"Damn you, Shu Feng!! Why didn't you just let me frame you?! Why didn't you just drop out of school?! I curse you!! I curse you to die a horrible death!!"
Inside a room, Xu Gang, his face haggard and pale, clutched an ugly Witchcraft Doll. He frantically tore at it, screaming his curses aloud.
Xu Canghai's many crimes were exposed, and he was thrown in prison. The countless enemies he had made swarmed in for the kill, and the Xu Family fell into decline.
Xu Gang's mother spent her days in tears. Xu Gang himself was forced to drop out of school and stayed cooped up at home all day, his heart filled with bitter resentment.
"Do you want revenge? Do you want to gain Power?"
An ethereal, eerie voice suddenly filled the room.
His face haggard and his eyes bloodshot, Xu Gang screamed, "Yes! I want revenge!! I want Power!! I want to kill Shu Feng! I want him to die a horrible death!!"
"Then take this! Just follow your heart's desire, believe in the great King of Strange Evil, and you will get everything you've ever wanted."
As an eerie whisper sounded, a swirl of yellow smoke materialized in front of Xu Gang.
When the yellow smoke vanished, a brass statue had appeared before Xu Gang. It depicted the King of Strange Evil: a humanoid figure with two goat horns, its body covered in black scales. A gaping, blood-red maw was carved into its forehead, and its hands and feet ended in sharp claws. The statue's face was a mask of ferocious cruelty, like that of a vicious fiend.
The eerie whisper faded, and every trace of the supernatural vanished, as if nothing had happened at all.
"What is this?"
Xu Gang froze for a moment, his eyes falling on the King of Strange Evil statue that had mysteriously appeared on his desk.
After a moment's hesitation, Xu Gang couldn't resist reaching out and grabbing the statue of the King of Strange Evil.
'Blood Sacrifice Ghost Control Technique!'
The knowledge of a cruel and bizarre Secret Technique, one filled with an endless, eerie power, suddenly flooded Xu Gang's mind.
'What a cruel Magic Technique!!'
The moment Xu Gang perceived the bizarre and cruel nature of the Magic Technique, he was so startled that he threw the King of Strange Evil statue to the ground.
The Blood Sacrifice Ghost Control Technique was unspeakably evil and bizarre. It required Xu Gang to slay his closest kin and offer them as a blood sacrifice upon the statue of the King of Strange Evil. Only then would he receive its boon: the Power to control ghosts. And the ghost he would command would be none other than the spirit of his slain relative.
"No!! I can't give up! I want revenge!!"
After a long while, Xu Gang finally snatched up the statue of the King of Strange Evil. He muttered to himself, sanity and madness warring in his eyes as he wrestled with his decision.
In a corner of the room, two figures in black stood silently, their cold gazes fixed on Xu Gang.
One of the figures said nonchalantly, "Xie Yuma, do you think he'll cultivate this Secret Technique?"
Xie Yuma chuckled. "It doesn't matter whether he does or not. We're just sowing seeds, distracting the Celestial Sword."
"Let's go!"
Two wisps of black smoke swirled around them, and the two figures in black vanished without a trace.
Qingling Reservoir was a scenic destination near Lei Jiang City, popular for outings. Every year before the high school entrance exams, Lei Jiang Third Middle School would organize a spring trip to let the students relax for a day and make some good memories before knuckling down for their tests. It was a long-standing tradition at the school.
On this particular day, all six third-year classes from Lei Jiang Third Middle School had come to Qingling Reservoir for their outing.
Beside a clear stream, students were splashing around, fishing, grilling food, and playing cards. The atmosphere was lively and cheerful.
"That's Pei Caiyi from Class 53. Pretty, isn't she? I heard she's already filmed several commercials, and one of them is already airing on Lei Jiang TV Station!"
Under the shade of a tree, Linga took a bite of a sausage stick and gestured toward a distant girl as he spoke to Shu Feng.
Teenage girls liked to check out handsome guys, and teenage boys were no different when it came to talking about cute girls.
Pei Caiyi had fair, radiant skin and stood at 1.7 meters tall, with a pair of beautiful, slender legs. Her features were delicate, giving her a pure and lovable air. Her only flaw, if any, was that her chest was still rather flat.
Shu Feng glanced at Pei Caiyi and chuckled. "She's definitely cute, but her figure is a little lacking."
"Don't compare her to Zhong Jietong or Ding Xiaoxue! Every girl has her own Charm. Ah Feng, you're getting a big head! You've gotten way too arrogant lately! In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!"
Linga shook his head slightly and jabbed a corn on the cob at Shu Feng's mouth.
"You watch too much anime!"
Shu Feng chuckled, casually reaching out and snatching the corn cob from him.
A flash of surprise crossed Linga's eyes. "Ah Feng, you seem to have gotten more handsome lately. You're stronger, too. And so nimble!"
At some point, dark clouds had begun to gather in the sky.
"Shu Feng! Come over here, I need to talk to you!"
A clear, cheerful voice called out as the dashingly beautiful Zhuo Qianlei strode toward them.
Wang Lu happened to walk over at the same moment and called out an invitation, "Shu Feng, we're short one person for cards! Come join us!"
The two girls spoke at nearly the same instant, then paused, sizing each other up. A faint spark of hostility flickered between them.
Zhuo Qianlei raised a delicate eyebrow. "Shu Feng, I asked you first. You can go play cards after we're done talking."
Wang Lu smiled, a hint of pride in her voice. "Shu Feng, Jietong is with us, too. If you miss this chance, you might not get another."
Zhong Jietong was the undisputed belle of Class 53, and plenty of guys had a crush on her. If she wanted to play cards, she could round up a dozen boys in minutes.
"Wang Lu, Zhuo Qianlei asked me first. Sorry!"
Shu Feng smiled, got to his feet, and walked off with Zhuo Qianlei.
"Hmph! Who does he think he is?"
Wang Lu huffed, a flash of displeasure in her eyes, and turned to walk back toward Zhong Jietong.
Cui Jing, a petite girl with a sweet and lovely face, giggled. "Lulu, Shu Feng really didn't come over?"
Cui Jing, Wang Lu, and Zhong Jietong were the resident trio of beauties in Class 53. The three were always together and were the best of friends.
Wang Lu grumbled, "He used to come running over like an eager puppy the second I called. Now he's getting more and more of an attitude."
Cui Jing said, "Well, he's not so simple anymore. A single word from those friends of his got the Xu Family investigated. They've got some serious connections. I have no idea how he got so damn lucky."
Zhong Jietong said coolly, "All right, let's not talk about him anymore. We'll just ask someone else."
"Fine! Plenty of people in our class would kill for a chance to hang out with Jietong. It's his loss!"
Wang Lu joked, and the moment she called out, a boy came scrambling over to join the three girls in their card game.
"Shu Feng, did you help me before? For some reason, you seem really familiar."
After leading Shu Feng a few steps toward the students from Class 57, Zhuo Qianlei suddenly asked.