A Bountiful Haul

Xiao Hongchen closed his eyes, paying no attention to the illusions.

In the mist, he peeled away the false auras layer by layer. The illusions were woven with such exquisite precision that even their auras had been simulated down to the finest detail. An ordinary Soul Master would have fallen for them long ago.

But Spiritual Power was still Spiritual Power.

No matter how exquisite the disguise, it had a source.

Xiao Hongchen's mental net slowly tightened. He followed the illusions back to their origin, like tracing a vine to find the gourd, probing deeper and deeper.

There.

Deep in the mist, a condensed, unscattered pulse of Spiritual Power marked the Phantom Spirit Fox's true body. It was hidden extremely well, compressing its aura until it was almost impossible to sense. Yet as it wove its illusions, it had left behind a thread of mental connection, fine as a strand of silk.

Right there.

A point of strange golden light flared on Xiao Hongchen's forehead. In that instant, it was as though the first light of dawn had suddenly appeared.

It was a golden eye, brilliant gold brimming with the radiance of fate. Its strange pupil held the majesty of heaven and earth, and beneath its gaze, even the air seemed to hum faintly.

"Fate, Judgment!"

A strange beam of light shot from the Eye of Fate straight toward the fox.

The Phantom Spirit Fox shuddered violently, unable to control itself. Then a deathly pale layer appeared over its head. In the next instant, that pallor peeled away into the shape of its own skull, floating above its head. More terrifying still, the eyes in the pale skull-shaped apparition glowed blood-red.

It had been judged by fate to be one of the forsaken!

Then a needle-sharp strand of Spiritual Power shot out, honed to its absolute limit, and struck the Phantom Spirit Fox with pinpoint accuracy.

"Eee—!"

A piercing shriek rang out from the mist. Unlike the false sounds of the illusions, this cry was filled with genuine pain.

The surrounding illusions shattered like glass and vanished. The pale purple mist thinned by more than half, revealing a silver-white figure: the Phantom Spirit Fox.

It was smaller than the illusion they had seen before, only a little bigger than an ordinary house cat. Its nine slender tails curled slightly, and the purple crystal on its forehead had gone dim. Under the Judgment of Fate, its mental defenses had been ignored, and the mental attack had wounded it.

Jing Hongchen gave it no chance to catch its breath.

The Soul Power pressure of a level ninety-four powerhouse crashed down like a tangible force. Then he used the level-eight restraint Soul Tool, the Dragon-Trapping Prison, to trap the Phantom Spirit Fox securely.

"Do it."

Xiao Hongchen stepped forward and crouched in front of the Phantom Spirit Fox.

He formed a metal spike over his right hand, then drove it through the crystal on its forehead. Under the Judgment of Fate, the crystal—which should have been hard as stone—was as fragile as tofu.

Its core, where it stored its Spiritual Power, shattered, and the Phantom Spirit Fox's soul instantly scattered.

Xiao Hongchen then sat cross-legged. A deep black Soul Ring slowly rose from the Phantom Spirit Fox's body, carrying gentle yet pure Spiritual Power as it gradually merged into him.

Unlike the agony he had felt while absorbing the Quicksilver Morph Beast's Soul Ring, this time Xiao Hongchen felt a surging flood of Spiritual Power.

Though the Phantom Spirit Fox's Spiritual Origin had been damaged, it was exceptionally pure. Still, countless tiny fragments of illusion were mixed into it, battering his consciousness and trying to plunge him into a brief state of disorientation.

But Xiao Hongchen's Spiritual Power far surpassed his physical strength. Absorbing a fifty-thousand-year-old spirit-type Soul Beast wasn't too difficult, and his vast Sea of Consciousness steadily bore the flood of Spiritual Power.

This time, the absorption didn't take long. After just one hour, the Black Soul Ring had completely merged into Xiao Hongchen's body. The Phantom Spirit Fox's body gradually turned transparent, then finally disappeared into the air.

He didn't get up right away. Instead, he sat quietly for a while, feeling the power of the new Soul Skill within him.

Xiao Hongchen named his second Soul Skill Mirror Flower Water Moon.

It could perfectly mimic the appearance, aura, and Soul Power fluctuations of any living being he had ever seen. It wasn't merely a visual trick; it was a complete replica that could fool even mental perception. Changing the color and number of his Soul Rings was child's play.

The advanced version involved splitting off some of his Spiritual Power to form a clone in place. The clone moved according to his will. Though it had no physical body, it looked exactly like his true self on the surface. He could hide the real him away, or mimic a tiny creature like an ant to launch a surprise attack on his enemies.

Of course, it was still a support-type Soul Skill.

It couldn't directly increase his attack power, and the clone only had a portion of his true strength. It could easily be defeated, exposing the real him.

But for an artillery-mage, making sure the enemy could never find the real him was more useful than having one more Soul Cannon.

With a slight movement of his Spiritual Power, Xiao Hongchen's appearance quietly changed. At one moment, he looked like Jing Hongchen; the next, he had become the Phantom Spirit Fox.

"Not bad. It's even better than I expected. I can't spot anything wrong, even standing right beside you."

Jing Hongchen came forward, his eyes full of approval.

Xiao Hongchen stretched lazily. His Soul Power had also risen to level fifty-four. Having two Martial Souls really was great; absorbing Soul Rings made his Soul Power shoot up.

If he absorbed three more Soul Rings, wouldn't he be close to the Soul Emperor level?

In the original story, Vina had only reached the Soul Emperor level before the second Soul Master Tournament after helping her Brain Martial Soul absorb six Black Soul Rings. And less than five years earlier, she had only been level thirty.

But Xiao Hongchen wouldn't do something like that. If not for some hidden need, he wouldn't have added Soul Rings at this stage at all.

"But this Soul Skill is interesting. I guess I can call myself an illusion master now."

The two didn't stay in the Jingyang Mountain Range for long. They soon flew back to the Ming Capital.

Hongchen Duke Mansion.

"I'm back."

At the sound of his voice, Meng Hongchen rushed into Xiao Hongchen's arms, her silver-white hair spilling over his face.

"Why did this Soul Hunt take so long? I can't stand being without you for even a single day, big brother."

As she spoke, she shot a wink at Ye Guyi beside them.

Ye Guyi stood beneath the corridor, pretending not to notice.

"Ah, don't ask."

Xiao Hongchen rolled his stiff shoulders.

"Spirit-type Soul Beasts are really hard to find. We spent four nights sleeping rough in the Jingyang Mountain Range. It's good to be home."

Meng Hongchen stepped out of his arms, folded her hands in front of her, and gave a slight curtsy.

She cleared her throat:

"Please enjoy your bath, young master. The water is just the right temperature, and I've prepared your favorite flower petals. May this servant scrub your back for you?"

Xiao Hongchen looked at her expressionlessly.

"Where did you learn that?"

"In a novel." Meng Hongchen straightened up, returning to her usual grinning self. "Well? How was that?"

"Not convincing."

"What wasn't convincing?"

"You weren't wearing a maid outfit. That's the most essential part."

Meng Hongchen blinked.

"That's an extra service. It costs more."

Xiao Hongchen ignored her and headed for the bath. As he passed Ye Guyi, he nodded to her.

He really was a little tired.

"Xiao, remember to come to the final assessment next Friday. I've specially arranged it, so be prepared."

Jing Hongchen's voice came from behind him.

"Sure."

Xiao Hongchen didn't stop, merely waving to show that he'd heard.

He walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

The final assessment?

In the past, the assessments had been nothing more than competing with students in the same year over Soul Tool crafting and arena battles.

Crafting? He could take first place with his eyes closed. Arena battles? He had even beaten Ji Juechen. Who in his year could withstand one serious punch from him? He only hoped Grandpa would act normal and not make it too difficult for him.

After lounging happily in the bath for half an hour, Xiao Hongchen was thoroughly satisfied. He changed his clothes and stretched, his bones and muscles giving off a faint series of crackles. Then he ambled into the hall.

There wasn't much time left in the day. He had no plans to cultivate or make Soul Tools, and decided to properly unwind for the first time in a while.