Legendary Soul Art

"Do you think your Master has already discovered that we know about his actions?" Nami questioned as soon as Baldy left the room. "It feels like he is covering his tracks."

"He must have figured out something or maybe already planned to destroy that Auction House. Either way, we need to act right away and there is no turning back anymore," Number One replied while returning to bed.

"You already pushed the ball so you can only keep it rolling. Just focus on your tasks, don't worry about me," Nami assured with a smile and found a comfortable place on his chest. "I will just rest and wait for you. Wake me up after you are done."

"Mhmm, you have worked hard," Number One nodded and embraced the blond beauty with his arms. He wasn't surprised that she fell asleep almost immediately.

One would think Nami was just leeching on his Cultivation progress but she was actually working harder than he was. Besides studying Soul Arts and Dual-cultivating with him, she was also sparing with Luna until she was dead tired. Number One could tell she was exhausted with just one look into her eyes which was the main reason he wanted to give her a break.

"Silly girl… Always pretending you are fine…" Number One muttered as he spend a moment brushing Nami's hair. He made sure she was sleeping comfortably before he finally slipped his consciousness into his heavenly space.

Number One spent a long time cleaning up his safe place and couldn't help but nod in approval when he opened his eyes. The first door area was turned into a pool to store the Emerald Milk while the second area contained everything he needed for his Alchemy. Multiple shelves with rare Soul Herbs surrounded the cauldron and he even had a small fountain for his golden liquid.

It took three weeks of grinding in the Soul Training Room but Number One managed to gather two golden bowls worth even after maxing out on the special effects. He could no longer use the golden liquid to increase the capacity of his Soul which put him in a difficult position. The only way he could improve further was by relying on Nami with Dual-cultivation or simply taking pills.

Both methods were safe but their effects were diminishing with each use. Number One already noticed their Dual-cultivation has slowed down and pills would eventually become useless, just like what happened with the golden liquid.

"I guess we will be stuck at twenty-two thousand units of Soul Energy for a while but at least I can cast my gun twice already," Number One thought out loud as he checked the four Heavenly Feathers on his hand. Just as Nami said in the past, the tattoo didn't expand into a fifth feather and instead created a small knot in the middle that tied those feathers together.

Their Dual-cultivation seemed to be connected with the Heavenly Feathers and the knot slowed them down even further. It wouldn't be that big of a problem if Number One could cultivate normally but it was impossible with his Soul Talent. Unless they uncovered the solution to gain more Heavenly Feathers, they would have to struggle to get any further progress.

"I guess we can only rely on pills for now," Number One muttered with a sigh while he recalled Miss Black's words. Heavenly Feathers Soul Art really did seem like a curse if one actually tried to master it completely.

Nami was in a similar situation as him since the curse on her Soul made it impossible to cultivate on her own. Number One could finally somehow understand Miss Black's decision to change her partners every time. What if they were unable to break through the knot and Nami was stuck at her current cultivation rank?

Even though Nami was stubborn and wanted to complete the Heavenly Feathers, there might come a time when she has to make a choice. She would have to either leave him and find a stronger partner to boost her cultivation rank or use the Soul Shuttering Pill to become normal once again.

Just the thought alone caused Number One to shudder so he got overwhelmed with new motivation. He was determined to keep Nami by his side and wouldn't let some cursed Soul Art break them apart.

"I should start by preparing the mask first," Number One muttered as he withdrew a black block of wood and a set of carving tools. He had no idea what he was doing but the golden mask was crucial to his plan.

If Number One wanted to pretend to be his Master, he needed to look and feel like him. He already ordered a set of similar clothes his Master used to wear but the golden mask was the most important. He couldn't just wear anything random and had to recreate one from high-quality materials.

"I can thankfully use the Alchemy to help myself a little," Number One figured out as he got to work on the wood from a Black Soul Tree. He had to test its properties first so he chipped it with a chisel and raised the flake to inspect it.

His third Heavenly Feather lit up and Number One activated his Soul Vision that Nami worked hard to master. His eyes shone brightly as he tried to look through the wood but it blocked his sight perfectly. No one would be able to see his face once he wore the mask which was perfect for his plan.

The only problem was actually carving the mask but Number One had time to spare. He cut the block of wood into multiple small pieces before spending the next thirty minutes just carving and polishing the shape of the mask. He was actually really satisfied with the shape but when he tried to drill a hole for his eye, the mask broke in two.

"Again." Number One repeated the same process on the other block but he met with the same problem. The mask was too soft and it broke easily when he made it too thin.

"Again..."

"Again..."

"Again…"

It took Number One four tries to figure out he could actually pre-drill the mask when it was still thick enough before finishing the carving itself. He finally managed to make the hole for his eye but the mask seemed too amateur looking with many bumps and uneven cuts.

"Is this how an Alchemist feels when learning Alchemy for the first time?" Number One questioned with a defeated sigh. "Maybe I should ask a sculptor to help me? It's too risky though…"

Number One learned Alchemy through his Master's speed training which bent his perception of reality. It was actually extremely hard to master any skill and he didn't have years to learn about carving wood. He only had one last piece left and he could already feel he would fail again.

"Damn, almost three hours and no progress," Number One cursed in frustration and he took a deep breath to calm down. He recalled how he was also frustrated with his Alchemy flame and Nami helped him recover.

This time wasn't any different but Number One could actually leave the heavenly space to take a moment of break to cuddle his woman. Nami immediately responded to his affection by waking up and she squeezed his chest with a soft yawn coming out. "Are you done, baby?"

"Not yet. I just met with some problem and decided to take a break with you," Number One explained as he caressed Nami's cheek. "You can continue sleeping. I will just enjoy cuddling you for a moment and go back to work."

Nami pinched his chest with an upset moan and lifted herself up to stare at him. "How can I sleep when my love is having problems? I'm here for you so just talk about your problem. Maybe I can help you solve it."

"I don't think you can help me this time but sure," Number One nodded with a soft smile and pulled Nami for a kiss. She was still sleepy but he woke her up with her second favorite snack.

'Go on baby. Let me take your stress away with my lips as you tell me the issue,' Nami instructed as she refused to let go of his face but she quickly pulled away after his next words.

'I need to make a wood mask that my Master uses. Turns out I suck at carving and I failed many times,' Number One muttered before raising his eyebrows at Nami's reaction. "What happened?"

Nami suddenly pursed her lips and asked back, "Would you believe me if I said that I was studying art since I was young?"

"Huh?" Number One quickly sat up while grabbing her arms. "Really? Can you carve out of wood?"

Nami only giggled in response and nodded, "Not just wood but also rock and other materials. I also know how to paint and basically anything related to art. I was really bored since I couldn't cultivate so I started learning other skills."

"Perfect!" Number One exclaimed happily as he kissed her deeply and took out the only successful mask he made himself. "I need to make something like this with a single hole for the right eye. What do you think? Can you make it?"

Nami paused as she looked down at the mask and then into Number One's eyes. "Baby, I love you but this is horrendous. Did you try to make a bowl or a mask?"

"It's not that bad, okay? That's my fifth try too," Number One protested but Nami only kissed him as if to reward him for effort.

"Don't worry, I know you tried your best but don't touch a chisel again. Just leave it to a pro."