Purifying the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife

A massive ship over a hundred meters long sailed into the wind across the churning sea.

Xu Zihuang, dressed in close-fitting black, silently studied his reflection in a mirror inside a room on the ship's deck.

Compared to three months ago, the lines between his brows had softened considerably, and a faint smile always lingered on his face.

At this moment, he looked more like a well-bred young nobleman.

A few short months might not be enough to completely transform a person, but they were more than sufficient to subtly alter one's temperament.

Given Xu Zihuang's talent, he was destined never to become as insecure and paranoid as Huo Yuhao had been when he first entered Shrek Academy in the original story.

Knock, knock, knock— A gentle knock sounded from outside. Xu Zihuang turned toward the door.

"Come in."

The wooden door was pushed open, and a lightly dressed young woman entered, carrying several fragrant dishes on a tray with both hands.

She appeared to be around sixteen or seventeen. Though not stunningly beautiful, she was still quite pretty. Her healthy wheat-colored skin and voluptuous figure were particularly eye-catching.

Meeting Xu Zihuang's gentle gaze, her cheeks reddened slightly. Still, she boldly met his eyes, her gaze soft and alluring.

"Put it there." Xu Zihuang withdrew his gaze indifferently.

Ever since he had boarded this ship a few days ago, the girl had been excessively attentive toward him, occasionally even making suggestive advances.

The Yuenan Islands were far more open-minded than the mainland.

Xu Zihuang believed that as long as he nodded, a full range of services would immediately be arranged for him.

But the more one had seen, the higher one's standards naturally became.

Ignoring her coquettish display as she set down the tray, Xu Zihuang directly dismissed her.

"If there's nothing else, you can leave."

"Yes." The girl hurriedly lowered her head obediently. No matter how foolish she was, she had realized that Xu Zihuang held no interest in her whatsoever. She did not dare provoke his displeasure.

With a dejected sigh in her heart, she left the room, bitterness filling her eyes.

The gulf between ordinary people and Soul Masters was like a heavenly chasm. How could it be so easily crossed?

How could a proud Soul Master possibly take an interest in an ordinary person like her?

The girl had barely left when Lin Long, who was traveling with Xu Zihuang aboard this great ship toward the South Sea coast of the Star Luo Empire, entered behind her. After closing the door, he smiled at Xu Zihuang. "Young Master, I'm afraid you'll encounter plenty of similar situations in the future."

"Elder Lin..." Xu Zihuang could only shake his head helplessly at Lin Long's teasing.

This was also one drawback of disguising himself in his current appearance: he looked as though he were easy to get along with. If he were still as he had been three months ago, that aura which made others feel ashamed of themselves, coupled with his imposing presence, would have been enough to keep people at a distance.

At least, when he had been in Yueshu City, very few people had been confident enough to strike up a conversation with him.

Xu Zihuang composed himself and then said seriously to Lin Long, "Elder Lin, I'll be cultivating for a while. Unless it's something urgent, don't let anyone disturb me."

"Yes, Young Master." Lin Long understood and put away his smile.

As a subordinate, he could tease his lord to build rapport. But he also had to consider the occasion, place, and time.

After quickly finishing the food to fill his stomach, Xu Zihuang took a metal box made of Cold Iron from his Soul Tool and placed it on the table beside the bed.

When the lid was opened, an icy aura that seemed to pierce straight into one's soul spilled forth. A carving knife emitting a faintly chilling presence lay quietly inside. Was it not the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, ranked ninety-ninth among the Ranked Carving Knives?

For the past three years, he had continuously used the Ultimate Lightning and Destruction Attribute power of his Second Martial Soul, the Purple Sun Thunder Prison Dragon, to erase the Evil Thought and curse within it.

However, his Second Martial Soul had yet to obtain a Soul Ring and could not unleash the true power of Ultimate Lightning and the Destruction Attribute. As a result, his progress in purifying the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife had been extremely slow.

Still, recently, he had sensed that the Evil Thought and curse power within it were growing weaker and weaker.

Shrek Academy was home to countless powerful individuals, and the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife was too sensitive an item. He had to race against time to complete its purification before entering Shrek Academy. If he succeeded, his body would also be nourished by the Life Gold that formed the carving knife itself, allowing him to obtain a Third Soul Ring with a higher Soul Ring age.

This was a virtuous cycle.

With that thought, Xu Zihuang slowly raised his hands. Deep Purple Flame carrying a terrifying Destruction Aura rose from his left hand, while a cluster of oppressive black-purple lightning surged from his right. He gripped the handle of the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife with both hands.

The instant they touched the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, the vicious blade began to tremble violently. Waves of buzzing cries, like shrill screams of agony, rang out from it. If someone without a firm will heard such sounds, their emotions would likely be severely affected.

At the same time, pale golden light suddenly burst from Xu Zihuang's body. A layer of golden spherical film formed, completely enveloping him.

The room returned to silence.

This was a Level 3 Soul Tool he had crafted himself. It had no offensive or defensive capabilities, but it could isolate sound within a certain range.

Over the following days, Xu Zihuang barely even cultivated his Soul Power, devoting himself entirely to purifying the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife.

Not until the morning of the tenth day did his efforts finally bear fruit.

The Soul Guiding Crystal Chandelier on the ceiling swayed from side to side, its light flickering between bright and dim.

The Spirit Devouring Carving Knife in Xu Zihuang's hands, which had originally only trembled faintly, erupted with intense green light from within itself as though making one final, desperate struggle. The green light actually formed a savage face in the air, silently howling in madness.

Yet when that green light came into contact with the Deep Purple Flame on Xu Zihuang's left hand and the black-purple lightning on his right, the vicious face within it immediately seemed to turn ethereal, becoming blurry.

Streams of black vapor rose and vanished. Meanwhile, the green light on the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife gradually became purer and gentler.

The entire process was brief. Before long, the last wisp of black vapor quietly disappeared from the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife, while the green light radiating from it became as clear and tranquil as water, without the slightest impurity. Its originally dark body had also transformed into something like green crystal.

The flame and lightning around Xu Zihuang's hands gradually receded. The first sensation on the skin of his fingers touching the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife was a warm, gentle aura. Then, an incomparably dense and vigorous life force gradually merged into his body.

An unprecedented feeling of comfort spread throughout him. Xu Zihuang felt as if every smallest part of his body were moaning blissfully, greedily absorbing the rich life force emanating from the Spirit Devouring Carving Knife.

His meridians became more resilient, his internal organs grew tougher, his bones harder. It seemed as though his entire body was undergoing a qualitative transformation.

The change was most apparent in his meridians. They had not directly widened, but the steadily strengthening sense of toughness made Xu Zihuang completely certain that his meridians would be able to withstand far greater impacts of Soul Power.

The green light continuously washed over his entire body, cleansing every corner of it from within and without.

His physical constitution had already far surpassed that of ordinary Soul Masters. After being tempered by this life aura, his body's endurance would inevitably increase as well. At the very least, his tolerance for Soul Ring age could increase by a thousand years.