Chapter 1

At the Longshan Botanical Garden in Leijiang City, a group of young men and women had just finished their barbecue.

"Shufeng, you clean up the rest!"

Xu Gang, a well-dressed, sunny-faced young man, pointed at the mess left from the barbecue and said to a short-haired young man of average build, with regular features and a hint of handsomeness, and two patches on his clothes.

Shufeng's smile froze slightly, and his gaze turned to a girl in the crowd. She was wearing a white dress, black leather boots, had shoulder-length hair, skin as smooth as milk, a heart-shaped face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and a beauty that was both pure and charming.

That beautiful girl was Zhong Jietong, whom Shufeng had secretly loved for a long time.

Zhong Jietong tilted her head slightly and got up to leave.

Shufeng's eyes dimmed, and he forced a smile, "Okay!"

Xu Gang laughed heartily, "Let's go sing KTV, my treat!"

"Great!"

"Brother Gang's singing is already on par with professional singers. Absolutely can't miss it!"

"Really? You're just boasting!"

"..."

Amidst the laughter, the group of young men and women left, seemingly oblivious to Shufeng's presence.

"She and I are from two different worlds. Even though we are in the same class, we are like parallel lines. I've tried my best! It's time to give up!"

Shufeng watched the girl's back, his nose tingling, his eyes reddening, and two tears streamed down his cheeks. Ever since he met Zhong Jietong in the first year of junior high, he had fallen in love with this beautiful, smart girl who ranked in the top five of the class. After chasing her for two years, the result was this, leaving him disheartened.

"Jietong, aren't we being a bit too harsh?"

Zhong Jietong's best friend, Wang Lu, who had long legs and a model-like figure, only slightly inferior to Zhong Jietong, whispered.

Zhong Jietong said coolly, "The high school entrance exam is coming up. I am destined to get into Leijiang No. 1 High School. There is no possibility between him and me. Cutting off all his hopes is for his own good. Besides, I don't have any feelings for him."

Wang Lu nodded slightly and followed Zhong Jietong as she left.

Shufeng was a bit dazed. While cleaning up the barbecue forks, he accidentally pricked himself, and drops of fresh blood fell onto a piece of black charcoal.

A black aura emerged from the black charcoal and instantly entered Shufeng's forehead.

"Host detected, initiating soul binding."

"Scanning started!"

"Central analysis unit, intact!"

"Perpetual motion furnace, damaged!"

"..."

Countless bizarre and mysterious messages flooded Shufeng's brain, almost bursting it.

Outside the Longshan Botanical Garden, an ordinary-looking black dog suddenly twitched its nose, its eyes flashing red, and it darted into the garden.

The ticket seller at the entrance lazily glanced at the entrance.

A strange scene unfolded as the black dog ran into the garden right under the ticket seller's nose.

"Huh, what's with that black dog? How did a dog get in here? Why is there black aura around it? Am I seeing things?"

Shufeng's headache eased a bit, and he was drawn to look in the direction of the black dog. He saw the bizarre black dog emitting black aura, with red eyes, staring at him intently.

"Its target is me!"

Shufeng was startled, quickly drew two barbecue forks, and watched the black dog warily, instinctively sensing that the black dog was targeting him.

The black dog, about the size of a German Shepherd, with red eyes, exuding a terrifying pressure, approached Shufeng step by step.

"I can't run! The terrain is open, I can't outrun it. When dealing with wild dogs, you must never run away easily. Otherwise, it will see you as prey and attack!"

Shufeng gripped the two barbecue forks tightly, his body trembling, cold sweat pouring down his back.

When the black dog was about five meters away from Shufeng, it suddenly accelerated, pouncing on him like a cheetah.

"Die!"

Shufeng thrust the barbecue fork at the bizarre black dog.

"So hard!"

The barbecue fork hit the black dog's back as if it were a steel plate, barely piercing its skin, and drops of black blood fell to the ground.

The bizarre black dog opened its blood-red mouth and bit down hard on Shufeng's right leg.

Crack!

The black dog's bite force was terrifying. Shufeng screamed in pain, fell to the ground, and his right leg was severed by the bizarre black dog.

"What is this monster? Am I going to die?"

Shufeng's eyes flashed with fear. He endured the pain, held the barbecue fork in his left hand, and thrust it at the bizarre black dog.

A black sword flash appeared, and the black dog's head was severed, black blood splattering the ground.

Bizarre aura emerged from the black dog's corpse and entered Shufeng's body.

"Ding Xiaoxue?"

Shufeng looked closely and saw a tall, cold, and noble-looking girl standing in front of him. She was wearing a black samurai outfit, holding a black long sword, with flowing black hair, skin as smooth as milk, and exquisite features that exuded an aura of aloofness.

Zhong Jietong was the class beauty of Leijiang No. 3 Middle School, Class 53, Grade 3. Ding Xiaoxue was the school's only recognized beauty, always ranking first in the grade, excelling in sports, and drawing crowds of middle and high school students from nearby schools after school.

Zhong Jietong was outgoing, lively, and had many friends. Ding Xiaoxue, on the other hand, had a cold demeanor, like a fairy detached from the world, a high and mighty beauty with only a few close friends.

Shufeng never imagined that the person who saved him was Ding Xiaoxue, the ice queen of the school.

Ding Xiaoxue raised an eyebrow curiously, "Do you know me? Who are you?"

Shufeng, in pain, his body tense, looked at his bleeding right leg and gritted his teeth, "I'm Shufeng, a student in Class 53, Grade 3, Leijiang No. 3 Middle School, your classmate. Ding Xiaoxue, call 120, I'm in so much pain."

"I've never seen you before! You can see the Void Demon, which means you are a newly awakened psychic. That makes things easier!"

Ding Xiaoxue took out a small bottle, tore Shufeng's right leg pants, and sprayed the wound several times.

"Ouch! It hurts so much!"

Shufeng screamed in pain, feeling the wound sting and itch, his body convulsing as if a mysterious force was being drawn out and absorbed into his right leg.

After five minutes of intense pain, Shufeng was drenched in sweat, foaming at the mouth, and collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.

Ding Xiaoxue muttered, "This high-grade rapid healing spirit mist seems to have significant side effects! It causes intense pain, spiritual energy consumption, and physical exhaustion. No wonder it's so cheap, only 1 million per bottle. This drug can only be used in a safe place, not during combat."

Shufeng, gasping for breath, said, "120, call 120, my leg is severed. If you don't treat it soon, it will be too late."

Ding Xiaoxue poked Shufeng's injured right leg with the sword sheath, "Your leg is already healed. Don't pretend to be dead, get up!"

"Do you have any humanity... Wait, it doesn't hurt anymore!"

Shufeng, furious, was about to scold her but suddenly realized that his severed right leg had healed and scarred. He hesitated, struggled to stand up, and gasped for breath, feeling as exhausted as if he had just played a 90-minute football match.

"How is this possible? My right leg was clearly bitten off by that black dog! How is it healed now? Hey, where is the black dog's body?"

Shufeng looked around, his eyes filled with confusion.

The black dog's body had vanished. If not for the blood on the ground, the torn pants, and the twisted barbecue fork, Shufeng would have thought it was all an illusion.

Ding Xiaoxue explained, "That black dog was a Void Demon that infiltrated our world. It was a low-level Void Demon that hadn't yet formed a physical body. Once it dies, it turns to dust. Only high-level Void Demons leave a body when they die."

Shufeng, bewildered, asked, "Void Demon? What is that? I've never heard of it on the internet or at school. Are you joking with me?"

"Void Demons are otherworldly creatures from the Void Demon Realm that have descended into our world. Only psychics can see them. To avoid panic, very few people know about Void Demons and psychics. Ordinary people who learn about us without special permission will have their memories sealed."

"The internet is also under the supervision of psychics, so there is no way for information about Void Demons to spread."

"Shufeng, since you can see the black dog Void Demon, it means you have awakened as a psychic and are now part of the psychic community," Ding Xiaoxue said.

Shufeng, curious, asked, "Wait, what happens if ordinary people learn about us without special permission?"

Shufeng's parents were alive, and he wanted to know how they would be treated if they learned he was a psychic.

Ding Xiaoxue replied, "Don't worry, we will have hypnotists seal their memories. It costs 1 million to seal one person's memory."

"1 million!"

Shufeng was shocked.

In Leijiang City, rice costs 3 yuan per pound. Shufeng's father was a small private company employee, and his mother was a convenience store cashier. Their combined monthly salary was barely 4,000 yuan.

1 million was an astronomical sum for Shufeng's family.

Shufeng asked, "What if we can't afford it?"

Ding Xiaoxue replied, "That's a problem. If you can't afford it, you will be sent to the Infested Realm to earn money until you have enough to return."