Chapter 1102: Hey, You Can't See It?

“Is that so?”

As soon as he finished speaking, an invisible giant seemed to emerge from behind Xu Xiaoshou. His aura no longer needed time to accumulate; in fact, it could reach its peak within the briefest moment his eyes changed. The powerful aura brought forth an incredibly sharp and keen sword intent, which, upon spreading from his body, gave bystanders a momentary jolt, as if their hairs stood on end or they were pricked by needles. The next second, it was retracted back into Xu Xiaoshou's body as if it had been an illusion.

At the same time, Xu Xiaoshou's pupils suddenly dilated, and sword intent gathered within them, forming two dim, small swords.

“*Ghost Seal*!”

Xiao Kongtong's previously squinted eyes widened to their fullest. He couldn't believe that Xu Xiaoshou had completed the condensation of the *Ghost Seal* in an instant.

But no matter how much he disbelieved...

As far as he could see, the small swords in Xu Xiaoshou's pupils were identical to his own. This was clearly a fully formed and highly mature *Ghost Seal*, as if he had years of experience with it!

“This...” Mei Siren was also stunned.

He could understand the instant success of *Spirit Summoning* because Xu Xiaoshou's spirit and soul were inherently powerful. But condensing a *Ghost Seal* – was that something that could be done successfully in one go? Without practice? Without failure? Without fumbling around to find the right feeling, and only succeeding by chance encountering the correct method?

At one point, the images of Bazun An and Hua Changdeng flashed through Mei Siren's mind. In the path of Ghost Sword Arts, to possess such acute talent, besides these two and now Xu Xiaoshou, even You Tu from back then hadn't been able to achieve such rapid formation, had they?

“How can this be...” The Ghost Granny was deeply affected. She couldn't discern how much power Xu Xiaoshou's *Ghost Seal* contained. But simply from her intuition and from the reactions of Mei Siren and Xiao Kongtong, everything pointed to one explanation: Xu Xiaoshou had achieved 'instant success'! He was an unparalleled genius, a genius of ancient sword cultivation.

“I don't think I can wait any longer...”

Previously, she had been dismissive, not believing Xu Xiaoshou could master the *Ghost Sword Art* overnight. Now, the Ghost Granny's sixth sense told her...

Tonight! Right before her eyes! It seemed entirely possible that Xu Xiaoshou would somehow master the *Soul Manipulation Art*, the first realm of *Ghost Sword Art*, right in front of her.

But...

“Even if I can't wait, I have to!”

Even though she desperately wanted to eliminate Xu Xiaoshou before he grew stronger, Xiao Kongtong and Mei Siren, two true protectors, were guarding him nearby. No matter how anxious the Ghost Granny was, or how difficult it was to suppress her murderous intent, she had to wait for Xu Xiaoshou to master the *Ghost Sword Art* and fight her fairly to end her current predicament.

“There's still a chance, don't rush...”

“It's far from over. Mei Siren also said this is only the second of the three major thresholds for cultivating *Ghost Sword Art*...”

“Right, a threshold!” The Ghost Granny nodded emphatically, trying to reassure herself mentally, “That's all it is!”

The long street, under the night sky, became abruptly silent for over ten breaths due to the successful condensation of the *Ghost Seal* in Xu Xiaoshou's pupils.

Mei Siren's mood was stirred; he truly felt he had stumbled upon a treasure! Previously, when he envisioned Xu Xiaoshou on par with Bazun An, hoping to train a student capable of contending with You Tu's lineage, Mei Siren had simply thought it a passing idea. Now he felt... one must dare to dream! Dare to act!

“'It's done,' the old sword immortal uttered, his tone not as calm as usual.”

“'It's done,' Xu Xiaoshou nodded.”

“'Then try again,' Mei Siren instructed, 'mobilize the power of the sword intent within the *Ghost Seal*, use the *Preaching* technique I taught you earlier to transmit it to the *spirits* you just summoned, and attempt to *command* them.'”

Pausing, Mei Siren smiled faintly and tapped his paper fan.

“'This requires very strong control,' he continued. 'You'll first need to learn 'multi-tasking,' then advance to 'multi-tasking with many,' and you'll also need to practice *Preaching* diligently again. In short, when commanding them, don't disrupt your own move—uh, actions...'”

Mei Siren couldn't finish his sentence. Because before he even stopped speaking, the *Ghost Seals* in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up, and the densely packed *spirits* on the long street seemed to receive a summons, with dim small swords also lighting up within each of them.

That wasn't all. Xu Xiaoshou chuckled and twisted his hand in the air again...

“'Combine!'”

The countless *spirits* he commanded, as if an extension of his own arm, converged as he wished in the night, transforming into an enormous 'fan of light' towering dozens of feet high. As the fan of light unfolded, spiritual points on it divided and arranged themselves to form two large characters:

“'Is that all?'”

Behind the large characters, the highly expressive '...' even slowly floated and wavered.

Mei Siren tightly gripped the folding fan in his hand, finally unable to suppress the shock in his heart. It wasn't terrifying that Xu Xiaoshou could control *spirits*; what was terrifying was that he controlled so many *spirits* at the same time! Tens of millions of them, densely packed. Even if these *spirits* had no 'intellect' and didn't resist, the drain on one's mental and soul power would be horrifying!

Oh, wait...

Xu Xiaoshou possessed a 'perpetually full mental energy constitution' that experienced no consumption even after repeatedly casting the Heart Sword Art *Divine Buddha in Sight* three times. So, it was nothing.

Mei Siren's mouth hung open, speechless for a long time.

“Clap, clap, clap...”

Applause sounded from the side. Xiao Kongtong's gaze shifted from the fan of light, quickly glanced at Mr. Siren's paper fan, then returned to Xu Xiaoshou, shaking his head and sighing, “You kid, you've got something special.”

Behind them, the Ghost Granny was already terrified, her spirit body turning pale. As someone who also cultivated the soul path, she could instantly tell how immense the consumption of Xu Xiaoshou's 'controlling a billion spirits' technique was. If it were her, it would be incredibly difficult to achieve! This wasn't about how much spiritual essence one possessed; if she dared to control so many spirits at once, the Ghost Granny was certain her mental energy would be instantly drained, her soul power would hit rock bottom, and she would need to take pills to survive.

But Xu Xiaoshou... didn't even need to take pills! “Is he a monster?”

“'He must have devoured a vast number of souls from the Void, or perhaps he's been cultivating a soul-strengthening method for years; otherwise, he simply couldn't withstand such consumption...'”

The Ghost Granny's eyes flickered, and a thought of taking over Xu Xiaoshou's body even crossed her mind. A perfect vessel! Flawless in every aspect! Wasn't she exactly missing such a body right now?

What a pity. Still, it was the same old saying: dare to think, but not dare to act...

Xu Xiaoshou happily watched as this light fan technique brought him a series of passive value pop-ups, regretting only that few people witnessed his moment of glory there, preventing him from gaining more. These things were incredibly difficult for others, but for him, they were simple. With *Weaving Mastery* at the sovereign level and the technique of fragmented manipulation, Xu Xiaoshou had long since reached mastery. As for consumption... what a joke. With 'Conversion' plus 'Endless Life' plus 'Full of Vitality,' the consumption for this technique was less than one percent of casting *Divine Buddha in Sight*. It was mere child's play.

“'Teacher, what about the third step?' Xu Xiaoshou looked towards Mr. Siren.”

“'Teacher!' This single word pulled the Ghost Granny, who was still immersed in shock behind them, back to reality.”

“'So, the Seven Sword Immortal Mei Siren is really Xu Xiaoshou's teacher... He admitted it himself, there's no way it's fake... When did this happen... No wonder even Xiao Kongtong protects him... Mei Siren and the Holy Slaves...' The Ghost Granny's mind raced with countless thoughts, eventually sinking to the bottom, not daring to think further.”

Now, she only wished Mei Siren would stop teaching, and Xu Xiaoshou would stop learning. If they continued, they'd have their fun, but her life would be forfeit!

“'The third step...' Mei Siren let out a deep sigh. 'The so-called third step, you just demonstrated it; you've already learned it.'”

“'Huh?' Xu Xiaoshou wondered.”

Mei Siren took a few steps forward, casually dispelling the few *spirits* he had summoned. He truly wasn't skilled in Ghost Sword Arts; he couldn't even detect the vast number of spirits Xu Xiaoshou had found there. He immediately let out a long sigh and said:

“'The introductory trilogy of *Ghost Sword Art* consists of *Spirit Summoning*, *Ghost Seal*, and *Commanding*.'”

“'Being able to accomplish these three steps means you are qualified to cultivate *Ghost Sword Art*... Hmm, for ordinary people, this is actually very, very difficult; it might take years, even decades, to find the right feeling.'”

“'And to advance in this path, to master the first realm, *Soul Manipulation Art*, you'll need to repeatedly try, accumulate experience, and like sharpening a sword, step by step refine your soul's strength, drawing from the soul power continuously fed back by casting *Ghost Sword Art*... Strength...th...'”

His voice gradually faded, eventually stopping. Mei Siren sighed internally, thinking, 'But with your soul strength, kid, you probably don't need any more refining.'

Therefore, he decisively concluded all subsequent basic instruction and went straight to advanced techniques.

“'Xu Xiaoshou, remember this!'”

“'You can use ordinary *Ghost Seals* freely, as they can be recalled at any time. But for a *Ghost Sword Cultivator*, there's also a powerful *Red Letter Ghost Seal* unique to them!'”

As Mei Siren spoke, his eyes narrowed, the dark, small swords in them dispersed, and an illusory small blood sword condensed at his brow.

“'This is the *Red Letter Ghost Seal*!'”

“'It allows you to 'contract' with a powerful 'soul spirit' you like, commanding it for a long time, even for life.'”

“'However, the method for condensing the *Red Letter Ghost Seal* is exceedingly difficult. It requires peeling off a piece of your soul flesh, primarily using soul essence blood, blending various auxiliary methods, along with three forces: 'sword intent,' 'decree,' and 'contractual power'...'”

He didn't finish speaking before Mei Siren was stunned again. Because he saw that the dark, small swords in Xu Xiaoshou's eyes had also suddenly vanished, and then a deep crimson condensed at his brow, forming a small blood-colored sword.

Immediately, Mei, Xiao, and the Ghost Granny all lost the ability to speak, standing disoriented in the night wind.

The Ghost Granny was already numb, completely dumbfounded and wide-eyed. 'What about the promised 'exceedingly difficult' and the 'auxiliary methods'?'

'Your teacher Mei Siren hasn't even clearly explained the specific method, Xu Xiaoshou, what is going on with you? How did you just condense it successfully?! Are you sick?! Stop teaching, stop learning! Just tell me, please, you're putting on a show for me, aren't you? You must have already taught and learned this long ago, right?'

Xiao Kongtong quickly stepped forward, almost pressing his face close to sense the blood-colored small sword at Xu Xiaoshou's brow. Then, in a daze, he turned his gaze to Mr. Siren, his Adam's apple bobbing as he silently nodded to the old sword immortal. At this moment, he too believed that Mr. Siren had given Xu Xiaoshou a special lesson when teaching the Heart Sword Art earlier.

The successful condensation of the *Red Letter Ghost Seal* meant that the first realm of *Ghost Sword Art*, the *Soul Manipulation Art*, was already within reach... Xu Xiaoshou was starting at his peak; he truly wasn't arrogant! 'Had I already taught this? When did that happen...' Mei Siren nearly reached out to scratch his head, finally half-raising his paper fan and forcefully lowering it. He almost thought he had repeated the teaching plan, but quickly realized something was wrong. He might be a bit old, but his memory wasn't muddled to this extent.

He clearly hadn't taught it! “'You...'” Mei Siren opened his mouth.

“'Consider it an epiphany,' Xu Xiaoshou chuckled, already too lazy to explain.”

Just now, with Mr. Siren's brief explanation, he had found the method to practice. And surprisingly, the knowledge in *Sword Mastery* was truly comprehensive; it really contained methods like 'Soul Stripping,' 'Decree,' and 'Contract.' It was just that before, Xu Xiaoshou hadn't understood why *Sword Mastery* would include such strange things. Now, he experienced a sudden enlightenment, the 'enlightenment' of an epiphany.

Mei Siren suddenly felt that taking this disciple was quite boring; he hadn't tasted any of the joy of 'being a teacher' or 'guiding the lost.' He had been constantly frustrated, constantly frustrated... He silently clicked his tongue, gently blew back the stray hairs from his temples, and Mei Siren once again skipped large sections, reciting emotionlessly:

“'The *Red Letter Ghost Seal* condenses... hmm, but its use consumes a great deal of mental and soul power.'”

“'Even if your power in this area is considerable, using it to command powerful 'soul spirits' could still drain you in an instant. Keep this in mind yourself; as your teacher, I won't elaborate.'”

Dismissing content that required caution for ordinary people but was harmless to Xu Xiaoshou, Mei Siren continued:

“'A person's stamina has a limit, no matter how fast you recover. Therefore, some people can only command one powerful 'soul spirit' in their lifetime, and even with a higher limit, it's difficult to exceed a handful.'”

“'Thus, the *Red Letter Ghost Seal* is extremely precious and should not be used casually on ordinary 'soul spirits'; it is not reclaimable.'”

Taking two steps, Mei Siren, holding his paper fan, transformed the *Red Letter Ghost Seal* at his brow back into an ordinary *Ghost Seal*. He was an example. To this day, he still hadn't found a 'soul spirit' that truly moved him and was worthy of a *Red Letter Ghost Seal*. Therefore, every time he used *Soul Manipulation Art*, he would open a 'Gate of Hell' and command ordinary soul spirits from it.

“'Those soul spirits that can be used for battle are, firstly, powerful cultivators who, due to excessive obsession, did not disperse their will upon nearing death, thus becoming malevolent spirits.'”

“'Secondly, they are great demons or exotic beasts from their previous lives, but they must be exotic beasts with extremely powerful soul strength, which is rare in this era... This old man can open the 'Gate of Hell' for you later and help you seek out an excellent 'soul spirit.'”

“'Thirdly...'”

As he spoke, the scene of Xu Xiaoshou going berserk and desecrating Elder Xie's corpse suddenly flashed through his mind. Mei Siren stopped speaking. “'Just these two points.'”

Xu Xiaoshou seemed to have not considered either of the above two scenarios at all. He turned and pointed at the Ghost Granny, quietly asking, “'Can I directly command people?'”

Ghost Granny: 'Are you being polite?'

Mei and Xiao's expressions also instantly changed.

That was 'thirdly'! But for any normal person, without anyone explicitly pointing it out, they would only think of this after cultivating *Ghost Sword Art* for some time, right? Xu Xiaoshou... this child... he really isn't normal, is he!

'Feared, Passive Value, +1.''Muttered About, Passive Value, +2.'

Xu Xiaoshou didn't even need a reply; seeing Mr. Siren's and Xiao Kongtong's reactions, he knew that perhaps ordinary *Ghost Sword Art* wouldn't work, but if one cultivated to the first realm, *Soul Manipulation Art*, it definitely would. What a truly abnormal and overbearing sword art! The Nine Great Sword Arts, each with its own profound mysteries!

Before the three in the field could panic, Xu Xiaoshou cheerfully said, “'Just asking, it's not like I'll really try it. Don't worry, Granny, I don't want to waste a precious *Red Letter Ghost Seal* yet.'”

The Ghost Granny's heart split in two: one half was pain, the pain of hearing how powerful the *Ghost Sword Art* was; the other half was shame and indignation, 'I, the Ghost Granny, you Xu Xiaoshou look down on me?' Suddenly, Xu Xiaoshou's gaze swept past her, looking behind the Ghost Granny, and at the same time, he extended a finger, exclaiming with delight as if he had seen a treasure. “'That one's pretty good, isn't it? Much better than you, Granny!'”

In a flash, Mei Siren and Xiao Kongtong's gazes followed, but apart from the air, there was nothing. The Ghost Granny suddenly felt a cold chill wash over her, and goosebumps rose all over her body, because in her spiritual perception, she saw absolutely nothing.

She abruptly turned her head... Behind her, there was nothing!

“'Huh?' Seeing this, Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, touched his nose, and asked with some uncertainty, 'You... you can't see it?'”