A Soulless One Appears

A chill that pierced him to the bone suddenly rose from the depths of Lin Xu's heart. He stared at the familiar Basic Meditation Method and Basic Fitness Technique in the skill list, a jumble of emotions in his heart.

It was conclusive proof. This man really did come from the real world.

Looking at his young yet expressionless face, Lin Xu didn't know what to feel for a moment.

Clearly, this was a prospective adventurer taking part in the Spirit Realm Trial. He had been lucky enough to evade the Spirit Realm monsters hunting him, only to fail to return to the real world in the end.

This was the danger of adventuring in the Spirit Realm. Without a fixed foothold, rashly traversing the Spirit Realm could very well lead one into certain special scenarios. Unless one could escape the scenario in time, one would end up like the man before him.

"Phew..."

The Dao Rhyme Bright Light Lamp ignited without a flame, and its light swept out, enveloping the dozen or so bandits present.

The bandits, who had been locked in fierce combat and thrown into chaos, froze at once. Terror appeared on their faces, and they hurriedly threw down their weapons and dropped to their knees as one.

The outer disciple, still fighting tensely, was stunned. He then bowed to Lin Xu. "Thank you for your help, senior brother!"

Without waiting for a reply, he sat down cross-legged on the spot and silently circulated his cultivation technique.

One glance told Lin Xu that the man had expended too much mana and was busy recovering it. He didn't disturb him and turned to the bandits kneeling on the ground.

He had used an illusion to confuse the bandits and plunge them into a state of fear, but it could only hold them for a while. Before long, they would recover.

His gaze shifted to Liu Jiayao. The lamp in his hand flickered, and a wisp of candlelight enveloped Liu Jiayao.

A moment later, a vacant yet joyful expression appeared on Liu Jiayao's face, and he kowtowed respectfully to Lin Xu. "Thank you, master."

With that, he picked up his saber, came to Lin Xu's side, and stood respectfully.

Adventurers, heroes, and lords were the Spirit Realm's three major classes. Heroes and lords possessed an unquestionable right to recruit, and could use their authority to obtain the right to recruit NPCs.

But that did not mean adventurers could never have the right to recruit. Under certain circumstances, they too could gain followers of their own.

Take Lin Xu, for example. He had cleverly used his own advantages, confusing the bandits' minds with an illusion and thereby forcing them to submit.

Of course, it sounded simple, but doing it was not so easy.

Followers recruited this way were unreliable. Once the spell's effect faded, their loyalty might continue to fall until they eventually rebelled.

So even though Lin Xu was capable of subduing these bandits, he would not waste his mana.

"Kill them!" He glanced at Liu Jiayao.

"Yes, master!"

Without hesitation, Liu Jiayao raised his steel saber and slashed viciously at the kneeling bandits.

"Ah!"

A short scream rang out, and blood sprayed across the ground.

Liu Jiayao showed no mercy. His steel saber traced one powerful arc after another, cutting down his former companions one by one.

Without a sound, specks of light emitting a faint white glow drifted up from the dead bandits like fireflies.

The next instant, like weary birds returning to their nests, they quietly entered Lin Xu's body.

Killing monsters in the Spirit Realm did not grant experience points, but there was a certain chance they would drop Source Fire Fragments.

This was a special form of energy of the same nature as Source Fire, but there was very little of it.

It was said that only Spirit Realm heroes and lords could make effective use of it; adventurers could only absorb it passively.

Lin Xu glanced at the firelight around him and, relying on his keen intuition, did indeed sense a tiny increase.

It was probably enough to resist the fog's erosion for a few hours...

He looked at Liu Jiayao, who stood expressionlessly at his side after completing his task.

"I have an idea. Perhaps it's worth a try..."

Looking into his vacant eyes, Lin Xu turned the idea over in his mind.

The spirit lamp in his hand flickered, and his gaze grew dark. His intangible gaze shot into the depths of Liu Jiayao's sea of consciousness.

Liu Jiayao frowned slightly. He instinctively tried to resist, but the illusion smoothed away his resistance, and his expression grew calm again.

"Just as I thought, there are no traces of the past left in his consciousness..." Lin Xu sighed.

What human consciousness actually was remained an unsolved mystery to this day.

But without a doubt, memory was an important component of consciousness. For an individual, memory was even everything.

A chill in his heart, Lin Xu silently warned himself that he must never meet such a fate. He then used an illusion to weave a false memory, implanting a past of loyalty and duty into Liu Jiayao's blank consciousness.

A moment later, Lin Xu stopped and opened Liu Jiayao's personal panel again:

Name: Liu Jiayao

Race: Human

Identity: Protector (Lin Xu)

Class: Daoist

Level: 1

Strength: 14

Agility: 12

Constitution: 13

Spirit: 11

Intelligence: 10

Charm: 12

Health: 136/136

Loyalty: 90

Skills: Basic Meditation Method · white (expert), Basic Fitness Technique · white (intermediate), Basic Saber Technique · white (intermediate), Looting · white (beginner)

Equipment: Steel saber

Evaluation: A lucky living dead. Though he has lost his soul, a trace of sentience remains because his obsession has not faded

Seeing the identity field and loyalty appear, Lin Xu nodded slightly.

This meant Liu Jiayao had officially become his follower. As long as he kept an eye on his loyalty, he wouldn't have to worry about the risk of betrayal.

"Just as I thought, the forum said that recruiting real-world humans who have lost their memories to the fog's erosion doesn't require any additional Source Fire..."

He wasn't sure about lords, but for a hero to recruit followers, they had to expend Source Fire to transform them. That condition alone was enough to leave the vast majority of adventurers gazing at the ocean and sighing.

He had spent mana to subdue Liu Jiayao partly out of the sorrow of a fox mourning a rabbit's death, but more because there was "profit" to be had.

If it had been pure charity that only cost him resources, Lin Xu would of course have turned and walked away. But if both sides benefited, he didn't mind making an initial investment.

"Following me, you at least have a hope of recovering your memories. That's better than dying in obscurity in the fog." Lin Xu glanced at the devastated battlefield and headed toward Peach Tree Village without hesitation.

The silent soldier followed close behind.

Even the state had tacitly allowed this information to spread on the forum. Sometimes, just a little hope was enough to keep a desperate person going.

"Grrr..."

A huge gray wolf slowly emerged from the fog. Its eerie green eyes fixed on Lin Xu, and a low growl rumbled in its throat.

Lin Xu activated Spirit Eye and swept his gaze around. Several gray wolves were already closing in around him in a fan formation.

Name: Gray wolf · white

Race: Beast

Level: 3

Strength: 12

Constitution: 13

Agility: 14

Spirit: 8

Health: 15/15

Skills: Bite · white (intermediate), Wolf Pack Tactics · white (beginner), Night Vision · gray (beginner)

Description: Vicious by nature, lives in packs, and often hunts living creatures in groups at night

"A wolf pack this close to Xuanwei Monastery? The Spirit Realm really is a perilous place."

Watching the gray wolf pack slowly close in, Lin Xu snorted. The candle flame in the spirit lamp in his hand flickered, and an invisible wave spread out in an instant, enveloping the five approaching gray wolves.

"Awoo!"

As though provoked, the gray wolves roared and lunged viciously at their target.