The walk back to Nuoding Academy was silent. Dean Long Han kept shooting sideways glances at the six-year-old walking beside him. Chen Fan looked pale, his new spirit ring pulsing with a faint, rhythmic cold, but his eyes were sharper than before. He had tasted mortality and come back with a haunt.
As they entered the dormitory area, a commotion broke out near the infamous Room 7.
"I told you! From today on, I am the boss here!" a crisp, energetic voice rang out.
Chen Fan arrived just in time to see a young boy with an honest face—Tang San—dusting off his clothes, looking slightly dazed. Standing over him was a girl with a long scorpion-braid and twitching rabbit ears. Xiao Wu.
"Who's next?" she challenged, her eyes scanning the crowd of awestruck work-study students. Her gaze landed on Chen Fan. "You! You look like you just crawled out of a grave. Are you a new student too?"
The Challenge of the Soft Bone Rabbit
"I just registered," Chen Fan said, his voice still a bit raspy from the absorption process. He wanted to go to sleep, but the rules of Room 7 were legendary. To sleep in peace, you had to face the "Boss."
"Good! I'm Xiao Wu, the boss of this place. If you want a bed, you have to beat me!" Without waiting for an answer, she lunged.
"First Spirit Skill: Waist Warp!"
Xiao Wu's speed was explosive. Chen Fan's instincts screamed. He didn't have Tang San's Purple Demon Eye or Ghost Shadow Perplexing Step. He was a beginner who had held his power for less than six hours.
"Specter! Ghost Walk!"
Chen Fan's body flickered. He tried to turn intangible, but his control was clumsy. Instead of a smooth transition into a ghost, he only partially faded. Xiao Wu's kick landed squarely on his shoulder.
Thud!
"Ow..." Chen Fan gasped. The intangibility had dampened the blow, but it hadn't nullified it. He felt like he'd been hit by a padded sledgehammer.
"You're weird!" Xiao Wu chirped, landing gracefully. "My foot went right through part of you, but it still felt like hitting a bag of flour!"
Counterattack: The Ghost Claw
Xiao Wu came in again, aiming a high kick at his neck. Chen Fan realized he couldn't play defense—his control over the Specter's phasing was too "leaky." He had to strike back.
"First Spirit Skill: Ghost Claw!"
The Specter behind him finally moved. It didn't punch; it swept a translucent, elongated claw through the air. The claw didn't hit Xiao Wu's leg—it passed through her physical form.
Xiao Wu froze mid-air. Her face went pale, and a shiver ran down her spine. The Ghost Claw bypassed her defense, striking her "Soul" with a burst of numbing cold. It didn't break bones, but it made her muscles seize up instantly.
She tumbled to the floor, shivering. "S-so... cold..."
Chen Fan stood over her, his own legs shaking from the drain on his Spirit Power. He had won, but only because she didn't expect a mental/soul attribute attack.
The Strategic Retreat
Xiao Wu hopped up a moment later, rubbing her arms vigorously to get the circulation back. Her competitive pride was flaring.
"That doesn't count!" she pouted, pointing a finger at him. "I just fought that guy with the blue grass! I was tired! My Spirit Power was half-empty! If I were at 100%, your spooky hand wouldn't have touched me!"
Tang San, watching from the side, rubbed his chin. That boy's Martial Soul... I couldn't even see what attacked her. Is it a hidden weapon? No, it felt like a cold current.
Chen Fan looked at Xiao Wu. He knew her personality—she was a "nagging" powerhouse. If he took the title of Boss, she would challenge him every single morning at dawn until she won. He just wanted to study his Volume 1-4 knowledge and figure out how to cultivate his Specter.
"You're right," Chen Fan said, putting his hands up in a peaceful gesture. "You're clearly exhausted. Since you're the veteran here, you should keep being the Boss. I'm just a 'shadow' anyway. I'll take that corner bed."
Xiao Wu blinked, her pout turning into a wide grin. "Hah! You're sensible! Fine, I'll let you stay. I'm Sister Wu, the boss! Tang San is the second boss, and you... you're the 'Ghost Boss'!"
Chen Fan flopped onto his straw mattress, the Specter fading back into his shadow. He had successfully avoided the drama, secured a spot in the protagonist's circle, and survived his first day.
"Hey, Ghost Boss," Xiao Wu called out as he closed his eyes. "What's your name?"
"Chen Fan," he muttered, drifting into a dreamless sleep.