“That's a rather peculiar question.”

  ”Just answer it.”

  She didn't know if she was serious, but she began to wonder. On Earth, she would have said no. She didn't believe in the paranormal. But here, things were different. She had seen griffins, and she herself practiced a kind of magic.

  “I read about it in a book about creatures in the academy library. So, I guess so. There was mention of evil spirits.”

  "A book about creatures and evil spirits, huh. So basically, you don't know anything."

  “So enlighten me.”

  “Not all spirits are evil. Besides, many people mistakenly classify all spirits as one group, which is wrong. The so-called “ghosts,” as the villagers call them, belong to different categories or are completely different types. There are also evil spirits, of course. For example, a poltergeist, which makes noise and moves objects. And that's the least severe type too. There are also ghosts like phantoms, banshee, Poludnitsa and others...”

  May listened carefully and wasn't sure where she was going with this.

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “What you felt was something like a ghost.”

  She didn't quite expect that when she came here. However, she wasn't all that shocked, considering the world she found herself in.

  “What kind of ghost was that?”

  "Very rare one. Ubume."

  "Ubume? I've never heard of it. That book wasn't as detailed and didn't describe all types of ghosts. In any case, I don't understand what I have to do with it."

  "It wants to meet you."

  "What? What do you mean?"

  “See? There's no need to rush. Let me explain. What do you think was the purpose of this competition?”

  May frowned. Hadn't she already told them that?

  “So employers can find potential employees?”

  Izzy started laughing. “Of course not. That's just an excuse. Just like rich people wanting to watch kids beat each other up.”

  After a moment's thought, however, she added, “Well, although that's also true.”

  “This spirit has a certain ability... Which allows us to discover the unknown.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “This spirit belongs to the Inner Court. By touching another person, it can reveal all of their secrets. You know that the sect is in crisis and desperately needs talent, right? The spirit is able to find out everything about a person.” Izzy began. “The spirit first checked if the children in the Inner Court had any hidden talents, then wandered through the other Outer Courts one by one. Eventually, it ended up here. Thanks to this spirit, the sect discovered many talents that would normally have remained hidden.”

  May was scared. The spirit wanted to talk to her. Could it have discovered the system by touching her?

  Suddenly, Minnie's voice appeared in her head.

  “There's no freaking way that second-rate spirit was able to detect the system. I can guarantee it.”

  Minnie's words calmed her down a little, but she still wasn't entirely sure. After all, there had to be a reason for this.

  “When I say that's how it is, that's how it is. Not even an immortal would be able to detect the system, let alone some dumb ghost.”

  Minnie's words calmed her down. So there was no problem.

  “So I have some hidden talent? That's why he wants to meet me? But why did you give up the match?”

  “Too many questions! The answer is: I don't know. I don't know why it wants to meet you. And I gave up the match because it ordered me to!” She said.

  It told her to? What kind of sense did that make? She was about to ask, but Izzy spoke first.

  “I know what you want to ask. Since I’m the only one with the talent to see the spirits, our family had to take care of the organization. All I can say is that the spirit is annoying and does whatever it wants! If I had refused, it might have gotten upset and refused to examine the rest of the children! I have no idea what its purpose was.”

  “Then why not take the spirit to the academy? That way, you could check everyone?”

  Izzy sighed.

  “Ubume isn't all-powerful and has limitations. She can only use her ability a limited number of times, so we had to choose ‘suspicious’ people.”

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  “Suspicious?"

  “Yes. Like you. Or Deng Zhifang, by the way, are you two together?”

  “What? No!”

  “Are you planning to?”

  “No. And stop asking.”

  “Hmm, that's good. Let's leave it at that. Don't try to get involved with him. Nothing good will come of it.”

  “What do you mean? Do you know anything about him? I thought he had a unique physique because of his appearance...”

  “We thought so too, but the truth turned out to be stranger.”

  May knew from the system that Deng did not have unique physiques, but she did not know what made him special.

  “Can you tell me what makes him so special?”

  Izzy seemed to fall into deep thought.

  “No. That's his personal secret. I'm not authorized to reveal other people's secrets. I have some dignity." May was disappointed, but she decided that maybe it was for the best. In that case, Izzy shouldn't reveal her potential to others either.

  “Do you have any more questions?” Izzy finally asked.

  “Yes. A lot.”

  “Well, I'm listening.”

  “You said you chose ‘suspicious’ people, but I approached you, didn't I? What if I hadn't come up to you?”

  “Is that really your question? The answer is simple: if you hadn't approached me, I would have done it myself a few days later.”

  “That makes sense. Can you tell me something about this spirit?”

  “Do you mean this type of spirit, or the specific one you will be meeting?"

  “Both.”

  “Okay. Ubume is, in short, a spirit that usually appears when a woman dies during childbirth. Most of these spirits are dangerous and are considered evil spirits. They are said to be birthed from obsession. The spirits have been reported to kidnap other people's babies.."

  “However, as I guess, this spirit is different?”

  “Yes. This spirit is not evil. I don't know much about it myself, but I've heard that hundreds of years ago it was the former leader of a sect. Apparently, she was wounded during the battle, went into labor on the battlefield, and died before she could give birth to her child. At least that's what my dad said."

  “The former leader of a sect?" May was shocked that this spirit had once been the leader of an entire sect!

  “Yes, that’s why it’s so powerful. Although spirits usually lose most of their power after death, it was still in the Nascent Soul stage a few hundred years ago.”

  The more she listened, the more shocked she was. Even now, there was only one person in the entire Island Mountain Sect who had reached that stage! That was why the Sect was in trouble.

  “But that is precisely why this spirit is so loyal to our sect. It has served us for hundreds of years and helped us search for talent. However, until now, it has only looked for talent in the Inner Court. But times have changed, and the sect has had to broaden its horizons to the Outer Court, as the situation has become too dire. This spirit has ten times more work to do, so it’s grumpy. If I hadn’t given up back then, it might have even killed me!”

  May felt embarrassed. She wanted to win, but not like that. After a moment, however, she decided that it wasn't her fault, but that of the spirit.

  “You said she could kill you...?”

  “Well, that was just a figure of speech. But I'm not sure. She usually acts like a sulky teenager, but sometimes she gets threatening, so I'm always on my guard. Anyway, enough talk, we have to go before it gets upset.” Izzy said and stood up

  “Actually, I have a few more questions...”

  "It doesn’t matter, you can ask me another time. Let’s go now.”

  They both turned into one of the alleys and gardens and headed toward the building. They entered through the back entrance into what looked like a basement.

  Izzy pulled out a golden key and opened the heavy door.

  “How am I supposed to talk to this ghost? I can sense its presence, but I cannot see it.”

  “Don’t worry about that. You will be able to with my help.”

  “How?”

  “When I channel my Qi energy into others, they temporarily gain my ability to see spirits. It took me a while to master this skill; it requires precision.”

  With every passing moment, Izzy impressed her more and more. She knew how difficult it was to master any skill. This one would certainly be at least D-rank.

  “How on earth are you only in class C?” May asked. She couldn't understand it. With skills like that, she certainly deserved better.

  “Hmph! You did take the exam. Did they test your ability to communicate with spirits? Exactly. All they care about is talent and cultivation level.”

  “Oh, I see. I'm sorry.” May realized how unfair the entrance exams were. After all, this skill was extremely valuable.

  “It doesn't matter, I'm planning on getting into the Inner Court anyway.”

  May looked at her in surprise, unsure if it was just childish confidence. Every year, only a few people made it from the Outer Court to the Inner Court. And the Eastern Outer Court had the worst statistics.

  “Don't look at me like that, I know what you're thinking. But just think about it. I'm trying to suck up to that old hag. After all, she was once the Sect Leader. If I don't finish last in the tournament in two years, maybe she'll help me...”

  She said as they descended the stairs. They finally arrived at their destination. Izzy covered her mouth with her hand and signaled for her to be quiet.

  When she opened the next door, May saw the entire room. It resembled an alchemist's workshop. It was full of various herbs, chemicals, and other strange things, such as bones and skulls.

  Once again, she felt that eerie presence. Her hair stood on end. She really didn't like that feeling, which reminded her of the suspenseful moments in horror movies.

  Izzy began to speak to the ghost woman.

  “I brought her just as you told me.”

  “All right, lead her to that chair.”

  Izzy told May to sit down on one of the chairs at the long wooden table.

  “Should I start using my ability?”

  “First, drink this potion.” The woman said, pointing her finger at a bottle of green liquid on the table.

  “What is it?”

  “A potion that will dull your senses for an hour. Things like sight, touch, hearing, and smell. You are to be only a medium, not a listener.”

  “But...”

  “Drink it, you fool, grab her hand, and begin!”

  Izzy looked very reluctant, but she grabbed the potion anyway and drank it in one gulp. It was disgusting and bitter, and after drinking it, she began to wriggle in disgust. While she was still in her right mind, she sat down next to May, grabbed her hand, and began to use her ability.

  She barely had time to do so, because just a few moments later, her whole world was engulfed in darkness, which frightened her immensely, but she knew that despite everything, she was safe.

  May didn't know what was going on because she hadn't heard the whole conversation, but she knew that Izzy was talking to this mysterious figure.

  She was stressed. This ghost could really kill her, just like that, and no one could do anything about it.

  She saw Izzy reluctantly drink the potion and sit down next to her.

  When she took her hand, she felt a chill run through her entire body. She looked at their intertwined hands and slowly raised her gaze to where she sensed a presence.

  She saw a woman with long black hair and skin so white that it seemed unnatural. She had huge eyes, like a doll. Her first thought was: Uncanny Valley. It was a different kind of horror than she had expected. She thought the woman would look like something out of The Ring. But it was much worse than that. She looked like a human, but not quite.

  “Do not be afraid. I am not here to harm you.”

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  Currently, I only have one option with 5 chapters ahead (but in the near future, this option will expand to 10 and maybe even more!)