Now that Zhu Zhuqing had won, the two of them naturally had to leave the Great Soul Arena to enjoy their own vacation.
But just as the two were about to leave, Qi Ling suddenly slapped her forehead and said, "I almost forgot something, Zhu Zhuqing, why don't you wait for me outside? I'm going to find someone, I'll be right back."
The person Qi Ling was looking for was naturally Zhao Lei. The kid had now received his due punishment, but she couldn't go back on her word, so she still had to cure him of the poison.
When Qi Ling found Zhao Lei in the Great Soul Arena, Zhao Lei reacted as if he had seen his savior, grabbing Qi Ling's leg and saying, " Boss Qi, you've finally come to find me! Help!"
Previously, Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power invaded Zhao Lei's Zhao Lei, causing him serious injury. Moreover, it was not expelled from his body over time, but instead continued to cause damage within him.
That strange Soul Power fully utilized Zhu Zhuqing's own characteristics, relying on its penetrating power, seemingly trying to pierce into Zhao Lei's bone marrow! If Zhao Lei hadn't suppressed it with his own Soul Power, he probably would have been dead by now.
He knew, of course, that Zhu Zhuqing's strange kung fu was all taught to him by Qi Ling, so Qi Ling must have a way to save him. Therefore, when he saw Qi Ling, he immediately begged her for help.
Qi Ling said helplessly, "I hope you can learn from this lesson and be a better person in the future."
Qi Ling then used her True Dragon Qi to expel Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power from Zhao Lei and also to cure him of the poison he had been poisoned. Although Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power was indeed difficult to deal with, it was still insignificant compared to Qi Ling's True Dragon Qi.
Just as Qi Ling finished curing the poison and was about to leave, Zhao Lei suddenly knelt down in front of Qi Ling with a "thump," kowtowed to the floor, and remained kneeling for a long time.
" Boss Qi, please take me as your underling! I'll go through fire and water for you, please give me a chance!"
Qi Ling was startled by Zhao Lei kneeling before her. Taking him as a follower? Wasn't this sudden turn of events a complete surprise?
" Zhao Lei, why did you become my underling?" Qi Ling asked curiously. "Speaking of which, you were indirectly defeated by me, not to mention that you've suffered a lot because of me these past three months. Why do you still want to follow me?"
Zhao Lei raised his head, his eyes filled with utmost sincerity, and said, " Boss Qi, I know you are a master with profound insights, so I won't waste your breath with empty talk. I want to follow you because you are destined to be an extraordinary person. With you, great things can be accomplished!"
"Moreover, and more importantly, you transformed Zhu Zhuqing into such a formidable expert in just three months, which demonstrates your exceptional skill! By following you, I'm certain I can find a clear path forward!"
Zhao Lei was quite frank. He said there were only two reasons for following him: first, there was a future ahead of him; second, he could make progress. It was a great opportunity, and if he missed Qi Ling, he might not get another chance.
As for Qi Ling, although Zhao Lei's strength is not particularly outstanding, with her training, he is enough to become a first-class master and will definitely become an asset to her in the future.
What to do? Should she accept it or not? Just as Qi Ling was hesitating, the system suddenly gave her a task.
[Ding! We have detected that the host is facing a request from Zhao Lei. Please choose from the following options.]
Option 1: Refuse Zhao Lei and do not accept him as your follower. Reward: One Ten-Year Soul Ring, 100 Gold Soul Coin, and one hemostatic herb.
Option 2: Agree to Zhao Lei's request, take him as your subordinate, and guide him. Reward: Zhao Lei Cultivation System activated, host's Faction Points +1 (when the Faction Points reaches 10, the host can establish his own primary power).
Faction Points? Seeing this newly appeared statistic, Qi Ling was stunned. Did this mean that after the simulation game, she was about to start playing a strategy game?
From this perspective, Faction Points is quite important. After all, a power certified by the system will definitely be different from a power you create arbitrarily, and it can bring considerable benefits.
More importantly, since Zhao Lei was able to activate the training system and sign a contract, he was not afraid that Zhao Lei would betray him, because if he did so, all the power that the system had given him would be taken back.
In other words, taking Zhao Lei as a follower would not only be harmless but also risk-free, so why wouldn't he be happy to do it?
[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have selected option two: recruit Zhao Lei as your subordinate. Reward: Zhao Lei Cultivation System unlocked, host's Faction Points +1]
" Zhao Lei, before I decide whether to agree to your request, I need to ask you a question!" Qi Ling said to Zhao Lei, "What do you think is the most important thing for someone's subordinate?"
Without even thinking, Zhao Lei replied, "It's loyalty! Only those who are loyal to themselves are truly valuable!"
"Hmm!" Qi Ling nodded. "You're right, but do you know how to maintain the loyalty of your subordinates?"
Zhao Lei shook his head; he truly had no idea about this.
"It's very simple. To be a qualified leader, there are many things to do, but the most important thing is to ensure that you are better than everyone else," Qi Ling said.
"I will always maintain that I am stronger than any of you, so Zhao Lei, you don't need to worry about your loyalty!"
Although Zhao Lei only half understood, he grasped the meaning: Qi Ling was willing to take him as a subordinate. Overjoyed, he quickly replied, "Yes, Boss Qi! From now on, if you tell me to go east, I'll never go west. I'll do whatever you say!"
Qi Ling nodded and said, "Now that you've become my subordinate, I'll give you some pointers."
"Show me your Blood Handprint cultivation method and process so I can prescribe the right medicine and tell you how to improve."
Without hesitation, Zhao Lei demonstrated the cultivation process of the Blood Handprint, but to his surprise, Qi Ling frowned after watching it.
"Boss, what's wrong? Is there something wrong with my cultivation process?" Zhao Lei asked, trembling with fear.
"This is a huge problem!" Qi Ling exclaimed. " Zhao Lei Zhao Lei, do you know that if you continue cultivating like this, you only have three years left to live!"
Zhao Lei was stunned, and said in disbelief, "W-what? Boss Qi, are you kidding me?"
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Qi Ling said helplessly, "The Blood Handprint you're practicing is an extremely insidious skill. I originally thought it required external aids for cultivation, but I never expected that it would rely on yourself!"
"Me?" Zhao Lei pointed to himself, puzzled.
"That's right, by cultivating this Blood Handprint, you're overdrawing your own life force, which is why you've been able to gain such power," Qi Ling said.
"If you don't believe me, do you often feel thirsty but can't drink water? Do you often feel a dull ache in your abdomen, as if something is burning? Do you sometimes have trouble sleeping all night, and sometimes you fall asleep and never wake up?..."
Qi Ling recounted several situations in succession, and with each additional one, Zhao Lei's face grew paler, because these were all his own true circumstances.
" Boss Qi, Boss Qi, you have to save me! I don't want to die!" Zhao Lei said in despair.