Evil Ghost

At midnight on Zhaoxian Street in Feng City.

This street lies on the outskirts of Feng City, and with several construction sites nearby, it's usually bustling at this hour.

But tonight was different.

Maybe because the Abyssal Void had been made public, many vendors hadn't shown up.

The street felt much emptier, with only a few stalls still lit.

Jiang Ran stood in front of a malatang stall, watching the red oil boil in the pot.

The vendor was a middle-aged man in his fifties, slightly plump, his face expressionless as he mechanically threaded ingredients, his movements a bit sluggish.

"Extra spicy, more sesame paste."

Jiang Ran said softly.

The vendor grunted, scooped cooked ingredients from the pot into a bowl, drizzled red oil over them, ladled on a big spoonful of sesame paste, and handed it over.

Jiang Ran took the bowl and asked casually, "Business slow?"

The vendor laughed bitterly. "Not that. It's the panic."

He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. "They say you can become a god inside the Abyssal Void. Who'd still want to run a stall? My kid pestered me all last night, begging me to pull strings for a spot inside... What a mess."

He shook his head. "His mother and I ran this stall for most of our lives to put him through college. Now he's dropped out, dead set on diving into that Abyssal Void."

Jiang Ran didn't reply, just lowered his head and ate a slice of lotus root.

The spiciness exploded on his tongue, carrying a familiar numbing sensation.

Indeed, since the Abyssal Void went public, the whole society's rhythm had been quietly shifting.

Ordinary people felt fear, curiosity, and eagerness to try, tearing a crack in the old order of life.

Vendors like this one, and countless similar families, were caught in it.

"Another bowl," Jiang Ran said.

The vendor paused. "You can finish it?"

"Yeah."

The second bowl came quickly, and Jiang Ran ate slowly.

He was waiting for time to pass.

The day had actually been pretty busy.

After morning Chinese class, Jiang Ran headed straight to the Shooting Club.

Li Xintong had completely dropped the act this time.

Not only had she custom-made two Three-Stone Bows for training, but she didn't even hide her supernatural ability from Jiang Ran.

It was a pair of eyes glowing with crystalline blue light.

When she opened them, her pupils showed ice-crack patterns.

Jiang Ran wasn't sure of the exact effect.

But once she activated her ability, her strength shot up significantly.

A Three-Stone Bow's arrow could pierce steel plates.

Yet Li Xintong could block them.

Jiang Ran had to get serious.

He activated his Prediction skill fully.

In a near-simultaneous exchange of shots, Jiang Ran's arrow grazed the tail feathers of Li Xintong's arrow, striking the bullseye first before her intercepting arrow had fully turned.

[Congratulations, core skill "Prediction" upgraded from Lv.3 to Lv.4 (2/400)]

[Congratulations, you have gained 2 Profession Points]

Li Xintong lowered her bow, the blue light fading from her eyes.

She looked at Jiang Ran, silent for a few seconds, then said softly, "You've gotten stronger again."

Jiang Ran smiled and didn't respond.

The Blade Arts upgrade was easier.

Well, for Jiang Ran, at least.

For Old Chen... that was a different story.

In the afternoon training room, Jiang Ran held an unsharpened Tang Dao.

Though unsharpened, the blade was solid steel, with plenty of weight.

Old Chen stood across from him, his Vajra Indestructible Body pushed to the limit, a faint golden sheen covering his whole body, making him look like a bronze statue.

"Come on," Jiang Ran said.

Then he moved.

Old Chen could barely hold his ground at first, but soon he was forced back step by step, relying solely on his Vajra Indestructible Body to tough it out.

"What the hell! You're actually going all out!?"

Old Chen shouted while dodging clumsily.

Jiang Ran ignored him, shifting his blade mid-strike, sweeping upward from below and slamming the flat of the knife hard against Old Chen's calf.

Smack!

Old Chen stumbled, nearly falling.

[Blade Arts EXP +8]

[Blade Arts EXP +9]

[Congratulations, your basic profession skill "Blade Arts" has leveled up from Lv.7 to Lv.8 (12/800)]

[You have earned 2 profession points]

Jiang Ran sheathed his blade, watching Old Chen sit on the ground rubbing his leg, and couldn't help but laugh.

Old Chen shot him a glare. "What are you laughing at? I'm sacrificing myself for the sake of your skill's progress!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Jiang Ran nodded. "Old Chen, you've sacrificed a lot."

But jokes aside, Old Chen really had improved.

During this training session, he actually managed to fight back once or twice. Sure, he was still crushed by Jiang Ran, but compared to before—when he could only take hits—it was a lot better.

Throughout the entire training, Jiang Ran kept his strength at the Blood Sensing Realm.

Training, after all.

He had to let them see their own progress.

That way, experience...

Ahem, their motivation would keep flowing.

That was a valuable lesson Jiang Ran had learned over the past year since getting his Profession Panel.

In the evening, Jiang Ran also went to Lin Xiaorou's place.

He saw Jiang Xiaoyu during the tutoring session and gave her a few instructions.

But this time, Xiaoyu... was eerily obedient.

She agreed to everything Jiang Ran said without question.

It threw Jiang Ran off for a second.

But after confirming she wasn't lying, he didn't say anything more.

Two bowls of spicy hot pot later.

Jiang Ran had just pulled out a tissue to wipe his mouth when his phone rang.

He fished it out and saw it was a message from Wang Zhenguo.

After reading it, Jiang Ran put his phone away, scanned the payment QR code stuck to the vendor's cart.

"Boss, sent it over."

"Got it, take care."

Jiang Ran nodded, turned, and walked into a nearby alley.

The moment the shadows swallowed him.

That pitch-black, Faceless Nuo Opera Mask silently materialized on his face.

The [Hidden Mechanism] skill activated, Jiang Ran's presence rapidly faded, as if he had melted into the night.

Then, he headed toward the unfinished construction building not far away.

Jiang Ran showing up here at midnight was no accident.

It was entirely because of the message Wang Zhenguo had sent that afternoon about the Old Nine Gates.

Originally, after Zhou Yuan's warning.

Jiang Ran hadn't taken the Old Nine Gates seriously.

After all, he wore a mask, and he was in the Abyssal Void. If they dared to come knocking, Jiang Ran wasn't afraid at all.

So he just had Wang Zhenguo keep an eye on them for him.

But unexpectedly, instead of getting intel from the Abyssal Void, he got it from the real world...

The Old Nine Gates were coming to Feng City tonight.

And they had declared they would investigate the identity of the Feng City Black-Cloaked Man in reality.

When Jiang Ran first saw this news.

His immediate reaction was disbelief.

Because if it was true, that was way too fast.

He had only been out of the Abyssal Void for less than a day, yet someone had already tracked him down to Feng City to investigate—that efficiency was terrifying.

So he asked Old Chen to look into it in detail.

That was when he learned the other party had another reason for coming to Feng City.

Smuggling a batch of Abyssal Void qualification tickets.

But regardless...

The fact remained that they were investigating him in the real world.

So he came.

Soon, Jiang Ran arrived at the rooftop of the unfinished building on the construction site.

Wang Zhenguo was already waiting there.

Dressed in a dark tracksuit, he stood at the edge of the rooftop, gazing at the distant streets.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around. When he saw the pitch-black mask on Jiang Ran's face, he bent at the waist and called out respectfully:

"President."

This was their first meeting in the real world.

But Wang Zhenguo still maintained the same deference he had shown in the Abyssal Void.

Jiang Ran nodded, walked over to stand beside him, and looked out at the distant streets.

After a moment of silence, he asked softly, "What ability did you awaken?"

Wang Zhenguo was taken aback, then replied, "It's a close-combat ability called Bone Shaker. When activated, it concentrates my qi and blood into my fists, generating high-frequency vibrations on impact—specifically designed to break through hard armor and protective aura."

Jiang Ran listened and nodded.

A close-combat offensive ability—not bad.

Then the two fell into silence.

Wang Zhenguo stood respectfully at his side until Jiang Ran suddenly spoke:

"We might have to kill someone later. Are you afraid?"

Wang Zhenguo paused, silent for a few seconds, before answering softly, "I don't think I'll ever be more afraid than I was during those two days."

He was referring to the two days trapped on the hotel rooftop, watching monsters devour people while he was powerless to do anything.

Jiang Ran listened and nodded.

"Have your men pull back. You keep watch yourself. Tell me when they're coming."

Wang Zhenguo was startled, then immediately nodded. "Understood."

With that, he turned and left.

He had originally brought some people to help tonight.

But since Jiang Ran had already guessed he had brought backup and told him to withdraw them, there was nothing more to say.

When it came to Jiang Ran's orders, he obeyed without question.

Just like the day he was rescued from that hotel.

After Wang Zhenguo left.

Jiang Ran sat down at the edge of the rooftop.

The night wind blew past.

He looked at the Profession Panel before him.

Beneath the Nuo Opera Master panel, compared to the Martial Monk, there was one less slot.

That meant this profession only had two basic skills and one core skill.

So, with 4 profession points currently, it was just enough.

Jiang Ran glanced at the two gray skill icons and didn't hesitate.

[Consumed 1 Profession Point]

[Spirit Absorption Creation Lv.1 Unlocked]

Then Jiang Ran didn't stop. He poured in another 3 Profession Points.

[Consumed 3 Profession Points]

[All-Aspects Rotation Lv.1 Unlocked]

Seeing this skill unlock, Jiang Ran slowly exhaled and looked at the panel.

[Profession: Nuo Opera Master Lv.1 (0/100)]

[Profession Basic Skill: Hidden Mechanism Lv.1 (0/100)]

[Spirit Absorption Creation Lv.1 (0/100)]

[Core Profession Skill: All-Aspects Rotation Lv.1 (0/100)

Lifebound Nuo Opera Mask: "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless"

Aspect Slot 1: (Empty)]

If there's one greatest difference between a Nuo Opera Master awakened with "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless" and other Nuo Opera Masters...

It's this core skill, "All-Aspects Rotation."

"Ancestral Nuo is faceless, thus can contain all aspects..."

Jiang Ran murmured the mantra that had flooded his mind when he unlocked the skill.

With a flicker of thought, the colorful "Martial God: Power" Nuo Opera Mask materialized in his hand once more.

He stared at the shifting gold-red luster on the mask.

"With the foundation of the faceless, take in the power of the Martial God..."

As he chanted softly, the skill activated silently.

The "Martial God: Power" mask in his palm suddenly blazed, shattering into countless fine specks of gold-red light that surged toward the pure black, faceless "Ancestral Nuo" on Jiang Ran's face.

The moment the specks touched the pitch-black mask, they merged without a sound.

Then, the surface of "Ancestral Nuo: Faceless" began to change...

On the pure black base, threads of gold-red veins emerged from the edges, spreading and intertwining toward the center of the mask.

The once smooth, seamless surface.

Gradually took shape.

The color shifted from jet black to a dark gold base, with crimson patterns coiling into a majestic visage.

In just a few breaths.

The pure black mask on Jiang Ran's face had completely transformed into the likeness of "Martial God: Power."

The night wind blew, stirring the stray strands of hair across his forehead.

Behind the gold-red interwoven Nuo Opera Mask, a faint crimson light flickered to life, in the darkness...

Like a demon.