Back in his secluded corner of the dormitory, Chen Fan sat cross-legged, his left palm glowing with a rhythmic, golden-blue pulse. The Blue Silver Seed was no longer a seed. A slender, translucent vine had sprouted, winding around his wrist like a royal bracer.
As he focused his consciousness inward, a flood of information—ancient and divine—hit his mind. This wasn't a normal Martial Soul. Because he had consumed the 100,000-year Soul Bone and the Emperor's Bloodline, the Blue Silver Emperor was evolving in a way even the original novels hadn't depicted.
The Divine Mechanic: Self-Sustaining Rings
Chen Fan gasped as he realized the first unique trait of his second soul: Autonomous Ring Generation.
Growth-Type Ring: He didn't need to hunt a beast for the Blue Silver Emperor. The soul could manifest its own ring.
Scaling Capacity: The ring's age would automatically increase to the maximum limit his body could endure. As Chen Fan grew stronger, his "Century" ring would naturally become a "Millennial" and eventually "Myriad" (10,000+) year ring.
Ability Selection: Instead of a random skill based on a beast, he could browse the "Emperor's Archive" and manifest a skill that suited his needs.
"I need a disguise," Chen Fan whispered. "Tang Hao is still out there. If he sees a six-year-old with a Specter God and an Emperor's aura, I'm dead."
He delved into the spiritual archive of the vine. He bypassed combat skills and targeted a utility ability.
Selected Ability: Mimicry of the Forest.
Effect 1: Allows the user to alter their physical appearance (height, facial features, voice).
Effect 2: Ring Camouflage. Can visually alter the color of any soul ring (e.g., making a Black ring look Yellow).
A vibrant purple ring—representing the absolute limit of a Rank 20 Spirit Grandmaster's tolerance—coalesced around his feet, before he immediately used the new skill to turn it into a standard, inconspicuous Yellow.
The Hunt for the Specter's Second Ring
Chen Fan realized his bottleneck was gone. He had jumped straight to Rank 20. While Tang San was struggling with his "hollowed" Blue Silver Grass, Chen Fan was already a Spirit Grandmaster in all but name.
He sought out Dean Long Han. "Dean, I've hit the bottleneck. I need a second ring for my primary soul."
The Dean nearly fell out of his chair. "Rank 20? You've been a Spirit Master for less than half a year! You... you truly are a monster."
Despite his shock, the Dean agreed. He couldn't let a talent like this go to waste. They headed to a deeper, more dangerous sector of the Hunting Soul Forest.
The Ghost Wolf's Grudge
Deep in the misty ravines, they encountered a 700-year-old Ghost Wolf. It was a creature of pure malice, its fur consisting of shifting shadows and its eyes glowing with a sickly green light.
The Dean moved to suppress it, his Iron-Armored Rhino pinning the beast against a cliff. "Finish it, Chen Fan!"
Chen Fan summoned the Netherworld Specter God. As he plunged his Ghost Claw into the wolf's heart, the beast didn't howl in pain. Instead, it let out a Psychic Wail.
A shockwave of pure mental agony slammed into Chen Fan's brain.
"Argh!" Chen Fan collapsed, clutching his head.
In his mental sea, the image of the Ghost Wolf appeared, baring its fangs to shred his consciousness. It was a Mental Backlash—the beast's final, spiteful attempt to take its killer down with it.
But then, a cold, majestic laugh echoed in his mind. The Specter God loomed over the phantom wolf. It didn't strike; it simply opened its void-like maw.
"Small dog... you dare challenge the king of the dead?"
The Specter God swallowed the wolf's psychic remains whole. The pain vanished, replaced by a surge of cold, dark energy. A deep purple ring—close to the thousand-year mark—began to settle over Chen Fan.
Second Spirit Skill (Specter God): Shadow Puppetry.
Effect: Can take control of a target's shadow, forcing their body to mimic the shadow's movements for 3 seconds.
Chen Fan stood up, his aura now deeper and more terrifying. He looked at the Dean and shifted his features slightly using his new Blue Silver ability, making himself look like a slightly older, more rugged version of himself.
"Let's go back, Dean. I have a lot of 'studying' to do."