Dream Butterfly

Shi Quan snapped out of his cultivation, his face full of shock and confusion.

"A Reputation Treasure Chest?" Shi Quan's expression immediately turned strange. He had not expected there to be this kind of treasure chest.

So far, including this Reputation Treasure Chest, he had triggered a total of four types of treasure chests.

The first was the Awakening Treasure Chest triggered during Spirit Awakening. This kind of chest was obviously a one-time reward and could not be obtained again later. After all, it was impossible to awaken a Martial Soul a second time, right?

The second was the Destiny Treasure Chest. Shi Quan guessed that it could be triggered by encountering and coming into contact with those favored by destiny. Tang San was the novel's destined male protagonist, Xiao Wu was the destined female protagonist, and the only other person who might trigger a Destiny Treasure Chest was Bibi Dong, the great villain favored by destiny. As for whether Qian Renxue counted, Shi Quan was not sure.

The third was the Soul Power Chest. Its trigger condition was much simpler: every time he broke through a realm and completed the absorption of a Spirit Ring, it would trigger.

The Reputation Treasure Chest before him was the fourth type.

Shi Quan had not expected to trigger this fourth type of chest for no apparent reason. He was sitting at home, and a treasure chest had fallen from the sky.

"Making a name for myself..."

With a smile on his face, Shi Quan muttered, "Then would there also be 'renowned far and wide' and 'known to all'?"

At the very least, judging from the system prompt, Shi Quan guessed that the Reputation Treasure Chest, like the Destiny Treasure Chest and Soul Power Chest, could be triggered multiple times.

"If that's the case, I'll have to find a way to participate in the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament."

Previously, he had not planned to enter the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament. The tournament rewards did not appeal to him. Rather than going through the trouble of fighting so many battles, wouldn't it be better to watch the excitement from the sidelines?

But things were different now. If he wanted to farm reputation, wasn't the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament the best place to do it?

If he won the championship as well, he would immediately become famous throughout the continent. He would not need to painstakingly research Soul Master theories and publish arguments anymore.

He did not know whether it would trigger anything, but he had to try. He could not give up any opportunity to trigger a treasure chest!

From the first treasure chest until now, every item he had obtained had been useful to Shi Quan.

This also convinced Shi Quan that while treasure chests were difficult to trigger, every item inside them was top-tier and would definitely be useful to him. Therefore, he could not miss any opportunity to trigger one.

"But what exactly is Nightmare?"

Pulling back his thoughts, Shi Quan turned his attention to the new reward from the treasure chest.

System Space.

What entered his sight was a cloud of black mist. Nightmare's exact appearance could not be seen clearly. Only purple outlines could be vaguely glimpsed within the mist, like pairs of eyes staring directly at him.

Nightmare: Spirit Soul. It is the source of nightmares, lingering amid bad dreams. It feeds on fear, grows in darkness, and is the incarnation of pure evil's primordial power. Free from the restraints of the spiritual realm, it travels between the mortal world and dreams.

Note: This Spirit Soul is a Lifebound Spirit Soul and is one hundred percent loyal to the host.

"A Spirit Soul!" Shi Quan's eyes widened. This seemed to be something that only appeared in Soul Land II. He did not know much about Spirit Souls, only that they could not only form Spirit Rings but also assist their hosts in battle...

"But what is a Lifebound Spirit Soul?"

Shi Quan frowned and tentatively asked, "System, what does the Lifebound Spirit Soul in the note mean?"

His mind remained silent. Just as Shi Quan shook his head in disappointment, he noticed that Nightmare's note had changed.

Note: This Spirit Soul can grow continuously alongside the Soul Master's advancement and is one hundred percent loyal to the host.

"It can work like that?" Shi Quan's eyes lit up, and he could not help giving the system a mental thumbs-up.

Simply put, a Spirit Soul that could grow alongside a Soul Master was a Lifebound Spirit Soul.

"In that case, this Lifebound Spirit Soul, Nightmare, is an incredible find. This Spirit Soul was clearly meant for my Third Martial Soul, Spirit Soul."

Shi Quan rubbed his hands excitedly, but just as he prepared to retrieve it, his gaze suddenly landed on the card beside Nightmare.

Spirit Souls produced by the system had one hundred percent loyalty. If he used the Critical Hit Card and got another Lifebound Spirit Soul, wouldn't that be amazing?

Even if the reward did not double, if Nightmare, already a Lifebound Spirit Soul, doubled in strength, how powerful would the resulting Spirit Soul be?

Use it?

Or not?

Shi Quan's expression was conflicted.

Do it!

The sooner he used it, the sooner he could enjoy it. Who knew when he would trigger another treasure chest? His immediate priority was to maximize his rewards. Increasing his strength was what mattered most.

"System, use the Critical Hit Card on the Nightmare reward."

"Ding! The host has used a Critical Hit Card. The system will refresh the Reputation Treasure Chest reward and open it again. Confirm?"

"Refresh?" Shi Quan paused, asking in confusion, "System, will the reward after the critical hit become a new one?"

"Ding! Host, after the Critical Hit Card is used, a brand-new critical hit reward will be added to the treasure chest, and the original chest reward will be multiplied by two. When the chest is opened again, a new reward will be drawn from it."

After hearing the system's explanation, Shi Quan hesitated. If the item he obtained after the critical hit was no longer a Spirit Soul, wouldn't he lose out?

No...

Even if it was not a Spirit Soul, the critical hit reward definitely would not be worse than Nightmare.

He had not forgotten the Critical Hit Card's description. A critical hit reward either doubled the reward or made it better, so it could not possibly be worse than Nightmare.

"Either way, it'll be useful to me... Do it!"

Shi Quan gritted his teeth and nodded. "System, confirm!"

"Ding! Critical Hit Card successfully used. A critical hit reward has been added for the host."

"Ding! The Reputation Treasure Chest has been opened again. Congratulations, host, you have obtained... Dream Butterfly!"

"Dream Butterfly?"

There was no times two after the reward, which meant the newly drawn reward was stronger than the previous one!

"Dream Butterfly and Nightmare differ by only one character. It looks like it's still a Spirit Soul!"

Shi Quan hurriedly summoned the System Space.

The slot that had originally held the black mist of Nightmare now contained a breathtakingly beautiful butterfly.

The outer edges of Dream Butterfly's Wings were an unfathomable black, gradually fading inward into cyan and then white. Her Wings seemed to flow with light, hovering between substance and illusion. Her two slender tail wings swayed gently, scattering specks of starlight.

The first impression she gave was beauty beyond the mundane world.

And that was while she was still inside the storage slot.

"As expected of a critical hit reward. Just from her appearance alone, she's clearly on a completely different level from Nightmare."

Shi Quan looked at Dream Butterfly's note with a sigh.

Dream Butterfly: Spirit Soul. The incarnation of nature's Willpower, master of illusions and dreams.

Note: This Spirit Soul can grow continuously alongside the Soul Master's advancement, possesses a special Spiritual Inheritance Source, and is one hundred percent loyal to the host.

Compared to Nightmare, Dream Butterfly's description was far simpler and clearer. Her note contained only one additional special entry: Spiritual Inheritance Source.

From the descriptions alone, it was clear that Nightmare and Dream Butterfly were not on the same level at all. One was the incarnation of pure evil's primordial power, while the other was the incarnation of nature's Willpower. One was the source of nightmares, while the other controlled dreams and illusions.

Nightmares were merely one kind of dream, but Dream Butterfly could control dreams themselves. She was obviously Nightmare's superior.

Shi Quan cried out in his heart, I struck gold. I struck gold.

He looked at the bright moon outside.

Shi Quan got up, drew the curtains, and locked the Dormitory door from the inside. Only after making sure everything was secure did he return to his bed.

Fortunately, Marde had arranged a private Dormitory for him. Otherwise, he would have had no choice but to find an Inn outside the academy again.

"Retrieve Dream Butterfly."

Cyan-and-white motes of light drifted down, outlining one perfect line after another before taking tangible form. Her Wings fluttered gently, and a warm, gentle aura washed over him.

Beautiful!

It was a beauty like nature itself, the kind that inspired a sigh at a single glance.

Dream Butterfly's wingspan was roughly one meter. Her slender tail wings curved slightly and extended upward to either side. As her Wings swayed, countless specks of starlight scattered down. Dream Butterfly's entire body shimmered as if she were an illusion.

Dream Butterfly's lively eyes studied Shi Quan from head to toe.

"Master."

A gentle, affectionate female voice suddenly sounded in Shi Quan's mind.

"Dream Butterfly, was that you speaking?" Shi Quan stared at the Dream Butterfly before him in surprise. She could actually communicate with him directly through their minds.

"Yes, Master." Dream Butterfly gently flapped her Wings and gracefully rose into the air, circling Shi Quan once. Cyan-and-white motes of light fell upon him, making his mind feel unusually peaceful.

"Master, summon your Martial Soul and let me become your strength."

Hearing Dream Butterfly's yearning voice, Shi Quan finally came back to himself. He thought to himself that Dream Butterfly's intelligence was already comparable to that of a human.

As the thought crossed his mind, Shi Quan had already circulated his Inner Force and summoned his Martial Soul, Spirit Soul.

Dream Butterfly sensed Spirit Soul's presence almost immediately. The radiance spilling from her Wings shone brilliantly as her enormous Wings slowly descended, enveloping Shi Quan's small body. The two slender antennae on Dream Butterfly's forehead gently touched the center of Shi Quan's brow.

Spirit Soul's previously illusory figure seemed to become solid. Countless cyan-and-white motes of light drifted from Dream Butterfly onto Spirit Soul, while silver ripples emerged from Spirit Soul's body and mingled with the motes.

Dream Butterfly's unique Willpower entered Shi Quan's mind, carrying a feeling of intimacy and dependence.

Dream Butterfly's aura felt extraordinarily comfortable, as though it had swept away every disturbance in his heart and left behind only a pure land. For a moment, Shi Quan's heart reached an unprecedented state of tranquility.

He opened his heart and accepted Dream Butterfly completely, while Dream Butterfly likewise poured all of herself into Shi Quan's body.

Sleep, my Master. In dreams, inherit my power.

Listening to Dream Butterfly's ethereal voice, Shi Quan's consciousness gradually sank into sleep.

Within the dream.

Shi Quan seemed to become Dream Butterfly, dancing gracefully through the air, wandering everywhere and feeling the vastness of the world. There was no need to think, no need to worry. It was as though he were part of the world itself. He immersed himself in it, gradually even forgetting his original form, as though he had become one with heaven and earth, even forgetting that he had transformed from Shi Quan...