"What is the Fourth Stage?"
I asked. Vincent Swallow smiled and took a sip from the gourd.
"To be honest, I've never witnessed it myself. A Blue Wraith that reaches the Fourth Stage is on a completely different level from those below it."
"Is someone like Lord Wraith already a Fourth Stage Blue Wraith?"
Vincent Swallow nodded. I started thinking back—of all the Blue Wraiths I’ve encountered, those who could reach the Fourth Stage were Lord Wraith, Quinn Lee, Brother Owen, even Mia Lin, and one more. I remembered, touching the pouch on my neck. Back in the Ghostrealm, Old Nine gave me a Phantom Pearl; he must have reached the Fourth Stage too.
"The so-called Fourth Stage is the materialization of the Ghost Soul. To be precise, at this stage, a Blue Wraith can use their Ghost Soul as a weapon. It's not just a lifeline anymore—it works in tandem with the Shadow Realm and Wraith Armament. The power born from this materialization is something only a handful of Blue Wraiths have achieved in centuries—no more than a hundred."
Vincent Swallow explained. I nodded, remembering our battle with Lord Wraith—despite using all our strength, we barely managed to defeat him. If it had been one-on-one, we wouldn't have stood a chance.
"Alright, that's enough for today. It's almost noon," Julian Chu said, raising his hand. The Shadow Realm split open, revealing the apartment building outside. We all walked out.
In the courtyard, I glanced at the time on the computer in the Garden Pavilion—it was already past ten. I went back to my room to change clothes. As I took off the white coat, I was startled—the clothes Julian Chu had given me were stained with a large patch of blood. I hurriedly threw them to the floor.
After changing, I went outside. Julian Chu was still by the flower bed, tending to those black flowers. I was furious. I had smelled disinfectant earlier, mixed with a faint scent of blood. Only now did I realize what it was.
I went downstairs and walked straight over to Julian Chu.
"You..."
"Hey, it's just a little human blood. Don't worry, I haven't brought anyone into my Shadow Realm. Most of them are from before—just kept in cold storage. Relax, I'm a dedicated gardener now."
I grunted in reply and looked at Julian Chu. He seemed to be enjoying himself. I smiled faintly, then left, planning to go out for a while. It had been a long time since I'd wandered the streets.
After exchanging a few words with the people and ghosts in the courtyard, I went outside. As soon as I stepped out of the apartment building, warm sunlight spilled over the main road. I walked to the middle of the street and looked around—there wasn't a single soul in sight. Every shop was closed.
Within a radius of four or five kilometers centered on my building, there was no one.
The more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. I headed left, toward the university district.
All these bizarre events started when John Chou entered the apartment building and changed it into what it is now. I have no idea what the old building was like before.
I walked for quite a while, passing closed shops on both sides of the road. I decided to find someone to ask. After about half an hour, I reached the university district. The street was packed with people. I saw a few students laughing as they walked past me, so I hurried up to ask.
"Excuse me, can I ask you something?"