Chapter 38: Special Abilities
When Yang Haoran looked at himself in the mirror again, he was stunned. From this moment on, he believed that he had become different from ordinary people.
At his brow, the Death Mark Seal still existed, but compared to before, it had changed!
Previously, the Death Mark Seal was like a tattoo on his brow, lifelike but otherwise unremarkable. But now, wisps of black smoke emanated from the Death Mark Seal, clearly visible without needing a close look.
"This black smoke is..."
"It's not black smoke, but Yin spirit power condensed from pure Yin Qi," Master Jiang explained.
"Yin spirit power..." Yang Haoran licked his dry lips, his astonishment not diminishing but rather intensifying.
Before today, he was just an ordinary person who had never encountered such wonders. These miraculous phenomena, which could only be seen in movies or novels, were now happening to him. It was inevitable for him to be astonished.
Master Jiang seemed unsurprised by Yang Haoran's reaction. He continued, "The Death Mark Seal has been activated. Next, I will teach you how to freely reveal and conceal the Death Mark Seal."
Before Yang Haoran could thank him, Master Jiang had already begun instructing him. Yang Haoran set aside his surprise, focusing entirely, afraid of missing any details.
The method was simple. Under Master Jiang's guidance, Yang Haoran learned it in just a few minutes. Under his control, the Death Mark Seal on his brow could now be revealed or concealed at will.
Concealing the Death Mark Seal, when Yang Haoran looked at himself in the mirror again, the Death Mark Seal emitting black smoke had disappeared.
"Concealing the Death Mark Seal can reduce unnecessary trouble. However, this method can only deceive the naked eye. If encountering someone with a practice eye technique or someone naturally endowed with such a technique, hiding the Death Mark Seal is like an illusion."
Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran put down the mirror and asked, "Practice eye technique? Like people with special eyes in movies?"
Master Jiang nodded. "Exactly."
"Are there really such people?" Yang Haoran's expression was filled with astonishment and disbelief.
Seeing Yang Haoran's reaction, Master Jiang chuckled. "You've seen ghosts, and now you possess some special abilities yourself. What's so strange about the existence of people with eye techniques?"
Upon reflection, Yang Haoran realized there was indeed nothing strange about it. His sense of strangeness stemmed from his failure to transition roles; he was still considering things from the perspective of an ordinary person.
"Eye techniques must be powerful. In movies, anyone with an eye technique seems fierce, especially in animations. It feels like they could leap out of the screen and devour people. Very intimidating!" Yang Haoran's tone betrayed a hint of envy.
"Eye techniques come in various forms, each with different abilities. You don't need to envy those people because you now possess an eye technique yourself," Master Jiang said.
"What?" Yang Haoran was surprised. "I have one too?"
"Of course you do, but don't worry. I'll introduce them to you one by one and teach you how to use them."
Yang Haoran's heart pounded, but he resisted the urge to ask further questions, suppressing his excitement to focus on Master Jiang's guidance.
"Firstly, after activating the Death Mark Seal, Yin spirit power will exist within you. Try to sense it. It feels like there's something cool moving around inside you, like a small fish swimming within you," Master Jiang asked.
Previously, Yang Haoran was too excited, and his attention was elsewhere, so he hadn't felt anything abnormal within him. But now, upon Master Jiang's prompt, he was surprised to find that there was indeed something cool moving around inside him.
Yang Haoran looked at Master Jiang in amazement, and under his smiling gaze, he nodded.
"The cool sensation inside you is the Yin spirit power. Try to control it."
"Can I control it?" Yang Haoran was uncertain.
"Of course," Master Jiang replied affirmatively.
Without hesitation, Yang Haoran nodded and followed Master Jiang's instructions, attempting to control the cool Yin spirit power within him. To his amazement, as soon as he thought about controlling it, the leisurely Yin spirit power within him immediately stopped and moved according to his will. It moved left when he wanted it to, without any resistance.
From the look of excitement on Yang Haoran's face, Master Jiang knew that Yang Haoran had learned to control Yin spirit power. So he continued, "Condense it into your right hand, like this."
As he spoke, Master Jiang raised his right hand. With a muffled bang, dense black smoke billowed from his entire right hand, as if an unextinguished fire stick suddenly had all its flames snuffed out, leaving only rolling black smoke.
The temperature in the room plummeted as the thick black smoke appeared, filling the entire room with a chilling coldness.
However, Yang Haoran, now, didn't feel the slightest chill. In the past, he would have shivered from the cold.
Though he didn't feel the chill, he was startled by this sudden scene. Fortunately, he was gradually transitioning roles, so he quickly recovered.
Following Master Jiang's instructions, he also raised his right hand and directed the Yin spirit power within him toward his right hand.
Subtle sounds emanated from his right hand, and soon, his right hand was also enveloped in dense black smoke. However, it wasn't as exaggerated as Master Jiang's. The black smoke released from his right hand only covered the area below his wrist.
Seeing Yang Haoran's strong learning ability, Master Jiang nodded in satisfaction. He said, "This black smoke is the form Yin spirit power takes when emitted externally. Since you've only just activated the seal, your Yin spirit power is still weak. It can only temporarily cover your entire palm. After you experience Soul Qi infusion, your Yin spirit power will strengthen. The stronger your Yin spirit power, the larger the area it will cover when emitted externally."
Yang Haoran also dispersed the Yin spirit power from his hand as Master Jiang did. He wanted to ask what Soul Qi was, but before he could, Master Jiang continued.
"Whether Yin spirit power is strong or weak, it will deplete. Once depleted, you need to rest to recover. So don't worry about Yin spirit power disappearing after depletion."
Yang Haoran nodded, indicating understanding. But Master Jiang seemed to have more to say and continued, "Activating the Death Mark Seal grants you Yin spirit power as one ability. Additionally, your perception abilities will enhance. Since we belong to the Yin Division, our perception of Yin Qi is more accurate. This ability will expand with the strengthening of your Yin spirit power. However, at your current state, you can only perceive within a radius of one li. If it exceeds this range, unless the Yin Qi is exceptionally strong, you won't perceive it."
The ability Master Jiang mentioned actually referred to what Yang Haoran called "perceive yin." In the past, Yang Haoran's ability to perceive yin was just a bluff, but now he truly possessed it.
The ability to perceive yin was easy to teach, as simple as seeing with the eyes or eating with the hands. As long as Yin Qi appeared within his perception range, he could naturally sense it.
"Alright, let's move on to the third ability, the eye technique you've been most envious of."
Upon hearing this, Yang Haoran's eyes lit up.
"As members of the Yin Division, we all understand how to use this eye technique. This eye technique is called the Ghost Eye!" Master Jiang said.
"Ghost Eye?" Yang Haoran looked puzzled.
Master Jiang nodded, then explained, "Normally, the human eye can't see undead, as I've told you before. But once the Ghost Eye is activated, even the lowest-level undead can't escape your gaze."
Initially full of anticipation, Yang Haoran, upon hearing Master Jiang's words, though his face didn't show it, felt a bit disappointed.
The name Ghost Eye sounded intimidating, but was its ability really that limited?
As it turned out, Yang Haoran's disappointment was premature. Master Jiang continued, "The Ghost Eye not only allows you to see undead but also glimpses into the past of the deceased, whether they're undead, evil spirits, or malevolent spirits. As long as they're deceased spirits, the Ghost Eye can reveal their past. This is a privilege granted by the Yin Division."
"In addition, as an eye technique, the Ghost Eye can see things that normal people can't. Undead are just one aspect of it. As for what else you can see, I can only tell you that there are many. As for how many 'many' is, you'll have to discover for yourself. I can't explain it all at once, but as long as it's something invisible to the naked eye, you can try activating the Ghost Eye."
Listening to Master Jiang, Yang Haoran became interested. Although the Ghost Eye wasn't as domineering as in the movies, it still sounded promising.
"How do I activate the Ghost Eye?" Yang Haoran asked.
"Heh, it's simple. Control the Yin spirit power within you to your eyes, then look into the mirror," Master Jiang chuckled.
Yang Haoran nodded, then picked up the mirror and aimed it at himself. He concentrated the Yin spirit power within him into his eyes.
Under Yang Haoran's gaze, his eyes rapidly turned black. In an instant, his normal eyes became as black as ink, without a trace of white, like two black gems embedded in his eye sockets, with wisps of black smoke rising from these gem-like eyes.
These were eerie eyes, giving off a terrifying feeling at a glance. Even though Yang Haoran was their owner, he couldn't help but be startled when he saw them for the first time. These were indeed Ghost Eyes, living up to their name, like the eyes of some monsters in horror movies, full of eerie ghostliness, sending shivers down one's spine.