265: I am an instructor in the bandit's den

Soul-Suppressing Star Core Cannon.

At the bottom of the starship, a massive cannon muzzle slowly opened, revealing a core as deep and dark as a black hole.

There was no earth-shattering energy convergence, nor any blinding, dazzling light.

Hum—

A low, deep hum that seemed to come from the depths of the Soul resounded throughout the entire starship.

A ripple, invisible to the naked eye, spread out instantly.

Lin Fan, who was charging recklessly through the metal corridor, suddenly stiffened.

An indescribable sense of paralysis surged from the deepest part of his Divine Soul, instantly sweeping through his entire body.

It wasn't pain.

Nor was it confinement.

It was a kind of... sense of detachment.

It was as if his Soul was being forcibly shaken and stripped from his Physical Body by an invisible force!

The Overlord Saint Body's incomparably tyrannical Physical Body could not provide the slightest protection at this moment.

His thoughts began to dull, and the scene before his eyes began to distort and blur.

His body was no longer responding to his commands.

Like a sculpture, he remained in his forward-charging posture, frozen in place.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Steady footsteps approached from afar.

The figures of Black Skull and Blood Crow appeared at the end of the corridor.

Watching the motionless Lin Fan, a hint of satisfaction appeared in their eyes.

"It seems it is still useful," Blood Crow said, adjusting his monocle, his tone carrying a hint of research interest.

"Hmph, it can even suppress the Star Soul of a small planet, let alone a mere Cultivator," Black Skull snorted, though he could not hide the smugness on his face.

He slowly walked up to Lin Fan, extended his palm-leaf-sized hand, and reached toward Lin Fan's crown.

"Now, let this seat see what kind of secrets are hidden within your Divine Soul..."

However, his hand stopped in mid-air.

He saw that in Lin Fan's originally hollow and numb eyes, a trace of... crazy brilliance had reignited.

Lin Fan couldn't move.

He couldn't speak.

But he could control the power within his body.

This Overlord Saint Body he had just obtained, filled with explosive power!

Since you want to shatter my Soul, then I will... shatter my body first!

The corners of Lin Fan's mouth struggled to pull upward into a strange arc.

The next moment.

Bang!!!

An extremely dull, loud noise exploded within his body!

There was no flying flesh or blood.

His entire body, along with that bronze-colored skin, instantly transformed into a storm of the purest energy and erupted violently!

The violent air wave even forced Black Skull, who was close at hand, to retreat half a step!

The corridor fell into dead silence.

Black Skull and Blood Crow were both stunned.

Dead?

Dead again?

Under the complete paralysis of the Soul-Suppressing Star Core Cannon, he could actually still... commit suicide?

【Ding! Detected that Host has completed a "Reverse Controlled Self-Detonation Death". Death Sensation Level: Leader-level. Death Subject Strength: Special Strategic-level Magic Treasure.】

【Comprehensive Judgment: Epic-level Death!】

【Calculating rewards...】

【Congratulations to Host for obtaining Epic-level reward: Space Law Fragment x1!】

Success!

Lin Fan's consciousness body waved its fist excitedly within the System space.

Yet another core Materials for repairing the Mustard Seed World!

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in the same spot.

Black Skull and Blood Crow were still maintaining that expression of having seen a ghost.

"Tsk," Lin Fan patted the non-existent dust off his body and spoke with an expression of disdain.

"The hospitality on your ship really isn't very good."

"Chasing and attacking, using cannons when you can't beat me, and the cannons are useless anyway... Aren't you tired?"

The corners of Black Skull's eyes were twitching violently.

Blood Crow's monocle had slid to the tip of his nose due to shock.

Failed.

All methods had failed.

Physical attacks were ineffective, energy attacks were ineffective, and even the Soul-Suppressing Star Core Cannon, which specifically targeted the Divine Soul, could not stop his resurrection.

A truly... unkillable monster.

Endless greed once again overwhelmed rage and frustration.

Black Skull stared fixedly at Lin Fan and asked hoarsely: "What... exactly do you want?"

He had figured it out.

An existence like this, unless there was something wrong with his brain, would never run onto his ship to seek death for no reason.

He must have other schemes.

"What do I want?" Lin Fan smiled.

He extended a finger and shook it.

"No, no, no."

"The question now is, what do you want."

He looked around, observing the pirates who were peeking out from various corridor entrances with expressions of horror.

"You want to obtain the secret of immortality from me, right?"

Black Skull didn't speak, but that burning gaze said everything.

"But chasing and killing me like this is too inefficient," Lin Fan spread his hands, looking entirely sincere.

"Even if you kill me another hundred, a thousand times, besides wasting some Spirit Stones and cannonballs, what else can you gain? You can't even study the surface of my skin."

Blood Crow's brows furrowed slightly.

These words hit the nail on the head.

They had indeed fallen into a vicious cycle.

"So, I have a proposal."

Lin Fan cleared his throat and, under the incredulous gazes of everyone, said something that was enough to overturn their understanding.

"Let's cooperate."

"You want to study me, right? That's fine."

"I'll be your sparring partner, your 'Instructor'. If you have any newly developed weapons or Magic Treasure with uncertain power, just use them on me."

"If you have any forbidden techniques you don't dare to Cultivate, or Cultivation Technique you are afraid will cause Qi Deviation, bring them over, and I'll test them for you."

"Anyway, I can't die."

"You can get the most complete and direct experimental data. And I..." Lin Fan paused, revealing a fox-like smile, "I just need a quiet, undisturbed room, and occasionally to be able to read some books, that's all."

The entire starship was deathly silent.

All the pirates looked at Lin Fan with the eyes one would use for a madman.

Even Black Skull was momentarily unable to react.

What kind of request was this?

Voluntarily asking to be a target?

Voluntarily asking to be a lab rat?

However, brilliant light instantly burst forth in Blood Crow's eyes!

Genius!

This was simply a Genius concept!

An inexhaustible experimental subject! A target that would never break!

The value in this... was immeasurable!

He immediately sent a Divine Thought transmission to Black Skull: "Leader! Agree to him! This is a massive Opportunity for us!"

Black Skull took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the shock and ecstasy in his heart.

His abyss-like eyes stared fixedly at Lin Fan, trying to find traces of a conspiracy on his face.

But he only saw calmness, and a trace of... anticipation?

"Good."

After a long while, Black Skull's dull voice rang out.

"This seat agrees to you."

"From today on, you are the... Chief Technical Consultant of my Black Sail Pirate Crew."

...

This decision caused an uproar among the high-level members of the pirate crew.

"Leader! You cannot do this!"

A one-armed, burly man with a face full of flesh suddenly stood out. He was one of the five major leaders of the pirate crew, known as "Mad Blade".

"Letting a kid of unknown origin be our technical consultant? If this gets out, where will the face of Black Sail be!"

"He killed so many of our brothers, and we're just letting it go like this?"

"That's right! This kid is too weird; we can't keep him!"

The other leaders also chimed in one after another.

"Shut up, all of you!" Black Skull roared, the pressure of a Soul Transformation Great Perfection realm instantly spreading out, causing everyone to fall silent in fear.

"When did it become your turn to question my decision?"

Mad Blade's face alternated between green and white, but he still stiffened his neck and said: "Leader, I am not convinced! Unless... he can take three of my slashes without dying! Then I will admit he has the qualifications!"

He wanted to use the most direct way to defend the dignity of the pirate crew.

Black Skull glanced at Lin Fan, his eyes carrying a hint of inquiry.

Lin Fan shrugged, looking indifferent.

"Sure."

A flash of killing intent sparked in Mad Blade's eyes, and he grinned: "Kid, you asked for this!"

Soon, the area was cleared.

Mad Blade held a blood-colored long blade, with resentment swirling around the blade; it was clearly a fierce weapon with heavy killing intent.

His cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul Great Perfection, only one step away from Soul Transformation.

"First slash!"

Mad Blade roared, his whole body merging with the blood blade, turning into an earth-shattering blood rainbow, slashing down at Lin Fan's head!

This slash was enough to split mountains and break rocks!

However, facing this fatal blow, Lin Fan did not dodge or evade.

He didn't even activate a Spirit Power shield; he only activated his Overlord Saint Body, using his own chest to meet it head-on.

"Clang—!"

A loud sound of metal clashing!

The blood-colored blade light struck Lin Fan's chest solidly.

Sparks flew everywhere.

Only a shallow white mark was left on Lin Fan's chest.

Mad Blade, however, was shaken by the recoil force until his tiger's mouth felt numb, and he retreated seven or eight steps, looking incredulous.

Is this fucking human body?!

"Too light." Lin Fan shook his head, patting his chest, "Use some strength."

"You are courting death!"

Mad Blade was completely enraged. He summoned his Nascent Soul, burned all his spirit power, and unleashed the strongest slash of his life!

"Blood Prison... Slash!"

Puchi!

This time, the blade finally broke through Lin Fan's defense.

A huge wound, deep enough to see bone, appeared from his left shoulder to his right abdomen.

Lin Fan "died".

Then, in Mad Blade's gaze which was beginning to collapse, the wound healed instantly, and he stood up again.

"This slash is not bad, I can feel it a bit."

Mad Blade was dumbfounded.

He looked at his own aura, which had become withered due to burning his Nascent Soul, and then looked at Lin Fan opposite him, who was unscathed and even critiquing his sword technique.

An unprecedented sense of powerlessness and fear enveloped him.

How can one fight this?

"What about the other slash?" Lin Fan asked with a smile.

"I... I concede..."

Mad Blade's voice was shaking. He dropped the blade in his hand, completely losing his Battle Intent.

From then on, no one dared to question Lin Fan's status.

For the next month, Lin Fan lived the life he had dreamed of.

He was arranged in the most secure cabin, and his daily work was "getting beaten" and "courting death".

Today, helping the technical department test whether the newly released "Gold-Melting Divine Light" could burn through his skin.

Tomorrow, helping the Medicinal Pill hall taste a newly refined, ancient poison pill of unknown potency.

The day after tomorrow, being dragged away by Blood Crow to cooperate with him in researching a Demonic Path forbidden technique that could erode the Divine Soul.

Lin Fan never tired of it, and he figured out the entire background of the Black Sail Pirate Crew clearly.

Where the armory was, and how much stock they had.

What Secret Manuals were in the Cultivation Technique pavilion, what the personnel allocation was, and who had conflicts with whom.

Even how many secret passages were in the leader Black Skull's bedroom, he had been blown into them during an "accidental" explosion and taken a tour.

On this day, Lin Fan had just revived from a test of the "Annihilation Cannon".

Blood Crow, who was responsible for recording the data, had a hint of excitement on his face and instructed his subordinates: "Very good, adjust the data to the optimum! Full-speed production! We must not delay the plan for 'Qingmu Star'!"

Qingmu Star?

Lin Fan's heart stirred, and he asked as if unintentionally: "Going to do another big job?"

Blood Crow was in a good mood and did not hide it.

"Not bad, Qingmu Star is a medium-grade resource star, and the most precious thing on it is the Ten-Thousand-Year Green Wood Heart. The leader plans to use it to complete the final upgrade for his Lifebound Treasure."

He looked at Lin Fan, as if looking at a perfect work of art.

"At that time, perhaps we will need to borrow your immortal body to help us attract the attention of that star-guarding Divine Beast."

Lin Fan smiled and said nothing.

Deep in his eyes, however, a cold chill flashed.

Ten-Thousand-Year Green Wood Heart.

Wasn't that the Sect holy object that Liu Qingqing and her Cuiyun Sect were sworn to protect?

The time for a showdown had arrived.