Chapter 360: Spirit Body
After checking the improvements to her body and abilities, Xu Zhi began recalling her experiences in the Great Dream.
Now fully “awake,” she realized that everything she had encountered while advancing to [Named] felt like a peculiar reenactment of her past.
No—perhaps “reenactment” wasn’t quite right. It was more like a “trial,” testing whether she had ever felt regret, hesitation, or wavering along her path.
If there had been even the slightest trace of such feelings, she would have failed.
This was likely one of the reasons why advancing to [Named] was so difficult.
How could anyone go through life without such emotions?
Especially for supernatural beings—who possess longer lifespans than ordinary people and face countless significant choices—it was inevitable to hesitate again and again. In the dead of night, they might even regret the choices they once made.
That was why this trial was so hard to pass.
In reality, those who became [Named] either possessed exceptionally firm willpower or clear, unwavering hearts—or they had failed repeatedly, eventually letting go of their obsessions and unnecessary burdens, and thus achieved Naming.
But this didn’t mean the Great Dream required one to discard these emotions.
Rather, to become [Named], one had to “face” their past, fully accept the path they were walking, and accept every mistake, confusion, and regret they had ever experienced.
Xu Zhi felt this was somewhat like a kind of “purification.”
But for her, this trial had never been particularly difficult.
Unlike other supernatural beings, who passively discovered their attributes—often leading to internal conflict—she had actively chosen [Moth]. She then carved out a path entirely her own, later accepted [Lamp], and even her current circuits had been engraved by her own hands.
No one understood or affirmed her path more than she did.
No one was more certain of her choices.
So the “crisis” encountered during her advancement was, for her, hardly a crisis at all.
“Time’s about right.”
After adjusting to her upgraded body, Xu Zhi realized she could once again “walk through the air.” True flight was still out of reach, but over short distances, her speed was now nearly indistinguishable from teleportation.
She hadn’t spent all the money she earned from the league on cores. In Freedom City, she had anonymously purchased another average-quality supernatural ring and a standard longsword. Now that she had reached [Named], she could transfer some carried items to her spirit body by expending supernatural energy, which was far more convenient.
Xu Zhi checked the weather forecast. While she had been away at the league, no mist had descended upon the lower district. Now, it had been quite some time since the last occurrence, and warnings were being issued that mist might appear again soon.
This conflicted slightly with her plan to enter the Lost Lands—but Xu Zhi already had a “good solution.”
After advancing to [Named], her mental strength had increased significantly. With two talent circuits, her improvement was more than double that of ordinary supernatural beings. Multitasking was no longer difficult—she could control her spirit body without her main body falling asleep.
However, if she encountered danger, one side would inevitably require more focus, leaving the other somewhat sluggish. In other words, she just needed to ensure she didn’t face danger simultaneously in both places.
Even if that happened, abandoning the spirit body wouldn’t cost her too much.
At that moment, Xu Zhi used [Authority] to connect to [Spirit Body], then drained nearly all the supernatural energy from her body to create a vessel devoid of any attributes.
This body possessed only physical strength.
Yet, with more energy condensed than what two ordinary Named could muster—and shaped into flesh through supreme authority—its raw strength alone was enough to contend with weaker supernatural beings.
As for where the spirit body formed—it was in the lower district.
A long-familiar sensation returned. Xu Zhi felt as if her mind had gently split into “two halves.” She could clearly perceive the existence of her “other body.” Without much adjustment, she could control its movements as naturally as moving her own fingers.
But only the movements.
Having two streams of thought was still somewhat strange. Xu Zhi felt as though she had split personalities. When the spirit body opened its eyes, seeing two perspectives simultaneously caused her brain to briefly freeze.
Then, her no-longer-human mind quickly processed the information. Within just a few seconds, she adapted to the sensation.
The new spirit body bore no resemblance to her original appearance. It stood around 172 cm tall, with black hair and black eyes. Its facial features were sharper, its eyes slightly narrow rather than round. Even when smiling, it gave off a faintly mocking or ill-intentioned air.
In short, it didn’t look like a good person—and seemed to have a terrible temper.
Dressed in black, the spirit body opened its eyes within the abandoned, decaying slum where no one lived anymore.
A very familiar place—a “temporary” home she had once stayed in.
Less than a year had passed, yet the once poor but tidy home was now covered in dust. That was only natural—the air in the lower district was far from clean.
The plants that Qi Yanxin had carefully tended had long since withered and died. Even the constant roar of nearby factories had vanished.
From the moment followers of the [Cup] attribute appeared here, this place had likely been doomed to become an uninhabited ruin. The council had probably carried out a cleanup operation, including the surrounding factories.
Xu Zhi didn’t act rashly. For now, she had no intention of leaving the house. She carefully inspected the room, confirmed that nothing new had appeared, then skillfully found the tools Qi Yanxin had left behind and did some light cleaning. After that, she sat down on the old sofa, closed her eyes, and quietly waited for the right moment.
Meanwhile, in the upper district, Xu Zhi had already packed her things. Walking into the living room, she saw Qi Yanxin watching TV and said, “I’ve transferred some money to you. I’m heading out on a long trip. Take care of yourself. If anyone asks, just say I’ve gone to the Lost Lands.”
She didn’t mention when she would return.
Qi Yanxin seemed to understand—it likely meant there was no definite return date.
She hesitated, wanting to say something. But seeing Xu Zhi’s calm expression, she fell silent, only nodding softly.
“…Alright. I understand.”
