The Supreme Soul, Starting with Death

What will Homura Akemi do? Will the two whose fates are intertwined find happiness? To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next episode!

Gu Shi clapped his hands, announcing the end of today's storytelling session, and looked at the two listeners with a smile.

"So, what are your thoughts after hearing today's story?"

Erlang blinked, expressing his confusion first.

“Gu Shi, aren’t Xiao Yuan and the others too stupid? If they can’t defeat Witch Night, why don’t they ask the heroes for help? If all the heroes of the martial world join forces to defeat that demonic monster called Witch Night, wouldn’t it be a piece of cake? Why do they have to suffer so much?”

Even though Zhao Hun emphasized in his story that the Witch's Night was impervious to swords and spears, and even divine weapons could not break through the Witch's Night's defenses, Erlang did not take it seriously.

There are plenty of guys in the martial arts world who claim to be invulnerable to swords and spears, but in the end, they've just practiced some kind of hard qigong like the Golden Bell Cover or Iron Shirt. They can act tough in small places, but when they encounter a real hero, they're just a bunch of bastards who will fall down in one move.

Although that witch's night was able to stir up storms and seemed to have acquired some of the spirit of top-tier martial arts like the Cloud-Dispelling Palm, the fact that she only dared to bully little girls suggests that she had only learned top-tier skills by chance. In terms of temperament, there was still a huge gap between her and a true strongman. If she were to fight a real hero, it would be a question whether she could even last three moves.

Therefore, Erlang was full of doubts while listening to the story. He didn't understand why Xiaoyuan and the others didn't seek help from those chivalrous heroes. Was it because their place was too remote and they had no chance to come into contact with the real martial arts world? That would be too remote!

Gu Shi smiled, decisively pulled out the prepared explanation, and began to coax the naive big dog.

"Jiro, do you still remember the starry sky you saw before entering Hueco Mundo? If we consider the human world, Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, and Hell—the places we can reach and know—as a whole, then this is the 'world' we live in. And in the vast starry sky, there are countless other worlds."

“Every star you can see is a distant sun, and beside each sun, there may exist a different ‘world.’ Xiaoyuan and her friends’ story takes place in a ‘world’ that is different from ours, so…”

Gu Shi originally wanted to say that the world Xiao Yuan and the others lived in had no martial arts or Jianghu (江湖, the martial arts world), so naturally there were no heroes. But as soon as he started, Tian Peng suddenly clapped his hands, widened his eyes, and shouted as if he had just realized something, "I know!"

Filled with pride at having discovered a great secret, Tianpeng patted Erlang's back a few times and excitedly shouted.

"Erlang, have you forgotten? When Zhenjun told the story, he already said that the group of incubators had been secretly controlling that world for thousands of years. Those heroes who should have become great heroes in history and created all kinds of peerless martial arts techniques were definitely not able to grow up before they were regarded as threats by the group of incubators and were secretly assassinated!"

"So that's how it is! I understand now! All the geniuses who should have driven the development of martial arts died young, which is why martial arts in that world could not develop at all!"

Erlang understood Tianpeng's meaning, and his eyes widened suddenly, burning with rage, wishing he could devour all the incubators in one gulp.

"Those incubators claim to be extraterrestrial life forms. To Xiaoyuan and the others' world, they must be demons from another world! No wonder they are so vicious! So evil! They have ruined the future of an entire martial arts world!"

"Damn it, I never thought there were such vicious creatures in the world. When I've mastered my divine skills, if I encounter them, I will definitely chew their souls to pieces!"

Seeing Erlang's unprecedented anger, Gu Shi paused for a moment, then nodded emphatically.

"...That's right, that's exactly it! It's all the incubators' fault!"

After confirming Erlang's guess, Gu Shi quickly steered the conversation back on track and continued to deliver the arguments he had prepared.

"Actually, it's not just in Xiaoyuan's world. Many martial arts that should have developed in other worlds were cut off long ago due to various human or accidental factors."

"There are very few worlds that can truly form a martial arts atmosphere and a martial arts community, and the world we live in is no exception."

"The development of martial arts here is extremely slow and lacks inheritance. In the range that we can currently access, only the 'Seireitei' sect has some foundation and has inherited some sword techniques, fist techniques and magic techniques."

"However, the Seireitei is old-fashioned and conservative. Its leader, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, has no intention of expanding the martial arts world. He only wants to maintain the rule of the Shinigami. Whether they are Hollows or Quincy, if they dare to visit the Seireitei, they will not only fail to receive guidance from their seniors, but they will also be killed by them."

With a serious expression, Gu Shi patted Erlang on the shoulder and spoke slowly and earnestly.

"So, Erlang, you won't find the martial world in this world..."

"Come with me to the vast starry sky and find the world of Jianghu and the martial arts world!" Before Gu Shi could finish his persuasive speech, Erlang clenched his fists, his expression became resolute, and he roared with great spirit.

"I understand! Therefore, I should create my own martial arts, spread the martial arts way widely, break the Jingling Sect's monopoly on martial arts, and restore the golden age of martial arts! This world has no Jianghu, so I will create Jianghu with my own hands!"

Gu Shi, who was interrupted for the second time today, was stunned for a moment and could only nod stiffly.

...That statement is actually quite correct.

However, before Erlang could finish speaking, he looked up at the dark dome of the Great Void Forest where no stars could be seen, as if he could already see the infinite world surrounding the stars, and a heroic passion burst forth in his eyes.

"There are other worlds in the starry sky that do not have martial arts. When the martial arts world of that world is born in the future, I must find a way to go to those worlds and teach martial arts to the people there, so that they can experience what the romance of the martial arts world is, the ultimate romance!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Shi immediately laughed and nodded again in agreement.

"Erlang, your idea is good. Let's go together then!"

Tianpeng, standing nearby, quickly raised his claws and shouted, not wanting to be outdone.

"Me too! Me too! I want to go too! Please don't leave me behind!"

Wandering through different worlds, enlightening ordinary lives, and passing on one's own traditions—isn't this the kind of life I've always longed for?

The True Lord is indeed a deity. Erlang might become a martial immortal in the future. How can I, an alchemist devoted to the path of immortality, fall behind?

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Chapter Sixty-Two: Life, Advancement, Destruction, Retreat

People who have a clear goal do indeed radiate stronger energy. Although they still do not have the conditions to leave the Great Void Forest in the short term, Gu Shi's life is no longer just about eating, sleeping and telling stories.

While eating more actively and accumulating spiritual power faster, he began to actively study some combat techniques, trying to make his current body unleash even greater power.

Before this, Gu Shi thought that the Killian was just a transitional stage. Anyway, after evolving into the Adjuchas in the future, it would become some kind of animal form, and its size would change drastically. There was no point in studying combat techniques based on the Killian's body.

But now, Gu Shi's thinking is different. His attitude towards the Kylian phase is no longer "a transitional phase that needs to be dealt with as soon as possible." He has begun to take every day of his life more seriously.

Of course, Gu Shi wasn't the only one studying combat techniques.

Erlang, who has decided to create his own martial arts and spread the way of martial arts, is no longer just reciting cool verses and studying which poses are cooler. He has begun to seriously try to create his own "kung fu".

Creating martial arts techniques is an extremely difficult task, but Jiro's desire to spread martial arts in Hueco Mundo makes this task a thousand times more difficult.

After all, the differences in martial arts skills between people may only be height, weight, and gender, at most, plus whether or not they have a disability. But the difference between different types of martial arts skills is immeasurable.

If you wander around Hueco Mundo and encounter a hundred Hollows, each one might be completely different—cat Hollows, dog Hollows, wolf Hollows, tiger Hollows, or even ribbonfish Hollows and jellyfish Hollows in the vast desert.

It's simply unrealistic to expect all these different forms of virtual beings to learn martial arts and to create a martial art tailored to each of them.

At first, Erlang was so worried about this problem that he kept scratching his head.

Fortunately, Gu Shi had read many novels and, after learning about Erlang's troubles, quickly offered an effective suggestion.

Before ordinary people can truly learn and practice various martial arts, they inevitably go through a foundational stage. After all, a weak body is definitely not suitable for martial arts training. Without a strong physique to support it, one might easily cramp up and fall to the ground after just a few moves.

If a Hollow wants to learn martial arts, it is inevitable that it will go through the "foundation building" stage. Gu Shi suggested that all Hollows before evolving into Gillian should be regarded as ordinary people whose physical fitness is not up to standard and who still need to train.

Only by becoming a Gillian (Menmo) and reaching the required level of spiritual power can one be considered to have laid a solid foundation and be qualified to begin learning martial arts.

Before the Killian, the Hollows had various forms, and after the Killian, the Adjuchas had even more diverse forms. However, only during the Killian stage did all the Hollows look very similar, all being tall humanoid figures over thirty meters tall and draped in black robes.

If one starts learning martial arts from this stage, then Erlang only needs to create one technique initially.

These Kilian who have learned martial arts, once they have laid a solid foundation with this universal technique and evolved into Adjuchas, can create martial arts tailored to their own body structure with the help of Jiro or other martial artists.

This is equivalent to the fact that what the patriarch Erlang passed down was only the most basic and important "general principles of martial arts". After that, every time a Gillian successfully evolved into an Adjuchas, it meant the birth of a new martial art.

As long as Jiro focuses on nurturing Lean (apprentices), martial arts in Hueco Mundo will naturally flourish as the number of Adjuchas increases.

Of course, while Gu Shi's suggestion reduced the difficulty for Erlang, it was still extremely difficult for Erlang to spread martial arts widely.

After all, each evolution of a Hollow means a leap in strength. Even a newly evolved Gillian can instantly kill any small Hollow with a single Cero. The increase in strength from Gillian to Adjuchas will only be greater.

If a Gillian really learned Jiro's martial arts, only to find after evolving that these so-called martial arts couldn't keep up with the speed of its own strength improvement, and were completely useless in battles against other Adjuchas.

Therefore, rather than creating a martial art suitable for itself, the newly evolved Adjuchas is more likely to abandon martial arts that are no longer applicable and rely on its Hollow fighting instincts to fight again.

Therefore, what Jiro is currently researching is, strictly speaking, laying the foundation. Only when he truly evolves into an Adjuchas and stands at the height of an Adjuchas looking down can he create a "simple" basic martial art that will not be abandoned even after evolution.

Gu Shi didn't hide the difficulties involved and told Erlang everything clearly. Erlang, however, had no intention of giving up because of the difficulties. Instead, he became even more enthusiastic and devoted himself to creating the "General Principles of Martial Arts".

In order to thoroughly study every detail of the Killian, Jiro not only tried to create various techniques during this period, but also dissected a large number of Killian. After dissecting them, he sent all the pieces of flesh, except for the portion he kept for himself, to Tianpeng's alchemy furnace.

Therefore, the materials Tianpeng has been using for alchemy lately are all odd and ends, which makes Tianpeng complain whenever he meets Erlang. In Tianpeng's own words, it "lacks the beauty of alchemy".

Fortunately, Erlang had a flash of inspiration and gave Tianpeng the opportunity to name the first stage of martial arts, successfully using this fulfilling task to resolve Tianpeng's resentment.

Finally, after much contemplation, Tianpeng named the first stage of the illusory martial arts, namely the Kirian stage, "Life Advancement and Extinction Retreat," which can also be simply called "Life and Extinction Realm."

Tianpeng himself explained that the name meant that to become a Kylian, one must experience life and death.

Only those who successfully overcome adversity and retain their self-awareness are qualified to embark on the path of martial arts.

If one cannot hold on, and self-awareness disappears, one can only become one of the walking dead, no different from death.

After hearing the name, Erlang was quite satisfied with it and began to refer to himself as a "martial artist who has progressed through life and retreated through death."

In this lively atmosphere, time slowly passed. On this day, Gu Shi was studying how to make Killian's body punch faster, Tian Peng was pressing down on the lid of the alchemy furnace, waiting for the new pill to take shape, and Erlang was squatting beside him, carefully disassembling Killian's arm.

Suddenly, Gu Shi abruptly turned his head to look east, and then Erlang and Tianpeng also looked up to the east.

There, they vaguely sensed the presence of death? And there was more than one?

One, two, three...

There are actually five Grim Reapers?

The Grim Reaper has actually entered the Great Void Forest. What's the difference between this and a living person running into a pride of lions? Are they tired of living and coming here to die?

P.S.: Second update! Please vote and add to your favorites!

Chapter Sixty-Three Soaring High

"Ashido, we're very close to our target. Prepare for battle."

Yuto used Shunpo (a technique involving quick footwork) and held a small bottle that shimmered with light in his right hand as he swiftly moved beneath the feet of the thirty-meter-tall Hollows. His other hand gripped his Zanpakuto tightly. Upon hearing this, the already tense nerves of the others tightened even further.

The small bottle in Yu Ren's hand may seem inconspicuous, but it is a special device that only a noble descendant like him can possess. As long as the collected spiritual energy is placed into it, it can accurately track the location of the spiritual energy's owner.

Previously, this device was controlled by the Covert Forces and the Xing Army, and was used specifically to hunt down traitors. About a hundred years ago, the Covert Forces developed a more efficient and convenient tracking device, and this bottle-shaped device was phased out and became a collectible for various nobles.

Now, this bottle contains the residual Hollow spiritual energy that Yuuto collected from the Hollows after they escaped the Hollows' encirclement.

Recently, thanks to the tracking provided by this small bottle, they have found and eliminated all the Hollows that surrounded them. Now, the few remaining spiritual energies in the bottle all point to Hueco Mundo, indicating that these Hollows escaped back to Hueco Mundo after the initial siege.

Driven by a desire for revenge, they resolutely captured a Hollow that could speak in the dark, forcing it to send everyone into Hueco Mundo to continue the hunt for the killer.

Of course, although only five people entered Hueco Mundo, seven people actually escaped the encirclement of the Hollows.

However, among these seven people, one was more "rational" and believed that clearing away the void of the present world was enough. He was unwilling to delve into Hueco Mundo for the sake of "revenge," something so illusory and irreversible, and ultimately risk his life, which he had barely managed to save.

Another person believes that as Shinigami, everyone should strictly obey orders from their superiors. Their mission is only to clean up the Hollows in the human world, and they should not enter Hueco Mundo without orders from their superiors because of personal grudges.

Their arguments each had their merits, especially the point about acting without orders from superiors. There was a significant chance that Xing Jun would consider them deserters. Even if they returned to Soul Society after taking revenge, they would most likely be suspected of having defected to Hueco Mundo, and would ultimately be either executed or imprisoned until their own demise.

Asido was fully aware of the dangers involved, but he stubbornly believed that if he hadn't been worried about his friend Ibuki and sent Yuto to the rear of the team to provide support, with Yuto's healing abilities, Tomomi and the other team members might not have died, or at least not so many of them.

Intense guilt fueled intense hatred, and Asido was determined to go to Hueco Mundo to kill all the murderers who had harmed his comrades.

Ibuki and Asido share similar guilt, believing that if they had held out longer, Yuto wouldn't have come to their aid, and their comrades wouldn't have suffered such heavy casualties. Therefore, they firmly stand on Asido's side, determined to avenge their comrades even at the cost of their own lives.