Chapter 1: Shenzhao

“Master, please come in quickly!”

The client was a man in his thirties.

Seeing Jiang Jian, he seized him like a lifeline.

“Master, if you eliminate this evil spirit, I’ll raise the reward to eighty Alliance Coins!”

A beeping sound echoed behind him as the elevator doors closed.

Jiang Jian stepped into the foyer, expressionless, and said: “Take me there.”

The man, aware his payment was low, offered a nervous smile: “There’s been trouble at home—I’m temporarily short on funds. I beg your mercy, Master.”

Jiang Jian walked through the corridor, scanning the rooms along the way, and said: “If you want to save money, why not hire the city government? They’re right next door.”

The man grimaced: “You know—the city government doesn’t charge, but they use purifiers to exorcise spirits. Once they do that, this house is ruined.”

The sinking divine tech is all outdated junk discarded by the Shenzhao District.

The radiation from purifiers takes a long time to dissipate.

It leaves too many lingering problems.

Once you turn to the city government,

this expensive penthouse won’t be habitable for at least half a year.

Jiang Jian nodded, asking no further questions.

“Master, the evil spirit’s range is limited to the walk-in closet and the three bedrooms.”

The man stopped, pointing at a closed wooden door, his face filled with terror: “It’s right here.”

Jiang Jian stared at the wooden door, his brow slightly furrowed.

This kind of spirit is common—it arises from tangled human emotions.

It forms temporarily, weak in power, and struggles to leave its designated area.

Spreading fear is its primary method.

The wooden door suddenly shook!

The man scrambled behind Jiang Jian, voice trembling: “Master, shouldn’t we prepare something?”

“No need.”

Jiang Jian shook his head and reached for his waist.

His fingers closed around the hilt of the long sword.

The wooden sword was three feet long, extremely light.

The hilt was damp from rain, cold to the touch.

“Master, be careful—this spirit has killed before...”

The man’s voice had not yet faded.

Jiang Jian had already pushed open the closet door and stepped inside.

CLANG!

The door behind him slammed shut with a crash.

Jiang Jian held the wooden sword, surveying the room.

It was spacious.

More than a dozen cabinet doors stood wide open, revealing expensive, luxurious garments.

Dozens of seasonal coats hung from rods, along with many different styles of plush pajamas.

All kinds of skirts, countless pairs of socks.

A dazzling array of leather shoes and high heels.

This was a young woman’s walk-in closet.

She was under twenty, about one meter sixty tall.

Slender, with hair reaching her waist.

Jiang Jian was no tailor—he couldn’t possibly know these details.

He knew them because,

standing at the bedroom door, was the closet’s owner.

Her face was pale, her black hair cascading like a waterfall. Beneath a pink dress, she wore white calf socks and brown leather shoes that clicked softly against the floor.

To any observer, she looked like a young girl just recovering from serious illness.

Only her eyes betrayed a lifeless stillness.

She was walking toward Jiang Jian.

Jiang Jian watched her coldly, gripping the wooden sword tighter.

“My name is Miao Miao.”

The girl whispered, “The man outside is my father. He was manipulated by my stepmother and killed me himself.”

Jiang Jian remained silent.

“The day before yesterday, I killed my stepmother—to vent my resentment.”

Miao Miao stepped before Jiang Jian, lifting her small face. “I don’t harm strangers. Leave now.”

Upon hearing this,

Jiang Jian raised his eyes, glancing behind her.

Through the open bedroom door, a woman’s corpse lay sprawled on the floor, her death gruesome.

Her eyes bulged wide, her expression twisted in fury.

In her hand, she clutched a stack of property documents, refusing to let go even in death.

“You can kill people.”

Jiang Jian lowered his gaze, calmly studying the girl before him, and spoke his first words.

By normal standards, such spirits are extremely weak—they can spread fear, but lack the power to kill.

Miao Miao’s expression darkened. “I couldn’t before.”

She pulled out a broken photo frame. “That woman only wanted money. I didn’t have the strength to harm her.”

“But when she came in and tore my mother’s photograph...”

“I was overwhelmed. My resentment surged.”

“That’s when I gained the power to kill.”

She gripped the frame tightly.

The jagged wooden edges were razor-sharp, cutting into her fingers.

Her fingertips, pale and luminous, dripped crimson beads of blood.

Utterly pitiable.

But even the most lifelike spirit illusion

is still false.

Jiang Jian smiled, ignoring her words entirely.

He spoke his second sentence, to himself.

“Not a wasted trip.”

Miao Miao’s eyes filled with confusion, but before she could speak—

SSSHHH!

Blood sprayed!

The wooden sword pierced the girl’s tender flesh and drove deep into her heart!

Jiang Jian’s expression remained cold as he twisted the hilt, wrenching the blade free with a crunch of flesh and bone.

The girl stared blankly at Jiang Jian.

Her face still held shock and disbelief.

Her body convulsed violently, visibly fading and dissolving.

In mere seconds,

the girl crumbled into gray mist, entirely sucked into the wooden sword.

Jiang Jian stood firm, the sword in hand, his tense spirit finally relaxing.

“This spirit carried a lot of resentment—it’ll fill the sword’s storage considerably.”

“I won’t need to worry too much for now.”

Jiang Jian exhaled deeply.

He was ill.

This was something he had known since childhood.

The illness was strange.

It struck without regard to place or time.

Once it hit, he immediately lost consciousness.

His body was entirely controlled by instinct.

Episodes lasted from minutes to hours.

If left unchecked, over time,

his self-awareness would sink into oblivion, until he became a walking corpse.

“Last time I had an episode, I nearly cut Jiang Zhao to death…”

Jiang Jian gently stroked the wooden sword.

At some point, the blade had turned icy cold.

A cool energy spread, creeping from his fingers through his limbs and bones.

Instantly, Jiang Jian’s mind grew clear and still, his thoughts sharp and unobstructed.

“Each episode, for me…”

“Feels like experiencing death.”

Jiang Jian stood still, thinking of the terror of losing consciousness, his spirit trembling.

“I never want to feel that again.”

“Never again.”

Jiang Jian closed his eyes, then slowly opened them.

His gaze had returned to calm.

He pushed open the closet door and stepped out.

“Master!”

Seeing Jiang Jian emerge so quickly, the man couldn’t help exclaiming.

He stared at Jiang Jian, sword in hand, his expression mixed with joy, worry, and shock.

Jiang Jian glanced at him and said, “The demon has been slain. The task is complete.”

The man stepped to the door, peering cautiously into the closet.

Sensing the terrifying aura had vanished, he burst into uncontrollable delight: “No wonder you’re the master with zero negative reviews! Your spiritual power is truly supreme—worthy of the highest reverence!”

Jiang Jian ignored the praise and walked straight toward the entrance: “Eighty Alliance Coins. Transfer them to my citizen account.”

Beep.

He pressed the button; the elevator opened.

Jiang Jian stepped inside.

The man hurried to the entrance, watching Jiang Jian in the elevator.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again, holding back his words.

Just before the elevator doors closed, the man hesitated, then said, “I’ll pay fifty extra Alliance Coins—thirteenen total. I beg you, Master, keep this quiet.”

Jiang Jian said nothing, letting the doors seal shut as the elevator sank swiftly.

His only purpose in accepting this task was one.

To increase the wooden sword’s storage.

Everything else had nothing to do with him.

The rain had stopped; the dark clouds had cleared.

Sunlight struggled through the gaps between steel, harsh and pitying.

Jiang Jian took off his wide black robe, wrapped it around the wooden sword, and skillfully tied it to the side of his backpack.

On the chest pocket of his uniform, the emblem of Guangling No. 1 High School gleamed brightly.

“This place must be one of the few spots in the Shadow Zone where sunlight reaches.”

Jiang Jian lifted his face, squinting, savoring the warmth of the star.

In the Star Sea Era, the light of the gods has stained the sun, illuminating all things.

Long-term exposure to sunlight not only extends life but also enhances physical strength.

For residents of the Shadow Zone, sunlight is unquestionably a luxury.

A few seconds later.

Jiang Jian opened his eyes, his gaze shifting to the Divine Illumination Zone.

The Divine Illumination Zone, a colossal city suspended in the sky, with shuttles darting around it and auroras surging.

Most of Guangling City’s sunlight is blocked above it.

Its vast shadow is precisely where Jiang Jian stood.

The Shadow Zone.

Jiang Jian lowered his eyelids, expressionless, and pressed his identity device.

A mechanical voice spoke.

“Ride-hailing service activated. Estimated arrival: one minute.”

A few dozen seconds later.

An old-style hovercar cut through the road and stopped before Jiang Jian.

“Hurry up and get in!”

Electric hum echoed as the glass rolled down, revealing an impatient face.

Jiang Jian leapt onto the deck and said, “Public Care District Seven.”

The driver froze, studying Jiang Jian closely, his eyes lingering on the uniform.

Only those who came from the Public Care Center could be assigned housing in the Public Care Zones.

“A child from the Public Care Center actually got into Guangling No. 1 High School…”

The driver’s expression softened. “Get in quickly.”

Jiang Jian bowed his head and stepped into the car; the light instantly dimmed.

The cabin was cramped and stifling, reeking of stale, sour odors.

Jiang Jian hugged his backpack, reached out, and swiped across the grimy payment panel.

“Payment successful: 1 Alliance Coin.”

“Your balance: 71 Alliance Coins.”

The identity device, shaped like a wristwatch, glowed faintly with the latest payment update.

The identity device was bound to the citizen number—mandatory and free.

It was also the only high-tech accessible to commoners.

Jiang Jian swiped away the payment notice, his gaze falling elsewhere.

It was a highlighted memo.

“March 1, 3227, Guangling City, Divine Bestowal Examination.”

“Time remaining: 15 days.”

Jiang Jian grew distant in thought.

“Only fifteen days left…”

Outside the window, light and shadow flickered alternately.

Beneath the sky-blocking shadow, the hovercar seemed no more than a speck of dust.

Guangling City, Chencang County, Public Care District Seven.

The hovercar jolted violently.

Jiang Jian snapped awake, his face as pale as paper.

The driver’s voice came through: “Get ready to exit!”

Jiang Jian was dazed, as if pulled from water, drenched in cold sweat.

“In just over ten minutes…”

“I had an episode.”

A few seconds later.

He came back to himself, his gaze heavy.

“The resentment in the wooden sword hasn’t been fully absorbed yet.”

Jiang Jian had not received the Divine Bestowal; he could not cultivate.

He could only wait for the wooden sword to absorb resentment on its own.

He looked out the window.

Above Chencang County, a bright luminous wheel hung high, dispelling the darkness above.

Making this place perpetually daylit.

But everyone knew it wasn’t a star.

It was a light wheel without warmth.

The hovercar landed at Public Care District Seven; the side door burst open.

Jiang Jian grabbed his backpack and leapt off the deck.

He staggered two steps, nearly falling.

“Every episode feels like my marrow has been drained.”

Jiang Jian’s expression was dark, but as he walked into the compound, he felt a quiet relief.

The cool energy of the wooden sword had nearly run dry.

This time, with the added resentment, it would refill at least three-tenths of its storage.

Jiang Jian reached the glass door of the unit, raised his eyes, and studied his reflection.

The boy in the mirror was strikingly beautiful.

But his face bore a sickly pallor, making him look frail and worn.

"Jiang Jian!"

The single-unit door suddenly swung open, and the person inside looked startled, "Aren't you studying for your exam at school? Why are you back in Chen Cang? You didn't even tell me."

(End of Chapter)