Eldritch Horror Theatre

He rarely encountered requests like this.

Several veteran guest judges and an eager target dummy—could there be a better research atmosphere than this?

Fu Qian marveled inwardly. For a moment, his thoughts formed a fine symphony with the sound of the whip striking Excellency Aike.

The subject was overthinking things entirely. Once the testing plan was finalized, how could he possibly hold back?

His arm swung continuously, sending the long, scarlet shadow flashing out. Excellency Aike was whipped so fiercely that whatever immediate thoughts she wanted to share were beaten right back down her throat.

"Is it working?"

He really wasn't holding back at all, completely unconcerned about future retaliation.

This excessively unbridled flogging even left a considerable impact on the guests present.

So much so that after the Tyrant's Fist reached a double-digit combo, Excellency Ji Ning finally couldn't help but speak up, forcibly interrupting the process to ask for feedback.

"It is... my mind is becoming unstable. It feels different from a typical Mental Shock; it feels like my physical body is being mutilated."

Finally given a chance to catch her breath, Aike replied in a tone just as complicated as the look she gave Fu Qian.

She had a demigod physique, after all. Without thorny barbs to enhance the whip, the physical trauma was almost negligible.

However, her noticeably wavering gaze proved she wasn't lying; the mental devastation was vastly more intense.

"That's good."

Unfortunately, Fu Qian had long since transformed into a ruthless academic, and he gave her reaction a highly satisfied review.

"It looks like I will have to trouble Your Excellency with what we discussed earlier."

The next moment, he turned around and addressed Ji Ning.

The fact that Aike could still manage a complicated look undoubtedly meant the level of devastation was not enough.

"...Alright."

She actually paused for a second before realizing that Fu Qian meant helping him weaken Aike's Mental Resistance.

Faced with his excessively professional testing demeanor, Ji Ning fell silent for a brief moment before finally deciding to say no more.

After all, the team's person in charge standing beside them had already made his stance quite clear.

"No changes so far. Hurry it up."

Li He, who had observed the entire process, reported the results of the initial test and expressed his firm support.

"There will be a certain degree of discomfort. Bear with it."

Following this instruction, Ji Ning wasted no more time. She curled her hand into a tube against her lips and took a deep breath.

The action was undeniably peculiar. For a moment, Fu Qian watched the blowgun-like display with great interest.

Pff!

The next moment, something actually shot out from between her fingers.

It was slender, curled, and nearly transparent.

Rather than a blowdart, it looked more like a tiny snake.

Given how close they were, its relatively blunt head slammed straight into Aike.

Even more adept at silently nourishing all things than the whip of the Tyrant's Fist, the Snake Needle sank into her skin the moment it touched, leaving absolutely no trace behind.

This...

At that moment, Aike, who had clearly braced herself, actually showed a hint of confusion on her face.

Fu Qian understood this to mean the effect was somewhat different from what she expected.

At a glance, her confused expression seemed even more lively than before, showing absolutely no sign of weakness.

Ah—

However, as someone who always trusted professionals, how could Fu Qian harbor doubts over a mere superficial appearance?

Before Excellency Aike could show any further reaction, she was struck by the Tyrant's Fist again, letting out a sharp scream almost simultaneously.

...

This relatively undignified reaction was, of course, not because he had increased his strength.

As a professional, controlling variables was the most basic of qualities.

Fu Qian was confident that under his control, the margin of error between the first strike and this one was no more than half a percent.

The reason for this stark contrast was naturally Excellency Ji Ning's assistance.

Judging from the feedback, the highly experienced Fu Qian already somewhat understood the effect of that blowdart—Excellency Ji Ning hadn't weakened Aike's resistance, but rather increased her sensitivity.

Similar to a sudden overclocking of the senses, the mental devastation inflicted by the Tyrant's Fist was significantly amplified after Aike took that hit.

This was also why she had looked so much more energetic immediately after being hit.

He had to admit, although the activation of this move wasn't exactly stealthy, it paired quite well with Eldest Miss Wen's Beautiful Girl Kaleidoscope.

Naturally imagining a combo attack of the Snake Needle and the Beautiful Girl Kaleidoscope, Fu Qian didn't stop his hands, lashing out whip after whip.

As a demigod, Aike swiftly adjusted after losing her composure to the initial shock, soon slipping into a quiet state of mindless stupor.

The pressure brought by every single strike was clearly far greater than before, to the point where one could almost see fragments of her soul flying off.

To ensure the best possible effect, she hadn't shifted into any other state, maintaining her flesh-and-blood body instead.

Yet right now, even her exposed skin faintly exuded a bizarre luster, as if it were beginning to lose its true form.

"Keep going!"

Amidst this scene of a demigod's suffering, Old Man Li's voice rang out coldly, signaling him not to halt the Soul Scourge.

...

Although he was trying his best to suppress it, one could still tell the Old Man was far from pleased.

As the team's radar, it seemed Fu Qian's baiting plan still hadn't yielded him any results—

Just as Fu Qian answered the call and swung out another steady-powered lash, Old Man Li, whose voice had barely faded, vanished from his spot with unparalleled smoothness.

As if transcending the very concept of time, hundreds upon thousands of curved black-gold swords—each looking entirely real—simultaneously tore through the corner of the Nursery in various postures the moment Old Man Li reappeared.

Warfare is the way of deception.

The Old Man was truly a scholar of vast learning; Fu Qian was willing to call him a sword path saint.

Although it happened in an instant, Fu Qian, who had never stopped observing his movements, immediately noticed the change and offered his heartfelt praise.

Fu Qian certainly didn't think he had already successfully helped the Old Man gain something before this latest whip strike even landed.

From shouting to continue to his subsequent strike, the transition was excessively seamless and smooth. The only plausible explanation was that all is fair in war.

Though he wasn't sure if the prey hiding in the dark could understand him, those words had been shouted purely for its benefit.

When he spoke, the Old Man had very likely already grasped something and was merely using the command to lower its guard as much as possible.

Of course, even with such methods, it seemed there was still no result.

Beneath the shroud of the curved swords, the frenzy felt violent enough to smash covalent bonds, yet there were absolutely no signs of a successful hit, like splattered blood or severed intestines—

Swish!

Before his thoughts could even finish processing, amidst the rolling sword shadows, a genuine streak of golden brilliance tore across the air, piercing through another corner completely opposite the direction the Old Man had leapt.

Following a ripple-like shudder, a brutal splash of crimson blood sprayed out from what was originally empty space.

Only then could it be clearly seen that the golden brilliance was actually a weapon grasped in the Old Man's other hand.

It had a pointed tip, beak-like wings, and a perfectly straight shaft trailing behind it.

Rather than a sword, it was more like a halberd of exaggerated length.

He truly lived up to the name of a sword saint!

At that moment, Fu Qian let out a heartfelt sigh of admiration.

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