Chapter 148 – It's starting!

Rumble rumble—space trembled.

Once constructed, the Nightmare Ghost Realm existed within the dimensional void, resembling a Minor World. Its spatial area was not large initially, equivalent only to the size of a small city with a population of several hundred thousand.

Ye Sheng entered it with a strand of consciousness, materializing a white-robed figure.

If he wished, his physical body could descend at any time.

“Is this the Nightmare Ghost Realm?” Ye Sheng gazed around.

The surroundings were eerily quiet. The entire Nightmare Ghost Realm was shrouded in a gray haze, its Spatial Barrier extremely fragile, riddled with cracks everywhere. Violent spatial storms surged in through the gaps.

Moreover, the entire space was desolate, with cracked earth and crimson light seeping from the fissures, revealing scorching molten lava within. The environment was extremely harsh.

“To actually construct an independent spatial Minor World?” Ye Sheng was somewhat astonished, yet also scratched his head as he observed this shattered Nightmare Ghost Realm.

This Nightmare Ghost Realm could be described as full of leaks; it would likely collapse at any moment if struck by a fierce spatial storm.

“As the Skill Level increases, the Nightmare Ghost Realm should become more complete!” Ye Sheng said.

Then, he closed his eyes and carefully sensed the entire Nightmare Ghost Realm.

Within the Nightmare Ghost Realm, he felt a powerful Amplify effect!

This should be the effect of the rule: “Within the Ghost Realm, the Realm Lord’s attack power Increases by +40,000%.”

There was also another rule: “Enemies are Weakened by -10,000%.”

This, however, could not be tested for now; it would have to wait until enemies were captured and brought into the Ghost Realm in the future.

“Let’s test ‘One Thought Projection’ first!” Ye Sheng said seriously. “This is the key to whether Combat Power can be rapidly Increased next.”

Immediately, he focused his thoughts and used One Thought Projection within the Ghost Realm.

One Thought Projection required visualizing in the mind something he had seen before.

What Ye Sheng visualized in his mind was the Level 100, 4th Evolution Yin Soldiers he had encountered in the Shadow City Secret Realm.

As Ye Sheng visualized, the next moment, over a hundred Yin Soldiers appeared in the Nightmare Ghost Realm.

These Yin Soldiers were identical to those seen in the Shadow City Secret Realm: each wore tattered, ancient armor, wielded corroded swords and shields, and their hollow eye sockets burned with Ghost Flame.

“They really were projected.” Seeing this, Ye Sheng’s face lit up with joy. This One Thought Projection was indeed miraculous.

However, the drawback was that the Combat Power of these Level 100, 4th Evolution Yin Soldiers was halved.

They could not compare to the genuine Level 100, 4th Evolution Yin Soldiers in the Shadow City Secret Realm.

Ye Sheng found this normal; after all, these were merely projections. Having half their strength was already quite good.

If they could be projected one-to-one perfectly, then this Nightmare Ghost Realm would be truly Heaven-Defying!

He would need to do nothing else; simply projecting Experts would make him invincible, wouldn’t it?

“Let’s test whether Proficiency can be Increased.” Ye Sheng muttered to himself, ceasing his wild thoughts.

He swung the Diamond Demon-Subduing Sword, unleashing a golden Sword Light toward the hundred-plus Yin Soldiers.

Boom!

That area was instantly annihilated; the hundred-plus Yin Soldiers were wiped out in an instant.

Ye Sheng hurriedly pulled up the Diamond Demon-Subduing Sword’s Skill Stat Panel and looked at the Proficiency column.

Immediately after, his eyes brightened.

“It works!”

Ye Sheng’s expression was ecstatic. In his view, although the Proficiency progress bar had increased only slightly—less than 0.0001—it had indeed increased.

As long as it could increase, it proved that his method was feasible.

By continuously projecting Ghost Creatures within the Nightmare Ghost Realm, one can steadily increase Skill Proficiency, thereby further enhancing Combat Power.

Ye Sheng said with a delighted expression, “Setting aside other skills, just raising the Diamond Demon-Subduing Sword to Level 4 should be enough to Promote me to a ‘High-Tier Giant,’ right?!

Even if there are ‘High-Tier Giants’ in the Federation Grand Examination, there probably aren’t many! At that point, my chances will be even greater!”

…

For the next three days, Ye Sheng remained in the training room beneath the villa, focusing all his efforts on increasing his Skill Levels.

He only made one appearance during this time, which was to entrust Steward Chi Lao with completing his registration for the Federation Grand Examination. After that, he was nowhere to be seen, much to Chi Xiaoxi’s disappointment.

Inside the training room, the lighting was dim.

Ye Sheng sent a strand of consciousness into the Nightmare Ghost Realm, continuously projecting vast swarms of Yin Soldiers and Ghost Generals, each projection numbering in the tens of thousands.

He then repeatedly used his skills to increase their Proficiency.

For three days, he repeated the same actions. Although somewhat monotonous, Ye Sheng found joy in it, eager to see his skills reach Level 4 and boost his Combat Power as soon as possible.

Whoosh!

Ye Sheng paused for a moment to rest, sighing, “Raising a skill to Level 4 is far more difficult than I imagined.”

The amount of Proficiency required to advance a skill to Level 4 far exceeded Ye Sheng’s expectations.

However, this was normal—the higher a skill’s Level, the more difficult it naturally becomes to Improve!

This was an unchangeable rule.

But upon realizing this, Ye Sheng decisively gave up on Improving all his skills simultaneously.

Instead, he focused solely on leveling up the ‘Diamond Demon-Subduing Sword’ and ‘Heavenly Manifestation’ skills.

After raising the Diamond Demon-Subduing Sword to Level 4, there was a high Probability it would Promote him to a ‘High-Tier Giant.’

As for Heavenly Manifestation, it was likely even more astonishing, potentially reaching the Peak directly.

However, Heavenly Manifestation had a cooldown period, preventing him from continuously grinding its Proficiency. Fortunately, each activation of Heavenly Manifestation could be maintained for an hour.

As long as he fought in the Heavenly Manifestation form, he could increase its Proficiency.

Each day, Ye Sheng would max out the Proficiency for Heavenly Manifestation before moving on to grind the Proficiency for the Diamond Demon-Subduing Sword.

At that moment, the doorbell to the training room rang.

“Family Head, the time for the Federation Grand Examination is almost here. It’s time for you to depart!”

A voice echoed into the training room—it was Steward Chi Lao.

Ye Sheng had instructed him to remind him promptly once the three days were up, so as not to miss the Grand Examination.

“So soon?” Ye Sheng opened his eyes, his consciousness returning from the Nightmare Ghost Realm to his body. Immersed in leveling his skills these past few days, he had nearly lost track of time.

A moment later.

The training room door swung open with a rumble, and a figure in white robes stepped out.

“Family Head.”

Chi Lao was waiting outside, accompanied by Chi Xiaoxi, who was on leave. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Ye Sheng.

“Chi Lao, Xiaoxi!” Ye Sheng smiled warmly. He was always gentle with those close to him.

“The meal is ready and waiting for you,” Chi Lao said with a smile.

…

The meal was quite lavish, prepared by a five-star chef hired by Chi Lao.

Ye Sheng enjoyed it immensely, feeling as if he had returned to a normal life. Having someone take care of daily matters for him certainly made things much more convenient.

After finishing his meal, Ye Sheng relaxed in a hot bath and slept soundly through the night.

Early the next morning, Ye Sheng felt refreshed, his eyes gleaming with a focused light, his spirit and energy at their peak.

“Family Head, may you achieve victory right from the start! Fengdu University awaits you!”

Outside the villa, Chi Gong watched the white-robed figure of Ye Sheng as he departed.

Chi Xiaoxiao also jumped up and shouted, “Brother Ye, I’ll be watching your live broadcast on TV. You must do your best!”

The Federation Grand Examination was broadcast live from start to finish!

Held every three years, the Grand Examination always created a spectacle that emptied the streets.

Bars and teahouses were bustling with business, as many people gathered together to watch this rare and grand event.