What happened next completely shattered their worldview.
Not just fire-based spells—Scout tried several different elemental techniques, but the results were the same. The summoned water dragon was devoured, the earthen wall was gnawed away, and even the spiritual sword was bitten into. The only attack that did any damage was a wind blade, which sliced one of the malevolent spirits in half.
But before they could celebrate, the spirit simply picked itself up and reattached the two halves with a few grunts.
The trio: "……"
"Maybe I should just punch them?" Long Aotian flexed his muscles and threw a fist at the nearest ghost.
"Don’t be ridiculous, ghosts don’t have physical forms. How could you possibly—it flew! Holy crap!" Shi Xia’s eyes widened as she watched the ghost get sent flying by the punch.
It actually worked! This defied all logic!
She immediately exchanged a glance with Scout, and the three of them switched to close combat mode. Shi Xia reinforced a defensive barrier while Scout and Long Aotian positioned themselves on either side, punching their way through the encroaching spirits as they slowly advanced.
Though terrifying, the ghosts didn’t seem capable of using spells—they only attacked with mindless biting and clawing. Long Aotian, being a martial cultivator, had no issue handling them physically, and Scout, as a powerful spirit beast, was naturally resilient. The real problem was that ghosts weren’t like humans—knocking one down didn’t mean it stayed down. Even if sent flying, they’d just crawl back. Their numbers never decreased.
At this rate, they’d exhaust their stamina long before making progress. Worse, Shi Xia noticed that a few ghosts were far more aggressive than the rest. While most couldn’t withstand a single punch from Long Aotian, these particular ones dodged effortlessly or even resisted being knocked back. A chill ran down her spine as she studied them—they were the same ones that had devoured their spells earlier.
Could it be that spiritual energy wasn’t just ineffective against them—but actually beneficial?
Before she could figure it out, the situation worsened. The ghosts grew denser, pressing closer, their ghastly claws scraping against the barrier with bone-chilling screeches.
Just as the barrier was about to collapse, the one-legged ghost—the one that had swallowed the fireball—lunged forward. Its pitch-black hand stretched out, nails elongating into razor-sharp claws before slashing downward.
With a sickening tear, the barrier shattered. The claw shot straight for Shi Xia’s face, wisps of dark energy swirling around it.
"Shi Xia!" Scout’s aura flared in alarm.
Her mind blanked. Instinctively, she unleashed all the spiritual energy inside her. "Get away!"
A blinding white light erupted from her body, radiating outward in a shockwave. Every ghost within range vanished instantly—not a single trace left, as if evaporated.
When Shi Xia came to her senses, a perfect circle, five to six meters in diameter, had been cleared around them. The three of them stood in stunned silence.
Even the ghosts seemed stunned.
An eerie quiet settled over the scene.
Uh… what just happened?
Ten seconds later—
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH—"
A bloodcurdling shriek tore through the horde. The ghosts, previously united in their assault, now scattered in sheer terror—as if they’d seen something far worse than themselves.
Panic erupted. Ghosts fled in every direction—some sprinting (or rather, floating) for their lives, others huddling together in trembling heaps. One buried its head in the ground like an ostrich, another plastered itself against a wall, refusing to budge. One even yanked off another ghost’s legs, trying to attach them to itself for a faster escape.
Chaos. Absolute chaos.
The only common thread? Every single ghost was wailing like the world was ending, their shrill voices piercing eardrums like needles.
Fed up, Shi Xia roared, "Shut up!"
Instant silence. Every ghost—whether mid-escape, mid-climb, or mid-leg-theft—clamped their hands over their mouths.
The quiet returned, broken only by the rattling bones of one particularly terrified skeleton ghost.
Shi Xia reflexively glanced at it. The skeleton froze, then trembled harder—until its bones clattered apart, scattering across the ground.
……
-_-|||
She rubbed her temples. Weren’t these things just terrifyingly aggressive a moment ago? Why were they acting like she was the monster here? She hadn’t even done anything!
"Savior…" Long Aotian gazed at her with starry-eyed admiration. "I never knew you were skilled in ghost taming!"
"Tame your head!" Shi Xia rolled her eyes. "I’ve never even heard of such a thing!"
"Then why are they…?" He gestured at the cowering spirits—one had even wrapped its own intestines around its head to hide its face.
"I don’t know." She flexed her fingers, replaying the moment. "I just released all my spiritual energy in panic. I didn’t even think to cast a spell."
Had her raw energy really vaporized an entire ring of ghosts? Normally, uncontrolled spiritual energy should dissipate harmlessly unless channeled into a technique.
Scout’s expression darkened. He reached for her. "Shi Xia, let me check your sea of consciousness." His fingers moved toward her forehead.
She instinctively stepped back.
He stiffened, hurt flashing across his face before vanishing. Softening his voice, he pleaded, "I just need to see your spiritual roots. Nothing else. Trust me."
Something in his tone tugged at her heart. Sighing, she grabbed his wrist and pressed his palm to her forehead. "Fine, go ahead."
Closing his eyes, Scout sent a gentle stream of energy into her. It circled her sea of consciousness before retreating.
When he withdrew, his expression was unreadable. "Your spiritual roots…"
"They’re white. Weird, right?" Shi Xia cut in. Since Scout was her spirit beast, she saw no reason to hide it—her earlier retreat had been pure reflex. "I didn’t have any before, but after eating something, they just… appeared."
Scout’s frown deepened. "Spiritual roots stem from the soul. They’re fixed at birth. I’ve heard of purifying impure roots, but never of anything that could create them from nothing."
Meaning… her roots had nothing to do with the Dragon Pearl?
"Your spiritual root has always existed within you, but due to your unique constitution, it requires spiritual energy to manifest," Scout said solemnly. "The food you ate earlier must have contained the exact spiritual energy your root needed, which is why it became visible."
Spiritual energy for her root?
"Then what kind of spiritual root do I have?" Shi Xia wondered. Metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, ice—just give her an answer already!
"Most likely..." Scout studied her carefully, his expression turning strange, even conflicted, with a hint of... resentment? "Your spiritual root... lies beyond the five elements." Just like that person...
"Huh?" Shi Xia was stunned.
"That's impossible!" Long Aotian exclaimed, immediately stepping closer. "Everything in this world falls within the five elements. If not those, then what?"
As he spoke, he couldn’t resist reaching out to inspect Shi Xia, his fingers nearly pinching her cheek. Scout’s face darkened. He grabbed a fold of skin on Long Aotian’s hand and flung him aside, stepping between them and subtly pulling Shi Xia closer to himself. His glare at Long Aotian was unmistakable: Back off. Touch my Shi Xia again, and I’ll kill you.
Long Aotian felt a sudden chill, as if ice had formed over his body. His heart trembled inexplicably. Since when had this new spirit beast seemed so terrifying?
"Am I a mutated spiritual root?" Shi Xia asked excitedly. The teachers at Yuhua Sect had taught her that mutated roots were the elite among spiritual roots!
"No." Scout shook his head, his expression growing even more conflicted. "A spiritual root outside the five elements... I’ve only seen it in one person before. But yours is different from theirs—in fact, it’s the complete opposite."
"Then what is it?"
Scout lowered his gaze, meeting her eyes intently. "Light."
"Ha?"
"Light. Or yang. Or brightness." His voice was grave. "At the dawn of creation, the world was divided into yin and yang. Yin gave rise to darkness and malevolence, while yang birthed the five elements and all living things. Cultivators’ spiritual roots are categorized under the five elements because the human soul is too fragile to contain the pure essence of yang. But you can—and from it, your spiritual root emerged. Yours exists beyond the five elements yet encompasses them all. Metal, wood, water, fire, earth—all belong to yang. Your root is the purest form of yang energy in existence. Every living thing in this world can become your spiritual energy, far surpassing the limitations of the five elements."
"Uh..." Shi Xia felt dizzy trying to follow. "Can you dumb it down for me?"
"Your spiritual root can absorb and refine all energy in the world. It is the natural bane of all darkness and corruption, which is why those evil spirits were instantly purified upon contact with your energy." Scout paused, then enunciated each word clearly: "In other words, you possess a Pure Yang Body."
"..."
Pure... yang?
She could practically see ten thousand alpacas galloping past, each stamped with the word "YANG."
Her eye twitched rhythmically.
After a long silence—
"Scout..."
"Hm?"
"I. Am. A. Girl."
"............Oh."
"Oh my foot! What’s with the hesitation, you jerk? Erase those ellipses right now!"
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
"Where exactly do you get off calling me 'Pure Yang'? Who the hell wants a Pure Yang Body?! I’m delicate, soft, and easily pushed over—a certified girl, okay? I’m female! FEMALE! I have boobs, you hear me? BOOBS!"
Scout and Long Aotian froze, then simultaneously glanced at her chest.
A beat later—
Long Aotian: "Do you, though?" Wasn’t it flat?
Scout: "Maybe?" Never touched them.
"SCREW YOU!"
You can insult my dignity, but you do not get to insult my gender.
