The Ascension of Contracted Spirits

Chapter 42 - 41: Naming, Huazhu! _1

"Boom!"

The wild wind roared like a heart-wrenching scream, causing the rows of metal railings to clang loudly.

Countless imprisoned injured Fond Spirits either screamed in terror or wailed on the ground, creating a chaotic scene.

"Quyin, establish a barrier, and try to block the anomalies here as much as possible!"

"Ya Hu Ya Hu!"

The Sounding Bat flew off swiftly, letting out five consecutive screams.

Subsequently, each flap of its wings left a pale purple light wall in front of it.

That was the ’Sonic Wall’, one of the signature skills of the sonic Fond Spirits.

Its function is to isolate sound, with an additional effect of reducing vibration.

When necessary, it can also be used in hunting, waiting for the prey to accidentally hit the sonic wall and get dizzy from the shrieking sound waves before making a lethal attack, often achieving surprising results.

"Puff!" "Puff!" "Puff!" "Puff!"

The Sounding Bat created a total of four sonic walls.

Accordingly, they blocked off four main passages.

Jiang Haowen, who had long abandoned hiding and chose to openly spy, was abruptly jolted from his daze.

"What’s going on, what’s happening again?"

The expressions on the faces of Ye Shu, Jiang Meng, Zhou Nijie, two women, and one man, were all ones of anticipation, their eyes full of eagerness.

The movements were becoming more pronounced, and the situation was becoming increasingly exaggerated.

Out of the group of four, only Jiang Haowen had enough perceptive power to barely understand what was happening. Everyone was waiting for him to narrate the situation verbally.

"I...he...uh..."

Jiang Haowen felt as if he had just had a strange dream; upon waking up, his mind was still a complete mess.

He briskly shook his head, at least twenty times. After fully waking up, he said with lingering fear:

"It’s incredible, too weird, too exaggerated."

"I don’t know what they’re discussing, but I can see very clearly, Lord Han, right in front of the Watcher and several assistant instructors and staff, activated the Contract Ceremony, intending to make a contract with the Desert Witch."

"All the noise just now, all the dangerous aura, all came from him..."

"I’ve indeed heard that some Patrons create cascading anomalies when signing contracts, but aren’t those rare talents? As for Lord Han... is he playing dumb to catch us off guard, or has he really been too low-key, causing us to underestimate his talent?"

"Did I guess it right?"

Jiang Meng was stunned, covering her cherry mouth, murmuring to herself:

"I’ve always felt that Lord Han is very powerful, but I didn’t expect that he seems to be even more powerful than I imagined."

"But... why is he so interested in the Desert Witch? Does the Grey Flash... really have contract value?"

"I don’t know..."

"However, as expected of the top academy in the Blue Frog Kingdom, I’ve learned a lot just on the second day after joining."

"I had no concept before, but now that I’m facing it myself, I seem to have a bit of a feeling..."

Ye Shu was immersed in her own cognitive world, exclaiming in amazement.

Jiang Haowen bit his lip, really wanting to argue back.

This isn’t learning a lot, it’s like having your skull cap unscrewed to be given more knowledge!

Killing witches, assistant instructor badges, new Patrons, contract phenomena, and then reversing to contract with witches... these ghostly labels have never been mixed together in the nearly 200-year history of the academy!

If you consider Lord Han as the standard, wouldn’t everyone in Canghai Pavilion have to be some kind of freak?

If everyone we randomly bump into on the street is this mysterious and unique, can we, as small fries, truly walk through the doors of this academy?

Zhou Nijie scratched his ears and cheeks, pondering:

"Do you think... there might be a possibility..."

"That Lord Han had contracted with Fond Spirits before, but they were sacrificed due to an accident..."

"So this mark is not actually new but has been used again after recovering from injury and repairing the mark?"

"Impossible!"

Jiang Meng immediately questioned:

"A repaired mark, when used a second time, appears a light gold color, not so bright, not so dazzling, and it’s easy to distinguish just by looking."

"So, Lord Han really made such a big commotion during his first contract? The difference between people...is the gap really this big..."

Zhou Nijie puzzled, "But I also don’t understand why he would choose the Desert Witch. Does he think she has potential value?"

"Neither the star mentor nor the vice-dean level figures regard the Grey Witch highly; choosing such a controversial and flawed species in a blind way, isn’t that destroying one’s own future?"

"Shh!" Jiang Meng shook her head, "We can only watch; we have no qualification to comment."

"But my sight can’t surmount the sonic wall, nor can I hear the sound."

Jiang Haowen, like an ant on a hot pan, was full of worries:

"I don’t know if the contract is going smoothly, and I don’t know how the Watcher will ultimately deal with Lord Han..."

"Let’s wait patiently and see the final result..."

...

The hurricane was like a blade, sweeping the world.

Ye Hanjun gradually stopped hearing the sounds of the outside world. Even the raging wind was only whirling around him, unable to enter his ears.

The world suddenly became quiet.

A sense of timelessness and desolation gradually rose, and the four seas’ tranquility-like serene cold filtered into every part of his heart.

In the dark, the profound laws stemming from the contract diffused into the atmosphere.

A tiny area around him seemed to be detached from the Nine Heavens and Ten Realms, transcending all natural systems.

"This feeling..."

Ye Hanjun closed his eyes, half in enjoyment, half in reverence.

The regular Contract Ceremony was indeed very different from the Blood Covenant.

Even though they both originated from a part of the world law, this kind of experience that he could control was actually his first time experiencing it.

"Let’s begin." Ye Hanjun opened his eyes.

In his pitch-black pupils, a golden light shone like a burning fire, intense and fierce.

On his left arm, a dense mass of blood threads slowly became thin, slow, and faint.

The fierce and rough sensation gradually waned, and a hard-to-describe sense of supremacy spontaneously emerged.

Ye Hanjun lowered his head. Although he and the Desert Witch were only two meters apart, his gaze seemed to travel through endless space and time. On his pale face, an air of grandeur subtly unfolded.

"This is the first contract of the ’Instructor’. Once concluded, you will become my Contracted Spirit, the Fond Spirit."

"I know you have doubts in your heart, and I will clear them for you now."

"The first stage is to destroy the Wheel of the Witch Vein, awaken the latent energy, and force the bloodline to enter a different equilibrium."

"Surviving this ordeal means that your heart has been tempered a thousand times, possessing the courage to cut off all means of retreat, as well as a determined and unyielding faith."

"The next hundred days will be your most critical stage."

Ye Hanjun looked at the Desert Witch’s face, his expression calm as if he was talking about mundane matters:

"If you were a refined egoist, completing all your trials before the contract to eliminate all risks would be the best solution."

"But I don’t need to."

"If you can endure the first round, proving yourself to have the desire and motivation to become stronger, I am 90% confident I can help you break through the second round."

"Therefore, forming a contract now is the best solution for me."

"Now, the option is handed over to you. I will not pressure, nor deceive. How you choose your destiny is up to you."

"So that’s how it is." The Desert Witch’s eyes, which had been filled with confusion, cleared considerably, and a light of hope was ignited in an instant.

Without any hesitation, she dragged the iron chain piercing her chest, bowed her head, knelt on the ground, and respectfully said:

"Being recognized by you is my honor."

"If you do not find me unpalatable, I am willing to follow your instructions for the rest of my life, swearing to follow you to the death."

"Very well." Ye Hanjun nodded and then asked:

"When you were born into the Witch Tribe, did you have a true name?

"Yes." The Desert Witch was silent for a few seconds, "But I have long abandoned that name."

"Over the years, I have been more like a wandering ghost, and I don’t care about my name."

"You cannot be without a true name."

Ye Hanjun muttered to himself, pondered for a moment, and slowly said:

"The final step of the Contract Ceremony is called ’Bestowal of Name’."

"The name given by the Patron cannot be erased or forgotten as long as the contract is not broken. It will accompany the Fond Spirit for the rest of their life. It is a very important symbol."

"You went through all sorts of hardships since birth, regarded as a heretic, and treated differently by your tribe."

"After that, you were displaced and homeless, with only loneliness and pain as your companions..."

"Now, please remember that this is your lowest moment. Remember your appearance, covered in filth and scars."

"Your potential is not limited to this. You are born to be proud. Even if you cannot dominate the world, you should not be enslaved by anyone in this insignificant place. They should be severely punished..."

In the depths of Ye Hanjun’s gaze, a flash of brilliance burst forth. The golden light was majestic, raging and roaring like a torrential sea.

"Flower symbolizes beauty. One day, you will bloom with flawless grace."

"Candle stands beside the raging fire, which is close to your attribute, symbolizes brightness and shine, symbolizes hope and unlimited possibilities."

"Let’s call you ’Huazhu’. This is the name that I bestow unto you."

"From now on..."

"The contract...is formed!"

"Boom!"

In the spiritual world, a dazzling beam of light that couldn’t be looked at directly shot into the sky.

In the real world, the slowly writhing blood threads suddenly became turbulent.

They were like dancing hair strands, which instantly pierced the Desert Witch’s forehead and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Um..."

The Desert Witch knelt on the ground, her delicate body trembling slightly.

The mysterious blood-colored light patterns quickly cleansed her internal organs, washing from the inside out.

A goose-yellow mark slowly appeared on Ye Hanjun’s left wrist.

Its shape resembled that of a scorpion’s tail and exuded warmth. Because it was small and unobtrusive, the corners of Ye Hanjun’s mouth gradually curled into a smile.

"Finally, the first contract is in place."

"In the next five years, if I want to pass the Night Trial with ’exceptionality’ as the only subject, this would be one of my main rely-on, right?"

His emotions surged like a raging sea.

Feeling a strange sensation from his back, Ye Hanjun quickly turned around.

"Huh? What is this?!"

Without warning, an ancient stone gate of grey-white stood towering as if at the peak of the mountains, filled with a sense of desolation.

It was too ancient and too massive. Just one glance made Ye Hanjun’s mind tremble and his thoughts freeze. He was so astonished that he couldn’t even speak.