Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 51 Common Sense of the Underworld
Miken did not immediately refute, and Isshiki Ran did not continue to dwell on the topic, but instead talked about information about the underworld.

"Only those with high enough intuition can perceive the power of the Netherworld. It is a perception that is different from the five senses. In other places, this special perception is called spiritual vision, spiritual sense, or something else."

“Those with high spirituality can go from simply perceiving the existence of the Netherworld through innate awakening or acquired cultivation, to controlling and absorbing the power within it. These people are spiritual beings.”

"Different civilizations and regions have different names for these people. In East Asia, due to the influence of the superior country, they are generally called practitioners."

"After the Second World War ended, in order to ensure that spiritual energy-related technologies were not misused, countries jointly established the International Spiritual Energy Organization, and such people were collectively referred to as spiritual beings."

"The official full name is 'a human with special abilities who has mastered the technology and skills of researching and using spiritual energy.'" Yise Lan rolled his eyes as he read this long and tedious title, as if his tongue was about to get tied in knots.

Yu Jian's eyes flickered slightly. To ensure it wasn't abused? Does that mean supernatural powers in this world have been used on a large scale without restraint? Were they used in war?
He immediately thought of another word that Isshiki Ran had just mentioned—the final battle.

Unlike World Wars, The War to End All Wars sounds terrifying.

Humanity once called World War I this way because the brutality of that war surpassed all previous wars. It seemed as if it wanted to finish off all wars in the world in one go, or even fight until humanity was wiped out, so that there would be no more wars. Even World War II was regarded as a continuation of World War I.

But here, such a deeply unforgettable war was fought twice!?!

The first time was perhaps because of the application of new technologies such as mechanical vehicles, long-distance communication, and chemical poison gas to the military field.

The second time, could it be because of psychic abilities?

"In a sense, psychics are like dangerous individuals in modern society who carry guns. Ordinary people can't even see the gun or the bullets fired from it." Isshiki Ran looked into Mitsurugi's eyes with an extremely serious attitude.

"Does that make sense?"

"Why are you telling me all this?" Yu Jian asked softly.

"You could have just left earlier, why did you stay and fight...that guy?" Isshiki Ran's lips twitched a few times. The "guy" he was referring to was naturally the black dragon that devoured the Seven Kings.

"I haven't thought about it in detail, there's probably a mix of reasons," Yu Jian said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Tsk, subconscious reactions best reveal a person's true nature."

Ran sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. Yurika next to her also looked helpless. Even Akane, who wasn't good at communicating, looked at Mitsurugi with concern.

"People who are too gentle will find it difficult to survive in a world of strong people."

"The underworlds of most countries, which are communities composed of spiritual beings, have basic order and rules, but ultimately they still emphasize strength. Among them, the most stable is probably only the Upper Kingdom..." As if remembering something, Isshiki Ran showed a sigh.

In his description, the underworld, also known as the Dark Realm, the Underground Kingdom, or the Night Market, is essentially a small society composed of spiritual beings from various countries. It often has various underground laws that differ from those of ordinary society. Although there are order maintainers similar to righteous sects, it is still more chaotic than ordinary society.

"The Netherworld is inherently strange and extremely dangerous, and those who wield the power of the Netherworld are not necessarily morally upright."

"A personality like yours, where your first reaction upon seeing someone in need is to lend a helping hand and meddle, even with exceptional swordsmanship talent, is not suited to be a psychic,"

"Is there a possibility?" Yu Jian interrupted.

"I just wanted to fight the dragon."

As he spoke, he unconsciously began to laugh.

If it were a dream, which young man could resist the temptation of a hero fighting a dragon?
But the real world and dreams are ultimately different.

Therefore, even Mitsurugi himself couldn't explain what his thoughts were when he came before the dragon.

"..." Isshiki Ran slowly opened her mouth, stunned by Miken's words and speechless for a long time.

Finally, the great painter pressed his forehead and said with a strange look in his eyes, "Then you might become an extraordinary person."

There was another half-sentence he didn't say, the premise being that he wouldn't die.

"Is Mr. Isshiki a cultivator?" Yurika suddenly asked.
"No, I just have a slightly higher level of inspiration. Everyone has some inspiration to a certain extent, but most people are practically nonexistent and will never have anything to do with the Netherworld in their entire lives." "A sufficiently high level of inspiration is a prerequisite for becoming a psychic. Sisi belongs to the category of people with exceptionally high inspiration, which is why she was able to realize that I had fallen into the painting."

“I didn’t want her to become a psychic, but after this incident, her talent has been fully activated. She sees a lot of strange things on a daily basis and has to find a specialist to deal with them, which is why I rushed to buy plane tickets. Of course, it also helped me avoid trouble.”

Isshiki looked at her daughter with pity, while also feeling quite troubled by the current situation.

Yu Jian frowned. His special perception might be inspiration, but he hadn't seen anything strange before. Was his talent really that bad? Had he spent all his points on swordsmanship? This was not good news.

"Why can't we see related news on weekdays? Is it being deliberately blocked?" Lily continued to ask:

"Yes, the Netherworld is a world that leans towards the spiritual realm. Not only individuals, but also the collective subconscious of the human race itself will affect the Netherworld, even though most of them are completely unaware of its existence."

"Therefore, after the establishment of the International Spiritual Energy Agency, most countries chose to reduce the transmission of information related to the Otherworld in order to reduce the influence of ordinary people on the Otherworld. This method can indirectly reduce the activity level of the Otherworld and reduce the probability of the Otherworld being generated, which is somewhat similar to artificial rain suppression."

"But in reality, this is because each country has limited control over psychics and the ability to handle psychic disasters. In the underworld, where supervision is effective and order is stable, like in the Upper Kingdom, they can even..." Isshiki Ran choked for a moment before continuing:

“They even included spiritual abilities in the college entrance examination bonus system, with bonuses ranging from five to fifteen points depending on the level of ability. The highest level of bonuses is second only to the children of martyrs, which is truly astonishing.”

Yujian was slightly stunned, and even Yurika couldn't help but adjust her glasses.

Yu Jian even secretly considered whether he should just take a flight back to the upper kingdom.

"How does Mr. Isshiki know so much?" Although it involved personal privacy, he couldn't help but ask:
"Is it a lot? To be honest, what I know is just the tip of the iceberg. It doesn't involve specific cultivation methods or various rituals."

"As for how I know, it's just because I had a roommate in college who was a real practitioner. He was studying Western painting in Paris as a foreign student. Once, we got drunk and made a bet..." Isshiki Ran suddenly stopped, revealing a hint of embarrassment.

"I bet on who can draw a more lifelike beauty. In terms of technique alone, I win, but that guy cheated by using his spiritual power to make the person in the painting come to life. How can we even compete like that?!" Even after so long, Isshiki Ran still couldn't help but slap his thigh when talking about this.

"Who is this painting?" Akane Isshiki suddenly asked abruptly.
"Of course it was the big star Marilyn O'Lou. It was the first time I had ever seen a blonde beauty on screen dancing the can-can up close. I was so shocked that my jaw dropped. I surrendered on the spot and gave that guy a dozen beers."

Isshiki Ran continued to slap his thigh forcefully, as if he remembered it vividly, but he didn't realize who had just asked him the question.

"The next day, after he sobered up, he came to me again and begged me not to go out and say anything, that the regulations in China are strict, and if he told anyone, he would definitely be beaten into a spinning top by the master with a ruler. Humph, his arrogance turned into obsequiousness, it makes me laugh."

After trying to save face, the great painter suddenly came to his senses, turned his head and saw his daughter looking at him with disdain, and froze.

"...Sisi, it's not what you think. Daddy was young too!" Isshiki Ran grabbed her hair with both hands and started yelling.

No matter how the old father tried to salvage his image, Yujian, from a man's perspective, muttered to himself, "Is it really just dancing?"

But the cultivator's ability to make the people in the painting come out is truly amazing.

Yujian looked expectant, and Yurika couldn't help but speak up.

"Does Yujian want to become a cultivator?"

"..." Yu Jian remained silent.

"A country bumpkin like me, having seen the glitz and glamour of the big city, would never want to go back," the boy joked with a smile.

And that was indeed the case; coming from a world without miracles and magic, he craved that power more than anyone else.

They didn't even think about using this power to gain anything.

Even a tiny glimmer of light on one's fingertips is enough to bring Yujian genuine joy.

That night, the boy made up his mind.

I want to become a spiritual practitioner!
(End of this chapter)