Chapter 97 Cheat Mode
On the training grounds of the Ghost-Suppressing Army, murderous aura surged like a tide.
"The Nine Nether Ghost Soul Art—First Form, Draw Ghost Qi Into the Body!"
With a sharp shout from the instructor, hundreds of soldiers simultaneously activated the technique. Their pores opened, madly devouring the ghost qi flooding the air. Instantly, the field was filled with screams.
"Ahhh—!" someone cried out, collapsing to his knees, veins bulging across his body.
"This ghost qi… it's like knives scraping my bones!" another, pale-faced, coughed blood from the corner of his mouth.
Standing among them, Jiang Che frowned slightly. Following the circulation method, he discovered the invading ghost qi brought no pain at all. Instead, it washed through his meridians like a clear spring, leaving his whole body refreshed.
Strange…
He glanced around. Everyone else's faces were twisted in agony, clearly suffering immensely. His doubts only grew.
"Hey, rookie, why aren't you affected at all?" a tattooed brute beside him panted out.
"Maybe I'm just more tolerant of pain," Jiang Che replied calmly.
"Bullshit!" the brute spat. "The Nine Nether Ghost Soul Art cuts to the bone when cultivated. Even iron men howl!"
Before Jiang Che could answer, another soldier spoke up. "You don't know him? He's no ordinary recruit. They say when he got his ghost tattoos, he didn't make a sound."
"Damn! Respect, brother!"
Jiang Che only nodded, ignoring them and continuing to cultivate. As the technique circulated, his spiritual power grew increasingly refined, his realm faintly on the verge of breakthrough.
…
After training, Jiang Che returned to his assigned barracks.
Sitting cross-legged, he carefully examined his meridians.
Suddenly, his gaze froze. The jade pendant at his waist glowed with a faint azure light!
This is…
He removed it. Fine lines writhed across the jade surface like living things.
More bizarre still, the surrounding ghost qi was being devoured by the pendant, then transformed into pure energy that fed directly back into him.
"So that's it…"
His pupils shrank.
Back then, when his soul was nearly destroyed, it was this pendant that preserved a shred of his true spirit.
Now it seemed the pendant not only protected the soul, but also absorbed ghost qi to aid cultivation!
Could this be… a supreme treasure?
His heartbeat quickened.
If so, then the Nine Nether Ghost Soul Art was practically made for him!
Clutching the pendant, Jiang Che's eyes gleamed.
He traced the lines with his fingertip, and a thought rose unbidden—
Yes, perhaps this time it might work…
Ever since acquiring the pendant, he had tried to refine it, always failing.
After reincarnation and awakening his memories, he had been thrown into the Ghost-Suppressing Army, leaving no chance to test again.
But now… maybe it could succeed…
Drawing a deep breath, he guided the newly cultivated ghost qi into the pendant.
Suddenly, it shuddered violently, releasing a clear hum. Then it turned into a streak of blue light and sank into his chest!
It actually worked…
Seems joining the Ghost-Suppressing Army… was the right choice.
Before his astonishment could settle, a familiar chill spread through his body. Looking down, he saw his hand becoming transparent, dissolving into wisps of gray-white mist.
Ghost Mist Body?!
This state was all too familiar.
It was exactly how he had appeared when drifting through the Ghost Domain!
Back then, he had wandered like a mass of ghost mist, floating aimlessly through the vast expanse of that realm.
With a thought, Jiang Che's body instantly dispersed, dissolving into ethereal fog that filled the entire barracks.
What shocked him even more was that, in this state, the Nine Nether Ghost Soul Art began circulating on its own. Ghost qi from all directions surged into him like rivers rushing to the sea, and his cultivation speed multiplied severalfold!
"So that's it…" Jiang Che's voice murmured from within the mist. "This jade pendant truly is connected to the Ghost Domain!"
Just then, footsteps echoed outside.
"Brother Jiang, it's mealtime!" a rough voice called at the door.
Before Jiang Che could react, the barracks door creaked open. A burly soldier with a scarred face peered in, frowning at the empty room.
"Strange. I could've sworn I saw him come in…" The man scratched his head, then shivered. "Why is it so cold in here…"
He cast a suspicious glance around but, finding nothing, shook his head and left.
When his steps faded, the fog in the room stirred, gathering again into human form on the bed.
Jiang Che opened his eyes, lips curling into a cold smile.
"Looks like… I've obtained something extraordinary."
He glanced at his palm. With a thought, his hand dissolved once more into drifting mist.
With this ability, did it not mean he could freely enter and leave the Ghost Domain? The rare treasures he had glimpsed while drifting there… he could now claim them at will!
Light flashed in his eyes.
…
That night, silence shrouded the camp.
Jiang Che melted into gray mist, slipping through the cracks of the barracks.
The night wind stirred, and his form merged seamlessly with the surrounding darkness. Even the moonlight could not trace his outline.
Not far off, a patrol passed with torches. Their shadows stretched long, but none noticed the figure drifting just within reach.
So they really can't see me…
Jiang Che's heart steadied, and his courage grew.
He followed the pull of the cold wind, heading deeper into the Myriad Ghost Cavern.
The ghost qi at the outer edges was dense, but to him now, it was nothing more than a tickle.
He needed to go deeper—into the zones even the Ghost-Suppressing Army feared to enter.
To others, it was a forbidden land. To him, it was a cultivation paradise.
The further he drifted, the heavier the gloom became. Crimson fluid seeped from the stone walls, like dried blood. Occasionally, low-level ghost creatures peeked from the shadows, eyes vacant, yet ignoring Jiang Che—as if they saw him as kin, though of higher order.
Just as he settled on a hidden, ghost-qi-rich spot to cultivate, a familiar figure crossed his path.
It was the gray-robed masked man who had received him the day before!
Now Jiang Che knew—the gray-robed man was a camp officer of the Ghost-Suppressing Army, ranked just below a commander.
At this moment, he walked quickly, as if on urgent business.
This late at night… where was he going?
Curiosity stirred, Jiang Che quietly followed…
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