The next morning, as dawn broke, Qin Nan gradually awoke. He had barely begun to sit up when he was seized by a sharp pang of discomfort; his head felt as though it were swelling with pain, and even the slightest movement seemed to threaten to shatter it.
“That ancient voice was terrifying,” he thought, his face turning pale. The sound from yesterday seemed to have pierced his very soul, leaving him with lingering trepidation.
“The immediate priority now is to assess the true nature of the Soul of the War God…”
Qin Nan quickly composed himself and moved to the courtyard, where he seated himself cross-legged with a trace of apprehension. Despite the Soul of the War God’s mysterious origins, Qin Nan remained uncertain of its rank.
After taking a deep breath, Qin Nan slowly closed his eyes, sinking his entire consciousness into his body and beginning to communicate with his martial soul.
Before him, beams of yellow light began to flicker, appearing one after another until six beams were shining in total.
From within the yellow light emerged a vague, ethereal silhouette, rising from the ground and floating in mid-air. It exuded an aura of awe-inspiring dominance, akin to the descent of a peerless monarch, radiating a pressure that was almost palpable.
Seeing this, Qin Nan’s expression froze. “So, this is… the Soul of the War God?”
Soon, a smile of delight appeared on Qin Nan’s face.
The Soul of the War God indeed did not disappoint; it was at the sixth rank of the Yellow Grade. Although this was significantly below Qin Nan’s expectations, the ancient, abyssal, and boundless aura emanating from the soul gave him the premonition that its true power was far beyond this.
“Hmm… I wonder what abilities this Soul of the War God possesses. For now, I should use it for my training,” Qin Nan thought, suppressing his excitement and focusing intently on connecting with the Soul of the War God.
In an instant, a stunning sight unfolded: the ‘human-shaped’ Soul of the War God seated itself cross-legged, emanating an aura of terrifying and profound mystique.
From all directions, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged, forming a faint mist around Qin Nan’s body.
“This…”
Qin Nan was astonished. The speed of his cultivation under this Soul of the War God was likely several tens of times faster than with his previous Yellow Grade first rank Crimson Flame Sword.
A Yellow Grade sixth rank martial soul was indeed formidable.
Qin Nan quickly immersed himself in his cultivation, channeling the Soul of the War God into a state of complete absorption as he continuously absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
The spiritual energy flowed through Qin Nan’s body, making a sound like rushing water.
As time slowly passed, after three hours had elapsed, Qin Nan’s eyes snapped open, and his body emitted a series of crackling noises, akin to beans frying.
In these three hours, his cultivation had directly advanced to the first level of Body Tempering!
“With this Soul of the War God, my dream of becoming a powerful warrior is no longer a mere fantasy,” Qin Nan clenched his fists, his eyes flashing with unwavering determination and hope.
The vast Canglan Continent encompassed not just Linshui City, but also the Luohe Kingdom, which were mere specks in its expanse.
Qin Nan, having been the top genius of Linshui City from a young age, naturally harbored lofty ambitions. He dreamed of one day striding across the continent with a sword on his back and wine in hand, freely navigating the world and indulging in his grievances and delights with carefree abandon.
At that moment, a voice called out from outside the door, “Young Master, the monthly offerings have arrived for you.”
Following this announcement, a maid entered, carrying a tray with a jade bottle emitting rich spiritual energy.
Qin Nan was momentarily taken aback before recalling that today was the day for the family’s distribution of cultivation resources.
As one of the two prominent families in Linshui City, the Qin family placed great emphasis on martial arts. Thus, every month on this day, the family distributed cultivation resources to its disciples.
Qin Nan took the bottle, dismissed the maid, and opened it, finding ten vibrant green pills inside. These pills radiated an extremely rich spiritual aura.
These pills were familiar to Qin Nan; they were Body Tempering Pills, specifically used for Body Tempering cultivation!
However, Body Tempering Pills were exceptionally precious. Most disciples would receive only one, but Qin Nan had been given ten.
“Father…” Qin Nan’s eyes brimmed with gratitude. The fact that he had awakened a Yellow Grade first rank martial soul had probably spread throughout Linshui City, turning him from a genius into a well-known failure.
Logically, the family elders would never grant such a large number of pills to someone deemed a failure. The only explanation was that his father had insisted on providing them.
Qin Tian, Qin Nan’s father and the head of the Qin family, had the authority to distribute ten Body Tempering Pills without anyone daring to question it.
Furthermore, even though Qin Tian knew of Qin Nan’s fall from grace, he still sent ten Body Tempering Pills, demonstrating that Qin Nan remained his beloved son.
“Father, I will not disappoint you… Now, I will use these pills to break through to the second level of Body Tempering in one go!”
Qin Nan took a Body Tempering Pill and swallowed it, then immediately sat down to refine the pill.
However, at that moment, an unusual occurrence took place. Instead of being absorbed, the pill’s spiritual energy was drawn out by a mysterious force from Qin Nan’s body.
Qin Nan’s expression turned puzzled. What is going on?
He quickly took the second Body Tempering Pill and swallowed it, but again, the spiritual energy was drawn away by an invisible force.
“Could it be… the Soul of the War God?”
After pondering for a while, Qin Nan arrived at an answer and promptly released the Soul of the War God.
Upon releasing the Soul of the War God, Qin Nan took the third Body Tempering Pill and swallowed it. As expected, the mysterious force from the Soul of the War God absorbed all the spiritual energy from the pill.
“The Soul of the War God can actually absorb the power of spiritual medicines?” Qin Nan was stunned. He had never imagined that a martial soul could absorb such substances.
This was truly astonishing.
“Forget it, let the Soul of the War God consume the spiritual medicines and see what happens!”
Qin Nan gritted his teeth. Since the Soul of the War God’s cultivation speed was impressive, he wasn’t in urgent need of pills and quickly swallowed the remaining Body Tempering Pills.
When the last of the ten pills was consumed, a shocking scene unfolded.
The seventh beam of yellow light suddenly erupted from the towering human-shaped Soul of the War God, and the aura it emitted became even more terrifying!
“What is this…?”
Qin Nan’s face displayed a look of shock. Seven beams of yellow light signified the seventh rank of the Yellow Grade. The Soul of the War God’s level had actually increased by one full rank.
“This means… the Soul of the War God can consume pills to increase its rank!”
Qin Nan’s astonishment could not be adequately expressed. The terrifying nature of the Soul of the War God had exceeded his imagination.
Martial souls were bestowed by the heavens and accompanied a person for life once awakened. The notion that such a martial soul could level up was unheard of for Qin Nan.
With sufficient pills, could the Soul of the War God ascend to the Xuan Grade, Earth Grade, or even the legendary Heaven Grade?
How terrifying would a Heaven Grade martial soul be? Qin Nan could scarcely even imagine!
“Calm down, calm down. I must stay composed,” Qin Nan took several deep breaths, forcing himself to suppress his turbulent emotions.
However, his excitement remained barely concealed.
Although the Soul of the War God initially seemed to be at the Yellow Grade sixth rank, Qin Nan had always believed it to be stronger. Now that it could actually increase in rank, it was likely more formidable and full of potential than even the legendary Xuan or Earth Grade martial souls!
Yet, just as Qin Nan was reveling in his excitement, a thunderous crash erupted as the gate of his courtyard was shattered into countless fragments.
A boisterous voice followed, “Qin Nan, get out here immediately, or don’t blame me for showing no mercy!”
The intruder, clad in a luxurious robe and exuding an air of arrogance, had a long green sword floating behind him, emanating three beams of yellow light and exuding a sharp, chilling aura.
Qin Nan’s expression turned icy at the sight of the person. “Qin Xiao, what do you want?”
