Sword Light Amid Hidden Currents

The subtle relationship between Ji Juechen and Huo Yuhao quietly spread through Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. Two geniuses with utterly different styles, neither friends nor merely rivals—their strange balance was, in the eyes of those paying attention, more intriguing than any explicit alliance.

Several evenings later, in Jing Hongchen's office.

Ji Juechen and Huo Yuhao received their notices and arrived before the master of Mingde Hall at the same time. Jing Hongchen sat behind a broad desk, his expression grave. The thin intelligence dossier at his fingertips seemed to weigh as much as a thousand jun.

"Qingshi Gorge, seventy li northwest." Jing Hongchen got straight to the point. "Evil Soul Masters have established a temporary stronghold there, using passing merchant caravans as sacrifices in evil rituals. The Academy needs a sharp blade to uncover the truth and eliminate them."

His gaze bore down on them almost tangibly. "One of you possesses an Unparalleled Sword Edge, the other Global Insight. You are the best combination. Mission rating: B+. You are authorized to use any necessary means, with your own safety as the highest priority. Any questions?"

[Emergency mission issued: Investigate and eliminate the Evil Soul Master stronghold in Qingshi Gorge.]

[Target Threat Level: medium-high. Unknown risks present.]

[Cooperation target: Huo Yuhao. Comprehensive assessment: this mission is an excellent opportunity to verify the results of tactical exchanges and gather combat data.]

[Recommendation: Accept.]

The system's analysis was completed in an instant. Ji Juechen raised his eyes, his gaze meeting Jing Hongchen's only briefly. "None."

Huo Yuhao nodded with equal gravity. "Understood, Hall Master. We will complete the mission."

Jing Hongchen nodded and handed over a Storage Soul Tool. "Inside are a detailed map and Contact Signals. Remember, I want more than victory. I want 'understanding.' Understand your opponents. Understand each other. Depart immediately."

The night was black as ink as two figures darted through the mountains and forests like ghosts. Ji Juechen carried his Iron Sword in his arms, his footsteps soundless; Huo Yuhao's Spirit Detection spread out like invisible mercury, silently drawing everything within several kilometers into his mind.

They traveled in silence, accompanied only by the howling wind.

"Five li ahead. The smell of blood... is strong." Huo Yuhao suddenly warned in a low voice, his Spirit Detection focusing with precision. "The Energy Reactions are chaotic and evil, mixed with intense resentment... They're deep in the gorge."

A Cold Light flashed in Ji Juechen's eyes as the system confirmed it simultaneously:

[High concentration of residual Evil Energy detected in the target area, matching the mission description. The Energy Core is an unknown aggregate. High threat level.]

[Recommendation: Approach covertly, prioritize reconnaissance, and prioritize destruction of the Energy Core.]

"Split up. Flank them." Ji Juechen spoke four words.

Huo Yuhao understood immediately. "I take the left, you take the right. Maintain the Spiritual Link."

Like hunters with perfect Tacit Understanding, the two silently infiltrated Qingshi Gorge. With Huo Yuhao's Spirit Sharing, Ji Juechen could clearly "see" the scene within the gorge even without activating [Weakness Insight]—three Evil Soul Masters in Black Robes stood around a blood-red ritual array. Desiccated corpses were piled at its center, while dense crimson energy flowed into a floating, pulsating Black Crystal.

"One Soul King and two Soul Ancestors. The array is the key—it's sacrificing lives to condense that crystal." Huo Yuhao's voice came through the Spiritual Link, suppressing his fury. "We can't let them finish!"

"I'll strike the core. You control the field." Ji Juechen made his decision instantly. The system had already marked the weak points in the three Evil Soul Masters' Soul Power Circulation and over a dozen Energy Nodes in the array. In the end, every red line pointed toward that Black Crystal.

"Alright! I'll use Eternal Frost Domain to restrain them. Find an opening and destroy it!" Huo Yuhao did not hesitate.

The operation began in an instant!

Golden light flared in Huo Yuhao's eyes as a domain of Extreme Ice surged into the gorge like a white tide! The temperature plummeted, frost spread, and the Evil Soul Masters' chanting came to an abrupt halt. Their movements visibly slowed!

"Enemy attack!" The Soul King-level Evil Soul Master roared in shock and fury, thick Black Mist trying to resist the cold.

At that very instant!

A pitch-black Sword Light shot from the shadows at the flank like lightning tearing through the night! Driven by Huo Yuhao's Global Insight through Spirit Detection and Ji Juechen's microscopic markings from [Weakness Insight], the strike surpassed the limits of physics in speed, precisely stabbing toward the pulsating Black Crystal at the center of the ritual array—the absolute core identified by the system!

"Stop him!" the Soul King roared, filthy blood-red arrows of Soul Power tearing through the air.

But Huo Yuhao's Ice Wall had already formed half a second beforehand along the arrows' path!

Crack! The Ice Wall shattered, and the arrows veered aside.

Ji Juechen's Iron Sword had already struck the crystal!

Pfft—!

There was no deafening explosion, only a disgusting sound like a Pus Sac bursting. The Black Crystal shuddered violently, cracks spreading across its surface as the massive Evil Energy within went out of control and backlashed!

"No!!" All three Evil Soul Masters spat blood at once, suffering severe injuries. The light of the ritual array abruptly went out.

Perfect! Huo Yuhao cheered inwardly.

There was no need for any reminder. After shattering the core with one strike, Ji Juechen swept into the injured Evil Soul Masters like a whirlwind. Sword Light rose again. With Huo Yuhao's Global Insight aiding him, every flash struck precisely at the moments when old force had been exhausted and new force had yet to arise, or at the weakest points of their Protective Soul Skills.

The pitch-black Sword Light was like Death's scythe—efficient and lethal.

The Soul King tried to burn his origin and unleash a massive wraith head, but Huo Yuhao's preemptive Mental Shock disrupted him. Ji Juechen seized the chance and cut him in half at his "Energy Hub" with a single stroke!

The battle swiftly came to an end.

Only the stench of blood and icy cold remained in the gorge. Huo Yuhao emerged from hiding and let out a breath, his gaze sweeping over the battlefield before settling on the dying Soul King.

"He's still alive!" Huo Yuhao hurried forward, Extreme Ice Soul Power surging as he prepared to seal him. "If we take him back to the Academy, we can definitely interrogate more out of him and uncover their network..."

This was the "procedure" and "justice" he believed in—uncover the truth and eradicate evil completely.

However, before he could finish saying "definitely," a pitch-black Sword Light swept out again, precisely severing the Soul King's last trace of life.

Huo Yuhao's outstretched hand froze in midair. He turned sharply toward Ji Juechen, who was slowly sheathing his sword, his eyes filled with shock and confusion. "You... why?"

Ji Juechen's expression did not change in the slightest. The system's analysis echoed in his mind:

[Target Vital Signs below 10%. High probability of Self-Destruction or activating Curse-type Soul Skills. Value of capture is lower than Potential Threat, and would require additional Supervision Cost. Optimal Solution: Eliminate.]

"Trouble should be cut down." His voice was calm to the point of coldness.

Huo Yuhao frowned deeply. For the first time, he sensed an unsettling ruthlessness in this comrade with whom he had just established Tacit Understanding. "But he might have been an important clue! The Academy's judgment could save more people who might become victims in the future!"

"Judgment is your rule." Ji Juechen interrupted him. His gaze swept over the desiccated corpses before finally falling on Huo Yuhao's face. "My rule is to make anything that causes trouble disappear completely."

The air seemed to freeze at that moment. The trust and warmth built during the battle were frozen cold by their first clash of beliefs. Only the wind wailed through the gorge, seeming to mourn both the lives lost and the crack that had just appeared.

Huo Yuhao looked at Ji Juechen in silence for a moment. In the end, he did not argue further and simply began quietly cleaning up the traces at the scene.

Ji Juechen stood with sword in hand as another system prompt appeared:

[Joint Tactic executed successfully. Coordinated combat rating with target Huo Yuhao: Excellent.]

[Recommendation: Deepen bonds with this target. This holds extremely high value for long-term growth and mission completion.]

Bonds... Ji Juechen replied coldly in his heart to the system's utilitarian calculation. You are still only a tool. What determines value and meaning is the sword in my hand, not your data.

When the two returned to the Academy to report, Jing Hongchen looked at the almost negligible signs of battle on them and the atmosphere between them, which had become even more subtle than before they had departed. A flash of understanding passed through his eyes.

"It seems the results of this 'exchange' were better than expected," Jing Hongchen said meaningfully. "And more complicated."

Ji Juechen and Huo Yuhao exchanged a glance, then quickly looked away.

Some swords need not leave their sheaths for their light to turn cold.

Some cracks are silent, yet deep enough to expose the bone.

And this was only the beginning.