Master of Reverse Psychology

The four nodded in acknowledgment and stepped into the unfinished building together.

The moment they entered, a damp, rotten smell hit them, mixed with a faint, murky trace of cursed energy. Dust and rubble littered everything in sight, garbage filled the corners, and the dim light made the entire building feel even more oppressive.

They had gone up only a few floors when countless faint traces of cursed energy suddenly stirred around them. A swarm of Grade 4 cursed spirits occupied every part of the floor, their forms twisted and ugly. They cowered in the corners, not daring to approach rashly.

At the very center of these low-level cursed spirits, a distinctly stronger pulse of cursed energy held steady. It belonged to a genuine Grade 2 cursed spirit.

"Found it." Qingxiao's gaze sharpened as he pinpointed the Grade 2 cursed spirit's location, cursed energy instantly gathering around him.

Almost at the same time, Satoru Gojo perked up too. He immediately stepped forward, his voice excited. "The Grade 2 is mine! You guys can deal with the low-level ones however you like!"

"Why should you get it?" Qingxiao immediately objected, raising an eyebrow. "I locked onto the target first. I should take it down."

The two instantly began arguing over it, neither willing to give way.

Watching their childish squabbling, Suguru Geto gave a helpless chuckle and raised a hand to stop them. "Stop arguing. We're all teammates. There's no point fighting over it. Just settle it with rock-paper-scissors. That's fairer. The winner gets to fight."

"Fine! Rock-paper-scissors it is!" Satoru Gojo immediately agreed, brimming with confidence. He turned to Qingxiao. "I'm telling you in advance, I'm throwing rock this round!"

"Hm?"

"Come on! Three, two, one!"

Both threw out their hands at the same time.

Satoru Gojo genuinely threw a solid rock, without the slightest deception.

Qingxiao, meanwhile, slowly spread his hand, firmly throwing paper.

Paper covered rock. Qingxiao won outright.

Satoru Gojo's pupils shook. He froze on the spot, staring at Qingxiao in utter disbelief as his voice rose into a shout. "Hey! You actually threw paper?! I told you I was throwing rock! Wouldn't a normal person assume I was lying and deliberately throw scissors? Why aren't you following the script?!"

Seeing him lose his composure, Qingxiao nearly laughed inwardly, but kept a deliberately calm expression and raised an eyebrow slightly. "I've already seen right through you, Satoru."

In reality, he had been concentrating on the Grade 2 cursed spirit and had not heard a word Satoru Gojo said.

It lacked the twisted, hideous appearance of an ordinary cursed spirit and was not disgusting at all. Its entire body was a dense gray-black, as though formed from hard rock that had been poured and compacted. Its body was square, covered in a rough, thick, keratinous shell with tight, dense patterns. It looked tanky.

Its thick, sturdy limbs were planted firmly on the ground. Its head had a vague outline with no distinct features, only a dark, dull texture. The cursed energy surrounding it was heavy and sluggish. At a glance, it was clearly a defense-oriented type.

The countless Grade 4 cursed spirits around them were still circling timidly, not daring to attack on their own. They only wandered around the edges, testing the waters, their numbers looking messy and irritating.

Satoru Gojo was still stewing, and the sight of these low-level cursed spirits endlessly circling instantly exhausted his patience. "A bunch of small fry wandering around. They're making my eyes hurt."

As soon as he finished speaking, his fingertips moved slightly, sending out a faint ripple of cursed energy, and he softly uttered a single word: "Blue."

An immensely powerful negative pressure instantly swept across the entire floor, abruptly warping and pulling at the air. None of the wandering Grade 4 cursed spirits around them even had time to struggle before they were forcibly sucked in, crushed, and dispersed. In the blink of an eye, that dense swarm was completely cleared out by this single, simplified Blue, without even a scrap remaining.

The entire area was instantly cleared, leaving only the Grade 2 cursed spirit standing alone.

Satoru Gojo spread both hands, feeling no sense of accomplishment whatsoever. Instead, he looked thoroughly glum as he folded his arms and stood off to the side to watch. "There. All the small fry are gone. This thing's yours."

Seeing Satoru Gojo's disgruntled expression, Shoko could not help teasing him. "Well, whose fault is it that our master of reverse psychology outsmarted himself?"

Satoru Gojo curled his lip and muttered, "Who could've guessed this guy would go so far off script?"

In the center of the floor, Qingxiao had already begun fighting the Grade 2 cursed spirit in earnest. The thing's defense really was absurd. Qingxiao started by landing a few light, probing punches.

His punches cut sharply through the air, carrying ample force, but they only produced heavy, muffled thuds against its hard, keratinous shell. Layers of gray dust rose, yet the blows inflicted no fundamental damage. They merely forced it back repeatedly and opened tiny cracks in its outer shell.

"This thing can really take a beating," Qingxiao murmured, but he was not flustered in the slightest. He poured more cursed energy into each punch and slammed a heavy blow into the cursed spirit's head.

Bam-!

A deafening crash erupted. The cursed spirit's hard shell instantly shattered and scattered, and part of its heavy, sluggish cursed energy dispersed.

The immensely powerful force of the punch penetrated the cursed spirit's body and drove straight down into the ground beneath it. A large section of the concrete floor instantly fractured and collapsed.

Fine cracks spread wildly across the entire floor. Rubble and dust suddenly burst upward, and the impact against the ground made the entire unfinished building shudder violently.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't bring the building down." Watching the unfinished building shake violently, Satoru Gojo could not help taking a step back.

Suguru Geto stood to the side with his arms folded, his gaze intent on the Grade 2 cursed spirit, and called out a timely reminder:

"Qingxiao, don't kill it outright. Leave it barely breathing! This cursed spirit is excellent quality, with top-tier defense. I want to take it in as a cursed spirit servant."

"Got it," Qingxiao answered. He immediately reduced the force of his blows, no longer attacking blindly, and began searching precisely for openings.

As the last few light punches landed, the Grade 2 cursed spirit's thick shell broke apart completely. Its cursed energy fluctuations weakened drastically, and its movements became slow and stiff. It no longer had its earlier defenses.

Seizing the moment, Qingxiao held nothing back. He lowered his stance and gathered strength, channeling all his cursed energy into his right fist. His muscles tensed, and without any unnecessary movement, he simply punched down.

A tremendous crash erupted. The remaining shell shattered and scattered completely, and the heavy cursed energy instantly dispersed. That Grade 2 cursed spirit, with its extraordinary defense, was utterly overwhelmed by this single punch. It collapsed on the spot, completely unable to move, with only the faintest breath remaining-perfectly meeting Suguru Geto's needs.

Shoko watched with a smile in her eyes and praised him softly. "Not bad. You finished it off so quickly."

Qingxiao caught his breath slightly and casually brushed the dust from his hands. Hearing Shoko's praise, the tips of his ears grew warm. He turned back, feigning composure. "It wasn't too bad. Just a bit tanky. Felt pretty solid to punch."