Chapter 19: The Soul Dance Master

Unlike what others saw, at this moment, in Li Chenqiu’s eyes, the rows of icicles seemed to suffer from a split personality—sometimes flowing like water floating in the air, sometimes transforming into solid ice blocks, radiating waves of cold.

“How can this be?” Li Chenqiu thought inwardly. Why did what he saw differ from everyone else’s?

Whoosh!

A dull sound pierced the air as the icicles tore through the white cold mist, rushing toward the energy measuring apparatus.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The icicles smashed against the device like fearless warriors, shattering instantly into sparkling ice shards that scattered around.

Yet, the destructive power of the icicles was as soft and powerless as cotton against the device, unable even to leave a faint mark.

Seeing this, the girl gritted her teeth, channeling all her energy into the device with both hands. One icicle after another formed, shot out, and shattered in a continuous cycle. Her complexion grew paler by the moment, while Li Chenqiu, standing at a distance, grew increasingly focused.

To Li Chenqiu, everything seemed to slow down a hundredfold. The ice shards collided in midair, shattered, collided again, and shattered once more.

Just as everything seemed to reset, the space before his eyes flickered like a frozen video, oscillating between ice and water, then suddenly rewinding—shattering… colliding… shattering again…

In an instant, Li Chenqiu’s head jolted sharply, as if a wall in a stifling room had suddenly vanished, leaving everything clear and bright.

“So that’s how the transformation between water and ice works!” he murmured with a slight smile.

Before him, an invisible ice shard floated subtly, unnoticed by anyone else.

A minute passed in the blink of an eye. The girl’s hands dropped weakly, and she collapsed onto the ground, exhausted.

At the same moment, the energy measuring device emitted a crackling electrical sound, blue lines undulating across its glossy surface like a heartbeat.

Under everyone’s gaze, a large letter “E” appeared on the device.

The girl’s face brightened with a joyful smile upon seeing this. An E rank combined with elemental abilities was enough to secure a respectable social status in any city.

Others around her showed expressions of envy.

Among a hundred Destiny bearers, perhaps only five or six possessed elemental abilities, and eight or nine reached an E rank in powers. To have both was truly one in a hundred.

“Not bad. If you’re interested in joining our Special Energy Division, I can help you get connected with military training bases,” Ma Qian said gently, his demeanor completely transformed from before.

“Thank you, I’ll consider it!” the girl smiled brightly, stepping out from behind the barrier to stand aside.

After the event, various Destiny Academies would come here to recruit, so she naturally waited her turn.

As the girl left the measuring platform, many people gathered around it, but a few remained still, including Li Chenqiu and Qi Mingyue.

With fewer people around, there was no barrier between them. Whether by fate or instinct, they turned their heads simultaneously, their cold gazes meeting.

But in an instant, Li Chenqiu looked away calmly, focusing ahead.

As the second participant took the stage, the crowd dispersed, filling the space between them once more.

Li Chenqiu slipped his hands into his pockets and left the crowd, heading toward a shadowed corner. Just as he leaned against the wall to sit, footsteps approached and stopped before him.

In front of him appeared a pair of worn gray-white sneakers. Looking up, Li Chenqiu saw a familiar face.

Though only two years had passed, Qi Mingyue’s features remained handsome yet lacked something.

The boy’s eyes no longer sparkled like stars but held only a dull gray sky. His once bright, confident smile now resembled a block of ice—cold and unapproachable.

“Do you need something?” Li Chenqiu asked, as if addressing a stranger.

Qi Mingyue paused briefly, forcing a smile onto his cold face. “Nothing. I just somehow feel like I know you. Maybe we’ve met somewhere.”

Saying this, Qi Mingyue sat down beside Li Chenqiu.

“I’ve always stayed in City 11. Maybe we crossed paths there,” Li Chenqiu replied with a slight smile.

Qi Mingyue nodded. “Maybe. I’m Qi Mingyue. What’s your name?”

“I’m Li Chenqiu. Chen means ‘to sink,’ and Qiu means ‘autumn.’” Li Chenqiu stood and glanced toward the measuring platform. “I wonder what the elemental ability will be this time. Want to watch together?”

“No, I’m not very interested in those,” Qi Mingyue shook his head politely, declining Li Chenqiu’s offer.

“I’ll go watch then.” With that, Li Chenqiu turned and left.

He didn’t dare stay near Qi Mingyue—not because he didn’t want to, but because he feared it. Qi Mingyue knew him too well—more precisely, he knew Chen Xiu too well.

Li Chenqiu had changed many old habits over two years, but he didn’t know if he had missed anything. And whether these gaps would be seized by Qi Mingyue was a gamble he refused to take.

Watching Li Chenqiu’s departing figure, Qi Mingyue murmured to himself, “Chenqiu… Chen Xiu… Chenqiu… Chen Xiu…”

A faint, inconspicuous light flickered in his dull eyes.

Why did this person’s soul feel so much like his own? Had his power misread? Could it misread?

Qi Mingyue asked himself, but no one could answer.

…

The next two elemental Destiny bearers showed nothing remarkable—both were plain F ranks, stirring no waves.

Compared to elemental abilities, the peculiar powers drew much laughter and amazement, featuring bizarre talents like turning hair into a flock of crows, temporarily vanishing skin, or blood transforming into bubble gum…

To test these strange powers, Ma Qian led people to the measuring field, flitting from one side to the other, a troublesome hour-long ordeal.

At last, the peculiar abilities test neared its end with only one person left.

“Number Eight, Qi Mingyue!” Ma Qian shouted loudly.

At the sound of Qi Mingyue’s name, the previously listless crowd straightened up, turning their attention to the boy standing at the back.

Not only that, everyone in the theater also sat upright, eagerly watching Qi Mingyue on the big screen.

“Soul Dancer, can manipulate enemy souls and control their actions,” Ma Tianjiu read aloud from the data booklet.

“Does the world really have souls?” Xu Yi asked in doubt.

“Who knows? Let’s just watch,” came the reply.