Chapter 36

The ghostly energy surged within him, like the ceaseless flow of a great river. The amount of ghostly energy at the Sixth Rank of Ghost Soldier was truly astonishing, not inferior to the offspring of some powerful ghosts. Su Xing also held himself to the standards of a talented offspring.

With a strong "will" as the foundation, ten times the speed of absorbing yin energy, and fifty ghost energy pills as the main force, reaching the Sixth Rank of Ghost Soldier was a matter of time and effort, like a ripe melon falling from the vine. However, he encountered setbacks and risks when trying to condense the nine qi pulses.

Due to the fifty medium-quality ghost energy pills, Su Xing's ghostly energy was insufficient when condensing the nine qi pulses, causing the pulses to become unstable and collapse, directly impacting his soul. If not for the resilience of his virtuous soul, any other ghost's soul would have been instantly shattered and annihilated!

Even so, Su Xing's qi suffered damage and could not condense the qi pulses for a short time.

Actually, Su Xing could have condensed seven or even eight qi pulses, which would have been enough to stabilize the pulses. Alternatively, he could have swallowed a hundred ghost energy pills to condense the nine qi pulses. However, his strange obsession led to the failure of condensing the nine pulses, even injuring his qi.

Su Xing smiled with a sense of relief, not regretting at all. Not condensing the pulses meant the timing was not right. At least his cultivation had reached the Sixth Rank of Ghost Soldier, achieving his goal and qualifying him to participate in the City God Temple's ghost servant selection.

City God Temple... A graceful figure flashed through Su Xing's mind, and he shook his head with a bitter smile, dragging out a butcher's knife and a piece of iron plate from some corner.

The butcher's knife naturally belonged to the evil ghost butcher, a low-rank ghost weapon. Su Xing was foolish enough to hand it over.

Moreover, after using the butcher's knife to brutally kill the evil ghost butcher, coincidentally, the quality of the butcher's knife improved. Originally, the blade was as bright as snow, but now it was as black as jade, with the ghostly energy收敛, making it impossible to tell it was a low-rank high-quality ghost weapon, just one step away from a mid-rank ghost weapon.

The iron plate was taken from the evil ghost iron plate. After hitting the evil ghost iron plate for a long time, Su Xing finally found a piece of iron plate with sufficient flexibility and firmness, and then slowly peeled it off the evil ghost iron plate with the butcher's knife.

Both were good materials. Generally, materials taken from the bodies of mutated evil ghosts could be refined into decent ghost weapons. Li Mu's great sword was made from the thigh bone of a fierce evil ghost, refined over a long time into a treasure sword, a low-rank mid-quality ghost weapon!

"These two items must be taken to the City God Temple. Put the butcher's knife in the ghost pocket, and wear the iron plate close to your chest. As for other miscellaneous items..." Su Xing muttered, picking up the butcher's knife, "Right, the butcher's knife hasn't been named yet."

Su Xing's gaze fell on the butcher's knife, which was as black as jade, his expression complex, a mix of hatred and affection. The butcher's knife had ended Hongyu's life, but Su Xing had also used it to cut down his enemies. Moreover, after devouring its master, the butcher's knife had transformed and upgraded.

"Ah, well, you can be considered reborn. Let's wander through the underworld together and make a name for ourselves." Su Xing spoke tenderly to the butcher's knife, which remained motionless, a lifeless object.

"Since that's the case, you can't be called a butcher's knife anymore. I, your new master, hereby name you—Time!" Su Xing said solemnly, naming it seriously, "Time is a butcher's knife, a good name, a very good name!"

"In the future, I will use you to defeat the offspring of powerful ghosts and slay all evil ghosts. Time, the knife that slays the elite!" Su Xing held the butcher's knife named Time, his passion soaring, exuding a "with the butcher's knife in hand, the world is mine" aura.

After naming the butcher's knife, Su Xing began to cut the iron plate. He cut the main piece into a vest, and the remaining scraps were not wasted, but cut into two simple boxing gloves.

"A black vest, two simple boxing gloves, very good." Su Xing nodded in satisfaction, taking off his robe and putting on the vest and boxing gloves.

"Really nice, good stuff!" Su Xing's face lit up with surprise, praising it. He didn't expect the iron plate to be as hard as iron but with excellent flexibility. Wearing it felt no different, as if it were a layer of skin, very snug.

After finishing with the butcher's knife and iron plate, Su Xing put the golden statue scroll into the ghost pocket. He didn't name the golden statue scroll, as he didn't even know what the golden statue was—a person, a ghost, a deity, or a Buddha. Naming it would be inappropriate.

The ghost pocket wasn't large, just enough to hold the butcher's knife and the scroll. Su Xing then packed some miscellaneous items and left the scripture hall.

"Probably won't see this place for a few years." Su Xing looked back at the courtyard, then turned resolutely and walked towards the city of Fengdu.

Hongyu was left in the treasure hall, which had been modified to ensure safety and ventilation, making it the best place for her to rest and recover her ghostly body.

On the bookshelf, next to the jade basin, Su Xing left a letter. If Hongyu ever woke up, she would see it and understand everything.

In the square of the outer district of Fengdu, the City God Temple's ghost servant recruitment notice was still up. The Sixth Rank of Ghost Soldier requirement deterred many ghosts in the outer district. Even those who had reached the Sixth Rank preferred to seek positions in the ghost government, as the reputation of being a ghost servant was not good. Therefore, the City God Temple's ghost servant recruitment was not yet full.

However, the City God Temple was not in a hurry and was not worried about a lack of applicants. Just the name "Fengdu City God" attracted countless ghosts who would do anything to get in.

Indeed, Su Xing found the City God Temple's ghost servant recruitment booth in the square and saw that despite the strict conditions, quite a few ghosts had already been recruited.

A small ghost with a triangular head lazily raised his head, glanced at Su Xing, and said, "Place your hand on the jade ruyi and fully activate your cultivation technique."

Su Xing nodded, seeing a three-foot-long, glossy black jade ruyi on the wooden table. He placed his palm on it and fully activated the *Nili Sutra*, causing the force qi pulse to slowly rotate.

Instantly, one end of the jade ruyi lit up, with six of the nine pearls glowing with colorful light. The other end also lit up, though the light was weaker, but still attractive. The auspicious clouds and lingzhi on the jade ruyi were embedded with seven different gems, which were usually dull but now a red gem was glowing.

"Hmm, not bad, Sixth Rank of Ghost Soldier, with the force qi pulse opened. Passed." The triangular-headed ghost nodded and pointed behind him, "Go to the back and wait for the selection."

Su Xing went to the back, and the atmosphere immediately livened up.

"Brother, not bad, you made the 'Ghost Measuring Ruyi' light up on the first try. Looks like your Sixth Rank of Ghost Soldier cultivation is solid, and you even opened a qi pulse. How did you cultivate?" A disheveled white-robed ghost asked. His body was light and ethereal, like the disheveled ghosts described in the human world, not looking like a good ghost at all.

"Forget it, do you think everyone is like you, burning their ghostly body to reach the Sixth Rank of Ghost Soldier? Other ghosts cultivate step by step." Another ghost soul said.

Burning the ghostly body? Su Xing glanced at the disheveled ghost, no wonder he felt so light and ethereal, as if he could fly away at any moment. His ghostly body was thin.

Burning the ghostly body to boost cultivation was like drinking poison to quench thirst. After the ghostly body became thin, it not only became extremely fragile and unable to protect the soul, but also absorbed yin energy very slowly. Ghosts who burned their bodies were considered useless, unable to further improve their cultivation, unless... but that was impossible for ordinary ghosts.

The disheveled ghost knew his achievements were limited and had no plans to improve his cultivation. He intended to seek a good position in the City God Temple and live a stable life.

"By the way, did you see that well-dressed ghost over there? He has connections in the City God Temple and privately received seventeen ghost energy pills, forcing his cultivation to the Sixth Rank of Ghost Soldier." The disheveled ghost leaned in, whispering.

"What? Seventeen ghost energy pills!" A ghost soul exclaimed. They were all poor ghosts, and getting one or two ghost energy pills was already good. The Sixth Rank of Ghost Soldier required some talent and long-term cultivation, unlike Su Xing, who only took half a month.

"Seventeen ghost energy pills?" Su Xing also looked over, muttering, not taking the seventeen ghost energy pills seriously. The well-dressed ghost, though also at the Sixth Rank of Ghost Soldier, had ghostly energy that was far inferior to Su Xing, like a shallow stream compared to a deep, dark pool. In terms of quality, Su Xing's ghostly energy, after being refined by the nine force qi pulses, showed signs of condensing into ghost essence.

"Why are you here to be a ghost servant?" Su Xing approached and struck up a conversation, trying to build some rapport.

This was a short, frail-looking ghost, timid and hesitant.

"Hey? Are you talking to me?" He turned and exclaimed, asking.

"Yep." Su Xing nodded.

"I, I'm here because I'm timid. Fighting evil ghosts in the ghost government is too scary. It's safer to work in the City God Temple." The timid ghost said hesitantly.

A timid ghost... Su Xing's lips twitched slightly, then asked the other ghost souls.

At this moment, three tall and imposing ghost souls approached and surrounded Su Xing.

"What do you want?" Su Xing narrowed his eyes and asked softly. He wasn't afraid of trouble. If the three ghost souls caused trouble, he would give them a small punishment.

"Join us!" The three ghost souls said in unison.

"A group?" Su Xing's expression changed, showing a hint of surprise.

"No, we three brothers belong to different factions." The three imposing ghost souls said in unison again.

Three brothers? Each in a different organization? Quite interesting.

Su Xing's eyes darted around, quickly understanding the situation.

This was about choosing sides. Among the ghost servants, the more powerful ghost souls were forming factions to gain more benefits in the City God Temple. They must have some background in the City God Temple, otherwise, there would be no benefits for new arrivals.

What was interesting was that the three leading ghosts had sent their brothers to recruit, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Su Xing looked around and saw that most of the ghost souls had already chosen sides. Now it was his turn.

The good performance on the Ghost Measuring Ruyi must have caught the attention of the three leading ghosts.

"Do I have to choose?" Su Xing's lips curved into a smile as he looked at the three honest brothers.