Isabelle Frost asked me to go upstairs to the second floor. She brewed a pot of tea. Although I was a bit exhausted, I listened as Isabelle told me that she had visited the stone idol field today, flew a long way, and witnessed a massive number of idols disappearing. On her way back, she suddenly saw the idols vanishing at an alarming rate, so she stayed to observe for a long time.
"The number of idols that disappeared today is over a million."
Isabelle said this, and I looked at her in surprise. Holding the teapot, I began pouring tea. I took a sip before asking.
"Did you count them one by one?"
Isabelle nodded.
"How could I possibly count them one by one? I released a huge amount of Specter Web, which allowed me to sense continuously. That's how I know—this is the number that disappeared today."
"Maybe your enemy is using those idols to create Lao Chongyuan, which is why he possesses such real and terrifying power."
Isabelle smiled.
"Go rest, Ethan Zhang. It seems you've found a bit of a knack today, but tomorrow might be even tougher."
I sipped my tea, noticing the book in Isabelle's hand. It seemed to be called 'Mirror Garden,' a novel. I blinked, curious about the title, and asked her about it. Isabelle just smiled.
"Go rest."
I responded, put down my teacup, went downstairs, and immediately fell asleep.
After waking up in the morning and having breakfast, I resumed my training. That guy was still around, but after a while, I noticed that my ghost aura output was about ten times Isabelle's. No matter how much I sped up the release or let my ghost entity produce it automatically, the excess ghost aura stayed at this multiple. There was no sign of it decreasing—a huge bottleneck.
"Alright, kid, I should get going. Keep working hard on your training."
I looked at him gratefully. He stood up, black mist swirling around him, then started walking away. In an instant, he vanished from sight. I quickly scanned the area—only his shadow remained. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was just a black dot in the distant woods, and soon, he was gone.
I remembered that when this guy met Lan Yin, he also watched for a long time. When I get back, I plan to tell Lan Yin about this.
It's been over a month now. I have no idea what's happening outside. I'm really worried, especially about Roger Lee's son, Luo Yang. Every time I think about it, I still feel uneasy.
With the way things are now, I don't know how long it will take before I truly master the basics and get out of here.
I pulled myself together and kept trying. Yet another day passed. By night, my ghost aura output was still at ten times the norm—no change at all. If I relaxed even a little, it would stay between ten and thirty times. Exhausted, I collapsed onto the bed, my mind blank.
"Sigh... What am I supposed to do?"
I racked my brain, trying to figure it out. Suddenly, a shadow descended out of nowhere. I looked up in shock. Above me, a dark mass appeared—it was my own shadow. Why did it suddenly show up?
"You've made some progress, Ethan Zhang. But I still can't come out freely, and neither can the others. Unless you can control your power at will, none of us can truly serve you here in the Forest of Desire."
I nodded.
"By the way, are the ones controlling desire here similar to the vengeful ghosts? Are they the same kind?"
I asked, and my shadow stared at me blankly, then nodded.
"Cross this barrier, Ethan Zhang. Once you do, it'll be your time to ascend to greater heights. We'll all be with you, as your power."
My shadow sounded a bit excited, then slowly turned into a cloud of black smoke and faded away.
I raised my hand toward the moonlight and looked—no shadow.
A week went by. I couldn't break through this massive bottleneck at all. My ghost aura output stayed at ten times the norm. Isabelle Frost wouldn't tell me anything, just kept urging me to practice.
After lunch, I lay down on the ground to rest for a bit. Days of training had left me in agony; my fatigue kept building. Then I realized something—my ghost entity seemed exhausted too, and its production of ghost aura had slowed.
Even though the production slowed, I still couldn't get my ghost aura output below ten times Isabelle's.
I lay there on the ground, feeling like a deflated balloon. My heart was burning with anxiety. Over this past week, the torment had built up like a raging tide, finally crashing down all at once.
I squinted up at the blinding sunlight, shielding my forehead with one hand and gasping for breath. Just then, Isabelle Frost walked over and quietly watched me.
"What's wrong? Tired, Ethan Zhang?"
I smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm really tired... heh."
The impatience in my heart vanished instantly, like smoke dissipating. Just now, I recalled everything I'd been through. Even though I've become an Evil Ghost, I still have a heart—just like a human. I get upset when things don't go my way.
"That's good, Ethan Zhang. Keep pushing forward. Things will only get tougher from here. You..."
"I know."
I got up, looked seriously at Isabelle Frost, and lowered my head.
"No matter how harsh it gets, I'll keep going until I've truly mastered the basics."
I clenched my fists. Isabelle Frost looked at me in surprise.
"Oh? And what for?"
I gazed at the distant sky and smiled, but gradually, my smile turned cold.
(Irrelevant system message skipped)
"To destroy the Immortality Society. No matter how long it takes, I want to make them pay for everything they've done."
Isabelle Frost turned her head, looking at me coldly.
"If you want to fight such overwhelming power, how can you do it alone...?"
"I'm not alone. I could never do it alone. I've thought about this before—I'll cross this barrier with my friends, no matter what happens next."
Isabelle Frost slowly floated upward, then a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.
"I'm looking forward to it, Ethan Zhang. From the looks of it, it's not vengeance that's guiding you anymore—it's you who has come here on your own."
I sighed and closed my eyes, then resumed training.
"It's my own will that brought me here, that keeps me here, moving forward in this Evil Ghost Path—human and ghost both."
Another whole day passed, and I still failed. But when night fell, I sensed it—nine times. My ghost aura was now nine times Isabelle's. I saw hope again, hope for controlling my power.
After lying in bed, I quickly fell asleep. But then my nose started itching. I snapped awake, but saw nothing. I got up and looked around—nothing. I touched my nose.
The itching was real—it hadn't changed just because I was asleep. Who was it that just tickled my nose with a twig or something? The lights in the Octagonal Tower were already out; Isabelle Frost would never do something so childish.
"Let's play a game, Ethan Zhang—hide and seek. If you can find me, I'll come out."
Just then, the girl's soft voice echoed around me. I looked all around; it seemed to come from every direction at once.
I went back to bed, ignoring it, and tried to go back to sleep.
"Huh? Ethan Zhang, why are you ignoring me? I said if you catch me, I'll come out and talk with you."
"No time. I want to sleep. Go play with someone else. If you're really bored, dig a hole, bury yourself, and figure out how to get out."
I replied casually. The girl burst out laughing.
"That's a good idea! Ethan Zhang, I'll dig a big hole and bury you. If you can get out, I'll come out and see you."
"What time is it? Aren't you annoying? I have things to do tomorrow. Go play by yourself."
I shouted, not wanting to deal with her anymore. Just as I was falling asleep, my nose started itching again. I snapped my eyes open and saw a shadow. I chased after it, but there was nothing.
"Haha, come catch me, Ethan Zhang! Come on, if you catch me, I'll..."
I ignored her and went back to bed. The first time she woke me, I realized she probably couldn't summon Lao Chongyuan's kind of powerful welcome for now, so she's using this method to torment me.
After a while, I fell asleep again, but the itching returned. I slapped away the twig scratching my nose.
"Annoying little fly, get lost."
I muttered, turned over, and went back to sleep. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking me.
"Come play with me, Ethan Zhang! Please, get up!"
"Stop messing around. Fine, when I'm done with my business, you can play however you want. I'll keep you company."
"Really...?"
The woman suddenly stopped shaking me. I squinted and glanced at her—a pair of bright golden eyes. I didn't respond, just nodded and went back to sleep.
A burst of cheerful laughter sounded in my ear. I smiled, and soon fell asleep.