Soul Cultivator!
It had been one month since the incident of the Black Ghost Thief.
Billy wasn't able to find the despicable thief and, in the end, lost his mind. He killed almost a hundred innocent people.
Ultimately, citizens can't take it anymore and gather outside the outer city guard post to protest against Billy.
The guard post of the city maintained law and order in the entire outer region, so they had no choice but to act because they also couldn't ignore this type of behavior. If Billy killed in secret, there was no problem, but he was killing people in broad daylight!
The victims' families were infuriated, and their eyes were bloodshot as they protested outside the city guard post. At last, the commander of the Guard post gave in and arrested Billy.
This is how one of the wealthiest people in the outer region, Billy Bill, met his doom. He was once known as an astute businessman, but even he lost his mind and became a madman after losing his wealth. Such a tragedy!
---
Slum area of River-Flower City,
Ace has changed a lot in a single month. He became taller, and his skinny figure was somewhat gone and became a little muscular. He looked even more handsome and a little mature.
In one month, Ace practiced his Heaven Stealer technique in the morning and practiced his other skills and Dual Shadows Swords Technique at night in the rundown park.
Ace still can't master the Dual Shadow Swords Technique first realm because he doesn't understand what it means by 'Sword as Limb' and has only gained little mastery over it. Now, he finally understood just how complex this technique was. But he didn't get disheartened and continued to practice.
On the other hand, his five basic skills were improved by a large margin.
Today was just like another day. Ace closed his eyes and recited the Heaven Stealer Technique 'Black Wind Soul Scripture.'
'Soul is the core of every being. It contains their conscious and everlasting will. Heaven makes the soul the weakest part of every being because the soul is the key to reaching Heaven's secrets! It didn't want anyone to glimpse into its secrets. Nonetheless, I shall make my soul like the wind of emptiness and drift for eternity until I uncover Heaven's secrets...'
In one month, Ace didn't manage to form the Formless Soul Core of the 'Heavenly Black Wind Soul Technique,' as he did instantly with the 'Heavenly Crystal Body Technique' on his first try.
One could imagine how hard it was to cultivate the soul with just that.
But today, Ace felt different; he was in a deep meditation state when he grasped something, and suddenly, a tremor ran through his mind. First, he felt the space between his eyebrows trembling and becoming hot. The very next moment, he felt something forming out of nowhere between his eyebrows.
Ace felt a sharp pain, but he gritted his teeth and endured. Inside his head, a space was forming in the place between eyebrows with dark, formless mist.
This was the Heavenly Soul Qi!
The forming only took a minute, and after completion, it was ten cubic meters large and was completely black.
After space was stabilized, something even more fascinating happened. Inside the empty dark space in the center, a little globe of white transparent mist begins to form. The globe of mist was colorless and only the size of a fist.
After that globe of mist was stabilized, it began to rotate clockwise in the center of his newly formed black space. It was like a peaceful moon in the dark sky.
The moment that globe started to rotate, Ace's whole body jolted, and despite his eyes being closed, he could 'see' and feel anything 10 meters around him clearly. Because he has finally formed the Formless Soul Core or a 'Soul Core.'
Formless Soul Core has granted him two abilities, 'Heavenly Sense' and 'Soul Sense.'
With Heavenly Sense, Ace can even see through walls and detect any hidden enemy within a range of ten meters. Nothing can hide inside the field of his Heavenly Sense. The more powerful his soul cultivation becomes, the more his 'Heavenly Sense' will grow.
That's why practitioners chose to cultivate the soul because it can give a lot more supernatural ability than martial cultivation. However, one can't cultivate in the body if they cultivate in the soul because this is the law set by Heaven,
It is the law of Heaven that if you want something, you have to give up on something else. That's why if you want to cultivate in the soul, you can't cultivate in the body, and the same rule applies to Martial Cultivators. They can't cultivate their souls either.
However, this law didn't apply to the Heaven Stealer Technique because it can help cultivate both the Body and Soul simultaneously. If Ace finds out about it, he will be over the moon.
At this moment, Ace was using his Heavenly Sense unknowingly when suddenly, the newly formed space between his eyebrows trembled, and he vomited a mouthful of blood as his eyes sprang open. His face became pale as a ghost.
"System, what happens?" Ace questioned weakly.
=====
[Congratulations, Host, for forming the Formless Wind Soul Core!]
[Host soul cultivation level has been updated!]
=====
The system gives him an update.
"That's not what I'm asking! I'm asking why did I get shocked?" Ace was speechless by this because even he knew about the forming of the Soul Core.
"[Just like Martial Qi in Body, the soul also has Soul Qi for Soul. Just now, Host has overdrawn his Soul Qi while using Heavenly Sense.]"
"It's like when I overdrew my Martial Qi when I was using true and false eyes, huh? Soul also has Soul Qi, and my soul Qi is Heavenly Soul Qi no less. I can now see anything in a ten-meter area around me. It's like my personal space." Ace mulled over it and became excited.
"Status!"
=====
[Eternal Thief System]
[Main Panel]
[Host: Ace White]
[Race: Human {No Bloodline}]
[1st Heaven: Mortal Sky Heaven]
[Martial Cultivation: Heavenly Gates {1st Heavenly Gate}]
{EXP: 50/1000}
[Soul Cultivation: Formless Wind Soul Core]
{SP: 30/100}
--
[Skills: 5]
-Stealth Basic: {Middle-level}
-Silent Steps Basic {Middle-level}
-True & False Eyes Basic {Low-level}
-Treasure Opening Hands [Basic Art] {3rd Form}
-Pick Pocket {Low-level}
--
[Cultivation Technique: 2]
-Heaven Stealer Technique {Volume 1}
-Dual Shadow Swords Technique
--
[Thief Points (TP): 40]
--
[Current Mission: 0]
=====
After seeing his progress over the month, Ace nodded in satisfaction. His hard work was not in vain.
'Without EXP and SP, my progress will not halt, but it will be quite slow, so I need a mission or some other way to earn EXP and SP.' Ace mused because he could tell after practicing the Heaven Stealer Technique that he could progress without EXP and SP, but it would take him a long time to achieve a breakthrough.
EXP and SP were like elixirs or pills to him. The more he has, the faster he progresses.
'I can't do mission here anymore. Enough innocent people had been killed already. I should sneak into the inner region and try robing those rich bastards.'
Ace started to prepare after he decided to head into the inner region. Ace was now confident about stealing from anyone in the outer region.
But he wouldn't do that because he observed Billy for the entire month and saw innocent people getting killed each day.
He was planning on killing Billy after forming the soul core, but alas, he was too late, and Billy had already been arrested. He can't get revenge for all those innocent people.
Now, Ace would be stealing from those nobles of the inner region, and they can't blame these outer region commoners for it. That's why he was going to sneak into the inner region tonight.
If he wanted, he could show his status as a cultivator and enter the inner region without any problem.
But he didn't want to because if he went this way, he would have to register himself in the city lord's mansion. By doing it, his records will be open for anyone to see because he was a resident of this city, and anyone can find out about him with little research.
If someone investigates him, they will find out that he was just a poor little kid without any guardians who worked at a restaurant as a dishwasher for five years.
Then how will he explain becoming a cultivator all of a sudden? And most importantly, where did he get the cultivation technique from?
He can always say his parents left one for him because they were cultivators. But he's not doing it because Ace doesn't want anyone to know that he is in the inner city.
Also, Ace can rob anyone this way; no one will ever know where the robber came from. If he was going there to do thievery, why not go like a thief, too?
Ace collected his bag full of pill bottles, ruby coins, and the 'Black Ghost' outfit from the hidden hole.
Afterward, he changed into the 'Black Ghost outfit' and hung his bag behind.
His raptor pair swords were tied to his waist with a belt. He was utterly black. Only his eyes were visible through the hole in his mask eyes.
'Outer region, my home. I'll see you again next time. Mom, Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma, I'll come in the future to pay my respects after I become strong and make you guys feel proud in the underworld.' Ace says his goodbyes to his parents and grandparents' graves and heads toward the inner region of River Flower City.
This was the beginning of a Legendary Thief's adventures!