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墨書 Inktalez
I don't know how long it has been since I got this book; I haven't gone outside at all. It seems to have a kind of magic that deeply attracts me. Overall, it is a music score with five pieces, each one quite strange. I set up a barrier; although it's not powerful, it at least prevents sound from escaping. For the past few days, I've been entangled with the first song, as if I just can't find a way in.
"The Smile of the Spider Lily" sends chills down my spine just by hearing its name, but its effect is indeed powerful. It can trap opponents in an illusion filled with their most painful and darkest memories. Those with weak abilities will lose their combat capability on the spot, while those stronger will experience a brief pause, the duration of which depends on their strength. However, if one encounters someone stronger or with greater mental power, it will backfire. Moreover, to play this piece, one's own Soul Power significantly affects the outcome because the borrowed power comes from the darkest corners, meaning that while attacking the opponent, one is also injuring oneself—just not as severely as the opponent. Indeed, not everyone can practice this; prolonged practice can lead to losing one's soul and becoming a controlled spirit.
"Dreamland" leads one to be lost in the most beautiful dreams until death.
"Soul Binding Melody" makes one aware of all memories but turns them into eternal slaves.
"Fortune's Blessing" sounds good at first glance; it seems gentle, but unexpectedly, it is more domineering. Its target is collective, similar to spreading poison, and terrifyingly, it can kill instantly. This level requires high skill and consumes enormous Soul Energy; almost after playing one piece, there would be no combat capability left.
The last piece, "Grieving Soul," does not explain its purpose, but I don't mind; the first four are already enough for me to practice.
However, as mentioned before, if I use the power of Pure Sound to perform it, perhaps I can compensate for its shortcomings. After much contemplation, I decided to give it a try.
"Nine Charm, come out." I could only summon Nine Charm; he resides within me and can sense that dark power just like I do. He understands my current situation best and possesses high abilities that can help me if anything goes wrong.
"I understand; you can start." Nine Charm nodded.
I closed my eyes and played "The Smile of the Spider Lily" on my Bone Flute. Instantly, I fell into darkness. Everywhere was blood—my school in the human world was eerily quiet inside. As I walked in, there were corpses everywhere; they stared at me with anger in their eyes. The blood kept increasing until my shoes were soaked through. Suddenly, someone grabbed my foot—it was my best friend, covered in blood. I felt rooted to the spot and couldn't move at all. She looked at me angrily, blood streaming from her features. "Why? Why did you become a Dream Soul Master? It's you who brought so many ghosts here; you caused our deaths! You should die too!"
"No! I didn't! I'm trying to save you! Believe me!" I broke free from her grasp and ran out of the classroom. Behind me were countless ghosts chasing after me. I pushed open a door only to find more corpses inside. No matter how hard I ran, I couldn't escape the school. Just as I was about to be caught again, I opened another door. Oh no! Before me were Silver Moon spirits, wild ghosts, Xiaopu... so many familiar figures—they were killing people; they were all my classmates.
"Stop! Stop! Don't kill anymore! Ah!" But they acted as if they didn't recognize me and continued devouring those people. Why? Why are you all my friends?
"Do you want them to come back to life? Hahaha! Then you must offer your soul to me! I want your soul! Give it to me and you can save them." The ghosts vanished, leaving only a ground full of corpses. The voice was neither male nor female and sounded disgusting.
"Choose wisely, little girl; you'll save them if you offer your soul. All your wishes will come true."
"Everything you desire will be realized." That voice echoed incessantly in my ears. What should I do? A burst of golden light enveloped me as Golden Garment covered my body; then came a white light as the corpses gradually disappeared—was Pure Sound purifying? I felt much lighter and more comfortable.
"Ah! Save me! No! No!" That disgusting voice returned—it seemed Pure Sound had won.
"How are you? Are you okay?" Nine Charm looked at me anxiously.
"I'm fine; just a bit tired." I pressed my hand against my head as if I'd gone through a life-and-death experience.
"You were just surrounded by a layer of black mist, and your hair and eyes turned blood red. It seems this power is indeed terrifying. If you didn't have Pure Sound within you, you would have probably died by now. Fortunately, it ultimately purified the black mist."
"Is it really that dangerous?" I couldn't believe it. This Pure Sound is something from the divine realm, yet it took so much effort to purify. It seems I can't take this book too lightly.
"I advise you not to continue practicing while your strength is still weak. This first piece almost cost you your life. Wait until your strength increases before trying again."
"Yeah, I think so too. I've nearly mastered this first piece; with my current strength, it should be enough. However, I'm still a bit confused. This place is the Underworld, a dark realm, so why does the dark energy from this book differ so much from the dark energy here?"
"You are mistaken; this isn't even the darkest place. I've heard my father mention that there is a corner in the Underworld that is the most shadowy, where even demons and ghosts find it hard to survive. Only the strong can qualify to go there, but they can't stay long; it will consume your Soul Power until you lose your soul. However, if you manage to come out alive, you will definitely become stronger. I plan to seek that place after some time."
"What is it called?"
"Demon Abyss." Just hearing that name made me shudder; if possible, I would prefer not to go there.
"Do you think reading this book has anything to do with that place?"
"I'm not sure; I've never been there."
"I know you want revenge, but you must also protect yourself. Only by staying alive can you bring comfort to your parents."
"Is everything okay now? I'm heading back." After saying that, Nine Charm disappeared with an uneasy expression; he seemed troubled. What was wrong?
"All Students please gather at the playground immediately. All Students please gather at the playground immediately." A voice echoed from somewhere; anyway, let's head to the playground first. It must be about the competition.
"Xi Meng, over here! I'm here!" As soon as I stepped outside, I saw Xiaopu running towards me. I couldn't help but think of the illusion I just experienced; instinctively, I froze for a moment as that terrifying feeling resurfaced. It seems that dark power should not be underestimated.
"What’s wrong? Why are you dazed?" Xiaopu looked at me curiously. What's wrong with me? Xiaopu has been so nice to me, yet I'm thinking about such things.
"It's nothing; why are you here?" I smiled at her.
"Still saying that! Are you not fully recovered yet? The instructor said you need some quiet time these days, so I didn't look for you. I wasn't sure if you were feeling better."
"I'm fine now. You came looking for me to go to the playground together, right? Let's go."
"Yeah! As soon as I heard the announcement, I came right away. Let's hurry!" I'm really envious of Xiaopu; she always has such a bright smile.
When we arrived at the playground, we found it already crowded, both on the surrounding platforms and in the field itself. Fortunately, it wasn't chaotic. Xiaopu and I started looking for our instructor's position according to the markings.
“Xi Meng, Xiaopu, over here.” It was Sister Nian's voice. She was waving to us from the front.
“Teacher, we’re here,” Xiaopu said.
“Alright, thank you for your hard work, Xiaopu. You can go up to the stands now; our class's Students are already seated. Xi Meng, come with me,” she said briskly.
“Okay, I’ll go ahead. You do your best, Xi Meng.” With that, Xiaopu waved and left.
“I'll take you to the first-year Student preparation area. There are all the Students participating in this competition from different colleges. Let me give you a brief introduction. The competitors are the top ten colleges based on overall strength, and our college is ranked first. You need to pay special attention to one college, Champion Academy. Although it’s a civilian college, they are very strong and have been competing with us for hundreds of years. Last time we narrowly won, and this time they are coming with a mindset of absolute victory; they really do have strength. To highlight the educational level of our college, this time the focus is on you new students. The upperclassmen are well-known for their abilities, but you all are starting from scratch after just one semester in the college, so your performance will symbolize the strength of our college.”
“But, Sister Nian, wouldn’t that be considered cheating? I’m not at level zero since I’ve been here.”
“You need to be honest; you can’t say that later. I’ve already thought of a way to explain it: I’ll say you’re an exceptionally talented Student. They won’t be able to do much about it since you really are at this age. Now, let’s get to the main point. The competition rules state that each college sends 10 Students, including substitutes. First is the Team Battle, where five Students will compete against opponents decided by drawing lots. Five pairs of Students will battle simultaneously in five areas. Each match will have rest periods before moving on to the next college. The five colleges with the most wins will advance, and then they will take turns battling again with five members each; each team sends out one member at a time. The winning team continues while the losing team substitutes in another member until only two colleges remain for the finals, where each will send one Student.”
“I think I understand now.”
“Alright, this time I’m counting on you to take first place; you must work hard. However, it shouldn’t be a problem; there shouldn’t be any new Students stronger than you—I have confidence in that. But don’t be careless; things can be unpredictable.”
“Got it! When do I go on?”
“No rush; you’ll start as a substitute for now. I’ll notify you when it’s your turn to go up. Well, it looks like it’s about to start; let’s head over to the team for assembly.”
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