Exorcise Evil and Suppress Calamities

What was that sound!?

Zhang Lingshan was startled.

That sudden bone-chilling cold was already bizarre enough, but where had that ear-piercing scream come from?

"Mother, Xiao Yu, did you hear anything just now?" Zhang Lingshan asked.

"No. What is it?"

The two of them answered.

"Nothing."

Zhang Lingshan understood. As expected, the sound had not come from outside—it had truly come from within his own body.

But what was inside his body?

He suddenly recalled his previous visit to Red Leaf Temple, when the little novice monk Hui Xiu had tried to sell him talismans, saying he had a Ghost Suppression Talisman that could suppress the Greedy Ghost inside him.

Could that sound just now have been made by the Greedy Ghost?

If he was not mistaken.

Then that piercing cold must have been the yin aura leaking out from the Greedy Ghost as well.

So whenever I practice the Primal Chaos Righteous Yang Posture, Fire Momentum is born within me, scorching the Greedy Ghost until it howls, leaving it nowhere to hide. If that's the case, wouldn't I burn it to death if I kept practicing?

Zhang Lingshan was overjoyed, an excited smile spreading across his face.

Who said martial arts could not exorcise evil and suppress calamities?

Once the Primal Chaos Righteous Yang Posture reached Perfection, it could exorcise evil and suppress calamities!

Fire Momentum, burn!

Zhang Lingshan roared inwardly.

The Greedy Ghost inside him had tormented him from the very beginning, giving him nightmares every night and leaving him covered in painful red marks when he woke in the morning, severely affecting the speed of his cultivation.

Had he not relied on the Panel to strengthen his physique at the fastest possible pace, he would likely have been played to death by this Greedy Ghost long ago.

Though after his strength had increased, the Greedy Ghost's influence on him had become negligible, to the point where he no longer needed to care about it.

But as long as the thing remained on him, it was a bomb waiting to explode. If he was injured someday, it might seize the chance to worm its way in.

So being able to destroy it once and for all today was a great blessing.

He had to strike while the iron was hot and purge the Evil Spirit with thunderous force!

"Ahhh..."

The Greedy Ghost wailed.

"Burn, burn, burn!"

Zhang Lingshan roared in his heart.

His body became a battlefield. The blazing Fire Momentum and the yin aura of the Evil Spirit tangled together, now scorching hot, now freezing cold, making even Zhang Lingshan unable to stop shivering.

Suddenly.

An extreme cold invaded his body, freezing Zhang Lingshan's movements for an instant.

This was the Evil Spirit's counterattack!

Hmph, the struggle of one at death's door. Zhang Lingshan sneered.

He continued holding his stance.

At last, as time passed, more than half the night went by.

A soft pop came from within his body.

The cold completely dissipated!

At the same time.

The Panel flashed with a bright notification.

[Energy +30!]

???

Zhang Lingshan froze.

Then he was beside himself with joy.

So the correct way to use the Panel was to devour Evil Spirits!

This single Greedy Ghost had directly given him 30 Energy.

It was far faster than eating.

If a few more Greedy Ghosts of this level came along, why would he ever worry about lacking Energy?

As it happened, he still carried the curse of Li Fu's family of three.

Should he return to the old house on Changning Street and refine Li Fu's family of three as well, making them contribute a little of their meager worth?

The instant that thought appeared, it was like a seed taking root and sprouting in Zhang Lingshan's heart, making it itch with temptation.

But after careful consideration, he felt that he should not act too rashly.

He had been able to destroy the Greedy Ghost today because the thing had stayed inside his body long enough and had already been worn down to almost nothing.

As for Li Fu's family of three, he had never formally met them, so he did not know how strong they were.

Besides, that family of three had strength in numbers and was not easy to provoke.

So he still had to wait until he had thoroughly figured out how to destroy Evil Spirits before testing himself against Li Fu's family of three.

For now, he could not get carried away. He had to advance steadily and fight firmly.

He had struggled so hard to reach this point. He absolutely could not lose the big picture for the sake of a small gain.

With that thought, Zhang Lingshan completely calmed down.

He opened the Panel.

Name: Zhang Lingshan

Martial Arts: Red Thread Fist (Entry Level), Primal Chaos Righteous Yang Posture (Perfection)

Energy: 30

Looking at the gains on the Panel, Zhang Lingshan fell asleep in complete satisfaction.

That night, he slept exceptionally well.

Without the Greedy Ghost causing trouble, he felt comfortable to the Extreme Branch. It was the most comfortable sleep he had had since beginning martial arts.

He slept straight through until noon before finally getting up and stretching lazily.

He was bursting with energy!

After moving his body a little, he felt that the strength in his limbs was even greater than yesterday's.

It was not only because he had been reborn, but also because he had cast off the Evil Spirit and shed his shackles. His whole face glowed with vigor, and not a single part of his body felt anything but light and relaxed.

When he arrived at the martial arts school, Zhang Lingshan caught up just in time for lunch.

After the meal.

He went before a row of Stone Locks, grabbed the two-hundred-pound Stone Lock, and assumed the Primal Chaos Righteous Yang Posture.

Up!

He gave a low shout in his heart.

The two-hundred-pound Stone Lock rose steadily above his head.

The senior and junior brothers in the courtyard all revealed looks of surprise at the sight.

"What's going on? He can lift two hundred pounds so quickly?"

"I remember that just a few days ago, he couldn't even hold out through one set of Stance Skill with a hundred pounds. Now he can lift two hundred pounds in one go?"

"What did this guy eat?"

"I think he's forcing himself. He'll definitely damage his muscles and bones," someone said sourly.

His name was Lü Feng.

He was not familiar with Zhang Lingshan and had never spoken to him. He only knew that Zhang Lingshan was a poor wretch who had luckily earned Hong Master's favor. But without financial support, he was surely not going to get far.

They were not on the same level, so there had been no need to get acquainted.

But unexpectedly, that poor wretch had actually taken a step ahead of him.

This guy had no financial backing. Relying only on the martial arts school's two meals a day and one bowl of Four Harmony Soup every four days, how could he progress so quickly?

It made no sense!

Could he really be a genius?

Lü Feng felt envy, jealousy, and hatred, yet he also reflected on himself. Should he get to know Zhang Lingshan a little? After all, they were senior and junior brothers cultivating in the same courtyard. Was it not a little too much that they had never exchanged a single word?

Of course, that was only if Zhang Lingshan truly had the ability to lift two hundred pounds rather than merely forcing himself.

If he had injured his muscles and bones just to show off before all the senior and junior brothers, then he was nothing but a stupid, useless poor wretch. Lü Feng would not even deign to give him another glance.

"Junior Brother Shan, how did you do it? You made it so quickly? Once you reach two hundred pounds, you can officially begin Skin Grinding. You're about to become a Skin Grinding Martial Practitioner!"

A huge, burly man called out with a face full of admiration and envy.

Just the day before yesterday, he had still been sparring in fist techniques with Zhang Lingshan. Yet today, Zhang Lingshan had transformed in the blink of an eye and reached two hundred pounds.

In an instant, he had fallen behind and no longer had the qualifications to spar with him.

But he did not feel sad. Instead, he felt it was only natural.

With Junior Brother Shan's crazed diligence, he deserved all of this.

"Brother Da Zhuang, I think you're almost there too. We're both going to become Skin Grinding Martial Practitioners," Zhang Lingshan said with a smile.

Da Zhuang nodded heavily. "Yes, I have to work hard too."

Off to the side.

Seeing this scene, Shi Lei's face immediately filled with bitterness.