CHAPTER 178 - SOUL SCHOLAR

Han Wu laughed and clapped his hands just as Xiong Zhan’s fist nearly struck him. In the blink of an eye, Han Wu swapped places with him, and Xiong Zhan’s punch slammed into the ground instead, leaving a gaping hole where Han Wu had just stood.

The other four Platinum adventurers looked on, puzzled. None of them had expected Han Wu to possess such an unusual title.

The Merchant Alliance’s higher-ups were just as stunned. They had invited Han Wu largely because of his recent notoriety. Although he didn’t qualify for the competition, they had planned to bring him into the alliance anyway. They never imagined he would put on a display like this.

Xiong Zhan’s anger grew after missing his strike. He resented having to share the same rank with a Gold adventurer and had planned to defeat Han Wu to prove his own strength. He never imagined Han Wu would toy with him so effortlessly.

Driven by rage, he transformed into his ten-meter Bugbear form and swung his massive paws at Han Wu, who calmly clapped his hands and switched positions once more. Each time Xiong Zhan attacked, Han Wu avoided the blow with a casual clap.

Xiong Zhan was getting exhausted after he missed numerous times. Not once had he managed to touch Han Wu’s hair. If this continued, his reputation would be ruined.

Just as he prepared to strike again, the Merchant Alliance’s leader stepped forward. “Master Xiong Zhan, Master Han Wu, you are on the same team. There is no need to go too far.”

He was clearly giving Xiong Zhan a reason to back down. Han Wu shrugged and stopped, unfazed since he had not suffered a single injury. Xiong Zhan had no choice but to stop when the opportunity arose. If he kept pushing, he would die of exhaustion before he ever touched Han Wu’s skin. Though the fight ended, Xiong Zhan still burned with anger and quietly plotted how to handle Han Wu during the upcoming contest.

Once the brief incident ended, the Merchant Alliance assigned six escorts to lead the six adventurers to get their rewards. Before the contest, each could only claim up to 30% of the prize as a deposit. In total, they were each entitled to one Diamond Title Scroll and 15 Diamond materials.

Han Wu took the item list and skimmed through it. Among the options, he spotted 32 Diamond Title Scrolls listed in the Merchant Alliance’s vault. That alone confirmed just how wealthy the alliance truly was.

He scanned the list and found a title that suited him perfectly. It was called Soul Scholar and was related to souls and spirits. Without hesitation, he selected it, thinking it was worth claiming even if he ended up losing the contest. The moment he selected it, the Soul Scholar title vanished from the other five lists, signaling that it had been taken and unavailable to the others.

Lady Mei gasped when she saw Soul Scholar disappear from the list. She had planned to claim it herself. After confirming Han Wu had taken it, she approached him with a deliberate, seductive sway.

“Little Han Wu, I really like the Soul Scholar title too. Could you give it to me instead? I don’t mind spending a night with you. What do you think?” As she spoke, she pressed her arms together, offering a provocative glimpse of her otherworldly cleavage in an attempt to seduce him.

Everyone from the Merchant Alliance fell under her spell. Han Wu wasn’t immune to her allure either. He was a man, after all. But for him, power mattered more than a one-night stand. He held her gaze firmly and declined her offer. Then he claimed the Title Scroll and the 15 Diamond materials before turning to leave.

Lady Mei’s smile only widened at his rejection. She murmured to herself, “What a cute little boy. We’ll meet again. I wonder how you’ll hold up next time.”

Back in his room, Han Wu took a cold shower to calm the fire burning inside him. He pulled out the Soul Scholar Title Scroll and studied its requirements. Besides some Diamond materials, he needed to sacrifice five Diamond monster souls. This task was nearly impossible for ordinary adventurers but far too easy for him.

That night, Han Wu chose two Gold training sites and summoned his terracotta army along with two golden giants to help capture the monsters. Within two days, he met the requirements to get the Soul Scholar title and quickly checked its effects.

[Effect 1: Soul Cut. Releases blades of Soul Energy from the eyes to strike enemies. These blades target the soul directly, severing it from the target’s body without causing any physical harm.]

[Effect 2: Soul Eater. Consumes souls to enhance and fortify the user’s soul strength.]

It only had two effects, but both were impressive. He was pleased with their power, yet struggled to decide how to equip the new title. As a Gold adventurer, he had just four title slots, but he usually needed more.

Genocider served as his primary source of damage, so it had to stay equipped at all times. Monster Ender was a powerful title that could summon monsters or boost his own strength, making it essential. Five Poisons granted immunity to all poisons and even allowed him to absorb poison to increase his power, so it deserved a slot as well.

Half-Dragon’s Hope was crucial since it unlocked the Black Dragon King Transformation. Planeswalker, though only a Platinum title, offered such valuable effects that it had to remain equipped. Now he had the Soul Scholar title too, but he had run out of slots. To use all six titles, he needed two more slots. This was a very fortunate problem to have.

Soon, the day of the contest arrived. All six adventurers were summoned to a designated location before boarding a carriage. They traveled toward a secret training site outside the official list of Myriad City, where representatives from other factions had already gathered.