Journey to Bright City

At dawn, a ray of sunlight passed through the window.

It shone on Xin Yang's... butt.

His eyes snapped open!

Xin Yang lazily scratched his butt, which had been baked hot by the sunlight.

Then he glanced at the sun outside the window and closed his eyes again.

He slept in bed until noon, when hunger became unbearable.

Only then did he properly get up.

He got up and washed up.

Standing before the mirror in the bathroom, Xin Yang looked at his chiseled face.

He smiled faintly!

It had been nearly a month since Xin Yang and the students of Class 76 had attended the awakening ceremony together.

After he had attended the celebration at school.

The girls in Class 76 had been incredibly enthusiastic!

They had insisted on taking him home, so he had followed his classmates back to his own house.

Otherwise, Xin Yang might have faced the problem of not being able to find his own home on his first day after transmigrating.

Once they reached the doorstep, "big brother" came out and took control of the body.

Using the excuse that it was too late!

He drove away those budding young female classmates.

Before the girls left that night.

Those resentful looks in their eyes remained unforgettable.

After eating, Xin Yang lay on his bed, bored out of his mind as he scrolled through his phone.

Having been in this world for nearly a month.

He had roughly figured out what kind of world this was.

This continent was called the Eerie Continent.

After everyone was born, they would have a companion ghost...

The ranks of Ghost Ability Users with companion ghosts, and of specters, from low to high, were:

Disaster Ghost, Disaster Aberration, Disaster Soul, Disaster Transformation, Disaster Evil, Disaster Grudge, Disaster Plague, Disaster Emotion, Disaster Fierceness, Disaster Peril, Disaster Calamity, Disaster Catastrophe, Disaster Evil Spirit, Disaster Baleful Intent, Disaster Difficulty, Disaster Misfortune, Disaster Death, Disaster City, Disaster Domain, Disaster World.

To awaken a companion ghost, one had to be eighteen or older and, under the guidance of their school, enter an artificial specter trial space in the local city, just like that day.

There, they had to kill artificial specters to awaken their companion ghosts.

Of course, killing wild specters could also complete the awakening.

People who awakened after turning eighteen were called Ghost Ability Users.

Ghost Ability Users were the profession responsible for protecting the human world from the incursions of random evil specter spaces and the Specter World.

Random evil specter spaces frequently appeared in the real world.

Some evil specter spaces appeared by descending directly, while others appeared in the form of dungeon spaces.

There was no limit on how many times Ghost Ability Users could enter random evil specter spaces.

Because random evil specter spaces were filled with too many uncertain factors once they appeared, all Ghost Ability Users treated resolving them as their first priority.

Unless it was a large evil specter space that could not be resolved in a short time and had to be sealed off first.

Each person could enter every artificial specter space only once a month. There were too many humans on the Eerie Continent. If entry into artificial specter spaces were not restricted.

Then all Ghost Ability Users would only choose artificial specter spaces to increase their strength.

Students who completed their awakening had to attend university.

After awakening, all students were given a month-long break!

During that month.

Awakened students only needed to think about which university they wanted to choose.

There were only four universities on the Eerie Continent.

Glory University!

Huabang University!

Myriad Source University!

Nether Soul University!

Each university could accommodate two or three hundred million students, equivalent to the size of six or seven Beijings or Shanghais on Earth. Attending university was somewhat like military service. Every month, there were assessments requiring the killing of wild specters, as well as monthly exams.

Each university specialized in different fields.

Their focuses were also different.

Glory University: It excelled at using all sorts of methods to strengthen companion ghost abilities. It also excelled at signing equal contracts with wild specters, forming employment relationships.

Advantages: Few side effects and great prospects for growth. Disadvantages: Strength increased slowly in the early stages. Specters in employment relationships might betray you.

Huabang University: It excelled at using all kinds of specters to modify oneself.

Advantages: Strength increased rapidly. Disadvantages: When one's ghost energy was exhausted in battle, one's lifespan would be consumed to maintain the various specter organs on one's body.

Myriad Source University: It excelled at creating specter items with all sorts of abilities, equivalent to equipment.

Advantages: Complete safety; spending money could get you all kinds of powerful specter items. Disadvantages: It heavily pressured students to spend money. Once specter items were used up, or when there were no specter items, one's strength would be greatly reduced.

Nether Soul University: It excelled at refining specters into all kinds of potions that enhanced companion ghost strength and curse abilities. Advantages: Strength increased quickly, with few side effects. Most of what it could create were one-use curse abilities, so its combat strength was not weak either, and it did not require consuming lifespan.

Disadvantages: The refining process was extremely complicated. For example, you might spend three days refining a one-use curse ability and a one-use specter potion, only for them to support ten minutes of battle.

After Ghost Ability Users graduated from university, those with poor grades—for example, those who failed to complete the required wild specter kills throughout all six years of university.

Or those with weak mental fortitude could return home and choose to enter ordinary professions.

There was one week left until he had to return to Wucheng No. 2 High School and choose his preferred university.

"Little brother, stop doing nothing but sleeping every day."

"You're about to grow mold!"

"Go check what specters are in the artificial specter spaces of nearby cities, and what abilities each of them has."

Xin Yang said awkwardly in his heart:

"Brother, when have I slept every day? Aren't I conserving my energy?"

"Go now!!!" Big brother's tone became heavier.

"Yes, my brother!"

Xin Yang could only leave the bed unwillingly.

A few hours later.

Xin Yang sat in his computer chair and stretched deeply.

Then he said in his heart.

"Brother, I found out. The three cities closest to us are Cloud City, Bright City, and Ping City."

"Cloud City's artificial specter is the Drowned Ghost, serial number 246955."

"Its ghost skill is Drowning. The effect of the ghost skill is to make humans and specters feel as though they are drowning."

"Bright City's artificial specter is the Skinned Ghost, serial number 181509."

"Its ghost skill is Skinning. The effect of the ghost skill is that it can damage specters and peel the flesh or skin off specters or humans."

"Ping City's artificial specter is Pig-Body Butcher, number 178977. Its ghost skill is Food Conversion."

"The effect of Food Conversion is to consume ghost energy to accelerate the rate at which food is consumed inside the body, allowing injuries to heal quickly."

Big brother listened to the information his little brother had searched up online in his mind. After thinking for a moment, he said decisively:

"Pack your things. We're going to Bright City!"

"Okay, brother!"

Three days later.

Bright City.

On the snack street opposite the Artificial Specter Trial Hall.

Inside a rice noodle shop called Ming City's Number One Noodles.

Xin Yang was sitting at a table.

As he slurped rice noodles, he chatted idly with the owner in the kitchen.

"Boss, your shop is called Ming City's Number One Noodles. Why don't you sell noodles? Why rice noodles?"

The owner looked like a young man around eighteen years old. Upon hearing Xin Yang's question.

He looked up at Xin Yang and answered irritably:

"Who says a shop with noodles in its name has to sell noodles?"

"If I called it Bright City's Number One Ghost, would that mean I had to sell specters too?"

Xin Yang bit through the rice noodles in his mouth and smiled at the owner. "Sorry, friend. I spoke out of turn."

Then Xin Yang asked again:

"Boss, why hasn't the Trial Hall opened yet today?"

The owner glanced at Xin Yang again and asked helplessly:

"Could there possibly be a reason?"

"Today is Saturday!"

"So the Trial Hall staff start work later."

Hearing the owner's answer, Xin Yang immediately wolfed down the remaining rice noodles, paid, and left the little shop.

Following big brother's instructions, he went to a fruit shop.

And bought three jin of apples...

Then he found a random spot outside the Trial Hall, laid down a flyer handed out by the roadside as a cushion, and sat down to wait for the Trial Hall to open.

Don't ask why he did not wait inside the shop.

That was because Xin Yang truly could not stand the owner's sharp tongue anymore.

PS: Brothers, for the first two hundred chapters, you only need to know the first four ranks: Disaster Ghost, Disaster Aberration, Disaster Soul, and Disaster Transformation. Specter Soul Transformation!

Please bookmark and vote, brothers. Everyone knows that when writing specter-stream novels, the word count often gets cut. If you notice any obvious gaps, please leave a comment under that passage to remind me.