Chapter 60: Dwelling in the Depths of the Soul (Second Update)
“Lili?!” Her roommate, startled, jumped up from her seat. “What’s wrong?!”
Li Li, slightly dazed, stared at her right foot.
When she tried to stand, her right foot had stiffened, as if frozen, unable to exert strength.
She instinctively grabbed the desk to steady herself, loosening her grip on the cup.
Now, one hand braced the desk, the other the chair’s back.
Seeing her roommate approach, she paused before saying, “It’s fine, just slipped from my hand.”
But in truth, she was wondering why her right foot felt frozen?
Because Yue Qing had frozen it before she left? Had she brought the manga world’s ability into reality?!
No, that wasn’t it.
Even as she considered the possibility, Li Li dismissed it.
Having an ability came with a sensation of energy coursing through the body, a feeling she’d never experienced in reality.
Besides, if the manga world’s effects had carried over, her right foot should be injured.
But in fact, her right foot appeared fine, with no frostbite or other damage.
It was like a stiffness from the soul.
As her mind raced, the frozen sensation in her right foot began to fade.
After about half a minute, her right ankle could move freely again.
Her roommate grabbed a broom to sweep up the glass shards.
Once the mess was cleared, Li Li sat back down but didn’t resume the PPT.
Instead, she wrote a sentence in her notebook.
‘Was that your doing?’
The system replied: [Ensuring your soul’s safety during transit is our duty.]
As expected.
Upon receiving this, her expression shifted to one of delight.
Yue Lan’s ability had the additional attribute of freezing space, but Yue Qing’s had been unclear to her until now, when she’d stumbled upon a clue by chance.
Yue Qing’s ability’s additional attribute was likely freezing the soul!
No wonder, she thought.
No wonder, after provoking Yue Qing and leaving the first time, she’d returned to reality still feeling chilled.
It wasn’t her imagination—the system had neutralized the ability affecting her soul.
She forgave the manga artist for cutting the chapter short, preventing her from finishing off Yue Qing in one go.
Compared to simply defeating Yue Qing, this situation was more advantageous.
Because of Qu Yan’s ability, the blood energy he controlled was akin to life energy—essentially, the soul.
Qu Yan might not even realize that Yue Qing, whom he looked down on, possessed an ability that countered his.
The laptop screen had switched from the PPT to the lock screen, but Li Li couldn’t help smiling at it.
She had a better plan now, one that would give this event a more perfect conclusion.
…
After an all-night study session and the exam, followed by a tense academic life, the day of the manga’s update finally arrived.
At midnight, Li Li opened the manga.
She roughly knew what it would contain.
She skimmed through it.
The manga naturally didn’t skip the part where the nobles baited Heige.
The artist used a full page to depict the grand scene, labeling each noble’s name and ability rank.
It also used An Huyu’s words to reintroduce the Former Ability Guild to the manga readers.
The Former Ability Guild had first appeared in the manga long ago, before the Jiao Huang Arc, in a brief overview of factions with scant details.
Through An Huyu’s explanation, the story of how nobles and traitors caused the guild’s collapse six years ago was laid out in detail for the readers.
However, readers hadn’t yet connected Tide to the Former Ability Guild.
When the manga’s focus shifted to introduce An Heyu, Li Baige, standing beside him, appeared only from the eyes down in the panels, like a background bodyguard, drawing no reader attention.
Li Li wasn’t surprised at all.
[Is Heige part of this Former Ability Guild?]
[Feels like a major plot point.]
[But seriously, three S-ranks and at least two A-ranks against one A-rank Heige?]
[With this lineup, Heige wouldn’t actually show up, right?]
[I swear, if Heige really dares to come, I’ll take back every bad thing I’ve said about him. From now on, if anyone says he only bullies the weak, I’ll grab my keyboard and roast them!]
[If he actually shows up, he’s a true hero!]
When Heige did make his appearance, the manga readers went even wilder than the characters in the story.
When Heige, in front of three high-ranks, cut off the head of another high-rank, that page’s comments exploded.
[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! So cool!!]
[Truly brave, Heige bigshot!]
[Mom, this man is so handsome! Sob, how can he be this cool!]
[Who the hell is the real villain here?!]
[What doesn’t this man dare to do?! What!]
[I have a question: Is Heige really A-rank? This A-rank is way too overpowered!]
Qu Yan’s counterattack in the manga only showed Heige bleeding slightly, with no sign of fatigue.
In contrast, Qu Yan’s hair was still a mess.
The black-haired youth stood in the air, his leisurely, relaxed smile never wavering, not even when Qu Yan smugly described his lethal ability.
Then, with his signature arrogant yet composed smile, he departed with the black crows, vanishing leisurely in an illusion.
This split the readers into two camps: those who disliked Heige rejoiced, while battle fans and casual readers thought deeper.
[Hmm… I don’t buy it.]
[Ahhh, the menace is gone! Happy New Year!]
[There’s something off with how the manga handled this. Heige doesn’t look like he’s actually in trouble.]
[Come on, an A-rank against an S-rank? Rank suppression, hello? Flopping is normal.]
[To the one above, Heige’s set up as the villain to be defeated by Little Corgi. Think about it.]
[…If Heige is really fine, is he even human? He’s A-rank!]
Qu Yan’s words to An Heyu were depicted in the manga, but An Heyu’s private conversation with Li Li wasn’t.
This led readers to speculate about An Huyu’s background.
[Big brother got bullied?! What’s going on with their family!]
[Crybaby Bird’s brother is pretty good-looking.]
[Feels like there’s a backstory behind Crybaby Bird. Kinda feel bad for his brother.]
Then came the protagonist group’s mission to rescue Yu Xiao, including their discussion about being controlled.
An Huyu’s odd attitude toward Li Baige and the person Yiming’s group was chasing was mentioned, but as it was just one panel, it was easily overlooked, with the focus shifting to Tang finding a clue.
The unexpected attack by Rao Yue, followed by the appearance of Yue Qing and others, was shown.
The manga used An Huyu’s defense of his brother to introduce their family’s situation.
Once an old-blood noble family, now reduced to just two members in a fallen state.
Through An Huyu’s tearful cries, their family’s story unfolded before the manga readers.
And finally, Yue Qing, provoked into rage, genuinely intended to kill them.
At the critical moment, Yiming saw the blue pendant earring.
[!!! Li!]
[I’m crying. He’s really been protecting you all along, Little Corgi!]
[Who’s sobbing in the middle of the night? It’s me.]
[Why am I getting stabbed by something from an earlier arc? Why!]
[Sob, stay, Little Corgi! Don’t let him fight alone to the end this time!]
The manga cut off at Yiming, in a daze, blending the two scenes and calling out “Brother” to the figure ahead.
To be fair, the manga artist’s cliffhanger was masterful.
She didn’t check the forums but could imagine the debates tearing into whether Heige was dead and the wails over a certain White Moonlight.
Readers had already equated Li Baige with Li.
After skimming the manga, she prepared to sleep, readying herself with full energy for tomorrow’s morning class and evening crossover.
“The next time will be the conclusion of this event, won’t it? About the identity of Li Baige, about the ending for the An brothers,” she said softly, looking at the pendant earring in the black-and-white manga panel on her phone screen.
She was very much looking forward to it.
…
[Preparing for crossover.]
[Channel opened. Wishing you to become a high-popularity character and bring new vitality to the manga.]
It felt like a long time had passed, but for the people in the manga world, it was merely an instant.
Was an ability tied to the body or the soul?
Perhaps because of the ability’s return, the question she’d pondered in the real world resurfaced with a different perspective.
The chill spread, enveloping her in the cold within the narrow space.
The instant she arrived in the manga world, Li Li acted.
She forcibly yanked her leg from the ice that had just begun to cling to it.
A sharp pain surged through her brain’s nerves.
Was this injury to her soul or her body?
Red dripped onto the transparent ice.
Her ability, Illusory Reality.
She would make her false, healthy, intact right leg a reality.
The ability activated successfully.
Her injured right leg, once freed from danger, was instantly restored by her ability—it could heal wounds to the soul.
In that moment, she wondered: What was the essence of her ability?
Was it the shell of her body in the manga world? Or her soul, constantly crossover?
But in the dark environment, the ability’s owner seemed to sense something.
Amid heavy panting, he let out a trembling, “Who?”
His ability, sniffing the blood, climbed upward, as if to seize the still-warm body.
But this time, Li Li, fully in combat mode, gave it no chance to harm her.
Her figure vanished from the spot.
Triangular pyramid-shaped ice spun upward, instantly occupying where Li Li had been.
A massive ice wall rose in its place, but it only made the space more confined.
At the same time, Li Li’s crimson pupils shifted to a new direction.
In the darkness, Yue Qing, at the corner, breathed rapidly, like a fish out of water.
“Who’s there!” His voice, no longer calm, trembled as if gripped by immense fear.
Li Li slowly curled her lips into a smile.
“Thud.”
A collision sounded in the cramped space.
“Thud.”
The sound came again.
Rhythmic, accompanied by a continuous hum of noise.
“Thud.”
Like someone jumping above the ceiling, striking, separated by a wooden board.
But the sound was too close.
As if the ceiling was lowering, pressing against his head.
Yue Qing opened his mouth, gasping rapidly, the air he breathed seeming to thin.
Narrow, sealed, dark.
The collision in his ears grew closer, louder, like the horn of death.
His heartbeat seemed to falter.
“Out… let me out…” His breathing lost its rhythm.
The staircase seemed to invert before his eyes, closing in.
He curled his legs, reached out, as if touching the slanted stairs, the sealed box that imprisoned him completely.
“Let me out!” He broke down. “Father!”
The ice grew frantic, spreading chaotically in all directions.
The S-rank ability turned disordered, like a final wail, but it was trapped in the narrow space, unable to break free from the dark’s shackles.
The walls were closing in, and the footsteps outside, like drumbeats, pounded on a heart teetering on the edge of stopping.
Save me, save me! The blue-haired man opened his mouth, but all that came was ragged, gasping breath.
In a daze, outside the box before him, the long-dead old man laughed gleefully.
And he alone remained in the box, unable to make a sound in his despair.
He was trapped in the box within his heart, unable to escape.
And there, he would rot completely.
…
Yue Qing had a researcher father who worked under nobles, studying abilities.
A research maniac, he even used his own son for experiments.
Ignoring his cries, his fears, his eyes saw only his experiments, his research results.
Yue Qing always thought Yue Shan, that illegitimate son, was his father’s true child.
They shared the same fervor, the same disregard for life, the same… lack of humanity.
And their research—was it for themselves? No, in Yue Qing’s mind, it only served those noble lords.
He hated them, hated Yue Shan.
He wanted to grow strong, to no longer let others control his life, to live like a human.
But he still feared confined spaces.
Deep down, he was still that worthless life, easily snuffed out.
By a twist of fate, he seized the chance to become a noble.
Family interests, personal capital—he sought out Yue Shan.
And became one of the noble lords supporting the experiments.
As if the fears of his childhood had left him—but they hadn’t.
In the end, he returned to that narrow box, just like when he was a child.
This time, there would be no father to open the box after the experiment ended.
…
The ice was melting.
On the narrow staircase, the black-haired youth seemed cloaked in cold.
Li Li reached out, as if grasping the last wisp of chill.
Claustrophobia could cause shock, and all she needed was to send him off for good at the end.
A plan that should’ve been simple had grown slightly complicated due to an unexpected hiccup.
Just slightly.
The blue pendant swayed, and she gently narrowed her crimson pupils.
She seemed to realize something.
The next moment, the ripple of her ability spread again, silently breaking through the cold.
The ability’s effect in the real world was blocked by the system, but it wasn’t nonexistent.
It merely dwelt in the depths of her soul, waiting for her to enter the manga world and unleash it.
This ability, filling her entire being, was etched firmly into her soul.
Illusions, falsehoods, manifesting the nonexistent.
Deception, lies—she deftly manipulated the pieces on the board, pushing the story to its climax.
She danced on the edge of a blade, seeking light in the direst straits.
Even in the most critical moments, even against a two-rank gap, her soul would not yield.
She was a madwoman, and she knew exactly what she was doing.
Grow stronger, take control of her life in this manga, and crush all obstacles beneath her feet!
And now, Illusory Reality responded to her audacity.
The shadow transformed into a sky of black crows, circling in the outside sky, soaring thousands of meters away.
Concept-type ability, Illusory Reality, advanced to A-rank.