Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"The most important function of Guides in society is to assist Sentinels, conducting mental grooming to prevent degradation or even the tragedy of mental collapse. This is also to ensure that Sentinels can charge into battle and better defend the Empire."

"The efficiency of mental grooming is linked to the mental strength of the Guide and the compatibility with the Sentinel. Higher compatibility is preferable. Of course, this is in a one-on-one situation. Field Guides are universal, regardless of compatibility, they must groom all Sentinels. The more universal, typically the softer and more harmless the spirit is."

"Now, release your spirit forms. Be careful, control them well, and do not let them cause mischief."

The tiered classroom was filled with youths, releasing their own spirit forms under the teacher's command.

For a moment, various animal-shaped spirit forms surrounded the classroom, affectionately entwining their owners.

Only in the back corner of the classroom sat a slender youth, motionless, quietly watching them. His glossy dark eyes couldn't hide his curiosity.

He asked in his mind,

"System,"

"Why do spirit forms seem to have their own consciousness, just like real animals?"

System: [Host, spirit forms retain the subconscious of their masters.]

Lin Fu: "Oh."

The system comforted him: [Host, you are unable to release due to spiritual toxins. Don't worry. Saving one person can optimize and eliminate most of the toxins.]

Lin Fu continued with an "Oh."

The boy next to him leaned over: "Let me show you."

He stretched out his hand in front of Lin Fu. A silver-gray squirrel quickly scurried from his other shoulder, obediently squatting in his palm, tilting its head curiously at Lin Fu.

Lin Fu thought to himself, he could easily squash such a small thing with his buttocks.

But he still couldn't resist poking the squirrel's fluffy tail with his finger.

The squirrel, in turn, wrapped his tail around one of Lin Fu's fingers, not at all shy.

The young boy's face flushed red, and he scolded his spirit form in a low voice, "Unwrap your tail!"

The squirrel glanced at him, unmoved, and even wrapped its tail tighter.

The commotion in the corner drew attention, and soon, snickers began to ripple through the surroundings.

"Shang Jiarui really isn't picky, befriending a waste like Lin Fu. Just look at his pathetic spirit form."

"What are you talking about? He's still the young master of the Lin family. Even as a useless person without spiritual power, the Lin family hasn't disowned him, have they? Of course, he's worth cozying up to."

Shang Jiarui's expression turned sour, glaring at the few without voicing a rebuttal.

The little squirrel in his palm, however, wasn't pleased with this. Its fur bristling, it launched itself at the nearest person and bit fiercely into the back of their neck.

"Ah! Shang Jiarui, you lunatic! Take back this damned squirrel right now!!"

The teacher from the front row strode over, seeing the student's bloody neck, his elegant eyebrows furrowed: "Shang Jiarui, what did I say before class?"

He glanced at Lin Fu, his voice colder: "What, if Lin Fu has no hope of becoming a qualified Guide, you plan to follow suit? All your grades in my class are nullified. If you want to end up like Lin Fu, you can drop out now."

Shang Jiarui stood up, anger written across his face as he locked eyes with the teacher, his mouth opening: "If I have to..."

"Drop out? Sit down." Lin Fu, who had been silent, pressed him back down, speaking indifferently: "I'll withdraw."

His clear, dark eyes reflected the faces of everyone in the classroom, not a hint of embarrassment or reluctance, no trace of longing or regret: "Rest assured, after I leave, I won't claim to have been your student, so as not to tarnish your reputation."

"A teacher wouldn't take their personal dissatisfaction out on a student, would they?"

The teacher said with pride: "Of course not, I'm not that kind of person."

Lin Fu: "Oh."

He patted Shang Jiarui on the shoulder: "Make something of yourself, study hard. I'm off."

The original owner of this body really had a rough time, surrounded by so many people, yet only Shang Jiarui, a childhood friend, was truly sincere.

Lin Fu hadn't even come to terms with being killed by a cannonball when he opened his eyes in this body, bearing the same name, confronted with an entirely strange world, and bound by something calling itself the "Salvation System."

It took him three days to barely grasp what this world was about.

It was a world of Sentinels and Guides, where humanity was differentiated into these two.

Sentinels possessed great physical strength and spiritual power, but their spiritual power was extremely unstable.

Guides, frail of body but stable in spirit, can soothe and sort the minds of Sentinels.

Each indispensable to the other, a twisted societal structure formed. Every citizen of the empire is registered in the StarNet database at birth, and upon reaching the age of eighteen, they proceed to the local matching institution to test for compatibility. Guides are paired with the Sentinel with whom they have the highest compatibility, and they become mates upon reaching adulthood.

The young master of the Lin family, too, underwent the test at eighteen, only to find his compatibility with all the empire's Sentinels to be zero. Diagnosed with a deficiency of spiritual power, he became infamous overnight across the stars.

A deficiency of spiritual power is a rare terminal illness; those afflicted have no spiritual power, rendering them equivalent to waste. Not just his classmates, but even the Lin family deemed Lin Fu a disgrace, barely refraining from stripping him of his family name.

The young master Lin suffered endless humiliations and, three days ago, locked himself in his dormitory to end his life with drugs.

The one who awoke was Lin Fu.

Pinching his weak, powerless arm, he recalled the feeling of almost failing to suppress Shang Jiarui just moments ago.

In his own body, a casual slap would leave a young man of Shang Jiarui's build with no room to struggle.

The system demanded he save lives, promising energy to enhance one aspect of his abilities with each life saved.

Saving lives is fine, but shouldn't he get to choose what abilities to enhance?

Lin Fu, hands in his pockets, made his way briskly to the academic administration office.

In mere minutes, he emerged successful, with additional funds in his cyber-brain.

The school couldn't wait for him to drop out, lest he tarnish its scholarly image. Were it not for his Lin family status, he would have long been expelled.

Now, seeing him eager to withdraw, they hurriedly refunded most of his tuition fees, completing all formalities to send him on his way.

Kadel Academy was an aristocratic institution, and its annual tuition was substantial. The Lin family had paid in full until graduation; the refund was enough for Lin Fu to rent a house outside, living comfortably for an entire year.

He tidied up his dormitory and moved out overnight, renting a place and beginning his search for someone to save.