At dawn, as the first light of the morning crept over the horizon, wisps of smoke began rising from chimneys as villagers started preparing breakfast.
Two figures walked side by side along the dirt road, preparing to leave the secluded mountain village.
These two were none other than Cheng Xiao and Ye Lingling. At this moment, both of them were looking at each other with a mixture of embarrassment and awkwardness.
When Cheng Xiao had woken up earlier, he was stunned to find himself and Ye Lingling wrapped in each other's arms. Even more coincidentally, the moment he opened his eyes, Ye Lingling also woke up. The two of them stared at each other in shock, neither saying a word, before tacitly looking away.
And so, they remained like that, still holding onto each other, until Old Man Cheng finished preparing breakfast and called them over to eat.
After breakfast, Cheng Xiao informed the old man about his upcoming plans. Upon hearing that his grandson was leaving after just one night, Old Man Cheng couldn't help but feel a bit reluctant. However, he understood that this was a crucial time for Cheng Xiao's cultivation, so he refrained from saying much.
His only request was that the next time Cheng Xiao returned, he should bring home a wife and, ideally, a grandson. Naturally, Ye Lingling, who was quietly sipping her porridge, overheard this, and her face turned bright red.
Leaving behind a sum of gold soul coins for his grandfather, Cheng Xiao then set off with Ye Lingling. He had other important matters to attend to.
As they walked, Cheng Xiao scratched his head awkwardly and finally broke the silence. "Lingling, about this morning…"
Ye Lingling, equally embarrassed, avoided his gaze and quickly responded, "I held onto you too. So, we're even."
Hearing that, Cheng Xiao hastily changed the topic. "Lingling, there's something I need to do. Do you want to come with me?"
"Mm." Ye Lingling nodded lightly, agreeing without hesitation.
"Alright." Cheng Xiao nodded, then led her away from Chengjia Village at a quick pace.
In a secluded valley, a massive dragon spread its wings, casting a vast shadow over the forest below. The powerful gusts generated by its wings sent waves rippling through the sea of trees, the rustling leaves echoing throughout the valley.
Moments later, the dragon's colossal figure shrank, and in its place, three figures appeared atop a nearby mountain peak—Cheng Xiao, Ye Lingling, and their companion.
"This should be the place." Cheng Xiao surveyed the landscape below. Amidst the dense greenery, a waterfall cascaded down from a great height.
This journey had a clear purpose—Cheng Xiao intended to claim the Blue Silver Emperor and its soul bone. As one of the most powerful plant-type soul beasts, if he could transform it into a shadow soldier, its incredible regenerative abilities would significantly reduce his soul power consumption.
Without such an asset, his shadow soldiers, once slain, would drain his soul power too quickly. In prolonged battles, this would put him at a disadvantage.
"Cheng Xiao, what is this place?" Ye Lingling asked, puzzled as she looked at the valley. Other than the lush forest and the picturesque waterfall, there didn't seem to be anything particularly noteworthy.
Cheng Xiao turned to her and explained, "I once heard a rumor about a hundred-thousand-year soul beast that was gravely injured and hiding here. If that's true, then with my martial soul's abilities, I might be able to turn it into one of my soldiers. That would give us another powerful trump card in the upcoming tournament."
Ye Lingling was surprised. She hadn't expected Cheng Xiao's objective to be transforming a hundred-thousand-year soul beast into a shadow soldier.
She was already aware of his shadow soldier ability—he had shared this secret with the members of the team. So, to her, this wasn't entirely shocking.
"Let me take a look and see where that soul beast is." A faint purple light flashed in Cheng Xiao's eyes. Then, streams of dark mist slithered out from his shadow, swiftly dispersing throughout the valley. In just a few moments, over ten shadow soldiers had appeared, spreading out to search for their target.
With his soldiers scouting for him, Cheng Xiao wasn't in a rush. He took Ye Lingling's hand and led her to sit on a large boulder, waiting for their report.
After a short while, the shadow soldiers relayed their findings. Cheng Xiao, now aware of the soul beast's exact location, pulled Ye Lingling into his arms. Before she could react, he activated his Shadow Swap ability.
In an instant, they had switched places with one of the shadow soldiers, appearing beneath the cascading waterfall. Behind them, the other shadow soldiers stood in formation, ready for orders.
"So, this is the place." Releasing Ye Lingling's soft waist, Cheng Xiao's gaze locked onto the waterfall. A faint smirk played on his lips.
"Cheng Xiao!" Ye Lingling's cheeks were flushed as she glared at him. "Next time, could you at least give me a warning?!"
"Huh? A warning for what?" Cheng Xiao blinked in confusion. Then, realizing what she meant, he let out a light cough and nodded. "Alright, alright. I'll be more careful next time."
Just then, a shadow soldier in the form of a ghostly leopard approached and reported respectfully, "My king, there are some unwelcome soul beasts heading this way. Shall we eliminate them immediately?"
Before Cheng Xiao could respond, low growls echoed through the valley. A pack of fierce, emerald-green soul beasts, exuding a savage and menacing aura, emerged from the forest, swiftly surrounding them.
Cheng Xiao raised an eyebrow and turned to the shadow soldier. "Kill them. We might as well use them to expand our ranks."
"As you command." The shadow soldier bowed before leaping into action.
At the same time, the other shadow soldiers followed suit. A battle erupted, but it was entirely one-sided.
"Why are there soul beasts here?" Ye Lingling frowned as she watched the scene unfold. "This place is far from the empire's designated soul beast forests. Theoretically, wild soul beasts shouldn't be roaming here."
"We'll find out soon enough." Cheng Xiao was unfazed. It didn't matter why they were here—once they were slain and turned into shadow soldiers, all their knowledge would be his.
A minute later, the battle was over. The lifeless bodies of the thousand-year soul beasts lay scattered across the ground.
Cheng Xiao snapped his fingers, and suddenly, eerie black mist rose from the corpses, twisting and writhing as if alive.
Ye Lingling was astonished. It was her first time witnessing Cheng Xiao's true martial soul ability. Usually, he only summoned shadow soldiers, but she had never seen this particular aspect of his power.
Summoning shadow soldiers was one thing, but creating them from slain enemies? If Cheng Xiao needed to constantly kill soul masters or soul beasts to expand his army, wouldn't that make him a living nightmare for the entire continent?
"Speak. Why were you here?" Cheng Xiao addressed the newly formed shadow soldiers.
One of the transformed soul beasts lowered its head and responded, "My king, we were captured by a human soul master. We do not belong here, but his power was overwhelming. We were unable to resist."
Cheng Xiao waved dismissively. "I already know who it is."
With that, the shadow beasts dissolved into black mist and merged into his army. His gaze then shifted back to the waterfall.
"Let's see if the legend is true." He smirked, stepping forward.