When She Turned Back and Smiled at Me... Her Entire Face Was Rotten!

The candle flame in the meditation chamber flickered gently.

Xu Jin ran through the markings on the fragmentary rune scroll once more in his mind before raising a hand and storing the stone slab in his storage pouch.

Only the final corner was missing.

He then placed the century-old Cold Marrow Jade in his palm.

Swallow the Sun, Refine the Form—activate!!!

Pale golden battle aura rose from his dantian and wrapped around the Cold Marrow Jade. The bone-piercing water-aspect spiritual energy was slowly extracted by the solar flame, then circulated through his meridians in a complete cycle.

Water and fire were naturally opposed, yet under the harmonization of the Molten Gold Battle Aura, they instead acted like quenching fire, washing away the impurities in his meridians again and again and refining his originally blazing battle aura until it became ever more condensed and weighty.

After he had slain He Cang and refined the essence of the Yin-shed corpse demon, his cultivation had already touched the threshold of the eighth level.

Now, bolstered by the century-old Cold Marrow Jade, that barrier broke at the slightest poke.

Boom—

The eighth level of the Intent-Comprehension Realm—achieved.

He slowly opened his eyes, a thread of condensed golden light flashing through them.

On the road of cultivation, the Intent-Comprehension Realm and the Grandmaster Realm formed the first true great divide.

People often said: those in the Intent-Comprehension Realm trained battle aura, while Grandmasters refined the spirit.

No matter how strong an Intent-Comprehension cultivator was, they could only train their battle aura to be projected outward and wound others. It was like raw iron hammered into shape—still merely common iron.

But once one stepped into the Grandmaster Realm, the soul would transform and battle aura would solidify. It was like raw iron forged a hundred times into fine steel; every gesture could stir the qi mechanisms of heaven and earth, and one's lifespan would increase greatly as well.

The sheer strength of his battle aura had long since rivaled that of cultivators newly entering the Grandmaster Realm. What he lacked was this single step of soul transformation.

This was also his most obvious weakness at present—his battle aura had advanced too quickly. Although the Yin-Soul Eye was steadily improving, the foundation of his soul had yet to catch up. In the end, he was still one kick short of crossing the threshold.

Feeling the abundant power within him, Xu Jin was in no hurry.

Meals had to be eaten one bite at a time, and realms had to be stabilized one step at a time.

In any case, killing demons could earn him divine ability fragments. With the alchemy cauldron inheritance and the avenue of treasure-seeking trade, breaking through to the Grandmaster Realm was only a matter of time.

At dawn the next day, Wang Lei pushed open the door carrying a food box, muttering about the fresh river shrimp that had arrived that morning.

The moment he stepped over the threshold of the meditation chamber, his footsteps abruptly halted. He looked up at Xu Jin, his eyes widening round. "Brother Xu, you... you broke through?"

"Mm, eighth level." Xu Jin answered casually, flicking his fingertip. A lustrous Water Essence Pearl flew toward Wang Lei.

"It condensed from the spiritual energy left over after refining the Cold Marrow Jade. Take it and stabilize your realm."

Wang Lei hurriedly caught it in a fluster. The instant it landed in his hand, he felt a coolness spread through his palm as pure water spiritual energy burrowed into his meridians.

"This, this is far too precious!" Both startled and delighted, even the hand holding the pearl trembled slightly.

"If I'm giving it to you, take it." Xu Jin lifted the lid of the food box and picked up a steamed bun.

"We're entering the tomb in three days. Just don't hold me back."

"Don't worry!" Wang Lei immediately tucked the pearl into his robe and pounded his chest in assurance. "I'll thoroughly memorize all the records on the Solar Flame Nine-Palace Formation over the next two days, then get a crystal-clear grasp of the waterways beneath the Sunk Tomb. I definitely won't hold you back!"

Xu Jin took a bite of the steamed bun and gave a slight nod.

He had never liked keeping everything to himself.

Though Wang Lei was lacking in combat ability, his skill at reading qi, handling archives, and covering compliance issues was useful in every way. He was a dependable partner.

The stronger his partner was, the less trouble Xu Jin would have himself.

In the blink of an eye, it was the middle of the night.

The station gates were suddenly pounded with loud thuds, the blows urgent and heavy, mixed with the broken cries of a man on the verge of collapse.

Xu Jin's eyes opened almost instantly. He threw on his clothes and rose.

Wang Lei from the neighboring room had also awakened. He shuffled out in his shoes, sleep still clinging to his face.

"Open the door," Xu Jin said in a low voice.

Wang Lei hurried over and pulled back the bolt.

As soon as the gates opened, a drenched man collapsed in along the doorframe. His trouser legs were smeared with blackish-brown river mud, cold water dripped from his hair, and his face was white as paper. His gaze was badly unfocused as he muttered over and over, "There's a ghost... There's a ghost in the water... My wife was replaced..."

The village head from the ferry crossing followed behind him, his face equally anxious. Seeing Xu Jin, he hurriedly bowed. "Patrol Officer Xu, forgive us for disturbing you so late at night! This is Zhang Asi, who runs night boats at the ferry. Something wicked has happened at his home. This humble one dared not decide it alone, so I brought him here overnight to beg for your help."

Xu Jin gave Zhang Asi a glance but did not question him immediately. Stepping aside, he said, "Help him inside. Boil him a bowl of hot ginger soup first."

Wang Lei quickly acknowledged him and called for the attendants to lend a hand carrying the man into the hall.

After a bowl of hot ginger soup was poured down his throat, some color gradually returned to Zhang Asi's lips, which had been purple from the cold. Yet his body still shook without stop, and the hand holding the bowl knocked against its rim with a constant clink.

When he looked up and saw Xu Jin seated in the place of honor, it was as though he had finally found someone to rely on. With a thump, he dropped to his knees.

"My lord! My lord, you have to believe me! I'm not crazy! There really is a water ghost!"

"Get up and speak." Xu Jin softened his tone somewhat. "Take it slowly. What happened?"

Zhang Asi climbed to his feet, his shoulders still trembling violently, and began in fits and starts.

He ran night boats. Three nights ago, while collecting his boat, he had fished a carved wooden box out of a shoal. It looked like an antique, and thinking he could trade it for a little money, he had secretly brought it home.

But from that day on, something had been wrong with his wife.

At first, she spoke less and less. She would constantly squat beside the water vat and gulp down water, draining an entire bucket in half a night.

Later, even her voice changed. It became shrill and thin, carrying the accent of a completely unfamiliar woman.

"I thought she'd caught a chill at first," Zhang Asi said, his voice quavering. "Until last night, when she sneaked off toward the river while I was asleep. I chased after her and saw... I saw a bluish-white hand reach out of the water and grab her arm, dragging her toward the river!"

By this point, even his teeth were chattering, and his eyes were filled with terror he could not hide.

"And... when she turned back and smiled at me... her entire face was rotten!"

The hall instantly fell silent.

Wang Lei felt chills crawl over his back and unconsciously edged half a step closer to Xu Jin.

The attendants standing beneath the corridor exchanged looks, fear written across their faces. They did not even dare breathe loudly.

Who among those raised in a water town had not heard tales of water ghosts luring people to their deaths? But when such a thing truly happened nearby, it still made their hearts shudder with cold fear.

Xu Jin lightly tapped the tabletop with his fingertips, his gaze darkening.

A carved wooden box. A water ghost replacing someone's body.

He almost immediately thought of the Sunk Tomb.

After the main burial chamber had been broken open, its Baleful Intent had leaked out faster than expected. In only a few short days, it had already begun harming ordinary people.

The village head sighed beside him and added in a low voice, "Patrol Officer Xu, two other households in the village have had similar things happen over the past few days. They all brought things fished from the water back home, and then someone in the family started acting strangely. This humble one dared not spread word of it and has kept it suppressed for now, fearing it would stir everyone into panic."