Heart of Void

Mu Zhe naturally knew that entering Spirit Hall would grant him the best training.

If he was lucky, he might even be accepted as a disciple by a Titled Douluo and enjoy the finest guidance and cultivation resources.

But that alone was not enough to tempt Mu Zhe.

One had to know that Spirit Hall's Golden Generation were all geniuses close to Innate Full Soul Power. They were deeply favored by Pope Bibi Dong and lacked neither resources nor instruction from famous teachers.

Even so, they only reached Level Fifty at nearly twenty years old, not even as quickly as each member of the protagonist group after receiving a single Immortal Herb.

If Mu Zhe joined Spirit Hall, his outcome would most likely be no different from that of the Golden Generation.

As for bringing people from Spirit Hall to seize the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, at most he would only get one or two Immortal Herbs in the end. The rest would either be distributed among other geniuses for their little team game or kept as part of Spirit Hall's foundation.

In short, Mu Zhe had never had any intention of sharing. He was not about to be some sucker.

He was rather greedy by nature.

Joining Spirit Hall would only guarantee the bare minimum. Going solo was how he could obtain more.

What?

You said Mu Zhe did not have the means to plunder Immortal Herbs on his own?

Ridiculous. He never did anything he was not confident in.

Feeling the vigorous beating of that heart and the vast power contained within it, he still had some confidence.

Besides, Mu Zhe did not dare let Tang San out of his sight. Tang San was destined to become a formidable enemy.

Gifted beyond measure, armed with exceptional skills, and backed by a deep background—he was clearly someone born with a protagonist's fate. Mu Zhe was unwilling to let him develop safely and peacefully.

When fellow townsmen met, stabbing each other in the back was the true way!

Shaking his head and gathering his thoughts, Mu Zhe pressed a hand to his chest. A sense of reassurance rose within him, and all the anxiety of the past few days vanished.

Over the past few days, Mu Zhe had constantly muttered about why the system had not arrived yet and why his cheat had not been delivered.

He had even gone to the neighboring village with designs on Tang San, only to discover that Tang San simply did not play with children his own age.

Mu Zhe had also considered that his cheat might appear on the day of his awakening, but he had worried that he might awaken a useless Martial Soul instead, leaving him both expectant and afraid.

Now, every problem had been solved. At the very least, with a good Martial Soul, he could live quite well.

That night, Mu Zhe lay on his bed, studying his Martial Soul, the Heart of Void.

Soul Power flowed through his Martial Soul, and an unusual sensation immediately arose.

Mu Zhe felt his entire body become ethereal, as though he might vanish from this world in the next instant.

Suddenly, his entire body turned illusory, as if he had slipped into another dimension.

"Damn, my shadow disappeared, and my hands can pass through objects."

Feeling as though he had been separated from the world, Mu Zhe was startled.

This was not simple invisibility. It was as though he had truly entered another dimension, a side distinct from the real world, both illusory and real.

Though he could still stand upon the ground and see the things of the real world, Mu Zhe could sense that this was no longer Douluo Continent. It was like things existing on different layers, unable to interfere with one another.

"Is this the innate ability of the Heart of Void? The ability to enter an illusory space?"

After several more tests, Mu Zhe had basically figured out the rules of this ability.

His feet could walk across walls as though on level ground, and he could even pass through walls with ease. As long as he did not emerge, he could phase through anything at will.

When he entered other objects, he could see their interiors. If he entered the ground, all he saw was boundless darkness.

However, when he encountered a hard medium, he could not force his way through without sufficient strength, much like how an ordinary person could not enter water that had frozen solid.

Standing in the void, he could go anywhere in the real world.

Of course, he could not yet step on air and ascend into the sky. Perhaps he might be able to do so after his Soul Power increased.

Even as Mu Zhe was shocked, he could not help feeling secretly delighted. This seemed... a bit overpowered!

With authority akin to that of a god, he could slip into the void like a ghost wandering beyond the mortal world, almost standing invincible in battle.

Still, Mu Zhe could not yet determine the full extent of what the Void State could do.

Could people with higher Soul Power Levels detect him? Could it truly make him invincible, or would an energy attack force him out?

But one thing he could confirm was that after entering the Void State, he became physically invisible, and not even the slightest sound leaked out.

Outside the door, the old village chief reclined in his chair, enjoying the warm breeze of the summer night. Meanwhile, Mu Zhe stood before him, waved his hand, and called out "Grandpa" several times.

Even so, the old village chief merely narrowed his eyes and gazed ahead, resting contentedly without noticing in the slightest that someone beside him was calling him.

Returning to his room and leaving the Void State, Mu Zhe carefully sensed the changes in his body. Most of his Soul Power had been depleted, and even his physical strength had been significantly drained.

Perhaps because his Martial Soul was part of his own body, it could fully utilize all the energy within him.

"With just Level Ten Soul Power, I can actually maintain the Void State for nearly half a shichen!"

After calculating the proportion of Soul Power consumed, Mu Zhe determined the maximum duration of a single entry into the Void State.

Thump! Thump!

Overjoyed, Mu Zhe's little heart began beating faster again despite itself.

"At this level, it is great for concealment and escape, but it cannot affect reality. I wonder what changes there will be once I gain Soul Skills in the future."

If he needed to fight, he would still have to reveal himself, but it would make sneak attacks very convenient.

Mu Zhe carefully analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of his Martial Soul and began considering its future direction.

Unfortunately, there was simply too little information about his Martial Soul, and he could not think of any good direction for now.

"Still, this ability is quite suitable for secretly doing a few things."

Casting thoughts of future development aside, Mu Zhe quickly shifted his mindset.

He suddenly remembered that there was a treasure nearby that he could take—a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone that no one wanted.

After the Blue Silver Emperor sacrificed herself, Tang Hao had placed the seed and Soul Bone she left behind in a cave near Holy Spirit Village.

What a heaven-sent opportunity!

"Hehe, something as valuable as a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was casually tossed into the wilderness. It would be perfectly normal for it to get lost, right?"

With a crafty chuckle, Mu Zhe began considering the Tang family's whereabouts at this point in time.

Tang San had just awakened his Martial Soul, so Tang Hao was probably teaching Tang San the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer.

But the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer was not easy to learn. Tang Hao would certainly need to spend a great deal of time teaching it, so he could not possibly slip away to visit his wife.

Still, it was also possible that Tang San's awakening of Twin Martial Souls had delighted him enough to make him visit the Blue Silver Emperor and reminisce.

But this was an opportunity regardless. Mu Zhe was certain that Tang Hao was highly likely to be teaching Tang San the hammer technique, and he did not want to give up.

At other times, Tang Hao would become like Schrödinger's cat, appearing and disappearing unpredictably.

"Before I go, I need to make some preparations." Having made up his mind, Mu Zhe hurriedly began packing in his room.

The cave containing the Blue Silver Emperor's Soul Bone was near Holy Spirit Village, but the area was a mountain range. Finding a cave would take a great deal of time.

He did not know how long this trip would take, so he needed to bring dried rations and soul coins as well.

The next morning, daylight had just dispersed the morning mist, and the air was filled with freshness.

In the courtyard, Mu Zhe had already packed his belongings and prepared three days' worth of dried rations. He was saying goodbye to the old village chief.

"Grandpa, I'm going to study at Spirit Hall in the city for a few days, so don't worry about me."

Looking at the old man before him, Mu Zhe's tone softened somewhat. After all, this was the elder who had raised him, so he still told him where he was going.

Of course, it was a lie.

"You're going to study at Spirit Hall? Then Grandpa will see you off!"

Hearing this, reluctance appeared on the old village chief's face. He immediately wanted to go inside and change into a neater set of clothes.

In his view, his everyday clothes were not suitable for going out. He could not embarrass the child by wearing them into the city.

"No need, Grandpa. I'm only going into the city to study with Master Su Yuntao for a few days. I still haven't decided whether to enter Spirit Hall or an academy for further study."

Seeing this, Mu Zhe hurriedly shook his head and refused.

"This..."

The old village chief looked at the resistance on his grandson's face and secretly sighed that the child had grown up and learned to live independently.

"Then you must take good care of yourself, pay attention to your safety, and remember to take the official road. Grandpa will get you some more money."