Chapter 26: Strategy, the Spirit of Perfection
"The sharpness of a sword comes from repeated sharpening, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold."
After the rain, the sky cleared.
A clear, loud sound of a phoenix's cry echoed as a golden phoenix swept across the surface of the lake and gracefully landed on the ground, displaying the majestic presence of the divine bird.
"They say there's the Fire Phoenix and the Ice Phoenix. I guess this Golden Phoenix is something new for everyone."
Looking at his martial soul, the Golden Phoenix, Su Ye felt his eyes sparkling with excitement. He felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity.
This was the result of his gradual evolution from a mundane chicken martial soul, step by step, through fusion.
The training system had finally yielded results, and how could he not feel thrilled?
Unlike the translucent feathers of ordinary phoenixes, the Golden Phoenix's feathers were sharp, fine, and gave off a sense of brilliance, like new, sharp blades.
"Gold, represents respect and nobility."
"It certainly looks splendid and exquisite, with an even greater divine aura."
The Phoenix God's creative power could simulate other abilities, and the Golden Phoenix was no exception.
Su Ye was highly satisfied with his current martial soul, but what pleased him even more was the energy within the Golden Phoenix.
After fusing two buckets of blood from the thousand-year-old Dark Golden Claw Bear, while it didn't compare to the full body of the thousand-year-old Dark Golden Claw Bear, Su Ye, as the martial soul's possessor, and in a martial soul-possessed state, could feel the terror of the Golden Phoenix.
If he were to encounter Zhu Zhuyun again, standing still, she wouldn't be able to harm him in the slightest.
Su Ye clenched his fist, and his knuckles glowed with a layer of dark golden light. The destructive strength in his hand caused ripples to form in the air.
Boom!
His fist smashed into the ground, and the explosive shockwave swept over a radius of a hundred meters.
The bare stone ground, hard as it was, instantly collapsed like tofu.
With just one punch, a six-meter-wide deep pit appeared.
Such terrifying strength had already surpassed the pinnacle of power-type Soul Kings.
And this was just from fusing the blood of a thousand-year-old Dark Golden Claw Bear.
What about a ten-thousand-year-old Dark Golden Claw Bear...
A ten-thousand-year-old Dark Golden Claw Bear was equivalent to a hundred-thousand-year-old soul beast or a Title Douluo among humans...
Even fusing just one bucket would lead to a massive power boost.
However, Su Ye knew that this was still too far from him.
Even with just one bucket of thousand-year-old Dark Golden Claw Bear blood, it almost cost him his life, even with his martial soul's protection.
Fusing the bloodline of a ten-thousand-year-old Dark Golden Claw Bear would be equivalent to suicide!
"Now, my martial soul has the bloodline of the Dark Golden Claw Bear, gradually fusing into a Behemoth's bloodline, that should be the peak of gold."
"The power of the Golden Dragon's bloodline is undeniably strong, but it conflicts with the Dark Golden Claw Bear bloodline and has hostile intent. Forcing the fusion would depend on my body's tolerance..."
Thinking about this, Su Ye smiled indifferently, not thinking his first choice was a mistake.
The path of the martial soul was the path of ultimate gold, and fusing the Dark Golden Claw Bear bloodline was the most suitable.
The power of the Golden Dragon bloodline was without question, and the Behemoth was also a golden bloodline, with defense and strength that were not inferior to that of the Dragon Clan.
Additionally, he fused the Dark Golden Claw Bear's claws into the martial soul, the Golden Phoenix.
Compared to blood, this claw fusion was far easier.
Screech—
The Golden Phoenix's claws swept across, instantly tearing open the fur and skin of the Dark Golden Claw Bear's abdomen.
"This…" Su Ye's eyes narrowed.
Previously, his ten-thousand-year-old Wolf Claws could only leave a blood mark, needing a second strike to cut the Dark Golden Claw Bear's throat.
This demonstrated how terrifying the Dark Golden Claw Bear's skin and fur defenses were.
"The Golden Phoenix's claws probably have eight or nine times the power of the Dark Golden Claw Bear."
"If it relies on flight speed to dive, and then suddenly delivers a claw strike..."
Su Ye couldn't help but imagine the brutal scene, his eyes sparkling. This could probably even be combined with his soul skill Crimson Sky Flowing Fire.
By using the Golden Phoenix's defense to withstand the final explosion of Crimson Sky Flowing Fire, he wouldn't need to turn the Golden Phoenix into energy, directly attacking physically.
Physical defense penetration, while disturbing the enemy's soul skill release, and the explosion would force the opponent to endure.
Phoenix-shaped nuclear bomb?
Su Ye's eyes lit up, wondering about testing its power.
"All nine soul rings have their attributes arranged, except for the ultimate spirit."
"Spirit isn't an elemental force, but it can be incorporated into the Golden Phoenix martial soul without causing major conflicts with the ultimate gold."
"Now that my soul power can merge with my physical strength, what if I merge it with spirit...?"
Thinking about this, Su Ye felt a surge of excitement inside him, and the thought almost burst out, "Power, soul power, and spirit combined as one!!"
Fusion, the road ahead is long and arduous~
Not greedy?
Then you're a fool!
After completely harvesting the Dark Golden Claw Bear, Su Ye carried the bear skin and muscles made into a package, transforming into a ball of fire as he soared through the night sky.
"The Evil Eye Tyrant is in the Sun Moon Empire, I can't go for now. The ultimate spirit, that belongs to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion."
"Maybe… I should give it a try?"
"What if I succeed in the fusion?"
A bold idea began to take shape in the young man's mind.
Elsewhere, Soto City.
A tall woman walked across the street, her devilishly alluring figure causing passersby to gulp and stare.
"Her figure is simply perfection!"
Everyone couldn't help but have such thoughts, feeling restless.
A flamboyant young man's eyes lit up, and he couldn't resist approaching her to strike up a conversation.
"Beautiful lady, are you—"
"Go away!"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes were cold as ice, and a single word from her effortlessly shut down the young man's words.
"Beautiful lady, don't be so cold, let me take you to..."
The young man smirked, striking a pose as if completely oblivious to the situation, thinking he might be able to take advantage.
Boom!
The soul force of the Underworld spread out, and the black air like a cold light passed through, flipping over the surrounding people with ill intentions.
The young man was sent flying by the shockwave and collapsed on the side of the road, unconscious.
She had only punished him; Zhu Zhuqing did not take his life.
After a while, she arrived at her destination—a hotel.
This hotel was unusually decorated, colorful and vibrant. The roses at the entrance formed an alluring image of a woman, making it seem like a place for men to indulge and seek pleasure.
Looking at the sensual hotel in front of her, Zhu Zhuqing's face remained expressionless, her eyes showing no sign of emotion.
In no time, she walked across the street to another hotel.
"Boss, give me a street-facing deluxe suite."
"Sure, please wait a moment."
A few minutes later.
Her graceful figure stood by the window, her pitch-black eyes silently staring at the hotel across the street through the colorful lights of the night.
Although she already knew that someone was indulging himself in Soto City, she still wanted to see it with her own eyes to confirm if it was true.
After an unknown amount of time, a blonde figure emerged from the hotel across the street.
He casually had his arm around the waist of a pair of sisters, looking as if he were intoxicated after the fun, feeling carefree and in high spirits.
The young man's back disappeared into the night, and Zhu Zhuqing slowly let out a breath, a faint bitter smile curling at the corner of her lips.
"It seems… he really has given up."
For some reason, Zhu Zhuqing didn't feel much sorrow. Instead, she felt a sense of relief.
He chose to compromise with fate; perhaps this wasn't so bad…
She didn't have to cling to that engagement anymore. All she needed was to find a way to keep herself alive.
Zhu Zhuqing took out the Pharmacopoeia, her black eyes flashing with determination. As long as she had this, at least staying alive would be easy.
In a daze, a certain person's comical sausage-shaped lips flashed through her mind, and she gently bit her slightly smiling lips.
"Now the entire Pharmacopoeia is in my hands. He'd be crazy to let it go!"
"But what if… he doesn't come to Soto City?"
Zhu Zhuqing's dark brows furrowed, and her mood inexplicably became a bit more restless.
(End of Chapter)