Evan Chu walked over to the two men's table, immediately drawing their attention. One of them asked right away, "Brother, what can we do for you?"
"I just overheard you two talking about the City Lord’s Mansion recruiting elite disciples, and I got curious, so I wanted to ask: where did you hear this? How come I haven’t heard anything about it here in Grimchart City?" Evan Chu asked immediately.
The two glanced at Evan Chu and, seeing the strong ghost‑qi on him, one of them said, "Brother, are you thinking of joining the City Lord’s Mansion elite disciple trials? I’d advise you not to go. With your strength, there’s no way you’d pass—better to keep yourself alive."
"Why’s that? Is it really that dangerous? I’m not afraid of danger, you know! Aren’t you two going to join as well?" Evan Chu played dumb, pretending not to understand.
"Well, since we’ve run into each other, I’d say we’re fated! Come on, sit down and have a drink with us. The wine here is actually pretty good!" one of them said.
Evan Chu took a closer look at the two and was startled. One of them only had a single eyeball, with half his face nothing but bone, some spots even rotting—a truly terrifying sight.
The other had no nose, and much of his face was bare bone, with worms wriggling around. Yet he didn’t seem to notice at all—he just opened his mouth full of yellow teeth and ate with relish, blood dribbling from the corners of his mouth. Evan Chu nearly threw up his last meal at the sight.
After sitting down, Evan Chu felt uncomfortable all over. He’d really brought this trouble on himself—if these two insisted he drink, he honestly didn’t know what he’d do.
"To be honest, brother, we really aren’t planning to join. With our strength, there’s no way we’d win. You have to understand—the ones who make it as elite disciples are all Saint Martial Realm experts. With our Divine Martial Realm cultivation, we’d just be throwing our lives away. But we might go watch the excitement," said the one-eyed ghost.
"I thought you two were already Saint Martial Realm powerhouses! How come you haven’t broken through yet? That can’t be right!" Evan Chu continued to play dumb, acting clueless.
"Brother, you’re giving us way too much credit. These days, breaking through to the Saint Martial Realm takes a Netherghost Violet Orchid, and those are crazy rare. In all of Grimchart City, there probably aren’t more than ten people who have one—and they’re all from powerful families.
But the City Lord definitely has some. If you become an elite disciple and perform well, you might get a reward from the City Lord—a Netherghost Violet Orchid. That way, your family could have a shot at breaking through to the Saint Martial Realm too. We’re just here to watch, honestly, so there’ll be tons of people joining and it’s bound to be lively," said the noseless guy.
"So that’s how it is. I just wonder when the City Lord’s Mansion is recruiting—I’ll definitely go watch." Evan Chu said, already making up his mind. No matter what, he had to become an elite disciple and get that Netherghost Violet Orchid. Once he had it, he’d find a place to go into seclusion, break through his realm, and then come out again.
"There are seven days left. You’ll get your fill of excitement then! Come, let’s drink to our first meeting. My name’s Logan Liu, and he’s Barry Shao. What’s your name, brother?"
Hearing those names, Evan Chu almost burst out laughing. There really were some bizarre names in this world—perfect matches for their features: one missing a nose, the other left with just a single eyeball.
Evan Chu replied at once, "I’m Lin Feng. I’ll be counting on you two for help in the future. Today’s drinks are on me—just drink as much as you like! I don’t hold my liquor, so I already feel tipsy after a little. I’ll catch up with you once the City Lord’s Mansion excitement starts!"
Hearing someone was paying for the drinks, the two got even happier. "Good brother, when the time comes, we’ll drink ‘til we drop! Since you can’t handle your liquor, we won’t force you. Just remember—don’t sign up, or you’re dead meat!"
"Thanks, brothers—I get it! You two enjoy yourselves, I’ve got something to do, so I’ll head out first!" Evan Chu said, turning to leave and heading to the counter.
When he settled the bill, he got a shock—it cost him nearly five hundred Netherstones. He was absolutely depressed; he’d only had a single sip of wine, and it was so bitter he couldn’t even describe it, yet he’d spent five hundred Netherstones. Of course, that included the drinks for those two as well.
After leaving the tavern, Evan Chu headed straight for a secluded spot in the city. He used Watershift to wash the bitterness from his mouth and said, "This isn’t eating—it’s pure torture!"
"Heh, Lin Feng, how’d you like that wine? Didn’t think you could stomach it—I really underestimated you!" Luna, the sword spirit, said just then.
"Did you already know the wine was bitter and just didn’t warn me? Luna, that’s so unfair!" Evan Chu said with a bitter smile.
"How would I know? Didn’t you just say so yourself? Why are you still thinking about it? So what’s your next move?" Luna asked.
"Wait—I’ll wait for the City Lord’s Mansion to start recruiting elite disciples in seven days. For the Netherghost Violet Orchid, I’ll charge into the dragon’s lair and tiger’s den if I have to. There’s no way I’m staying in another tavern here—who knows what other horrors might pop up." Evan Chu said, still shaken.
"You still need to absorb more ghost‑qi. Ordinary ghost soldiers won’t see through your disguise, but if you run into someone really strong, you’ll be exposed.
The stronger a ghost soldier is, the more complete the muscles on their face. Some look exactly like humans—if not for their unmistakable ghost‑qi, you’d never tell the difference. So if you meet someone like that, you know they’re seriously powerful. Be careful," Luna said.
"If their ghost‑qi is so faint it’s barely there, does that mean they’re even stronger?" Evan Chu asked.
"You’re sharp! That’s right—people like that are at least Ghost General level, maybe even Ghost King. The Ghost Clan has ranks: the strongest are Ghost Kings, then Ghost Generals, Ghost Officers, and Ghost Soldiers. There are also the lowest types, like wild ghosts and evil ghosts. You’ll get it soon enough," Luna said.
Evan Chu didn’t say more, just started thinking about the power levels Luna mentioned. Ghost Kings should be Venerable Martial Realm strength; Ghost Generals are probably seventh, eighth, or ninth-layer Saint Martial Realm; Ghost Officers are fourth to seventh-layer Saint Martial Realm; and Ghost Soldiers are early Saint Martial Realm…
After sorting all that out, Evan Chu slipped underground. He planned to drag a few weaker ghost soldiers down and absorb them—no one would notice, and his ghost‑qi would keep growing.
Seven days passed—not short, not long. Evan Chu absorbed the ghost‑qi of about thirty ghost soldiers, and even Luna praised his aura. Crawling up from the dirt, he grinned and said, "Time to head for the City Lord’s Mansion!"