Chapter 660: The Ghost Art Pavilion (Part 1)
Eighteen Soul Pills were a massive sum for any ordinary Emissary of Death, and Yang Haoran, naturally, was no exception.
Having received eighteen Soul Pills, Yang Haoran was in high spirits, his smile deepening.
Xu Meijing sensed Yang Haoran's good mood, which only intensified the doubts in her heart.
If Yang Haoran hadn't handed over so many souls, but instead refined them into Soul Pills himself, the yield would certainly have been greater than what the Underworld provided. Thus, she truly couldn't fathom what he had to be so delighted about.
“The matter is settled. Let’s head back to the mortal realm quickly. There’s no need to delay here,” Xu Meijing said to Yang Haoran.
Xu Meijing was eager to return, not merely out of concern for potential trouble in Ancheng, but also to unravel the doubts gnawing at her heart.
“Don’t be in such a hurry. I also want to acquire some Ghost Arts from the Underworld to cultivate. That way, my combat strength can be significantly boosted,” Yang Haoran said.
Upon hearing this, Xu Meijing’s eyes lit up, as if Yang Haoran’s words had suddenly enlightened her.
“Do you know where we can get Ghost Arts? ” Yang Haoran asked.
If Xu Meijing knew, then he wouldn’t have to bother Jiang Dashi again. Conversely, if Xu Meijing didn’t know, he’d have no choice but to shamelessly trouble Jiang Dashi.
However, to his surprise, after he uttered those words, Xu Meijing actually looked at him with a strange expression.
“Wha. . . what’s wrong? ” Yang Haoran, discerning something from Xu Meijing’s gaze, asked with an embarrassed expression.
“Do you genuinely not know, or are you pretending not to know? ” Xu Meijing asked.
“Are you talking about how to acquire Ghost Arts? I genuinely don’t know that, and besides, I wouldn’t pretend in front of you, would I? ” Yang Haoran replied with a wry smile.
“My goodness, although we’re newcomers, we’ve at least been in our positions for a few years. You actually don’t even know how to acquire Ghost Arts,” Xu Meijing said, her face filled with disbelief.
These words made Yang Haoran extremely awkward, but at the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief, for it wasn’t hard to tell from Xu Meijing’s statement that she definitely knew how to acquire Ghost Arts.
“Heh heh, you know, you’ve always known more than me. Tell me the details,” Yang Haoran said with a smile.
Xu Meijing smiled, then shook her head helplessly.
“I genuinely can’t tell if you truly don’t know or if you’re just pretending, after all, you’re always playing dumb. ”
Yang Haoran was at a loss for words; he truly didn’t know this matter, but from Xu Meijing’s current attitude, she seemed not to believe him.
“My dear lady, I, Yang Haoran, can swear to the heavens that I truly don’t know. Just tell me quickly; we don’t have time to waste on this now,” Yang Haoran urged with a wry smile.
“Fine, whether you genuinely don’t know or are just pretending, I’ll tell you everything. Just consider it you satisfying my vanity,” Xu Meijing said with a laugh.
Yang Haoran knew that Xu Meijing still didn’t believe him, thinking he was, as always, intentionally feigning ignorance to satisfy her vanity.
He simply gave a helpless smile in response, offering no further explanation, and quietly awaited Xu Meijing’s continuation.
“Next to the Underworld Plaza, there’s a three-story pavilion called the Ghost Art Pavilion. This Ghost Art Pavilion is where the Underworld Office stores various Ghost Arts; if you want to acquire them, that’s where you go. ”
Xu Meijing didn’t continue to dwell on whether Yang Haoran was pretending or not and began to tell him about the Ghost Art Pavilion.
“Ghost Art Pavilion? ”
Yang Haoran’s brow furrowed slightly, as if he were trying to recall something.
Back then, he had also spent a few days wandering around the Underworld, but his focus during that time had been on the various shops within the Underworld. Furthermore, the Underworld was simply too vast; even after wandering for several days, he hadn't managed to explore every corner. Thus, he had no impression of this "Ghost Art Pavilion" Xu Meijing spoke of.
He thought for a moment, and indeed, no memory of the Ghost Art Pavilion appeared in his mind, so he shook his head, not dwelling on it further.
Xu Meijing, observing Yang Haoran’s reaction, saw that he truly seemed to know nothing about the Ghost Art Pavilion, and so she continued to explain.
“Whether it’s an Underworld Official from the mortal realm or a Ghost Official from the Underworld, both can enter the Ghost Art Pavilion to study Ghost Arts. This Ghost Art Pavilion is like a library in our mortal realm, except, unlike a mortal library, each entry into the Ghost Art Pavilion requires a certain number of Soul Pills, and the longer you stay inside, the more Soul Pills you’ll need to pay. ”
Yang Haoran’s brow twitched. While gaining a deeper understanding of the Ghost Art Pavilion, he also felt a pang of confusion in his heart.
“Is this Ghost Art Pavilion privately owned, or does it belong to our Underworld Office? ” Yang Haoran asked.
“Of course it’s official. Where would a private individual get so many Ghost Arts? ” Xu Meijing replied.
“Since it’s official, and we, their own people, still have to fork over Soul Pills to cultivate Ghost Arts, that’s just too. . . too exciting. ”
Yang Haoran had originally intended to say it was “too much of a rip-off,” but the words felt inappropriate as they reached his lips, so he quickly changed his phrasing.
“The officials must have their reasons for doing things this way; complaining won’t change the outcome,” Xu Meijing said with a laugh.
“Heh heh, I wasn’t complaining. I was just marveling a little. By the way, how does the Ghost Art Pavilion charge? If it’s one Soul Pill, how long can one stay inside? ” Yang Haoran asked with a smile.
“One Soul Pill only allows you to stay on the lowest floor of the Ghost Art Pavilion for an hour. The second floor of the Ghost Art Pavilion requires two Soul Pills per hour. The third floor of the Ghost Art Pavilion requires ten Soul Pills per hour,” Xu Meijing explained.
Yang Haoran’s facial expression stiffened. Although he had mentally prepared himself, he still hadn’t expected entry into the Ghost Art Pavilion to be so expensive, especially the third floor, which required a staggering ten Soul Pills for just one hour.
What did ten Soul Pills signify? It meant several years’ worth of salary for an ordinary Underworld Official. Yet, this fixed salary for several years was only enough to stay on the third floor of the Ghost Art Pavilion for a mere hour.
Moreover, for the same hour, the cost in Soul Pills for the second floor and the third floor of the Ghost Art Pavilion differed by a full five times. The disparity was simply too immense.
“The first floor of the Ghost Art Pavilion only contains ordinary Ghost Arts, which is why the Soul Pill cost is the lowest. The Ghost Arts on the second floor are far more powerful than those on the first, as they are all intermediate-level Ghost Arts. As for the third floor, the reason it’s so expensive is because the Ghost Arts there are all high-level Ghost Arts of the Underworld Office, whose caliber is far beyond what the second floor can compare to. As for the first floor, it’s even less comparable to the third,” Xu Meijing explained.
The exorbitant fees of the Ghost Art Pavilion truly exceeded Yang Haoran’s expectations. He now understood why he hadn’t obtained many Ghost Arts in Deng Feng’s villa back then: how could ordinary Underworld Officials afford to cultivate the Ghost Arts found in this Ghost Art Pavilion?
“To cultivate Ghost Arts, one doesn’t necessarily have to go to the Ghost Art Pavilion, right? ”
Yang Haoran lowered his voice and leaned close to Xu Meijing’s ear to ask.
The reason he asked this was because all the Ghost Arts he currently cultivated had not been acquired through the Ghost Art Pavilion. In other words, the Ghost Art Pavilion wasn’t the only way to cultivate Ghost Arts.
Xu Meijing nodded lightly, giving Yang Haoran an affirmative answer to his question.
“You’re right. You don’t necessarily have to go to the Ghost Art Pavilion to cultivate Ghost Arts. Ghost Arts acquired through other channels can also be cultivated. For example, obtaining Ghost Arts from other Underworld Officials is a good method. However, acquiring Ghost Arts from other Underworld Officials also requires paying a certain price, and even if you’re willing to pay, the other party might not necessarily be willing to impart the Ghost Art to you. ”
After a slight pause, Xu Meijing continued.
“There’s also a very important point: there isn’t much selectivity when acquiring Ghost Arts from other Underworld Officials. But entering the Ghost Art Pavilion is different. As long as you can afford enough Soul Pills, there will be a vast ocean of Ghost Arts for you to choose from and study. You can absolutely pick the Ghost Arts you like and that are suitable for your learning as much as possible. ”
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