Chapter 55: Yucai High School

Before morning self-study began, Li Zhi glanced at the nameplate on a male classmate's desk and called out, "Liao Ze, did you guys succeed in summoning the Lantern Spirit last night?"

Liao Ze lowered his vocabulary book and adjusted his glasses. "Of course we did!"

Li Zhi feigned curiosity. "How exactly does the Lantern Spirit summoning work? How do you know if it succeeded?"

"You didn’t come when we invited you, and now you’re asking all these questions." Liao Ze grumbled but, considering she was a new transfer student, explained:

"You need at least ten people. Prepare a white candle—white works best. After dark, light the candle and form a circle. Walk clockwise three times, then counterclockwise three times. Protect your candle—if it goes out, it’s over."

Other players gathered around, and Liao Ze grew more animated. "While walking, chant the summoning incantation."

Lian Qinglin cut in, "What’s the incantation?"

Liao Ze shot him a look. "You can’t just say it out loud! Only during the ritual." He continued, "After the summoning, sit down, close your eyes, and silently make a wish. The Lantern Spirit will appear. If it chooses to grant your wish, it’ll blow out your candle. The chosen one must stand and complete the transaction."

Li Zhi and Tan Manyu exchanged glances.

This matched what they’d witnessed last night.

The warning alarm had sounded precisely when the candle was extinguished—the moment the Lantern Spirit arrived.

Li Zhi asked quietly, "What does the Lantern Spirit usually demand in return?"

Liao Ze shrugged. "How would I know? I’ve never been chosen." He pointed to a tall boy in the back. "Ask him. The Lantern Spirit picked him last night."

Li Zhi studied the boy—Xu Jingsheng. He chatted with his deskmate, showing no signs of abnormality.

Before she could approach, the bell rang. Like a switch flipping, the students snapped to attention, burying themselves in their books. The players hurriedly followed suit.

Morning self-study: English.

A young female teacher stormed in, slamming a stack of workbooks onto the desk. "Last five minutes—vocabulary quiz on Units 3 and 4. More than three mistakes? Five hundred repetitions per word!"

The players clutched their heads in despair.

Thirty minutes to memorize a hundred words?!

Li Zhi glanced at Tan Manyu, who gave a subtle nod. Her photographic memory had already locked them in.

The quiz began. The teacher’s voice dripped like acid.

When Tan Manyu tried to slide her answers toward Li Zhi, the teacher snapped, "Cheaters are banned from my class! Who’ll help you cheat during the Gaokao?!"

Next class: Chinese Literature.

The homeroom teacher wrote on the board: "Peacock Flies Southeast. Recite."

Players slumped, wishing for ghosts instead of pop quizzes.

Audience reactions:

[The PTSD is real. I’m back in school.]
[My school’s closed due to ghost attacks, yet this dungeon’s giving me homework?!]
[If the mission is passing exams, this’ll be a total wipe.]
[The mighty Li Zhi, slayer of ghosts, defeated by… vocabulary lists.]
[System, you monster!]

Luckily, the teacher spared the "transfer students." But when a boy named Wang Zhiyuan stumbled through his recitation, her face darkened.

"My office. Now."

By lunch, the players were zombified.

Zhou Jianzhang rallied them: "Our scores haven’t changed. The real test isn’t these subjects. Use breaks to search for clues."

Bai Xuan nodded. "No deaths last night—this dungeon’s manageable."

Their leadership dynamic boosted morale.

Li Zhi lingered at the back. Tan Manyu murmured, "You’ve been watching Zhou Jianzhang. Does he seem off?"

Li Zhi raised a brow.

"Just a hunch," Tan Manyu admitted. "But my hunches are usually right."

Li Zhi agreed. Zhou Jianzhang’s too-perfect demeanor set off alarms. Four other players also felt... wrong.

"Take the warning alarm at lunch," Li Zhi said. "Be careful."

The cafeteria buzzed with chatter. Li Zhi spotted Xu Jingsheng—last night’s "chosen one"—and sat across from him.

"I heard the Lantern Spirit granted your wish?"

Xu Jingsheng smiled. "Yes. My wish came true."

"What did it take in return?"

"That’s between me and the Spirit." His grin widened. "Try it yourself if you’re curious."

Li Zhi sighed. "I’m afraid the price might be too high."

Xu Jingsheng chuckled. "Don’t worry. The Lantern Spirit is... reasonable."

His tone made her skin crawl.