Indifference

The Silent Form Mouse before Jiang Ci'an was the largest Silent Form Mouse King he had encountered after traveling from one place to another in search of them for over a month and visiting eight different colonies.

Its cultivation was close to five hundred years, making it about the limit of what Jiang Ci'an could absorb at present.

"This Soul Beast's ability suits me very well," Jiang Ci'an said seriously.

Xiao Shan was at a loss for words.

A Soul Ring would accompany a Soul Master for their entire life, so every Soul Master hoped that each Soul Ring they absorbed would be as close to perfect as possible.

He wanted to talk his junior out of it. After all, in his decades of experience, hardly anyone had ever used a Silent Form Mouse as a Soul Ring.

But...

When he thought of his junior's Martial Soul, named "World," and the child's usual steady nature, the words died on his lips.

This child wasn't the sort to gamble with his own future.

Xiao Shan fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded.

"All right. I'll guard you."

Jiang Ci'an understood. He raised a hand and ended the little mouse's peaceful life.

A clear yellow Soul Ring emerged from the mouse's corpse. Without hesitation, Jiang Ci'an sat cross-legged and began absorbing it.

The Soul Ring was drawn toward him, circling his body. Its clear yellow light gradually seeped into him, while faint Soul Power fluctuations rippled through the area, calm and steady.

The people around them spread out to stand guard. The two Soul Kings took up positions on either side, keeping watch over their surroundings.

Xiao Shan stood closest, his gaze sharp and focused, ready to respond to any sudden turn of events.

Xiao Xiao sat nearby, her arms wrapped around her knees and her emerald eyes fixed intently on Jiang Ci'an. Her little face was full of concentration.

Time trickled by.

One hour.

Two hours.

The whole process went unexpectedly smoothly. Jiang Ci'an showed no sign of discomfort and seemed completely at ease.

At one point, the aura around him briefly faltered, then settled again, steadier than before.

He opened his eyes.

A golden glimmer flashed through his eyes, then vanished. He looked much the same as before, but his presence seemed somehow fainter.

It was as if a conspicuous piece of jade had been covered in a stony shell and tossed into a pile of rocks, where it no longer stood out.

But moments later, the feeling faded on its own. Everything returned to normal, as though it had been nothing more than an illusion.

Jiang Ci'an slowly lowered his eyes and looked at the clear yellow Soul Ring quietly circling him.

Light shimmered in his golden pupils.

Elder Xiao had already hurried over, his expression tinged with anxiety.

"How did it go? What's your Soul Skill like? Nothing went wrong, did it?"

Jiang Ci'an came back to himself and looked at the nervous Elder Xiao. He answered gently,

"Don't worry, Grandpa Xiao. I'm fine. Nothing went wrong."

"That's good..."

Xiao Shan let out a small sigh of relief, his tense shoulders visibly relaxing. But right after that, he couldn't help asking,

"So, what Soul Skill did you get?"

Jiang Ci'an smiled and answered softly,

"'Indifference.'"

One day later.

Inside the carriage returning to Shrek City.

The wheels rumbled rhythmically over the main road. Soft light filled the carriage as the scenery outside shifted from dense woods to fields, then from fields to increasingly frequent clusters of buildings.

Shrek City was close now.

Jiang Ci'an leaned against the carriage wall, eyes lowered as he studied the clear yellow Soul Ring slowly turning in front of him, his gaze thoughtful.

His First Soul Skill was called "Indifference."

Its ability wasn't complicated. In short, it...

Erased his presence.

While the effect was active, anyone else would look right past him.

This wasn't invisibility. Invisibility made him disappear from sight, while "Indifference" made him disappear from people's awareness.

When he used "Indifference," his figure could still be right there in front of someone.

But their minds would automatically overlook him, treating him like an unremarkable stone in the background or an insignificant leaf.

Even if he reached out and touched someone, or did something even more outrageous, they wouldn't react at all.

As for the other effects... he could sum them up in two words.

It worked.

Of course, this Soul Skill wasn't infallible.

Against someone whose Soul Power Level far surpassed his, such as Elder Xiao, a Soul Douluo, it was basically of little use. His opponent could still sense his presence clearly.

Against a Soul King, its effectiveness would also be greatly reduced.

Though they would indeed be very likely to overlook him, they wouldn't go so far as to fail to see him. They would still be able to detect him.

But if he used it on Xiao Xiao, whose level was about the same as his...

There was no flaw at all.

Jiang Ci'an looked away, unable to stop himself from grumbling inwardly.

I suppose this is what you'd expect from World Modulation Mode. It really is indecent. Just leaving this ability lying around is practically inviting people to commit crimes...

As he thought this, his golden eyes glimmered faintly, and his gaze drifted unconsciously to his side.

Xiao Xiao was sitting beside him, eyes closed as she meditated.

The petite girl sat upright, her breathing long and steady. Her dark green hair fell over her shoulders, and her pale blue-green top rose and fell gently with each breath.

Under "Perspective," everything about Xiao Xiao was laid bare.

Of course, he meant the flow of Soul Power within Xiao Xiao's body.

After absorbing his First Soul Ring, his "Perspective," which had originally been limited to himself, had grown stronger. It could now cover an area two meters around him.

Within that distance, he could sense the direction and strength of the energy flowing nearby, as well as the paths along which other people's Soul Power moved through their bodies.

For example, right now he could clearly see Soul Power flowing steadily through Xiao Xiao's meridians, nourishing her body bit by bit.

It seemed that as his level rose and he absorbed more Soul Rings, his Martial Soul would continue to grow stronger.

Jiang Ci'an pondered this, then drew back his gaze and closed his eyes. His breathing steady, he naturally entered a meditative state, just like Xiao Xiao beside him.

A familiar sensation of falling swept over him, like a pebble sinking silently into deep water and descending into another dimension.

Soon, everything around him came into focus.

Soft Blue Silver Grass covered the ground beneath his feet. In the distance stood Notting Academy's gray-white stone walls. The air carried a faint scent of grass, and warm sunlight streamed down.

Jiang Ci'an opened his eyes. His golden pupils lit up in the world of consciousness.

After entering this world so many times, Jiang Ci'an had grown used to the disorientation.

He first looked around to make sure no one else was nearby, then immediately tried to summon his Soul Ring.

The next moment, he saw the clear yellow Soul Ring appear around him and turn slowly. Jiang Ci'an felt reassured.

This proved one more thing: in this Virtual World, his strength was an exact copy of his real-world self, and he could use his Soul Skills as usual.

That meant he had many more ways to act in this world.

"Now, time to test this."

Jiang Ci'an murmured, and the Soul Ring at his side shone.

"Indifference" activated.