The instant Qin Chuan's fingertips touched the Blue Silver Emperor's leaves, a gentle, loving consciousness filled with endless sorrow and longing flowed into his heart.
It was Ah Yin's consciousness.
She was like a prisoner locked in a cage, day after day, year after year, silently waiting in this cold, damp cave—for her husband, for her child.
Her world held nothing but endless darkness and loneliness.
How pitiful. That drunkard Tang Hao left you here and never looked back. And that unfilial son, Tang San, only wants to use your power to take revenge and become a god. When have they ever truly cared about how you feel?
A trace of pity stirred in Qin Chuan's heart, but more than that, he felt the thrill of soon controlling someone else's fate.
His First Spirit Ability, Shadow Hypnosis, activated without a sound.
This time, he didn't construct any complicated dream or give her any instructions.
He simply sent her the purest, most beautiful scene in his heart.
Inside the dream.
An endless sea of multicolored flowers stretched to the edge of the horizon.
There was no cold cave, no deafening waterfall.
Only warm sunlight, a gentle breeze, and the heart-stirring fragrance of flowers filling the air.
The wind swept through, sending waves of blossoms rolling like a colorful ocean.
Ah Yin's consciousness took the form of a beautiful, gentle woman in a blue dress. Barefoot, she stood in the middle of the sea of flowers, a trace of bewilderment on her face.
Just then, a blurred silhouette slowly approached from the far end of the flower field.
"I've come to take you home."
Outside the dream, inside the cave.
The Blue Silver Emperor, which had once radiated sorrow, now glowed with unprecedented warmth and joy. Golden patterns on its leaves shone brightly.
It was immersed in the beautiful dream Qin Chuan had woven for it, temporarily forgetting the pain of reality.
Qin Chuan knew that hypnosis of this degree wouldn't last long for the soul of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
He had done it to give her some warmth.
Carefully, Qin Chuan dug up the special Blue Silver Grass, roots and all.
Then, with a thought, he wrapped it in Heavenly Dao Power and placed it inside his Space Soul Tool.
He spread a thick layer of the richest soil in one corner of the Soul Tool's space.
Then he brought over a stream of clear spring water and soaked the soil.
Only after that did he carefully transplant the Blue Silver Emperor in his hands into the new home he had made with his own hands.
Once everything was done, Qin Chuan finally let out a long breath of relief.
Rest here for now. When I'm strong enough, I'll definitely help you come back to life.
Qin Chuan put away the Space Soul Tool, took one last look at the empty cave, then quickly left.
Holy Soul Village wasn't far from the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. With his current speed as a Level 55 Soul King, it wouldn't take long.
He passed through several small towns along the way but didn't stop. He bought some provisions, clean water, and a few daily necessities, then continued on his way.
By the time he returned to the Star Dou Great Forest, it was already afternoon.
Qin Chuan had come back with a clear purpose: to give Illusion Bell its third Spirit Ring.
He began considering his next move.
Twin Martial Souls sounded impressive, but putting the idea into practice took a lot of thought.
Teacher Gangzi had once explained that the greatest taboo for a Soul Master with Twin Martial Souls was greed. Giving both Martial Souls Spirit Rings at the same time consumed more than twice the Soul Power of a single Martial Soul. At higher levels, there could even come a point when their Soul Power wasn't enough to sustain both Martial Souls at once.
Hardly anyone in class had paid attention.
Qin Chuan had, though at the time he hadn't known he had Twin Martial Souls. He'd simply treated Teacher Gangzi's theory lessons as entertainment.
Who would've thought he'd need them three years later?
Yu Xiaogang's theory boiled down to one sentence: give Spirit Rings to only one Martial Soul early on, and hold back on the other. Once the body, Soul Power, and spiritual power were strong enough, add high-year Spirit Rings to the second Martial Soul.
This was called "suppressing Spirit Rings."
Qin Chuan's situation was as follows.
The Zhu Xian Sword already had a 25,000-year black Spirit Ring, from the Golden-Patterned Sword-Toothed Tiger. He'd added this ring first to boost his offensive power.
Now that his survival was no longer a concern, it was time to give Illusion Bell a Spirit Ring.
Illusion Bell currently had two Spirit Rings, both white and ten-year-level.
The first came from a Hallucination Mushroom. Its Spirit Skill was Shadow Hypnosis, a white ring of 88 years.
The second came from a Dream Jellyfish. Its Spirit Skill was Sinful Haze, a white ring of 99 years.
The third Spirit Ring would still be white!
As for the Zhu Xian Sword, he wouldn't add another Spirit Ring for now.
Once he reached Soul Douluo, he would find a way to get a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring and skip straight to the top.
Qin Chuan glanced up at the dark forest and smiled.
"Teacher Gangzi, your theory really is useful. Even though you once advised me to become a sleep coach, you were still giving me advice based on my actual circumstances."
"You just never imagined that your least promising student would become a Level 55 Soul King."
Qin Chuan began searching for a target.
All around him, the forest rustled. Insects chirped, beasts called, and leaves whispered in the wind, blending into a single chorus.
Qin Chuan didn't activate his Samsara Eye.
He needed to conserve his Soul Power. The Samsara Eye was useful, but keeping it open for too long consumed Soul Power. He planned to activate it once he reached the middle reaches of the forest.
There weren't many Soul Beasts in this forest that suited Illusion Bell.
As he walked, Qin Chuan sifted through the kinds of Soul Beasts he knew. Mushrooms, jellyfish, flowers and plants—he considered any Soul Beast with ties to mental control.
But none of them seemed quite right.
Darkness fell, and the forest's light faded quickly.
The tree canopies overlapped overhead, forming a dark, oppressive roof. A few scattered glimmers slipped through the gaps and fell to the ground in little patches, like shards of a broken mirror.
Insects began chirping more densely. Crickets, katydids, and countless others whose names he didn't know joined in a lively racket.
Qin Chuan deactivated his Samsara Eye, relaxed, and wandered slowly through the outer reaches of the forest.
He was looking for something.
He'd been thinking for a long time about the target for Illusion Bell's third Spirit Ring, but still hadn't settled on one.
As he walked, he thought it over, his pace unhurried, his steps making a faint rustle on the decaying leaves.
After about twenty minutes, he stopped.
A small bird perched on a low branch a dozen meters ahead.
It was tiny, no bigger than a palm. Its feathers were pink, a delicate, almost translucent pink, as if someone had crushed peach blossoms and smeared them all over its body. Its head was tucked beneath one wing, as if it were dozing.
Just an insignificant little bird.
In the Star Dou Great Forest, even the lowest-level Soul Beasts wouldn't spare it a glance.
But Qin Chuan's eyes lit up.
The Sorrow Bird.
He had come across a record of this Soul Beast in an old book at Shrek Academy's library.
There was little information—barely half a page—because the bird was so weak that almost no Soul Master would consider it a hunting target.
It lived no longer than 99 years, had no combat ability or defenses, and flew at an ordinary speed.
But it possessed an exceptionally unusual innate Spirit Skill.
Qin Chuan slowly approached the branch.
When he was five meters away, the Sorrow Bird woke. It poked its head out from beneath its wing and fixed its round black eyes on him, its tiny body tensing.
It could sense the Soul Power radiating from the human before it. The pressure made its feathers stand on end.
Qin Chuan didn't rush to act. He stood where he was and studied the little bird.
The Sorrow Bird really was pitifully small. Beneath its pink feathers, its chest rose and fell as its heart beat rapidly. Its wings were half-spread, its claws gripping the branch so tightly that it trembled slightly.
Qin Chuan swept it with his Samsara Eye.
66 years.
Historical records put the Sorrow Bird's maximum lifespan at 99 years. At 66, this one was already old.
I'm here for your Spirit Ring, Qin Chuan said to himself, as if giving it a warning in advance.
He raised his left hand, palm facing the Sorrow Bird.
"Bansho Ten'in!"
A force of attraction seized the Sorrow Bird out of nowhere. Its claws instantly slipped from the branch, and its palm-sized body flew helplessly toward Qin Chuan's hand.
"Chirp!" The Sorrow Bird let out a shrill cry.
It wasn't an ordinary birdcall.
Qin Chuan heard a bird's cry with his ears, but something else struck straight into his mind.
The cry was like a string drawn tight and then snapped. It wasn't loud, yet it pierced his eardrums and skull, stabbing straight into the deepest part of his brain.
The Sorrow Bird activated its innate Spirit Skill—Flowers Falling in a Dream.
Qin Chuan didn't resist. Instead, he wanted to experience the mental attack brought on by the Sorrow Bird.