Chapter 29: The Innate Vitality of the Youth

The silence in the air lingered for a moment.

Ji Yun collected his thoughts, only then realizing that he had just activated a [Thunder-Fire Talisman]. Although it had detonated in his own hand, it had indeed been successfully activated. He had no prior expectations that the first talisman he learned to draw would actually work. Even more unexpectedly, the talisman taught to him by his tipsy Third Uncle in a flash of inspiration was the real deal.

Fortunately, the [Thunder-Fire Talisman] was designed to target yin-entities. The flash of fire was startling, but it didn't possess much destructive power. Ji Yun only smelled a faint scent of singed hair; it was no big deal.

Seeing his Third Uncle looking at him with a strange expression, he spread his hands and said, "I don't know how it exploded either."

Ji Huaichuan saw through the situation at a glance and exclaimed, "You little brat, you actually have mana?"

"I don't know what's going on, either."

This was exactly what puzzled Ji Yun. His Third Uncle’s talismans didn't explode, but his own did. Given the same materials and techniques, external factors could be ruled out. It had to be a matter of the person himself. Yet, he was certain that until yesterday, he had been an ordinary person who had never practiced any form of mana.

Instinctively, he thought of one possibility: the special-grade evil object—the [Ghost Gate Coffin]. According to the forums, the first evil object one merges with becomes their "natal evil object," which determines the direction of an extraordinary's future abilities. There are three main paths: physical, mystical, and spiritual. For instance, the zombie man and the cat-faced old woman Ji Yun had seen previously were practitioners of physical enhancement.

Ji Yun didn't know what the [Ghost Gate Coffin] did. At the very least, his physical strength hadn't changed. Based on his experience so far, his memory had simply improved, and he learned things very quickly. Furthermore, the "Forbidden Woman" Chen Changqing had said it could prevent the soul from leaving the body. Now, it seemed there was much more to it.

Ji Yun guessed that his spiritual power came from this coffin. However, it wasn't that the coffin had taught him any cultivation methods. To be precise, it should be the white-wrapped corpse, "Shang Xiaoyu," sealed within the coffin. He had an indescribable feeling that the coffin was consuming the corpse and "digesting" it, and after digestion, it fed back a special energy to him.

At first, he didn't know what that warm sensation was. Just now, when he was drawing the talisman, he followed his Third Uncle's breathing rhythm. The moment he raised the talisman, a warm current flowed through his fingers into the paper, causing the explosion. Now it seemed clear: this was "spiritual power."

...

Ji Huaichuan didn't dwell on the origin of this spiritual power; instead, he was overjoyed. "Oh my, our Ji family has produced a talented sprout!"

Ji Yun didn't know how to explain it. If his Third Uncle didn't know about the family-inherited [Ghost Gate Coffin]—if his great-grandfather and grandfather hadn't mentioned it—there must have been a reason for their silence. He didn't want to overshare. If his uncle did know, there would be no need for him to say anything.

Ji Huaichuan had no interest in asking about anything else; he was far more interested in the fact that the family tradition of being a Yin-Yang Master would be carried on. "Come, come, try again. Draw a couple more talismans for me to see."

Ji Yun drew another one with high expectations. But this time, both of them were disappointed. It failed to detonate. After trying a few more times, he still couldn't succeed. Ji Yun was at a loss as to why it wouldn't work.

His Third Uncle, however, saw the issue and judged, "You have no idea how to use spiritual power at all? And you’ve never learned any breathing mantras?"

Ji Yun asked back, "What mantras?"

Ji Huaichuan realized then, patting his head with an expression of belated understanding. "Ah... I thought your second brother had taught you the mantras. It’s hard to draw successfully if you don't know how to circulate your spiritual power."

Only then did Ji Yun realize that his first success had been pure luck. Remembering something, Ji Huaichuan asked with a less-than-serious expression, "Kid, are you still a virgin?"

Ji Yun didn't know why he was suddenly asked such a private question. A flicker of embarrassment crossed his brow, but he stammered, "Yes." He didn't know when being a virgin in college had become such an embarrassing topic.

Ji Huaichuan seemed to have found a reason, laughing, "That’s no surprise then. Virgins possess innate primordial energy."

"..." Ji Yun was speechless.

With that, Ji Huaichuan waved his hand and said directly, "Come, I'll teach you a breathing mantra from our Ji family. Listen closely: 'The Niwan aligns with the Yongquan, the Three Passes locked in a single line. The crown of the head holds the heavenly light, the roots of the earth enter the Yellow Springs...'"

As he recited the mantra, he also pointed out where the acupoints were.

With someone teaching him personally, Ji Yun found it easy to understand. This was a pathway for "qi" to circulate through the meridians in the body. It didn't sound difficult, but controlling that so-called "qi" to follow a specific route was not easy at all.

Ji Yun was a bit skeptical and asked, "Third Uncle, can this breathing really cultivate spiritual power?" If one could cultivate mana just by relying on a few lines of a mantra, then the world would be full of practitioners.

Ji Huaichuan's face turned red—whether from the alcohol or embarrassment was unclear—and he stammered, "I... well... I don't know. This was passed down by your grandfather. Cultivating qi requires talent and temperament. I couldn't sit still, so I never mastered it."

"..." Ji Yun understood. Not everyone could cultivate; since ancient times, cultivation had always required innate talent. His Third Uncle was likely exactly what he described—someone without the talent or the patience. Naturally, he couldn't succeed. His father, however, likely had it.

Ji Yun memorized the mantra and tried it. He felt very little and asked again, "Third Uncle, how long does it take to cultivate mana with this breathing method?"

Ji Huaichuan said, "Your grandfather said that if you practice for a few hours a day, someone with good talent might get a sense of qi after three to five years of hard work, and after ten or twenty years, they might achieve minor success, sensing the 'qi flowing like a secluded spring' in their dantian..."

"..." Ji Yun found this absurd. Even with good talent, it takes ten or twenty years to achieve minor success? Who would spend their youth sitting in meditation? Even if it could lead to immortality, what was the point of living a few decades longer than others?

Ji Yun finally understood why there were so few true practitioners. The threshold of temperament alone stopped most people. His own awareness wasn't enough; he was probably like his Third Uncle, better suited for the bustling world. No wonder the evil objects with built-in techniques on the forum were so expensive. They saved so much time on meditation.

But then, he thought about it. That was in the past. Now that the supernatural was reviving, spiritual energy was also returning. Cultivation should be much easier.

With nothing better to do, Ji Yun began to meditate and familiarize himself with the mantra.

...

Time flew by, and it was past one in the morning.

It must be said that meditation and breathing made time pass very quickly. In the empty second basement level, there were only the two of them. Perhaps because he had a helpful assistant, his Third Uncle was already dizzy with drink, wrapped in his Taoist robe, and taking a nap.

Checking the time, Ji Yun stood up and added incense and candles to the altar. According to his Third Uncle, the funeral rites had already been performed, and since there were no major grievances, even if there were wandering souls, they should have been sent off.

After one in the morning, it was the Hour of the Ox, the time when yin energy was at its peak. Under normal circumstances, unless a ghost was particularly powerful, this was the only time they could appear.

Ji Yun didn't know if it was just psychological. As soon as the Hour of the Ox arrived, he felt a chill down his spine. He had checked the forum earlier regarding the "Jing'an Building." There were indeed rumors of it being haunted. The third basement level of the building was a warehouse that had been burned down in a large fire a year ago, killing four people. Coincidentally, there was a private detective agency on this second basement level. The four people who died were all detectives from that same agency.

Extraordinaries on the forum had come to investigate and found no anomalies. The residual spiritual pressure was very low. Even if there were ghosts, they posed no threat, so no one came anymore. Whether it was psychological or rumors, tenants on the upper floors and the security guards on patrol would occasionally see ghosts on this second basement level. Several groups had been brought in to look, but the problem remained. Therefore, it had been abandoned and could not be rented out. The wealthy woman who had just purchased the property wanted to deal with it, so she invited the Third Uncle, an expert in the niche field of "spirit house cleaners."

...

Ji Yun wanted to continue meditating to familiarize himself with the breathing, but after one, that chill on his back made him restless. This chill felt the same as the sensation of the ghosts in the manor in the Ruin Realm last night. Although it was much fainter, it was still a perception at the soul level.

Uneasy, he walked over and asked his Third Uncle, who had started snoring, "Third Uncle, Third Uncle, why do I feel like something is wrong?"

Ji Huaichuan seemed completely unaffected and slept soundly, responding like he was talking in his sleep, "What could be wrong..."

Ji Yun looked around; it was quiet. In the entire thousand-square-meter second floor, except for the lamp at the altar, everything else was pitch black. Ji Yun wasn't sure if it was an illusion, so he said, "Third Uncle, tell me... if there really is a ghost, how can I see it?"

Not all extraordinaries could see ghosts. Normally, one had to fuse with a second evil object to reach what the forum called the "Dongxuan Realm"—to "observe the mysterious mechanism and see the netherworld," which meant opening the Yin Eye. There were also some yin-entities skilled in concealment that required special means to be seen.

Ji Huaichuan didn't even open his eyes; his rest had been disturbed, so he waved his hand impatiently. "There’s a Bagua mirror on the altar. Take it and look."

"Oh."

Ji Yun walked over and picked up the polished bronze mirror. It wasn't a treasure, just something that had been stained by incense smoke. Ji Yun had originally thought he was overthinking things. He picked up the Bagua mirror and glanced at it casually.

The moment he picked it up, he saw two shadows on the brass metal plate in the center of the mirror. One was his own. The other was not.

Hmm... the mirror was a bit blurry. Maybe his eyes were playing tricks on him. Ji Yun’s eyelid twitched as he thought this. He put the Bagua mirror down, wiped it, and picked it up again. It was clearer now.

He looked—there were still two shadows.

...

"Holy cow! There really is a ghost!"

Ji Yun’s heart skipped a beat. He had already seen ghosts, so he shouldn't be so jumpy. But the appearance of the ghost behind him in the Bagua mirror was a huge visual shock. Its hands were crossed over its chest, its eyes had been gouged out leaving black, bloody holes, its ears had been cut off, and its mouth had been sewn shut with black thread. This state of death was more terrifying than any ghost he had seen in the Ruin Realm yesterday! How did this person die to end up in such a miserable state?

Seeing this ghost, Ji Yun shouted in fright, "Third Uncle!"

If there was a ghost, he was helpless against it. He shouted a few times, but his Third Uncle didn't wake up. Ji Yun calmed down from his initial panic because the ghost in the Bagua mirror wasn't moving; it was just floating quietly behind him. Ji Yun didn't feel any piercing resentment. In other words, it wasn't a vengeful spirit.

This was a wandering ghost. The forum said these were the lowest-level ghosts, harmless to humans and animals. Generally, such wandering ghosts would dissipate on their own after a few days. News reports said the "Jing'an Building" fire was an accident in the warehouse, but looking at the miserable state of this ghost, there was clearly a hidden story. This ghost hadn't been burned to death; it had been murdered.

At this moment, his Third Uncle, whose reaction time was incredibly long, seemed to have finally heard someone calling him. He opened his eyes and asked drowsily, "What's wrong?"

Ji Yun said calmly, "Third Uncle, there's a ghost."

Ji Huaichuan thought he had misheard. "What?"

Ji Yun held up the Bagua mirror and pointed at the ghost on it. "There's a ghost. Look, this one."

Ji Huaichuan initially thought he was seeing things and rubbed his eyes. But when he truly saw the ghost shadow on the Bagua mirror, his eyes widened, and he let out a strange cry: "What is going on!"

Seeing this scene while still half-asleep, his Third Uncle was even more unsettled than Ji Yun. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, he suddenly bristled and jumped up.