Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

```

Under the night sky, a light drizzle fell.

Compared to the past few days, the rain had lessened.

Du Wei walked down the dimly lit street, umbrella in hand, backpack on his shoulder.

Looking at the palm of his right hand, Du Wei's eyes carried an unusual hue.

He was now in a state of Spirit Vision, and what was different from before was that after getting out of the car, he had been maintaining this state and could even control it.

Moreover, he keenly noticed some unknown changes in his right hand.

An eerie sense of astonishment filled him.

According to Andrew Dowqui's brochure, he deduced that he had entered the Third Phase of Spirit Vision and the disturbing phenomenon of Evil Spirit Transformation had occurred.

Neither human nor ghost—a term from hunter Andrew Dowqui's journal, describing the process of Evil Spirit Transformation.

Du Wei was getting accustomed to this change. He was well aware of the current situation—being plagued by an Evil Spirit, and also touching upon a connection with a presence that couldn't be described in words—the Nun.

He didn't want to die in obscurity, nor did he want to die at all.

So he needed to resolve these issues.

That's why he had agreed to Father Tony's trade.

But now, he didn't have much hope for the Exorcists of the Church.

Maybe the Exorcists could deal with the two Evil Spirits at home, but whether they could handle the Nun remained an unknown.

Du Wei felt that this unknown was likely not much greater than zero.

He needed the power to combat Evil Spirits.

Compared to the Church's Exorcists, hunters seemed more like the elite of the elite, taking on the mission to hunt down Evil Spirits, wielding power and abilities far greater.

Of course.

Du Wei scoffed at the so-called mission; he wasn't a man of faith, nor could he believe in anything—that was the mindset of a psychologist.

To see through appearances to the essence, to always maintain calm and reason, to identify the medium of the Evil Spirit's existence, to analyze its trigger mechanism, and then find a way to restrict and resolve it.

This was the answer Du Wei had for himself.

Of course, he knew that trying to fight the Evil Spirits now was like a fool's dream. When he was on the bus, although facing each passenger seemed effortless,

in reality, off the bus, any Evil Spirit that wanted him dead wouldn't need to exert much effort.

This was an innate advantage.

He needed to further the process of Evil Spirit Transformation.

As for matters that came later... such as baptism at the Church... those would be dealt with later.

Du Wei lit a cigarette for himself, slowly drawing on it, exhaling plumes of smoke.

The state of Spirit Vision quietly faded, and the strange sensation in his right hand disappeared with it, making everything seem normal.

...

May 20, 5:32 AM.

In the North Brook District's church in New York, mist lingered after the rain; there was no wind.

A Volkswagen sedan parked outside, and after Du Wei got out, he sent a text message to the car rental agency, notifying them to collect the vehicle.

This car was rented from a rental agency in Manlu, and once done, the chain's agency would send someone to pick it up, which was quite convenient for those in need.

```

Standing at the church entrance, Du Wei gave Father Tony a call.

A few minutes later, the door was pushed open.

Father Tony, with tired eyes, walked out and immediately brightened upon seeing Du Wei.

"You've disappeared for a full day and night, Mr. Du Wei."

"Actually, for me, it hasn't been that long."

With a sigh, Du Wei took the hidden camera out of his pocket, "Let's go inside. I have something I want to talk to you about."

...

Once inside Father Tony's room, the two took their respective seats.

"First of all, regarding that bus, I encountered trouble beyond your imagination. A large part of the information you gave me was useless, and even misled me. You owe me an explanation for that."

Du Wei pulled out the SD card from the camera, tossed it to Father Tony, and broached the subject,

Father Tony took the SD card and said with a frown, "Dr. Du Wei, as you said, I don't know much about it. In fact, this matter has troubled me for a long time. But as you know, New York is without an Exorcist right now, and the pressure from the Church is significant... I'm sorry."

Du Wei looked at him calmly and said, "I can believe your explanation because I indeed didn't restrict its movement. However, as your partner, I believe you need to take some responsibility. And you must fulfill the promises you made to me."

Father Tony gave a wry smile and said, "My friend, I'd rather you not use that kind of language to look at this. I truly didn't conceal anything from you. As for my promise, I will fulfill it. But would you agree if I submit the information to the Church first?"

After thinking for a moment, Du Wei said, "Of course, my friend. But as you know, I'm currently in a lot of trouble... Well, I might end up dead at the hands of the Evil Spirit at any moment, so the items you gave me before..."

"They were for you to begin with; you don't need to return them to me."

Father Tony inserted the SD card into a card reader and plugged it into his laptop.

Du Wei shook his head, "No, you've misunderstood. I mean, I used up a bottle of Holy Water on the bus. You need to replenish that for me and, also, I need information about the hunters."

Frowning, Father Tony said, "That's not a problem, but the hunter... Where did you hear about that? I don't recall ever mentioning it to you, did I?"

At this point, Father Tony's computer had read the information on the SD card. He clicked on a video file, which showed what happened after Du Wei boarded the bus.

Hearing this, Du Wei rubbed his forehead and said, "The end of the video will explain, but I can tell you in advance, that driver is a member of the Church's hunters—Andrew Dowqui."

"What? Bishop Andrew? Are you sure?"

The color drained from Father Tony's face, and he quickly scrolled to the end of the video to see the scene where Du Wei pulled the human-skin-covered Andrew Dowqui from the driver's seat.

"Fuck, how could you do this! He was a bishop, the most devout believer. Mr. Du Wei, you've gone too far!"

With a cold smile, Du Wei said, "What do you think I could have done in that situation? The bus was full of Evil Spirits. If you were in my place, would you have given up the hope of surviving for some ridiculous so-called respect?"

Continuing, he said, "I must say, Father Tony, you're really not fit to be an Exorcist. Your character limits you. Indeed, it's quite good to be a logistician rather than an Exorcist."

Father Tony remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "You're right. As for the information on hunters, I'm not clear on that either. My position in the Church isn't high enough to access such core secrets. But what I can tell you is that the status of hunters is quite awkward right now."

"Oh?" Du Wei raised an eyebrow, "Why? As far as I know, hunters are supposed to be those who specifically hunt Evil Spirits. They face more dangers and should be more respected."

Father Tony's expression was complicated as he organized his thoughts before speaking, "Those who walk with Evil Spirits will eventually be transformed by them. Their will may become corrupted, their faith may suffer spiritual corruption, and they become uncontrollably dangerous."

"In fact, there are only five hunter members in the Church right now, all confined to the dungeons beneath Church Headquarters."

"Only in case of a Demon Spirit event are they allowed to take action."

"We fear them because, in a way, hunters are another kind of Evil Spirit."

Expressionless, Du Wei's eyes flickered with an indiscernible emotion as he spoke in a deep voice, "I see. Thank you, Father Tony. I was thinking that if the Church stationed hunters in New York, my problems would easily be solved."

Father Tony slowly shook his head, "That's impossible. But don't worry too much, the time you've been afflicted by the Evil Spirit is short; it shouldn't have a major impact. Moreover, while you were gone, I received notification from the Church. A new Exorcist will arrive in New York this week."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"By the way, I see great potential in you. Your calm and wisdom have amazed me. Have you ever considered becoming an Exorcist?"