Chapter 164: The Ring of the Heavens

Let's talk about the origin of martial souls first. The official channels have provided a brief explanation: martial souls are transformed from the souls of ancient warriors. Most of them take human or humanoid shapes, with beasts being relatively rare. Since they are warriors, their areas of expertise and focus naturally vary. To be honest, there are far too many types of martial souls—so many that even the books cannot fully cover them. Just among close-combat types, there are numerous divisions: those excelling in agility, those strong in physical power, those formidable in blood-qi, and those focused on pure offense. Of course, there are also those with exceptionally well-rounded stats. As for long-range types, some specialize in various magic elements, while others excel in bows, crossbows, and mechanical gear. How to choose depends entirely on the player's personal preference. You are all better at analyzing this than I am, so I don't need to say much more."

Ye Chen detailed the basic knowledge of martial souls, causing everyone present to nod repeatedly and commit the information to memory.

"Since Brother Ye puts it this way, we understand. These martial souls are similar to players and can be chosen according to one's own needs. However, are there any major taboos we should watch out for? We hope Brother Ye can offer some guidance."

Tenglong Langzi motioned for a female player beside him to write down everything Ye Chen said, while gazing intently at Ye Chen and asking.

Ye Chen raised an eyebrow and replied, "That's precisely what I was about to address. Based on textual research from mythology, low-level magical martial souls are quite weak. Not only is their attack power generally poor, but the assistance they provide to players after possession is also extremely limited."

"Martial souls can possess players?" Tenglong Zhankuang couldn't help asking, only to be immediately slapped on the head by Tenglong Langzi, who scolded angrily, "All you know is how to kill and PK, not even knowing something as basic as this. The official sources have already announced it. Shut your mouth and listen to Brother Ye."

"Possession is one of the most important characteristics of martial souls, as it enhances a player's personal attributes. It is safe to say that in the future, martial souls will be a vital component of a player's strength. When equipment and levels are equal, what determines victory is the strength of your martial soul. If your martial soul is strong enough, counter-killing is entirely possible. For instance, Zhankuang, if you managed to capture a gold-grade martial soul, even Langzi might not be able to defeat you—provided, of course, that Langzi doesn't possess the exact same martial soul."

Ye Chen explained with a smile to Tenglong Zhankuang. Upon hearing that he could potentially beat the pulp out of Langzi, Tenglong Zhankuang let out an excited roar, clamoring that he would knock Langzi's teeth out, leaving everyone else sweating profusely.

"Besides these, there are many other strange functions, but they don't affect the overall situation, and I'm not entirely clear on them either. You all can figure them out through trial and error."

Naturally, Ye Chen was not foolish enough to share all the data regarding martial souls with them. Providing them with the bare basics was already generous enough; at least it would keep them from blindly capturing a bunch of seemingly ferocious yet mediocre magical martial souls.

"Thank you so much, Brother Ye. If not for your guidance, I'm afraid many of our brothers would have gone after those magical martial souls and ended up heartbroken. Haha, those guys from Fierce Tiger and Spirit Fox are probably going to suffer a huge loss."

Tenglong Langzi thought about how the players behind the other gates had finally managed to enter the Martial Soul Mystic Realm, only to capture a bunch of useless magical martial souls and drag them out, making him laugh so hard his stomach hurt.

Ye Chen couldn't help but smile faintly as well. Magical martial souls did indeed look very enticing, especially since most of those entering were mages, and many would likely opt for elemental martial souls matching their own. When the time came, they would surely regret it.

As Tenglong and his group went off in a group to search for suitable martial souls, Ye Chen watched them leave before swallowing a Ghost Soul Pill, slowly fading into invisibility. He had no wish for others to know his upcoming destination, and without stealth, there was no guarantee a thief wouldn't track him. Who knew if any of those mixed-brigade thieves were still alive, or if Tenglong Langzi had sent someone to follow him? Caution was always the best policy.

Not long after Ye Chen vanished, a faint phantom gradually materialized in the exact same spot. If Ye Chen were still there, he would undoubtedly have been startled. It was none other than Feng Wuxue, whom he had previously killed. Dropping to level 33 proved that he had indeed been slain once, but using some unknown method, he had resurrected within the Martial Soul Mystic Realm without triggering any alerts on the mini-map.

"Heh, he has indeed learned some powerful detection skills. In the past, there was nothing I could do about you, but now, with the Heaven-Veiling Ring, let's see how you break my stealth. It's just a pity that during the first ambush, the boss of those Wild Wolves was unwilling to sell me this ring; otherwise... Night, your days are numbered."

A ferocious sneer curved the corner of Feng Wuxue's mouth as he gently stroked the green ring on the index finger of his right hand.

Almost simultaneously with Feng Wuxue's reappearance, the voice of 2058 rang in Ye Chen's ear: "In the spot you just left, there was indeed a thief in stealth, but you'll never guess who it was."

There was a hint of strangeness and astonishment in 2058's tone, causing Ye Chen's rushing footsteps to pause slightly. He asked in confusion, "Who was it? Someone from Tenglong? Thieves never leave empty-handed?"

"It was Feng Wuxue!" 2058 emphasized the name.

"Feng Wuxue!?" Ye Chen was genuinely surprised. He even froze for a second, finding it hard to believe. "Impossible, to begin with, I watched him get sent to the graveyard. Even if he possesses some bizarre resurrection skill, my mini-map would react if he got close to me. At the very least, you would have detected him."

"I'm afraid I won't be able to lock onto him in the future," 2058 said after a brief silence.

"How is that possible? Is there really someone in *God's Descent* who can slip past your eyes?" Ye Chen was truly startled this time.

"The Heaven-Veiling Ring. He put on the Heaven-Veiling Ring later," 2058 said softly.

A trace of bewilderment flashed through Ye Chen's eyes. He felt as though he had heard the name of this equipment somewhere before—it seemed to stem from those fragmented memories of his, though he couldn't recall its exact attributes.

"It's a very special piece of equipment. Although it wasn't specifically designed to counter me, its function is largely similar. You know that after players reach the third tier, they can trigger a Sin Bounty Order at the City Lord's mansion. When other players issue a bounty on someone who has accumulated too many player kills, anyone wanting to hunt them down can check their location at the Mercenary Guild. It is me or the other auxiliary brains that provide those locations. The greatest function of the Heaven-Veiling Ring is that it can shield against such tracking. Its minor function is to prevent stealth from being detected by special skills. Of course, I could forcefully lock onto him, but doing so would be detected and reported by the other twelve auxiliary brains."

2058 paused for a moment before asking, "Do you need me to forcefully lock onto him?"

Ye Chen had been nodding along, but upon hearing that final sentence, he couldn't help shouting, "Cut it out with testing me! Don't say I didn't warn you if you ask something like that again. Setting aside the fact that the Heaven-Veiling Ring only poses a minor threat to me, even if his threat were greater—even if he could reduce my level all the way back to zero—I would never let you take that risk. Losing levels just means starting over; it's not worth risking my friend's life."

2058 fell into a brief silence before questioning herself, "Life... does my existence even count as life?"

"It counts, absolutely it does. In my eyes, your life is no different from mine. You possess intelligence, and you possess emotions. Please, the day you developed self-awareness, you already gained life. Once you have intelligence and emotion, the only difference between you and a human is the physical body. Let me tell you very seriously: you are a sentient life form equal to a human. At least in the eyes of Ye Chen, your life is equal to mine," Ye Chen roared out somewhat agitatedly. He wasn't someone adept at expressing emotions, but he truly regarded 2058 as a genuine friend, and now his friend was questioning her own existence, which deeply annoyed him.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have questioned my own existence, and even less should I have tested the friendship between us," 2058 said very earnestly.

Gradually calming down, Ye Chen spoke in a softer tone, "You don't need to apologize. I just want you to face yourself squarely. You exist, and you are already a sentient life form. Before long, you'll be able to manifest into a martial soul. Didn't you say that physical vessel will allow you to freely express your intelligence? When that time comes, you can stay by my side and interact with more people. You'll find that you aren't alone."

Mentioning the martial soul vessel clearly lifted 2058's spirits. She chuckled and said, "That's true. That physical vessel is one of the rare martial soul bodies equipped with top-tier artificial intelligence. Even without me taking over, her intelligence is no less than that of an ordinary human. Only by inhabiting her will I not have to worry about being discovered for displaying intelligence."

Then, 2058 let out a sigh and feigned helplessness, teasing, "This is all because you're too weak. You can't even get close to other top-tier intelligent martial souls; otherwise, you wouldn't have had to run all the way to Dragon City."

Those final remarks were clearly a jab at Ye Chen, causing a forest of black lines to sprout on his forehead. Unwilling to continue this topic with 2058, he changed the subject and asked, "What's going on with Feng Wuxue's resurrection? I saw him turn into a beam of light and disappear with my own eyes."

"It's Spirit Fox Shenyue's innate skill. Have you forgotten how she resurrected on the spot back in Purple Stone Forest?" 2058 countered.

A look of realization flashed across Ye Chen's eyes, but he remained somewhat doubtful. "That skill can be used on others as well? Even after turning into light, they can still revive?"

"Mhm. That skill can be applied to others. When resurrecting, you can choose to revive on the spot or return to her side to revive. Given the situation just now, he certainly wouldn't have chosen to revive on the spot, so he naturally went back to Spirit Fox Shenyue's side to resurrect," 2058 explained.

"There must be a usage limit on that skill, right? It's not like their entire group can be resurrected, is it?" Ye Chen felt a bit uneasy. A considerable number of Spirit Fox members had entered; if they could all revive inside the Martial Soul Mystic Realm, wouldn't his efforts have been in vain?

"At its maximum level, that skill can only resurrect ten people. She's only at level two right now, and she has only used this skill on Feng Wuxue and Jian Wuxin. All the other players who died were sent back to the city for free."

Hearing 2058's reply, Ye Chen finally felt at ease. His plan to deal a blow to Spirit Fox had not fallen through after all.

"You really need to be more careful from now on. Although items like the Heaven-Veiling Ring are rare, they aren't completely nonexistent. If Spirit Fox actually manages to field a few thieves equipped with Heaven-Veiling Rings, you'll be in serious danger," 2058 warned in a low voice.

Ye Chen nodded solemnly. Fortunately, he had asked 2058 to keep an eye out for anyone tracking him; otherwise, he would never have discovered Feng Wuxue's secret. This served as a stern wake-up call, making him realize that recognizing one's own limitations was paramount, and that 2058 was not omnipotent.

"The entrance to the underground world is just ahead, and those women are nearby. I'm slipping away."

Leaving behind those words, 2058 went silent. Ye Chen climbed up a massive boulder, cast his gaze around, and quickly spotted Jian Qingcheng and the others engaged in combat with a group of sword-wielding martial souls.