38: Chapter 38 Shang Ting's Contract, Li Siwen Coaxes Yue Li to Become a Spirit

Feeling the instinctive fear and tearful plea for help from Yue Li's remnant Soul, Li Siwen (Li Shiwen) felt a jolt in his heart.

He could clearly perceive the sincerity and urgency in the other party's emotions; it didn't seem faked.

The System prompt once again confirmed this:

[Extreme fear and survival instinct from Yue Li +80]

[Plea from Yue Li +70]

However, the System's warning was still fresh in his ears.

Handing over the power of the Tianyuan Realm without any constraints to an ancient remnant Soul of unknown background was simply too risky!

In a flash, Li Siwen made an extremely wise decision—seek outside help!

While nodding reassuringly to Yue Li to show he understood, he quickly sank his consciousness into the brilliant Star River platform in his mind.

[Jiuji - Li Shiwen]: "@All Members Emergency! Help! We're trapped in an Ancient Grotto-Heaven, surrounded by a pack led by three Rank 3 Yao Beasts! The Grotto-Heaven's Restriction is about to break!"

"We have a Puppet with Tianyuan Realm combat power, but it needs a remnant Soul to inhabit it to activate. The remnant Soul is the former master of the Grotto-Heaven (named Yue Li). She seems innocent and is asking for help, but I don't know her background!"

"I'm asking all the sisters, is there a safe way to have a remnant Soul control a Puppet? Or any other good strategies to repel the enemy? (Location info: East Wasteland Domain, deep in the back mountains of the Xuanjian Sect)"

He sent the desperate situation they were facing, the trump card in his hand (Dao Yi Puppet), the potential risk (Yue Li's backlash), and the geographical location into the group as concisely and clearly as possible.

Almost the moment the message was sent, there was a reaction in the group!

[Saintess of Tianxuan - quadratically Su Qingxue]: "Rank 3 Yao Beasts? Coordinates received. Shiwen sister, hold on. I'll immediately prepare a 'World-Breaking Shift Talisman'. Although the cost is not small, I should be able to descend into the East Wasteland Domain for a short time to slay those vile beasts for you!"

[Concern from quadratically Su Qingxue +45]

Her response was the fastest, most direct, and domineering, revealing an unquestionable strength and protectiveness.

Clearly, Rank 3 Yao Beasts were nothing in her eyes.

Li Siwen was moved, but immediately realized it wasn't appropriate.

If quadratically Su Qingxue descended, the commotion would surely be earth-shattering, and since the 'cost is not small,' the subsequent trouble would be immense.

[Jiuji - Li Shiwen]: "Wait, Sister Qingxue! I appreciate the sentiment! But the cost of descending is too high, and I fear it will cause a stir in the East Wasteland Domain. I can still manage for now. I'm looking for a more stable method!"

[Holy Maiden of Yaoguang - Tang Jingjing]: "Oh my! Surrounded by Yao Beasts? Don't be afraid, Little Shiwen! Rank 3 Yao Beasts don't have high intelligence and are easily influenced by special potions. I just happened to have recently developed a batch of 'hundred beasts soul-softening powder' and 'frenzy inducer'!"

[Ding! Holy Maiden of Yaoguang - Tang Jingjing has sent you an exclusive red envelope: 'hundred beasts soul-softening powder' *3, 'frenzy inducer' *2]

[Holy Maiden of Yaoguang - Tang Jingjing]: "Throw out the Soul-Softening Powder to greatly reduce the Yao Beasts' ferocity and make them lazy and listless! The Inducer can stimulate them to suspect and attack each other! Using them together works even better! It'll be enough to keep them in chaos for a while!"

[Concern from Tang Jingjing +35]

Her method was very practical, providing a direct opportunity to disrupt the beast pack and create chaos.

[Holy Maiden of Yaochi - Mo Rui]: "Oh my! Are you surrounded? How scary! (＞﹏＜)"

"Sister Shiwen, do you want to try reasoning with them? Or... find someone who can do ventriloquism to mimic their leader's voice and order them to retreat? Or... dig a tunnel and run?"

[Concern from Mo Rui +25]

Mo Rui's suggestions always carried an air of innocence and playfulness. They seemed to have a tiny bit of logic, but were almost impossible to execute in practice, leaving everyone speechless.

But it also indirectly proved that while it might be a huge danger to Li Siwen, Mo Rui didn't take it to heart at all.

Finally, the most crucial person spoke up.

[Saintess of Kunlun - Shang Ting]: "Using a remnant Soul to control a high-level Puppet is indeed a risky move. The root of the backlash risk lies in the 'unclear master-servant relationship.' A remnant Soul has independent consciousness; once it gains power, it's easy for it to develop ulterior motives."

She analyzed calmly as always.

[Saintess of Kunlun - Shang Ting]: "You can use a 'Refinement Method' to break the deadlock. I'll pass you a 'Spirit Puppet Symbiotic Contract.' First, use the power of your Essence Blood and Divine Soul to preliminarily refine the Puppet's core and leave your brand. Then, guide that remnant Soul to inhabit the core as an 'Artifact Spirit' and sign this master-servant contract with you."

[Saintess of Kunlun - Shang Ting]: "This way, the Puppet's power is still dominated by your brand. The remnant Soul transforms into an 'Artifact Spirit,' which can perfectly exert the Puppet's power, but its consciousness is restricted by the contract and must follow your orders. Although it's not absolute control and there's still a very slight possibility of backlash, it's over a hundred times safer than handing the Puppet over to her without any defenses!"

[Ding! Saintess of Kunlun - Shang Ting has sent you an exclusive red envelope: [Spirit Puppet Symbiotic Contract] Secret Technique Jade Slip *1]

Shang Ting's method went straight to the heart of the matter!

She proposed a solution from the source: not letting the remnant Soul control the Puppet, but making the remnant Soul an 'Artifact Spirit' bound by a contract to drive the Puppet for the master (Li Siwen)!

This was undoubtedly the most feasible way to minimize the risk!

The fact that she didn't even provide emotion points showed her confidence in this method.

Li Siwen was overjoyed and made a decision in an instant.

[Jiuji - Li Shiwen]: "Thank you, sisters! It's an emergency, I'll handle it first and thank you later!"

Exiting the group chat, a sharp glint flashed in Li Siwen's eyes; he had already made his choice.

He planned to use Tang Jingjing's and Shang Ting's methods together, a two-pronged approach.

First, refine the Dao Yi Puppet and persuade Yue Li to sign the contract and become the Puppet's Artifact Spirit.

Then use Tang Jingjing's potions to throw the beast pack into chaos before charging out in one go.

He suppressed the urgency in his heart and forced a smile that was as gentle and reassuring as possible.

"Yue Li, don't be afraid. Look at me."

Li Siwen's voice was as soft as if he were coaxing a child, carrying a strange soothing power: "Those bad guys outside are very scary, I know. But I have a way to defeat them, protect this place, and protect ourselves."

Yue Li's illusory figure trembled slightly. In addition to helplessness, there was a hint of expectation and dependence in her eyes.

Li Siwen waved his hand and released the Dao Yi Puppet, a palm-sized doll with a texture that was neither metal nor jade.

He continued in a slow and clear tone: "Look, I have a very, very powerful weapon here, but it's asleep. It needs a smart and brave 'sprite' like you to go inside and wake it up. Then it will become very, very strong and drive away all those bad guys outside!"

"But, before 'waking' it up, we need a tiny little agreement!" Li Siwen extended his finger and made a gesture, his eyes sincere: "A very simple friend's agreement."

"After you go in, you have to listen to my 'whispered' directions. We'll control it together so we can cooperate best and drive away the bad guys as quickly as possible. Then we won't have to worry about being eaten!"

As Yue Li listened to his words, the fear in her eyes was gradually replaced by a hint of hope and innocent curiosity.

Another violent impact from the Yao Beasts outside made her shudder. She nodded vigorously and said urgently, "Okay... okay! Agreement... beat the bad guys... quickly... quickly! They're coming in!"

[Trust and urgency from Yue Li +90]

Seeing her agree without hesitation, Li Siwen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, a trace of guilt rose within him, and he thought to himself: "I'm sorry, Yue Li. The situation forces me to use this method to temporarily restrain you."

"But I, Li Siwen, promise that as long as you don't fail me, I will never fail you. I will never force you to do anything you're unwilling to do. If there's a chance, I will definitely find a way to repair your Soul and regain your freedom to make up for today's apology."

His thoughts raced, but his face showed nothing. He still smiled gently and said, "Good! Now relax and follow my guidance. Let's wake it up together!"