The Emperor-Rank Martial Soul Finally Appears

Out of consideration for everyone being fellow students at Sanctum Martial Academy, Ian Song had kindly invited them over.

But Mason Chen was clearly unwilling to give him any face, and his attitude was even a bit harsh.

Ian was never one to put on a warm face for someone who treated him coldly. His expression instantly cooled. "If you’re not eating, then please leave!"

Seeing Ian step aside, Mason Chen waved his hand, "Let’s go!"

But one of the female students didn’t want to offend Ian just like that. Although he’d only recently become a Grandmaster, everyone could see how much the academy’s leadership valued him. So, she apologized to Ian, "Don’t misunderstand, Junior Brother Huang. We have something urgent and really can’t delay, so..."

Ian faintly sensed they were hiding something from him. His eyes flashed. "Oh? What’s the urgent matter? I’m part of Sanctum too, Senior Sister. Why not tell me? Maybe I can help."

"Well..." The female student hesitated, glancing at Mason Chen as if seeking his approval.

"No need to trouble yourself—we can handle it!" Mason Chen said coldly.

"Is that so? Then forget it," Ian replied blandly.

"Let’s go!"

Mason Chen waved his hand again, and the five Sanctum Martial Academy students quickly disappeared from sight.

Ian’s face showed a thoughtful expression.

What could they possibly want to hide from him in the Martial Soul Hall, except for Martial Souls?

But ordinary Martial Souls wouldn’t make them this nervous. That meant they’d probably discovered the whereabouts of a High-Grade Martial Soul, or maybe even a King-Rank Martial Soul.

"Since you don’t want me to know, I’m not interested in joining the fun anyway!"

With that thought, Ian returned to Harriet Gu’s side. Honestly, even if they’d found a King-Rank Martial Soul and told him the truth, Ian wouldn’t have fought them for it—in fact, he’d probably have helped them. But clearly, this group was wary of him.

But to Ian’s surprise—

Not long after Mason Chen’s group passed by, another group arrived—also students from Sanctum Martial Academy.

"Junior Brother Huang, what are you doing here?"

One of the male students greeted Ian proactively. His name was Owen Yoon, a smooth talker, and the friendliest to Ian among the thirty-one participants on this trip.

Ian tossed the drunken, brainless princess back into the Divine Temple, then set out with Harriet and Owen toward the lake where the Emperor-Rank Martial Soul had been spotted.

Grandmasters could run astonishingly fast; in less than half a quarter-hour, Ian and his group reached the lake.

By now, more than a hundred people had gathered at the lakeshore, every pair of eyes locked on the water's surface.

Mason Chen’s group was among them.

Hearing the commotion, the crowd turned to look. When they saw Ian had arrived after all, a cold glint flashed in Mason Chen’s eyes.

"You’re here?"

Flynn Cao turned to Owen and nodded at Ian.

"Greetings, Senior Cao," Ian said with a smile and a respectful bow.

"No need for formalities," Flynn Cao waved it off. "That suspected Emperor-Rank Martial Soul is right here in this lake, but the water is extremely cold."

Hearing this, Owen and the others instinctively looked at the lake, noticing wisps of cold mist rising from the surface.

Strangely, the chill in the lake didn’t disperse; all the cold seemed bound within the water, and standing at the shore, no one could feel even a hint of it.

Flynn Cao continued, "Someone tried diving in to look for the Emperor-Rank Martial Soul earlier. If he hadn’t reacted fast and escaped, he’d have ended up frozen solid!"

As he spoke, Flynn glanced at a person sitting not far away.

That person sat cross-legged on the ground, his face ashen, with frost on his brows and hair—clearly struggling to force out the cold from his body.

"So, if we want to get the Emperor-Rank Martial Soul, we can only wait for it to come out on its own! When it appears, no matter who from our academy gets the chance to fuse with it, everyone else must fight to protect them. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

Flynn Cao was already a late-stage Grandmaster, and his prestige among the group was the highest.

At his words, everyone’s eyes lit up with greed, and they all nodded in agreement.

Ian, however, secretly shook his head. Flynn Cao seemed fair, giving everyone a shot at fusing the Emperor-Rank Martial Soul, but in reality, he was just fooling the others. Besides Ian, Flynn was the strongest here, which meant he’d be the fastest to act.

That made him the most likely to succeed in fusing the Emperor-Rank Martial Soul.

Now that he’d declared everyone must protect whoever fused with it, he was really setting up for his own attempt.

He looked selfless on the surface, but was actually scheming underneath.

Mason Chen had figured out Flynn Cao’s intentions too. He was also a late-stage Grandmaster, though not quite Flynn’s equal in strength.

Still, he wasn’t about to give up. If he managed to fuse with the Emperor-Rank Martial Soul, his future prospects would be limitless.

After all, there was only one Emperor-Rank Martial Soul in this world.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, only an hour remained before the Martial Soul Hall closed. More and more people had arrived—over two hundred now—but the lake’s surface stayed eerily calm.

Many faces showed growing anxiety.

Suddenly, a ripple appeared on the cold lake.

Everyone’s eyes widened, ready to spring into action the moment the Emperor-Rank Martial Soul surfaced—they’d all rush for it as fast as they could.

The ripples grew larger, spreading wider across the water.

At last, a fist-sized, jelly-like object emerged from the lake.

"The Emperor-Rank Martial Soul is mine!" someone shouted.

A figure shot forward, and then nearly ninety percent of those on shore surged out together, reaching for the jelly-like spirit.

Ian didn’t join the scramble. Instead, he calmly activated his Omniversal God-Eye, scanning the jelly-like entity. Instantly, a flood of information poured into his mind.