During Elise's recovery, Lucien sat cross-legged on the sofa and quietly adjusted his breathing.
At the same time—
he began attempting something he had never tried before.
Manifesting his Yin Spirit.
The Daoist cultivation texts he had been reading contained records regarding the Yin Spirit and the Yang Spirit.
Pure Yin without Yang became a ghost.
A mixture of Yin and Yang became a Yin Spirit.
Pure Yang without Yin became a Yang Spirit.
When ordinary people died, their Yin Spirit left the body and transformed into wandering souls.
As for cultivators whose spiritual power had not yet fully matured but who forced their spirits to leave early—
that was called the Yin Spirit.
When it emerged, some people saw flowing white light in their vision like a river passing before their eyes. This meant the spirit exited through the eyes.
Others heard sounds of bells, flutes, chimes, and music. This meant the spirit emerged through the ears.
Because Yang energy had not fully developed, it couldn't easily pass through the Heavenly Gate and instead traveled through other methods.
Once released, the spirit wandered freely through mountains and rivers, through streets and cities.
However—
it possessed many limitations.
It could manifest form, but not divide into multiple forms.
It could travel among humans, but couldn't truly fly or transform.
And during the peak of summer, under blazing sunlight—
the Yin Spirit would instinctively avoid it.
No matter how elegant and immortal it appeared—
it still carried traces of ghostly nature.
Lucien had never attempted this before.
Compared to a complete Yang Spirit, a Yin Spirit had too many weaknesses.
But if he wanted to enter that strange world Elise mentioned—
he had no other choice.
The cultivation technique Lucien practiced, the Huangting Scripture, belonged to the orthodox Daoist internal alchemy lineage.
After reaching the Jade Purity Realm, manifesting a Yin Spirit was not particularly difficult.
Soon—
Lucien suddenly saw a stream of white light before him.
Then his vision shifted.
The next moment, he discovered himself standing in the center of the room.
Not far away—
his own body still sat cross-legged on the sofa.
Eyes closed.
Breathing steadily.
Success.
Even Lucien himself hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.
First attempt.
Direct success.
However—
the environment around him remained unchanged.
There was no darkness.
No icy atmosphere.
No signs of entering another dimension.
Everything looked exactly the same.
Lucien moved his arms slightly.
Everything felt normal.
After confirming things briefly, he returned to his body.
Soul and body reunited.
Lucien slowly opened his eyes.
"Lucien... just now..."
Among everyone present, only Elise had seen his soul leaving his body.
As a medium herself, she stared at him in complete confusion.
"Now that your soul returned..." Elise hesitated. "How are you planning to accompany me into that world?"
Lucien immediately understood her misunderstanding.
She subconsciously assumed his soul projection consumed enormous energy like hers did.
"Don't worry."
"I use a special technique."
"It's not a problem."
Compared with Elise—
Lucien's soul strength and cultivation had already reached an entirely different level.
Something like simple soul projection barely consumed any energy at all.
He could repeat it immediately.
Elise nodded slowly.
"I see..."
Then she suddenly looked at him with curiosity.
"Lucien... is this some kind of special physique?"
"No."
Lucien shook his head.
"It's cultivation."
Silence.
Elise froze.
Then her eyes widened.
"You mean..." she said carefully, "ordinary people can learn these Eastern techniques too?"
Lucien nodded calmly.
"If their talent is good enough."
For a moment—
envy flashed across Elise's face.
"That's wonderful."
"If I were younger..." she sighed softly, "...I'd want to learn too."
Their conversation immediately attracted Tucker and Glasses.
The two nearly jumped from their seats.
Wait—
astral projection could be learned?!
Holy crap.
Forget ghost hunting.
They wanted apprenticeship applications immediately.
Glasses quickly adjusted his spectacles and stood up.
"Mr. Lucien."
"My name is Glasses. Male. Twenty-four. Single—"
"I'm not accepting disciples."
Lucien interrupted immediately.
The path of cultivation was complicated.
Some things could be taught.
Many others required personal enlightenment.
That was why cultivators always said:
A master leads you to the door; cultivation depends on yourself.
But that didn't mean masters were unimportant.
On the contrary—
a truly capable guide was priceless.
Unfortunately—
Lucien's own cultivation path had been far too smooth.
If a disciple asked him how to break through a bottleneck—
what was he supposed to say?
"Sorry. I don't really have bottlenecks."
Some geniuses simply weren't suitable teachers.
Obstacles ordinary people struggled with for years were like pebbles beneath their feet.
Perhaps after reaching a higher realm, Lucien could explain things more clearly.
But for now—
forget it.
While everyone chatted, Sean silently watched from nearby.
By now, even he understood.
The young man who arrived last...
was the true expert.
"Master Lucien!"
Sean suddenly stood.
"My daughter's life is in your hands now!"
"If Quinn can be saved—"
"I'll pay any amount!"
Lucien frowned slightly.
Before he could speak, Elise immediately interrupted:
"Alright."
"It's time."
"My psychic abilities have recovered."
"We should go save Quinn now."
Lucien casually took out two talismans.
Then he handed one to Elise.
She blinked.
Completely confused.
Only souls could enter that world.
External objects couldn't be taken inside.
So what was this for?
Lucien explained calmly:
"Protective talisman."
"It protects your body after your soul leaves."
"It prevents evil spirits from stealing your body."
Then he looked at Elise strangely.
"...You don't use protective measures?"
Elise's expression instantly became awkward.
Protective talismans existed.
But fake ones vastly outnumbered real ones.
And before meeting Lucien—
she had never imagined external objects could provide this level of protection.
Suddenly—
countless years of entering dangerous dimensions flashed through her mind.
Cold sweat instantly formed.
After this was over—
she was definitely buying several more.
Absolutely.
Silently making plans, Elise pressed the talisman tightly against her chest.
Soon—
everyone sat down in a circle once again.
Candles were lit.
Hands joined together.
Lucien alone sat slightly outside the circle.
Cross-legged.
Eyes closed.
As their souls left their bodies—
darkness suddenly spread outward.
A pitch-black world swallowed everything.
White mist flowed across the ground.
Darkness surrounded all directions.
Lucien slowly opened his eyes.
Success.
They had entered the Other Side.
Elise immediately moved closer and whispered:
"Lucien... be careful."
"Everything that happens here affects reality too."
"This place gathers countless suffering souls."
"If they realize we're living people..."
"...they'll gather."
"They'll imprison us."
"They'll steal from us—"
Halfway through speaking—
Elise suddenly stopped.
Because she saw Lucien walking away.
He reached out.
Then casually moved a nearby lamp.
Then a chair.
Then a cabinet.
"...Lucien?"
Elise blinked.
"What are you doing?"
Lucien rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So these things can be touched too..."
He muttered softly.
The moment she heard those words—
a terrible feeling suddenly rose inside Elise's heart.
Her instincts screamed at her.
The young man before her...
seemed to be thinking about something extremely dangerous.
Something very, very dangerous.