Psycho. Ghosts? Whatever.

“We’ll discuss that later,” Chen Qingli said with a shake of his head before continuing, “In short, if you want to survive, you must maintain a stable mindset and avoid succumbing to fear. That way, your chances of staying safe will significantly increase.”

The room grew silent as everyone’s expressions turned serious.

It sounded simple enough in theory, but in practice, it was as difficult as climbing to the heavens. Humans naturally harbor an innate fear of ghosts. Add a little fright to the mix, and fear would inevitably creep in, no matter how hard one tried to suppress it.

Many prided themselves on their bravery, claiming they could watch horror movies without so much as a flinch. But that was just fiction. When faced with an actual supernatural encounter, fear would inevitably rear its head. Even professionals equipped with Accompanying Ghostly Entities weren’t immune to it.

That said, those with experience had a significant edge. Their fear response was far less intense than that of ordinary people, allowing them to maintain a rational mindset and avoid complete breakdowns.

Someone in the crowd raised a hand and asked, “Teacher, but isn’t fear of death something innate? How can we suppress something so instinctual?”

“You’re overthinking it,” Chen Qingli replied with a shake of his head. “What you’re describing is a fear of death. But what ghosts seek to devour is a very specific kind of fear-fear of them.”

Hearing this, the student visibly relaxed and even managed a grin. “Oh, that’s a relief. I’m just scared of dying. Creepy scenes don’t bother me at all.”

“You’re overthinking it again,” Chen Qingli said with a peculiar expression, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Some people think they’re only afraid of death and not of ghosts. But that’s a flawed assumption.”

“The fear of ghosts-what we might call ‘shock value’-is a more accurate way to describe it. Even the bravest person has a threshold, a limit to how much they can handle before they break. You might think you’re calm on the surface, but your racing heart would betray you.”

“Besides, humans are creatures of imagination. We scare ourselves. Just whispering ‘there’s a ghost in your bedroom’ is enough to keep most people awake all night.”

The room fell into a contemplative silence. Chen Qingli’s words struck a chord.

The Intelligence Class entrance exam had already proven this point. Everyone’s heart rate had fluctuated during the test, indicating varying degrees of fear. Some more, some less-but no one was completely unaffected.

And that was just from watching a movie.

If a ghost were to actually appear right next to them, remaining utterly unshaken would be impossible.

“Teacher,” another student asked hesitantly, “is it possible for someone to have no fear threshold at all?”

“Not as far as we’ve seen,” Chen Qingli replied, shaking his head. “Unless they’re not human. Or… they’re mentally unwell.”

As he spoke, his gaze suddenly landed on someone in the room. “You there. What’s so funny?”

“Huh?” Bai Yuan immediately straightened up, wiping the grin off his face. “I wasn’t laughing.”

“Your smirk is harder to suppress than the recoil on an AK. Anyone with eyes can see it.”

“…”

Bai Yuan rubbed his nose awkwardly. “I just thought of something funny, that’s all.”

“Keep it serious during class!” Chen Qingli scolded, clearly unaware of the joy bubbling in Bai Yuan’s mind. With that, he resumed his lecture.

At this moment, Bai Yuan was still overwhelmed with joy. He even lowered his head, his shoulders trembling as he struggled to suppress his laughter.

Initially, he had been eager to cure his so-called mental illness.

But now? How could this be an illness? Wasn’t this just a pure, unadulterated cheat code?

Just as Chen Qingli had explained, his pathological condition had rendered him completely devoid of fear-a one-in-a-million anomaly.

This also meant that his chances of encountering life-threatening danger from an Evil Ghost were incredibly slim.

Ghosts might have no interest in him, but he, on the other hand, wasn’t picky at all. Any ghost could be devoured to produce enhancement pills for himself.

At this point, the idea of seeking treatment had completely vanished from Bai Yuan’s mind. All he could think about was making a name for himself in this era.

“Ghosties, here comes your big brother!”

He silently shouted in his heart.

That said, Bai Yuan wasn’t about to throw caution to the wind.

While the likelihood of a life-threatening situation was low, there was always the possibility of running into a particularly powerful Fierce Ghost. If it couldn’t elicit fear from him and became enraged, it might just decide to finish him off in frustration.

After all, when people get angry, even innocent dogs passing by might get scolded.

“To completely avoid this problem, I’ll have to get stronger!”

Bai Yuan understood this perfectly.

His cheat ability was like a protective shield, but it didn’t make him invincible.

Just then, someone in the class raised a question.

“Teacher, based on what you’re saying, doesn’t that mean ordinary people like us are doomed if we face a ghost?”

People with Accompanying Ghostly Entities might be able to put up a fight, but ordinary folks couldn’t run fast enough, couldn’t fight back, and would eventually succumb to fear, leading to their demise.

“Of course not,” Chen Qingli replied, shaking his head. “You don’t need to be completely fearless. You just need to minimize your fear level. As long as it doesn’t meet an Evil Ghost’s expectations, your life won’t be in immediate danger.”

“Moreover, ordinary people, as long as they’re brave enough, can actually fight back. If your mental resilience is strong enough, you might even turn the tables and break the ghost’s defenses, pulling off a counterattack!”

“But this, of course, requires courage. If you’re paralyzed with fear and collapse on the ground, how can you even think about fighting back?”

“As for how ordinary people can kill ghosts, that’s what tomorrow’s lesson will cover.”

Chen Qingli glanced at the time and said, “That’s all for today’s class.”

“Also, keep in mind that all of this theory isn’t absolute. The current database on Evil Ghosts is still too limited, and the authorities can’t guarantee anything. These principles only apply to most cases.”

The students nodded, diligently jotting down the key points from Chen Qingli’s lecture.

If they ever encountered an unusual situation, well, they’d just have to accept their bad luck.

“Alright, class dismissed!”

Chen Qingli looked around at the students and added, “Oh, one more thing-remember this: courage is your greatest weapon!”

Hearing this, the students all nodded in agreement.

Bai Yuan, however, froze for a moment. Why did that line sound so familiar?

Wait! The old Daoist priest at the hospital!

His expression shifted as he suddenly recalled the old Daoist priest from the city center hospital.

“Turns out that wandering charlatan actually knew his stuff, huh?”

Bai Yuan rubbed his chin and muttered to himself, “But why didn’t the talisman work?”

“Could it be that the talisman was effective, but the Ghost Face was just too overpowered?”

A possibility dawned on him.