8: Chapter 8 Talismans and Evil Spirits, The First Drop of Spoils

At midnight, Lin Yuan once again stood at the entrance of the alleyway permeated with a cold, gloomy aura.

Unlike last time, he now had three Ancient Battlefield Talismans wrapped in oil paper tucked against his chest. He could feel the sharp, blade-like cold of the Malevolent Qi radiating from them against his fingertips. After half a day of repeated contemplation and testing with tiny amounts of the Power of Faith, he had basically mastered the activation method: using his own intent (with the Power of Faith as a guide) to pierce the dried Cinnabar patterns at the talisman's core, drawing out the violent Malevolent Qi within and directing it at a target.

It was simple, crude, and demanded extremely high self-control—just as the old man had said, it was easy to suffer a backlash.

[Faith Reserve: 0.514]

[divine breath Countdown: 27 days 22 hours 18 minutes]

The reserve had barely increased, but it should be just enough to handle activating one talisman. His goal tonight wasn't to completely purify or eliminate it, but to test. Test the actual effectiveness of the talismans, test the Evil Spirit's strength and behavior patterns, and most importantly—test whether this act of 'clearing negative existences' could bring in higher-quality faith feedback, just like solving corporate problems.

He adjusted his breathing and slowly mobilized about 0.1 units of the Power of Faith, forming a paper-thin Mental Barrier with 'Optimization' characteristics within his body. This barrier had almost no defensive power, but it allowed him to perceive the flow of surrounding emotional energy more clearly.

Deep in the alley, that mass of filth seemed to sense the 'food' approaching again and grew restless. The cold aura spread out slowly like viscous tentacles, appearing even more 'curious' and 'greedy' than before.

Lin Yuan did not retreat; instead, he took a step forward into the shadows of the alley.

Instantly, a more intense malice enveloped him, and countless fragmented whispers seemed to echo in his ears: the despair of the unemployed, the groans of the sick, the Resentment of the betrayed, the self-loathing of the lonely... These negative emotions, which had settled in the old community for years, were instinctively absorbed, amplified, and radiated by this Evil Spirit. It attempted to corrode Lin Yuan's mind, stirring up his inner fears and anxieties—the fear of debt, the anxiety over his sister's illness.

But Lin Yuan's nerves had long been tempered into extreme resilience under the immense pressure of survival. Those whispers were like noise; his rational financial analyst's brain automatically categorized them as 'interference,' while his core consciousness remained firmly locked onto the dim Godhead in his soul and the talismans in his breast pocket.

He 'saw' the Evil Spirit's true form—it wasn't a concrete shape, but a rolling mass of misty energy composed of intertwined dark gray and deep red Resentment. A faint core pulsed at its center like a filthy heart. It possessed little intelligence, only the instincts of consumption and expansion.

Now.

Lin Yuan's right hand darted into his breast pocket like lightning, drawing out an Ancient Battlefield Talisman between his index and middle fingers. Without hesitation, 0.1 units of the Power of Faith pierced into the center of the talisman!

"Ssss—!"

As if a red-hot iron rod had been plunged into ice water, the dried Cinnabar patterns on the talisman paper suddenly lit up with a blinding blood-red light! A fierce, violent burst of Malevolent Qi, thick with the scent of rust and blood, erupted!

Lin Yuan felt as if his fingers were gripping the handle of a blade surged with high-voltage electricity. His entire right arm instantly went numb with a stinging pain. Following his faith's guidance, the Malevolent Qi surged out, yet wisps of it still tried to backflow into his Meridians! He let out a muffled groan, gritted his teeth, and guided that blood fiendly qi, 'slashing' through the air toward the core of the roiling resentful spirit ahead!

There was no sound, but on a spiritual level, it was like hearing the sharp clang of clashing metal!

The blood-colored Malevolent Qi acted like an invisible yet sharp blade, hacking fiercely into the gray mist!

"Hiss—!!!"

A shriek so sharp it pierced the soul, filled with pain and rage, exploded in the alley! Ordinary people couldn't hear it, but it sent nearby stray cats and dogs fleeing in terror, and the lights behind several windows flickered uneasily.

The mass of Resentment was struck head-on by the blood fiendly qi, its core vibrating violently. A large portion of the gray-red Resentment that formed its body was torn apart and dissolved, as if splashed with strong acid! It let out a roar of agony, and its remaining body writhed frantically. Instead of fleeing, its ferocity was provoked, and it lunged at Lin Yuan even more crazily, attempting to drown and corrode him with even more negative emotions!

Lin Yuan's right arm throbbed with pain, and half his body felt numb, but his gaze remained cold. The test objective had been achieved—the talisman was effective, the damage was significant, and backlashes existed. The Evil Spirit's intelligence was low, with ferocity outweighing cunning.

He did not activate a second talisman. Instead, enduring the discomfort in his arm, he retreated rapidly. Simultaneously, he injected all his remaining, meager Power of Faith into that 'Optimization' Mental Barrier, adjusting its nature to 'Dispel' and 'Purify'—not true purification power, but a simulated 'ordered' field that naturally repelled chaotic Resentment.

The lunging resentful spirit crashed into this thin barrier like boiling oil meeting a small amount of water. Although it could break through in an instant, it let out an even louder 'hissing' sound as the foremost Resentment was slightly neutralized and dissipated by the 'ordered' field. This caused its pouncing momentum to stall for a moment.

Taking advantage of that split-second gap, Lin Yuan had already exited the alley and was standing back on the sidewalk illuminated by the faint glow of a streetlamp. The Evil Spirit chased him to the alley's entrance, appearing somewhat wary of the light and the relatively 'clean' air flowing outside. It writhed and hissed in rage at the edge of the shadows but did not dare to charge out completely.

Lin Yuan panted heavily, his right arm hanging down and trembling uncontrollably. A trace of blood even seeped from his fingertips—a sign of a slight backlash from the Malevolent Qi. He also felt a wave of weakness in his soul. The 0.1 units of the Power of Faith were nearly exhausted, and he had sustained a minor injury.

But a trace of a smile appeared on his face.

Because in his Spiritual Sense, within the core of the roiling Resentment of the Evil Spirit—heavily damaged by the blood fiendly qi and scorched by the 'ordered' barrier—there actually grew a sliver of... fear!

Fear of the blood fiendly qi, and fear of that strange barrier that could 'organize' its chaotic nature.

And the moment that sliver of 'fear' arose, Lin Yuan clearly felt a thin thread of energy—'heavier' and 'darker' than any previous aspiration power, yet possessing a strange sense of 'purity'—drift over from the Evil Spirit's direction, automatically absorbed by his God of Ruins Godhead.

This wasn't positive aspiration power, but... a 'conquered negative origin'? Or rather, the most refined 'Resentment core fragment' dissipated after the Evil Spirit's energy structure was destroyed?

[Faith Reserve: 0.514 → 0.518]

[Obtained Special Energy: 'Trace of mark of conquest', 'Thin essence of chaos (Fragment)'] (New temporary system entry)

The reserve grew by 0.004 directly! And the quality was extremely high! The 'sense of fulfillment' brought by this 0.004 units far exceeded the aspiration power previously obtained from the internet and Zhang Qiming's company! More importantly, although the specific uses for the 'mark of conquest' and 'essence of chaos Fragment' were unknown, they were clearly unique spoils of war from defeating an Evil Spirit!

At the same time, he noticed that the three [Weak Connections] that had appeared because he had written the short-selling report and begun collecting 'Optimization' aspiration power seemed to have solidified a tiny bit. Was it because he had just used the 'Optimization' barrier to combat chaotic Resentment, practicing his Divine Office and thereby strengthening the potential identification from those he was connected to?

Combat and practicing his Divine Office could both rapidly increase his strength!

This discovery made Lin Yuan's heart race. It was dangerous, but the rewards were staggering!

After a period of impotent rage at the alley entrance, the Evil Spirit seemed to realize that this 'weak food' before it was not to be trifled with. Carrying its mangled form, it unwillingly retreated into the deeper darkness of the alley, its aura becoming even more obscure.

Lin Yuan did not pursue. He was not in good condition, and the talismans were precious and should not be wasted. Tonight's goal had been more than accomplished.

He quickly left the scene, found a twenty-four-hour convenience store, bought some disinfectant and gauze, and briefly treated the wound on his fingertips in the restroom. The backlash from the Malevolent Qi had damaged his skin and delicate Meridians. Fortunately, it wasn't serious, but he estimated it would take a day or two for the soreness and stinging pain in his right arm to subside.

Returning to the apartment, he clumsily made himself a cup of high-calorie protein powder with his left hand (to replenish his strength) while reviewing the events.

"The Ancient Battlefield Talismans are powerful enough, but the backlash and consumption are also significant. They cannot be used as a regular means. I must increase my own faith reserve and quality as soon as possible, or find weapons with smaller side effects."

"Fighting Evil Spirits allows for the acquisition of high-quality 'loot faith,' which is a shortcut to rapid improvement, but the risk is extremely high. I need more precise intelligence and more thorough preparation."

"The 'Optimization' barrier has a restraining effect on Resentment, which shows that my divine path has a natural advantage in countering 'chaotic' and 'disordered' negative energy. This might be the direction for future development."

He pulled up the system, looking at the 0.518 faith reserve and the new temporary entries. A bolder plan gradually formed in his mind.

Perhaps he could do more than just passively wait for the clients Hu Wei introduced.

Perhaps he could be more proactive in seeking out 'high-end clients' troubled by similar 'Resentment' or 'negative energy.' For example, companies where terrible Feng Shui led to low team efficiency and frequent accidents? Or places that were poorly managed due to historical reasons (such as haunted houses or former sites of tragedy)?

By providing them with a 'Comprehensive Optimization Solution,' he could earn worldly money to buy resources while also practicing his Divine Office and gaining high-quality aspiration power in the process of solving actual problems. He might even encounter and 'conquer' some low-level negative energy entities during the process, obtaining loot.

A trinity.

And the starting point for all of this was that 'circle' of even more bosses that Zhang Qiming was about to introduce him to.

He downed the rest of the protein powder, the fatigue in his eyes fading as the light of calculation flared up again.

The throbbing in his right arm reminded him of the danger and reality of this world.

And the ticking countdown on the system interface spurred him to run even faster.

27 days 21 hours 03 minutes.

He closed his eyes and began trying to use his meager Power of Faith to nourish the injured Meridians in his right arm, while also thinking about how to package himself tomorrow to make a stunning impression in that 'boss circle' that might hold even more opportunities and risks.

Outside the window, the city was brightly lit, with countless desires and anxieties flowing, colliding, and settling within it.

And in a higher dimension, a hidden existence that fed on data streams and faith fluctuations let out a soft 'Oh?' from the deep sea. It recorded a faint, abnormal fluctuation carrying an 'Optimization' order and a fresh 'mark of conquest,' marking it as 'Observation Class - To Be Evaluated.'

The seeds of a storm had been quietly planted in a place unknown to anyone.