I Want to Become a Ghost Immortal

"This is truly bizarre—where have all the disciples of the Lingxiao Sect gone?"

Nine Nether Venerable Liu Ming stared gloomily at the empty lecture hall.

For the past week, for reasons unknown, fewer and fewer disciples had been attending his classes.

By today, only a mere handful remained.

Worse yet, these students seemed utterly disinterested in his teachings.

Even his signature ghostly scares failed to elicit any reaction.

"This can't go on…"

Thinking of his agreement with Nangong Yuan, Liu Ming frowned.

If the number of attending disciples remained this low, his compensation would be pitifully meager!

This was unacceptable!

With that in mind, he hurried to Li Fire Peak to seek out Nangong Yuan.

"Elder Nangong, your Lingxiao Sect disciples are far too lazy! The course isn’t even halfway done, yet they’ve stopped attending… as if they have no respect for this teacher!"

Nine Nether Venerable launched into a tirade the moment he arrived, berating the disciples’ negligence.

"Ah, that matter… it might be due to that rebellious disciple’s illusion realm. Rumor has it the sect’s disciples spend their days inside, studying ghosts and the like."

Nangong Yuan didn’t bother hiding the truth, openly sharing the information with Liu Ming.

There was no point in secrecy—anyone who cared to ask around would uncover the news easily.

Clearly, Liu Ming hadn’t been particularly invested in his teaching duties.

"Illusion realm? Preposterous!"

Nine Nether Venerable’s temper flared.

"You think some sham illusion can temper their minds? The Lingxiao Sect has lost all sense of reason!"

"Elder Nangong, it’s not as if my lessons lack substance… If your disciples refuse to attend, that’s hardly my fault!"

Hearing this, Nangong Yuan nearly laughed in exasperation.

Back then, he’d offered Liu Ming two payment options: a fixed sum upfront, or a variable rate based on class attendance and student numbers.

Liu Ming had chosen the latter, hoping to earn more—and now he regretted it?

"Our contract was agreed upon beforehand…"

Nangong Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone cooling.

"Tch…"

Liu Ming faltered.

"Besides, my rebellious disciple’s illusion realm might not be without merit."

Nangong Yuan stroked his beard.

He recalled how, a few days prior, he and fellow elders Zhao Wendao and Lin Qingxuan had stubbornly entered the illusion realm, intending to set an example for their lackluster disciples.

That day, countless divine thunderbolts had struck Thunder God Peak.

Many disciples assumed Zhao Wendao was breaking through another bottleneck, unaware that he’d been so terrified by Lu Ze’s illusion realm that he’d forcibly disconnected…

Zhao Wendao had since paid handsomely to silence the three of them, forbidding any leaks…

"Fine then. If this illusion realm proves ineffective, your Lingxiao Sect disciples must be required to attend my classes. Agreed?"

Liu Ming gritted his teeth as he made the proposal.

Nangong Yuan pondered briefly before nodding. "Agreed."

At this, the tension in Liu Ming’s brow finally eased.

"In three days, I’ll hold a midterm examination."

"I’ll fill the barrier with ghosts and obstacles of all kinds…"

"The disciples must find a way out—while their cultivation is sealed!"

……

……

Three days later.

"No… this can’t be!"

Staring at the list of disciples who’d passed the test, Nine Nether Venerable Liu Ming slammed the table in disbelief.

The pass rate was a staggering 95%!

And those who failed his ghost trial were almost exclusively the few who’d attended his classes daily…

These were the most vicious, most terrifying specters he’d accumulated over centuries!

If word got out, wouldn’t he become a laughingstock?

Meanwhile, news of his specially arranged midterm exam had already spread across the forums of Ghostville.

[Nine Nether Venerable’s exam… felt kinda easy?]

[My verdict: less scary than amateur horror]

[Only hard part: no investigation tools. Felt weird not knowing ghost traits.]

[Watching was painful… Do those ghosts even know how to scare people?]

[Those ghosts need to enroll in Ghostville for proper training.]

[Kinda regret buying Liu Ming’s course now… total waste!]

[Ghostville is terrifying! Even Nine Nether Venerable would struggle, I bet…]

……

Liu Ming browsed these posts, his blood pressure skyrocketing.

A Nascent Soul realm soul cultivator like him—dismissed as inferior to some true disciple’s illusion realm?

Unacceptable!

Especially when he stood to leave the Lingxiao Sect empty-handed if he didn’t act…

Desperation gnawed at him.

He had to prove himself.

With that, he posted under his real name:

[This is Nine Nether Venerable. Your so-called Ghostville illusion realm? Even its highest difficulty would be child’s play for me!]

……

……

Server’s core world.

"When will this Heavenly Dao finally get to play as a Ghost Immortal?"

Faced with the Heavenly Dao remnant’s incessant whining, Lu Ze shook his head helplessly.

No helping it—the "Ghost Immortal," an ultimate-tier horror, only appeared in the highest difficulty setting.

And current players…

Couldn’t even handle standard Nightmare difficulty, let alone the highest. The clearance rate barely hit 50%.

No one dared attempt the true challenge.

Just then, Lu Ze spotted a trending post and burst out laughing.

"Guess we’re letting this guy have his fun early."

Chuckling, he entered Nine Nether Venerable’s thread and replied with his main account:

[Realm Master Lu Ze: Very well. You’ll get your wish.]

[P.S. Minor edits made to Nine Nether Venerable’s section (name changed from Du Ming to Liu Ming, and final exam’s purpose removed.)]