The Evil Soul Master is actually myself

You might not be able to kill me even if you punch me a hundred times, but if I land just one punch on you, you'll be knocked to the ground.

However, Su Ming discovered his shortcomings. In terms of combat strength and defense, he had three amplifying soul skills to guarantee it, and in terms of attack methods, he had various soul techniques. What he lacked now was a powerful means of control. The Heavenly Demon Hand of the Dark Demon's Left Palm Bone could only be considered soft control. He needed a decisive hard control, preferably one that affected multiple targets.

"I'll give the fourth soul skill slot to a control soul skill, and hopefully it will also have some mana regeneration effect." Su Ming discovered that the all-around warrior system he was building was gradually taking shape.

He still has many hidden skills that he hasn't shown yet, such as the Evil Domain, the [Evil Eye of Destiny] bestowed by the Emperor Beast, and even the Tyrant Domain, which he hasn't fully unleashed.

"Gu Yuena must have gained a lot this time. It seems she was holding back, and her defeat was just a momentary lapse in attention, taken away by the strange backlash," Su Ming thought.

The Eighth Element's ultimate mental attributes, domain, and even ultimate talent were not fully displayed, and Su Ming knew that Gu Yuena would be even more difficult to defeat next time.

But the boy remained spirited and determined; it was good to have such an opponent.

On the other side, Gu Yuena finally calmed down after washing her body. Although she still hated Su Ming to the core, she had already skillfully drawn inspiration from it.

"These are clearly two attributes that are not good at defense, yet they form a solid defense through a marvelous structure. They truly are geniuses among humans." Gu Yuena's beautiful eyes sparkled with wisdom as she continuously deduced and integrated them into her own soul magic system.

She had to admit Su Ming's extraordinary talent. The wind and thunder attribute should have been good at extreme destructive power and extraordinary speed, but Su Ming was forcibly molded into an element specializing in defense. Thunder (Lightning Release Chakra Mode) and Wind Control (Zhou Tianlan Armor) are both top-notch defensive capabilities.

The character's assassin-like style was abruptly transformed into a berserker-like, brute-force style reminiscent of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. While the use of soul skills certainly played a role, the unique and imaginative application of wind and lightning attributes cannot be overlooked.

"I also master the wind element, and I can completely imitate it, and even extend it to other elements, such as the Ice God Armor, which achieves physical defense by shaping hard, thousand-year-old ice to envelop the whole body."

"Furthermore, by utilizing the powerful corrosive properties of dark elements, a thin veil of mist can be created. This produces an energy-absorbing skin effect, greatly reducing energy damage. Su Ming! I really have to thank you. Next time, I'll show you what a surprise is."

Gu Yuena gritted her teeth. This time, she had completely gotten rid of the weakness of the Silver Dragon King Martial Soul. Originally, her defensive system relied too much on the earth attribute. Once she was forced to use her ultimate talent, she was too passive without the earth attribute to defend.

But now she no longer worries about this situation, because she has corresponding defensive soul techniques for all seven elements and can adapt to various environments.

Gu Yuena suddenly felt like she was back in action.

The next day, the two went to class calmly as usual, pretending not to know anything about it.

When Su Ming met Gu Yuena in the classroom, he saw that her flawless face was expressionless, as if she had lost her luster and completely turned evil, resembling a sickly beautiful girl.

He couldn't help but feel uneasy; this kind of behavior from Gu Yuena was the most terrifying.

The black-haired boy reluctantly sat down next to her; there were simply no other seats available. He remained constantly vigilant towards Gu Yuena beside him, fearing that if she backed down, she would become increasingly angry and might even lash out in a fit of rage.

Fortunately, the silver-haired beauty remained expressionless, not even glancing at him, and her body remained completely still, like a lifeless sculpture.

Seeing this, Su Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

"If you dare to tell anyone what happened last night, I'll take you down with me." Suddenly, a melodious voice echoed in the boy's mind.

He looked over, only to see Gu Yuena still sitting in the same spot, without even turning her head.

Su Ming suddenly realized, his expression calm, his mouth still, but a mental fluctuation emanated from him.

Telepathic communication? I can do that too!

Su Ming secretly transmitted his voice, his tone filled with great doubt, "Last night? What happened last night?"

"Oh~, you mean the fight between the two of us? Don't worry, I'm not that stupid, I won't tell anyone." Su Ming's feigned ignorance was perfect.

Having thoroughly studied "Emotional Intelligence," Su Ming would never expose someone's dark past; of course, he would choose to help her cover it up.

Gu Yuena found it quite amusing to hear such a strong will to survive, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly. She quickly suppressed it after realizing it, turned her head away arrogantly, and snorted coldly.

"Don't think I'll let you go. I'll kill you sooner or later."

"Oh, you mean the time I beat you up?" Su Ming retorted with a smile.

"Hmph." Gu Yuena thought to herself, "You're only happy for a short while. Just wait and see after I've digested your special skills."

When class started, Zhou Yi brought up the battle from last night, sternly warning the students to behave themselves. However, she didn't pursue the matter further, as she didn't believe that the students could cause such destructive power; only the senior students from the inner academy would have that kind of fighting ability.

Su Ming was unconvinced. The injuries he sustained from last night's battle and physical training had already recovered by 50% by this morning, and would be completely healed in a few more days. There was no flaw in his defenses.

Gu Yuena, on the other hand, healed such a severe injury to the point that it was no longer noticeable. Her recovery ability was no weaker than his.

In this lesson, Zhou Yi mainly talked about the Soul Guidance Device system and its application. Finally, she predicted, like a great prophet, that in the future world, Soul Guidance Devices could even be used to develop products like Gundam mechs to replace Soul Masters.

Su Ming remarked that they truly deserved to be called a world-class elite, possessing a certain degree of consensus on cutting-edge fields.

In the future, let alone Gundam mechs, even floating cities will appear.

But this was no longer within Su Ming's consideration. Humans have their limits, and no matter how interested he was in soul tools, he couldn't spare the energy to study them.

Moreover, the area of ​​scientific research development in this world that we need to be least worried about is the slow development of the traditional Soul Master field. Even ten thousand years from now, the upper limit of Soul Master combat power will still be stuck in a bottleneck and will not change much.

Su Ming is ambitious and wants to focus on the field of Soul Masters, to improve the Xuanhuan Floor system from the ground up, and to rebuild the honor of Soul Masters. It is our duty!

Soul techniques, martial souls, soul rings, martial arts, soul bones—he had so many ideas! With Su Ming on the scene, who could rival him! Just watch, the fantasy floor?

Hmph, that won't be the case for long.

Su Ming suddenly smiled foolishly, and Gu Yuena next to him looked puzzled, thinking, "Is he an idiot?"

When class ended, Su Ming wanted to ask Huo Yuhao about his recent situation, but he didn't expect Huo Yuhao to leave quickly after class to continue his studies in the Soul Guidance Department, so he didn't have a chance to talk to him.

"Well, everyone has their own life. He must be quite happy lately, living a fulfilling life," Su Ming remarked.

"You two come here for a moment." Zhou Yi called out to Su Ming and Gu Yuena after class.

The two looked at each other, wondering if their misdeeds from the previous night had been discovered.

“I submitted an application to my superiors before, and the dean approved it,” Zhou Yi said, taking a deep breath. What she said was different from what the two of them had imagined.

Gu Yuena frowned and asked, "Teacher, are you referring to studying in the inner academy?"

Zhou Yi nodded and said, "Yes, because the academy has its own rules that students who have not passed the inner academy's assessment are not allowed to enter Seagod Island to study. So a teacher will come to teach you, and the time will be two hours after class."

“And Su Ming…” She paused, then hesitated before speaking, “You were allowed to enter Poseidon Island to study, and it is said that an elder appointed you as his personal disciple.”

Su Ming understood; it was probably at the request of Sister Xianlin'er.

Hearing this, Gu Yuena, who was standing nearby, was unhappy about the differential treatment and said, "Why?"

She pointed at Su Ming and said, "In what way am I inferior to him?"

"Alright, there's no such thing as true fairness in this world. If you want better treatment, go and fight for it yourself. I've said my piece. If you have any questions, go ask the dean."

Zhou Yi gave her a stern warning, then ignored her and strode away.

After a while, the silver-haired girl gradually calmed down. She realized that what bothered her wasn't the preferential treatment, but rather her subconscious desire to compete with Su Ming and not want to lose to him in any way. Perhaps from the moment she was defeated by the boy in person, his shadow was left in her heart—or rather, a shadow.

Su Ming, having gained an advantage, didn't act coy and quietly slipped away, not wanting to provoke the Silver Dragon King any further.

Chapter Fifty-Four: Heading to the Golden Tree

The inner academy is asking Su Ming to go there tomorrow, and he'll be studying there from now on. I guess it's because Sister Xian Lin'er misses him.

It has to be said that having a powerful backer is really great. Su Ming was just having trouble creating a breathing technique when this opportunity came along. He figured he could apply to borrow the Golden Tree, since its vitality was the least valuable thing to him and he could squander it as he pleased.

Hmm, there's also the Golden Carving Knife of Living Beings that's been left unattended at the Starlight Auction House in Star Luo City. I'll write a letter to my sister and ask her to send me the money!

After a night's rest, his injuries had mostly healed. The main problem was that Su Ming's self-harming practice of martial arts had aggravated his injuries; under normal circumstances, they would have been healed last night.

The next day, Su Ming got up and went to see Xian Lin'er to get the pass.

As expected, the gentle and beautiful woman couldn't help but pull Su Ming into her arms and ravage him as soon as she saw him.

"I wish I had a son as adorable as you," Xian Lin'er said with tenderness and a hint of regret as she looked at the young boy.

"Am I not your junior? I've always regarded you as my mother." The black-haired boy said sweetly and affectionately in Xian Lin'er's arms.

Su Ming did indeed feel the warmth of maternal love from Xian Lin'er. He didn't know what his mother felt, but perhaps it was just like that.

The gentle and beautiful woman tenderly stroked the boy's smooth black hair. In his disguised state, Su Ming's temperament was as obedient and weak as a cat, which always attracted the affection of others.

"Alright, you'll be late if you keep going." After a moment of tenderness, Xian Lin'er smiled and took out a pass from the drawer, handing it to Su Ming.

"There's a surprise waiting for you once you get to Poseidon Island," she said mysteriously.

Su Ming's curiosity was piqued, and he quickly pressed for more information.

However, Xian Lin'er didn't reveal any information, only saying that she would know when she went to the Sea God Pavilion.

Helpless, the boy got up and headed to Poseidon Island. He had already learned that his daily teacher was someone else, which surprised him somewhat, but upon reflection, it made sense.

As the dean of the Soul Guidance Academy, Xian Lin'er didn't have much time to teach him normally, but she agreed to teach Su Ming for two hours after class, imparting to him the wind attribute decomposition secret technique that he had been longing for.

"Holy crap? How am I supposed to get there?"

Su Ming stared dumbfounded at the boundless blue sea.

You have to understand that his current character is the Netherworld Black Cat Martial Soul, which doesn't have the ability to fly at all. How could he possibly cross the Sea God Lake?

After waiting for a long time without anyone coming to pick him up, Su Ming felt dejected. He knew that this might be a test for entering the inner academy.

Unlike visiting relatives, even with his powerful connections, Su Ming would still face necessary tests during his formal studies.

"Hey, if no one sees me, I'll just fly over there. The problem is, I don't know if anyone is watching me from the shadows." Su Ming hesitated.

Just then, Su Ming suddenly saw a red light shining in the depths of the endless blue sky.

The next moment, his eyes widened. He saw with his sharp eyes that it wasn't a red dot at all, but a red figure enveloped in a crimson light, speeding across the water at an astonishing pace, and judging from the appearance, it was rushing towards him.

The red figure was incredibly fast. In just a short while, she had reached the center of the lake. Every time her toes touched the surface, ripples appeared. She used the slight buoyancy to accelerate, drifting forward like a red cloud.

As Su Ming got closer, he could see more clearly that the red figure wasn't just dressed in red; even its hair was blood-red. It had a slender build, but exuded a chilling and ferocious aura, like a terrifying soul beast. It wore a matching red mask, and even its eyes were blood-red.

The air around the crimson figure distorted slightly, and wherever it passed, the scorching flames evaporated large swaths of seawater, and a vast expanse of misty water rose up, swirling around the entire lake.

As the crimson figure drew closer, it seemed to have lost control of the raging flames on its body. The crimson light illuminated the lake surface, creating a dazzling glow, like a vast fiery cloud sweeping across the sky and the sea.

It is also like an ancient divine bird from the primordial wilderness, like the Vermilion Bird spreading its wings and soaring over the azure sea.

Su Ming immediately realized who the visitor was.

Who else could possess such domineering and scorching evil flames but Ma Xiaotao, the senior student of the Inner Academy?

Su Ming's memories resurfaced, and it seemed that Huo Gua encountered the rampaging Evil Fire Phoenix Ma Xiaotao by the Sea God Lake a few days after the start of the semester. In the end, if it weren't for Tianmeng's help, the protagonist would have died before even starting his mission.

Fortunately, she received hush money from Shrek Academy: two Soul-Up Pills.

"Because Wang Dong didn't get into the academy, Huo Yuhao didn't come to Sea God Lake? That makes sense. No decent person would bother coming to see the scenery. Only girls with younger sisters would do something so pointless."

Su Ming quickly grasped the gist of the matter.

"So, I unfortunately ran into them because I entered the inner courtyard early?"

As Su Ming's thoughts raced, Ma Xiaotao's figure drew closer, and a terrifying heatwave swept over him instantly, distorting the air within a radius of hundreds of meters, turning everything in front of him a dazzling crimson.

"So this is the surprise Sister Xianlin'er was talking about?" Su Ming complained as he saw the sea of ​​crimson fire about to crash into him.