The Temptation of the Holy Spirit Scroll

The Eight Spider Lances continued their assault, yet they had not yet pierced her flesh.

The Holy God had not yet made a decision.

Zhao Xiaoya thought that since time had slowed and she could hear the Holy God's voice, this must be a hint from Him. As long as she could demonstrate sufficient value, perhaps she would not have to die.

[My combat ability is formidable, comparable to a Soul Saint!]

Zhao Xiaoya assessed her own combat prowess; she dared not claim anything higher, as she could barely hold her own against her own grandfather.

In the eyes of Lu Ma, this sentence appeared over Zhao Xiaoya's struggling face, the red text standing out conspicuously.

"Oh? Strong combat ability, that's like gaining an extra bodyguard. But I could just have Ning Fengzhi release Chen Xin to act as my bodyguard. Soul Saint-level combat power? Tsk, not enough. 15 seconds left, let's see if there's any new dialogue."

Zhao Xiaoya's heart went cold.

That's right, how could she have forgotten? Setting aside the Holy God's own immense power, Ning Rongrong was not lacking in experts by her side. Even if Gu Rong and the others seemed to be losing the upper hand outside, she knew her grandfather was merely bluffing; that old man would be defeated soon enough.

But she quickly thought of her other values.

[I can help you infiltrate the Holy Spirit Sect!]

She regretted it the moment the words left her mind.

To an outsider, the Holy Spirit Sect was a prime target, but the Holy Spirit Sect belonged to the Holy God in the first place. How could she be so stupid as to waste a turn?

Lu Ma did not respond.

He was contemplating what Sima Xi had mentioned to him earlier about "trying to join the Holy Spirit Sect."

To be honest, he was somewhat tempted. However, Sima Xi's suggestion was based on the premise of high freedom and a lack of guidance.

Now that the game had a quest system—the "Destroy the Third Saintess Ritual" on the left side of the interface was proof of that—he was in no rush to join the Holy Spirit Sect. At the very least, there was no necessity to join right now.

"10 seconds left."

He muttered, anticipating the other party's next words.

Zhao Xiaoya racked her brains, trying to think of her own worth.

Strength, influence—the Holy God needed neither. What about gold and treasures?

No, no, look at Ning Rongrong's status—she was from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!

If it were gold and silver, it would have to be something the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect didn't have, and the Holy Spirit Sect didn't have either.

She didn't have anything like that.

Intellect? Was she questioning the Holy God's intelligence?

That wouldn't do.

Then what else was there?

Zhao Xiaoya was frantic; she couldn't think of a single shred of value. At first glance, she seemed like a waste of space.

"Five seconds left."

Lu Ma felt a bit disappointed. A full five seconds had passed, and the other party actually had nothing to say.

[Wait! I brought the Holy Spirit Pill, the Holy Spirit Scroll, and a Seventh Elder Token from my grandfather! I have other talents too, I can provide you with mental satisfaction...]

Zhao Xiaoya could already feel the icy touch of the Eight Spider Lances. She didn't care about anything else; she listed every possible thing that might interest the Holy God.

Upon closer reflection, the Holy God probably didn't need anything; He just wanted to see her attitude.

Lu Ma looked at the text, noting the three items.

If he chose to execute her, he would only get one item, and it might not even be one of those three... This game was clearly pushing him to choose conversion!

If he were a transmigrator, he wouldn't choose conversion no matter how many rewards it offered. He wouldn't be able to swallow the insult of being targeted for death.

But he was a player, a game tester, a player who needed to calculate carefully to maximize gains.

The benefits of conversion were undoubtedly massive. And after converting her, he could still order Zhao Xiaoya to do things she didn't want to do just to vent his anger—make her commit suicide, use her as a meat shield, and so on...

Lu Ma even considered killing her immediately after the conversion just to play a dirty trick. After all, the game's freedom was high; there was no contradiction between converting her first and killing her later.

But after some thought, Zhao Xiaoya still had some utility. It would be better to let her exhaust her value before killing her.

It fit that old saying.

It wasn't that he wouldn't kill, but rather to kill slowly, gradually, cleverly, and rhythmically. Let those who are prepared die first, and use those who die first to drive... ahem, he was getting off track.

"Fine, I accept."

Lu Ma held down the A button.

The Eight Spider Lances slowly retracted into Ning Rongrong's body.

Zhao Xiaoya let out a sigh of relief. It seemed her sincerity had reached him.

Next, she saw countless blue threads appear before her, weaving into a sheet of paper that entered her mind.

Zhao Xiaoya felt a faint, lingering sensation that she could never betray him again; even the slightest thought of doing so would make her wish she were dead.

Of course, she had no such intentions.

The next instant, a surge of pure soul power flooded into her body. Her Soul Power Level broke through repeatedly, and simultaneously, her fifth soul ring began to condense.

Zhao Xiaoya felt all of this, her face filled with disbelief.

Is this a reward?

She knelt down all at once.

"I, Zhao Xiaoya, swear my life to your service."

Ning Rongrong reached out her hand and pulled her up.

In reality, Lu Ma bit his fingernails, and Ning Rongrong also stood there stunned; she had considered this outcome, and while it felt stifling, she had accepted it, yet she still could not comprehend the current situation.

Both of them had the same thought almost simultaneously:

No, how did she just break through?

[Zhao Xiaoya, Level 51, Loyalty 100%, Sin Value 49%]

[Agreement effective, you may command Zhao Xiaoya at any time.]

"The Holy Spirit Pill, the Holy Spirit Scroll, and the Seventh Elder Token—bring them here."

Ning Rongrong's voice rang in Zhao Xiaoya's ears, and at the same time, she saw Ning Rongrong extend her hand.

Zhao Xiaoya let out an "oh" and hurriedly took the items out, handing them to Ning Rongrong.

Her intuition already told her that she could no longer hear the words of the Holy God, but it did not matter; as the true Saintess and the spokesperson for the Holy God, Ning Rongrong's words were just as valid.

[Holy Spirit Pill: Reserve 2]

[Holy Spirit Scroll (Part 4): Automatically destroyed after uses are exhausted 1/3]

[Seventh Elder Token: Within the Holy Spirit Sect, this token identifies the bearer. Holding this token, you are the Seventh Elder of the Holy Spirit Sect. Note: The Holy Spirit Sect elders hold regular meetings.]

After inspecting the inventory, Lu Ma began to observe the surrounding environment.

Having enjoyed the previous fight, he did not know where he was, nor did he know why he was here.

The simulator said that Ning Rongrong had come with Gu Rong and Ning Fengzhi, yet neither of them were in this scene.

"So, is this some kind of dungeon like the Soul Fighting Arena?"

Lu Ma considered this possibility, walked to the edge of the space, deployed the Eight Spider Lances, and launched a barrage of attacks against the purple crystal wall.

"Crash."

The "wall" shattered.

"It really is like that."

Lu Ma rubbed his head, controlled his character to exit through the hole in the wall, while Zhao Xiaoya followed behind, dazed.

As expected of the Holy God, she thought.

Ning Rongrong landed lightly on the ground, her body returning to its original size, and then she began to observe her surroundings.

Looking at the vast expanse of white, Lu Ma felt uncomfortable and immediately activated the graphics optimization.

"Hmm, it seems there was no need to turn it on."

Lu Ma said, because there was nothing in the Smoke. Instead, in the areas not completely obscured by the Smoke, he saw three people locked in a bitter struggle.