Enjoy the bonus chapter!!
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Qian Renxue slowly exhaled, her breath curling with faint golden mist while recalling what had transpired.
The twin divine rings ,each forged through the transformation of a million-year soul beast and bearing ten golden lines ,now hovered calmly around her, circling her waist like ordinary soul rings. The terrifying majesty from before had been hidden; she had consciously suppressed their divine aura.
The Martial Soul silhouette behind her, once shrouded in celestial radiance and unseeable to mortal perception, had also subtly changed.
The fog that veiled it had thinned.
While still ethereal and indistinct, its feminine form was now apparent. Slender, elegant, almost sorrowful in poise. The twelve wings no longer looked like weapons, but instead like veils of fate gently unfurled.
"The Angel Martial Soul… is becoming clearer."
Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes slightly. She could feel it: some imperceptible influence had taken root, both from her Spectator advancement, and the strange murmurs earlier. She didn't know if this change was beneficial or catastrophic.
Suppressing her thoughts, she slowly retracted her Martial Soul.
The aura dimmed. The rings faded.
And she returned, inward into her Spirit Sea.
Within the mental realm, a storm had passed.
Tianmeng Silkworm was curled in a corner like a traumatized child, gently rocking back and forth, muttering something about "too many whispers." His soft body twitched with phantom echoes.
Electrolux stood beside the massive ice-and-fire seal, hands clasped behind his back, his expression somber. He looked more like a grim scholar at a tomb than the soul of a man once known as the Master of Necromancy.
Qian Renxue approached and asked quietly, "Did you find anything?"
Electrolux's brows furrowed. He shook his head.
"No. It wasn't something within the seal, nor any fluctuation I can trace. It was as if... someone whispered directly into our ears, yet they left no presence behind."
"A whisper from nowhere. It had no source and no direction."
He paused, then added, "Even more terrifying, it wasn't in any language I know. But somehow, it still meant something."
Qian Renxue's gaze dimmed slightly.
'It was different for me,' she murmured. 'I… heard something. A sentence, no a part of one.But I cannot remember it anymore.'
Her fists clenched as she thought
'This must be related to a higher Sequence. Maybe even Sequence 3 or above'
If she dared pry too deep, even with her calm and clear mind, she might truly go mad.
Information that was itself a form of corruption.
Qian Renxue drew a long breath and steadied her thoughts. She gazed side ways and saw Tianmeng curling not faraway.
Then she turned her gaze and pointed toward the trembling, curled-up figure nearby.
"Why is he acting like that?"
Tianmeng Silkworm, curled like a terrified dumpling in one corner of her Spirit Sea, was quietly muttering under his breath.
Electrolux spread his hands in mock helplessness.
"Maybe the little bug got scared? Wouldn't blame him, this isn't your average bedtime whisper, after all."
Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes.
She focused and for a fleeting moment, she could feel Tianmeng's surface thoughts floating just above his consciousness:
"So dangerous… so terrifying… I thought I'd die… I'm sorry Bing Bing… I'm sorry… I couldn't protect you…"
Her eyebrow twitched.
'This damn bug… still thinking about his crush? That Ice Emperor Scorpion who tried to eat him?'
She silently walked over and kicked him.
Thud
Tianmeng yelped and bounced three times like an oversized dumpling, tumbling across the Spirit Sea like a poorly thrown pillow.
"Wha—!?"
He rolled upright, blinking. "I'm… I'm alive?!"
Qian Renxue crossed her arms.
"Yes, but you were making a fool of yourself."
The silkworm turned sheepishly. His round face flushed pink.
"No I wasn't! I worked really hard! I poured everything I had into evolving that soul ring! Hmph! That soul ring must've given you some amazing powers, right?"
Qian Renxue paused, her eyes narrowing slightly.
A faint smile spread on her lips which was elegant, but tinged with mischief.
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she took a step forward, eyes gleaming with light.
"I could tell you…"
She leaned closer.
"Or—"
She chuckled softly.
"—I could show you."
Tianmeng stiffened.
That smile with her voice.
Danger! Danger! Abort!
The panic returned like a wave washing over his mind. He visibly recoiled.
The fear he had just felt, he was afraid. He wanted to hide somewhere.
Then came the whisper of her voice:
Soul Ring Abilities: Brain Devouring Orangutan – Million-Year Evolution
1. Emotion Sensor:A perception skill. Based on the amount of soul power expended, Qian Renxue can sense the emotions others have toward her, fear, hatred, admiration, love, envy—each one rendered as distinct emotional colors or fluctuations. The higher the energy invested, the wider the radius.
2. Emotion Amplifier A control-type skill. She can selectively amplify one specific emotion in a single target. Turn fear into crippling terror, admiration into obsession.The effects wear off after sometime for a srong willed person.The number of targets she can affect scales with rank.
Tianmeng shuddered.
"That's… terrifying."
Qian Renxue grinned faintly, brushing aside her golden hair.
"It's not terrifying. It's practical a perfect auxillary skill that won't go into the dustbin as my cultivation increases."
She turned, her tone casual but edged with conviction.
"When you walk among those who wear masks, you need to see past them. And if they don't fear you… you make them."
Electrolux finally spoke, his tone thoughtful.
"You're getting more dangerous with each advancement."
Electrolux looked at her for a long moment, as if weighing something.
Then he gave a small nod.
"You've advanced successfully. The seal is holding. Your soul sea is stable. There's no major urgency for now."
He turned his gaze toward the swirling mass of ice and fire at the far end of her Spirit Sea.
"I'll go back to sleep… try to recover some energy. Wake me again if you sense any ripple from the seal."
Qian Renxue bowed her head slightly. "Mn. Thank you."
The gray figure of Electrolux floated upward and slowly faded, returning to dormancy like a flame dimming inside a lantern.
The Spirit Sea was silent once more.