Chapter 161: Chapter 159: The So-Called Soul Force_1
But after this activation of his inner vision, everything appeared different; previously, his inner eye would see everything as a black and white image, but now, the objects within the view began to show colors.
However, this differed greatly from what his physical eyes saw before.
For instance, the expanse of flowers and grass behind him radiated faint white glows, entirely different from the green and red colors visible to the naked eye. And the few trees beside him were also flickering with white glows, which clearly were much stronger than those from the flowers and grass.
Fang Ren observed himself and found that his own body was also shrouded in white light, but the glow emanating from his body was very dazzling, especially around the lower abdomen, the location of his Spiritual Root.
"Is this the soul force? But what is its use?"
Fang Ren furrowed his brows and opened his eyes, and the surroundings returned to their original colors. In this era on Earth, no one had ever come into contact with soul force, and he couldn't help but feel a great deal of confusion about this sudden experience.
"Hehehaha!"
Qianye patted his head with her arms again, signaling him to explore on his own.
Fang Ren pondered for a moment, then closed his eyes again, but this time he didn't activate his inner vision; instead, he sensed the newly acquired soul force.
He didn't see any of the objects around him, nor the white light on his own body, but he felt a force that didn't exist in his physical form.
The force was very faint. He could only feel it and found it very difficult to wield it. Trying to move the faint energy was like trying to push a great mountain.
After attempting for a while, he gave up and activated his inner vision once again. Everything around him instantly brightened, casting white glows on all things alive.
Since the energy couldn't be maneuvered at will, he decided to use his physical body to move the soul force.
He squatted down and touched the faintly glowing grass on the ground with his fingertips, the white aura from his body colliding with the grass.
In an instant, the faint white glow emitted by the grass vanished.
Seeing this, Fang Ren immediately opened his eyes and saw that the grass he had just touched with his fingertips had withered, its leaves turning yellow and stiff.
Fang Ren's brows furrowed in an instant. He had not used any True Qi or Divine Sense, and definitely no offensive moves, just a light touch which had caused the grass to lose its life.
He promptly stood up, withdrew his soul force, and touched a nearby tree with his hand. This time the tree showed no signs of erasure.
Seeing that the tree was unaffected, Fang Ren breathed a sigh of relief. He had feared the uncontrollable extent of the soul force, which could strip life from flora and fauna at any moment. If that were the case, he wouldn't dare to physically touch ordinary people.
However, it seems that the soul force is indeed quite peculiar. Just in its uncontrollable state, it could take the life of a plant with a touch.
He couldn't help but speculate in his heart—if he could control the soul force as he wished, would he be able to reach the level of killing people within a hundred meters with a mere movement of his soul force?
"Qianye, do you think with this power in use, I could easily kill people without anyone noticing?" Fang Ren asked.
"Hehe!"
Qianye nodded and carved these words on the ground, "Currently, Cultivators can only take lives with True Qi and their physical bodies, ignorant of Soul force. To kill with Soul force, present Cultivators cannot detect it."
Fang Ren gazed at the row of characters on the ground, his heart churning with amazement and disbelief. The ability to kill without being detected by a Practitioner was quite extraordinary in this era.
It could be used in framing, murder, and all sorts of sinister tactics.
However, the specifics of the range within which Soul force could kill had not yet been defined. How strong did Soul force need to be to harm ordinary people? And how powerful to affect Cultivators?
"The white light I saw just now, that was the Soul, right?" Fang Ren asked.
Qianye nodded.
"Then, since even plants and trees possess Soul force, why did you tell me earlier that my Soul force has only just emerged?" Fang Ren continued.
Qianye carved, "Soul and Soul force are two different concepts, most living beings possess Souls without force, while the Master has both Soul and force."
"I see," Fang Ren said. "So my Soul contains an energy that can be cultivated and wielded, while others have only the energy of the Soul with no force to command?"
Qianye nodded.
Fang Ren continued, "Then, is it possible for me to use only Soul force to kill a Practitioner of the Mid-Stage of Chongshan Realm without using True Qi?"
Qianye kept carving, "The growth of Soul force is closely related to one's Cultivation Level. The Master cannot inflict damage with Soul force on Practitioners of relatively higher Realms, because their Souls are inherently strong, albeit without the power to attack."
Fang Ren nodded, "What if, for instance, I wanted to kill a Practitioner of the Ruoshui Stage with my Soul force?"
Qianye carved, "In the blink of an eye."
"Huh? Are you sure?" Fang Ren was taken aback.
Qianye nodded emphatically and continued carving, "The Master's Soul is unmatched among his peers. Currently at the Mid-Stage of the Chongshan Realm by the standards of this era, it would be as easy as using True Qi to kill a Ruoshui Stage Practitioner—in the blink of an eye."
"So you're saying, whatever level my True Qi can achieve, my Soul force can reach that level too?"
"Heh heh!"
Qianye nodded again.
The previously uncertain scope of killing, Fang Ren now had an approximate grasp of it, and he couldn't help but feel even more astounded.
Qianye implied that whatever Realm of powerful expert he could kill with his strength, his Soul force could also achieve that, and it would be done invisibly.
As Fang Ren pondered, he immediately began to mobilize his Soul force again, reaching out to touch the large tree beside him.
Krak krak krak—
In an instant, the entire tree withered away.
His heart still shaken and struggling to settle, he looked at his hands, "Once I fully cultivate this ability, I can release it like True Qi… In actual combat, combining overt combat with covert attacks, my combat power is sure to double."