C5 The Shadowfell Test

Su Wei had a good reason for his haste.

The Shadowfell was a barren wilderness shrouded in an eerie mist that hung between the trees, reducing visibility to almost nothing.

Upon entering, the students instinctively huddled together and cautiously made their way deeper into the Shadowfell.

Su Wei, however, struck out on his own, plunging into the fog without hesitation. Clutching his Horcrux, a kitchen knife, he hadn't gone far when he encountered his first Spectre.

"My dear, how I've suffered waiting for you..." the Spectre moaned.

It took the form of a woman, her visage half beautiful with delicate features and pale skin, while the other half was a grotesque display of exposed bone and bloodied flesh.

Emerging from the mist with chilling sobs, the Spectre staggered towards Su Wei.

Su Wei was aware that a Spectre's true essence was merely a mass of twisted Yin Qi, taking on terrifying forms to frighten people and feed off their negative emotions for growth. Yet, the sight of one before him triggered an instinctual fear, and he found himself retreating without thinking.

Feeling Su Wei's fear, the Spectre grew more animated, quickening its pace and reaching out with gnarled fingers, shrieking, "Ah! Stay... stay with me... forever!"

Just then, the voice of the Horcrux resonated in Su Wei's mind. "Don't be deceived by its guise! It's a feeble Spectre, no threat to you. A simple swing of your arm, and you can vanquish it."

Heartened by the voice, Su Wei inhaled sharply, turned his retreat into an advance, and lunged forward, slashing at the oncoming Spectre.

With a swish, the Horcrux emitted a sinister red glow and effortlessly cleaved the Spectre in two.

Thud!

The once daunting Spectre didn't even emit a cry as it transformed into a glassy fragment and dropped to the ground.

"Is this the evil soul fragment?" Su Wei picked up the piece, sensing a subtle energy pulsing within. A smile of triumph spread across his face.

"Time is of the essence. If you're aiming for that second-level soul bead reward, every second counts."

The voice of the kitchen knife echoed in his mind once more.

"Alright then!"

Having effortlessly dispatched a Spectre, Su Wei's confidence surged. He dashed into the deeper mists without hesitation.

Unbeknownst to him, the kitchen knife Horcrux he wielded had subtly transformed after the encounter. The once rust-covered blade now bore faint, intricate lines of blood that twisted like eerie veins across its surface.

Meanwhile, Soong Sanjin and his crew stumbled upon their first Spectre.

The ghastly figure before them was a rotting, crawling corpse, silently dragging its decaying flesh across the ground. Its sudden appearance at Soong's feet terrified him.

"Hit it! Hit it with the Horcrux!"

"Soong, use your bow!"

"Finish it off! Do it now!"

His underlings, witnessing Soong frozen in shock, urgently shouted reminders.

Yet, despite their cries, none stepped forward to assist.

Soong Sanjin, staring at the corpse now at his feet, shook uncontrollably with fear.

"I, I... I'll smash you to death." His hands trembling, he grabbed his Horcrux longbow and, forgetting to notch an arrow, he swung it down on the corpse.

Thud!

The longbow, a seven-patterned Horcrux, crushed the Spectre into nonexistence.

Clink.

A tiny Spectre fragment dropped to the ground.

"Wow! Soong is incredible!"

"We got a fragment!"

"Move out! Let's quickly find the next one."

The subordinates, seizing the moment, swarmed to offer their eager assistance, wisely avoiding any mention of Soong Sanjin's wet trousers.

Not far off, Liu Shiya and her companions faced their first Spectre.

In stark contrast to Soong Sanjin, who had faltered under pressure, the campus beauty from a Soul Master lineage showed no hint of fear.

Swoosh!

Crack!

Upon witnessing a spectre transform into a terrifying ghostly doll, she didn't hesitate to swing her Horcrux whip and shattered the spectre into fragments.

"Let's move quickly, everyone. We must secure the reward today!" Liu Shiya was all about efficiency. She scooped up the fragments and led her classmates deeper into the misty expanse.

...

Su Wei wielded a kitchen knife, hacking and slashing through the Shadowfell, trying to coax some useful information out of his blade with great effort.

But Mr. Blade, whether intentionally acting aloof or harboring some secret, consistently ignored his inquiries.

"Young man... have you seen my head?"

"Die!"

"Handsome, do you want to see my heart?"

"Scram!"

"Uncle, would you like some ice cream?"

"I'll eat your uncle!"

As time ticked away, various peculiar spectres emerged, only to be turned into evil soul fragments by Su Wei.

But amidst his rampage, he sensed something amiss.

A quick scan of the area revealed that he had, quite unwittingly, wandered into a graveyard.

The place was strewn with toppled tombstones, and the sky had turned ominously dark.

Whoooo!

Chilling gusts swept past, sending shivers down his spine and a palpable dread through his heart.

"Damn it! How did I end up in such a ghastly place?"

Sensing the sinister atmosphere, Su Wei muttered curses under his breath as he planned his retreat from the graveyard.

But his reaction was a tad too slow.

"Hehehe!"

A chilling, spine-tingling laugh echoed through the graveyard.

Suddenly, the earth erupted, and a stooped old woman clawed her way out of a grave.

"Holy shit! Is this... a Spectre?"

The malevolent aura exuding from the old woman was unlike any spectre he'd faced before. Su Wei instantly knew he was in the presence of something far more sinister.

A Spectre!

A genuine malevolent spirit!

Even at second level, it was not an adversary a newcomer like him could handle!

With a flash of insight, Su Wei made the split-second decision to turn tail and run.

But as quick as his reaction was, the Spectre's move was swifter!

Whoooo!

The old woman crawled out of the grave, her lips puckered and wrinkled, and she suddenly blew a breath over Su Wei's shoulder. The breath caught the wind and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a sinister, chilling whirlwind that enveloped Su Wei.

"I... damn..." Su Wei felt an icy chill on his back, as if his entire body had been encased in ice, immobilizing him on the spot.

"Hehehe! Young man, come home with me, and I'll cook you something tasty," the old lady cackled after trapping Su Wei. She slowly approached him, her gnarled, icy fingers reaching out to drag him toward the grave she had emerged from, all the while emitting a creepy laugh.

Su Wei felt an overwhelming force from behind, rendering him as immobile as a statue, being pulled backward. He desperately tried to resist, but he was unable to move, his heart sinking into despair and frustration.

Swish!

But at that critical moment, a brilliant red light suddenly erupted from the Horcrux knife in his hand! Dozens of sinister scarlet threads, like lightning, shot out from the knife, instantly entangling the old lady's body!

"Aooo!"

Caught by surprise, the old lady let out a howl as her body was sliced into countless pieces by the thin threads.