Thinking of this, Kael's eyes lit up. When he looked again at the evil spirits walking under the streetlights, he almost burst out laughing. These weren't evil spirits—they were the foundation of his ascension, the ladder to immortality.
In an instant, Kael released his mana without hesitation. It spread outward, seized a weak evil spirit, dragged it back, tore it apart, and devoured it piece by piece.
"Ugh."
After swallowing the spirit, Kael couldn't help showing a disgusted expression. Compared to pure human souls, evil spirits were inferior. If devouring a human soul was like eating a delicious bento, then devouring an evil spirit was like eating stale, hardened fried rice. The difference in taste was heaven and earth.
But the energy provided by evil spirits far surpassed that of ordinary humans. Kael could accept it. For the sake of strength, dignity didn't matter.
After consuming the spirit, Kael felt his mana increase by at least one-third. The improvement was astonishing. To achieve the same effect with human souls, he would need to devour seven, eight, or even more than ten. Yet one evil spirit gave such a boost. This proved evil spirits were true nourishment.
Though unpleasant and nauseating, their potency made them acceptable. As Kael thought before—strength mattered more than taste.
Unable to resist, Kael released his mana again. One after another, evil spirits were seized, torn apart, and devoured. His mana soared like a rocket.
After consuming more than ten spirits, his mana had tripled. Too fast—unbelievably fast. This cultivation speed left geniuses far behind.
But Kael realized he couldn't continue. His mana had grown too quickly, becoming coarse and difficult to control. That was dangerous. Uncontrolled mana could easily backfire.
So Kael abandoned his plan to punish Jinguji Narumi and rushed home. He circulated the Soul-Devouring Demonic Art, slowly refining his mana. Only when he had full control did he open his eyes.
By then, daylight had arrived. He washed up, picked up his phone, and was surprised to see many messages from Saki and Marin.
"Renjou-kun, why didn't you come to school today?"
"Renjou-kun, did something happen?"
"Renjou-kun, answer us."
"Renjou-kun, are you in trouble?"
Kael was stunned. What was going on? Besides them, even Mafuyu had sent messages asking why he hadn't come to school. He grew curious—why were they all messaging him?
Then he suddenly realized and checked the date. It was Thursday. He remembered gaining mana on Sunday. How was it Thursday already? His cultivation had taken three days.
Unbelievable. Truly unbelievable. In his memory, he had only refined his mana briefly. Yet three days had passed. He sighed—cultivation consumed time.
He was only a First Grade Lower cultivator. For higher-level practitioners, the time must be terrifying. No wonder they measured cultivation in years. It was daunting.
When he grew stronger, one session might end with the world changed beyond recognition. He finally understood why cultivators lived in mountains and caves. Cultivation took too much time.
No wonder Marin, Saki, and Mafuyu had all messaged him. On Sunday they had played happily, but in the blink of an eye, Kael had vanished. And for three days. Anyone would worry.
After tidying up, Kael left home for school. Even in daylight, he saw evil spirits everywhere. They walked openly under the sun, pestering passersby. He couldn't tell if this was the human world or a ghost realm.
It was incredible. By logic, the sun's pure yang energy should harm evil spirits. They shouldn't appear in broad daylight. But now… Kael didn't know what to say.
He looked up at the sun. It was still vast, its light still powerful against evil. As a true demonic cultivator, Kael knew he wasn't mistaken.
So he suspected these spirits had something special. When he first entered this world, he had practiced Nine Breaths Breathing. He confirmed the world's spiritual energy was pitifully scarce, unsuitable for cultivation.
Yet despite the lack of energy, evil spirits were everywhere. This meant they weren't born from spiritual energy. They came from another cause.
Perhaps that was why they could walk freely under the sun.
Of course, this was only Kael's guess. He wasn't sure. But he believed that as his strength grew, the truth of this world would reveal itself.
For now, he had to strengthen himself quickly. These spirits were disasters for ordinary people. But for him, they were elixirs.
Though foul-tasting, if he wanted power, he had to consume them. Too disgusting. Was there no way to make them taste better?