In the Ghost Market, Chen Xu stood at one end of the street.
Watching Ji Weizi at the other end, his lips not moving, yet his voice, like a thin thread, traveled dozens of zhang away and reached his ear.
Ji Weizi taught him a technique, saying, "You possess extraordinary poetic talent, so you must write remarkable poetry in the exam hall, attracting the azure qi to arise naturally.
With the technique I taught, your Upper Dantian will open naturally.
At that time, your Literary Qi will manifest, and even if the chief examiner had never known you before, he would not dare to overlook you during the evaluation."
Upon saying this, Ji Weizi laughed heartily.
As if recalling some amusing story from the past.
"The swift wind drifts the white sun, time races to the west." he sang with fervor, "The prime will never return, a hundred years passes swiftly..."
A soft sigh, the sound still lingering at the mouth of the Ghost Market, yet his figure, as though a living person, gradually faded and vanished.
Chen Xu took a step forward, instinctively wanting to see him off.
But as this step was just about to be taken, the fading figure had already disappeared under the moonlight.
Such are the spirits, coming with praises thrice, leaving with no trace.
Chen Xu halted his steps, feeling a slight sense of loss in his heart.
Then saw the Workshop Master, half of her beautiful face turned, also smiled and said, "Mr. Ji is bidding farewell to Mr. Chen, I too should bid farewell to Mr. Chen.
This is, after all, the Netherworld; the living should not linger for long.
Too much time spent here, and people in the Mortal World are prone to encountering ghosts."
Her voice was haunting, as she bowed slightly toward Chen Xu from afar.
Chen Xu didn't even have time to return the courtesy before suddenly noticing that all the scenery around him had frozen in an instant.
The entire world seemed like a painting, washed by a heavy rain, after which the moonlit long street and ghostly vendors all dissolved like ink.
In the blink of an eye, he suddenly heard the bustling sounds of people nearby.
Someone asleep was snoring, a scholar was reading at night, the candle flame swayed finely in the wind, and in the distance, a night watchman was beating the clapper and calling out:
"In the deep of night, be careful of the candles."
It turned out he had returned from the Netherworld to the Mortal World.
Looking around, it was still the room of the inn where he had come.
On the floor of the room, there were still eight Ancient Bronze Lamps, but the flames on these lamps were now so faint they were nearly extinguished.
Chen Xu carefully sensed and found that he could still feel the presence of the Netherworld and step into it at any time.
However, he couldn't reach the Cangyuan Ghost Market; this was different from borrowing the Netherworld path.
Currently, borrowing the Netherworld path was still only possible through the small paths of the Mist Wasteland, and he couldn't sense the more vast Netherworld, let alone understand it for now.
But the Netherworld's Unbreakable Divine Power has another ability, allowing him to randomly enter a nearby Ghost Market on the first and fifteenth of each month.
It was now the end of March, only a few days before the beginning of next month.
On the first of each month, when the Lunar Star is backlit, the Netherworld power of the great world settles like a receding tide.
And by the fifteenth, as the full moon rises, the energy of the Lunar Star surges greatly, and Netherworld power overflows like a rising tide.
Both the rising and receding tides are excellent opportunities to sense the Ghost Market.
Chen Xu stood in the room, carefully understanding the ability of his divine power, feeling the differences between the Netherworld and the Mortal World.
He had yet to decide whether to go to the Ghost Market again on the first of the next month; the randomly entered Ghost Market might not be the Cangyuan Ghost Market, nor could every Ghost Market be freely accessed by him.
But the chance of it being the Cangyuan Ghost Market was relatively high, after all, they had already 'made a connection.'
What Chen Xu thought now was, no matter which Ghost Market he randomly enters, he shouldn't be too hasty.
He should take the time to settle down, use the existing resources to enhance his cultivation.
He should also read more books and see the broader world.
After all, his cultivation is not strong enough, leaving him somewhat lacking in a sense of security.
In this world, many things might be illusory, but only cultivation is the most real.
Chen Xu gently exhaled, overwhelmed with emotions from his experiences.
He looked at the eight Bronze Lamps in the room, knowing that the County Magistrate Feng and Feng Xi had not yet returned from the Netherworld, he naturally wouldn't touch them.
Chen Xu prepared to first report his safety to Wu Zhengze, but as he just moved his feet, he heard someone knocking on the door.
Opening the door, he saw that it was none other than Master Wu standing outside.
It turned out Wu Zhengze had been intentionally keeping an eye on his movements.
Chen Xu hurried to invite him in, but Wu Zhengze only glanced him over from top to bottom, seeing he was not only unharmed but his aura seemed even calmer than before.
Wu Zhengze then smiled a little, saying, "Forget it, I won't go in.
Extraordinary people must do extraordinary things, knowing how to take care of yourself is enough."
He then handed Chen Xu the wooden box he held in his hands, which contained the pile of Spiritual Objects gifted by Feng Yuanbai.
Lastly, Wu Zhengze said, "The night is deep, rest well, and in the coming days, study diligently in the inn, waiting only for the completion of the courtyard examinations."
Nor did he ask whether Feng Yuanbai had succeeded in rescuing Feng Xi, nor inquire about Chen Xu's specific encounters in the Netherworld; once the box was delivered, Wu Zhengze returned to his room.
What Chen Xu didn't know was that once Wu Zhengze returned, he actually paced around his room a few more times.
He sent the White Clothes to Shangjing; although White Clothes is a spiritual dove, it only barely understood spirituality, and its flying speed is limited, taking at least ten days for a round trip.
Now Wu Zhengze only hoped White Clothes could return before Chen Xu finished his courtyard examinations.
He shook his head quietly, sighing inaudibly, pondering: Everything is good for young people, except that fame at a young age easily attracts unnecessary attention.
Most importantly, the sudden appearance of the Long Pavilion Ghost Market—is it just a prank by Wang Ji, or is there a deeper conspiracy behind it?
No matter if the County Magistrate can rescue Feng Xi or not, this matter won't be easy to settle.
There are indeed more victims of the Ghost Market than just Feng Xi.
Even a small place like Yunjiang Prefecture is likely to see a storm coming.
Just not knowing, which family would this upheaval ultimately target?
Wu Zhengze did not wish to stir trouble, nor did he hope Chen Xu would get involved.
Feeling his cultivation was inadequate, he intended to write to Jade Capital. In any case, offering an extra layer of protection for this talented young man is good.
Chen Xu was unaware of these thoughts, but he could feel Master Wu's care in his heart.
He closed the door, holding the wooden box, he sat down by the table and tried using the ability of "opening a Yin Attribute Space" within Netherworld's Unbreakable Divine Power.
Simply put, it's about sensing Yin and Yang, detecting a manageable small node between their interchange.
Then, draw, mark, and expand it.
In this way, he could create his own portable space, achieving an ability akin to the Daoist "Universe in a Sleeve."
Chen Xu decided to name this ability: Nine Nether Void.
With determination in his heart, his Divine Thought flowed. Shortly he captured a subtle void point within the mystic.
His Divine Soul wasn't strong enough; at the moment, his Heart and Spirit could only sense within a three-zhang radius.
But when he calmed his Heart and Spirit, he could discern many intricate wonders within this three-zhang world.
Including the wind formed by air currents, the potential presence of fire when temperatures rise, the ubiquitous water vapor, and the subtle spirituality——
Or rather, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi!
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