The Holy Spirit Cult's Three Lists

"Gu Mingyuan. Codename: Bait Seven." The phantom's voice was ethereal and chilling, betraying neither joy nor anger.

"Where is the Soul Emperor assigned to escort you?"

"Dead," Gu Mingyuan answered truthfully.

"How did he die?"

"The Shrek Supervisory Group killed him."

The phantom asked no more questions.

The next instant, the statue's eyes lit up crimson. A wave of cold spiritual power shot straight toward Gu Mingyuan's heart.

"Don't resist."

Electrolux's aged voice sounded in the Sea of Spirit at just the right moment. "They're checking the brand inside you and replenishing its soul power while they're at it. The original mark is still there. If they keep replenishing it like this, it'll do quite a bit to restore my consciousness."

Gu Mingyuan immediately lowered his mental defenses and let the spiritual power enter his body.

"Ugh..."

The instant that chilling presence pierced his heart meridian, Gu Mingyuan's face went deathly pale. He staggered just enough to look convincing, braced one hand against the nearby stone wall, and let out a stifled groan.

The phantom watched his reaction coldly. Only after confirming that the brand was intact did the pressure slowly recede.

"The brand is somewhat damaged. But the fact that you made it into Shrek alive proves that you, this piece of bait, still have value as a hook."

Gu Mingyuan drew several ragged breaths, slowly straightened, and looked up at the phantom. "What do you need me to do?"

"Three lists."

The phantom raised three fingers formed from spiritual power.

"First, those among this year's students whom Shrek truly considers worth cultivating.

"Names, Martial Souls, Soul Power, backgrounds, and the forces behind them."

"Second, talented unaffiliated cultivators with no family or mentors to protect them."

"Third, those rejected by Shrek, or destined never to earn the attention of its higher-ups."

Gu Mingyuan's eyes flickered. The first two lists fit the Holy Spirit Cult's methods perfectly, but the third...

"Are the third kind worth watching too?"

A faint hint of amusement entered the woman's voice.

"Those shut outside the door often want, more than anyone, to prove the people inside were wrong," the phantom said slowly.

"Give someone like that a little power, and he'll tear that door open for us."

Gu Mingyuan said nothing. The Holy Spirit Cult had not become a blight on the continent by accident. Targeting failures full of resentment and regret for indoctrination and infiltration made a disturbing amount of sense.

"Submit a preliminary list within seven days. Submit the complete list after the freshman assessment," the phantom said, its tone turning cold. "Don't try to fob us off with false names. Yours are not the only eyes in Shrek City."

Gu Mingyuan did not agree at once. He stared steadily at the phantom.

"If you want me to work, I need enough to stay alive."

The phantom fell silent for a few seconds, then gave a short, cold laugh.

"It seems the death of that Soul Emperor escort has given this pawn a little courage."

As its words faded, a mechanism clicked inside the statue's base, and a hidden compartment slowly opened.

Inside lay a gray Storage Soul Tool, a black jade bottle, and a black iron Soul Tool the size of a button.

"One thousand Gold Soul Coins, one bottle of Soul-Nourishing Liquid, and a grade-two aura-concealing Soul Tool. Consider it an advance on your base pay." The phantom looked down at him.

"If the people on your lists prove valuable, you may exchange them with the Cult for cultivation medicines, higher-grade Soul Tools, or even have someone find and hunt a suitable Soul Beast for you."

"But if the lists are false..."

The chilling spiritual power swept over Gu Mingyuan again.

"Bait that has lost its use has no reason to be kept."

With that, the phantom vanished from the secret chamber. The red light in the statue's eyes went out completely, leaving it a cold block of stone once more.

Gu Mingyuan stepped forward, swept everything out of the compartment, and left the chamber.

When he climbed the stone steps back to the ground floor, the gray-clad clerk who had led him in was gone. The Spring Return Apothecary was empty, lit only by a few slivers of moonlight through the doorway.

Back at his dorm room in Shrek Academy, Gu Mingyuan had barely pushed the door open when Zhou Sichen poked his head out.

"Have you eaten? Brother Gu, you missed tonight's big show!" Zhou Sichen's face shone with excitement.

"You'll never guess what happened. Just now, at the grilled fish stall outside the east gate, Bei Bei—the Outer Court's strongest attacker—and Xu Sanshi—its strongest defender—started fighting in the street over some poor kid from Class One!"

Gu Mingyuan walked to the table and poured himself a glass of water. "You really know everything. You lie around in the dorm and still hear about everything happening outside."

I filmed it myself. How could I not know?

"Heh, it'd be harder not to know. The whole Outer Court is talking about it." Zhou Sichen rolled out of bed and came up behind Gu Mingyuan, eagerly kneading his shoulders. "Brother Gu, can we make a deal?"

"Go on."

"You've got to help me with the freshman assessment in three months!" Zhou Sichen said with an ingratiating smile.

Gu Mingyuan chuckled and picked up his glass. "You're a summoner with the Grimoire Martial Soul. Your talent and strength are among the best of the freshmen. Why would you need my help? Besides, classes have only just started. The assessment is ages away."

"It isn't!" Zhou Sichen looked miserable, though his hands kept working. "Brother Gu, you have no idea how popular you are right now. Just today, several groups tried to ask me about you without coming right out and saying it.

"Especially that Ning Tian! Brother Gu, stay strong. Don't let beauty and money tempt you!"

Gu Mingyuan considered it. Ning Tian was probably asking about him because of the strength he had shown that day. The same likely went for everyone else.

"All right, you win." Gu Mingyuan set down his glass. "We'll be on a team. But the freshman assessment uses three-person teams. Who's our third?"

"I already found him!" Zhou Sichen perked up at once and thumped his chest. "Cao Jinxuan! A control-type Battle Soul Master. His Martial Soul is the Passage of Time Clock—it has the rare time attribute!"

Gu Mingyuan paused at the name.

He remembered Cao Jinxuan. In the original story, Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan had indeed been partners, but they should have been assigned to another class. Now Zhou Sichen had ended up in Class Nine, and Cao Jinxuan had followed him there.

Class Nine had never stood out much before. Now it had Gu Mingyuan, Ning Tian of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Zhou Sichen and Cao Jinxuan, two future Inner Court prospects. By that measure, Class Nine was probably the strongest class among this year's freshmen.

"Fine." Gu Mingyuan gathered his thoughts and nodded. "Take me to meet him tomorrow."

Once Gu Mingyuan had agreed, Zhou Sichen let out a long breath of relief and pumped his fist.

"Awesome! Old Cao can handle control, and you can handle damage. Brother Gu, with a lineup like ours, we're going straight for the championship in three months!"