Volume One, Chapter Three: The Trial Puppet

A man dressed in coarse linen, his form obscured beneath a tattered conical hat, appeared before the crowd, clutching a dilapidated, broken blade.

The hat hung low, concealing his face. Only a pair of deep, profound eyes stood out, shining like stars in the dead of night. Yet, those eyes were bloodshot, rimmed by thick, dark circles. His entire being radiated an aura of overwhelming exhaustion. In his hand, he gripped that same, nearly shattered, broken blade.

"Jiang Huan! F-grade Spirit Weapon: Thousand Blades! Awakening successful."

A ripple of hushed, fragmented whispers spread through the crowd.

"With all that build-up, I thought he’d awakened a C-grade or higher..."

"Don't say that. At least he succeeded; he'll get some monthly subsidy."

"What use is an F-grade Spirit Weapon? To be cannon fodder in the Great Mist?"

"Hahaha, purely in terms of rarity, an F-grade is just as scarce as an S-grade or above!"

Jiang Huan ignored the jeers and sarcasm behind him. At this moment, his heart was pounding with excitement; at the very least, he had confirmed that the system was real!

According to his understanding of the system, while others had to constantly absorb spiritual energy to temper themselves and their spirits—or resort to "pay-to-win" tactics and medicinal boosters—he only had two paths to grow stronger: complete tasks and kill opponents.

Given enough time, he could even become the strongest Spirit Master in human history.

Just as he was about to check his system interface, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Jiang Huan! Congratulations!"

Jiang Huan turned to see Liu Zhiyue.

"Congratulations for what? It's just an F-grade. I should be the one congratulating you, our A-grade talent."

Liu Zhiyue playfully punched his chest. "If you tease me again, I’m ignoring you." She paused, her expression turning worried. "Jiang Huan, you have to work hard. The campus recruitment is in two months; your spirit's quality needs to be at least E-grade before any company or organization will consider taking you on."

In this new era, students enter society immediately upon turning eighteen. After all, schools in this day and age can teach very little.

Jiang Huan smiled faintly. "It’s fine. Worst case, I’ll just stay in Caiyun City for the rest of my life. With your spirit's quality, you should be able to get into a good firm, right?"

Liu Zhiyue rolled her eyes but nodded. "Getting into the Ye Corporation shouldn't be a problem, but I want to join their core squad..."

Jiang Huan was stunned. This was the first time he realized the pure, campus-celebrity beauty had such grand ambitions. The Ye Corporation was the largest mercenary group in the Great Xia territory, its growth trajectory even subtly overshadowing the state-run Demon Suppressing Army. Its reach spanned mercenaries, water conservancy, electricity, pharmaceuticals, real estate, healthcare, and task guilds. There was even a saying among the people that a citizen of Great Xia could never escape birth, aging, sickness, death, and the Ye Corporation.

The corporation maintained twelve core squads, the absolute backbone of their strength. Every member who made it into a core squad was the elite of the elite.

Jiang Huan smiled. "Good luck, I’m sure you can do it."

As they bantered, neither noticed the jealous gaze of Fang Jia in the crowd.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted! Forty or fifty grotesque figures burst from all directions, surrounding the students. A foul, fishy stench followed in their wake.

"Holy shit! What are those things! Why are there so many?"

"Beasts! They're second-tier Ghost-Faced Men! How did they get into the city? Quick, call the City Patrol!"

"Don't panic! The teachers are here, aren't they? With the teachers protecting us, there's nothing to fear!"

The teachers responsible for maintaining order immediately shielded the students, summoning their own spirit weapons to face the incoming Ghost-Faced Men. Yet, for some reason, these teachers—usually so eloquent—found themselves and their spirits suppressed by the monsters.

Some bolder students with high-grade spirits, seeing the situation, also moved forward to engage. However, lacking practical experience, these students were struck down one by one, their bodies left in a mangled, bloody mess, throwing the athletic field into even greater chaos. Teachers distracted by concern for their students were blindsided and severely wounded.

Jiang Huan, however, was filled with doubt. According to his textbooks, Ghost-Faced Men were nocturnal beasts; why would they appear in broad daylight? Furthermore, Caiyun City’s defenses were strict; even if beasts snuck in, there should only be a few. How could so many appear at once? And while second-tier beasts were formidable, every teacher was an experienced Spirit Master—how could they be suppressed so easily?

Suddenly, a Ghost-Faced Man lunged at Jiang Huan and Liu Zhiyue.

Liu Zhiyue immediately pushed Jiang Huan behind her. "Jiang Huan! Stay back!"

A delicate longsword appeared in her hand, and an imposing phantom materialized behind her for an instant before merging into her body. Her gaze turned razor-sharp. Jiang Huan could clearly sense her aura surging in strength.

Just as Liu Zhiyue prepared to fight, Fang Jia stepped in front of her. He swung his heavy blade, parrying the monster's claws. "Zhiyue! These beasts aren't worth your effort!" He then glanced at Jiang Huan, his disdain undisguised. "I’m not like some trash who only knows how to hide behind a woman!"

Liu Zhiyue ignored him, whispering to Jiang Huan, "Keep yourself safe," before rushing toward a group of students in dire straits.

[Task Triggered: Kill the training puppets.]

In an instant, Jiang Huan understood everything. These "Ghost-Faced Men" were merely training puppets used by large organizations to drill recruits. If that was the case, the claws must be specialized "death-simulation" training tools. Anyone hit would simply fall into a state of suspended animation.

Fang Jia spat toward Jiang Huan. "Trash! Stay away from Zhiyue! The gap between us was destined from the moment our spirits awakened!" After saying this, he charged back toward the monsters.

Jiang Huan, however, wore a confident smirk. If this was just a trial, then the organizers were surely watching from the shadows, looking to see who performed best in the chaos. As for who the "trash" was, they would find out soon enough.

A phantom emerged from the [Thousand Blades], merging into Jiang Huan's body. Instantly, he felt his physical strength surge and his senses sharpen.

Jiang Huan moved quietly. *Stealth! Activate!*

He wove through the crowd. The students and the charging monsters seemed not to see him at all, allowing him to close in on Fang Jia.

Fang Jia was currently hacking at a Ghost-Faced Man. Despite having the upper hand, he couldn't deliver the killing blow. He gritted his teeth and poured all his spiritual energy into his blade, bringing it down with a strike that faintly resembled a giant python with its jaws agape.

The Ghost-Faced Man scrambled to roll away, but before it could regain its footing, a broken blade stained with blood pierced its chest.

A cold notification chimed in Jiang Huan's mind.

[Killed one training puppet. [Thousand Blades] EXP +5.]
[Shared Progress activated! Host EXP +5.]

Indeed, they were all puppets. They had the appearance of Ghost-Faced Men, but their strength was capped at the first tier.

Fang Jia roared in anger, "Jiang Huan! Why are you interfering here?" As a member of the city's elite, he knew this was a trial. The top three performers would receive rewards from the school, and Jiang Huan’s intervention was effectively stealing his prize.

Jiang Huan looked at the stunned Fang Jia with a smile. "We're all classmates; helping each other is only right. Don't mention it."

With that, he leaped toward another Ghost-Faced Man under siege.