The Demon Lord is My Dark Moonlight [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 33

Shackles? What shackles? Was it the soul-contract from the City Lord’s Manor?

Gu Jinli wasn’t sure. She watched as the shadow raised its hand and placed its fingertip against her brow.

“Dissolve.”

As the word fell, Gu Jinli felt a sudden lightness wash over her entire body. It felt as if something deep within her had shattered.

The shadow, sensing her confusion, explained warmly: “There were two soul-contracts within your body. I have removed them both for you.”

“You are now free.”

Two soul-contracts? How could there be two? Gu Jinli remembered only being under the slave contract from the City Lord. What could the other one have been?

“Thank you,” she said, offering a hesitant word of gratitude as she let out a long sigh of relief. Regardless of how many there were, they were gone. As the Tower said, she was free.

“It is my duty.” The shadow gestured toward the right. “Please, follow me.”

******

Gu Jinli left.

With the help of the Tower spirit, she exited the Secret Realm through the gates of the thirty-sixth floor. When she opened her eyes again, she was outside. Looking at the endless expanse of green forest, she let out a heavy breath.

She recognized this place. This was the entrance to the Phantom Forest, situated within human territory—the legendary Cultivation World.

Finally, she had rid herself of that person.

Gu Jinli felt bone-deep exhaustion. She looked at the vast woods, momentarily unsure which way to turn. Though she had decided to stop interacting with the lead and quit her “missions,” the very purpose for her being in this world had vanished along with those goals. She didn’t know what to do with herself.

Maybe I should go see the cultivation sects?

In the original novel, this was the first place the protagonist would eventually destroy. Before everything began, perhaps she could take a look for herself.

*****

Humans are social creatures, instinctively seeking their own kind. Having made her decision, Gu Jinli picked a direction and began to navigate out of the Phantom Forest.

She wasn’t venturing out entirely unprepared. Though the Tower couldn’t recognize her as its “Master,” it had helped her as much as it could. The bracelet on her wrist was a partial manifestation of the Tower itself. Aside from the protagonist, she was now the only person capable of taking items out of the Secret Realm. This was the foundation of her survival; the treasures within the Tower were more than enough to protect her.

The Phantom Forest sat near the Jiuyi Sect. Coming down from the mountain, she could see the sect’s massive gates. Coincidentally, it was the time for the annual recruitment of new disciples, and a large crowd of humans had gathered outside.

After observing from the shadows for several hours, Gu Jinli stepped out and decided to join the selection. If she could get into the sect, she’d at least have a place to stay. There were still at least two or three years before the lead began her conquest of the Cultivation World; she could stay here for now and figure things out later. Besides, who doesn’t have a dream of becoming an immortal? Since she was here, she might as well experience it.

“Name.”

She lined up with the others. Before testing their spiritual roots, they had to register at the gate.

A name…

“Nangong Li,” Gu Jinli invented a new name on the spot.

“Age,” the registrar followed up.

“Fourteen.”

******

After registering, everyone gathered to wait for the spiritual root test. This was the main event. In cultivation, talent is everything, and spiritual roots are the metric for that talent.

“Fire root, Grade 2. Class A-1.”

“Wood root, Grade 3. Class B-2.”

“Five-element root, Grade 1. Class D-1.”

Most people in line had some foundation—either their families had helped them cultivate early, or they were naturally gifted. Weak roots were rare; most were sorted into classes based on strength and prepared to enter the sect.

Gu Jinli had arrived late and was at the very end of the line. It wasn’t until the sun began to set that her turn came.

“Place your hand on it.” The disciple at the desk, having worked all day, was clearly impatient. He pointed to a crystal ball-like object.

“Oh, okay.” This was exactly like the scenes in TV dramas. Gu Jinli felt a surge of excitement. She reached out and pressed her palm against the crystal, eager to see her talent.

Minutes passed. Nothing happened. The crystal ball didn’t glow; it sat there as silent and dark as a common stone.

“Let go and try again.” The disciple frowned, surprised by the lack of reaction.

Gu Jinli bit her lip, an ominous feeling rising in her chest. She tried again. Another few minutes passed. Still nothing.

“N-no spiritual root.” The disciple answered the unspoken question. He looked incredulous. “Wait here, I’ll borrow another one for you!”

He clearly didn’t believe someone could truly have zero talent. He was quite responsible, Gu Jinli thought with a sigh, though she already felt hopeless. When the new crystal ball arrived and she touched it, the result was the same.

The verdict was in: she had no spiritual root. She was a complete mortal, utterly unfit for cultivation. Her “immortal dream” had ended before it even began.

“You… this…” The registrar scratched his head, baffled. A human with no spiritual root at all was a rarity. He went to consult with his seniors.

After a moment, a few disciples in sect uniforms walked over. They glanced at Gu Jinli and said, “Just arrange for her to work in the Outer Court! They’re short on help anyway.”

A mortal couldn’t cultivate, but they could perform chores. The Outer Court was full of people like that.

“Is that okay?” the registrar asked Gu Jinli. To him, everyone came here to cultivate; he wasn’t sure if she’d want to stay just to be a servant.

“That’s fine!” Gu Jinli replied. This was actually a great result. She’d forgotten her original goal for a second—she just wanted a roof over her head! Being a disciple wasn’t the priority.

*****

And so, it was settled. As an Outer Court odd-job worker, Gu Jinli successfully moved into the sect. She was assigned a bed in a shared room with rather poor conditions.

“You stay here for now,” a disciple told her. “In two days, after the outer disciples join, the Elders will reassign everyone.” Unlike Gu Jinli, who was just a laborer, the “Outer Disciples” were official members of the sect.

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