Chapter Nineteen: The Petrified Martial Soul

A massive ancient tree appeared in Luo Hao's line of sight. The tree was so large that it would take ten people to encircle it, towering several dozen meters high, its branches and leaves blanketing the sky. Luo Hao suddenly stopped, releasing Mu Yudie, his expression grave as he gazed at the ancient tree, his face shifting between light and shadow, as if he were on the verge of making a momentous decision.

Zhao Xin, Di Yalan, and Hu Long approached the tree, their expressions changing subtly, as if aware that this place was far from ordinary. Shi Yan frowned, silently staring at the gigantic Skyward Tree.

Luo Hao took a deep breath, turned to face the group, and said in a low voice, "The path to the right of the Skyward Tree rarely sees the activity of demon beasts. Most merchant caravans and martial artists crossing the Dark Forest choose this route. It’s safe—at most, one might encounter only first or second-tier beasts, the lesser kind, and the path is close to the Merchant Alliance, just ten days’ journey."

Zhao Xin and the others nodded gently, clearly familiar with the situation.

With a pause, Luo Hao continued solemnly, "But the path to the left of the Skyward Tree is completely different. It is much longer, demon beasts roam freely, and dangerous martial artists and mercenaries are often encountered. Anyone daring to take that road is not easy to deal with. Amid constant peril, those people act without scruples or restraint. If we go that way, we must beware not only of the beasts but also those wild martial artists and mercenaries, especially since there are two beautiful women among us..."

"Hmph! Whoever dares to lay a finger on me, I’ll sever every thought from their mind," Di Yalan made a slicing gesture in the air, her beautiful eyes gleaming coldly.

"Uncle Luo, what do you mean?" Zhao Xin asked cautiously.

"If we take the safe right path, the people from 'Dark Nether' will catch up within a day at most. Another battle will be inevitable," Luo Hao said, his face dark and helpless. "Next time, who knows if we’ll be as lucky. What's more, they might have reinforcements. If we run into them again, our chances are grim..."

"And if we take the left path?" Hu Long interjected.

"Demon beasts roam freely on the left, and the martial artists and mercenaries there are ruthless. We’ll face beasts, and perhaps those desperate martial artists as well. But the dangers we face, the people from 'Dark Nether' will also confront. 'Dark Nether' has a bad reputation—maybe few dare to oppose them in the Fire Empire, but in that place, trouble will find them. If they’re unlucky enough to run into high-level beasts, their entire force could be wiped out..."

Luo Hao explained the situation and then offered his opinion. "On the right, we won’t face beasts or other martial artists, but we must contend with 'Dark Nether,' a major threat. On the left, we’ll face beasts and martial artists, but 'Dark Nether' might fare even worse. For us, the left may offer a greater chance of escape."

"We’ll go left!" Mu Yudie declared decisively.

"Alright," Luo Hao nodded immediately, finally looking at Shi Yan. "Young man, you still have time to leave. If you stay, it may be too late to regret it later..."

"I’ll go with you," Shi Yan had made up his mind long ago. There was a wild side to his nature; otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent ten years immersed in extreme sports, dancing with death.

When Luo Hao spoke of the dangers on the left, Shi Yan couldn’t help but feel a thrill.

Luo Hao nodded, waved his hand, and said, "Good, let’s move. From now on, everyone must be doubly cautious!"

...

An hour later.

Mo Chaoge and the Mo family’s martial artists also stopped before the Skyward Tree.

"Second Uncle, which path do you think they’ll choose?" Mo Yanyu asked.

"I’ll pursue them on the right. If I don’t return in two hours, you follow after. If I don’t catch them in that time, they must have gone left," Mo Chaoge pondered, instructed the group to wait, and then sped off alone to the left.

An hour and a half later, Mo Chaoge returned, his face dark. "Not even a ghost in sight. They dared take the left path. Be careful! The left is crawling with beasts and lunatics—don’t be careless. Remember, don’t make enemies easily with those martial artists or mercenaries. Anyone who dares to make a living off demon beasts is a madman. Such people are fierce and fearless—don’t provoke them."

"Understood!"

"Let’s go!"

...

Three saber-toothed rhinos paced slowly by the creek. These were third-tier demon beasts; their backs gleamed with silver, tusks like swords protruding from their mouths, their large brown eyes brimming with ferocity. Their hides were caked in muddy sludge, forming a natural armor so tough that ordinary blades couldn’t cut through.

The three rhinos drank from the stream, their savage eyes scanning for prey.

In the nearby thicket, Luo Hao signaled the group to remain silent.

Only when the rhinos wandered off did Luo Hao let out a breath. "Saber-toothed rhinos are third-tier beasts, equivalent to martial artists of the Human Rank. They move swiftly, their tusks are incredibly sharp. If low-level martial artists run into them, it’s death or crippling injury!"

Shi Yan’s cold, dark eyes lingered on the retreating rhinos, showing a hint of eager anticipation for a fight.

"Our goal this time is to protect Little Butterfly, not to hunt the beasts here. I hope everyone keeps that in mind and avoids unnecessary trouble," Luo Hao, sensing Shi Yan’s intentions, offered a casual reminder.

Shi Yan grinned and nodded in understanding.

"Let’s go. We need to be careful here, not rush, and always keep an eye on our surroundings to avoid running into beasts or martial artists and unnecessary complications," Luo Hao reminded again, then led the way forward.

...

Night descended quietly.

Beside the creek, under a dense tree, Zhao Xin and his companions spread out, vigilant and alert, ensuring no beasts would suddenly appear.

Shi Yan sat upright on the wet ground, his expression solemn.

A surge of bloodlust twisted within him like mist, giving him an urgent need to vent. The vital energy he’d absorbed from the two Nether Star Envoys was at a crucial stage of purification, making him restless and irritable.

Luo Hao stood beside Mu Yudie, brow furrowed as he watched Shi Yan, afraid he might act abnormally.

Mu Yudie, her expression indifferent, watched Shi Yan for a while. Seeing his face grow increasingly fierce, she sat down gracefully, placed her ancient zither on her beautiful bent legs, and began to play.

As the music began, Shi Yan’s agitation was soothed as if by a cool, otherworldly force, gradually dissipating from his heart.

Holding his breath and focusing his mind, Shi Yan guided his vital energy, cultivating through the cycle.

An hour later, a warm current surged from all his acupoints.

Shi Yan trembled abruptly.

Suddenly, he felt his body was desperately hungry. This time, the strange energy from his acupoints did not flow into his lower abdomen as usual, but was absorbed by his muscles and bones along the way. The warm current seeped into his flesh and bones, taking root within them.

Within a few breaths, the strange warmth from his acupoints had spread throughout his flesh and bones, astonishing him.

A thought stirred, and Shi Yan tried to sense the warm current within his flesh and bones.

Boom!

A thunderous roar echoed in his mind, and in the next moment, Shi Yan realized his body was undergoing a miraculous transformation.

Startled, he opened his eyes wide. To his shock, his exposed arm was slowly turning ashen gray.

Petrification!

Shi Yan was stunned, quickly withdrawing his mind from his body. With a shift of thought, his nearly "petrified" body swiftly returned to normal, his skin regaining its usual color.

He glanced ahead, noticing Luo Hao and Mu Yudie quietly whispering behind a nearby tree, oblivious to his situation.

Relieved, Shi Yan’s eyes sparkled with joy, and he laughed silently to himself.

The signs of "petrification" were clear evidence that the Shi family’s "Petrification Martial Spirit" had awakened!

This martial spirit was unique to the Shi clan. As one’s realm advanced, the "Petrification Martial Spirit" would grow ever stronger, eventually becoming impervious to blade and bullet, and immune to surges of vital energy.

Shi Yan had originally thought he was born without this martial spirit. Unexpectedly, after breaking through to the Innate Realm, it suddenly awakened, filling him with wild delight.

The "petrification" martial spirit was extremely useful in battle. Once petrified, the body became as hard as stone without sacrificing agility, giving his strength a significant boost.

Alongside petrification, he had long confirmed he possessed a self-healing "Undying Martial Spirit." The two martial spirits complemented each other. If cultivated to perfection, the wonders his body could achieve were beyond his imagination.

"But wait!" Shi Yan frowned, pondering silently. "Don’t martial spirits usually manifest shortly after birth? I’m seventeen—how can one awaken now? This is too strange. Could it be related to the peculiar energy flowing from my acupoints?"

He vaguely sensed that the awakening of his Petrification and Undying martial spirits might be connected to the blood pool and the changes within his acupoints.

Shi Yan suspected that the mysterious warm current leaking from his acupoints could catalyze the emergence of martial spirits in the human body. The thought made his heart surge with excitement, and he nearly wanted to howl aloud.

Martial spirits are innate, only gradually strengthening as one advances in rank. Beyond that, there are almost no ways to improve them.

Martial spirits are the pride of any martial artist, the key to their true strength. Martial artists strive to break through, hoping their martial spirit will grow accordingly. But even with advancement, improvement is limited and subject to many constraints.

On the Continent of Divine Grace, even legendary god-tier alchemists can barely concoct medicines effective for common martial spirits. Such pills are rare treasures, spoken of only in legends.

Yet even those pills can only marginally enhance martial spirits. Innate talent cannot be easily altered.

But the strange warm current in Shi Yan’s acupoints seemed to defy the laws of heaven and earth, as if it could truly catalyze martial spirits and enhance these innate abilities!

...