The First Commission

After returning to Spirit City, Gu Han began the renovation of the Karma Pavilion.

The old archives building Bibi Dong had found was located on the east side of the inner city. It was a three-story stone structure with a spacious footprint and its own courtyard. The building itself was somewhat archaic, but due to long-term neglect, it appeared desolate; the courtyard was overgrown with weeds, and the doors and windows were thick with dust.

Gu Han did not seek extravagance; he valued the location's seclusion more.

He personally planned the renovation scheme:

The first floor would serve as a hall for reception and handling general affairs; the second floor would house quiet rooms and an archive for analyzing and storing processed karma; the third floor would be his and Xiao Wu's living and cultivation quarters.

The most critical elements were the plaque above the lintel and the inscription of the pavilion's tenets inside.

Gu Han worked on it himself, using the chill of the Sky Frost Sword mixed with his soul power to carve the three large characters "Karma Pavilion" into a piece of wood.

The strokes were vigorous and cold, with fine ice crystals shimmering between them.

On the wall directly facing the entrance of the hall, he also personally carved two lines of text to serve as the Karma Pavilion's tenets:

Observe all karma, trace the cause and effect.

Resolve worldly worries, calm the obsessions within.

These twenty characters did not boast of the ability to reverse life and death or overturn the heavens and earth, but they carried a hint of detachment from the mundane world.

Several days later, the basic cleaning and arrangement were complete.

Although the Karma Pavilion had not been widely publicized, the reputation of Gu Han, the Holy Son, caused word to spread within a small circle in Spirit City.

Some were curious, some watched from afar, and others scoffed, believing it to be nothing more than a novel plaything for the Holy Son.

On this morning, the Karma Pavilion had just officially hung its plaque.

Gu Han and Xiao Wu were in the first-floor hall, making final adjustments to the furnishings.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

A young man dressed in the attire of an ordinary soul master, his eyes bloodshot, stood hesitantly outside the open gate. He looked up at the "Karma Pavilion" plaque, his face filled with deep doubt.

He paced outside the door for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth and walked into the courtyard. However, he dared not enter rashly, only asking in a hoarse voice toward the interior:

"Excuse me... can this place really 'resolve worldly worries' and clarify the cause and effect of things?"

Gu Han turned at the sound and looked at the visitor.

The young man's soul power was roughly at the Soul Grandmaster level, and his aura was unstable, clearly indicating severe mental exhaustion.

Under his [Karma Sight], he could clearly see several gray, chaotic lines of karma wrapped around the man. One line, in particular, was thick and solid, connected to a deep sense of sorrow; this was the root of his haggard appearance.

"Since our Karma Pavilion has opened its doors, we naturally take on matters of karma," Gu Han said in a calm voice. "You might as well come in and speak."

The young man took a deep breath and walked into the hall, his gaze sweeping quickly over the interior before landing on Gu Han.

He could not discern Gu Han's soul power, but he felt an inexplicable sense of stability in his heart.

"I... my name is Lin He, and I am a descendant of a soul master family subordinate to Spirit City." Lin He's voice remained dry, carrying suppressed pain.

"I have come to ask about a matter... My younger sister, Lin Xi, suddenly contracted a strange illness three months ago. She has been in a deep sleep ever since, and her breathing is extremely weak."

"We invited many healing-type soul masters in the city, and even pulled strings to have a Soul Saint-level senior examine her, but they couldn't find the cause. They said her vitality is fading for no apparent reason."

"She is afraid..."

He reached this point, his eyes turning red:

"We have tried every method; we are truly at our wit's end."

"Passing by today, I saw 'Resolve worldly worries, calm the obsessions within,' and I... I wanted to ask if you could see what is actually happening to my sister?"

His request was clear: he did not want a cure, but a truth—a reason.

Gu Han nodded. "Where is your sister now?"

"At home in the city," Lin He said hurriedly.

"Lead the way."

"I need to examine her in person to inspect the karma." Gu Han stood up and signaled to Xiao Wu, telling her to remain at the pavilion.

Lin He had not expected the other party to be so decisive. He was stunned for a moment, then thanked him repeatedly and hurried to lead the way.

Lin He's home was located in the West District of Spirit City, within a soul master family compound.

Gu Han's arrival drew the attention of some members of the Lin family.

In a bedroom, Gu Han saw the unconscious Lin Xi.

She was a girl of fifteen or sixteen, her face deathly pale and her breathing extremely faint. It was exactly as Lin He had described; her vitality was continuously draining away.

Gu Han did not rashly probe with soul power, but instead directly activated [Karma Sight].

In his vision, the main line representing Lin Xi's life and health was not only thin and gray, but was also being eroded by an external, dark gray karmic line.

The other end of this external karmic line extended into the void; it was not connected to a person, but faintly pointed toward an object.

"It is not a disease, nor is it an ordinary curse."

Gu Han spoke slowly, his gaze sensing the direction in which the karmic line extended.

"It is the residual erosion of 'Soul-Devouring Miasma,' mixed with a trace of thin soul beast resentment."

"Soul-Devouring Miasma? Resentment?"

Lin He's parents, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, looked at each other in bewilderment.

"About three months ago, did your daughter go to the 'Withered Bone Forest' west of the city?"

The Withered Bone Forest was a well-known dangerous area near Spirit City. As the site of an ancient battlefield, it occasionally harbored miasma and the lingering will of spirit beasts, making it extremely hazardous for low-level spirit masters.

Lin He's parents exchanged a glance, and Lin's mother suddenly recalled:

"It seems... three months ago, Xi'er went out of the city for training with some classmates, and she mentioned getting close to the outskirts of the Withered Bone Forest. She said she picked up a crystal."

"The problem lies with that crystal."

Gu Han confirmed, "That is no ordinary crystal. It is a 'Miasma Core' formed by the 'Soul-Devouring Miasma' under special conditions.

"It happened to be tainted by the lingering resentment of spirit beasts from that ancient battlefield, and because your daughter wore it for a long time, the resentment within eroded her life force.

"The reason healing spirit power was ineffective is that the root of the illness is not in the body, but in the soul."

The members of the Lin family listened in shock and fear. Lin He asked urgently:

"Then... is there any way to save her?"

"Once the root is found, there is a way to resolve it."

After saying this, Gu Han raised his right hand, and the phantom of the Karma Scissors appeared in his palm.

He locked onto the dark gray karma line wrapped around Lin Xi's lifeline and gave a low shout: "Karma Stripping."

The Karma Scissors snipped at the connection point of that karma line.

"Snap!"

With a soft sound that only Gu Han could hear, the karma line snapped in response.

At the same time, in a box of miscellaneous items in a corner of the Lin family home, a forgotten crystal let out a "pop," and several cracks appeared on its surface. The aura within vanished instantly, and it crumbled into powder.

On the bed, a hint of color returned to Lin Xi's pale face at a speed visible to the naked eye. Although she remained unconscious, the drain on her life force had finally ceased, and her breathing became steady.

"Although the erosion has been severed, her soul is damaged and her life force is severely depleted; she will need quiet rest," Gu Han said calmly as he retracted his spirit.

Lin He's parents wept with joy and thanked Gu Han repeatedly.

Lin He was so moved he could hardly speak; he had not expected that this desperate attempt would actually solve the problem.

Gu Han did not stay long. He declined the Lin family's generous reward, accepting only the commission fee, and told them that if they had any further needs, they could come to the Karma Pavilion to find him at any time.

On the way out of the Lin residence, however, Gu Han frowned slightly.

Just as he had severed that karma line, he had vaguely caught a trace of an obscure aura fluctuation within the spirit beast's resentment.