Mirror Ghost

For the next two days, Lu Siye remained in his room, cultivating in seclusion and not going out.

During this time, he spent a full day cultivating the third level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill to perfection.

Afterward, he spent another 200 Fear Points to strengthen the Soul Severing Blade Technique.

Following the strengthening, the Soul Severing Blade Technique transformed into the Five Tiger Soul Severing Blade Technique.

Honestly, when Lu Siye saw the name "Five Tiger Soul Severing Blade Technique," his expression was one of utter confusion, like an old man seeing a smartphone for the first time.

Why did the technique's name become so much worse after being strengthened?

Lu Siye opened the Five Tiger Soul Severing Blade Technique and took a look. He noticed that the technique's realms had evolved from the previous three—Beginner, Proficient, and Master—into five realms.

Beginner, Proficient, Master, Perfected, and Divine.

Cultivating the blade technique to the Perfected realm would allow him to first sever the enemy's courage before attacking, causing them to become fearful before the fight even began, reducing their combat power by thirty percent and increasing his own chances of victory by thirty percent.

Upon reaching the Divine realm, when he unleashed his blade, he could manifest the spiritual forms of five tigers, truly reaching a divine state.

Lu Siye suddenly understood. So that's where the "Five Tiger" part came from. It was… quite fitting!

However, after the strengthening, the System had only further refined the blade techniques for the first three realms, without providing the cultivation methods for the latter two.

It seemed he would need to strengthen it two more times to reveal the cultivation methods for the final two realms.

Due to the limited space in his room, it was unsuitable for wielding the Blazing Blood Blade.

Therefore, Lu Siye took out the Evil-Exorcising Fruit Knife to practice the Five Tiger Soul Severing Blade Technique.

He spent another day cultivating the Five Tiger Soul Severing Blade Technique to the Proficient realm.

The blade technique at this realm was described as fierce, sharp, and unstoppable, requiring one to first temper their own courage before they could sever the enemy's.

Following that, Lu Siye took out the Blazing Blood Blade again and spent 600 Fear Points to strengthen it.

After the strengthening, the red patterns on the Blazing Blood Blade all disappeared, making it look ordinary.

Only when Blood Essence was supplied would the blood-colored patterns reappear.

Moreover, after the strengthening, the Blazing Blood Blade would not suffer any loss when Blood Essence was channeled into it, allowing Lu Siye to unleash his full power.

After completing all of this, Lu Siye's strength had also increased significantly.

Host: Lu Siye
Fear Points: 225
Cultivation Power: 155 years
Martial Arts Techniques: Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill (Level 3); Body Tempering Art; Five Tiger Soul Severing Blade Technique (Proficient)
Special Items: Evil-Exorcising Fruit Knife; Blazing Blood Blade +1; Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill; Five Tiger Soul Severing Blade Technique

Judging solely by his Cultivation Power, his strength had directly increased more than sixfold, and this didn't even account for the enhancements from the blade techniques and the Blazing Blood Blade.

His true combat power was estimated to have surpassed the scope of a Night Patrol Envoy.

As for whether his combat power had reached the level of a Night Wanderer Envoy, he would only know after facing a Fierce Ghost.

After all, he had not yet mastered the signature ability of a Night Wanderer Envoy-level martial artist: the outward projection of Blood Essence.

Therefore, he couldn't guarantee that his combat power had reached the Night Wanderer Envoy realm.

Of course, the price for this surge in strength was that his four-digit Fear Points had dwindled to less than a tenth.

The pain was so intense he couldn't breathe!

The continuous two-day seclusion had left Lu Siye mentally fatigued.

The Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill was an external martial art that promoted bodily repair during cultivation, effectively replacing the restorative effects of sleep and keeping the body in peak condition.

However, cultivating blade techniques was different. Blade techniques were a form of skill and consumed a considerable amount of mental energy.

Therefore, Lu Siye decided to rest for the night and resume hunting ghosts starting tomorrow.

He put away all his weapons and martial arts manuals, turned off the lights in the living room, and then headed towards the bedroom.

Suddenly, the sound of rushing water came from next door. Listening closely, it sounded like someone was washing their hair.

"What's going on with the guy next door? Why does he get up and wash his hair in the middle of the night these past two days?"

Lu Siye glanced at his phone. It was 2 AM.

Around the same time yesterday, the sound of rushing water had also started next door.

Could he have dandruff? Or folliculitis?

Or perhaps he encountered a ghost?

Lu Siye walked to the wall, tapped it with his finger, and asked loudly, "Brother, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, my head is just a bit itchy, so I got up to wash it!" After a while, a cold voice came from the other side of the wall.

"Oh! It's good that you're fine. Then, brother, finish washing up quickly and get some sleep. Staying up late is bad for your health. I'm going to sleep now."

With that, Lu Siye returned to his bedroom and firmly closed the door.

In the adjacent restroom, Shi Yimin stood rigidly before the sink's mirror.

He gazed at his reflection, his scalp mostly peeled away, his head covered in bloody foam.

Behind him in the mirror stood a ghastly white skeleton, countless maggots crawling over its bones.

His face was deathly pale, cold sweat streaming from his forehead, his eyes filled with terror.

From sheer fright, his eyes widened further, his eyeballs seeming about to pop out of their sockets.

The Shi Yimin in the mirror gave a deliberate, eerie smile and reached for the shampoo by the sink.

The Shi Yimin outside the mirror felt his body completely beyond his control, stiffly mimicking the actions of his reflection.

No! Don't!

Why me? Someone save me!?

Shi Yimin wanted to shout for help, to alert the ghost-exorcist in the next room to come and save him.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't utter a single sound, only able to move like a puppet, controlled by another.

He uncontrollably turned on the faucet, and a stream of water, red as blood, gushed out.

The reflection of him, with that eerie smile, slowly bent down, his head about to touch the icy water when suddenly, from the wall behind, came the voice of the ghost-exorcist from next door.

"Brother, are you alright?"

He noticed!

I'm saved, help! Save me...

Shi Yimin's eyes widened, his body trembling uncontrollably. He desperately tried to call out for help.

The reflection of him startled, his pupils constricting slightly. Was he discovered?

The reflection of him straightened up again, looking into Shi Yimin's eyes, and suddenly stretched his mouth into a grin that reached his ears, revealing sharp teeth stained with blood.

"I'm fine, just a bit itchy scalp. Came to wash my hair!"

A chilling voice echoed from the mirror, a voice he knew all too well, for it was his own.

No! Don't!

Don't believe him, that's not me!

Shi Yimin screamed in his mind, struggling continuously, his eyes filled with a desperate will to live.

"Oh! Good that you're fine. Then brother, finish up quickly and get some rest. Staying up late is bad for your health. I'm heading to bed."

The ghost-exorcist next door seemed to believe him. Soon after, the heavy sound of a door closing was heard.

It's over!

Shi Yimin's hope was instantly extinguished, leaving only despair in his eyes.

The Mirror Ghost breathed a sigh of relief. It had sensed the scorching aura emanating from next door a couple of days ago; the other party definitely possessed overwhelming strength. It couldn't let the neighbor discover it.

The Mirror Ghost looked at Shi Yimin, standing before the mirror, his eye sockets sunken and his appearance gaunt. It had absorbed most of his vital energy, and it was time to possess him.

Finally, I can leave this damned mirror!

Suppressing its excitement, the Mirror Ghost controlled Shi Yimin's body and slowly brought its forehead closer to the mirror's surface, along with Shi Yimin.

Just as their foreheads were about to touch, a sinister voice sounded from the restroom doorway.

"Gotcha!"