Chapter 7: Soul Mask

Chapter 7: Soul Mask

The night was deep.

In the Ironhoof Tribe, one of the stone houses still had its lights on.

Under the dim oil lamp, Ye Han sat cross-legged on the stone bed, his hands resting on his knees, quietly breathing in and out.

Unlike external hard skills like Iron Sand Palm and the Thirteen Taibao Hard Training, internal martial arts focused more on cultivation. Especially for a powerful and straightforward martial art like Xingyiquan, one of the three great internal martial arts, the emphasis was on the cultivation of internal energy. Only by achieving internal and external harmony could one reach a profound level.

After all, the human body is not a machine. Stiffness leads to breaking, and even machines wear out over time. Similarly, no matter how powerful the martial art, the human body sustains damage, especially with external hard skills like Iron Shirt. Daily striking the body with hard objects leads to many tiny hidden injuries over time. These injuries usually do not show up, but when a major incident or illness occurs, they can erupt and be fatal.

Thus, in the Republic of China era, many martial arts masters had short lives and were often disabled. Even those who excelled in external skills would use well-prepared medicinal wines for both external and internal use, which was for this reason.

Compared to external hard skills, internal martial arts focus more on nurturing and internal cultivation. Focusing on the subtle nurturing of the internal body’s details, those who practiced internal martial arts to an advanced level generally lived longer, like Zhang Sanfeng, who was said to have a well-rounded life.

The internal Xingyiquan that Ye Han obtained was a relatively complete version. The principles were explained in detail, combined with the experience of his previous life.

So, for over a decade, even though the Minotaur's physical strength was far superior to humans, he still paid attention to this kind of nurturing.

After all, reaching the Dan realm indicated that the skill of nurturing energy had reached a very profound level.

However, at this moment, Ye Han's state was somewhat different from before.

Because floating in front of him, where he sat cross-legged, was a faintly glowing, translucent golden mask.

The mask, made of fine light, seemed like an illusionary reflection rather than a solid object, yet it emitted a peculiar golden glow, very mysterious...

As Ye Han breathed in and out, the golden mask floating in front of him contracted and expanded in response, looking very mystical.

After a moment, Ye Han opened his eyes.

Looking at the strange golden mask floating in front of him, a strange look flashed in his eyes as he muttered, "A trinity? I didn’t expect that the information within the Dan realm's energy would dissolve into the Minotaur's bloodline, and under the stimulation of the medicinal liquid, form such a unique innate ability. But this mental ability clearly doesn’t belong to the Minotaur category. What they call Fear Roar is actually more like a 'Soul Mask.' Such a high-level one indicates that the other half of my blood is also extraordinary..."

He spoke in a low voice, too soft for anyone to hear clearly.

Then he stopped thinking about it and reached out, pointing a finger at the golden mask floating in front of him.

Immediately, the mask dissipated, turning into a golden light that flowed along his finger and into his brow.

Ye Han slowly closed his eyes, and in his mental space, it was as if there was an endless white mist.

At the center, a huge golden mask emitting a faint glow slowly rotated...

The golden mask, made of countless rays of light, was semi-transparent, exuding mystery, looking magnificent and vast in the mental space.

As the golden mask expanded and contracted, countless golden sparks flickered, like many incomprehensible strange runes, and the white mist-like space seemed to expand and contract with it.

As one of the three great internal martial arts, Xingyiquan's biggest difference from external hard skills was its emphasis on the parallel cultivation of 'body' and 'spirit.' The so-called "spirit" involved higher levels of intention and mental levels.

Although it was not fully realized in the original world, true great masters of internal martial arts in that world had profoundly deep levels of spiritual cultivation, which was the power of the mind. Like a frail old woman lifting a several-ton car to save her son in a crisis, or a paralyzed person suddenly running, these were powers of the mental level, invisible and intangible, mysterious and strange to many, yet actually real. To some extent, it could be considered a force from a dimension beyond the material.

Especially in ancient China and some parts of Asia, this mental level was developed into a more comprehensive system. It focused not on strength but on the growth of the spirit. According to Ye Han's thoughts, if figures like Laozi, Sakyamuni, or Zhang Sanfeng from ancient times were brought into this world, they might not initially match up to even a finger of other strong individuals in this world, but in a short time, they would become the most formidable entities.

Because on the mental level, they had already reached a certain peak, but due to the limitations of that world, there was no further path forward.

Like a wooden bucket already crafted by a carpenter, you just need to pour water into it. Pouring water into the bucket is easy, but crafting a new bucket is not.

Ye Han was in such a situation. Of course, his mental cultivation was not comparable to that of Laozi, Sakyamuni, or Zhang Sanfeng, but as someone who had practiced internal martial arts to the Dan realm, even during the flourishing era of martial arts schools in the Republic of China, he was considered a significant figure. His level of spiritual cultivation was naturally not low.

And now, the Soul Mask has given him another path to choose, which is to materialize the immaterial. He can transform the intangible mental spirit into a tangible psychic force capable of killing in this realm.

With his Dan realm level cultivation of 'mental spirit' and the accumulation of mental power from two lifetimes, once it emerges, it will unleash a terrifying psychic force, not inferior to the master-level practitioners of powerful species in this world that primarily cultivate mental power.

Races such as the 'Fox' clan and the 'Damaier' swan clan among the Beamon orcs are rare in their ability to cultivate psychic force. Particularly the Fox clan, renowned as the priestly race among the Beamon orcs, generally holds the position of the powerful orc high priests throughout the years.

And the Fox clan, with their frail bodies, has become one of the eight strongest war clans in the Beamon Empire.

However, the Keter Minotaur clan, often mocked for their brute strength and lack of intellect, has never produced anyone with a natural talent for mental power. They cannot even faintly sense the presence of mental power. This is why Ye Han suspects that his other half of his lineage is also significant.

Eyes half-closed, sitting cross-legged on the stone bed with his hands resting on his knees, he was deeply engrossed in converting psychic energy within his mind’s domain. After an indeterminate amount of time, Ye Han slowly opened his eyes.

Two beams of intense light shot from his eyes, and deep within his pupils, two delicate, tiny golden masks gradually emerged.

The patterns were clearer and more intricate, resembling the intricate and precise mechanisms of a golden pocket watch, constantly rotating.

Exhaling softly, the golden light in his eyes gradually faded, and the two intricate golden masks disappeared into the depths of his pupils.