1 Chapter 1: Talents
In the deep autumn season, under the dark and windy sky,
The outskirts of Yishui County were shrouded in a pale mist.
Gu Xu walked alone in the long and silent alley, bathed in the darkness of the night.
As a clerk of the Exorcism Bureau in the Great Qi Dynasty, going out late at night to exterminate ghosts had become a routine for him.
He arrived at the intersection of the alley, turned around the corner, and stopped in his tracks.
Several clusters of greyish-white shadows appeared ahead.
These shadows floated in mid-air, semi-transparent, with a hazy glow all over.
They were all slender and delicate women.
Their skin was as pale as corpses, wrapped in tattered white garments, drifting solemnly in the deep night.
But their eyes were empty and lifeless, like deep black holes.
As Gu Xu locked eyes with them, they all slightly opened their mouths, revealing snow-white, sharp fangs.
"Chimi, born from the peculiar aura of mountains and forests, harming humans," Gu Xu recalled the description from ancient texts.
The apparitions before him were "Chimi," ghostly beings formed from the Yin energy of mountains and forests. Although lacking sentience, they could absorb human essence and kill without a trace.
"I know you crave my body," Gu Xu looked at them, his lips curling slightly, "but sorry, tonight, I am the hunter."
With that, he took out a few talisman papers from his pocket and gently tossed them toward the ghostly creatures in front of him.
These were the "Supreme Northern Pole Demon-Slaying Ghost-Killing Talisman" he personally drew, specifically designed to deal with these Yin-formed ghosts.
"Five stars shining, illuminating the profound darkness. Thousands of gods and saints, protect my true spirit...," he softly recited the "Exorcism Incantation."
Before he finished speaking, the talisman papers instantly turned into dazzling golden flames, like the rising sun, illuminating the entire alley as bright as day.
Hiss, hiss.
The scorching airflow rolled and rose, and bright tongues of fire flickered everywhere.
The "Chimi" creatures had no time to resist before they were all devoured by the flames.
They vanished in an instant.
A few seconds later, the intense fire was extinguished.
The alley returned to tranquillity, as if nothing had happened.
Gu Xu gazed at the empty alley and sighed, "It seems like the 'Ghost-Killing Talisman' I improved recently is a bit too effective..."
He initially thought he would be able to deal with one or two ghostly creatures at most in one go.
But unexpectedly, the "Chimi" were all wiped out in one fell swoop.
Was it because his output was too high, or were the creatures too fragile?
Pondering over this, Gu Xu took out a small notebook from his pocket and quickly wrote:
"Experiment time: 15th of September in the 23rd year of Tianxing;
Experiment content: Assessment of the improved 'Supreme Northern Pole Demon-Slaying Ghost-Killing Talisman' damage;
Experiment conclusion: Due to the low strength of the 'Chimi,' they were eradicated within three seconds, making it impossible to accurately estimate the power of the new version of the talismans (estimated to be at least five times stronger than the original); specific values require further exploration.
Notes: Next time, I must find more resilient 'guinea pigs' for the experiment."
He then put away the pen and paper, turned around, and disappeared into the night.
He was in a hurry to return to the Exorcism Bureau and report the completion of the mission.
Eliminating these "Chimi" should earn him a considerable amount of merit, enough to exchange for a bottle of "Tranquil Heart Pill" from the Exorcism Bureau.
With the "Tranquil Heart Pill," his cultivation would advance further.
Currently, he was merely a weak and helpless cultivator of the First Realm, only capable of dealing with weaker "Chimi."
Encountering stronger evil spirits would likely result in more harm than good.
For the sake of survival and long life, he had to seize the time to cultivate diligently and strive to become stronger.
...
Gu Xu was a transmigrator from another world.
Three months ago, he was just a university student on Earth immersed in his studies.
One day, he accidentally opened a cultivation-themed game, intending to play casually and relax. Little did he know that as soon as he randomly selected his talent, his head throbbed with pain, and his vision went black before he fainted.
When he woke up, he found himself in this unfamiliar otherworld, becoming a seventeen-year-old boy with the same name and surname.
Unlike the peaceful tranquillity of Earth.
This world, called the "Great Wilderness," was filled with all kinds of demons and monsters.
They prowled in the night, devouring flesh and souls, causing countless tragedies and destruction.
In the face of almost immortal and extraordinary beings, the power of ordinary people seemed insignificant and fragile.
Only the extraordinary could resist the extraordinary.
Only cultivators could confront the monsters.
This was the bloody lesson humanity had learned through countless battles.
The major sects of cultivation took it upon themselves to eradicate evil and uphold justice.
The Great Qi Dynasty established the "Exorcism Bureau" dedicated to dealing with malevolent creatures and ensuring the safety of the people as much as possible.
Gu Xu was an inconspicuous clerk in the Exorcism Bureau of the Great Qi Dynasty.
The term "inconspicuous" here held no derogatory meaning; it simply referred to his rank.
In the Great Qi Dynasty, officials belonged to the internal system, divided into nine ranks appointed by the court, while clerks belonged to the external system, not part of the hierarchical structure, and were appointed by officials.
Gu Xu's work mainly involved exorcising and capturing ghosts, and assisting his superiors in maintaining community harmony and peace.
Engaging in this dangerous occupation, dealing with man-eating evil spirits every day, he couldn't help but worry and often fear that he might never return when he went out on a mission.
Perhaps due to the suddenness of his transmigration, he didn't acquire the legendary "system."
His only advantage was the random talents he received in the game—[Eidetic Memory], [Spirit Calling Body], and [Ill-Fated Genius].
[Eidetic Memory] was a common but highly useful talent.
It allowed Gu Xu to possess near-perfect memory and an understanding ability far beyond ordinary people.
Relying on this talent, within just three months, Gu Xu had read all the books in the Exorcism Bureau's library in Yishui County.
He had extensive knowledge of various sects' cultivation techniques, the fatal weaknesses of different monsters, and a variety of peculiar and esoteric spells. He knew almost everything—a true "cultivation theory expert" and a "keyboard master."
Among them, he excelled in talisman crafting.
In contrast, the [Spirit Calling Body] talent brought Gu Xu more trouble than benefits—it somewhat increased the probability of him encountering ghosts.
It could be understood that Gu Xu possessed a high "charm value" in the eyes of these monsters, like a bright lamp in the dark night, unknowingly attracting numerous spirits craving his body.
But what use did that have?
He couldn't possibly find a female ghost to be his Dao companion.
As for the [Ill-Fated Genius] talent... Gu Xu would rather not have it.
It enhanced his understanding and increased the probability of his enlightenment.
It also significantly improved his cultivation efficiency, rarely encountering bottlenecks.
But as the saying goes, "Every gift of fate already bears a hidden price."
With the [Ill-Fated Genius] talent, Gu Xu had been plagued by a weak and sickly body since his transmigration.
He couldn't lift a sword, let alone wield one. Even jogging would leave him breathless and in pain in his chest.
Conventional medical methods couldn't cure his innate illness.
Every doctor who treated him unequivocally stated that he wouldn't live past thirty.
In other words, Gu Xu had less than thirteen years left to live.
There was only one way to change his fate—
Cultivation.
...
Footnotes:
(1) "Chimi, born from the peculiar aura of mountains and forests, harming humans." - Du Yu's commentary on the "Zuo Zhuan" (Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals).
(2) "Five stars shining, illuminating the profound darkness. Thousands of gods and saints, protect my true spirit. Overwhelm the mighty beasts of the heavens with the power of the five weapons. Annihilate the five demonic creatures, erasing their form and spirit. Wherever it is, all gods shall pay homage. Urgent, as per the law." - Daoist exorcism incantation.
