Within the sea of spiritual consciousness, both Tianmeng and the Ice Empress assumed that Zhou Sicheng was truly collecting the Ranking Inscription Knives simply for the sake of collection.
After all, Zhou Sicheng's talent in the field of soul tools was unrivaled—he was a terrifying genius in this domain.
Moreover, neither Tianmeng nor the Ice Empress had any fear of the so-called "sinister aura." One possessed the world's most formidable spiritual power, while the other wielded the Ultimate Ice attribute.
No matter how strong the malevolent aura, they could easily suppress it without the slightest worry.
Tianmeng even became excited. "Sicheng, once we're powerful enough, let's gather all the Ranking Inscription Knives and collect them all. Hehehe!"
Zhou Sicheng looked speechless. Aside from claiming he was collecting them, how else could he explain that he actually knew this was a piece of Essence Gold of Living Beings?
Before long, a hostess arrived holding an exquisite tray.
On the tray sat a transparent crystal box. Inside it was the Soul-Devouring Inscription Knife.
The knife was very small—only about half a foot long and no thicker than a finger.
Its shape tapered from base to tip. The top was extremely sharp and narrow, while the bottom was about half an inch wide, forming a compact but deadly blade.
The entire knife looked ancient and jet-black, with faintly visible engravings etched onto its surface, exuding a subtle aura of antiquity—it was clearly an antique of considerable age.
The moment Zhou Sicheng laid eyes on the Soul-Devouring Knife, even through the crystal case, he could still sense a faint yet sinister aura.
Inside the sea of consciousness, both Tianmeng and the Ice Empress looked at the knife with disdain.
This is it?
At that moment, the usually dormant Elder Yi suddenly manifested, his gaze burning as he looked at the knife inside the crystal box.
There was an unusual excitement in his voice. "Essence Gold of Living Beings—that's Essence Gold of Living Beings!"
Tianmeng and the Ice Empress were surprised by his sudden appearance and the excitement in his tone. They couldn't help but ask, "Essence Gold of Living Beings? What's that?"
Zhou Sicheng feigned confusion as well. "Elder Yi, is there something special about this knife?"
Elder Yi's gaze never left the blade. "This isn't just an ordinary inscription knife. It's forged entirely from Essence Gold of Living Beings."
"Essence Gold of Living Beings is an incredibly rare and special type of metal. It almost feels alive, though it lacks true sentience. It can decompose nearly any known metal or mineral—its rarity is beyond imagination."
Zhou Sicheng silently nodded in acknowledgment, while Tianmeng and the Ice Empress found it hard to believe, still confused.
By now, Xu Cheng had removed the crystal box from the tray and handed it to Zhou Sicheng. "This crystal box is specially designed to suppress the malevolent aura of the Soul-Devouring Knife."
Zhou Sicheng took the box and immediately stored it in his soul tool. He then pulled out a gold soul card and handed it to Xu Cheng.
Xu Cheng swiped 80,000 gold soul coins from the card before handing it back.
Zhou Sicheng cupped his fists. "Many thanks for your assistance today, senior. We need to return and prepare for the upcoming competition, so we won't take up more of your time."
Dai Yueheng also exchanged a few words with Xu Cheng before leaving the auction house alongside Zhou Sicheng.
As Zhou Sicheng walked along the road, his sea of consciousness was already in an uproar.
Elder Yi, like a teacher instructing schoolchildren, began to explain to Tianmeng and the Ice Empress:
"Living beings—as the name implies, all things with life can be considered living beings."
"Whether it was my former self, or the two of you, we are all the same. Among living beings, there's no inherent hierarchy—only differences in intelligence. The most fundamental power of any living being is vitality."
"And Essence Gold of Living Beings is the solid, purified manifestation of vitality. Simply put, it is a massive concentration of life force, condensed together and nurtured over tens of thousands of years. A true treasure of heaven and earth."
"I didn't originally come from your world. I came from a parallel dimension. But regardless of the world, the existence of Essence Gold of Living Beings remains the same."
"The immense vitality it contains is of unimaginable benefit to any living creature. One living being represents one life—but a single piece of Essence Gold represents an entire world."
Tianmeng pondered Elder Yi's words and asked, "So, this thing is essentially a supreme rare natural treasure?"
Electrolux nodded. "Exactly. When Essence Gold first begins to form, it's in a gaseous state. Over time, it condenses into liquid, and eventually into a solid form—but the time needed for that process is beyond imagination."
"That knife in Sicheng's hands? That's the final solid-state form of Essence Gold of Living Beings."
"To put it more bluntly, Tianmeng—even your entire million years of vitality would amount to no more than a single teardrop of Essence Gold."
"No way…" Tianmeng Iceworm and the Ice Empress said in near unison.
The Ice Empress didn't usually think highly of Tianmeng, but she had to admit that in terms of raw vitality, Tianmeng's million-year life span still surpassed her own.
Electrolux smiled. "That's already a very generous estimation. Tianmeng, do you remember the forest where we first merged with Sicheng?"
"Of course—the Great Star Dou Forest! That's where those bastards tormented me!" Tianmeng Iceworm said through gritted teeth.
Electrolux continued, "The forest nurtures countless lives. When my consciousness descended, I could feel its overwhelming vitality."
"If you were to use that forest as a reference, it would take at least 200,000 years to condense a piece of solid Essence Gold the size of that knife. And that's under perfect, undisturbed conditions."
"Also, understand this—its formation requires very specific environmental factors. For example, that forest would need to have a focal point where life force is extremely dense and concentrated, or no Essence Gold would ever form."
Upon hearing this, Tianmeng and the Ice Empress finally grasped just how precious this treasure was.
Zhou Sicheng, who had been listening attentively, responded like a diligent student. "So, what you're saying is, the Soul-Devouring Knife I wanted to collect is actually entirely made of Essence Gold of Living Beings."
"What was once merely a cursed artifact is now an invaluable treasure."
Electrolux nodded. "I have to admit, your luck is extraordinary. First the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, and now this Essence Gold. If there's something like a 'Chosen One' in this world, I believe it might be you."
Before Zhou Sicheng could respond, Tianmeng suddenly shouted, "Elder Yi, is it possible that I am the Chosen One? I mean, I went from being a worthless Iceworm to becoming the king of soul beasts! I even found Sicheng and you as allies! I might even reach that realm in the future…"
Tianmeng went on and on, but the main point was this: he was once a trash soul beast and now he was on the path to becoming a god.
Electrolux chuckled, but the more he thought about it, the more it seemed like this oversized worm really did have the luck of a Chosen One.
The Ice Empress sneered coldly from the side. "Without Sicheng, you'd still be someone's dinner in the Star Dou Forest. Where did you get the confidence to call yourself the Chosen One?"
Tianmeng muttered to himself, Isn't this exactly the kind of story a Chosen One has?
Zhou Sicheng asked again, "Elder Yi, do you have a way to resolve the curse on this Soul-Devouring Knife?"
Electrolux smiled. "Not only can I resolve the knife's problem, but I can also restore its full function. With such a large piece of Essence Gold, not only will you be able to inherit my abilities, but I'll also be able to preserve my will in a more complete sense."
"Once you absorb it, it will grant you a comprehensive and massive boost—and Tianmeng and the Ice Empress will benefit greatly as well."
Zhou Sicheng feigned surprise. "So that's how it is… Seems like our luck really is excellent. Once we return to the hotel, we can start the absorption process."
Elder Yi also grew excited. "To avoid drawing attention, let's do it in your room tonight."
Zhou Sicheng nodded slightly and exited the mental conversation, listening silently as Tianmeng and the Ice Empress continued asking Elder Yi questions in the spiritual sea.
Elder Yi answered generously, hiding nothing as long as their questions didn't touch on private matters.
Meanwhile, beside him, Dai Yueheng noticed Zhou Sicheng smiling and couldn't help but ask, "Captain, what's got you so happy?"
Zhou Sicheng smiled faintly. "I don't have to go shopping with the girls. Isn't that something to be happy about?"
Dai Yueheng was speechless. He'd like to go shopping—if only he had girls to go with… Was this some kind of humble brag?
With the Soul Engraving Dagger now in hand, Zhou Sichen was naturally in high spirits. He followed Dai Yueheng to visit some scenic spots around the city.
However, Star Luo City was completely overcrowded. No matter where they went, they were shoulder to shoulder with people. After a short while, Zhou Sichen found it rather dull and decided to return to the hotel.
Seeing Zhou Sichen leave, Dai Yueheng also lost interest in sightseeing. After more than a year of intense, high-pressure training with Zhou Sichen, he found that if he didn't cultivate even for a single day, his body felt sluggish and uncomfortable.
Once the two returned to the hotel, Dai Yueheng went straight to his room to cultivate.
Zhou Sichen, on the other hand, was immediately caught by Ye Guyi, who dragged him out for shopping.
Ye Guyi looked annoyed. "Where did you run off to? It's been forever since you came back!"
Zhou Sichen chuckled awkwardly. "I went to the Starlight Auction House to look around. I ended up buying a ranked Soul Engraving Dagger."
Ye Guyi's interest was instantly piqued. She latched onto Zhou Sichen's arm and asked, "Don't you already have a ranked Soul Engraving Dagger? Why get another one?"
Just then, Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen, and Dugu Xianmeng also came over to join them.
Ye Guyi couldn't help but roll her eyes, but she didn't say anything more.
Zhou Sichen looked a bit embarrassed. Back at the academy, aside from training, he rarely found himself surrounded by multiple girls at once.
What had originally been a strategy to win them over had, over time, evolved into something far more complicated.
Now, with four girls gathered around him, this was a textbook case of a Shura Field.
Still, on the surface, the girls all acted like good sisters. None of them said anything openly, though inwardly, they were fuming.
With four stunning beauties surrounding a handsome young man walking down the street, they immediately attracted everyone's attention. Countless passersby stole secret glances at them.
The men were all envious of Zhou Sichen for being surrounded by gorgeous women—some even imagined themselves in his place.
Meanwhile, the women envied the four girls, thinking how lucky they were to walk alongside such a dashing man.
The group of five—four women and one man—arrived at a jewelry store. It wasn't crowded, as it catered exclusively to soul masters and was considered a high-end establishment.
Zhou Sichen followed the girls inside. Each of them picked out accessories and asked for his opinion.
Zhou Sichen didn't mind. Though he had told Dai Yueheng he didn't enjoy this kind of thing, in truth, he was actually enjoying himself quite a bit.
Even Skydream Iceworm in his spiritual sea was filled with envy. As for Ice Empress, she simply snorted coldly with disapproval from the side.
Suddenly, Zhou Sichen noticed two people inside the store.
One was a handsome young man with bright blue eyes, a slender and upright figure, and exceptionally fair, elegant hands. His fingers were long and delicate, with a jade-like glow—hands even most girls would envy, almost comparable to Zhou Sichen's own.
Standing in front of the young man was a girl who resembled him somewhat—five or six points of similarity in their features. She looked at the accessory in the young man's hand and shook her head, seemingly unimpressed.
Just as Zhou Sichen noticed them, the young man also caught sight of him.
He was instantly captivated—not because of the four stunning girls surrounding Zhou Sichen, but because he took pride in his own looks. Yet now, in front of Zhou Sichen, he suddenly felt a bit inferior.
Noticing the change in her brother's expression, the girl turned to follow his gaze. The moment she saw Zhou Sichen's handsome face, she was instantly smitten.
She blurted out without thinking, "Brother, he's so good-looking!"
But then, upon noticing Ye Guyi, Ma Xiaotao, Ling Luochen, and Dugu Xianmeng, her expression soured a bit. "What a shame he's a total playboy!"
The boy rolled his eyes. "Have you ever seen a playboy capable of getting four top-tier beauties to get along harmoniously?"
His sister paused, stunned. True. Being good-looking does have its perks!
Upon seeing the two and their looks, Zhou Sichen had already formed a vague guess in his mind.
He smiled warmly and continued helping the girls choose accessories.
The girl, completely captivated by that smile, turned to her brother and said, "Brother, let's go say hello. They're probably also participants in the tournament. Let's see what we can learn."
The boy gave her a helpless look. "Face-obsessed…"
Still, despite his tone, he clearly doted on her. He brought her over to where Zhou Sichen and the others were.
The four girls looked slightly annoyed, staring at the siblings with displeasure.
Interrupting their five-person moment?
The young man smiled and extended his hand to Zhou Sichen. "Xiao Hongchen, from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy. You must also be a participant in the tournament, right?"
At the mention of "Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy," the expressions of Ye Guyi and the others instantly turned sharp.
And when Zhou Sichen replied, "Shrek Academy," Xiao Hongchen's hand trembled slightly as he shook it.
Even the girl behind him was stunned. Shrek Academy? What are the odds?!
Everyone knew that Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy were bitter rivals in the tournament.
After all, both academies were extremely powerful—one the reigning champion, the other the eternal runner-up.
Zhou Sichen withdrew his hand and said with a smile, "Seems like the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy isn't as cold and distant as the rumors say. Based on what our seniors have told us, you're probably the first one to ever initiate a conversation with someone from Shrek."
Xiao Hongchen twitched at the corners of his mouth. He never expected this kind of coincidence—that the first person he greeted today would turn out to be from Shrek.
Meanwhile, Meng Hongchen was also secretly muttering to herself: How could that handsome guy be from Shrek? What do I do now?
Xiao Hongchen paused and then reined in his smile. "What a coincidence indeed. Let's hope the same happens during the tournament."
With that, he pulled Meng Hongchen away and left.
Meng Hongchen glanced back longingly at Zhou Sichen. For the first time in her life, she had felt an urge toward the opposite sex.
Was her love… over just like that?
****
If you want to support me or read advanced chapters (21+), consider checking out my pat.
patr*on.com/Salsita2k