Mysterious Record

Meng Xuanji touched his faintly burning chest and took out the scroll he had tucked against his breast.

When Meng Xuanji unfurled the black scroll, it was no longer blank. Complete lines of text had already been written across it in red regular script.

"Three months from now, Bibi Dong will travel with Yue Guan, Gui Mei, and a group of Spirit Hall experts above the Soul Sage rank into the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt Xiao Wu's mother, a hundred-thousand-year Soft Bone Charm Rabbit."

Staring at the mysterious words that resembled a prophecy, Meng Xuanji abruptly sat up in bed and carefully examined the scroll in his hand.

"Strange. Why are there words on it now? Bibi Dong and I clearly inspected it for ages before, but there weren't any unusual signs."

"So how exactly is this thing used?"

As the thought surfaced in Meng Xuanji's mind, the words on the scroll changed once more.

Martial Soul: Mysterious Record

An object of karmic divination. It could calculate the secrets of heaven, measure the Dao, probe mysteries, or even alter another's fate. It could glimpse the world's origin through the Dao of destiny, unbound by heaven and earth. The price was merely a small portion of the holder's life essence, or the sweet, delicious blood of others.

First Soul Skill: Fate Divination

Effect: It could absorb the blood or soul power of powerful beings to provide the Mysterious Record with the energy needed for divination. Whenever the Martial Soul's holder harbored doubts, the Mysterious Record would calculate the secrets of heaven and provide the most accurate answer.

The further ahead the calculation reached, the more energy it consumed. If overloaded, it might even drain the holder's lifespan as repayment. Please use with caution.

Meng Xuanji's eyes widened as he looked at the ancient black soul ring.

This Martial Soul could even generate its own soul rings? It was a black soul ring, yet it did not look like an ordinary ten-thousand-year soul ring. It was probably some special kind of soul ring.

Also, its description explicitly stated that it could alter another person's fate. Could Hu Liena's Martial Soul mutation truly be connected to him?

"Is this my golden finger? It looks pretty powerful."

Perhaps because the Mysterious Record had absorbed Bibi Dong's blood and replenished its energy, Meng Xuanji could finally ask it some questions.

"Since that's the case, I'll start with a few simple questions as an experiment. Mysterious Record, Mysterious Record, tell me—what is Hu Liena doing right now?"

As Meng Xuanji formed the thought, the Mysterious Record immediately began calculating.

After only a few breaths, a line of red text emerged on the Mysterious Record.

"Hu Liena is bathing next door to her master. She is singing while fantasizing about how she should interact with her master during the day. If Master wishes to view a live image, you may choose to pay one year of your lifespan or consume one-tenth of a drop of Bibi Dong's blood."

"I refuse."

Spend a year of his lifespan just to watch someone bathe? He might as well barge into Hu Liena's room for a quick look and take a beating from her. That would be more worthwhile.

Meng Xuanji would never make such a ruinous deal.

"Still, Teacher's blood is quite useful. One drop can offset ten years of my lifespan. Doesn't that mean that once my cultivation grows stronger, I can use this Martial Soul at an extremely low cost?"

Meng Xuanji checked his reserves. Of Bibi Dong's original three drops of blood, one and a half drops remained. That was equivalent to fifteen years of his own lifespan.

In order to calculate the time Bibi Dong would head to the Star Dou Great Forest, the Mysterious Record had paid no small price as well.

"Mysterious Record, can the prophecies you provide be changed?"

"Yes. The content of a prophecy is merely the reality that is about to occur if Master does not interfere at all. Once Master intervenes, the prophecy's contents will change accordingly. Reversing destiny is precisely what the Mysterious Record excels at."

"However, if Master wishes to learn the new result, you need only pay another portion of life essence."

Meng Xuanji felt as though he were making a deal with a devil. Every other word was about his lifespan. Did it really want him dead that badly?

Still, once he considered its abilities, Meng Xuanji gradually accepted it.

Indeed, if a Martial Soul that possessed the power to alter fate and karma required no price at all, Meng Xuanji would instead feel uneasy.

His current, pitiful amount of soul power simply could not withstand the energy consumption required by the Mysterious Record's calculations.

"Then if I fought Tang San right now, what would my odds of winning be?"

"Replying to Master: insufficient energy. Would you like to pay an additional fifteen years of lifespan?"

"No."

Meng Xuanji was startled.

What the hell? Just because it involved Tang San, it would cost him thirty years of lifespan! Was that guy's luck really that absurdly monstrous?!

"Whew. As expected, a man who could grow into the Sea God could not possibly lack luck. Judging from this consumption, I can probably guess the outcome without calculating it."

If Meng Xuanji's guess was correct, if he encountered Tang San now, he would only be instantly defeated.

Tang San possessed an entire set of Tang Sect secret arts. He could probably kill Meng Xuanji with nothing more than a needle in hand.

One had to know that Tang San at this point could even defeat a juvenile Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.

Meng Xuanji let out a breath, sat cross-legged on the bed, and closely examined the black soul ring.

Looking carefully, this soul ring truly differed from ordinary ten-thousand-year soul rings. There were no light patterns on it, making its age impossible to discern. Nor did it emit any soul power fluctuations. At a glance, it was simply a glowing ring of light.

"Mysterious Record, how was this soul ring born? Explain it to me in the simplest, most straightforward, least long-winded, and most lifespan-saving way possible."

Meng Xuanji truly did not want to lose any of his lifespan. Bibi Dong's blood was not easy to obtain; getting those three drops had been pure dumb luck.

If he tried to obtain Bibi Dong's blood again, he might provoke her displeasure, and that would not be worth the cost.

So when it came to lifespan, he would save wherever he could.

"This is a Destiny Soul Ring, deeply bound to the Mysterious Record. Whenever Master's level reaches each ten-level threshold, it will automatically unlock a soul ring and grant a soul skill after absorbing a portion of energy."

"The soul ring's age can be raised by consuming energy supplied through blood. Because Bibi Dong's cultivation is powerful, the first soul ring has already reached the standard of twenty thousand years."

After saying that, the black soul ring transformed into a ten-thousand-year soul ring bearing two points of light.

Even without the Mysterious Record explaining it, Meng Xuanji could tell that it also possessed the ability to conceal a soul ring's age.

"Mm, that's somewhat similar to Tianmeng's ability. Not bad."

Meng Xuanji rubbed his chin a few times, then returned the Mysterious Record, which had twelve years of lifespan remaining, into his body.

He had basically received the answers to all the questions he needed to ask.

The most pressing issue before him was still finding a way to obtain the first soul ring for the Dark Blue Silver Emperor. Only by raising his cultivation could he truly control the heaven-defying divine artifact that was the Mysterious Record.

Otherwise, even with such a treasure in hand, Meng Xuanji would not dare use it casually. If he accidentally used up all his lifespan and dropped dead on the spot, it would be a huge joke.

"Next, I should think carefully about what kind of soul beast to choose for the Blue Silver Emperor."

"At the very least, I definitely won't choose a ten-year Solitary Bamboo. I'm not learning pole vaulting."