Survival for All: I can deconstruct projections and synthesize everything.

For the next few days, Lin Xiao continued to linger among the Soul Clan.

He outwardly relaxed his guard and began to interact with ordinary members of the Soul Clan, observing their daily lives and learning about their culture and traditions.

The Soul Clan members were very friendly to him, and even somewhat awe-inspiring.

They knew that this outsider was the hero who had destroyed the Dark Erosion Cult, a powerful figure who could stand on equal footing with their leader.

During his interactions with them, Lin Xiao intentionally or unintentionally inquired about some information regarding the Soul Master.

The Soul Clan members didn't hide much from him, but their understanding of the Soul Lord was also very limited.

The Soul Master is a mysterious being who rarely appears before ordinary people and spends most of his time in the deepest part of the palace.

No one knows how long he lived, nor does anyone know just how strong he was.

The people only knew that the Soul Lord was the most powerful being in the Soul Clan and their guardian deity.

This information deepened Lin Xiao's doubts.

A leader who rarely appears before his people, a mysterious and powerful being—

There's nothing strange about that in itself.

But considering that unnatural fluctuation, and the Soul Master's overly enthusiastic attitude—

Lin Xiao had a feeling that something was brewing in the shadows.

But he didn't rush into action.

He needs more evidence to confirm the Soul Clan's true intentions.

Therefore, he maintained a relaxed demeanor on the surface, but remained vigilant at heart.

He is waiting.

The day the Soul Clan reveals their true colors.

Seventh day.

Lin Xiao has been in the Soul Clan for a full week.

During this week, he appeared to have completely let his guard down.

He no longer constantly activated the Omniscient Rule, nor did he vigilantly observe each Soul Clan member. Instead, he strolled leisurely through the Soul Clan's territory like an ordinary guest.

He even began to eat with ordinary members of the Soul Clan—although the Soul Clan did not need to eat, they had a special ritual to replenish their energy by absorbing the power of souls.

Lin Xiao followed their example and absorbed some soul power.

The feeling was strange, like a warm energy flowing into my body and slowly flowing through the depths of my soul.

His Myriad True Self Rules operate automatically, analyzing, deconstructing, and absorbing those soul powers.

This process gave him a deeper understanding of the rules of the soul.

On the surface, he acted like an outsider full of curiosity about everything, showing a strong interest in the culture, traditions, and history of the Soul Clan.

The Soul Clan members liked him very much and often surrounded him, telling him stories about the Soul Clan.

Through these stories, Lin Xiao gained a more comprehensive understanding of the Soul Clan.

The history of the Soul Clan is indeed filled with suffering.

They eked out a living under the oppression of the Mist World for countless years. Countless members of their people died at the hands of the Mist God, and countless souls were eroded, twisted, and devoured by the power of the Mist.

Their resistance has never ceased.

Every tens of thousands of years, the Soul Clan would launch a rebellion, but each time it was suppressed by the power of the Misty World.

Some of the rebel leaders died in battle, some were captured, and some were corrupted by the power of the mist, turning into mindless monsters.

The Soul Lord is the only leader in the history of the Soul Clan to survive the rebellion.

He broke through to the eighth rank hundreds of millions of years ago, leading the Soul Clan in one resistance after another, failing time and time again, but never giving up.

Until recently, he finally broke through to the ninth level.

This information made Lin Xiao feel even more respect for the Soul Master.

A person who never gives up resisting deserves respect no matter what.

But at the same time, his doubts grew deeper and deeper.

One detail in these stories caught his attention.

The timing of the Soul Master's breakthrough to the ninth rank was too coincidental.

Shortly before the Dark Erosion Cult was destroyed, and just as the Eternal Alliance was rising, the Soul Master suddenly broke through to the ninth rank.

Is this really a coincidence?

This is what it says——

Who is secretly helping him?

Lin Xiao did not show any abnormality, but simply kept this information in mind.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Eighth day.

As Lin Xiao strolled through the Soul Clan's territory, the Omniscient Rules inadvertently detected a slight unusual fluctuation.

The fluctuation originated from the deepest part of the Soul Lord's Palace and was extremely faint. If it weren't for his omniscient rules operating in secret, it would have been impossible to detect.

Lin Xiao's pupils contracted slightly, but quickly returned to normal.

He didn't rush to investigate the source of the fluctuation, but continued to stroll leisurely through the territory, as if he hadn't discovered anything.

But the omniscient rules have already begun to operate at full capacity.

That fluctuation was somewhat similar to the aura emanating from the Soul Master, but not entirely the same.

It is older, more profound, and more...evil.

That evil was not the aura of the Soul Clan, but rather the aura of the Misty World.

Lin Xiao's heart sank.

But he still did not take any action.

He needs more evidence.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Day 9.

The Soul Master invited Lin Xiao to another meeting.

This time, the talks were more specific—about the organizational structure of the resistance alliance, the specific timing of the offensive, and the distribution of spoils after the war.

The Soul Master proposed a plan: the resistance alliance would be jointly led by Lin Xiao and the Soul Master, with the Eternal Alliance and the Soul Clan as the two core forces, and other resistance forces as auxiliary forces.

The attack is scheduled for one year from now, coinciding with the awakening of the God of Mist.

"We will launch our attack the moment the God of Mist awakens," the Soul Master said calmly and firmly, "so that he cannot concentrate on completing the awakening process."

As Lin Xiao listened to the plan, the Omniscient Rule was fully activated, analyzing every detail.

On the surface, this plan seems to have no problems.

But he always felt that something was wrong.

That feeling didn't come from reason, but from his intuition honed from countless encounters with the misty world.

"Let me think about it," he said softly.

The Soul Master nodded: "Of course, this will take time."

After the meeting, Lin Xiao returned to his palace.

He sat cross-legged, the omniscient rules were in full operation, and his consciousness probed into the deepest part of the microcosm.

He was thinking.

On the surface, the Soul Master's plan was flawless.

But things that are perfect are often the most suspicious.

Moreover, that unusual fluctuation still haunted him.

"We can't wait any longer," he murmured, a resolute glint in his eyes.

"We'll investigate tonight."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

late at night.

The Soul Clan's territory fell into slumber.

The souls no longer drifted around, but gathered together, emitting a faint gray light, like countless nightlights.

Lin Xiao's figure quietly disappeared from the palace.

The Omniscient Rule operated at full power, completely concealing his aura, making him undetectable even to eighth-order beings.

He ventured into the deepest part of the Soul Lord's Palace, proceeding cautiously with every step, daring not to make a sound.

That unusual fluctuation became increasingly clear.

He could sense that something was sleeping deep within that palace.

The aura of that thing was at the ninth level.

But it wasn't the aura of the Soul Master; it was something else entirely—more ancient, more profound, and more malevolent.

That was the aura of a misty world.

Lin Xiao's pupils contracted slightly, and the Omniscient Rule was activated at full power, trying to see the true face of that thing.

Then, he saw it.