Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time
Chapter 271: Three Days Later

Chapter 271: Three Days Later

Han Yu stood up slowly, his limbs stiff from sitting cross-legged for three days straight. He stretched his arms with a groan, back popping in a series of satisfying krrk noises. Then, with a mental nudge, he shifted his consciousness into his Soul Space once more.

There it was—a shimmering sea of Soul Qi swirling beneath the translucent lotus that marked his Soul Core. Waves of pale white light surged and receded in gentle tides, reflecting the Eight Emotions Energy that had been refined and absorbed over the last few days. It was beautiful, yes. Tranquil even. But Han Yu squinted suspiciously, hands on his hips.

"Just how big is this damn thing now?" he muttered.

The Soul Space had clearly expanded. The difference was noticeable even to someone as imprecise with measurements as he was. The once small pond of Soul Qi was now a sea—a lazy, glittering body of energy that stretched out toward the cloudy periphery of his inner world. It pulsed with life, brimming with a kind of calm vitality that Han Yu didn’t quite understand yet.

But for all the impressive aesthetics, a critical question still loomed large in his mind.

"How much Soul Qi do I even need to reach the Soul Adept realm?"

That was the thing. Han Yu had no idea.

He scratched his head, ruffling his already messy hair, and sighed. The Eight Emotions Lotus within his Soul Core trembled faintly, as if amused by his cluelessness. It bobbed once, releasing a soft ripple of Soul Qi into the sea below, like a smug plant giving a shrug.

"Yeah, yeah. You’re laughing at me, I know," Han Yu grumbled. "You’re probably all wise and ancient or something. But how about a hint?"

The lotus swayed again.

No response.

Of course.

Han Yu had long since realized that Soul Cultivation wasn’t exactly user-friendly. There were no nice little guidebooks or senior brothers handing out pamphlets. No helpful instructor going, "Congratulations! You have reached the Soul Adept realm!" with a celebratory gong in the background.

All he knew was that reaching the Soul Adept stage would be the equivalent of stepping into the Core Condensation realm in standard Qi Cultivation. A big deal. A major leap.

But he didn’t know the actual requirements. No meter. No progress bar. Not even a floating percentage like those weird illusionary game formations that he had seen some senior disciples to play with.

Was it a certain volume of Soul Qi?

A refinement level?

A strength threshold?

"Why is everything in Soul Cultivation so damn mysterious?" he muttered.

He focused again on the sea of Soul Qi. Despite not knowing the exact quantity, he could feel—deep in his bones—that he had more now. Much more. The sensation was hard to describe. It was like having a bigger battery inside him. Before, his Soul Qi felt like a small lake—useful, sure, but finite.

Now?

Now it felt like he could drown someone in it.

That was probably a good thing. Probably.

Still, without a clear benchmark, he had to estimate the practical power increase. And what better way than comparing it to something he did understand?

Like Soul Needle.

He summoned a thin strand of Soul Qi into his spiritual hand and molded it into a gleaming, needle-like construct. It shimmered, dense and stable, sharp enough to cut through the spiritual defenses of most cultivators in the Qi Refining realm with ease.

"Alright... how many of these can I make now?"

Previously, Han Yu could comfortably form and launch about ten Soul Needles before needing a break. Maybe fifteen if he really pushed himself and didn’t mind the headaches.

Now?

He could feel it.

His Soul Core barely flinched at the first needle. Not even a drop lost from the sea.

Another one.

Still nothing.

A third, then a fifth, then ten, then twenty.

His Soul Core pulsed with energy, calmly refining and replenishing what he used as if saying, "Is that all?"

Han Yu let out a low whistle. "Damn. I could probably throw out a hundred Soul Needles now and still have juice left for dessert."

It was impressive. Terrifying, even.

Even if Soul Needles were his only technique, he could now become a one-man soul bombardment squad.

Not that he was planning on spamming a hundred needles at once.

Probably.

But still, having the option was reassuring. Especially since he was still unsure how close he was to advancing realms.

Han Yu sighed and walked out of his room before plopping back onto the grass, staring up at the gently shifting clouds above. The spiritual energies in the air had long since calmed, but his inner world was still humming with newfound power.

"Maybe I should test it out on something... like a rock. Or a tree. Or that one annoying junior disciple who keeps bragging about his sword technique," he mumbled.

The Eight Emotions Lotus bobbed again, this time in a manner that could only be interpreted as disapproval.

"I’m kidding! I’m kidding," Han Yu said quickly, raising his hands. "Sheesh. No sense of humor, you sentient flower." of course he didn’t know if it really was sentient or it was just moving without any intentions.

Right now he just considered it a companion that had been created by him. Even the secrets of the Soul Core were not fully known to him yet.

He rolled onto his side and yawned, suddenly feeling the weight of the past three days crash onto him all at once. His muscles were fine—thanks to the benefits of cultivation—but his mind felt a little fuzzy. Too much introspection. Too much wondering about things he couldn’t measure.

But he felt stronger. That much was certain.

More than before.

More than ever.

Was it enough to face the next danger?

No clue.

Was he any closer to unlocking the Soul Adept realm?

Still no clue.

But at least he wouldn’t run out of ammunition anytime soon.

Han Yu chuckled quietly to himself.

Whatever came next... he’d be ready for it.

Probably.