After the span of a few breaths, that specter remained in a semi-translucent, ghastly white state. Whenever a Spirit Ghost was subjected to such an appraisal, it would exhibit a faint golden hue. The higher the quality of the Spirit Ghost, the richer the gold became. If it were an Apex Spirit Ghost, nearly its entire body would shimmer with gold. As for the supreme Celestial Spirit Ghost, it would not only be entirely golden but possess a deep, textured, muted gold. Seeing no trace of gold amidst the pallid white, Lei Dong felt a surge of disappointment, yet he stubbornly refused to give up. After repeated appraisals, he confirmed that it was unequivocally nothing more than a Low-Grade Ghost.

Low-Grade Ghosts held virtually no value. Unless one required cannon fodder, few cultivators practicing the Ghost Control Arts would expend precious essence and blood to refine such a thing.

However, disappointment was fleeting; the vexation did not linger long in Lei Dong’s mind. After all, Spirit Ghosts were rare treasures, matters of chance. Lei Dong hadn't truly expected his very first captured specter to be a high-grade or Apex Spirit Ghost. That hope was more ephemeral and unattainable than winning the grand prize on the first lottery ticket he ever bought.

He left the Low-Grade Ghost unattended for the moment and resumed his Qi circulation and meditation. This time, Lei Dong learned his lesson, only making his way toward the mass grave deep into the night, fully invigorated. His luck held well this time; after wandering the outer perimeter for about half an hour, he encountered another specter. Following the established procedure, he struck a crippling blow and absorbed it into the Soul Nurturing Pagoda. Because he was more practiced than the night before, a single strike was enough to wound the specter. Upon finishing the engagement, Lei Dong still had more than half of his Profound Yin True Qi remaining.

After a brief hesitation, he retreated to recover until he reached eighty percent capacity. Before dawn broke, he managed to capture a second specter. Only then did he return, utterly exhausted, to the Ten Thousand Ghost City inn. He spent an entire day recovering until the evening of the next day, finally regaining all his strength. Observing internally, he noticed that the Profound Yin True Qi filling his body seemed subtly purer. He realized this was likely the result of constant expenditure followed by replenishment, awakening minuscule traces of his latent potential.

The human body is inherently the most intricate mechanism in the world. Cultivation, in essence, is the continuous awakening of the body's hidden energies. Even the scientists in Lei Dong’s previous world had long researched how the body could unlock potential when adapting to new environments or spurred by danger, driven by instinct for survival. In this world, most sects held a general consensus on this principle. Otherwise, why offer rich rewards to tempt disciples into perilous missions designed to temper them and excavate their potential? If not for this, it would be safer for everyone to simply remain tucked away in secluded cultivation chambers. In truth, all sects knew that no matter how exceptional one's aptitude, achieving greatness without experiencing storms was nearly impossible. Which Patriarch on the path to the Golden Core Dao had not undergone countless trials between life and death to achieve their success? On the path of cultivation, there were innumerable thresholds. Merely sitting and circulating Qi, even with superior talent, might not be enough to surpass them all.

Regardless, this was a positive development. Any advancement in cultivation, no matter how slight, was cause for joy.

But where there is joy, there is sorrow. The two specters captured after nearly a full night's toil were still worthless Low-Grade Ghosts.

And so, Lei Dong lingered near the mass grave outside Ten Thousand Ghost City for over three months. As his control over the dark-green small sword and the Soul Nurturing Pagoda grew more proficient, the Profound Yin True Qi consumed with each use steadily decreased. His cultivation, too, advanced day by day, though nowhere near enough to attempt breaking through to the second level of the Qi Refining stage. Still, he had progressed substantially from his starting point.

From capturing two specters a night initially, he eventually reached a peak of seven in one night. His primary Soul Nurturing Pagoda now contained four hundred and eighty Low-Grade Ghosts. Yes, all Low-Grade Ghosts. The probability of encountering a Spirit Ghost was so low it nearly made Lei Dong laugh through his tears. Although he knew intellectually that only one Spirit Ghost might appear for every ten thousand Low-Grade Ghosts, and capturing nearly five hundred Low-Grade Ghosts without a single Spirit Ghost was statistically normal, experiencing this low probability firsthand still brought an inevitable sense of deflation.

However, his time wasn't entirely without gain apart from the Low-Grade Ghosts. Wandering the mass grave for three months, he had scavenged a few items: a Ghost-Face Mushroom aged several decades, dozens of Soul-Devouring Grass stalks, and a damaged, shield-shaped magical artifact. Aside from the shield, he sold the rest in Ten Thousand Ghost City. While the total value fell short of a single spirit stone, he managed to acquire three bottles of Lesser Core Replenishment Pills.

As for the shield-shaped artifact, Lei Dong decided to keep it for his own use, provided he could get it repaired. Upon returning to the Myriad Ghost Cave, he learned from the gatehouse restrictions that Chen Ge had already emerged from seclusion and left several messages for him. Reading them one by one, he discovered that Chen Ge had accepted a mission and intended for the three of them to complete it together. But after waiting for Lei Dong in vain, fearing they would miss the deadline, Chen Ge had left alone. Naturally, neither of them had returned yet.

Taking the broken shield to the old man in the Artifact Refining Chamber, the ancient fellow appraised it with impatience. He declared it a low-grade defensive artifact and immediately quoted a repair fee of one spirit stone, nearly causing Lei Dong to kick him in the face. During this period, his experience had broadened, and he knew that an ordinary low-grade magical artifact was worth at most one or two spirit stones. Demanding a spirit stone just for repairs was sheer extortion. Of course, Spirit Ghosts could also be bought and sold. Unfortunately, even the lowest quality Spirit Ghost, one that hadn't undergone Blood Sacrifice, commanded the exorbitant price of ten spirit stones—far beyond what Chen Ge could afford.

Returning to his quarters in irritation, Lei Dong prepared to delve into his research, now possessing an ample supply of specter fodder. This time, he resolved that if he couldn't discern the specialized function of the Soul Nurturing Pagoda, he would rather Blood Sacrifice a few Low-Grade Ghosts first to bolster his own strength. After all, without Spirit Ghosts, he couldn't dawdle indefinitely; even if Chen Ge was willing to take him on missions, he would only be a liability. As for Spirit Ghosts, he could search for them slowly once his strength increased.

His mood slightly soured as he merged his consciousness with the Soul Nurturing Pagoda, observing the densely packed Low-Grade Ghosts inside. A knot tightened in his chest. How could there not be a single Spirit Ghost among so many Low-Grade ones? The biggest difference between a Spirit Ghost and a Low-Grade Ghost wasn't just the former's potential for continuous strength growth. More importantly, after Blood Sacrifice, a Spirit Ghost's power immediately surged significantly, and if one was lucky, it might even bestow some innate magical technique.

Of course, it wasn't as if Low-Grade Ghosts were entirely without merit. In fact, with Lei Dong's current cultivation at the first level of the Qi Refining stage, dealing with one or two Low-Grade Ghosts was manageable, but being entangled by three or four at once would lead to a near-certain demise. If Lei Dong Blood Sacrificed several Low-Grade Ghosts, he would possess a considerable advantage when fighting other cultivators at the first level of Qi Refining.

The pity was that as everyone’s cultivation realm advanced, Low-Grade Ghosts didn't stay stagnant, but their growth was severely limited. How could this not sting Lei Dong? More critically, Blood Sacrifice consumed an immense amount of essence blood and vital energy. Often, after sacrificing one specter, it took nearly a month to recover, requiring substantial nutritional supplementation during that time. Using such a taxing method on worthless Low-Grade Ghosts felt like squandering treasure.

He brought out both Soul Nurturing Pagodas. Most of the Low-Grade Ghosts, nourished within the standard pagoda, had recovered to their optimal state. With eager anticipation, Lei Dong transferred one vibrant Low-Grade Ghost into the mysterious Soul Nurturing Pagoda. He immediately unified his spirit with the mysterious tower to observe the effects.

The specter, previously plump and saturated in soul essence, let out a piercing shriek and thrashed wildly upon entering the mysterious Soul Nurturing Pagoda, white smoke wisps rising from its form. This sight instantly lifted Lei Dong's spirits, and he continued to watch intently. Before long, the specter’s color gradually dimmed, as if its soul power had been drained, leaving it curled in a corner, moaning.

After about an hour, the specter completely dissipated, vanishing without a trace. Having watched for a long time, Lei Dong still couldn't discern any particular outcome. He tossed in another specter; the same process repeated an hour later. After more than a dozen attempts, Lei Dong finally grew annoyed and transferred over a hundred Low-Grade Ghosts in one go. Since these ghosts were worthless anyway, he wanted to see exactly how many specters this mysterious Soul Nurturing Pagoda needed to devour before it was satisfied.

A subtle realization flickered in Lei Dong’s mind. Could it be that this Soul Nurturing Pagoda was truly consuming the specters?