Chapter 393: Discussing Ghosts

"You possess a million merits. If you cultivate the Dao under my master, your progress will undoubtedly be rapid. I see you've studied ghost arts before. Our Maoshan Yin Master Lineage also specializes in ghost arts, primarily dealing with various ghost entities. Furthermore, the cultivation methods we Maoshan Yin Masters practice are closely guarded secrets, definitely a hundred times stronger than whatever ghost arts you picked up from who knows where." Leng Qingxuan tried patiently to persuade me. "Empty words are no proof, and I know you don't believe me. How about this—today, I will show you the methods of a Maoshan Yin Master."

He placed his hands behind his back and glanced mildly at the corner of the staircase. A speck of starlight seemed to ignite in his pupils. "I have observed with my Star Pupil. There is residual yin energy in this room. You must have been summoning souls and refining ghosts by the stairs just now."

"That's right." Seeing that didn't take much skill. My own Judging Eye had reached the Mahayana stage, allowing me to perceive yin, yang, ghosts, and gods at a single glance. Spotting residual yin energy was hardly a difficult feat.

Leng Qingxuan didn't seem to notice the impatience in my tone. Carrying a degree of arrogance, he continued, "The Yin Master Star Pupil is the foundation technique of the Maoshan Yin Master Lineage. It channels starlight into the eyes. Cultivated to a profound level, it allows one to see yin souls, as well as the feathers on a bird a hundred meters away."

"That impressive?" I brushed him off without a shred of sincerity. 'How do I get him out of here?' I wondered. Having already offended the Profound Truth Dao, I didn't want to offend Maoshan as well if I could avoid it.

The corners of Leng Qingxuan's mouth curled up. "Naturally. The Star Pupil is just one of the entry-level techniques for Maoshan Yin Masters. If you become a disciple under my master, clarify your mind, and realize your true nature, you can learn it in half a year at most."

He was highly satisfied with my reaction, gently waving his blue Daoist robe. "Those who practice ghost arts are bound to have a few ghost slaves on them. Don't panic. I harbor no ill intent toward you. I just want to show you the true methods of a Maoshan Yin Master."

He silently recited an incantation and tossed four talismans from his sleeve—three black, one purple. By the time the chant finished, the sunlight inside the Adult Shop distorted, and the room abruptly grew dense with eerie yin energy.

"Ghost slaves! Manifest!" Leng Qingxuan shouted. The doors and windows inside the room snapped shut on their own, and even the curtains were drawn.

The light dimmed. Four blurry ghost figures appeared around Leng Qingxuan. He seemed to feel a bit of strain. Muttering under his breath, he bit his finger and dotted his own essential blood onto the ghostly figures.

Several mournful shrieks echoed through the room as the four ghostly figures gradually materialized. The entities sealed within the three Black Talismans were just ordinary wandering ghosts. Their movements were sluggish; even nourished by Leng Qingxuan's essential blood, they looked ready to dissipate at any moment.

Only the ghost entity in the purple talisman looked quite extraordinary. Covered in bulging muscle and wearing a ferocious expression, it seemed to have been a butcher in life.

"It's high noon, so summoning ghosts is a bit taxing. If it were midnight, I could call out dozens of Little Ghosts with a wave of my hand." Leng Qingxuan looked quite pleased with himself. "A saying has always circulated within the Daoist sects: 'Better to deceive King Yama than provoke the Yin Impermanence.' This 'Yin Impermanence' refers to us Maoshan Yin Masters."

I took a sip of water from my teacup, silently lit a cigarette, and looked with some pity at the three wandering ghosts he had barely managed to summon. "Daoist Master Leng, your Little Ghosts are about to collapse."

Leng Qingxuan was dissatisfied with my lukewarm reaction. "Summoning ghosts is only the first step. What comes next is the true method of a Yin Master. Watch closely!"

He unhooked the folding fan from his waist and drew a talisman on its surface with his blood. Once the talisman was complete, his face grew even paler. "This Demon-Subduing Fan is one of the three treasures of a Yin Master. One side suppresses evil spirits, while the other secures one's true heart. Although we Maoshan Yin Masters walk alongside ghosts, we must still uphold a 'benevolent' mindset."

He tapped the folding fan lightly. Talisman runes lit up on the three wandering ghosts. Despite their intense reluctance, they ultimately dissolved into pure yin energy and fused into the body of the heavily muscled butcher.

Immediately after, the evil butcher ghost's aura surged. A layer of leather armor actually materialized on the surface of its body, making it look rather formidable.

"Three wandering ghosts turned into leather armor on its body? This butcher's strength actually increased all at once?" I was genuinely surprised. Maoshan Yin Masters really did have some skills; this ability to transform ghosts into armor was something I had never seen before.

"Haha, it's merely a trifling trick." Leng Qingxuan had expended a massive amount of essential blood, leaving his face utterly pale. He had really gone out of his way just to put me in my place.

"May I ask what Daoist Master Leng calls that unfathomable technique you just used?" I was truly curious. I had come into contact with many yin souls, and now I had the Yin-Yang Ghost Ring on hand. If I could master a similar incantation to strengthen fierce ghosts, I would gain several incredibly powerful enforcers.

Leng Qingxuan smiled, adopting an enigmatic look. "This is a closely guarded secret of the Maoshan Yin Masters. If you join Maoshan, perform well, and possess astonishing aptitude, two years will be enough for you to master it."

"Two years? That's too long. I don't have the time." I shook my head. As an Underworld Live Show Streamer, I couldn't carve out two weeks of free time, let alone two years.

"Two years is too long?" Leng Qingxuan's smile vanished, and he returned to his usual icy demeanor. "Considering you're a layman, I won't hold it against you. But speaking purely for myself, let me tell you this: cultivating the Dao is like building a tower from flat ground. Do not aim too high and overreach."

"Spending two years to learn a spell like this isn't nearly as useful as putting in a little extra effort to catch stronger ghosts." I touched the Ghost Ring on my wrist. 'Should I head to the Bridge No. 3 Crematorium to round up some wandering ghosts?' I mentally plotted.

"Do you think ghosts are that easy to catch?" Leng Qingxuan looked at me with disdain. "Generally speaking, yin souls and ghost entities are similar to talismans. They are divided into four realms: Lower Vehicle, Lesser Vehicle, Upper Vehicle, and Mahayana. However, each major realm is further subdivided into four minor grades: Grade A, B, C, and D. The yin ghosts I summoned using the Black Fiend Talismans were Lower Vehicle Grade D. The ghost entity called from the Purple Yin Talisman was Lesser Vehicle Grade D. With the empowerment of my Maoshan secret arts, sacrificing three Lower Vehicle Grade D Little Ghosts can temporarily raise the strength of a Lesser Vehicle Grade D fierce ghost to Lesser Vehicle Grade C. At critical moments, this kind of power leap can save your life!"

"Ghost realms can be divided like this?" I had never interacted with Ghost Cultivators before; this was the first time I had heard modern Daoist cultivators classify ghosts.

"You aren't even clear on ghost realms? I really overestimated you." Although Leng Qingxuan looked somewhat battered with his pale face, it didn't impact his pride as someone from a prestigious sect in the slightest. "Unranked ghost souls are those wandering ghosts lingering in the Yang Realm. The vast majority have neither the intent nor the ability to harm anyone. After being cultivated by us Yin Masters, unranked ghosts might advance to become Lower Vehicle ghost slaves. Once a ghost enters the Lower Vehicle realm, it means it possesses certain abilities. It can manipulate yin energy and linger in the Yang Realm for prolonged periods. However, a Lower Vehicle ghost only has a one-in-a-thousand chance of advancing to a Lesser Vehicle ghost. This is a watershed mark. The majority of the entities committing evil in the world and disrupting the order of the Yang Realm are Lesser Vehicle ghosts."

"Compared to Lower Vehicle ghosts, the most obvious difference in Lesser Vehicle ghosts is their awakened intelligence. Trapped by grievances, blood feuds, and the like from their past lives, they cannot find release. They are extremely aggressive and incredibly difficult to subdue." Leng Qingxuan pointed at the butcher in the room. "See this Purple Yin ghost servant of mine? It was a butcher for three lifetimes, entangled in malicious thoughts. It terrorized the countryside in life, and after death, it continued to plague the area, refusing to rest. Ultimately, my master had to personally step in to subdue it, grind away its ferocious nature, and bestow it upon me as a guardian ghost servant. When the time comes for you to join Maoshan, my master will also bestow a Lesser Vehicle ghost upon you as your bound ghost servant."

Leng Qingxuan looked at the savage butcher. Though he didn't say it outright, anyone could hear the smugness in his tone.

"Comparing yourself to others will just drive you mad. I never lucked into such a good master." I exhaled a puff of smoke, my thoughts naturally drifting to the Fate Ghost. "I wonder if Daoist Master Leng has heard of Fate Ghosts? I used to have a Fate Ghost with the fate pattern of a Death God..."

"Nonsense!" Leng Qingxuan interrupted before I could finish. "Regardless of its fate pattern in life, as long as a Fate Ghost manifests in this world, it is definitively Upper Vehicle! Moreover, because a Fate Ghost has the ability to substitute a life, it merits an additional grade. Therefore, the absolute weakest Fate Ghost is still Upper Vehicle Grade C!"

"Upper Vehicle Grade C? Wouldn't that be equivalent to an Upper Vehicle Talisman?" I blurted out, somewhat surprised.

"It surpasses it! You aren't even clear on the might of a Fate Ghost, yet you still dare try to deceive me?" Leng Qingxuan let out a cold laugh. "Let alone possessing that kind of ghost entity, I bet you just saw it in a book and casually tossed out the name of a powerful ghost you recognized."

Feeling helpless, I crushed out my cigarette. "If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do. But if we're really talking about the strongest ghost entities, just a couple of days ago I let out... no, I mean I witnessed a Ghost Mother break free with my own eyes. I wonder what realm it belongs to?"