Invincible Soul Emperor

Now that the Dual Pupil Martial Soul was restored, Ye Qingchen didn’t think that unreliable Elder Yang would seriously guide his cultivation even if he went back. Therefore, he decided to train in the Training Mountain Range for a while. It was also a chance to test out the new ability of his Dual Pupil Martial Soul and see if it was a divine skill or completely useless.

The Training Mountain Range had no shortage of ferocious beasts. However, these beasts often relied on their raw physical power for combat, a fighting style that Ye Qingchen couldn’t replicate even if he wanted to. So, for this training session, Ye Qingchen set his sights on the Spirit Beasts.

The most significant difference between Spirit Beasts and ferocious beasts was their size. Compared to ferocious beasts, whose massive bodies could easily be dozens of meters tall, Spirit Beasts were much closer in stature to humans.

But this did not mean that Spirit Beasts were easier to handle than ferocious beasts.

Firstly, Spirit Beasts possessed far greater intelligence than ferocious beasts. What’s more, high-level Spirit Beasts could even speak human languages, their intelligence no different from a human’s. In this regard, they were actually closer to Monster Beasts.

Secondly, there were their combat skills. Most Spirit Beasts possessed innate hereditary talents which contained the combat Martial Techniques, Defensive Martial Techniques, or Movement Technique Martial Skills best suited for their own kind.

Thus, one could only imagine the terrifying combat power of a Spirit Beast that appeared with a physical body rivaling a ferocious beast’s and the intelligence and fighting skills of a human.

Generally, a Martial Artist could easily defeat a ferocious beast of equivalent strength, but they would find it very difficult to overcome a Spirit Beast of slightly lower strength. For example, Ye Qingchen could kill a Golden Star Lion King at the Sixth Layer of the Martial King Realm, but he might not be able to defeat a Spirit Beast at the Third Layer of the Martial King Realm.

Of course, when Ye Qingchen killed the Golden Star Lion King, he was only at the First Layer of the Martial King Realm. Now that his strength had reached the Third Layer of the Martial King Realm, it was a different story entirely.

Due to their power, Spirit Beasts were especially rare. Some major Sects would even go out of their way to capture and tame them for their own use, making Spirit Beasts even harder to find.

However, Ye Qingchen was confident that a place as formidable as the Central Celestial Academy surely had Spirit Beasts housed within its grounds. He had even encountered some weaker Spirit Beasts on his way here, but he had been in a hurry to find the Ironwood Soul Flower at the time and hadn’t paid them much attention. Now was the perfect time to go back and use them for practice.

Relying on his memory, Ye Qingchen quickly found a Spirit Beast at the Fourth Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm: the Extinct Spirit Rat.

The Extinct Spirit Rat was less than a meter tall and looked like nothing more than an oversized rat. But if one were deceived by its harmless appearance, they would pay dearly for it. Among Spirit Beasts, the Extinct Spirit Rat was relatively small, but it was incredibly fast. Its attack methods were bizarre and varied, often catching opponents completely off guard.

Ye Qingchen nodded in satisfaction; this Extinct Spirit Rat was the perfect specimen for testing his Blood Wheel Eye.

To prevent the Extinct Spirit Rat from sensing danger and fleeing immediately, Ye Qingchen deliberately suppressed his aura, maintaining it at the mid-stage of the Martial Spirit Realm. This would give the rat the illusion that the human before it wasn’t too strong and that it could escape even if it couldn’t win. The intelligence of a Martial Spirit Realm Spirit Beast should not be underestimated.

Just as Ye Qingchen anticipated, the Extinct Spirit Rat didn’t flee. Instead, its beady eyes darted about as it seemingly contemplated its line of attack. Perhaps it was also being cautious, wanting to wait for Ye Qingchen to make the first move. If his attack was too powerful, the Extinct Spirit Rat would undoubtedly flee without hesitation.

Ye Qingchen sneered inwardly. If I let a little rat outsmart me, I might as well find a block of tofu to smash my head against. Not everyone is as stupid as Li Zongrui!

(At this moment, Li Zongrui, who was cultivating cross-legged in the Qingyun Sect’s Transfer Technique Hall, let out a massive sneeze. He rubbed his nose in confusion and muttered, "Who is it? Who’s talking about this Young Sect Master behind his back?")

Having seen through the Extinct Spirit Rat’s intentions, Ye Qingchen launched a probing attack. Suppressing his strength to the Sixth Layer of the Martial Spirit Realm, he threw a fierce punch. This attack was strong enough to pressure the Extinct Spirit Rat into using its full power, but not so strong that it would scare the creature away. This level of precise control was only possible because of Ye Qingchen’s background as an Alchemist and his powerful Soul Power.

As expected, the Extinct Spirit Rat spat out a green orb of light, blocking Ye Qingchen’s attack. The rat’s eyes filled with wariness, and its whole body went on full alert, but it showed no intention of turning tail and running.

Meanwhile, several images flashed through Ye Qingchen’s mind, followed by a description of the skill the Extinct Spirit Rat had just used:

"Poison Flame Attack, a mid-tier Yellow-ranked Martial Technique. Compresses Spiritual Energy to release a toxic green orb, inflicting continuous damage on the enemy!"

Damn, I copied it in one go? That’s just showing off!

Ye Qingchen had kept his Blood Wheel Eye active the entire time, observing the Extinct Spirit Rat’s every move. With crystal clarity, he saw how it mobilized its Spiritual Energy, the path it took through its meridians, and how the attack was compressed and launched.

The Blood Wheel Eye replicated the entire process after just one observation. The Dual Pupil Martial Soul then automatically filled in the hidden details of the Spiritual Energy flow, transmitting the complete manual for the Poison Flame Attack directly into Ye Qingchen’s mind.

I’ve struck gold! I can actually copy other people’s Martial Techniques, and I succeeded on the first try! Does this mean that from now on, I can have any Martial Technique I want?

However, he quickly calmed himself. This was his first time using the Blood Wheel Eye; it could have just been beginner’s luck.

No, I have to keep trying!

Having made up his mind, Ye Qingchen began to vary his attacks, baiting the Extinct Spirit Rat into using different Martial Techniques to counter him. After an hour of combat, the rat was completely exhausted, but Ye Qingchen was having the time of his life, appearing to grow more vigorous with every exchange.

A thought finally surfaced in the Extinct Spirit Rat’s weary mind: When a cat catches a mouse, it plays with it to death before eating it. The thing in front of me isn’t a cat, but it’s clearly toying with me!

Realizing this, the Extinct Spirit Rat turned and fled.

Ye Qingchen hadn’t had his fill of fighting yet. However, thinking of the several Martial Techniques he had just copied from the rat, he decided not to pursue it.

"For the sake of the Martial Techniques, I’ll spare your life," he mused. "You won’t meet someone as kind-hearted as me next time."

If the Extinct Spirit Rat had heard Ye Qingchen’s words, it wouldn’t have just died of exhaustion—it would have died of sheer rage!

He took his prize and still played the hero. How truly kind he was