Han Yu's voice carried a quiet certainty.

"The emotion…"

He stepped closer, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"The anger."

That Jiangshi had not been created in isolation.

It had been influenced.

Shaped.

By the emotional energy present at the time.

That explained the mutation.

That explained the instability.

That explained the unexpected strength.

Han Yu's lips curved into a faint smile.

"I was not missing structure…"

He placed a hand lightly over the edge of the pool.

"I was missing emotion."

The realization settled fully.

Jiangshi were constructs.

Bodies.

Energy.

Formations.

Curses.

All of these created a framework.

But without something to drive them…

They remained hollow.

Purpose did not come from commands.

It came from emotion. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Han Yu straightened slightly, his thoughts already moving ahead.

"If I can control that…"

His eyes gleamed faintly.

"If I can embed specific emotions during creation…"

The implications were immense.

Loyalty.

Aggression.

Obedience.

Drive.

All of it could be shaped.

Directed.

Refined.

The problem he had struggled with for years…

Now had a path forward.

Han Yu looked at the Jiangshi once more, his expression calm yet filled with quiet anticipation.

"Let us try again."

Han Yu stood silently for a moment longer, then closed his eyes and drew his awareness inward.

The workshop faded from his senses as his consciousness descended into his Soul Space, a vast and tranquil expanse that had grown richer and deeper over the years. The surface of his Soul Sea shimmered with faint multicolored light, reflecting the countless strands of refined emotion that had been absorbed and processed over time.

At the center of it all floated the Eight Emotions Lotus.

It swayed gently, its petals layered in delicate symmetry, each one faintly glowing with the hue of a different emotion. It appeared serene at first glance, yet beneath that calm exterior lay a power that Han Yu had only begun to truly understand in recent years.

The moment his soul form manifested within the space, the lotus reacted.

Its petals trembled slightly, then lifted, as if awakening from a light slumber.

"Yi ya!" it chirped brightly, its voice echoing in a strange yet familiar way that only Han Yu could perceive.

Han Yu allowed a faint smile to appear.

"I need some help," he said, his tone calm yet focused. "I want to test out something new."

The lotus tilted slightly, one side dipping lower than the other as if trying to understand him.

"Yi ya?" it responded, the sound carrying a hint of curiosity.

Han Yu took a step closer, his gaze steady.

"I want to use raw Eight Emotions Energy for refining Jiangshi," he said. "Think you can help with that?"

For a brief moment, the lotus went still.

Completely still.

Then suddenly, its petals flared outward in an exaggerated motion, swaying with surprising enthusiasm.

"Yi ya! Yi yi!" it responded, almost vibrating with energy as it nodded repeatedly.

Han Yu let out a soft breath.

"Alright then," he said. "Let's try it."

With that, his consciousness withdrew, rising back to the surface.

His eyes opened.

The workshop returned as the blood pool and the corpse became visible along with the faint hum of formations. Everything was exactly as he had left it. Han Yu took a slow breath and steadied himself.

"Here we go," he muttered.

He focused inward once more, this time maintaining awareness of both his physical body and his Soul Space simultaneously. It was a delicate balance, but one he had long since mastered.

At his command, the Eight Emotions Lotus began to move.

Within the Soul Space, its petals unfolded slightly, each one glowing more distinctly than before. From the surrounding Soul Sea, faint strands of unrefined Eight Emotions Energy began to gather, drawn toward the lotus as if pulled by an unseen force.

Han Yu could feel it clearly.

These were not refined.

They were raw, untouched, and unfiltered.

Each strand carried a distinct quality, a pure representation of an emotion without dilution or control.

The lotus absorbed them into its petals, each color settling into its respective place. Green, yellow, red, blue, violet, gray, and more, each finding its natural position as if it had always belonged there.

Han Yu felt a shift.

It was subtle, yet undeniable as a connection soon formed. He could now sense the raw Eight Emotions Energy directly. Not as something external. But as something he could access, control and guide.

A faint sense of instinctive understanding appeared within him.

He knew he could now release it.

His eyes sharpened slightly.

"So it works…"

The realization settled quickly.

But that was only the first step.

Now came the more difficult part.

Han Yu turned his attention to the corpse within the blood pool and raised his hand slowly. The connection with the lotus remained active as the raw energy responded. But he did not release it immediately.

Instead, he paused.

'Which emotion to use first?' he thought.

The question was not simple.

Each emotion carried a different nature.

A different influence.

A different risk.

Raw anger would create aggression, but without control it could easily lead to instability. Sadness might suppress activity entirely, making the Jiangshi unresponsive. Fear could induce erratic behavior, while surprise offered no clear direction at all. And the same was the case for other emotions.

Han Yu's brow furrowed slightly as he considered the possibilities.

"I need something stable," he murmured. "Something that won't disrupt the structure immediately."

After a moment, his thoughts settled.

Green Trust Energy.

It was the safest option.

Trust implied connection.

Reliance.

A tendency to follow rather than resist. Even if something went wrong, it would not immediately turn destructive. Han Yu nodded faintly to himself.

"This will do."

He focused.

From within his Soul Space, the lotus responded, channeling a thin strand of green energy toward him.

It flowed through him differently from Qi.

Softer.

Yet more… intentional.

A faint green light appeared at the tip of his finger.

It was subtle, invisible to ordinary perception, yet to Han Yu it shone clearly.

"Interesting…" he whispered.