Sorcerers and Spirit Sight

But Ning Shi's outstretched hand had barely risen when Chen Mu's voice interrupted her.

"Sister-in-law."

Chen Mu murmured softly.

Though his voice was quiet, it still jolted Ning Shi awake, and a flicker of panic flashed through her eyes.

Just as she did not know how to respond, Chen Mu continued.

"I am fine for now, Sister-in-law. You should go back and rest first. The wind and snow have been unceasing these past few days, so try not to wander about lest you catch a chill."

"Mm... mm."

Ning Shi answered twice in a flustered jumble. Seeing that Chen Mu's expression remained unchanged, as though he had not noticed her earlier odd behavior, she finally relaxed slightly.

"Then Uncle should rest well too. I will come visit another day."

As she spoke.

She still did not quite dare look at Chen Mu. Lowering her head slightly, she turned and walked outside.

As she passed the doorway, she happened to encounter Xiao Mei, the maid in green, who seemed to have just returned from outside. Upon seeing Ning Shi, Xiao Mei did not offer a greeting, merely walking past her with an icy expression.

Ning Shi's fingers tightened around her handkerchief, but she said nothing. She only lowered her head and silently continued forward, disappearing beyond the courtyard.

Inside the room.

Chen Mu had noticed the strange scene at the doorway as well. A faint glimmer passed through his eyes before he calmly said, "Close the door and leave."

"Yes."

Xiao Mei replied coolly, then went back out and pulled the door shut.

Only when she saw that Chen Mu had actually sat up did a trace of surprise flash through her eyes, but it swiftly vanished without a trace.

In the bedroom.

Chen Mu stretched his arms, patted his face, then got out of bed and walked straight over to a bronze mirror nearby.

The face reflected in the mirror was eighty percent similar to his face from his previous life, inheriting seven or eight parts of his former handsomeness. Chen Mu was fairly satisfied with it.

Then.

Chen Mu murmured softly to the bronze mirror.

"Your sister-in-law is kind-hearted. Rest assured, I will take good care of her from now on as well."

The memories of the former owner of this body had always contained Ning Shi's care. His gratitude toward her had not faded even now, lingering ceaselessly in Chen Mu's heart like a wisp of obsession.

Only after Chen Mu said those words did that lingering obsession finally dissipate soundlessly.

At the same time.

A cold, emotionless notification sounded.

Prompt: You gained 12 Soul Points

Chen Mu froze slightly, then looked carefully and saw a panel silently appear before him.

Name: Chen Mu

Age: 16

Martial Prowess: Strength to Truss a Chicken

Soulmind: lv2(+)

Soul Points: 12

Soul Roaming (Netherworld)—Available

Hmm. Excellent.

Chen Mu naturally accepted the existence of the system with ease. After all, this world contained demons, monsters, ghosts, and other things that could take lives. It was not the simple ancient dynasty he had imagined.

Since his transmigration had gone so wildly off course, receiving a system as compensation was only natural.

"I have heard that this world has martial artists and sorcerers. Martial artists can subdue demons, while sorcerers can exorcise ghosts. Both are divided into nine ranks, from strong to weak, but this system does not seem to classify them that way."

Chen Mu looked thoughtfully at the system panel.

Martial Prowess should correspond to martial artists. Strength to Truss a Chicken was likely beneath any rank, while sorcerers should correspond to Soulmind. He simply did not know what rank lv2 represented.

In any case, it did not seem to have a rank, because he did not feel that he possessed any sorcerer's abilities. From head to toe, he was still an ordinary person.

However.

The "+" symbol after the Soulmind level was simple and straightforward.

Chen Mu considered it for a moment, then willed his mind toward it and tried to touch it.

Prompt: Consume 3 Soul Points to raise Soulmind to lv3?

The prompt sounded by his ear.

Chen Mu did not hesitate and confirmed it directly.

Silently.

A warm sensation suddenly poured in through the Baihui point atop his head, spreading all the way through his limbs. His entire body felt as though it had been immersed in a cool liquid, every pore seeming to cry out in delight.

Chen Mu had never experienced such comfort before. It was as though every corner of his body had been wrapped in warmth, beyond description, and even his mind briefly became lost in it.

Who knew how long passed.

Chen Mu's consciousness returned.

He clenched his fist, feeling no change in his physical body, yet he could clearly sense that something had changed within his mind. It seemed to have undergone some kind of transformation!

He slowly closed his eyes.

Then opened them again.

It was merely the simple act of opening and closing his eyes, yet in that instant heaven and earth changed completely. The entire world took on an illusory, dim hue, as though he had passed from the mortal realm into the ghostly domain of the Netherworld!

Chen Mu looked carefully. He could still see the bed, tables, and chairs in the room, but in his eyes they had all become translucent and unreal. He could even see straight through them, glimpsing beneath the table and bed!

"Spirit Sight."

That thought surfaced in Chen Mu's mind.

Spirit Sight!

This was a sorcerer's first ability, and also their most fundamental one. Possessing it meant one could be considered an initiated sorcerer, having crossed the threshold into Ninth Rank!

Throughout Great Yuan, martial artists numbered in the tens of millions, but sorcerers were few and far between. Martial artists had paths to follow and methods to practice, while sorcerers could rely only on extraordinary natural talent!

Therefore.

Even a mere Ninth Rank sorcerer held no lower status than an Eighth Rank or even Seventh Rank martial artist, for Spirit Sight alone was an immensely powerful ability!

Not only could it look directly upon Netherworld Ghosts, it could also see through all concealment.

Chen Mu turned to look around. Wherever his gaze fell, neither walls nor doors nor windows could obstruct his sight. He saw through them with ease.

He looked farther into the distance, his gaze passing through the wall to see the snow piled thick outside the courtyard. Then he saw a figure sweeping snow within the yard.

He could vaguely make out that it was his servant, Ren Yan.

His entire body glowed with faint specks of red light.

This red glow was slightly more vigorous than that of Chen Mu's own body.

Chen Mu understood that this was most likely a person's blood vitality. The more vigorous one's blood vitality, the stronger and more powerful one's body would be. Once it reached a certain level, one entered the ranks of martial artists!

Ren Yan was stronger than him, but he was likely still within the realm of ordinary people.

Chen Mu then looked toward the side rooms on either side. There was no one in the room on the right, but there was someone in the one on the left. He could make out that it was his maid, Xiao Mei.

At this moment.

Inside the room, Xiao Mei was holding a strange posture. With every breath, the red glow around her body would grow brighter before dimming again, flickering repeatedly like firelight.

This red glow was far more vigorous than Ren Yan's!

Chen Mu watched for a while and felt a stinging pain in his eyes. He withdrew his gaze and closed his eyes. When he opened them again after some time, everything before him had returned to normal.

"Secretly practicing Martial Arts..."

"She certainly had ideas."

Chen Mu cast a deep glance toward the side room.

Maids were not qualified to practice martial arts. Xiao Mei's strange posture and the changes that accompanied her breathing were undoubtedly a method of Martial Arts training.

Judging by her condition, she might have already entered Ninth Rank and become a martial artist!

She truly was bold!

If a maid secretly practiced Martial Arts and was discovered in Xuanguo Estate, it would undoubtedly be a capital crime. It would be treated as defying one's superiors; hanging would not even be the end of it, and her family could be implicated as well!

Even Chen Mu had to call her audacious beyond the heavens!