Yi Tianmo and the other two sat in three different directions, surrounding Shi Yan and Ye Changfeng in the center. Beside them, Xia Shenchuan and the others maintained a solemn posture, secretly on guard.

Cao Zhilan and Xia Xinyan, for the moment, set aside their rivalry, both wearing grave expressions as they looked up at the sky, watching carefully.

Only Lin Yaqi seemed completely at ease among them.

She took out a purple headscarf embroidered with clusters of clouds, within which subtle patterns of a hundred herbs faintly emerged. As Lin Yaqi placed the purple headscarf on her head, she appeared even more relaxed, glancing around with an air of slight boredom.

The moment the purple headscarf settled on her head, the cloud patterns began to shift slowly, and the hundred-herb motif miraculously started to grow, swiftly covering the entire surface of the scarf in mere moments.

A peculiar soul power emanated rapidly from the burgeoning herbs on the headscarf. Soon, a series of strange soul halos circled Lin Yaqi’s head, one after another, enveloping her entirely.

These halos swayed slightly before rising toward the sky, joining the boundary of the soul barrier erected by the trio of Yi Tianmo.

“A Saint-Grade Secret Treasure!”

Cao Zhilan’s delicate face was full of astonishment. Looking at Lin Yaqi and the purple headscarf with immense curiosity, she let out a soft exclamation, “It’s a Saint-Grade Secret Treasure specializing in soul defense, truly astonishing.”

Xia Shenchuan and Xia Xinyan’s eyes also brightened, and they nodded subtly afterward.

No wonder this girl wasn't worried; it turned out she possessed such an incredible Saint-Grade soul-type secret treasure. With such an item in hand, she naturally wouldn't be overly concerned.

In the Endless Sea, there were indeed a few Saint-Grade Secret Treasures, but without exception, they were all held by the peak powers of the region.

Saint-Grade Secret Treasures were often the most precious foundation of a sect; sometimes, they were even more valuable than a Divine Realm expert!

All Saint-Grade Secret Treasures in the Endless Sea were controlled by Divine Realm experts, as only they could fully unleash the might of these treasures and safeguard them.

Saint-Grade Secret Treasures could be passed down through generations, almost indestructible, a quality unmatched by mere Divine Realm martial artists.

Lin Yaqi, only at the Peak Status Realm, yet possessing a Saint-Grade Secret Treasure—in the eyes of Xia Shenchuan and Cao Zhilan, she became shrouded in a mysterious aura, further deepening their secret apprehension regarding the old ghost master behind her.

Anyone capable of bestowing a Saint-Grade Secret Treasure upon someone else was certainly an existence of terrifying magnitude, a fact Xia Shenchuan understood perfectly.

“Kaka-kaka!”

A strange sound suddenly echoed from the hall's roof. Everyone looked up to see the ceiling being compressed by layers of ripples, showing clear signs of imminent shattering.

Dazzling, aberrant light suddenly pierced down from above them. Various soul energies capable of shattering the mind intertwined overhead, creating an astonishing spectacle.

Even future leading figures of the Endless Sea like Xia Xinyan and Cao Zhilan struggled under the onslaught of these soul energy waves, feeling a buzzing vibration in their minds, as if their skulls were about to burst.

And this was with the three of them—Yi Tianmo’s group—providing soul defense.

Had there been no soul barrier jointly constructed by Yi Tianmo and the others above their heads, it was certain that none of the people below would have escaped, all being instantly blown apart by the chaotic soul energy.

Only Lin Yaqi remained completely unharmed.

Thanks to the purple headscarf, she seemed utterly unaffected, gazing around below with bored indifference, even displaying a hint of disdain, as if the commotion overhead wasn't as interesting as she had anticipated.

The faces of Yi Tianmo’s trio grew grim and terrifying, their focus heightened to an unprecedented degree.

With their level of soul cultivation, one-on-one, they might not be inferior to the invaders; Yi Tianmo might even hold a slight edge.

However, this time the three had to be cautious because there were many 'burdens' in the hall below.

Their objective was not merely to contend with the invading soul presence but to prioritize the absolute safety of the people beneath them.

This constraint meant they had to tie their hands, dedicating immense energy to constructing various layers of soul defense circles, ensuring Shi Yan and the others suffered no harm first.

Most of their energy being diverted this way prevented them from concentrating their full soul power for the engagement, naturally restricting them from unleashing their full, unbridled strength.

“Boom!”

The roof exploded completely. Amidst the flying spatter of multi-colored soul light specks, the rings of aberrant light emanating from Lin Yaqi’s headscarf suddenly solidified, transforming into thin, shimmering light screens that managed to block a large portion of the oppressive, shattered soul fragments.

“Leave the defense to me; you two deal with him directly.”

Lin Yaqi, slightly impatient, couldn't help but let out a proud, delicate cry, announcing loudly, “Don't worry, he won't break through my Spirit-Grade Secret Treasure. You can go all out.”

The brows of Yi Tianmo’s trio twitched, signaling they were finally exerting their full power.

“Chii-chii-chii!”

More light spots shot down from above; hundreds of thousands of soul beams crisscrossed overhead. Once Yi Tianmo went all out, in a mere few seconds, he shattered the intruder's soul and forcibly drove him out of the area.

The soul light specks generated by their clash rained down, yet they were indeed repelled by the light circles rippling out from Lin Yaqi’s purple headscarf.

Soon, all traces of the soul energy above vanished. Lin Yaqi looked up at the sky for a moment, then casually put the purple headscarf away, humming, “Sneaky fellow, truly despicable. Serves him right to have such bad luck.”

“Hoo.”

Yi Tianmo let out a soft breath and slowly opened his eyes, his gaze cold. “His soul took a heavy hit this time; it will be difficult for him to recover quickly. It seems he won't dare cause trouble here again.”

Zha Meng and Kaba also opened their eyes, looking invigorated, grinning wickedly.

The three’s soul cultivation was originally on par with the opponent’s; had they not been so constantly distracted, the intruder would not have dared to advance so recklessly.

That fellow had calculated everything, never accounting for Lin Yaqi's presence here, nor that she possessed such an exceedingly rare Saint-Grade soul-type secret treasure. Relying on this treasure, Lin Yaqi removed the worries of Yi Tianmo’s trio, allowing them to strike with full force, leading to his decisive defeat and severe injury.

“Boom!”

As everyone was catching their breath in relief, a sudden burst of purplish-red brilliant light erupted from Shi Yan’s right arm, and a surging, violent energy, like a tidal wave, blasted out from his limb.

Ye Changfeng’s gaunt body was blasted away, smashing through three houses before tumbling into a patch of flowers.

At that very instant, Shi Yan’s Sea of Consciousness violently shook, his main soul trembled lightly, and he too opened his eyes.

His gaze was somewhat vacant. Shi Yan looked at the group surrounding him in the center and asked in surprise, “What are you all doing?”

“Cough, cough!”

Ye Changfeng, emerging from the flowerbed, coughed a few times. His face was pale, and a trickle of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. While swallowing large handfuls of pills, he walked over with a wry smile, looking pitifully pitiful, “Shi Yan, you injured me; you must take responsibility.”

Lin Yaqi’s expression shifted, and she exclaimed with surprise, “Xiao Bai, you—you’re hurt?”

Ye Changfeng nodded awkwardly.

“Ha! Interesting!” Lin Yaqi laughed instead of getting angry, clapping her hands gleefully, “Wonderful! It’s rare to see you injured. For you, with all your chaotic secret treasures, to actually sustain an injury, how fascinating.”

After a pause, she seemed to recall something and then looked at Shi Yan with suspicion, “You boy are actually quite formidable. You even managed to injure Xiao Bai. Not bad, not bad. It seems your strength is definitely enough to fight a Nirvana Realm martial artist. As far as I know, even a first-layer Nirvana Realm martial artist would have to fight desperately to injure Xiao Bai. You are quite impressive.”

Upon hearing her words, Xia Shenchuan and the others looked at Shi Yan with surprise, then back at Ye Changfeng, secretly astonished.

According to Lin Yaqi, didn't this mean Ye Changfeng’s strength was even more terrifying than an average first-layer Nirvana Realm martial artist?

Possessing Heavenly Fire, countless secret treasures, and such terrifying strength—this fellow was also a true anomaly.

“What happened?” Shi Yan frowned.

“It’s like this…”

Yi Tianmo’s expression turned serious. He explained the situation he had discovered before asking, “What happened to you last night?”

“It’s just as you guessed. I must have suffered a Qi deviation during my cultivation,” Shi Yan thought for a moment, his expression calm.

As he spoke, he secretly sank his mind into his right arm. He discovered that the muscles within his right arm seemed to be filled with some kind of strange power, all hidden within the muscle fibers, difficult to detect unless he used his spiritual sense to observe at a microscopic level.

This right arm, for some unknown reason, felt incredibly heavy. He tried to move it and found the arm weighed like ten thousand jun, making movement slightly difficult.

In contrast, his left arm was perfectly normal, moving with phantom afterimages, light as nothing.

After sensing for a while, he was horrified to realize that the weight difference between his left and right arms was likely more than a hundredfold!

His face changed, and he felt a surge of alarm, staring blankly at his right arm, somewhat lost in thought.

Recalling the moments before he lost consciousness, he clearly remembered that all six hundred and thirty-nine of his muscles seemed to vibrate simultaneously. That tremor spread throughout his body, even penetrating his Sea of Consciousness and main soul, causing his entire body to shake ceaselessly under a mysterious rhythm.

In that state, those mysterious energies and his essence converged, all seeping into his right arm, fusing with the muscle fibers, resulting in some bizarre transformation.

This change occurred so suddenly that he had no time to react; for a short while, he even lost control over his body, forced to watch the change happen helplessly.

Now that the transformation was complete, the muscles of his right arm were saturated with exceptionally thick and refined power. The massive increase in the arm’s weight made movement somewhat arduous. Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

“It wasn't a Qi deviation.”

Just as Shi Yan was ponderously contemplating the strangeness, Ye Changfeng suddenly spoke. Amidst the surprised gazes of everyone, he smiled slightly and asserted with confidence, “It’s a Martial Spirit mutation!”

Everyone’s expression changed drastically.

Martial Spirit mutations were extremely complex, rare occurrences. The process was often inscrutable to ordinary people, and sometimes even the person involved didn't fully grasp the transformation or its causes.

Historically, theories surrounding Martial Spirit mutation were rife with mystery and unpredictability. No one knew why they occurred, how to induce them, and certainly no one could control them.

Generally, a Martial Spirit mutation happened under some unique fortune or highly accidental circumstances.

Unpredictable beforehand, difficult to halt mid-process, and ever-changing afterward—these were the characteristics of Martial Spirit mutation.

For many martial artists, a Martial Spirit mutation was not a pleasant event.

Sometimes a spirit that previously enhanced power could mutate into a useless husk, becoming utterly worthless.

For example, a spirit that controlled flora, before mutation, gave its user immense advantages in a dense forest, capable of entangling and suffocating an enemy with various plants without even needing to expend energy.

However, after mutation, that ability to control plants in combat might vanish, leaving only the capacity to make vegetation grow healthier, stripping the user of their combat advantage.

Many originally formidable Martial Spirits saw their power greatly diminished after mutation.

But nothing was absolute; some Martial Spirits, upon mutation, became even more formidable, significantly boosting their power.

This possibility always existed, though the probability was far lower than the chance of weakening.

Thus, upon hearing that Shi Yan’s Martial Spirit had mutated, everyone’s face changed, instinctively believing this transformation might be trending in a negative direction.

Especially since this mutation had completely drained Shi Yan’s essence, heightening everyone's anxiety.

“Although I don't know which direction this Martial Spirit mutation is heading, I believe the mutation has already occurred. The question is whether it will continue indefinitely,” Ye Changfeng looked at Shi Yan, his expression complex. “If this mutation prevents you from gathering essence continuously, I fear this change is progressing towards a detrimental outcome.”

His words made Yi Tianmo, Xia Xinyan, and the others feel even heavier in spirit.

Everyone understood clearly what it meant if essence could not be gathered.

A martial artist unable to gather essence could no longer truly be called a martial artist.

Without essence, there was no source of power; a martial artist deprived of essence was akin to becoming a mortal—a fatal blow for any martial artist.

Xia Shenchuan and the others looked at Shi Yan with horrified and deeply complicated expressions.

The future leading figure who should have advanced swiftly to stand atop the Endless Sea—was he to become a mere mortal because of this sudden Martial Spirit mutation?

The thought couldn't help but cross everyone's minds.

Xia Xinyan silently grieved, sighing within her heart, not knowing what words to offer.

Shi Yan’s face was grim, his brows deeply furrowed. He sat down cross-legged on the spot without a word.

Taking a deep breath, Shi Yan steadied his mind and began attempting to re-gather his essence. As long as his essence could be recovered, it meant the worst had not yet happened.

Seeing him sit down, everyone tensed up, watching him, secretly awaiting the result.

...