Chapter 52: All Is Ready Except the East Wind Is Gone

Side dodge! Forward dive! Roll to evade! Under a tempestuous onslaught, Yan Jing dodged continuously, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike.

One Lesser Wandering Ghost after another fell to his tearing bites, dissolving into inky black fluid and dissipating.

It had been a long time since he'd felt this way.

Yan Jing felt the strength in his body draining away little by little, but his strikes only grew more precise and ruthless.

In his past clashes with the Lesser Wandering Ghosts, he hadn't had the energy to observe the movements of creatures that fought purely on instinct.

But now, caught between evasion and attack, he gradually gained insight. The Lesser Wandering Ghosts around him began dying at an ever-accelerating pace.

Finally, at the exact moment his strength gave out, the mountain of corpses and sea of blood before him vanished.

Yan Jing opened his eyes, returning to the massage parlor that doubled as a training room.

Seeing the bald old man's shocked expression, he was a little puzzled. He looked over at Shen Youran and asked, "Did something happen?"

"No. It's just that someone has limited worldly experience and hasn't seen many geniuses,"

Shen Youran said, the corners of her lips curling up uncontrollably.

A dozen seconds later, Wang Zhongmian finally snapped out of his shock.

He stepped forward, pulled Shen Youran aside, and flashed a flattering smile.

"Shen lass, I was wrong just now. Do your old uncle a favor, won't you?"

"Impossible."

Shen Youran refused outright.

"I haven't even told you what it is yet!"

Wang Zhongmian grew anxious.

"The progression path of the Ji Faction is far too difficult. After exiting a Dungeon, one must use a Dungeon Extension Scroll to delay the next one, honing oneself completely before entering again."

"And after extending the Dungeon, its difficulty skyrockets. It becomes a near-certain death sentence. That's why, after all these years, our Ji Faction has barely produced anyone who can be crowned a powerhouse."

"The difficulty is too high, and the ceiling is too low. Don't even think about scamming my little... kid."

Shen Youran had nearly slipped and said "Yan," but fortunately, Wang Zhongmian's mind was entirely elsewhere.

"Who says the ceiling is low?! The Fist of the Fifth Ring Domain, Heng of the Fourth Ring Domain, or even recently, that innate weird-body born in the Central Municipality—which one of them doesn't have a boundless future?"

"Give it a rest. The chances of any of those people reaching the Summit are pitifully slim,"

Shen Youran said.

"How many people in this world can actually reach the Summit?! In a place like Yueyin, how many have ever managed it in the end?! Shen Family lass, stop daydreaming!"

Wang Zhongmian was frantic, unwilling to let go of someone like Yan Jing to inherit his mantle.

But Shen Youran remained perfectly calm and mouthed a few words.

"Mine... can."

Wang Zhongmian read her lips, his face filling with disbelief.

That form of address.

He had never heard Shen Youran use it before—not even for that person back in the day.

Finally, he let out a faint, long sigh.

"If he knew, he would probably fight his way straight up to the Fifth Ring Domain."

"That person you're talking about has already gone to a place you won't see in your lifetime."

Shen Youran's expression was indifferent.

"If you still miss him, you can fetch a bone in your mouth and go find him yourself."

Wang Zhongmian fell silent.

He knew a few details of what had happened back then.

He also knew Shen Youran.

He knew just how ruthless and capable this lass could be.

In the end, he walked over to Yan Jing and let out a heavy sigh.

"What a pity. You have no fate with my Ji Faction, so I can only teach you this single move, Ghost Kill Momentum. And you are forbidden from passing it on."

"I appreciate the trouble."

Yan Jing nodded.

He was deeply intrigued by the experience he had just gone through.

If he could enter that state at will, he would be able to build up his combat experience through continuous slaughter, even without anyone teaching him fighting techniques.

"The mechanics of Ghost Kill Momentum aren't difficult. First, you must master the basic Ghost Momentum."

"Meld the weird energy into your own Ritual, and then meld the Ritual into your personal momentum. Use the circulation method to enhance the synchronization between yourself and the Ritual. Start from the crown of your head, cycling it endlessly..."

Wang Zhongmian taught him with great care.

And Yan Jing learned very quickly.

In no time at all, he understood that Ghost Momentum was a unique method of wielding weird energy.

Once Ghost Momentum was activated, the weird energy that was mutually dependent on the Ritual would pull the Ritual's phantom into his own momentum, drastically enhancing his control over both strength and weird energy.

However, this method of application seemed to carry certain drawbacks.

After carefully experiencing it for himself, Yan Jing said, "Once Ghost Momentum is opened, the connection between the Ritual and myself seems to weaken, making it harder to mobilize the Day Selection Ritual."

The old man nodded, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He was gratified that Yan Jing could grasp Ghost Momentum so quickly, yet also tinged with regret that he couldn't take him in as a disciple.

"The principle of Ghost Momentum is to merge the Ritual and weird energy into your own momentum, pursuing the purest application of weird energy against your enemies. Naturally, this weakens the abilities of the Ritual itself."

"And this is only the beginning. The later methods of the Ji Faction make it almost impossible to use your Ritual's abilities at all."

"This is why usually only players with low-quality Rituals choose this path."

"Even though you've only learned this single technique of Ghost Kill Momentum, I must warn you: once you master it completely, activating it will temporarily disable whichever Ritual you chose to merge into your momentum."

"For example, if you use the Day Selection Ritual to activate Ghost Kill Momentum, you will be unable to utilize your Day Selection Ritual."

Yan Jing nodded.

This side effect wasn't a major issue for him. He only wanted to use Ghost Kill Momentum to hone his combat skills.

Next, once Yan Jing had mastered Ghost Momentum, the old man began teaching him the mechanics of Ghost Kill Momentum:

"Hold your breath and concentrate. Mobilize the weird energy you just merged into your momentum. Let your mind follow the momentum, and imagine the bloodiest battlefield in your memory..."

Following Wang Zhongmian's instructions, Yan Jing quickly found the feeling. Closing his eyes, he found himself back in that damp, freezing sewer.

Only this time, the Lesser Wandering Ghosts surrounding him were all staring blankly, as if asleep with their eyes open, rather than launching themselves at him in a frenzy.

After he opened his eyes, Old Man Wang stood across from him and said, "The activation frequency of Ghost Kill Momentum is based on your mental attributes. With your First Tier mental stats, you can activate it at most once every three days."

"I've learned a lot."

Yan Jing nodded.

"Alright, I took money for one lesson, so I'm only teaching one lesson. The two of you can leave now."

Old Man Wang didn't hesitate, immediately seeing his guests out on the principle of 'out of sight, out of mind.'

Only then did Yan Jing notice the time. Seven or eight hours had passed since he and Shen Youran first entered this room.

He and Shen Youran walked toward the rolling shutter door.

Just as the two were about to step outside, Old Man Wang's voice rang out from behind them again.

"Youran, sometimes, a person has to learn to let go."

"You might think a lifetime is very long, but in truth, opportunity only knocks once. If you miss that one chance, every 'opportunity' you think you see afterward is nothing but an illusion."

Shen Youran stopped in her tracks.

She spoke calmly.

"Opportunity truly does only come once."

"But it wasn't that time."

"It's this time."

...

...

"There are 11 days left until the Dungeon begins."

At the entrance of a park a few hundred meters from the massage parlor, Shen Youran stood under the shade of a tree, smiling at the masked Yan Jing.

"Are you nervous, Xiao Yanzi?"

"I'm alright."

Yan Jing fished a pack of chewing gum from his pocket and offered it to Shen Youran.

"I might have to ask for a leave of absence tomorrow and the day after. I've got plans."

"That's fine."

Shen Youran took the gum, tapped out two pieces into her mouth, and leaned back against the railing with both hands.

"Over at your family's side, it's just your dad telling your second brother to look for you right now. Like I said last time, it's a bit strange."

"Not that strange."

Yan Jing popped five pieces of gum into his mouth at once and blew a bubble, his eyes tranquil.

"In the Yan Family, apart from the great-grandfather, my biological grandfather is usually the one in charge. If he gave the order to find me, my 'father' would definitely take the initiative to handle it himself."

"And when he does something like this, he definitely won't make a scene about it, because he cares too much about his face."

"Back then, he declared in front of everyone that he was disowning me as his son. He can't let people know now that he's searching all over the world to drag me back."

"What's more, there are people in the family who don't want me to return—my stepmother, for instance."

Hearing this, Shen Youran nodded.

"I can stall them for another four days at most. What are you going to do when they find you after that?"

"Go home, of course."

Yan Jing chuckled.

"You mentioned last time that livestreaming everything is really popular these days, right?"

The two locked eyes, instantly understanding what the other was thinking.

Shen Youran leaned on the railing with both hands, looking up at the sky as she murmured, "A proper regimen to upgrade your physical fitness and weird energy control will cost at least two million Inner World currency. We're still short on cash... Xiao Yanzi."

"When you go back this time, you have to milk them for all they're worth."

...

...

After a night's rest, the second day arrived. Ten days remained until the Dungeon began.

Yan Jing entered the Inner World right on schedule.

Together with Mantou, he arrived at the door of Chen Nian's home.

Pushing the door open and stepping inside, Yan Jing immediately spotted Old Master Liu lying in a reclining chair, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

"What's going on here?"

He looked over at Chen Nian.

Didn't they say all is ready except the east wind is gone? Why did Old Liu look like he'd lost his soul?

Chen Nian's eyes were filled with helplessness.

"The thing the old man went looking for yesterday... he didn't find it."

"What thing?"

Yan Jing asked in confusion.

"The ch- ch- chef..."

Mantou, who clearly knew about the situation as well, struggled to answer.

"Grandfather Liu... he... he didn't find... the chef... he wanted..."

"Chef?"

Yan Jing walked over to Old Liu, patted him on the shoulder, and consoled him.

"It's fine, Old Liu. It's just a chef, isn't it? Just find another one."

"It's not the same. The one I hired was a chef from the Sun-Swallowing Tower."

Old Liu let out a mournful sigh.

"Every time the Rotten Vegetable Festival rolls around, there are four judges: two from the Order Management Bureau, and two from the Sun-Swallowing Tower. We would have had victory in the bag."

"Then it's no problem. However much money he wants, we'll just raise our price,"

Yan Jing said calmly.

But Old Liu just shook his head in utter dejection.

"It's not about the money. The guy's gone..."

???

"Word is that the Sun-Swallowing Tower is preparing to host a grand banquet right after this year's Rotten Vegetable Festival to celebrate a political marriage between two factions in Old Sin City. Because of that, the internal management at the Sun-Swallowing Tower is incredibly strict right now,"

Chen Nian explained.

"The chef the old geezer found got taken out the night before last."

Taken out in the most literal sense.

"And because this Rotten Vegetable Festival is meant to select the three best rotten vegetable dishes to add to the banquet's menu, the organizers issued a statement: the chef must be an internal member of the registered team,"

Chen Nian shrugged.

"The old geezer doesn't know how to cook at all. I live off canned food and stuff that doesn't need to be heated up. As for Mantou Girl..."

Hearing her name, Mantou gave a silly smile.

"Mantou... eats... eats mantou..."

Good grief. So, out of this entire group, not a single one knew how to cook.

"Forget it, just forget it..."

Old Liu sighed dejectedly and stood up.

"I didn't prepare well enough this time. Looks like we'll just have to go with Plan B—"

He paused mid-sentence, noticing that Yan Jing had suddenly begun rolling up his sleeves.

"What are you looking at?"

Yan Jing picked up a kitchen knife and gave the astonished group a puzzled look.

"Get ready to do the prep work."