Nana

Cursed Energy came from negative emotions, and souls-especially souls that had been tortured and imprisoned, filled with despair and fear-were undoubtedly the ultimate vessels for negative emotions.

If he could convert these souls into Cursed Energy and absorb it, his cultivation would surely improve dramatically.

Just then, deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the dormant gray bead abruptly lit up.

Electrolux's voice rang out in his mind, aged and solemn:

"I advise you not to do that."

Lu Ren's fingers paused slightly.

"Absorbing other people's souls is not a pleasant experience."

A rare gravity tinged Electrolux's voice.

"Every wisp of a soul contains its original owner's memories, emotions, and obsessions from life."

"What you absorb is not merely a mass of power, but their entire lives."

"Those memories will flood your mind, those emotions will batter your spirit, and those obsessions will coil around your consciousness..."

He paused, his voice sinking lower.

"I have lived for countless years and seen countless cultivators take this path. Not a single one of them managed to remain true to themselves to the very end."

Lu Ren fell silent for a moment.

Then he sighed.

"True enough."

His gaze settled on the Soul Pearl, watching the points of soul-light trapped inside.

They drifted slowly within the sphere of light, like lost wanderers unable to find their way home.

"But either way, I still gained something."

Lu Ren withdrew his hand, his tone returning to calm.

"For instance, as long as I kill these Evil Soul Masters, more Cursed Energy will surge out of their bodies than from ordinary people."

"I can absorb that Cursed Energy to improve my cultivation."

Every Evil Soul Master who had just died, from Soul Saints to Soul Emperors, from Soul Kings to Soul Ancestors, had released vast amounts of Cursed Energy from their bodies at the instant of death.

That Cursed Energy was so dense it almost became tangible, pouring madly into his body, where his meridians absorbed and compressed it before it finally settled.

That was also why he had been drawn here.

Evil Soul Masters were practically experience packs tailor-made for him.

"As for these souls..."

Lu Ren raised his right hand, spreading his fingers and aiming his palm at the Soul Pearl.

"I'll help them pass on."

Reverse Cursed Technique, outward release.

Warm Positive Energy surged from his palm and poured into the murky gray Soul Pearl, disguised as Soul Power.

The instant the Positive Energy touched the Soul Pearl, that murky gray membrane of light began to dissolve.

Like ice and snow meeting sunlight, like darkness meeting dawn.

Inside the Soul Pearl, the trapped points of soul-light all stopped drifting at the same moment.

They turned toward Lu Ren in unison, as though gazing at the boy who had brought them release.

Then the Positive Energy engulfed them.

The Soul Pearl, tainted by evil arts, dissipated completely beneath the cleansing tide of Positive Energy. Those points of soul-light broke free of its shackles, becoming gentle beams that slowly rose toward the stone chamber's vaulted ceiling.

As each beam rose, Lu Ren could feel a faint warmth.

It was the last kindness those souls offered him before departing.

Lu Ren withdrew his hand, watching the points of light disappear through the cracks in the vaulted ceiling.

Then he turned to look at the holy servants kneeling outside the stone chamber.

"Those Evil Soul Masters are dead."

His voice was not loud, but carried by Spiritual Power, it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"You still have some time to say goodbye to your loved ones."

The holy servants froze for an instant.

Then they rushed into the stone chamber like mad.

They knelt around the stone platform, reaching out trembling hands, trying to touch the points of light slowly rising into the air.

Some cried, some shouted, and some simply stared blankly at the light, their lips trembling without a single word coming out.

Cries, shouts, and sobs mingled in the cramped stone chamber.

Pain, despair, and longing pent up for who knew how many years poured out completely in that moment.

Lu Ren did not look again.

He turned and walked up the stone steps.

The instant he stepped out of the basement, a crisp sound came from deep within his body.

As though something had broken through.

Vast amounts of Cursed Energy surged through his meridians, intertwining with his Soul Power before finally flowing into his Dantian.

That power was docile yet tremendous, like a tamed flood obediently flowing into the riverbed he had prepared.

Soul Power, rank forty-eight.

The Cursed Energy released by those Evil Soul Masters upon their deaths had finally finished converting at this moment.

His cultivation had taken another step forward.

Ji Juechen still stood in the center of the courtyard, his silver-white longsword planted before him, both hands resting on its hilt, like a statue.

Hearing footsteps, he turned his head.

"You broke through?"

"Yes." Lu Ren walked over to him. "Rank forty-eight. Another step closer to Soul King."

"Congratulations."

Ji Juechen's words were brief, but the sincerity in his tone was beyond doubt.

Lu Ren smiled.

"How about you? Did you get your fill of fighting?"

Ji Juechen was silent for a moment.

"...I did."

As he said those words, the corners of his mouth seemed to lift slightly.

It was faint, so faint it was almost imperceptible.

But for Ji Juechen, this was already the most obvious smile he could manage.

"That was one of the more intense life-and-death battles I've experienced. Though I suffered some injuries, my swordsmanship improved."

He looked down at the silver-white longsword in his hands, his gaze filled with concentration.

"Their fighting methods were strange. Evil Soul Masters' Soul Power is completely different from that of ordinary Soul Masters-colder, more sinister, and harder to guard against. But that very strangeness exposed the shortcomings in my Sword Intent."

He raised his eyes and looked at Lu Ren.

"The next time I face opponents like these, I'll win faster."

Seeing the fervor rekindled in his eyes, Lu Ren could not help shaking his head.

"There are plenty more places like this in Mingdu."

He tipped his chin toward the buildings deeper in the courtyard.

"This is only one branch of the Holy Spirit Cult. Who knows how many more strongholds like this there are in Mingdu?"

He paused and looked at Ji Juechen.

"I'm going to destroy those strongholds next. Still interested?"

Ji Juechen's answer was a single word.

"Yes."

Crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

Lu Ren was about to say something when a slender figure rushed out of the basement exit.

Behind her, more holy servants filed out.

Undried tear tracks still marked their faces, and their eyes were red and swollen, but their gazes were much brighter than before.

It was the light of rebirth after their shackles had been cast off.

The woman in the lead had already removed her hood.

She was actually a girl. Though her looks were ordinary, her wheat-colored skin shone with a healthy luster beneath the dim lights, and she appeared to be only about fifteen.

She was particularly tall and slender for her age, her dark red hair neatly tied into a ponytail that hung behind her head.

The black robe concealed her figure completely, but it could not hide the resolve showing on her small face.

She strode up to Lu Ren, then dropped to both knees.

The holy servants behind her knelt in unison as well, their knees striking the bluestone paving with dull thuds.

"Thank you."

The girl's voice was clear and firm, with a tremor she could not suppress.

"You helped us kill every last beast in this place, and you also cleansed the filth from my parents' souls, leaving us with nothing more to hold us back."

She raised her head, looking straight at Lu Ren.

"For this kindness of giving us a new life, we can only repay you with a lifetime."

Behind her, the pale-faced holy servants with their red, swollen eyes bowed their heads to the ground in unison.

"We have no way to repay the kindness of a new life. We pledge to follow you for life and serve you with our souls."

Their voices rang out as one, echoing through the empty courtyard.

Lu Ren looked down at the girl kneeling before him.

His gaze lingered on her face for a moment.

She looks a little familiar.

"Is your name Nana?"

He asked.

The girl's body visibly stiffened.

She raised her head, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes, along with nervousness she could barely conceal.

"H-how do you know my name?"

Her voice had even begun to stammer.

Watching her nervous expression, Lu Ren's lips curled slightly.

"You're a student at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy too. You should have seen me before."

Nana froze.

She knelt there blankly, staring at Lu Ren's face for several seconds.

She turned that handsome face over and over in her mind, comparing it until it slowly overlapped with a scene in her memory.

That figure on the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy's arena, who had not moved a single step from beginning to end.

The boy who had swept the entire field with seventy-eight consecutive victories.

For that stretch of time last month, his name had been on the lips of the entire academy.

She blurted out:

"You're Lu-Lu Ren?!"