*Thump!* Qian Yu completely collapsed onto the floor as he entered his soul world. 

“Master! Are you okay?’ Tian Xinyi appeared by his side.

“Urghh… it’s getting better,” Qian Yu managed to lean against a rock. Taking a few deep breaths, he slowly calmed down as he tried to ignore the pain.

“What’s going on though?” Qian Yu asked. Her words were very vague and in the previous state, he could barely make out any other thoughts due to the excruciating pain. 

‘I was resting when I felt an abnormal presence enter your soul world. Normally, I can feel when you enter the soul world so I can compare the auras. This one is nothing like yours. It’s deadly and dangerous…’ Tian Xinyi tried to explain. 

Qian Yu fell silent as he heard her explanation. Likely, Tian Xinyi had been resting and wasn’t paying attention to the events ongoing outside. Nonetheless, the red cloud like object was without a doubt, the thing responsible for what was going on right now. 

Looking around, Qian Yu noticed everything seemed pretty normal. The landscape of black gravel and dirt was the same while lightning continued to roar from the sky. A drop of water fell from the sky, hitting Qian Yu on the head. Before, it was a rare coincidence but now, it had become more common and he would occasionally see it. Without a doubt, it was from comprehending a bit about the laws of water from Bai Jia.

Unconsciously, he turned his attention upwards from the drop of water, causing his face to turn pale. It was faint and barely noticeable, but there was a change in the sky he was familiar with. 

“Xinyi… the sky is red,” Qian Yu replied, a little out of breath. The skies were cloudy and lighting roared downwards like always. However, a hint of red in the dark gray clouds could be seen. 

‘Ah!? You’re right, Master! It was fine just a few minutes ago!’ Tian Xinyi worriedly shouted. 

“Let’s g-” Qian Yu was about to stand up yet he froze in place as his face turned even more pale.

‘My soul world… is it being corrupted!?’ Qian Yu swallowed hard. The Martial Fighter from earlier was abnormal enough to have people from the World Congress intervene. Even though it wasn’t explicitly said, it was likely related to the Hunted List and those in that list had corrupted souls. 

‘But doesn’t it usually happen to those in the Martial Fighter realm?’ Qian Yu shook his head. 

‘Master, I’ll help you,’ Tian Xinyi offered, seeing Qian Yu not moving.

“Ah right, let’s go,” Qian Yu nodded. Currently, their biggest priority was to find out this foreign invader. As for what had happened previously, that could wait after. 

‘Which way though? I only felt its presence when it entered but now, I can’t feel it anymore,’ Tian Xinyi said. 

“Mmm, I can somewhat feel its presence. It’s like having a small ant on your skin. Besides, the red markings in the skies seem to originate from a point,” Qian Yu said as he pointed up. Like roots sprouting from a tree, the red markings in the sky seemed to come together towards a certain direction.

Following the faint red traces in the sky, Qian Yu cautiously walked towards the red markings. As time passed, the traces only became more apparent like streams turning into rivers and before long they started to spiral downwards, like a cyclone. 

‘That's the presence!’ Tian Xinyi shouted as they approached closer. 

Squinting his eyes, Qian Yu saw a reddish figure crouching on top of a small mountain. Originating from the figure, the red aura continued to spread upwards. However, as if noticing Qian Yu and Tian Xinyi arriving, the figure stood up and turned towards them. 

Qian Yu had guessed it prior but seeing the figure’s face, he was sure that it was the same face belonging to the Martial Fighter that was captured from earlier. “Have you fully recovered?” Qian Yu asked Tian Xinyi. 

‘Yes, I’m ready to fight anytime. What about you, Master?’ Tian Xinyi asked. 

“I’m fine as well,” Qian Yu nodded. The pain still lingered within him but it had subsided. Either it had actually weakened or he had become less sensitive to it, but either way, he had no choice but to fight. 

Suddenly, Qian Yu’s mortal ranked spear appeared in his hand. It was another result from his time in Bai Jia’s soul world. For the two of them, the soul had become the most interesting subject. 

What did the soul truly entail? It was a question that stumped both of them. Yet coming down to the most central and basic idea, they simply thought of it as a “representation of yourself”. The soul world was an example of this and was the representation of one’s understanding of the laws. 

Undergoing this mentality, Bai Jia had been able to form her own blade in her soul world. While Qian Yu couldn’t do this in her world, it was a different matter in his own soul world. As the owner and host soul of his own soul world, he was able to materialize his weapon. The spear was something part of his own identity. 

It was something that characterized himself and when he tried to form another weapon like a sword, it didn’t work. Rather, nothing else worked and the only thing he had been able to form was his spear. Like the understanding of the elements, weapons had their own understanding and mastery.

Of course, the weapon was only like an illusionary one. He couldn’t simply just imagine a spear and bring it back to the normal world. Furthermore, if he left his attention off the spear and forgot about it, the spear would just disappear in a matter of seconds.

His spear was like a declaration of war to the red figured Martial Fighter. Seeing Qian Yu pull it out, a sword had similarly formed in the Martial Fighter’s hand. 

*Whoosh!* Bursting from the mountaintop, he aimed his sword directly at Qian Yu, ignoring Tian Xinyi.

‘You dare!?’ Qian Yu could hear Tian Xinyi roar in his mind as she opened her mouth and shot out a bolt of lightning. 

Her attack moved faster than Bai Jia’s attack but with ease, the red colored figure easily dodged the attack with some type of movement skill before aiming back towards Qian Yu.

‘Tch, it was already hard to fight him with a numbers advantage but now its worst,’ Tian Xinyi summoned forth a cage of lightning surrounding the man.

*Bam!* The man swung his sword and a black arc of qi appeared before it rammed into the cage. Flying outwards, he swung his blade again and another arc flew out.

Tian Xinyi quickly pushed herself against Qian Yu, sending both of them out of the way. “What other techniques does he have? Can I try blocking one attack from him like that one time at the capital?” Qian Yu asked, wondering how he could be of help. Between two powers at the Martial Fighter level, he found it hard for him to be impactful. 

‘No, absolutely not. That previous time, the cultivation technique was only of the sky grade so the attacks weren’t as profound or strong. This person’s cultivation technique is that of heaven grade. I’m afraid one shot and you will instantly be killed,’ Tian Xinyi explained as she continued trading blows.

Seeing them fight, Qian Yu quickly recognized the battle to be a stalemate. They were both evenly matched but Qian Yu, that they were being pressured. The red aura continued to emanate from the invader. Soaring into the sky, it seemed as if it was dispersing into his soul world. 

Mark of Heavenly Lightning! Qian Yu sent his own attack towards the enemy Martial Fighter. Yet, as if it was nothing, the Martial Fighter simply swung his sword, destroying his attack. Usually, Qian Yu could feel some type of remnant qi left behind where the mark landed on but this time, he couldn’t feel anything.

‘Master, don’t bother. I have a plan,’ Tian Xinyi recognized their need to end the battle fast as well. ‘Try to control your soul world and make this place a field of lightning. It will increase the intensity of the lightning laws here and I will be stronger,’ Tian Xinyi continued. 

Her words couldn’t help but cause Qian Yu to remember something. In a way, it seemed similar to a domain to him. Nonetheless, Qian Yu didn’t think about it too long. “I’ll try that,” Qian Yu distanced himself from the battle before finding a place to sit down and close his eyes.

‘How do I gather the lightning and laws,’ Qian Yu wondered. Tian Xinyi words were vague and she didn’t even sound completely sure that something like this could work. As he thought however, his spear had suddenly appeared in his mind. 

‘Like creating the spear, will my thoughts be able to invoke a change in the soul world?’ Qian Yu shuddered at the thought. Comparing the scale between the two, they were widely different. 

‘Have I been underestimating what I can do? I am the owner of this soul world after all! It belongs to me!’ Qian Yu realized he had truly limited himself. He spent little time in his own soul world and even then, most of the time spent here was humoring Tian Xinyi so he had never really thought of something like this until now.