"How is the contract established?"

"It's a simple magic circle. You exchange true names, and it will submit to you before your death."

"True name?"

"It's your real name."

As he spoke, Professor Su took out eight pieces of obsidian from the void and arranged them on the floor. He then produced candles, silver powder, and gold dust, meticulously drawing the magic circle with the silver and gold dust. He placed the eight obsidian stones at the four corners of the circle and lit four candles, creating curling smoke that merged into a mist. This mist did not disperse; instead, it began to shimmer, intertwining light and fog, enveloping Chen Xiang and the red bull.

"The contract needs a witness," Professor Su said seriously. "The gods of fairness and contracts will witness everything. They are gods of nature, devoid of subjective consciousness, wisdom, or soul—purely rational, akin to a machine."

Chen Xiang nodded, gradually being enveloped by the light and mist. He could no longer hear external sounds, and the outside world could not perceive what was happening within. He felt an inexplicable, intermittent connection with the red bull.

He heard ethereal sounds drifting from a distant, fog-shrouded mountain, infused with the taste of moonlight.

"Water and fire, moon and sun, yin and yang. Balance, justice. The center of loss and gain, the intersection of lack and completeness. I stand here, witnessing all. God, man, beast, plant—none are exceptions."

In the solemn voice, Chen Xiang saw the red bull lower its head and speak human words.

"My name..."

"Da Hei Niu (Big Black Bull)."

Chen Xiang looked at the fiery red bull, his lips twitching, deep in thought.

The solemn voice rang out again: "One true name has been established."

After a pause, Chen Xiang shook his head and softly stated, "My name is Chen Xiang."

Following a moment of silence, the solemn voice from the misty mountain echoed back, "True name... Error."

Chen Xiang was taken aback. Error?

Frowning, he hesitated, touching the crack on his wrist. Finally, he spoke again, "My name is Traveler."

"True name... Error."

Frustrated, he continued, "My name is Emperor Titan."

"True name... Error."

The solemn voice remained unyielding.

Another mistake? Chen Xiang was bewildered. Traveler had been a whim, but how could Emperor Titan be wrong?

After pondering for a long time, he recalled his name from his past life. Back on that Earth, devoid of gods or the extraordinary, his surname was rather unique—hardly anyone else had it in all of China...

Di.

His surname was Di.

"My name is Di Xiang."

"True name... has been established."

"Contract is complete!"

The solemn voice suddenly rose in volume, and Chen Xiang felt the faint, intermittent connection with the Disaster Bull suddenly solidify!

The Disaster Bull bent its front hooves, bowing its head to him.

"Moo!"

This was submission, loyalty—the greatest honor for the Disaster Bull clan throughout history.

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As the light and mist slowly dissipated, Professor Su asked with a smile, "Did it work? Why did it take so long?"

Chen Xiang shook his head without explanation, gently stroking the bull's head. "This guy's name is actually Da Hei Niu…"

Hearing this, Professor Su paused, then chuckled lightly.

Chen Xiang then asked, "Professor Su, can I just stuff souls or ghosts into Da Hei Niu's stomach? Is there an upper limit?"

"Upper limit?" Professor Su shook his head. "The Disaster Bull clan has a unique advantage; its stomach is like a small dimension, so theoretically, there shouldn't be an upper limit. However, it should also depend on its own level. This bull is currently an extraordinary being, so you can feed it some soul essence without needing to absorb it all yourself."

After a pause, he added with a smile, "The ruler of Dong Hongguo reportedly rose to power thanks to the Disaster Bull when he was still a prince… If you utilize the Disaster Bull well, it will become your greatest asset."

Chen Xiang nodded steadily, unable to resist asking, "Professor Su, why don't you want it?"

"Having it with me would be a waste," Professor Su replied casually. "You should not easily expose the existence of the Disaster Bull. Like its previous owner, you can hide it somewhere in the spirit realm, or let it disguise itself as an ordinary cow and follow you in reality."

After a pause, he continued, "I've already released the thousands of souls from this big… Da Hei Niu's stomach. Most of the souls have lost their bodies, so I sent them to the underworld. A small portion returned to their bodies, but you'll need to find new souls yourself… Don't go too far against nature."

Chen Xiang contemplated, then nodded, asking, "Professor, what's the difference between souls and ghosts?"

"There's definitely a difference," Professor Su thought for a moment before explaining. "Most souls are composed of soul essence and can go to the underworld, having a chance for reincarnation. Ghosts, on the other hand, are purely spiritual entities with very little soul essence, unable to reincarnate. They're more like the shells left behind when a person dies."

Chen Xiang understood roughly—one is the essence, the true spirit, while the other is the shell, the ‘power' of the soul.

After hesitating, he asked his final question: "Professor, how much soul essence can a soul or ghost produce?"

"Actually, there's no upper limit," Professor Su smiled. "The difference lies in the speed. If we consider the soul essence of an ordinary person to be a full portion, a high-quality soul can produce one portion of essence in about a month."

A soul produces one portion of essence monthly? Chen Xiang nodded slightly. If compared to interest on savings, that's about three percent daily...

"What about ghosts?" he inquired.

Professor Su shook his head. "Ghosts are shells, so they're much slower—about ten times slower."

Three tenths of a percent daily...

Chen Xiang nodded again, wanting to ask more, but Professor Su seemed pressed for time. Checking his watch, he waved goodbye.

As he stepped into the void, Professor Su reminded, "Remember, the basement of the apartment building next to the Holy Luo Plaza... Oh, I found traces of cultists in Jiuhuan; the Holy Luo Plaza seems to be a ritual site. Be careful when you go."

Chen Xiang thanked him, and when he looked up again, Professor Su had already vanished into the void.

In the void, Professor Su stood in a fold of space, not leaving immediately. Instead, he quietly observed the young man named Chen Xiang.

"The messenger of the Old Council, a devotee of the Void, seems to be more than that..."

He recalled the moment Chen Xiang had crushed an extraordinary being, faintly hearing whispers from the abyss at that time. Could it be the master of the abyss or that dancer's devotee?

"A dual devotee from the Old Council, now possessing the Disaster Bull... If he were to receive my gifts, how far could he go in the future?"

Professor Su smiled, a hint of regret crossing his face. "Unfortunately, I won't see it..."

As he murmured, he noticed the young man speaking to himself.

"Gone? If gone, just let me know."

"Hm?" Professor Su was surprised. Did he just notice me?

He shook off the thought, his voice piercing the folded space. "I'm gone; see you at the lecture."

With that, he truly stepped away.

In the room, upon hearing Professor Su's voice, Chen Xiang's expression didn't change. After waiting a moment, he muttered to himself, "Gone? If gone, just let me know."

"Gone!" the voice of the mirror chimed cheerfully. The Disaster Bull suddenly turned its head, confusedly searching for the source of the sound.

Chen Xiang patted the bull's head, smiling. "Mirror, how much of what Professor Su said is true or false?"

"From your perspective, it should all be true."

"Is the power of soul essence really that strong?"

"From your perspective, I've gone mad and don't remember much, but it's likely not far off. In my hazy memories, soul essence is indeed closely tied to authority. Authority itself has no upper limit, while soul essence determines the ‘upper limit' of what authority can achieve."

Chen Xiang pondered this, gently caressing the crack-like tattoo on his wrist, then looked at the Disaster Bull. "Good bull, come here, open your mouth."

The bull, still somewhat dazed, obediently opened its mouth wide.

In the next moment, a vague light emanated from the crack on Chen Xiang's wrist, illuminating the entire spacious room. The void rippled visibly as one ghost after another crawled out!

"Moo?"

The Disaster Bull perked up, its mouth opening even wider. The ghosts, bathed in the light, entered the bull's mouth in an orderly fashion. With each ghost that stepped in, the bull joyfully called out.

"Moo!"

"Moo! Moo! Moo! Moo! Moo…"

One hundred, two hundred, three hundred...

A thousand, three thousand, five thousand, ten thousand...

The Disaster Bull began to sense something was amiss. Over ten thousand ghosts entered its belly, yet the number of ghosts here seemed to not decrease at all; in fact, it kept increasing, growing more and more…

"Moo moo moo?"

The Disaster Bull grew terrified.