Lie Xu continued.
"Besides greatly enhancing my mental strength and protecting my consciousness from attacks by those whose mental strength far surpasses mine, this Fate Head Bone can passively nullify three mental attacks a day, regardless of the attacker's level.
"It also gave me the ability to control fate. I can condense an Eye of Fate between my brows, which sees through illusions and straight to the source. Illusions are basically useless against me.
"Moreover, during a fight, I can use this Eye of Fate to unleash Fate Verdict, inflicting bad luck on my opponent. It makes their Soul Power sluggish and their movements clumsy, giving me an opening.
"Anyone struck by the Eye of Fate's Fate Verdict will have a run of bad luck for a while."
"Huh? A run of bad luck?"
When Qian Renxue heard this, her small cherry-red lips parted slightly in shock.
"That's right."
Lie Xu nodded and continued, "It depends on a person's fortune. Someone with good fortune might choke easily while drinking water or lose focus while cultivating Soul Power.
"But someone with poor fortune might suffer Ring Detonation while absorbing a Soul Ring, draw the hostility of other people or Soul Beasts, or even get attacked..."
Now, not only Qian Renxue but everyone around them fell silent.
What kind of ridiculous thing was this? Could a person really possess such a disgusting skill?
It was practically a case of whoever he glared at suffering misfortune. And the victim wouldn't even know they'd been sabotaged...
As they spoke, they had already arrived at the second stop on their journey—Iron Paulownia Forest.
As the name suggested, the trunks of these paulownia trees were incredibly dense and hard as iron. Ordinary tools couldn't even scratch them.
Even a small branch falling to the ground rang out like clashing metal.
The trees were difficult to ignite, but once lit, they burned for a long time. They produced no flames or smoke, only a faint, pleasant scent of plants.
That was why they were often used to heat the rooms of nobles in winter.
But not every noble could afford them. Only the most powerful and wealthy, those at the very top of society, could.
Not only did the trees grow deep in the Star Dou Great Forest, but Soul Masters had to be hired to cut them down.
More importantly, a flock of birds that fed exclusively on Iron Paulownia Tree fruit lived here: the Golden Scale Birds.
These birds nested in the crowns of the towering Iron Paulownia Trees. Some lived alone, while others lived in family groups. Each tree was the territory of the Golden Scale Birds living in its branches.
Cutting down even one tree would attract the Golden Scale Birds above. Make too much noise, and there was a good chance of provoking the birds in the surrounding trees as well.
That was what made the Iron Paulownia Tree so precious.
Golden Scale Birds fed on Iron Paulownia Tree seeds from a young age. Their soft feathers gradually hardened, turning into something like scales.
And because they lived in the treetops year-round and were close to light-attribute Soul Power, they were called Golden Scale Birds.
The group slowly entered the depths of Iron Paulownia Forest, doing their best not to disturb the Golden Scale Birds in the surrounding trees.
"Xue'er, look over there."
Qian Renxue followed the direction Lie Xu was pointing.
"A Golden Scale Bird!"
She exclaimed softly.
The Golden Scale Bird was curled up in its nest in the treetop, Soul Power surging through its body in great waves.
"Is it breaking through?"
"Yes."
Chi Yuan looked up and continued, "And it's about to break through the four-thousand-year mark."
"Four thousand years?!"
Golden Scale Birds' feathers began to harden after a hundred years. After a thousand years, their entire bodies became covered in hardened feathers. Once they broke through, a golden ring appeared on their feathers; at two thousand years, they had two rings, and so on. By ten thousand years, their feathers would be almost pure gold...
Everyone looked up. Sure enough, a fourth golden ring was just about to form on the Golden Scale Bird's feathers.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's attack now, while it's weak! Strike while the iron is hot!"
As soon as Qian Renxue finished speaking, she was about to summon her Martial Soul and ambush the Golden Scale Bird at the crucial moment of its breakthrough.
"Wait a little longer."
Lie Xu reached out and stopped Qian Renxue from advancing.
"Brother Xu, what are we waiting for? Isn't this the best time to attack?"
Qian Renxue was confused. This Golden Scale Bird was about to break through the four-thousand-year mark, a few hundred years older than the one she had planned to hunt.
But that shouldn't be a big problem. She was already a One-Ring Soul Master, and between the Soul Power gained from her First Soul Ring and the boost from the 99,999-year-old Soul Bone in her Angel God Suit, she had already reached about level twenty-six.
So although it was risky, it wouldn't be too dangerous. If they passed this one up, it would take plenty of effort to find another suitable Soul Beast.
"Let it break through first."
Lie Xu narrowed his eyes.
"But won't it be even harder to hunt then?"
Qian Renxue's head was full of questions.
"Trust me. If we're lucky, you'll get a little surprise."
Qian Renxue pouted, but could only wait. Her Brother Xu must have had his reasons, and she trusted him.
The group waited quietly beneath the tree. This Golden Scale Bird had a solid foundation, and in just two hours, it successfully broke through and entered the ranks of four-thousand-year Soul Beasts.
"Chirp!"
Having successfully broken through, the Golden Scale Bird let out a joyful cry, completely unaware of the dozen pairs of watchful eyes beneath the tree.
"Now! Attack!"
The instant the Golden Scale Bird cried out, Lie Xu activated the skill of his Fate Skull—Fate Verdict!
An invisible force of fate struck the bird as it called.
The Golden Scale Bird had lived for thousands of years, and its nest, woven together from Iron Paulownia Wood, suddenly fell apart. Caught off guard, it tumbled down with the collapsing nest.
On the way down, it repeatedly slammed into the branches of the Iron Paulownia Tree, leaving it no room to adjust its posture. It fell straight from the towering tree, a hundred zhang tall.
Before it hit the ground, Qian Renxue had already summoned her Martial Soul at the very instant Lie Xu was born.
"First Soul Skill, Dance of Holy Light!"
Qian Renxue soared into the air and performed a stunning dance, sending a dense flurry of white-gold feathers of light and blades of light at the Golden Scale Bird.
The attacks rang out against its scales, hard as metal.
With so little room to move, the Golden Scale Bird couldn't defend itself effectively and could only endure the blows.
By the time it hit the ground, it was covered in wounds. The instant it landed, Lie Xu activated the domain skill of the Soul Bone in his torso—Ten Thousand Beasts.
The moment the domain unfolded, Qian Renxue followed with her Soul Bone Skill—Angel's Light.
Their teamwork was incredibly smooth and well-practiced. The Golden Scale Bird was already on the verge of death. As it watched the humans approach, its eyes filled with utter hatred. This should have been the joyous day it advanced, but those detestable humans had ambushed it and killed it...
After Qian Renxue ended the Golden Scale Bird's life, she sat down on the ground and began absorbing its four-thousand-year, deep-purple Soul Ring.
This time went much more smoothly than the last. As soon as Qian Renxue finished absorbing it, Lie Xu hurried over to inspect the Golden Scale Bird's corpse.
"This is..."
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