“My Lord, I believe creating a new undead is far too risky. It would be better to refine it directly into pure soul crystals to help everyone grow.”
Flideng was the first to speak, offering his opinion. However, if he hadn't been pointing his thumb at himself when he said the word 'everyone,' Chen Xu might have actually considered it.
“Whispering Tree, what do you think?”
Chen Xu looked toward the elderly Whispering Tree. The contributions of this old necrotic teacher were plain to see; it had been instrumental in the transformations of Kunpeng and Patchwerk.
“My Lord, I believe the soul of a Hell Demon King is far too precious to be used up all at once. It would be a waste.
It would be better to construct a soul decomposition array to slowly dismantle the demon king's soul, then feed it into the alchemy lab to create a vast number of derivative products. We could then use those to explore the mysteries of the soul.”
Great, another one obsessed with experiments. Chen Xu passed on that idea too.
Feeling slightly helpless, Chen Xu turned his gaze toward Bone Guard Two. This veteran general had risen from the ranks when Chen Xu was still weak and held his deep trust.
“Bone Guard Two, tell me your thoughts.”
“My Lord, the souls of powerful beings always have their unique qualities. However, I have never encountered the soul of a demon before, let alone a demon king.
I am unsure of the best way to handle it.
But since you possess both its body and its soul, why not consider merging them to return it to a perfect state, and then enslave it? Much like you did with Zhenyuan and the moon of Immortal Island.”
Bone Guard Two pointed toward the massive demon king corpse in the distance.
Returning the demon king's soul to its body and then controlling it through a soul contract to turn it into a fallen demon king?
It sounded tempting, but Chen Xu felt the idea was a bit too crazy.
Furthermore, all demons were products of the Mother of Hell, so it was inevitable that some backdoors might remain. Without using the power of creation to completely alter the essence of its soul, Chen Xu wouldn't feel at ease even with a soul contract.
Thus, he shook his head, rejecting Bone Guard Two's idea.
Chen Xu then turned his attention to Tal Rasha, hoping this soul mage could offer some useful advice.
Sensing Chen Xu's gaze, Tal Rasha spoke.
“My Lord, the soul is the most miraculous creation in existence. It is formless and weightless, yet it can manifest in ten thousand forms and substances. Perhaps you do not need to restrict yourself to common biological forms. Why not consider an elemental energy form?
For example, the corruption-filled hellfire of Hell.”
Hearing this, a glint flashed in Chen Xu's eyes.
“You mean—!”
Tal Rasha's words immediately sparked Chen Xu's inspiration.
Right! Why be limited to common biological forms? Hell's hellfire was also a special type of sentient creature.
Why couldn't he create a hellfire belonging to the undead?
Necrotic fire? No, that felt a bit like copying Hell.
Besides fire, what else was there? The five elements, Yin and Yang, or perhaps something on a mental level?
Suddenly, a sentence flashed through Chen Xu's mind.
“The sacred Khala connects us all!”
...
Ever since he showed Xiang Longwu's invitation, the little girl's attitude had changed considerably. The wariness on her face had lessened, replaced by a bit more friendliness.
She even told Chen Xu her name.
Mo Zihan, three years old, an inner hall disciple of Xiqiu City's Dragon-Tiger Martial Arts Hall.
That's right, three years old. When 'Chen Xu' heard her age, his jaw nearly dropped.
This was three years old? She was over a meter tall with powerful limbs, and based on her gait and the way she had caught the silver earlier, she clearly had some martial arts training.
If she was like this at three, would she grow into an Ultraman by the time she was thirty?
Seeing the surprise on Chen Xu's face, Mo Zihan curled her lip and said proudly.
“I was born with a Heavenly Martial Bone, Mutated Pupils, and a Bloodline Awakening. I stayed in my mother's womb for nine years. The moment I was born, I skipped the Five Refinements Foundation Establishment stage and became a Soul Illumination stage martial artist.”
Good grief, nine years in the womb. You're even more impressive than the Third Prince.
This Heavenly Martial Bone was likely the supreme root-bone Qi Xuanheng had mentioned before.
No wonder such a small girl was walking around without an adult watching her; with this stack of buffs, she wasn't just a person of great fortune.
If this were any other novel, those who got close to her would be injured, those who befriended her would be crippled, and in severe cases, there would be a risk of death.
“Oh, right.” Mo Zihan's eyes darted around as she suddenly remembered something, looking up at 'Chen Xu.'
“Since you're from the same place as Uncle Xiang, do you have any candy on you?
You know, those tiny little sugar balls, the colorful ones that are sweet? Black ones are fine too; they're a bit bitter at first, but the aftertaste is unique, kind of like wine.”
Hearing this, 'Chen Xu' was stunned again.
He hadn't touched candy in years. Once he outgrew that age, he had transitioned from a snack lover to a meat lover.
He hadn't expected Mo Zihan to know about candy. Looking at her, she had clearly begged Xiang Longwu for it many times in the past.
'Chen Xu' shook his head and said.
“I only brought an invitation and a few pieces of silver for this trip.”
Before he could finish, Mo Zihan's face slumped, and she let out a sigh, turning away.
“Forget it, I'll just take you to see the martial arts instructor first. But the next time you come, remember to bring some candy.
I won't take it for nothing. I wouldn't say I've mastered the martial arts of the Dragon-Tiger Martial Arts Hall, but I know a thing or two.
In this entire hall, everyone except for a few senior uncles calls me Little Senior Sister.
If there are any moves you don't understand, bring some candy, and I can teach you.”
If 'Chen Xu' were a newly transitioned novice job-holder, a notification would surely have popped up on his panel right now.
【Obtained Hidden Quest—Candy Diplomacy (1)】
At the same time, it would have unlocked the favorability of Mo Zihan, an important story character. By continuously increasing her favorability, one could obtain various martial arts from the Dragon-Tiger Martial Arts Hall.
Unfortunately, 'Chen Xu' was no newcomer; he was a max-level character entering a starter village.
Regarding Mo Zihan's expectation, 'Chen Xu' didn't refuse directly but instead replied with a universal phrase.
“Next time for sure.”
Mo Zihan didn't understand Blue Star's slang and nodded with satisfaction. She used quite a bit of force, making the ponytail at the back of her head bounce.
As soon as they entered the martial arts hall, a wave of striking sounds, collisions, the clanging of metal on stone, and shouting washed over them.
The front courtyard was a large outdoor training area. 'Chen Xu' saw many disciples practicing punches with their shirts off.
Judging by their training content, these disciples were likely still in the Five Refinements stage.
Blue Star's martial arts were inherited from the Taikun Martial World, where the realms for martial artists were the Five Refinements, Soul Illumination, Qi Sensing, Heaven Unity, and Godly Intent.
The Five Refinements consisted of refining the skin, bone, blood, tendon, and organs; this was the Foundation Establishment stage of martial arts.
The Soul Illumination stage was a transitional realm focused on cultivating the divine soul and strengthening the spirit.
Martial arts weren't just about simple punching and kicking; a powerful soul was also a crucial pillar.
The Qi Sensing stage involved sensing the spirit qi of heaven and earth. Starting from this realm, a martial artist could nurture true qi, allowing them to release internal qi externally. By resonating their internal qi with the spirit qi of heaven and earth, they could perform various cool moves with special effects.
The Heaven Unity stage was a return to simplicity, achieving the union of heaven and man, man and qi, qi and flesh, and flesh and soul. Everything was preparation for the next realm: the Godly Intent stage.
When essence and qi merged as one, they gave birth to Godly Intent. Reaching this realm meant becoming what was commonly known as a God of War, which corresponded to the universal mythic-tier.
A Godly Intent stage martial artist would master all the martial arts they had learned, giving birth to a vast Godly Intent and an immortal will.
As for realms beyond that, Chen Xu had never heard of them.
Perhaps Xiang Longwu knew, but he had never made it public.
The Taikun Martial World didn't have any martial artists above the Godly Intent stage either, so the records in Daxia only went up to that point.
Along the way, Mo Zihan walked with her head held high, intentionally planting her feet heavily to make noise.
Hearing the sound, the disciples in the hall stopped their training one after another, turning toward Mo Zihan and respectfully calling out, “Little Senior Sister.”
Their tone was sincere, without any hint of reluctance. It seemed the girl hadn't been bragging; she likely taught people quite often.
Otherwise, these disciples wouldn't be so willing to show such respect.
The two crossed the front courtyard and entered the back, which was much quieter, though many people were still busy.
Dozens of cooks were in the courtyard washing ingredients. 'Chen Xu' took a quick look; just the items laid out weighed several tons.
Seeing the two, the cooks also stood up and smiled at Mo Zihan, calling out, “Little Senior Sister.”
One of them even added, “Little Senior Sister, today's meal includes your favorite braised Mystic Fire venison.”
Mo Zihan's eyes lit up, and she even made a swallowing motion.
However, remembering 'Chen Xu' was behind her, she merely gave a slight nod to maintain her image as a master before continuing forward.
Next, the two walked to a large hall. Mo Zihan stepped forward, knocked with her right hand, and called out.
“Father, are you there? Uncle Xiang recommended another person. I saw him on the road and brought him to find you.”
Rate on N.U.
