It had only been an hour before Ye Jingyu awoke from his stupor, a profoundly esoteric cultivation manual, the Overlord Primordial Art, now imprinted in his mind.

The Overlord Primordial Art was divided into three volumes: the Body Nurturing Volume, the Combat Technique Volume, and the Divine Ability Volume, with each volume further split into ten stages...

With Ye Jingyu’s current understanding, the latter two volumes, the Combat Technique and Divine Ability sections, were utterly incomprehensible; he only grasped that the Body Nurturing Volume instructed on how to cultivate the physical form...

This so-called physical form naturally encompassed both the soul and the body, meaning this was a technique for dual cultivation of the soul and the physical vessel...

From the memories of the Ye Family Young Master, Ye Jingyu understood that this world was called the Douhun Continent. Beyond the powerful Martial Artists, there existed an extremely noble profession: Soul Masters...

The soul had always been the most mysterious of existences. Everyone knew they possessed a soul, but what exactly did the soul represent? What was its function? And how many people truly understood it? To speak of cultivating the soul was even rarer...

Because of this, many on the Douhun Continent were limited to cultivating martial arts only...

Soul Masters, however, were those who specialized in cultivating the soul. These individuals were born with souls inherently stronger than others, and only then could they become qualified Soul Masters through their own efforts. In essence, whether one could become a Soul Master depended on innate talent; if you possessed the talent, you could become one; if you didn't, then no amount of cultivation would matter...

Yet, this manual could teach him how to cultivate the soul. Based on this alone, Ye Jingyu knew this was no ordinary cultivation method...

The thought of actually being able to cultivate into a Soul Master made Ye Jingyu’s heart tingle with excitement. The legendary, powerful Soul Masters could overturn mountains, summon winds and rain, and perform any feat imaginable. Even if he couldn't reach that zenith, becoming a qualified Soul Master would mean having whatever he desired, wouldn't it?

One must remember that Soul Masters were treasures chosen from ten thousand, existing as rare as phoenix feathers and Qilin horns, unlike Martial Artists who were ubiquitous. This rarity cemented the nobility of Soul Masters; no matter the faction, they were treated as honored guests...

Ye Jingyu knew that the Shu Yun Kingdom had a specific decree: once a Soul Master pledged allegiance to the Royal Family of the Shu Yun Kingdom, they would immediately be granted a noble title and official post...

But in the past, he never imagined he had the possibility of becoming a Soul Master, so he completely disregarded such matters. Now that this opportunity had arisen, he naturally had to consider it carefully...

If he could successfully gain a title and office, forget a mere Qin Minglong, even the Baiyun Mountain Villa would have to show him some respect, wouldn't they? Then, regarding Qin Yuting, Qin Yan, Qin Minglong, and the like—wouldn’t he be able to toy with them as he pleased?

With this thought, Ye Jingyu’s face broke into a grin, and he immediately sat down cross-legged, beginning to cultivate according to the Body Nurturing Volume stored in his mind...

A person’s soul, also known as the Po, consists of three aspects: the Heaven Soul, the Earth Soul, and the Life Soul. The Hun consists of seven parts: the first is the Sky-Rushing Hun, the second the Spirit-Wisdom Hun, the third the Qi Hun, the fourth the Strength Hun, the fifth the Central Hub Hun, the sixth the Essence Hun, and the seventh the Heroic Hun.

These seven Huns actually corresponded to the seven subtle channels, or seven energy fields, situated along the central meridian running from the crown of the head down to the Haidī point.

The Sky-Rushing Hun resides in the Crown Chakra; the Spirit-Wisdom Hun in the Brow Chakra; the Qi Hun in the Throat Chakra; the Strength Hun in the Heart Chakra, simultaneously connected to the palms of both hands and the soles of both feet. The Central Hub Hun resides in the Navel Chakra; the Essence Hun in the Dantian Chakra; and the Heroic Hun in the Sea of Elixir Chakra (located between the Dantian organ and the anus, at the tailbone).

Among these, the Sky-Rushing and Spirit-Wisdom Huns govern thought and wisdom; the Qi and Strength Huns and the Central Hub Hun govern action; while the Essence and Heroic Huns govern the physical body and vigor.

The first seven stages of the Body Nurturing Volume are dedicated to refining these seven Huns—or refining these seven energy fields—to greatly enhance the body’s physical strength, agility, and power. To what extent these attributes would increase, Ye Jingyu did not know, but he understood that with this manual, he had a chance to become a Soul Master, and once he was a Soul Master, he could properly deal with those who had bullied him...

Ye Jingyu was not someone who held grudges over trivial slights, but if someone bullied him, he absolutely had to pay them back. If he didn't even dare to resist when bullied, could he still call himself a man?

As he entered deep meditation, the various energies between heaven and earth began to rush into his body. Astonishingly, they all surged toward the ring on his chest, finally being converted by the ring into a pure energy that flowed toward his Sea of Elixir Chakra, ultimately forming a warm, comforting sensation at that point...

He remained seated like this for several hours. When Ye Jingyu finally awoke from his deep immersion, the sun was already high in the sky...

Slowly opening his eyes, he felt refreshed and invigorated all over, possessing seemingly inexhaustible strength—completely unlike someone who had been brutally beaten the day before...

He let out a long breath, a faint smile appearing on Ye Jingyu's face. In just one night, he could clearly feel a difference from yesterday. He truly wondered what level of attainment he might reach if he cultivated to the end. Perhaps that fellow wasn't exaggerating when he claimed he could instantly kill an immortal...

With a sudden "Rumble...", satisfied internally, Ye Jingyu was about to rise when the door to the woodshed was violently thrown open from the outside, and a massive silhouette charged straight in...

Without thinking, Ye Jingyu’s body instinctively leaped up, executing an aerial side-kick that landed squarely on the man’s chest. Instantly, a scream rang out, and the figure was sent flying backward...

Feeling the force in his leg, Ye Jingyu rejoiced internally. That move was one he had tried to imitate from Bruce Lee’s side-kick, but he had never managed to execute it properly. Who would have thought that after cultivating the Overlord Primordial Art for just one night, he could perform it so effortlessly and with such immense power? It seemed he had changed greatly overnight...

"Kid, you're now... Huh? Fatty, is that you?" Ye Jingyu had expected it to be someone from the Baiyun Mountain Villa and had reacted instinctively. He was just about to offer a few sharp remarks when he saw the person lying on the ground was the fatty he had encountered on the road and almost wrongly accused...

"If it isn't me, who else would it be? The selection for ascending the mountain is almost here, and they sent me to see if you're dead. If you aren't, hurry up and join the selection. Damn, you were beaten so badly yesterday, how are you so full of vigor today?" The fatty stood up awkwardly, rubbing his rear end with one hand and his chest with the other, his face registering grievance mixed with confusion. There seemed to be no sign of injury at all; perhaps his skin was too thick, or Ye Jingyu’s strength was too weak...

"Selection for ascending the mountain? What does that mean?" Ye Jingyu paid little attention to the man's state and instead looked at the fatty with utter confusion...

"It’s for ascending the mountain to learn martial arts. Only those who pass the assessment can officially enter Baiyun Mountain to study martial arts and become Martial Apprentices. Those who fail can only remain at the foot of the mountain..."

"I understand. Just tell them I am severely injured and cannot participate in the selection..." Ye Jingyu interrupted before the fatty could finish speaking...

Are you kidding? He was now on the path to becoming a noble Soul Master; why would he bother learning the martial arts of the Baiyun Mountain Villa?

Moreover, Ye Jingyu understood that as long as that fellow Qin Minglong was around, his chances of ascending the mountain were slim to none. Until he possessed sufficient strength to deal with Qin Minglong, he had to endure...

"But you..." The fatty stared at Ye Jingyu in astonishment. Kicking his nearly two-hundred-jin body across the room—and he claimed to be severely injured?

"Do you think they would allow me to ascend the mountain to study martial arts after what I did yesterday?" Ye Jingyu ignored the fatty’s shock and interrupted again...

"Uh..." The fatty wasn't foolish. After Ye Jingyu’s reminder, he understood. Yes, the massive brawl yesterday was entirely orchestrated by Ye Jingyu. Now, the person responsible for auditing them was Qin Minglong, whose head Ye Jingyu had smashed. There was no way Qin Minglong would allow Ye Jingyu to ascend the mountain to learn skills and seek revenge...

"Alright, Fatty, thank you for your kindness. You should go ahead first. I think this so-called assessment is just a formality, a way to squeeze more money out of people. What we lack least is money. Just give them a little something; it will definitely be fine," Ye Jingyu said dismissively, waving his hand at the fatty...

Qin Minglong, don't think that just because this Young Master isn't going up the mountain I can’t deal with you. When this Young Master’s divine art is complete, it will be time to settle accounts with you...

The fatty opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he merely sighed softly and turned to leave...

"Wait, Fatty..." Ye Jingyu suddenly called out...

"What is it?" The fatty turned his head back...

"What happened after I fell unconscious yesterday? And what about our pages?"

"Nothing much. That brawl yesterday alerted the higher-ups of the Baiyun Mountain Villa, but they only verbally reprimanded those disciples without imposing any real punishment. As for our servants, they were all sent home. Ah, I shouldn't have come at all," the fatty sighed, shaking his head, and turned to leave again...

Just as he had predicted, everything unfolded as he expected. The Baiyun Mountain Villa would not side with him and his group. In the end, Qin Minglong and the others were disciples of the Villa, while he and his group were merely items used by the Villa for monetary exchange. They might be polite to you before taking the money, but once paid, you amount to nothing. Even the lowest-ranking disciples wouldn't be punished by the Villa for the sake of outsiders...

As long as no life was threatened, they couldn't be bothered with what treatment you received...

The injustice and unfairness he suffered, it seemed, he would have to reclaim himself...

Sighing inwardly, Ye Jingyu returned to the woodshed to continue his cultivation. To seek justice, he needed sufficient power...