Chapter 30: Soul

When Zhai Guangyi was in Qiqi’s embrace, he initially felt a bit awkward—being such a grown man, yet held in a girl’s arms like this.

But then it occurred to him: wasn’t he just a child now? Newly born, even walking was difficult. Since he was already being held, he might as well enjoy the simple joys of being a child.

Of course, Zhai Guangyi didn’t forget to check his current status. Nestled in Qiqi’s soft embrace, he opened the System Interface.

Race: Primordial Spirit (Nameless)

Level: 1 – Distance to Level Up Required Spiritual Power: 1000

Life Value: 12/100

Magic Power: 1/42,000

Strength: 2

Defense: 1

Speed: 3

Existing Spiritual Power: 0

Skill Points: 2,740

Owned Skills: ‘World’ Advanced System – Level 7, Photosynthesis – Level 3, Fruit-bearing – Level 10, Appraisal – Level 2, Heal – Level 5, Elf Magic – Level 5, Wind Control – Level 6, Stealth – Level 4

Upgradable Skills: ‘World’ Advanced System – Level 8 (5,000 points), Photosynthesis – Level 5 (100 points), Wind Control – Level 7 (300 points), Appraisal – Level 3 (100 points), Stealth – Level 5 (150 points), Heal – Level 6 (500 points), Elf Magic – Level 6 (1,000 points)

Such weak attributes! Apart from the exceptionally high amount of Magic Power, all other stats were truly pitiful.

With attributes at this level, aside from Magic Power, Zhai Guangyi felt he couldn’t even compare to an ordinary person—there was simply no contest. Even Jielude, who was knocked unconscious by Liya’s kick, was several times better than him.

“If Qiqi hadn’t caught me earlier, wouldn’t this body have been finished? System, can’t you at least inform me about these precautions?”

Zhai Guangyi grumbled inwardly. He had spent so much System Currency and effort on this—not to mention the metaphorical ‘ten-month pregnancy,’ but these two months had felt like an eternity!

“Notification: Originally, the master was resting within the Spirit Flower. Only 12 minutes were needed to fully recover to peak condition. There was no threat.”

“So it’s my fault for moving around recklessly?”

“That is undeniable.”

“…”

Zhai Guangyi stopped engaging with the System and continued examining the interface. He noticed that his Level had dropped to 1, but his Skills and Skill Points remained unchanged, consistent with his state as the Spirit Tree.

The System, as a derivative of Zhai Guangyi’s Skills, could directly perceive his thoughts. In modern terms, the System was essentially Zhai Guangyi’s external super-brain, and it sensed his doubts.

“Notification: Both the Spirit Tree and the Primordial Spirit body are essentially vessels for the master’s Soul. Skills are carried by the Soul, and the strength of the Soul also influences the strength of the Skills.

Leveling up helps enhance the Soul.”

So now that Zhai Guangyi had two bodies, didn’t that mean he could accumulate Skill Points twice as fast as others? Although it was still far from gaining Skill Points through Followers, every little bit helped—having some was better than none. If he could have multiple bodies leveling up simultaneously, wouldn’t that be incredible?

“Then, can I create several more bodies to level up at the same time?”

“Report, Soul Strength can be increased, but there is only one soul. Excessive splitting will cause the soul to shatter and be unable to reunite. The souls controlling different bodies will then form independent entities.”

This essentially means splitting into multiple versions of oneself. But would one still be oneself? Different selves might become distinct individuals, possessing separate consciousnesses and ways of thinking, akin to gathering versions of oneself from different Parallel Universes. The thought is somewhat terrifying.

At that point, which self would one be? One might not even be able to tell.

“Then why can’t I control the Spirit Tree side now? Is it because my soul has all moved to this body? What about the Spirit Tree side?”

Zhai Guangyi was still a bit afraid. The thought of a different self with his memories existing in the Spirit Tree was frightening.

“Report, the master’s Soul Strength is limited. For now, it is impossible to control two bodies simultaneously. The Spirit Tree will temporarily fall into dormancy. Plant-based shells will not die due to a lack of soul.

Once the master’s Soul Strength is sufficient, the trace of soul within the Spirit Tree will reawaken, allowing simultaneous control of both bodies.

The Spirit Tree, as the master’s original body, is the most suitable vessel for the master. The Skill ‘World’ can only reside within the Spirit Tree; other bodies cannot bear it. If the original body is lost, ‘World’ will also dissipate.”

Zhai Guangyi roughly understood how things worked now. It seemed the Spirit Tree, as his original body, was still extremely important. ‘World,’ the Skill Zhai Guangyi relied on for survival, allowed him to create as many bodies as he wanted. But without ‘World,’ his foundation for surviving in this Otherworld would be gone.

It seemed he needed to establish an excellent force and a solid defense system to protect his bodies. Both bodies were immensely important.

——

In the central part of the Mesopotamia Forest, a strangely featured Demon Human stood in the air above a group of Giant Goblins. He had large black bat-like wings, deep green skin, and fangs that starkly highlighted the ferocity of his face.

He took out a black hand mirror, and ripples like water waves shimmered across its surface.

A hoarse, aged voice then came from the mirror.

“In the eastern part of the Forest, there seems to be a being with considerable Magic Power levels. Capture it. It may be of assistance to our king.”

With deep reverence, he raised the hand mirror above his head, listening devoutly to the voice from within, then slowly responded.

“For our king!”

After waiting until no more fluctuations appeared in the mirror, he carefully tucked it into his pocket.

He glared down fiercely at the Giant Goblins beneath his feet, the anger in his eyes seeming to materialize, almost tangible.

“Why? Why, after all this time, what have these 20 Giant Goblins been eating? They still haven’t taken the eastern Forest. I hear they can’t even cross the river in the east.”

As he spoke, he stomped on the head of one Giant Goblin. The Giant Goblin, crushed and powerless to resist, was driven halfway into the mud, not daring to move.

Seeing this, the other Giant Goblins hurriedly knelt on the ground. Not a single one dared to make a sound. Hundreds, even thousands, of Giant Goblins trembled as they knelt in the dirt.

“Forget it, a bunch of useless fools. Let’s put the central offensive on hold and increase the forces in the eastern front. Half of you, come with me to the east. I want to see what’s stopping you from even crossing the river.”

Once again, he kicked the Giant Goblin that was stuck in the mud, sending it tumbling to the ground. Then, flapping his black bat-like wings, he vanished from the Giant Goblin gathering place.