A Big Haul, the Strange Stone Evolves

"Good. You really aren't afraid of trouble, kid. You've got guts."

Old Fourth Gu looked pleased, then took several red Divine Talismans from the box behind him.

"These are Divine Talismans that can pin down the Mist Wraith. There aren't many—one per person. Since that Mist Wraith dared attack us, I'm not letting it get away today!"

Old Fourth Gu spoke viciously as well.

Spirit Binding Talisman: Has a binding effect on Ghost Spirits and can also reveal incorporeal Ghost Spirits.

Judging by their quality and color, these Spirit Binding Talismans should be semi-Professional level talismans.

Lin Yi had thought these talismans came from Elder Gu Yuan, but then Gu Chenghu said, "Well, Old Fourth, you're finally willing to bring out the good stuff. If you have any trump card talismans left, stop hoarding them and take them all out."

"That's all I have. These semi-Professional level talismans are difficult to make, and the materials aren't easy to get either. I only have these few on me."

Only then did Lin Yi learn that the talismans in his hand had been made by Old Fourth Gu.

"Captain Old Fourth, you can actually make Divine Talismans?"

Old Fourth Gu clearly enjoyed the look of shock Lin Yi gave him. With a hint of pride, he said, "What, didn't your captain tell you? I'm Ancient Pool Village's next Village Chief. My talent is exceptional, and few can match me. The reason your captain couldn't stand me before was because he was jealous of me. As for making Divine Talismans, that's ridiculously easy for me."

"If you're willing to join Fourth Squad, I'll give you one every so often..."

Gu Chenghu hurriedly cut him off. "Don't listen to this guy boasting. The Village Chief still has plenty of years left, so it won't be his turn anytime soon. As for his Divine Worship Talent, he was just lucky enough to be born with it."

Although Gu Chenghu spoke lightly, Lin Yi could still hear a trace of bitterness and envy in his voice.

After all, Gu Chenghu and Gu Man had to leave the village and search for Tianshui City, risking their lives before they could advance to become warriors. Old Fourth Gu, meanwhile, only had to remain in Ancient Pool Village and use the Temple to become a Professional level Divine Sacrifice.

Among their younger generation, only Old Fourth Gu possessed a Divine Worship Talent. Once the Village Chief passed away, Old Fourth Gu would naturally become the Village Chief.

It had to be said that talented people were favored from birth.

But when Lin Yi thought of the hot-tempered, foul-mouthed Old Fourth Gu becoming Ancient Pool Village's future Village Chief, he instantly felt that the village had no future.

At that moment, Lin Yi asked, "Captain Old Fourth, do you have any Ghost Spirit Ashes here? I'd like to take some in advance."

He knew that ever since Old Fourth Gu and the others had set up camp in Ancient Tomb Valley, they had often hunted scattered Wandering Ghosts in the nearby Wilderness. They should have accumulated quite a bit of Ghost Spirit Ashes.

Wandering Ghosts were Level 3 ghost creatures, the lowest rank of Ghost Spirit, and often appeared in groups.

These Ghost Spirits had no physical bodies and were not very aggressive. As long as one smeared Sun Tree sap over their eyes, they could easily be found and killed.

Old Fourth Gu was puzzled. "I do, but what do you need that stuff for, kid?"

Ghost Spirit Ashes had many uses. Not only were they one of the materials for making Spirit Fire Candles, but they were also raw materials for certain Divine Talismans used against Ghost Spirits.

Old Fourth Gu indeed had quite a bit of Ghost Spirit Ashes, but they were all strategic resources of Ancient Pool Village and would be of great use later.

"I have a talent. As long as I absorb enough Ghost Spirit Ashes, I can sense Ghost Spirits approaching me. So I want to take some in advance, so I can deal with the Mist Wraith better later."

"A talent for sensing Ghost Spirits?"

Old Fourth Gu looked at Gu Chenghu, who nodded. "That's right. Qingshan does have that ability. The Shadow Ghost at Fufeng Tower some time ago was discovered by Qingshan using that ability."

"Kid, I didn't expect you to have not only a talent for fighting with a blade, but also a talent for sensing Ghost Spirits. Fine, wait here..."

With Gu Chenghu vouching for him, it was probably true.

Old Fourth Gu opened his treasure chest again and took out a brown cloth bag.

When the bag was opened, it contained nearly half a kilogram of Ghost Spirit Ashes.

Good lord. One gram of Ghost Spirit Ashes cost 50 Contribution Points to exchange for. These nearly 300 grams of Ghost Spirit Ashes had to be worth over ten thousand Contribution Points.

Had Old Fourth Gu raided a Ghost Spirit nest?

Lin Yi nearly drooled.

"Don't be jealous. I painstakingly saved these up over several weeks. At night, you Newborns go back to your own world to live it up, while I still have to search the nearby Wilderness for Wandering Ghosts to kill..."

Seeing that time was short, Old Fourth Gu stopped rambling and asked directly, "How much do you need, kid?"

"The more, the better."

Old Fourth Gu frowned, but he made his decision decisively and handed the entire bag of Ghost Spirit Ashes to Lin Yi. "Fine. I want to see what's so special about your talent."

Clearly, Old Fourth Gu intended to watch on the spot as Lin Yi used the Ghost Spirit Ashes.

Lin Yi had no choice but to grab a handful of Ghost Spirit Ashes and place them against his chest in front of everyone.

Soon, the Strange Stone fused with Lin Yi's heart began to thump, thump, thump, emitting a faint red glow. Then, at a speed visible to the naked eye, the Ghost Spirit Ashes floated up and flowed into Lin Yi's heart like glowing blue quicksand.

Gu Chenghu did not react much upon seeing this, but Old Fourth Gu's expression changed.

He recalled the ancient records from the village that he had read before. They had mentioned a kind of Soul Artifact.

This Soul Artifact was Ancient Pool Village's inherited Soul Artifact. It was said to have been passed down from ancient times and could grow stronger by drawing upon the power of Ghost Spirits.

Unfortunately, during one of Ancient Pool Village's upheavals, that inherited Soul Artifact had been permanently lost.

And the sight of Lin Yi absorbing Ghost Spirit Ashes before him looked incredibly similar to the use of a Soul Artifact!

Could the lost Soul Artifact of the village have fallen into Lin Yi's hands?

Old Fourth Gu suppressed the shock in his heart. At this moment, he no longer felt any regret over the Ghost Spirit Ashes Lin Yi was rapidly consuming.

As more and more Ghost Spirit Ashes poured into his body, Lin Yi felt as if he were floating in the clouds.

"Ding! Soul Artifact Strange Stone is evolving. Spirit Power +2!"

"Ding! Soul Artifact Strange Stone is evolving. Spirit Power +3!"

"Ding! Soul Artifact Strange Stone is evolving. Spirit Power +4!"

The System notification sounded several times. More than half a kilogram of Ghost Spirit Ashes had actually caused the Strange Stone in Lin Yi's chest to evolve three times, increasing his Spirit Power by a total of 9 points.

Previously, Lin Yi had asked Gu Chenghu for 10 grams of Ghost Spirit Ashes and used them, but perhaps the amount had been too small to trigger the Strange Stone's evolution.

Now that the Strange Stone had evolved three times and increased his Spirit Power so much, Lin Yi not only felt his five senses become sharper, but also felt refreshed from head to toe.

The more than half kilogram of Ghost Spirit Ashes had not gone to waste!

Seeing that Lin Yi had finally finished absorbing them, Old Fourth Gu impatiently asked, "How is it?"

Lin Yi gave it an initial assessment, then said, "Thank you, Captain Old Fourth. I feel pretty good. I seem to be able to sense Ghost Spirits within a greater range now."

"How much greater?"

"Before, I could sense the aura of Ghost Spirits within ten meters. Now, I should be able to sense the aura of Ghost Spirits within a hundred meters."

"Good. As long as you can help us deal with the Mist Wraith later."

Old Fourth Gu nodded. He became even more convinced that Lin Yi had obtained Ancient Pool Village's inherited Soul Artifact.

But he did not say it outright. This matter was too important, and he needed to return and discuss it with the old Village Chief first to determine how it should be handled.

"However, Captain Old Fourth, I used so many resources all at once. I won't be able to repay you anytime soon, so I'm afraid I'll have to wait until later to pay you back." Lin Yi suddenly said bashfully.

Old Fourth Gu smiled. How could he fail to see through Lin Yi's intentions? The kid was clearly planning to drag things out and default on the debt.

When was "later"?

Lin Yi had probably intended to default from the moment he suggested absorbing Ghost Spirit Ashes.

Taking them in advance? Owing them for now? They were all lies.

Sure enough, Newborns were all sly opportunists who loved taking advantage of others!

Old Fourth Gu looked Lin Yi in the eyes and said with a smile, "No rush. If you really can't pay it back, then use yourself to settle the debt."

At that moment, Gu Chenghu came to Lin Yi's rescue. "Enough. It's only a little resource. Qingshan doesn't have much time left to stay, so don't fuss over this. The urgent matter is to quickly find the Mist Wraith and kill it."

"Qingshan, can you sense the Mist Wraith now?"

"Captain, I'll try."

Lin Yi then calmed himself, closed his eyes, and began using the Strange Stone in his chest to sense his surroundings.

Perhaps because his Spirit Power had increased by 9 points, he felt that his senses had become much more refined.

Very soon, Lin Yi discovered that a dense, icy White Mist radiating malice was constantly circling around the tent where they were currently located.

This was clearly the Mist Wraith's true form. It was hiding within the mist.

"Captain, the Mist Wraith is outside the tent, but it seems to be a mass of flowing White Mist right now, not a physical body."