Dreamshock

"Hahaha! Huo Yuhao, look at you now!"

Xiao Yan threw his head back and laughed. At last, he could vent all the pent-up frustration he'd been suppressing for years!

Huo Yuhao, kneeling on one knee, seemed to say something, but Xiao Yan couldn't make it out. So he strode over to him, Heavenly Flame flickering at his fingertips as it vaporized every shard of ice scattered around them.

"Who would've thought there were ten Heavenly Flames hidden in this desert? They let me break straight through to Dou Sheng, hahaha! Who's the little brother now?"

Xiao Yan was positively smug as he looked down at the kneeling Huo Yuhao. "What was it you just said?"

"I said you're having a pretty beautiful dream!"

"Still talking tough? I told you before, never bully a young man for being poor! Now the wheel of fortune has turned, and it's finally my..." Before he could finish, Xiao Yan grinned wickedly and raised his hand to smack Huo Yuhao on the backside.

"Huh? This doesn't feel right."

"Of course it doesn't. I've already ended the Simulation."

The world around them warped, and the scene changed in an instant. The ice shards and Heavenly Flames all disappeared, and Huo Yuhao before him turned into a rock.

"Ow—!" Pain shot through Xiao Yan's hand. He clutched his right hand and hopped around on the spot.

Huo Yuhao watched Xiao Yan grimace in pain, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. After several days of improving the Simulation Soul Skill, he'd begun to gain control over the five senses. Recalling Xiao Yan's smug, self-satisfied face in the illusion, a cold curve slowly formed at the corner of Huo Yuhao's lips...

A chill crept up Xiao Yan's back. Seeing Huo Yuhao crack his knuckles with a sinister grin, Xiao Yan's voice trembled. "You made that illusion, didn't you? This has nothing to do with me... Don't come any closer!"

After some roughhousing, Xiao Yan clutched his backside and shed tears of regret. "You little... Huo Yuhao, you baited me into a trap! I'll remember this grudge!"

"Brother Yuhao, how did you do that?" Xiao Yi Xian asked, full of curiosity. "Xiao Yan and I have both opened our Spiritual Seas, so why couldn't we resist at all?"

"Huo, that illusion of yours was so absurd, yet I didn't notice a thing. It's truly strange." Hai Bodong was just as baffled. These past few days, Huo Yuhao's illusions had left them dizzy and reeling, as if they'd been sent to heaven and back.

"One thing at a time." Huo Yuhao explained, "Simulation and the Qi Control Art alone can't do this, and they consume too much energy. So I tried using Mental Sharing to control the five senses. Simulation can't control the five senses, but a person's own consciousness can. I use Simulation to construct the surroundings, then use Mental Sharing to send them into the other person's consciousness, replacing the real world they perceive."

Huo Yuhao paused, giving them a moment to understand, then continued, "Your Spiritual Realms are weaker than mine, Xian'er and Xiao Yan, so of course you couldn't resist. As for why you didn't notice anything wrong with the surroundings, Simulation can't control the five senses, but it can influence the sixth sense and the subconscious. When even your consciousness is being influenced, how could you realize the illusion was unreasonable?"

"Wouldn't that make you unbeatable in battle?" Hai Bodong exclaimed.

"Not quite." Huo Yuhao considered the question, then said, "Anyone with a higher spiritual or soul realm than mine won't be affected. Also, spiritual power is essentially a form of energy. If they unleash their soul power or spiritual power with all their might—or even their Dou Qi—they can force my spiritual power out."

As Huo Yuhao explained how to counter his new skill, Yao Chen, who had been secretly listening from the shadows, quietly set up a Soul Barrier to prevent anyone else who might be nearby from overhearing.

"By the way, Huo, calling this move Simulation doesn't really suit it anymore. Why not give it a new name?" Hai Bodong suddenly suggested.

"Hmm, I've decided to call it 'Dreamshock in the Void—Kyoka Suigetsu'! What do you think?"

After a brief silence, Hai Bodong suddenly praised it. "Dreamshock, you say? That's a good name."

"All right, time to get moving. We're almost at Stone Desert City." Huo Yuhao was used to his naming rights being snatched away by now, so he paid it no mind. He quietly hauled Xiao Yan up from where he lay on the ground eavesdropping, considerately helped him strap on the Profound Heavy Ruler, then pinched his mouth open and poured him a bottle of improved Bloodburn.

"Cough, cough! Huo Yuhao, are you trying to kill me?" Xiao Yan nearly choked. After coughing for a while, he pushed Huo Yuhao aside and headed for Stone Desert City first.

Xiao Yan strode along briskly, a far cry from the miserable state he'd been in just a few days ago when Bloodburn had tormented him half to death. Huo Yuhao watched him for a while and nodded thoughtfully. Looks like he's adapted. I can give him a few more bottles on the way back.

They chatted and laughed along the way, until the outline of a city built from piled stone slowly appeared. Stone Desert City had arrived.

"Phew—we finally made it. Let's go in." Xiao Yan pulled off his sand-covered outer robe, deliberately showing off his Alchemist Badge as he headed into the city.

"What is he doing?" Xiao Yi Xian asked.

"Trying to save on the entrance fee," Huo Yuhao explained.

"Doesn't he know Stone Desert City doesn't even charge an entrance fee?" Hai Bodong said, at a loss for words.

Once they entered the city, they saw fully armed soldiers patrolling everywhere. After asking around, Huo Yuhao and the others headed south. After turning down several streets, a compound nearly as large as the Xiao Clan's estate in Wutan City came into view.

A flag fluttered above the compound, bearing the words Desert Iron Mercenary Corps. It seemed to radiate an air of steely resolve. Looking at the grand, imposing compound, Huo Yuhao furrowed his brow.

"No defensive formation, the guards look capable but their defenses are lax, and the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi here is too thin. Looks like Big Brother and Second Brother aren't doing as well as they told us," Huo Yuhao murmured.

"These two guards seem pretty lively to me. The mercenary corps in Green Mountain Town didn't even have guards," Xiao Yi Xian said, puzzled.

"You don't know what he did to the guards back at the Xiao Clan..." Xiao Yan teased. "Tsk, there was a sentry every three paces and a guard post every five! They'd stop even a mosquito and inspect it twice before letting it in."

"Does your family have that many guards?"

"I don't know how he convinced those old cheapskates among the Three Great Elders, but he got the guards a much better deal. Huo Yuhao even regularly gave them pointers on their Cultivation Methods and Combat Skills."

"Then why let the mosquitoes in?"

As Huo Yuhao and the others approached, the two mercenaries guarding the entrance instantly grew stern and fixed their gaze on the group. Even Xiao Yan started to get excited.

Is it finally time for a dramatic face-slapping scene? I really am the protagonist. Xiao Yan relished the thought and steeled himself, hoping to make his move before Huo Yuhao did.

Suddenly, the two mercenaries stepped aside, closed their eyes, and bowed deeply.

"For business, turn right to the Administrative Hall. For a challenge, turn left to the Martial Arena. For a visit, go straight to the rear courtyard."

"Pfft—what kind of mercenary talks like that?"

Huo Yuhao was just as dumbfounded. He rubbed his forehead. "You set this up, didn't you, Xiao Yan?"

"I've never even met them!"

"You must have said something ridiculous at home, and Big Brother and Second Brother heard you."

Seeing the group's astonished expressions, the two mercenaries straightened up and burst out laughing. "You must be the captain's two younger brothers. Come on in!"