Chapter 418 - 297: Yin Spirit

The next day, during morning practice.

The crowd of New Disciples and Skill Transmission Disciples sized up Zhao Xuanqi and Zuo Dongrui’s group of five, their expressions a little strange.

Zhao Xuanqi still had a few deliberately placed bruises on his face, but Zuo Dongrui and the others were in even worse shape. Each one of them had dark circles under their eyes and swollen faces, and their gazes toward Zhao Xuanqi were still filled with a bit of terror.

The vicious methods Zhao Xuanqi had displayed in the small woods yesterday, and the heart-piercing, bone-chilling pain, were things they still couldn’t forget.

Soon, Hua Guangcan slowly walked over. His gaze merely swept past Zhao Xuanqi and the others without saying much.

Zuo Dongrui, however, opened his mouth as if he wanted to snitch, but when he met Hua Guangcan’s indifferent gaze and recalled Zhao Xuanqi’s words from yesterday, he couldn’t help but stop himself, swallowing the words he was about to say.

Zhao Xuanqi took in Zuo Dongrui’s subtle movements, his expression calm.

Hua Guangcan quickly ignored the matter and, with a single command, morning practice officially began.

As before, the session began with the cultivation of the True Essence Skill. The resonant sound of the Imperial Decree echoed across the square.

Afterward, the disciples who had not passed the Blood Qi Rune drawing assessment continued their previous practice, while the three who had passed—Zhao Xuanqi among them—were personally taught by Hua Guangcan how to channel Force and activate the Blood Qi Rune.

During this process, Zhao Xuanqi displayed an "appropriate" amount of talent in controlling his Force and Qi and Blood. His progress was roughly on par with Peng Lin, who had a superior constitution and abundant Qi and Blood, and Shen Hong, who possessed both high aptitude and a good constitution. This came as an even more pleasant surprise to Hua Guangcan.

’Looks like I’ve struck gold this time,’ he thought.

As a Dharma Transmission Steward, he had performance quotas to meet. For every New Disciple with superior aptitude he discovered, his own reward would be that much greater.

At noon, after lunch, everyone assumed they would continue with their previous training. Unexpectedly, however, after the midday break, Hua Guangcan did not lead them back to the square but to a classroom.

"There’s been a change of plans. Guming County is currently in a state of disarray and urgently needs manpower. The sect has decided that in seven days, the training grounds for New Disciples will be moved to Guming County. At that time, you will spend at least three hours each day accompanying your senior brothers and sisters on city patrol missions to guard against Evil Spirits within the city. Therefore, the original curriculum is being moved up. Starting this afternoon, I will be teaching you the relevant knowledge. Take good notes. Your performance on the patrol missions will also affect your final assessment."

Hua Guangcan said coolly.

Upon hearing this news, the New Disciples instantly erupted into an uproar, unable to suppress their whispered conversations. The disciples from Guming County had the strongest reactions. Not long ago, they had just survived an Evil Spirit incident where many of their relatives had perished. They held a deep-seated fear of Evil Spirits. Although they had prepared themselves for this when joining the Red Heart Sect, they never expected to have to face it so soon.

After all, they had yet to master enough skills to protect themselves.

"Silence!!"

Hua Guangcan’s lungs swelled, and his voice was like the roar of a furious lion, vibrating their eardrums and instantly silencing the crowd.

"Once you enter this sect, some things are unavoidable. Besides, it’s just a daytime patrol, so the risk isn’t high. You’ll have senior brothers and sisters looking out for you, so there won’t be any major danger. If you don’t even have this much courage, you might as well go home now."

Hua Guangcan’s gaze swept over the disciples. Seeing that they had fallen silent, he continued with the lesson.

"Evil Spirits. You’ve all heard of them, but I’m afraid few of you have ever truly encountered one, not even the weakest D Level Evil Spirit."

"First, you need to know that Evil Spirits are generally divided into three categories. The first category is Yin Spirits. So-called Yin Spirits are incorporeal and non-material. Some are even difficult to see with the naked eye. Fists and feet cannot touch them; only Blood Qi can harm them."

"The second category is known as Cursed Objects. These are items that have undergone a strange transformation and now cause all sorts of disasters. If you don’t find and destroy the object itself, the associated phenomenon will reappear no matter how many times you eliminate it. Generally, however, the phenomenon cannot manifest too far from the Cursed Object. This type of Evil Spirit is relatively rare."

"The third category is Demon Ghosts. These are tangible Evil Spirits, such as Jumping Corpses, Ghost Zombies, and the like. This type of Evil Spirit generally has a hard time concealing its form and is quickly discovered if it appears in a city. You typically won’t encounter them."

"..."

Hua Guangcan continued his slow explanation, giving everyone a general introduction to the types of Evil Spirits and also describing some of the more common, specific case examples.

Time passed quickly, and the lesson soon came to an end. As was customary, Hua Guangcan left time for the disciples to ask questions before the class concluded.

"Master Deacon, when did Evil Spirits first appear?"

Zhao Xuanqi asked.

"Demon Ghosts and Cursed Objects have existed since ancient times, born from things that absorbed sinister and evil qi. But two hundred years ago, during the end of the Great Qi dynasty, the practice of Evil Cultivation suddenly appeared everywhere. As a result, Demon Ghosts and Cursed Objects ran rampant, bringing chaos to the world. The realm fell into turmoil, and the Great Qi collapsed because of it. To this day, the situation has only grown more and more intense. Fortunately, the Grand Ancestor of our Great Wei led his forces to quell the rebellions and suppress the Evil Cultivation. He established a new dynasty and set up the City God system, which finally stabilized the world. His current Majesty has taken the reign title ’Hengyang,’ signifying his grand ambition to suppress the world’s evils and restore order and clarity to the universe."

"On a related note, if you encounter an Evil Spirit, regardless of its level, you must not let your guard down. In recent years, Evil Spirits have been mutating with increasing frequency, rendering much of our historical records obsolete. These types of Evil Spirits are now called ’Alien Ghosts.’ Though they are exceedingly rare, if you do run into one, it’s easy to be caught off guard and fail spectacularly. When dealing with Evil Spirits, do not be greedy for merits or advance rashly."