The Shi family's Martial Soul Hall comprised five stories in total. Each floor corresponded to a different cultivation realm and housed texts of corresponding tiers.

The first and second floors held Mortal-tier martial skills. Generally, martial artists at the Houtian Realm would select suitable skills from the first floor for their practice, while those in the Xiantian Realm browsed the second.

The third and fourth floors stored Profound-tier martial skills. Martial artists at the Renwei Realm chose from the third floor, and those at the Baijie Realm could select Profound-tier skills from the fourth.

It was rumored that the fifth floor of the Martial Soul Hall contained the Shi family's sole Spirit-tier martial skill. Regrettably, that floor was off-limits to everyone; only the family head, Shi Jian, made occasional visits there.

Spirit-tier martial skills were extraordinary; even some of the Shi family's esteemed Consecrated Elders were not qualified to view them. Only direct descendants of the Shi family who managed to ascend to the Diwei Realm were eligible to cultivate them.

However, among the current Shi descendants, even Shi Dang, whose cultivation was the deepest, had only reached the third heaven of the Baijie Realm, still a step shy of the Diwei Realm. ...

Shi Jian led Shi Yan all the way to the Martial Soul Hall. At the entrance, an aged crone, her face etched with wrinkles like deep ravines, bowed low upon seeing Shi Jian approach.

"Patriarch." The crone was Yun Luo, a long-serving Consecrated Elder of the Shi family. Like Han Feng, she possessed the cultivation of the first heaven of the Nirvana Realm.

It was said she was even older than Shi Jian, having already been a Consecrated Elder when he was a child. It was precisely because she had served the Shi family for such an extended period that she earned Shi Jian's deep trust, thus being entrusted with the solemn duty of guarding the Martial Soul Hall.

"I have brought Shi Yan to select a martial skill," Shi Jian stated, striding forward. Reaching the door, he turned back to Han Feng and Yang Hai.

"You two wait outside." Han Feng and Yang Hai nodded in unison. Yun Luo stepped aside, bowing deeply to allow Shi Jian and Shi Yan entry.

Once they were inside, she resumed her position at the doorway and nodded towards Han Feng with a peculiar expression. Since returning to the Shi family, Shi Yan had been under Shi Jian's constant watch, kept confined to the gravity room without opportunity to venture out.

Not just Yun Luo, but even some of the direct descendants of the Shi family were largely unaware of Shi Yan's situation. Now, Shi Jian himself personally bringing him to the Martial Soul Hall to choose a skill—what did that imply?

It suggested Shi Yan must now be a martial artist! Yun Luo knew a little about Young Master Shi Yan—that he possessed no martial soul and had never shown interest in martial arts since childhood.

For him to become a martial artist at seventeen was wildly anomalous. Yun Luo couldn't help but feel perplexed.

Unable to decipher the details, Yun Luo looked towards Han Feng with doubt, but Han Feng merely shook his head, signaling that it was difficult to explain. Yun Luo's suspicion deepened, but she asked no further questions, standing by the entrance of the Martial Soul Hall in contemplation.

Ordinarily, she would have lowered the heavy iron doors of the Hall and entered herself, monitoring those selecting skills to prevent them from rashly entering floors that did not match their cultivation level. However, since Shi Jian was personally accompanying Shi Yan this time, she felt less need for such caution.

... "The first and second floors each contain eighteen Mortal-tier martial skills.

The third floor has eight Profound-tier skills, and the fourth has four Profound-tier skills. Given your current cultivation at the third heaven of the Xiantian Realm, you can proceed directly to the second floor to select your skill," Shi Jian explained briefly before leading Shi Yan up to the second floor of the Martial Soul Hall.

On every floor of the Hall, niches were carved into the walls, each one holding a martial skill text. The niches were covered by an envelope of dark-green crystal, at the center of which was a small keyhole.

Beneath the keyhole lay a sheet of paper offering a brief description of the skill housed within. Shi Yan circled the second floor and noted that of the eighteen skills available, at least ten were very common ones—techniques whose training methods were known by many external mercenaries and martial artists.

For instance, the "Chaotic Star Fist," which Jin Mo had displayed, was among these Mortal-tier offerings. Only eight skills were rarely seen outside, yet, in Shi Yan's estimation, their power and training methodologies did not appear overly challenging or demanding.

Shi Yan, by nature, enjoyed complexity; he relished the process of overcoming difficulties. Therefore, after making one round of the second floor, Shi Yan shook his head.

"Grand-Uncle, the skills on the second floor hold little interest. Please take me upstairs to look around." In the past, Shi Yan would never have addressed Shi Jian with such casualness.

But now, by deliberately revealing his Undying Martial Soul and making clear his dual-soul status, Shi Yan aimed for precisely this outcome. In his view, only that mysterious martial soul was his true foundation; every secret concerning it would be tightly guarded, buried deep within his heart.

The Undying Martial Soul, however, presented no harm in being disclosed. Only by revealing this recovery ability could he secure greater privileges within the Shi family and prompt Shi Jian to arrange a superior training regimen.

Having dual martial souls was enough to secure Shi Jian's tolerance for all his willfulness. As expected, a flicker of hesitation, not displeasure, crossed Shi Jian’s face.

"You are only in the Xiantian Realm, boy. Hastily cultivating a Profound-tier skill might not necessarily be a good thing." "Am I the same as others?

You saw it yourself: although I am only in the Xiantian Realm, my body's petrification has reached the second stage. Moreover, I possess a recovery ability that others lack.

Skills that ordinary people cannot cultivate, perhaps I can handle," Shi Yan countered. Taken aback by his words, Shi Jian paused before nodding.

"That is true enough. Let’s go; I'll take you to see the third and fourth floors as well." Various curious martial skills were displayed in the niches.

Shi Jian stood by his side, and whenever he noticed Shi Yan showing interest in a particular technique, he would patiently explain its characteristics and methods of cultivation. "Indeed, the skills on the third floor are much more interesting," Shi Yan nodded repeatedly, quickly absorbing the details of every Profound-tier skill on that level.

After a while, he added, "Let's go see the fourth floor too." "Very well. I will explain the four skills on the fourth floor to you in detail as well.

You are different from ordinary people; you can have prior knowledge." Shi Jian guided Shi Yan directly to the fourth floor. Upon arrival, Shi Jian walked straight to one niche.

"This is the 'Star Shattering Net.' It allows one to refine the Jingyuan within the body into pinpoint lights, weaving them into a net of starlight. It can directly restrain the opponent's Jingyuan, rendering them unable to muster strength." "Interesting." "Don't even consider this one.

Cultivating the 'Star Shattering Net' requires an extremely deep reserve of Jingyuan and exceptionally masterful control over it. You are...

still far from that!" Shi Jian grunted dismissively and moved to the next niche. "This is the 'Eight Desolations Seal.' When executed, hand seals erupt from all directions, completely blocking the opponent's escape routes and forcing them into a direct confrontation.

Given the characteristics of our Stone Transformation Martial Soul, close combat maximizes our advantage, making the 'Eight Desolations Seal' incredibly suitable for us!" "This one is also good." "Forget this one too. You can't cultivate it until the Baijie Realm; the reason is the same as the 'Star Shattering Net'—it demands robust Jingyuan reserves.

If you can't even manifest a single hand seal, how can you possibly trap someone from all directions?" "What about the next one?" "Dark Moon Shadow Follow. This is a movement technique; when pushed to its extreme, the body transforms into an elusive, shadowy silhouette.

However, this one also presents significant difficulty; the realm requirement is too high. It demands coordination with the Baijie Realm’s sense of the surrounding aura to execute.

So, put that aside as well." "There's only one niche left." "Finger Spear Art!" Shi Jian exclaimed, seemingly recalling something suddenly. His eyes lit up, yet he hesitated.

After a long pause, he said, "The Finger Spear Art cultivates the ten fingers. Once mastered, the fingers become like steel lances; a single thrust can pierce an enemy's body.

With all ten fingers transformed into spears, digging into hearts and tearing out lungs becomes effortless. Up close, combined with our Stone Transformation Martial Soul, the lethality is terrifying!" "I am interested in this one!" Shi Yan's expression sharpened.

"Are there any special prerequisites?" "There are special requirements, but you are suited for it." Shi Jian hesitated slightly. "Before cultivating the Finger Spear Art, one must reach the second stage of the Stone Transformation Martial Soul, where dark light flashes upon petrification.

Only then, when practicing the Finger Spear Art, can we guarantee the fingers won't snap. Well, you just qualify." "Then I choose this one," Shi Yan decided firmly.

Shi Jian looked at Shi Yan with a strange expression, pondering something silently. "What is it?

Are there any issues?" Shi Yan faintly sensed something was amiss. "Boy, are you truly set on cultivating the Finger Spear Art?" Shi Jian took a deep breath, his look growing increasingly odd.

"What's inappropriate about it?" "You certainly can cultivate the Finger Spear Art, and you could master it quickly; your Undying Martial Soul could even play a part," he paused, then continued, "However, cultivating the Finger Spear Art is excruciatingly painful! It is a form of self-inflicted torment, even worse than the thousand strikes with the wolf-tooth mace you endure daily!

Do you genuinely wish to train in the Finger Spear Art, rather than the much easier Mortal-tier skills on the second floor?" "Yes!" "Fine. Then I will explain the cultivation method for the Finger Spear Art.

Once mastered, the ten fingers become incredibly sharp—every poke draws blood; it is exceptionally vicious. As for the method of cultivation, well, it's not pleasant..." ...

One day later, the gravity room. Seven gravity pillars stood, six of them wrapped in the hide of a fifth-tier demonic beast, the Silver Flood Dragon.

The dragon hide served to nullify gravity, meaning the current gravitational pressure in the room was only double the normal force. Beside the single pillar not wrapped in Silver Flood Dragon hide, Shi Yan was suspended upside down, his body pressed against the pillar, supported only by the tip of his left index finger resting on the ground.

A single, slender index finger bore the entire weight of his body, which, under the doubled gravity, felt twice as heavy! His fingertip pressed against the floor trembled slightly, appearing as if it could bend or snap at any moment.

Shi Yan's face was flushed crimson, the muscles on his left arm twitching subtly. Veins coiled like small snakes beneath his skin, creating a fearsome appearance that seemed ready to burst through the flesh.

The pain radiating from that single supporting fingertip was bone-deep, unforgettable! It felt as if countless tiny needles were continuously stabbing that one finger, the agony surging toward his nerves in waves, threatening to shatter his composure.

Endure! Shi Yan gritted his teeth, his face so red it looked as if blood might seep out.

In this inverted posture, his blood rushed toward his head, a sensation profoundly unsettling. Five minutes.

He managed only five minutes before his spirit was nearly broken. The pain from that single grounding fingertip made him want to give up entirely; if the finger hadn't already petrified, the joints would have surely fractured long ago.

Persist! Six minutes!

Seven minutes! By the eighth minute, Shi Yan's spirit hovered on the verge of collapse, feeling on the brink of fainting, as if his very consciousness was slowly numbing...

At that very moment! In the acupoints dotting his head, various negative forces suddenly erupted!

Filaments of negative energy suddenly surged, flooding wildly towards his mind! This was the precursor to his 'Berserk' state activating...