Chapter 20: Haunted Village? We Caught Tianmeng!
"Your practical exam score will determine whether you can stay in the Elite Class next semester."
Xueying pointed to the rows of task notices on the blackboard. "The missions are listed here. Choose yours, tear off the sticky note, register with me, and you're free to go."
"We will start with the first-grade students, then second-grade, and so on."
Lin Fan, being the only first-year student in the Elite Class, slowly walked up to the podium. He scanned the tasks, wanting to see everything before making a choice.
Suddenly, his eyes landed on a description at the bottom of the board.
It mentioned a soul beast spotted in the northern coastal area that looked like an ice silkworm.
Lin Fan's interest peaked. He focused on the details.
The mission was titled: "The Haunted Village."
Two weeks ago, a village on the northern coast began experiencing "ghostly" incidents. Villagers reported seeing flickering figures in the dead of night, followed by a chilling aura that left them paralyzed with terror.
Even stranger, food was vanishing.
Rice containers and vegetable baskets were found empty by morning. Even the fishermen noticed their catches were significantly smaller, as if an invisible thief was stealing fish straight out of their nets.
While panic was widespread, fortunately, no one had been killed.
One villager had managed to spot the culprit sneaking ashore. According to his description, the soul beast was crystal clear, resembling an ice silkworm from the Far North but with a unique difference: it had nine golden rings encircling its body from head to tail.
Spirit Hallhad sent investigators, but they couldn't find a single clue. Consequently, they issued a bounty specifically requesting a Spirit Master with Light, Death, Darkness, Evil, or Spiritual attributes.
Lin Fan's heart raced. Northern coast? Resembling an ice silkworm? Nine golden rings? Mental-type haunting?
What the hell is this if not the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm?!
He remembered from the original story that Tianmeng had once drifted at sea after leaving the Far North. This matched perfectly.
Without hesitation, Lin Fan tore off the task label and handed it to Teacher Xueying. "Teacher, I'll take this one—the supernatural phenomena in the coastal area."
Xueying frowned slightly. "Lin Fan, this mission baffled the investigators we sent before. Are you sure? You should think this through."
"I know what I'm doing, Teacher," Lin Fan smiled confidently.
Whether it was truly Tianmeng or just a rare mutation, it was worth the trip. If it was him, Lin Fan had just hit the jackpot. He was level 20 and needed a second ring. It was time to start the "God-Making Plan."
Xueying nodded. "Alright. You have two more mission slots. Do you want to pick others?"
"Just this one for now, Teacher. I need to focus."
After registering, Lin Fan went back to prepare.
He packed his Soul Guide tools, recovery pills, and healing elixirs.
He informed Bibi Dong about his choice and learned that his secret examiner for this task would be Yue Guan (Chrysanthemum Douluo).
The next day, Yue Guan and Lin Fan set off for the northern coast in a carriage. Since Lin Fan already knew Yue Guan was the examiner, there was no need for the Douluo to hide in the shadows; the "secret surveillance" turned into an "overt escort."
Upon arrival, they contacted the local Spirit Hall Sub-Hall.
The Hall Master assigned a deacon who had previously investigated the village to lead them.
The atmosphere in the village was heavy. Villagers looked tense and eyed Lin Fan—a stranger with suspicion.
Lin Fan found the village chief and demonstrated a bit of his soul power to gain his trust.
"Master, you must help us!" the chief pleaded. "Nobody dares to go out at night. Even the fishermen are terrified to go to sea."
"Don't worry, Village Chief," Lin Fan comforted him. "I'm here to resolve this. Tell me, where does the 'ghost' usually appear?"
"Mostly near the eastern shore, the village warehouses, and the main road. But it only shows up once every other day or so."
As night fell, Lin Fan went to the eastern shore alone.
The sea breeze was biting, carrying a sharp chill.
He spent the entire night patrolling, even circling the village, but found nothing.
The following night, he specifically asked Yue Guan to stay back.
He suspected the soul beast was sensing the powerful aura of a Title Douluo and staying hidden.
Still, nothing. Lin Fan began to worry.
Did Tianmeng already leave?
Just as he was starting to feel desperate, a voice suddenly echoed directly in his mindsharp, clear, and filled with shock.
"My 'premonition' was right! I actually found a human with a spiritual attribute here! Wait... a triple martial soul?!
And three extreme attributes?!
My god, what kind of monster have I encountered?!"
The voice continued, sounding almost emotional.
"It's a pity I can't cry, otherwise I'd be in tears right now!"
Lin Fan didn't bother acting surprised. He stood tall and spoke aloud to the empty air:
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End of this chapter...