The walk from Clear Water Village to Nuoding City usually took a full day on foot. For a six-year-old, it was a grueling trek through dirt paths and low hills. But Chen Fan wasn't planning on walking.
As soon as he was out of sight of the village elders, he closed his eyes and focused on the cold weight resting against his spine.
"If you're a Specter," Chen Fan whispered, "show me what you can do."
The violet pinpricks in the ghost's cowl flared. Suddenly, a wave of numbing cold washed over Chen Fan's skin. He looked down at his hands—they were becoming translucent, fading into the color of the grey morning mist.
Innate Ability: Ghost Walk
He didn't just feel light; he felt weightless.
Active Effect: Chen Fan and his Specter merge into a semi-corporeal state.
Invisibility: Undetectable by the naked eye of anyone below Rank 30 (Spirit Elder).
Movement: Ignores terrain friction; moves at 200% base speed while hovering an inch off the ground.
Whoosh!
Chen Fan took a step, and instead of a stride, he glided five meters. He began to run—or rather, he began to drift at high speed. The wind didn't whip his face; it passed through him. Trees became green blurs, and the uneven rocks of the path offered no resistance.
"This is better than any Spirit Bone," he laughed, though his voice sounded like echoing whispers.
Arrival at Nuoding Academy
In less than two hours, the towering stone gates of Nuoding Junior Spirit Master Academy appeared. The guards were leaning against the pillars, yawning. Chen Fan didn't bother stopping at the gate or showing his certificate.
He simply drifted through the wrought iron bars like smoke.
Once inside the courtyard, he deactivated the ability. The color returned to his skin, and the Specter retreated into his shadow, invisible once more to the students passing by. He needed two things: a place to stay and, more importantly, knowledge.
The Library: Seeking the Undead
Chen Fan bypassed the dormitories and headed straight for the academy library. While most kids his age were busy marveling at their newly awakened hammers or wolves, Chen Fan was hunched over a dusty tome titled Encyclopedia of Rare and Malignant Beast Types.
He knew that as an Innate Full Spirit Power holder, his first ring would define his entire growth curve. For a Specter Martial Soul, he needed something that complemented his "Ghost" nature.
He flipped through the pages until he found the section on Ghost-type Spirit Beasts.
1. Shadow Cat - Agility/Dark
Increases physical speed and claw sharpness.
2. Phantasm Banshee - Mental/Sound
Grants a sonic scream or illusion ability.
3. Specter Stalker - Stealth/Undead
Enhances invisibility and soul-piercing attacks.
"The Specter Stalker is the best fit," Chen Fan muttered, his finger tracing the illustration of a skeletal feline draped in purple smoke. "But they're rare in the Spirit Hunting Forests near here. I need something that allows me to interact with the physical world while I'm a ghost."
A Fateful Encounter
"You're looking at the Undead section? That's a dangerous path for a child."
Chen Fan froze. He hadn't heard anyone approach. He looked up to see a middle-aged man with short, cropped hair and a tired expression. He wore a simple robe, but his eyes held an intensity that suggested he saw much more than he let on.
Grandmaster. Yu Xiaogang.
Chen Fan's heart hammered. In the novels, this man was the walking Wikipedia of the Spirit World. If anyone could help him find a ghost-type beast that Lu Feng didn't even know existed, it was him.
"I... I just think they're interesting," Chen Fan said, closing the book.
Grandmaster stepped closer, his eyes narrowing as he looked not at Chen Fan, but at the empty space just behind the boy's left shoulder. His brow furrowed.
"Interesting," Grandmaster whispered. "The air around you is three degrees colder than the rest of the room. Tell me, boy, what did the Spirit Hall attendant list as your Martial Soul?"