Chapter 117 – Starlight Phantom Shift and the Reaper’s Domain!

In the dormitory.

Zhu Ziyang sat cross-legged on his bed, quietly reflecting on the changes and improvements he had undergone since absorbing his fourth soul ring.

First came the most obvious change—his soul power. It had risen to Rank 41. Though only a single level increase, this wasn't ordinary progress. Following Electrolux's advice, Zhu Ziyang had taken the opportunity to purify and refine his soul power during the absorption process. Every thread of energy in his body had been washed and honed to perfection.

The purpose of this purification was twofold.

First, it strengthened his foundation. His soul power had increased rapidly over the past year, and without such refinement, he risked instability—his strength becoming "hollow."

Second, it enhanced his soul power's quality, improving compatibility with other energies and making future breakthroughs smoother.

Next came the soul skill granted by his fourth ring. The Starlight Unicorn had bestowed upon him a new ability: Starlight Phantom Shift.

Upon activation, this technique doubled all of Zhu Ziyang's base attributes—speed, strength, agility, soul power, and spiritual strength. At the same time, it created a Starlight Clone, a phantom duplicate with 80% of his combat capability. The clone would last for three minutes.

It was a support-type skill, not direct offense—but extremely versatile. A soul master with two combatants of near-equal strength? A two-on-one scenario? How could you lose?

Starlight Phantom Shift was born from the unicorn's natural ability, Starlight Mirror Image, but this version was more powerful and refined.

As for his soul rings—Zhu Ziyang had fully refined all four. Every ounce of life force within them had been extracted and absorbed. Thanks to that immense vitality, his physical body had been elevated to the point that he could now withstand the pressure of a 70,000-year soul ring.

In terms of raw physical strength, he was confident he could go toe-to-toe with a power-type Soul King in their prime.

And due to the second refinement process, even his first soul ring had increased in age, now at 500 years. While only a 200-year improvement, it was a dream scenario most soul masters could never even imagine.

His first soul skill had also changed. Once purely offensive, it now included support and control elements.

Then came the soul skill bestowed by his fourth soul ring:

Reaper's Domain.

Upon activation, Zhu Ziyang would slash a death-infused energy blade toward a designated location. When the slash struck, it would form a circular domain. Enemies within the domain would suffer continuous life force erosion. The domain would last for thirty seconds.

This was his true fourth skill, different from the Starlight Phantom Shift granted by the unicorn—it was an offensive domain-type control skill, making it devastating in battle.

Finally, there was the matter of the soul bone.

Yes—the Starlight Unicorn had also left behind a soul bone: the Starlight Aerial Right Leg Bone. After fusing with it, Zhu Ziyang felt a significant increase in both his speed and the explosive power of his right leg.

It even came with a powerful soul bone skill:

Aerial Tremor.

Upon activation, energy would gather in his right calf, temporarily granting him the ability to fly. He would leap into the air and then stomp down, releasing a shockwave that stunned all nearby enemies for a brief moment.

While technically a control-type skill, Zhu Ziyang was far more interested in its flight component. Even if brief, the ability to hover or dash midair was a huge upgrade to his current battle style. After all, hovering was the hallmark of Soul Kings; true flight, the sign of a Soul Sage. Zhu Ziyang possessed the Heavenly Frost Saint White Dragon Martial Soul, but its flight ability came only after full dragonification—which required a Soul Emperor's power.

With this soul bone, Zhu Ziyang now had two soul bones fused into his body:

The Silver Dragon Wolf Right Arm Bone, and

The Starlight Aerial Right Leg Bone.

Their average age exceeded 100,000 years.

Zhu Ziyang then recalled the soul bone he had just received from Qian Duoduo. Without hesitation, he took it out.

He opened the box and was startled to find it made from the Golden Ancient Tree itself—carved from one of its sacred branches. It emitted a potent light aura and pulsed with dense vital energy.

Inside the box lay a small, exquisitely preserved soul bone. Nestled beside it was a white jade plaque.

Zhu Ziyang picked up the plaque and read the inscription:

"Heavenly Soul White Elephant Torso Bone

Age: 90,000 years

Skill: Unawakened

Effects: Upon fusion, significantly enhances physical endurance, stamina, and soul power regeneration.

Previous Owner: Zhang Taiyue."

Zhu Ziyang was stunned.

A 90,000-year torso bone?

That kind of soul bone didn't suit him at all—it wasn't attack-focused, nor did it fit his current style. So why would the academy give it to him?

At first, he wondered if it had been a mistake—but he quickly dismissed that idea. Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo were both precise and meticulous people. They wouldn't have made such an error.

Then realization dawned.

He focused on the name: Zhang Taiyue.

The previous Pavilion Master of the Sea God Pavilion, known as the Cloud Sky Douluo.

This wasn't just a gift—it was a political message.

Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo were both staunch reformists within the academy. They had long been dissatisfied with Shrek's current hierarchy. Among Mu En's four disciples, only Yan Shaozhe was ideologically ambiguous. The other three—Xian Lin'er, Cai Mei'er, and Qian Duoduo—were all clearly aligned with the reform faction, albeit with different priorities.

Cai Mei'er wanted to overhaul the outer court's admission process—expand recruitment and loosen promotion criteria. She was, notably, the only one of Mu En's four disciples from a civilian background.

Xian Lin'er and Qian Duoduo, meanwhile, were focused on elevating the Soul Tool Department, pushing for more talent and resources to be allocated to it.

So, Zhu Ziyang understood now.

This battle was far from over.

He laughed softly and placed the Heavenly Soul White Elephant Bone back in the box, storing it in his Stellar Flame Ring.

Both the conservative and reform factions within the Pavilion were now actively trying to win him over.

And he was clearly the greatest beneficiary of the recent crisis. Every elder could see just how much Mu En valued him.

After all, Xuan Zi—once the most powerful voice of the Pavilion Master faction—had taken Mu En's punishment without a word.

Why?

Because Xuan Zi followed Mu En's every command. Blind loyalty. Never questioned orders. If Mu En said west, he would never go east. That's why he had accepted punishment so easily. Had he not been so loyal, a Rank 98 Super Douluo like him would have raised hell—or left Shrek altogether.

But no. Xuan Zi had accepted it quietly.

That was how deep Mu En's influence ran.

On paper, they were uncle and nephew. In truth, their bond was more like master and disciple, father and son.

This entire punishment had served only one purpose:

To appease Zhu Ziyang.

And every elder in the Sea God Pavilion understood this.

Zhu Ziyang could almost guarantee that the rest of his time at the academy was going to be… smooth sailing.

Knock knock knock—

The sound of knocking pulled Zhu Ziyang from his thoughts.

He got out of bed and walked to the door, frowning in confusion.

Who could be visiting at this hour?

He opened the door—and was instantly knocked off his feet.

A warm, familiar scent filled his nose.

He blinked—only to find himself lying on the floor, a girl in his arms.

He gave a helpless smile and wrapped his arms around her.

"Nan Nan, what are you doing? Miss me that much?"

"Still joking?"

The girl's voice trembled with emotion, tinged with sobs.

"I heard everything! You faced a 100,000-year soul beast in the Star Dou Forest—and got separated from Lexuan and the others! You nearly died!"

"I'm back now, aren't I?" Zhu Ziyang said gently, knowing he had frightened her terribly. He patted her back softly. "And not a scratch on me."

"Really?"

Jiang Nannan looked up, eyes red and puffy. "But I heard Lexuan and the others were seriously hurt…"

"I'm fine, promise," Zhu Ziyang said. "Don't believe me? Check for yourself."

He grabbed her hand and began guiding it across his body.

Jiang Nannan's face turned bright red. She squeaked and scrambled out of his embrace.

Zhu Ziyang laughed and stood up with her.

"See? Perfectly fine," he said, wearing his usual mischievous grin.

"Mm!"

Jiang Nannan examined him carefully, her worry finally fading. "Brother, can I come with you next time? When you hunt for soul rings?"

"Sure," Zhu Ziyang replied without hesitation. "But only if you train hard—your big brother's already Rank 41!"

"I will!" she beamed happily.

Just then, she noticed Xingcai curled up in the corner, and her eyes lit up.

"Is this the unicorn Senior Sister told me about? She's so pretty!"

So that's where she got her intel, Zhu Ziyang realized.

"She's called Xingcai," he smiled, waving the unicorn over. "Come say hello. This is Jiang Nannan—my girlfriend. When I'm not around, you're to listen to her, okay?"

Jiang Nannan's cheeks flushed with delight. She turned to Xingcai and said warmly,

"Hello, Xingcai. I'm Jiang Nannan, but you can just call me Nan Nan."

Xingcai lowered her head and nuzzled her affectionately.

Obedient and sweet.