I run a Taoist temple in a bizarre world.

Chapter 110 The Old Place and Familiar Faces

The gray fog gathered and condensed into round dots.

Just like a cloud of stardust gathering and condensing into a solid, lightless sphere.

But a sphere wants to become a true star.

The final step is "ignition".

Thus, all the gray mist that rose from the [Exclusive Awakening Mist Cluster] was compressed into a "dot".

A bright light, symbolizing birth, illuminates the scene.

The blinding light that flashed before Chi Le's eyes was the sign that his exclusive ability "Ignition" had been successfully activated.

His long-awaited extraordinary abilities awakened.

The intense light subsided.

Chi Le opened her eyes.

In the empty, untouched mental space, the first thing that catches the eye is a figure of similar height and build to oneself.

"Is this what they call 'another body'?"

Chi Le approached the figure, who was dressed entirely in white and surrounded by ethereal white mist like ribbons.

He examined it carefully, looking it up and down, back and forth, circling around.

"Except for the face being blurry, as if shrouded in mist, the rest of them look exactly like they were made from the same mold."

The more Chi Le looked at the figure, the more familiar it seemed, giving him a strong sense of déjà vu.

He seemed to have thought of something, and the idea tentatively stirred within him.

The mist swirling around the pure white figure moved faster, and its surface itself began to writhe and change.

Soon, a wide, pure white robe was draped over his body.

Hmm—it looks better now.

"Hiss—this is exactly what I looked like back in Qingshan Temple!"

Chi Le suddenly realized.

The image of the pure white figure before him overlapped with the image he presented to the outside world at Qingshan Temple.

"So, the effect of [External Body] is to give me an extra clone?"

Compare it to other abilities he has seen.

Chi Le felt that the strength of his ability was a bit too low.

For example, Zhang Guanghai, a staff member of the Special Affairs Bureau whom I first encountered at Qingshan Temple, has the skill "Boiling Blood Death," which can increase physical strength for a period of time by consuming stamina, equivalent to obtaining a short but powerful temporary enhancement.

There's also my best friend, the impulsive Yu Xun, whose ability is [Copper Body].

Although his brother often jokingly calls him "bone porridge".

But the effect of this ability is very simple, straightforward, and easy to use: it increases one's own defense.

Both of them possess extraordinary abilities that allow them to instantly gain strength surpassing that of ordinary people.

Looking back at my own abilities.

A clone?

Even if he can summon clones in reality to help him in battle.

Two ordinary people—no, Chi Le, whose physical abilities are weaker than those of ordinary people.

When facing other superhumans, you still have to lie down.

Not to mention the demons and evil spirits that plague this strange world.

Two pools.

I'm afraid all demons and evil spirits will eat instant noodles like Chi Le does.

There's the dilemma of "one bag isn't enough, two bags aren't enough to finish."

Of course, this situation is based on the fact that the physical attributes of the "external body" are inherited from Chi Le's own physical attributes.

If there are other contributing factors, then there is still hope.

Otherwise, one can only frantically hone one's physical body and then lie low until completing the first-tier advancement ritual, and see what the enhanced first ability effect or the new second ability effect of the [External Body] will be after achieving the first tier.

If the [Outer Body] ability is still ineffective at this point.

Chi Le could only spread his hands.

It doesn't mean there's no way out, but rather that it makes it easier for him to grip the barbell and continue pounding his own body.

As someone who had awakened a supernatural ability in the mental power category and could already be called an unranked spiritual master, Chi Le felt a strange sense of betrayal because he had to beat his physical body like a martial arts practitioner.

Thinking of this, Chi Le reached out and touched the pure white figure that was almost a perfect replica of himself, wanting to briefly feel the strength of the [body outside body].

As she reached out her hand, Chi Le silently prayed in her heart.

"Never end up like me—"

The touch on her fingertips eased Chi Le's anxiety slightly.

"It's alright, much better than me. It has muscles, and it feels a bit rough to the touch."

Just as his fingers touched the pure white figure.

Suddenly, a flood of information inexplicably surged into his mind.

Even though Chi Le had long been accustomed to the information bombardment from Qingshan Temple.

Faced with this information forcibly appearing in his mind, he was somewhat overwhelmed, and his mental space even swayed.

[The Body Beyond the Body]

[Effect: Constructs a shadow using mental energy; this shadow can be controlled by thought.]

The physical strength of the external body is influenced by the strength of one's mental power.

The higher the mental strength, the stronger the physical body of the external body!

-

Chi Le sorted through the jumbled information, which eased the discomfort in her mind considerably.

Meanwhile, after clarifying the information about the "body outside the body", Chi Le's lips curled up.

My worries about the low strength of the [External Body] were completely dispelled.

Who says the "External Body" is weak!

Having already suffered selective amnesia, Chi Le withdraws her consciousness from the mental space and returns to her physical body.

He now wants to test the specific strength of the [External Body] in order to accurately grasp the current level of his strength after acquiring his new extraordinary ability.

After all, the strength of the "external body" is influenced by his mental power, not his physical strength.

He was fully aware of how weak his physical condition was.

But he really didn't know how strong his mental strength was.

【Mysterious Relic: Spirit-Nourishing Hairpin】Whether worn on the head or played with in the hand, it can gently enhance the holder's spiritual power.

Ever since Chi Le obtained the Spirit Nourishing Hairpin, he would take it out and play with it whenever he had the chance, whether in the Ghost World or back in the real world.

Chi Le had no idea exactly how much his mental strength had increased during this period.

Not to mention the "Awakening Incense" that's been used at the training camp all along, which is also a great thing for boosting mental strength.

With both effects combined, Chi Le didn't know what level his mental strength had reached.

Her eyelids trembled, and when she opened her eyes again, Chi Le had already returned to the main hall of Qingshan Temple.

Pushing open the main hall's doors, we entered the inner courtyard of the temple.

Since the [Mountain Gate] wasn't used tonight, Chen Cheng went to sleep at this time, something he hadn't done in a long time.

Without the temple keeper and the daytime returnee, the entire Qingshan Temple was quiet.

After crossing the quiet open space, Chi Le stood in front of the [mountain gate].

"Where should we take the test?"

Chi Le has been managing Qingshan Temple for some time now, and barring some very special circumstances, he wouldn't allow the [mountain gate] to open.

Silence.

Therefore, [Mountain Gate] has recorded the locations of many areas in the strange world.

"The demons and evil spirits in each part of this strange world are not all the same."

"I want to test how well the [External Body] performs under the current enhancement of mental power."

, 7

"It would be best to start with the demons who haven't even reached the next level—"

"Furthermore, the stats need to be more evenly distributed; strength, defense, speed, and physique shouldn't have too much difference."

"Um----"

Chi Le closed his eyes, searching his mind for demons that could meet these requirements.

He wondered if his own Qingshan Temple had ever opened its gates near these demons.

"Oh, right!"

Chi Le opened her eyes, a flash of light passing through them.

That actually reminded him of one!

"This place should provide a good testing opportunity for the [Outer Self]."

As she spoke, Chi Le's heart skipped a beat.

Thick fog rose from the tightly closed mountain gate, soon enveloping it completely.

The mist swirled, and the faint images above kept flashing by.

Each image represents a location where the "mountain gate" was opened and ultimately recorded.

The place we're going to open this time is a bit far in the future.

The search took a few seconds longer than usual for the [mountain gate].

Finally, the flow of the mist stopped.

squeak~

The rustic wooden door opens inward.

The scene outside is revealed.

A mountain forest.

"I can make out several blurry shadows that have disappeared into the gray fog in the distance outside the door," Chi Le said.

"This is it!"

Snapped!

Chi Le snapped his fingers.

A pure white [external body] appears.

It received the thought that Chi Le had passed on to it.

[Body Outside Body] Steps across the threshold and arrives at the [Mountain Gate], connecting to the location of the Strange World.

Maintaining the existence of the "external body" will continuously consume Chi Le's mental energy.

Chi Le did not head towards the [Right Side Hall], relying on the building's function to help him quickly recover his mental strength.

How long can I sustain the existence of this "external body" using only my own mental strength?

This is also part of the testing.

And as a user of the [body outside body] ability.

[The Body Outside the Body] shares the same line of sight with Chi Le.

Moreover, Chi Le also has two options: to receive the various sensations of the "external body" simultaneously or to refuse to receive them.

Simply choose to receive feedback synchronously.

Even if you don't leave the gate of Qingshan Temple, and don't actually stand next to the "body outside the body" and watch it change when dealing with demons.

Chi Le could also clearly sense the strength level of the [Outer Body].

The mountain gate was open, and Chi Le did not close it.

The information about "external body" that had flooded my mind before included some restrictions on the use of abilities.

This was mentioned in it.

[External Body] Due to the limitations of one's own mental strength, it cannot leave itself too far away.

Once you leave this area, the "body outside the body" will dissipate and be directly returned to your mental space.

The open mountain gate is precisely a response to such restrictions.

The place where Qingshan Temple connects to the current [Mountain Gate] is one of the two locations belonging to the Ghost World.

The distance between them is now unknown, spanning countless kilometers.

But as long as the [mountain gate] remains open in this location.

The distance between Qingshan Temple and this place will be eliminated.

As for how far away the [external body] will dissipate from the main body, Chi Le doesn't know that distance yet.

This is also one of the tests to be conducted later.

Beneath the dense mountain forest, mist drifts and wanders among the thick trunks of the trees.

"Have we been here before?"

He Xiaoxiao looked around warily, her ears perked up, listening carefully to see if there were any unusual sounds hidden in the silence.

Such a cautious and professional demeanor.

Compared to her first time in the Ghost World, she has made great progress.

Beside her was another face that Chi Le was familiar with.

Wang Haojing raised one eyebrow and said.

"Should I say your reaction time is too slow, or that you have a bad memory, or that you're just too carefree?"

"This is your first time entering the strange world, at Juhu Mountain!"

Wang Haojing lowered his voice so much that it became somewhat distorted, but you could still hear the sarcasm and helplessness in his tone.

He always felt a sense of powerlessness when facing He Xiaoxiao.

In particular, the Shicheng Special Task Force assigned He Xiaoxiao to his and Zhang Guanghai's field team. Brother Zhang even specially asked He Xiaoxiao to learn from him and to mentor this newcomer.

This feeling of powerlessness became all the more profound.

It wasn't that He Xiaoxiao lacked strength; on the contrary, as a spiritualist who had only recently gained her abilities and had only entered the strange world a few times, she was quite capable.

Her proficiency in using her abilities has surpassed that of other new recruits in the same batch at the Shicheng Special Operations Bureau.

He has a promising future as the rising star of the Shicheng Special Operations Bureau.

What made Wang Haojing feel exhausted was He Xiaoxiao's personality.

Her heart was so big that she was almost naive.

It's one thing to have a bad memory and not pay attention to minor details.

Sometimes he can do things that make Wang Haojing's heart skip a beat.

For example, last time she didn't recognize that the demon rushing towards her had already reached the first level.

Faced with the charging monster, her first reaction was not to temporarily avoid its attack and wait for an opportunity to strike, but to directly use her abilities, determined to have a free fight with the monster.

Fortunately, Zhang Guanghai was also present at the time and stepped in to help deal with the monster.

"Huh? Is this the Juhu Mountain where I first entered the strange world?"

He Xiaoxiao's vigilance instantly vanished, and she nodded repeatedly.

"I knew it! No wonder it looked so familiar!"

Then, she remembered the place she encountered the first time she entered the Ghost World, her eyes lit up, and she said.

"Will we run into Qingshan Temple here again?"

"I haven't seen Qingshan Temple since the time before last."

"I really want to go back to Qingshan Temple and spend a peaceful night there again."

Hearing He Xiaoxiao's wailing, Wang Haojing was also somewhat tempted.

Ever since Brother Zhang submitted his report on the operation that night, the Special Affairs Bureau seems to have developed a considerable interest in Qingshan Temple.

Now, anyone who submits a report on information related to Qingshan Temple will receive a reward, with the reward being better depending on the importance of the information.

The special affairs bureau staff who used to enter the strange world and face execution now have a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

"If I could actually run into Qingshan Temple and figure out the pattern of its appearance in the Ghost World, I could write a report and maybe I could get promoted and become the deputy director of the field department."

Zhang Guanghai leaned against the tree trunk and said happily.

Since He Xiaoxiao had her water meter confiscated by the Special Affairs Bureau, she voluntarily joined the Special Affairs Bureau and became part of the field team led by Zhang Guanghai and Wang Haojing.

Each time she fell into the bizarre world, she acted with these two people.

After all, the Special Affairs Bureau possesses a [Mysterious Relic] that allows teams to enter the Mysterious World.

The Special Operations Bureau also has experts who, based on the functions of this "mysterious relic," have produced a batch of "man-made mysterious relics."

Although the effect is not as good as the original, it can only be used to form a team of up to three people at a time.

But this is also an excellent feature.

It is precisely because of the existence of counterfeit products that the special operations bureaus of every city have always required their staff to venture into the strange world in teams.

No one may enter the Ghost World alone without special permission.

This is also a way for the Special Operations Bureau to improve the survival rate of its staff.

When martial artists and spiritual practitioners are together, they can deal with demons and evil spirits of the same level in the strange world with relative ease.

"Have you all rested enough?"

7

Zhang Guanghai got up from the ground.

"Let's continue searching for the ritual materials needed for Wang Haojing's advancement."