Su Zhou pushed down on a pedal, his brow furrowed. Whether it was due to his upbringing or his personality, he hated criminals... although, in a sense, he was one himself, having illegally possessed heavy weaponry to take out a Mysterious Organization's stronghold and kill dozens of its members. That, however, didn't change his opinion.
Besides this case, he'd also overheard some curious rumors from all over town... For instance, some people had seen massive insects and snakes in the suburbs, others said they heard footsteps in their homes late at night, and some claimed to have seen Ghosts in hospitals... Not just any hospital, either. Even the Hongcheng Academy First Affiliated Hospital, where his mom, Ning Shiyu, worked, reportedly had strange shadows appearing.
This understandably made Su Zhou anxious and eager to craft the Exorcism Jewelry.
'But the most important thing is still that serial killer.'
Recalling how exhausted his father looked, Su Zhou formed a suspicion. 'Honestly, Hongcheng's surveillance network is excellent. For a group of veteran Patrols to be this swamped proves that the killer is either extraordinary... or completely unexpected.'
"Yara, you think it's an Evil Demon too, don't you? That's why you reminded me to ask about it last time."
"Indeed," the Snake Spirit replied cheerfully, cautiously poking its head out from its hiding spot in Su Zhou's hair to greedily observe the Mortal World it hadn't seen in so long. "Your father carries the faint scent of an Evil Demon. He likely picked it up from spending a long time where one has been."
"Then what do you think that Evil Demon could be?" Su Zhou asked Yara offhandedly while pondering it himself.
"It could be anything," Yara replied. "Some Evil Demons are adept at lurking within human hearts, turning an ordinary person into a psychopathic murderer in an instant. Of course, it could also be a Demon Beast. The missing flesh and organs, for instance, make it highly likely the victim was eaten on the spot."
"The good news is, whether it's a corrupted human or a Demon Fiend, judging by the amount of flesh consumed, this Evil Demon probably isn't very strong. Su Zhou, if you want to track it, I can teach you a tracking Secret Technique."
"What Secret Technique!?"
The mention of a Secret Technique instantly invigorated Su Zhou. His father was hunting a Monster that might be an Evil Demon, a fact that worried him deeply. The Patrols in Zhengguo, unlike their counterparts in the Federation across the sea, weren't equipped with a wide array of weaponry. If they ran into an enemy like the High Priest of the Continuous Prayer Meeting, there would surely be casualties. The sooner they could identify the enemy's True Body, the sooner they could avert disaster.
Besides, Yara's Secret Techniques, from the simple and intuitive Exorcism Orbit to the incredibly accessible Sanctification Ceremony, were a testament to its profound, high-level Extraordinary Knowledge. It was truly worthy of the title 'King of Mysteries.' Any tracking Secret Technique it offered would surely be top-tier!
But Yara's reply was absurd.
"Close your eyes, make any old hand seal, hypnotize yourself a bit, then tell yourself, 'Spiritual Essence is an objective reality; there's no reason I can't see it.' Finally, just open your eyes."
Normally, anyone else would have thought it was a joke.
But Su Zhou was no ordinary person.
He actually did it. He closed his eyes, holding the bike's handlebar with his left hand while his right hand, tucked in his pocket, casually formed a seal. Then, he suggested to himself, 'Spiritual Essence is an objective reality; there's no reason I can't see it'—
Meanwhile, the Snake Spirit was still saying, "It probably won't work on the first try. You might need to practice for a few days, maybe..."
Just then, Su Zhou opened his eyes.
And he really saw them—Ghosts, everywhere on the street.
'You're amazing, Yara! I can really see them!' Su Zhou cheered internally. 'Wow, they're a hundred times clearer than what I used to see before!'
"...No, no, no. *You're* the incredible one."
After a moment of stunned silence, even Yara, who had seen it all, subconsciously slapped its tail twice against the ground of the Spiritual Space as if applauding. "Your Talent in the Extraordinary is... astonishingly divine..."
"Well, you did let me experience the Dragon's Perspective last time, after all." Su Zhou was still looking around, amazed at the incredible number of Ghosts. He could see them everywhere: inside houses, under the shade of trees, and in the shadows cast by buildings, large numbers of white Spirit Bodies were moving about unconsciously. Most of them were incomplete and without any intelligence... It wasn't grotesque, though, since their wounds were just wisps of white mist.
To use an analogy, the white Spirit Bodies were like snow, piled up in the shadows where the sun couldn't reach. And many ordinary people were standing right in the middle of them, enjoying the cool air.
Then, Su Zhou continued, "When I closed my eyes, I just tried to imitate that feeling from when I looked at the Sealing Sect... It's nowhere near as powerful, obviously, but it looks like I had the right idea."
"Correct." Yara nodded, its surprise receding as it confirmed Su Zhou's theory. "You're essentially using your subconscious to channel your Extraordinary Spirituality into your eyes. However, even though this is the most common and effective method for 'Spiritual Vision,' it usually takes even a talented Transcendent one or two weeks of Cultivation to learn. I thought I had already overestimated your Talent, but I never expected..."
'I never expected you to learn it in two seconds.'
"Well, it is me we're talking about. I've been vaguely seeing things for a decade, so I've already picked up a few tricks. In the end, I don't need suggestion or imagination. I've always had a *Strong Conviction* that the Extraordinary is real, and I've always believed I could *truly* see it!"
Meanwhile, Su Zhou was excitedly observing this strange new world. He could even see layers of a pale, cyan mist in the air. The color was so faint it was barely a hint of azure, and wherever this mist was present, the white Ghosts were more numerous.
'That must be the so-called Spiritual Qi.' He recalled Yara's words that this Spiritual Qi was currently very thin; after the Spiritual Energy Revival, the entire world would be filled with the azure mist.
Su Zhou didn't bother to swerve around the Ghosts. He simply rode his bike right through them, feeling no discomfort. How to describe it? They were like clouds—they seemed to be there, but in reality, they were so insubstantial they might as well not have been.
However, Su Zhou then noticed a few Ghosts not far off that had a faint blue glow in their eyes. Their actions clearly showed a degree of intelligence. But when these Wandering Souls met his gaze and realized he could see them, they all cried out in alarm before dissipating into mist.
"Why do they do that? I feel like I've seen similar Ghosts before. They always run the second they see me, saying one sentence at most."
Su Zhou was puzzled, but the Snake Spirit patiently explained, "To observe is to influence. Your ability to see them means you can also harm them. Furthermore, with the power of your Body of Perfection, it's one thing for mindless Ghosts, but if an intelligent Wandering Soul gets too close, the extraordinary radiation from your body could very well erase the consciousness maintained by their fragile structure."
Just then, Su Zhou deactivated his 'Spiritual Vision.' Even after such a short time, he already felt a bit drained.
"Yes. You'll only have the capacity to maintain Spiritual Vision for long periods after your Awakening. For now, you can use it five or six times a day at most, and only for a few minutes at a time. Otherwise, you'll deplete your Spiritual Energy and become exhausted."
Yara noticed Su Zhou's state. It pondered for a moment before saying, "Still, Su Zhou, your Talent is truly exceptional. I think we can skip a lot of the usual training and tests and move straight to preparing you to hunt the Evil Demon."
With no time to ponder the interesting, peculiar life form that was the Ghost, Su Zhou first felt a surge of delight, which was then followed by a slight frown. "Hunt an Evil Demon? I'm fine with that—but am I strong enough?"
"Of course you are. Don't underestimate yourself. Your physical abilities aside, now that you can see Ghosts, you can also see the traces an Evil Demon leaves behind. You can track it."
Yara smiled, full of Faith. "However, before that..."
"You need a weapon."