Contracted Soul Spirit

"Human, is it you who dares to dream of contracting me?" The voice exploded directly within his mind, brimming with fury. "You have some nerve!"

Hearing this, Xiao Mu did not retreat in the slightest, though his eyes were filled with astonishment. The quality of this spirit far exceeded his expectations.

"You've got a big mouth for a bird." He steadied his mental energy amidst the scorching flames. "Do you think you're the Sun God?"

"Your tone is quite arrogant for a human, and you aren't the first to try and contract me." The crow's voice remained haughty as golden patterns surged in the void, incinerating the surrounding space.

"A king without a kingdom—is that even worthy of the title? You are nothing more than a fallen beast."

The Three-Legged Crow fell silent. Its black feathers stood still in the void, its eyes holding an indescribable emotion.

Then, it made the first move. Its feathers suddenly unfurled, and the golden patterns burned like raging fire, crashing straight toward Xiao Mu.

Xiao Mu did not dodge; if he dodged, he would lose the chance to form a contract.

He raised his hand and met the attack with a punch. The force was surprisingly great, actually knocking the crow back several feet.

"Contract with me," Xiao Mu's voice landed steadily within the vibrating mental space. "And you can become stronger. A hundred years, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand—even a million years in the future is possible."

"Human, prove yourself with your strength first!" The Three-Legged Crow changed its mind slightly.

Before the words had even faded, it lunged again. This time it was faster, leaving a long trail of fire in its wake like a falling sun.

Xiao Mu met it head-on. Fists and claws collided within the mental space, each clash sparking golden ripples.

"Not bad, much stronger than the trash before you! Since I'm stuck in this place anyway, I suppose I'll reluctantly follow you." The Three-Legged Crow remained arrogant, though it carried a hint of submission.

The next moment, a flash of white light erupted.

Xiao Mu opened his eyes and returned to reality.

Before him, the Three-Legged Crow emitted a faint golden glow.

The light was dim at first, like the first ray of dawn piercing the night. Then, it suddenly turned incandescent. The black feathers dissolved into the light, and the golden patterns transformed into countless fine specks of light that swirled and ascended, finally condensing into a stream of light that plunged straight into the center of Xiao Mu's brow.

The room remained silent for a long time.

It had succeeded. No, it was unbelievable—such a proud spirit had actually been successfully contracted.

Li Jing watched all of this without a word, though his inner thoughts were quite active.

This hot potato had finally been dealt with.

Xiao Mu stood where he was and closed his eyes.

A ball of fire ignited around him, and the temperature of the entire room rose sharply.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Mu opened his eyes. Deep within his pupils, a golden pattern flickered and vanished.

At his feet, a deep yellow spirit ring appeared, pulsing slowly as if breathing.

"A decent ability: changing the direction and magnitude of any force."

He took out a piece of black gold and activated his first spirit skill. A terrifying force attempted to tear the metal apart.

However, Xiao Mu's strength was not great, and it only managed to tear the metal into a few dozen pieces.

According to Xiao Mu's initial vision, he had intended to apply force to all particles. Was this spirit skill a disappointment? Could it not even manage decomposition?

It was truly sturdy.

The radius was ten meters, which would grow as his strength increased.

After all, he could also apply classical mechanics to people; as long as the force was great enough, he could give anyone the sleep of a baby.

Besides that, there was another piece of good news: the high-temperature flame Xiao Mu used to smelt alloys now had a source.

"How does it feel? Can you tell me the name of the spirit skill?" Li Jing asked.

"Not bad." Xiao Mu nodded and said, "The spirit skill is Royal Authority."

"Since it's finished, let's settle the payment first." Li Jing nodded, not pressing for more details, and produced the bill.

The cost of the spirit was not cheap. Xiao Ming glanced at the figures on the receipt, his expression unchanged as he swiped his card to pay.

When the two walked out of the Spirit Pagoda, the day had already turned to dusk, the sun setting in the distance.

The neon lights of East Sea City flickered on one by one, looking like an inverted sea of stars.

It was evident that Xiao Mu had spent an exceptionally long time absorbing the spirit.

Xiao Mu raised his hand, and a golden flame appeared on his palm. Jiang Nannan's spirit was the Rouge Soft-Muscle Python, which had learned Jiang Nannan's abilities.

He, on the other hand, had managed to use parts of his spirit's abilities directly.

However, none of that mattered. What mattered was that he could conduct better experiments in the future.

"Is that flame an ability of your spirit?" Xiao Ming noticed this and also knew that Xiao Mu's first spirit skill was for controlling the direction of force.

"Yes, I can use the spirit's abilities directly; it doesn't count as a spirit skill." Xiao Mu admitted frankly. He could use this true fire.

"I see. Let's head back then." Xiao Ming didn't ask further and went straight to the car to prepare for the trip home.

The time spent merging with the spirit had far exceeded his expectations.

It was time to go home for dinner. He knew his wife's cooking skills all too well; he had watched her put vegetables into a pot, and the water had turned purple the moment it started to boil.

Perhaps, that was a talent of its own.

The vehicle drove along the road toward the seaside villa. The setting sun slanted downward, casting a pattern of light and shadow across Xiao Mu's face.

Yet, he was not looking at the breathtaking scenery outside the window.

He closed his eyes.

His consciousness sank inward, arriving within his own body. Inside his mental world, a golden space had been carved out by the Three-Legged Crow, which was currently perched there.

"Living in quite a shabby place, aren't you?" Xiao Mu looked around.

"Tch, who told you your mental world was completely blank?" the Three-Legged Crow said with disdain.

"This is my mental world, which makes me the god of this realm." Xiao Mu raised his hand, and an ancient tree sprouted from the space before him.

He raised his hand.

The space in front of him began to twist, bulge, and grow. A massive, vigorous trunk, as dark as mysterious jade, rose from the void; its branches layered and stretched, its golden leaves as dense as flowing clouds.

The trunk was entwined with silver patterns, its roots coiled across the earth, the entire form covered in a soft glow, with spiritual essence hidden among the boughs.

An ancient tree stood just like that in the center of the golden space.

The Three-Legged Crow was stunned. It took flight from its perch and circled the ancient tree, looking quite delighted.

"You can actually do something like this!" Its voice held less arrogance and something else entirely.

"Because this is my sea of consciousness," Xiao Mu lowered his hand, "and I am its sole master. Given the knowledge I possess, surely I can imagine something as simple as a tree."

The crow landed on a branch, its black feathers contrasting with the golden leaves in a surprisingly harmonious way.

"Speak, why did you look for me?"

Xiao Mu smiled. "I wanted to ask what your name is. I can't just keep calling you Old Crow."

"You may call This Seat Cun Wu," the Three-Legged Crow said.

"This..." Xiao Mu felt the bird was a bit narcissistic, though he also knew those two characters held another meaning.

"That doesn't reflect your strength. Let me give you a title!"

"Speak!"

"True Monarch of the Solar Divine Court, Sovereign of the Dawn Wheel, Scorcher of the Void, Eternal Radiance, Suppressor of Demons and Exorcist of Evil."

Upon hearing this, Cun Wu memorized every word. "This title sounds pleasant to the ear. When I recruit underlings in the future, I shall make them call this True Monarch by it every single day."

Suddenly, the car slammed on the brakes.

The screech of tires pierced the twilight, and Xiao Mu opened his eyes, a look of confusion in their depths.

On the road ahead, several figures stood blocking the way. Seven or eight people wearing gaudy jackets with hair dyed in various colors—their aesthetic remained as advanced as ever.

They had formed a circle, and in the center, a smaller figure huddled, face obscured, with only a hem of a white skirt trembling in the wind.