Zhou Huan actually wanted to lean in and whisper something in the ninja's ear, just like that priest had done. Strangely, just as Zhou Huan was about to reach the ninja, that overwhelming oppressive force vanished. He looked at the spirit, which remained utterly unresponsive, simply standing there blankly. Zhou Huan leaned close to the ninja's soul and spoke, "Hey, what exactly are you? Where is all that immense resentment coming from?"

At that precise moment, Zhou Huan could never have anticipated that this entity’s capacity to unleash spiritual malice was absolutely first-rate. The instant Zhou Huan finished his question, before he could even gather himself, one of the ninja’s hands clamped fiercely around his throat.

Zhou Huan struggled desperately. He tried to counterattack with his Seven Star Bronze Coin Sword, but the ninja’s agility was simply too high; the sword couldn't land a blow. Furthermore, he was being choked so tightly he couldn't catch his breath.

"Master Zhou, watch out! I'm coming to help you!" Old Man Wang truly seemed ready to risk his life, running forward to rescue Zhou Huan.

But Zhou Huan waved his hand back, signaling Old Man Wang not to approach. He used his own hand to grip the ninja's arm with all his might. This hand, encased in the Celestial Silkworm Glove, possessed extraordinary strength—not the usual physical exertion between people, but a specific, targeted force meant for spirits. Moreover, Zhou Huan had already smeared cinnabar and gold powder on his palm. These three elements—strength, cinnabar, and gold powder, compounded by the inherent destructive power of the Celestial Silkworm Glove—should have been enough to shatter an ordinary ghost's arm, or at least break its spiritual bones. Yet, this ninja spirit showed no reaction, only releasing a faint wisp of black smoke from its skin.

"What?" Zhou Huan’s neck was nearly broken; his face was flushed deep red. Feeling he could hold on a little longer, he saw the situation and feigned death, holding his breath and letting his head droop, releasing all physical tension.

Indeed, Zhou Huan's tactic worked remarkably well. The entity peered at him, sniffed him with its nose, and finding no breath, released its grip. It cracked its mouth into a wide grin. "Zhou Huan, calling yourself a Death Master? How dare you take my ring? With just these meager tricks, if I gave you the ring, it would be over; I don't know how many people would try to steal it." As the ninja spoke, it lowered its hand and turned to leave. The moment its legs tensed, preparing to leap away—

Zhou Huan’s hands clamped tightly onto the ninja’s ankles. The ninja spirit tumbled forward, its actual face hitting the ground first. This enraged the ninja so severely it nearly fainted. It whipped out the sword strapped to its back, preparing to hack down at Zhou Huan, weaving attacks left and right.

Zhou Huan met the blows with his Bronze Coin Sword, but the spirit's blade scored deep notches into his weapon. Zhou Huan was forced back a dozen steps and stood stunned. "What kind of thing is this creature made of? Where does it get such immense power?" Zhou Huan studied the entity closely again but found no obvious flaw. He thus decided he must rely on trickery with this opponent; resolving it through brute force would take far too much effort, and success wouldn't even be guaranteed.

"Hey, you across there, you can talk, why weren't you talking before?" Zhou Huan asked, pretending nonchalance, as if he feared none of the ghost’s methods.

The ninja spirit looked at Zhou Huan and smiled again, then slung its long sword across its back. "You are truly useless. You can't even defeat me, and you still try to play games."

"Who’s playing games? Didn't you ambush me first? And you choked me so tightly. If I don't use tricks on you, what should I do?" Zhou Huan’s argument held a certain logic.

The ninja soul considered it for a moment and decided Zhou Huan seemed to have a point. It scratched its head. "How about this: I won't bully you. We'll fight one-on-one. You strike first. If you win, you say whatever you want. If you lose, you run as far away as you can."

"Fine, it's a deal. But I have one condition. I'm old, after all, not some twenty-something lad. I need a rest, and you have to keep me company with some conversation." Zhou Huan had finally seen it: this entity's greatest weakness was its gullibility combined with its sheer need to dominate. It was likely a childhood bully who needed to have the final say in everything; therefore, such a person responded well to flattery.

The ninja spirit scratched its head upon hearing Zhou Huan’s request. "Alright, I'll chat. You're just a vanquished foe anyway." The spirit actually approached Zhou Huan proactively, not needing to walk, leaping fluidly to stand beside him. "Speak, what do you want to chat about?"

"Sit down!" Zhou Huan now understood the entity’s pattern. Its greatest assets were its legs and its physical body. Humans rely on focused internal energy derived from disciplined breathing to achieve mastery; ghosts, however, rely on a surge of resentment or some pure, potent force to exist. To thrive in the spectral realm, one needs that core resentment to sustain the soul body against attacks.

The ninja soul reluctantly sat down opposite Zhou Huan. Zhou Huan patted the ninja spirit’s shoulder. "I want to know why you became a ninja. Why not live as a regular person? Why choose to be a ninja?"

"Hah, I became a ninja only after I died. Before that, I wasn't one either. It was the mountain village back then that did this to me. But honestly, my resentment is certainly enough to qualify me as a proper ninja. I just wanted revenge, but I never had the chance. I..." At this point, the ninja soul sensed something was wrong and looked at Zhou Huan. "Seriously, what's the use of me telling you this?"

Zhou Huan smiled. "How is it useless? I'll tell you the truth: I know who you are. Do you believe me?"

"Hahaha! Don't joke with me. At your age, you'd be my grandson's age! You could possibly know who I am? I was probably not even born when I died!" The ninja spirit mocked Zhou Huan.

In truth, Zhou Huan did not know who this ninja was. He was merely trying to divert the topic, encouraging the ninja to reveal more about himself so Zhou Huan could gather more intelligence on the entity. "If you’re so capable, then take off that face covering. The moment I see your face, I'll know who you are!"

"If you really guess correctly, I will bow down to you as a deity!" This ghost ninja actually dared to make such a wager. Zhou Huan had no basis for a guess, but since the ghost had put up such high stakes, he couldn't afford to lose face.

Zhou Huan thought hard. "How about this: if I can't guess, I'll bow down to you as a Divine Ghost!"

"Divine Ghost?" The ninja was momentarily confused. "What is a Divine Ghost?"

"A Divine Ghost is a spirit that has ascended to godhood!" Zhou Huan’s explanation was quite adequate. However, if Zhou Huan lost, he would have to kowtow to the ninja spirit as a show of sincerity.

"Fine then, watch closely. I’m removing my head covering and mask all at once. Watch carefully!" The entity, true to habit, threw a puff of white smoke onto the ground. As the smoke dissipated, the ninja had completely changed his attire. He was now dressed in the style worn by young masters from wealthy Chinese families in earlier times. His face was a mask of disdain as he looked at Zhou Huan. "Take a look. Who am I?"

His transformation was startling. Zhou Huan stumbled back three or four steps, rising abruptly. Pointing a trembling finger at the entity, he stammered, "You... I know you, you are..." Fearing he might be wrong, Zhou Huan scrutinized the figure again.

"Haha, say it then, who am I? Stop delaying. A deal is a deal. If you can't guess, then kowtow to me and call me Divine Ghost!"

As Zhou Huan looked again, he saw that the area between the entity’s eyebrows was painted with a Japanese oni mask design. This addition had increased the spirit’s resentment force by more than ten times, and not just the malice, but the ghost's overall capabilities had grown significantly.

"I guess you have an older or younger brother, and the reason you died was because of him—a thrown dagger took your life. That is the source of your resentment. I don't know if I am right, but whether you bow to me as a deity depends on your answer!" Zhou Huan declared with absolute certainty, laying bare the spirit's history.