The Exam Ghost was dressed in official attire, complete with a hat, looking quite impressive. I must have found the wrong ghost, Wang Linchi initially thought upon eting him. After all, the ghost possessed such a unique deanor, and combined with his way of speaking and carrying himself, he could easily deceive people. The Exam Ghost loved to play the part of an official, so he had sohow managed to find a set of official clothes and a hat.
This Exam Ghost was weak and a bit slow. When they first t, Chen Wen had fooled him by saying he had found a student for him. So, the ghost eagerly hovered around Wang Linchi. On one hand, he postured, trying to assess him; on the other, he was keenly asking if Wang Linchi was a Tongsheng or a Scholar. In any case, he was easily convinced. Seeing this, Wang Linchi felt sowhat reluctant to resort to force and, in the end, decided to just stabilize the situation for the ti being. The ghost harbored no ill intentions towards him, nor was there any conflict of interest. For Wang Linchi to actually bring himself to kill the ghost under these circumstances would have truly tested his already low moral baseline. The reluctance he felt, the choice not to act, perhaps nudged that minimal moral standard a tiny bit higher.
Chen Wen, naturally, didn’t care. His attitude was quite clear: he always advocated that humans and ghosts shouldn’t coexist. However, this was a principle he used to constrain himself, not to impose on others.
"You’re implying that you’re already an official, and even once managed the finances of an entire state?" the Exam Ghost asked, looking at Wang Linchi with so doubt.
"That’s correct, so I don’t need the examinations," Wang Linchi replied. He was truly fed up with the Exam Ghost today. The ghost would bring various scriptures and prepare to explain characters and texts to him. The thought was kind, but Wang Linchi simply didn’t have the ti. Besides his Cultivation, the recent Soul Kind Energy Diversion project was rather urgent. So, he simply concocted a lie, drawing on his past experiences in the Soul Seed Bureau to deceive the ghost.
"Then... why did they want to take you as a student?" The Exam Ghost was perplexed, as this developnt was completely unexpected.
"It’s probably so we can learn from each other’s strengths. You can help with useful things, and I’ll promote you in the future," Wang Linchi said, changing his explanation. This Exam Ghost must have certain abilities, he thought, perhaps a keen sense for books and articles; otherwise, how could he have found so many?
"Ah, that does sound interesting," the Exam Ghost mused. "But I’m a ghost now. How can you promote ?" He wasn’t a fool; he knew he was dead. At most, he could only amuse himself by wearing official robes and a hat. He couldn’t actually beco an official again.
"Well..." This isn’t working, Wang Linchi realized. Even a casual deception requires so skill. The Exam Ghost will never believe such a half-hearted attempt.
"Actually, they want to beco your Ghost Pattern, but you just don’t think I’m good enough, right?" the Exam Ghost muttered.
Hearing this, Wang Linchi was quite surprised. "You actually know? You don’t seem as foolish as you appear."
"I’ve read about it in so books on Wanderers," the Exam Ghost replied.
"Then why are you sticking so close to instead of running far away? You’re not one of those Fierce Ghosts or Evil Ghosts; you wouldn’t survive an encounter with the Wanderers’ swords," Wang Linchi asked, curious. This Exam Ghost doesn’t seem so simple, he thought.
"I see you as a promising candidate for scholarship. If I can persuade you to return to the Righteous Path, wouldn’t that be better than associating with those ruffians?" The Exam Ghost’s intention was to persuade Wang Linchi to study under him so he could eventually achieve official scholarly honors.
"The problem is, I don’t need to seek scholarly honors. I already have an official rank," Wang Linchi said with a shrug, indicating he wasn’t lying.
"If you already hold an official position, why associate with those ruffians? Looking at you, anyone can tell you’ve lived a pampered life. If you attend that Longevity Banquet, you’ll surely end up as ghost fodder." The Exam Ghost was trying to persuade Wang Linchi back to the ’correct path.’
"Well, it’s due to an imperial decree. Don’t ask any more," Wang Linchi said with a sigh.
"Could it be a decree from the Emperor himself?" The Exam Ghost imdiately ventured a guess.
"Yes, the nature of it is quite similar," Wang Linchi replied evasively. The Secret Realm’s influence, after all, was far greater than any emperor’s.
"So that’s it. It seems the Emperor still isn’t satisfied with the annual tribute of Longevity Fruits," the Exam Ghost sighed.
"Wait, did you say the Emperor consus Longevity Fruits?!" Wang Linchi exclaid, realizing he might have stumbled upon so crucial information from the Exam Ghost.
"Of course. He is the Son of Heaven, after all; Longevity Fruits are nothing unusual for him. The current emperor has reigned for tens of thousands of years," the Exam Ghost said, looking a little puzzled. "How could you, soone who serves the Emperor, not know this?"
A shiver ran down Wang Linchi’s spine. Before encountering the Exam Ghost, his understanding of the Court in this Secret Realm wasn’t profound; it almost felt as if it didn’t exist. But now, reconsidering it, he sensed an even deeper, darker hidden presence. Ghost Patterns, Longevity Fruits, Wanderers... in this whole affair of humans being reared by ghosts, is there truly no Court involvent? The emperor of this dynasty is the Founding Emperor. How could he have risen to power and established such a vast domain in a perilous place teeming with Fierce Ghosts? Under normal circumstances, with a Transcendent technique like the Ghost Sigil thod and the existence of man-eating ghosts, it’s unlikely that Ghost Patterns would be solely used by Wanderers. The Court’s main army would surely use them directly. Once properly organized, they could create a powerful snowball effect. As for the supposed limitations on ghosts, that sounds rather far-fetched. If a group of Wanderers who travel far and wide can use Ghost Patterns without being wiped out, surely the Court possesses the capability as well? I might have felt that way before, but not anymore. It’s more likely that the Court is a colossal entity, an iceberg mostly subrged, revealing only a tiny fraction of its true self. It’s like the Divine Dynasty in the previous Secret Realm. I was in a remote area, so I didn’t directly experience its terror. Its power could only be indirectly glimpsed through the God’s book, which had brought about the swift transformation of the God of White Wind.
"I see... perhaps I wasn’t qualified enough to know," Wang Linchi explained.
The Exam Ghost didn’t seem to care about these details. "Since you have important matters to attend to and don’t think much of , why don’t we make a deal?" he proposed. "You help go back to my hotown to see my parents, wife, and children, and I’ll teach you a Ghost Sigil thod capable of binding even a Ghost King." Ghosts don’t have a formal hierarchy of strength; Ghost King is rely a title for those powerful enough to assert dominance. This ant the Ghost Sigil thod could turn such a powerful ghost into one’s own Ghost Pattern.
"May I ask, how many years have you been a ghost?" Wang Linchi inquired. If it had only been a year or two, or even a dozen, his family might still be found. But if it’s been forty or fifty years, it would be difficult.
"It has been three hundred and five years," the Exam Ghost said in a somber voice.
"Do you think that’s a funny joke?" Wang Linchi retorted. The Exam Ghost had failed his imperial examinations back then and died in a foreign land. He was naturally buried where he fell, never able to return to his holand. Given his circumstances, Wang Linchi knew it would be incredibly difficult to find his parents, wife, and children, let alone their graves.
"You don’t need to find them. Just go to my old ho. Whether the house still stands or not, offer three cups of unrefined wine for there," the Exam Ghost said, not trying to make things difficult for Wang Linchi.
"Alright, as you wish. But what if, after these three hundred years, the landscape has completely changed...?" Wang Linchi trailed off, implying that if the old ho no longer existed, there would be nothing he could do.
"It doesn’t matter," the Exam Ghost replied. It was just a small wish. Though the imperial examinations were his obsession, he still couldn’t let go of his family, even after three hundred years.
Afterward, the Exam Ghost gave Wang Linchi the direction and general location of his old ho, advising him to ask around diligently once he got there to avoid getting lost. After all, three hundred years had passed; who knew what the place looked like now? He also instructed Wang Linchi on what to say and do upon arrival.
Only then did he add, "This Ghost Sigil thod I ntioned was sothing I obtained by accident a hundred years ago. I don’t know its na, but the Wanderer I saw using it was extraordinary. The ghost he bound was a Powerful Ghost King possessing great innate wisdom. It later beca his Ghost Pattern, granting him a Diamond Indestructible body, the strength of nine bulls and two tigers, and a Prajna-like insightful mind. That Wanderer beca known as the Giant Spirit Guest."
After boasting for a while, the Exam Ghost finally imparted the details of the Ghost Sigil thod to Wang Linchi. Only after hearing the Ghost Sigil thod did Wang Linchi begin to understand its many intricacies. Chen Wen had promised to help him obtain a Ghost Pattern, but he hadn’t offered to teach him the thod itself. This ant Chen Wen would assist directly, not by revealing the thod’s contents. Therefore, this was the first complete Ghost Sigil thod Wang Linchi had acquired.
So, this Ghost Sigil thod is specifically attuned to a Powerful Ghost King? To fully utilize its power, I’d need to find such a ghost? Wang Linchi thought, a new understanding dawning on him.
"That’s the gist of it. Each Ghost Sigil thod is attuned to different types of ghosts. The capabilities of a Ghost Pattern aren’t solely determined by the ghost itself; a compatible Ghost Sigil thod is also crucial. It’s not that it won’t work if mismatched, but the Ghost Pattern’s power will be diminished. That’s what the Giant Spirit Guest himself said," the Exam Ghost explained. Of course, being a ghost and not the thod’s creator, he didn’t know all the details himself.
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