Soul Land: A Foreign Fantasy

As night enveloped the surroundings, all three brothers fixed their gazes on Sheng Zhi's book, a mix of intrigue and disbelief etched on their faces. This astonishing sight—a soul functioning as a status screen—was beyond their wildest expectations. They had never encountered anything like it before.

 "Hey, Zhi, can you control this thing?" Chen asked, curiosity sparking in his eyes.

 "I'll give it a shot," Sheng Zhi responded, confidence surging within him. It had been a long time since he had felt such exhilaration—like the thrill of losing himself in the pages of his favorite books, devouring words day and night. With a steady hand pressed over his heart to calm his racing thoughts, he readied himself to plunge into the unknown. He raised his hand and with a voice of authority he said "Elaborate on the skill information"

"Br… Br… Brother" Wang Jin exclaimed, clutching his stomach with laughter.

 His eyes wide in disbelief as he rolled on the floor, struggling to contain himself.

"Brother Zhi, that sounds just like an eighth grader," An Chen remarked with a sly smile, clearly enjoying Wang Jin's reaction. Unable to resist, Wang Jin erupted into laughter.

Meanwhile, Sheng Zhi confidently brushed off their teasing and focused intently on the book, its pages adapting seamlessly to his needs.

[Omniscient (f)]

[This skill allows the user to look into the information he wants. The quality and the amount of information would increase with Spirit rings, currently available information: Spirit Scholar level]

[Ring Fusion (Locked)]

[Information on this skill will be provided after the user reaches Spirit Master level]

This information provided Sheng Zhi with enough satisfaction, yet that laugh, yes that laugh, Wang Jin the pitiful little insect of a brother was rolling around laughing his heart out. Sheng Zhi unable to harm him directly only hoped that something would turn up.

"Display info on Wang Jin."

[ Name: Wang Jin ]

[ Age: 6 ]

[ Spirit: 1. Golden Emperor's sigil ]

[ 2. Sword of Rupture, Ea. (Locked) ]

[ Soul power: 10 {ring needed} ]

[ Recommended ring: Golden Beetle ]

[ Location: Mist Valley ]

[ Skill: 1. Golden Rule (Ex) ]

[ 2. Hero Emperor (Ex) ]

[ 3. Victorious (F) ]

As Sheng Zhi glanced at Jin's Status, a wave of relief washed over him, though "slyness" is perhaps a more fitting description. Chen dashed forward to get a look, and his reaction surpassed Zhi's—he collapsed on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. Jin, perplexed by their antics, stood up and asked, "What's so funny?" His cheeks reddened slightly, a mix of curiosity and apprehension creeping into his voice.

Without missing a beat, Zhi shoved the book toward Jin. The moment Jin caught sight of it, despair settled on his features. For those unfamiliar with the situation, there's a perfectly good reason for their hilarity.

Golden Emperor Gilgamesh—a figure almost everyone admires. In his previous life, Wang Jin idolized Gilgamesh to the point of imitation, embodying him with the fervor characteristic of an 8th grader caught in a popular obsession. This wasn't just a fleeting phase for Wang Jin; he fully embraced the persona as if he were the legendary emperor himself.

Then, the unexpected happened. An innocent girl his age confessed her feelings to him. You can probably guess where that led. From that moment on, he was mockingly dubbed "The ******* Emperor."

In summary, it's clear that Wang Jin harbors an intense Gilgamesh phobia, and now everyone can see why.

Shen Zhi who was now full of pity, supported Jin, such a terrible incident which sent him senseless. Maybe this power was the payoff he received for putting his honor on the line. Thought Sheng Zhi.

He summoned the soul again, and spoke, "Elaborate the skills"

[ Golden Rule (Ex) ]

[ This ability attracts financial fortune to the user. The holder of this ability will never be short on money. ]

[ Hero Emperor (Ex) ]

[ the holder will gain the insight, senses, and pride of the Hero emperor. With time he will gain a little bit of a hero emperor's personality. Note: this ability will not affect a person's values.]

[ Victorious (F) ]

[ The more you win the more powerful you will become. But if you lose you will feel pain equal to death.]

"These skills are good," said Zhi. As he helped Wang Jin to his seat. "But the Condition of victorious is a bit troublesome."

"I agree," said Chen as he glanced into the book, "But aren't you worried about the Hero Emperor skill."

"Not much, as long as his values are the same." Answered Zhi as he raised his hand for another command.

"Display info on An Chen."

Obeying his command, the spirit turned the pages, finally resting on a page that displayed information about An Chen.

 [Name: An Chen]

[Age: 6]

[Spirit: Immortal Emperor's sigil]

[Soul power: 10 {ring needed}]

[Recommended ring: Shadow Wolf]

[Location: Mist Valley]

[Skill: 1. Darkness (Ex)]

[2. Dead man's Senses (F)]

[3. Black Scythe (F)]

Chen's eyes were almost glowing as he looked at his status. It is a dream of every teenager to have a status like this, and out of all of them he was the one to have, how could he be any happier?

"Elaborate the skills"

[ Darkness (Ex) ]

[ Ability to use the dark forces on command ]

[ Dead man's Senses (F) ]

[Ability to see, hear, and control dead spirits. Currently, you can only use low-rank dead spirits. ]

[ Black Scythe (F) ]

[ A black scythe made of darkness will be summoned and grow stronger with rank. ]

"That sums up a lot," said Zhi taking his place.

"Yeah, but to grow stronger we need the spirit rings right?" inquired An Chen as he poked Jin's face.

"I don't think we have enough strength to acquire them though." Said Zhi with his palm under his chin, he had been tallying his chance against that beast, and the result was the same in all situations.

Mist Valley, shrouded in an eerie, perpetual mist, was known for its lurking dangers. The faint echoes of distant growls made Sheng Zhi's resolve tighten—this was no place for the unprepared.

If one wasn't a Soul Master then going out here was nothing but a suicide. Sheng Zhi made his decision and declared "We are too weak to fight right now."

"Should we ask our parents?" asked Chen with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, but Zhi begged to differ, "No we shouldn't, if our mom gets a wind of this we are done for, we need someone trustworthy"

The room went quiet two of them pondered with the solution being far off their sights. Suddenly wang Jin spoke, "Let's ask Sister Ying."

Two of them turned their eyes towards Jin and stood with their voice on top of their lungs, "No!"

"She can't it would be too dangerous for her," said Zhi, scolding Jin. It made sense after all Ying had been a Soul Scholar for 3 years, and had her promotion recently and that also because of a chance encounter not by her efforts, she couldn't do a job like that. Yet Jin's eyes were clear, and with an unwavering voice like that of an emperor he spoke, "What if she went out to hunt?" Jin's voice was unwavering, a sharp contrast to his usual playful demeanor. "She has been going out at night to hunt beasts."

Zhi went quiet, silence stared over the room, Chen was just as confused, Wang Ying her gentle eldest sister going out to hunt, if this news was found by their mother then the whole house would turn into the netherworld. Chen moved his eyes trying to a glimpse of Sheng Zhi's face, indeed a demon he thought, as the enraged Zhi spoke, "What do you mean by that?"