Chapter Sixty-Nine: Liu Shuangling Standing on the Shoulders of Yamata no Orochi

November 1st, the night was deep and silent.

Like a specter, Liu Shuangling appeared on the balcony, the sliding door’s sound slicing through the stillness of the living room with piercing clarity.

She closed the balcony door behind her with a casual hand. The room was dim, yet her gaze was unaffected, moving through darkness as deftly as a nocturnal creature.

With long strides, Liu Shuangling headed for the bedroom, her fingers pressing the light switch by the door.

A tide of warm light surged forth, sweeping away the shadows in the room.

The interior was spare to the point of austerity: a bed, a desk, a bookshelf, and a wardrobe pressed against the wall.

The curtains were drawn tightly shut, the space devoid of superfluous decoration, with none of the so-called girlish charm that might fit a man’s fantasy.

Everything here was clean and efficient.

From her pocket, Liu Shuangling drew out her phone and swiftly unlocked it. Her pale fingertips tapped open an app named Seaside Social.

The modern black market was no longer confined to secretive alleyway deals, but hidden deep within the web.

Relying on foreign servers and encrypted channels, it easily circumvented the tight surveillance of Xia Country’s internet.

Of course, even finding software linked to the black market was no simple feat.

It had taken Liu Shuangling several days of inquiries to learn about Seaside Social and finally make contact with a seller.

She opened her chat window. Two files arrived, and with a tap of her thumb, she received them.

The first was research data on Soul Seeds.

The progress bar took a moment before it reached completion.

Liu Shuangling chose to view the file online.

Instantly, the screen was flooded with dense text, diagrams, and experimental images.

She skimmed at lightning speed, devouring every detail, a glimmer of admiration rising in her heart for Yaqi.

When it came to research, this person truly possessed remarkable skill.

Soul Seeds, at their core, were artificial products of the soul—but so far, what Yaqi had produced was only a semi-finished version.

According to Yaqi’s plan, Soul Seeds were not merely useful to ordinary people. More importantly, they would provide extra enhancements for both Soul Masters and monsters, with no side effects.

The final product would be a monster’s version of an AI “mecha.”

Yaqi’s ability to create Soul Seeds was inseparable from the “selfless contributions” of 130,000 Japanese individuals.

Through dissections and all manner of human experimentation, Yaqi had achieved cutting-edge breakthroughs in soul research.

He discovered that the soul, too, possessed a unique internal structure.

He named the forces composing the soul “spiritons.”

Whether human or monster, the soul was woven from spiritons in specific sequences.

The human soul typically exhibited a “double helix spiritual chain,” while monsters possessed a “ring-shaped spiritual web.”

Soul Seeds were essentially a cloned application of the ring-shaped web.

Liu Shuangling read swiftly, missing nothing.

When she reached the very end, she couldn’t help but sigh, “Yaqi, rest in peace. I won’t let your research go to waste.”

As she spoke, her captivating phoenix eyes blazed with fervor, as if she could see infinite possibilities blossoming at her fingertips.

She felt genuine gratitude for the person who had released such precious data.

Even though Liu Shuangling was well aware that behind the leak of these files lurked some intricate conspiracy.

Those with power, Soul Masters, and even the Xia Country authorities would inevitably be drawn into a struggle over Soul Seeds.

But she did not care.

The only thing she cared about was using this research to advance her own experiments.

For example, the double helix spiritual chain—left to her own devices, it might have taken years of effort to yield results.

Now she could save her energy and start directly rewriting the structure of the human soul.

That was the boon of Yaqi’s data.

What’s more, her research into the soul would also deepen her understanding of the Sacred Writings.

According to Bai Yujing, the later stages of the Sacred Writings used the soul as paper and the brain as pen, suggesting a profound connection between the scripture and the soul itself.

The more Liu Shuangling thought about it, the more exhilarated she became. She quickly browsed through Yaqi’s other experimental files.

Having absorbed these invaluable materials, Liu Shuangling felt that her money had been well spent indeed.

She put away her phone. Spiritual pressure surged from her fingertips, pouring into the bedsheet. A spot of black rose from the center, spreading outward to form a perfect circle.

She slipped off her shoes and, with a light leap, landed in that pitch-black ink circle.

…

With the arrival of late autumn, the morning air had grown even chillier.

The bathroom door opened slowly. White steam billowed out like clouds, shrouding Liu Shuangling’s figure in mist.

She stepped out, the tips of her damp hair still adorned with droplets, her skin glowing with a dewy radiance.

Liu Shuangling enjoyed soaking in the bath to relieve her mental fatigue.

Her experiment had continued until five o’clock that morning.

Afterwards, she had arranged her day with meticulous order: tea, pastries, reading, and a bath—each small pleasure following neatly upon the last.

It wasn’t until nearly half past six that she finally left the tub, her brows glowing with renewed vitality.

Last night, using Yaqi’s scripture, she had observed the double helix spiritual chain within the soul.

She made some minor modifications without causing the chain to unravel.

The process was arduous, but her intelligence saw her through. With precise tweaks, she strengthened Zhang Jiaxue’s soul.

Still, she was not satisfied with the result.

She needed more souls for her work.

With that thought, Liu Shuangling decided to purchase another batch of resident data and select suitable candidates.

This time, she would choose several more.

She slid open the balcony door; cold wind rushed in. With a single step, she vanished into the morning fog, leaving the door ajar behind her.

All her valuables were already hidden away in her laboratory. As for the rest, they were of little concern to thieves.

Liu Shuangling moved swiftly through the morning streets of Shanghai, arriving before the archway of Azure Cloud Sect, her faint shadow cast upon the ground.

Two other figures arrived almost at the same moment.

“Good morning, Senior Sister, Little Sister.”

Tiya greeted them warmly.

Liu Shuangling replied with a smile, “Good morning, Second Sister. You seem to be in high spirits.”

“Aren’t you the same, Senior Sister?” Tiya shrugged, her face bearing a meaningful smile.

Zhu Ying watched the two exchange pleasantries with an expressionless face, unable to guess what good fortune they had encountered.

They both looked thoroughly content.

…

Eight o’clock in the morning.

Sunlight, golden as silk, flowed onto the snowy white archway of Azure Cloud Sect, casting a dazzling glow.

A white van rolled in quietly, its tires whispering over the ground until it came to a steady halt outside the gate.

The moment the door opened, a man in a crisp suit stepped down from the passenger seat, his polished shoes gleaming as though they reflected the sky.

With a briefcase in hand, he walked to the steps and lightly touched them.

Sure enough, an intangible barrier made itself felt.

With a muffled thud, the air seemed to ripple, and a familiar silhouette appeared atop the steps—none other than the man who had become a recent sensation on short video platforms.

“What business brings you to Azure Cloud Sect?”