Chapter 41: Awakening of the Vengeful Ghost

"Team 9, Lu Feng, Fang Yun—eliminated!"

The school's PA system blared as soon as Lu Feng's life ended.

Lin Feng and his two companions quickly left the music room, only to hear another announcement.

"Team 14, Liu Yuanzi—eliminated!"

If Lu Feng and Fang Yun's elimination was something Lin Feng had orchestrated, Liu Yuanzi's demise was far more intriguing.

Was it the work of a human, or a ghost?

Lin Feng hadn't encountered many ghosts with strong offensive capabilities.

Standing by the window, Nie Chuxia glanced down and noticed a few contestants passing below. They didn't appear to be alarmed, prompting her to comment, "Do you think eliminations from earlier stages also trigger such announcements? They don't seem the least bit surprised."

Wang Qian agreed, "You might be right. It seems the announcement system applies to all rounds. Judging by how things are unfolding in this third round, it looks like the contestants have already turned on each other for the artifact. But honestly, it's just an artifact. Is it really worth attacking their fellow practitioners?"

As a guardian of the third round, Wang Qian felt justified in defending their territory. But for the contestants to betray their own kind? How would they face their peers outside the Mirage Realm after this bloodshed?

"Surely, the Southern Sect Conference isn't this ruthless... right?"

Lin Feng, however, gave them a speechless look. You only understand the cost of survival when you're the one paying for it.

An artifact is just an artifact? He internally scoffed. Do you even know how much one is worth?

Take his current outfit, the Floating Cloud Robe—it was worth millions. Millions! Even for an experienced ghost hunter, that wasn't a trivial sum.

Nie Chuxia, a privileged daughter of the Seven Stars Palace, and Wang Qian, a top disciple of the overseas Talisman Sect, both lived in luxury. They could never understand how tempting an artifact could be for an average ghost hunter.

If anyone had the chance to grab a few, who wouldn't?

"You two just don't understand the world of the 'poor,'" Lin Feng muttered.

He could tell that Wang Qian wasn't exactly rolling in cash either. But judging by the jade pendant around his neck and the luminous Buddhist beads on his wrist—both far from ordinary—Wang Qian didn't need to worry about common artifacts.

As they descended from the fifth to the fourth floor, they bumped into two men.

Neither of them was a student. The taller, leaner man held a white jade dagger, slicing through another young contestant as easily as cutting tofu, leaving him in four or five pieces.

"Team 21, Jiang Shizhong—eliminated!"

Once again, the announcement rang out.

The tall, lean man wiped his dagger and sneered. "Even the corpse handlers from Huai River dare to meddle in Nanyang City's artifacts? What a joke."

He turned, and his hawk-like eyes locked onto Lin Feng and his companions.

"Well, well... fellow practitioners. Since you're here, how about a little spar? The name's Xu Shou, a wandering cultivator. On the Road of Life and Death, people call me 'Seventh Brother.'"

Xu Shou introduced himself with a smirk. Lin Feng whispered, "Wang Qian, is competition on the Road of Life and Death really this intense? This guy looks like a mobster."

Wang Qian had already observed Xu Shou's ruthless efficiency and replied, "In Southeast Asia, yeah, it gets pretty intense. Witch doctors, ghost hunters, exorcists—they often clash, and it usually ends with someone dead. No clue about the mainland, though..."

Nie Chuxia added, "My grandfather once said Nanyang City used to be like that. Ghost hunters were half in the underworld, making a living based on their skills. After the establishment of the National Bureau of Spiritual Investigation, things got better, but there are still plenty of fighters out there. These people exude such murderous intent that even ghosts and spirits steer clear of them. Their cultivation methods aren't much different from those of the Fight Sect."

Lin Feng nodded. It seemed Xu Shou was one of those fighters.

"So... what are you three whispering about? If you're not planning to make a move, I'll be on my way," Xu Shou said, backing toward the stairs.

"Wait a minute, Brother Xu. It seems you've forgotten something," Lin Feng suddenly called out.

Xu Shou frowned, puzzled, and looked back at him. "What is it?"

Lin Feng smiled. "I didn't give you permission to leave."

Xu Shou's expression darkened. "What? Want to play with me?"

Lin Feng shook his head. "Not interested."

"You messing with me?" Xu Shou's tone grew harsh.

Lin Feng replied calmly, "Niu Meng, you can make your move now."

Niu Meng, who had quietly slipped from the fifth-floor window to the fourth, was already waiting in the shadows behind Xu Shou.

At Lin Feng's command, Niu Meng sprang into action, launching a fierce kick toward Xu Shou.

Moments earlier, after Lin Feng had killed the piano-playing ghost, the system had notified him of an achievement: 100 ghosts slain. The reward? An upgraded Heaven's Eye.

When Lin Feng looked at Xu Shou through his newly enhanced sight, a system window displayed part of Xu Shou's stats:

Spirit Entity: Xu Shou

Level: 19

Skills: Unknown

A Level 19 ghost hunter. There was no way Lin Feng would let him leave.

Once a wolf locks onto its prey, there's no escape.

As Niu Meng attacked, Lin Feng signaled for Wang Qian and Nie Chuxia to join the fray.

"One Breath Flame!"

Nie Chuxia exhaled a stream of fire, cutting off Xu Shou's escape route. Simultaneously, Wang Qian spread his fingers wide, preparing a talisman seal in his palm aimed directly at Xu Shou's forehead.

"Vajra Palm Seal!"

The Vajra Seal, inscribed in blood, flared from Wang Qian's hand. Xu Shou dodged Niu Meng's flying kick but landed right in Wang Qian's path.

A resounding clang echoed like a bell struck in a temple as the palm strike connected with Xu Shou's forehead. The impact sent Xu Shou crashing into the wall, leaving him dazed as if his skull had been struck by a battering ram.

"You think that's enough to eliminate me?!"

Xu Shou gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet, only to feel a hand gripping his shoulder.

Lin Feng placed a hand on Xu Shou's shoulder, smiling slyly. "Brother Xu, don't struggle. If you force yourself to stay in the game when it's time to be eliminated, it'll make things difficult for everyone else."

Xu Shou tried to break free but quickly realized Lin Feng's arm weighed like a thousand pounds, making escape impossible.

"You're pretty cocky, kid. Has no one ever told you to never let me get this close?" Xu Shou licked his lips, ceasing his futile struggle and speaking calmly instead.

Lin Feng was momentarily stunned. Suddenly, Xu Shou grabbed his wrist with lightning speed, sending a wave of searing pain up his arm. Lin Feng let out a cry as Xu Shou twisted his arm into an unnatural angle, a sharp crack echoing through the corridor.

With a vicious kick to Lin Feng's shoulder, Xu Shou delivered another bone-snapping sound, leaving Lin Feng's arm completely ruined.

"Still enjoying the spotlight?"

Xu Shou sneered, slapping Lin Feng's face and yanking him close. Without hesitation, he drove his jade dagger upward, stabbing it into Lin Feng's jaw.

Pfft!

It sounded like smoke dispersing into thin air.

A slow clap echoed through the hallway.

Xu Shou's eyes widened in shock as the Lin Feng before him faded into a mirage. When he looked up, he realized he was still sitting on the floor, and the young man he thought he had killed was calmly seated across from him.

Lin Feng, looking a bit disheveled, sat on the staircase, rubbing his shoulder with lingering fear. "Good thing I used the Phantom Soul Curse first… or I'd be a dead man right now."

Moments earlier, Lin Feng had nearly been killed within his own illusion. If he hadn't dispelled the Mirage Realm in time, his mind would have suffered severe damage.

Such injuries were akin to being cursed—though the body remained unscathed, it would feel as if a limb was broken, rendering it useless. For ghost hunters who wield the Mirage Soul Technique, death or injury within their own illusion would result in a devastating backlash.

This encounter had only intensified Lin Feng's resolve to eliminate Xu Shou. The fact that Xu Shou nearly killed him in his own Mirage Realm proved that Xu's close combat skills were no joke.

Xu Shou frowned deeply, taking a long moment to process what had happened. "Ghost Maze? Impossible! The Ghost Maze requires earth, water, fire, and wind as mediums. It can only be used when magnetic fields are in chaos, and it demands the balance of yin and yang energy. This place is filled with spirits—there's no yang energy! How could you have used the Ghost Maze here?!"

The Ghost Maze Xu Shou referred to was precisely the Mirage Soul Technique, a spell typically used by humans against ghosts or vice versa. It required both yin and yang energies to function. Xu Shou, experienced as he was, understood this principle well. In a school filled with ghostly entities, it was unheard of for one ghost to trap another in a Ghost Maze.

Unless…

Xu Shou's eyes suddenly widened in realization. He stared intently at Lin Feng and growled, "So you three… you're the ones carrying the human-skin clearance passes!"

Wang Qian smirked with satisfaction. Nie Chuxia simply smiled in silence, while Lin Feng shrugged helplessly.

"You figured it out too late. I'm not a fan of being skinned alive, so… sorry, but you'll have to take one for the team."

Lin Feng's fingers gripped Xu Shou's face, and green flames erupted from his hand. Xu Shou was instantly frozen into a block of ice and shattered into pieces on the spot.

"Team 17, Xu Shou—eliminated!"

A new announcement echoed through the building.

"With fewer than ten teams remaining, the vengeful ghosts hidden within the Human-Skin Campus are about to awaken. All contestants, proceed with caution."

"Remaining time to complete the challenge: 4 hours and 22 minutes."