Saundin Seeks Cooperation

"Build good relationships?"

Zhou Qing suddenly looked up, his eyes serious. He thought of a possibility and asked coldly, "You are manipulating other people's feelings and brainwashing them so that they are willing to sacrifice themselves for you?!"

In an instant!

The atmosphere fell silent.

Tang San never expected that the White Whistle could be obtained in such a way!

But--

That's so cruel!

This Saundin has absolutely gone mad!

Xiao Wu, however, thought of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast she had never met who had taken human form. Perhaps they too had been used by humans in this way, willingly sacrificing themselves...

The Rabbit Girl seemed to remember something as well, a look of disgust flashing in her eyes. She said, "You used to experiment on me, didn't you? No wonder I wish you were dead whenever I think of you."

Faced with the Rabbit Girl's Taunt, Saundin didn't react, or perhaps because he was wearing a helmet and couldn't show his expression. He simply turned his face toward Zhou Qing and said, "Child, you are very smart, smarter than any Soul Master or Abyss People I have ever met!"

"But--"

"Brainwashing alone is not enough to turn a willing sacrificer into White Whistle; emotional connection needs to be cultivated... I still don't understand the specific principles, but I'm certain that without genuine emotional investment, it won't succeed."

Zhou Qing pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, "So, your purpose in doing this isn't to create the White Whistle, is it? After all, according to you, the White Whistle can only be used by one person. Even if we make more, it shouldn't be of any use to you, unless the White Whistle has some other function that we don't know about."

"The White Whistle does have other uses, but one White Whistle is enough for one person; having more is useless."

Saundin certainly doesn't lie. "I did this for another reason: evolution."

Evolution?

Before Zhou Qing and the others could ask questions, Saundin began to explain, "According to my research, although we Abyss People cannot awaken our Martial Soul within the Abyss Town area, it does not mean that we do not have Martial Soul. It is just that we are constrained by the environment of this Abyss and cannot awaken them through conventional means."

"The so-called Fallen One is the product of the complete fusion of our Martial Soul and flesh... According to my research, the Martial Soul of outside Soul Master are not pure! True Martial Soul Awakening is the complete fusion of Martial Soul and flesh, truly becoming one!"

"The Ascension Curse of the Abyss Depths is actually a catalyst that allows flesh and blood to perfectly fuse with Martial Soul! It is the Abyss's blessing upon humanity!"

"However, some people cannot withstand it, resulting in bizarre physical forms, memory loss, and reduced intelligence after mutation... Although I have completed the mutation and retained my complete memories and intelligence, this is by no means the most perfect state! There are Titled Douluo- level Soul Master in the outside world, so we should also be able to reach that level!"

"Going down to the lower levels and then ascending further is the key!"

Riko understand, but she still mustered her courage and asked timidly, "Shouldn't Fallen One be unaffected by the Ascension Curse?"

"In fact, the Fallen One will also be affected, but only to a lesser extent. The degree of impact depends on the perfection of the Fallen One— "

Saundin didn't hide anything, "I discovered that when I led others to ascend together, the Ascension Curse they were under would spread and amplify the curse on me. Therefore, they became the materials and test subjects for my continuous evolution into a more perfect being."

It turns out that Saundin's idea was to use people who were willing to sacrifice themselves as the consumables to amplify the Ascension Curse imposed on him, so that his flesh and blood and Martial Soul could be fused more thoroughly and perfectly.

During this process, those who can withstand the Ascension Curse may, if they are lucky, become Fallen One.

If unfortunately—

This is not within the scope of Saundin's consideration.

The reason he was willing to provide materials to Zhou Qing and the others was because he wanted to take this opportunity to conduct an experiment.

"If you want to evolve to a more perfect state, why don't you go to a lower level?" Zhou Qing stared directly at the other person's helmet, as if trying to see his true face through the reflective black mask.

"To reach the Eighth Layer, one must pass the test of two Guardian, beings as ancient as the ruins themselves. I once saw a Martial Soul Master whose Martial Soul Master was a hammer and whose strength reached the level of Peerless Douluo in your world's Soul Master ranking system go to challenge them..."

Peerless Douluo whose Martial Soul is a hammer?

I've seen this Saundin before...

Zhou Qing raised his eyebrows slightly, secretly wondering if it could be Tang Chen, the Peerless Douluo of the Clear Sky Sect?

"... I don't know the specifics of the test, but that Peerless Douluo failed to advance to the next level," Saundin said coldly. "I must obtain even greater power!"

Odin on the Second Layer tests Explorer's wisdom, stating that strength is not the key.

After learning of Jue Shi's immense power and realizing that even Jue Shi could not pass the test, Saundin began to pursue power, hoping to reach a lower level of power.

So why choose the Fourth Layer?

Even amplified, the Ascension Curse of the first three layers are too weak for Saundin to be of much use.

The Ascension Curse is too severe for those who are willing to sacrifice themselves; they might die after ascending only about a hundred meters.

It wasn't that Saundin cared about the Life of the experimental subjects, but rather that obtaining experimental subjects in this Abyss Ruins was extremely difficult, each one was precious, and they should be conserved as much as possible.

[This Saundin is a rational madman! A Frankenstein's monster!]

Zhou Qing gave Saundin a temporary label.

"Your rooms are on the north side. You can stay as long as you like, or find your own way back. But if you want to cooperate with me, you're welcome anytime." After saying this last sentence, Saundin led his team away, clearly to carry out his so-called research.

"This guy..."

Tang San had the idea of taking action.

Although Saundin was very sincere and open with them, his actions were recklessly toying with other people's Life and emotions, which is truly unacceptable.

Zhou Qing felt the same way, so he asked the Rabbit Girl, "Is this Saundin really incapable of lying?"

"Yeah."

The Rabbit Girl nodded vigorously. "Although he has done all sorts of bad things, the only thing he doesn't do is lie. This is a characteristic of all Abyss People, like children who never grow up."

"That's not necessarily true. Children don't lie, but they can talk nonsense." Xiao Wu has the right to speak on this point. After all, many children under the age of six at Hope Primary School describe things in an exaggerated and serious manner, but the truth may be completely different.

Zhou Qing, Tang San, Romantina also have a say in this matter.

Especially for Tang San, who came from the Tang Sect, he simply couldn't use his knowledge from his previous life to judge whether the words coming out of a child of this age were true.