Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1432 Solve the doubts
A soul surgery—unheard of before.

Lu Ning had always thought that her attainments in the spiritual sea were quite good, but during the experience of having her soul partially separated and undergoing soul surgery, she was simply unable to maintain a clear perception.

In a hazy sense, she felt a sense of fullness, as if certain violent and resentful emotions were being restrained. They hadn't disappeared, but rather were beginning to converge into her thoughts, becoming stable emotions that she could control once again.

By the way, the giant knuckles... she had almost no emotions left to drive it at the end of the scene. She originally thought it was because her mindset was becoming more and more peaceful, but now it doesn't seem to be the case.

Is this what intercalation refers to as problems other than memory loss?

She didn't really feel that she had this problem. She always thought that it was a normal change after her mindset changed. As everything got better, those negative emotions gradually faded. Isn't that normal?
surely not.

"Did you know? Almost every famous person in the distribution center has undergone such surgery, or rather, maintenance, here. The distribution center does not provide any healing methods for the soul, and I am the only person in the entire distribution center who can heal the soul."

Some rustling sounds accompanied the steady narration of Zhi Run's voice.

"However, I haven't taken it any further. It can only fill in the gaps, but it can't bring back anything else. I can't go any further in this regard either; what's lost will never come back, that's just how it is."

Lu Ning wasn't quite sure why she was saying all this, but she still remembered what she said.

"Since you are someone who wants to go back, you would be better off leaving here and going to the Astral Sanctuary to visit the Temple of the Winged Ones. Clarify your path and ask them for a glimpse into your return."

Zhi Run activated a mechanism, and it seemed that more blank souls merged with hers. Zhi Run also picked up some special tools from the cart and began carefully carving them. However, Lu Ning's consciousness was gradually becoming more blurred; she couldn't fully control the new souls until they were completely integrated with her.

At one point, Lu Ning suddenly jumped up from the operating table, her eyes wide open.

Deep anesthesia—this was a very distant memory, so distant that it was still fresh in her mind when she was alive. So much so that this sudden memory interruption left her somewhat disoriented.

"Awake? You slept very well, which means the surgery was successful. You may not feel any difference right now, but the benefits will gradually become apparent. The amount of soul you lost wasn't very serious, so the recovery period will be relatively short."

"……Thanks."

"No need. My surgery isn't free. You can thank Zhao Yuqiao. Although he doesn't really need the once-a-year surgery, it's still an opportunity. Given his personality, he'll only invest in people he approves of. Get down and move around a bit. If you have no problems controlling your body, you can leave. This surgery doesn't require a follow-up appointment."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ning got off the operating table and began to move her hands and feet. She felt that her condition had indeed improved a lot, and even the fatigue from the previous two days of work had disappeared. However, her control over her body had not changed much, probably because her body was still very young and the integration speed was quite rapid.

After realizing that she was alright, Lu Ning thanked Zhi Run and left the operating room.

Outside, Zhao Yuqiao was reading a book, his brow furrowed.

"Zhao Yuqiao?"

"Oh, you're out. How are you feeling? This surgery is quite good for tourists. You'll gradually feel the benefits of your soul being replenished."

"Thank you very much."

"Hmm? Ah... no need to be so polite. Old Zhao, I'll do what I say I'll do. Anyway, we're even now." Zhao Yuqiao waved his hand. "You're all recovered? I'll see you downstairs."

"it is good."

=
Inside the Astral Sanctuary, Ning Ke had already reported on her experience. The first two people she killed were obviously not qualified to be discussed at this meeting; only Keyhole was.

As a member of the Hooked Finger Temple who participated in the siege, Lichlia also provided some supplementary explanations to Ning Ke's report. The Astral Temple has always spared no effort in eliminating the tyrant's lingering influence.

This time, the Temple of the Flying Feathers sent an administrative director to participate. She did not raise any questions about Ning Ke's report and stated that this information would be shared with several allied organizations as soon as it was archived.

The Temple Master of the Multi-Armed Temple only raised a few questions about the details of the battle, and after confirming the current situation of the Boundless Library, he did not ask any more questions.

The Temple Master of the Merged Body Temple suddenly spoke up: "Ning Ke, how are your preparations going? Are you ready to succeed as Temple Master?"

"Now?" Ning Ke asked, somewhat surprised.

"Naturally, even with the help of Lycilia, you have once again successfully contained the tyrant's legacy. In terms of achievements, no one can compare to you among the candidates for the Temple of Judgment. The position of Temple Master cannot remain vacant for too long, and we have already acknowledged your path."

"...Okay, I'll accept."

"Then go and rest, and prepare for the final fire-lighting ceremony. We will get everything ready in the next few days."

After Ning Ke left, Lichlia looked at a temple master who had remained silent in a corner.

"Stephanie, has there been any reaction to the opening of the Boundless Library this time?"

“No…” Stephanie—the Temple Master of the Temple of the Converging Wings—uttered a soft whisper, “The Cradle of Stars…is nearing deathly silence.”

"In that case, the problem of lingering poison will probably soon be less of a concern." Lichlia nodded slightly. "What about the rest?"

“Only… the Mirror of Heaven and the Pilgrimage of the Saints are active,” Stephanie said softly. “The Lost Book and the Hall of Radiance have entered auto-sequence mode. We might need to notify the various organizations and monitor their status, otherwise…”

“You must be tired, so please stop talking now. We are already aware of the situation. We will have our subordinates report the activity levels of Mirror Heaven and the Saint's Pilgrimage, and we will share that information,” said the manager of Junzu.

Stephanie nodded slowly.

"Next, we need to prepare for Ning Ke's promotion to Temple Master," said the Temple Master of the Fusion Temple.

=
After leaving Yelongting, Lu Ning first visited several key friends.

First and foremost, of course, was Yan Rong. Lu Ning felt that if anyone could answer her questions about how to deal with Li Ji, it would probably be her.

Coincidentally, Yan Rong had just returned from a scene.

"You mean you've encountered an opponent you can't beat?"

"Theoretically, anyone in the scene should be able to beat you, right?" Lu Ning asked.

"Hmm...that's right." "But this time even the strongest one among us couldn't beat her."

"Who do you think it is? It's probably because no one has bothered to study the power ceiling of the scene." Yan Rong shrugged. "The power ceiling is something that requires a tourist who specializes in the power system to study in detail, unless they are a grandmaster-level expert."

Does Li Duanyu count?

Yan Rong was taken aback: "Li Duanyu? Maybe not really... He doesn't delve into the limits of scene power; he just trains his martial arts heart."

Lu Ning was somewhat surprised: "Huh? How did you know?"

Yan Rong suddenly smiled slyly: "Guess who my mentor was in the first level five scenario?"

Hearing this, how could Lu Ning not guess? She looked at Yan Rong in surprise.

"Ah...yes, I really learned a lot, hehe, Lu Ning, I think what I learned in the first scene was no less than what you learned." Yan Rong said proudly, "In short, I can tell you with certainty that Li Duanyu will not pursue any scene limits. According to your description, there are probably no scenes left."

"Oh……"

"For example, in the second phase of the mission, although you collected two methods for cultivating immortal arts, you didn't continue along that path, right? Also, none of the tourists investigated what Huang Kui did, right? This demon star didn't even appear on the battlefield at the end. Aren't you wondering why?"

"I... have a slight guess," Lu Ning said helplessly.

"Alright, since I didn't actually experience it in the scene, I can only make a judgment based on your general description. Didn't Li Ji mention some kind of fellow Daoist to you? And Xu Fu is also pursuing the Immortal Mountain. The most important thing is the so-called True Immortal, which sounds like some kind of extraterrestrial civilization with advanced technology. It's such a pity that no one is digging into this information."

"All the tourists this time are like this, I... just focused on the mission."

"That's understandable. Even if you have experience leading a tour group, it's hard to grasp the key points without experiencing things firsthand. Think back to your first experience and compare it; you might understand better. It was only after Zhou Weiyuan helped me review the situation that we noticed some problems."

Lu Ning couldn't help but recall her first scene.

"The mentors' goals are never tasks or completing the objectives given by the gathering place. They will prioritize setting their own goals and achieving them, because the gathering place provides a lot of time in the fifth level, which gives experienced players enough room to build up their strength."

Yes, it seems that both Jun Ying and Yuwen Bin focused on nurturing Lu Ning and others from the outset, equipping them with various powers, rather than caring about joining a particular faction. In fact, it could be said that the faction that could be joined was, to some extent, fostered and strengthened by these two.

"Don't make the mission the primary goal, but rather use the standard that your current strength exceeds the mission's requirements. If you don't know exactly what level the mission requires, then move forward as far as possible and treat the mission as a secondary task to be completed. — Lu Ning, the fifth rank is different from before. We don't have the pressure of advancing to the next rank, and there's no upper limit to our scores. The mission isn't as urgent either. Under all these conditions, we must also change some of the habits we've developed."

"What you said makes sense..."

"Of course, we can still maintain some of our own style. I'm unlikely to change it; my style has always been the same—"

The door suddenly opened, and Zhou Weiyuan walked in carrying a tray of pastries.

"Hey, Lu Ning."

"Zhou Weiyuan, how's it going? You should have passed the first scene by now, right?"

"Barely enough, one of my mentors is a cryptic mage, but unfortunately, his path is not the same as the cryptic path I want to take, so I can only learn some basic knowledge. The other one is a teacher of mind cultivation, and thanks to him, my impatient mind has been greatly relieved after entering the fifth level."

He placed the snacks on the table and then sat down.

“Although Yan Rong told you a lot of things, they were all things we discovered during our debriefing. She herself hasn’t changed at all; at most, she’s just become a bit more mature.” Zhou Weiyuan didn’t hesitate to expose her. “You’d better listen selectively to what she says.”

"Hahaha, that's right, that's right. My path as a martial artist might not be suitable for you, and you're not without other paths to take." Yan Rong wasn't annoyed; instead, he laughed.

“Even fifth-tier tourists have their own methods, Lu Ning,” Zhou Weiyuan said. “I overheard a bit of the story, and I roughly guessed that you weren’t satisfied with the outcome of this scene?”

"That's it."

“I suggest you don’t worry about it so much. In fact, it will help you distinguish yourself from the situation,” Zhou Weiyuan said.

"What do you mean?"

He pointed to himself: "Take me for example. I once got too immersed in a scene, which led to a long period of depression. Psychological problems can't be cured in the distribution center, so I could only work it out little by little. Yan Rong helped a lot at that time."

"Who told you to never be on the battlefield? New recruits are most prone to this kind of mistake, it's normal."

"So, Lu Ning, I always made sure to create a clear boundary between myself and the scene, to separate the two sides—while Yan Rong was more carefree than me. She came in fully immersed, and she left without any hesitation."

"So, it all depends on the individual." Yan Rong waved his hand and picked up a pastry. "You come to us, and we can only give these suggestions based on our own experience, but you may not do them. For example, you may not be entirely satisfied with what's happening in the scene right now, but haven't you been affected in any way?"

That's true.

Lu Ning didn't really have much nostalgia for that world where humans and demons fought together; she just felt that she hadn't done her best.

Finally, after telling Yan Rong to try to find out if Mo Ningyan knew anything about Karl's death, she said goodbye to her two friends and left.

Afterwards, she talked with some other friends, but both Christine and Lyudmila could only offer their own ideas, which were too personal and not worth emulating.

Fortunately, Lu Ning didn't intend to learn from others; she just wanted to talk to people about her experiences and see if there were any areas for improvement.

A day passed, and when she returned to the camp again, she finally saw a familiar person... no, the two of them were sitting in the room.

"Yuanzi! And... Xueyin?"

“See, I told you she’d come.” Watanabe Fuchiko smiled and tapped the doorway with her fan. “You can catch up first. Oh, and two other people are here to see you too, but they can’t come right away. They’ll probably be here a little later. Fujii is going to join our organization.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Ning couldn't help but smile knowingly.

Fujii Yukine smiled and said, "Shang Wenxue has to report to the Golden Dawn and will be here later. Shu Xingruo also needs to go to an organization to meet a fifth-level person, but it's all very mysterious, and I don't know where it is. So... I, who doesn't belong to any organization, came first."