Chapter 661 - 661: Humans Have Life Charts, Ghosts Have Spirit Grades

Zhao Yuan was stunned. "A special Ghost Soul? What does that mean?" he asked in surprise.

Ying Ji didn't answer Zhao Yuan's question right away. Instead, she circled Zhao Mei several times, muttering incantations under her breath. An eerie light flickered in her pupils, and her nose twitched continuously as she discerned the scent.

"What is she doing?" Lin Xue asked quietly.

Zhao Yuan replied, "She's analyzing its Qi to identify the ghost. It's a Secret Technique from the Witch and Priest School that allows one to determine a Ghost Soul's various characteristics by observing and smelling its Ghost Qi."

Two minutes later, Ying Ji stopped and said with certainty, "Just as I thought. It is a special Ghost Soul!"

Only then did she answer Zhao Yuan's earlier question. "Humans have Life Charts, and ghosts have Spirit Grades. A special Ghost Spirit is one whose Spirit Grade is extremely rare and utterly unique."

"For example, during the Chu-Han Contention, the Overlord Xiang Yu took his own life at the Wujiang River. Carrying immense Evil Qi, resentment, and an unyielding will, he transformed into a Celestial Spirit Level Ghost Soul. That alone wouldn't have been so terrifying, but Xiang Yu also possessed a very special and rare Overlord Spirit Grade. This massively boosted his power to the Ghost Immortal Level, and he charged into the army formations, seeking to kill Liu Bang and avenge his Jiangdong disciples and Yu Ji!"

"In the end, the Strategist Saint Zhang Liang, the Military Immortal Han Xin, and the Bright Minister Xiao He had to join forces. They gathered the Yang Qi, Blood Qi, and Killing Qi of hundreds of thousands of soldiers to lay down an unparalleled Grand Array. Only then could they suppress Xiang Yu's soul and stop his rampage. But they only managed to suppress him, not destroy him. The reason wasn't how powerful a Ghost Immortal Level being is, but that the Overlord Spirit Grade is not so easily shattered!"

This fantastical piece of history, of course, would not be recorded in official historical texts. It's rarely even mentioned in unofficial histories. But in the Cultivation Realm, it's not just the ancient texts of the Witch and Priest School that record this event; many other schools have similar accounts.

Cheng Haoyu, who had read a similar account in a book, chimed in. "Now that Sister Ying mentions it, I remember this. I did read in an ancient text an account of 'Xiang Yu, unreconciled to death, becoming a ghost to seek revenge, only to be subdued by the Three Heroes of the Early Han.' But because that book wasn't a text from the Witch and Priest School, it wasn't privy to the inner details, so the account wasn't very thorough."

Zhao Yuan didn't doubt Ying Ji's words, because she had no reason to deceive him.

He asked curiously, "Can you tell what Spirit Grade Zhao Mei has?"

Ying Ji looked a little embarrassed and shook her head. "I've only just entered the Qi Listening Realm, so I'm not proficient enough. Once I've stabilized my cultivation in this realm for a while, I might be able to discern its Spirit Grade."

"I see." Zhao Yuan was a little disappointed. 'Right now, what I'm most curious about is just how special Zhao Mei's Spirit Grade is.'

Seeing his disappointment, Ying Ji suggested, "Why don't you go see our Ancestor and have her take a look at Zhao Mei? My skill isn't enough, but our Ancestor can definitely discern Zhao Mei's Spirit Grade."

Zhao Yuan was tempted. "I'm just afraid I'd be bothering her."

Ying Ji smiled. "You won't be. Our Ancestor would be thrilled if you went to chat with her more often. Besides, I suggest you get Zhao Mei's Spirit Grade identified sooner rather than later. The cultivation method for a special Ghost Soul is different from that of an ordinary one. If you can't tailor the training to its abilities, at best, you'll waste the benefits of its special Spirit Grade. At worst, an unsuitable cultivation method could cause it to suffer Qigong Deviation!"

Hearing this, Zhao Yuan immediately grew serious and nodded. "Alright, once I'm past this busy period in a few days, I'll take Zhao Mei to see her and ask her to help identify Zhao Mei's Spirit Grade. Please give your Ancestor a heads-up for me first."

"Don't worry, I will," Ying Ji readily agreed.

After they finished discussing the special Spirit Grade, she became very curious about Zhao Mei's origins and began asking a series of questions.

After hearing Zhao Yuan's story, she said, filled with righteous indignation, "What a vicious method! To think there are still people in this day and age who create and practice Ghost Cultivation through live sacrifice! It's a good thing he's already dead. Otherwise, my Ying Family, along with several other Witchcraft and Divination Families and Witchcraft Sects, would have definitely issued a kill order and hunted him down relentlessly!"

Then, Ying Ji mused, "It seems the reason Zhao Mei has a special Spirit Grade is closely related to being born in a yin year, on a yin month, yin day, and at a yin hour, as well as the special circumstances of her death."

Zhao Yuan nodded and sighed. "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Even though Zhao Mei can't understand human speech, she's very clever and can guess the content of our conversation from our expressions. I don't want to make her recall any bad memories."

Ying Ji glanced at Zhao Yuan, then at Zhao Mei, and said sincerely, "She's lucky to have a Spirit Master like you."

But Zhao Yuan shook his head and corrected her, "I'm the lucky one. And we don't have a master-servant relationship. We're friends, family."

Ying Ji smiled. "Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease."

She turned her gaze to Lin Xue and Zhao Ling and apologized first. "I'm sorry, you two. My professional instincts kicked in, and I didn't greet you right away. Please forgive me."

Then she said with a confident air, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Ying Ji, and I'm a Cultivator from the Witch and Priest School. If you two need any help from me in the future, just say the word."

If the people of the Ying Family saw Ying Ji's behavior right now, they would be utterly astonished!

From a young age, Ying Ji had displayed immense talent for cultivation and had always been raised by the Ying Family as a genius. This, in turn, had made her somewhat arrogant. Ordinary Cultivators weren't even worthy of her notice, let alone polite treatment.

Normally, Lin Xue and Zhao Ling, being mere rookie Cultivators who had just started, would never have caught Ying Ji's eye. But one must not forget: one was Zhao Yuan's sister, and the other was his girlfriend. Backed by someone like Zhao Yuan, a person who could seemingly create miracles out of thin air, their future achievements would be anything but low!

Besides, slighting these two might make Zhao Yuan even angrier than slighting him directly. Although Ying Ji was arrogant, she wasn't stupid. How could she make such a low-level mistake?

It wasn't just Ying Ji; Hao Li and Cheng Haoyu also came up at this time to greet Lin Xue and Zhao Ling politely. Despite joking on the phone that they were Zhao Yuan's brothers-in-law, now that they were face-to-face, they knew how to act appropriately and didn't make any foolish jokes.

After everyone had gotten acquainted, Zhao Yuan asked Cheng Haoyu curiously, "Didn't you say you were bringing a lot of female companions? Where are they?"