Soul Secret Technique

Luo Zhiyuan's campaign to eradicate evil lasted for over ten days before he stopped, as the overall level of martial artists on Earth was quite low; only about a hundred had reached the Planet level, while the rest were still at the Apprentice level.

After absorbing the combat experience of dozens of individuals, he realized that sparring with Apprentice-level opponents could no longer help him grow. Meanwhile, there were too few human Planet-level fighters, and they all held high-ranking positions. If Luo Zhiyuan were to kill a few of them just to perform Soul Fusion, it would easily trigger unrest, so he had no choice but to stop.

After more than ten days of hunting and fusion, Luo Zhiyuan had gained a significant amount of combat experience, and his battle instincts had further improved. However, because he relied on the Soul Fusion secret technique to gain this experience, he inevitably absorbed some of the traits of his targets, making his current fighting style truly unpredictable.

Whether it was close-quarters combat as a fighter or long-range attacks as a spirit reader, his efficiency in killing was extremely high. After all, whether it was a monster or a wicked human, the situation demanded results in the shortest time possible, so he had acquired highly effective and direct combat experience.

Babata had no more effective combat methods to teach Luo Zhiyuan for the time being. Higher-level techniques were beyond his current cultivation, and those at his own level were likely less effective than the battle instincts Luo Zhiyuan had realized on his own.

Furthermore, the entity with Luo Zhiyuan was only a subsidiary AI of Babata, and its stored information was limited. Thus, he could only focus on cultivating his energy, practicing his stealth, raising his level as quickly as possible, and then continuing his research into soul secret techniques.

Inside the gravity chamber, Luo Zhiyuan sat cross-legged, hovering in mid-air. He had grown fond of this posture; he felt it looked quite cool.

He was currently studying another soul secret technique—Charm: using telekinesis to influence an opponent's consciousness, causing them to develop cognitive illusions. The caster could then guide the subject to form false memories. Once the subject's willpower became strong enough, they would realize the memories were false and snap out of it.

This secret technique was similar to Hypnosis; both involved using spiritual telekinesis to influence an opponent's consciousness. However, this time, instead of suppressing the consciousness, it was about deceiving it.

Having already mastered Hypnosis, Luo Zhiyuan learned this Charm technique without much effort. But now he faced a problem: he had no suitable subject to practice on, and he didn't know how effective it would be in practice.

For Luo Zhiyuan, the mental defenses of Apprentice-level martial artists were negligible; he could suppress their consciousness without any effort. That was why, aside from the very first time he used Hypnosis during his campaign against evil, he hadn't used it again—it simply wouldn't provide any useful reference.

However, aside from Luo Feng, he only knew two Planet-level individuals: Hong and Thunder God. He felt awkward asking them to spar, especially since they were both preparing to break through to the Star level.

But while thinking of these two, Luo Zhiyuan suddenly remembered that Hong had three personal guards, all of whom were Planet-level. He wondered if he could borrow one from Hong to test his soul secret technique. He decided to ask.

The next day, Luo Zhiyuan went personally to the place where Hong was in seclusion. Regardless of what Hong was doing, he dragged him out. Hong felt a mix of affection and distress toward the son of his third brother and the nephew of his second brother. The boy was usually well-behaved and cute, but when it came to cultivation, he was simply a monster. Even Hong felt a bit inferior compared to him!

Hong considered himself a genius; during the Great Nirvana period, he had become a Planet-level martial artist in just three or four years, then became the first to comprehend a domain and reach the second level of it, remaining Earth's strongest fighter ever since.

But this little monster? He was a Planet-level spirit reader at just over a year old. Now, at barely over two, he was already a level five Planet-level spirit reader with a telekinetic amplitude of 22, and his physical cultivation had reached level four Planet-level.

And his domain was about to reach the second level. Although Hong had reached level nine Planet-level, he didn't know when he would break through to the Star level. He feared that if this little guy caught up to him, it would be too embarrassing. The pressure was immense.

Hong asked Luo Zhiyuan why he had come. Luo Zhiyuan felt a bit embarrassed himself, stammering for a moment before saying, "I heard you mention that you have three personal guards, all of whom are Planet-level martial artists. I'm currently practicing a soul secret technique and lack a suitable opponent. I was wondering if you could ask one of your guards to spare some time to help me practice?"

Only then did Hong understand why Luo Zhiyuan had come—he was looking for a practice dummy. It made sense; none of the three brothers were suitable. Hong and Thunder God were both level nine Planet-level, and he doubted the boy's telekinesis could shake their consciousness. Luo Feng was a level eight Planet-level spirit reader, so he wouldn't be affected either. It seemed he really did need to find him a suitable subject, though he felt sorry for his three guards.

"That's easy enough, but I must make one thing clear. You can practice your mental techniques, but you must not be too hasty. You cannot cause damage to yourself or them. You know that soul injuries are very difficult to recover from. If you agree to this, I'll find you someone; otherwise, go play by yourself!"

Luo Zhiyuan was overjoyed. "I agree, I agree! No problem! The techniques I'm practicing aren't harmful; they definitely won't cause soul damage."

Hearing this, Hong felt relieved. He asked around and found that Iceberg was currently free. He called Iceberg over and told him, "This is Luo Feng's son, Luo Zhiyuan. He is already a level five Planet-level spirit reader and a practitioner of the illusionist school. He is currently practicing a soul secret technique. Cooperate with him and act as his practice subject. Be careful and do not damage his soul!"

Iceberg, wearing his metal mask, agreed without a moment's hesitation. He followed Luo Zhiyuan back to the Luo Family's gravity chamber, ready to serve as the practice subject.

Inside the gravity chamber, Luo Zhiyuan first asked about Iceberg's cultivation level. Iceberg replied coldly, "Level two Planet-level, martial artist."

Luo Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow; Iceberg truly lived up to his name. He smiled and said to him, "Uncle Iceberg, the secret technique I'm about to practice is a mental illusion called Charm. It might input some false memories and commands into your mind. I will remove them once we are finished."

"Wait until you succeed before saying that. Begin."

Luo Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow again; he liked people who were so direct! "I'm starting now. You can focus your consciousness to try and resist."

Iceberg frowned behind his mask. Suddenly, he felt a wave of dizziness in his mind and realized Luo Zhiyuan had activated the soul secret technique. He struggled to focus his consciousness, refusing to let it drift, and tried his best to stay awake.

Luo Zhiyuan, casting the Charm technique, sent a telekinetic beam composed of ten strands of mental energy. This beam reached the core of Iceberg's consciousness and began to rotate continuously around his soul. The speed of the rotation increased, and Luo Zhiyuan sent another strand of mental energy into Iceberg's sea of consciousness, emitting a vibrating wave that only a soul could perceive, conveying a message: "Only step with your right leg when walking!"

With Luo Zhiyuan's level five Planet-level telekinesis, Iceberg, a level two Planet-level martial artist, was successfully charmed within minutes. However, Iceberg didn't know he had been charmed. So, when he felt his mind clear up, he couldn't help but ask, "Did the technique fail? I didn't feel anything different."

Luo Zhiyuan smiled mysteriously and pretended to be confused as well. "I don't know either. I intended to make you forget how to walk. Try walking and see if I succeeded."

Iceberg didn't question him and took a few steps forward, then stopped and looked coldly at Luo Zhiyuan. "You failed. I can still walk."

"Haha, right, you can still walk, but I succeeded! Haha, try walking toward that mirror over there."

Iceberg tilted his head in confusion and walked toward the half-length mirror. To his shock, he saw that he was only stepping with his right leg, while his left leg was being dragged behind. This terrified Iceberg, and he could no longer maintain his cold demeanor. "This... what is going on? What's wrong with my leg? Did I really forget how to walk?"

"No, no, I was just tricking you. I actually charmed you to only step with your right leg. But if I told you directly, I was afraid you would notice and subconsciously correct it, so I let you discover it yourself in the mirror."

"This proves I succeeded! Great! Haha, I'll remove the charm for you right now." With a thought, Luo Zhiyuan snapped his fingers. Iceberg didn't feel any different, and Luo Zhiyuan shrugged, indicating the charm was lifted.

Iceberg didn't feel relieved just because he was told the charm was lifted. He walked back and forth in front of the mirror several times, and only after confirming his walking had returned to normal did he regain some composure. However, when he looked at Luo Zhiyuan again, his eyes were filled with extreme wariness.

This unknown mental illusion was too sinister. He had been caught off guard without even realizing it, and aside from the initial dizziness, there had been no warning signs. It was terrifying!

Iceberg couldn't help but ask, "I felt a wave of dizziness at the beginning. Was that the sign of you activating the technique?"

"Oh? You felt dizzy at the start? Let me try again." This time, Luo Zhiyuan's mental energy reached Iceberg's mind instantly and began to spin rapidly within his sea of consciousness. A second strand of mental energy immediately transmitted a thought.

"Wait a sec..."

Before Iceberg could finish his sentence, he saw Luo Zhiyuan snap his fingers again and smile at him. "Try walking again."

Iceberg didn't feel any discomfort and asked, "Are you sure you used the technique? I didn't feel anything." With that, he began to walk in front of the mirror.

Luo Zhiyuan watched him with a smile, saying nothing. As it turned out, Iceberg discovered that he was now only stepping with his left leg... Iceberg turned his head sharply to stare at Luo Zhiyuan. Luo Zhiyuan smiled and snapped his fingers again, saying, "Alright, it's lifted. I guess the dizziness at the beginning was because I wasn't skilled enough. See, you didn't notice it this time, did you?"

Iceberg didn't speak for a long time, just staring at Luo Zhiyuan while his feet quietly shuffled backward. This child was too terrifying! He could change a person's will without a sound. If he were to order someone to assassinate their own loved ones, they wouldn't even know what was happening!

"Is there any way to defend against this soul secret technique?"

"Of course there is. As long as your willpower is firm, you won't be charmed by me. And even if you are charmed, it's only temporary. Once your willpower becomes strong enough, you will likely break the charm on your own."

Of course, there were fundamental ways to defend against soul secret techniques, but that involved the inheritance of Yunmo Planet, which he couldn't tell Iceberg about. So, Luo Zhiyuan brushed him off. The method was correct, but relying on willpower to resist Charm required a very high level of mental strength. Besides, if one were actually charmed, breaking it after the fact was essentially meaningless.

The Yunmo Planet lineage possessed a core inheritance technique called Void Tower, which specialized in soul defense. However, the prerequisite for practicing this technique was to completely transform one's mental energy into the specific characteristics of the Yunmo Planet lineage. Luo Zhiyuan hadn't completed this step yet, so he couldn't practice it for the time being.

Next, Luo Zhiyuan asked Iceberg to wait for a moment while he prepared to practice the next soul secret technique—Fear: using mental energy to influence an opponent's will, causing them to experience fear originating from the soul, thereby causing the opponent to lose focus and affecting their control over their body and mental energy.

Fear is different from Charm, though it is somewhat similar to Hypnosis; both involve suppressing the opponent's spiritual consciousness. The difference lies in the method of suppression. Hypnosis suppresses the opponent's spiritual consciousness into a deep slumber, whereas Fear requires precise control over the intensity of the suppression—not only must it suppress the spiritual consciousness, but it must also stimulate the soul to produce intense, panicked fluctuations.

Therefore, Luo Zhiyuan only began practicing it after mastering Hypnosis and Charm. After all, these secret techniques share some degree of correlation, and following this order could be considered a progressive approach. Once Luo Zhiyuan understood and mastered the method of using spiritual consciousness for Fear, he told Iceberg that he was ready to test the secret technique.

Iceberg walked silently to the vicinity of the full-length mirror once again, stood sideways facing the mirror, and then said to Luo Zhiyuan, "Begin."

This time, Luo Zhiyuan first took a deep breath and then calmed his mind. Fearing that he might not know his own strength during the first test and accidentally injure Iceberg's soul, he decided to reduce the amount of spiritual consciousness used.

He first gathered five strands of spiritual consciousness into a bundle and surged them toward Iceberg's sea of consciousness. Upon entering, the bundle of consciousness diverged to envelop Iceberg's soul, continuously drawing closer and applying pressure. While suppressing, one of the strands changed its properties, transforming into dozens of needle-like shapes that continuously and intermittently pricked at Iceberg's soul.

Iceberg had been concentrating his willpower to prepare for any potential mental disturbances, but suddenly, he felt a wave of palpitations, as if he were being watched by some terrifying entity. It felt as though the opponent had locked onto him from afar and was about to attack.

Following his intuition, he looked in that direction, only to see Luo Zhiyuan's eyes. Those eyes were so bright that he dared not look directly at them. After one glance, he could no longer bear to look and quickly averted his gaze, as if he had encountered a natural nemesis.

At this moment, Luo Zhiyuan softly asked Iceberg, "Do you feel anything wrong?"

Iceberg, however, felt that Luo Zhiyuan's voice was as terrifying as the Swallowing Beast from before. He wanted to speak but could not open his mouth, only breaking out in a cold sweat.

Seeing that Iceberg's face had turned pale but he remained conscious, Luo Zhiyuan knew that Iceberg had not yet reached his limit. He increased the bundle of consciousness to ten strands and struck Iceberg's sea of consciousness, causing the needle-shaped consciousness to suddenly pierce halfway in.

Iceberg's face turned deathly pale, his eyes became dull, and sweat poured from his body like rain; he was no longer capable of any physical movement.

Seeing this, Luo Zhiyuan hurriedly withdrew his spiritual consciousness, fearing that continuing would truly injure Iceberg's soul. It took about five minutes before Iceberg suddenly gasped for air, collapsed onto the floor, and heaved violently. His gaze unfocused, he slowly raised his head to look at Luo Zhiyuan, and it took a long time before he managed to say, "Just... just now... what... what happened?"

Luo Zhiyuan bowed to Iceberg with a face full of apology: "I am sorry, Uncle Iceberg! I just used a soul secret technique called Fear, which can shock the opponent's soul, causing them to temporarily lose their focus and control over their own body and spiritual consciousness. However, this was my first time using it on a person, and I didn't gauge the intensity well. I'm truly sorry for frightening you."

Knowing that this was Luo Zhiyuan's soul secret technique, Iceberg slowly calmed down. However, he could no longer remain indifferent in front of Luo Zhiyuan, and he still felt lingering fear: "Are you Illusionists... all this terrifying?"

Luo Zhiyuan thought for a moment and replied with a smile: "Illusionists with a heritage can master many soul secret techniques, so yes, they are indeed terrifying." He did not tell Iceberg that even if ordinary Illusionists of the same rank possessed soul secret techniques, they would not be as terrifying as he was. One had to know that he had fused many souls, and in terms of soul strength alone, he should have already reached the level of a Star-level powerhouse. The stronger an Illusionist's soul, the more powerful the effects of their secret techniques!