Strongest Scammer: Scamming The World, One Death At A Time-Chapter 273: Disadvantages Of The Third Skill

Han Yu’s grin faded slightly as he stood in place, eyes narrowing in contemplation.

The thrill of the successful activation had passed, and now the cultivator in him—equal parts cautious and cunning—began picking apart the technique with a critical eye.

The first flaw was already obvious.

Visibility.

Unlike his earlier Soul Skills, Emotion Severing Slash wasn’t subtle in the slightest. The arcing slash of white energy was brilliantly luminous and uncomfortably conspicuous. Anyone with eyes—even mortals—could likely see it coming. It cut through the air like a spiritual guillotine and looked every bit as theatrical as it felt.

"Too flashy," Han Yu muttered.

Soul Needle had no such issue. It was formed entirely from condensed invisible Soul Qi, imperceptible to the senses unless someone was both highly skilled and deeply attuned to soul-based attacks.

Memory Echo, on the other hand, didn’t even manifest externally. It operated silently, stealthily defending his mind with strong echoes of emotion and memory. It left no trace, made no sound, and offered no warning. That alone made it useful in the right situation—especially when combined with his absurd sense of timing.

But Emotion Severing Slash?

Anyone with functioning vision would see that blade of white energy.

Worse, Han Yu could tell it wasn’t just his perception. The glow wasn’t some soul-specific visual only he could observe. He had trained himself enough by now to differentiate between internal and external manifestations, and he was sure—others would see it too.

That meant one thing.

No ambushing. No subtle kills. No surprise attacks.

This skill was a trump card—nothing more, nothing less.

Just like his Bolt God Fist.

"If I miss the first time, I probably won’t get a second shot," he murmured grimly.

The attack wasn’t just visible—it was memorable. No opponent would stand still after watching something like that. Even the densest of spirit beasts would scramble to dodge a second one. And humans? They’d probably start spamming every defensive technique they had in panic, or worse—strike first with everything they had to prevent him from pulling that trick again.

Still, it wasn’t all bad.

Han Yu folded his arms, looking down at his forearm where the glow had vanished.

Another flaw was its cost.

"Twenty-five percent... yeesh."

A quarter of his Soul Qi for one strike. That was the kind of cost that made cultivators weep into their spirit wine. In a drawn-out battle, that kind of drain could prove lethal if he miscalculated.

But...

That was also fixable.

"With enough cultivation and Soul Qi expansion, the cost will feel lighter," Han Yu said aloud, reassuring himself. "Like how the Soul Needle was exhausting the first few times I used it, but now I could spam it at pigeons all day."

He paused. "Not that I do that. Not anymore. Would be a waste."

He cleared his throat, glancing around as if someone had been listening.

Nobody was. The only other living being in the courtyard was the dead frog, and it certainly wasn’t filing complaints.

Still, it was worth noting that this flaw wasn’t inherent to the technique. It was a limitation of his current realm. Once he ascended to the Soul Adept Realm, the cost would drop proportionally. And if his guess was right, the Soul Adept Realm was equivalent to the Core Condensation Realm for traditional cultivators.

That would be a huge leap in overall power.

"And the short activation time is nice," Han Yu added, almost as a positive footnote.

Unlike Bolt God Fist, which needed a wind-up—gathering Spirit qi, directing it through his arm meridians, bracing his stance—Emotion Severing Slash activated nearly instantly. All it needed was will, direction, and a surge of Soul Qi.

It was clean. Fast.

A decisive strike.

And that alone made it useful. Even if he couldn’t use it as often as he liked, the ability to instantly sever something—even a single thread of a soul—was a tactical advantage.

Still, something bugged him.

His gaze returned to the tree.

The faint mark at the base was barely noticeable now, but he could still see it. A fine line, like someone had sliced it with a translucent blade. The frog had died instantly, without a mark. But that frog...

"That frog was just too weak," Han Yu muttered.

A tiny thing, not even worth a Spirit Stone at a backwater beast shop. It wasn’t a valid test subject. The real question was: would this skill work the same against humans or stronger beasts?

Would it cut them in half?

Would it sever their souls?

Would it merely stagger them?

Han Yu didn’t know.

He narrowed his eyes, briefly considering testing it again. Maybe try it on a passing bird. Or the tree again. Maybe even dig a trench across the courtyard wall and pretend it was training.

There was no telling if using it on humans would even work the same or not. And how much it varied based on their cultivation base. There was also the issue of targeting. Did he need to hit the core of the body, or would any part work?

Did it hit the soul, regardless?

He felt tempted, but he sighed instead.

"No... I should wait."

The drain on his Soul Qi had been too steep to justify another test. He could feel the hollowness inside—like a breeze passing through a half-drained lake. His body hadn’t registered fatigue, but his soul space felt a little sluggish.

"I’ll wait until my Soul Qi regenerates," he decided.

With some rest—or perhaps a mild dose of his antics or a bit of trouble among the disciples—he could replenish himself before pushing further. There was no rush. And besides, the next test should ideally be on a real opponent.

Something—or someone—worth severing.

"Let’s just hope it’s not me."

He gave the tree a wary look. Then the pond. Then, briefly, his own hand.

The white glow had faded, but the memory of it still clung to his skin.

Emotion Severing Slash.

A deadly tool.

But one that demanded respect.

Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om