Chapter 82: Three Souls, Seven Spirits

Lin Yu thought for a moment, then smiled and said, “Let’s wait until both sides have laid their cards on the table.”

Seeing Lin Yu was unmoved, Zhang Chulan couldn’t help but feel a headache.

Lin Yu glanced at his expression and teased, “Say, Zhang Chulan, weren’t you always clever? Why’s your mind so slow today… Did I give you too much pressure?”

“How could that be!”

Zhang Chulan shook his head hastily, swearing solemnly, “Big Brother Lin, my reverence for you is evident to heaven and earth!”

“Besides, you’ve helped me twice and saved me once—in my eyes, you’re like my own elder brother. If you’re willing, I’m ready at any moment to cut a rooster’s head, burn yellow paper, and swear brotherhood with you…”

“Better not,” Lin Yu rolled his eyes, then glanced at him. “What I said earlier wasn’t a joke. Don’t even think about getting information about them from me.”

“But… if you want to investigate on your own, I won’t stop you.”

Investigate on my own?

Zhang Chulan paused, then slapped his forehead and grinned. “My mind’s gone blank! Big Brother Lin, you’re right—this shouldn’t trouble you. We’ll handle it ourselves!”

Saying that, he turned to Feng Baobao and whispered, “Sister Bao, contact Third Brother and Fourth Brother—have them find out which factions have been secretly collecting cultivation techniques lately!”

“No problem!”

Feng Baobao nodded eagerly in agreement.

Seeing Zhang Chulan finally got it, Lin Yu turned back with a smile.

At this point, Lu Linglong and the others had bound the three men and inserted Closing-Essence needles into their Du Meridian at the back of their necks, sealing off Qi flow.

Gazing at the unconscious Xiao Xiao, Lu Linglong’s expression was complex.

“What happened to Xiao Xiao? Why did he suddenly become like this…?”

“Because their Three Souls have been tampered with.”

Lin Yu’s voice came from beside them.

Lu Linglong and the others turned to see Lin Yu walking over as he spoke: “Humans have Three Souls and Seven Spirits. The Three Souls reside in the spirit; the Seven Spirits belong to the physical body. Thus, when the Seven Spirits scatter, the body returns to dust.”

“But the Three Souls are different—all living beings must have a physical form, yet they need not possess all Three Souls.”

“Theoretically, possessing even one of the Three Souls is enough to satisfy the basic conditions for life…”

Lin Yu stopped before Xiao Xiao and said calmly, “Different schools define the Three Souls differently, but the most widely accepted among cultivators is the theory of Life Soul, Spirit Soul, and Awareness Soul.”

“The Life Soul represents the desire to survive, to live, to exist—it is one’s innate nature.”

“The Spirit Soul represents wisdom: thinking, understanding, comprehending, judging, inventing, creating, and so on.”

“The Awareness Soul is your sensation, feeling, perception, and reaction. It is closely tied to the Life Soul and Spirit Soul, and thus has no strong inherent bias or influence…”

“As for these three—if I’m not mistaken—their Spirit Souls and Life Souls have been tampered with, partially destroyed, their desires heavily suppressed, which is why they’ve become like this.”

Hearing Lin Yu’s words, everyone fell silent.

Lu Linglong’s eyes were slightly red as she gazed at the unconscious Xiao Xiao: “What’s the difference between this and a walking corpse?”

“There really is a difference!”

Lin Yu said softly, “Abandoning desire, abandoning thought, surrendering your will and everything to another person—your heart naturally finds profound peace and joy…”

Peace and joy?

Recalling Xiao Xiao’s earlier demeanor, Lu Linglong grew momentarily dazed.

But soon she snapped back, shaking her head: “It’s just false peace. I don’t believe Xiao Xiao would willingly abandon himself!”

“You’re not a fish—how can you know the joy of a fish?”

Lin Yu countered, then glanced at Zhang Chulan behind him: “Zhang Chulan, haven’t you thought the same thing yourself—when you lost consciousness and that child inside you took over your body…”

“…”

Zhang Chulan froze, then fell silent.

Indeed, when his body was taken over by his Nascent Soul, it was the quietest he’d ever felt.

Back then, he didn’t need to think about hiding himself, didn’t need to face others’ greed for Qi Source Flow, didn’t need to worry about Feng Baobao’s future or safety…

It was truly peaceful.

Zhang Chulan stared blankly, lost in thought.

Perhaps he hadn’t even noticed that, when he deliberately took Xiao Xiao’s Qi blast, part of him had secretly hoped for it.

Just as Zhang Chulan’s resolve began to waver, a pair of blinking, pretty eyes appeared before him.

“Zhang Chulan, are you okay?”

“...Sister Bao?”

Zhang Chulan snapped back to reality, his wandering mind instantly reined in.

He steadied himself and forced a smile. “I’m fine.”

After speaking, he turned to Lin Yu and said solemnly, "Thank you, Brother Lin, for your guidance!"

“Thank me?” Lin Yu raised an eyebrow. “I nearly shattered your Nature Gong.”

Zhang Chulan shook his head. “My Nature Gong would have broken anyway—it’s due to my own insufficient cultivation of character, not your fault. On the contrary, if you hadn’t awakened me in time, I’d likely make the same choice again when faced with danger.”

Lin Yu nodded approvingly. “Good insight.”

Zhang Chulan glanced at Xiao Xiao and the other two, then said softly, “Big Brother Lin, I don’t expect you to repair their Spirit Souls—but there’s one thing I hope you’ll answer.”

Lin Yu didn’t hesitate. “Speak.”

Zhang Chulan asked, “If their master can tamper with Spirit Souls to this extent, why not target someone even more important?”

“You mean Ma Xianhong?”

Lin Yu casually exposed the hidden point Zhang Chulan wanted to conceal, then smiled as the younger man flushed. “Because they need Ma Xianhong. They need Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements.”

“Artificers differ from Qi cultivators—they require inspiration and creativity.”

“Desire is the source of inspiration, the driving force of creation. If you make Ma Xianhong abandon his will, do you think he could still invent countless powerful Divine Mechanisms and artifacts as he does now?”

In other words, until Old Ma became useless, his Soul and will remained safe.

Thinking of this, Zhang Chulan exhaled in relief.

Lin Yu turned to Lu Linglong. “As for repairing their Spirit Souls—it’s not difficult. But the problem is, with their current mindset, even if restored, they’ll still long for this peace.”

Just like me…

Zhang Chulan thought silently.

Lu Linglong hesitated, then hardened her expression. “Even so, they must choose for themselves!”

Lin Yu smiled. “So, little Lu girl, you’re asking me to intervene?”

Lu Linglong rose and bowed deeply. “I beg you, Elder!”

Lin Yu looked at Lu Lin. “This is your second debt to me, isn’t it?”

Lu Linglong blinked, then hurried to say, “It’s my debt, not my cousin’s.”

Lu Lin shook her head. “Linglong, don’t you see yet? One person’s debt isn’t enough. This Elder is after the entire Lu family’s favor…”

“Don’t worry.”

Lin Yu smiled. “I have no ill will toward your Lu family. I only wish to see the Heaven-Piercing Scroll and Reverse Life Three.”

Heaven-Piercing Scroll and Reverse Life Three?

Zhang Lingyu and Lu Lin both froze, exchanging a glance.

Lin Yu said, “My terms are laid out. Whether you accept is up to you.”

Zhang Lingyu said gravely, “Merely observing them is acceptable. But if you intend to forcibly seize the techniques, I cannot comply.”

Lu Lin, fearing this would anger Lin Yu, quickly added, “Elder, to be precise, it’s not that we refuse—we lack the authority. To obtain these two techniques, you must receive Grandfather’s permission.”

“Lu Jin?”

Lin Yu nodded. “Then introduce me to him.”

Saying that, he placed his hand on Xiao Xiao’s forehead, pouring his lowered spiritual force into the man’s mind, releasing a healing spell for the Spirit Soul.

Not long after, Lin Yu withdrew his hand and moved to the next person.

Lu Linglong blinked in surprise. “That’s it?”

“Of course.”

Lin Yu, while applying the same method to Chai Yan, said casually, “If you could see his Spirit Soul, you’d notice it’s healing itself.”

“At this rate, another month of sleep will restore him fully.”

He raised his hand, studying Chai Yan and clicked his tongue. “This one’s worse—probably needs two months.”

Everyone was utterly baffled by Lin Yu’s methods, helplessly watching him work on the three men’s Spirit Souls one by one.

Finally, all three sank into self-healing sleep.

Lin Yu straightened up and smiled at Zhang Lingyu and Lu Lin. “Come on—let me see them first.”

“…”

The two exchanged a glance, their expressions grave.

“Elder, be careful!”

Before the words were out, Lu Lin’s body glowed with Qi. Her black hair rapidly turned white, and her skin lightened under the Qi aura, becoming translucent and jade-like.

At the same moment, Zhang Lingyu stepped back, fingertips glowing blue as he traced a rune in the air.

The instant the rune formed, blue-white lightning danced across it, filling the air with the faint odor of ozone.

“Reverse Life Two!”

“And the Celestial Master’s Five Thunder Talisman…”

Lin Yu smiled, lightly stepping his left foot and establishing the Central Palace around him.

“Come on—I won’t take advantage. Let’s just use Qi cultivation techniques to play.”

(End of Chapter)