Sky Capital, Underground Research Institute, Dispersing Spirit Space.

Fang Shili looked at the man sitting on the Dispersing Spirit Iron Throne. Even though he couldn't feel any Cyclone Pressure from him, Fang Shili didn't dare to underestimate the man. He and the four people beside him saluted, saying, "Good day, Teacher."

The man in front of them was undoubtedly their teacher; he could even be called the teacher of all cultivators in the Mysterious Country. Every embryonic form of the cultivation techniques currently in use originated from him. The "Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Record" was solely created by him, and no one else could alter a single word. Even if updates were needed, only he had the authority and capability to do so.

Ren Zuo slowly nodded. "Begin."

But for safety's sake, Fang Shili asked one more question, "Are you ready, Teacher?"

"What a joke." Ren Zuo leaned lazily against the Iron Throne, squinting at the five of them. "With just the five of you, you think you can harm a single hair on me? Don't be too confident in yourselves, weaklings."

In an instant, anger burned from their hearts and organs to their very brains. Except for Fang Shili, who could somewhat resist this sudden impulse, the other four fiercely attacked. He had no choice. His black pupils suddenly filled with blood vessels, and his will, along with his gaze, transformed into blades stabbing towards Ren Zuo!

"Fighting Heart!"

"Dream-Stealing Kill!"

"Corpse Ghost Annihilation!"

"Sky Lantern!"

"Heart Turns, Stone Does Not!"

Facing the full-force attacks of the Mysterious Country's five top Soul System Awakeners, Ren Zuo just sat casually on the Iron Throne, even opening his computer to check P-site for new adult images. Meanwhile, the five of them suffered; some had nosebleeds, others collapsed. Fang Shili felt as if he had been struck by lightning; his whole body went limp as he knelt.

"Hmm, are we done?"

Ren Suo's current tone made the five of them feel exceedingly embarrassed. It was like a long-distance couple who finally got a room together: the energetic boyfriend is quickly exhausted, while his girlfriend, busy with a ranking match in Honor of Kings, belatedly asks, 'Hmm, are we done? If you're done, help me play. Your Li Bai is awesome.'

"All of you have advanced to the third turn; your Spell power has increased significantly..." Ren Zuo closed his eyes, savoring the sensation. "'Heart Turns, Stone Does Not' isn't bad. Your breath influenced me for a split second. Although you couldn't control my body, you've made great progress. 'Sky Lantern,' as a soul offensive Spell, gave me a slight sensation this time. However, be careful when using it; the soul fire you create is formless and can easily harm your teammates..."

Ren Zuo commented on each one, finally looking at Fang Shili. "I originally thought 'Fighting Heart' didn't take effect because your cultivation was too low. But now I see that's not the case. The essence of 'Fighting Heart' is to overpower the opponent's worldview with your own, making them doubt the world. But your worldview isn't firm enough. It doesn't compare to mine, and you might even struggle against cultivators of the same turn who possess firm determination."

"Then Teacher, what should I do?" Fang Shili asked humbly.

"Issues with worldview can only be tackled at their roots," Ren Zuo said. "I'm not very familiar with this area, but you could start with philosophy."

"Philosophy…" Fang Shili's face turned red, his thoughts unknown.

After the five left, a researcher who had been observing nearby came over and asked, "Ren Zuo, have you made any progress?"

"Yes, the Psychic Defense Spell can almost be perfected now."

"What about the major project?"

"The major project…" Ren Zuo rubbed his temples. "Not even close. The soul is something we're practically studying from scratch; results can't come that quickly."

"Even when I personally endure their soul attacks, I can only vaguely sense the existence of my own soul. It's more like brain waves than a soul…"

A researcher said, "But they are all the Soul System Awakened we could find. If even they can't give you inspiration, Ren Zuo, we might have to shelve this project for now and restart it when new Soul Awakened appear."

"Or maybe there are no souls at all? Just a consciousness constructed by brain waves and neurons?" a middle-aged researcher interjected.

Ren Zuo shook his head. "Consider the current mysterious phenomena involving Demons and Ghosts. Setting aside Demons, Ghosts often arise from the reanimated dead. A dead body has long lost its bodily functions; the brain doesn't work at all—so where would brain waves come from? And Strange Creatures are even more peculiar: inanimate objects exhibiting intelligence. These objects lack a brain or even a physiological structure, yet they display intelligence similar to humans. Apart from the soul hypothesis, it's hard to find another explanation."

"But if humans do have souls, where do they go after death?" someone asked curiously.

"The Netherworld? Heaven and Hell?" Ren Zuo smiled. "Although we still have no means to observe souls, such places likely exist, with an environment similar to that of Experiment No. 241."

"Speaking of which…" a researcher said, "Although the formal document hasn't been sent to you yet, subject No. 241-F3 is dead."

Ren Zuo was slightly taken aback. "How did it die?"

"No external injuries, and its 'ghost' spiritual energy system wasn't malfunctioning either. Just like A2 and D11, it suddenly died," explained the researcher. "We currently believe that the cause of death for No. 241-F3 was the same as for the previous two subjects: leaving the 'High-Concentration Spiritual Energy Area' that sustained it, which led to soul dissipation."

Ren Zuo opened the document for Experiment No. 241 and tapped the armrest of the iron throne. Is spiritual energy closely related to the survival of the soul…

Experiment No. 241 involved placing death row inmates in a room with extremely high concentrations of spiritual energy, allowing them to decompose freely, and observing any changes. This experiment had been ongoing for three months. Out of 120 bodies, three underwent corpse transformation, all belonging to the 'ghost' category of 'Demons and Ghosts.' However, communication with them was impossible; even making them watch "Midnight Walker" was useless.

Since the current sample size was too small, it was unclear whether the three subjects naturally transformed into ghosts or if it was due to the spiritual energy concentration. However, the subjects experienced rapid soul decay after being moved from the high-concentration area. This essentially proves that 'force-induced' souls require continuous high levels of spiritual energy to survive.

Thus, the Demons and Ghosts appearing now are essentially souls with exceptional gifts, capable of surviving on low concentrations of spiritual energy. No wonder they are so powerful.

"But the spiritual energy concentration in Experiment 241 is already the peak we can achieve. If a place truly exists that allows souls to survive, or even become observable, how terrifyingly high must its spiritual energy concentration be? And what kind of monsters would live there…"

***

"I died."

During dinner, Ren Suo suddenly felt inspired. He went to the market to buy ingredients to make beef brisket with fried sauce over Yi noodles. He glanced at the message on his phone screen, swiped up, and saw that after the adventurer looted knives and wine from several chickens, he encountered a cow.

"There's a cow in the field. It seems to be covered in blue and red scales. From a distance, it looked like someone had added a gradient color layer with Photoshop."

"It turned its head to look at me, exhaling a gray gas from its nostrils."

"Suddenly, I lost all my strength. My bones felt as if they had turned to water, unable to support my flesh. I collapsed to the ground like a side of decaying pork."

"I died."

Getting killed by a cow's glare? This game really doesn't want me to accumulate energy points, Ren Suo thought, exasperated. He had to reload the save "Set Up a Feast with Chicken," instructing the adventurer to kill the chickens blocking the path and then head straight to the house of the person who had invited him for a meal.

This household consisted of only one elderly man, who sat outside amiably playing with a bird. Ren Suo couldn't recognize the bird's species. It had dark blue feathers, looked quite beautiful, and was very well-behaved, merely perching on the old man's shoulder and chirping.

Upon seeing the adventurer arrive, the elderly man hurriedly invited him inside, saying he would prepare a sumptuous lunch right away as he had many questions for the adventurer.

The elderly man's home wasn't as luxurious as the Village Chief's, but it wasn't small either. It was a courtyard house where he lived alone. The yard was also planted with flowers and herbs. It seemed the old man lived a comfortable and fulfilling life.

"Little Fei, why don't you keep our guest company? I'll go and cook."

"The small bird chirped and flew onto my shoulder, as if in response. The old man then left, reassured."

"As soon as the old man was out of sight, the little bird suddenly pecked at my neck!"

On the screen, the bird perched on 'my' shoulder suddenly enlarged into a monster with an extremely long neck, fleshy wings, and legs like sharp claws! Its head was ferocious and evil, its terrifying appearance striking even through the screen!

Its sharp teeth oozed a viscous blue liquid, continuously injecting it into 'my' body!

"My skin turned blue. I couldn't move. I was doomed."

"I died."

Ren Suo blinked and chose to start over.

Returning to the same scene, once the elderly man left, the adventurer decisively struck first:

"You impudent little bird, how dare you screech so noisily—"

"I launched the Fiery Sky-Net Capture, but it suddenly grew larger and knocked me back! It flew into the air, attempting to charge me!"

"I widened my eyes, trying to follow its movements, but it just charged straight at me. I seized the opportunity to dodge and threw a fiery punch!"

"It shrieked tragically, its ferocity intensifying, and it bit me in return!"

"My skin turned blue. I couldn't move. I was doomed."

"I died."

Is this a difference in absolute strength... Ren Suo saw that the adventurer couldn't take down this Bipedal Flying Dragon with a single punch. He pondered for a moment before deciding to try once more.

Upon reaching the vicinity of the elderly man's door, Ren Suo had the adventurer stop and choose an item from his backpack.

Now that he had enough energy points, Ren Suo took out the "Advanced Countermeasure Vest" he had borrowed from Yu Kuangtu.

It was the cheapest Epic Item he had ever seen. Ren Suo also thought it was more than worth its cost. After all, "Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Record Chapter One" had already given the adventurer a comprehensive strength increase, making him capable of tackling small monsters. Now, with the enhancement effect from the second chapter via the "Advanced Countermeasure Vest," his strength should reach a new level.

Currently, the adventurer's attack power, speed, and defensive power were all lacking; the Advanced Countermeasure Vest was a perfect fit.

Moreover, Ren Suo wanted to see just how powerful the second chapter of the "Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Record" really was. He noticed that the adventurer seemed closer in strength to a normal person. This was unlike the Truth Seeker, who could challenge heaven and earth with just Chapter One of the "Mysterious Sovereign's Secret Record."

The adventurer could now tear apart female ghosts, make ghostly children explode, slay evil dogs, and charge at strange chickens. However, that didn't mean he'd fare well in a fight against Ren Suo. Within three moves, Ren Suo would need to use the "Strong Heart Technique" to save himself.

And if the Truth Seeker fought Ren Suo? Not even a single move would be needed; Ren Suo would simply kneel under the overwhelming pressure of his realm.

The gap between the adventurer and the Truth Seeker was thus quite evident.

However, I need to find something else that prevents the adventurer from getting poisoned... Ren Suo searched through his purchased cosplay props. He found few items with poison prevention effects. Even if some items had such an effect, it was just a minor feature. Examples included the Golden Sacred Garment, Divine Robe, and Steel Armor. Unfortunately, Ren Suo didn't have enough energy points to scan any of them.

But poison prevention should be a common feature, so Ren Suo started rummaging through his home.

Soon, Ren Suo finally found something that met his requirements, ...though this thing...

"That evil bird is powerful, but would I lack a contingency plan?"

"Advanced Countermeasure Vest!"

"With it on, my strength will increase! Ha ha, evil bird, your doom has come!"

"Also, there's... 'Thought Ethics and Law,' the 2010 edition from the Higher Education Publishing House!"

"..."

"Never mind."

Yo, even the adventurer's show-off depends on props, huh?

Ren Suo looked at the "Thought Cultivation" textbook in his hand. He flipped through it and found he hadn't written a single word in it; it was as new as if just purchased.

This book naturally hadn't come from his university; the Heavenly Lotus Academy had issued it to him. Being the academy's medic also required a political review, and this was review material.

Unexpectedly, it could also be scanned as a prop:

"'Thought Ethics and Law': An Extraordinary Tier Item, required reading for Mysterious Country university students. Holding this book grants immunity to negative effects such as pornography, gambling, and drugs, and offers some resistance against other negative effects. Requires 18 energy points."

Scanning these two items wouldn't be a problem even if "High Energy Ahead" was uploaded later. Both were unmarked, standard-issue items. Later, when Ren Suo returned the vest to Yu Kuangtu, he could completely disassociate himself—Advanced Countermeasure Vests were common among bureau-level Cultivator officials across the country.

After all, Ren Suo had borrowed the Advanced Countermeasure Vest from Yu Kuangtu using the excuse, 'I want to try out spells.' Given this reason and their bond, Yu Kuangtu would definitely not suspect him.

As for the Mysterious Country launching a massive search because the adventurer was wearing a Tactical Bureau vest...

They're looking for the adventurer, what does that have to do with me, Ren Suo?

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