101 The Enigmatic Sealed Village

Seven days passed swiftly. Each of us was forcibly assigned a high school student, and to my surprise, my partner turned out to be Feng Qian.

I was reluctant to involve someone I knew in such a life-or-death ordeal, but the orders had already been given, and there was no room for resistance.

Feng Qian naively believed the Scholar Training Camp was a genuine place for studying. I told him repeatedly that it was a sham—a deadly trap.

Yet Feng Qian refused to believe me, claiming I had become foolish from studying too much. I chose not to argue further, focusing instead on protecting my young charge during this trial.

By Chen Hao’s side was a frail boy, and Xue Ning had brought a girl. The six of us formed a small alliance. I didn’t see Sun Xiaoxiao here; perhaps she was assigned to the affiliated high school of University D.

After all, besides University D, this place was also an environment for enhancing abilities. The Scholar Training Camp wasn’t inside the school but required passing through a strange passage to reach.

Without much talk, the six of us entered the passage. The scenery around us shifted instantly—a familiar sensation confirming the use of spatial teleportation.

Without hesitation, when we emerged from the tunnel, a dense forest lay before us. Behind us stood a tall building; aside from it, there were no other structures in sight.

Large characters were inscribed on the side of the building:

“Scholar Training Camp.” Feng Qian and the other two high schoolers were delighted, marveling at their unfamiliar surroundings.

But out of respect for us seniors, they didn’t dare to wander aimlessly.

“Brother Jian, let’s go in!” Feng Qian said excitedly. Chen Hao, Xue Ning, and I exchanged glances and led the three high schoolers inside the tall building.

Each of us received keys to our rooms and took our respective charges to rest for the day.

The next day, after settling them, we gathered in the hall as instructed. Nearly twenty people were present, all familiar faces who had survived University D, and without exception, all had been captured here.

Each face bore uncertainty—just escaped the tiger’s den only to enter a wolf’s lair—and all their abilities were without exception restricted.

However, I didn’t see Zheng Wei, Zhou Tongtong, Su Mu, or the other awakened individuals. It seemed the awakened were not forced to participate in this trial.

What remained were half-baked, half-contract holders like us. The director in red reappeared before us, and everyone’s expression darkened. Unfortunately, we had no grounds for defiance.

“Students, we meet again,” the director’s voice, full of enticing menace, echoed through the hall.

“We’re glad you’ve chosen to continue our game.”

“Did you think leaving University D meant escaping the trial?” The director’s red nails glistened with a strange hue.

“Give up that hope. Unless you meet the conditions I previously mentioned, the trial will shadow you for life.”

“Either you kill each other until only one remains...”

“Or you find the hidden big ghost and little ghost.” After these words, the crowd began to stir, and someone spoke up.

“Whoever is the ghost card, come out quickly. Don’t make us waste time looking.”

“Either way, you’re going to die—so why not sooner than later?”

“If you come out now, everyone will thank you.”

“Yes, yes!” Many voices echoed in agreement. But why would a ghost card willingly reveal themselves? That would be a death sentence.

“Don’t be foolish,” Hu Qingqing said disdainfully from the crowd.

“Who would be dumb enough to confess their identity?”

“Who wouldn’t cherish their life?” Her words only emboldened the man who had spoken.

“Hey, since you side with him so much, aren’t you the ghost card?” The accusation turned toward Hu Qingqing.

She remained composed, replying calmly, “I am not the ghost card. I just can’t stand your stupidity.”

“You!” The man, insulted, flew into a rage and charged at Hu Qingqing, fists raised. Since all were ordinary people now, the man naturally didn’t fear a woman.

But this was Hu Qingqing. With a sweeping kick, she knocked him to the ground. The noise ceased; no one dared to speak recklessly. A small vacuum of silence formed naturally around her and Jiang Linlin.

The director, seeing the crowd quieted, continued:

“This time, among the high school students you lead, there are still unawakened contract holders, as well as ordinary people.”

“This mission will be split into groups at different locations. Each member who survives will earn a week’s rest inside the building.”

“But be cautious—your abilities may not be fully usable. So strive to become awakened contract holders quickly.”

With that, the director vanished, leaving only a countdown on the large screen behind and a list of names.

Two hours remained until the first trial. Participants included Chen Hao, Lin Zijian, Jiang Linlin, Li Yuan, Sun Cheng, Wang Shaowei, and Lin Xiayue.

Besides the somewhat sickly Wang Shaowei and the less familiar Jiang Linlin and Li Feng, I knew the rest.

After a brief chat, we each returned to our rooms to prepare for the trial. I stressed the dangers to Feng Qian again, but he brushed it off, excited about the idea of going out to play.

The two hours passed quickly. We left the building and boarded a bus heading toward an unknown destination.

From the outside, we resembled a group of students on a trip. Who could know we were ability users undergoing a deadly trial?

The bus traveled for an unknown duration before emerging from the woods into a strange village. An old signboard at the entrance bore the village’s name:

“Fengmen.”

The legendary ghost village, Fengmen Village. Once all of us disembarked, the bus left immediately without stopping.

Surveying the surroundings, I realized the road back had vanished. Fengmen Village was encircled by mountains, impassable given our current strength.

We exchanged glances but resolutely stepped into Fengmen Ghost Village. The moment we entered, I felt my power returning—though only slightly—and the Two of Spades card reappeared in my hand.

Not just me; others were surprised but then smiled. I noticed the sickly Wang Shaowei’s card—the Three of Clubs.

But when I looked at Jiang Linlin, she cautiously hid her card. Feng Qian asked anxiously:

“Brother Jian, we’re not going to sleep here tonight, are we?”

I nodded quietly, offering no further answer.

Legend spoke of two eerie phenomena in Fengmen Village: the sudden appearance and disappearance of a black coffin, and a perfectly clean grandmaster chair that never gathered dust.

Once inside, we split into two groups. I, along with Chen Hao and Lin Xiayue, formed one group. I called out to Sun Cheng, but he resolutely joined the other group.

Our group entered an abandoned house near the village entrance. It was long uninhabited, filled with cobwebs and dust. The wooden door was rotten, seeming ready to collapse at a push.

Lin Xiayue showed no reaction, but the girl she brought looked disgusted and refused to enter.

Lin Xiayue wasn’t close to this girl, so we left her in the yard. The remaining five of us went inside.

Before we could examine the house, a scream came from outside.

We rushed out to the yard, where the lone girl was already dead. Her head bore a huge blood clot from a blunt force blow.

Lin Xiayue showed no sorrow—she had no connection to the girl. Chen Hao and I were used to death, but Feng Qian behind me and the boy behind Chen Hao trembled in terror.

I smiled with a hint of mockery:

“Round face, now do you believe big brother?”

Feng Qian swallowed hard, nodding quickly to suppress his fear.

He grabbed my shirt, making me his talisman. Chen Hao protected the boy behind him, but suddenly a strong gust blew in.

I instinctively summoned a light shield—but it didn’t appear before me.

I cursed silently. Though abilities could be used here, only a tiny fraction was possible.

I couldn't even muster the energy to summon a full shield, so I activated the Ancient Mirror Phantom.

Through it, I saw things invisible to others.

The once empty courtyard revealed a pitch-black coffin resting on the dead girl.

Her blood flowed continuously into the coffin, seemingly nourishing it.

I told Lin Xiayue and Chen Hao what I saw. They were shocked—without my ability, the courtyard appeared empty to them.

Lin Xiayue tried to use the Eight of Hearts ability, but it could only slightly increase gravity and struggled even to restrict movement.

The weakest among us, Chen Hao, could use about thirty to forty percent of his power.

He picked up a large wooden stick casually.

At that moment, the coffin in my vision floated up and flew toward the boy behind Chen Hao.