Sunfield Township.
A street close to the provincial highway, lined on both sides with imposing, grand buildings—some newly completed hotels, a few restaurants, and many more under construction, not yet finished.
The street is broad and tidy, but there are few pedestrians passing by.
Tap.
Tap.
Tanya Li, the martial artist clad in a pitch-black trench coat, walked side by side with Andrew Han, softly introducing, "This area is part of the expansion zone. There are very few residents, just some businesses. It looks impressive, but if you take a closer look, you'll sense the desolation of this street."
"Mm." Andrew Han nodded, glancing around.
Just as Tanya Li said, this street mainly serves out-of-town visitors.
Local township residents seldom come here to stroll. With three or four buildings under construction, the area feels rather deserted.
"I suspect that ghost is hiding over there." Tanya Li pointed to the left.
On the left side of the street stood a hotel with a lavishly decorated facade.
And behind the hotel—
One could see a small hill, dozens of meters high, lush with greenery and dense forest, like a patch of untouched wilderness. Birds circled above the trees, painting a picturesque scene.
Tanya Li explained, "That is Nameless Hill behind the hotel. It's vast and hard to survey. If you cross the hill, you'll reach the provincial highway."
Andrew Han frowned, pondering, "Are we heading into the hill now?"
Tanya Li shook her head. "No, it's too early. There's no point. Those things know how to hide. Unless the sun sets, they mostly stay hidden in the forest. Unless you have a sixth sense, it's impossible to search the entire hill."
Sixth sense?
Andrew Han's eyes flashed, silently noting the term.
A gentle breeze blew as Tanya Li brushed her ear-length hair and smiled lightly. "After dusk, that's when they're active. Honestly, if it were hiding somewhere else, I wouldn't be so concerned."
"But it's hiding here."
"If any trouble breaks out, it will severely impact the township's tourism business. Besides, ghosts have the ability to possess people, which can easily lead to serious incidents."
With that,
Tanya Li pointed at the hotel. "This hotel is under my name. If everything goes smoothly, I'll arrange for you to stay here. I'll come find you at dusk."
Andrew Han frowned, asking, "How am I supposed to investigate the ghost?"
"Oh? Didn't Sir Newman tell you?" A trace of helplessness flashed in Tanya Li's eyes as she sighed, "I was hoping with a First Rank's help, we could quickly find the hidden entity. First Rank cultivators can merge their energy and strength, their senses are keen, and they can easily detect a chilling presence."
"But you're Second Rank."
"I don't know if your perception can match a First Rank."
Tanya Li elaborated on basic knowledge in detail, the helplessness in her eyes growing stronger.
It's important to know:
In Jiangnan Province, whether it's a metropolis, a prefecture-level city, or a regular township, there is always a Guardian. As Sunfield Township's Guardian, Tanya Li naturally has the authority to issue missions.
But what left her speechless and bewildered was—
Miles Ning, the Guardian of Riverdale, actually accepted the mission and sent his disciple, Andrew Han, to assist her, even providing a brief introduction about Andrew.
He hasn't trained for long, is currently only Second Rank, and this is his first mission.
These three traits all indicated that Andrew Han was still an inexperienced and weak Second Rank. It wasn't about whether he could help—she just hoped he wouldn't hold her back.
Tanya Li was left with no choice.
If she refused, and Miles Ning came to confront her, the consequences would be unimaginable.
So she could only explain the details to Andrew Han, listing them one by one, fearing that after dusk he might be seriously injured. Even the weakest ghost could easily kill a Second Rank.
——
Inside a suite on the fifth floor of the hotel.
Crash.
Andrew Han stood by the clean, bright window, opened the glass pane, and gazed out at the lush forest. Occasionally, he spotted a rabbit or two darting about.
The view was excellent, the air refreshing.
If an ordinary person lived here, they would surely feel relaxed and at ease, admiring the mountain scenery and enjoying the fresh, tranquil air.
"Ghosts." Andrew Han squinted, muttering under his breath.
Demons and ghosts are fundamentally different. Demons are tangible, bizarre creatures, while ghosts are formless, elusive, and always shrouded in a chilling aura.
When ghosts kill, the traces are hard to find.
If a First Rank martial artist faces a ghost, they either flee or barely resist. If possessed by a ghost, it's almost certain death.
Whoosh whoosh.
The scorching hot wind carried a trace of coolness as it swept by.
Andrew Han's expression was grave. After five months of martial training, he finally had the qualifications to face demons and ghosts, and had begun to truly step into the Martial Arts World.
He felt neither excitement nor anxiety.
At this moment, his only emotion was calmness. He had long been mentally prepared, always waiting and anticipating this moment.
Crash.
Andrew Han's face remained calm as he drew the curtains and began practicing the Complete Solar Pillar Manual. He wasn't in the mood to rest, nor did he want to waste any time.
......
By noon,
Andrew Han practiced his stance for about two and a half hours, took a short break, showered, then left the suite to have lunch in the hotel restaurant before returning to his room to continue practicing.
Every second counts.
Not a moment of relaxation.
Though his internal strength was around thirteen thousand jin, he was still just Second Rank, and far from reaching the peak of Second Rank.
......
Time passed slowly.
After noon, it was already afternoon.
In the quiet, peaceful suite, Andrew Han was carefully practicing his stance, feeling the power and flow of energy within him, when he suddenly heard some familiar voices.
"What?"
"Cathy Feng's voice?"
Andrew Han frowned, released his Solar Pillar Stance, walked out of the bedroom, passed through a small living room, and finally opened the door to find his classmates discussing meeting times in the fifth-floor corridor.
There was Cathy Feng in a short-sleeved shirt and skirt.
Rina Xu wore a tank top and a denim vest draped over her shoulders.
Jason Jiang was dressed in sportswear, along with several other familiar classmates.
"Andrew Han?"
They looked astonished, staring at Andrew Han from about ten meters away, exchanging glances, their eyes filled with confusion and surprise.
Clearly, no one expected to run into Andrew Han here.
[Irrelevant passage about chapter navigation. Skipping translation.]
"Hey."
Cathy Feng stormed up to Andrew Han, complaining, "I sent you a message on QQ, but you never replied! Did you come here by yourself? Why didn't you take the coach with us?"
Andrew Han frowned and shook his head.
He hadn't expected such a coincidence, that his classmates would be staying at this hotel too.
While Cathy Feng was still complaining, Jason Jiang walked over with a smile. "Andrew Han, we thought you weren't coming. Were you planning to surprise us?"
"I'm not here for tourism," Andrew Han replied.
"Oh, not staying with us? Are you here with your girlfriend, or with your family?" Jason Jiang glanced at the room behind Andrew Han and recognized it as a suite.
"I'm here alone, just handling some business," Andrew Han replied evasively.
Seeing Andrew Han's lack of enthusiasm and his frown, Jason Jiang and Cathy Feng exchanged a look, feeling it was best to keep the conversation short and return to their rooms to rest before meeting up later.
"Wait."
Andrew Han frowned, issuing a quiet warning.
He wanted to use the hotel's chaotic management, ongoing construction, and low safety as reasons to persuade his classmates to switch hotels.
Unfortunately.
Cathy Feng seemed tempted, but Jason Jiang raised his eyebrows and smiled, "Andrew Han, don't make a fuss. Just because you can stay here, doesn't mean we can't. Even if your Martial Arts Rank is high, you don't need to bully us."
Andrew Han shook his head. "I'm not exaggerating."
The situation was even more serious than this, but he couldn't reveal the truth. Breaking the iron rule of the Martial Arts World meant certain death.
"Ha!" Jason Jiang burst out laughing, waving to the other classmates.
About twenty classmates stepped closer, looking puzzled. Jason Jiang glanced at Andrew Han, thoroughly amused: "Listen up, everyone—Andrew Han just warned us that it's not safe to stay here and suggested we switch hotels."
When he finished, the classmates exchanged glances, as if they were hearing a joke.
Only Rina Xu's eyes flashed, recalling the situation at the class dinner, and she was somewhat convinced by Andrew Han's warning.
But as the saying goes, 'the law does not punish the masses.' With so many people, even the most fearful emotions are weakened.
More than thirty classmates came on this short trip, with over ten staying on the fourth floor of the hotel.
Rina Xu blinked twice, but said nothing.
Rather than staying alone at another hotel, it's better to stay together with classmates.
"Alright, let's get back to our rooms," Jason Jiang ordered, then looked at Andrew Han. "Stop scaring us. Sunfield Township is perfectly safe—there's nothing dangerous here."
"Better safe than sorry," Andrew Han tried to persuade.
"Even if something really does happen, there's more than thirty of us—what could possibly go wrong?" Jason Jiang retorted.
Sigh.
Andrew Han sighed, giving Jason Jiang a deep look. "If something does happen, you won't be able to handle it."
With that,
He turned and went back to his room to continue practicing the Complete Solar Pillar Manual.
Bang.
After the door closed, Jason Jiang couldn't help but sneer, "Acting all mysterious—what's his deal? Does he really think that just because he's a Third Rank Martial Arts Program Student, he gets to make all the decisions?"
Cathy Feng advised, "Say less."
The other classmates also made some token attempts to calm things down, then each returned to their rooms. Even though a few students like Rina Xu were willing to believe Andrew Han, the excitement of the trip soon dispelled any worries.
......
Time passed.
The sun set in the west, the sky grew dim, and dusk finally arrived.
Click.
Andrew Han stepped out of his room, closed the door behind him, and headed to the hotel entrance. Tanya Li, the martial artist, had already arrived and was on the phone, her face showing a gentle expression.
Seeing Andrew Han come down, she hung up the phone and greeted him, "Ready?"
"Yes."
"Alright, let's head into the mountains immediately."
Tanya Li led the way, with Andrew Han following behind. They walked to the back of the hotel, where an iron fence blocked entry. Every ten meters, there was a wooden sign with red lettering warning against entry.
Even on normal days, this nameless mountain was off-limits to casual visitors.
Because the mountain hadn't been developed, it was considered dangerous—especially with ghosts appearing lately. All visitors to the area had been repeatedly warned.