Only I Cultivate

"Officer Lei, stay with Feng Fan. I'll grab a spare device."

Doctor Jin rushed out, leaving only Feng Fan and Officer Lei in the room.

With nothing else to do, Feng Fan decided to strike up a conversation. "So… how's the job here? I heard they're thinking about recruiting me. Are the benefits any good?"

Officer Lei remained silent, staring at him with a blank expression.

Feng Fan rolled his eyes. "No one will think you're a mute if you talk, you know."

The silence dragged on until Doctor Jin returned, hurrying inside with another device in hand.

"Alright, let's try again." He placed the new contamination detector on Feng Fan's head and pressed the red button.

Nothing.

Doctor Jin frowned, clearly puzzled. "What's going on?"

He stepped back and turned to Officer Lei. "Let me test it on you."

Officer Lei nodded, and Doctor Jin placed the device on his head. This time, the detector beeped, and two out of ten bars lit up on the screen.

"It's working…" Doctor Jin's confusion only deepened as he turned to Feng Fan like he was some kind of anomaly.

"You…"

"Me?" Feng Fan raised an eyebrow.

Doctor Jin shook his head. "Never mind. Let's move on to the next test."

Doctor Jin sat back down in front of Feng Fan and began operating the other device. 

"This is a lie detector. It helps us assess your mental state. Since your body shows no signs of contamination, it shouldn't make a difference, but this is standard procedure, so we'll continue."

He attached several wires to Feng Fan's head and chest.

"What's your name?"

"Feng Fan."

No reaction from the lie detector, he was telling the truth.

"Are you from Blue Planet?"

"No, I'm from another dimension," Feng Fan said casually.

To Doctor Jin's shock, the device remained unresponsive. "This thing doesn't work on you either?!"

Frustrated, he tried again. "Where do you live?"

"Nowhere. I'm homeless. Please, take me in!"

Still no reaction.

Doctor Jin couldn't believe it. This wasn't just any lie detector—it ran on spiritual energy, designed to read subtle shifts in a person's soul to detect lies. 

But because Feng Fan's soul was shielded by his straw hat, the device couldn't access his inner palace, much less his soul.

Doctor Jin sighed in defeat. "Alright, that's it for the psychological tests. Follow me."

He stood up and left the room, with Officer Lei and Feng Fan trailing behind. After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at what looked like a training facility.

Inside, about ten people were sparring or training alone using strange devices. As soon as Feng Fan stepped in, several turned to look at him with curiosity.

"Is that the new rookie?" A beautiful woman with short pink hair and an absurdly large chest grinned at the person beside her. "I heard he just awakened and killed a C-rank ghost."

The man next to her, busy punching a training dummy, barely reacted. "Sounds like a baseless rumor. I've never heard of anyone pulling off something that impossible, Wan Xiaoli."

Wan Xiaoli smirked, her eyes glinting with interest. "Well, why don't we watch and find out? He's here for his test, so he'll have to show his abilities sooner or later." 

She turned her gaze toward the arena, where Feng Fan was heading.

"Please step into the arena with Officer Lei. We'd like you to demonstrate your ability in a mock battle."

Feng Fan scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Well… the thing is, I have no idea how to use it."

He knew they assumed his ability was the chains he had used against Ma Chen, but that wasn't the case.

Feng Fan had only awakened his inner palace thanks to the straw hat and hadn't cultivated since then. On his own, he couldn't summon the chains yet.

Doctor Jin and Officer Lei stared at him, dumbfounded.

"This… didn't you already use it?" Doctor Jin asked. "Every Hunter, after awakening their ability for the first time, instinctively knows how to use it. There has never been an exception to this rule."

Wan Xiaoli, who had been paying attention from the side, burst into laughter. "Oh my god, the rookie can't even use his ability! He really is special!"

She was so loud that everyone in the room heard her. Muffled laughter spread through the space.

Yet, Feng Fan remained still, his expression calm, unfazed by their reactions.

Doctor Jin sighed. "Alright, can you tell us about your curse, then?"

A drop of sweat formed on Feng Fan's forehead. He had no curse!

Anyone who absorbed energy from ghosts and awakened an ability would naturally have a curse. If he admitted he didn't have one, he risked being seen as even more of an anomaly.

Having no contamination energy was already strange, but since he had just awakened, they probably wouldn't think too much of it. However, having no curse? That would be a huge red flag.

Curses are one of the two downsides of absorbing ghosts…

'No matter what, I can't let them find out the truth about my abilities.'

"My curse…"

A determined look crossed his face as he planned to lie with a straight face. The laughter died down as everyone turned their attention to him.

"…is being madly in love with Luo Li!"

Their mouths dropped open, but no one said a word.

👻👻👻👻👻

Feng Fan stood in front of Mao Jiang, who scanned a piece of paper quickly.

"This situation… is definitely unusual. For now, I can offer you the same treatment as a D-rank. You'll team up with Luo Li and another rookie for missions. This will help you get a better grasp of your ability. What do you think?"

Feng Fan nodded. "What's the salary and benefits?"

Mao Jiang clasped his hands together on the table. "The salary for a D-rank is three thousand dollars a month, with full medical coverage for life, life insurance, and additional pay based on the level of ghosts you eliminate."

Giving Feng Fan a D-rank salary despite him not even being able to use his ability showed how much Mao Jiang valued him.

Feng Fan's eyes lit up. For someone with no job, this was perfect. Not to mention, hunting ghosts would also make him stronger.

"Deal!"