Chapter 25: The Lu Zu Sword Qi Stele

"More than ten thousand per gram?"

Ji Yun’s eyes widened, and he almost thought he had miscounted a zero. Gold on the market was currently only about one thousand per gram. Was this "Nether Gold" ten times as valuable?

Ji Yun glanced at the heavy "little yellow bars" in his pocket, his eyes locking onto them in disbelief. For a college student living on two thousand a month, he had never seen so much money before.

In the Republican era, one jin was sixteen liang. These little yellow bars were standard one-liang pieces, meaning 31.25 grams each. Ten bars equaled 312.5 grams. Based on the current price of Nether Gold, he was suddenly worth over three million?

Experiencing sudden wealth, Ji Yun felt like he was floating on the clouds, as if in a dream. *Am I really a millionaire now?* No wonder that zombie man had gone to such great lengths to bring this stuff out of the Void Realm.

At the same time, doubt crept into his mind. "But what is this Nether Gold used for? Why is it so expensive?" He had seen many people in the forum posts trying to buy it, but no one mentioned its purpose. And the "glass bead" left behind by the zombie man—was that the [Soul Bead] mentioned in those acquisition posts?

Clinging to his questions, Ji Yun continued reading. As he clicked through more posts and viewed the attached photos, he gained an accurate concept of "Evil Objects" for the first time, while frequently gasping in shock.

He had just felt like he was suddenly rich, but in the blink of an eye, he realized he was a pauper in the supernatural realm. Tier 1 Evil Objects started at ten million, while Tier 2 objects exceeded one hundred million... The little yellow bars in his hand couldn't even buy the cheapest Evil Object.

A new question arose: "I remember that Forbidden Woman saying the Ji family’s [Ghost Gate Coffin] is a Special Tier Evil Object... What level is that?" He hadn't seen any "Special Tier" items for sale in the forums; the highest were only a few Tier 2 items. Without a reference point, he had no accurate scale.

As he scrolled, he saw a new post: "Selling Tier 1 Evil Object 'Lu Zu Sword Energy Stele'. The stele spirit is confirmed to be an evil ghost of Xie Yunliu’s Zhongtiao One-Blade style. Fusion offers a high probability of comprehending the remnant Lu Zu Pure Yang Sword Energy. 20 million + three Soul Beads, or equivalent valuable goods. Professionals only!"

They were both Tier 1 Evil Objects, yet this [Lu Zu Sword Energy Stele] was several times more expensive than the others. Why?

Ji Yun was like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, seeing a plethora of novel things, but the more he saw, the more confused he became. He lacked basic knowledge of the supernatural realm, and this feeling of being lost only fueled his thirst for knowledge.

After browsing the black market for a while, Ji Yun returned to the "Gossip World" section. He had previously noticed that many things were traded using "points," and some posts required points to view. There were also posts in the black market offering cash to purchase points.

As a veteran forum user, Ji Yun understood what this meant. It was like those old lewd forums—if you wanted to see others' posts, you had to share your own. The currency of exchange was "points." This kept the forum content rich and ensured a virtuous cycle. Otherwise, it would just be a group of freeloaders, and the forum would die quickly.

The "Gossip Forum" was likely the same. The authorities established such a forum to gather civilian supernaturalists, providing a legal platform for communication and trade. But that wasn't enough. The authorities also needed to track what supernatural events civilian practitioners had experienced, what Void Realms they had discovered, and what Evil Objects they had unearthed—this was the only way to truly control the risks. Since not everyone wanted to share their experiences, they used a point system to encourage it. At the same time, the posters earned a considerable income.

Ji Yun needed basic introductory posts. After searching through old, dusty threads, he found a highly-liked post titled "Encyclopedia of Supernatural Basics," which had been pinned by the officials, implying it was authoritative. Surprisingly, the post allowed for self-service inquiry.

Ji Yun checked the cost; answering a single question required points. Ranging from 1 to 9,999, the cost depended on the difficulty. Hua Ling’s account had several thousand points, which he figured would be enough. Since it was his sister's account, he felt no guilt using it.

Ji Yun immediately asked his most pressing question. Input: "What is an Evil Object?"

The answer came quickly: "Supernatural items possessing spirituality. Just like human souls, some objects possess spirituality. This spirituality grants Evil Objects certain supernatural effects. Of course, the spirit within an Evil Object is usually described by another term: 'Ghost'."

Ji Yun tested it out; it worked quite well. The question only cost 5 points. He continued to ask.

Question: "What is a supernaturalist?"
This question cost 1 point, cheap.
Answer: "A person who has fused with an Evil Object without losing control is a supernaturalist. You can understand the essence of fusing with an Evil Object as 'ghost possession' or 'divine channeling.' Fusing with an Evil Object is actually merging with the 'ghost' inside it to gain the ghost's abilities. Thus, a supernaturalist is a being that is half-ghost, half-human."

So that was it. Ji Yun suddenly realized why Sister Hua Ling always called supernaturalists "half-ghosts." It turned out the cat-faced old lady and the zombie man were in the same situation. No wonder they could transform into monsters.

But that raised a question: What supernatural abilities did the [Ghost Gate Coffin] he fused with actually have? Ji Yun grew more curious. He figured he was a supernaturalist, but where were his superpowers? He wanted to ask, but he didn't dare. Web browsing left traces, especially on registered accounts. Perhaps someone in the forum's backend was monitoring sensitive information at this very moment. Ji Yun wasn't foolish enough to ask about his own [Ghost Gate Coffin].

He thought for a moment and continued asking questions a normal person would. Seeing the absurd prices in the black market, he was curious about the vast differences.

Question: "How are Evil Objects classified?"
Answer: "Domestically, they are classified according to the danger level of the 'ghost' within; internationally, they are distinguished by spiritual pressure values. Under 100 is Tier 1; 100-1,000 is Tier 2; 1,000-10,000 is Tier 3; 10,000-100,000 is Tier 4. The two methods mostly overlap. However, reality has proven that spiritual pressure data is not entirely reliable. There are some special Evil Objects and ghosts that cannot be classified by conventional levels, generally referred to as 'Special Tier' or 'T-Tier'. Note: Evil Object levels are only a rough classification and are not equivalent to the strength of supernatural abilities."

Ji Yun’s doubts cleared. The higher the level of an Evil Object, the stronger it was theoretically, and thus the higher the price. But this spiritual pressure classification was only relatively accurate and had limitations because supernaturalists grow. The Evil Objects inside them are like seeds that also grow!

The Q&A post provided an example: comparing a tiger cub to an adult hunting dog; the latter had greater combat power. That was the basis for the current classification. It only compared current spiritual pressure. But once the tiger grew up, its combat power would far exceed the dog's. One was strong in the present, one in the future. The difference lay in potential. As long as a supernaturalist lived long enough, the potential of the Evil Object was often more important than the current spiritual pressure.

Ji Yun suddenly remembered someone urgently seeking a Tier 2 Evil Object for fusion and asked: "How many Evil Objects can a person fuse with?"

The screen displayed: "Quantity > 2. This is currently controversial in the supernatural world. The author can only answer confirmed facts. It is known that a person can fuse with a first Evil Object to become a supernaturalist; this is the 'Natal Evil Object.' Usually, the Natal Evil Object determines the direction of the supernaturalist's future abilities, generally falling into three major directions: physical enhancement, spell enhancement, and mental enhancement. After completely mastering the ghost inside, one can continue to fuse with a second Evil Object. Friendly reminder: Usually, fusion-type Evil Objects prioritize those that come with their own techniques. Spells can be learned later, but techniques are very difficult to cultivate."

Seeing this, Ji Yun immediately understood why the [Lu Zu Sword Energy Stele] was several times more expensive than other objects. It came with its own techniques! Some Evil Objects allowed for direct cultivation upon fusion. It was like shoving a calculus textbook into a primary schooler's brain—they would understand it instantly! Talent and enlightenment were not required. If the ghost knew it, the supernaturalist knew it.

"Are Evil Objects really that powerful..." Ji Yun sighed. If he had 50 million, he would be tempted to buy that [Lu Zu Sword Energy Stele]. As long as he fused with it, he could grasp legendary sword energy?

Ji Yun had countless questions, but his points were disappearing like flowing water. Many questions involving advanced knowledge were becoming increasingly expensive. Since the account wasn't his, he decided to wait for Sister Hua Ling to return to ask her. He chose a few more urgent questions that didn't cost many points.

Question: "What is [Nether Gold] used for?"
Answer: "Nether Gold can carry spiritual power without dissipating and is one of the best spiritual power carriers currently known. It is widely used in talismans, various arrays, inscriptions, and magical artifacts. It is the hard currency of the supernatural world."

Question: "What are [Soul Beads] and [Soul Sand]?"
Answer: "They are crystals of supernatural energy (see attached photo), a specialty of the Void Realm. Usually condensed after the death of ghosts and supernaturalists. [Soul Beads] are the crystalline form of [Soul Sand], more rare and valuable."

Question: "What are [Soul Beads] and [Soul Sand] used for?"
Answer: "They are food for ghosts and nourishment for souls. Supernaturalists can consume them to enhance the ghost within them and increase their own strength. Soul Sand is also widely used in drawing talismans, arrays, and crafting Nether Gold—any item requiring spiritual energy. Soul Sand can be treated as an external energy source, allowing a ghost to release spells beyond the host's own capacity..."

Ji Yun finally knew the purpose of the black bead in his hand. It was also hard currency in the supernatural world. This also explained another doubt: why he couldn't summon the Special Tier [Ghost Gate Coffin]. It turned out he hadn't reached the level required to release that kind of technique. In simple terms... his "mana bar" wasn't high enough. Without enough energy to support the spell, the "ghost" inside him couldn't manifest. Otherwise, it would backfire on him. The fact that he was able to use it to seal "Shang Xiaoyu" in the Void Realm must have been because the expert named Chen Changqing helped him.

The grade of a fused Evil Object wasn't necessarily "the higher the better"; it was about compatibility. Fusing with the Ji family’s Special Tier object was like giving a raw recruit a heavy sword. The equipment was good, but he couldn't swing it. At least for now, it didn't seem like he could achieve the mountain-shattering, wall-scaling abilities of the cat-faced old lady or the zombie man.

Ji Yun frowned but didn't dwell on it. Since his parents had arranged it, it couldn't be bad. Thinking of this, he picked up the Soul Bead and muttered to himself, "So, only by swallowing this [Soul Bead] is it possible for me to summon that coffin?"

It seemed he finally had a superpower to deal with ghosts. But he didn't know if one was enough. If he had money, he would buy a few more to feel at ease.

Ji Yun stopped asking questions and began to digest the information. Now he understood why supernaturalists were so keen on participating in supernatural events. They needed [Soul Sand]. To be precise, the ghosts inside them needed food. Just as humans needed to eat when hungry, ghosts needed to eat too. If the ghost inside didn't get enough food, it would consume the host. In the supernatural world, this was called "losing control."

This meant supernaturalists had to constantly find food for their ghosts, or the ghosts would eat the host's soul. The higher the tier of the Evil Object, the greater the "appetite." From this perspective, supernaturalists were like laborers driven by their destiny-bound ghosts, needing to constantly find food just to stay alive. No wonder Sister Hua Ling said that if given the choice, many supernaturalists would choose to be ordinary people for their whole lives.

Ji Yun’s brow furrowed. It seemed he would have to consider actively participating in supernatural events. Although he knew that using less supernatural power reduced the ghost's food demand, and since he couldn't use the [Ghost Gate Coffin] anyway, the consumption shouldn't be high. But eventually, it would get hungry. If he couldn't satisfy it, he would be backlashed.

Ji Yun thought it was reasonable. Everything in the world had a cause and effect. If you want a high score, you study hard. If you want luxury in public, you work hard in private. If a supernaturalist wants abilities beyond a normal person, they have to pay the price.

His personality was such that he never obsessed over things that hadn't happened yet. According to the forum, there were signs before a ghost went out of control, and there was a long period between the first signs and the backlash. Ji Yun felt no hunger at all right now. There was no need to rush.

Ji Yun turned his attention back to browsing the gossip forum. He didn't notice the night slipping away, and by the time he regained his senses, the sky outside the window was already turning a pale gray.