A forest in the northern Douluo Continent.
A blazing campfire lit up a small campsite.
A familiar woman's voice echoed from time to time, clearly restrained, though it was impossible to see exactly what was happening.
A thick, dark pink mist swirled around them, concealing the tent and the figures sparring within.
Not until deep in the quiet night, when the uninterrupted battle ended and Zhang Yang let out a long breath, did the mist slowly disperse.
Without a doubt, this was his second Soul Skill, called Breath of Charm, a wide-area Control System Soul Skill.
"Why is every one of your abilities so indecent? And it's like they were made to counter me!" Zhang Lexuan leaned against her boyfriend's chest, complaining with playful indignation.
"Of course. If I didn't have a way to counter you, how could I make a Soul Douluo so obedient? Don't you agree, senior sister?" Zhang Yang toyed with the hair of the beauty resting against his shoulder, deliberately teasing her.
Naturally, the mature beauty responded with a playful roll of her eyes.
Though the two played around, they went no further.
They both caught their breath and rested, recovering from their excessive exertion-in what was known as "sage time."
Taking advantage of the break, Zhang Lexuan didn't stay idle. She looked around, studying the pink mist as it dispersed.
Though she had teased him about how indecent it was, as someone who had experienced it firsthand, even she had to admit that Zhang Yang's skill was incredibly powerful!
"Thinking about it carefully, this move actually isn't that bad."
"Its main effect still falls under Mental Interference."
"Or, more precisely, it should be called 'cognitive displacement.' It might even involve the soul."
"If it's properly developed, it'll definitely be a powerful Control System skill. It's just that someone's such a pervert that all he thinks about is using it to mess with me..."
Zhang Lexuan pinched Zhang Yang hard.
She seemed angry, but the upturned corners of her mouth betrayed her feelings.
Her analysis also aligned closely with Zhang Yang's thoughts. His Soul Skills were no simple matter.
Setting aside the word "charm" in their names, they were actually standard control skills, more formidable than those of the Spirit Eyes.
His first Soul Skill, Words of Charm, used sound, which was hard to defend against. Even plugging one's ears couldn't block it out completely.
Words spoken through this move could interfere with thought and cognition, lowering hostility, disrupting an opponent's rhythm, or even bewitching enemies into killing one another.
His second Soul Skill, Breath of Charm, had a similar effect. Once enveloped in the pink mist, a person's brain would "break" to varying degrees, leaving them stupid or dazed.
Hmm, they might also get horny.
His eldest senior sister had already tested that.
Indecent uses did indeed exist, but they were by no means its only uses.
The reason for the "perverted" impression was simply that things had been too safe. Zhang Yang had been so busy flirting that he hadn't tried anything else.
Since they were already on the subject, they skipped a second round that night and studied the uses of his Soul Skills properly together.
Immersed in cultivation, they watched time fly by.
Early the next morning, the two set out again.
From then on, their daily schedule included lessons on Soul Skills in addition to traveling and "sparring."
Their time was packed to the brim. Zhang Yang barely noticed that, before he knew it, they had reached their destination.
A piercingly cold wind swept across their faces like scraping knives.
They had only just approached the outermost edge, yet the cold already made them shiver.
They changed into winter clothes and, with his eldest senior sister leading the way with practiced ease, entered a small icebound city.
Just as camps crowded with humans existed on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest to serve hunting Soul Masters,
the Far North had the same, though they were much quieter by comparison. Aside from those with ice-attribute Martial Souls, few made a special trip here.
"There's a merchant guild up ahead. Its president graduated from Shrek and is also the source of our intelligence this time. We'll go there first."
During the era of the Peerless Tang Sect, Shrek was timid, but it wasn't weak.
Its disciples were spread across the continent, and wherever they went, someone would receive them.
Not to mention Zhang Lexuan's status as the illustrious eldest senior sister of the inner courtyard. She didn't need to worry about anything outside the mission.
She brought Zhang Yang into the merchant guild after verifying their identities. Not only were they given temporary lodgings, but they were also received with considerable warmth.
"Who's that man beside Senior Sister Zhang?"
"Holy shit, I just saw them kissing!"
"Sigh, it might be even worse! So senior sister likes eating young grass. I don't stand a chance."
"They're a talented man and a beautiful woman. What the hell are you crying about? That young man is the most handsome I've ever seen! They're a perfect match!"
That was the passive effect of maxed-out charm.
Wherever Zhang Yang stood, keeping a low profile was impossible.
Of course, he was used to hearing such remarks and had no intention of paying them any attention.
With his arm around Zhang Lexuan, whose face was flushed after her lips had been "ambushed," he entered the bedroom with her, minding his own business.
Their relationship went far beyond kissing. Naturally, there was no need for separate rooms; one large bed was enough.
"Did you do that on purpose just now? What, staking your claim?" Zhang Lexuan closed the door and teased him with a smile.
"Yep. I've got a claim on every inch of you now." Zhang Yang nodded shamelessly, making his eldest senior sister blush from ear to ear with a single sentence.
He didn't take it any further, though.
He spread out a map and turned his attention to the mission.
The Evil Soul Master was said to have reached the Soul Emperor level, and his Martial Soul was an ice-attribute skeleton.
He had killed quite a few people to grow stronger through crooked methods. Later, perhaps because he thought the results were too slow, he switched to slaughtering Soul Beasts instead.
The Far North was sparsely populated, and a commotion on that scale was easy to notice. It had therefore been reported to Shrek Academy, which dispatched the Inspection Corps.
Zhang Yang got a rough understanding of the matter.
He wasn't interested, nor was he worried about being threatened.
He put more thought into how to use his advantages to draw out the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress.
Only after making direct contact could he activate the sign-in mission; raising their favorability would come afterward.
This mission to eliminate the Evil Soul Master was a convenient pretext for entering the interior of the Far North.
But it was of no real help in luring out those two Ferocious Beasts of the Far North. He would have to rely on himself for that.
"That guy definitely hasn't left yet."
"We'll rest up and take him out tomorrow!"
He was only a Soul Emperor, so Zhang Lexuan didn't take him seriously either. The greatest difficulty was finding him.
That night, the two rested at the merchant guild in the city. They set out the next day and truly entered the Far North.
All Zhang Lexuan could think about was completing the mission as soon as possible. Zhang Yang was different; he hoped they wouldn't have to hurry.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion has already proved that my charm works on Soul Beasts. So, in theory, as long as I show up, there's a chance to raise their favorability.
As for getting the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress to notice me, the Auspicious Aura I got from signing in should work better than the Charm God's Body. Let's try it!
That was Zhang Yang's plan, and he put it into action.
After entering the Far North, he deliberately released his Auspicious Aura.
At the same time, he dropped personal belongings along the way, each carrying traces of the same presence.
He hoped this method would improve his odds and let him try his luck. Success would be best; if it failed, so be it.
If even one hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast recognized the significance of the Auspicious Aura, it might report it to the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress.
The idea wasn't particularly brilliant, but it had a certain degree of feasibility.
What he never could have imagined, however, was that things would go so smoothly.
They had only just entered territory controlled by Soul Beasts when an enormous creature was drawn in by that unusual sensation...