Zhuge Lan didn't elaborate further and instead brought up another matter.
"Little Yuhao, now that you have plenty of Fortune Points, let's make a deal."
"Brother Lan, just say the word! If there's anything I can do, I'll definitely help!" Huo Yuhao replied earnestly.
This was his genuine sentiment.
Though he'd known Zhuge Lan and Brother Tianmeng for a short time, the assistance they'd provided had already allowed him to defy fate and change his destiny!
In his simple life, only his mother had ever gone to such lengths for him.
Therefore, any request from them would be granted without hesitation!
"Don't make it sound so dramatic," Zhuge Lan chuckled. "It's not like I'm going to possess you or anything."
"It's not much. We just need to consume some of your Fortune Points to manifest certain techniques or abilities that can be used by your soul."
"This way, Brother Tianmeng and I can continue to progress. And if you ever face danger in the future, we can even assist you in battle."
"After all, you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket. Investing all our Fortune Points in you would lower our risk resistance."
"No problem!" Huo Yuhao replied without hesitation. "We're one. When it comes to managing Fortune Points, you don't need to ask me about it in the future. Brother Lan, just use it as you see fit!"
This trust made Zhuge Lan feel slightly guilty.
'I've already pocketed half the spread, and now I'm eyeing Huo Yuhao's remaining share...'
But he quickly regained his composure.
'I have a conscience, but not too much of one.'
Activating the Creation Authority, he began selecting an appropriate enhancement path.
His first choice was ghost cultivation.
Unfortunately, even the first level required a staggering 1 million Fortune Points!
'That makes sense,' he thought. 'Ghost cultivation isn't just cultivation; it's a system from the world of immortal cultivation. This fantasy underworld isn't worthy of it.'
As for entities like resentful spirits and malevolent spirits, which grew through negative emotions, they were prone to losing their rationality.
That left only a few options focused purely on cultivating spiritual power and the soul...
After a round of filtering:
[ Condition: Create a foundational cultivation method for Swallowed Star's Mentalists, Illusionists, and Apprentice Tier 1 practitioners, including spiritual awakening! ] (Swallowed Star = I Eat Tomatoes work)
[ Cost: 100,000 Fortune Points! ]
[ Create? ]
Zhuge Lan gritted his teeth.
This is so expensive!
But he couldn't give up on creating this system.
He bought it!
This completely drained Huo Yuhao's Fortune Points, leaving Zhuge Lan with only 20,000 himself.
Since he was creating it for himself, it didn't manifest as a physical book. Instead, it directly acted upon his soul, beginning the transformation.
There was no excruciating pain, only a soothing sensation like soaking in a hot spring.
He wasn't sure how much time passed.
When Zhuge Lan awoke, he immediately sensed something different. His spiritual power—or rather, his mental power—could now extend like tendrils, both agile and capable of affecting the physical world.
Telekinesis!
This was the fundamental application of mental power, something even illusionists possessed, though not with the same lethal potential as a telekinetic master.
Then there was the Illusionist Apprentice Tier 1 Fragment, which taught how to use mental power to influence an enemy's thoughts, perceptions, and judgments, inducing illusions or sensory distortions.
But higher-level soul attacks were not mentioned at all.
Even so, Zhuge Lan was already quite satisfied.
Zhuge Lan attempted to follow the method, using his mental power to invade the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's mind, aiming to create illusions by disrupting its thoughts.
As a million-year-old soul beast born from spiritual power, the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm naturally sensed Zhuge Lan's intrusion.
Initially, it dismissed him, thinking he was just another fool trying to surf before the Sea God.
But its expression quickly changed!
'Something's wrong!'
'How is this "spiritual power" so concentrated?'
Its mental defenses crumbled like a sieve, breached effortlessly. Illusions already swam before its eyes.
Panicked, it hastily redirected its spiritual power to defend itself, only to find that its own million-year-grade spiritual power was being consumed at a rate of 1:100 when clashing with the intruder's "spiritual power"!
"Holy shit!" the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm cursed. "What the hell is this?! Pull back immediately!"
Zhuge Lan withdrew his mental power, bursting into laughter.
Powerful!
Absolutely devastating!
His current mental power was limited, roughly equivalent to a 15th-level soul master's. Yet its quality was extraordinary!
Even the spiritual power of a million-year-old soul beast like the Heaven Dream Ice Silkworm was being worn down a hundredfold. What about lesser beasts?
They'd be crushed like bamboo!
Outside, Huo Yuhao and the others were locked in combat with a thousand-year-old Spirit Devouring Vine.
This plant soul beast thrives in decaying organic matter. With sufficient energy, it can grow explosively, healing from severed vines within mere breaths. Its leaves can even harden into razor-sharp blades.
It was a formidable opponent.
Even with Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya's assistance, Beibei was struggling to gain the upper hand.
Yet, the more difficult the battle grew, the more fervent Tang Ya's gaze became.
"Only around 1,600 years old, and it's already this strong!"
"Little Yuhao was right," she thought. "My Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul is screaming with urgency. This must be my third Soul Ring!"
"Teacher Xiao Ya, don't worry," Beibei reassured her. "The Spirit Devouring Vine can't move. We just need to gradually drain its soul power."
Huo Yuhao was about to agree when Zhuge Lan interjected:
"Let me handle this. Do not resist my power."
Huo Yuhao gave an almost imperceptible nod.
In the next instant, he sensed several "great hands" surge forth from his mental world, hurtling toward the wildly thrashing Spirit Devouring Vine. They merged into the vine without causing any harm.
Just as Huo Yuhao was wondering what was happening, the vine suddenly froze. Then, as if struck by a phantom force, it lashed out wildly at the air beside it. The vine twisted at a right angle, coiling tightly around its own body and gradually constricting, squeezing itself into a tight knot.
"This... Brother Lan, what did you do?" Huo Yuhao asked, astonished.
"I merely made it believe that you are its true prey," Zhuge Lan replied calmly.
It was truly an overwhelming success!
Even Beibei, a Three-Ring Soul Grandmaster, assisted by Huo Yuhao and Tang Ya, couldn't decisively defeat the Spirit Devouring Vine. But with a single move from this Illusionist, the deadlock was instantly broken.
The difference was clear at a glance.
"Perfect opportunity!" Beibei roared, his third and first Soul Rings igniting.
Third Soul Skill: Wrath of Thunder!
First Soul Skill: Thunder Dragon Claw!
Amplified by the Illusionist's interference, the indigo-purple lightning coalesced into a dragon claw several meters tall, neatly severing the Spirit Devouring Vine's main vine, leaving only its stripped-down body temporarily paralyzed by the thunder and unable to regenerate.
"Xiao Ya!"
"Here!"
Tang Ya glided forward, her hands swiftly pulling out the Zhuge Divine Crossbow. As she squeezed the trigger, dark streaks flashed through the air.
The Spirit Devouring Vine was pierced like a sieve, its purple Soul Ring drifting upward.
"Yes!" Tang Ya cheered. "I'm starting to absorb the Soul Ring! Beibei, Xiao Yuhao, please stand guard for me!"
She immediately sat cross-legged, eager to begin absorption.
[ Fate of Tang Ya altered. +5,000 Fortune Points! ]
Zhuge Lan raised an eyebrow.
'So, the Spirit Devouring Vine truly is perfectly suited for Tang Ya.'
Beibei sheathed his Martial Soul, slightly panting.
"Little Yuhao," he casually asked, "was that abnormal behavior of the Spirit Devouring Vine earlier your doing?"
Huo Yuhao blinked, unsure how to answer.
He did possess a first Soul Skill called Mental Interference, but according to Brother Tianmeng, its effect was limited to disrupting an opponent's mental focus, causing their attacks to veer off course.
This kind of self-imposed entanglement was beyond his capabilities. Moreover, with only one Soul Ring, he already had two functions: Mental Detection and Mental Sharing.
Adding another... even the devil would suspect something was amiss!
For a moment, Huo Yuhao was speechless, left only to scratch his head and chuckle awkwardly.