In the remote Jiang family, a minor clan in the Cangwu Kingdom, a secluded courtyard stood silent.

"Ugh... my chest hurts like hell."

Jiang Xingyun, who had been unconscious for three days and nights, suddenly snapped his eyes open.

His pitch-black pupils burned with profound frustration and seething rage!

"To think that not only did the heavens envy my talent, but even the fiancée I chose turned out to be a backstabbing snake."

Three years ago, Jiang Xingyun had awakened the most supreme Martial Soul in existence—only for the sky to split open with a divine nine-colored thunderbolt.

The heavenly strike not only obliterated his unparalleled Martial Soul but also left remnants of the thunder within his body.

Every time Jiang Xingyun attempted to cultivate, the lingering thunder would lash out, striking him down. Not only was he unable to train properly, but everything around him would also suffer collateral damage.

As a result, his cultivation plummeted from the ninth level of the Houtian Realm to the first, turning him into a despised good-for-nothing in the eyes of the world.

Yet his fiancée, Ye Mengyan, never scorned him. Instead, she encouraged him to keep cultivating, often staying by his side to train together.

But Jiang Xingyun never imagined that her companionship was nothing but a ruse—her true goal was to covet the nine-colored thunder sealed within him.

Even now, he could vividly recall the expression on Ye Mengyan’s face as she carved the thunder out of his chest.

Cold. Ruthless. Vicious.

And worst of all...

A triumphant smile still lingered on her lips.

Thanks to the Nine-Colored Divine Lightning, Ye Mengyan had transformed from an ordinary martial artist into a peerless genius.

Three elder-level figures from the top sect of Cangwu Kingdom had come specifically for her, eager to take her as their disciple.

Now, all that remained was a mere formality—the entry assessment—before Ye Mengyan would officially become a disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect.

A disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect was someone even the ruler of Cangwu Kingdom had to treat with caution, never daring to slight or offend.

Once Ye Mengyan joined the sect, combined with the influence of the Ye family, the Jiang family would be utterly crushed, with no chance of recovery.

Even the engagement between them could become a tool for Ye Mengyan to humiliate him.

"That woman is about to become a sect disciple," Jiang Xingyun muttered through clenched teeth, his fists tightening involuntarily. "How infuriating."

He slammed his fist against the bedframe in frustration, a surge of heat suddenly rushing to his head.

It felt as though his blood had ignited in an instant.

Countless golden specks emerged from his bloodstream, surging toward his consciousness before gradually coalescing into a golden, human-shaped Martial Soul.

The human-shaped Martial Soul was adorned with nine radiant halos, standing proudly like an unrivaled sovereign reigning over the heavens!

It was identical to the peerless Martial Soul he had awakened three years ago—only now, it seemed even more profound and boundless.

Jiang Xingyun's first thought was clear: the Nine-Colored Divine Lightning had failed to destroy his peerless Martial Soul after all.

Instead, it had shattered his peerless martial soul and suppressed it within his body all along!

No wonder traces of the Nine-Colored Divine Lightning had lingered within him!

And now, with the Nine-Colored Divine Lightning stolen by Ye Mengyan, the peerless martial soul gradually began to reform.

"Let’s see what kind of martial soul this is."

Jiang Xingyun immediately attuned himself to it, then gasped in astonishment. "This... this is actually the Undying Martial Soul!"

The Undying Martial Soul—a supreme and unparalleled variant among all martial souls in existence.

Ancient texts recorded that a king of the Luoshui Clan once cultivated this martial soul to its zenith, achieving the power to regenerate from a single drop of blood and live for three thousand years without perishing!

"Hah! Ye Mengyan, you stole my Nine-Colored Divine Lightning, but you never imagined that by doing so, you shattered the shackles within me!"

"You’ve awakened the Undying Martial Soul that had been suppressed for three long years!"

"Even the heavens themselves cannot erase this martial soul!"

The suffocating frustration in Jiang Xingyun’s heart vanished in an instant, replaced by the exhilarating relief of hardship finally giving way to triumph.

Without hesitation, Jiang Xingyun attempted to activate the Undying Martial Soul.

Instantly, a warm, revitalizing energy surged through him, and the wound Ye Mengyan had carved into his flesh healed completely in the blink of an eye.

But what truly stunned Jiang Xingyun was this—within a hundred-meter radius, all the natural energy of heaven and earth was instantly drawn in and absorbed by the Undying Martial Soul.

The energy poured directly into Jiang Xingyun's body.

His cultivation level skyrocketed in an instant!

Second stage of the Houtian Realm!

Third stage of the Houtian Realm!

Fourth stage of the Houtian Realm!

Three consecutive breakthroughs in the blink of an eye!

"This..."

Jiang Xingyun gasped, his mind reeling with shock.

This cultivation speed—compared to his previous progress—wasn't just ten times faster. It was beyond comprehension!

Normally, a martial soul merely served as a bridge between a warrior and the natural energy of the world. The higher the grade of the martial soul, the faster one could channel that energy.

But the Undying Martial Soul didn't just channel energy—it outright plundered it.

In one fell swoop, it drained all the natural energy within a hundred-meter radius.

Unheard of. Utterly unbelievable.

"Even if this Undying Martial Soul remains at its current level, my dream of becoming a powerhouse is no longer just a pipe dream!"

Jiang Xingyun's body radiated an overwhelming confidence, sharp and unyielding like a sword drawn from its sheath.

"If I remember correctly, the Qingyun Sect's entrance examination is in one month."

He leaped off the bed, his piercing gaze fixed in the direction of the Ye family estate, eyes gleaming with cold determination.

"Ye Mengyan, if you think you can waltz into the sect as a disciple, you'll have to get past me, Jiang Xingyun, first!"

With the power of the Undying Martial Soul, Jiang Xingyun was certain that one month would be more than enough for his cultivation to soar to new heights.

"Right now, I need to head to the Combat Skill Hall and pick a stronger technique..."

Ye Mengyan had fused with the Nine-Colored Divine Thunder, breaking through to the Innate Realm.

More importantly, no one understood the devastating offensive power of the Nine-Colored Divine Thunder better than Jiang Xingyun.

To stand a chance against her, he needed a far more formidable combat skill.

"Look, it's the useless young master of the Jiang family—still alive, somehow!"

"Getting publicly dumped by a woman? What a disgrace. If I were him, I’d find a block of tofu to bash my head against."

"Tch, Ye Mengyan was right. This trash is nothing but a worm in the mud, wasting air just by breathing."

Jiang Xingyun’s appearance drew countless scornful and disgusted glances.

"So the engagement’s already been called off, and now she’s calling me a worm in the mud? That woman..."

He gritted his teeth, recalling how sweet and tender Ye Mengyan had once acted toward him. The memory alone made him sick.

What a backstabbing, two-faced snake!

"Ye Mengyan, you stole my Nine-Colored Divine Thunder and now think you’ve transformed into a phoenix perched on a golden branch?"

"Fine. Then this so-called 'worm in the mud' will make sure you taste humiliation on the grandest stage of all—the entrance examination!"