On the other side, Yan Lingji returned in a daze to the temporary quarters Zhao Linchuan had arranged for her.
The room was neat and comfortable, but she had no heart to rest.
She gently shut the door and leaned against the cold panel. Slowly sliding down to the floor, she buried her face in her knees and let out a sigh heavy with exhaustion and confusion.
Early that morning, she had finally finished reading the thick book Xiao Wu had brought her, General Knowledge of Spirit Masters.
The vast world of Spirit Masters depicted in the book, the many wondrous Martial Souls and Soul Skills, and its assessment of the potential of her Twin Martial Souls, Fire Spirit Hairpin and Charm Fire, had set her heart racing. It was as though she had glimpsed a future brimming with endless possibilities.
She was no longer a Baiyue survivor who had been imprisoned and treated as a plaything and a weapon. With her talent, she could carve out a place for herself in this new world.
Full of joy and fighting spirit, she had hurried off to find Zhao Linchuan, hoping to thank him and ask to work for him, completing tasks in exchange for cultivation resources and guidance. She wanted to stand on her own two feet and secure a foothold.
But Yue Shen had been there too.
After hearing her somewhat naive but sincere plans, Yue Shen had merely glanced at her, then bluntly shattered her "fantasies."
Yue Shen had told her that she could provide the finest resources, the deepest guidance, and the safest protection.
But in this world, there were no gifts without reason.
To obtain them, she would have to pay a commensurate price—one weighty enough.
That price was becoming truly "one of their own"—not a