250: Soul awake!

Inside the dark Dream World.

Tentacles firmly gripped Xiao Shi's entire body.

At the same time, the golden light on his body seemed to transform into a cage, trapping his form and preventing him from moving.

He couldn't escape from the dream.

During this process,

the seven Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect members stared intently at Xiao Shi.

If he resisted, it would only further prove he had something to hide.

Xiao Shi's brows furrowed deeply.

He certainly couldn't prove his innocence by staying in the Dream World.

Not to mention that if he stayed in the Dream World, his body outside would remain in a deep sleep.

Just relying on these few people to investigate the truth, Xiao Shi felt it was unreliable.

After all, they didn't even know Mo Hu's identity in Star Luo Province, so how could they investigate?

Moreover, if the murderer was among them, staying in the Dream World would definitely be a dead end for him.

“If the truth is to be investigated, it should be me who investigates it.”

“I can't rely on them.”

Xiao Shi looked at the seven light figures in front of him and said seriously,

“I am not the murderer. I will investigate everything about this matter and give you an explanation.”

“That's not up to you.”

The leading light figure shook his head.

They didn't believe Xiao Shi now.

It was impossible to let Xiao Shi investigate himself; they believed the best way was to keep him here.

“Why are we still wasting words with him? Suppress him directly!”

One of the light figures roared.

The tentacles wrapped around Xiao Shi immediately began to penetrate his body.

This caused Xiao Shi's brain to become hazy, and his consciousness began to blur.

Dreams, as a powerful method named after the Dream Witch Lineage,

once one entered a dream they created, they could easily kill, suppress, or seal targets within the dream.

Hiss!

In an instant,

all these tentacles had penetrated Xiao Shi's body.

With a splash,

Xiao Shi's body turned into a puddle of water.

“Hmm?”

The seven light figures frowned simultaneously.

“He actually got away!!”

“This Dream World was jointly created by us. Unless one is in the Martial Demon Realm, it's impossible to escape. How did he do it!?”

Although they couldn't see each other's cultivation in the Dream World,

they all knew

that the other party had definitely not reached the Martial Demon Realm.

“...This person is not simple.”

The voice of the leading light figure was solemn.

“Although he is currently the prime suspect, there might be other circumstances. Before we have conclusive evidence, don't be so quick to assume he is the murderer.”

“What he said earlier about Mo Hu's death also requires our consideration.”

“We need to look at this matter from two perspectives.”

“One possibility is that this person is the murderer.”

“The other possibility is that this person is not the murderer.”

“This matter is of great importance, and no suspicious point can be overlooked!”

...In the room.

Xiao Shi opened his eyes.

With his cautious nature, he had already inquired with the entity in the black coffin about ensuring his safety before entering the Dream World.

If the entity in the black coffin couldn't help him,

Xiao Shi definitely wouldn't have entered the Dream World so easily.

“I didn't expect to become the prime suspect now...”

Xiao Shi pinched his brow.

Actually, even if he hadn't entered the Dream World this time,

these Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect members would still have considered him the murderer.

Through his conversation with them, Xiao Shi had already realized that Qin Mo had told them about meeting him before this.

If he hadn't entered the Dream World,

after they found they couldn't contact Qin Mo, they would have deduced that Qin Mo was dead, and at that time, the blame would still be directed at him.

After all, when Qin Mo last contacted them, he had clearly told them he was about to summon him.

As a result, just after summoning him, Qin Mo was gone.

He was definitely the prime suspect.

Now that he had actively entered the Dream World, he had at least shown them his attitude. Even if they all suspected him now, they would at least consider what he said about Qin Mo's death.

If he hadn't entered the Dream World this time,

then without any information, they would have been even more convinced that he was the murderer.

“The problem now is...”

“Is it possible that the murderer is among them?”

Xiao Shi began to seriously consider this question.

The most suspicious one was undoubtedly the light figure who led the suspicion against him.

Although he couldn't see his form or appearance, Xiao Shi could guess that this person was most likely Xiang Zizhen, the leader among these Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect members!

“This person has been constantly trying to bring me down, with suspicion of trying to pin the crime on me.”

“Assuming he is the wolf...”

“Then he has probably already been swayed by the Star Luo Lord. When he learned about me from Qin Mo, he immediately came up with a plan to kill with a borrowed knife, eliminating Qin Mo while also conveniently pinning the crime on me.”

“So when I appeared in the Dream World, he kept trying to bring me down, first ruining my reputation...”

Xiao Shi knew very well.

For others, they would definitely be more willing to believe Xiang Zizhen.

It was impossible for them to believe him, an outsider.

Especially since everything looked like his suspicion was already very high.

But there were also several contradictory points.

First, if Xiang Zizhen was the wolf, then he would definitely want to kill him in one go, rather than trapping him in the dream and waiting for their investigation.

That would only prolong the situation.

Xiao Shi felt that if he were Xiang Zizhen, in that situation earlier, he would definitely incite others to firmly believe he was the wolf and eliminate him first.

He clearly had the opportunity to decisively conclude the matter, yet he only listed him as a suspect and did not directly condemn him.

This did not fit the behavior of a werewolf.

Second, there was the intelligence Wu Muzhen had gathered.

Logically speaking,

with the concealment abilities of these Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect members, it should have been impossible for the Star Luo Lord to find them.

If they were that easy to find, then when Wu Muzhen used the Eye of Heavenly Secrets to investigate their whereabouts, it wouldn't have required such a high energy value.

Since they hadn't been found by the Star Luo Lord, how could the Star Luo Lord have swayed Xiang Zizhen?

To be on the safe side,

Xiao Shi simply entered the Tianji Hall.

He summoned Wu Muzhen again.

“I need to know information about Xiang Zizhen, especially his character.”

Xiao Shi said in a deep voice.

Wu Muzhen thought for a moment.

He truthfully reported the intelligence he had previously gathered about Xiang Zizhen.

“Xiang Zizhen was taken as a disciple by that wandering Paladin five years ago.”

“Besides possessing high leadership abilities, he also has powerful talent, and his intelligence and wit are not inferior.”

“From the feedback of the Eye of Heavenly Secrets, he is absolutely loyal to the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect and has always treated the Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect members with sincerity.”

“He is a good leader.”

“Both these Four Symbols Divine Martial Sect members and that wandering Paladin trust him greatly.”

Xiao Shi frowned at this.

Looking at it this way, the possibility of Xiang Zizhen being the wolf had significantly decreased again.

He could disbelieve others.

But what the Eye of Heavenly Secrets saw could not be false.

If Xiang Zizhen wasn't the wolf, Xiao Shi had no better leads.

“The main reason I can't find the key to the problem now is largely because my cultivation is insufficient, and my understanding of Soul Force and Soul Consciousness is not enough...”

“I can only infer from the phenomena I see on the surface, unable to infer from Qin Mo's death.”

“For example... how did Qin Mo die?”

“How did the murderer kill him silently?”

“I only know that he died from a soul-related attack, but I know nothing about the specific circumstances.”

Xiao Shi gradually realized that the most important thing for him right now was to first break through to the Martial Soul Realm. Only with sufficient knowledge and understanding of the Martial Soul Realm could he grasp more clues and information.

Thinking of this,

Xiao Shi temporarily suppressed his thoughts on this matter.

He focused his mind on breaking through to the Martial Soul Realm.

In his mind, the subsequent cultivation methods of the Crimson Tiger Lineage, which he had obtained from Qin Mo earlier, began to emerge.

He was surprised to find

that what he now possessed was not only the cultivation methods for the Martial Soul Realm.

It also included the cultivation methods for the subsequent Martial Demon Realm and Saint Realm.

In other words,

he no longer lacked primary cultivation methods for the entire middle three stages of martial arts.

However, he was currently unable to view the cultivation methods for the subsequent Martial Demon Realm and Saint Realm.

He felt as if three rooms had appeared in his mind.

One room contained the cultivation methods for the Martial Soul Realm.

Another room contained the cultivation methods for the Martial Demon Realm.

And the last room contained the cultivation methods for the Saint Realm.

He couldn't enter the latter two rooms yet; he could only first enter the first room, which held the Martial Soul Realm cultivation methods.

Buzz!

Soon,

Xiao Shi had a clear and profound understanding of everything in the room.

“In the cultivation of the Martial Soul Realm for the Crimson Tiger Lineage, the most important thing is to form the Crimson Tiger Soul.”

“In fact, during the cultivation of the lower three stages of martial arts, a Crimson Tiger physique capable of accommodating a soul had already been formed.”

“With a solid foundation...”

“What I have always lacked is mainly the method of forming the Crimson Tiger Soul.”

Xiao Shi took a deep breath.

Now that he had mastered the method of forming the Crimson Tiger Soul, he immediately followed this cultivation method.

He began to construct the Crimson Tiger Soul.

The Martial Soul Realm is divided into three stages:

Soul Awakening, Soul Consciousness, and Life Soul.

What Xiao Shi was about to undertake was the Soul Awakening Stage!

Roar!!

A deep tiger's roar reverberated in his mind.

This was an aggressive tiger's roar.

It even carried a portion of Xiao Shi's Blood Art power.

Under this mighty tiger's roar,

Xiao Shi's entire soul experienced a tearing pain.

He didn't know what the Martial Soul Realm was like in other systems.

But for the Crimson Tiger Lineage's Martial Soul Realm, only through this method could he form the Crimson Tiger Soul!

Under the intense pain in his soul,

Xiao Shi could clearly feel that his soul had undergone some changes.

“Continue!”

He unleashed the Crimson Tigers Roar again, attacking his soul!

In this process, besides the unbearable pain, there was also a great risk.

If the soul couldn't withstand it and was destroyed, then he would directly scatter his soul and spirit.

However, Xiao Shi's soul was incredibly resilient.

With the powerful blessings brought by the Tianji Hall and the Myriad Treasure Pagoda Spirit,

this was also his important reliance for daring to use his own Blood Art to attack his soul.

Ordinary people would certainly not dare to be as reckless as he was.

Often, the greater the risk undertaken, the more astonishing the reward.

Xiao Shi knew that as long as he could withstand the Blood Art's attack,

then the Crimson Tiger Soul he formed would possess the power of the Blood Art!!

To some extent, it was equivalent to integrating the Blood Art into the Crimson Tiger Soul, making it the cornerstone for constructing the Crimson Tiger Soul.

Blood Art, as a powerful method unique to the Blood Martial Realm,

although every Martial Artist in the Blood Martial Realm could create their own exclusive Blood Art,

the number of people who could achieve this was extremely rare, like phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

The difference in strength between a Blood Martial Realm with Blood Art and one without Blood Art was like heaven and earth.

When Xiao Shi was in the Blood Martial Realm, Blood Art had always been his powerful killing move.

It was only when dealing with powerful enemies in the Martial Soul Realm that its lethality was significantly weakened.

Although he knew

that as long as he stepped into the Martial Soul Realm and added Soul Force to his Blood Art, the power of the Blood Art would also surge.

This was a common method for all Martial Soul Realm practitioners.

Adding Soul Force to an attack could elevate one's attack to a higher level.

But how could this kind of augmentation compare to integrating the Blood Art into the Crimson Tiger Soul?

Once successful... every single one of his Soul Force would possess the characteristics and power of the Blood Art.

Then, when added to other attacks... just thinking about it made Xiao Shi excited.

However, the prerequisite was

that he had to withstand the Blood Art's bombardment of his soul.

In an instant,

Xiao Shi's soul had already turned blood-red.

His complexion was as pale as paper.

The pain in his soul was completely incomparable to physical pain.

Fortunately, although his soul was constantly being damaged,

there was no risk of it shattering.

Not even a single crack appeared.

A soul of this strength... was even stronger than many souls in the Soul Awakening Stage!

This also made Xiao Shi deeply feel the powerful blessings brought by the Tianji Hall and the Myriad Treasure Pagoda Spirit!

Unbeknownst to him, his soul had already been enhanced to such a degree.

This also removed his worries.

He bombarded his soul with Blood Art even more recklessly.

Roar!!

When the mighty tiger's roar once again exploded in his mind,

a tiger's roar also sounded from within his soul.

It sounded like an echo of the previous tiger's roar.

But Xiao Shi could clearly distinguish the difference between the two tiger's roars.

The first tiger's roar was emitted by his Blood Art.

The second tiger's roar came from his soul.

Under the reverberation of this tiger's roar,

Xiao Shi's soul seemed to awaken!

If his soul was in a dormant state before, then at this moment, his soul was like awakening from slumber!

This was... Soul Awakening!

At the same time, with the awakening of his soul,

bursts of blood-red Soul Force continuously emerged from Xiao Shi's mind.

They gathered around his soul, piecing together with the soul to form... the shape of a Crimson Tiger.

Crimson Tiger Soul!

And it was a blood-red Crimson Tiger Soul!

Not only was its color different from ordinary Crimson Tiger Souls,

but Xiao Shi's Crimson Tiger Soul, with the integration of the Blood Art, also presented a roaring posture.