Before Yang Quan could even finish, his three-man crew suddenly turned tail and rushed back to stand beside him.

  “What are you running back for?!” Yang Quan scowled and snapped. “I’ll take responsibility if you hurt him!”

  “Bro Yang…”

  The three held up their empty hands, awkwardness written all over their faces.

  “Huh?”

  Yang Quan froze. Staring ahead, he saw three more bound spirits in John’s hands…

  Their weapons had been snatched too, plain and simple.

  The scene left everyone’s jaws on the floor all over again.

  If it had happened once, it might’ve been luck. Twice? It was pure, unarguable strength.

  “This is ‘a little stronger’?!”

  The students recalled Ron’s earlier words and silently thanked their lucky stars they hadn’t rushed in impulsively.

  This was clearly a trap Ron had set for them…

  “William, in this day and age, how much do you think a bound spirit goes for?”

  John paid no mind to the crowd’s stunned looks, turning to Zhou Han beside him instead.

  “Huh?”

  Zhou Han blinked, then caught on at once and whispered urgently:

  “Bro, I heard Yang Quan’s second uncle runs security on Qingning Street. He’s like… a tough guy from the streets.”

  Most of the class were scared of Yang Quan for that exact reason—they were just students, after all, and didn’t dare mess with people like that.

  But John was different. Even back when he was weaker, he’d never feared anyone. When you’re unhinged, you’re basically at the top of the food chain…

  “What? Fifty grand each?” John raised an eyebrow, then announced at the top of his lungs:

  “In that case, I’ll sell ’em back for a hundred thousand apiece! Anyone wanna buy?”

  In an instant, every eye in the gym locked onto Yang Quan and his three lackeys.

  He was clearly blackmailing them.

  “You?!”

  Yang Quan clenched his fists so hard his knuckles whitened, but he didn’t dare charge forward.

  Right now, John had only stolen their weapons. If he rushed in again, John would hurt them…

  “Don’t want ’em? Then I’m dumping ’em in the toilet.”

  With that, John grabbed the bound spirits and headed straight for the gym’s bathroom.

  At those words, Yang Quan and the others panicked instantly.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  A bound spirit that’d been fished out of a toilet—how the hell was it supposed to fight ghosts?!

  “Wait!”

  Yang Quan had no choice but to swallow his rage and said, “We don’t have that much money.”

  “Your second uncle runs security, doesn’t he?”

  “Yeah, bro Yang, you cover us!” his three followers chimed in at once. After all, they’d lost their bound spirits fighting for him.

  “I don’t have the cash.”

  Yang Quan’s mouth twitched, and he finally caved. “My second uncle just watches a parking lot.”

  “??? ”

  The entire class went completely still.

  Then why the hell had he been strutting around like he was some big-shot gangster? They’d actually bought his act…

  Yang Quan laughed dryly. “A parking lot’s still a ‘place’ to run security for, y’know…”

  “…”

  Everyone’s eyes twitched. They never could’ve seen this coming.

  “Bro…”

  Now that the truth was out, Yang Quan didn’t care about saving face anymore. He begged:

  “Give us our bound spirits back. We really are sorry…”

  “No cash, so my effort was for nothing?” John frowned, then said:

  “Each of you writes an argumentative essay praising me. And you read it out loud from the podium in class tomorrow!”

  “…”

  The four fell dead silent.

  They weren’t real students—they’d been dropouts and layabouts, only let into the academy because they had bound spirits. They barely knew how to write a sentence, let alone an essay…

  And this was straight-up humiliating!

  “No essay? Then say hello to the toilet.”

  “We’ll write it! We will!”

  The four caved immediately, not daring to refuse.

  “Better.”

  John flicked his wrist and tossed the bound spirits back at them.

  He had no use for them anyway…

  “From now on, anyone who wants to challenge me better bring cash first!”

  John raised an eyebrow, deciding he’d milk this for all it was worth.

  He was taking Ron’s sparring fee, and he’d collect challenge fees from anyone dumb enough to pick a fight too…

  The class said nothing, quietly resuming their sparring. They’d all made up their minds to leave John alone—

  At least for now.

  They’d only stand a chance once they broke through and became Grade 1 Spirit Wielders…

  With John in the mix, the entire Spirit Wielding class was suddenly fired up, throwing themselves into training like never before.

  …

  10 PM that night.

  “William, I’m out.”

  John slung his bag over his shoulder, ready to leave the classroom.

  He hadn’t expected the Spirit Wielding Class had evening self-study, just to review what they’d learned during the day…

  “Bro, why don’t you stay in the dorms? It’s super dangerous outside right now.”

  “Maybe later.” John shook his head. He had no plans to move in anytime soon.

  If the Ghostly Mask gave him medicine while he was on campus, and Ron caught wind of it…

  He’d never be able to talk his way out of it.

  A little while later,

  John was riding a shared bike, enjoying the cool night breeze, his mind clear and sharp.

  “I need to corner Ron tomorrow. Ask him when we’ll get actual supernatural missions…” he muttered to himself.

  Besides studying, he had to take his “medicine” every now and then…

  Otherwise, those Spirit Wielding brats might actually catch up to him…

  Just as John was thinking, a pale white figure appeared not far ahead, waving at him…

  “Huh?”

  John jolted. He immediately swerved the bike in a sharp drift and turned around to bolt.

  Even though he was too far for the warm tingle in his chest to go off,

  he recognized that outfit at a single glance—it was the Faceless Woman from that night!

  Just one look at her back then had made him feel the cold breath of death. Even now that he was stronger, he wanted nothing to do with her.

  Just as John thought he’d escaped,

  the same white figure appeared in front of him again, still waving.

  “What the hell is wrong with this thing? I get waving for a taxi, but a shared bike?!”

  John’s mouth twitched, but he didn’t turn around again. Instead, he pedaled straight ahead, planning to race back to the academy for backup.

  The second they drew level,

  John saw it clearly: her face was as blank as a sheet of white paper, with no facial features at all—horrifying beyond words.

  He rode past without slowing down for even a second.

  But a faint, bone-chilling cold lingered on him, unshakable.

  In that moment, John knew—he was being targeted.

  “Don’t push me…”

  He licked his lips and reached into his backpack, where the monstrous syringe was tucked away.

  A few seconds later,

  John felt a heavy weight drop onto his back, and an unbearable cold spread through his body in an instant.

  He sensed something was wrong and instinctively turned his head to the side—

  and stared straight into that blank, paper-white face, resting right on his shoulder!

  The Faceless Woman was draped over his back like a lover.

  John’s gaze turned icy cold, but on his face, he put on a soft, gentle smile. He stared right at her and praised her earnestly:

  “Girlie… your facial features are so sculpted.”