Level 1 to Infinity: My Bloodline Is the Ultimate Cheat!-Chapter 908: Soul Spike

The moment the old man finished speaking, hope lit up the fake Ethan’s eyes.

The real Ethan, on the other hand, showed only the briefest flicker of reaction before his expression went flat again, that familiar indifferent mask sliding back into place as if nothing had happened.

The fake turned toward him at once. "So," he said, eyes sharp with expectation, "you know Trifurcate Spirit?"

He stared straight at Ethan, barely hiding his anticipation, though his tone still carried that irritating arrogance.

Ethan did not look at him. He turned away completely, his attention shifting instead to the old man. Something about this did not sit right. How did this old man know about that incomplete Trifurcate Spirit manual? Ethan had picked it up back on Ascension Isle, the same one Alaric had been practicing from. At the time, Ethan had barely given it any thought. The torn manual had been tossed into his mindscape and forgotten. Now, after hearing those words, he began rifling through his spatial storage, searching for it.

"Hey. I’m talking to you."

When Ethan still did not respond, the fake shuffled closer, his face twisted with irritation.

"Scram."

Ethan said it softly, almost lazily, but his hand moved without hesitation. His open palm struck the fake across the face with a sharp crack. The fake spun through the air and slammed into the cave wall before rebounding back with a heavy whoosh. This time, he did not dare step closer. His face burned red as he pointed at Ethan, shaking with anger.

"What the hell? You hit me again?"

"Hitting you is me being merciful," Ethan replied calmly. "Keep parading around in front of me, and I’ll erase you with a flick."

His voice was steady, dismissive, but the words grated on the fake’s nerves.

"Erase me? Fine, maybe I can’t beat you in a fight, but don’t forget yourself," the fake snapped. "Back when we were still in Mom’s womb, before you even had awareness, I was already forming. Touch me again and you’re the one being disrespectful, because I’m your older brother."

He sneered as he played that card, clearly convinced it meant something. Ethan almost laughed.

"Is he actually stupid, or did I hit him stupid?" Ethan said, not even bothering to address the fake. He looked instead at the old man, one brow raised.

The old man only shrugged, that faint, unreadable smile still on his face, as if to say it could be either.

"You’re the stupid one!" the fake shouted, completely missing the point. "I’m the Nine-Tiered Cosmos tower, one of the Ten Great Roots across all worlds!"

The space shuddered as his anger spiked. Ethan’s hair lifted as if caught in a strong current, his clothes snapping in an invisible wind.

"Older brother?" Ethan said coldly. "Cosmos Tower? Spare me. You’re just a spirit."

"What’s with the attitude?" the fake shot back. "Yeah, I’m a spirit. So what? You said you’d erase me. Go on, do it! You’re all brute force and no finesse. Useless." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Seeing Ethan’s energy flare, he did not retreat. Instead, he pointed straight at him, defiant to the end. That stubborn streak felt uncomfortably familiar.

"I said I’d deal with you," Ethan replied. "Let me show you how easy it is to erase a spirit."

A low hum filled the air as light burst from Ethan’s forehead, a milky-white radiance spreading outward.

"SOUL SPIKE."

His roar echoed through the cave as that dense soul energy condensed, solidifying into countless needles, sharp and precise. In an instant, thousands, then millions, filled the space.

"No... impossible!"

The fake’s face drained of color as the storm of needles drove into him without pause. His energy flared wildly as he tried to defend himself, but it barely slowed them. The moment the needles touched his form, they vanished inside, tearing directly at his spirit. His face twisted in pain as the assault continued without mercy.

The old man watched from the side, smiling faintly, making no move to intervene.

Soul Spike was the weakest of Ethan’s soul techniques, and he was deliberately holding back. Against anything with a physical body, it would do almost nothing. Against a pure spirit, it was agony. To the fake, it felt like being stung by an endless swarm of insects, over and over, without relief.

At first, he tried to endure it. Then he broke, clutching his head and running blindly through the space. That only made it worse. The cave was not large, and Ethan’s needles filled every corner. By running, he crashed straight into fresh waves waiting behind him, each impact sending another surge of pain through his consciousness.

His screams echoed until his eyes rolled back. Even Ethan winced at that. He had kept the needles thin on purpose, meant to irritate and punish, not cripple. That reckless charge, though, had nearly turned it into a real soul attack.

Ethan quickly thinned the storm, leaving only a single stream of needles that chased after the fake, striking at intervals. Then he stopped paying attention to him entirely, maintaining the technique with a single thread of focus as he turned back to the old man.

"Sir," Ethan said evenly, "did I go too far?"

The old man laughed. "I wouldn’t dare say that. When he was sent here, he already had consciousness. Trapped in a place without light for over ten years does things to a person. It narrows the mind."

Ethan studied him carefully. The words were chosen well. They acknowledged the fake’s situation without excusing his behavior, defending him just enough without offending Ethan. Subtle and calculated.

Before coming down here, Blackie had said he sensed energy of the same origin. That meant this old man should be a Qilin, like Blackie. Yet Ethan could not feel anything familiar from him at all. He seemed almost human.

Silence settled over the cave. Ethan continued to look at the old man, who finally nodded slightly, as if satisfied. Then he turned and retreated deeper into the cave, his figure fading into the darkness.

"Call when you’re ready to leave," his voice echoed faintly.

Ethan snorted. Keeping the Soul Spike running to continue ’educating’ the fake, he walked over to Blackie and sat down cross-legged beside him. Then he closed his eyes and plunged fully into that incomplete Trifurcate Spirit manual, ready to see exactly what it contained.