[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces":3,"chapter-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-18":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon of a Thousand Faces",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2269664,4431,"Chapter 18: Holy Sword: Slash Evil (Patron Bonus Chapter)","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-18",18,"\u003Cp>“Solve this case within seven days.” Li En made a bold claim—but he had grounds for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li En expected, the talents recruited here were no ordinary people in the real world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these pieces in hand, Li En finally had the confidence to execute his overly ambitious “great cleanup” plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, after switching hands to a new set of cards, not only did the Tail-Cutting Case seem solvable, but for the first time, Li En felt he might actually complete the main quest: “Seal the Underground Demon God.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these high-quality pieces, he might not even need to show his face—yet still bring down the Underground Demon God.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this is their country, their home—they ought to care more, ought to bear more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Dragon Hunter’s problem is serious. Her identity must be far from ordinary… Laina-sister?” Her unconscious choice of address revealed far more than she intended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Spirit Ledger’s Dream Wander is limited—not only can it be refused, but its scope is confined to this city alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The biggest fish caught this time was surely that girl—who, despite being a Dragonkin, somehow harbored intense hatred toward the Dragon Clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Certain events further proved her identity was anything but ordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The holy relic of Holy Power Arts, and the Cursed Great Strength Gauntlets? Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite Shadow Cai’s bizarre request, she agreed instantly—fully confident she could acquire it—and added one more line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I should get it soon—maybe news by tomorrow night. But are you prepared?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What she meant: Are you ready to expose yourself? Is this resource truly worth revealing your true identity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course.” The female officer’s instant reply earned her a significant boost in Su Er’s approval rating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, under everyone’s gaze, Su Er unconsciously nodded—though some of the little ones noticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These sharp little ones must have noticed my preferences and scoring criteria by now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those unhidden micro-expressions were also subtle hints and signals voluntarily given by the Spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each Spirit was once a hero—they naturally had their own tastes, and “foolish justice” was naturally fairness and righteousness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Dragon Hunter truly leverages her advantage in support and intelligence to eliminate the other candidates, she’ll naturally be eliminated—and lose all future chances as a Spirit candidate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, there are multiple Spirit candidates; the Spirit Cards aren’t limited to one, and the Spirit Legacy isn’t unique either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dragon Hunter was baited—or rather, she’s still actively leaking information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if this candidate’s succession fails, the next candidate will still be allowed to enter the Spirit Hall as a replacement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if she never succeeds, there are many benefits—what exactly, the Dragon Hunter hinted at mysteriously, but Li En suspects she doesn’t even know herself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps she’s now rushing to gather concrete intelligence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the Dragon Hunter’s existence, Li En gained direction for his operations—and far more intelligence he didn’t even know existed, refining his plan and his deception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this girl’s instincts? Li En plans to monitor her long-term. Forget distant goals—for now, he hasn’t even hoped for those Dragonkin evolution formulas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s see what we’ve gained first. Once I get the ‘Paladin Set,’ I’ll have some real combat power. Heh, old man—is this what you call a grumpy old pride?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did Su Er kill Li En all night just to vent? A single night’s training might yield little, but after countless deaths, the boundary between warrior and civilian was easily crossed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This, in truth, is the hardest hurdle—too many warriors step onto the battlefield yet can’t unleash even a fraction of their strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, Li En relied on spirit possession to barely get by; now, even without a spirit, he is a warrior capable of facing life and death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go check morning training for progress.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sunlight fell on his shoulders; the sound of footsteps on grass made Li En feel as if he’d returned to his dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The familiar courtyard of his new home, the morning light and mist, made him even more alert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed to swing his sword, to train—to reacquaint himself with this fragile body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One strike. Then another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, he no longer needed an imagined opponent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried applying “Demolisher” to his sword—Su Er’s greatest strength, even his entire legacy system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Holy Sword. Slash Evil. Heh—there’s clearly something wrong here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That slash meant to cleave heaven, earth, and gods was called “Exorcise Evil,” but in truth, it had been elevated into a soul-art—not anymore, now it’s the Spirit Legacy’s combat system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His life, one man, one blade, was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Armor Erosion, World Shatter, Law Break, City Smash, Beast Slaughter, God Slash.” It was an overly vast and complete system—the essence of Su Er’s legacy—that Li En currently had no capacity to integrate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the prerequisite to mastering it? His soul-art: Demolisher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Soul-Art: Demolisher (Diamond): Your will is your sledgehammer—a supernatural ability infused with your will and rage, capable of ignoring an opponent’s defenses to some degree.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Can you pretend evil you can’t see doesn’t exist? Can you ignore crimes behind walls by covering your ears?!】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【No, never—“Foolish Justice”’s final words on its last day.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Diamond-tier new effect: You may extend its effect onto your body or weapon. You can ignore protections below the Third Ring. You can use your rage to purge inferior curses and dark arts. (This is still not its full potential.)】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked terrifyingly powerful—Li En imagined himself becoming a super express train, barreling through everything—but it was still in trial mode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This soul-art’s upgrade from Gold to Diamond wasn’t Su Er’s gift, nor was it due to Li En’s own limits rising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was because of another gain of Li En’s—his “Li Ensu Soul-Art,” now finally viewable in the real world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Soul-Art: Thousand-Faced Dragon (Low-Grade Stone): Allows you to link and use other Li Ensu soul-arts, granting a one-tier species-level boost. Effects reach 70% of the original. Current link limit: one.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine, you don’t even pretend—only Li Ensu’s soul-arts are allowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Thousand-Faced Dragon: Grr, I’m clearly a good guy, I have no schemes or tricks—why doesn’t anyone believe me?】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keep talking. See if Li Ensu believes you!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Species-level boost from Gold to Diamond, but 30% weaker effect—was this an upgrade or downgrade? Was priority increased while range and potency decreased? But the usage range seemed expanded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No—it’s an upgrade. The usage range is broader. It makes channeling power outside the body far easier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, quality still trumps quantity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And since the Low-Grade Stone Thousand-Faced Dragon has this effect, as my species level advances, it will grow stronger. Perhaps one day, I’ll use a Spirit’s soul-art and make it stronger than the original… Just using multiple soul-arts at once is already absurd.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are soul-arts powerful? Su Er’s Heaven-Cleaving, Earth-Splitting Exorcise Evil has something to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, Li En is trying to decode this entire system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Obtained Spirit Legacy: Unlocked “Armor Erosion” skill chain.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Su Er: Sword techniques? In darkness, swing your blade with full force—that’s it.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Applying the concept of “Armor Piercing” to Exorcise Evil transformed it into something resembling a warrior’s combat technique—far beyond imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But is it strong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boom!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This charge, though with two-handed longsword, seemed slow yet was swift—its aura resembled a sledgehammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the immature Armor Erosion strike remained impressively potent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It should be able to pierce heavy armor while shattering it with each successive blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Er had five more such systems—targeted strikes for specific foes and situations. One man, one blade, was always enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Infuse your rage against darkness into it—forge a will that destroys all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After repeated attempts, Li En finally set down his sword. He couldn’t accomplish this—ultimately, his raw attributes were insufficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this entire system’s prerequisite? That seemingly unique soul-art—could it really be taught?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spirit Legacy is singular.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Spirit Legacy cannot directly grant soul-arts—but within this legacy lies a trait similar to a “coloring card.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It can alter the inheritor’s soul-art, granting it partial “Demolisher” traits, enabling them to train this system’s combat techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it won’t match Li En’s original, ever-evolving version—but at least it’s usable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its raw strength isn’t the point—it’s the key to Su Er’s entire tactical vault, meant for only one successor. Li En? He didn’t inherit—he copied the whole vault and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Again.” At least this weakest “Armor Erosion” strike doesn’t demand absurd stamina—and it’s highly practical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He trained silently, unaware that in the shadows, someone was watching him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course—he’s also a Spirit Legacy inheritor. He lost his soul-art due to regression, failed succession, so the Spirit sought a second successor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shadow Cai, who had awakened earlier, had already hidden in the courtyard’s shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t mistake her for a naive sweetheart. She reveres light and trusts knights—not because she’s mindlessly fawning. Though she acts like it, she’s a seasoned detective and former adventurer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having seen too much darkness, she craves light all the more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Dragon Hunter leaked information, and Spirit Su Er revealed there had been a prior batch of successors—whose outcomes were grim—she immediately thought of Li En.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This also explained why Li En, though young, possessed astonishing strength and willpower—he was nearly a successful Spirit inheritor. How could he not be strong?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was actually a hidden persona Li En had crafted for himself—he hadn’t even realized it himself. Before he could fully reveal his next “plot,” she’d already figured it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His sword… resembles the Spirit’s. Almost identical.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could it be… he and the other successors once fought a great evil together, failed, the others died, and he regressed and lost his power? Yet even so, he crossed countless nations to save this country from the Demon God’s crisis.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine, still the queen of over-interpretation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And at this moment, she made her decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if I must expose myself, I’ll help him regain his strength. Compared to those utterly unreliable bastards, he’s the only one worthy of inheriting the Spirit!” She frowned, thinking of the candidates sprawled on the ground, still yelling at each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talia, who never imagined herself as an inheritor, grew increasingly dissatisfied with the other candidates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait—could he be the Spirit’s external overseer? Otherwise, how would the Spirit score us based on our actions outside?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her over-interpretation was getting worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En hadn’t even designed it yet—she’d already filled in the blanks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to longtime reader Xiao Long awfeef’s Patron donation—here’s the extra chapter as promised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, keep requesting monthly tickets and recommendation votes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1740,"2026-06-19T21:45:41.002Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","155ce68104bc741c40aa67eb8379292024db35a48762302a18e9003947b6d042","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-19","the-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-chapter-17",362,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-of-a-thousand-faces-cover.jpg"]