The rumors spread like a cold contagion. It started with the frost on Tang San's arm and ended with whispers in the hallways of Nuoding Academy. "Soul-Devourer," "Grave-Walker," "The Malignant Shadow."
To the students of the Douluo Continent, there was no greater fear than a Fallen Spirit Master—those who grew their power by consuming the life force of others.
By the third day after the duel, two tall men in silver-trimmed white robes stood at the Dean's office. They were from the local Spirit Hall branch, led by a middle-aged man with a stern face and a shimmering orb of light floating above his palm.
"Chen Fan," Dean Long Han said, his voice heavy with worry. "This is Deacon Matthewson. They've received... reports. You must undergo the Purification Test."
The Hall of Judgment
The Spirit Hall branch in Nuoding was a grand, vaulted building. In the center of the main hall stood a massive statue of the Seraphim, bathed in artificial sunlight.
Tang San and Grandmaster stood near the entrance, watching in silence. Tang San's eyes were conflicted; he had sparked this, but he hadn't expected the Spirit Hall to intervene so aggressively.
"Step forward, boy," Deacon Matthewson commanded. He summoned his Martial Soul—a Light-Sensing Bird. "If your Specter is truly a 'Fallen' soul that devours essence, it will recoil from my Holy Light. It will scream, and its true form will be revealed."
Chen Fan walked into the center of the ritual circle. He felt the cold weight of the Specter behind him. If they find out I can drain spirit power, I'm dead, he thought. They'll execute me right here.
The Silence of the Grave
"Second Spirit Skill: Illumination of Truth!"
Matthewson raised his hand, and a searing, brilliant white light flooded the room. It was an attribute specifically designed to agitate Undead and Dark-type souls.
Chen Fan braced for the Specter to howl or lash out. But as the light hit him, something strange happened.
The Specter didn't recoil. Instead, it did something it had never done before—it folded. The translucent figure wrapped its tattered robes around itself, turning into a tiny, dense point of absolute blackness that hid within the deepest recesses of Chen Fan's shadow.
The light passed through Chen Fan as if he were made of glass.
The Result: The light didn't turn red (the sign of a Fallen). It stayed a pure, calm white.
The Sensation: Matthewson's brow furrowed. His Light-Sensing Bird chirped in confusion. "I... I feel nothing. No malice. No hunger. It's as if there is no soul there at all."
"Impossible," Matthewson muttered, increasing the output of his spirit power. "Even a normal ghost soul should feel discomfort. But this... it's like trying to find a shadow in a sunlit room. It's too pure."
The Great Deception
After ten minutes of intense light, Chen Fan stood unscathed. The Specter emerged from his shadow only after the light dimmed, its violet eyes flickering with what looked like... amusement.
"The boy is clean," Matthewson announced, sounding disappointed. "His Martial Soul is likely just a high-tier Void Spirit. It doesn't devour; it simply exists in a different dimension. The frost Tang San felt was likely just the 'Absolute Zero' attribute of the void, not a drainage of life."
Tang San gasped, his hand tightening into a fist. Was I wrong? Did I misinterpret the cold?
Grandmaster stepped forward, a glint of fascination in his eyes. "A Void Spirit... a soul that can actively hide from Light-Sensing. Remarkable."
The Shadow's Warning
As Chen Fan walked out of the Spirit Hall, he felt a strange, new sensation. The Specter wasn't just a tool; it had its own instinct for survival. It had played the "Holy Light" like a fiddle, masking its hunger beneath a cloak of nothingness.
He stopped next to Tang San at the exit.
"Satisfied?" Chen Fan asked, his voice low and devoid of emotion.
Tang San looked at him, the Purple Demon Eye fading from his pupils. "The light didn't find anything. But my arm still aches, Chen Fan. I'll be watching."
"Watch all you want," Chen Fan replied, triggering Ghost Walk. He didn't run; he simply faded into the afternoon shadows of the city street. "Just make sure you don't lose sight of your own shadow."
Chen Fan knew he couldn't stay in the academy much longer. If the Specter was learning to hide from the Spirit Hall, it was only a matter of time before its "hunger" became too great for a school setting to contain.