Douluo Continent: Starting with the Tiger Emperor Template

Nana's voice trembled with disbelief, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.

The kneeling servants behind him also looked up, their gazes towards Lu Ren filled with awe and bewilderment.

They couldn't understand what the name "Lu Ren" meant, but from Nana's reaction, they could guess that the young man who casually destroyed a branch of the Holy Spirit Cult was no ordinary person.

Nana knelt on the spot, her mind revolving around only one thought.

She never expected it, never expected it at all.

This powerful figure who single-handedly killed the Soul Saint Elder was actually the rising genius student from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy.

It turns out his true combat strength is so strong that even the Soul Saint Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult is no match for him, considering that he only has the cultivation of a four-ring Soul Master.

"I didn't expect to run into a classmate here."

Lu Ren raised an eyebrow, his tone becoming more relaxed.

The chilling aura he exuded when he slew the evil spirit master had quietly faded away, replaced by a nonchalant and easygoing demeanor.

"I remember you're also a Soul Guidance System user?"

Nana nodded blankly.

She was indeed in control of the Soul Guidance System, but she never knew that Lu Ren actually remembered her.

At present, Nana is just an inconspicuous student with a cultivation level of only thirty-nine. In the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, which is full of talented people, she is like a speck of dust.

She was usually quiet and unnoticed, and it was only after a few years, when she broke through to the Soul King level, that she began to attract attention.

Lu Ren is a prodigy personally recruited by the Hall Master of Jing Hongchen, a monster that even Ji Juechen is willing to follow, and the focus of discussion among all the teachers and students in the academy.

Such a person actually remembered someone as insignificant as her.

A blush rose on Nana's cheeks, and she subconsciously lowered her eyelashes.

Because her parents were imprisoned by the Holy Spirit Cult, she had no choice but to obey them, don this black robe, and become a servant of this branch altar.

According to the rules of the Holy Spirit Cult, they will only accept her as a formal member after she breaks through to the fifth level of Soul King and demonstrates sufficient talent.

By then, she will never be able to turn back.

However, this process was unexpectedly disrupted by Lu Ren.

These days, she lives in fear and torment every day.

During the day, they had to pretend to go to class at the academy as if nothing was wrong, but when they returned here at night, they faced the cold gazes and omnipresent threats of those evil spirit masters.

She dared not run away, dared not ask for help, and dared not show any abnormality in front of anyone, because she knew that as long as she made any unusual move, her parents' souls would be scattered.

She never imagined that her savior would be a fellow student from the same academy.

Even more unexpectedly, it was Lu Ren.

"Senior Lu Ren..."

Nana bit her lower lip and stood up from the ground.

The holy servants behind him also stood up, bowing their heads with respectful and reserved expressions.

"If it weren't for you, we would probably be controlled by the Holy Spirit Cult for the rest of our lives. The souls of our loved ones would be imprisoned here forever, never to be reborn."

Her voice trembled slightly, and her eyes reddened even more.

"We have no way to repay this kindness."

She took a deep breath, raised her head, and a resolute light appeared in her eyes.

"I know that you are very powerful and may not need us to follow you, but we are still willing to do anything for you, even if it means going through fire and water, we will never back down."

Behind him, the holy servants echoed his sentiments.

"We will go through fire and water, and never back down!"

The sound echoed in the empty courtyard.

These poor people, most of whom had been devastated by the Holy Spirit Cult and lost their families, now had regained their freedom and received Lu Ren's life-saving grace, and had long regarded him as their only reliance.

Lu Ren looked at the earnest people in front of him but did not answer immediately.

He lowered his eyelashes and fell into deep thought.

He definitely needs manpower right now.

He has always been a loner.

Doing everything personally ultimately limits efficiency.

He needs to build his own power, even if it's just a rudimentary form, or just a group of people to help him with miscellaneous tasks.

And these people in front of you are precisely the most suitable choice.

They have been persecuted by the Holy Spirit Cult and hate evil spirit masters to the core; their loyalty is absolutely reliable.

They had no other way out; they were left with no one else in the world.

More importantly, they witnessed firsthand the entire process of him destroying the branch altar and performing the deliverance of souls. This awe and gratitude is a bond that no amount of exchange of benefits can replace.

But there are some things we need to clarify first.

"You really believe me that much?"

Lu Ren spoke, his gaze slowly sweeping across each person's face.

Nana gave a wry smile.

That smile carried a sense of vicissitude and helplessness that belied her age.

"I don't want this either. But we've been enslaved for so long, and almost all of us are orphans. We have no family left in this world."

Her voice lowered, as if she were talking to herself.

"If you don't want us, we don't even know what to do."

"Besides, we've long suspected that Mingdu might be connected to this cult that calls itself the Holy Spirit Cult. Otherwise, we would have reported this situation to someone long ago."

"But we dare not, because we do not know who among those high-ranking figures are their people and who are not."

"So, after this base is destroyed, I definitely won't be able to go back to the academy. Not just me, none of us will be able to go back."

"The Church of the Holy Spirit will not let traitors go unpunished, even if we have never truly pledged allegiance to them."

Nana took over the conversation, her voice tinged with a pleading tone.

"Senior Lu Ren, please give us your instructions. Even just showing us the right path would be helpful."

She turned to the side, her gaze sweeping over the eight people behind her.

"Among the eight of them, four are Soul Masters and four are Soul Kings. Four of them are also Soul Masters, capable of creating and repairing Soul Guidance Devices."

She turned around and looked directly at Lu Ren.

"If you refuse to take us in, we're afraid we won't escape the Holy Spirit Cult's pursuit."

Lu Ren did not answer immediately.

He was thinking about something else.

Should we report this situation to Jing Hongchen?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he suppressed it.

impossible.

This matter has now involved the Holy Spirit Cult.

Not to mention that the Holy Spirit Cult is very likely to have intricate connections with the current Crown Prince Xu Tianran and other high-ranking officials of the Sun Moon Empire.

In the original story, the Holy Spirit Cult was able to take root and develop in Mingdu and eventually become a major force for the Sun Moon Empire, thanks to the protection of Xu Tianran and other high-ranking members.

Although Jing Hongchen is the head of Mingde Hall and holds a prestigious position, he is ultimately just a soul master and a researcher.

He did not participate in the power struggle for the throne, nor did he want to get involved in the conflict.

Telling him about this will only put him in a difficult position, and may even force him to make choices that go against his conscience.

Moreover, Jing Hongchen had treated him well, and he couldn't just throw a hot potato into her hands.

He has to clean up this mess himself.

A moment later, Lu Ren raised his head.

"I'll help cover up what happened to Nana at the academy."

"And I will clean up all traces in this stronghold. I will create the illusion that you are all dead, so that the Holy Spirit Cult will believe that you perished in tonight's attack along with those evil spirit masters."