Chapter 13: The Taste of Strength
"Finally, I'm back to the Sun Moon Empire."
Xiao Qiang exhaled slowly, glancing around at the familiar surroundings. After spending half an hour mercilessly beating Wang Xiaodong into a pulp, he had carefully divided the man's body into fifteen pieces, scattering them in different locations—some buried, some tossed into the river to feed fish. He did everything humanly possible to ensure Wang Xiaodong could never come back to life and find him again.
If the guy still managed to resurrect after this… Xiao Qiang would honestly have no other option left. If someone could come back even after being reduced to chunks and ashes, then clearly fate itself wanted him dead.
He'd done everything he could. The rest, well… was out of his hands. If one day hundreds of lightning bolts suddenly rained down on his head, what could he do except lie down and die? Even if he locked himself in a Faraday cage to avoid the lightning, there'd probably be an earthquake waiting to bury him alive.
That's just not a problem he could solve.
"Brother Tianmeng, come and see which of these things are useful to me."
Back in the Sun Moon Empire, Xiao Qiang finally felt a weight lift off his shoulders. With a small wave of soul power, he opened the storage soul guide he had looted from Yang Peng, taking out all the contents in one go.
Tianmeng Ice Silkworm immediately peeked over with interest.
"Let me take a look… birch heart, green wood juice, purple vine, a chunk of 2,000-year-old Nether Wolf soul beast meat, a Beast Blood Fruit that's barely a thousand years old, and a bunch of your human world's gold soul coins. Hmm…"
"This guy was seriously poor! He's a Soul Emperor for crying out loud! At least drop something mysterious, you bastard! What is this junk!?" Tianmeng grumbled.
"Brother Tianmeng, you can't say Soul Emperors are rich by default. The real question is: can these things help me? What's the most efficient way to use them?"
Xiao Qiang wasn't surprised by the lackluster haul. He wasn't some chosen protagonist like Huo Yuhao. He didn't expect rare treasures to rain down every time he killed someone. A random Soul Emperor wasn't going to drop divine artifacts and cultivation pills.
That's why he never bothered opening the storage guide right away. He didn't want to waste hope on disappointment.
"It's still somewhat useful," Tianmeng said, clicking his tongue. "Though these items aren't anything impressive for a Soul Emperor, they still carry auxiliary value. And lucky for you—you're not a six-ring Soul Emperor. You're just a Soul Master with three rings. That makes a big difference."
"When you use the Heaven-Swallowing Divine Art I created, you'll absorb the energy more effectively. It should give you a temporary boost. Based on the residual effects, your soul power should reach level 34 within the next two months."
"Damn it! A six-ring Soul Emperor's entire life savings couldn't even get you past one soul power level? What's this guy been doing all these years—burning money for warmth?!" Tianmeng continued cursing furiously.
"Relax, Brother Tianmeng. Think about it—how much wealth can an average Soul Emperor realistically carry around? It's not like he's dragging all his possessions with him everywhere, just waiting to get robbed."
Xiao Qiang remained calm. Killing Yang Peng had been a bonus, not part of his main plan. The loot was just enough to slightly reduce the difficulty of his next breakthrough, and that was good enough.
Before, he would've needed a full year to break through eight levels of soul power. Now, with the right plan, he could hit his next milestone—only seven levels away—in less time and with less effort.
"You've got a point," Tianmeng muttered, still annoyed. "But I'm still pissed I had to use my original power, only to get a bunch of leftovers!"
"Don't be mad, Brother Tianmeng," Xiao Qiang consoled him.
He remembered how, in the original story, Tianmeng Ice Silkworm used his signature move—Tianmeng Finger—to freeze Ma Xiaotao. All Huo Yuhao got from that whole fiasco was a Soul Upgrading Pill gifted by Shrek Academy, which only boosted him by one soul power level.
Now Xiao Qiang had a similar reward—a one-level boost—but without having to worry about that psychotic woman Ma Xiaotao or any unfortunate consequences from freezing her.
"Anyway, forget about the past. Let's figure out how to use these materials properly. Tell me the best way to consume them."
"Hmph, fine. Grill the Nether Wolf meat. You could also hot pot it or do whatever you want—doesn't matter. It's frozen well, so it hasn't lost much of its essence."
"As for the birch heart, green wood juice, and purple vine—just eat them raw. Their energy isn't too intense, so you can handle them directly. But the Beast Blood Fruit… even if it's only a thousand years old, it's the most potent of the bunch. Be cautious when you eat that one…"
...
One day later, Xiao Qiang sat cross-legged in quiet meditation. With the materials absorbed through the Heaven-Swallowing Divine Art, his soul power had risen from level 32 to level 33.
"Thank you for the gift of nature."
He pressed his palms together solemnly. This feeling—this rush from gaining power—was addictive. It was the high that came with consuming the world.
"Huh? What did you say?" Tianmeng's drowsy voice echoed from his spiritual sea.
"I said nothing important, don't worry about it."
"Oh, okay… then I'm going back to sleep. Wake me up when it's time to eat."
"Alright."
Tianmeng immediately fell back into a deep sleep, not even giving Xiao Qiang time to feel jealous. That kind of carefree sleep schedule was something he envied from the bottom of his heart.
Now that Tianmeng was sleeping again, Xiao Qiang got ready to head to the capital. There, he needed to pick up some key soul guide materials and books. After buying what he needed, he boarded the soul guide train to Mingde Hall.
On the train, Xiao Qiang and Tianmeng shared a hot pot meal. Of course, they didn't burst into spontaneous karaoke, and no robbers suddenly jumped out to hijack the train.
Just a simple, quiet meal between partners.
But right when Tianmeng was about to drift off into another long nap, Xiao Qiang stopped him.
"Brother Tianmeng, wait—don't sleep just yet. I thought of something important."
"Hmm? Are you talking about dinner plans? Just choose whatever. I trust your taste. But please, no spicy food this time. I really don't like spicy stuff."
Xiao Qiang: "…" Eat, sleep, eat, sleep—is this all he ever thinks about?
"Brother Tianmeng, it's not about food. I'm being serious this time."
"What's the matter then?"
"How about you become a soul mentor?"
"Oh, okay, sure—wait, what!?"