Second Soul Skill: Illusory Charm Eyes

"Tell me," Tai Tan said, suddenly leaning closer and lowering his voice even further, "could that boy really be Sister Xiao Wu's child? I mean... her own flesh and blood."

Niu Tian was silent for a long while before he spoke. "Sister Xiao Wu said she wasn't sure."

"Then it's possible."

"It's possible," Niu Tian admitted.

Tai Tan took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

If Jiang Wu really was Xiao Wu's child, who was his father?

Tai Tan didn't dare follow that thought any further, and Niu Tian didn't bring it up either.

Some things weren't theirs to worry about.

"All right, stop thinking about it." Niu Tian patted Tai Tan on the shoulder. "Come on, let's follow them for now. Don't let anything happen to that boy."

Tai Tan nodded, and the two of them flashed forward, silently following.

On the snack street, Wang Dong'er pulled Jiang Wu to a stop in front of a sugar-figure stall.

"Xiao Wu, look! Doesn't that rabbit look like you?"

"No."

"It does! Your Martial Soul is a Soft Bone Rabbit. Look at its ears—they're exactly like yours when you use Martial Soul Possession."

"That's not what I look like with Martial Soul Possession."

"If I say it looks like you, then it does."

Jiang Wu sighed, pulled out a few Copper Soul Coins, and bought a rabbit-shaped sugar figure, handing it to Wang Dong'er.

Wang Dong'er took it and bit into it contentedly. With her cheeks puffed out, she mumbled, "Xiao Wu, now that your sister's gone, it'll just be the two of us going home during the holidays."

"Mm."

"Then you have to be nicer to me."

"When have I ever been mean to you?"

"Just yesterday, you complained that I was lying on your arm."

"That was a fact."

"I don't care. You were complaining about me." Wang Dong'er leaned over and poked Jiang Wu's face with the sugar figure. "You have to make it up to me."

Jiang Wu turned his head to dodge, then casually wiped the sugar crumbs from the corner of her mouth. "Fine, I'll make it up to you. How do you want me to do that?"

Wang Dong'er's eyes darted around, and she suddenly smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. "Next time we fight, you have to fight me with one hand behind your back."

"Are you sure?"

"...Never mind, then."

The two ate as they walked, slowly making their way toward the academy.

In the shadows, Tai Tan and Niu Tian followed at a distance, neither too close nor too far.

Watching the two figures ahead, Tai Tan suddenly muttered, "Big brother, do you think Dong'er knows that boy might be her..."

"She doesn't," Niu Tian interrupted. "Dong'er doesn't know anything. Don't bring it up in front of her."

"I know." Tai Tan sighed. "I just think this is a little... complicated."

More than a year flew by.

Jiang Wu reached level 20, and the academy's principal personally took him to the Soul Hunting Forest to hunt Soul Beasts.

At a little over nine years old and level 20, he was among the top geniuses in the Dou Ling Empire.

Back then, Mu En of Shrek Academy had reached level 20 at eight, and Shrek Academy had proclaimed that he had the makings of a god.

The principal of Dongxing City Academy was surnamed Lin. He was an old Soul Master in his fifties, a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor whose Martial Soul was the Azure Wind Wolf.

In a small place like Dongxing City, four rings already counted as top-tier fighting strength.

Lin Yuan knew perfectly well that, no matter how far a nine-year-old level-20 genius went in the future, as long as he didn't die young, Dongxing City Academy's name would bask in his reflected glory.

The carriage stopped at the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest shortly after noon.

Jiang Wu jumped down from the carriage and took a deep breath of the crisp forest air.

Lin Yuan paid the fare and led Jiang Wu into the forest.

"Jiang Wu, what are your thoughts on your Second Soul Ring?" Lin Yuan asked as they walked.

Jiang Wu was silent for a moment before answering, "I want to find a spiritual-type Soul Beast. My overall fighting style leans toward close combat, so it would be best if my second Soul Skill were a control-type skill like Charm."

In fact, Jiang Wu wanted to be like his sister, but he had the Xiao Wu template and couldn't have the same skills.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, he still chose a spiritual-type Soul Beast to obtain a Charm skill.

Lin Yuan paused and looked back at Jiang Wu, a flicker of approval in his eyes. "You've thought this through. A spiritual-type Soul Beast is the best match for your Martial Soul's traits. The Soft Bone Rabbit is highly agile to begin with, and paired with a spiritual-type Soul Skill, it can achieve a very good control effect."

He paused, his tone growing more serious. "But spiritual-type Soul Beasts aren't easy to find. If their age is too low, they won't be worthy of your Second Soul Ring. A seven-hundred- to nine-hundred-year-old spiritual-type Soul Beast... that'll depend on luck."

Jiang Wu nodded without saying much. He knew how rare spiritual-type Soul Beasts were; this wasn't something he could rush.

The two ventured deeper into the forest, and as they walked, Lin Yuan explained to Jiang Wu how to judge a Soul Beast's species and approximate age from the tracks it left on the ground.

Jiang Wu listened intently. These were things he couldn't learn from textbooks, all hard-earned experience.

Lin Yuan was highly experienced. Along the way, they came across traces of several Soul Beasts, but he ruled them out one by one: either their ages were too low or their attributes didn't match.

As the sky grew dark, Lin Yuan stopped by a stream and motioned for Jiang Wu to make camp there.

"We'll rest here tonight and continue deeper in tomorrow." Lin Yuan took some dry rations and a waterskin from his Storage Soul Tool and handed them to Jiang Wu. "Spiritual-type Soul Beasts usually lie low during the day and come out at night. Early morning and dusk tomorrow will be the easiest times to find traces of them."

Jiang Wu took the rations, sat down on a rock by the stream, and took a couple of bites.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, before it was fully light, Lin Yuan woke Jiang Wu.

"Come on. It's just getting light, when spiritual-type Soul Beasts are most active."

The two followed the stream upstream. Lin Yuan moved much faster than he had the day before, clearly unwilling to waste time, and Jiang Wu kept close behind him.

After walking for about two hours, Lin Yuan suddenly stopped, his ears twitching slightly.

"Follow me."

The two softened their steps and slowly approached the source of the sound.

Passing through a patch of low bushes, they found the view suddenly opening up before them.

In the middle of a small forest clearing stood a bush covered in tiny white flowers.

Above the blossoms hovered a pale blue butterfly, its wings beating slowly.

Lin Yuan took one look and whispered, "Illusory Dream Butterfly. Judging by its wing patterns and size, it's around seven to eight hundred years old. Just the right age."

Jiang Wu nodded. "That's the one."

Lin Yuan hesitated no longer and sprang into action.

His third Soul Ring lit up, and Lin Yuan sped up.

Before the Illusory Dream Butterfly could react, Lin Yuan caught it and pinned it to the ground.

"Jiang Wu, quickly!" Lin Yuan shouted in a low voice.

Jiang Wu had already drawn his dagger and charged forward. Reaching Lin Yuan's side, he stabbed the Illusory Dream Butterfly to death.

The Illusory Dream Butterfly's body trembled slightly, and a yellow Soul Ring slowly rose from it.

"Sit cross-legged and absorb the Soul Ring." Lin Yuan let go and stepped back to stand guard for him.

Jiang Wu sat down as instructed, closed his eyes, and guided the Soul Ring into his body.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Wu opened his eyes.

[Successful absorption of the Second Soul Ring detected. Beginning enhancement of the Second Soul Ring.]

[Second Soul Ring · Charm has been enhanced into Illusory Charm Eyes.]

Jiang Wu blinked, feeling information about his new Soul Skill pour into his mind.

Illusory Charm Eyes, a spiritual-type Soul Skill.

It directly invaded the opponent's Sea of Consciousness, creating an illusion of a hundred beasts charging.

The opponent would see countless Soul Beasts from the Star Dou Great Forest charging toward them, consuming their mental power within the illusion.