Chapter 7: A Hooligan’s Lesson and the Siren’s Call

A verbose 001 remained blissfully unaware that Lin Ling had already secretly sentenced it to death.

It truly had no idea that Lin Ling had been a boy in her previous life on Blue Star. Currently, it was merely acting on the instructions provided by its Creator. In a way, ignorance was bliss.

Lin Ling, however, cared little for such nuances. Even though she had been transformed into such an exquisitely beautiful girl, she had no intention of becoming a lady. Perhaps being a ‘hooligan girl’ would be a far more appealing choice.

Confronted with the incessantly chattering 001, who spoke at length without any sign of stopping, Lin Ling’s patience was steadily wearing thin.

The inexplicable patience and goodwill she had shown towards the Light Cluster earlier had completely vanished. At this moment, Lin Ling’s greatest desire was to master this power and then investigate the cause of Xi Yue’s death.

She certainly didn’t want to sit here listening to it drone on about the duties and responsibilities of the Battle Sovereign.

‘Didn’t the Mother Goddess just say I had three years of freedom!’

‘Anything else can wait three years.’

“So, I will teach you the languages of the twelve races and the ancient divine tongue, and then…”

“Shut up and get to the point. First, tell me how to control this body.” Lin Ling’s impatience flared. Her slightly displeased and icy tone instantly startled the little kitten before her.

Gazing into those familiar yet chilling golden pupils, 001 couldn’t help but tremble.

“My apologies… Then, I shall first teach you how to control your strength and the basic application of spiritual energy.”

“Good.”

‘That’s more like it.’

As 001 began its instruction, Lin Ling’s gaze softened. Upon closer, more patient observation, the entity before her did indeed seem rather adorable.

If it taught well, she might even overlook its previous verbal transgressions.

“To control your body, you must first understand spiritual energy. Spiritual energy is the primary component of the soul. All sentient beings in the world possess a soul, differing only in strength.”

“Weak souls are negligible; they almost dissipate the moment the body dies. However, powerful souls, such as yours, Lady Lin Ling, have bodies entirely composed of the highest-grade, most concentrated spiritual energy.”

“This is also known as Holy Spirit Power, and it is currently one of the most potent forces in the Origin Star Universe.”

“Spiritual energy, huh…” Lin Ling continued her mental conversation with 001. “One of the strongest powers? Are there other forces comparable to this Holy Spirit Power?”

“Yes, there are. Those are powers from the Outer Domain, which you will undoubtedly encounter in the future.”

“The Outer Domain?”

“It refers to places beyond the Origin Star Universe, where many powerful and dangerous lifeforms also reside.”

“Oh, we can discuss that later. How do I control spiritual energy, then?” Though Lin Ling was somewhat curious about this ‘Outer Domain’—a name that immediately struck her as unsettling—her primary task was to learn to control her own body. After all, she had no desire to remain at the bottom of the sea indefinitely.

The fish around her seemed to be gathering in increasing numbers.

001 resumed its instruction. “First, you need to perceive…”

****

An unknown amount of time passed. With 001’s assistance, Lin Ling entered her sea of consciousness, performing thousands of simulations within it.

After a prolonged period of effort, Lin Ling could finally be considered proficient in controlling her body. Skills such as joint manipulation, basic spiritual energy control, and spiritual energy perception cultivation were successfully added to her repertoire.

“Ah, it’s time to leave this seabed first.”

With that thought, Lin Ling swiftly withdrew from her sea of consciousness.

However,

When Lin Ling opened her eyes again, she was stunned by the sight before her. Countless marine creatures—all sorts of bizarre fish, mollusks, and arthropods—had encircled her. They didn’t approach too closely, merely remaining a few meters away, seemingly content with that distance.

This “mermaid princess” treatment utterly astonished Lin Ling. “001, what’s going on?”

“This is quite normal. Holy Spirit Power naturally evokes an unparalleled sense of affinity in all creatures possessing a soul. They instinctively desire to approach you and remain by your side.”

“How can I avoid this, then? Honestly, there are so many disgusting creatures among them. I don’t want to be followed by a swarm of rats every day,” Lin Ling asked, exasperated.

“It’s simple. Either retract the overflowing Holy Spirit Power back into your body or manipulate some ordinary spiritual energy to cloak yourself. They will then automatically disperse.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Ling quickly tried to retract the spiritual energy into her body. Sure enough, the schools of fish scattered shortly thereafter.

“Does it work on humans?”

“Yes, it does. However, the effect is significantly less pronounced on intelligent beings.”

‘That’s quite a useful skill indeed.’

After pondering for a moment, Lin Ling picked up the little kitten beside her and stored it within her internal space.

Then,

Silver-white spiritual energy instantly mobilized, swiftly adhering to the surface of Lin Ling’s body.

The next moment,

Lin Ling transformed into a streak of silver-white light, shooting directly out of the ocean and soaring towards her home in Cangyang City.

Due to the spiritual energy sheath enveloping her, and Lin Ling’s astonishing speed,

No one along her path noticed her flying overhead.