Suddenly, a vortex appeared in the painting. Ling Xiao felt his vision darken as he was sucked in.
When he could see again, he found himself standing in a village filled with strangers.
Yet these strangers treated him with great respect, bowing and greeting him.
Some even called him “Master of Mountains and Rivers.”
“Could this be the village from that painting…?”
Ling Xiao was utterly baffled by the situation. He suddenly recalled the village he’d seen in the painting—it matched this place almost perfectly.
The village was tranquil, free of strife, exuding a comforting peace.
But Ling Xiao was anxious. If he was trapped here, what would he do?
“Primordial myriad races, Mountain and River Martial Soul, ruler of all realms, eternal life! Cosmic wilderness, innate calamity, Martial God in slumber, awakening today! The destined one has arrived…”
Out of nowhere, a woman approached from the distance, walking on air, ethereal and elusive, like a celestial maiden from a heavenly palace—stunningly beautiful.
Her voice was hollow yet profound, as if it came from another dimension.
“Who are you, fairy?” Ling Xiao asked, a bit nervous.
“You need not know who I am or where I come from. You only need to know that from today, you’ve awakened the ‘Mountain and River Martial Soul.’ You are the Master of Mountains and Rivers, the sovereign of heaven and earth!”
The woman kept walking, yet she never seemed to draw closer to Ling Xiao.
“Mountain and River Martial Soul? Master of Mountains and Rivers? Sovereign of heaven and earth?”
Ling Xiao almost laughed. A mere First Stage Martial Vein martial artist with such power?
He had heard of martial souls, though.
In ancient times, martial artists could cultivate martial souls. But after a great calamity struck the world, martial souls vanished.
Had he truly awakened a long-lost martial soul?
“Since the primordial era, humans began practicing martial arts to fend off the invasion of myriad races. The mightiest of all was the Master of Mountains and Rivers. He awakened the Mountain and River Martial Soul and single-handedly resisted the myriad races, his deeds echoing through the ages!”
“Now, you are the second to awaken this soul. The hope of humanity may rest on you. Can humans once again become the spirit of all things, the king of myriad races? Perhaps you are the answer…”
With that, the woman’s figure grew fainter, eventually vanishing into the distance.
At the same time, Ling Xiao felt his body lift lightly into the air. His vision blurred again, and when it cleared, he was back in his room.
The tattered book had vanished without a trace, confirming for Ling Xiao that what he’d just experienced was no dream—it was real.
“Mountain and River Martial Soul? What does it do?”
Ling Xiao was puzzled. So far, he hadn’t figured out its specific function.
Master of Mountains and Rivers, king of myriad races—it all felt too distant.
Right now, he just wanted to break through to the Second Stage, then push for the Third.
Since the book was gone and he couldn’t practice it further, he decided to stick with “Barbarian Bull Strength.”
Being unconscious for so long had wasted too much time.
He hopped off the bed to stretch, but the moment he began practicing Barbarian Bull Strength, he froze in shock.
As he executed the moves, a figure appeared in the Mountain and River painting, mirroring his practice.
The difference was staggering—the figure in the painting had perfected Barbarian Bull Strength to a masterful level.
The simplest basic martial art, in the hands of this figure, was flawless.
Ling Xiao stood dumbfounded.
After a moment, he snapped out of it and quickly mimicked the figure’s movements, running through Barbarian Bull Strength again.
It felt entirely different. Before, his practice had been skilled but lacked fluidity.
Now, it flowed seamlessly, as if completed in one breath. With each repetition, he felt the true qi in his body grow thicker.
This was it!
Under the surge of true qi, his second martial vein began to loosen.
Ling Xiao was utterly confident he’d break through to the Second Stage by tomorrow at the latest.
It was a miracle!
Worried about drawing too much attention, he’d planned to train outside, but instead, he stayed in his room, practicing repeatedly.
He didn’t stop until his movements perfectly matched the figure’s, merging into one. Only then was he satisfied.
By now, it was the next morning—he’d been so excited he hadn’t slept all night.
“Child, come eat breakfast.”
His grandfather’s voice called from outside.
“Coming.”
Ling Xiao stepped out. His grandfather had prepared breakfast.
Their low status in the Ling Clan meant meager rations—thin porridge with barely a few grains of rice.
The vegetables were just wild greens and wilted leaves, but in his grandfather’s hands, they tasted decent.
“Huh? What’s this?”
While eating, Ling Xiao noticed something strange.
Two images appeared in the Mountain and River painting.
One showed his grandfather, pinpointing every ailment in his body with precision.
“Grandpa, what’s wrong with your ribs?”
Without the painting, Ling Xiao would never have noticed—one of his grandfather’s ribs was broken.
And it was a fresh break!
According to the painting’s analysis, it was from a palm strike.
“It’s nothing, nothing at all!”
The old man shook his head quickly. He couldn’t fathom how Ling Xiao had noticed—he thought he’d hidden it well.
“Who did it?”
Ling Xiao set down his chopsticks and stood, his voice cold. He could endure being bullied himself, but he couldn’t tolerate anyone harming his grandfather.
Without his grandfather, there’d be no Ling Xiao today.
“Well…”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll stop eating from now on. I’ll starve myself.” Ling Xiao was serious. He knew his grandfather wanted to protect him, but he couldn’t swallow this.
“Ling Xiao.”
The old man sighed. “It’s fine now. I’ve been beaten plenty while begging. I’m used to it.”
“A broken rib is ‘fine’?”
Ling Xiao tossed his chopsticks aside and bolted out, leaving one sentence: “Grandpa, I’m going to find Ling Chong!”
For some reason, Ling Xiao brimmed with confidence. He felt certain he could beat Ling Chong this time.
The Mountain and River Martial Soul was incredible—it seemed capable of analyzing and simulating anything in the world.
Beyond revealing his grandfather’s condition, the second image showed his grandfather cooking—only it was a perfected version.
How to turn wilted leaves into a gourmet dish!
But he wasn’t interested in that now. He wanted to know if the Mountain and River Martial Soul could simulate an opponent’s martial arts. If it could, he’d truly leap from carp to dragon.
At the training ground, Ling Chong was flirting with a few female disciples, utterly indifferent to anyone else’s plight.
This guy had broken his grandfather’s rib and didn’t even bother getting a doctor.
Seeing this, a fierce fire of hatred blazed in Ling Xiao’s eyes.
