, sphinx, and yes, a Griffin.
But then I realized that a simple Phoenix is too boring in Soul Land. There is already evil phoenix, ice phoenix, and ten-headed yang phoenix, so why not have a Phoenix as a Griffin? Enters, Clear Phoenix.
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