Hu Liena's Charm, Xiao Jin Shattered It with One Bite

"Did you see it clearly?"

"Part of it."

"Then practice."

Following Golden Crocodile's earlier movements, Chu Jin thrust out his heavy halberd.

The force of his first thrust was concentrated in his arms, with insufficient drive from his waist and abdomen.

His footing wobbled on the second thrust.

When he made the third thrust, his shoulders exerted force too early.

Golden Crocodile did not explain things over and over.

Whenever Chu Jin made a mistake, he directly struck the corresponding spot with his iron halberd.

"Waist."

Thud.

"Legs."

Thud.

"Relax your shoulders."

Thud.

The training continued until dusk.

Chu Jin's entire body ached, and his palms were covered in blood blisters.

His progress was equally obvious.

At first, he could only maintain a level thrust beneath the waterfall for ten breaths.

By evening, he could already endure for thirty breaths.

His basic sweeping strikes had also gone from relying entirely on his arms to gradually learning to use his waist and legs for momentum.

Golden Crocodile put away his iron halberd.

"Continue tomorrow."

Chu Jin was preparing to leave the training ground.

A streak of golden sword light suddenly flew over from afar and landed before him.

Qian Qinghe walked down the stone steps and entered the training ground.

Today, he had changed into a fitted white-and-gold outfit, with a longsword hanging at his waist.

"I heard you started training under Second Worship."

"I came to take a look."

Golden Crocodile glanced at him.

"You can watch, but don't hold up the training."

Qian Qinghe nodded.

"I want to spar with Chu Jin."

Chu Jin rolled his sore shoulders.

"Today?"

"Tired?"

The corners of Qian Qinghe's lips lifted slightly.

"If you're tired, we can do it another day."

There was clearly a hint of provocation in those words.

Chu Jin could tell.

He raised his five-hundred-jin heavy halberd.

"Come on."

Qian Qinghe did not use the Seraphim Martial Soul.

An ordinary light longsword appeared in his hand, and he suppressed his Soul Power to around level fifteen.

"I'll use level fifteen Soul Power."

"You can have Xiao Jin join in."

Chu Jin did not refuse.

An external beast Martial Soul was originally part of his combat system.

The spar began.

Qian Qinghe moved first.

He was fast and light on his feet. Rather than clash directly with the heavy halberd, his longsword constantly sought opportunities to attack from the sides.

Chu Jin turned in place, his heavy halberd covering a wide area before him.

Qian Qinghe's first two probes were both forced back by the halberd shaft.

The third time, he deliberately charged in from the left.

Chu Jin swept his heavy halberd to the left.

With a light tap of his foot, Qian Qinghe forcibly changed direction midair and thrust at Chu Jin's shoulder from the right.

Xiao Jin had been waiting.

It shot out from behind Chu Jin and slammed into Qian Qinghe's waist.

Qian Qinghe pressed his longsword downward, intending to force Xiao Jin back.

But Chu Jin withdrew his heavy halberd at that moment.

The butt of the halberd hooked upward from below toward the longsword.

Clang!

Qian Qinghe's wrist went numb, and his longsword veered aside.

Taking the opportunity, Xiao Jin pounced onto his shoulder, wrapped its front paws around his neck, and opened its mouth to bite his ear.

"Stop."

Qian Qinghe hurriedly spoke.

Xiao Jin's teeth were already pressed against his ear.

Hearing the command to stop, it could only close its mouth regretfully and jump from Qian Qinghe's shoulder back to the ground.

Chu Jin's heavy halberd had also stopped above Qian Qinghe's shoulder.

The first spar ended.

Qian Qinghe rubbed his wrist.

"Two against one."

"You were the one who told me to bring Xiao Jin."

"One more round."

Qian Qinghe was clearly unconvinced.

Once the second round began, he was even faster than before.

Although he still only used level fifteen Soul Power, the Seraphim Martial Soul within him began to circulate silently.

The physical enhancement granted by the light attribute was far beyond that of ordinary Martial Souls.

Qian Qinghe repeatedly circled around Xiao Jin and appeared behind Chu Jin in an instant.

Within his Double Pupils, the paths of golden Soul Power were clearly visible.

Before Qian Qinghe even changed direction, Chu Jin saw six nodes behind him light up at once.

He turned around a step early.

His heavy halberd lay across Qian Qinghe's path.

Qian Qinghe had just finished accelerating when the black halberd shaft was already before his chest.

He could only force himself to stop.

Less than half a foot remained between his body and the halberd shaft.

Chu Jin looked at the Seraphim Soul Power still not fully dispersed within him.

"You cheated."

Qian Qinghe's expression stiffened.

"I only used a little more of my Martial Soul's power."

"We agreed on an ordinary light longsword."

"I didn't release any other Martial Soul."

"Is that so?"

Chu Jin's gaze lingered behind him for a moment.

Alarm rose in Qian Qinghe's heart once more.

This guy really can see something!

On Chu Jin's fifth day after entering Spirit City,

both the Worship Hall and the Papal Hall had already learned of the effects of his first soul skill.

A child with thirteen Soul Power had defeated a level twenty-six agility-attack Soul Grandmaster head-on using Double Pupils and Holy Dragon Soul Suppression. Such a result stood out even among Spirit Hall's entire younger generation.

Bibi Dong did not personally go to the Worship Hall.

She sent Hu Liena to observe him.

When Hu Liena arrived at Chu Jin's courtyard, he had just finished his morning training.

He was still wearing a drenched training uniform, and several fresh bruises marked his arms and shoulders where Golden Crocodile's iron halberd had struck him.

Xiao Jin lay atop the stone table.

Six pieces of ore with different attributes were arranged before it.

Every time it took a small bite, Chu Jin recorded the changes to its body and Martial Soul in a notebook.

Hu Liena watched outside the courtyard gate for a while before taking the initiative to knock.

Chu Jin looked up.

The girl before him was around thirteen or fourteen. She wore the fitted uniform of the Spirit Academy, her neat black short hair falling around her face. Her features were exquisite, and the corners of her eyes tilted slightly upward, lending her an innate hint of charm.

"Hu Liena."

She introduced herself.

"His Holiness the Pope's disciple."

Chu Jin had read the records on Spirit Hall's younger generation at the Spirit City Library, so he naturally knew her.

"Chu Jin."

"I know."

Hu Liena entered the courtyard, her gaze falling first on Xiao Jin.

Xiao Jin hugged a chunk of Thunder-Pattern Copper and watched the stranger warily.

"Is that your first Martial Soul?"

"Mm."

"It looks rather cute."

Hu Liena reached out to pet it.

Xiao Jin immediately hid the Thunder-Pattern Copper behind its back and scooted away, clearly unwilling to let a stranger approach its food.

Hu Liena did not force the matter.

She sat across from Chu Jin and propped her chin on one hand.

"Can your Double Pupils see through mental soul skills?"

"It can see Soul Power structures."

"Whether it can break them depends on the gap between both sides' spiritual power."

Interest appeared in Hu Liena's eyes.

Her Demon Fox Martial Soul followed the path of mental charm.

Chu Jin's Double Pupils and Holy Dragon Soul Suppression happened to both restrain mental-type soul masters.

"Want to try?"

"Now?"

"Don't worry. I'll control my power."

As Hu Liena spoke, a faint pink glow had already appeared in her eyes.

The air seemed to gain a barely perceptible fragrance.

The courtyard before Chu Jin's eyes rapidly changed.

The stone table, ores, and house were all covered by a thin layer of pink mist.

Hu Liena still sat across from him, but her figure became blurred, while her voice seemed to come from all directions at once.

"Look at me."

Chu Jin raised his eyes.

Under the influence of her spiritual power, Hu Liena's face became even more exquisite, and every movement she made carried an intense allure.

This charm did not solely target romantic feelings between men and women.

It was more like magnifying the part of a target's heart that trusted most easily and least wished to guard against.

Chu Jin could see countless pink threads of Soul Power.

These threads extended from Hu Liena's body, connecting to the surrounding illusion while also attempting to entangle his mind.

Being able to see them did not mean he could ignore them completely.

Hu Liena's Soul Power Level and spiritual power were both far higher than Chu Jin's.

The pink threads continually tightened, and even the view through his Double Pupils gradually became disrupted.

The corners of Hu Liena's lips rose gently.

She had not used a soul skill, only released a small amount of her Martial Soul's charm.

Chu Jin's ability to hold on until now meant his mental strength was already quite remarkable.

"Do you surrender?"

Her voice sounded beside his ear.

Chu Jin did not answer.

In reality, Xiao Jin was lying on the stone table, eating Thunder-Pattern Copper.

After its master fell into a mental illusion, it still retained its independent consciousness.

Through their Martial Soul connection, Xiao Jin sensed that Chu Jin's mind had been invaded by an external force.

It raised its head.

Its first soul ring emerged beneath its body.

"Roar!"

Holy Dragon Soul Suppression erupted.

Golden mental ripples instantly swept across the courtyard.

Reality and illusion trembled at the same time.

The pink threads released by Hu Liena shook violently.

Xiao Jin did not stop.

It saw an illusory demon fox coiled around Chu Jin. Though it did not know what it was, it instinctively felt that the thing was bullying its master.

Xiao Jin pushed off with all four claws and lunged forward.

Mental Soul Power intersected with reality.

Xiao Jin bit down on the tail of the demon fox phantom.

Crack!

Hu Liena's body jolted violently.

It was as though a chunk of her externalized mental power had been forcibly torn away.

The pink mist in the courtyard rapidly dispersed.

Clarity returned to Chu Jin's eyes.

Hu Liena clutched her forehead, her face slightly pale.

Xiao Jin was holding a small clump of pink mental energy and opened its mouth, ready to swallow it.

"Spit it out."

Chu Jin spoke at once.

Xiao Jin froze.

Mental attributes were not within the range of what it could normally devour at its current stage.

If it truly swallowed that mouthful, no one knew what sort of reaction might occur.

Xiao Jin reluctantly opened its mouth.

The pink energy floated out and quickly dissipated again.

As Hu Liena watched this, the look in her eyes changed completely.

"It can bite my mental power?"

"It possesses independent consciousness."

Chu Jin examined Xiao Jin's body and confirmed that it had not suffered any mental backlash.

"As long as I don't retract it, it can continue fighting even if I'm trapped in an illusion."

Hu Liena rubbed her aching forehead.

The sensation of having a small piece of her mental power bitten off was extremely strange.

The injury was not serious, but she would still have a headache for a while.

"Again."

Chu Jin looked up at her.

"Are you sure?"

"I wasn't prepared just now."

Obvious fighting spirit flared in Hu Liena's eyes.

"This time, I'll drag both you and it into the illusion."

Xiao Jin understood that there would be another fight.

It swiftly stuffed the remaining Thunder-Pattern Copper into its mouth, jumped down from the stone table, and assumed a fighting stance.

The second mental spar began.

Hu Liena no longer underestimated Xiao Jin.

Pink mental power enveloped both Chu Jin and Xiao Jin at the same time.

The illusion became a vast forest.

Chu Jin and Xiao Jin appeared in different locations, and even the Martial Soul connection between them was obscured by mental power.

Hu Liena's demon fox phantom darted rapidly through the woods.

She intended to control Xiao Jin first, then focus her strength on suppressing Chu Jin.

Xiao Jin could not see through the illusion.

It ran back and forth through the forest, pouncing at empty air several times in a row before gradually becoming irritated.

Chu Jin, meanwhile, stood where he was.

His Double Pupils observed every tree, every leaf, and every wisp of pink mist.

No matter how realistic an illusion was, it still required mental Soul Power to sustain it.

The Soul Power threads from every part of the scenery ultimately converged on Hu Liena's location.

Chu Jin did not attack immediately.

Through their Martial Soul connection, he sent Xiao Jin an exceedingly simple command.

To the right.

Xiao Jin was chasing the demon fox phantom.

Upon receiving the command, it did not hesitate in the slightest. It abruptly changed direction and slammed into an ordinary tree on its right.

Hu Liena's pupils contracted slightly.

That tree was one of the illusion's connection nodes.

Xiao Jin crashed into it.

The tree shattered.

The entire illusion shook violently.

Chu Jin sent another direction.

Forward left.

Xiao Jin spread its golden wings and lunged out, crushing another mental node in its jaws.

Hu Liena moved swiftly.

But Chu Jin's Double Pupils remained locked onto the flow of Soul Power.

The third node.

The fourth node.

The forest within the illusion began to collapse across a wide area.

Hu Liena knew there was no point in maintaining it any longer and voluntarily dispelled the charm.

Reality reappeared.

Chu Jin was still sitting before the stone table.

Xiao Jin, meanwhile, stood behind Hu Liena with its two front paws resting on her shoulders, its mouth already aimed at the back of her head.

Hu Liena's body stiffened.

"Get it down."

Chu Jin beckoned.

Xiao Jin flapped its wings and flew back to his side.

"You won."

Hu Liena did not make excuses.

She had already taken the second round seriously, yet Chu Jin had still found the nodes through his Double Pupils and used Xiao Jin's independent consciousness to destroy the illusion from within.

In a real battle, she would have suffered backlash the moment the illusion collapsed.

Chu Jin did not think that winning one spar meant he could defeat Hu Liena head-on.

"You didn't use your soul rings."

"I used a soul skill. You might not have been able to block it."

Hu Liena smiled.

"Good that you know."

Footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate.

Qian Qinghe walked in.

She had originally intended to take Chu Jin to the library today, but the moment she reached the entrance, she saw Hu Liena and Chu Jin sitting across from each other.

Xiao Jin was still running back and forth between them.

"Hu Liena?"

Qian Qinghe's tone remained gentle.

"Why are you here?"

"I came to have a mental spar with Chu Jin."

Hu Liena stood up.

"His Double Pupils are more interesting than the records said."

Qian Qinghe looked at Chu Jin.

"Weren't you going to the library with me today?"

"It isn't time yet."

Chu Jin glanced at the sky.

"We agreed on the afternoon."

There was still more than an hour until the afternoon.

Qian Qinghe fell silent for a moment.

"Golden Crocodile Grandpa has arranged quite a bit of training for you. Too much sparring will affect your rest."

Hu Liena detected a hint of dismissal in her words.

Amusement flickered through her eyes.

"Chu Jin and I have already finished sparring."

"When there's time in the future, I'll come again."

Qian Qinghe was just about to refuse.

Chu Jin spoke first.

"Mental sparring helps cultivate my Double Pupils."

Qian Qinghe could only swallow the words that had reached her lips.

Hu Liena walked to the courtyard gate, then suddenly turned around and winked at Chu Jin.

"Next time, I'll use my first soul skill."

"Prepare yourself."

After she left, Qian Qinghe immediately took out a sheet of paper filled with arrangements.

"This afternoon, you'll study the soul beast compendium."

"Tomorrow, you'll learn the history of the Heaven Dou Empire."

"The day after tomorrow, you'll accompany me in swordsmanship training."

"The day after that, we'll go to the materials storehouse."

Chu Jin glanced over it.

His schedule, which had originally contained plenty of empty space, had now been packed full.

"Were these all just arranged?"

"Is there a problem?"

"No."

Chu Jin accepted the schedule.

As long as it could increase his strength, there was no harm in training more.

Only then did Qian Qinghe's mood improve a little.

Xiao Jin lay atop the stone table, glanced at Qian Qinghe, then looked in the direction Hu Liena had left.

It felt that the air had smelled a little strange just now.