Heaven and Earth, the body and soul, five elements intertwining. The body and mind move with the flow of five energies. The Dao itself is born of energy, and a person’s essence is shaped by spirit.

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A nameless little a sinister, ghostly force, and yet it has made me, as a Cultivator, so helpless.

A surge of anger rose in my chest, my mind heated up, and without thinking, I tightened my grip on Xiao Man’s limbs. Slowly, I lowered my head, concentrating my spirit, focusing my mind on the spot between my eyebrows, where my soul’s center, the Mud Pill Palace, was located. I aimed it at the spot between Xiao Man’s brows, where the a sinister, ghostly force had possessed her.

Around me, I heard the shocked voices of my classmates and our beautiful English teacher, Ms. Lü Yanling, but I paid no attention to their strange reactions.

As soon as our foreheads touched, I lost all awareness of the outside world. In that moment, I felt as if I had been electrocuted, and then, in a daze, I seemed to enter a strange space.

It was like being in an endless, dark void. In front of me, Xiao Man stood, her eyes filled with autumnal charm. She was enveloped in black mist, holding an ancient bronze mirror, casually applying makeup, and giving me flirtatious glances.

But I keenly noticed a flash of panic in her eyes.

Was this Xiao Man? Or was it the Xiao Man possessed by the a sinister, ghostly force?

I asked, "Who are you? Where is this place?"

The black mist swirling around Xiao Man parted slightly, and she lazily lifted her eyelids, her voice dripping with seduction, "I don't know where this is. Can you tell me?"

From all my reading on cultivation and the tales of immortals, I realized that this might be Xiao Man’s divine realm. As I looked at her, covered in black mist, I pondered how I could destroy the a sinister, ghostly force.

Taking a step forward, the black mist surrounding Xiao Man stirred and swirled, slowly retreating to her feet. As the mist dispersed, Xiao Man’s seductive shoulders, perky chest, delicate waist, rounded hips, and long, slender legs gradually became visible.

The mist swirled around her feet, and Xiao Man spun around, naked, before me. With a slight parting of her lips, she asked, "Do you think I'm beautiful?"

Her face seemed to be glowing with a honeyed allure…

I was momentarily entranced. Her voice was intoxicating, and as my gaze traveled from top to bottom and back up again, I felt my heart race, dry-mouthed.

Hmm... I don’t know why, but I suddenly thought of a film about a "Char Siu Bao" (BBQ pork bun). I jolted myself awake and absent-mindedly responded, "Yes, you are very beautiful."

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I smiled, wondering what other tricks she had up her sleeve. I was curious.

Heh... Amitabha Buddha!

Seeing my reaction, Xiao Man, possessed by the a sinister, ghostly force, turned around, the black mist swirling again. She took out an ancient book bound in thread and gently waved it in front of me.

Her voice became even more alluring as she spoke, "Want it? This is an unparalleled martial arts manual. If you want it, just say the word. You can learn supreme martial arts, and with a few shakes of your body, you’ll radiate such an aura that many underlings will beg you to be their leader. Think about it, how impressive!"

An unparalleled martial arts manual? Could this be something like those coveted treasures fought over by the legendary heroes and villains in the movies? I could feel my mouth watering, and I blinked, wondering if I should take it.

For a moment, I seemed to forget that Xiao Man was possessed by the a sinister, ghostly force, that I was a Cultivator, and that I didn’t even know how I ended up here.

Her eyes sparkled with dazzling, seductive stars as she took a step closer, waving the book in front of me.

"‘The Sunflower Manual’"—the words caught my attention, and I snapped out of it. Cold sweat instantly covered my body.

Damn, I didn’t say anything to Xiao Man possessed by the a sinister, ghostly force. I just raised my middle finger at her.

She paused for a moment, looked at the book in her hand, and then smiled knowingly. The book disappeared, and in its place, the bronze mirror appeared again.

She gently waved her hand, and the mirror emitted a flash of light, cutting through the darkness and revealing a sliver of white light.

"Do you see it? Step into it. Inside is a world of unimaginable beauty—there are exquisite elf maidens, tender mermaids, alluring cat-girls, pure celestial beings, and enchanting demon princesses..."

Before she could finish, I interrupted with a smile, "Is there also an orc with large pores?"

The possessed Xiao Man stared at me in confusion, but then she didn’t give up, continuing, "You don’t want to go to that world? What about the Tang Dynasty, where you could dual-cultivate with beautiful women? Or maybe you’d prefer marrying a celestial sister from the ‘Heavenly Dragon Eight Parts’?"

"Enough." I suddenly felt irritable. Coldly, I told the ghostly possessed Xiao Man, "It’s you who should go. You should leave here immediately."

She completely ignored my anger, her voice dripping with pitiful pleading. "You don’t want to go? Well then, just tell me where you want to go, and I’ll know. Just tell me, and I’ll understand..."

"Ahhh...!" Her constant talking was driving me mad. I felt my head about to explode, and I thought to myself, If I died now, would it be better?

But just as I was about to find something to end it all, I saw a strange smile form on the corner of Xiao Man’s lips. Cold sweat poured from me as I forced myself to stay calm.

Suddenly, I realized that I was a Cultivator and that this was Xiao Man’s divine realm. I remembered I had the mysterious Xuanhuang Flag.

I realized my emotions shouldn’t be so easily swayed by her. Why was that? Was it because I was in the Heart Moving Stage of cultivation and my mind was not yet firm? I shuddered at the thought.

With a thought, the Xuanhuang Flag appeared in my hand, and instantly, the dark space became a storm of lightning and thunder. Xiao Man’s possessed form recoiled in fear, retreating quickly.

I froze in panic. If the lightning struck and shattered the a sinister, ghostly force along with Xiao Man’s soul, wouldn’t that mean her destruction?

But before I could put away the Xuanhuang Flag, the retreating Xiao Man, surrounded by black mist, was swept by a fierce wind. "Ahhh!" A shrill, unwilling scream rang out, and only a faint, naked Xiao Man remained, collapsed on the ground.

Her body twitched gently as I muttered to myself: "Thank goodness. Thank goodness."

I withdrew my spiritual senses and immediately regained my awareness of the outside world. Panting, I stumbled away from Xiao Man, who was now unconscious, and sank to the side, exhausted.

"Zhang Santong? Why did you knock Xiao Man out?"

The crisp, surprised voice of Ms. Lü Yanling suddenly reached my ears, and before I could respond, I collapsed into a deep sleep.