"Ethan Zhang, haha, how are you feeling?"
As soon as I regained consciousness, I saw Lan Yin beside me, smiling. I shot him an annoyed look.
At that moment, I noticed Mason Yu lying on the ground. The snake scales on his body had disappeared, and he was now sound asleep.
"The Four Sacred Realm—what exactly is it?"
I looked at Lan Yin. He seemed about to disperse the red silk draped around the room, but stopped when I asked. I stared at him seriously. Previously, in the dream world, I had promised the Four Sacred Beasts to help them, but I still knew nothing about the Four Sacred Realm.
"How should I put it? That place is rather special. Even the most powerful people aren’t allowed in—it’s extremely difficult to enter. But now, something inside has changed."
"Why do you want to go in?" I asked. Lan Yin’s attitude was evasive, clearly not intending to tell me.
"Ethan Zhang, just focus on what’s in front of you. All I can tell you is that there’s something dangerous happening in the Four Sacred Realm. My instincts tell me that something major is about to occur soon. You’d better figure out how to use your power."
As Lan Yin spoke, he raised his hand, and the red silk draped over the walls began to gather. Outside, many people were waiting. As soon as the red silk vanished, Mason Yu and Dalton Fang rushed in.
Upon seeing that the snake scales on Mason Yu’s body had completely vanished, they joyfully surrounded him.
"Ethan, how’s the situation?"
Old Eccentric walked over and asked. I nodded.
"It’s fine for now."
I knew very well that, although the Snake Spirit had agreed to our terms, it was still dangerous for Mason Yu. Its anger hadn’t faded, and even as it left my instinctual space, I could still feel its fury.
Mason Yu and Dalton Fang carried Mason Yu, planning to take him back to the dorm to let him rest. Rachel Lan walked over.
"Ethan, are you alright?"
I looked at her and shook my head. I didn’t mention that the Snake Spirit wanted me to be its successor—I didn’t want her to worry.
It was already night. After dinner, Old Eccentric led a group of us to the main building. We sat down in a conference room on the first floor, with Hugh Thompson standing in front of a blackboard.
"Latest news: Zheng Jun has taken all his boss’s assets and vanished. The police are now making every effort to capture him."
Hugh Thompson spoke as he directed us to the materials in front of us, which detailed many incidents—including the case at the photo studio I encountered.
"Wu Mei has already been investigated. She had relationships with three men—and all three are dead. The first was killed in a car accident, the second drowned, and the third was the owner of Zhang’s Grocery, whose death was connected to that supernatural photo studio. I had people look into it, but nothing suspicious turned up."
Hugh Thompson continued, while everyone studied the records closely.
"And according to the testimony of the Yellow Pages Ghost, Zhao Degang, there were wandering spirits seen around that woman."
Mason Yu stood up. Hugh Thompson nodded, and Mason began to explain. The so-called wandering spirits aren’t true souls, but are formed from a person’s vital energy. When someone is ill, part of their energy leaves their body and only returns after recovery.
"Strictly speaking, these drifting spirits can be considered part of a person’s soul. But for them to all follow Wu Mei is highly abnormal, since this energy should only linger around the individual."
After Mason Yu finished, he sat down. I looked over the case files—it seemed these incidents were completely unrelated.
Now, with the monster locked up by the Ghost Burial Squad, Zheng Jun’s case, and the photo studio incident, Hugh Thompson pulled a cord beside the blackboard and a white screen descended. Li Guohao turned on the projector, and Hugh sat at the computer.
Soon, I saw a shrunken map filled with red dots—it looked like a map of our city. Hugh Thompson zoomed out, revealing a cluster of red dots in the northern district.
"Sometimes, records are very useful. In recent years, most ghost-related incidents have clustered in the northern district, with new cases nearly every week."
Hugh Thompson spoke, and everyone paid close attention.
"So, this time, the internship location will be set in the northern district. Please be sure to notify all official team members. If you encounter danger, press this transmitter immediately."
Hugh Thompson said as he pulled out a small black box with a button on it.
"The assignments have been finalized. The internship will begin in five days. No matter what’s really going on, it seems some people in the northern district are planning some sort of experiment."
Although Hugh Thompson didn’t say it outright, I knew these matters were definitely linked to the Immortality Society and the people from Ghost Mound. Just this afternoon, the location of that supernatural photo studio had vanished without a trace. Even the people stationed there saw nothing of it after dinner.
After the meeting, I planned to talk with Zhang Qing and Qian Ling tomorrow, together with Rachel Lan. The two of them shared a dorm room.
"Ethan, I’ll go with you to the training grounds in a bit."
I nodded. To the left of the main building was a large open-air training ground, which also housed the trainees’ dormitories. Back in the Hades Circle, Hugh Thompson had promised to help me figure things out once we returned.
[Chapter not finished ^.^ Please click next page to continue reading!]
"Ethan, I’ll head over and check on those two girls first."
Rachel Lan said, and I nodded. At that moment, Old Eccentric and Hugh Thompson seemed to be discussing something. I stood at the conference room door, planning to wait for Hugh.
"Old Eccentric, are you really sure about this? The internship in the northern district, this time?"
Old Eccentric nodded seriously.
"Some things are better experienced early. Besides, to investigate these matters, we’ll need to cast a wide net."
"Let’s hope this goes smoothly."
Hugh Thompson said, then walked toward me. By now, most trainees had returned to their dorms. The Ghost Burial Squad has strict rules—usually, no one is allowed out at night, and training is even more rigorous.
Hugh Thompson and I entered the empty training ground, surrounded by various facilities. He found a spot and sat down.
"So what should I do?"
I asked. Hugh Thompson adjusted his glasses and spoke.
"Ethan, all this time, you’ve relied solely on raw power in your fights. You have almost zero technique. You focus too much on others’ actions, trying to force a breakthrough with strength and quickly subdue them."
I nodded. What Hugh said was true—my battles had always been like that.
"You saw it clearly that day—John Chou did things only a ghost could do. But you’re different. Even though you possess ghostly power, you’re still human at your core, so you need wings to stay airborne."
Hugh Thompson stood up and walked over to me, continuing.
"Our Ghost Burial Squad once had a batch of elite members, but after investigating that cannibal village, none returned. The squad has been weak ever since, with a high death rate."
Hugh Thompson spoke, and I nodded. It was true—the Ghost Burial Squad lost many people dealing with ghosts.
"Most members only know basic exorcism techniques, mainly from the Maoshan Sect. I know a few myself, but they’re all low-level. Still, they’re practical. The instant reaction when facing a ghost determines your survival rate."
Hugh Thompson spoke as he took out a Ghost Lure Egg, then stuck a yellow talisman onto it.
"Ethan, try touching this with your baleful energy."
I nodded and reached out my hand. Hugh Thompson pushed the Ghost Lure Egg toward me. As soon as my baleful energy touched it, there was a bang—the egg exploded, and a burst of flame roared out. Startled, I quickly jumped back several steps.
"This is a simple trick. The Ghost Lure Egg, combined with a fire incantation that ignites upon sensing evil energy, isn’t very powerful—but what if you had ten, a hundred, a thousand?"
Hugh Thompson looked at me and patted my shoulder.
"Ethan, technique is just like that—it’s built from small, subtle things, layered together. When you combine technique with power, your strength multiplies."
I immediately understood what Hugh Thompson meant.
"Ethan, condense a sword of baleful energy."
I nodded, raised my hand, and shaped the baleful energy in my palm. Gradually, it formed into a longsword, which I gripped tightly.
At that moment, Hugh Thompson quickly pulled out a yellow talisman and slapped it onto my baleful energy sword. Instantly, I felt the power begin to collapse. Although the talisman burned, the sword’s form twisted and warped.
"What is this?"
"See, Ethan, your power lacks any technique. If you understand the nature of your power and use your mind, it’s easy to break through."