On how PhDs become human evil

"What does it matter? Treating one person is the same as treating three, so let's just treat them all together." Yase Motoki laughed heartlessly. "Besides, there aren't many opportunities for Doryu to treat us. If we miss this chance, who knows how long we'll have to wait."

"You, the son of a rich man, would care about the price of a crepe?" — Bai Jie really wanted to ask, but he figured Yase Motoki would just brush it off anyway, so he didn't say it.

However, compared to this, there was another thing that Bai Jie cared about more, and that was time.

It's a few minutes' walk from Caihai College to the station, and now I've spent a few more minutes buying crepes. It'll be about 6 o'clock in about 15 minutes, and if I take the tram, I definitely won't make it home in 15 minutes.

(Should I use the Yu Step to go back directly? No, the spiritual veins here are too mixed; using the Yu Step might be even slower.)

Although the combat module hasn't been loaded yet, it doesn't mean that Bai Jie can't use any Yin-Yang techniques. For example, auxiliary Yin-Yang techniques like Yu Bu and Guan Xing can still be used. Yu Bu is a footwork technique that allows Bai Jie to enter the spiritual veins for rapid movement, but it's basically ineffective on Itogami Island.

The reason is simple: there are too many facilities on Itogami Island that utilize the spiritual veins, which causes the spiritual veins on Itogami Island to be filled with all sorts of things, making movement extremely difficult and slower than normal travel.

"We can only hope the trams will be reliable..."

————————————————————————

The real world.

Looking at the images displayed on the screen, Dan Kuroto put down his coffee cup: "It seems that Doctor won't be able to get to the base before six o'clock, but that's fine too. Only by dealing with unexpected situations can we test how much the virtual world can withstand."

With that thought in mind, Dan Kuroto placed his hands on the keyboard and began loading the battle program module into the virtual world. At the same time, he also entered a virus program that he had designed earlier.

That was a monster he created based on Japanese mythology, with the purpose of testing the effectiveness of Bai Jie's Yin-Yang magic.

"Let me see how well this virtual world can tolerate bugs, Doctor."

Section 367.4. The Divine Flame of Fudo Myo-o

On the tram, sitting near the door, Bai Jie gazed out the window at the setting sun gradually disappearing below the horizon, a hint of solemnity appearing on his face, which was shrouded in the twilight.

The current time is 17:59 PM, which is the time of encounter with demons. In the Yin-Yang Dao, this time is the easiest time for demons, monsters, and supernatural beings to appear, since monsters have always been associated with the night.

Now, although he can't use any direct combat spells, Bai Jie's eyesight has been preserved. It is the ability to see far into the Grand Rank. Even though its effectiveness has been greatly weakened in this virtual world, the most basic spiritual vision is still there.

In Bai Jie's eyes, the spiritual energy permeating various areas of Itogami Island was gradually gathering, forcibly merging without any rules or order. Gathering spiritual energy in such a chaotic way would only give birth to a violent spirit, which in the current Yin-Yang world seems to be called a "spiritual calamity."

Watching the calamity gradually turn black, Bai Jie sighed silently. Considering the current situation, he already knew who was responsible.

(To test if the combat program will produce a fatal bug? Kuroto, you really went to such lengths. While I'm not accusing you of disregarding human life—after all, data aggregates aren't human—could you please show some respect for the human rights of NPCs?)

Judging from the scale of the spiritual disasters, the one currently forming is definitely the most troublesome. If it is allowed to run rampant, who knows what will happen to Itogami Island. Even with Nanami Nagatsuki around, Itogami Island will definitely not be in any danger, but damage is inevitable, and there will certainly be many casualties during this period.

Essentially, these people are all NPCs made of data. Even if they die, they can be reprogrammed. But this approach is no different from how Dan Kuroto used prototype crystal cards to store the data of dead players.

It's likely that Dan Kuroto only dared to act so recklessly because Bai Jie was there. Bai Jie could clearly see that the spiritual calamity was drifting towards him.

"It's bound to happen," Bai Jie murmured.

Hearing this, Lan Yu Qiancong, who was sitting next to Bai Jie, frowned and asked, "What do you mean, 'It's finally here'?"

"It's nothing, it's just that I feel like my peaceful life is finally over. — Hold my hand tightly, and don't let go, something exciting might happen next."

As Bai Jie spoke, he grasped Lan Yu Qiancong's small hand. Lan Yu Qiancong was about to blush and pull it back when she saw this, but Bai Jie's next sentence puzzled her: "What's wrong? What's so exciting... Don't tell me you want to do something bad to me!?"

"Miss, what's going on in your head? Let me make it clear first, I'm not interested in a little girl like you who hasn't even grown up yet." Bai Jie rolled his eyes at her, then looked out the window, mentally starting the final countdown.

(10, 9, 8, 7, 6.....)

As Bai Jie counted down, the spiritual disaster outside the car gradually materialized, and alarms began to sound on Itogami Island.

(...three, two....)

They were getting closer; the calamity was less than five meters from the car door. Its true form had fully materialized, and many of the passengers inside noticed the strange occurrence outside and began to scream in panic.

"Hey, Doryu, what's that? Is it a vampire's familiar?" Aiba Asagi involuntarily tightened her grip on Bai Jie's hand, her body visibly trembling slightly.

"It's nothing, just a few minor things, I'll take care of it."

(....one!)

The instant Bai Jie finished speaking—

"boom--!"

The tram's door was forcibly smashed open from the outside! Like a demonic arm forged from black rock, it pierced through the super-alloy door and ripped it outwards, tearing the entire door off the tram and revealing the monstrous face of the Spirit Calamity to everyone.

Then—

"Aa ...

A ferocious roar resounded in everyone's ears, the sound waves filled with madness and savagery violently impacting everyone's mind. The chaotic spiritual energy mixed in with it swept through the entire tram like a storm, and large numbers of passengers collapsed at the sound of the roar.

"[This is so annoying, just be quiet!]"

Amidst the raging roar, a sentence suddenly rang out. Although it wasn't particularly loud, it incredibly drowned out the roar and even suppressed the demonic energy that had swept through the train.

This is the power of words, a spell that infuses words with spiritual power and controls the person who hears it.

With a bewitching red light flashing in his eyes, Bai Jie stood up from his seat, holding Lan Yuqiancong's hand. The spiritual energy, of terrifying quality and quantity, wrapped around him like flames, like a feathered robe of flames.

Looking at the spiritual calamity bound by his own words, Bai Jie raised his hand and moved it around: "It really feels better this way. The feeling of spiritual energy flowing through my body is just like blood flowing through my body. It gives me a feeling of 'I'm still alive.'"

Having reached Bai Jie's level—or rather, any sorcerer who has reached a certain level—the existence of magic power, spiritual power, and other forces is already equivalent to a part of their body. If they were to stop using magic power, it would be like turning them into cripples. For the past six months, Bai Jie had been living a life where he had a lot of spiritual power but could not use it. The few spells he could use were all minor ones.

Just now, at exactly 18 PM, Bai Jie felt something coming into his body. He immediately realized that it was the battle program that Dan Kuroto had loaded into him. The Yin-Yang techniques that had been dormant in his mind for a long time were finally released after being sealed for half a year.

"—Namo Sarva Tathagata Vijaya Sarva Muchi Vijaya Sarvata Juratha Zanna Maha Lusana Qian Khahi Khahi Sarva Vijinan Om Tarazha Hanman—"

This was the first time Bai Jie had chanted an incantation while using Yin-Yang techniques. In the real world, he wouldn't need to, but unfortunately, this was a virtual world, and even Bai Jie couldn't skip the necessary procedures.

—The Fire Realm Mantra of Fudo Myo-o.

This is the incantation Bai Jie is chanting now. The golden-red divine flames that can burn away the demon army in mythology and turn even the three thousand worlds into scorched earth transform into red lotuses blooming in the void as Bai Jie chants.

"Don't make me too bored, after all, this is the first time I've used Yin-Yang techniques here."

Facing the raging demon of spiritual calamity, Bai Jie, bathed in the sea of ​​red lotus, curled the corners of his mouth.

Section 368.5. I suddenly realized that my perfect attendance bonus was going to be gone.

Asagi Aiba felt like she must be dreaming; what was happening before her eyes was beyond her capacity to bear.

No, you can't say that.

As a resident of Itogami Island, a special zone for demons, Aiba Asagi had witnessed countless unusual events, such as the chaos caused by artificial life forms and the mischief of the demons, and she had seen many related battles. However, all of those battles were seen online; in other words, she only saw videos and news reports. This was the first time she had actually witnessed a battle scene in person.

Suddenly appearing on the tram, it resembled a crazed, malevolent spirit.

Bathed in a sea of ​​red lotus flames, Bai Jie stood beside him as if a fire god had descended.

Dark gold and red.

The two-colored spiritual energies, divided by the tram wall, began to fight fiercely. The energies rubbed, collided, entangled, and swirled in the sky tens of meters high, causing the spiritual veins of Itogami Island to show signs of restlessness.

"—!"

Suddenly, a tight grip came from her hand, and Lan Yuqian couldn't help but look at Bai Jie standing in front of her. Under the brilliance of the golden-red divine flames, his white hair was also tinged with a similar luster, and the flames surrounding him were like the legendary halo of a god, which made people spontaneously feel awe.

However, beneath Bai Jie's incomparably sacred appearance, Lan Yu Qiancong felt an indescribable sense of blasphemy and incongruity, as if Bai Jie was completely incompatible with this divine demeanor.

"Don't worry, it will be over soon."

The words of incantation entered Lan Yuqiancong's ears, calming her flustered state of mind and giving her a reassuring look. Bai Jie then looked at the evil spirit.

Because of the constant entanglement of their spiritual energies, the unstable spiritual energy within Itogami Island is increasing, and all of this spiritual energy is being absorbed by the demon in front of him. What was originally a demon has now undergone an extremely distorted transformation in Bai Jie's eyes.

The main body was still a demon, but two enormous, fleshy wings sprouted from its back. Its arms, which were originally as thick as rock pillars, were now covered with rows of serrated teeth and ten pale, sharp claws. Its legs had also swelled up and were covered with dark mane, and a python-like tail extended from its tail.

“GAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

Perhaps it was because the spiritual energy in its body was increasing, making it unable to fully absorb it. The evil spirit let out an angry roar of frustration, and like a gorilla, it blew hard on the floor of the train before suddenly charging towards Bai Jie and Lan Yu Qian Cong!

Does anyone know what it feels like to be hit by a road roller?

The aura that Bai Jie is feeling now is similar to that situation, or even stronger. It is an extremely savage collision that combines with equally violent and unreasonable spiritual power. It would probably collapse even the most technologically advanced building.

However, standing in its way was Bai Jie—the strongest magic king in history, unmatched by anyone!

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

As soon as the decree was issued, countless fire lotuses surrounding Bai Jie immediately transformed into a meteor shower and flew out. The domain of divine flames expanded in an instant, plunging the entire carriage into a golden-red world. Incredibly, despite being in a sea of ​​fire, Lan Yu Qian Cong, standing behind Bai Jie, did not feel any heat at all, and there was no sign of anything burning inside the carriage.

The spells cast by top-tier Onmyoji can transcend the laws of physics, and Bai Jie, being the best of the best, would naturally not allow his spells to affect the outside world—although most of the time his spells would shatter the environment and alter the terrain more than once or twice.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"

Like a meteor, the fire lotus blasted towards the demon with the speed of a Gatling gun. The moment the divine flames that could burn everything touched the demon's body, they caused the unstable spiritual energy covering his entire body to start burning wildly. Just like water being heated to a high temperature, a large amount of spiritual energy was dispelled from the demon's body by the burning of the divine flames, and wisps of black mist rose from the demon's body like cooking smoke.

“GAAAAAAAA!!!”

With its murky, scarlet eyes glaring at Bai Jie, the demon suddenly swung its massive fist, the size of a human head, delivering a powerful punch—a classic move in boxing! Dark spiritual energy erupted at the moment of the punch, transforming into a projectile almost the same size as the demon's fist!

"boom!"

The cannonball struck a barrier head-on, behind which Bai Jie had just lowered his five fingers, which were still imbued with spiritual energy.

In Yin-Yang arts, the pentagram has always held an important position, but there is another one that is equally famous—the Nine Seals, or the Nine-Character Mantra.

The interaction draws five horizontal lines from left to right and four straight lines from top to bottom. The fingertips forming the knife mark sweep across the void, and the incantation power condenses at the fingertips, leaving light traces and grid patterns in the air. This is the Yin-Yang magic incantation "Nine Seals", which is as famous as the pentagram.

There are various spells for the Nine Syllable Mantra used to exorcise evil spirits. The simplest one is the Quick Nine Syllable Seal, which can quickly exert its power once mastered. Now, Bai Jie has achieved the purpose of defense by using the Nine Syllable Mantra.

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

Bai Jie recited the decree again, and nearly a hundred fire lotuses immediately bombarded the evil spirit. The torrential attack blasted holes all over the evil spirit's body, and the scorching divine flames burned the dark spiritual power, causing it to return from its unstable state to its original state of spiritual power.

In essence, dealing with spiritual disasters involves stabilizing the out-of-control spiritual energy. Since ancient times, fire has been a symbol of purification, holiness, and the elimination of evil, and it naturally has a powerful purifying effect on dark spiritual energy that has become gloomy.

"Ughh ...

Within the divine flames, the evil spirit let out a miserable wail. It was made of spiritual energy, and the burning of the divine flames was like dismembering its body piece by piece. Such pain would be unbearable for anyone.

A piercing scream echoed through the carriage. Watching the struggling demon, Lan Yu Qiancong instinctively gripped Bai Jie's clothes tightly: "Dōryū..."

"Don't worry, it will be over soon."

Bai Jie clasped his hands together, and the power of the Fire Realm Spell resounded once more.

"—Namo Sarva Tathagata Vijaya Sarva Muchi Vijaya Sarvata Juratha Zanna Maha Lusana Qian Khahi Khahi Sarva Vijinan Om Tarazha Hanman—"