Entering the Mystic Realm, Paper Effigy Troupe

Inside the room, three heavenly treasures were laid out on the table in order.

The Blazing Fire Spirit Mushroom radiated a faint warmth.

A flowing light shimmered deep within the Dragon Ginseng Tendon.

The wax seal of the Nine-Turn Origin Returning Pill exuded a crisp, sweet scent.

If these treasures were at the Qingzhou Demon Suppression Division, it would cost at least two hundred merit points to obtain even one of them.

Lu Yuan had managed to trade for all three with just a single Corpse Suppressing Bell; he had definitely made a massive profit.

Sitting cross-legged on the couch, he chewed the Blazing Fire Spirit Mushroom into pieces and swallowed it in a few gulps.

A scorching hot current exploded within his body, rampaging along his meridians and making the veins on his forehead throb violently.

Good stuff, though it's a bit spicy.

Lu Yuan didn't stop; he picked up the Dragon Ginseng Tendon and stuffed it into his mouth.

The two medicinal powers intertwined, surging toward his extraordinary meridians and vessels.

The medicinal force was like a flood, shattering the blockages along his path as if they were thin paper.

Lu Yuan gritted his teeth; his meridians were stretched to their limit, feeling as though they were about to split open.

Pain surged from every limb and bone, and the veins on his forehead bulged.

The eighth layer.

The ninth layer.

Perfection.

Breaking through the final obstruction, his twelve regular meridians and extraordinary vessels were completely cleared.

His spiritual power flowed like a bursting dam, circulating through his meridians in an endless, self-sustaining cycle.

As the pain receded like a tide, Lu Yuan let out a long breath, replaced by an indescribable sense of clarity and comfort.

Initial Realm perfection!

He gathered his focus and consumed the Nine-Turn Origin Returning Pill.

Three streams of medicinal power converged in his meridians, charging about like wild, maddened horses.

The Initial Realm focuses on "clearing," while the Mystic Realm focuses on "gathering."

Opening up a Mystic Void in the lower dantian to serve as the core of spiritual power—this was the key to stepping into the Mystic Realm.

Lu Yuan drew in all his spiritual power, directing it toward his lower dantian.

As more and more spiritual power poured in, the dantian gradually transformed into a gray, hazy void, with a faint light emanating from its deepest depths.

Mystic Void formed!

Lu Yuan did not lose focus; opening the Mystic Void was only the beginning.

He circulated the Myriad Transformation Infinite Art, and the Mystic Void gradually expanded. Spirit Crystals spread out within it, their radiance growing increasingly brilliant.

When the medicinal power within his body was exhausted, the Mystic Void had expanded to over ten zhang. Its walls were as solid as metal and stone, with Spirit Crystals densely arranged inside, shining brilliantly.

Mystic Realm level one!

Lu Yuan opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of stale air.

Three heavenly treasures, six hours, from the seventh layer of the Initial Realm to the first level of the Mystic Realm—the entire process had been as natural as water flowing into a channel.

However, one thing caught him by surprise.

Generally, the Mystic Void opened by a level one Mystic Realm martial artist was at most one zhang wide, yet his was over ten zhang.

It was too big!

Ten times larger than normal!

The larger and more solid the Mystic Void, the more spiritual power it could store, and the greater the power of the techniques he could unleash.

But this wasn't entirely a good thing.

To break through the Mystic Realm, one needed to constantly reinforce the walls and expand the Mystic Void using spiritual power or heavenly treasures.

In this way, the resources Lu Yuan required would be ten times that of a martial artist at the same level.

He calculated silently in his heart; if he relied solely on the salary of a Demon Suppression Captain, he would likely have to wait until the end of time to break through the Mystic Realm.

He had to slay demons and eliminate monsters to earn merit!

For the next two days, Lu Yuan stayed in the Garrison Station, doing nothing but cultivating and reviewing case files.

At first, Lu Yuan had been on edge; having heard in Qingzhou that demons were rampant in Linchuan County, he had assumed the common people were living in dire straits.

Yet, after these two days, let alone demonic disturbances, there wasn't even a petty theft case in the County Office.

Lu Yuan appeared calm on the surface, but he was starting to lose his patience.

Wasn't it said that demons appeared frequently?

Two days had passed without even a whisper of trouble; this was far too quiet.

No, rather than sitting around waiting, I might as well head out to hunt for demons.

Lu Yuan had just stepped out of the main hall when he saw a figure dash in from outside the Garrison Station.

Su Ding'an panted, gasping for air as he shouted:

"Sir! There's a situation! The Paper Effigy Troupe—"

Drenched in sweat, he handed a notebook to Lu Yuan, then grabbed a nearby teapot and gulped down the contents.

Lu Yuan's eyes lit up. He picked up the notebook; the handwriting was sloppy, but the details were thorough.

It stated that in the northwest corner of the county, at the end of Old Street, there was a stage that had been abandoned for years and had long since fallen into ruin.

Last night, a night watchman walking down Old Street heard the sound of gongs and drums and assumed someone was celebrating a wedding.

When he got closer, he saw the stage brightly lit, with a group of actors in colorful costumes performing a play.

The night watchman found it curious, so he sat down below the stage to watch.

He got so caught up in the excitement that he threw down his clapper and copper gong, then ran home to wake his wife, Cuilan, so they could watch the show together.

Cuilan was initially furious, but after hearing his story, she broke out in a cold sweat.

What kind of family holds a wedding in the middle of the night?

She immediately locked the door and told the night watchman to go to bed.

When she woke up in the morning, the side of the bed was empty.

Cuilan panicked immediately, organizing everyone to search everywhere, but they couldn't find a trace of him in the entire county.

It wasn't until the moon rose that the night watchman was discovered on the stage.

His face, devoid of makeup, was as white as paper, and he stood on the stage holding a theatrical pose.

What was even more eerie was that the area below the stage wasn't empty; there were over a dozen paper effigies.

Those paper effigies were gathered around paper tables, sitting on paper stools, with expressions identical to those of an audience in a theater.

The scene looked as if they were watching the night watchman perform.

The surrounding villagers were terrified and fled in all directions.

Lu Yuan put down the report, and Su Ding'an said with lingering fear, "Sir, there is something not quite right about this incident."

Lu Yuan turned his head to look at him. "Oh? What do you mean by that?"

"Sir, look: middle of the night, the sound of gongs and drums, a stage, paper effigies... this doesn't look like the work of demons, it looks more like... a Ghost Opera!"

"A Ghost Opera?"

Su Ding'an swallowed hard, his voice trembling slightly.

"I've heard of it before. In desolate villages, remote inns, or ruined temples, the sound of gongs and drums will suddenly ring out in the middle of the night, and someone on the stage will be singing lyrics from some unknown dynasty."

"If anyone sits down to watch at that time, their soul will be hooked, and they will become a replacement for that actor."

Su Ding'an frowned, his voice carrying a hint of a tremor.

"Um, Sir... I've been afraid of ghosts since I was a child."

Lu Yuan was stunned for a moment.

Afraid of ghosts?

Aren't demons and ghosts all the same thing?

You aren't afraid of demons, but you're afraid of ghosts?

Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about ghosts?

Su Ding'an thought he didn't believe him and hurriedly waved his hands to explain.

"No, Sir, I'm truly not afraid of demons. Those things can be seen and touched; if I can't beat them, I can run."

"But ghosts are different! They have no flesh and blood, they walk without a sound, and in the blink of an eye, they are behind you; another blink, and they're riding on your neck."

"Sir, when I was seven, my father told me ghost stories that traumatized me. Even now, I tremble all over when I see paper effigies, and it's already dark out..."

The more Su Ding'an spoke, the less confident he felt; his voice grew quieter, and he hung his head, his face flushed red.

A dignified Demon-Suppressing Guard was actually afraid of ghosts; at that moment, he wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

Just then, wailing cries came from outside the Garrison Station.

"Sir, save us! Please, Sir, save us—"