Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 696: The Mission Is Completed

Han Yu looked at Zhushen. "And you are not limited either. You can still cultivate on your own. If you break through to the Nascent Soul realm by your own efforts, then when you finally accept your father's cultivation, your strength will rise to an even higher level."

The Patriarch's eyes brightened. "That is good. Very good."

He straightened his back slightly. "Even if my own future is limited, I do not regret it. If my cultivation can become the foundation for my children and my clan, then that is enough for me."

Zhushen lowered his head. "Father…"

"Enough," the Patriarch said gently. "Do not cry like a child. We still have many years ahead of us."

With that, he turned toward the gathered clan members.

"The ceremony is over," he announced. "Return to your duties."

The clan members, who had been holding their breath throughout the entire process, finally exhaled. One by one, they bowed deeply to the Patriarch, to Zhushen, and finally to Han Yu before slowly leaving the hall.

Soon, only the Patriarch, his two sons, and Han Yu remained.

The Patriarch looked at Han Yu with deep gratitude. "Honored Disciple, our clan will never forget what you have done today. From this moment on, you will always have an ally in the Fatui Clan. If you ever need our help, no matter the matter, we will do our utmost to assist you."

Han Yu smirked faintly. "I might take you up on that one day. A few business ideas are already forming in my mind."

Zhushen and Zhuwen exchanged glances, unsure whether to laugh or feel nervous.

"For now," Han Yu continued, "I only need one thing. A letter of completion. I have been away from my sect for a long time, and the journey back will take months. I should not delay any longer."

The Patriarch nodded. "I prepared it long ago."

He gestured, and Zhuwen brought out a sealed letter. The seal bore the mark of the Fatui Clan Patriarch himself.

"This letter confirms that the task given to you has been completed," the Patriarch said. "It will be enough for you to report back to your sect."

He then brought out another storage pouch and placed it in front of Han Yu.

"This is your reward. It is more than what your sect originally promised. Consider it our personal gratitude." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Han Yu accepted it without ceremony. He checked it briefly with his spirit sense and found his eyes narrowing slightly.

Inside were at least ten thousand high grade spirit stones.

Much more than what he had been supposed to receive.

He closed the pouch and tucked it away without a word.

The Patriarch smiled. "Some things are not meant to be spoken aloud."

Han Yu returned the smile faintly. He had been paid under the table, and both sides understood that perfectly.

With his task finally complete, Han Yu felt a sense of closure. He had come here as a disciple sent on a mission. He would leave having changed the fate of an entire clan.

And soon, he would begin the long journey back to the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect.

Han Yu retired to the private courtyard that the Fatui Clan had prepared for him, a quiet enclosed space surrounded by stone walls and winter bare trees. The lanterns hanging from the eaves flickered softly in the cold wind, casting warm orange light over the snow that had begun to gather along the edges of the paths.

It was already late evening, and the sky had turned a deep blue, almost black.

There was no reason for him to leave now. His body might have recovered, but his mind still felt heavy from everything that had happened. Refining those pills, witnessing the transfer of cultivation, watching souls rise and shatter inside the alchemy hall, all of it had left deep impressions on him.

He also needed to confirm just how much his soul cultivation had truly grown.

So he dismissed the servants, closed the courtyard gates himself, set up some formations and sat down cross legged in the center of the stone cultivation platform. The cold did not bother him. He closed his eyes, steadied his breathing, and let his awareness sink inward.

SHUA

Slowly, his perception entered his Soul Space.

The moment he arrived, he froze.

His Soul Sea was enormous now.

Before, it had already been vast compared to an ordinary cultivator's Dantian, but now it looked like a true ocean. Pale silver waves rolled endlessly in every direction, reflecting faint light from above. Han Yu tried to judge its size and realized that it was at least three times larger than before, perhaps even more.

But it was not only larger.

It felt deeper.

Denser.

The Soul Qi within it was no longer thin and drifting. It was thick, heavy, and vibrant, each wisp carrying far more potency than what he used to refine himself. It felt closer to the original essence of souls, not something that had been filtered again and again through his own methods.

Han Yu stood there in stunned silence, his consciousness hovering above the vast Soul Sea.

Then he turned his attention to the center.

There in the center, floating above the surface, was his Soul Core.

The Eight Emotions Lotus.

It was bigger.

Not just slightly bigger, but noticeably larger, its petals broader and thicker, glowing with soft multicolored light. Each petal represented one of the Eight Emotions, and each of them now looked fuller, more complete, as if they had been nourished by a feast beyond imagination.

The lotus noticed him the moment he focused on it.

Its petals began to sway excitedly, flapping up and down like small wings.

"Yiya… Yiya… Yiya…"

Strange, childish sounds echoed through the Soul Space.

Han Yu could not help but laugh.

"It really is like a baby," he muttered, amused.

He reached out with his consciousness and touched the lotus gently. The moment he did, a massive wave of information and sensation rushed into him. It was not words or images, but pure feeling. Power. Stability. Depth.