Chapter 71: Third Soul Skill, Mirror of Illusion

Just when Huo thought it was over, Xuan Lao spoke up and asked Su Yu to stay behind, along with Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao.

Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao agreed happily, but no matter what was said, Huo refused to go, claiming he had matters at home and needed to ask for leave!

In the end, with a wave of Xuan Lao's hand, he was dragged away directly...

"I am very surprised by the performance of the three of you, but what I want to know is, who was actually in command during this match? The goal of the eight of you was clear from beginning to end, and everyone was able to play their greatest role. I don't think it was just one person playing a role among you."

Xuan Lao looked at Huo Yuhao and Su Yu, and he immediately had some guesses in his heart.

Xuan Lao's words were correct, but if Su Yu admitted that he was the one commanding the entire match, he would inevitably be known by more people in the future.

The world of Soul Masters follows the Dark Forest Law; once one is known by more people, it will eventually lead to greater crises.

He who wishes to wear the crown must bear its weight.

However, such a price is too high...

Huo Yuhao was about to speak, but Su Yu stepped in first: "Xuan Lao, it was all Huo Yuhao's plan; I was only responsible for relaying it. As for why there was such a plan, I believe Huo Yuhao's soul skill will answer your doubts."

"Su Yu, you..."

Wang Dong was just about to speak, but Su Yu shook his head to stop him, and Huo Yuhao, standing to the side, fell into a daze on the spot...

As he spoke, Huo Yuhao muddledly released his Spirit Detection Sharing. Feeling Huo Yuhao's Spirit Detection Sharing, Xuan Lao's eyes began to grow fervent.

Next was another Xuan Lao who had been fooled into a limp. If he knew that Huo had a million-year soul ring on him, and also the Ice Empress, one of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Extreme North, what would he think?

If it weren't for the fact that Huo Yuhao was a pure human, Su Yu would have suspected that with so many cheats on him, if he were killed, a pile of soul rings might explode out.

However, if the protagonists of Dou III and Dou IV were really killed, let alone soul rings, even soul bones could be exploded out...

Yet, even more outrageous things from the Tang family were still to come: the combat-power-collapsing Great God Circle, the magical Dou IV, and that *Honor of Kings*-like combat style...

It is simply a strange sandstorm and mudslide in the world of gaming novels.

Diverting disaster to others is Su's specialty; you go suffer and toil, because I certainly don't want to work for free for you.

In the end, the fooled Xuan Lao let them leave. Watching their departing backs, Xuan Lao couldn't help but reveal a gratified smile.

You old man had better pray for yourself; you'll have plenty of times being fooled in the future...

After walking out of the Soul Fighting District, the rest of the people did not leave. Xu Sanshi was still pestering Jiang Nannan shamelessly as in the original work, while Bei Bei was chatting with He Cai Tou about something.

"Master, Brother He, Xiao Xiao, why haven't you left yet?" Su Yu asked, looking at them.

"We are waiting for our great hero, of course. If we left, how could we thank you?" Bei Bei was just being Bei Bei—handsome and smooth-talking.

"Why thank me? You should go thank Yu Hao. If it weren't for his Spirit Detection Sharing, I don't think we would have won so smoothly." Su Yu wanted to decline, but it seemed Wang Dong beside him didn't agree at all.

At this time, Xiao Xiao also stood up and said, "Vice Class Monitor, you can't say that. If it weren't for your command throughout the whole process, we wouldn't have won so smoothly."

"Alright, you little rascal, stop declining here. Everyone thinks it's you, so why are you still declining? We aren't blind. In the future, we will all be members of the Reserve Team, and no one can fall behind, but I have a question." Xu Sanshi's tone shifted, and Su Yu immediately knew what he was talking about.

"If you want to be the Shrek Seven Devils, you go be them; I just want to study my Soul Guidance Devices." Su Yu waved his hand. Among the eight, if one really had to talk about weak strength, it was only Xiao Xiao, but she had Twin Martial Souls, and furthermore, she was Xuan Lao's future designated disciple.

Jiang Nannan's growth potential was indeed at the bottom among the Seven Monsters. Thinking about it carefully, except for the first generation of Seven Monsters, the later ones basically all turned into a box of ashes, buried in places unknown...

Due to Su Yu's early departure, Wang Dong and He Cai Tou also left together. After all, Wang Dong was not familiar with them, and He Cai Tou only knew Su Yu, though he also knew Wang Dong.

After all, Wang Dong had come to the Soul Guidance Department to grab people many times, and that aggressive manner had left a deep impression on He Cai Tou. Especially after they got familiar with each other, whenever Wang Dong came to the Soul Guidance Department, he would go ask He Cai Tou where Su Yu was.

After leaving the Soul Fighting District, Su Yu followed He Cai Tou back to the Soul Guidance Department.

The sky gradually darkened. He Cai Tou put down the Soul Guidance Device in his hand and said, "Su Yu, can we talk?"

He Cai Tou looked up at the sky, and the simple honesty on his face gradually changed, turning into a solemnity. The usual daze in his eyes also gradually disappeared, and a depth that Su Yu had never seen before slowly emerged.

At this moment, his entire person had completely changed into another appearance. Su Yu did not feel fear or surprise at this; as a prince of the Sun Moon Empire, if he were really just that simple and honest, that would truly be a disgrace to his status as a prince of the Sun Moon Empire.

"Brother He, finally getting to know you formally." Su Yu said indifferently.

Looking at the indifferent Su Yu before him, He Cai Tou said with a half-smile, "Aren't you curious about my identity?"

"What's there to be curious about? Everyone has their own secrets. You have yours, and I have mine. So for me, I don't care about other people's secrets. I only need to know that we are brothers, and that is enough."

He said this, but in fact, Su Yu had long known everything about He Cai Tou.

If I opened my mouth and said your real name is Xu He, and you are the former Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire, and the current Emperor of the Sun Moon Empire is your enemy, how would that play out? You'd probably be carrying a cannon to kill me to silence me the next second...

Either deep brotherly love, or brothers killing each other...

So I know how to choose, because I'm not stupid.

"Sure enough, I didn't misjudge you, Su Yu." He Cai Tou slowly raised his head and looked at the brilliant stars suspended in the night sky.

"Actually, I envy you. In terms of martial soul, you have unique advantages, and you also have amazing talent in Soul Guidance Devices. In the time I've spent learning under Teacher Fan Yu with you, you have progressed very quickly. Even I, who have studied under Teacher Fan Yu for many years, have to admit that your future is boundless."

Having said this, a trace of bitterness appeared on He Cai Tou's face, because He Cai Tou knew that the candidate for the future Extreme Individual Soldier Plan would definitely not be him.

Listening to He Cai Tou's long lament, Su really couldn't bear to interrupt him.

Sitting there quietly, listening like a good boy, Su Yu was not a very good counselor, but he was definitely a qualified listener.

After listening to He Cai Tou finish telling his life story, his eyes were already filled with tears.

"Brother He, if you want to cry, then cry; there's nothing shameful about it." Su Yu knew that He Cai Tou had been suppressing himself, but He Cai Tou had been warning himself not to be weak, always suppressing this grief in his heart.

Su Yu's words were like shattering the last line of defense in He Cai Tou's heart, and tears fell drop by drop like a floodgate opening.

Perhaps, letting He Cai Tou, who was also a youth, vent now was the best choice.

A long time passed, and when He Cai Tou regained his calm, Su Yu slowly said, "A gentleman's revenge is not too late even after ten years. If you yourself think you are not qualified for the Extreme Individual Soldier Plan, then what is there to talk about regarding revenge? In Shrek Academy, everything needs to be fought for by ourselves."

"So Brother He, promise me, no matter what, don't give up on yourself. We are not just brothers, but comrades-in-arms. The road ahead is still long; as long as you keep persisting, there will always be a day for revenge."

After speaking, he reached out to help He Cai Tou up, looking at He Cai Tou's deep and steady appearance, "Actually, you don't need to hide anything. I think the current you is the one that truly suits you."

He Cai Tou calmed his excited mood and sighed leisurely, "You're right, whether I hide it or not now, it doesn't matter anymore."

"This is the Brother He, Xu He, that I respect. Since you've promised me, I hope that after today, what I see is a brand-new He Cai Tou, not that simple and honest He Cai Tou."

Su Yu placed several pieces of thousand-year Whale Glue and a blueprint on the table, then turned and left the laboratory.

In the empty laboratory, only He Cai Tou remained...

When Su Yu returned to the dormitory, the sky had completely darkened. Su Yu looked back in the direction of the Soul Guidance Department.

"I hope that what I see in the future will no longer be that simple and honest He Cai Tou, but the high-spirited former Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire, Xu He!"

Pushing open the dormitory door, Wang Dong was still tinkering with the Soul Guidance Device Su Yu had left on the table.

"Why are you only just back? It's already dark. Does researching a Soul Guidance Device really take that long?" Wang Dong asked with a hint of complaint.

"Sorry, I was held up by some things, so I returned a bit late." Su Yu did not refute this, but looking at Wang Dong's somewhat strange gaze, Su Yu suddenly realized something was about to happen.

Wang Dong grabbed Su Yu by the collar and questioned him in an unquestionable tone: "Why didn't you let me speak during the day? It was clearly all your credit, so why didn't you admit it and instead gave the credit to Huo Yuhao? You'd better give me a satisfactory explanation today!"

"Actually, I don't want to be one of the Shrek Seven Devils as part of the Reserve Team. Perhaps you all have a different sense of belonging toward the Shrek Seven Devils, but I don't. I just want to be a Soul Engineer who researches Soul Guidance Devices. If you want, I can promise to accompany you in the Reserve Team's training." As he spoke, Su Yu removed Wang Dong's hand from his lapel and gently held it in his palm.

Hearing Su Yu's answer, Wang Dong was stunned for a moment. Is he doing this for me?

I, what should I do? But he said he would accompany me in training... should I really let him come with me...

"Wang Dong, what's wrong? Your face is so red. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

As he spoke, Su Yu even reached out to touch Wang Dong's forehead. It was precisely this action that made Wang Dong's face turn even redder, and his thoughts became completely chaotic.

"Su Yu, I, I, I'm fine." Wang Dong stammered as he pulled his palm back from Su Yu's hand, then turned and sat on his own bed.

Su Yu tidied up the Soul Guidance Devices that Wang Dong had messed up on the table, then sat down by Wang Dong's bed. "Wang Dong, do you want me to accompany you to the Reserve Team training in half a month?"

"Yes, of course I do. You said it yourself, don't go back on your word." Wang Dong answered immediately, fearing that Su Yu might change his mind.

At this moment, Su Yu took an exquisite bracelet from his Soul Guidance Device and handed it to Wang Dong. "This is a Third-level Soul Guidance Device I made. When necessary, as long as you inject soul power, you can activate the Soul Guidance Protective Barrier within it. Even a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor can be blocked three times. I'm giving this to you; if I'm not by your side, let it take my place to protect you."

Looking at the exquisite bracelet, an unusual light flickered in Wang Dong's eyes, and his heart beat nervously at this moment.

"Su Yu..."

Wang Dong wanted to say something, but the words reached his lips and he said nothing.

Stroking Wang Dong's soft, powder-blue short hair, Su Yu smiled gently. "We're such good friends, why be so polite with me? Remember to practice hard. When your strength surpasses mine in the future, I'll let you protect me."

That night, Su Yu slept very peacefully.

That night, Wang Dong's mood was very complicated.

That night, He Cai Tou sat quietly in the laboratory, looking at the things on the table, and did not sleep all night.

…………

In the less than half a month that followed, Su Yu's cultivation successfully broke through to level 30, for which he supplemented with quite a bit of Whale Glue and other medicinal materials that could strengthen his physique.

According to Su Yu's own estimation, with his current physical strength, he could withstand a Soul Ring of at least around 3,000 years.

When he was doing experiments last time, he accidentally discovered that he could absorb other Soul Rings to nourish his own body and Spirit Power.

Although this nourishment was not considered very powerful, it might also be because the subjects of his previous experiments were only Century Soul Beasts.

Actually, the Soul Ring Su Yu wanted most was still that of a Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, but Su Yu knew that unless he went deep into the Star Dou Great Forest, he shouldn't even think about catching such a rare Soul Beast.

After coming to the Soul Guidance Department and reporting the situation to Fan Yu, Fan Yu intended to let a teacher help Su Yu hunt for a Soul Ring, but Su Yu politely refused, using the excuse that he wanted to cultivate his combat awareness in actual combat, and that a Soul Engineer absolutely must not rely on others.

Then he successfully fooled his mentor Fan Yu, who felt at ease letting Su Yu take a protective Level 5 Soul Guidance Device and head to the Star Dou Great Forest alone to hunt Soul Beasts.

Having left Shrek City, Su finally began his hunting journey.

Although the outer perimeter of the Star Dou Great Forest basically consisted of Soul Beasts with relatively low years, Su Yu still had to be careful, using the protective Soul Guidance Device given to him by Fan Yu to conceal his figure from time to time.

Finally, after a long half-hour of sneaking, Su Yu encountered a group of Century Soul Beasts. Taking advantage of the fact that the other side had not yet discovered him, Su Yu directly deployed his four Soul Guidance Cannons, two for himself and two for his clone.

Following the sound of violent explosions, this group of Century Earth Demon Bears suffered heavy casualties instantly. Taking advantage of them fleeing in all directions, Su Yu directly unleashed his martial soul and killed all the straggling Soul Beasts.

From beginning to end, the clone was responsible for fire suppression, while the main body was responsible for cleaning up the aftermath. Although they were the same person, the current Su Yu could completely multitask because his Spirit Power had already reached such a level.

Looking at the dense yellow Soul Rings in front of him, Su Yu summoned his Fragment Martial Soul and began to absorb and devour all these Century Soul Rings.

During this period, his clone had been using the Soul Guidance Device given by Fan Yu to conceal Su Yu's figure and aura.

Everything had to be foolproof; otherwise, if he were careless and unlucky enough to encounter a Millennium Soul Beast out foraging or wandering, wouldn't Su Yu's two-ring cultivation be sent to heaven on the spot?

Su Yu could not afford to take this risk. Once something went wrong, he didn't have the Ice Empress or any old grandfather to help him.

Half an hour later, the twenty or thirty yellow Century Soul Rings on the ground had been completely absorbed by the Fragment Martial Soul. Su Yu stood up, and it was clear that his body and Spirit Power had improved once again.

According to Su Yu's own estimation, his improvement was not unlimited; if his soul power did not increase, the nourishment obtained from absorbing Soul Rings would also have a limit.

According to Su Yu's estimation, these twenty or thirty Century Soul Beasts contributed at least three levels of physical strength to him. Now, Su Yu's physical strength was already close to level 38.

Back then, Huo Gua's physical strength reached level 62 at level 40. Although Su Yu did not expect himself to be like Huo Gua, reaching level 52 in physical strength at level 30.

But he hoped that the limit of the nourishment his body could accept would be around level 45. As long as he broke through to Three-Ring, the limit of his future physical strength would be even higher.

After three days of hunting, Su Yu was already covered in wounds. On the second day, Su Yu encountered the siege of two 3,000-year Soul Beasts. In a situation where he could not escape, Su Yu killed one of them, and the other fled because both sides were heavily injured.

On the second day, while hunting a 2,000-year Soul Beast, Su Yu encountered a herd of beasts, and there were several Millennium Soul Beasts in the herd. For this reason, Su Yu had to choose to retreat and spent the entire second day recuperating from his injuries.

On the third day, Su Yu successfully killed a Golden Lion King of about 4,500 years by relying on his array of Soul Guidance Devices and his own improved Hidden Weapon.

This hunt also cost Su Yu a heavy price. If Su Yu hadn't dodged the Golden Lion King's terrifying claws at the critical moment, he would probably have gone to pay respects to his Huaxia ancestors by now.

In the end, Su Yu gave up the decision to continue hunting because of the limit of the Soul Rings his Fragment Martial Soul could absorb; his physical strength had now reached the level of 48.

"It's time to absorb the Soul Ring." Looking at the 4,500-year Golden Lion King in front of him, Su Yu released his Mirror Martial Soul and began to absorb the purple Soul Ring before him.

A beam of pure white light shone from Su Yu's martial soul, slowly attracting the purple Soul Ring formed by the Golden Lion King, and under Su Yu's absorption, it fused into his body.

After half an hour of absorption, Su Yu had thoroughly absorbed his third Soul Ring. After absorbing the Soul Ring, Su Yu felt that his body, spirit, and the circulation speed of his soul power had all reached a new level.

After absorbing the Soul Ring, Su Yu stood up slowly. Now he had the confidence to fight a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor.

The third soul skill bestowed upon him by the Golden Lion King was named Virtual Mirror.

This soul skill granted Su Yu an even more terrifying ability: to reflect all attacks from opponents with lower soul power than himself; for opponents with higher soul power, there was a certain chance to neutralize the opponent's attack, and if it could not be neutralized, to reflect a portion of the attack based on his own strength.

This soul skill consumed more energy the stronger the attack it dealt with, so Su Yu did not dare to try it easily. Before leaving, Su Yu found a Millennium Soul Beast as an experimental subject.

The opponent was a Spirit-type Soul Beast. When the opponent released a soul skill similar to Huo Yuhao's Spirit Shock, the third Soul Ring behind Su Yu lit up, and a black mirror resembling a void emerged. Within the mirror, a black-hole-like vortex was constantly spinning, seeming to devour everything.

The intangible and formless spirit attack rushed directly toward Su Yu, but those strange ripples were directly swallowed by the Virtual Mirror and then returned directly.

To reflect this attack, it cost Su Yu one-tenth of his soul power. The opponent was only a 2,000-year Soul Beast; if the opponent were a 4,000-year Soul Beast, Su Yu estimated it would cost at least one-quarter of his soul power.

But at least it confirmed Su Yu's conjecture: this soul skill was not entirely based on the strength of soul power; in fact, it should be more based on the strength of one's overall power.

After returning to the academy, Su Yu had become a heavily injured person covered in scars.

It is estimated that Fan Yu notified others, and when Su Yu was lying in the school infirmary, Wang Dong had already rushed over with a large blade in hand...

That aggressive demeanor made even He Cai Tou afraid to intervene, and when Wang Dong saw Su Yu, whose entire body was stained red with blood and whose clothes were tattered, he immediately burst into tears.

"Su Yu, don't scare me, are you alright? What happened to you..." The originally aggressive Wang Dong was scared to tears the moment he saw the heavily injured Su Yu.

Holding Su Yu's body, he asked in a panic; in those beautiful powder-blue eyes, the previous indignation was completely gone, replaced only by panic and fear.

"I'm fine, I just got a little hurt while hunting a Soul Beast. Why are you such a crybaby? Besides, there are other people here, stop crying."

Gently wiping away Wang Dong's tears and cupping his face, Su Yu promised repeatedly that he was fine, and only then did Wang Dong loosen his grip.

"Since you're fine, I'm relieved. Teacher Fan Yu told me you were heavily injured while hunting a Soul Beast. I was worried about you and originally planned to come take care of you, but it seems I don't need to now."

The current He Cai Tou gave off a completely different feeling than before; he was more profound and less simple-minded, and his entire temperament was no longer as ordinary as it had been. Now, he was like a mountain—steady—and furthermore, he possessed a nobility that was different from the past.

He Cai Tou smiled and exited the infirmary. He was very reassured about Su Yu; he had been the first to receive the news when Su Yu returned, and for this reason, he had even asked the healing Soul Master, who said that aside from a few broken bones and internal injuries, there was basically no danger to his life.

If one wanted to recover quickly, it would cost extra!

But was Huo a person who lacked money?

Furthermore, Su Yu was a dual-core disciple, so all treatment fees were waived directly, and Fan Yu had even specifically instructed the healing Soul Master that Su Yu must be fully recovered before training.

"Wang Dong, why don't you feed me? The bones in my arm are broken, and the healing teacher told me I need to rest more."

"Mm, okay."

"Ah, so hot, ah..."

It was originally a very heartwarming scene, but the clumsy Wang Dong forgot that the soup was still hot while feeding Su Yu. The completely defenseless Su Yu happily took a big gulp and was scalded into yelping on the spot...

The most disastrous part was that when Wang Dong panicked and went to help Su Yu wipe the soup flowing from the corner of his mouth, he accidentally knocked over the bowl, spilling a bowl of hot soup all over Su Yu...

And thus, it created a miserable situation for Huo; when Wang Dong prepared to wipe the soup off Su Yu's body, his hands awkwardly froze in mid-air.

Looking at Wang Dong's blushing cheeks, Su Yu sighed helplessly. Fortunately, he was also a Soul Master; although it was very hot in that instant, he basically felt nothing afterward.

"My dear Class Monitor Wang, you are practically murdering your friend (husband) here. I know you want to take revenge on me, but could you at least make it quick..."

Huo looked at the shame-faced Wang Dong, wanting to cry but having no tears, while Wang Dong kept his head lowered, his hands pinching the corners of his clothes.

"Su Yu, I didn't mean to..."

Listening to Wang Dong's weak and unconfident voice, Su Yu could only helplessly accept it. The path he chose, he had to finish walking even if he had to crawl, and besides, it was Huo himself who had agreed to let Wang Dong come take care of him.

However, the ideal was beautiful, but the reality was cruel; he had forgotten that Wang Dong, this young master who had never lifted a finger, had absolutely no experience in taking care of people...

Just like that, after experiencing three days of pain and joy, Su Yu was finally discharged.

The day of his discharge was just right, coinciding with another teaching session from Xuan Lao. In the previous few sessions, Huo had used excuses like his soul power being on the verge of a breakthrough or his Soul Guidance Device design reaching a critical juncture, and with Fan Yu's cover, he had skipped them. But this time, he had promised Wang Dong he would not skip class again.

When he and Wang Dong arrived at the assessment grounds holding hands, a gratified smile appeared on Xuan Lao's face; regardless, Su Yu felt inside and out that Xuan Lao's smile was full of hidden meaning.

The eight people gathered, and Su Yu looked at the seven students opposite him; the school uniforms they wore were all the blood-red color representing the Inner Court.

Today I am a substitute; I will just quietly watch you, Huo, show off.