Chapter 7: Form is Emptiness (1)
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Ding! Shiyuan’s favorability towards you has risen to 100%.
Your Luck Value has increased by 8000, bringing your total to 8000 points.
Your Luck Level has risen to level 8.
You have completed a side quest and obtained Fragment of Treasure Map 4-3.
When Lin Nan regained consciousness, she had turned into a spirit body.
Suspended in mid-air, she witnessed Liao Chen dramatically transform into the Demon Emperor. Lin Nan was completely floored.
She never imagined things would spiral into such a bizarre situation.
If she hadn’t meddled with the history of the Demon Emperor and Human Emperor, would Liao Chen have undergone such a drastic personality change upon her d*ath and accepted the vast demon energy to become the Demon Emperor?
The world line was already precarious.
Moreover, Lin Nan had altered the original settings of the Low Martial World at a foundational level, leading to an exaggerated butterfly effect that was hard to fathom.
But… why could she still think so much after dying?
Recalling the moment she tried to save Liao Chen but ended up being sent to the enemy’s line of fire by the system, frustration bubbled within her.
Although she admitted that if she hadn’t taken such extreme measures, there was no way Liao Chen’s favorability could have skyrocketed to 100% so quickly,
it really took a tragic twist to get there.
But… trading her life for favorability? That was a monumental loss, wasn’t it?
Like now, she’d received a reward from the system,
but as a spirit, she could only watch as Liao Chen first wept bitterly and then turned cold and detached, unable to say a word to him.
This was the outcome she achieved after burning through over 5000 points of Luck Value.
Fortunately, the system didn’t announce her immediate elimination and allowed her to observe this world as a spectator.
Yet, from another angle, the system had stripped her of the ability to take action.
Unless Liao Chen could somehow bring her back to life…
“Does passing the remaining time in spirit form count as clearing the level?” Lin Nan inquired.
It does.
Lin Nan finally felt a little relieved; passing was all she wanted.
Even if it was the lowest rating, she would accept it. Better than randomly dying in the quest, right?
Though, at this point, she felt like she was already as good as dead.
Floating above and watching her body encased in eternal ice, Lin Nan felt an odd sense of surrealism;
everything before her was both real and unreal.
Further contemplation would lead her into philosophical musings, and at this moment, Lin Nan wasn’t interested in philosophy—it’d just make her overthink everything and neglect the developments unfolding around her.
“System, can I freely travel to any place in this world? There’s still one and a half months until I meet the minimum conditions to clear the level, and I’d like to see the scenery.”
No. As a spirit, you can only appear near those you have an emotional connection with or who hold a place for you in their hearts.
Lin Nan, “…”
So, being a spirit is just being a favorability meter now?
“Well then, let me go to Little Shiyuan.”
Little Shiyuan had vanished midway back to the mountain stronghold; she thought he’d split into Liao Chen and Leng Yi.
But Liao Chen had been famous for ages, and Leng Yi was the leader of the Giant Wave Gang, renowned in rivers, lakes, and seas.
If Liao Chen and Leng Yi were like Good Shiyuan and could only exist through Little Shiyuan’s body, they could never achieve such remarkable success.
It seemed that although they were essentially one person, they were like the Shiyuan from “Questioning the Dao,” split into independent individual consciousnesses, soon leading their own lives.
Although Little Shiyuan wasn’t as challenging as others, as her first target and with his favorability already at 100%, she couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic for him.
And in the final moments, she had revealed the truth as a prank, hurting Little Shiyuan’s fragile and sensitive heart,
which left her feeling a twinge of guilt.
Now, since the spirit could track those who held favorability towards her, why not try it out?
She silently thought, “I want to go to Little Shiyuan.”
“Whoosh,”
As this sound echoed in her ears, Lin Nan felt like she was riding a heavenly elevator, her spirit soaring rapidly upward before crashing back down to the ground.
As her heart raced, she spotted a convoy of horse-drawn carriages.
Dozens of martial artists were mounted on tall horses, patrolling around the convoy, evidently on guard duty.
The convoy moved slowly, seemingly in no hurry.
Where was Little Shiyuan?
Lin Nan floated overhead, scanning the convoy, then closed her eyes to feel the fluctuating numbers of favorability.
Finally, she spotted Little Shiyuan sleeping in the middle of the convoy.
His body shook up and down with the jostling carriage, looking like he was having a nightmare, his brow furrowed as he mumbled, “No… don’t…”
Lin Nan sighed and wanted to gently brush his forehead and wipe away his cold sweat.
But her fingers passed right through him, sinking into his skin instead.
Her attempts to wake him from his nightmare failed spectacularly.
Had she really left such a heavy psychological scar on him?
She was truly a menace, wasn’t she?
However, considering the convoy’s setup, Little Shiyuan should be safe.
Moreover, several knights ahead were holding flags emblazoned with a large “Shih” character, which, if she guessed correctly, meant these martial artists belonged to the Shijia Mountain Villa, a direct branch of the Martial Arts Alliance.
Having them protect Little Shiyuan should pose no problem.
She couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret, wishing Good Shiyuan could have an independent existence like Evil Shiyuan and Shining Diamond Shiyuan.
Filled with a sense of longing, she wanted to check on Good Shiyuan’s whereabouts.
But unsurprisingly, she hadn’t moved an inch—she still hovered in Little Shiyuan’s carriage.
It was clear that Good Shiyuan remained asleep within Little Shiyuan’s body,
and she had no idea what it would take to wake him.
Ah well, she’d look for another opportunity to meet him later; after all, right now she was just a powerless spirit, so even if she saw Good Shiyuan, she wouldn’t be able to continue the unfinished business in the chamber.
Thinking about it… it was truly a missed opportunity.
She had intended to follow the convoy to see what Little Shiyuan’s father, Shi Jinghai, was like.
But then she reconsidered; given how her manipulations had transformed this Low Martial World into a demon realm, no matter how powerful Shi Jinghai was, he was merely at the pinnacle of this low martial world. What could he do against the Demon Emperor and Human Emperor?
So instead of wasting time, she might as well check out what Liao Chen was up to.
With that thought, Lin Nan vanished, returning to the valley.
But at the very moment her spirit faded, Little Shiyuan, who had been sleeping, slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze, whether intentional or not, landed precisely where Lin Nan had once been.
A slight smirk graced Little Shiyuan’s lips, as if he had stumbled upon something rather intriguing.
