Common Knowledge of Cultivation

Zheng Que listened intently to the lecture.

According to Daoist Qu, when a living person dies, if their resentment is too heavy, there is a high probability that they will degenerate into a Resentful Soul within the Yin Energy under the current state of the world.

His current Ghost Servant, Qing Li, belongs to this category of Resentful Soul.

If one committed too many evil deeds during their lifetime and their sins were monstrous, they would degenerate into a Fierce Soul after death.

Both Resentful Souls and Fierce Souls are formed from the resentment or sins of a single individual, which is why they can be driven by the Ghost Controlling Technique.

However, a Tricky Specter possesses the resentment of anywhere from dozens to tens of thousands of people. An ordinary cultivator's soul cannot suppress such immense resentment; attempting to force the use of the Ghost Controlling Technique to drive one will inevitably lead to a backlash.

Then there are Evil Omens, Wicked Sins, and Anomalies... all of these require powerful cultivation and soul strength just to be eligible to touch.

According to his master's description, the Old Lady Zhao he encountered yesterday—or more accurately, the entire Zhao family—was an unformed Anomaly.

Furthermore, whether it is a Resentful Soul, a Fierce Soul, or other ghost entities, they have a classification of realms just like cultivators.

The realms of ghost entities, from low to high, are: Tongue-Pulling Hell, Scissor Hell, Iron Tree Hell, Sin Mirror Hell, Steaming Hell...

Each major realm is further divided into nine stages.

It is rumored that the classification of ghost realms corresponds to the layers of the Underworld before the Great Change.

It is even more ancient than the current cultivation system used by cultivators.

The small town they are currently in is a place where mortals reside, so the ghost entities here do not exceed the first realm, Tongue-Pulling Hell.

According to Daoist Qu, the Call-Sound Ghost that Zheng Que encountered was at the second stage of the Tongue-Pulling Hell realm.

At that time, every attack from that Call-Sound Ghost threatened his life!

But precisely because of that, he was able to rely on his unusually keen intuition for death to dodge the opponent's attacks time and time again.

As for Qing Li, who hung from the withered old tree outside the dilapidated temple, her initial realm was the first stage of the Tongue-Pulling Hell. However, after she obtained the Underworld opportunity, her realm rose to the third stage of the Tongue-Pulling Hell, equivalent to a third-stage Qi Refining Stage cultivator.

Theoretically, with this gap in cultivation, if his soul strength were insufficient, Qing Li would already have the potential to break free from his control.

As for Old Lady Zhao from last night, her initial realm was likely also the third stage of the Tongue-Pulling Hell, but after she reclaimed the Yin Energy from Sun Cui'er, she very likely reached the fourth stage!

However, because she was an unformed Anomaly with obvious weaknesses, after falling for Qing Li's trick, she was ultimately defeated by him and Qing Li.

Daoist Qu explained things in great detail. He went on to discuss many characteristics of Resentful Souls, Fierce Souls, and Tricky Specters, as well as methods to distinguish them through the intensity of their Yin Energy, and precautions to take when encountering them head-on and unable to escape.

Outside the temple, the shadows stretched bit by bit. Time passed unconsciously, and in the blink of an eye, it was afternoon. Daoist Qu finally finished today's lesson.

"This is the common knowledge regarding ghost entities of the Tongue-Pulling Hell."

"We will stop here for today."

After speaking, Daoist Qu closed his eyes slightly and said nothing more.

Zheng Que stood up immediately and bowed respectfully. "Yes, Master."

He walked out of the dilapidated temple. The setting sun dyed the courtyard a pale gold, and the blades of grass shimmered with an apricot-yellow luster.

Habitually glancing at Qing Li, who was hanging in the shadows of the trees, Zheng Que began to head back to his residence. As he walked, he looked at the increasingly desolate and ruined Changfu Town and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

This town, where anomalies were becoming increasingly rampant and numerous, was actually one of the more suitable places to live in the vicinity.

Below Changfu Town, there were many villages of various sizes where the number of anomalies was even greater and far more terrifying.

Lost in thought, Zheng Que happened to pass by the entrance of Zhao the Second's house. He glanced at the courtyard gate; the faded, tattered spring couplets remained, and the gate stood open. The courtyard was quiet, and he did not know if Zhao the Second was home.

After a brief moment of reflection, Zheng Que stepped into the courtyard of Zhao the Second's house.

His master had just explained to him how anomalies were formed. If Zhao the Second had not discovered the problem with his new bride, Sun Cui'er, and the two had consummated their marriage, then Zhao the Second would have unknowingly become just like Old Lady Zhao and Sun Cui'er.

Over time, the entire Zhao family would have transformed into an anomaly.

Yet, in the eyes of outsiders, the Zhao family would have appeared exactly as they had before, a perfectly normal family.

Likewise, when Sun Cui'er came to ask for his help yesterday, if he had truly "helped" her, he would have become a part of this anomaly as well.

Anomalies spread to their surroundings in all sorts of ways. If they were not discovered and stopped in advance, the entire town would eventually become part of the anomaly.

Therefore, even though the source of this anomaly had been resolved, he still needed to check on the situation at Zhao the Second's house to prevent any accidents.

Upon entering the courtyard, Zheng Que saw signs that it had been tidied up, though the deep pits smashed into the ground during yesterday's battle had not yet been filled.

The corpse of Old Lady Zhao and the rotting corpse of Sun Cui'er were no longer in the courtyard; Zhao the Second must have buried them somewhere.

At this moment, perhaps hearing the sound of someone entering, the door to the main room opened, and Zhao the Second, dressed in coarse hemp mourning clothes, walked out.

His expression was haggard and his gait slightly unsteady, but his eyes were much calmer. Seeing Zheng Que, he nodded immediately and spoke in a listless voice, "Zheng Que, thank you for yesterday."

"I still have some eggs at home. Would you like to stay for a meal?"

Zheng Que shook his head and said, "No, I just came to check on you."

"How are you holding up?"

Zhao the Second gave a bitter laugh. "How else could I be? In these days, you live one day at a time... Half a year ago, when my father passed, we were still able to set a table and invite our relatives to see him off."

"Now that my mother is gone—and she died under such circumstances—I didn't even dare to call my uncles. I was afraid they would insist on burning my mother and wouldn't even leave her a complete body... It all comes down to my own incompetence. I couldn't find a wife on my own, and I ended up dragging my mother down with me..."

"Forget it, let's not talk about that. Zheng Que, you're following an immortal master now and have skills. If the master decides to leave, you should go with him. This town of ours is finished!"

Zheng Que listened patiently and offered a few casual responses. They chatted for a while longer, with Zheng Que occasionally asking a few questions. After the conversation, having confirmed that Zhao the Second was merely devastated and disheartened, and that he was normal in every other respect, Zheng Que found an excuse to take his leave and returned to his own home.