Chapter 41: The Call of the Spiritual Body

Quantitative changes accumulate to lead to qualitative changes. This general principle is evident in the development of many things. The Source of Combat Energy is a good example.

Frey’s scientists call it an Energy Conversion Generator. To most people in this era, this name seems rather odd; they prefer to refer to it by its organ-like name—Light Sack.

“Congratulations! From now on, you’ll have the pleasure of enjoying delicious food!” Such compliments aren’t just used to praise someone for having a great cook or a superb wife—they’re also used to praise those who obtain a Light Sack.

Apart from those with extraordinary talents or outliers like Neo, who possess secrets within their bodies and are blessed with good fortune, most professionals obtain combat energy primarily from food when they first get a Light Sack. Those who can afford it start consuming “Attribute Power Packages.” As the name suggests, such foods contain abundant energy matching their attribute powers. As for taste… well, it’s hard to say. Some warriors eat raw meat, milk, and eggs daily to build strong bodies—foods that ordinary people desire. But for those warriors, it’s already a success if they can swallow them without vomiting. They would never agree that it tastes good.

Given Neo’s circumstances, if he were an ordinary person, he would have to start eating voraciously, working hard to boost his metabolism, exercising intensely, and gradually increasing his food intake. The energy of the six elements is everywhere; the plants and animals in this world all contain some form of energy. Poor people rely on the meager energy in these ordinary foods that matches their own power attributes to obtain combat energy. The main value of a Light Sack lies in turning passivity into initiative. Some professionals joked about it: “A poor person’s Light Sack is the best juicer in the world!”

For this reason, just as many poor mages hesitate to use their magic scrolls even when in mortal danger during battles, many fighters (the counterparts of spellcasters) also refrain from using combat energy easily even at level 5. They hold back, nurturing their Light Sacks in order to transform them into Power Sacks (a marker of level 10). Once successful, they can replenish their bodies with matching energy through consumption, absorption, or, as Frey has now added, injection—three methods to directly supply enough combat energy.

What makes Neo stand out is that he doesn’t have such worries. “Life Absorption” allows him to directly ingest attribute powers, while Nancy takes over the function of converting energy into combat energy directly, instead of relying on a Power Sack. Otherwise, with his current small frame, his ability to absorb energy would only lead to “indigestion.”

Thinking about what he had gained today, mainly from killing the minions of darkness, Neo said casually, “It seems that fighting against the forces of darkness to the end is now my undeniable duty.”

“Although plunder is indeed the essence of the law of the jungle, it still possesses an extremely complex diversity. Relying on war to sustain war is certainly a viable approach, but I suggest focusing mainly on natural acquisition. After all, your shaman class can provide stable and effective means, especially ‘Micro-Convergence’—a energy-concentrating formation originally used when the gods first descended. Though what we have is incomplete, I’ve already deciphered its core operation mechanism, and the missing parts can be compensated for with other methods. Of course, this requires an improvement in your relevant abilities and more knowledge to assist.”

“It sounds like there’s a bright future ahead. Specifically, what suggestions do you have?”

“For the warrior class, focus on building a solid foundation. The missed innate bonuses can still be made up before fully reaching level 5. Prioritize the shaman class by strengthening perception, purifying mental energy, and expanding magical pathways. Additionally, entering dark regions is also a good opportunity. Even if you can’t gain the allegiance of spirits, you should at least obtain 1–2 dark totems. At this depth, earth elements are the most abundant, followed by fire elements. Although water elements are scarce, those that exist are often of extremely high quality. People say this place is even more desolate than the worst deserts and steppes on the surface, but for those who believe in nature, there is no barren land—only lands suffering from imbalance. How to make the most of it depends on your own ideas and abilities.”

After Nancy explained this, Neo felt everything become clear to him. He had previously had a narrow mindset, thinking that only places with beautiful scenery, lush vegetation, and rich biodiversity were paradises for life. He didn’t realize that while such places were indeed good, they were quite stable, and no matter how much effort was put in, it was merely adding icing on the cake. On the other hand, those harsh environments, though dangerous, offered numerous opportunities for substantial rewards.

Returning from the world of consciousness, Neo first checked his wounds. Without surprise, even the most severe wound could now have its stitches removed. After finishing up with his injuries, Neo stretched his limbs, feeling refreshed, light, and energetic. Delighted, he packed up his belongings and left the pillar rock.

This time, Neo moved steadily and easily, not in a hurry. Coupled with the ‘energy-saving movements’ he had already adopted in his daily activities, he barely sweated at all. There were two main benefits to this: maintaining body hydration and reducing body odor. He temporarily avoided wearing tight clothing, as its airtightness was a double-edged sword. It could help him disappear in critical moments, but wearing it during long journeys would only cause trouble.

Neo had already set his goal for this journey before resting: to find a source of high-quality air. However, once he set out, he realized that the pillar forest was far more vast than he had imagined. He had traveled for over half an hour, covering at least 3 kilometers, yet all he saw were the same unchanging rock pillars and desolation.

Ji spoke up then, “Neo, I sense a powerful and ancient stone spirit here…”

“Hmm, maybe it’s willing to talk to me.”

The spirit summoning—a shamanic technique—varies greatly depending on the school, though this is merely superficial. At its core, it involves paying a visit, especially when dealing with someone for the first time; being polite or catering to their preferences is sufficient. Gifts like thin blankets or incense are unnecessary, as it’s an equal exchange, not a form of worship to deities.

As Ji mentioned, the spirits here are ancient and powerful. Neo expected them to take the form of stone giants, but to his surprise, they were even more extraordinary—resembling the shadows of titans, with clear outlines, soft lines, and primitive rituals. Their expressions were also highly vivid and realistic. Judging by their appearance alone, Neo almost suspected they were magical illusions created by some master illusionist.

The stone spirit glanced at Neo listlessly, sounding somewhat impatient. “Little one, what do you want?”

Neo smiled. “You seem unhappy. Is it because of my interruption?”

“A little. You’ve interrupted my thoughts.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that. Is there anything I can do to help? Perhaps I can make amends for my rudeness.”

“You?” The stone spirit tilted its head at Neo, then shook it. “If I had lice—those that burrow holes and nest in stone pillar forests—you might be able to help. But right now, the problem is that my colorful clothes are missing. Can you help me find them?”

“Colorful clothes?” Neo thought for a moment before realizing the stone spirit must be referring to vegetation, the plants that grow in dark areas.

“Restore the vegetation here?” Neo looked at the ground. At the bases of some stone pillars, smooth, winding grooves could still be seen, proving that water had once existed here. But now, there wasn’t even soil—only rocks and sand, so dry it was intimidating. Along the way, Neo had covered his nose and mouth with a scarf to avoid inhaling too much dust. It was difficult to imagine that the “colorful clothes” mentioned by the stone spirit had disappeared hundreds or thousands of years ago; finding them would be extremely challenging.

Still, Neo wasn’t ready to let this opportunity slip away so easily. He smiled at the stone spirit and said, “I’m quite interested in the story of those colorful clothes. If you have time, could you tell me?”

The stone spirit acted like a little old child, frowning and thinking for a while while muttering to itself, “It seems I haven’t had a chat in ages. It’s so boring. How long has it been…?”

“Alright, alright! Then I’ll tell you about my colorful clothes…” The stone spirit said, shrinking down and sitting cross-legged.

Neo no longer had to look up. He found a rock nearby to sit on and then introduced Ji to the stone spirit.

Perhaps because they were both spirits, or maybe due to Ji’s unique nature, the stone spirit was much friendlier to Ji than to Neo. It even set aside the topic of the colorful clothes. It was only after Ji kindly reminded it that Neo understood the whole situation.

Simply put, this place once had flowing water and lush vegetation, but time and human actions caused it to experience several rises and falls. The most severe incident saw sulfide-containing gales ravage the area, killing much of the vegetation. Then came floods that washed away the soil, followed by a lack of water, with the paths for the gales blocked down to only the one used by Neo when he arrived. That’s how it ended up looking like this.

While the changes brought about by the passage of time are indeed thought-provoking, Neo was more concerned about the surrounding situation—or rather, whether the stone spirit had any idea about retrieving its flower dress. If there were no conditions met, it would be nothing but empty words: “I want my flower dress.” That’s like an ordinary person dreaming of becoming king. After all, to please a stone spirit by undertaking such a monumental effort would likely be beyond even a deity’s capacity.

“Hmm… Miss Waterflower is trapped behind that dam by a group of little creatures, along with Dark Algae, Shattered Light Vines, and Fire-Eating Mushrooms…” The stone spirit finally reached what Neo considered the key point. Through a series of questions and answers, Neo gradually understood the situation: the terrain in this stone forest was low, and if there was a water source, shallow ponds could form. With those plants mentioned by the stone spirit in place, its flower dress might reappear.

Of course, it’s easier said than done. Not to mention searching for and collecting those plant species, just the so-called “little creatures” mentioned by the stone spirit. Neo thought to himself that, if he remembered correctly, most of the Dark Elves, Gray Dwarves, Bottom-Dwelling Demon Fish, Hidden Pseudomonsters, Dino Dwarves, Stone-Blind Barbarians, Tide Fishmen, and Spirit Suckers lived in this layer. These underground races were either communal or extremely powerful—none of them easy to deal with.

With a positive and optimistic attitude, Neo still felt he had gained a lot from talking with the stone spirit. At least he no longer had to rely solely on the freshness of the air to find the living cave; the stone spirit had already pointed him in the right direction.

In the Stone Pillar Forest, the stone spirit was practically everywhere. So even though Spine had set off with Neo again, they could still chat smoothly with the stone spirit. Mostly, it was listening to the stone spirit ramble about the changes and things it had seen over tens of thousands of years. Neo was one of the listeners, not interrupting, but rather stimulating the stone spirit’s desire to talk. It was just a small matter, but it tickled the stone spirit’s interest. As it said, it had been bored for too long; it was rare to be able to communicate with other beings, and it was eager to listen, so its enthusiasm grew, and it ended up talking at length. Not only did Neo gain a lot of knowledge, but Nancy also benefited greatly—what could be considered an unexpected gain.

After walking at a leisurely pace for over an hour, Neo finally reached the edge on the other side of the Stone Pillar Forest. This wasn’t even the direct opposite direction of where he had come from, but a diagonal offset. This surprised Neo, who was new to this dark realm. Although he had been somewhat prepared, he never imagined the underground world could be so vast. The underground forest stretched for over ten thousand meters across its boundaries.

“Are you leaving already?” the stone spirit asked with slight regret. It already had a good impression of Neo, and there were still over 20,000 stories left to tell.

“Yes, maybe we can meet again soon.” Neo waved goodbye to the Stone Spirit without any reluctance; he hadn’t forgotten the dark minions who considered themselves hunters behind him.
“If you’re going to investigate those little guys who built dams, be careful of one with a long worm-like lower body—that’s their leader,” the Stone Spirit warned kindly.
“Hmm…” Neo pondered. Though the Stone Spirit’s description was simple, it reminded him of a creature—Medusa.
It was said that the name Medusa was given by the gods themselves, which made this woman with snake hair and a snake body extremely famous. Even children on the surface knew of her name.
“What a terrifying creature!” Neo thought silently as he continued on his way. Strictly speaking, he wasn’t really that afraid of Medusa. As a sword fighter, besides his skillful hands, blind fighting was another ability he took pride in. At level 3, he had effortlessly cut down arrows shot from 30 steps away while blind, without error. Now, with his combat energy, he had gained a new innate ability—tactile resonance. As the name suggested, it was an energy field created by his combat energy that reacted to external forces. Anything that entered this field gave the user a sensation as if it were touching their body. It was more sensitive than a mage’s perception, though its range was limited. Moreover, its range increased as the user’s strength grew.
The existence of Medusa helped Neo guess the race of the little guys mentioned by the Stone Spirit—the Stone-Blind Barbarians. These creatures, known as “dangerous butchers,” were naturally immune to Medusa’s petrifying gaze. They loved fresh meat, especially human flesh.
Since they could occupy a water source, their numbers couldn’t be too small. It was said that most adult Stone-Blind Barbarians were at levels 2–3, with commanders reaching levels 4 or even 5. With aliens in front and pursuers behind, Neo didn’t dare be careless. He took off his clothes, packed them up, and put on his tight-fitting suit. The temperature here was just over 10 degrees, which wasn’t a problem for Neo’s physique.
The passage was the only route, extremely wide—three horses could run side by side without issue. Neo could easily smell the scent of plants mixed with a slight dampness in the air. There was also a nauseating odor, likely emitted by the creatures he was investigating.
Besides having a blind range of about 15 meters, the Stone-Blind Barbarians had decent senses of smell and hearing, though they were far inferior to those of dogs or wolves. Neo wasn’t sure exactly how good they were, so he could only proceed step by step.
As cold-light plants appeared and more chaotic noises grew louder, Neo knew they were nearing the aliens’ nest.
Sure enough, after turning a gentle curve, a lush dome appeared dozens of meters away. With the cold-light plants growing inside, Neo estimated the span from front to back to be over 400 meters. He hadn’t seen the width or height yet, but it probably wasn’t too cramped.

“It’s a nice place everywhere…” Neo didn’t rush in. He had thorns and death vines; although their perception wasn’t as clear and direct as that of the eyes, it was still possible to gather some basic information through them, so there was no need to take risks personally.
At the same time, Eirlys led a group of his dark minions to the half-column where Neo had once rested. The small pile of campfire ashes made Eirlys look gloomy. “Hmph, quite relaxed!” With a flick of his hand, a drop of poisonous green embers landed on the ashes, producing a dazzling burst of light.
Within that light, one could faintly see Neo healing and resting.
Whoosh! The light eventually condensed into a glowing orb that floated upward.
“Alright, let’s go. Neo hasn’t been away for long. This time, we must not let him escape!”