Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

"Mr. Du Wei, there are some things I'm not quite at liberty to tell you now." "But concerning the appearance of Evil Spirits, I can share something with you." Kane organized his thoughts before beginning to narrate to Du Wei. He said, "In the church records, the emergence of Evil Spirits did not occur during the period where human history is clearly documented in literature, but afterward." "The Vanity Sect was established even earlier than the church, and the appearance of Evil Spirits was around this time." At this point, Kane fell silent. He seemed to be recalling something. His turbid eyes conveyed a sense of helplessness and an indescribable complexity. Alvin Dowqui, who was sitting beside him, also remained silent, creating a very solemn atmosphere. Du Wei became even more curious. According to Kane, the Vanity Sect and the appearance of Evil Spirits happened around the same time; could there be a connection between the two? He couldn't help but speculate boldly. Was it possible that the secretive Vanity Sect might be the key to the birth of the Evil Spirits, that they were to blame for the world becoming what it is now? At that moment, Kane suddenly spoke up: "The people of the Vanity Sect are very strange; even we do not wish to have dealings with them. They always maintain a structure of thirteen members and are identified by masks." "Their way of doing things is not good, often taking things to extremes; they are not good people in the traditional sense, not to you, me, or to the average person." "But to the world, what they do is seen as right." "Originally, when Evil Spirits first appeared, there was a theory: belief manifests reality." Du Wei raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you mean that because some people believed in the existence of Evil Spirits, they came into being? But if that's the case, then, with all due respect, the Demon Gods from ancient legends should also exist." Not valid at all. If it was simply belief manifesting reality, then why the need for me to be a hunter? An Exorcist? Wouldn't it be better to simply believe in deities? Kane, who was adjacent, said in a deep voice, "The Demon Gods do not exist; actually, to be honest, at our level, you should understand that the so-called gods, the so-called Lord, are nothing more than emotional crutches for people." "The real world does not have Demon Gods. But it does have demons, devils, Evil Spirits, and all those chaotic entities." "The good and beautiful do not exist." "The idea that justice can defeat evil is just a tale used to deceive children." "And those that are feared are also being acknowledged." "Even if we try to lock away the information, there will always be some who choose to embrace darkness, and they will make this world worse." Kane's tone was somewhat somber as he spoke, his words slightly vague, and he didn't clarify some important details, but his meaning was clear. This was a world on the brink of despair. The scales were continuously tipping, and there were also some chaotic cult organizations wreaking havoc. To put it simply, there was no salvation. That's what Du Wei felt as well, and in that moment, he asked with a slight headache, "I'm still curious why negative beliefs bring about such ghostly entities while positive ones do not." Kane shook his head, remaining silent. Alvin Dowqui, however, looked deeply at Du Wei and gave a vague answer. "In a certain sense, any one of us could become an Evil Spirit." As he spoke, he pointed first at himself, then at Du Wei. "I'm close to death, and the closer one is to death, the more one can sense that gradual feeling of turning into an Evil Spirit." "It's not that it becomes me but that I become it." The so-called "it" naturally refers to the Evil Spirit that appears after a hunter's death. Du Wei could understand what Alvin Dowqui meant. But he still didn't understand why, under such a distorted world view, humans should have been extinct by now; Evil Spirits would only increase in number, Exorcists needed training, and hunters were destined to meet tragic ends as pitiful beings. Such a power could withstand Evil Spirits for a thousand years? What a joke. "I think there's more you haven't said; you've only told me the trouble but haven't told me how to solve it." Du Wei's voice was very cold. He looked at Kane, and then at Alvin, and said calmly, "I detest Evil Spirits with every fiber of my being, and my life will be a struggle against them; I would even pay with my life to make this world a better place." "But you make me feel despair." Um... If shadows and other Evil Spirits could talk, they might not be able to help themselves from jumping out and cursing at this moment. Du Wei would pay with his life to make the world a better place? He had never once personally utilized the power of the Joker Card to make a wish; it was always the shadows that bore the brunt. The dice he recently got were already clearly assigned to the shadows. If anyone could believe such sly words, the shadows might as well be clutching their heads and weeping. But... Du Wei acted very sincerely, maintained the image the Church had of him, and began drawing the conversation deeper, steering the topic further. However, Alvin Dowqui and Kane exchanged glances. These two cunning old foxes thought almost the same as Du Wei. They, too, were pretending, first stirring up suppressed emotions and then dangling hope. After all, it was the Pope's intention to recruit Du Wei to their cause. Not just to be a mere hunter of the Church. That was far from enough... Therefore, Kane said meaningfully, "Actually, you don't need to be so desperate. History has evolved to the modern day; there must be a solution. Besides, there aren't as many Evil Spirits as you think. Look at New York now, isn't it free of Evil Spirits?" Truth be told. When Alvin Dowqui and Kane arrived in New York, they went on a special patrol. They didn't find a single living Evil Spirit. Um... this was because Du Wei previously couldn't make full use of everything, causing those Evil Spirits to die prematurely at his hands. If it were now, probably all the Evil Spirits in New York would be sitting obediently in his house. Once the Mark was activated, they could appear by his side at any moment. Loyal and useful. At this point, Du Wei also realized that the two men in front of him were constantly trying to outmaneuver him. If this tug of war continued, he probably wouldn't get the information he wanted by tomorrow. So he said sincerely, "New York is the city I'm responsible for; you should know how much effort I've put into the safety of this city." "But what about other cities? Now that there are not enough Exorcists, and the Church only has a few hunters like us, it seems the hunters of the Dusk Bell don't get along well with the Church." "All combined, there might be just over forty hunters, right?" "If there's a widespread event of Evil Spirits killing, we will have absolutely no capacity to resist." Hearing this. Alvin Dowqui cleared his throat, coughing. His partner Kane gave Du Wei a meaningful smile: "Actually, it's not that we're completely without the ability to resist; we have a trump card."