Phantom Eye Pearl

Lu Chen immediately grew alert. This type of sha qi wasn't as lethal and domineering as the Black Claw Heart Rot Sha, but it could directly disturb a person's mind, causing them to unknowingly fall into hallucinations and die in a violent frenzy.

His face promptly put on a look of terror, and his feet subconsciously retreated half a step, as if he had been badly frightened by that sha qi.

But beneath his lowered eyelids, there was nothing but calm.

Lu Chen stammered his assent while quietly backing up to his tool rack. Using the pretense of organizing his tools, he swiftly pulled a half-finished Calming Talisman from the pile of low-quality talisman paper.

With his back to the others, he focused all his concentration, channeling the faint wisp of inner force in his dantian. At top speed, he used his fingertip to trace on the talisman paper the single line he had mastered—one that shimmered with a faint light.

The talisman paper trembled lightly, and the line flashed and vanished. Though it wasn't a complete talisman, a trace of cool, tranquil intent had already been left on that coarse yellow paper.

"Calm the heart!"

Lu Chen recited silently. This was the true meaning of that line, which he had gleaned from the fragmentary text.

Without a change in expression, he folded this half-finished talisman and tucked it into his chest.

A cool sensation spread from the talisman paper, instantly flowing through his limbs and bones, clearing his somewhat dazed mind completely.

"What are you standing around for? Get to work!" Foreman Wang urged impatiently.

"Yes, yes!"

Lu Chen hurried forward, picked up his tools, and began processing this troublesome cat demon.

With the Calming Talisman's support, the pervasive Yin Illusion Sha Qi still lingered but could no longer shake his mind in the slightest.

His knife work remained precise, but he deliberately made his movements clumsy and halting.

"Ouch!"

Lu Chen intentionally let his hand slip, and the Boning Knife clattered to the ground with a clang, startling even himself.

"Hiss..."

He pretended to be struck by the sha qi, staggering back two steps, clutching his forehead and panting heavily.

This series of clumsy acts, seen by Foreman Wang and Zhang Mazi, only earned him more contemptuous sneers.

Yet, in the midst of this seemingly perilous process, Lu Chen's blade always found the most devious angles, perfectly avoiding every point where the sha qi erupted, methodically separating the cat demon's hide, bones, sinews, and claws.

Finally, Lu Chen carefully extracted from the cat demon's brow a peculiar pearl, the size of a longan, pitch-black, with flowing light rippling across its surface.

Phantom Eye Pearl!

The concentrated essence of the Three-tailed Cat Demon—though not a good material in itself.

But it was a key ingredient for refining illusion-type Magic Items and pills!

When Lu Chen presented this pearl, along with the other materials, Foreman Wang's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

He examined the flawless Phantom Eye Pearl repeatedly, then looked at the cleanly processed materials on the ground. His expression shifted from disappointment to surprise, finally settling into an indescribable greed.

And Zhang Mazi, who had been waiting to watch the fun, stood dumbfounded, his mouth wide enough to hold an egg.

This... how the hell did this work?

"Ahem... well, lucky break." Foreman Wang cleared his throat, forcing a save of face. "Looks like you really are a Fortunate General."

The reputation for luck was once again firmly pinned on Lu Chen.

Lu Chen, for his part, wore the look of a man who had narrowly escaped death, still shaken, and repeatedly agreed.

[Processed Three-tailed Cat Demon. Obtained Demon Devil Lifespan: 3 months.]

The system's prompt sounded in his mind. It wasn't much, but at least his lifespan reserve was no longer an embarrassing zero.

He held the Phantom Eye Pearl, which Foreman Wang had inspected and then tossed back to him. It was cold to the touch, and he could faintly sense a weak mental fluctuation emanating from within.

Back in the damp, cold Corpse Handling Room, Lu Chen bolted the stone door tight.

He spread his palm and carefully examined this unexpected gain—the Phantom Eye Pearl.

The pearl was completely black, yet seemed to contain a deep, starry void. Faint streaks of light occasionally slid across its surface, giving it a mysterious beauty.

Lu Chen tried to probe it with a thread of his mental energy.

The moment his mental energy touched the pearl, a cold, disorienting force violently rebounded!

His vision went black, and countless blurry, distorted images flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern—a dark jungle, a bloody hunt, and a pair of enormous, icy eyes filled with murderous intent...

"Hah!"

Lu Chen snapped awake, drenched in cold sweat, his heart pounding wildly.

Those were fragments of the Three-tailed Cat Demon's memories from when it was alive!

He immediately severed his mental connection with the Phantom Eye Pearl, staring at the beautiful pearl with lingering fear.

This thing was far more dangerous than he had imagined. But at the same time, it made him realize that this type of special Demon Material, imbued with mental power, might also hold value for gathering intelligence.

This was an unexpected discovery. He carefully wrapped the pearl in oilcloth and tucked it close to his body, deciding to study it only after his mental strength had grown.

The next day, Lu Chen went to the warehouse as usual to hand over the miscellaneous Demon Materials he had processed the day before.

Just as he finished registering and was about to leave, Clerk Chen, who had always ignored him, suddenly called out.

"Hey, kid."

Clerk Chen leaned back in his chair, squinting through his murky old eyes as he drawled, "The materials you've been turning in lately have been decent quality. The division just so happens to have a backlog of discarded Monster Materials scraps that need handling, and we're short a pair of hands. You'll tag along with the Warrior Team."

Lu Chen was taken aback.

"Where to?"

"Nanling Ghost Market." Clerk Chen took a sip of his cheap wine and said flatly, "It's a rough job, no real perks... but at least it'll let you see a bit of the world."

Nanling Ghost Market!

Lu Chen's heart gave a violent lurch.

From his predecessor's memories, he knew it was the largest cultivator bazaar on the outskirts of Nanling Prefecture—a melting pot of all walks of life, where rare treasures, Demon Materials, and even shady stolen goods could be found.

For someone like him, stuck at the very bottom of the Demon Suppression Division as a Corpse Handler, this was undoubtedly a golden opportunity!

"Thank you, Clerk Chen!" Lu Chen suppressed the excitement churning inside him and bowed deeply to the old man.

Clerk Chen waved his hand impatiently, then slumped back onto the table as if nothing had happened.