"Attention from the Discipline Office! Attention from the Discipline Office! An unidentified human skin has been found inside the school building, and another near the fountain by the back gate. An unknown individual has entered the school. All students, please be cautious! Please be cautious!"
Lin Feng stood by the window on the fifth floor of the school building, gazing calmly at the slightly panicked students on the playground below.
"Since you're already dead, what are you afraid of? The logic of these ghosts is beyond me."
The room was a music classroom. A ghostly student was playing the piano, ignoring Lin Feng and his two companions, fully immersed in the music.
Lin Feng stood by the window, lost in thought as he listened to the piano. Nie Chuxia wore headphones, listening to a CD, while Wang Qian busied himself with a stack of talismans, his head buried in concentration.
At the entrance of the music room, a long-haired male ghost walked in, followed by a stream of student ghosts. Their skin was decayed, their pupils sharp, each with a sinister smile.
None of them paid any attention to Lin Feng and his group. The long-haired male ghost was the music teacher. Once everyone had entered, he said, "Chapter 4, Section 3, accompaniment ready. One, two, three, begin!"
The music lesson proceeded smoothly. A group of ghosts was singing in front of them—a scene that felt absurd.
Nie Chuxia noticed Lin Feng staring at the ghostly girl playing the piano and whispered, "Interested?"
Wang Qian leaned over with a mischievous grin. "Nice taste! She must have been a beauty when she was alive—tall, slim, and well-endowed."
The ghost playing the piano was a girl with long, flowing hair. A blood-red line marked her throat, her face covered in bloody scars, obscuring her features. Her fingers were slender, and her skin was as pale as cold moonlight.
She had likely died from having her throat slit. Judging by the scars on her face, she had suffered abuse before death.
Lin Feng chuckled without anger. "When I used to live on campus, I often heard piano music from the fifth floor on weekends. I imagined the pianist must be a beautiful girl. I wanted to meet her, but I was too shy. One day, I finally gathered the courage to check it out—and she was indeed beautiful. But... she was making out passionately with the music teacher."
Lin Feng's eyes showed a hint of regret. Wang Qian seemed to empathize, asking, "That must've hurt, right?"
Lin Feng nodded. "Yeah, it hurt. I just wished I were the one kissing her."
Wang Qian choked, shooting a disdainful glance at Lin Feng. Nie Chuxia, curious, asked, "And then?"
"Then she was killed by another girl who had a crush on the music teacher."
Lin Feng nodded toward the ghostly pianist, indicating she was the one.
The music lesson continued, but Lin Feng was no longer reminiscing. He whispered, "The first wave has arrived."
With that, Lin Feng activated a skill, "Phantom Soul Curse"—transforming the entire classroom into an independent Phantom Realm.
This was Lin Feng's "Ghostly Maze."
In the corridor on the fifth floor, a young man in a Daoist robe, around thirty years old, walked toward the music room with a woman in red.
The vast, empty campus was eerily quiet.
Every step echoed across the floor, and even the bravest person would be unnerved in such a setting.
"Senior Brother, this 'Ghost Trial' is far more realistic than what the master described. Isn't it too vivid?" The woman in red, who appeared to be around twenty-eight or twenty-nine, spoke to ease her fear.
The young Daoist noticed her hesitance and calmly replied, "Junior Sister, the Phantom Realm is an advanced ghost maze. Naturally, it's realistic. And these ghosts might be real. The Phantom Realm talisman connects to the Underworld, placing us in a space between life and death. It's both a treasure and a trial ground for exorcists, allowing us to hone our skills. But it also poses significant danger. Stay close and don't act recklessly."
The woman in red nodded, half-understanding.
"Senior Brother, what does the 'Human Skin Campus' trial mean? There's no one here—how are we supposed to clear this challenge?"
As they approached the music room, the woman in red asked again.
"I'm not sure either. But since the broadcast mentioned human skin, the key to clearing this trial likely involves that!"
The young Daoist pushed open the door to the music room.
Inside, the spacious room was filled with musical instruments—but it appeared empty. He let out a surprised "Hmm," before his body tensed, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
"No one's here. Let's go, Junior Sister," the young Daoist said cautiously.
But the woman in red had already stepped inside. She sniffed the air and muttered, "Such dense yin energy... I'll open my Heavenly Eye to take a look."
"No, don't!"
The young Daoist tried to stop her, but it was too late.
The woman opened her Heavenly Eye and saw the room filled with ghosts—staring at them with sinister smiles while singing to the accompaniment.
A deafening sound roared in her ears.
It was… a funeral dirge!
The young Daoist's face darkened as he noticed three individuals sitting inconspicuously at the back of the room.
Other challengers?
"Fellow exorcists, how did you end up mingling with these ghosts?" The young Daoist wiped his sweat, steadying his nerves while pulling his junior sister toward the exit.
Lin Feng smiled faintly. "We're living exorcists. Why shouldn't we interact with ghosts? But you two seem to be yin bodies. Have you already fallen to the realm of spirits?"
Green flames flickered from Lin Feng's hands, forming thin, glove-like layers around them.
The young Daoist drew a peach-wood sword from his waist and bowed slightly. "We are disciples of Qingquan Temple. Since we are on the same path, we'll take our leave now."
He tugged his junior sister, attempting to retreat, but the woman in red hesitated. "Since they're fellow exorcists, why not exchange information? Besides, the ghosts aren't attacking us."
She clasped her hands as if holding a ghost's head, performing a formal bow.
"I am Fang Yun of Qingquan Temple. You seem young—feel free to call me Senior Sister Fang. I'll take good care of you."
Lin Feng chuckled. "Thank you, Senior Sister Fang. Please, come closer—I have a question for you."
Fang Yun, curious, approached Lin Feng.
"What is it, Junior Brother?"
Lin Feng asked, "How many challengers are currently on the fifth floor?"
The woman in red looked puzzled. "Just me and my senior brother. Why?"
Lin Feng nodded. "Good. That puts my mind at ease."
As soon as Lin Feng finished speaking, the woman in red noticed a peach-wood sword slicing past her ear, aimed straight at the junior brother who had just asked the question.
She was still wondering why her senior brother had suddenly attacked, but before she could react, her body froze. A hand rested on her shoulder, and the chilling sound of ice rapidly spreading echoed from her body.
Moments later, her vision began to shatter like glass. Her body crumbled to the ground, and her consciousness faded.
The Great Blazing Spirit-Binding Hands!
The icy flames on Lin Feng's hands remained, even as the peach-wood sword stabbed into his chest with considerable force.
The young Daoist's eyes widened in shock. "How are you still alive? You're supposed to be a living human?!"
Lin Feng rubbed his chest as Wang Qian casually walked over with a grin. "Qingquan Temple's Lu Feng and Fang Yun—I know you two. With all that resentment clinging to you, it seems you've harmed quite a few of your peers. Well then, I won't hold back either!"
The young Daoist saw the chubby Wang Qian throw out a talisman. He quickly dodged, but the talisman seemed to have eyes, relentlessly pursuing him.
The talisman struck him, igniting in flames and transforming into a fiery dragon that coiled tightly around him.
"Fire Dragon Talisman!" the young Daoist cried out in pain. Suddenly, his limbs contracted, and he slipped out of his Daoist robe.
Golden Cicada Shedding!
Wang Qian was stunned to see his attack fail as the young Daoist sprinted toward the window.
"You're alive! You three are the key to passing the third trial! I, Lu Feng, will make sure everyone knows this!"
At the window, the young Daoist leaped—but collided with a cloud of green smoke.
The green smoke had already filled Nie Chuxia's mouth and nose, blocking the window. As Lu Feng jumped out, he plunged directly into the thick smoke.
Nie Chuxia opened her mouth and inhaled, dragging Lu Feng's screaming form into her. Then, with a slow exhale, she directed him into an oil lamp.
The lamp's wick crackled and popped as Lu Feng's screams echoed inside. Moments later, the sound vanished completely.
"Someone downstairs saw Lu Feng get killed. Fatty, Young Miss, we need to clear the scene and leave!"
The fact that the three of them were the key to passing the trial absolutely could not be revealed. If word got out, it would spell trouble for them.
Wang Qian and Nie Chuxia nodded in agreement. They flung talismans and summoned oil lamps, sweeping through the classroom to exorcise the weaker wandering spirits.
The music teacher was sent flying with a powerful kick from Niu Meng, his soul shattered before he could fully dissipate. In his final moments, he cast a bitter smile at the ghostly girl playing the piano.
Lin Feng approached the piano, flipping an urn of ashes upside down onto the head of the ghostly pianist.
Ding! Containment failed. This ghost is not the primary Yin spirit.
"So I was hoping to give you a peaceful release, but I guess that's not happening."
Lin Feng sighed, then tightened his grip, snapping the ghostly pianist's neck with a decisive twist.