Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

Heaven knows there is a kind of satisfaction in being intently stared at by such a beautifully unreal girl.

Yes, that's right, a girl.

Yue Ying's actual age is unknown, and by the Elf Race's standard for adulthood, she was certainly older than Bai E's apparent age by several cycles, but the trait of this race is to keep their appearance forever young.

Once they reach adulthood, they are forever frozen in that most youthful and beautiful moment, until death.

The slightly juvenile visage combined with Yue Ying's sincere, inquisitive eyes would be unbearable for anyone.

Though Yue Ying might be powerful, and her age meant she had considerable experience, the race's understanding of "the Way" ensured that a part of "sincerity" always remained in their character.

Even if they were vastly superior in status and strength, when faced with something they did not understand, they could still seek guidance with the utmost sincerity.

This kind of completely heartfelt gaze was so powerful it was unimaginable, so much so that even Bai E, who had suppressed his emotions and sealed away his heart with concrete...couldn't help but feel his heart tremble and his flesh quiver.

The true thoughts swirling in his mind thus blurted out, "Create."

"Create?"

"Humans cannot stop creating. When a person stops creating, they start to become narrow-minded, start to select, to stagnate, and to exclude anything that does not fit their cognition. Work is not the goal, but first, I need to get them moving."

The people from Black Street do not engage in production. They only think about plundering, only about encroaching, so the seeds of greedy desire grow within them, waiting for an opportunity to erupt.

The feedback from players' tasks may have accelerated and amplified this process and outcome, but the essence still originates from their hearts.

War gang leaders like Wallis are merely the ones who are most gravely affected and most likely to encounter players issuing large-scale tasks, and therefore the most prone to fall, but he is definitely not the only source of danger.

The extreme of any emotion, if taken to its limit, can become twisted and extreme.

Will all the native inhabitants who have interacted with players and issued tasks to them fall into depravity? Bai E does not think so.

Demons are amplifiers of emotion, but they cannot create something out of nothing.

Bai E's gaze was somewhat distant, as if recalling something.

Perhaps falling into memories was the greatest weapon against the close-at-hand beauty of Yue Ying.

Looking up at the moonlight in the sky, Bai E spoke softly, "The weapons to fight demons are never the blades and swords of the Arbitration Place, but the inner peace and contentment that come from people's hearts."

After coming to this world, having witnessed many things related to demons, Bai E had developed a bit of his own understanding of this seemingly idealistic existence.

Because this world is too terrible, people's hearts are always restless.

They need the golden hope to fight against the instability of life; they need a fulfilling life to stand against the nullity of existence.

The order given in Black Street at that time might have been a spur-of-the-moment impulse, but it was only after calming down and talking to Yue Ying that Bai E truly sorted out the core logic behind each of his thoughts.

"So, I want them to be happy, free, and blissful. To face demons, this is the only and not everlasting countermeasure. Every day I am here, I will exert my utmost effort."

Black Street is just the beginning; this grand ambition will eventually sweep across the universe.

Bai E's whisper settled, and Yue Ying was profoundly moved.

Her Spiritual Energy Capacity was incredibly powerful, and she could sense the bit of will conveyed by the Spiritual Energy emanating from Bai E's body.

Speech can deceive people, but the faith intertwined with Spiritual Energy cannot lie.

In a trance, in her consciousness, it seemed she could only see a cold, golden sun rising in the distant dark space, its eternal radiance offering peace to the souls of countless beings.

The only pity is... that radiance is too far from her, too far.

Far enough to cross time and space.

Far enough to be forever out of reach.

As time ticked by, Yue Ying blinked, coming back to her senses.

Her absolute sensitivity to time made her aware that only three seconds had passed, yet it felt like a century.

Looking at the human warrior before her, Yue Ying's eyes carried a hint of reverence.

There are not many who dare to commit to such grand ambitions. A determination firm enough to be recognized by Spiritual Energy and that seeks to emerge in the world only needs...absolute execution.

And last night, this ability had already begun to show itself.

A bold idea suddenly rose in her heart—

Perhaps, under his leadership, humanity could return to the Golden Age?

But no matter what, the first thing needed was sufficient strength.

Yue Ying's tone became indifferent once more, "Since you want to protect everyone, the first thing you need to do is ensure you won't be taken down first. How is your progress with your Spiritual Energy?"

More advanced Spiritual Energy techniques required a higher Spiritual Energy Capacity to support them. She hadn't felt much Spiritual Energy fluctuation during Bai E's intervention last night, and given he had only recently come into contact with Spiritual Energy, it seemed likely...

"Hoo!"

Spiritual Perception sensed a breeze blowing towards her.

The wind wasn't fast, nor was its force strong, but it was enough for Yue Ying to feel an unusual sensation.

The slightly sensitive touch made her subconsciously part her lips slightly, and immediately after, she realized what she had just witnessed.

Spiritual Energy!

The gathered Spiritual Energy had created a breeze out of thin air, which was perceived by her Spiritual senses.

The amount of Spiritual Energy required to achieve this effect... was at least over 50 points!

Was this something a person who had been in contact with Spiritual Energy for only two days could achieve?!

What kind of monster had she actually taught?!

["Lucky Strike" Charge+5.]

"Not bad," Yue Ying controlled her emotions, trying not to let them become too sensitive, "Since that is the case, you also qualify to learn how to establish your own defensive system."

10 points of Spiritual Energy was considered the official entry level, with subsequent growth in powers of ten marking major stage advancements. However, within each Spiritual Energy stage, there were some finer thresholds.

For example, between the first stage of 10 points of Spiritual Energy and the second stage of 100 points, 50 points of Spiritual Energy was also a threshold for learning techniques.

"When a Spiritual Energy practitioner burns their Spiritual Energy, it causes their Spiritual Body in high-dimensional space to light up like a torch, and this unusual glow may attract the attention of wandering demons from high-dimensional spaces. You should be aware of this, right?"

Bai E obediently nodded, "I know."

Although he hadn't felt anything unusual when using Spiritual Energy the night before, perhaps... probably... it was just good luck?

"There are currently two strategies for dealing with high-dimensional space demon attacks: one is to establish defenses, and the other is to evade."

"Bright" light? Then reduce its "brightness."

If you're likely to be attacked, then actively respond to the attack.

These were the different strategies chosen by humans and the Elf Race to deal with the dangers of burning Spiritual Energy.

Humans were more aggressive, keen on confronting head-on.

The Elf Race, having suffered great losses, preferred to conceal themselves.

"However, the so-called evasion is not about physically reducing brightness, but rather a dim and hidden state of one's own Spiritual Energy, which we refer to as a Spiritual Energy Veil."

[You are learning Spiritual Energy related skills...]

[Triggered teaching mission——Spiritual Energy Veil.]

[Teaching Mission——Spiritual Energy Veil: As you delve deeper into the field of Spiritual Energy, you need to be aware of the dangers this double-edged power brings you. Only by learning how to protect yourself can you go further on the path of Spiritual Energy. Mission requirement: Follow Yue Ying's guidance to completely establish a veil for your own Spiritual Body 0/1. Mission Completion Reward: Mystique +0.1.]

Familiar missions popped up, and Bai E felt a sense of comfort.

Mystique was the base attribute determining Spiritual Energy.

The higher the Mystique attribute, the more sensitive the perception of Spiritual Energy and the more skillful its invocation.

This attribute, unlike physical fitness or reflexes which could be steadily improved through training, was extremely precious with every tiny increase.

"Close your eyes, focus on your 'inspiration'."

To establish a protective veil for oneself, one first needed to recognize the existence of one's own Spiritual Body reflected in high-dimensional space, and from there observe the veil established by the mentor's connected Spiritual Body due to their life force fields being closely interconnected in high-dimensional space.

Any learning's first step always started with observation and imitation.

Bai E and Yue Ying sat facing each other, their fingers interlocking.

When Spiritual Energy was not particularly strong, the life force fields trapped within the body could only be guaranteed to enter "the same area" of that mysterious and strange high-dimensional space when the physical bodies were in actual contact.

Under Yue Ying's guidance, Bai E's Spiritual Energy began to explore "outside."

Not the "outside" space of the physical world, but the "outside" beyond the world's layers...