In a fog, I snapped awake, eyes wide. Isabelle Frost stood before me, looking exasperated. Sylvia Blue and Rachel Lan had already gone back to sleep. Still confused, I looked at Ethan Zhang, Heavenly Soul.
"What just happened to me?"
"You slept for about two hours. It'll be dawn soon."
I stared in surprise, eyes wide, but suddenly I sensed a subtle change in my body.
"Yi, what did you do to me?"
I raised my hand, feeling an unusual lightness in my body. My power flowed smoothly now; with just a thought, I could release ghostly energy.
"Even ghosts get tired, just like people. When people are exhausted, a good night's sleep restores them. But it's different for ghosts. The only way for any ghost to recover is self-hibernation. Judging by your state, you still have no idea how to do that, right? Before, your consciousness was extremely fatigued, but all that exhaustion transfers to the ghost soul. If the ghost soul operates under overload for too long, a ghost's power declines. Many low-level ghosts don't know this, so when their strength becomes unbalanced, they absorb yang energy or devour humans and their own kind. But that only makes the ghost soul more fatigued."
I swallowed. I had no idea about any of this. In the past, after using my powers for a long time, I would feel my energy flow become sluggish. It wasn't a problem with my ghost soul—it was fatigue. No wonder, so many times, I would recover after entering a dream and waking up.
"So how do I actually enter self-hibernation?"
I asked, and Isabelle Frost walked over slowly.
"Let's talk about all this in a few days—it's better to explain when you're feeling tired."
Thinking back, I've seen plenty of Blue Wraiths go into self-hibernation. Even Ethan Zhang did it—sometimes he'd just sit there, not saying a word, eyes closed like he was meditating. Turns out, that was self-hibernation.
"You hibernated for over two hours and looked completely exhausted. That's why you've felt your ghostly energy was stiff lately—it's the fatigue your own consciousness generated. But now, everything's fine. We can begin."
As Isabelle Frost spoke, she slowly floated upward. I swallowed. Hurting Isabelle Frost was nearly impossible—she had regained her full instincts and her power had reached a new level. I wondered how I could possibly injure her.
Of all my powers, the most formidable was the gray ghostly energy. The rest were nothing but a tickle to Isabelle Frost—there was no way they'd hurt her.
"Stop overthinking. Feel it with your body, Ethan Zhang."
Isabelle Frost said, and I nodded immediately. The ghostly energy in my hands quickly condensed into two swords. With a whoosh, I shot up, instantly reaching Isabelle Frost and swinging both swords at her.
With a clang, just as I'd expected, Isabelle Frost raised a hand. High-density ghost energy instantly formed an arc-shaped shield outside her palm, blocking my ghostly swords. As I twisted the swords, black energy surged violently toward her.
But just as I thought, with a sudden bang, my eyes widened—the connection to my ghostly energy was abruptly severed. Isabelle Frost flicked her hand, and a powerful force shoved me backward. With a crash, I hit the ground. I was stunned. I had tried to react, but it was as if walls had sprung up around me—I couldn't move, or maybe I was instantly suppressed.
"Xu Fu used that move on me once too." [Note: Xu Fu is a legendary Chinese alchemist and court sorcerer—here, a powerful supernatural figure.]
I immediately remembered—when I fought Xu Fu before, my power was suddenly cut off and I got hit. It was just a split-second mistake, and I had no idea what had happened.
"In high-level Blue Wraith battles, the most critical element is counter-control."
Isabelle Frost slowly floated over to me and landed in front of me, giving me the look of a teacher watching a student. I smiled helplessly, deciding to listen carefully. What she said was always easier to grasp than anyone else. I could really internalize it. Back in the Forest of Desire, when she trained me, it was the same. If it weren't for her, I never would have grown so quickly in such a short time—though I still made a mess of things as usual.
Then Isabelle Frost explained: in high-level Blue Wraith battles, counter-control means seizing the opponent's ghost energy in an instant, then forming a high-density shield of ghost energy around them to suppress them. If the opponent hesitates even for a moment, the outcome is decided.
The technique used by the Immortality Society is very similar to this kind of counter-control, but the power is different. To achieve this effect, one crucial thing is the strength of the Specter Web. It's essential. The Specter Web is basically the fourth sensory organ for Blue Wraiths, besides eyes, nose, and ears.
In the early stages, Blue Wraiths don't have a Specter Web. But as their ghost soul grows stronger, the Specter Web starts to emerge from the ghost soul itself. It's a manifestation of a Blue Wraith's power, mainly for sensing—able to detect the slightest vibrations in the air, like a reflex, and feed that back to the Blue Wraith. Some high-level Blue Wraiths even have their Specter Web become part of their consciousness, so they don't have to think about dodging attacks—the Specter Web helps them avoid danger effortlessly.
But such Blue Wraiths are rare. To be able to dodge attacks unconsciously using the Specter Web—only Ghost Sovereigns can do that. The core Blue Wraiths under the Ghost Sovereigns can also do it, but it takes a lot of sparring to reach that level.
"You can't do that yet. Strengthening your Specter Web and using your opponent's ghost energy for counter-control—these two things are beyond your current mastery of power."
I let out a surprised "Ah!" and widened my eyes, then pursed my lips.
"So you're telling me all this for nothing?"
But suddenly, a strong impression formed in my mind—what exactly was Isabelle Frost trying to tell me?
"It seems you understand, Zhang Qingyuan, why I'm telling you all this."
"It's so I won't be suppressed by this kind of counter-control, right?"
Isabelle Frost nodded, then walked over slowly. I stood up, and she beckoned to me.
"Try attacking again—let yourself experience it one more time."
I responded with a grunt and slashed at Isabelle Frost. This time, she didn't use ghost energy to defend. Instead, just as my sword was about to strike, she dodged perfectly, and I felt that same sensation again—like my body was instantly wrapped in something.
The feeling vanished in an instant. Isabelle Frost didn't attack, or I'd already be down.
"Manifest your Specter Web."
Following Isabelle Frost's words, I focused my intent. Instantly, black strands like spider silk drifted around my body—my Specter Web, dense and dark, forming a thick shroud.
"Is this how you usually use your Specter Web?"
I grunted in response. Isabelle Frost looked at me in surprise, while Heavenly Soul burst out laughing nearby.
"No wonder you always fall for other people's tricks, Qingyuan. The Specter Web is like a double-edged sword—Ms. Yi's point is probably just that."
As soon as Heavenly Soul finished speaking, Isabelle Frost turned to glare at him. He quickly covered his mouth and stood up.
"You two keep practicing, Qingyuan—I'm off to buy groceries. We're opening the shop tonight, right?"
Heavenly Soul asked, and I nodded.
Then I opened the ghost domain, and Heavenly Soul left.
Now, in front of me, around Isabelle Frost's body, fresh green Specter Webs suddenly appeared. Each was about a meter long, and there were only a few of them.
"When you fight, do you ever sense other Blue Wraiths' Specter Webs?"
I blinked and shook my head.
"Blue Wraith battles always start with probing using the Specter Webs. When Specter Webs intertwine, if your intent is stronger than your opponent's for a split second, you can read things from their Specter Web—attack position, force, and so on. Releasing so many Specter Webs is basically telling your enemy, 'I'm right here.' Hasn't John Chou ever told you that?"
I stared at Isabelle Frost in shock. Thinking it over, it was true—my way of fighting was wrong. No wonder when I turned into ghost mist, people could easily track me through the fog. My Specter Web exposed my position.
"You've fought this stupid way for so long and still haven't died—I'm honestly impressed, Zhang Qingyuan."
Isabelle Frost sighed. I swallowed and quickly began to retract the mass of Specter Webs. But to my surprise, with a single thought, the Specter Webs all returned to my body. Then I tried releasing them, and instantly they spread out again in a huge wave.
"You've fought wrong for so long that your ghost soul automatically releases this huge amount of Specter Webs. Now it's hard for you to control it."
I kept trying several times, and it was true. In my past fights, I always released a ton of Specter Webs to pinpoint my enemies, but they just used my Specter Webs to find me—and even dodge them.
"How can enemies dodge my Specter Webs, even when I cover such a huge area?"
I stared in confusion at the Specter Webs spilling from my palm. I'd seen John Chou and the others fight before—they could all dodge their opponents' Specter Webs.
"Let's not get into that yet. I'll break it down for you step by step."
I grunted in response. Isabelle Frost floated upward, motioning for me to follow her.