Three girls spoke up at once, forcibly stopping Su Nan from attacking again.
Their voices and the scene were transmitted directly into the monitoring room, where all the teachers were immediately stunned.
“Su Nan… actually has this kind of strength?”
“He’s taking down B-rank ghosts with ease. His power level is already not far from that of second-year students!”
Dean Xi Qinyu nodded slightly as she watched the screen, then turned to glance at Yang Ningbing with a faint smile.
In this mixed-difficulty trial map, the strength of the ghosts was tied to the zone they appeared in.
Within 1,000 meters, the difficulty was classified as Dangerous, and the highest level of ghost was an ordinary B-rank.
But beyond 1,000 meters, the difficulty spiked sharply—B-rank ghosts there far surpassed the standard level.
This trial was a true test for all new students.
And in it, the differences in strength between them would become crystal clear.
***
As the first day of the trial came to an end, within the eerie, crumbling high school, many students searched for places to rest.
At that moment, all student wristbands lit up.
When activated, the voice of Dean Xi Qinyu came through:
“Attention all students. This secret realm trial doesn’t only contain evil spirits and vengeful ghosts.”
“There is also a Pen Fairy that can bewitch the mind and spirit, even devour your will.”
“Be extremely careful while resting tonight.”
The moment her warning ended, all students began to adjust their rest plans accordingly.
Each team assigned night watches and shifts, and the night watch personnel were ordered to stay fully alert.
***
Beneath a large tree, Su Nan’s team was also preparing to rest.
“Aah, Pen Fairy~ So scary~”
The overly cutesy girl, Luo Feixuan, looked terrified as she turned to Su Nan.
“Senior, I’m scared. Hug me to sleep~!”
As she spoke, she lunged toward Su Nan—but was instantly dragged away by Mu Qing and Tu Suya.
They didn’t forget to discipline her a little while pulling her back.
“To be fair, Su Nan, you’ll take the first half of the night watch. We’ll switch with you later.”
Tu Suya said while tugging on Luo Feixuan, who still tried to get close to Su Nan.
“Thanks for your hard work, Su Nan.”
Mu Qing also gave him a gentle smile as the two girls pulled the overly cute Luo Feixuan aside and forced her to lie down.
‘Trying to steal a taste? No way!’
***
That night, Su Nan sat quietly by the tree, keeping watch while the three girls slept peacefully.
Besides keeping an eye on his surroundings, Su Nan also meditated and reflected on his current state.
For him, cultivating had already become a habitual, everyday activity.
Suddenly—
Su Nan frowned.
Not far away, within the trees, he saw faint, flickering silhouettes and drifting white shadows.
Before he could get a clear look, a girl walked out from the woods.
A ghostly white figure floated before her as she followed closely behind it.
Su Nan’s brows furrowed.
But he didn’t act rashly—he didn’t want to scare whatever it was away.
He stood up silently and followed behind the girl, eventually entering the abandoned school building.
Inside, the building was filled with a cold, eerie gloom.
The girl seemed completely unaware and climbed the stairs without hesitation.
Su Nan’s face grew serious as he silently followed her all the way up… to the school’s rooftop.
There, on the open rooftop, the girl crouched on the ground and began drawing something.
Su Nan hid behind a pillar, frowning as he watched.
So far, no real ghostly presence had appeared—only a faint, almost transparent white silhouette, not fully materialized.
The girl seemed to be holding a pen in her hand, drawing something on the ground in a strange, trance-like state.
Suddenly, the girl stood up and began walking forward…
Like a puppet under control—heading straight toward the edge of the rooftop.
She was about to fall!
Su Nan dashed forward and grabbed her wrist, yanking her back from the brink.
The girl collapsed on the ground. Su Nan knelt and called softly,
“Hey! Wake up! Are you alright?”
The girl blinked open her eyes and saw Su Nan.
But instead of gratitude, her brow furrowed and she snapped:
“What are you doing?!”
Su Nan froze, confused.
“I just saved you! You were about to jump—don’t you realize that?”
“You know nothing! You ruined everything!”
“I needed to do that so the Pen Fairy would appear!”
Only then did Su Nan understand.
To devour someone’s will, the Pen Fairy must first reveal itself—and only then can it be found and destroyed.
The girl had been acting as bait.
Suddenly—
A wave of cold swept through the air, and the temperature dropped sharply.
Su Nan narrowed his eyes.
From the rooftop appeared a white figure.
It began laughing chillingly:
“You dared deceive me… You seek death!”
The white figure was the Pen Fairy.
Its voice was bone-chilling and filled with fury.
Furious at being tricked, the Pen Fairy rose into the air and vanished into ghostly mist.
At the same time, several vengeful spirits appeared and began surrounding the two from all directions.
Su Nan’s eyes flashed.
He stepped forward, unleashing a powerful burst of masculine qi, instantly shaking the surrounding spirits.
With lightning speed, he struck down every one of the vengeful ghosts.
The Pen Fairy—forced to reappear—emerged again with a horrified scream:
“Such strong pure yang qi… Who—what are you?!”
Su Nan didn’t respond.
But the girl beside him furrowed her brows, shooting him a sharp glance.
Her tone grew colder.
“Move aside. I’ll deal with it.”
She stepped forward.
From within her body surged a mysterious, misty energy.
The mist formed the shape of a little girl above her head—it was her companion ghost spirit!
The little ghost girl immediately pounced on the Pen Fairy, opening her mouth wide.
A powerful suction force turned tangible, sucking the Pen Fairy straight in.
Amidst shrill screams, the Pen Fairy was devoured.
After the battle, the girl turned to Su Nan coldly:
“My name is Gu Lian. Remember it. That was my companion spirit.”
Su Nan blinked.
The name sounded familiar, but he couldn’t place it.
His face showed his confusion.
Gu Lian’s expression became awkward.
‘How can someone not know my name?’
‘I’m the school belle, for heaven’s sake!’
‘At least I knew your name!’
She frowned and added coldly:
“My mother is Gu Qingge.”
With that, she huffed and stormed off.
Only then did realization dawn on Su Nan.
“Oh—she’s that Gu…”
And he quickly chased after her.