Ghost Nana

Lin Mo froze for a moment. Thinking it over carefully, he realized that this magic sounded like soul stealing.

"No, what kind of soul stealing was this?"

Electrolux lightly tapped Lin Mo's forehead.

An entirely new spell entered Lin Mo's mind.

"Soul Bind."

Lin Mo opened his eyes to see Nana charging at him with a palm strike.

This time, however, he did not dodge. Instead, he extended his left hand to meet her strike.

Both of them coated their hands with soul power, and the collision stirred up a considerable blast of air.

"Now."

Without giving her another chance to attack, Lin Mo swept his hand sideways and seized her palm.

Nana was caught off guard. She had never expected him to pull her close at a moment like this.

After all, their previous exchanges had made it clear to her that Lin Mo was no match for her in close combat. There was no way he did not know that himself.

Suspecting a trap, Nana planned to throw a side kick and then put some distance between them. Before she could, however, that familiar wave of dizziness struck again, leaving her mind blank.

Just moments earlier, Lin Mo had transmitted a message through Huo Yuyao's Spiritual Detection Sharing link.

And that brief lapse left Nana unable to counterattack.

With her brain's awareness disrupted, she lost her balance and fell straight toward Lin Mo.

By the time she recovered, Lin Mo's palm was already hurtling toward her shoulder.

In that hairbreadth moment, she could only unleash her First Soul Skill to negate the damage, but that was exactly what Lin Mo wanted.

Just as she activated her First Soul Skill to protect herself, grayish-white magical patterns appeared on Lin Mo's palm.

"What is th-?!"

Before she could finish those frightened words, she felt as though her soul had been stolen away.

Her body immediately lost its balance and crumpled to the ground.

Seeing Nana, who had been so fierce a moment earlier, suddenly knocked unconscious by a single palm strike, the entire arena fell silent.

"Holy shit, what happened?"

"Yeah, didn't Nana only take one palm strike? Why did she suddenly pass out?"

Lin Mo did not stop because of the spectators' confusion. He summoned two clones again to assist Huo Yuyao and Xiao Xiao, taking advantage of the opening to knock the remaining two opponents off the battle platform.

And just like that, the most anticipated match ended with Nana's sudden collapse.

Only when the referee stepped onto the platform did Nana struggle into a sitting position, holding her head.

She was still dazed. She tried to summon her martial soul, only to discover that she could no longer use it.

"Y-you, what did you do to me?"

The girl glared fiercely at Lin Mo as he approached her.

"It's over. Get up."

Nana looked around in disbelief and found her teammates already standing beside her, with the referee on the platform as well.

"You did something to my martial soul-"

Before she could finish, Lin Mo transmitted a message using soul power.

"If you want your soul back, that's certainly possible. Come to room 202 in the South One Dormitory Building at four this afternoon. You'll also have to tell me everything you know about the Holy Spirit Cult."

When she heard that she had to go to his dormitory alone, the girl blushed. Girls were already sensitive to such things, and those words made her think he intended to use this opportunity to do something improper.

But when she heard the latter half of his message, her flushed face instantly turned somewhat pale.

Aside from her, only the higher-ups of her Holy Spirit Cult branch knew that she belonged to the cult. Her superior had sent her to infiltrate the academy.

Ignoring Lin Mo's outstretched hand, she struggled to her feet, unconsciously clenching the hand she had braced against the ground.

She was terrified. He already knew about her ties to the Holy Spirit Cult, which meant her future would certainly be miserable. Even if she could end it all with her own death, her parents were still in the cult's hands.

Still, someone capable of infiltrating the academy naturally had first-rate acting skills. She quickly composed herself and returned to her team with an expression of reluctant defeat.

Seeing this, the referee said nothing more. He stepped between the two teams and addressed the spectators in the stands.

"The winner of this match is the Mo Yu Xiao Team."

Most people had already guessed the outcome. After all, all three members of this team were high-ranking Soul Grandmasters, while the opposing team had only one Soul Grandmaster and two Soul Masters.

As applause rose from the stands, a dignified middle-aged man descended into the center of the arena.

Upon seeing the newcomer, the referee nodded.

"Headmaster."

"Mm."

The newcomer was Jing Hongchen. As headmaster, he personally presented the awards at every Freshman Assessment ceremony, and this time was no exception.

"First of all, I'm delighted to see you all again. I watched this Freshman Assessment from beginning to end, and you all performed very well. I also hope that you'll learn much during your time at the academy and contribute to our nation in the future."

When Jing Hongchen finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted from the stands.

"And congratulations to you, Huo Yuyao, Lin Mo, and Xiao Xiao, on becoming the champions of this Freshman Assessment. Your strength delights me, but I hope you won't grow complacent because of this. Keep working hard."

As he spoke, he took out three soul storage rings.

"These three soul storage rings contain your prizes for winning this Freshman Assessment. The contents are the same as in previous years. Starting next month, your academy stipends will also increase. You'll notice the difference when you collect them. In addition, each of you may receive a Class 6 soul tool. In two days, your homeroom teacher will take you to collect them from the academy."

He handed the soul storage rings to the three of them. After offering everyone a few more stirring words, he vanished from the arena, and the spectators began leaving one after another.

"Haha, I told you! Easy as pie."

Xiao Xiao planted her hands on her hips and spoke happily.

Huo Yuyao also looked at Lin Mo with delight.

"This is wonderful, Brother Xiao Mo! We won."

"We pretty much overwhelmed them with sheer strength."

Lin Mo was not wrong. Nana's talent for combat and her practical experience were indeed far greater, and she had given him quite a hard time. Ultimately, however, the three of them had much more strength than they had shown. It would merely have taken a little longer.

The three walked back toward the dormitories side by side.

On the way, they chatted about what their upcoming classes would be like. Huo Yuyao's birthday was also approaching, so they discussed whether to return to the Sakura Grove from before to celebrate.

"Oh, right, Brother. I was so happy just now that I forgot to ask. What did you say to that student named Nana after the match?"

Huo Yuyao asked as though she had suddenly remembered, though there was neither curiosity nor puzzlement in her eyes.

"About that..."

And so Lin Mo told the two of them bits and pieces of what he knew.

For instance, the girl had actually been sent to the academy by the Holy Spirit Cult. He also explained her background and how he had asked her to come to room 202 at four that afternoon to discuss matters concerning the cult.

"Four this afternoon, room 202... wait, isn't that Little Yao's room?"

The somewhat bewildered Xiao Xiao suddenly caught the room number.

"Mm, it is Little Yao's room. She's still a girl, after all, so having her enter a boy's dorm room wouldn't be very appropriate. Sorry, Little Yao, I didn't explain it to you beforehand. I only recognized her when she released her martial soul and announced her name on the platform."

After hearing Lin Mo's explanation, Huo Yuyao sighed, then waved a hand.

"It's all right. Brother, if you asked her to come, you must have something important to discuss. Besides, I'm curious too. You mentioned the Holy Spirit Cult before."

"Mm. Most of its members are Evil Soul Masters. They cultivate using things like living people's blood or newborn babies as materials. They're villains through and through. A small number have their minds controlled, or are being coerced."

"So Nana is one of the ones being coerced?"

"Mm, but we'll have to wait for her to come this afternoon and explain the specifics herself."

"I see."

Once the subject had passed and Huo Yuyao showed no other reaction, Lin Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief. That inexplicable feeling when she had questioned him had made him rather nervous, as though something might happen if he gave the wrong answer.

Since it was still early and none of them had eaten, they first went to the cafeteria. Only after thoroughly enjoying a feast of high-grade dishes did they return to the dormitories.

The two of them immediately resumed cultivating upon returning. After all, it was not even eleven yet.

"Come to think of it, I feel like we're almost there, Brother Xiao Mo."

"Mm, I think so too."

They were talking about the Martial Soul Fusion Cultivation Method. After so many days of tireless refinement, they had finally worked out a pattern.

"Then let's give it a try tonight!"

"Mm!"

After that brief discussion, the two began their cultivation for the day.

One reason their soul power levels were so high was that they cultivated at every opportunity. Whenever they returned to their rooms, they spent most of their time cultivating.

Originally, they had cultivated separately in their own rooms. But after discovering the Martial Soul Fusion Cultivation Method, they had spent the past few days together even while sleeping.

Previously, they had mostly cultivated in Lin Mo's room. This time, however, they chose Huo Yuyao's room so they would not miss Nana's arrival while cultivating.

And so they cultivated while quietly waiting.

Before long, it was four in the afternoon.

Sensing that the time was about right, they both ended their cultivation. At that very moment, a knock sounded at the door.

"She's here, Brother Xiao Mo."

Huo Yuyao went to the door and opened it, revealing a somewhat pale Nana with both hands clenched tightly.

When the door opened, Nana trembled slightly like a taut string. But when she saw who had opened it, she froze.

"You're H-Huo Yuyao?"

"That's right. Hello, Nana. Brother Xiao Mo is waiting for you."

"Brother... Xiao Mo?"

Huo Yuyao did not answer the girl's question, merely leading her into the room.

Nana followed Huo Yuyao inside and was immediately astonished.

"Th-this... why is your dorm room so different from ours?"

Looking at the furnishings, which could only be described as luxurious, Nana could not help feeling shocked.

After all, she was still living in a double room furnished with nothing more than simple beds and desks. Yet the "dorm room" before her could easily have passed for a studio apartment.

"The academy provided it. You should know that as long as you show enough talent, the academy won't be stingy about giving you the treatment you deserve."

"O-oh, is that how it works?"

A little farther inside, Nana spotted Lin Mo sitting on the sofa.

At the sight of his faint smile, she could not help shivering.

Several hours had passed, but the terror of that soul-extracting move he had used that morning still haunted her heart.

"You're here, Nana. Have a seat."

"Um... how exactly did you find out who I am? And what do I have to do to get my soul back...?"

The situation frightened her a little, but without recovering her soul, she could not even use her martial soul. She could only steel herself and ask.

"Of course we can return it. But we'd like you to tell us everything about your Holy Spirit Cult branch. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"Well..."

At the mention of the Holy Spirit Cult, Nana could not stop trembling.

"Don't worry. Since we already know you're connected to them, we naturally have our own means. As long as you're being threatened, we'll definitely help you."

Huo Yuyao guided Nana to the sofa. Looking at the two of them, Nana gritted her teeth and finally decided to tell them everything.

It was not that she believed they could resolve this or help her. She was simply afraid. If she refused to tell them and they reported it to the academy, she would certainly be punished. And if the Holy Spirit Cult found out, her parents would surely be tormented because of it.

"They call themselves the Holy Spirit Cult. It's a very mysterious organization. After they took me away, they told me that they had imprisoned my mom's and dad's souls.

"Then they deliberately released their souls for me to see. Mom and Dad were in so much pain, so much pain! They said that if I wanted my parents' souls to rest in peace, I had to obey them.

"Otherwise, they would make sure my parents' souls could never be reborn.

"They used my parents' souls to threaten me and made me become their Holy Servant. I could only follow their orders.

"Fortunately, they didn't demand anything else of me afterward. They only told me to cultivate diligently, and they tested me every so often. They also arranged for me to enter the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy. They told me to study hard here, and once I graduated, I would officially become one of them."

So nothing has changed from the original story. I've just met Nana earlier.

Lin Mo sat there, lost in thought, while Huo Yuyao felt both sorrow and fury after hearing Nana's story.