A powerful suction burst from Ye Chen's mouth. In the next instant, streams of pure white soul power surged through his body and coalesced above his head, forming a massive spectral mouth in mid-air. With a terrifying chomp, it devoured Qiu Xiaoxiao's twisted spatial soul skill completely — not a shred remained.
The scene was bizarre beyond belief. Qiu Xiaoxiao stood frozen, mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.
Even Qiu Bin was stunned. In all his years, he had never seen someone eat a soul skill.
"W-What the hell are you...?" Qiu Bin stammered. "That's a Martial Soul Technique! A normal person would've been torn apart just by touching it, and you just… ate it?"
He grimaced at the absurdity of what he had just said — yet the scene in front of him made denial impossible.
Ye Chen let out a contented burp and patted his stomach. "Since you're both probably going to die anyway, I guess it won't hurt to explain a little."
After a short pause to gather his thoughts, he continued, "There's something known as Divine Techniques — abilities only gods can possess. My Fallen Angel martial soul is unique. It was born with four divine skills: Devour, Regeneration, Curse, and Resistance. No more, no less. Even if I someday surpass the gods themselves, I won't gain any new ones."
He paused, frowning. "Honestly, I'm still not sure whether that's a blessing or a curse. But before reaching godhood, these four skills already grant me overwhelming power."
So far, Ye Chen had access to three of them: Devour, Regeneration, and Curse. As his soul power increased, their strength would grow with him. The last one, Resistance, remained dormant — a complete mystery.
"Divine Techniques…" Qiu Bin murmured hopelessly.
His and Qiu Xiaoxiao's faces paled. Their most powerful attack had just been used as a snack. How could they possibly win?
"Why are you so strong?" Qiu Bin's voice was bitter. "You're not even thirteen and already have soul power at level 41. You're a twin martial soul user… You don't feel like a Soul Ancestor. You feel like a Contra…"
His words trailed off as he stared at the black-winged figure before him, awe and dread mixing in his chest.
"You're not human… you're a devil," Qiu Xiaoxiao whispered.
Ye Chen laughed. "Come on, don't stop now. We've only just gotten warmed up."
He stepped forward, the Seven-Star Demon Abyss Sword forming in his hand, his eyes going cold and sharp like a blade. "This is the first time I've fought seriously with my Fallen Angel martial soul. I still haven't tested the Curse ability."
He took a step closer. "What's the point of stopping now? Am I a toy to be played with and discarded?"
Seeing his killing intent rise, the siblings quickly realized — surrender wasn't an option.
Qiu Xiaoxiao shot a glance to her brother and summoned her soul weapon, the Shattered Space Soul Ring. With a wave, it returned to her hand.
Qiu Bin didn't speak. A spear of condensed energy, the Extinction God Lance, formed in his grasp.
"Soul Skill: Whirling Slash!"
"Soul Skill: Sky Piercing Lance!"
Qiu Xiaoxiao acted first. Her spinning ring soared through the air, transforming into a massive wind vortex. It howled as it barreled toward Ye Chen — faster than the eye could follow.
With no resistance, it sliced clean through Ye Chen's waist and began tearing into him repeatedly like a sawblade.
Before the blood could even settle, Qiu Bin hurled his glowing spear. The massive lance struck Ye Chen in the chest, exploding through him with a sickening crunch. Blood rained across the ground.
But then something horrifying happened.
Bits of his flesh and bone scattered across the battlefield — and then, as if pulled by invisible strings, they floated back together, reassembling into Ye Chen's perfectly restored body.
He had let them hit him. On purpose.
"Not bad," Ye Chen muttered, rotating his arm. "Now I know the limits."
His divine Regeneration skill had worked — but at a cost. The recovery drained half his mental energy permanently and even caused his soul power to drop a level.
Still, it was worth it. He now understood the price of death-triggered regeneration.
"Let's try the next one."
His eyes glinted. "Divine Technique — Curse!"
"Curse: Weakness!"
"Curse: Aging!"
"Curse: Extreme Despair!"
Three incantations rang out in a breath.
Qiu Bin and Qiu Xiaoxiao's expressions twisted in terror.
Their soul power began leaking uncontrollably, like water from a shattered dam. In seconds, half of it was gone.
Then came the aging — their bodies shriveled, their hair turned white, and their backs hunched with sudden, unnatural age.
And then, despair.
They dropped their weapons. Sat down. And began to mutter.
"I've wasted my life. I'm worse than a dog. I deserve to die…"
"Brother… I'm so ugly now. Why won't a soul beast eat me and put me out of my misery?!"
"We're useless. A waste of air… Sorry, world…"
"Let's die, brother. Let's just end it."
Without hesitation, they summoned their weapons again — and turned them on themselves.
Ye Chen's sword flicked out, blocking both suicide attempts in one fluid motion. He canceled the curses.
The siblings stumbled back, horror etched into their now youthful faces. They scrambled dozens of meters away, panting.
"You're not from hell," Qiu Bin choked. "You're worse than the devil himself…"
Qiu Xiaoxiao clutched her head. "I never want to feel that again… not even once…"
Ye Chen scratched his head. "Huh. Was it really that bad?"
He had only used three of his Curse variants. According to the system, he'd eventually unlock over 300 different curses.
He chuckled. What would they do if they knew that?
He let out a sigh and faced them again.
"You've got two choices now. One: die. Two: pledge your loyalty to me."
The sudden shift caught them off guard.
"You're… sparing us?" Qiu Bin asked, disbelieving. "We came to kill you."
Ye Chen smiled faintly. "No real reason. Just think you two might still be useful."
Faced with certain death, the siblings knelt without hesitation and banged their heads to the ground in submission.
Ye Chen said nothing. Golden light flickered in his eyes, darting into their minds — a mark of loyalty.
"Go," he said.
As they left, Ye Chen stood alone in the ruined bamboo forest. His gaze pierced the horizon, locking onto the distant Elder Hall.
"If you want me dead so badly… then let's play," he muttered coldly.
Ding! Sign-in task complete. Reward: +100% cultivation speed. Favorability with target Hu Liena increased by 300%!
The system's voice echoed in his mind. Ye Chen was used to these sudden notifications.
But what came next made his brow twitch.
Ding! You've completed four "Goddess Sign-In" tasks. Special reward unlocked: 'Workout' Voucher.
Ye Chen blinked. "What?"
System doesn't understand the meaning. If the host wishes to learn more, please ask.
"…Alright, explain it."
'Workout' Voucher: A one-time item. Can be used alone or with others. Will be consumed upon use.
Effect: Up to 1000% increase in mental power. 500% increase in soul strength.
Note: Actual results depend on the number of participants. Minimum: 1. No upper limit.
Ye Chen frowned. This reward… felt off. Vague. Purposefully vague.
"What the hell kind of 'workout' is this?" he muttered.
He shivered.
Whatever it was, he wasn't ready to find out. The sun was already rising. Without wasting time, Ye Chen turned back toward the Spirit Hall Academy.
He had returned stronger. Task complete. Maybe even worthy of Bibi Dong's expectations now.
Maybe soon, he'd be free to go find Rongrong and Zhuqing.
Before he could get too lost in thought, he reached the academy — only to find Hu Liena already waiting for him.
She took his hand without a word and led him to the Grand Cathedral.
There, Bibi Dong sat on her throne, majestic and imposing.
"Three months from now," she said. "The inter-academy exchange tournament begins. You will lead our team."