Sources of Soul Points

Side room.

Xiao Mei held a martial arts stance, breathing in and out steadily, yet an inexplicable unease suddenly stirred in her mind. Her entire body felt vaguely uncomfortable.

A warrior's instinctive senses made her abruptly open her eyes. She stared at the bedroom window and doorway, her body still holding the stance, but she was already prepared to fight for her life!

That was right.

She was secretly learning martial arts.

Chen Mu had neither status nor favor in Xuanguo Estate. He was even frail and sickly. If he ever breathed his last one day, she, his maidservant, would most likely be driven out of the estate as well.

That in itself was nothing.

But... she carried a grudge in her heart. Scenes from the past replayed in her mind every night. At every moment, she wanted to kill that villain, yet she was only a maidservant—moreover, the maidservant of Chen Mu, who held little status in Xuanguo Estate.

There were no living relatives left in her family, so she had nothing left to care about. In the end, she chose to take the risk and secretly learn martial arts through the conveniences of being a maidservant. Perhaps one day, she might cultivate to Eighth Rank, or even Seventh Rank.

Then perhaps she would still have a chance.

But before leaving Xuanguo Estate, none of this could be exposed. Once it was, even if she grew wings, she would never escape. In the end, suicide would be her only path, sparing her at least some suffering.

"What's going on..."

Xiao Mei cocked her ear to listen, but strangely, she heard no further movement.

Outside the courtyard, there was only the sound of Ren Yan sweeping snow. There was no one at either the window or the doorway.

Yet just now, a warrior's intuition and sharp senses had told her that someone was watching her.

Xiao Mei quietly approached the window and carefully observed the outside for a while longer. She truly found no sign of anyone, nor could she see any traces of someone passing by or lingering outside.

"Did I reach a bottleneck in my training, making my mind unsettled?"

Xiao Mei frowned.

For a time, she no longer had the heart to continue practicing.

Elsewhere.

Chen Mu paced back and forth in his room, slowly calming the lingering excitement in his heart.

He was still only an ordinary person, after all. His first experience of such a thing was naturally exhilarating, let alone the entirely different implications brought by Spirit Sight itself.

It could be said that—

As long as he simply revealed his extraordinary talent and announced that he had awakened the Spirit Sight ability of a sorcerer, his status in Xuanguo Estate would undergo an earth-shaking transformation in an instant!

Sorcerers were already exceedingly rare. Even the lowest Ninth Rank Spirit Sight possessed great status, not to mention that he carried the bloodline of the Xuanguo Duke. He was a legitimate master of the estate!

However.

More important than Spirit Sight was that this power could continue to improve!

Though Chen Mu had not been a sorcerer before, he had read many books and knew that sorcerers fundamentally had no cultivation methods, nor was there any route for advancement.

Other than the exceedingly rare Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects that could have an effect and raise a sorcerer's rank, sorcerers would remain whatever rank they awakened at for life. There was no possibility of moving forward.

But Chen Mu was different!

His Spirit Sight itself was a change brought about by the system raising his Soulmind!

That meant he would be the only person capable of raising a sorcerer's rank. In the future, he could reach Third Rank, even Second Rank, perhaps even the legendary First Rank that had never once appeared!

"Revealing it would bring danger."

"Spirit Sight is ultimately only a means of investigation. It gives me no strength to protect myself."

By now, Chen Mu had gradually calmed down.

If he had no way to advance further, then perhaps he would have taken the initiative to display Spirit Sight, exchanging it for a completely different status and enjoying the wealth and splendor of Xuanguo Estate.

But since he possessed the system and could continue onward, he would not covet this small benefit before his eyes.

"I should still be able to improve further."

After steadying his mind, Chen Mu looked once more at the system interface.

Name: Chen Mu

Age: 16

Strength: Strength to Truss a Chicken

Soulmind: lv3(+)

Ability: Spirit Sight

Soul Points: 9

Soul Roaming (Netherworld)—Available

Raising his Soulmind to lv3 had cost 3 Soul Points, leaving him with 9 Soul Points.

Chen Mu tried to improve it further.

Prompt: Spend 4 Soul Points to raise Soulmind to lv4?

It seemed that each level required slightly more Soul Points than the last. Calculating it that way, these 9 Soul Points would be enough to raise his Soulmind to roughly lv5!

Soulmind lv3 had granted him Spirit Sight, making him a genuine Ninth Rank sorcerer. Then what level would Soulmind lv5 be? Would it take him straight to Seventh Rank?!

Chen Mu did not know.

After calming his emotions, he chose to improve it.

The process was exactly the same as before. Warmth still flowed through his entire body, seeping into the deepest parts of his flesh and into his soul, deeply branding that sensation into his heart.

Very soon.

The improvement ended.

Chen Mu felt that his mind had grown noticeably stronger again. The range of his Spirit Sight had also expanded, reaching nearly twenty meters, and the things he saw had become clearer as well.

Yet he had gained no new ability. It seemed he was still within the Ninth Rank category.

Without much hesitation.

Chen Mu continued improving, spending his remaining 5 Soul Points to raise his Soulmind to lv5!

The process was swift.

There were similarly obvious changes. He could feel his mind becoming stronger and more resilient. Chen Mu felt that perhaps a single glance from him now would be enough to make an ordinary person tremble!

"Still no new changes, but it seems I've reached another limit. If nothing unexpected happens, one more improvement will definitely bring a qualitative transformation and grant me a new ability."

Chen Mu sensed the changes within himself and murmured inwardly.

Looking at it now.

It seemed that every three levels formed a threshold.

Soulmind lv3 corresponded to one level, while Soulmind lv6 corresponded to another.

Only.

All of his Soul Points had now been exhausted.

"How am I supposed to obtain Soul Points?"

Chen Mu furrowed his brow in thought.

Thinking carefully about what had happened before, it seemed that he had said something to the mirror, soothing the final lingering obsession of the original owner of this body. Then he had gained Soul Points and awakened the system.

So now, did he need to seek out ghosts and dispel their obsessions?

But that was impossible.

Any Netherworld Ghost was extremely dangerous. Though a Ninth Rank Spirit Sight sorcerer could see Netherworld Ghosts, they had no ability to fight them. They usually had to bring along powerful warriors with exceedingly vigorous blood and vitality, directing those warriors to use their blood and vitality to strike the Netherworld Ghosts and destroy them completely.

Only stronger sorcerers could suppress Netherworld Ghosts through their own abilities.

"Right."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Mu suddenly recalled something. He summoned the system interface again and turned his gaze toward the very bottom of it.

Soul Roaming (Netherworld)—Available

This also seemed to be a function, though it looked somewhat terrifying. As far as Chen Mu knew, only sorcerers above Seventh Rank possessed the ability of "Soul Roaming."

And even then, they could only roam at night. Having one's soul leave the body in broad daylight was no different from courting death.

After hesitating again and again.

Chen Mu still decided to give it a try.

A function in the system should not get him killed, or else it would have no meaning at all. Still, just to be safe, he would wait until the sun had set before trying this function.