The Ghost Pearl

"What is this place?"

Yu Jing stood at the very center of a massive garden, surrounded on all sides by dense jungle.

The surrounding grass, trees, and flowers moved to some extent according to Yu Jing's thoughts. Even faint whispers from the trees, weeds, and flowers entered the depths of Yu Jing's mind.

"Up ahead... deeper inside... come..."

The fragmented whispers came through the surrounding plants, urging Yu Jing deeper in one direction through the woods.

After walking deeper inside for an unknown amount of time, the murmur of running water gradually reached Yu Jing's ears. Through the monotonous forest, a crystal-clear stream appeared before his eyes.

On the opposite bank stood the entrance to a cave, though its mouth was currently covered in thick vines and plants.

Driven purely by curiosity, Yu Jing waded across the stream and arrived at the cave entrance, placing his palm against the vines.

Suddenly, because of the repulsion, countless sharp thorns sprouted from the vines and pierced through Yu Jing's palm.

"Ah!"

The pain jolted Yu Jing awake from his sleep.

He sat up from the clean hospital bed, only to find himself in a pristine white ward. An IV was currently attached to his painful right hand, while the heart monitor beside him showed that his heartbeat was normal.

"Disciple Yu Jing, are you awake?"

A young nurse holding a clipboard entered the room and began recording Yu Jing's current condition.

After a brief daze, Yu Jing clearly recalled everything concerning the physical training, the Deep Mountain Inn, Shen Yixuan's evil spirit, and more.

"Where am I? How are Xiaoxiao, Jiang Pengyu, and Feng Xu?"

"Don't try to speak too quickly. The wounds inside your body have only just healed. If they tear open again, you probably won't make it to the opening ceremony. This is a branch hospital of the Affiliated Hospital of the Dihua Ability Institute. First, congratulations on surviving that nightmarish physical training. Xiaoxiao, who was on the same team as you, suffered more serious injuries and is undergoing limb reconstruction surgery at the main hospital. Her life is not in danger."

Hearing that Xiaoxiao's life was not in danger, Yu Jing felt much more at ease.

"As for the other people you mentioned, I'm just a little nurse, so I don't know. You and Xiaoxiao were on the same team and were sent back to the Ability Institute after completing the physical training ahead of schedule. The others probably weren't on your team, were they?"

Yu Jing remained silent for a while before gradually calming down and asking, "How long have I been here?"

"Counting today, exactly six days."

"Six days! Is the physical training over already?" Yu Jing had never expected to be unconscious here for six whole days.

"Mm. The new disciples' physical training ended yesterday morning. The opening ceremony will be held in three days. Your body has basically recovered. You only need to be observed in the hospital for another day, and then you can be discharged tomorrow. Since you managed to survive, get some proper rest over the next few days. Although this Ability Institute is filled with death, the First Year is relatively easier."

After answering Yu Jing's questions, the nurse left the ward. Yu Jing lay alone on the comfortable bed, his mind repeatedly replaying the intense battles from before like a videotape.

After an unknown amount of time, noon arrived, and the ward door was knocked on again.

A familiar middle-aged man entered the ward carrying the lunch that the nurse had prepared for Yu Jing.

The impeccably dressed man placed the freshly prepared food on a small table in front of Yu Jing.

Unexpectedly, in that instant, Yu Jing disregarded the IV needle inserted into his hand. With an angry look in his eyes, he reached toward the middle-aged man before him.

"Clang!"

The metal tray and food crashed to the floor, but the loud noise seemed not to be heard by the nurse outside.

The other party easily stopped Yu Jing's attack with one hand, pinning him helplessly against the hospital bed. The person who had come to visit Yu Jing was none other than Special Commissioner Liang of the Gene Academy.

"Calm down. You're a patient right now! I'm here to tell you some good news. The Jiang family's boy and the new student from the Medical School are both still alive. The Yu family's descendant used the most advanced continuous stem-cell cultivation to achieve complete regeneration of her arm, without any side effects. The only people who died at the inn were one man and one woman who had little to do with you. Not a bad outcome, right?"

As Special Commissioner Liang answered, the anger in Yu Jing's heart gradually subsided, and the needle hole on the back of his hand was repaired by his plant body.

However, Yu Jing's eyes remained filled with hatred.

"Why?" Yu Jing asked three words.

Facing Yu Jing's question, Special Commissioner Liang smiled and replied calmly, "Our agreement was very clear, wasn't it? From the moment you entered this Ability Institute, our research relationship officially began... Don't forget, I gave you your life. Every opportunity you have was given to you by me."

Yu Jing had no way to refute such an answer.

However, Special Commissioner Liang still wore an undisguisable smile.

"Your performance was truly astonishing. An evil spirit with this kind of growth potential would pose a danger even to some disciples who have studied at the institute for a year. Still, you relied on the foreign object within your body, combined with your brain and a group of friends, to overcome the crisis. Very few people can experience that sense of achievement... Oh, right, this is your reward! I specially obtained it for you from the administrative council."

As he finished speaking, a shadow in the room switched off the ward lights and drew the blackout curtains, plunging the ward into complete darkness.

Special Commissioner Liang took out a small square box measuring four centimeters on each side. When the box opened, starlike radiance spilled from within, illuminating the dark ward.

Inside the box lay a round sphere containing star-speckled fluid. It looked even more dazzling and colorful than a diamond.

Having experienced the physical training, Yu Jing recognized the starlike object before him. It resembled the specks of light Shen Yixuan's evil spirit had transformed into upon its death.

"A perfect 'high-quality' ghost pearl. This thing should have been a necessity for passing the Ability Test in the First Year, but to reward your performance this time, I'm giving it to you ahead of schedule. As for how to use it, you'll naturally learn during the upcoming training. For now, take it and keep it safe."

Special Commissioner Liang handed the open box to Yu Jing.

"What is the fluid flowing inside?" Yu Jing asked as he looked at the liquid moving within the pearl.

"Shen Yixuan's evil spirit, but it has been completely sealed inside the ghost pearl. If the pearl is destroyed, the soul will scatter. There's no danger."

After hearing the explanation, Yu Jing could not help exclaiming, "What? An evil spirit sealed inside? What is something like this used for?"

"I deliberately made time to come visit you today, and I still have plenty of things to deal with in the laboratory building. You'll naturally learn how to use the ghost pearl later. Also, let me remind you of one thing: during the First Year, don't let anyone else know about it for now, lest someone of a higher rank takes an interest in it."

Special Commissioner Liang waved his hand. The room brightened again, and the food that had previously been knocked over was also cleared into the trash bin.