《When system cheat becomes rampant!》 Chapter 1: Chapter 1: When Systems Overwhelm The senior-year classroom was as stifling as a pressure cooker. The old electric fan whirred noisily, blowing the mountains of books piled on the desks. Thud! Thud! Thud! With familiar sounds of leather soles hitting the floor, Professor Yang walked into the classroom with a stern face and smacked a stack of papers onto a desk with a "slap". "Pull yourselves together!" Professor Yang was their senior class seven''s homeroom teacher, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and always sporting an impassive face, never indulging in any small talk or smiles. In such a special period as the senior year, he laid down strict regulations in every aspect; the school required commuting students to arrive by 7:20 AM, he demanded 7:00 AM. The homeroom teacher signaled the class representative to distribute the papers, and soon the white sheets were being passed around the room. Xiang Beifei also received his paper and glanced at the score. 43 points. "I am very dissatisfied with the results of this mock exam!" "Extremely dissatisfied!" "The college entrance exam is only two months away! Look at what you have scored? How many times have I gone over the key points, yet you still get them wrong. Many of you have regressed. The top student scored ten points less than those in other classes. How do you expect to get into college with this attitude?" The homeroom teacher''s voice was filled with irritation. He couldn''t talk enough about the college entrance exam, always emphasizing its importance before every class. "The college entrance exam is a major hurdle in your life!" "The college entrance exam will determine your fate!" "The college entrance exam can change your future!" "Thousands of candidates vie for a single narrow bridge, and only those who cross it are qualified to live in this world." The homeroom teacher spoke with such fervor that he seemed ready to grab the non-performing students by the ears and pour his words into them. "However, before the college entrance exam, there is something even more important to do!" The homeroom teacher changed tack and said aloud, "That is to awaken your very own system!" Awakening System! The classroom buzzed with excitement as many students looked up in anticipation, some even whispering to each other, unable to hide their excitement. To awaken their own system was something everyone had dreamed of! They had waited so many years just for today''s arrival! After this class, they would go downstairs to participate in the System Awakening Ceremony! The homeroom teacher snorted coldly and continued, "Only an excellent system can earn you bonus points in the college entrance exam and catch the eye of prestigious universities! Whether your awakened system is superior or inferior, good or bad, will determine your future!" Sitting in the last row, Xiang Beifei slouched slightly and started spinning his pen again. "This world has really gone mad," muttered Xiang Beifei. That happened last week when he sat in his own classroom, looking at the ceiling fan overhead that creaked due to a loose screw. At that time, he wondered what would happen if the rapidly spinning ceiling fan suddenly fell down; would it slice through the air, blood splattering five steps away, heads flying everywhere, or what? And then the ceiling fan really did fall. It fell on his head. When he woke up, he discovered that he had crossed over. He had crossed over into a very strange world. Many places in this world were just like Blue Star, as if it were a parallel universe, with a similar education system and social structure, where everyone struggled for the college entrance exam during their student years. Except, the difference was, in this world, there was no dullness; everyone had their own cheat codes. This place was full of Spiritual Energy, and everyone could possess special system cheat codes, using various systems to absorb the external Spiritual Energy to enhance their own strength! And during the third year of high school, everyone had to undergo a special Awakening Ceremony to awaken their own system! The system one carried determined the course of their life. The Scholar System could turn them into heavyweights in the academic world! The Business System could let them lose ten billion without batting an eye! The Gourmet System could make them stand out in the catering industry! The Sect System could allow them to establish a sect and become a regional overlord! ... In this world, the systems are no longer unique, but something everyone has. What people need to do is, according to the Awakening System they''ve awakened to, make an effort to grow stronger, diligently complete system tasks, and fight for a bright and vast future for themselves! Systems, in this world, have suddenly become an overflowing disaster! ¡ª¡ª The homeroom teacher was still emphasizing the importance of the Awakening System and the techniques needed for awakening systems. Xiang Beifei, on the other hand, was looking at the test paper he had just received, deep in thought. Written on the test paper was: ¡ª¡ªJiuzhou Joint College Entrance Examination (Mock Test) Year 3030 Comprehensive Ability Test for System Subjects (Paper A) ... In this world, there was no concept of countries, only the Jiuzhou Union; hence, the test paper had become the Jiuzhou Union Unified Exam. As for "System Subjects," it was similar to the science and liberal arts comprehensive subjects on Blue Star; only here, it was called "System Comprehensive." System Subjects specifically taught the basic knowledge about the systems in this world, helping everyone better understand the world of systems. This knowledge was something everyone had to master during their student days. Just like the first multiple-choice question: ¡ª¡ªTo date, the levels of systems awakened by humans are divided into six ranks. What is the third highest potential level of systems from the top? A. R grade B. S grade C. SR grade D. SSR grade Xiang Beifei chose B, but the answer was wrong. The correct answer is C. In their senior year of high school, everyone will awaken to their own system, but the potential of each person''s system varies. The stronger the system, the more generous the rewards for completing tasks. So the level of the system is very important. When Beifei traveled to this world, he saw this question but did not understand the system level division of this world, so he arbitrarily chose the S grade. In actuality, the talent grades of the awakened systems from lowest to highest are [N grade, R grade, S grade, SR grade, SSR grade, UR grade]. "Xiang Beifei, stand up right now!" Noticing Beifei''s distraction, the homeroom teacher yelled out. Beifei''s attention was pulled away from his paper, and with a sense of resignation, he stood up. "Xiang Beifei, tell us what''s going on with you! It''s one thing to fail and hold back the class every time, but not knowing the answers to the test and still writing whatever comes to mind! Come on, explain to everyone what did you write for the third short answer question!" The homeroom teacher was glaring at Beifei furiously, as if he wanted to tear him apart. Beifei looked at the third short answer question: [As we all know, besides oneself, no one else can see the system one has awakened. Therefore, after we have awakened a system, we must learn to keep it a secret and must not reveal our system to anyone. Now the question is! If someone finds out what our system is, what will be the consequence? Please give an example.] Beifei glanced at the answer he wrote: [If others find out what our system is, the consequences will be very serious, because then... we won''t be able to show off anymore.] This short answer question was worth six points, and Beifei got zero. Chapter 2: Chapter 2: The Homeroom Teachers System The reference answer in the textbook is: ¡ª¡ª Once you reveal the unique features of your system, others will intentionally target your system, preventing you from completing the system''s tasks, and the road to becoming a strong person will be extremely difficult. It''s like awakening a "Negative Emotion System," where upsetting others will strengthen yourself. Then if your opponent knows about your system, they will not easily generate negative emotions for you to take advantage of during your interactions. Once more people know about your system, it will become useless. Therefore, keeping your system a secret is of great importance. ¡ª¡ª That is the correct answer. However, when Xiang Beifei crossed over, he found himself in the middle of an exam. It happened to be April Fool''s Day, and he thought the teacher had prepared such a test for the senior students to relax, so he casually gave a response. After the exam, he realized that this world had changed. It had become incredibly absurd. The class teacher, furious, read Xiang Beifei''s answer aloud to the whole class, and everyone burst into laughter. "This is a question that gives you points! You all got it wrong, and you still want to get into college? How many times have I told you, in the college entrance exam, eighty percent is based on fundamental knowledge, as long as you secure the basic points, getting into a key university is not a problem! Look at what you''ve done, even the basics are wrong, and you still have the face to laugh at me!" The class teacher lifted his glasses, glared angrily, and all the students quickly tried their best to suppress their laughter. Whatever the class teacher was saying after that, Xiang Beifei was no longer listening; he was just staring at the previous question, lost in thought. "As everyone knows, besides oneself, other people cannot see the system one awakens to..." Can everyone really only see their own system and not others? Xiang Beifei pondered over this sentence, finding it very strange, and couldn''t help but look up at the class teacher. Right above the class teacher''s head, there was a system panel that read: [Host: Yang Hua] [Rank R, Master Dao System] [Realm: Late-stage Qi-Controlling] This interface seemed to be displaying the class teacher''s awakened system level and information. After the class teacher finished scolding the class, another line of text floated up: [You criticized Xiang Beifei for being distracted, teacher prestige +1] [You made the whole class quiet down, teacher prestige +1] ... "Isn''t it said that other people can''t see one''s system except oneself? Then why can I see other people''s system panels?" Xiang Beifei was very puzzled. He had been familiarizing himself with this world for the past week, and the more he understood it, the more he couldn''t comprehend this point. Besides those students under eighteen who had not yet awakened to a system, he had seen many people''s system panels. Teachers from other classes, the bus driver, even the auntie selling breakfast had her own "Little Food God System," with today''s task being to earn 10 wealth value points for each bun sold, which could then be exchanged for corresponding rewards in the system mall. Systems in this world were as common as freebies, one per person, as if this place was a wholesale world of systems. He had confirmed that everyone could not see other people''s systems, but he alone could. This also had a benefit; at least he would know why each person was doing something, and he was clear about the purpose of their anger, such as the class teacher currently criticizing a student. Class teacher Yang Hua was scolding Xiang Beifei''s deskmate, Kong Xiuwen. Kong Xiuwen was a bottom-of-the-class student, with an integrated score of 23 points, and his face was full of gloom as he was being scolded. Another line of text appeared on the system panel of teacher Yang Hua: [You criticized Kong Xiuwen for failing in composite score, teacher prestige value +1] Yang Hua looked annoyed, as if he was frustrated with the student''s lack of improvement, but there was a smile at the bottom of his eyes because he knew very well the purpose of his anger. His "Master Dao System" needed to accumulate "teacher prestige value"; reaching 10,000 points would complete a task and earn him a Soul Condensing Pill to cultivate spiritual power! At that moment, teacher Yang Hua''s system panel already had 9,997 teacher prestige points! Yang Hua''s heart was racing with excitement. To accumulate these ten thousand teacher prestige points, he had been working hard for two whole months and three days! Finally, today he would complete his task! Yang Hua seemed impatient, "Just 3 points, 3 more prestige points, who should I scold next? Who would be a good choice to scold?" His Master Dao System had many tasks, and when he normally scolded students, it would bring him prestige points, which could enhance his power. His power had a significant correlation with his performance reviews and rewards! Unfortunately, each student could only add to his prestige once a day for a given incident, which made his prestige points rise very slowly. However, he could always find other flaws in his students to exploit. Today, Yang Hua had already scolded all the students he could. Now it was time to find another reason to continue scolding. He set his sights on Xiang Beifei, noticing that Beifei''s hair on the sides was nearly touching his ears. Seizing the opportunity, he put on a stern face and scolded: "Xiang Beifei! How many times have I said it? As a senior high school student, do not let your hair grow too long; you should maintain a standard buzz cut. What''s with the length of your hair? I''ve said it so many times, a buzz cut looks sharp, helps you concentrate on your studies¡ªare you waiting for me to give you a haircut myself?" [You reprimanded Beifei, whose hair doesn''t meet the standards, increasing teacher prestige value by +2] Yang Hua was overjoyed inside, his teacher prestige value had accumulated to 9999 points. Reprimanded, Beifei felt somewhat helpless and muttered, "Looks like I''ll have to get a haircut after school." Yang Hua saw Beifei''s lips moving and, thinking Beifei was complaining, immediately took another opportunity: "Xiang Beifei, what are you mumbling? Are you dissatisfied with my teaching? If you''re dissatisfied, you can go to another class¡ªsee if any other homeroom teacher would want you! What an attitude! Poor grades and still disobeying discipline, what can you do in the future like this?" Beifei opened his mouth, looking rather innocent. [You reprimanded Beifei for talking back, increasing teacher prestige value by +2] Even though Yang Hua was still keeping a stern face, his eyes were now filled with unparalleled excitement¡ªhe had reached 10001 prestige value! At last, the task was complete! Yang Hua was in tears. Collecting the teacher prestige value had been way too difficult. He couldn''t add prestige value again the same day for criticizing minor things he had already addressed, so he established various class rules and every day he would creatively find faults with the students, giving them a scolding, nitpicking over the smallest issues. Of course, Yang Hua was selective about which students he scolded. He would investigate their family backgrounds; students from families with SSR or higher-level System Awakeners, he wouldn''t dare to scold, he would even show them extra care. But students from ordinary families without high-level system backgrounds, he had no such reservations. "Go over the test papers yourselves first, I''ll explain them in a moment!" Yang Hua hurriedly said, eager to claim his system task reward as he had accumulated ten thousand prestige value. Beifei was also curiously staring at Homeroom Teacher Yang Hua''s system panel, which displayed a new message: [You''ve completed the current task, reward: one Soul Condensing Pill. Would you like to claim your reward?] "Yes! Of course, yes!" Yang Hua clenched his fist, almost roaring with excitement. [System task confirmation, dispensing task reward...] Yang Hua hummed a little tune, joyful at heart. [Dispensing task reward...] Yang Hua paused, huh? Strange, why hasn''t it been dispensed yet? Maybe his Master Dao System needed time to confirm? No worries, just wait a bit longer. [Task reward dispensing complete] "It''s complete?" Yang Hua looked at his empty hands¡ªwasn''t the system supposed to have dispensed the reward? Why did no Soul Condensing Pill appear in his hands? "Wait a minute, system, where''s my Soul Condensing Pill?" Yang Hua frantically checked his system. [Reward dispensed, please select your next task] "Bullshit! When was it dispensed?" Yang Hua slapped the desk, shouting furiously. Instead of thinking these words, this time he shouted them out loud, startling all the students. "Teacher, what''s wrong?" the class president Zhuo Jing asked with concern. "Shut up!" Yang Hua bellowed! Zhuo Jing was utterly bewildered. Yang Hua quickly realized he had lost his composure and said in a hurried tone to the class, "What I mean is... focus on your self-study, I need to deal with something concerning the Awakening System in a moment, so everybody stay quiet!" Yang Hua was so furious he could burst¡ªafter all the trouble of collecting prestige value for months by scolding students, it seemed as though the Master Dao System had swallowed it whole. He simply couldn''t stand it! Enraged, Yang Hua stormed out of the classroom, intending to find a place where he could confront his system with what was really up! "What''s gotten into the homeroom teacher? Feels like he''s just eaten a barrel of gunpowder?" All the students began to discuss. Only Beifei sat silently in the back row of the classroom, not participating. Gazing thoughtfully at his hand, there lay a brown pill¡ªexactly the Soul Condensing Pill that had just been on Homeroom Teacher Yang Hua''s system task reward list! Chapter 3: Chapter 3: A Variety of Systems "I really can get other people''s quest rewards, how bizarre!" Xiang Beifei weighed the Soul Condensing Pill in his hand, his gaze flickering slightly for a moment, finding it quite strange. This wasn''t the first time he had taken someone else''s quest reward. In the morning, the auntie selling steamed buns had a task from the Little Food God System, "Gather five thousand wealth values to exchange for five thousand dollars and upgrade her shop." Xiang Beifei bought two buns, which just helped her complete the task, but she found that after exchanging, the money was gone. The money mysteriously appeared in Xiang Beifei''s pocket. Because Xiang Beifei bought two buns, he just happened to help the auntie complete her task. However, Xiang Beifei still chose to discreetly drop the money on the ground and reminded the auntie that there was something on the ground, returning the money to her. Ever since he could see other people''s systems, he found things were very off. When others were completing tasks issued by their systems, if the tasks involved Xiang Beifei, or if Xiang Beifei helped them complete the tasks, then the rewards issued by the systems ended up in Xiang Beifei''s hands. Just like Professor Yang''s Master Dao System, when he criticized Xiang Beifei, he gained prestige value for teachers, and when the task was completed, the rewards ended up with Xiang Beifei. He didn''t understand why this was happening, just felt like he had become an anomaly in this system world. Xiang Beifei looked at the Soul Condensing Pill in his hand; such a pill could enhance his spiritual power, undoubtedly a great medicine, very rare for those cultivating spiritual power techniques. "Then I might as well reluctantly accept it." Xiang Beifei examined the Soul Condensing Pill and placed the pill into his pocket. The homeroom teacher always thought about scolding him to complete his own system tasks, and along the way, he always became the target of the homeroom teacher''s tasks, grabbing some rewards... Shouldn''t be anything wrong with that, right? He felt the real Master Dao System should be about educating people, not nitpicking and unfairly criticizing students. Although he had this peculiar ability, he still chose to use it selectively. There were some people''s system rewards he would take, and others he would not. Xiang Beifei could refuse the money from the bun-selling auntie, but this kind of reward, he felt completely justified in taking. ¡ª Yang Hua''s face was livid; he was almost driven mad by his own system. He let the students self-study for an entire class period while he kept questioning his own system, protesting about where his quest rewards had gone. But the system always coldly replied, "Reward has been issued, please select the next task." Yang Hua was nearly at his breaking point. He understood he couldn''t contend with the system because it was very rigid, wouldn''t negotiate anything, and there was no chance of reconfiguring it, so he gave up and continued to choose the next task. The class period passed quickly. Yang Hua slammed his hand down on the desk and said, "Everyone, gather on the sports field, get ready for today''s Awakening System ceremony!" All the classmates got excited and rushed out of the classroom. The "Awakening System Ceremony" was a turning point in the life of every student taking the college entrance examination and was crucial in determining their future; everyone hoped they would awaken a high-level system. "Finally, the system awakening, Xiang Beifei, what kind of system do you think you''ll awaken?" Kong Xiuwen closed his book and turned to ask. Xiang Beifei rested his chin on his hand, what kind of system would he awaken? He had never really considered this question. Actually, he thought that what system he awoke didn''t matter. What systems others awoke was what''s most important. Before Xiang Beifei could answer, Kong Xiuwen started talking to himself, "I''m not asking for much, just to awaken an S-rank system would be enough, then I wouldn''t have to be scolded by the homeroom teacher every day. Haven''t you noticed he always likes to pick faults with us two? If I awaken an S-rank system, let''s see if he dares to scold me in the future!" "S-rank systems are quite rare, aren''t they?" Xiang Beifei asked. Kong Xiuwen nodded and said, "Yes, they say it''s a five percent chance, usually not more than three per class every year." "What about people who have awakened an SR system?" Xiang Beifei asked again. "SR systems are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, a one in fifty thousand chance! The last time someone in our school awakened such a rare system was five years ago! That person was directly admitted to an elite university!" Kong Xiuwen spoke enviously of the system; if he could awaken such a powerful system, his future achievements would be limitless! "Come on, come on, everyone has gone to the sports field, it''s just us left." Kong Xiuwen stood up and hurriedly urged Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei didn''t linger any longer and followed Kong Xiuwen to the sports field. The sports field was already packed with people, not only students from the first and second year of high school but also parents who had come especially to see their children''s system potential. The Awakening System, comparable to filling out college entrance preferences, was a life-changing event! Every parent constantly paid attention to it! They all hoped their children would awaken an R-level or higher system, which not only gave extra points in their college entrance exams but also brightened their future prospects! Beifei Xiang and Kong Xiuwen squeezed into their class lineup, where the class monitor Zhuo Jing was maintaining order. The homeroom teacher, Yang Hua, stood in front of the line, lips pursed, face ashen; seeing Beifei and Xiuwen arriving last filled him with anger once more. Normally, he would have scolded them by now to boost his own prestige value as a teacher. But with so many people around, along with the presence of many parents, he restrained his anger. Beifei glanced around; most students had not yet awakened any system, yet the teachers and parents had. He briefly looked around, noticing the various systems in play. For instance, Beifei''s PE teacher had awakened the "Modesty System"; he seemed to have just completed a task this morning: [Yield PE class to the math teacher, Modesty Points +2]. No wonder what all the main subject teachers repeatedly said was, "Your PE teacher is busy, I''ll take this class." The PE teacher always had something on every time his class was about to start. So approachable and empathetic¡ªapparently, it was because he had the Modesty System and often willingly gave up his classes. Case solved! Then there was Beifei''s physics teacher, who had astonishingly awakened the "Hypnosis System," and had also successfully completed a task in the last class: [Successfully put 9 students to sleep, Hypnosis Value +9] The physics teacher''s lectures were dry as dust, akin to chanting scriptures, and he liked to schedule his class right after lunch. His students struggled to stay awake during physics, believing they lacked a talent for the subject. Thinking about it now, the physics teacher was really crafty! "Hand over your phone!" Just as Beifei was pondering, the head disciplinarian suddenly barked at a senior student in front. The student reluctantly pulled out his phone. "I''m doing this for your own good! School time is for studying¡ªhow can you casually bring a phone to school? It can easily distract you from studying, and at your age, it''s easy to be dazzled by all the flashy things online." The disciplinarian lectured the student earnestly. However, Beifei saw the disciplinarian''s system interface: [Host: Zhao Gang] [N-level, Confiscation System] [Realm: Late Qi-Controlling Stage] ... [You confiscated a student''s phone, Confiscation Value +1] Apparently, the disciplinarian liked confiscating students'' phones purely for his Confiscation System! This type of system, if not used as a city urban management officer, then serving as a school disciplinarian wasn''t bad either. Of course, not all teachers had systems related to their professions, some teachers'' systems weren''t connected to their jobs at all, like the Chinese teacher from the class next door, who had awakened the "Suffering System." Every loss he took made his spiritual power grow stronger. And the Chinese teacher turned out to be a late-stage spiritual power practitioner of the Qi-Controlling Realm. Everyone''s awakened system ultimately aimed at increasing strength, and while some systems enhanced physical agility, speed, or strength, naturally there were also systems that boosted one''s spiritual power, soul strength, and more. The more Beifei saw, the more fascinated he became¡ªevery person in this parallel world had their own system, which determined their personalities and modes of action. Oftentimes, when people performed an action, they were doing it to complete a system task rather than acting on their own volition. Sometimes when you saw the opposite party furious enough to erupt, you thought you had gained an advantage, but actually, it was just because their system made them let you benefit. Of course, this was except for Beifei. Others wouldn''t know about someone else''s system, so they could only speculate about a person. But Beifei could see everyone''s system tasks crystal clear. Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Strength "Quiet! Now, please welcome our principal to speak!" The head of the Disciplinary Committee''s words quieted everyone down. Principal Li Nanxing of Luhe High School had already begun his speech on the podium. Principal Li Nanxing looked to be in his sixties, with age upon him, his hair white and sparse, but he was spirited and wore a proper and friendly suit. He was approachable, without any airs, and was highly regarded among the students. Xiang Beifei did not listen to the principal''s speech, as it was probably about the importance of System Awakening and the hope for everyone to have a bright future. He was interested in Principal Li Nanxing''s system: [Host: Li Nanxing] [S-rank, Confucian Saint System] [Realm¡ª¡ª] Xiang Beifei couldn''t see Principal Li Nanxing''s realm, nor could he check the other''s system tasks, which he found strange. He speculated that his abilities were probably limited, and maybe if someone''s realm was high enough, he would not be able to inspect it. No matter what system everybody had, the goal of completing tasks was to obtain higher strength, and the divisions of realms were the same. [Qi-Controlling, Meridian Opening, God Refining, Orifice Transforming, Heavenly Connection, Immortality] Each realm was divided into three sub-realms: early stage, middle stage, and late stage. And currently, Xiang Beifei could only see individuals who were in the Qi-Controlling realm. Principal Li Nanxing''s realm must certainly be above that of Qi-Controlling. "I''m sure your homeroom teachers have already explained the importance of systems quite clearly, so I won''t dwell on it here. I hope that each of you will awaken an excellent system, work hard, and reach the pinnacle of life as soon as possible!" The white-haired Principal Li Nanxing said with a smiling face. Perhaps related to the system he awoke, he had an intrinsic air of Confucian elegance, highly respected. When he spoke, the whole venue listened quietly, and there were few who were distracted. Every class had already lined up, with ten senior classes in their school in total. Xiang Beifei was in Class Nine. At this moment, every homeroom teacher stood in front of their class, with a blue stone before them. This stone was only about the size of a palm, completely crystalline and translucent, with faint traces of lightning swirling around it, floating mid-air, making it seem particularly solemn. That was the Electric Shock Thunderstone used for System Awakening. Made of special materials, it would emit lightning that struck the soul directly, stimulating the latent talents within everyone''s body. As talents were awakened, the Thunderstone would also evaluate the level of one''s talents. The origins of this Thunderstone were extraordinary; it was said to be created by a big-shot from Yang''s, known as¡ª [Electric Shock Thunderstone] Just the name sounded formidable! After all, getting struck by lightning could awaken one''s talent system; who would dare underestimate this Thunderstone? "Proceed one by one according to your seat number." Yang Hua said to his class in a deep voice. Actually, Yang Hua was also looking forward to it; if a student from his class awakened an S-rank system, it would reflect well on him, not to mention that he could receive a generous bonus. On the other hand, it could also increase his prestige value as a teacher, as nurturing a genius would certainly be noticed by the Master Dao System, and might even trigger hidden tasks within the Master Dao System. Thinking of his Master Dao System acting up earlier that day, randomly losing a Soul Condensing Pill, he was so pained he almost felt suffocated, wishing desperately for a good outcome from the student''s S-rank System awakening. Student number one, Wang Dan, walked nervously to the side of the Thunderstone, pressing her hand onto the floating stone with trepidation. Blue lightning "zapped" from the Thunderstone, transferring up her arm into her body with a sound, and she let out a shriek, her whole body enveloped by the tendrils of lightning. Intense fluctuations emanated from Wang Dan''s body, and soon after, the surrounding lightning began to shake violently, forming wave after wave of ripples. As the blue lightning gradually converged, but the color of the lightning was not very clear. Beside it was a miniature electronic display screen, which would show the tier of talent based on the voltage from the Thunderstone. An "N" appeared on the electronic display! Wang Dan''s face was filled with disappointment. An N-grade system is the most basic of systems. Without an R-grade system, there are no bonus points for the college entrance exam, which means starting at a lower point than others! She looked very upset. "N-grade system, a common talent system, don''t be discouraged. As long as you dig deep into your system''s potential, N-grade systems can sometimes exhibit strong capabilities," Principal Li Nanxing just happened to pass by, saw Wang Dan awaken her system, and didn''t disparage her but instead encouraged her with a smile. Despite his words, Wang Dan still walked back dispiritedly. While others couldn''t see what system Wang Dan had awakened, Xiang Beifei could see it clearly. Wang Dan''s awakened system was the "Flower Cultivation System," which required her to successfully raise a flower in order to increase her flower value by +1. Such a system destined her to apply for an agricultural college when it came time to choose a university. Looking at Wang Dan, she didn''t seem to like cultivating flowers. "Number 2!" As the class teacher, Yang Hua was still brooding over his own system issues and did not offer comfort or disparagement, but instead urged the next student. ... Xiang Beifei watched his classmates awaken their own talent systems one by one, and some of the bizarre systems truly surprised him. Take the strange "Dishwashing System," for example, which relied on the number of dishes washed to earn points. One had to wash a hundred dishes to get +1 diligence value. It goes without saying how despondent that delicate-looking boy was when he discovered he had awakened the "Dishwashing System." Wang Pangzi from their class, weighing 200 pounds, had awakened the "Dance King System," which required mastering all kinds of dances from around the world, and only after completing a dance to the standard could he earn one Dance King value. Wang Pangzi was devastated when he saw the system he had awakened. And then there were quirky systems like the "Eating Dirt System," "Brick Moving System," and "Moonlight Race System"... all of which Xiang Beifei found fascinating. More and more people publicly awakened their systems, and some students were overjoyed after discovering theirs, clearly satisfied with the systems they had awakened. For example, Sun Ke from Xiang Beifei''s class had awakened the "N-grade Real Estate System." Although it was a common system, the initial tasks were particularly difficult to complete, with the first task being to purchase a commercial property. This was almost impossible for someone still in school unless their family had the means to support such endeavors. Considering Sun Ke''s wealthy family background and the system he had awakened, it was certain that his family would later assist him in striving to become a real estate tycoon. Therefore, Sun Ke wasn''t too disappointed. Similarly, systems like "Restaurant Chain System" and "Supermarket Empire," among others, were part of the "Business System" category. Representative figures in the Business System included Ma Dayun from Alibaba and Ma Dateng from the Penguin Nobility. Even though no one knew what their systems were, it could be inferred that the individuals representing the two major Ma corporations had systems related to business, and those tycoons were rumored to have awakened SSR systems, which were likely linked to Business! Legends that one could only look up to! "Maybe I could awaken a UR-grade system, and then I could finally stand tall and proud," Kong Xiuwen said beside him, full of longing. UR is a system with even greater potential than SSR, strong enough to crush all competitors, almost standing at the pinnacle of this world! "You dreaming of awakening a UR system? That''s daydreaming," Class Leader Zhuo Jing said with an unexpected jab. "Mind your own business!" Kong Xiuwen retorted and, disregarding Zhuo Jing''s ugly expression, turned back to Xiang Beifei and said, "Xiang Beifei, this is our only chance for a turnaround. If I awaken a UR-grade system, then let''s see them act arrogant." Those who could awaken an S-grade system would become the focus of the entire school. Come the college entrance exams, getting points deducted or being admitted without examination would not pose a problem. If it were a UR system, it would likely cause a major sensation! However, up to this point, no one at their Luhe High School had been heard to have awakened a UR system, and even SSR systems were rare. In the hundred years since Luhe High School was founded, there had only been one person who had awakened an SSR system, a person whose achievements were looked up to, with unfathomable cultivation skills. Chapter 5: Chapter 5: The First S-Class System "What system do you hope to awaken?" Xiang Beifei asked. "The best would be the Scholar System. It''d allow a show-stopping debut, let''s see the slackers turn the tables and give those losers a beatdown. Wonder if they''d still dare to laugh at our poor grades," Kong Xiuwen said animatedly, then added, "The Superstar System wouldn''t be bad either. Venturing into the entertainment industry could be a good choice. And if all else fails, I wouldn''t turn my nose up at the Tycoon System either." Lost in his merry fantasies, Kong Xiuwen believed that any system was intended to improve oneself, but a good system could make that improvement happen much faster. The trajectory of many people''s lives during their college entrance exam year can be altered, as awakening a system that year can change their future choices. If someone has been interested in computer science since childhood but awakens a medical system, they would have to abandon their dreams to apply for medical school. This is quite similar to the real world, where parents force their children to apply for majors they think are promising. Therefore, the best system to awaken is one that matches one''s own interests because only then would there be motivation to complete tasks. Moments later, Kong Xiuwen asked again, "What about you, Xiang Beifei? What system do you hope to awaken?" "Me? I''m not picky, anything goes." Xiang Beifei, new to this world, hadn''t fully grasped it yet, so he wasn''t very demanding about the system. Kong Xiuwen said, "How can you be so ambitionless! That won''t do. Let me tell you a secret..." Kong Xiuwen glanced at the others, leaned into Xiang Beifei''s ear, and whispered mysteriously, "My old man spent a fortune on a medicinal herb from an enlightened master. He''s researched talent systems for years. Supposedly, if you take this herb, there''s a fifty percent chance of awakening the system you want." Kong Xiuwen held out his hand, revealing two black pills emitting a pungent, strange odor, "Dad told me to take both. With one, there''s a fifty percent chance, but with two, it''s a sure thing!" Uh? Fifty percent with one pill, and a hundred percent with two? The math here is quite magical! Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but grin; he felt that the master Kong Xiuwen mentioned was very likely someone who had awakened the Bluff System or Charlatan System. Kong Xiuwen, looking dead serious, shoved a black pill into Xiang Beifei''s hand and said, "I don''t need a hundred percent certainty, this one''s for you." Xiang Beifei was surprised, "For me?" "Shh, keep it down. It costs over ten thousand a pill! Dad told me to keep it quiet. I can''t stand how the homeroom teacher always picks on us, we need to awaken an SR system and show them, give ourselves some breathing room." Kong Xiuwen''s family was relatively well-off, and Xiang Beifei''s was struggling, but the two got along well, and Kong Xiuwen was always quite generous with Xiang Beifei. Wei s (Amended as Weighing) the black pill in his hand, Xiang Beifei was certain such a thing couldn''t be effective¡ªif it were, there would already be geniuses all over the world. "You keep it for yourself! I''ll leave it to fate," Xiang Beifei insisted, heart not set on destroying Kong Xiuwen''s illusion as he handed the pill back. But Kong Xiuwen adamantly forced the pill back into Xiang Beifei''s hand, clapping him on the shoulder, "Take it, what''s with the formality between us? What are friends for? Don''t worry! If I awaken an advanced talent system, I''ve got your back!" "Then I''m going to cling to your coattails in advance." Xiang Beifei laughed. As they were discussing, a wave of envious exclamations suddenly burst from another corner of the crowd. "Oh my! Someone has awakened an S-class system!" "So jealous, that''s the first S-class system awakener today!" The crowd became restless, craning their necks and looking on with envy at the person who had awakened an S-class system. She was a girl from Class One named Liu Qianrou, not only outstanding academically but also exceptionally pretty. Tall and elegant, demure and refined, she was a goddess within Class One, known as the Class Belle, and many boys harbored a secret crush on her. "Oh my! It''s her, my goddess awakened an S-class system, oh my! I must work harder to awaken an S-class system and be with her!" a boy from Class Two exclaimed. "Pfft, keep dreaming! Why don''t you just take a piss and look at yourself." "My pee is yellow, let me enlighten him!" "My breath stinks, let me have a talk with him!" Many boys were all discussing animatedly, eyes filled with admiration, and quite a few girls were also mixing envy with jealousy, it wasn''t enough to be good-looking, but even the grade of the awakened system was so high. Xiang Beifei curiously looked toward Liu Qianrou. A light-yellow dress, fluffy hair. The outfit was very fashionable. Xiang Beifei glanced at her system: [Host: Liu Qianrou] [S-rank, Backup Snatch System] [Status: Ordinary Person] [Mission: Please find five backups] ... Liu Qianrou seemed to be contemplating her system''s abilities as well, and after a moment of thought, she walked toward the crowd under everyone''s envious gaze. When she reached the boy from Class Two who had not yet awakened his system but fantasized about being with the goddess, she accidentally twisted her foot and bumped into the boy. "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I didn''t do it on purpose," Liu Qianrou said with a remorseful face. The boy was stunned, he had actually been accidentally bumped by the goddess! The goddess even apologized to him! "No, no, no problem!" The boy was extremely excited and a bit carried away. "Hello, my name is Liu Qianrou." Liu Qianrou revealed a gentle and graceful smile, extending her hand to shake with the boy. ¡ª¡ªOh my god, is today my lucky day? Not only did the goddess apologize to me, but she also wants to shake my hand! The boy''s eyes shone with a certain light. "Hello, I''m Zhao Tian from Class Two, really, really nice to meet you." Zhao Tian hastily stretched out his hand, holding Liu Qianrou''s delicate palm. ¡ª¡ªThe goddess''s hand is as soft as if it has no bones, I''m not washing my hands for a month! Zhao Tian thought excitedly. At this time, Xiang Beifei saw that Liu Qianrou''s system interface already displayed a new line of text: [You have gained a potential backup, backup value +1] [You shook hands with the backup, you snatched the backup''s arm strength, your strength +1] [You conversed with the backup, you snatched the backup''s social skills, your social skills +1] ... Everyone was unaware of what system Liu Qianrou had awakened, only knowing that Liu Qianrou was an S-rank top student, with boundless potential, but only Xiang Beifei saw everything very clearly! "This system is a bit sinister!" Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but think, Liu Qianrou''s system was actually about raising backups and then snatching their various abilities? And getting a backup was so easy, as long as someone was interested in her, they would automatically become a backup? What a green tea bitch! Xiang Beifei looked at the boy who was being used as a backup and snatched of his abilities without knowing, feeling quite sympathetic, if in the future he kept following Liu Qianrou around, probably all his abilities would be completely taken by Liu Qianrou. This system epitomized what is called a loser dog, in the end, losing everything by licking boots. Chapter 6: Chapter 6: System Testing! Xiang Beifei shook his head. Although the system was bizarre and powerful, considering that Liu Qianrou had little to do with him, he didn''t want to intervene. While there was a buzz on that side, the Awakening Ceremony here continued, and soon, Xiang Beifei''s class also burst into exclamations¡ªa S-level system had appeared! It was Monitor Zhuo Jing! "Monitor Zhuo is also S-level!" "Amazing!" Many classmates cast envious looks in Zhuo Jing''s direction. A student who awakened an S-level talent system started a whole class higher than everyone else, as if in a hundred-meter race, they had run ahead by twenty meters! Zhuo Jing was also incredibly excited. Immediately he straightened up and puffed out his chest, basking in the adoration and admiration of all eyes on him, very pleased with his own system. "Very good! Very good! I knew I wasn''t wrong about you!" Yang Hua was thrilled. The testing had gone on for quite some time, and the systems awakened by the students in his class were only N-level, with six being R-level ¨C too low a level. Originally when he first became a teacher, if a student had an R-level system, his prestige value would increase. But as the system missions gradually increased in difficulty, now only an S-level could add to his teacher prestige value. Because of Zhuo Jing''s appearance, his teacher prestige value had just increased by 500 points! Yang Hua almost cried! 500 teacher prestige points! This was much easier than criticizing students all day long! "It''s over. I was thinking of suppressing him with my system, to see if he would dare to be arrogant with us in the future, but I didn''t expect this guy to be so lucky!" Kong Xiuwen spoke with both envy and jealousy. Xiang Beifei had planned to check out what kind of system Zhuo Jing had, but Yang Hua had already called Xiang Beifei to go up and take part in the Awakening Ceremony. Xiang Beifei had no choice but to retract his gaze and walk towards the floating Electric Shock Thunderstone. "What system will I awaken?" Xiang Beifei pondered to himself. Although he was able to see other people''s systems, in this world, power still ruled supreme. Without a Cultivation Technique or promotion means, it was still useless; he had to increase his own strength. The thunderstone emitting blue electric arcs was flickering before his eyes, and every now and then, a spark of electricity lit up. The thunder and electricity emitted by the thunderstone stimulated the potential within the human body, awakening the innate system. After stimulating potential, the intensity of the sparks produced by the thunder and electricity determined the talent level of a person''s system. Generally speaking, For an N-level system, the electric arc is blue. An R-level system turns the arc deep blue. An S-level system turns it black. An SR-level system is red. An SSR-level system is white. A UR-level system is golden yellow! Actually, based on the color of the electric arcs, one could judge what someone''s talent really is. Xiang Beifei carefully pressed his palm against the thunderstone! Hiss! There was a slight tingling in his palm, and sparks of electricity followed Xiang Beifei''s palm into his body, swiftly coursing through his limbs and bones, as if searching for something. Whoosh! The thunderstone suddenly lit up with a dazzling golden yellow light! This color was incredibly eye-catching, instantly drawing everyone''s gaze towards it! "What? Is that golden yellow? Isn''t that, that the legendary..." Yang Hua, the class teacher, gasped. A golden yellow electric arc meant the legendary UR-level system, an exceedingly rare existence in the world! The Electric Shock Thunderstone in Xiang Beifei''s hand immediately attracted a lot of attention, whether from teachers or students, all captivated by the splendid golden yellow electric arcs! "My God! Am I dreaming? Is this¡ªa UR system?" Somebody exclaimed in disbelief. Even Principal Li Nanxing, who was at a distance, suddenly turned into an afterimage, instantly appearing beside Xiang Beifei, his expression extremely astonished! The light of the UR system! "Could it be... Could it be..." Principal Li Nanxing was immensely excited! Endowed with the "Confucian Saint System," he naturally strived tirelessly toward this goal, teaching and nurturing with the aim of fostering a generation of renowned Confucian scholars. Now that his students were spread far and wide, as long as a student under his tutelage made a name for themselves, the system would also bring him benefits! If a student of UR level were to emerge from his school, it would likely propel him directly to the next realm! On the other hand, Yang Hua, the homeroom teacher, was also trembling with excitement! If a UR-level genius appeared in his class, wouldn''t that add a whopping hundred thousand points to his prestige value? However, gradually, people started to sense that something was amiss. The color of the electric arc suddenly dimmed, turning from golden yellow to white! "Eh? What''s happening here?" Many people were puzzled. Wasn''t it the legendary, rare UR system just moments ago? How did it downgrade to SSR? But even the white electric arcs symbolizing the SSR system were shocking enough! That''s SSR! Even if it''s not on par with UR, it''s still enough to drive people wild! And yet, soon people felt something was off again. The color of the electric arc of the Electric Shock Thunderstone suddenly turned red! Was that the SR system? Why did the levels displayed by the thunderstone continuously decrease? Sizzle! The electric arc changed to the black color that represented the S-level system; following that was the navy blue of R, and then it reverted back to light blue of N... "What''s going on? Wasn''t it a golden yellow arc just now? I thought our school was about to witness the rise of an unparalleled genius, but why has it changed to the lowest level N system?" "Could the thunderstone be malfunctioning?" Crack! The Electric Shock Thunderstone in Xiang Beifei''s hand turned into an unsightly rock, with the electric sparks suddenly disappearing altogether. Xiang Beifei looked at the thunderstone in his hand with some confusion. "What exactly is going on? Did your system awaken?" Principal Li Nanxing asked urgently. He had lived more than half his life and had never seen such a phenomenon. Initially thinking that a golden yellow UR system had emerged, he was so thrilled that he almost shouted out loud, but he had never expected the thunderstone''s arc to keep changing, falling all the way to N level. "No, I don''t feel any system awakening." Xiang Beifei frowned; he didn''t see any system prompts. "Then why did the thunderstone turn out like that just now?" Principal Li Nanxing asked impatiently. Yang Hua eagerly stepped forward, taking the thunderstone from Xiang Beifei''s hand, only to find that the thunderstone no longer showed an electric arc. After inspecting it, he looked at Xiang Beifei with a strange expression and said, "This thunderstone, it seems, seems to be broken?" Everyone was taken aback! "So the thunderstone was broken, no wonder!" "I was saying, with his poor grades, how could he possibly awaken such a high-level system? It must have been an issue with the thunderstone." Everyone''s gaze toward Xiang Beifei normalized a bit; if a student with terrible grades had awakened a UR-level system, it would surely have caused rancor. Principal Li Nanxing also took the thunderstone, gave it a brief inspection, and his hopeful gaze dimmed, as the thunderstone indeed elicited no response. "It seems the thunderstone was the issue just now; bring another thunderstone." Principal Li Nanxing couldn''t help but take another look at Xiang Beifei, feeling somewhat regretful. He didn''t know Xiang Beifei, but he had earnestly hoped that Xiang Beifei had truly awakened an SR or higher level system. In that case, Luhe High School would surely rise to the ranks of top schools, gaining fame and distinction. All the restlessness and shock of the crowd settled back down. If the principal himself said so, then the thunderstone must indeed be broken. Glimpses towards Xiang Beifei took on a touch of schadenfreude. This guy had ridden an emotional roller coaster today; just as he thought he was about to turn the tables and be in the spotlight, it turned out to be a huge farce, ending in a complete flop. Xiang Beifei held the thunderstone in his hand, indifferent to the stares of the others, who all thought the thunderstone was broken. Yet, he harbored a peculiar thought in his mind. In the process just then, the lightning had desperately tried to penetrate his body for quite some time, searching for the so-called system talent. But as the thunderstone''s power surged to the max, there remained no sign of activity within Xiang Beifei. The thunderstone didn''t give up, continuing to surge until, at last, it ran out of steam... So to be precise, the powerful Yang''s "Electric Shock Thunderstone" wasn''t broken. It was just that Xiang Beifei had drained it¡ª of its power. Chapter 7: Chapter 7: The Little Puppy This result even made Xiang Beifei want to cry and laugh at the same time. It''s as if the thunderstone was fitted with a fake battery; why did it run out of power during the test? What if I bring over another thunderstone and the same thing happens again? One malfunctioning thunderstone is an accident, but two is a cause for concern. Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but feel worried. He had no desire to draw too much attention to himself. In this new world, without a strong background, if he awakened a truly powerful system and drew the interest of the wrong people, that would spell trouble. It''s better to keep a low profile. Get rich quietly. The dean of instruction soon brought over another thunderstone. This one crackled with electric sparks, sounding very energetic, probably a brand new piece that hadn''t been used before. As soon as the dean let go, the thunderstone floated still in mid-air. Everyone was watching him, curious to know what system Xiang Beifei would awaken this time. Xiang Beifei hesitated for a moment before placing his hand on the thunderstone again. Whoosh! The thunderstone became restless again, its blue arcs of electricity appeared to be changing, but just then a strange warm current surged through Xiang Beifei''s body, and with a cry that sounded like a baby''s roar, a shadow appeared in front of Xiang Beifei''s eyes. "Woof." It was an unknown little creature, at first glance resembling a small puppy, palm-sized, with snow-white fur and sapphire-blue eyes that seemed to contain the stars in the sky, quite extraordinary. At the same time as the little puppy appeared, it excitedly barked, pounced on the thunderstone, and bit into it with its tiny mouth. Crackle! Before the thunderstone had a chance to flicker its colors, it dimmed down. The previously vigorous sparks seemed about to be exhausted. "Damn it, is it going to run out of power again? Wait! Stop messing around! Get away from that stone," Xiang Beifei shouted urgently. "Woof!" The puppy paused, looking at Xiang Beifei with confusion. Please, what on earth is this! Where''s my system? Xiang Beifei was completely befuddled; if this wasn''t his system, then how was he supposed to build his own system into a supreme, invincible one? It seemed as though the puppy understood what Xiang Beifei meant, as it let go of the thunderstone and jumped onto Xiang Beifei''s shoulder. At this moment, the color displayed on the thunderstone in Xiang Beifei''s hand was even more pitiful than pale blue. "N grade!" The level assessment appeared on the thunderstone''s electronic display! "Only N grade?" Principal Li Nanxing appeared more disappointed than anyone else. Even after the thunderstone malfunctioned, he had held on to a sliver of hope for Xiang Beifei, hoping that his school would produce a genius, which would turn his institution into an internationally famous high school and himself into a renowned principal, securing better resources for the school. Unfortunately, he had celebrated too early. Yang Hua also looked distressed on the other side. Just now, his system had malfunctioned, losing the reward, and he was still brooding over how to make it up. When Xiang Beifei''s test showed the UR glow, he was ecstatic, but now it only added to his frustration. "I thought our school was going to have a UR prodigy! What a pity." "Yeah, I was getting ready to be envious of him, even thinking about quickly holding onto his coattails, but it turned out that it was me, an R-level, who actually became the ''big thigh'' to hold onto." Many people looked at Xiang Beifei with considerable sympathy. This dramatic change caught them off guard. Those who didn''t know Xiang Beifei felt sorry for him, but many of his classmates actually thought it was only to be expected. After all, he was the student with the lowest grades in the class; if he had awakened a UR system, it definitely would have upset the balance for them. Being N-level was normal too. There were quite a few N-level awakeners present; nobody had the right to pass judgment on anyone else. "No matter, an N-level system shouldn''t discourage you, quite a lot of people became figures of great influence with an N-level system. Starting from a lower point than others doesn''t mean your future will be any worse, we all create our own futures with our bare hands." Principal Li Nanxing comforted Xiang Beifei. After all, he was a renowned scholar of his generation, always kind to his students and never looking down on anyone, believing that learning has its own sequence and every profession has its master, and from every field emerges a top scholar. Students with poor talent have turned their lives around to become successful people after putting in effort; such cases were numerous. Having lived for many years, Li Nanxing was very clear about this. "I know, thank you for the advice, Principal," Xiang Beifei said. Although what Principal Li Nanxing said related to his system, it was undeniable that he truly had the students'' best interests at heart. As the students succeeded, he also benefited from the system, so Li Nanxing never gave up on any student, often encouraging them to be proactive and helping them solve problems. This was something that Xiang Beifei still respected. "Woof!" The little puppy also barked cheerfully. But it seemed like no one else saw Xiang Beifei''s little puppy. Xiang Beifei walked back with his little puppy. Kong Xiuwen came over, his expression complicated as he comforted, "You really scared me just now. I thought you were about to awaken a legendary system and skyrocket, I was ready to follow you. What a pity... Are you okay?" Kong Xiuwen was worried Xiang Beifei might take it hard and was thinking about how to comfort him. Anyone put in this situation, without a strong heart, would probably not make it through. "I''m fine, you just do your best," Xiang Beifei said. Yang Hua called out from above, "Next, Kong Xiuwen!" "It''s my turn now, I hope I can awaken a good system." Hearing the homeroom teacher calling his name, Kong Xiuwen hurriedly ran up the stage. On the other hand, the class president Zhuo Jing was basking in everyone else''s praise, looking very smug as he saw Xiang Beifei return to the crowd. He had awakened an S-level "Appreciation System," and his first task after awakening was: [Gather 250 appreciation values within one hour. If someone you know praises or envies you, appreciation value +1, if someone you don''t know praises or envies you, appreciation value +0.01] [Task Reward: Qi-Controlling Pill] After awakening his system, Zhuo Jing received the envy of countless people. Today, being another great day for awakenings, the entire field was full of students, teachers, and parents, and students with S-level systems received attention from all around. Less than ten minutes after he awakened his system, he received 249 appreciation values! Just one point shy, and he could have collected 250 to successfully exchange for a rare Qi-Controlling Pill, which would have allowed him to step directly into the early stages of Qi-Control! This showcased the twisted power of an S-level system; others would have to train hard for at least two months to several years to reach the Qi-Controlling realm, but with his initial task, he was already ahead of others and got off to a very quick start. However, during Xiang Beifei''s test, all attention was drawn to him, causing the spotlight Zhuo Jing was just about to enjoy to be completely overshadowed. Although Xiang Beifei''s test turned out to be a farce in the end, people''s focus on Zhuo Jing was no longer as intense as in the beginning, causing his appreciation value to stagnate. "Damn it, just one point short of appreciation value, why has everyone stopped praising me?" Zhuo Jing was inwardly anxious. Praise from those who had already praised him was ineffective; he needed to be envied by those who hadn''t praised him yet. Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Be Cautious in Seeking Praise In order to collect 250 appreciation values, he had secretly taken out his phone and posted a real photo of himself on social media with the caption "Have awakened an S-class system!" But most of his social media friends were his classmates, who were all busy awakening and understanding their own systems. Afraid of having their phones confiscated by the disciplinarian, they didn''t dare to take them out, and his likes were stuck at 249 and wouldn''t budge. Whenever someone praised or envied him, the system would prompt him, and he quickly discovered that in the entire class, only Xiang Beifei and Kong Xiuwen had not praised him. Because a known person''s praise added 1 point, while a stranger''s only added 0.01, so he needed to make Xiang Beifei or Kong Xiuwen envy him, which would be much better than finding 100 strangers. With an hour nearly up, if he didn''t hurry and the time passed, he would have to start over, so he had to quickly amass those 250 points. Since Kong Xiuwen was still undergoing testing, the target naturally became Xiang Beifei! Zhuo Jing saw Xiang Beifei with his head down, looking somewhat dejected, and he immediately strode over to Xiang Beifei. Thinking that he didn''t get along very well with Xiang Beifei, he pondered a bit, organized his wording, and then offered fake comfort, "Xiang Beifei, it''s okay, don''t be discouraged, the teacher said that N-class systems can also be promising, never give up!" "How can he compare with your S-class system, monitor?" a classmate said enviously. However, this classmate''s words did not bring Zhuo Jing any appreciation value, as the person had already contributed. What Zhuo Jing wanted was not this person''s praise, but Xiang Beifei''s! "You can''t say that, look, even though I''ve awakened an S-class system, as the class monitor, I treat all classmates equally. With college entrance exams coming up, we need to help each other, I''ve always believed that classmates who awaken N-class systems can also have a bright future!" Zhuo Jing mustered a smile and said patiently. "The monitor speaks so well!" "The monitor has awakened an S-class system and is still so approachable, such an open-mindedness!" A bunch of classmates praised from the side. But Zhuo Jing''s appreciation value still did not rise. ¡ª¡ªXiang Beifei, you must be envious, right? I''m someone with an S-class system¡ª shouldn''t you hurry up and praise me? Zhuo Jing thought impatiently, he could hardly wait any longer. Xiang Beifei looked up at Zhuo Jing''s "Appreciation System." Others didn''t know what system Zhuo Jing had awakened, but Xiang Beifei could see it clear as day. This guy just needs one more like. But Xiang Beifei didn''t feel there was anything to envy! He was still pondering over the issues with his own puppy, questioning in his mind for a long time, but the puppy could only say one word: "Woof!" The little puppy didn''t seem like a system at all, which was quite troublesome! Zhuo Jing, realizing his words weren''t effective, tried another approach: "Xiang Beifei, even though you have only an N-class system, if you face any difficulties in the future, feel free to ask me for help, understand?" Zhuo Jing''s tone was unusually gentle while speaking to Xiang Beifei for a change. ¡ª¡ªHurry up! You damn fool! I''m talking to you like this, so hurry up and praise me! Hurry up and praise me! Quick! Praise! Me! Zhuo Jing was internally roaring! Xiang Beifei stroked his chin, blinking his eyes. The reward for this guy''s task is a Qi-Controlling Pill? A Qi-Controlling Pill is such a great thing, it can directly bring someone into the initial phase of Qi-Controlling, what an outrageous item. To think that even the class teacher Yang Hua, who has awakened an R-class system for almost ten years, is still only in the later phase of Qi-Controlling, whereas Zhuo Jing''s first task reward for his S-class system is the initial phase of Qi-Controlling. With Zhuo Jing''s gifted system, he wouldn''t need ten years to surpass the class teacher. No wonder many universities favored students with S-class systems. The class teacher Yang Hua, for his system, would always reprimand Xiang Beifei in various ways, and Zhuo Jing, to ingratiate himself with the teacher, never refrained from mocking Xiang Beifei coldly and heatedly. To know that before the system awakening, Zhuo Jing was still mocking him and Kong Xiuwen! Now in order to get their praise, he immediately changed face and pretended to care about his classmates. Xiang Beifei had no fondness for this insincere fellow. He was already brooding over issues with his system, feeling quite annoyed, and seeing Zhuo Jing prancing about in front of him with a weirdly contrived expression only added to Xiang Beifei''s helplessness. ¡ª¡ªThis is what you want me to seek praise for! It''s not my fault. "Class leader, you''re really awesome!" Xiang Beifei said sincerely. "Where! Where! We''re all classmates after all!" When Zhuo Jing heard Xiang Beifei''s words, his face broke into a delighted smile; he had completed his first task with such ease! He couldn''t wait to check his system: [You have received praise from Xiang Beifei. Appreciation value +1,] Zhuo Jing was overjoyed. Finally, it reached 250! He was about to break through to the Qi-Controlling realm! In his mind appeared countless fantasies. As soon as he broke through the Qi-Controlling realm, he would definitely attract everyone''s attention again, and then there would be even more people praising him, from which he could harvest a large wave of appreciation values... Thinking of this, Zhuo Jing felt even the air was refreshingly sweet. [You have completed a task. Task reward: Qi-Controlling Pill] [Would you like to claim your reward?] "Yes! Of course!" Zhuo Jing eagerly watched the system interface. He was well aware of what a Qi-Controlling Pill meant. A Qi-Controlling Pill could let someone skip the painful early stages of cultivation, to truly step into the ranks of cultivators! As long as he was the first to step into the Qi-Controlling realm, he would become the standard "child of someone else" in the eyes of all parents! Zhuo Jing nervously spread his hands, waiting for the Qi-Controlling Pill to fall into them! [Reward has been issued. Host, please keep up the good work! Seek praise wholeheartedly, create a better future!] "Issued?" Zhuo Jing immediately checked his hands, but there was no reward. Then he searched his own pockets, still nothing. "Could it be in the backpack?" Zhuo Jing rushed towards the classroom in a flurry to search for the reward issued by the system. "I''m about to become the first person in the class to step into the Qi-Controlling realm! If this news is known by everyone, the appreciation value I''ll reap next will skyrocket, hahaha..." Zhuo Jing felt even his running posture was cool and impressive! Xiang Beifei watched Zhuo Jing''s retreating figure with a contemplative look, hands in his pockets, appearing quite calm. In his pocket, there was a pale yellow pill! That was the Qi-Controlling Pill for Zhuo Jing''s completion of his first task. "Should this reward be returned?" Xiang Beifei pondered slightly. Class teacher Yang Hua would use Xiang Beifei as a negative example for his own tasks, making a big deal out of every trivial matter to criticize him. Zhuo Jing, too, was showing off in front of Xiang Beifei deliberately, trying to complete his own tasks through Xiang Beifei. But they all picked the wrong target. After a while, Xiang Beifei made a decision. "When you''re doing your tasks, don''t try to drag me into it intentionally, nor seek validation from me; if that''s the case, all is well. Otherwise, I can only¡ª¡ª" "Reluctantly accept your rewards." Chapter 9: Chapter 9: Only a Bald Head Away from Being Strong He planned to wait until he got home to properly research the two Qi-Controlling Pills he had received today, otherwise, if he took them right in front of everyone, an N-level System Awakener suddenly breaking through to Qi-Controlling realm would seem far-fetched. Of course, he could explain it as the work of his system, but after all, being N-level, the starting point shouldn''t be so high. Xiang Beifei actually cared more about the little puppy he had awakened. He still didn''t understand what his little puppy was for. "What in the world are you?" Xiang Beifei picked up the little puppy and studied it over and over. "Woof woof!" The little puppy barked happily, wagging its tail twice. But Xiang Beifei couldn''t understand what it was saying; it seemed to be just barking simply. Xiang Beifei asked all sorts of questions, and the little puppy could only bark twice. "You''re not just here to be cute, are you?" Xiang Beifei stroked the little puppy''s head. The little puppy squinted its eyes on his palm. Xiang Beifei thought for a moment and said, "I should give you a name." The little puppy, with its tongue out, looked eagerly at Xiang Beifei. "You''re so cute, all your fur is so white, white like a ball of snow, hmm¡ªthen I''ll call you Xiaohei!" Xiang Beifei said. "..." Xiaohei blinked, looking somewhat astonished. "I''ve always wanted to get a dog and name it Xiaohei! Xiang Beifei burst into laughter. "Whine!" The all-white Xiaohei whined discontentedly and bit at Xiang Beifei''s palm. But it didn''t have teeth yet, so the bite on Xiang Beifei''s palm was neither light nor itchy. Xiang Beifei found this little guy very amusing and gently flicked its ear with his finger. This Xiaohei, clearly newborn and confused, seemed not even to know what it was. But intuition told Xiang Beifei that Xiaohei was probably not that simple. ¡ª¡ª In the distance, exclamations were heard again, as if someone else had awakened an S-level system. So far, it seemed there were already nineteen students who had awakened S-level systems With ten classes in the senior year, that was about two per class on average. This result was rather normal, and Xiang Beifei was not surprised. Xiang Beifei had been keeping an eye on Kong Xiuwen and noticed that Kong Xiuwen had awakened an S-level system too! "Excellent! Excellent! I knew I was not wrong about you, Kong Xiuwen!" Yang Hua excitedly patted Kong Xiuwen on the shoulder. His Kong Xiuwen, however, looked utterly dejected. "Bad luck, such bad luck! I actually awakened this system... Ah, it''s outrageous!" Kong Xiuwen looked like he was about to cry. Xiang Beifei glanced at Kong Xiuwen''s system and almost burst out laughing. [Host: Kong Xiuwen] [S-level, Bald System] [State: Ordinary person] ... Bald System? What kind of weird thing is that! Xiang Beifei''s expression turned strange as he secretly pulled closer to Kong Xiuwen''s system interface and quickly reviewed the introduction of Kong Xiuwen''s system. [Bald System, the less hair you have, the stronger you are, you''re only one bald head away from being a powerhouse!] [Note: Manually removing hair will still grow back, to perfectly utilize the system''s abilities, you must stimulate your potential through various external pressures] [Newbie Task: Stay up studying for one night] [Task Reward: Lose five hairs] [Note: Hair can be exchanged for corresponding rewards in the system store] Xiang Beifei looked at Kong Xiuwen''s hair, black and lush like seaweed, and couldn''t help but laugh. Manually removing hair doesn''t count, meaning shaving your head or plucking hair doesn''t qualify. You should know, a normal person has about one hundred thousand strands of hair, someone like Kong Xiuwen, with his robust hair growth, probably has about one hundred fifty thousand. And he, after staying up studying for one night, only lost five hairs! This system, it''s a long and arduous journey! "You''ve awakened an S system, which is quite impressive, it adds 50 points to your college entrance exam," Xiang Beifei said, not really knowing how to feel about Kong Xiuwen''s system, he could only feign ignorance and patted Kong Xiuwen on the shoulder, enviously. "Ah, you have no idea what my system is¡ªnever mind, I can''t discuss systems carelessly. In any case, I would rather not have those extra fifty points," Kong Xiuwen said as he covered his face and sighed. Then he spat viciously, "That so-called Dao achieving expert, he actually tricked me! The pills have no effect whatsoever!" He had just swallowed two pills that had a "fifty percent chance to awaken an SR system," and he ended up awakening an S-tier system. Though he could accept the outcome, he was still annoyed by this system. "However, how should I get involved with a system like Kong Xiuwen''s?" Xiang Beifei fell into thought again. It''s not that he coveted Kong Xiuwen''s system rewards, as Kong Xiuwen is a very genuine person, and they have a good relationship. Even if Beifei were to receive Kong Xiuwen''s rewards, he would return them. But he must consider the types of systems that allow him to receive rewards from others. Such as those "Top Student Futuristic Tech" systems, these systems that train you to be a top student rarely require help from others. Could he then participate in the missions together with others? He needed to properly explore these issues. ¡ª¡ª After the last student awakened the [R-Tier Heavenly Punishment System], the entire awakening ceremony had ended. At Luhe High School, only twenty-one students had awakened an S-tier system, and although everyone wasn''t clear about the specifics of these twenty-one systems, they all envied them. Among these twenty-one, twenty were full of confidence about their futures, but one looked as if he had swallowed a fly, face livid with disgust. Zhuo Jing was still hopping mad, searching everywhere for his system rewards. He didn''t suspect Beifei but was adamant that there had been a mistake with the distribution of his reward and decided to sort it out with the system store when he got back! "Let''s give our warmest applause to these twenty-one outstanding students! And don''t be discouraged, the system is just a supplement; ultimately, we rely on our own cultivation. I hope everyone can become a strong cultivator!" Principal Li Nanxing gave another rousing speech, especially to those twenty-one students with an S-tier system. Students with an S-tier system, their future accomplishments are boundless, This represents the most outstanding students of Luhe High School this year; whatever their systems, it means they have already taken a significant lead, and the others can only look up to them. Li Nanxing naturally wanted to nurture them well. Xiang Beifei, observing these twenty-one S-tier systems, found their systems were indeed impressive, including the [Summoning Monster System], [Dao Achieving System], and the [Heavenly Dao System], among others. These systems, compared to other quirky ones, had a higher likelihood of them becoming powerful martial cultivators. With their strong system talents, as long as they diligently completed the system tasks, becoming powerhouses was just a matter of time. Xiang Beifei received Qi-Controlling Pills from Zhuo Jing, meaning he could step into the Qi-Controlling realm faster than the others. Yet, he still lacked a Cultivation Technique, without which his cultivation could not progress. Of course, there are Cultivation Techniques sold in the market; lots of people, aiming to make money, would sell their system rewards. But these Cultivation Techniques are not only expensive, they are also incomplete, mostly fragmented as no one wants their system-awarded techniques to be fully passed on, there would definitely be flaws. So Xiang Beifei currently needed to figure out a way to obtain a complete Cultivation Technique. How to do that? That is indeed a problem. Chapter 10: Chapter 10: The Pioneer Having just awakened their systems, everyone was too eager to explore their own systems to have any interest in studying, so the school wisely gave all the senior three students a half-day holiday. After returning to the classroom, some students hurried off as if they wanted to rush to complete their first system tasks, ready to turn from underachiever to top student, experiencing a reversal of fortune that could change the course of thirty years. Others were chatting with their peers, curious about each other''s systems and attempting to figure out what systems the others had. At most, one could only identify the level of another person''s system but could not know the specifics of it. From the beginning of school, everyone had been indoctrinated with the importance of "keeping your system a secret," so no one would reveal their system type. If someone with malicious intent tried to probe into one''s system to target them, even someone close could potentially divulge it, so keeping it secret was critical, and people generally wouldn''t tell their family members either. After some discussion and finding they couldn''t dig out any information, everyone reluctantly left to attend to their system tasks. Xiang Beifei and Kong Xiuwen left the classroom together, their homes were nearby, so they headed back in the same direction conveniently. Kong Xiuwen kept running his hands through his thick, jet-black hair, looking very disconsolate. There was a time when he took great pride in having a head of hair that even girls would envy, but who would have thought that the system would play such a joke on him! "Am I truly destined to be forever unattractive?" Kong Xiuwen looked up to the sky and let out a long sigh! Curse this hair loss! He was only eighteen years old and was already facing the most devastating process in his life! "Is your system task difficult to complete?" Although Xiang Beifei knew about Kong Xiuwen''s system task, he still felt compelled to ask the polite question. "It''s not that it''s hard to do, it''s just that it''s time to say goodbye to my past self, my youth is over!" Kong Xiuwen''s expression was one of tragic resolve. Hair loss had truly begun. Xiang Beifei knew that Kong Xiuwen was a very lax person, extremely lazy, with a severe tendency to procrastinate. To make him study was like asking for his life, and to have him stay up all night studying was as ludicrous as teaching a pig to climb a tree. "Is the novice task released by your system easy?" Kong Xiuwen inquired. "Just so-so," Xiang Beifei replied indifferently. Xiang Beifei didn''t have a normal system at all and had no concept of what a novice task was. But he had a Soul Condensing Pill and a Qi-Controlling Pill in hand, so he found his way to navigate through the novice period rather simple. After consoling Kong Xiuwen for a bit, Xiang Beifei parted ways with him and walked towards his own home. Kong Xiuwen''s father was a businessman, and his family was quite wealthy, living in a brand-new residential area, while Xiang Beifei lived in an urban village just across from the complex. He opened the door to an old rental house. The place was aged, the furniture looked well-used, but the entire room was tidily kept. He lived with his grandfather. Xiang Beifei''s grandfather, named Xiang Qingde, was a vegetable farmer who sold vegetables at the market. As for his parents¡ª When he was very young, Xiang Beifei''s parents went off to the outer wilderness to carry out tasks and never returned. The existence of the outer wilderness was why the world had formed the Jiuzhou Grand Alliance. How vast the outer wilderness is remains unclear to anyone. Because humanity has yet to traverse this expanse of wilderness, they cling to a small corner of the immense, boundless territory, like an isolated island in the midst of the ocean, fiercely guarding their own. In the wilderness beyond human territory, there exist various savage desolate beasts that continually invade human lands, devouring our territory. To counter these invasions, humans, through the Awakening System, absorb external Spiritual Energy with the system''s aid, empowering themselves to struggle against the desolate beasts. Countless powerful individuals ceaselessly battle these desolate beasts, reclaiming their territories. The human territories were once vast, but three hundred years ago, the Jiuzhou Grand Alliance''s defenses faltered, leading to an invasion by the desolate beasts from beyond, which caused a sudden halving of human lands! As the population has kept growing, space and housing prices have become increasingly strained, making it essential for humanity to gradually expand their territory and bring those lands under the Jiuzhou Grand Alliance''s domain. Expanding territory is not an easy task, as one must always be ready for the desolate beasts'' counterattacks, and some terrains are unsuitable for residence, disturbed by poisonous gases from beyond the domain, which must be slowly purified. To reclaim the lost lands for humanity, a noble profession has arisen within the Alliance, known as "Pioneers." Pioneers are required to carry out missions in the outer wilderness, constantly facing life-threatening dangers. Xiang Beifei''s parents were both Pioneers. But when Xiang Beifei was fourteen, after they set out on a mission, they suddenly disappeared. In the Jiuzhou Grand Alliance, the status of Pioneers is highly esteemed as they battle for human territories, so the Alliance ensures the well-being of the Pioneers'' families. After his parents'' incident, they provided a considerable sum of compensation. But money is something that will eventually run out; to save on expenses, they moved here. Xiang Beifei''s grandfather also often went out to sell vegetables, saving money to support his grandson. Xiang Beifei glanced at the time, it was only eleven o''clock. Normally at this time, he would still be in class, today, school ended rather early. At that moment, the door creaked open, and an elderly man with grizzled hair hurried in. On seeing Xiang Beifei, he immediately showed a smile. "Beifei, you''re back?" Xiang Qingde put down the basket of vegetables he was carrying, then quickly walked over, apologizing, "Sorry, Beifei. Today was the day for your Awakening System, and I should have been at school to see it, but there was a sudden sanitation inspection at the market. To avoid a fine, I got held up, and by the time I got to the school, classes had already dismissed..." "It''s okay, Grandpa," said Xiang Beifei. Xiang Qingde asked tentatively, "So... what level of system did you awaken?" Xiang Beifei hesitated, then said, "N-level." Xiang Qingde''s expression dimmed slightly. N-level signified the most common of people, those whose future accomplishments were destined not to be very high. But he quickly said, "N-level is also fine! The system is just an aid after all. As long as one works hard, any system can help us live better. Think about the Governor of Liangzhou in our Jiuzhou Grand Alliance. It''s said that he is a host to an N-level system." The Governor of Liangzhou, Shang Tianxiong, represents a rational archetype. When he first awakened, it was an N-level system, yet he managed to become a high-ranking official in Jiuzhou with sheer perseverance, was written into textbooks, and became a model story for our times. "I understand, Grandpa." Xiang Beifei smiled. In truth, he knew all too well that the higher the level of the system, the more substantial the rewards for completing system missions, and the faster one''s strength and wealth would increase. This was nearly a universal understanding. Those like Shang Tianxiong, who rose to legendary status starting with an N-level system, are after all a rarity. Xiang Qingde knew this too, yet he still encouraged his grandson, not wanting Xiang Beifei to become disheartened due to the low level of his system. Xiang Beifei looked at his grandfather''s system panel. Then, he frowned slightly. Displayed on his grandfather''s system panel was a snowflake. His system appeared to be ¡ª broken. Chapter 11: Chapter 11: The Broken System Grandpa''s system panel was broken, something Xiang Beifei had discovered on the first day he transmigrated back home. During his transmigration, he had inherited the original owner''s memories, but the original Xiang Beifei had never possessed the ability to see other people''s system panels, so he wasn''t clear about what Xiang Qingde''s system was, let alone why his own grandfather had lost his system. Over the past month, the more Xiang Beifei explored the rules of this system world, the more curious he felt. He had seen various people on the streets, and as long as someone reached adulthood, they would awaken their own system, which meant that every adult, regardless of talent, had their own system. Whether it was the "Tracking System" for law enforcement or the "Old Driver System" for those who drove, everyone chose their professions based on their systems. Yet seeing an adult like his grandfather with a system panel turned into static was something Xiang Beifei had never encountered before. But in this world, people couldn''t see others'' system attributes, so Xiang Beifei couldn''t tell his grandfather that he was a transmigrator and could see other people''s system attributes, nor could he openly ask his grandfather why he didn''t have a system panel. "What are you thinking about?" Xiang Qingde had already prepared the meal and cheerfully brought it to the table. "Nothing much, just thinking about my own system," Xiang Beifei replied casually as he sat at the dining table, staring at the broken system panel above his grandfather''s head. "By the way, I haven''t asked yet, which aspect is your system awakened in? Physical strength, intelligence, or financial power? Does completing system tasks require money?" Xiang Qingde asked. Before Xiang Beifei could answer, Xiang Qingde added, "Whatever the specifics of your system, you don''t need to tell me. It''s a secret, and even the closest people shouldn''t reveal it! But if it requires financial resources, just let me know, and I''ll find a way to gather the money." There was a pension fund at home, which Xiang Qingde had always saved, not spending it, just waiting to use it for his grandson. After a moment''s thought, Xiang Beifei shook his head and said, "I don''t need money for now, my system... um, it''s related to intelligence." He actually didn''t have a system at all, just an all-white Xiaohei. However, considering his unique circumstances, he decided to keep it a secret for now. "Intelligence?" Xiang Qingde suddenly realized and then said, "An intelligence-based system, that''s good, being smart is better than being simply honest. Don''t be discouraged, just strive hard. Although Grandpa may not be very capable, I will never let you suffer." Xiang Qingde was an optimistic old man who always held hope for life. Even if his grandson had only awakened an N-level system, he believed his grandson could still carve out a future. Xiang Beifei propped up his chin, deep in thought, and after a long while, he asked, "Grandpa, what type of system did you awaken?" Xiang Qingde smiled gently and said, "Grandpa''s system talent isn''t great, just a vegetable-selling system, but telling you won''t hurt. Although I''m also trying hard to make money, even the weakest system can still help us in life." Xiang Beifei looked thoughtfully at Xiang Qingde, not asking further. Days before, he had looked through books related to systems, learning about system principles. The origin of systems was beyond verification. They seemed to integrate into each person''s genes; after reaching adulthood, they possessed the ability to awaken. Humans without an awakened system had long gone extinct in this world! Everyone would awaken a system¡ªeven if that system was terribly flawed. Ordinary means couldn''t cause a system to fail. Of course, low-level systems made the system tasks extremely arduous, but there was still a system interface. But having a system screen turn into static and fail was something Xiang Beifei was hearing about for the first time. So far, there had been no records of system failure in books. Xiang Beifei felt that his grandfather seemed to be hiding something. ¡ª¡ª After dinner, Xiang Beifei returned to his own room and then began to contemplate Xiaohei''s situation. Xiaohei, white as a cotton ball, lay on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, yawning sleepily. "Xiaohei, what can you do?" Xiang Beifei placed Xiaohei in the palm of his hand and gently tapped Xiaohei''s head with his finger. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei barked twice, blinked its small eyes a couple of times, and then shook the fur on its body. The immaculate white fur suddenly turned pitch black as ink, like a lump of coal! "Huh? You can transform?" Xiang Beifei looked at Xiaohei in surprise. Xiaohei proudly raised his head, wagging his tail. "Try turning yellow?" "Woof woof!" Xiaohei shook his fur and turned into a white furball. "So your ability is only to turn black and white?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiaohei barked twice, unclear what he was trying to express. That''s going to be a problem! Xiang Beifei realized it was very difficult to communicate with Xiaohei; he was like a newly born, ignorant fellow who couldn''t even speak, making communication tough. But at least he had appeared during the Awakening System activation today. Well, might as well treat him as a mascot. Xiang Beifei took out today''s Soul Condensing Pills and Qi-Controlling Pill, weighing them carefully. In this world, there existed Spiritual Energy. Draw the energy into the body, control the energy with your will. The first realm for a cultivator, is called Qi-Controlling. This Qi-Controlling Pill is a beginner''s reward from the S-level system, a powerful system where just one pill can help you step into the realm of Qi-Controlling. In the discipline of "System Integration," it''s mentioned that normal S-level system Awakeners generally step into the realm of Qi-Controlling within five days. An R-level system requires one to six months to reach the Qi-Controlling realm. As for the N-level, it depends on the system type; the least takes a few months, while at most it takes a year, and there are even those taking several years. It is said that the longest record for an N-level system is ten years! S-level system Awakeners have an advantage at the starting line, and it''s not just a casual expression. Xiang Beifei examined the Qi-Controlling Pill, a pill he had gotten from Zhuo Jing, wondering if it would also be effective for him? Just as he was about to try the Qi-Controlling Pill, suddenly Xiaohei jumped over and snatched the pill away. "Hey! That''s my stuff!" Xiang Beifei said. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei pointed at the Qi-Controlling Pill and then at his mouth. "You want to eat it?" Xiang Beifei asked, puzzled. Xiaohei nodded his head. Xiang Beifei remembered today during the activation of the Awakening System, Xiaohei was absorbing a thunderstone but was interrupted by him. Could it be that this guy was running low on energy? Maybe consider recharging him at the outlet? But Xiaohei eagerly hugged the pill, continuously licking it. "Fine, fine, just eat it," Xiang Beifei said helplessly. Xiaohei happily swallowed the Qi-Controlling Pill. An odd aroma spread from Xiaohei''s body, his aura constantly transforming, faint but powerful fluctuations spreading. Xiang Beifei watched Xiaohei in astonishment. This mascot had seemingly transformed from his frail appearance just moments ago, and that somewhat imperceptible authoritative aura was very familiar because he had seen it in many of his teachers¡ª It was the aura of the Qi-Controlling realm! Xiaohei had taken the step into the Qi-Controlling realm before him! Chapter 12: Chapter 12: Learn by Analogy "Woof woof!" Xiaohei barked joyfully twice, then his eyes rolled and he stretched out his little paw, fumbling in the air for a bit. Suddenly, a flash of light passed, and beneath Xiaohei''s feet appeared a strange book. The book was brown, with an antique cover, resembling an ancient tome. It had two peculiar black and white energies faintly flowing through it. Two characters were written on the cover: [Spirit Gathering] "Spirit Gathering? Spirit Gathering Book? What does this mean?" Xiang Beifei felt curious and flipped open the first page of the Spirit Gathering Book. On the simple page, an image of a star constellation emerged. Each star was extremely dim, shown in gray, and they were not fixed on the page. Instead, they moved slowly, like flowing light. And at the very center of the stars, one black and one white peculiar sphere circled each other. Within these orbs, there was a line of text: [The Yin Yang Two Qi begin in the void, giving rise to all things in wondrous forms] "Yin Yang Two Qi?" Xiang Beifei stared at the black and white orbs. In that instant, it was as if everything before his eyes suddenly shook, and he was pulled into the two black and white rays of light. In the blink of an eye, he found himself amidst a vast expanse of stars. Among those stars, he seemed to see two mysterious children. Xiang Beifei couldn''t make out the appearances of the two children, but there was a very profound aura about them that made his heart tremble. "Haha, shall we choose him?" It was the voice of a young boy, playful and delighted. Xiang Beifei curiously watched the objects in the children''s hands. It could have been an illusion, but it seemed like each of them was holding a cup¡ª Milk tea? "Yes, him, we need to leave, we''re short on time," the other little girl urged the boy. Whoosh! Whoosh! The two figures turned into black and white energies and disappeared before his eyes. At the same time, all the stars jumped before Xiang Beifei''s eyes, forming a peculiar spectacle. Looking at the dazzling stars, he felt as if he had entered an ethereal realm. His mind cleared of all distractions, leaving only these stars. These stars seemed to be pulling at his senses, and bit by bit, he felt as if he were about to merge with them. Just as this thought flashed through his mind, all the stars suddenly contracted back, shooting into his body, moving through his meridians, and then disappeared. Xiang Beifei''s vision flickered, and he found himself still in his room, with nothing particularly different around him. "The Twenty-Eight Constellations?" Images of these stars'' origins surfaced in Xiang Beifei''s mind; he had studied the knowledge of constellations before. Before he had crossed over, he had a great interest in astronomy and had researched the Twenty-Eight Constellations. In a constellation, there are countless stars, but the most representative are only a few. For example, among the Twenty-Eight Constellations, the Horn Constellation is represented by only two stars, Horn Constellation One and Horn Constellation Two. Similarly, the Arrogant Dragon Constellation is represented by four stars. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei barked once, then opened his mouth and spat out a white starlight, which landed on Horn Constellation One, causing it to quickly light up. Xiang Beifei watched in amazement at Horn Constellation One. "Do these stars need to be lit up?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei then looked towards the Soul Condensing Pill in Xiang Beifei''s hand. This pill was a system reward from Yang Hua. Xiang Beifei hesitantly asked, "Do you want this?" Xiaohei wagged its tail and blinked its eyes. Xiang Beifei hesitated for a moment, then gave the Soul Condensing Pill to Xiaohei. Xiaohei ''smacked'' his lips and swallowed the Soul Condensing Pill in one gulp. Xiang Beifei''s mouth twitched. This was precious stuff, yet Xiaohei just ate it like that, without even chewing. However, considering that Xiaohei had come with him after all, he calmed down to see what Xiaohei was actually going to do. Soon, Xiaohei opened his mouth again and expelled another cluster of white starlight, which landed on Horn Constellation Two. At that moment, a slender beam of light appeared between the two illuminated stars of Horn Constellation One and Horn Constellation Two, linking them. A light then flashed from the connection, transforming into the shadow of a flood dragon. Xiang Beifei immediately knew about this flood dragon in his mind. The Twenty-Eight Constellations were divided into four directions, each direction containing seven constellations. The flood dragon before him must be one of the Seven Constellations of the East, the Horn Constellation, Jiao Mu Jiao! The Jiao Mu Jiao in the sky quickly turned into a shadow and transformed into a turtle shell plaque. The book also revealed a line of text: [Ability of Jiao Mu Jiao: Learn by Analogy] [Source: Zhou Yi, "Extend and expand it, learn by analogy, and all affairs under heaven can be accomplished."] [Ability Introduction: By divination with a turtle shell, one can comprehend the essence of things and learn from it] Xiang Beifei looked at the line of text with amazement, his gaze falling on the turtle shell plaque; the shell then turned into a beam of light and entered his mind. His senses became incredibly sharp in an instant. "Learn by Analogy, do I possess this ability now?" Xiang Beifei was greatly astonished inside, eager to know what this ability could bring him. His gaze fell on a pencil lying on the table. But nothing happened. Did Learn by Analogy require preliminary learning to master similar types of things? He thought for a while, then searched online for how pencils were made. Once he understood the information about pencils, he looked at the pencil on the table, and suddenly, his mind was filled with information: ¡ª¡ªTwilight Pencil, 2 grams, the core made of graphite and clay, the body of linden wood, used for 3 months and 2 days, last used 15 hours ago, manufacturing method as follows... Moreover, once he knew how this pencil was made, he instantly understood other types of pens, including fountain pens, ballpoint pens, and gel pens¡ªthe manufacturing methods and detailed information for all kinds of pens. The ability "Learn by Analogy" seemed to allow him to quickly grasp all the knowledge related to the category of "pens"! "Such a strong learning ability!" Xiang Beifei was moved and searched again, this time for knowledge related to the wall tiles. Once he figured out the structure and materials of the wall tiles, he suddenly understood the knowledge of other types of tiles. He had only illuminated two stars of the Horn Constellation but already gained such a powerful ability. If he were to light up the remaining twenty-seven constellations, wouldn''t it mean he could have twenty-seven more abilities? "Xiaohei, must the method to illuminate the constellations rely upon system rewards?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei barked twice while tilting his head. But as Xiang Beifei could not understand the beasts'' language, he couldn''t be sure whether Xiaohei was agreeing or disagreeing with him. "Why is it so hard to communicate with you!" Xiang Beifei sighed, but then it occurred to him that since he now had the ability "Learn by Analogy," did it mean he could also learn Xiaohei''s language? "Xiaohei, bark a few more times; I need to understand what you mean," he said, focusing on Xiaohei. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei pointed at himself, then at Xiang Beifei, before starting to gesture excitedly with his paws and feet. Learning a language was obviously not something that could be achieved instantly; it was much more difficult than learning about pencils, as Xiaohei only had one "woof," and Xiang Beifei needed to analyze its tone and combine it with Xiaohei''s body language to figure it out. "You''re wagging your tail so energetically; tail wagging... wag... wag, which rhymes with handsome. Oh, does that mean you''re saying I''m handsome?" Xiang Beifei asked seriously. Xiaohei stared at Xiang Beifei with a confused expression! "Well then, I''ll take your tail wagging as a compliment for my handsomeness from now on!" Xiang Beifei declared cheerfully. Xiaohei extended a paw toward the clock on the table, then pointed his paw at Xiang Beifei''s face. "One paw, clock... face... Oh, are you gesturing that looking at my face, I seem like a handsome and talented man?" Xiang Beifei pondered and said. Xiaohei: "..." Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Confucian Saint System Learning Xiaohei''s language wasn''t too hard, Xiang Beifei understood what Xiaohei could understand, but Xiang Beifei couldn''t understand Xiaohei''s barks, so Xiang Beifei tried a different approach. He would say something and let Xiaohei "translate" it using his barks. "Praise me for being handsome in your bark language," Xiang Beifei said. Xiaohei: "..." "Hurry up, I need to learn your bark language, this is a very serious matter," Xiang Beifei insisted solemnly. Xiaohei, looking disgusted and reluctant, barked: "Woof woof woof." As this bark language was spoken, the ability to Learn by Analogy added something to Xiang Beifei''s mind, as if some barriers had been broken through. He sorted out the meaning of Xiaohei''s barks. Xiaohei''s bark language had only one sound, but depending on the speed and tone of the barks, as well as the pauses between barks, it conveyed different meanings. So, their conversation became quite peculiar. "So, now that I''ve activated the Horn Constellation, if I want to gain another ability, I need to light up the Arrogant Dragon Constellation next?" "Woof woof woof!" "The Arrogant Dragon Constellation has four stars, does that mean I need to obtain four rewards from other people''s systems? Any reward will do?" "Woof woof woof!" "Oh, it has to be a reward from a system of the same realm as mine or higher? Then why don''t I just not upgrade and participate in other people''s system tasks as a normal person?" "Woof woof woof!" "Oh, that won''t work?" ... Xiang Beifei basically understood what Xiaohei meant. This world was filled with abundant Spiritual Energy, and being able to absorb Spiritual Energy to improve oneself was key to advancing one''s realm. For cultivators wanting to absorb this Spiritual Energy, progressing in cultivation was very slow if relying solely on oneself. The existence of the system was to make everyone''s cultivation faster. The system each person awakened would assess the host''s situation and assist people in this world in different ways. No matter what profession they were in, the system could help them achieve their goals faster and become stronger. In the world of systems, Spiritual Energy was key! When other people advanced their realms, they could rely on the system to extract Spiritual Energy and convert it into system rewards. For example, a Qi-Controlling Pill could directly advance someone to the Qi-Controlling realm, skipping the cultivation process. But that didn''t work for Xiang Beifei; rewards that directly increased cultivation were ineffective on him. This meant that even if he had taken the Qi-Controlling Pill just now, he wouldn''t have been able to reach the Qi-Controlling realm. He needed to lay a solid foundation, step by step, through his own cultivation to improve his realm. Luckily, all system rewards could be viewed as a type of Spiritual Qi Crystal in Xiaohei''s eyes. Whether it was Qi-Controlling Pills or Soul Condensing Pills, once obtained, Xiaohei could turn them into Spiritual Qi Crystals to help Xiang Beifei. Each constellation in that book actually needed to be activated with Spiritual Qi Crystals. Xiaohei would convert the system rewards that Xiang Beifei obtained back into Spiritual Qi Crystals, infuse them into the Spirit Gathering Book, then light up constellations to obtain different abilities. However, since different constellations required different intensities of Spiritual Energy to activate their abilities, many powerful abilities in the Spirit Gathering Book required a higher level of cultivation to use, so Xiang Beifei had to take it slow. To Xiang Beifei, it didn''t matter what others'' rewards were; he saw them all as Spiritual Qi Crystals. The book provided him with a cultivation technique called the "Two Qi Formula," which is Chaotic Yin and Yang. This technique was extremely complex, mysterious, and profound. Xiang Beifei pondered it for a long time before realizing that cultivation was not something that could be accomplished overnight. So far, Xiaohei was still better than him. There are gains and losse s. Xiang Beifei was in good spirits. This afternoon was a holiday, and he needed to spend time practicing the "Two Qi Formula." ¡ª¡ª Luhe High School, principal''s office. "Strange, is that boy really just an N-level system?" Li Nanxing sat in his chair, staring at the thunderstone in front of him with a furrowed brow. This thunderstone was precisely the one that malfunctioned that morning during the test. Li Nanxing''s memory of the incident was still fresh because the thunderstone had lit up with a golden-yellow glow indicating a UR-level system, causing him an indescribable excitement! After all, that was a legendary UR system! If a student under his supervision had awakened a UR-level system, then their Luhe High School would become famous throughout the entire Jiuzhou education sector! But most importantly¡ª His Confucian Sage System''s tasks were becoming increasingly difficult to complete, and his cultivation had been stagnant for quite some time. If a UR System Awakener emerged from his school and he properly nurtured this talented student to make a name for themselves, he too would step into a new realm! Unfortunately, it ended up being just a false alarm. He had already checked once in the morning, finding no response from the thunderstone and thinking it really was broken, but after the system awakening ceremony, the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was amiss, so he took the thunderstone to check it again. Li Nanxing reached out and touched the thunderstone, his hand shimmering with a strange light, and his Spiritual Power entered the thunderstone. One minute later. Zap! The previously inert thunderstone suddenly sparked with blue electricity! Electric sparks joyfully danced over the Thunder Stone, crackling pleasantly and crisply. Li Nanxing''s expression faltered! "This Thunder Stone... The Thunder Stone isn''t broken!" His heart started pounding again! Could it be¡ª Li Nanxing hastily took out a glass jar from the cabinet behind him. The glass jar was tightly sealed, with blue lightning occasionally flickering inside. Thunder Stone is a type of high-tech product, with its energy derived from the outer realms'' wilderness. This kind of lightning is common in the outer realms'' wilderness and is not hard to collect; every school has a substantial reserve of it. When the Thunder Stone''s energy used to awaken system talents is depleted, it needs to be recharged with this backup energy. Li Nanxing inserted the glass jar into the groove of the Thunder Stone and gave it a twist, causing the Thunder Stone to immediately tremble into action! Whirr! The Thunder Stone restored to its original state! "Could it really¡ªreally have run out of power?" Li Nanxing muttered to himself. This morning, before the awakening ceremony, he made sure to charge all the Thunder Stones; one Thunder Stone was supposed to awaken a hundred students, and there were about fifty people in each class. One Thunder Stone per class¡ªit shouldn''t have been possible for the Thunder Stone''s energy to run out under normal circumstances. Li Nanxing looked at his "Confucian Sage System" interface and said, "Pull up Xiang Beifei''s data for me, let''s see his seat number." The Confucian Sage System stored all student data from Li Nanxing''s school, including Xiang Beifei''s enrollment information. Soon, a line appeared on the system interface: [Xiang Beifei, N-level System Awakener, Class Seat Number 37] "Was he the 37th to be tested in their class? Then it couldn''t have been him who depleted the Thunder Stone''s energy!" The more Li Nanxing thought about it, the more bewildered he became. "Could it be that his system level is too powerful, exceeding what the Thunder Stone can handle?" This thought popped into Li Nanxing''s mind! But he quickly dismissed his own guess. "No, the most powerful talent systems are of the UR level; it should not be due to this reason." Li Nanxing was very certain of this! His "Confucian Sage System" was extremely special and could completely discern the system talent level of each student. He reviewed the system values in the "Confucian Sage System" today: [Student Liu Qianrou, awakened S-level talent, your prestige +1000] [Student Zhuo Jing, awakened S-level talent, your prestige +1000] ... [Student Zhang Tian, awakened R-level talent, your prestige +100] ... [Student Xiang Beifei, awakened N-level talent, your prestige +10] ---- The prestige points Xiang Beifei added to Li Nanxing''s Confucian Sage System were only 10! This indicates that Xiang Beifei indeed only awakened to the most ordinary N-level system. "Could it really just be a misunderstanding?" Li Nanxing frowned; he couldn''t figure it out and could only attribute it to some fluke. In the school he managed, every student who awakened to a system would add prestige points to him. He had worked hard his whole life, becoming a high school principal, all for these prestige points. The higher the realm, the more prestige points required to advance, and although today he awakened twenty-one S-level talent students and over a hundred R-level ones, it was still far from enough to promote him to the next realm. The more students the school had, the more system values they would add to him. However, the Jiuzhou alliance is very strict about education; it is not so easy to expand student enrollment. Thus, he could only focus on improving student quality, trying his best to cultivate them so they could be successful in the future. Generally speaking, even if many years have passed since a student graduated, making a name for themselves would still add to his prestige. Those with S-level potential are naturally extraordinary, but there are also many N-level students who have risen above to become exceptional individuals. His many years of experience in education had taught him this truth, so he wouldn''t look down on any student with poor grades, trying to treat everyone equally. For him, the ideal scenario would be for every student who graduates from Luhe High School to become an elite in the future. "I really wish he had a UR-level talent!" Li Nanxing looked at Xiang Beifei''s data with regret in his heart. An emergence of a student with UR-level talent would add at least a million prestige points to him, and the system reward would probably be unprecedentedly generous! Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Simple and Unadorned Love Sensing the Spiritual Energy of this world seemed not difficult for Xiang Beifei. He circulated the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula once, and a faint trace of Spiritual Power flowed vaguely within his body. This Spiritual Power spread throughout the meridians of his entire body, feeling his constitution and making him feel rejuvenated. "Is this the Qi-Controlling Realm?" Xiang Beifei stood up, stretching lazily. It had taken him about ten hours to step into the Qi-Controlling Realm through his own cultivation. The Qi-Controlling Realm is the foundation for cultivators. For those with S-rank systems, usually, their first task would allow them to step into the Qi-Controlling Realm. People with R-rank and N-rank systems who are willing to work hard on their tasks can also become Qi-Controlling practitioners within a few months. Unless it''s a system with unreasonably difficult tasks, normally anyone could reach the Qi-Controlling Realm within a year. However, most people began to show disparities after entering the Qi-Controlling Realm. Many might remain at the early stage of the Qi-Controlling Realm for their entire lives, or it might take them ten years to reach the middle stage, depending on the difficulty of the system''s tasks. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei looked out the window, and it was already dark. He had been cultivating from yesterday afternoon until night. He walked out of the bedroom and found that his grandfather had already gone to sleep but had left him dinner kept warm in the rice cooker. Xiang Qingde knew that Xiang Beifei had just awakened his system and needed to explore it, so he didn''t disturb him. Xiang Beifei hurried through his dinner, then went straight to sleep. The next morning, Xiang Qingde, as usual, made breakfast and then went to the market. After breakfast, Xiang Beifei walked toward school. Along the way, he observed the systems of the people he passed. He liked to watch everyone''s systems; many of them were quite interesting, and although they didn''t possess much combat power, they could still achieve success. Like the "N-level Internet Celebrity System," its host was a beauty with a chin sharp enough to crack walnuts. The system''s task was to increase her strength based on the number of followers, and currently, she had only reached twenty thousand followers. When passing by the hospital, some doctors who had just started their shifts were at the entrance, and although they were not yet in lab coats, Xiang Beifei could identify them in the crowd at a glance. A young man with glasses hurriedly alighted from the bus, and he had awakened the "Live Surgery System," whose ultimate task was to become a leading figure in the medical field. The systems of the other doctors mostly related to the medical field, such as the "Skillful Healer System" and the "Strongest Dentist System." After arriving at school, Xiang Beifei went up the stairs and saw a familiar person at the entrance on the upper floor. It was Liu Qianrou, the genius girl who was the first to awaken an S-rank system yesterday! Liu Qianrou had awakened the Backup Snatch System. Every backup she found and interacted with would grant her the backup''s power. At that moment, her task interface showed that she already had twenty-one backups! "What a powerful social butterfly." Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but admire in secret. In just one afternoon and evening, Liu Qianrou had gained so many backups! He wondered where she went yesterday for the encounter. Liu Qianrou looked frail and quiet, seemingly harmless, and her pitiful big eyes made others feel very protective. Nobody could associate her with the word "scheming." At this moment, she was probably looking for her twenty-second backup. Xiang Beifei glanced toward the boy talking with Liu Qianrou. The boy was handsome and somewhat famous as the heartthrob of class five, known as Xiao Sa, and was a notable figure in their year. Xiao Sa had a handsome and spirited look, with a high nose bridge and a striking appearance that drew attention in any crowd. His family was wealthy, he wore designer clothes, and he was eloquent, very popular among the girls. The two leaned against the banister, the morning breeze teasing their hair, and the rising sun shone on them, outlining their figures in a fresh and gentle light. "Why do you always look at me like that?" Liu Qianrou lowered her head, her face slightly red. Xiao Sa smiled gently, "You should ask yourself why you are so pretty that I can''t take my eyes off you." His voice was low and rich, with an irresistible magnetism. Liu Qianrou''s face was now completely flushed. She covered her face with her hands, sneaking a glance at Xiao Sa through the gaps between her fingers, then quickly covered her eyes again. She looked like a girl, naive to the ways of the world, suddenly pursued and somewhat at a loss. "How do I know that you are telling the truth?" Liu Qianrou asked shyly. Xiao Sa stretched out his hand and held Liu Qianrou''s palm, his eyes bright with her reflection, as if she were his whole world. "The morning sun is so warm, yet it doesn''t compare to your smile. How could I deceive you?" He slightly leaned toward Liu Qianrou, whispering softly, "Will you be my girlfriend, please?" The simple and honest whisper echoed in Liu Qianrou''s ears. To a girl, it was all about a sense of security. Liu Qianrou seemed very conflicted as she shook her head, saying, "I''m about to graduate, and I want to focus on my studies and get into a good university." "Is that so?" Xiao Sa seemed a bit disappointed. Liu Qianrou lowered her voice, looked up into Xiao Sa''s eyes, thinking he was going to give up, and then hastily added, "But if you can wait for me, after graduation, I will consider it." Xiao Sa, hearing Liu Qianrou''s words, smiled, a smile with a contagious quality, as refreshing as a spring breeze. "Okay, I can wait for you, even if it takes forever, I will wait!" ... Beifei was dumbstruck hearing the two''s romantic exchange. Such green, straightforward love! Two young hearts, creating brilliant sparks, heart-wrenchingly beautiful! Had it not been for Beifei seeing Liu Qianrou''s system panel rapidly increasing ¡ª [You''ve gained an S-tier backup, backup value +1] [You''ve conversed with an S-tier backup, you''ve snatched the backup''s communication skill, your communication skill +20] [You shook hands with an S-tier backup, you''ve snatched the backup''s arm strength, your arm strength +20] ... Xiao Sa was clearly an S-tier system''s Awakener, no doubt, this S-tier backup was powerful. Just yesterday, a normal boy had been snatched by Liu Qianrou and only gave 1 point, while Xiao Sa could add 20 points! No wonder Liu Qianrou approached Xiao Sa. Beifei shifted his gaze from Liu Qianrou''s system, looking toward Xiao Sa''s system ¡ª [Host: Xiao Sa] [S-tier, Bootlicker System] [Stage: Early Qi-Controlling] ... Xiao Sa''s system panel was also increasing rapidly ¡ª [You''ve successfully captured the heart of S-tier talent Liu Qianrou, gaining her favor] [You shook hands with Liu Qianrou, you''ve snatched her poise, your poise +20] [You complimented Liu Qianrou, you''ve snatched her charm, your charm +20] ... Beifei glanced at Xiao Sa, then Liu Qianrou, and was dumbfounded. The two systems ¡ª One a Backup System, the other a Bootlicker System. Mutual... snatching? Such plain love, yet so moving. It brings tears to one''s eyes. Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Liu Qianrou "It seems that my idea yesterday was wrong," Xiang Beifei sighed. Being a bootlicker doesn''t necessarily mean you end up with nothing. As long as you have the system, you can lick your way to a bright universe! Xiao Sa and Liu Qianrou, both well-known figures in their grade, had both awakened S-level systems yesterday and were widely known¡ªthese two were definitely in the spotlight now. But Liu Qianrou didn''t agree to be with Xiao Sa because she had to play the long game, fishing for big fish. Her system was designed to find backups, not a real boyfriend. If she had immediately agreed to be with Xiao Sa and they had confirmed their relationship, other righteous boys would recoil in fear, hindering her backup hunting. However, if she kept the relationship ambiguous, just teasing him and making all the boys think they still had a chance, she could fulfill her system''s tasks. Liu Qianrou was masquerading as the innocent girl, reaping her backups. So, when S-level talent Xiao Sa approached her today, she agreed without much thought. But she probably didn''t realize that Xiao Sa had his own agenda too! Xiao Sa''s awakened system was the S-level Bootlicker System. Liu Qianrou was a girl with high talent and good looks. He didn''t hesitate at all and went straight for the lick! Everyone could only see their own system and had no way of seeing others'', so Liu Qianrou and Xiao Sa were both unaware of each other''s systems. Thus, they hadn''t yet realized what was happening to them. After all, it was a consensual deal, both aiming for their tasks, no debts owed. "I really hope those two get together!" Xiang Beifei was eager to see how their systems would play out. What each seized from the other was different, and it seemed like their systems had not recognized that the other''s system had plundered some qualities from their hosts; there were no prompts about this. If they were together, one madly licking, the other playing hard to get, who would win in the end? Xiang Beifei was contemplating this when Liu Qianrou and Xiao Sa parted with longing looks, glancing back three steps and swaying heads every five as they headed to their respective classrooms. At the corner, Liu Qianrou happened to bump into Xiang Beifei. Her heart suddenly skipped. "Hey, isn''t that Xiang Beifei from Class 7?" Liu Qianrou took a second look at Xiang Beifei. Yesterday, when the thunderstone incident occurred, Xiang Beifei had become famous throughout the school! Everyone knew that Xiang Beifei''s thunderstone had emitted a golden glow symbolic of the UR-level! The moment the glow appeared, the whole school was watching, thinking that a peerless genius was about to emerge at Luhe High School. Everyone was quickly inquiring about who this person was. But it turned out to be a misunderstanding. Everyone harbored a schadenfreude attitude toward Xiang Beifei; after all, no one wanted others to have a better awakened talent than theirs. In the end, Xiang Beifei had awakened the weakest N-level system, bringing some balance to everyone''s feelings. And thus, the name Xiang Beifei was also memorably etched into their minds. Liu Qianrou recognized Xiang Beifei and thought deprecatingly that he was only an N-level Awakener. After all, an S-level like Xiao Sa had a much stronger plundering ability compared to an N-level Awakener! However, considering that she was still a novice, she shouldn''t be too picky. A mosquito''s leg is still meat, after all. Yes, right! Don''t dismiss any potential backups! "Yesterday he went through a great upheaval in his life, and today his mood must be quite down. If I show some kindness now, I could probably turn him into my backup with just a few words," Liu Qianrou pondered internally. Anyone who experienced what Xiang Beifei went through would hardly remain calm¡ªthinking they were about to become a peerless genius, stepping into the spotlight of a life''s peak, only to be knocked back down to square one. Those with unstable minds would probably go mad. Even if not mad, the mind might become hazy. So now must be his weakest moment in terms of mental defense. If I comfort him, he might end up overflowing with gratitude and start to admire me from the bottom of his heart, eventually becoming truly devoted as a backup. I would have one more target to plunder! "Good morning, Xiang Beifei." Liu Qianrou gave Xiang Beifei an innocent smile. "You recognize me?" Xiang Beifei asked, puzzled. "Who in the school doesn''t know you?" Liu Qianrou replied. "Oh, is that so!" Xiang Beifei suddenly realized. It seems I really have become famous, probably a whole bunch of people are waiting to see me make a fool of myself. No problem, just stay steady. Don''t panic. Liu Qianrou earnestly said, "The ordeal you went through yesterday must have been very upsetting. I sincerely hope our school can produce a UR-level genius so he can set a benchmark for us all, becoming a role model for everyone to follow." Sincerely hope my foot! "You''re right," Xiang Beifei responded nonchalantly. "But don''t be discouraged. The principal said yesterday that there are countless examples of N-level Awakeners turning the tables. With perseverance, determination, hope for the future, and a positive approach, you can definitely achieve great things!" Liu Qianrou''s voice was potent and inspiring. Xiang Beifei paused. He understood. This girl, wants to make me her backup? Liu Qianrou spoke so earnestly, and if Xiang Beifei couldn''t see other people''s system information, he would have almost believed her. But what''s in it for me to become your backup? Xiang Beifei checked the other''s system rewards. The rewards need to entice me before I consider cooperating and becoming your potential backup. Otherwise, I''ll just end up being plundered of various powers by you for nothing. What a loss! On Liu Qianrou''s system panel, there was the next phase''s target and reward¡ª [Backup value reaches 30, receive an S-level Agility Secret Manual which enhances bodily agility. The subsequent plundering of the backup''s agility ability value increases by 1 point] So by increasing the amount I plunder from 1 point of agility to 2 points? "Xiaohei, can this agility secret manual unlock a constellation?" Xiang Beifei looked at Xiaohei on his shoulder. Others couldn''t see Xiaohei, and he could communicate with Xiaohei in his mind. "Woof, woof!" Xiaohei barked softly in denial. Having learned Xiaohei''s dog language, Xiang Beifei could now translate it into comprehensible language in his mind. "So, this reward is useless?" Xiang Beifei felt somewhat disappointed. Because to unlock the next constellation, he needed a higher strength of Spiritual Qi Crystal, meaning the rewards from others needed to be higher too. If Xiang Beifei were to unlock the first constellation, this manual might suffice, but to unlock the second constellation, Liu Qianrou''s manual clearly isn''t up to par. That''s unfortunate. "Then, can I learn this secret manual?" Xiang Beifei asked again. After all, it''s an S-level manual that improves bodily agility. "Woof! Woof, woof, woof! Woof, woof!" Xiaohei barked cheerfully. Xiang Beifei understood. This thing wasn''t suitable for him, but he could collect all these rewards and convert them into Spiritual Qi Crystals. As long as he has enough Spiritual Qi Crystals, he could unlock the constellations. This actually isn''t too bad. Chapter 16: Chapter 16: Free Shipping! However, if he had to cooperate and become her backup, his body''s various qualities would be plundered by the other party. Xiang Beifei was pondering whether this exchange was worth it. He didn''t have much cultivation anyway, and being plundered by Liu Qianrou of those powers felt like a loss. At this moment, Liu Qianrou spoke again, "Xiang Beifei, you must not give up hope! Keep pushing, and if you encounter any difficulties, feel free to come to me." Liu Qianrou had already lowered her stance significantly, constantly watching her system panel. ¡ªI''ve been so gentle and considerate, so why haven''t you become my backup yet? You fool, admire me quickly! I am running out of time! She was getting impatient. If it weren''t for getting through the newbie period, she wouldn''t bother talking to such an N-level person! Xiang Beifei then asked Xiaohei, "How much power does this plundering equate to? How much power do I have for her to plunder?" Xiaohei said, "According to the other''s system conversion, the strength of an ordinary person is about 500 points, Qi-Controlling period is about 1000 points." 1000 points, losing 1 point doesn''t hurt at all. "Then, can the power that was plundered be recovered?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Yes, but the Spiritual Qi Crystal I swallowed yesterday has leftovers, which can be converted into 300 system points; you can use those to offset the loss," Xiaohei woofed. Alright then! Since that''s the case, I might as well go along with it. "Thank you, Qianrou, I didn''t expect you to care about me so much." Xiang Beifei looked at Liu Qianrou, his face sincere. He had already confirmed that he could choose independently whether to participate in someone else''s tasks. Liu Qianrou''s system panel displayed a line of text: [The other party has expressed gratitude to you, you have gained a potential backup, backup value +1, please work hard to develop him into your official backup] [You conversed with a potential backup, your communication skills were plundered from the other party, your communication skills +1] ... "Where! Where! We are all classmates, mutual help is natural." Liu Qianrou gave Xiang Beifei a gentle and thoughtful smile. But a hint of scorn flashed in the depths of her eyes. ¡ªHmph, if it wasn''t for the system, would I care about you, an N-level Awakener? Don''t even look in the mirror, I, an S-level genius girl, am out of your league! You pathetic thing, being sold and still clueless! Liu Qianrou sneered disdainfully in her heart, but outwardly she remained demure and graceful. Potential backup only meant that there was a chance to become a backup; this relationship was unstable, and not much ability was plundered; any boy could become her potential backup. But an official backup was the target she wanted to develop. Her backup value had already reached twenty-three, just seven more backups to go before she could get that Cultivation Technique. With the task at hand urgent, she had to quickly look for her next target. Xiang Beifei shrugged his shoulders; he clearly knew what Liu Qianrou was thinking¡ªsuch outwardly sweet girls were deeply scheming. But he didn''t mind. Once Liu Qianrou found another seven backups, that Cultivation Technique would be his. With her ability, she should probably finish today, right? "By the way, Xiaohei, if she completes the task and I''m not around her, will the reward still come to me?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiaohei wagged his tail, carefreely woofing, "Within a certain distance, express delivery is postage free!" "Awesome!" Postage free¡ªthose two words sounded so comforting. Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but think of every time he shopped online; the same product, one store sold for 89 yuan but added 10 yuan shipping, another sold for 99 yuan but with postage included. He would definitely choose the latter. Not for anything else, just for "postage free." Truly. Xiang Beifei quickly arrived at his classroom. There were already about a dozen people in the classroom, all of whom had awakened their systems yesterday. Most of them looked excited, pondering how to complete their tasks, but some had furrowed brows, seemingly finding their system tasks quite challenging. Xiang Beifei''s deskmate, Lu Ze, had awoken to the "R-level Dungeon System," a video game-type system, which he would complete by clearing game levels. This was a virtual game where he would be taken by the system into relevant game scenarios. For each level cleared, the system would provide corresponding rewards. As a beginner, he had ten lives per day. When Xiang Beifei checked the other''s system panel, he found that Lu Ze had already cleared six levels, but he had used up all his lives for the day, looking like he had stayed up all night gaming hard. He was now somewhat troubled, as the rewards from clearing six levels were far from enough to help him enter the Qi-Controlling realm. Xiang Beifei was wondering whether he could participate in this kind of system himself? It wouldn''t be bad if he had the chance to help him play the game as well. He wanted to understand the characteristics of each system, so as to have a better grounding in the world governed by these systems. However, his relationship with Lu Ze wasn''t too bad, so he wasn''t going to scheme for Lu Ze''s system rewards, and he would return them even if he did obtain them. ¡ª¡ª "Morning." Kong Xiuwen yawned as he sat down next to Xiang Beifei, shoved his school bag into his drawer, and lay down on the desk sighing. "Morning." Xiang Beifei looked at Kong Xiuwen''s system panel and saw that he had finally completed a task. Which meant that he had lost five strands of hair! Of course, compared to 150,000 strands of hair, this was just a drop in the ocean. "You look out of sorts, did you stay up late?" Xiang Beifei asked. Under his dark circles, Kong Xiuwen said, "You would never believe what I did last night." He tugged at his thick hair, both sentimental and exhausted. He still couldn''t accept the fact that he had awakened the "Bald System." "Definitely doing a system task, it''s the same for everyone." Xiang Beifei said. In fact, he had slept quite soundly last night. "Yeah! I''m so tired, was up all night studying!" Kong Xiuwen said listlessly. Xiang Beifei looked at Kong Xiuwen''s system shop, where the hair Kong Xiuwen lost while doing his tasks could be used as currency to be exchanged. One strand of hair could be exchanged for a drop of Stimulating Elixir. Five strands of hair could be exchanged for a Qi-Controlling Pill. And Kong Xiuwen had already stepped into the Qi-Controlling realm. S-class systems are indeed powerful! So far, all the S-class System Awakeners Xiang Beifei had encountered had become cultivators in the Qi-Controlling realm within a day. Including Liu Qianrou, Xiao Sa, and Kong Xiuwen. As for the class president, Zhuo Jing¡ª Xiang Beifei glanced around the classroom and spotted Zhuo Jing sitting in the front row. Yesterday, this guy had tried to fish for appreciation by showing off in a phony display, and Xiang Beifei, unable to watch any longer, happily accepted his system rewards. But he was suddenly surprised to find that Zhuo Jing had also stepped into the Qi-Controlling realm! Without his Qi-Controlling Pills, how could he have reached the Qi-Controlling realm? Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but look at the task Zhuo Jing''s system had posted: "[Record a wild video and upload it, achieving 500 likes on social networking sites]" By now, Zhuo Jing''s appreciation value had reached 619. "What kind of video could have gotten him 619 likes overnight?" Xiang Beifei was very curious. Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Attitude He clicked on the video that the other party had uploaded to the system panel and glanced at it, then froze for a moment. In the video, Zhuo Jing was dressed in black women''s clothing, with a thick layer of foundation, puckering his lips alluringly in front of the camera, blinking his long eyelashes, and using a voice changer to sing in a sweet, girlish tone, "Flying to Someone Else''s Bed"... Ah! This... was wild enough! Xiang Beifei didn''t continue watching; he needed to wash his eyes. Normally, this guy had the image of a tall and strong guy, but now he had made this kind of video! Beifei felt that he could never look at this guy the same way again. Moreover, judging by Zhuo Jing''s demeanor, he didn''t seem to feel ashamed; on the contrary, he seemed to enjoy it? People''s hearts are unpredictable! Zhuo Jing had awakened the S-level Appreciation System, which couldn''t be manipulated with fake likes; it had to be calculated based on real people. This bizarre video, once posted, amassed over 600 likes overnight. And Zhuo Jing''s appreciation value was also a type of currency; he used 500 likes to exchange for a Qi-Controlling Pill in his system''s store. Thus, Zhuo Jing failed his first mission, but still stepped into the Qi-Controlling realm with his second mission. For those with S-level systems, completing initial tasks was much simpler than for ordinary people. This was also why those Awakeners with higher talents had greater achievements in the future. Xiang Beifei shifted his gaze back; he was tempted to give Zhuo Jing''s video another like, as that would mean the next reward would probably be shipped his way again. But Beifei restrained himself. Because if Xiang Beifei liked the video, Zhuo Jing''s system would receive a notification. If a reward disappeared once, it could be said that there was a system error, and Zhuo Jing wouldn''t associate it with Xiang Beifei. But if it happened often, Zhuo Jing would definitely notice that each disappearance involved Xiang Beifei, and he would surely become suspicious. You don''t always have to fleece the same sheep. Give other sheep some chances. Or¡ª Wait for another season to fleece. Xiang Beifei shifted his focus back; he was communicating with Xiaohei, while on the side, Kong Xiuwen had already started snoring on the desk, his snoring loud due to lack of sleep from staying up late the previous night. The class bell rang, and the homeroom teacher, Yang Hua, walked into the classroom, which quickly quieted down. With this silence, Kong Xiuwen''s snoring became quite jarring. Yang Hua frowned, a flash of anger in his eyes; someone dared to sleep during his class! This was a perfect opportunity for criticism! However, when his gaze landed on Kong Xiuwen, a strange expression flickered across his eyes. At this moment, everyone in the class was looking at Kong Xiuwen, some gloating to see how the homeroom teacher would criticize him. Xiang Beifei nudged Kong Xiuwen with his elbow, quietly reminding him that class had started. Kong Xiuwen groggily opened his eyes, saw the homeroom teacher, startled, and quickly straightened up. But what Yang Hua said next surprised everyone¡ª "Kong Xiuwen, you must be very tired from last night? It''s fine, if you feel tired, you can sleep a bit more during class, no big deal." Yang Hua said to Kong Xiuwen with care. Kong Xiuwen''s mouth fell open, his eyes almost popping out, thinking he had heard wrong. The homeroom teacher, actually allowing him to sleep in his own class? The other students also looked envious and jealous. Actually, they probably also understood why the homeroom teacher''s attitude changed so quickly. Kong Xiuwen''s grades were poor, but he was an S-rank System Awakener! Kong Xiuwen and Xiang Beifei had always been at the bottom of their class, with extremely poor academic performance. Yang Hua often criticized them to increase his own system''s value. Just Xiang Beifei and Kong Xiuwen alone had added who knows how many prestige points to Yang Hua. But today, Yang Hua found Kong Xiuwen utterly pleasing to the eye. The reason was nothing else but that yesterday Kong Xiuwen had awakened an S-rank system, which had increased his prestige value by 500 points! An increase of 500 points at once was much faster than gaining one point at a time through criticism! The ''R-rank Master Dao System'' allowed teachers to increase their prestige value not just through criticizing students but also when students felt grateful or admired him. However, Yang Hua found that relying on gratitude and admiration to increase prestige value was too slow, so he preferred to establish his authority through criticism. But now facing S-rank system awakener Kong Xiuwen, he couldn''t criticize him anymore. An S-rank System Awakener was bound to achieve great things in the future. Yang Hua himself was merely an R-rank System Awakener. It was only a matter of time before Kong Xiuwen surpassed him. Therefore, Yang Hua needed to change his tactics; he planned to make Kong Xiuwen feel grateful to him. Yang Hua continued to speak to Kong Xiuwen, "Kong Xiuwen, you are now an S-rank System Awakener, you should listen to the lessons carefully. I will rearrange a seat for you. How about you sit next to Zhuo Jing?" Yang Hua was very approachable as he took care of Kong Xiuwen. Kong Xiuwen was stunned. His homeroom teacher, who criticized him daily, was suddenly so concerned about him, making him feel very uneasy. "No... no need," Kong Xiuwen hurriedly said. He had always disliked Zhuo Jing''s style. This guy often mocked him and Xiang Beifei; they simply didn''t get along. "How can that be? Sitting together with Xiang Beifei will severely hold you back. You should sit with Zhuo Jing; that way, you can push each other to improve. Both of you have S-rank talents and can share your insights." Yang Hua said thoughtfully, "You have a boundless future ahead, and you must not be influenced by Xiang Beifei. I need to take responsibility for you guys! He''s hopeless, not at all in your league." Just thinking of Xiang Beifei made Yang Hua angry! His own system had malfunctioned yesterday, but aside from that, he had thought Xiang Beifei was a hidden talent about to awaken the incredibly rare UR System. He had even prepared to increase his prestige value by hundreds of thousands of points. But it had all turned out to be a false hope. This made him very dissatisfied! If Xiang Beifei had awakened the UR System, he definitely would have welcomed him with open arms, and he wouldn''t have said a word even if Xiang Beifei skipped classes. But Xiang Beifei was just an N-rank! Noticing something off about Xiang Beifei''s hair, Yang Hua exclaimed, "Xiang Beifei, I told you to get a haircut yesterday. Why haven''t you done it yet?" [You have criticized Xiang Beifei, Teacher Prestige Value +1] Xiang Beifei touched his hair. Everyone had just awakened their systems yesterday; how could he remember that? Xiang Beifei listened indifferently to Yang Hua''s words, said nothing, and just quietly stared at Yang Hua''s system interface¡ª [Mission Target: Reach 15000 teacher prestige value, exchangeable for one Qi and Blood Pill] [Remark: Qi and Blood Pill, temporarily enhances one''s strength to combat individuals one minor stage higher] "Now that''s a nice item, free shipping too," Xiang Beifei muttered to himself. Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Literary Dao and Martial Dao Yang Hua was still waiting for Kong Xiuwen''s response when Kong Xiuwen, surprised by Yang Hua''s sudden change of attitude toward him, had yet to recover. After a moment, Kong Xiuwen shook his head, "No need, teacher, I''m used to sitting at the back, and it''s quite nice sitting with Xiang Beifei." Yang Hua glanced at Xiang Beifei and continued, "You and he are not on the same level. Sitting together won''t do you any good." Kong Xiuwen shook his head again, "No need, thank you for your kindness, teacher, but really, it''s not necessary." After saying that, he sat down and gave Xiang Beifei a thumbs-up gesture. Seeing that Kong Xiuwen had declined, Yang Hua felt slightly displeased but did not show it further and said, "Xiang Beifei, you should feel lucky that someone with an S-class talent is willing to sit with you. But you should be aware of not influencing him negatively, I will keep an eye on you." Xiang Beifei didn''t mind and just quietly looked at his book. As usual, before starting the class, Yang Hua liked to point out others'' faults to increase his prestige value. He would overlook students with R-class systems and specifically target those with N-class for criticism. "Don''t worry about him, I''ve got your back from now on," Kong Xiuwen said quietly. Xiang Beifei smiled. Kong Xiuwen had grown up with him since childhood. Although Kong Xiuwen had awakened an S-class system and had shot straight to the top, he did not disdain him, an "N-class" Awakener. Instead, he was quite righteous¡ªyesterday, he had even planned to give Xiang Beifei the awakening elixir he got. Such a person was indeed worthy of true friendship. "You just keep pushing," Xiang Beifei said. "Let''s push together! I''m not the same as before; I''ll let you in on a little secret, I''ve reached the Qi-Controlling state, and I''m now a formal cultivator. If anyone bullies you, just come to me, and when I make it big, I''ll take you along for the ride!" Kong Xiuwen declared boldly. "Okay." Xiang Beifei nodded. He didn''t tell Kong Xiuwen that he, too, an N-class system user, was a Qi-Controlling cultivator. After Yang Hua had gained a wave of prestige value, he finally started the lesson. "Now that everyone has awakened their systems, and having had a half-day holiday yesterday, you all must have gained some understanding of your respective systems. How you complete the system tasks from now on is your choice. However, I want to emphasize one thing¡ª" Yang Hua cleared his throat and continued, "Our alliance''s college entrance exam is in July, and now it''s May. With the exam two months away, you need to decide whether you want to apply to a liberal arts university or a martial arts university, which is very important!" Those transformed by systems, in order to survive in this boundless desolate land, can cultivate with the help of their systems. Anyone who enters the Qi-Controlling state is called a cultivator. Cultivators are further divided into warriors and scholars. Since the types of systems vary, some systems lean toward martial prowess while others toward strategy. Therefore, after the college entrance exams, examinees can choose a martial arts or liberal arts university based on the characteristics of their systems. Martial arts universities emphasize practical combat. After graduating, one can pursue careers like pioneers and city defenders. Liberal arts universities, on the other hand, are more oriented toward various sectors of life, including business, medicine, or the service industry, including entertainment. In this world, the most revered are the warriors. A large part of this is because desolate beasts from outside the domain often attack human cities, and without warriors to respond, it would be hard for human society to remain secure. Thus, warriors hold a considerably high status. Of course, this doesn''t mean that scholars aren''t powerful. Many scholars'' systems are also very strong, and their combat power is not less than that of warriors. Becoming a warrior or a scholar isn''t a clear-cut distinction, it''s just that when choosing a university, it''s better to base your choice on your system. Because martial arts and liberal arts universities offer different training conditions. Relative to others, martial arts universities focus more on actual combat, providing more stringent teaching conditions, including training in the outer desolate lands. Whereas liberal arts universities offer fewer opportunities for combat, focusing more on the trivialities of daily life, thus their teaching conditions are more diversified. Only by choosing a university that matches the characteristics of your own system can you attend a truly good university. "You have just awakened your systems; over the next few days, you should carefully consider which area your system tends more toward. You must determine what general type your system is, and don''t just impulsively decide it belongs to something like the plant industry and then go apply to a martial arts university, as it will only hinder your future!" Yang Hua said sternly. Xiang Beifei was reminded of his past world. This was somewhat similar to choosing a major during the college entrance exams back then. In the former world, there were no systems, and when choosing a major, many relied on their parents'' suggestions. Some parents wished their children to pursue respectable professions like doctors, so they forced their children into medical studies. As a result, the children, having no interest in medicine, struggled through college and could only end up selling medications or changing careers after graduation. Also, some students couldn''t get into the major they wanted and were adjusted to other majors. Facing a major they disliked and unable to meet the conditions to switch majors, they gave up on themselves, essentially equating graduation with unemployment. But in this system world, such problems would be much less common. Because everyone chooses their university based on the characteristics of their system, which creates a very purposeful approach, and parents would not force their children to apply for a major they dislike.As long as the students themselves aren''t stubborn, they would normally be able to get into a suitable university. "Teacher, what if one can''t discern whether their system is more suited to the liberal arts or the martial arts, then what?" Kong Xiuwen raised his hand and asked. Kong Xiuwen''s "Bald System" was S-rank, but his system did not readily indicate which path to take¡ªit seemed viable for both the literary Dao and the martial Dao. Seeing that it was Kong Xiuwen who asked, Yang Hua explained patiently, "This is what I am going to talk about next. Each person must undergo a ''System School Selection Consultation''. Starting today, the school will arrange experienced system counselors to help you understand your own systems on a one-on-one basis. You don''t need to tell the counselors what your system is; you just need to ask them any questions you don''t understand." "Counselors will protect your privacy and won''t leak any information about your consultation. You can rest assured about that. All participating counselors are discreet and will not delve into matters they are not supposed to ask about. However, you too must learn to weigh your questions carefully." Yang Hua''s words prompted the entire class to start whispering among themselves. Everyone had only awakened their systems the day before, and many didn''t fully understand what their systems were exactly. The System School Selection Consultation was undoubtedly a great help for these novices. Chapter 19: Chapter 19: 9 Universities In fact, many peoples'' systems could directly determine the university they should choose. For instance, Wang Dan from their class, the owner of the Flower Cultivation System, she clearly knew that she must choose a liberal arts university, specifically one related to plant disciplines. And Wang Pangzi, with his Dance King System, had to opt for the College of Dance Arts within a liberal arts university. However, systems like Zhuo Jing''s Appreciation System, Kong Xiuwen''s Bald System, Liu Qianrou''s Backup System, and Xiao Sa''s Bootlicker System did not have a strict boundary. Whether walking the path of literary Dao or martial arts, they could each be used to complete missions. Thus, System School Selection Consultation primarily targets these undecided Awakeners, helping them answer some questions and ascertain their future direction. "Xiang Beifei, is your system inclined more toward literary Dao or martial arts?" Kong Xiuwen turned and asked. "It''s hard to say." Xiang Beifei pondered. Having no system tied to him, choosing between literary Dao and martial arts made no difference to him. But since his parents were both pioneers, which means martial artists, if he had to choose, he could try a martial arts university. "I''m also not sure," Kong Xiuwen said with great agony, clutching at his own hair, then said, "Why don''t you come with me? That way, we can look out for each other. We''d better apply for martial arts university because the martial arts university''s required entrance score is lower than that of the liberal arts university. I feel it''d be hard for us to attend a good liberal arts university with our grades." "Your S-grade system gives you an added 50 points; have some confidence in yourself." "With my performance in cultural classes, even an added 50 points won''t help!" Kong Xiuwen lamented. "That''s not necessarily true," their homeroom teacher, Yang Hua, said, having arrived at some point and heard their conversation. "Individuals with S-grade systems, no matter how poor their grades, needn''t worry about not having a university to attend. You can participate in autonomous recruitment of ordinary universities. As long as you pass, the grades from your cultural classes won''t matter much." "Really?" Kong Xiuwen was very surprised. "Yes, after all, those with S-grade are one in a hundred; the alliance wouldn''t let such talent go to waste. But for specific admission rules, you''ll need to consult your counselor and can also contact the admissions office, sometimes even opting for an interview." Yang Hua was very patient with Kong Xiuwen, then glanced at Xiang Beifei. In his view, Xiang Beifei, an N-grade, failing his subjects, was beyond help. ¡ª¡ª All morning, Xiang Beifei reacquainted himself with everyone in his class and their systems. Some systems were quite concrete, like You Wei from their class who awakened the R-grade Director System, his ultimate task being to become a top director. He was currently wandering about with a smartphone, preparing to start filming small clips for QuickShake videos. Then there was a girl Xiang Beifei hardly spoke to, named Qian Xiaolu, who awakened the R-grade Dong Shi Effects System, capable of briefly imitating other people''s abilities. In the class, the one nicknamed "silly big guy," Huang Han, had awakened an N-grade Ghost Capturing System, a rather peculiar one, as it required him to venture into various horror films to capture ghosts, which he could then summon for his use. Yet, everyone knew this guy was quite timid. The horror movie scenes the system transported him into felt very real to him. He had undertaken his first mission the previous night and seemed to have been terrified. However, these systems were still better than some like the Dishwashing System or the Flower Cultivation System. System School Selection Consultation was arranged according to seat numbers, and every five students were sent in a batch, while others needed to solidly revise their cultural classes in the classroom. Xiang Beifei was also studying. Before traversing to this time, the person named Xiang Beifei had poor grades in cultural classes, but the current Xiang Beifei was different. "Learn by Analogy" was an extremely powerful learning ability; anything, simply with a glance, could be computed in mind. In his previous life, he was quite devoted to his studies, and although the academic content here was not completely identical to that of his previous world, it was not very difficult to master. For him, using his cultural class grades to enter a good university gave him self-assurance. But which university should he choose? Xiang Beifei looked at the freshly distributed university enrollment manual. The Jiuzhou Alliance, divided into nine provinces: Jizhou, Yanzhou, Qingzhou, Xuzhou, Yangzhou, Jingzhou, Yuzhou, Liangzhou, Yongzhou. The nine provinces each possessed a top institution named after the province. Since Xiang Beifei''s Luhe High School fell under the jurisdiction of Liangzhou, the most prestigious university there was naturally Liangzhou University. It was a comprehensive university which further categorized into Liangzhou Martial Arts College and Liangzhou Literary Arts College. The situation in other provincial universities was the same, such as Jizhou University, Yanzhou University, Qingzhou University, etc. The nine universities were Ivy League schools of the alliance, each year setting extremely high admission scores! Apart from these nine universities, there were other ones of smaller scale; these were less prestigious and had lower score thresholds. "Almost all Awakeners in the nine elite universities are S-grade or above, truly a gathering of elites," Xiang Beifei mused on his future prospects. With only two months until the college entrance examination, he needed to determine his future direction. Having no system, if he needed to obtain someone else''s system rewards, it seemed better to attend a university filled with S-grade elites. The rewards from S-grade systems were significantly substantial. With his current situation, theoretically, scores were not the issue. Yet, the tuition fees of these nine universities were frighteningly expensive. A school year costing a hundred thousand in the currency of Jiuzhou Alliance! The educational conditions in the elite universities were top-notch, but correspondingly, to meet graduation requirements, many expenses were unavoidable. Xiang Beifei''s family, living on the income from his grandfather selling vegetables, made merely two to three thousand a month. "Even with a pension, these expenses are still too great." Xiang Beifei frowned slightly at the thought of the hundred thousand tuition fee. If he got into an elite university, his grandfather would certainly be ecstatic, even going as far as to sell everything to pay for his education. But he didn''t want to burden his grandfather so greatly. It wasn''t easy for the old man. Xiang Beifei needed to figure out how to earn money. Well, he thought, let''s just cross the bridge when we come to it. After attending two more classes in the afternoon, it was Xiang Beifei''s turn for System School Selection Consultation. Xiang Beifei and Kong Xiuwen made their way to the office together; he needed to inquire about things like student loans, as a hundred thousand was a significant expense. The location for System School Selection Consultation was the academic building, where quite a few students gathered, all exchanging thoughts with one another, most appearing very nervous. These were all novice Awakeners. Even with systems, they couldn''t guarantee full comprehension of their system''s attributes; they still required help from others. Chapter 20: Chapter 20: What Day is it Tomorrow? The counselor responsible for "System School Selection Consultation" was one of twenty people, all of whom were teachers at Luhe High School, and each was assigned a separate small room. All system consultations were completely confidential; besides the teachers, other students would not know. "I haven''t even figured out what questions to ask, can you give me some advice?" Kong Xiuwen said, tugging at his own hair. "Since you''re an S-level Awakener, you can ask the counselor which direction your system should take. If you want to attend one of those nine elite universities, how big are the chances?" Xiang Beifei suggested. Kong Xiuwen shook his head, "I won''t even consider those nine elite universities. I''ve heard that only S-levels can get in, and even then, I''d be at the bottom. I''d rather try for other ordinary universities¡ªpreferably the same one as you." Universities were quite pragmatic, with the nine elite universities feasting on S-level students first and leaving the rest for other universities to sip at the leftovers. Hence, apart from the nine elite universities, S-level Awakeners were rare in other ordinary universities. Kong Xiuwen had also thought about how his abilities would surely be trounced within elite universities. Then, attending an ordinary university, where being an S-level would definitely secure a higher status than in elite universities. "Classmate Kong, don''t be discouraged. We''ve just awakened our systems. How can we belittle ourselves?" A familiar voice rang out behind them. Xiang Beifei turned around to look. Huh, isn''t that the person from this morning''s delivery? "Liu Qianrou?" Kong Xiuwen recognized Liu Qianrou. Many people knew Liu Qianrou, not only because she was the first girl to awaken an S-level system, but also because she was the Class Belle of senior year three, with many boys secretly in love with her. However, if Liu Qianrou wanted to cultivate backups, she had to make contact with these talents. "Sorry, I just happened to overhear your conversation. But I think, Classmate Kong, you should have confidence in yourself. If you haven''t even tried, how can you give up?" Liu Qianrou''s voice was full of goodwill, and she even winked meaningfully at Kong Xiuwen. "That''s... true." Kong Xiuwen''s face turned slightly red. His grades were poor; previously Liu Qianrou and he were as distant as heaven and earth, and he could not aspire to reach her level. But unexpectedly, today Liu Qianrou had taken the initiative to talk to him. He knew this was most likely because he had awakened an S-level system. Xiang Beifei raised an eyebrow. He obviously knew what Liu Qianrou meant; she must have already inquired about the list of all twenty-one S-level System Awakeners in the school, and Kong Xiuwen was certainly on her target list. As an S-level backup, Liu Qianrou could gain much more attributes from than from R- or N-levels, snatching away 20 at a time. Liu Qianrou naturally wouldn''t let go of someone like Kong Xiuwen. Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, Liu Qianrou also revealed a happy smile, "Hello, Xiang Beifei, we meet again." "Hello." Xiang Beifei nodded politely. No sooner had he finished speaking than Liu Qianrou''s system panel began to flicker¡ª [You greeted an N-level potential backup, and you have plundered the backup''s social skills. Your social skills +1] That''s just unreasonable. Xiang Beifei glanced at Liu Qianrou''s system panel, which now showed her backup value had reached 28. Seeing Liu Qianrou, Kong Xiuwen appeared somewhat dazed, and he stammered, "Qianrou, are you... did you also come to... attend this consultation?" "Yes, I''m not very confident about my system and feel at a loss. Classmate Kong, could you give me some advice?" Liu Qianrou looked at Kong Xiuwen bashfully. Kong Xiuwen felt as if he was floating on air. This was the goddess of the grade! She was actually asking him, a student so poor in his studies it was a mess, for advice. Kong Xiuwen felt invigorated as though his spirits had multiplied a hundredfold. Just as he was about to respond, Xiang Beifei interjected. "It would be better to ask the counselor about that question, we can''t answer it," Xiang Beifei said. [N-level potential backup answered your question, your social skills +1] Liu Qianrou''s system panel vibrated again. Damn it! Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but mutter to himself. Just by answering a question, she could steal away someone''s social skills. If a backup inflated her with chatter all day long, she could probably suck them dry. Even though as soon as Liu Qianrou accumulates 30 backups Xiang Beifei would receive an email, he couldn''t let Kong Xiuwen become one of Liu Qianrou''s backups. He might not care about others, but he still needed to help Kong Xiuwen out. Just as Kong Xiuwen was about to say something, Xiang Beifei pushed him toward the other queue, urging, "Hurry, it''s your turn now. Consult the counselor well, I''ll wait for you outside." A shadow crossed Liu Qianrou''s face. She had already inquired; normally, Kong Xiuwen had poor grades, was carefree, didn''t have a particularly sharp wits, and was an S-level Awakener. People like him could easily be turned into backups with just a few words from her, but she didn''t expect Xiang Beifei to interfere. ¡ª¡ªNever mind, I have plenty of chances. Liu Qianrou snorted coldly in her heart and looked at Xiang Beifei again. Daring to mess up my plans, I''ll plunder something from you first! She ran her fingers through her hair, her long strands fluttering in mid-air and the tips brushing against Xiang Beifei''s cheek, leaving behind a faint fragrance. "What a lovely day." Liu Qianrou said with a smile. Xiang Beifei hummed noncommittally. This time, the system didn''t display anything. Liu Qianrou''s eyebrows knit together as she gently said, "Tomorrow is May 20th, you know! Only two months left until the college entrance exam." The college entrance exam in the Jiuzhou Federation takes place in July. It''s only May now. Seeing that Xiang Beifei wasn''t responding, Liu Qianrou softly continued, "I just heard from classmates that May 20th is a very special day, but they talked so much and I really didn''t get it. Xiang Beifei, do you know what 520 means?" "I know," Xiang Beifei replied. Playing with her fingernails, Liu Qianrou asked in an innocent voice, "Can you explain it to me then? I really want to know the meaning of 520!" She looked like an innocent girl, her face full of curiosity. Xiang Beifei nodded seriously and said, "Hmm, no problem. Let me think! 520... 5 stands for five affirmatives: affirming economic structural adjustments, affirming the duty of environmental governance, affirming the construction of ecological civilization, affirming precision poverty alleviation by the alliance, affirming Jiuzhou''s security guarantee. 2 stands for two ''must-haves'': we must have both wealth symbolized by our ''mountains of gold and silver'' and ecological beauty symbolized by ''clear waters and green mountains''. 0 stands for zero tolerance towards illegal and criminal behavior." Championing uprightness is everyone''s responsibility! The voice in which Xiang Beifei spoke was compelling and spirited! Liu Qianrou: "..." She was completely flustered. What kind of answer was that! She had thought that this N-level backup would spout a bunch of affectionate nonsense, but she didn''t expect him to come out with something like this, and it had totally baffled her. By the time she collected her thoughts, Xiang Beifei had already coolly and breezily turned and walked away. Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Special Favors Xiang Beifei couldn''t be bothered to care about Liu Qianrou''s reaction. Originally, he hadn''t planned to have any interaction with Liu Qianrou; it was Liu Qianrou who had intended to seek him out as a backup plan, running into the line of fire herself. He simply went along with it casually, to grab some system rewards or something. Xiang Beifei walked to a queue with fewer people, where only two people were waiting in line ahead of him. Both of them were engrossed in their system interfaces, paying no attention to Xiang Beifei. He glanced at their systems. Xiang Beifei then looked at another person''s system, that slightly curly-haired fat girl from class four. He didn''t know her name, but because of her weight, people often made fun of her behind her back, so he remembered her vaguely. Her system had awakened to become an [N-Level Calorie Burning System] [You walked two kilometers, burning 110 calories of your own, +110 calories] [You walked two laps around the track field with Liu Ping, helping her burn 44 calories, +44 calories] ... Her system involved collecting calories that could be exchanged for corresponding rewards. The girl was very heavy, at least two hundred pounds, but with this system, as long as she worked hard for the system, it would be hard not to lose weight. Although she was terribly heavy now, she obviously had potential! Burning calories and helping others lose weight could also make her stronger; not opening a gym would be a missed opportunity. The boy in front of him had awakened to an [R-Level Escort Across the World System], which looked very impressive! "Escort Across the World, like an escort mission?" Xiang Beifei pondered what this system entailed. He had seen martial arts movies after all. To know that ancient couriers had quite the swagger! They performed escort missions, retrieved and fought over lost valuables, and sparred with bandits using wits and bravery¡ªabsolutely thrilling and blood-pumping! He glanced at the mission interface; the other party had already completed a mission. [Delivered homework from the classroom to the teacher''s office, escort value +1] Huh? Moving homework was referred to as "escort," all dressed up like that? Wait a second. Suddenly, he thought, wouldn''t this escort system make a fortune in delivery services? Well, hey! This would be the future tycoon of the courier industry! As Xiang Beifei reflected, he continued to scan the systems of other students. Most R-Level and N-Level systems were pretty quirky, but he knew that the truly powerful systems were definitely S-Level. Like the guy who just arrived not far away, named Qi Bin from class three. He had awakened to an [S-Level Summoning Monster System] Qi Bin''s mission involved defeating desolate beasts, subjugating them, and then summoning them for his own battles. This person''s system was clearly much stronger than others, a real combat-oriented system. Without thinking, one could tell that Qi Bin was headed down the martial path, set to be a pioneer, battling in the outer desolate lands. However, Qi Bin was currently chatting merrily with Liu Qianrou. He had inadvertently become another potential backup for Liu Qianrou. "Tsk tsk, be cautious in your dealings," Xiang Beifei shook his head. The achievements of those with S-Level systems were limitless in the future, but Liu Qianrou was close to having all the school''s S-Level guys in her pocket, which was terrifying. There were only twenty-one S-Level System Awakeners in the school, and Xiang Beifei had already gotten a brief grasp on them. But to witness more S-Level systems, one would have to go to one of the nine elite universities. At that moment, a refined old man walked through the crowd, and many stopped in their tracks, looking at the elder with respect. "Good day, Principal!" The students hurried to greet him. Principal Li Nanxing is highly respected; he is approachable, treats students with kindness and patience, and is dearly loved by them. Xiang Beifei looked towards Principal Li Nanxing and then felt a bit surprised. [Host: Li Nanxing] [S-class, Confucian Saint System] [Realm: Late Stage of Meridian Opening] [Current Prestige Value: 15818544] ... Yesterday, Xiang Beifei was unable to see Li Nanxing''s realm and system tasks, but today he could actually see them. Xiang Beifei seemed to understand. Yesterday, he was just an ordinary person, but today he was already a Qi-Controlling cultivator. In other words, the people he could see were, at most, one major realm stronger than him. "Good morning, Principal!" Liu Qianrou and Qi Bin, who were talking, also hurriedly greeted Li Nanxing. Even though they were S-class Awakeners, they did not dare to act big in front of the principal, as the principal was also an S-class with much greater strength than them! "Ah, hello there. Don''t be formal, I''m just passing by. Keep up the good work, reflect on your problems, and feel free to ask questions to your counselors. As teachers, we''re here to help clear up any confusion," Li Nanxing said with a smile, nodding to Qi Bin and Liu Qianrou, both of whom were S-class Awakeners he recognized. With proper nurture, they were bound to become pillars of the Alliance in the future. "Understood." Qi Bin and Liu Qianrou nodded obediently. Even Liu Qianrou did not dare to misbehave; her Backup System could not take anything from those stronger than herself, and of course, she would not dare to target the principal. "I''ll say it again: the talent from awakening is secondary. What truly determines the future is your attitude. Whether it''s an N-class system or an S-class, as long as you work hard, it''s hard to say who will surpass whom in the future," Li Nanxing encouraged those students with lesser talents, telling them that as long as they were earnest, anyone could make a breakthrough. Many students were greatly inspired, especially those with N-class systems. After being addressed by the principal in such a manner, they all perked up, their faces filled with gratitude. After awakening to N-class systems yesterday, these students were disappointed, not just themselves, but even some parents were disappointed in them. But at least the principal hadn''t given up on them. Just as Li Nanxing was about to leave, his gaze swept across the room and suddenly landed on Xiang Beifei standing in a corner. He saw Xiang Beifei frowning deeply and thought of something, sighing softly in his heart. ¡ªIs this child losing hope for the future? Well, anyone would probably find it hard to handle such a situation. His gaze flickered for a moment before he walked towards Xiang Beifei, smiling and patting him on the shoulder before asking, "Student, can you come with me for a moment?" Xiang Beifei looked up at Li Nanxing somewhat unexpectedly. "Are you calling for me, Principal?" "Yes, come to my office." Li Nanxing walked ahead with his hands clasped behind him. Xiang Beifei hesitated, and although he did not understand why Li Nanxing was summoning him, he still followed. As they left, the other students immediately started discussing. "I recognize him, isn''t that Xiang Beifei, who almost became UR-class yesterday?" "The principal actually called him to the office? Is he getting special treatment?" "What special treatment? If anyone''s to get special attention, shouldn''t it be the S-class geniuses? Look, Liu Qianrou and Qi Bin are right here!" "That''s true; it must be psychological counseling. Are they afraid he might commit suicide from despair? Hahaha!" "Yeah, such a drastic fall is tragic. He''s also pitiable; probably it''s the shock! Imagine if he committed suicide later because of a mental breakdown, the school would have to take responsibility. The principal is probably trying to prevent such a bad omen from happening." Many looked upon Xiang Beifei with sympathy. Liu Qianrou and Qi Bin also frowned slightly, feeling a bit envious. Having a one-on-one talk with the principal was a very rare opportunity. But what the others said made sense; if the principal wanted to give special treatment, he would''ve looked for those S-class individuals. They assumed it was indeed for psychological counseling. Chapter 22: Chapter 22: N Rarity is Even Rarer Than SR Rarity! The principal''s office was stark, with a neat pile of documents on a white wooden desk and a silver ornament beside them, featuring a majestic lion standing on a cliff, the emblem of Luhe High School. The tea cup on the desk was still slightly steaming. Many pennants hung on the wall behind, along with some photographs. The people in the photos all looked extraordinary, seemingly elites from various professions. Beifei recognized a few who were shaking hands with the principal, but he couldn''t recall who they were at the moment. Everything in the office was well organized and comforting to look at. It was Xiang Beifei''s first visit to the principal''s office. He didn''t have much of an impression of Principal Li Nanxing; he just discreetly observed the principal''s system, checking past system tasks the principal had undertaken. "Please sit, don''t be tense," Li Nanxing said with a smile. Xiang Biefei sat down, feeling puzzled. He had thought Principal Li Nanxing summoned him for some system task that would start with him. But there was nothing on the principal''s system task list that involved him. So, what did he want from him? "Are you doing alright?" Li Nanxing asked from his chair, looking at him gently. "I''m fine," Beifei replied. Li Nanxing smiled, saying, "I called you here today for nothing serious. Don''t be nervous, just to offer you a System School Selection Consultation." "System consultation?" Xiang Beifei was confused. S-ranked Liu Qianrou and Qi Bin hadn''t been directly approached by the principal, so why single him out? Li Nanxing looked at Xiang Beifei and said, "I happen to have some time to give you some guidance. Do you have any questions about your awakened system?" Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, sizing up Li Nanxing''s system again to confirm there were no tasks concerning him, then said, "Principal, I want to know if there are any restrictions for entering one of the nine elite universities? Is it just scoring well enough, or does one need to awaken a certain level of system?" "Nine elite universities?" Li Nanxing was slightly startled. He hadn''t expected Beifei to ask about the entry requirements for elite universities instead of something about the system. He had already reviewed Beifei''s academic scores, which were dismal. It was doubtful he could even make it to university, let alone his status as an N-level System Awakener, where talent itself is a threshold. Li Nanxing thought for a moment and asked, "Your first system task isn''t requiring you to get into an elite university, is it?" An N-level system can be troublesome; sometimes setting up tasks that don''t follow any conventional logic, giving the host a task to get admitted into an elite university isn''t unheard of. Xiang Beifei was surprised that the principal would ask this, but it was a convenient excuse. He went with the flow and said, "Yes, my system task is troublesome indeed, so I really want to know how to get into an elite university." "This..." Li Nanxing felt overwhelmed. It was just a casual question he hadn''t expected Beifei''s initial system task to be so difficult! He hesitated for a moment and slowly said, "Getting into an elite university isn''t easy! Most elite universities set a threshold for talent, with a minimum requirement being R-level Awakeners. S-level is quite common, N-level System Awakeners... hardly any..." "Even if the academic scores are sufficient?" Beifei asked. Li Nanxing looked troubled and said with a bitter smile, "Each university has its own admissions policy. Training students, well, elite university courses are rather difficult, R-level Awakeners already find it tough, let alone N-level." "So, there''s no hope at all? Not even a slight possibility?" Xiang Beifei asked. "That''s not necessarily true." Li Nanxing slowly said, "Elite universities all have talent thresholds, that''s true, but there is one elite university that does not, and that is Liangzhou University." "Does Liangzhou University allow N-level Awakeners to enroll?" "Yes, you should have heard of our governor of Liangzhou, Shang Tianxiong?" Li Nanxing spoke of Shang Tianxiong with quite some emotion, "He is an N-level System Awakener and a legend of his generation because he graduated from Liangzhou Martial Arts College with sheer perseverance. Liangzhou University does not set a talent threshold; as long as your scores are sufficient, N-level students can also enroll, but N-level students need to pass their entrance test." "How many N-level students have enrolled at Liangzhou University over the years?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Not many." Li Nanxing slightly shook his head, "We can say¡ªit is even rarer than SR System Awakeners." System Awakeners from the SR system are one in tens of thousands! This year, their school had no SR System Awakeners at all. Yet in this world, N-levels are everywhere. However, in reality, within elite universities, the number of N-level Awakeners is even lower than SR Awakeners! This clearly shows that even for a university like Liangzhou University, which does not limit entry thresholds, it is nearly impossible for the lowest N-level Awakeners to get into an elite university, as challenging as reaching the heavens! In places filled with elites, if your talent is not up to par, you don''t even qualify to be counted. Xiang Beifei, however, isn''t concerned about these matters; since Liangzhou University is the only elite university without a talent threshold, he needs to set his sights on Liangzhou University. "Principal, after getting into Liangzhou University, are there any scholarships or loans available? I heard the tuition is very expensive, if possible, I need to find a part-time job at school," Xiang Beifei said. Li Nanxing was taken aback again upon hearing Xiang Beifei''s words. From the tone of this child, it seemed he had already assumed he would be accepted into Liangzhou University? He even planned how to make a living after entering the school? Was this child not understanding his point, or was he too arrogant? Suddenly, Li Nanxing realized that Xiang Beifei might not be as hopeless as he seemed yesterday when he awakened, nor was he about to give up on life. On the contrary, this child was filled with confidence for the future! Could it be because of the system? But that''s impossible! As an educator, he knew all too well how bad the N-level system was¡ªit''s not that everyone can have great perseverance and become a legend like Shang Tianxiong. Xiang Beifei''s grades had always been at the bottom, and now with only two months left, to reverse his fortunes to the scoreline required by elite universities in such a short time was a mere fantasy! Even with the help of the system¡ªif an N-level system could so easily help someone become elite within two months, it wouldn''t be called an N-level system! "You seem very confident about getting into Liangzhou University?" Li Nanxing''s perception of Xiang Beifei gradually changed. "Isn''t it what you said? No one should give up hope, with efforts, even an N-level system can break through the heavens. Having dropped from UR-level to N-level, I''ve already experienced a disaster, what more do I have to lose? If I don''t take my chances now, when should I wait?" Xiang Beifei began to ramble, but he was serious. Li Nanxing''s eyes lit up! "What a resolve to take a chance!" Xiang Beifei''s words seemed to reignite the long-dormant passion in his heart; there was a time when he too was full of ambition, striving to become a Confucian Sage. Although he has only become a high school principal now, he has never slacked off and continues to strive for improvement. In Xiang Beifei, Li Nanxing seemed to see his own past. Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Big Moves "Excellent! Very well! This child can be taught!" Li Nanxing laughed heartily and said, "If your scores reach the admission threshold of Liangzhou University, then I will be your guarantor! Don''t worry about student loans or jobs. I too graduated from Liangzhou University and still know some people there." "The principal just said that Liangzhou University requires N-level Awakeners to undergo a test when they enroll. What exactly is this test?" Xiang Beifei asked. "It''s hard to say, but the test will definitely be related to the university courses to ensure that N-level Awakeners can keep up. I''ll inquire about it next time I visit," Li Nanxing said. "Thank you, Principal. I don''t have any more questions for now; I''ll be going back." Xiang Beifei stood up, ready to leave. "Hold on." Li Nanxing got up and looked at his system panel. In his "Confucian Saint System," there was also a shop where prestige value could be exchanged for corresponding rewards. His gaze searched the shop for a moment, then with a grand gesture, he already had two small jade bottles in his hand. "Here, take these." Li Nanxing handed the small jade bottles to Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei looked at the two small jade bottles with surprise. He saw the prompt from the "Confucian Saint System": [Qi Condensing Pill x10, 2000 prestige value] [Forgetting Dust Pill x50, 3000 prestige value] "These are..." Xiang Beifei said, puzzled. "I''m not sure what method of cultivation your system provides, so I can''t arbitrarily help you, but these two items are aids for cultivation and learning, and anyone can use them," Li Nanxing explained. "The Qi Condensing Pill can be used to gather the surrounding Spiritual Energy, allowing you to attract the nearby Spiritual Energy to yourself while cultivating, doubling the efficacy. This is the Forgetting Dust Pill. If you want to study or cultivate seriously, you can light a Forgetting Dust Pill to create an ideal learning environment." Items from the system can be traded or given away, but because each person''s system attributes are unique and awakened to fit the individual, they are not interchangeable with others. Most of the items provided by a system can only be used by oneself; others can not use them. Only a part can be shared with others, such as these pills that aggregate surrounding Spiritual Energy or shield against environmental disturbances. They are not for transforming oneself but for creating an environment. "But... why?" Xiang Beifei asked, puzzled. He and the principal had never had personal contact before; they were complete strangers, and he couldn''t understand why Li Nanxing would give him such items. "Actually, after what happened yesterday, I specifically looked up your family background in the records and found out that your parents were pioneers who died on a mission," Li Nanxing said reflectively. "Pioneers are the most noble profession in this world, and every one who sacrifices deserves respect." His gaze complicated, he continued, "Then I discovered that I actually knew your father." "My father?" Xiang Beifei was very surprised. "Yes." Li Nanxing pointed to a photograph on the wall and explained, "Your father also studied at this school, and he awakened an SR-level talent! Look here." He pointed to an old photograph, slightly yellowed, taken on the school''s playground. About a dozen people were in the photo, Li Nanxing in the centre, with Xiang Beifei''s father in the second row. Xiang Beifei hadn''t looked closely earlier and had overlooked it. "Luhe High School 100th Anniversary Alumni Meeting." Li Nanxing sighed and added, "The people in this photo are all SR system Awakeners from different years; the anniversary celebration manged to gather all twelve SR Awakeners from various years." SR Awakeners are extremely rare, one in a thousand, typically appearing every two or three years. This year, Luhe High School has not seen a single SR appear. Gathering all twelve SR Awakeners at once could only have been achieved during such an event as the anniversary celebration. Xiang Beifei stared at his young father in the photo, who looked to be about twenty years old. He knew that his father was named Xiang Tianxing, but that was all he really knew. His memories weren''t particularly plentiful; he had been raised by his grandfather, his parents being too busy and seldom home. Even when they were home, it was just a fleeting glimpse, barely speaking before they left again. Until a mission four years ago, after which his parents never returned home again. Ultimately, he was influenced by the memories of his former life, and some emotions were still there. "At the time of the centennial school celebration, you had not been born yet. Afterwards, because of your father''s job, I never contacted him again, and I had no idea his son had grown so much." Li Nanxing sighed, "No matter what, I am giving you these two things; you must work hard, just as you said, ''go for it with all you''ve got.'' Xiang Beifei looked at Li Nanxing''s system interface. [Prestige Value: 15713544] 5000 points were deducted. Li Nanxing''s realm was in the late Meridian Opening stage, just a step away from the God Refining Realm. He needed to use the God Refining Pill to help himself break through to the God Refining Realm. Purchasing one God Refining Pill required 16 million prestige points. He was still short by nearly 290,000! The higher the strength, the more arduous the system tasks, the harder it was to elevate one''s realm. Every prestige point was extremely precious to Li Nanxing, who usually accumulated them very cautiously. It had taken him ten years to save up these 15 million prestige points. He had reached the late Meridian Opening stage ten years ago and had not been able to advance a single step further since then. Unexpectedly, for Xiang Beifei''s sake, he was actually willing to spend 5000 prestige points. This was indeed a generous gesture. Understand this, even though Xiang Beifei had awakened the system yesterday, adding only 10 prestige points to Li Nanxing, and an S-grade Awakener is only worth 1000 points. ¡ª Xiang Beifei valued these two items very much because they were much more powerful than the system rewards given to Liu Qianrou and the others, enough to illuminate the constellations. "Thank you, Principal." Xiang Beifei said. "No need for thanks, go back now, and do not mention this matter to anyone else, or they will accuse me of favoritism." Li Nanxing waved his hand. "Understood." Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, didn''t say much, and turned to leave the office. Li Nanxing watched Xiang Beifei''s retreating figure. This young man gave him a very special feeling. Even after experiencing such significant ups and downs yesterday, he faced them calmly; he seemed unconcerned with the fact his system was N-grade. It''s rare to find someone with such a mentality! "I know it''s impossible for you to get into an elite university this year, but with your positive attitude, perhaps if you retake the exam for three or four more years, a miracle might happen." Li Nanxing admired Xiang Beifei''s ambition, but he was not optimistic about his performance this year. Even Shang Tianxiong, the governor of Liangzhou, had to retake the exams for four years to get into Liangzhou University! Thick and thin hair! Only then did he pass the N-grade Awakener test set by Liangzhou University. No one had the perseverance like Shang Tianxiong. Li Nanxing was willing to spend five thousand prestige points to help Xiang Beifei complete the first system task for a reason. Back when Xiang Beifei''s father awakened the SR system, he had only recently become principal. An SR Awakener appearing in his school brought him a huge increase in prestige points, which allowed him to break through at a crucial moment. Moreover, Xiang Tianxing had an excellent reputation in the alliance, and, all told, had brought him many prestige points, far more than just these five thousand. In a sense, Xiang Beifei''s father had also done him a favor. If Xiang Beifei failed, then consider these five thousand prestige points a way to commemorate Xiang Tianxing. Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Competing for Favor and Jealousy ``` Xiang Beifei learned for the first time that his father had been an SR-level Awakener. He also understood that Li Nanxing had given him these two items likely because of the prestige value his father had gained when awakening his SR system, and now it was a form of repayment to him. But to be honest, Li Nanxing didn''t owe Xiang Beifei anything; his "Confucian Saint System" wasn''t obtained through plundering. Li Nanxing''s "Confucian Saint System", like Yang Hua''s "Master Dao System", had the marvelous quality of instructing and solving doubts for others. The difference was that Li Nanxing chose to strengthen himself by properly educating his students, truly considering their needs, cultivating them into talents, and gaining system prestige through their achievements later on. Yang Hua, on the other hand, chose to criticize his students to increase his teacher''s prestige value, always pointing out their faults. Thus, the breadth of their spirits differed. One could say that Principal Li Nanxing was truly a paragon of teachers. "If an N-level system student were admitted to an elite university, I wonder how much prestige value that would bring?" Xiang Beifei pondered. ¡ª¡ª Qi Condensing Pills and Forgetting Dust Pills. Xiang Beifei indeed needed these two items right now. Not to create a learning environment, but to activate his astrological points. As for improving his cultural studies grades, that was not difficult for him. Xiang Beifei left the principal''s office and headed to the classroom. The hallway was still bustling with students, many senior year students queuing up, waiting for System School Selection Consultation. Soon, he spotted Kong Xiuwen amidst the crowd. Kong Xiuwen had just come out from a consultation room, excitedly talking to Liu Qianrou. Xiang Beifei felt that something was amiss and glanced at Liu Qianrou''s system interface, furrowing his brows slightly. [You have gained an S-level potential backup, backup value at 30] Had Kong Xiuwen unwittingly fallen into a trap? Liu Qianrou had now gathered 30 backup values, enough to exchange for a secret manual on training body techniques, yet she hadn''t rushed to exchange it, instead conversing with Kong Xiuwen like a sweet, dependent bird, continuously plundering from Kong Xiuwen. "You''re still here, hurry up, I have something to talk to you about, come this way." Xiang Beifei grabbed Kong Xiuwen and started walking back, to prevent him from being completely drained by Liu Qianrou. "Then... then let''s talk after school, bye." Kong Xiuwen didn''t forget to turn back and wave goodbye to Liu Qianrou while being pulled away by Xiang Beifei. "Alright, Xiuwen, I''ll wait for you after school." Liu Qianrou spoke softly. Kong Xiuwen, being an S-level Awakener, had certainly gained a lot just now. After walking a distance, Xiang Beifei finally said to Kong Xiuwen, "Listen to my advice, don''t interact too much with Liu Qianrou." Kong Xiuwen found it odd and said, "I always feel like something''s off with you, just now when Liu Qianrou greeted me, you deliberately interrupted, and now you''re telling me not to interact with her... Ah! I get it, you wouldn''t happen to like her, do you?" Xiang Beifei: "???" "Are you worried that I''ll steal the girl you like?" Kong Xiuwen eyed Xiang Beifei with a strange look. Xiang Beifei''s mouth twitched. How would his brain have to be wired for him to like an Awakener like Liu Qianrou? ¡ª¡ª Liu Qianrou had been watching her system interface all along, and at this moment, a new message appeared: [Two potential backups are fighting over you out of jealousy] [You have plundered the personal charm of an S-level potential backup, your personal charm +20] ``` [You''ve plundered the charm of an N-level potential backup, your charm value +1] ... "Heh, what a couple of fools! They turn against each other after just a few words." Liu Qianrou looked at her system panel and chuckled with pride. This system is just too easy to use; even jealousy over a backup can boost her own value. She would love nothing more than for Xiang Beifei and Kong Xiuwen to come to blows! At that moment, she suddenly saw Qi Bin walking towards her. "What if three backups were jealous over me? Wouldn''t that increase the system values even more?" Liu Qianrou plotted in her heart as she walked towards Qi Bin. ¡ª¡ª "Don''t think too much, I don''t have any feelings for her." Xiang Beifei said. "Come on, Liu Qianrou is at least the belle of the year, what''s so embarrassing about admitting you like her?" Kong Xiuwen''s eyes rolled as he continued, "But she is indeed beautiful, no wonder you''re tempted." A twitch appeared at the corner of Xiang Beifei''s mouth. Am I tempted by her as a person? But Kong Xiuwen slapped Xiang Beifei''s shoulder in a carefree manner, saying, "Don''t worry about it; we''re like brothers. Since you admire Liu Qianrou, as your brother, I can''t possibly steal her from you. Alright, then I won''t compete with you for her." Xiang Beifei pressed his hand to his forehead, feeling quite vexed. Kong Xiuwen had been his playmate since childhood, and with his tall and strong build, he used to stand up for Xiang Beifei whenever someone bullied him in school. They were very close. When he said that, it couldn''t be false. "Anyway, it''s best if you refrain from chatting with Liu Qianrou in the future." Xiang Beifei didn''t go into details. "Understood, we''re about to go to college soon, the outside world is full of beauty and splendor, no need to dwell on the high school belle. I''ll cut off this thought right now, alright? Though, I think you should be psychologically prepared, after all, she is..." Kong Xiuwen hadn''t finished his words when suddenly an angry voice came from behind. "You two are also worthy of liking someone as noble as Qianrou? Can''t you even take a good look at yourselves in the mirror?" Xiang Beifei and Kong Xiuwen both turned their heads. It was Qi Bin! This guy had awoken the [S-level Summoning Monster System], a very domineering and powerful system. Although he hadn''t defeated a desolate beast yet, he was already an Awakener in the Qi-Controlling realm, given the S-level system''s easy entry tasks. Just now, Liu Qianrou had told him that two clueless guys were getting handsy with her, and with his volatile temper, hearing that made him instantly furious! Liu Qianrou had even given him the card for the Green Light Hotel room for tonight! And now two guys dared to cause trouble? How could he tolerate that? Qi Bin sneered as he stared at Xiang Beifei: "I remember you, you''re the one who went from a genius to a waste yesterday. Liu Qianrou is an S-level Awakener, do you really think you stand a chance at winning her favor? With your N-level system?" "Who we like is none of your damn business!" Kong Xiuwen stepped forward, instinctively shielding Xiang Beifei behind him. He knew the other was an Awakener in the Qi-Controlling realm, and since Xiang Beifei was just an ordinary person, he couldn''t let Qi Bin harm him. But Qi Bin showed no intention of getting physical, as cameras were everywhere in the school, and any conflicts couldn''t be settled there. "I''m just warning some people not to be delusional about aiming too high, better weigh themselves first." Qi Bin loomed threateningly over Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei realized something and inadvertently turned his head, sure enough, there was Liu Qianrou not far away, enjoying the spectacle. Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Elimination Method [Three backups are feeling jealous and fighting for you] [You''ve snatched a level S backup''s charm, and your charm +20] ... "A fools'' troupe, really kills me! I''ve sold them out, and they''re still counting money for me! This intelligence, really needs a recharge." Liu Qianrou was feeling incredibly smug inside. Others feeling jealous and vying for her indicated that she was charming and able to manipulate these backups at will. "You all go on and argue! The more noise, the better! I''ll just collect my rewards." Liu Qianrou''s backup value had reached 30, and she could receive a secret manual for body method cultivation. Once she successfully cultivated it, she could plunder more from these backups the next time they argued or when she spoke to them. [Your backup value is 30, would you like to claim your reward for this stage?] "Of course, it wasn''t easy to fool a bunch of idiots." Liu Qianrou said impatiently. [Reward has been distributed, please check!] Liu Qianrou excitedly stared at her hands. One minute later. Empty-handed! Her smile suddenly froze. "System, where''s my body method secret manual?" Liu Qianrou asked. [Reward has been distributed, please begin cultivation as soon as possible to become stronger] The system advised warmly. Liu Qianrou searched every corner around her, but could not find her reward! No, something didn''t add up. The first system reward yesterday was delivered directly into her hands, so why did today''s reward disappear? "System, where have you distributed my reward?" Liu Qianrou asked hurriedly. [Reward has been distributed to the host''s hands, please begin cultivation] Liu Qianrou was furious! Distributed? Distribute to your great-uncle! Liu Qianrou almost jumped on the spot! But no matter how she explained, the system kept giving the same warm reminder, baffling her completely! Just moments ago, she was mocking those three for counting money for her after she had sold them out, but now, where was her money? Where had it been counted to? At this moment, her system interface displayed another line: [You''ve lost an S-level potential backup, backup value -1] [You''ve lost an N-level potential backup, backup value -1] Liu Qianrou''s gaze immediately turned stormy upon seeing her system interface! The two potential backups she lost undoubtedly had to be Kong Xiuwen and Xiang Beifei! These two actually no longer admired her and had left the backup category! "Wait! Why are such strange things happening today? First, the system reward wasn''t properly distributed, and now I''ve lost two backups?" Liu Qianrou was a shrewd girl. She quickly calmed down and pondered over the situation. She was aware that she wasn''t the only one with a system in this world; others had them too! What the systems of others were capable of, she didn''t know. Everyone had been taught since childhood to keep their systems a secret, making it difficult to pry secrets out of someone. But the capabilities of systems are always surprising. If someone used a system to steal her system reward, it wasn''t impossible! Then the prime suspect would most likely be one of those three! Liu Qianrou began to analyze the situation from the beginning to the end. Having been smart since she was young, more mature in thinking than her peers, adept at reading people''s expressions and languages, she always considered everything when thinking through a problem, able to spot any clue to unravel bizarre occurrences. Any experienced mystery-solving expert should learn to use the process of elimination skillfully when addressing a problem. So¡ª Xiang Beifei, the first to be ruled out! An N-level System Awakener, she wouldn''t believe for a second that he could claim a reward from her S-level system! System levels have a hierarchy, and it''s a law that an S-level cannot be plundered by an N-level. Kong Xiuwen might be suspicious since he''s also S-level. But both Kong Xiuwen and Xiang Beifei had left her backup range, meaning they no longer held admiration for her in their hearts. So Kong Xiuwen could be ruled out too. An answer closest to the truth was on the verge of bursting forth in Liu Qianrou''s mind¡ª "Qi Bin!" Liu Qianrou glowered at the figure of Qi Bin! She didn''t know what Qi Bin''s system was but his being an S-level System Awakener was common knowledge! To stealthily steal her S-level system reward, only another S-level System Awakener could manage such a feat! The course of events must have been as follows¡ª Qi Bin, spurred by her, went to find Kong Xiuwen and Xiang Beifei, but turned the tables instead. In order to gain her trust, he acted swiftly, revealing his methods and, with his powerful aura, he managed to intimidate both Kong Xiuwen and Xiang Beifei! Kong Xiuwen and Xiang Beifei, knowing their limits, no longer dared to harbor improper thoughts about her. Thus, she lost two potential backups! Qi Bin had agreed so readily just now, seemingly recklessly seeking out Kong Xiuwen and Xiang Beifei, but in reality, it was very likely a mission assigned by Qi Bin''s own system! If she could plunder others'' abilities, then others could plunder hers as well! Perhaps it was a "Switching the Beams with Pillars" system? Maybe a "Deceiving Heaven and Crossing the Sea" system? Liu Qianrou couldn''t be certain, but what she could affirm was¡ª Qi Bin was definitely undertaking a mission involving her! Liu Qianrou reviewed the situation once more. Such meticulous logical analysis, without any flaws! It must be Qi Bin! "Damn it, I always thought Qi Bin was simple-minded; I never expected him to be so cunning!" Liu Qianrou clenched her fists. She had been too careless! Originally, she just wanted to make the three backups argue among themselves, and harvest a wave of personal charm, but she had inadvertently fallen into a trap! What to do now? I have already given him the hotel room card for tonight! But having been played by this scheming man, can I still go tonight? Liu Qianrou was extremely annoyed in her heart. Her system could plunder the backup''s abilities even with a minor contact like a "handshake"! Let alone other methods of more extensive contact. Originally, she had planned to go to the hotel tonight, first with Qi Bin... then with Qi Bin... and finally with Qi Bin... But she had not expected this Qi Bin to be such a tough nut to crack! Was he possibly waiting to deal with her tonight? This was bad. Liu Qianrou''s mind was in chaos for a moment! ¡ª "My eyes will always be on you two!" Qi Bin looked down at Xiang Beifei and Kong Xiuwen with supreme arrogance. "Oh? Is that so?" Kong Xiuwen was not one to back down, ready to throw back some harsh words, but Xiang Beifei shook his head, pulling him away. "What are you afraid of! He''s clearly bullying you! I''m also S-level; am I supposed to be afraid of him too? I''ve said it, I have your back. Why are you being so timid?" Kong Xiuwen, while being pulled away, was visibly resentful. "The college entrance exam is nearing, avoiding trouble is better than seeking it." Xiang Beifei discreetly pocketed the secret book on body technique cultivation. "You can''t go on like this, being fearful of everything. If we end up at different universities, who will stand up for you then?" Kong Xiuwen shook his head with resignation, "I''m already worried about you. Without me to cover for you, I don''t know how much you''ll be bullied in university!" Will I be bullied? Xiang Beifei shrugged. "I''m just an N-level Awakener, being cautious is not a bad thing." Xiang Beifei walked to the railing of the second-floor staircase and looked down. From this angle, he could see Liu Qianrou very well. He squinted at Liu Qianrou''s system panel and, noting that Kong Xiuwen was no longer her backup, he felt somewhat relieved. When Xiang Beifei saw Qi Bin coming over, he had felt something was off, so he quickly disengaged from being a backup, just going with the flow. Luckily, he knew about other people''s systems and could choose whether or not to participate in their system tasks. Kong Xiuwen, for the sake of his childhood friend, had indeed cut off his thoughts of Liu Qianrou, which was crucial. Otherwise, who knows what trouble this guy might end up in one day. As for the personal charm that Kong Xiuwen lost, he was going to be bald in the future anyway, and as he would lose hair, his charm would keep dropping, so he might as well give it to Liu Qianrou. Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Set a Small Goal First "But come to think of it, the secret manual for cultivating body techniques that he got from Liu Qianrou was of little use to him, as the Spiritual Qi Crystal contained within wasn''t powerful enough to light up the constellations." However¡ª Xiang Beifei suddenly thought of the tuition for elite universities. A hundred thousand a year for tuition fees alone, not to mention all kinds of living expenses. If he wanted to attend an elite university, he would have to start saving money now. Liu Qianrou''s reward wasn''t of much use to him, but could he sell it? He needed money. System rewards, if not needed by oneself, could be sold to others. Some people couldn''t complete system tasks on their own, but with someone else''s system reward, they could bypass that stage and meet the requirements. So, many system rewards could be sold for a good price. Thinking back to how Kong Xiuwen''s father had spent a great deal of money to obtain two so-called "Awakening Elixirs," it was clear that there was a target market. Even though those elixirs were utterly useless, it couldn''t be denied that there were targeted customers. But to whom should he sell this cultivation manual? Who would be a good candidate? That was the problem. ¡ª On the edge of the Luhe High School cafeteria. This was a biological geography garden. Many high schools had such a small garden, featuring various educational facilities, including globes, wind vanes, and various kinds of statues. Schools with better conditions would also keep some small animals or plant some vegetables and flowers in the biological geography garden. Hidden by a dense forest, the place was usually deserted during class time. In the bushes, a figure cautiously surveyed the surroundings, appearing sneaky. Seeing no one around, he took out his phone and dialed a number. "Today, during the System School Selection Consultation, the principal personally called him to the office." A deep voice came through the phone, "Did you investigate what exactly he did?" "No, I didn''t dare eavesdrop on the principal''s conversation. After all, he''s a strong practitioner in the Meridian Opening late stage!" The line went silent for a moment before the voice responded, "What''s your speculation about his talent?" "It''s hard to say. I specifically came to the school yesterday to watch Xiang Beifei''s awakening ceremony and saw the whole process. Although Li Nanxing concluded that the Electric Shock Thunderstone was broken, Xiang Beifei is Xiang Tianxing''s son after all. Xiang Tianxing is an SR-rated genius, so it''s hard for me to believe his son is just an N-rated waste." The voice on the phone continued, "So, you''re suspecting that Li Nanxing deliberately tampered with the Electric Shock Thunderstone to cover up Xiang Beifei''s UR-rated talent?" "It''s possible, especially since Li Nanxing took Xiang Beifei to the office alone today for the System School Selection Consultation, which makes me suspicious," the figure in the bushes spoke in a hushed tone. "Then go investigate thoroughly," came the reply from the phone. "If Xiang Beifei is truly a UR-rated genius, what do you plan to do?" "We''ll proceed according to the rules. If he''s just an N-rated Awakener, then let it be. But if he''s UR, we can''t just ignore it," the voice on the phone stated. "Understood." The figure in the bushes hung up the phone and with a swift motion, disappeared into the biological geography garden. ¡ª "Isn''t this a bit too hard?" Kong Xiuwen scratched his head, looking quite frustrated. Xiang Beifei was curiously examining Kong Xiuwen''s system. Kong Xiuwen''s system had just issued a task for him to complete a comprehensive exam paper, with the option to refer to books. The system''s reward was to lose another hair. For Kong Xiuwen, who was terrible at studying, this was a massive challenge. His foundation was not solid, so completing this task might be a bit difficult. "Pioneers are a noble profession. In the wilderness, how many people make up a pioneer team? What types of systems do these team members generally awaken? Please provide examples." Kong Xiuwen read the question while twirling his pen. His pen-twirling skill was flashy; he could twirl the pen around each finger but he just couldn''t untangle the answer to the question. After a while, Kong Xiuwen turned his head and quietly asked Xiang Beifei, "Right, you should know more about pioneers than I do. Help me look at this question." Kong Xiuwen knew that Xiang Beifei''s parents were pioneers, and he should be quite familiar with these kinds of questions. Xiang Beifei glanced at the question and then said, "Every pioneer team is composed of five people, and generally speaking, the system types they awaken are all different. One needs to have detection abilities, mostly serving as the team leader, to command the overall situation. One needs to have a healing system, responsible for treating teammates'' injuries. One needs to be a System Awakener with powerful offensive capabilities to open the way. One needs to have a defensive ability, to protect the entire team and avoid damage. The last one would be a System Awakener with special action capabilities, responsible for advancing or retreating." Healing systems are generally sought from the Liberal Arts College''s medical specialty, while the rest mostly come from the Martial Arts College. Having special action capabilities generally refers to practitioners who have awakened systems such as the Flight System or the Earth Escape System. In the wilderness, faced with all sorts of dangers, it''s necessary to have a team member with retreat capabilities to lead the team in avoiding insurmountable perilous situations at critical moments. Kong Xiuwen hurriedly wrote down Xiang Beifei''s answer. "Right, do you plan to become a pioneer in the future, like your parents?" Kong Xiuwen asked. "Maybe." Xiang Beifei answered offhandedly. That was not his heartfelt answer; for him, it was enough just to survive well in this world overrun with systems. Whether or not to become a pioneer wasn''t that important to him. Unless he needed to help others complete tasks for rewards or something. Yeah, just like that. "So, is your system one of these five types?" Kong Xiuwen asked. "Sort of. What about you?" "My system allows for a wide range of specialization choices, but I think I''ll go down the path of strength. I''m not good at studying, but I can fight." Kong Xiuwen chuckled and habitually touched his hair. Then he couldn''t smile anymore. The less hair one had, the stronger one was. Yet, his hair was still like seaweed, lush and thriving. "Right, have you decided on your university after consulting with the System School Selection Consultant?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Not yet, but I plan to go to the same university as you. I''ll go to whichever university you can get into," Kong Xiuwen said. He was an S-rank Awakener and had policy privileges. Except for the nine elite universities, he could easily get into any of the ordinary common universities. "Then we should set a small goal first!" Xiang Beifei paused, then said, "Like getting into Liangzhou University." "Goodness! Is that a small goal?" Kong Xiuwen gasped and stared at Xiang Beifei. Liangzhou University was one of the nine elite universities! Even as an S-rank System Awakener, he never dared to set his sights on one of the nine elite universities! Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Fractions "You actually want to try for Liangzhou University, have you lost your mind?" Kong Xiuwen asked softly. "I''ve checked for you; Liangzhou University''s score line is the lowest among the nine elite universities. You need to aim for the Martial Arts College of Liangzhou University. The score requirement for the cultural courses in the Martial Arts College is lower, and with the added points you have, you will just need to score 500." Xiang Beifei said. "What''s the use of you checking for me? It''s mainly about you! I''ve heard that different Awakeners have different score lines," Kong Xiuwen said. "As an N-level System Awakener, you need to score 670," Xiang Beifei stated calmly. The total score for the Gaokao is 750 points. Each of the nine elite universities has two types of colleges. The Liberal Arts College has its admission standards, focusing on all walks of life. As for the Martial Arts College, they do not demand high scores for cultural courses, so they lower the acceptance score. I don''t need to mention SR or SSR System Awakeners; they are all guaranteed admission. For S-level Awakeners, the admission line for the Martial Arts College is 550 points. For R-level Awakeners, the admission line for the Martial Arts College is 600 points. The other eight elite universities do not admit N-level System Awakeners. Only Liangzhou University gives N-level System Awakeners a chance. Even so, for N-level Awakeners, the admission line for Liangzhou University is as high as 670 points, the highest threshold for both the liberal and martial dao. Furthermore, you have to pass the university''s entrance examination. If you fail the assessment, they will still reject you. In the past, there were several N-level Awakeners with excellent scores in cultural courses who managed to score 670, but still failed at the entrance examination. Because Liangzhou University has strict requirements for N-level students, not only do they need to meet cultural course standards, but they must also pass the assessment. Liangzhou University hasn''t enrolled N-level System students for ten consecutive years. "670 points! Without any bonus points, that''s an astronomical figure, can you do it?" This score was something Kong Xiuwen never dared to dream of. Adding up his scores in all subjects, managing to get 400 points would already mean his ancestors were blessing him. S-levels get an addition of 50 points, R-levels get 10 points. These Awakeners at least have special lenient policies. But for N-level Awakeners in the Gaokao, there are no extra points; admission to elite universities relies solely on actual scores, in addition to passing a strict assessment, which is extremely difficult. "My system task is to get me into Liangzhou University. I must work toward this goal," Xiang Beifei said. "What a crappy system you have!" Kong Xiuwen finally understood what Xiang Beifei meant¡ªit wasn''t that he wanted to go to Liangzhou University, but the system wanted him to. If he didn''t complete the system task, it would be difficult to progress; he would remain mediocre for life. "You only need to score 500 points, and you can get into Liangzhou University, so you need to improve your grades within two months. It''s better to go to an elite university than a regular one," Xiang Beifei said. "What about you? Can you improve from 400 to 670 points in two months?" Kong Xiuwen asked. "I don''t have a choice. Even if it''s impossible, I still have to do it, understand?" Xiang Beifei said. He actually had great confidence, "Learn by Analogy" made studying for cultural courses incredibly simple. "Your system is even more of a scam than mine." Kong Xiuwen pulled at his hair, looking at Xiang Beifei with a face full of sympathy. Losing hair at least makes you stronger, but Xiang Beifei''s first task was almost as hard as ascending to heaven. "Quit the nonsense. Are you setting this small goal or not?" "Since you have such a grand task, I must keep up! It''s just improving by a hundred points in a short time, right? I''m all in!" At worst, he would just lose a few more strands of hair! Kong Xiuwen had some auxiliary potions in his S-level system''s store that could invigorate his mind, making his thinking more agile. He hadn''t wanted to use these; he preferred to buy things that increased strength. But now, he had to change his training focus and, with the help of the system, get admitted to Liangzhou University first. ¡ª¡ª After school, he didn''t go home with Kong Xiuwen; instead, he headed for the vegetable market. His grandfather made a living selling vegetables at the market, and Xiang Beifei wanted to help out. When Xiang Beifei arrived at the bustling vegetable market, it was evening, and there were a lot of people buying vegetables. The market was teeming and noisy. He found his grandfather in the middle of haggling with a vegetable vendor. "No, listen here, young lady, a bundle of green onions is just ninety cents, and you''re still bargaining?" Xiang Qingde shook his head at the stout woman in front of him. She had a basket slung over her arm, wore a necklace around her neck, and her makeup was thick, her lipstick especially obvious. "The quality of these onions isn''t great, see? The tips are turning yellow. They''re not fresh. Even ninety cents a bunch is too much. I''ll take two for a dollar fifty and how about you throw in two pieces of ginger?" the woman hollered in a loud voice. "Who does business like that? These onions were picked straight from the field today. Go on, find someone selling fresher ones!" Xiang Qingde was about to reason with the woman, but when he caught sight of Xiang Beifei approaching, he was very surprised, "Beifei, what brings you to a place like this?" "I just came to see if you needed any help," Xiang Beifei said. "I can manage by myself; why would I need your help? Aren''t you in your third year of high school? Shouldn''t you be reviewing your coursework?" Xiang Qingde asked. "You never liked coming here before, and now sudden... You haven''t run into some trouble, have you?" Xiang Qingde was somewhat anxious. Meanwhile, the plump woman was getting impatient, "I''m asking you, old brother, are you selling or not?" "Alright, alright, take them for a dollar fifty!" Xiang Qingde, more concerned about Xiang Beifei, quickly settled the haggling over the onions. The woman left, pleased as punch after paying. Xiang Beifei glanced at the woman''s system, which had awakened a "Level N Bargaining System." "[You''ve just haggled the price of a bunch of green onions below market value, your system points +0.01]" ... Bargaining System? Too bad this aunty doesn''t know about Pinduoduo. Otherwise, it''s all about chipping in with your bros! You could definitely haggle your way to a prosperous path. "Grandpa, you sold at a loss," Xiang Beifei pointed out. "It''s alright, are you okay?" Xiang Qingde pulled him over and gave him a once-over while asking, "Did someone bully you at school again?" Why does everyone think I get bullied? Do I look too naive or something? "I just wanted to clear my head; studying non-stop can get pretty boring," Xiang Beifei said. "Are you sure you''re okay?" "Really," Xiang Beifei assured. "Alright then, take a seat for now. We did good business today, made 60 bucks. It''s time to close up, and there are usually more customers around this time. Once it''s over, I''ll take you out to eat. They''re supposed to celebrate your system awakening yesterday, and I still haven''t taken you out." "Okay." Xiang Beifei watched his grandfather efficiently serve the customers, lending a hand where he could, grabbing bags and helping bag up the vegetables. But internally, he was weighing his current predicament. Grandpa earns just 60 bucks after a whole day selling vegetables? Suddenly, he felt a pang of sympathy for his grandfather. That earning 60 bucks could make him so happy. Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Swallowing Anger and Humiliation Liangzhou University, a tuition fee of 100,000. Grandpa''s income simply couldn''t afford it. Xiang Beifei still dared not tell his grandpa his goal. At least, he had to wait until after the college entrance examination. Xiang Qingde was bustling about, while Xiang Beifei was observing the people around him. At a glance, all the systems he saw were [N-level Vegetable and Fruit Merchant System][N-level Seafood King System][N-level Butcher System]... He occasionally saw an R-level system, but they were mostly used by people who stopped by to buy groceries after work. N-level Awakeners in this world could only live at the very bottom; the tasks released by their systems were very unreasonable, and it was very difficult for them to get ahead. The vegetable merchants and customers haggled vigorously and then occasionally checked their systems to see if they had completed a system task, gaining a glimmer of hope to continue living. As Xiang Beifei was thinking, a lazy voice emerged from the stall in front of him. "Old man, you know the rules, hurry up! Swap the taro for potatoes today." Xiang Beifei looked up and saw a man with a haughty expression. This man had a red armband on his arm that read "Market Civilization Supervisor." When Xiang Qingde saw the man, his face showed an odd expression, but he still squeezed out a smile and said, "Right away." He took out a plastic bag, picked some vegetables from the stall, quickly filled a large bag, and then handed it to the man. "The lettuce is good today." The man rudely picked a few more sticks of lettuce, stuffed them into the bag, weighed the bag, and then, satisfied, turned to leave. Xiang Beifei furrowed his brow and spoke out, "You forgot to pay." Xiang Qingde, hearing Xiang Beifei''s words, quickly gave him a look and subtly shook his head, asking Xiang Beifei not to speak. "Pay?" The man stopped, turned around, and looked at Xiang Beifei meaningfully, then tugged on his armband, "What did you just say?" "Nothing, Captain Ma, it''s just the child talking nonsense, don''t take it to heart," Xiang Qingde hurriedly said. Xiang Beifei looked at the man''s system interface: [Host: Ma Dongqiang] [N-level, Endure Silently System] [Realm: Mid-stage Qi-Controlling] [Your choice to endure the oppressive behavior of the old vegetable vendor silently has increased your endurance value by +1] Xiang Beifei thoughtfully looked at Ma Dongqiang''s system. In the system''s description, he saw a line: [Endure Silently System, when you choose to silently endure something or someone else chooses to silently endure your behavior, you can gain endurance value] Ma Dongqiang, as a Market Civilization Supervisor, managed this entire area of the market. The small vegetable vendors who wanted to sell their goods here had to listen to him. Thus, if he wanted to take someone''s goods, he would just take them, and the vendors dare not object, but could only choose to endure silently. This way, he could gain endurance value. Ma Dongqiang looked at Xiang Beifei with a half-smiling expression. This kid was obviously new and didn''t understand the rules here; in this place, he was the market''s tyrant, and no one had ever dared to ask him to pay. "Kid, as the Market Civilization Supervisor, I need to inspect the quality of the vegetables in the entire market. These vegetables are for me to test for pesticide residues. Do you have any objections?" Ma Dongqiang narrowed his eyes at Xiang Beifei, a smug look appearing at the corner of his mouth. Of course, he was going to take the vegetables home to eat. Sometimes he would also take them to give to his superiors. How could he possibly test them for pesticide residues? But with this excuse, he could keep these people completely under control. "No objections, no objections, it''s right to follow the rules," Xiang Qingde quickly said. He was certainly aware of Ma Dongqiang''s domineering nature, but if he wanted to sell vegetables here, he was forced to bow his head and pick out a portion of vegetables to give to Ma Dongqiang every afternoon as protection money. "I was asking him, not you, why are you mouthing off?" Ma Dongqiang glared at Xiang Qingde, then walked over to Xiang Beifei, his stature half a head shorter than Xiang Beifei''s, so he haughtily looked up at him. But he found this posture to be a bit odd, lacking a bit of dominance. "Do you, a little brat, have any complaints about my work?" Ma Dongqiang tried to stand on his tiptoes, making himself a bit taller, which he thought made his words more intimidating. Xiang Qingde was a bit nervous and pulled at Xiang Beifei''s sleeve from the side. He was worried that Xiang Beifei, being young and impetuous, might say something rash and cause trouble. Xiang Beifei looked down at Ma Dongqiang, who was unsteady on his tiptoes and slightly trembling, assessing the other''s system interface. [Current endurance value is 20967. When the endurance value reaches 21000, you can exchange for items: 1. 2000 yuan of Alliance currency. 2. Primordial Strengthening Pill] Xiang Beifei thought for a moment, then very amiably said to Ma Dongqiang, "No complaints." [The vegetable vendor''s grandson swallowed your threat without a word, your endurance value +1] When Ma Dongqiang saw this line appear on his system interface, he was instantly filled with pride. This kid just gave in like that? Just as I thought! In the vegetable market, there''s no one who dares to challenge me, Ma Dongqiang! "Smart lad! I''m in a good mood today so I won''t bother arguing with you. Here''s a piece of advice, kid. It''s good for you to suffer losses." Ma Dongqiang looked at Xiang Beifei contentedly. Just a student-looking youngster, could he not handle him? "You''re right." Xiang Beifei nodded sincerely. He couldn''t agree more. According to Ma Dongqiang''s way of flaunting his power, he only needed 43 more points to complete his system rewards, which he should collect by tomorrow. It could even be shipped for free. Ma Dongqiang thought he had bluffed another naive young man and was in high spirits! He chuckled, grabbed a handful of fava beans, and then walked confidently to the next store to inspect it. Xiang Qingde finally spoke up after Ma Dongqiang had left, "It''s fortunate you didn''t cause trouble, or it would have been a hassle." "Grandpa, does he come here every day to take our vegetables?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Yes, he comes exactly once a day to pillage. We''ve gotten used to it." Xiang Qingde sorted the unsold vegetables, shaking his head slightly. After a while, he smiled at Xiang Beifei and said, "Don''t take it to heart; life is like this. We''re always going to meet all sorts of people who add trouble to our lives; it can''t always go smoothly. But we must learn to choose our battles, and sometimes, it''s okay to take a loss and not dwell on it." Dwell on it? How could I! I sure know how to take a loss. Xiang Beifei nodded, "I understand, Grandpa." "Good, as long as you understand. No matter what happens, never lose hope for the future. We must always believe in one principle: as long as life doesn''t defeat us, it means we are in control of our lives!" Xiang Qingde patiently advised his grandson. He was giving Xiang Beifei these life lessons because yesterday Xiang Beifei had just awakened his system, which unfortunately turned out to be the lowest and least promising N-level system. But people should not give up on themselves. He hoped his grandson would face life with an optimistic attitude. However, Xiang Qingde would never understand just how good Xiang Beifei''s mentality was. Incredibly good. Xiang Qingde continued to attend to the customers buying vegetables, while Xiang Beifei watched his somewhat stooped grandfather and smiled softly. This was his only relative in this system world. And the one he must protect. Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Grandparent and Grandchild "Ah! I absolutely can''t endure this, who''s responsible! Bastard!" Ma Dongqiang''s system reward arrived a bit earlier than Xiang Beifei had anticipated. He bossed the vendors around every day, scavenging all sorts of things in the market, so the collection was quickly complete. Therefore, when the vendors were closing up shop and Ma Dongqiang''s angry howls rose from the other side, Xiang Qingde still found it strange. "What''s wrong with him?" Xiang Qingde looked at Ma Dongqiang puzzled as he hopped up and down in agitation. "Don''t know, maybe he''s constipated." With two thousand yuan in his pocket, Xiang Beifei watched Ma Dongqiang like an onlooker eating melon seeds. "Is that so!" Xiang Qingde suddenly understood, then whispered after a moment, "You see, what goes around comes around. That''s why it''s better to be kind." He seemed rather satisfied. But Ma Dongqiang was on the verge of going mad with anger! Originally he was happy to have saved enough endurance value, and with much excitement, he went to claim his reward that he had accumulated over several months, only to find that the system had glitched! Ma Dongqiang''s face turned green on the spot! [Please learn to hold back and remain silent. Avoid getting agitated, or endurance points will be deducted.] "All my things are gone, how can I possibly hold back?" Ma Dongqiang roared. [The host failed to hold back, endurance value -1, current endurance value is 2] "I''m so done with this!" [The host failed to hold back, endurance value -1, current endurance value is 1] Ma Dongqiang took a sharp breath and hurriedly shut his mouth, his face turning white. His [Endure and Swallow Your Voice] system had two ways of acquiring points. If others chose to endure and swallow their voices against his actions, he could accumulate endurance value. If he himself endured and swallowed his voice in response to others'' actions, he could also accumulate endurance value. Enduring and swallowing one''s voice was a two-way street. Thus if his task reward was lost, he had to endure it too! If he couldn''t endure, then it would be disastrous! He had finally accrued 21,003 points by exploiting these vendors, and after exchanging them for his task reward, now both the Primordial Strengthening Pill and two thousand yuan were gone. He had been domineering for so long, lost his cool for a moment, threw a fit, and as a result, had his endurance value docked too! Ma Dongqiang saw the customers and vendors around him all pointing and whispering, and he felt like his lungs would explode with rage! But he dared not lash out. Even if these vendors mocked him or threw a rotten egg at him, he had to endure and swallow his voice. Most importantly, he couldn''t take retaliatory measures against these vendors, otherwise, that too would count as failing to endure, and endurance points would be deducted! "I... I will endure!" [You chose to endure and swallow your voice regarding the matter that befell you, your endurance value +1, your current endurance value is 2] "Ah..." Ma Dongqiang hated this so much internally! Even if he had to bite off his teeth, he still had to swallow them. ---- Xiang Beifei saw all of Ma Dongqiang''s system notifications and knew that Ma Dongqiang probably wouldn''t exploit the vendors for a while, as it would all be counted by the system as failing to endure. "Grandpa, actually you could just ask him to pay up, not let him scavenge. I think he wouldn''t dare to say anything," Xiang Beifei said. Ma Dongqiang''s need to endure and swallow his voice meant that when others refused his demands, he couldn''t make a fuss. However, all these vendors needed to make a living in the market, and Ma Dongqiang decided whether the vendors could sell vegetables there or not, so whatever Ma Dongqiang said, those vendors had no choice but to follow. "It''s no trouble." Xiang Qingde shook his head, his grandson had just awakened to his system and would need to attend school in the future, he needed this job¡ªbetter to avoid any additional trouble. Xiang Beifei didn''t continue explaining. ``` However, Ma Dongqiang might continue to exploit these bottom-tier vegetable vendors who make a living by selling their goods. But that''s okay, since grandfather is here, Xiang Beifei doesn''t mind making a few more trips to this place. He tossed the Primordial Strengthening Pill to Xiaohei. Ma Dongqiang was at the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling, a small realm higher than Xiang Beifei, which also meant he could be used to illuminate a constellation. So far, with the two types of medicinal pills given by Principal Li Nanxing, plus the Primordial Strengthening Pill, he had three in total. He still needed one more to be ready to illuminate the Arrogant Dragon Constellation. It was just a pity that the body technique manual from Liu Qianrou wasn''t very powerful, only suitable for the early stage of Qi-Controlling. He could only think of a way to sell it. "Let''s go, I said I would take you out to eat today." Xiang Qingde said cheerfully. Xiang Beifei did not refuse and followed his grandfather to a small stir-fry restaurant. "Order whatever you like, don''t be shy. This is to celebrate your acquiring your own system." Xiang Qingde pushed the menu to Xiang Beifei with a beaming smile, displaying great generosity. He was still willing to spend money on his only grandson. Xiang Beifei ordered three dishes, spending twenty-one yuan. He knew his grandfather always saved money, so he ordered three of the cheapest dishes, just to make a gesture. "You must have been studying your system in your room yesterday afternoon; I didn''t disturb you. This morning, when I got up, you were still sleeping, so I didn''t ask you about it. Speaking of which, how well do you understand your system now?" Xiang Qingde asked. "I have basically figured it out. I''m thinking about how to complete tasks." "Is the first system task difficult? Can I help in any way?" Xiang Qingde asked. Xiang Beifei shook his head: "I need to complete it independently." "Complete it independently?" Xiang Qingde understood. If the system required tasks to be completed independently, then others couldn''t intervene, otherwise, it would be considered a failure. "In any case, you need to take your system seriously. Ask more if you don''t understand, and be sure to speak up if you have needs. Don''t hold back. Grandpa is here! I will definitely help you," Xiang Qingde instructed. "Understood." Xiang Beifei nodded and then glanced at his grandfather''s system again. That snowflake panel always made him feel puzzled. What had happened to make his grandfather''s system turn out like this? But he did not feel it was appropriate to inquire, so he had to suppress this curiosity for the time being. ¡ª¡ª The dishes were served quickly. Xiang Qingde kept putting food onto Xiang Beifei''s plate while he himself ate rice. He hardly touched the three dishes, only occasionally using his chopsticks to dip into the sauce to touch up his rice with a bit of taste. "Aren''t you eating, Grandpa?" "I am eating, I am. You hurry up and eat more. It''s time for you to grow," Xiang Qingde said with a smile. Xiang Beifei didn''t say much, ate half, then put down his chopsticks and said, "I''m full." "Full already? Eat some more, you''re growing." "This meal doesn''t suit my taste. I don''t want to eat out next time¡ªit''s not tasty," Xiang Beifei said. "Not tasty? Oh, I knew we shouldn''t have come here, and there''s still so much left..." Xiang Qingde looked somewhat distressed at the three plates of food that Xiang Beifei had barely touched. Xiang Beifei said, "If we can''t finish it, let''s just leave it. Toss it out." "How can we do that? We can''t waste food like that, how can we just throw it away? You better eat some more," Xiang Qingde hurriedly shook his head, urging Xiang Beifei to continue eating. But Xiang Beifei looked disgusted, and Xiang Qingde had no choice but to eat some of the dishes himself. Eventually, he had the leftover dishes packed up. Actually, the food at the restaurant was cooked better than at home, and Xiang Beifei was aware of this fact. But when eating out, his grandfather always claimed not to like the food, then left the tasty things for him to eat, barely eating much himself. However, Xiang Beifei knew how to get the thrifty and frugal old man to pick up his chopsticks and join him in eating. Just say it should be thrown away. A simple matter. ``` Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Desolate Beast The grandson and grandfather walked home along the street under the moonlight. It was already past nine in the evening, and people who had been busy all day trudged by, too weary to give anyone else more than a passing glance. When they reached the corner of the street, Xiang Qingde told Xiang Beifei to head back home first as he needed to stop by the grocery store to talk about some matters with the owner. Xiang Beifei turned the corner alone, not far from home, with just an alley to cross. The alley was unusually quiet today, seemingly untouched by passersby. To add to the silence, the streetlight was broken, leaving a long stretch of road shrouded in darkness. Just then, Xiaohei on his shoulder suddenly tensed, tugging at Xiang Beifei''s ear and barking twice in warning. "Is there something there?" Xiang Beifei also felt something was amiss and looked toward the dark void ahead; a foreboding presence seemed to stir in the shadows. Lacking any real combat skills, he felt no curiosity towards this unknown danger and immediately turned to run towards the light. However, before he could take two steps, a low growl cut through the darkness; it was as if a gust of wind swept by, and a shadow lunged toward him. Xiang Beifei instinctively dodged to the side, avoiding the strike, while the shadow missed and quickly steadied itself before turning to fix its gaze on him. As he ran towards this side, the faint light from a nearby residential building cast out, dispersing some of the darkness. Taking advantage of this dim light, he could make out the rough appearance of the shadow. It was an animal about one meter tall, resembling a large yellow dog, except the dog had two-inch-long fangs and hair that stood on end like barbs. Its limbs had protrusions that looked like bone blades. "Is this a desolate beast?" Xiang Beifei was quite surprised. He was aware that this world harbored various powerful desolate beasts, with terrifying combat strength constantly encroaching upon human territories. But normally, these desolate beasts shouldn''t appear in residential areas; they were kept beyond the wastelands outside of Jiuzhou. Jiuzhou itself was guarded by pioneers and defenders who would slay any beasts that slipped through. The area where Xiang Beifei resided was considered a safe zone. Under normal circumstances, there shouldn''t be any desolate beasts, and if there were, they would be eliminated by the law enforcement. So what was the story with this strange canine? Suddenly, Xiaohei sniffed something and turned its head towards a roadside tree in the darkness, barking twice more. Xiang Beifei looked in that direction but saw no one. However, he did see a system interface hiding amongst the tree branches quite clearly. Even in the darkness, that system interface shone brightly to Xiang Beifei. Like a lighthouse amidst the murk, unmistakably conspicuous. Xiang Beifei could see anyone''s system, even if he couldn''t make out what the person looked like. "Who is this person?" Xiang Beifei frowned, focusing on the system interface, attempting to discern the information displayed on it. But, unfortunately, since the interface was obstructed by branches and at a distance, he couldn''t make out the system''s details. At this moment, the strange canine was not allowing Xiang Beifei any time to ponder; it was fixating on him and charged again. Whoosh! Xiang Beifei once again dodged the beast-dog''s attack by swiftly sidestepping. The moonlight glinted off the beast''s bone blade as it swung at Xiang Beifei, who narrowly evaded; the razor-sharp bone blade tore through his clothes! His strength had only just reached the early stages of Qi-Controlling, and this beast-dog was ferocious, its power and speed far surpassed his. He was also fortunate to have the "Learn by Analogy" ability. After continuously evading the mutant dog''s attacks twice just now, he had fully understood the information about this mutant dog: ¡ª¡ªOriginally a stray dog, two years and three months old, mutated into a mutant dog, its strength and speed are ten times that of before, relying mainly on the bone blades on its legs for attacks, with its killing power ranked among the lowest of desolate beasts. The mutant dog''s weakness lies in the cartilage beneath the bone blade; hitting it will paralyze its entire body and render it unable to fight for five minutes. "The weakness is the cartilage beneath the bone blade?" Xiang Beifei quickly focused on the mutant dog''s bone blade, which was six inches long, about twenty centimeters, and extremely vicious when used. If it weren''t for his ability "Learn by Analogy," which allowed him to quickly grasp the mutant dog''s mode of attack and dodge at the critical moment, he would have been knocked down long ago. But even knowing the opponent''s attack pattern, trying to dodge was still strenuous, as the opponent''s speed was still faster to some extent. Xiang Beifei didn''t have any suitable weapons on hand, all he could think of was using rocks. "Roar!" The mutant dog raised its bone blade and viciously kicked towards Xiang Beifei, who plunged to the side and crashed into the wall. In his desperation, he happened to grab a brick. But just as he was about to use the brick to smash the mutant dog''s bone blade, he suddenly remembered the mysterious person hiding in the tree and watching. The presence of the mutant dog here must be related to that mysterious person. That meant the other party was stronger than he was. If they were to take advantage of Xiang Beifei being busy dodging the mutant dog to launch a sneak attack, Xiang Beifei wouldn''t have any means of resisting. But that person stood there without initiating an attack, did he have some concerns? Was it because it wasn''t convenient for him to make a move? Or some other reason? "Could it be that he''s here to test my strength?" Xiang Beifei''s mind raced with many possibilities in an instant! ¡ª¡ª "The geniuses with UR rank systems from the legends don''t have to do any tasks right after awakening and possess late-stage Qi-Controlling strength. Come on, let''s see if you can deal with this mid-stage Qi-Controlling mutant dog." The shadow atop the tree watched Xiang Beifei confronting the mutant dog and muttered to itself. He was ordered to investigate the system talent rank of Xiang Tianxing''s son. Principal Li Nanxing was stronger than him; naturally, he couldn''t get any information from Principal Li Nanxing, so he started from Xiang Beifei himself. If Xiang Beifei was an Awakener of a UR system, then he should be in the late stages of Qi-Controlling by now, and it should be more than enough for him to kill off this mutant dog. Once the mutant dog was killed, Xiang Beifei''s talent could be confirmed, and he could go back to report. "Why is he evading so strenuously?" The shadow had some doubts in its heart. There were no people here, if Xiang Beifei wanted to hide his talent, there was no need. Could it be that he awakened not a martial Dao system, but a literary Dao system? But that shouldn''t be the case either; even a literary Dao system of UR rank talent reaching the late stages of Qi-Controlling should still be able to fend off this mid-stage Qi-Controlling mutant dog with its own Spiritual Power, even if not adept at fighting. But why did this kid seem so flustered when dodging, not at all like someone with Spiritual Power? Could it be a mistake? Is he really just an N-rank loser? While the shadow was pondering, Xiang Beifei suddenly turned around and quickly ran towards the tree he was on; at the same time, the mutant dog also leaped high, pouncing in this direction. Chapter 31: Chapter 31: The Strange Dog The shadow believed it had concealed itself perfectly well. Considering it was at the very least a Meridian Opening stage cultivator, it knew Xiang Beifei definitely couldn''t see him, so he watched the unfolding scene with ease. However, what he hadn''t expected was for Xiang Beifei to suddenly turn tail and run this way, seemingly planning to find an obstacle to hide from the mutant hound, with the great tree serving as an ideal target. Yet he wasn''t in a hurry; his disguise was not something this kid could see through. The mutant hound charged fiercely, pouncing towards Xiang Beifei, its sharp bone blade drawing a vicious arc in the air, slashing towards Xiang Beifei''s back. Xiang Beifei cried out in alarm, ducking awkwardly to the side and covering his head, appearing as if he were terrified, with no intention of fighting back. But the hound''s massive body found nothing but air. The bone blade''s chilling gleam missed by barely brushing Xiang Beifei''s hair, and the beast couldn''t dodge in time, crashing into the crisscrossed branches before letting out a miserable yelp. A tree branch had just stabbed into the soft cartilage beneath the mutant hound''s bone blade! Howl! The mutant hound''s body went numb, and it fell to the base of the tree, its limbs twitching faintly, deprived of its combat strength. "My God! What monster! Terrifying!" Xiang Beifei exclaimed, hastily pulling out his phone and dialing Jiuzhou Alliance''s emergency hotline 999 in a panic. "Hello, is this 999? There''s... there''s a desolate beast here! Someone come quick!" Xiang Beifei shouted into the phone. "This guy really got lucky!" The shadow was surprised to see the mutant hound hit in its vulnerable spot by a tree branch. He had planned to probe further, but after seeing Xiang Beifei calling for help, he pondered briefly, then flashed out from one side, leaving the big tree behind. Jiuzhou''s Law Enforcers were capable of tracing the location of an emergency call, and some powerful officers would likely arrive within a few minutes. By now, he was almost certain that Xiang Beifei was nothing but an N-level scrub, so there was no point in loitering around. Only after the shadow had gone did Xiang Beifei stand up, the panicked expression on his face long gone, replaced by puzzled eyes intently following the direction where the shadow had disappeared. He didn''t pursue, for he couldn''t catch up. The anguished words from just now were uttered on the spur of the moment. The desolate beast at the Qi-Controlling mid-stage posed no threat to him; he could have dispatched the mutant hound with a rock, but he had deliberately run this way to better understand the system of this individual. The mutant hound''s collision with the tree and the subsequent puncture of its soft cartilage was not luck, but part of Xiang Beifei''s calculated plan. Fortunately, Beifei''s disguise was not in vain. In the rush of the moment, he clarified the system information of the other party: [Host: Xu Yang] [S-level, Mutation System] [Realm: Meridian Opening initial stage] [Mutation System: Can cause any living creature to undergo a brief mutation] "Who is this Xu Yang? Possessing an S-level system, and still at the Meridian Opening initial stage?" Xiang Beifei was quite puzzled. A cultivator at the initial stage of Meridian Opening, as per his system, should still be a martial artist, and it would be easy for such a person to take action against him. But he had actually left, without even considering capturing him and throwing him into a confinement cell. Was the other party truly just probing him? "Could it be because of yesterday''s anomaly with the thunderstone when I activated the Awakening System?" The only possibility Xiang Beifei could think of was this. The mutant hound on the ground twitched twice, seemingly about to regain its ability to move. It hadn''t died earlier; it was merely incapacitated for a short time after being impaled in the soft cartilage. "Lie down and wait for the police to come." Xiang Beifei broke off a branch from the tree, gestured with it, and poked the mutant hound''s soft cartilage to ensure it would rest a little longer. ¡ª¡ª A shadow flickered through the night. It wasn''t until he was two streets away from the alley that the shadow finally came to a stop. The person known as "Xu Yang" walked to a secluded spot, looked around to ensure no one was there, then took out his phone and dialed a number. Soon, a voice came through from the other end of the call, "Is it confirmed?" "Confirmed." "Is it a UR talent?" "Definitely not. He couldn''t even defeat a mid-stage Qi-Controlling mutant hound, got scared yelling for help. If such a guy is a UR talent, that would be an insult to UR itself." "He was defeated by a mutant hound?" The voice on the other end of the phone seemed a bit surprised, "Is he that weak?" "Yes, he didn''t inherit his father''s talents at all. His father was at least SR-level, and he''s just an N-level." "Xiang Tianxing''s son is only N-level? Hard to believe..." The person on the other end of the phone fell silent, seemingly in thought. Xu Yang continued, "Maybe I really got it wrong, he doesn''t have the potential." "He didn''t discover you, did he?" "How could he possibly notice me? With his strength, I could stand behind him, and he wouldn''t even see me," said Xu Yang. "It''s best he didn''t notice. Given that, don''t bother with him anymore. Your mission is over; you can come back." "Okay." Xu Yang hung up the phone and took another look at his system interface: [Your mutant hound attacked Xiang Beifei, mutant hound proficiency +2, the strength of the next mutated hound +1, mutation value +1] "Eh? Not a total loss, the proficiency of the mutant hound actually increased tonight? Jackpot!" Xu Yang''s mood brightened, "Though Xiang Beifei lacks talent, he inadvertently helped my mutant hound level up; that''s rare." Usually, when mutant hounds attack others, the chances of proficiency increasing are very slim. Today is my lucky day! ---- Xiang Beifei waited on the spot for five minutes, noticing that the police still hadn''t arrived. The main reason he had called the police just now was for his own safety, and as a way to frighten the other party away. Actually, that person had already left; there was no need to involve the police. However, since he had called the police, he still needed to handle it, otherwise they might trace him using his cell number, find his home, and then he would have to explain it to his grandfather, causing the old man to worry. The mutant hound lying on the ground seemed to gradually regain its ability to move; this was already the third time it recovered, with the previous two times being knocked down by Xiang Beifei. The mutant hound slowly crawled up and, baring its teeth at Xiang Beifei, prepared to continue its attack. Just when Xiang Beifei was about to jab it for the third time, suddenly, a crisp commanding voice came from behind, "Demon! You shall not harm people!" A shadow flashed by Xiang Beifei''s side, with a leg sweeping over and kicking the mutant hound in front of him. "Oof!" The mutant hound, just standing up, was sent flying by a long leg. She was a short-haired girl, with a delicate appearance, tall figure, wearing jeans and a white shirt. After kicking, her leg still maintained the lifted posture; it was very stylish. She slowly lowered her leg, turned her head to look at Xiang Beifei, and asked, "Did you call the police?" Xiang Beifei looked at the girl''s system: [Host: Lu Zhiwei] [S-level, Super Police System] [Realm: Advanced Qi-Controlling] "Lu Zhiwei?" Xiang Beifei knew this girl. "Eh? Beifei!" Lu Zhiwei seemed to only then recognize Xiang Beifei''s face. Xiang Beifei''s father was a pioneer, while Lu Zhiwei''s father was a city guardian; the two had work-related interactions in the past, so Xiang Beifei and Lu Zhiwei also knew each other from before. Lu Zhiwei was a year older than Xiang Beifei. She awakened her system last year and started her freshman year of university this year at Liangzhou University. "I''m the one who called the cops, but why did you show up? You''re not a city law enforcer," Xiang Beifei asked. Lu Zhiwei put her hands on her hips and replied, "I attend classes during the day and intern at my dad''s office in the evening, is that a problem?" After a pause, she added, "I''m here, and you''re being picky. If I hadn''t responded to the call, you might have been carried away by this desolate beast by now. You should thank me for arriving in time to deal with this beast." Deal with? That desolate beast was lying down obediently just ten minutes ago! "Then I really should thank you. Lucky you came on time, or a moment later..." Xiang Beifei dusted off his clothes, picked up his backpack nonchalantly, and said, "My wounds would have healed." Lu Zhiwei: "..." Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Deductive Reasoning Lu Zhiwei pretended not to hear Xiang Beifei''s words and shone her flashlight on the otherworldly dog that had been kicked to the brink of death, her expression growing slightly more serious, "Why would there be a desolate beast here?" "Just now..." Xiang Beifei was about to explain, but Lu Zhiwei held up a hand to stop him from continuing, "Don''t spoil it for me, I''m a Law Enforcer. Let me reason it out!" What is there to reason out? However, Lu Zhiwei''s "Super Police System" seemed to have issued a task: [Task: Investigate the scene, deduce the events that occurred] [Correct deduction reward: +1 Recognition Ability] "Alright then!" Xiang Beifei shrugged his shoulders and made a welcoming gesture. Lu Zhiwei walked around the alley seriously, circling a tree twice, squatting down to poke the otherworldly dog, then wandering through the alley as if looking for some clues. A minute later, she lifted her head and said, "You must have had poor grades and were kept in detention by the teacher, which is why you''re only just getting home now. You encountered this desolate beast, but you still had time to call the police, indicating that the beast''s target wasn''t you but instead another person, whom you saw being attacked, hence you called the police. But when I arrived, the desolate beast was about to attack you, and there was no second person at the scene¡ªAh! Could that person have been eaten by the desolate beast?" Xiang Beifei: "???" "Am I right in my deducing?" Lu Zhiwei asked eagerly. Xiang Beifei spread his hands. A line of text flashed across her system interface: [Deduction failed, current accuracy rate: 11%, target accuracy rate: 20%] "How is that possible? I deduced it by referencing the logic of detective cartoons. I''ve seen over 600 episodes of detective cartoons, learned so many insights, mastered all sorts of perfect crimes, alibis, locked-room murder techniques... and still my deduction accuracy rate is this low!" Lu Zhiwei muttered to herself indignantly, hands on her hips. Xiang Beifei said, "The detective cartoon you''ve been watching, wouldn''t the protagonist happen to be Detective Kogoro Mori?" Lu Zhiwei glared at Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei casually glanced over Lu Zhiwei''s stats again. [Speed: 79] [Strength: 80] [Identification Ability: 19] [Deduction Ability: 18] ... These skewed stats are a bit severe. Could it be that she leveled up her skill tree incorrectly, putting all the points into speed and strength? Is she planning to become a violent detective? "Xiao Wei, you went on a mission alone again without telling me!" At that moment, a man hurried into the alley from behind. Wearing a blue guard uniform, he strode quickly over, scanning the alley with a serious look, then frowned slightly at the sight of the otherworldly dog lying on the ground. Xiang Beifei looked at the man''s system interface: [Host: Lu Hong] [Grade S, Investigation System] [Realm: Early Stage of Meridian Opening] When Lu Zhiwei saw Lu Hong, she shrank her head and said sheepishly, "Dad, I was just reducing your workload! A desolate beast showed up in our area, which is a big deal. You were eating just now, so I took it upon myself to step in." ``` "Nonsense! You''re not a law enforcer yet, and my agreeing to let you intern here every evening wasn''t permission for you to stir up trouble. Couldn''t you have called me when I wasn''t around?" Lu Hong''s voice was very serious. Lu Zhiwei smiled sheepishly and dared not talk back. "Beifei, what happened? Did you report an attack?" Lu Hong also knew Xiang Beifei. "Yes, just now I was attacked by a desolate beast." Xiang Beifei pointed at the mutant dog on the ground. Lu Hong stared at the mutant dog for a long while before speaking, "This isn''t a true desolate beast, but a dog that has been mutated by someone. It''s a low-level mutant dog which won''t revert back until its strength has dissipated. Earlier, it must have been¡ª" Lu Hong paused here, looking at Xiang Beifei with some astonishment, then asked, "It was targeting you; it chased you from over there to this tree and then ran into the tree, seemingly losing its ability to fight. You''re really lucky." Such impressive deductive skills. Much better than the 11% accuracy of Lu Zhiwei. Indeed, experience does count. However, it wasn''t luck that the mutant dog lost its ability to fight; everything was just within Xiang Beifei''s calculations. Lu Zhiwei said softly, "Dad, it was I who knocked down this mutant dog just now." "Where did you knock it down? You were just gilding the lily. Look here, the dog''s vulnerability was clearly prodded several times by this branch, at least three times. By the way, Beifei, how did you know how to deal with this mutant dog?" Lu Hong looked at Xiang Beifei with astonishment. In his impression, Xiang Beifei was not very serious about his studies, unlike his father. "Oh right, I''ve read some books about mutant dogs and know their weaknesses. When it ran into the tree just now, I kept scratching its vulnerable spot to prevent it from getting up, waiting for you to come." Xiang Beifei nodded, making no attempt to conceal it. After all, Lu Hong was a law enforcer, and one equipped with the Investigation System at that, so there was no need to hide anything from him. "Ah, so that''s how it was!" Lu Zhiwei remembered her own dreadful reasoning and rolled her eyes, "Damn, I thought it had eaten a person!" Lu Hong ignored his daughter and continued to question Xiang Beifei, "Who have you angered? Why would someone use a mutant dog to attack a student like you?" "I don''t know, I was just taking this road on my way home, when a desolate beast suddenly pounced on me, and then I started running while calling the police." Xiang Beifei thought for a moment, then added: "Right, just now I saw someone hiding in this tree. It seemed like he was making a phone call. I vaguely heard someone on the phone calling him Xu Yang. Maybe he thought I was eavesdropping, so he attacked me. When he heard me calling the police, he ran away. Uncle Lu, can you find out anything?" "Xu Yang?" Lu Hong frowned slightly, then noted the name. He carefully climbed up the tree to check and after a while said: "Indeed, someone has been here. They stood in this spot for about ten minutes. Judging by the wear on the bark, the person weighs around 70 kilograms." He asked Xiang Beifei for more details, and Xiang Beifei, apart from his own abilities, disclosed everything else; there was nothing worth hiding. If they were to investigate a stranger, clearly, it would be more convenient for Lu Hong to do the investigation. They had the help of the system, which would make the process more efficient. Unfortunately, no matter how extensive Lu Hong''s investigative experience was, his system couldn''t directly provide more information about the suspect. "I''ll take this mutant dog back for investigation. Anyone who can make an ordinary dog into a mutant dog certainly has a mutation-based system, and their strength is at least in the late stages of Qi-Controlling, if not stronger. But since he didn''t harm you, he must have been wary of something, perhaps not wanting to leave too many clues. So he might have just sent the mutant dog to distract your attention, not planning to do anything to you. It seems like you won''t be in danger for the time being, I''ll take you home first, and once I have some leads, I''ll inform you." Lu Hong explained the situation to Xiang Beifei. "Alright, Uncle Lu." Xiang Beifei nodded politely. ``` Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Divine Mud This person named Xu Yang, Xiang Beifei was still unclear about who exactly he was. But he should not lay hands on himself, that was the only thing Xiang Beifei could be certain of. He did not tell Lu Hong what Xu Yang''s system was or what his cultivation level was. Being just a high school student who had just awakened his system, if he knew these things, Lu Hong would start to suspect him. He would let Lu Hong investigate next, as he was part of the city''s guard squad, he could check all the population records for anyone named Xu Yang and see if he could filter them out one by one. Xiang Beifei needed to focus on two things at the moment. One was earning money, and the other was cultivating. Earning money was essential. Although due to his father''s cause, the Alliance provided a monthly pension, Xiang Beifei could not rely on the pension for life. If he wanted to forge his own path, he needed to be self-reliant. Besides, if he really went to a place like Liangzhou University, this pension wouldn''t be enough. And cultivation was of utmost importance. Unlike others, while others could do system tasks to improve their cultivation, he had to rely on his own personal cultivation. He sat cross-legged on the bed, circulated the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula once, absorbed the spiritual energy around him, introduced it into his body, tempering his own meridians. The night battle with the alien canine made him realize his many shortcomings, and he felt he needed a suitable weapon. Otherwise, facing a desolate beast like that always gave him a sense of disadvantage. "Xiaohei, do you have any weapons you could give me to use?" Xiang Beifei poked Xiaohei, who was rolling around bored next to him. Xiaohei barked excitedly and said, "Divine Mud." "What Divine Mud?" "A very hard and strong material that can transform into any tool you want." Xiang Beifei''s eyes lit up. "That sounds powerful. Where can I get it?" "Illuminate the Arrogant Dragon Constellation, and then use your spiritual power to nurture the divine mud, refining it into the shape you want," Xiaohei said. Illuminate the Arrogant Dragon Constellation? The Arrogant Dragon Constellation had four stars, and he had already collected three items that could illuminate the stars. He was still missing one. "Who should I ask for this one?" Xiang Beifei held his chin, pondering. Should he ask the principal for help again? But it would be embarrassing to ask directly, he could not just burst into the principal''s office and say, "Principal, send me another two thousand prestige points, just for a gesture?" Although Xiang Beifei felt he had thick skin, it wasn''t to that extent. But there was no rush now, even if he illuminated the Arrogant Dragon Constellation, he needed to increase his strength first. Xiang Beifei continued cultivating the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula. His spiritual power had not yet fully formed. According to this pace, he should be able to reach the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling by the end of the month. ¡ª Xiang Beifei asked Lu Hong not to tell his grandfather about the attack; he did not want the old man to worry too much. Lu Hong was a very responsible law enforcer. An alien canine had appeared and attacked his old friend''s son within his managed area, yet he had not caught the suspect, feeling somewhat derelict in his duties. Therefore, he called every day to inquire about Xiang Beifei''s condition and ensure his safety. Apart from attending classes in school, Xiang Beifei practiced cultivation at home every day without any slack. On the third day after the attack, as Xiang Beifei was returning home from school, he ran into Lu Hong, who seemed to have been waiting for him outside the school gates. "Uncle Lu." Xiang Beifei greeted. Lu Hong took Xiang Beifei aside with a serious expression. After checking that no one else was around, he asked, "Beifei, you haven''t encountered Xu Yang recently, have you?" "No, what''s the matter?" Xiang Beifei asked. "I just wanted to make sure. Could you once again go over the details of what happened that day?" Lu Hong said. "Didn''t I explain it that day?" "I need to be sure again. I''m currently investigating a case, and I suspect it might be related to your incident. That''s why I have to check again." Lu Hong looked somewhat tired, with bloodshot eyes, as if he hadn''t slept for several days. Xiang Beifei could only repeat what he had said at that time. After listening, Lu Hong''s brows were tightly knitted. "Is this case very tricky?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Yes¡ªit is, but don''t worry. You must be careful these days. Try not to walk alone, and make sure there are people around you." Lu Hong fell silent for a moment before flipping his hand and pulling out an extremely thin vest. He placed the vest on Xiang Beifei, and it transformed into a blue light and attached itself to Xiang Beifei''s clothes. "This Azure Light Armor will protect you from two mid-stage Qi-Controlling attacks, and the protection lasts for a month. If the person who attacked you that day and the person I''m currently looking for are the same, then you must be cautious. If you encounter Xu Yang who attacked you, just pound your chest to activate the bulletproof vest, and I will rush over within a minute!" Lu Hong said solemnly. Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. This Azure Light Armor, purchased by Lu Hong using his system values from the system store, was a type of system reward. The Azure Light Armor, capable of withstanding mid-stage Qi-Controlling attacks, meant he had inadvertently collected all the spiritual power crystals needed to activate the Arrogant Dragon Constellation? Xiang Beifei hadn''t expected that the fourth spiritual power crystal would come this way. "Regardless, I must capture that criminal myself and not let him harm anyone else." Lu Hong seemed to recall some past events and clenched his fist. He gave Xiang Beifei this bulletproof vest mainly because he associated the current criminal with Xu Yang, so protecting Xiang Beifei was necessary if Xu Yang was the criminal he was chasing. "Alright, thank you, Uncle Lu." Xiang Beifei nodded. The protection offered by the bulletproof vest was only for a month, but this was not important to Xiang Beifei. He didn''t need the protection of the Azure Light Armor, as it could only withstand mid-stage Qi-Controlling attacks, and he was confident in confronting such powers. Xiang Beifei planned to fuse it into a spiritual power crystal. After returning home, he didn''t hesitate, taking out the Azure Light Armor along with the Primordial Strengthening Pill, Qi Condensing Pill, and Forgetting Dust Pill. With the help of Xiaohei, he successfully activated the Arrogant Dragon Constellation in the Spirit Gathering Book. [Arrogant Dragon Constellation: Divine Mud Breath Soil] [From the Classic of Mountains and Seas: Gun Stole the Emperor''s breath soil to stop the deluge] [Ability: Soil that can grow indefinitely, it needs one''s Spiritual Energy to nourish and grow] Xiang Beifei looked at the thumb-sized piece of yellow mud in his hand, which was the Breath Soil. According to Xiaohei, once the Breath Soil reached a certain quantity, it could transform into various special shapes, and it also possessed incredible hardness! However, currently, the Breath Soil was still just a speck, and making it grow was a long and arduous task. Chapter 34: Chapter 34: Bounty Tempering breath soil is a very exhausting task, because it requires an enormous amount of Spiritual Power. Xiang Beifei needed to expend most of his Spiritual Power just to make the soil barely grow a bit. He called this activity: "Soil Straining." Xiang Beifei tempered the breath soil for an entire day before he could get it to grow to one meter in length. This was already the limit he could reach with his current cultivation level. To make it grow further would require even more Spiritual Power, a higher realm was needed. However, after the breath soil grew to the limit of his current realm, he was already very satisfied. Since breath soil could change shape, he could turn it into a sword, a rope, or even a large hammer. It could transform into whatever was most handy. On Sunday noon, when Xiang Beifei was preparing to cook himself a meal, he heard a knock at the door. Opening the door, he found Lu Zhiwei outside. "Ha, I''m on holiday now!" Lu Zhiwei snapped her fingers. "Oh." Xiang Beifei shrugged his shoulders. "I thought you would be more enthusiastic!" Lu Zhiwei pouted her lips. "Is there something you need?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "Don''t you want to know who Xu Yang is?" Lu Zhiwei revealed a mysteriously cheeky smile. When she smiled, a sharp canine tooth showed. It was quite cute. "Did you guys find out?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "Not really, there are over ten thousand people named Xu Yang in the Jiuzhou Alliance. The information you provided was too general; it''s simply impossible to check one by one." Lu Zhiwei shook her head. That was true. Apart from providing a name, Xiang Beifei hadn''t given any other details. Of course, even if he had, it wouldn''t have been much use. No one would reveal their own system, and it was unlikely they could be found based on their profile alone. Most importantly, the person''s real name was Xu Yang, but what if the name he was registered under was something else entirely? "Didn''t Uncle Lu bring the strange dog back that day to find someone awakened with a similar ''Tracking System'' ability?" Xiang Beifei asked. "That''s the issue here. That guy is very cunning. He knows how to hide his tracks, and we even have a detective with a super sensitive nose who can''t do anything about him." Lu Zhiwei rarely showed such seriousness. "So why did you come to me? If he can''t find him, I''m even less likely to be able to." Xiang Beifei said, perplexed. With a face full of anticipation, Lu Zhiwei asked, "Did you see that person''s face that day?" Xiang Beife said after a moment of thought, "It was too dark at the time, and I couldn''t see clearly, but I should be able to recognize him if I saw him again." He truly did not know what the person looked like, but he knew the other''s system. A person can disguise themselves with various abilities, change their name and appearance, but the one thing they can''t change is their system. For Xiang Beifei, it was about taking an extra glance in a sea of people. "That''s good then, could you come with me? Perhaps the thief we are currently tracking is the same person who attacked you that day!" Lu Zhiwei said excitedly. Xiang Beifei looked at Lu Zhiwei with a puzzled expression, "A thief?" "He''s the one ranked sixty-seventh on the Liangzhou wanted list. This person is too elusive; he''s the only one on the list whose true face we don''t know. He''s even moved to our jurisdiction recently. The last time our department was chasing him, I deduced his route and found out that he passed right by the place where you were attacked that day. Then it hit me, maybe the person who attacked you that day is him!" Xiang Beifei thought for a moment and asked, "You deduced this?" "Yes! With my meticulous analysis, exquisite discernment skills, and exceptional data integration ability, through a series of clever applications of logic, I have connected all these fragmented pieces of information together." Lu Zhiwei went on and on excitedly. "Is that so?" Xiang Beifei nodded thoughtfully and then said, "Then I won''t go." Lu Zhiwei was somewhat taken aback, "Why?" "Because the likelihood is that whatever you deduce is wrong, I thought you knew that." Xiang Beifei earnestly looked at this girl who had become an apprentice to Detective Kogoro Mori. Lu Zhiwei: "..." "You really have a way of speaking that doesn''t endear you to others, talking like that is how you end up not finding a girlfriend." Lu Zhiwei rolled her eyes. Xiang Beifei didn''t care, his own ability to control Qi was only at an early stage, and though perhaps it was stronger than that of his peers, there was no need for him to jump into the fray and track down wanted criminals. Lu Zhiwei sighed and said, "Forget it, if you won''t go, I can''t force you. Actually, this matter is quite risky. I originally told my dad that I wanted your help, but he didn''t agree, saying you don''t have any self-protection capabilities. Every suspect on the Liangzhou wanted list is dangerous, otherwise, the reward wouldn''t be so high. They have all sorts of weird abilities and often completely outmaneuver us..." "Wait, did you just say reward?" "Yes, but the reward is not the point! What matters are the criminals themselves, we still don''t know about them..." "Okay, let''s set off then." Xiang Beifei quickly grabbed the keys, walked out the door, and swiftly locked it. The whole process was done in one fluid motion. Lu Zhiwei: "..." Isn''t that change of heart a bit too fast? "Why did you change your mind?" Lu Zhiwei stared at Xiang Beifei. "Eliminating violence, promoting justice, is the duty of us as citizens of Jiuzhou," Xiang Beifei said seriously. "Since when is your sense of justice so strong?" Lu Zhiwei looked at Xiang Beifei suspiciously. "My sense of justice has always been strong," Xiang Beifei said. As long as there was money for his tuition fee, he''d carry justice through to the end! Even if the reward was a mere five hundred, it was still money to him, and he wasn''t picky. Lu Zhiwei found it strange, but she was quite happy that Xiang Beifei had agreed to help. The two of them went downstairs together, with Lu Zhiwei even humming a tune, seeming in a good mood. Halfway there, Xiang Beifei asked, "How much is the reward for the sixty-seventh name on the Liangzhou wanted list?" "If you provide clues, the reward is between two thousand and five thousand depending on the situation, with assistance in the capture, the reward is twenty thousand. If someone captures them alone, the reward is a hundred and fifty thousand!" Xiang Beifei''s eyes lit up. "If I help you catch him, can I have half?" Xiang Beifei asked. "I am a city guardian, catching wanted criminals is part of my duty, the reward amount isn''t important. If you really help me catch them, the reward is all yours," Lu Zhiwei said generously. Decisive. Xiang Beifei recalled the matter from the day before yesterday when Lu Hong came to see him; Lu Hong was preoccupied with worry, linking Xu Yang and a suspect he was trying to capture, and also equipped him with the Azure Light Armor for protection. He asked, "Does Uncle Lu think the thief is that Xu Yang who attacked me that day?" "Yes, my dad has been working tirelessly to catch this thief for the past few days," Lu Zhiwei nodded. Xiang Beifei had brightened a constellation using the Azure Light Armor from Lu Hong yesterday. If possible, he wanted to help Lu Hong identify the criminal, as a way to repay the favor. After all, he was capable of seeing other people''s systems. "Tell me the details about the wanted criminal you''re trying to catch, so I have an idea of what we''re dealing with." Xiang Beifei said, then added, "It''s better if the information comes from what others have gathered, I don''t want any of your own imaginative deductions. Remember! None of your¡ªown¡ªdeductions!" Chapter 35: Chapter 35: The System of Prophecy "You really don''t trust my deductive skills?" Lu Zhiwei said, hands on her hips. "I''ve already experienced them last time," Xiang Beifei replied. An 11% accuracy rate, truly touching. Lu Zhiwei rolled her eyes at Xiang Beifei, and then pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to Xiang Beifei, saying, "This guy, nicknamed ''Lai Wuying,'' likes to break into houses and steal. He has committed over three hundred crimes here in Liangzhou and is very arrogant." The paper was an internal document from the law enforcement team, evidently sneaked out and copied by Lu Zhiwei. The wanted notice didn''t have a photo, not even a real name, height, weight, or any distinguishing features. The only characteristic was his habit of leaving the words "Lai Wuying" at the crime scene, seemingly to provoke the law enforcement officers on purpose. "There are no clues here, how can you be sure he came to our jurisdiction?" Xiang Beifei asked. "That''s an internal secret of our guardians, well, it''s not exactly a secret. We have a system Awakener in our team who specializes in finding fugitives. The past few days, he has predicted that ''Lai Wuying'' is approaching our area. According to his prophecy, this Awakener will be at Qianda Plaza this afternoon," Lu Zhiwei explained. "A prophetic system Awakener?" Xiang Beifei learned about prophetic system Awakeners in the subject of Synthesis. These Awakeners with the ability to prophesy were extremely rare, but every single prophetic Awakener was in high demand and never short of work. Usually, they were pre-booked by the official Jiuzhou alliance, secure jobs indeed, since these people could predict the general direction of events. Having them around before undertaking dangerous operations provided an extra layer of reassurance. Xiang Beifei asked, "Since he can prophesy, can''t he see what Lai Wuying looks like?" "I don''t understand the specifics, but my father mentioned the enigmatic nature of this ability. Prophets can only foresee within a certain range; beyond that, they can''t prophesy anymore. Lai Wuying just happened to enter our jurisdiction and got detected by him. And this ability... how should I put it? It has many limitations." "What kind of limitations?" "I''m not clear on the details, but all he provided was an oracle, saying that it would happen this afternoon at Qianda Plaza. He didn''t specify the exact time or where at Qianda Plaza," Lu Zhiwei admitted, only having a partial understanding of such things. This system seemed quite novel; Xiang Beifei was very intrigued to see it in action. He then asked, "Uncle Lu seems to take this fugitive very seriously? He looked a bit off that day." Lu Zhiwei hesitated for a moment before responding, "This matter involves one of my dad''s dear friends, Chen Gang, who was the captain of the Eastern Liangzhou City Guard. A while back, when ''Lai Wuying'' hit his jurisdiction, he went after the thief and ended up getting killed. My dad can''t let go of this and wants to catch Lai Wuying to bring him to justice, so his old friend can rest in peace." Xiang Beifei nodded thoughtfully. Lai Wuying really had guts, daring to target law enforcement officers. The two took a bus to Qianda Plaza. Today was Saturday, and Qianda Plaza was crowded with people out shopping and relaxing after a busy week. "Alright, now you need to keep your eyes peeled and observe the people around here, help me spot Xu Yang''s face. Just give me a signal, and I''ll rush over and tackle him!" Lu Zhiwei cracked her knuckles and went up on her tiptoes, giving her long legs a quick stretch to warm up. Xiang Beifei wasn''t here for Xu Yang; to be honest, given Lu Zhiwei''s lamentable deductive skills, if she linked "Lai Wuying" with Xu Yang, it almost guaranteed the two had nothing to do with each other. "Xiao Wei, why did you bring him here?" Before they could find a good spot to keep watch, Lu Hong suddenly emerged from the crowd and dragged them to a corner. "Dad, aren''t I here to help you?" Lu Zhiwei said with a giggly smile. Lu Hong knocked on Lu Zhiwei''s head, his voice low as he scolded, "Do you realize how serious this is? We''re here on an undercover operation to make an arrest, not for you to fool around!" "Uncle Lu, hello!" Xiang Beifei nodded politely in greeting. Lu Hong''s face was stern, "Beifei, it''s dangerous here, go home." Then he knocked on Lu Zhiwei''s head again. Lu Zhiwei touched her head in pain, her eyes teary as she said, "Dad, don''t you think this is all too coincidental? Look, the time Xue Mo made his prediction and the day Beifei was attacked were the same. I''ve analyzed that there must be a connection between them, which is why I brought him along! Besides, Dad, don''t you also want to catch Lai Wuying to avenge your old friend? If Lai Wuying is Xu Yang, who attacked Beifei, then surely Beifei would recognize him¡ªyou''ve got to trust my deductive skills for once!" Xiang Beifei pretended not to hear Lu Zhiwei''s words and instead said to Lu Hong, "I can give it a try, I won''t cause trouble, there are so many people here, he probably won''t do anything to me." No one knows who Lai Wuying is or what he looks like, which makes the capture all the more difficult. But Xiang Beifei could see other people''s systems, and if the prediction was accurate, he could scan the systems of everyone in the plaza and analyze those that were off. Lu Hong was silent for a long time. His old friend''s death still weighed heavily on him; he wouldn''t pass up any chance, however slight, to catch the murderer. "If that''s the case, then fine. But Beifei, you don''t know anything, so don''t wander off. Stay close by me with Xiao Wei. If you do see that person, don''t yell out, just tell me quietly," Lu Hong stated. "Okay." Xiang Beifei nodded. "Dad, why do you think he comes to Qianda Plaza? Is there anything here worth stealing for him?" Lu Zhiwei checked her system interface in a secluded corner of the plaza. She recorded all the clues related to ''Lai Wuying'' in the memo of her system interface so that she could search for information with just a thought. But after looking through it, the conclusions she could draw were limited. There was too little information left by Lai Wuying. "We don''t know yet. Maybe he''s just passing through, or perhaps he''s here for a heist. He''s been provoking us, the guardians, over and over again, and he''s really brazen. This time we must bring him to justice!" Lu Hong clenched his fist. Xiang Beifei inquired, "The book says that to predict something, you must have something related to the event. So what do you rely on to predict his moves?" Lu Hong replied, "We rely on the words he leaves behind. After every crime, he carves words into the crime scene, deep into the wood." Lai Wuying has not left any effective physical description to date. With over three hundred crimes committed, even the gender is unknown. Each time only a line of words was left before leaving arrogantly. "So, what do you think Lai Wuying''s system might be?" Xiang Beifei asked further. "People from different jurisdictions have been chasing him for a long time. Initially, it''s believed that he might have awakened a system like the ''Invisibility System'' or the ''Master Thief'', potentially possessing wall-penetrating and invisibility abilities," Lu Zhiwei clarified from the side. These were just speculations; it was hard to say for sure since they couldn''t see Lai Wuying''s system. Chapter 36: Chapter 36: The Cat Lives! "Alright, Beifei, don''t ask too many questions. You''re just a high school senior. You must have activated your Awakening System a few days ago, right? There''s so much for you to learn, but now just stay to the side. This matter is very important to me." Lu Hong adjusted his glasses and walked to the fencing on one side. "Here''s a pair of glasses for you too. If you see that Xu Yang who attacked you that night, you must report it immediately. Simply sliding your fingers along the big, long legs of the glasses can adjust the screen." Lu Zhiwei stuffed a pair of police glasses into Xiang Beifei''s hands. The lenses flickered with an imperceptible light and while they looked like ordinary prescription glasses to the casual observer, they were actually advanced equipment, similar to cutting-edge AR devices, capable of freely adjusting focus and searching targets automatically. Xiang Beifei put on the glasses and then directed his gaze into the mall. With just a touch of his fingers to the legs of the glasses, the screen switched to the mall''s surveillance, which was very advanced. Each screen was quite clear and reflected the outlines of every person distinctly. Even through the surveillance, Xiang Beifei could see everyone''s systems. For the capture of Lai Wuying this time, more than twenty undercover Law Enforcers had been deployed. These well-trained enforcers each disguised themselves as ordinary shoppers, virtually undetectable to the common person. But Xiang Beifei could spot them at a glance. Mainly because their systems were too recognizable. The old man wearing a duckbill cap sitting in front of the elevator on the second floor, playing with a child, was not actually an old man at all, but a young Law Enforcer disguised as one. [Host: Ma Feiguang] [R-grade, Undercover System] [Realm: Late Qi-Controlling] According to the system information, Ma Feiguang was only twenty-one years old. He used his Undercover System to change his identity, with both the beard and wrinkles being effects of the system. And the waitress standing at the entrance of a restaurant on the other side, holding a menu and greeting customers, was also a Law Enforcer¡ª [Host: Cheng Li] [R-grade, Combat System] [Realm: Late Qi-Controlling] Her task list showed a long line of completed missions, including winning the Spring Combat Championship in the Law Enforcement Team and twice achieving runner-up in Liangzhou Police Qi-Controlling Freestyle Fighting. The other Law Enforcement officers were easily identifiable, with various [R-grade Criminal Investigation Systems], [R-grade Detective Systems], [R-grade Unyielding Justice Systems]. Beifei quickly identified all the Law Enforcers in the crowd, giving him a sense of reassurance. However, in his opinion, capturing "Lai Wuying" was an act akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Given the vast crowd with no less than a thousand customers, and with Lai Wuying never leaving behind any valid photographs, there was simply no way to determine who he actually was. But at that moment, a staid and urgent voice suddenly came from the glasses: "The cat is alive." "The cat is alive?" Xiang Beifei was somewhat puzzled. "The cat is alive!" However, Lu Hong and Lu Zhiwei looked at each other as though they were facing a great enemy. Lu Hong asked in a low voice, "Where?" "The third floor." The voice came from the glasses. "All units, pay attention, the cat is alive! Team one, secure the entrances and exits, teams two and four head to the elevator entrance, team three, be on alert!" As the Commander of this operation, Lu Hong rapidly issued orders. "Received." "You two, don''t run around, just stay here and don''t make things worse." Lu Hong had just finished speaking to Lu Zhiwei and Xiang Beifei when he quickly made his way up the emergency staircase. "Is ''The Cat Lives'' your operation code name?" asked Xiang Beifei. Lu Zhiwei shook her head, "It''s not exactly an operation code name. It''s Xiao Xue''s ability¡ªhe constantly mumbles about whether his cat is alive or dead." "Xiao Xue?" "That''s the prophet I told you about. Xiao Xue actually keeps a cat, although he''s male¡ªbut to get back to the point, his cat is pretty mysterious." Lu Zhiwei gently rubbed the stem of her glasses and shifted the view on her glasses to the third-floor surveillance, then quickly searched for people on the third floor. After a moment, she froze the picture outside a clothing store on the third floor. Lu Hong was standing there, pretending to look at the clothes on a plastic dummy outside the clothing store. Beside him stood a pale-faced young man holding a shoe box. He occasionally opened the shoe box to take a peek inside, as if he were looking at a new pair of shoes he had just bought. "He''s our prophet who foretold Lai Wuying would be at this mall." Lu Zhiwei swiftly adjusted the surveillance screen and said to Xiang Beifei, "What are you waiting for? Xiao Xue on the third floor said ''The Cat Lives,'' which means Lai Wuying might appear on the third floor. Hurry up and see if you can find the person you saw last night." Xiang Beifei was more curious about this young man now; he really wanted to know what sort of system a person with the ability to prophesy had awakened. But before he could get a good look, the young man had already turned and entered the staircase, and a distant sigh came from the glasses: "The cat is dead." "Everyone, pay attention! Xiao Xue''s cat is dead!" Lu Hong quickly steadied the stem of his glasses and repeated the statement gravely. The Cat Lives? The Cat Is Dead? Xiang Beifei suddenly seemed to understand what this young man''s system was. As the young man walked towards the second floor, Xiang Beifei could clearly see the man''s system through his glasses, and he couldn''t help but marvel. [Host: Xue Mo] [S Grade, Schrodinger''s Cat System] [Realm: Early Stage of Meridian Opening] Schrodinger''s Cat is a very famous experiment in quantum theory. A cat is placed in a box with a toxic substance, controlled by radioactive decay. Since it''s unknown when the radioactive substance will decay, it''s also uncertain whether the cat will be poisoned to death. Whether the cat is dead or alive remains undetermined until the box is opened. In short, if you don''t do something, you will never know the specific result, but if you do it, you will find out what the result is. In other words, there''s an uncertainty in anything that could happen. But your participation will directly intervene in the outcome. Xue Mo''s system relies on checking whether the cat is dead or alive to find the most probable outcome of a particular situation. This is the principle his system uses to make predictions. At that moment, Xue Mo''s system interface was densely packed with various quantum theory formulas, which were rapidly changing, performing complex calculations with Xue Mo''s intervention. His formulas required two constants, namely 0 and 1. Each time he arrived at a general area, he would lift the lid of the shoe box to check whether his cat was dead or alive. If the cat in the shoe box was dead, he would insert 0 into the formula, and if the cat was still alive, he would insert 1. He would then use those strange formulas in combination with the location coordinates and the current time to simulate the most likely event to happen nearby through the system. "No wonder those old witches who could prophesy in fairy tales always liked keeping a cat¡ªit''s because of this reason." Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but mutter. Fairy tales do not deceive me. Chapter 37: Chapter 37: The Cat That Died and Came Back to Life Xue Mo walked back from the third floor to the second floor and approached Beifei. After a pause, he stopped, looked around, then lowered his head, lifted a corner of the shoebox, and a trace of puzzlement appeared on his face. Lu Hong, who had been following beside him, looked very anxious. He urgently asked, "Brother Xue, is the cat here dead or alive? Where exactly is Lai Wuying?" Xue Mo glanced into the shoebox again, his puzzlement deepening. After a moment, he asked softly, "Where is my cat?" Lu Hong was stunned and asked, "What do you mean ''your cat''? Isn''t your cat inside the shoebox?" "It''s gone," Xue Mo shook his head. "Is it dead?" "No... it''s not dead." Xue Mo looked around and couldn''t find his cat anywhere. "My cat, where is it?" Xue Mo repeated, appearing somewhat slow. "Ah? How can you say it''s gone just like that? But... but I didn''t see your cat run out of the shoebox either!" Lu Hong was even more anxious than Xue Mo. Whether they could catch Lai Wuying this time depended entirely on the life and death of Xue Mo''s cat. "Brother Xue, can your cat still run away from home?" Lu Zhiwei asked curiously. Xue Mo shook his head in confusion. He himself didn''t understand; such a thing had never happened before. "Everyone, hurry up and help look for Xue Mo''s cat." Lu Hong adjusted his glasses and spoke urgently. The plainclothes law enforcers looked baffled at this command. They were supposed to come and arrest Lai Wuying, but all of a sudden, they were preparing to search for a cat. While Beifei found it strange, he suddenly realized something, turned his head, and then couldn''t help but cry and laugh. Xiaohei was on his shoulder, viciously beating up a little calico cat, furiously attacking. "Xiaohei, what are you doing?" "Woof Woof Woof!" Xiaohei proudly pinned the little calico cat under its foot. "You''re saying it was spying on us?" Beifei understood that probably while trying to predict using the cat, Xue Mo must have inadvertently predicted his own, and Xiaohei just took the opportunity to catch Xue Mo''s cat. After all, Xue Mo''s cat was generated by the System. "Hmm... We look so good, it''s no blame for wanting to watch." Beifei told Xiaohei, "Just warn it and let it go; we still need it to find people, dead or alive." The other cat''s life was already tough, every day hovering on the edge of life and death. It was quite pitiful. "Woof!" Xiaohei warned it to mind its gaze in the future and then threw the pitiful little calico cat out, which flashed in mid-air and disappeared. "Ah, the cat is here!" Xue Mo found his little cat in the tissue box outside a milk tea shop, the kitty trembling and meowing helplessly as it lay in the tissue box. "The cat is alive!" Lu Hong was thrilled, even more excited than Xue Mo. Xue Mo quickly comforted his little calico cat, and then placed it back in the shoebox. "But why?" Lu Zhiwei, stroking her chin beside him, was seriously pondering something. "What''s wrong?" Xiang Beifei asked. "I''m wondering why Xiao Xue''s cat disappeared just now." With growing excitement, Lu Zhiwei speculated for a moment and then said, "I''ve got it, this must have something to do with Lai Wuying. He might have sensed that someone was predicting his moves, so he kidnapped Xiao Xue''s cat! I''m sure my deduction is right this time!" This girl will probably never reach a 20% accuracy rate in her deductions. But on the other side, Lu Hong and Xue Mo both turned around, seriously considering Lu Zhiwei''s words. "Right, that''s very possible!" Lu Hong nodded. He then urged impatiently, "Unit two, pay attention. Xiao Xue''s cat was lost on the second floor just now. Lai Wuying must have passed through the second floor. Everyone, stay alert." This was awkward; he had misled them all. Xiang Beifei was thinking about how to rectify the situation. He looked towards Xue Mo. Xue Mo, who had not been part of the discussion for a long while, glanced again at the cat inside the shoebox and sadly said, "The cat is dead." "All units, be advised! The cat is dead!" Lu Hong slapped his thigh in deep sorrow. But soon, Xue Mo''s expression brightened again: "The cat is alive!" "All units, be advised! The cat is alive!" Lu Hong got excited again. Xiang Beifei: "..." For some reason, he always felt this group seemed a bit foolish. Xiang Beifei shook his head slightly, thinking that relying on them to catch Lai Wuying was too difficult. Lai Wuying had been running amok in various jurisdictions of Liangzhou, committing crimes everywhere. Law enforcers in each jurisdiction were eager to apprehend him, but without exception, all had failed. This time, he popped into their jurisdiction, and Xue Mo predicted his crime location. Without much preparation, Lu Hong and the others came to execute the capture operation, relying only on Xue Mo''s abilities. At Lu Hong''s side, Xue Mo''s capabilities determined the success or failure of the mission. Xue Mo''s system was still not perfect; to enhance the precision of his predictions, he needed to undertake more missions and enhance his level. Perhaps in the future, if his skills improve, he might become a great prophet, but certainly not now. Currently, he could only predict that Lai Wuying would come here, but he could not predict the exact location of his appearance, nor could he predict what Lai Wuying looked like or why he came here. This brought too much uncertainty to the capture operation. Lu Zhiwei, standing on the shopping mall railing, sighed and nudged Xiang Beifei with her elbow, asking, "Beifei, any clues?" "No, I feel like your operation is doomed to be futile if it continues this way," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Zhiwei turned her head to look at the anxious Lu Hong and said, "Actually, I kind of knew this, but capturing ''Lai Wuying'' is very important to my dad. I think he''ll be really down for a long time if this operation fails, and he probably won''t give up." This isn''t to say the law enforcers are incompetent; if it were just an ordinary petty thief, someone like Lu Hong with an ''S-level Investigation System'' would have already caught him. If one had to explain, it should be said that Lai Wuying had a somewhat superior ability to deal with law enforcers. After all, a criminal worthy of being on Liangzhou''s most-wanted list is no ordinary person. Lai Wuying has been so brazen, making all the law enforcers run around in circles, surely because he has obtained some information on how to counter these law enforcers, and most likely, his system abilities are very tricky. And this system might be one that counters law enforcers, probably also S-level. But the problem is, until now, the law enforcers haven''t collected any effective information about him; they don''t even know what he looks like. If they don''t figure out what this system is, even if they find Lai Wuying, he will still escape, relying on the cat''s death and revival. Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Suspicious Person Xue Mo and Lu Hong, like a "living cat" and a "dead cat," walked an entire circle around the shopping mall. Not only did they fail to identify any suspicious individuals, but they also exhausted themselves in the process. "No gains at all. Have any of you found any clues?" Lu Hong asked anxiously. However, several negative responses came through the communicator in succession. A Law Enforcer hesitated before saying, "Captain, we''re practically doing futile work here, I think we should head back and plan thoroughly." "No! We must catch Lai Wuying! If we miss this chance, it might be very hard to catch him next time. We cannot give up!" Lu Hong clenched his fists. "Captain, I know you want to avenge Captain Chen, but¡ª" "This is not just about personal enmity. Capturing a fugitive is our duty as city Law Enforcers!" Lu Hong commanded gravely. The other Law Enforcers dared not say more. Catching "Lai Wuying" wasn''t on Lu Hong''s system task list; his actions were not for the sake of a system task, but purely because he couldn''t swallow the insult. Xiang Beifei was constantly changing his visual perspective in the mall, yet he saw nothing. He took off his glasses, wearing them made him uncomfortable. But at that moment, a very peculiar person caught Xiang Beifei''s eyes. It was a woman in high heels, carrying an exquisite leather bag, with a curvy figure and wavy hair, very beautiful, appearing as if she was there to shop. Xiang Beifei found this woman peculiar because he saw her system interface. [Host: Chen Gang] [S-level, Thousand Faces Refined System] [Realm: Meridian Opening - Early Phase] [Thousand Faces Refined System Introduction: Able to learn others'' ways of handling affairs, can disguise as anyone] "Why does this woman seem so strange?" Xiang Beifei wondered. A woman who looked stunning, yet carried the name of a male? Could she be the target? Xiang Beifei couldn''t be sure, as during this age, a man dressing as a woman wasn''t illegal, and it wasn''t enough to suspect someone for that reason alone. "But why does this name feel so familiar?" A flash of light crossed Xiang Beifei''s mind. He remembered that Lu Zhiwei had just mentioned a similar name. "Hey, Lu Zhiwei." Xiang Beifei pulled Lu Zhiwei aside. "What''s up?" "You just mentioned the captain of the Law Enforcement team who was killed by Lai Wuying, Uncle Lu''s friend, the captain of the guard team in the east district. What was his name?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Chen Gang, why do you ask?" Lu Zhiwei asked, puzzled. Xiang Beifei''s heart skipped a beat. Was it a coincidence of identical names? "He was an S-level Awakener, right?" "Yes, one of the best among S-levels, very powerful. He used to be my role model!" Lu Zhiwei said with respect. "What type of system did his abilities relate to?" Xiang Beifei asked. Lu Zhiwei touched her chin, thought for a moment, and said, "Hard to say, his abilities were strong in tracking, identification, among other areas¡ªcriminals hardly had any chance to escape from him. Honestly, I have a hard time believing that Lai Wuying could have defeated him." Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then asked, "How good was his ability to disguise?" "Disguise ability?" "Has he ever done any undercover work or the like?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Undercover? Oh, I can''t tell you that¡ªit''s a secret of the Law Enforcement team." Lu Zhiwei said earnestly. That settled it. Xiang Beifei took two steps towards the woman, looked at her system interface, which also displayed her current task. [Task: Become the captain of the city guard again] [Options to complete the task: 1. Strive on your own, starting as a junior detective; 2. Assassinate the captain of the guard and impersonate him] [Your current choice to complete the task: Assassinate Lu Hong and impersonate him] [Task reminder: Lu Hong is an S-class Awakener with strong recognition abilities. You must successfully impersonate everyone around him once, gather information about Lu Hong from them, and integrate it into your Thousand Faces Slash Moon] [Note: Any person''s information integrated into Thousand Faces Slash Moon, it will become a lethal move specifically against that person!] [Reward for successful impersonation: Thousand Faces Slash Moon (targeted at Lu Hong) ¡ª The more information about Lu Hong you collect, the higher the success rate] [Reward for successful task completion: Receive an advanced pill, capable of stepping into the mid stage of Meridian Opening] "This..." Xiang Beifei was shocked! ¡ª¡ª Lu Hong sat gloomily on a mall bench, looking dejected. He held a photo in his hand, which showed two men, one of them was him, the other man was bulky, with bronze skin, even stronger than Lu Hong. At that time, they seemed quite young, perhaps having just completed a capture-the-criminal task, their faces still bearing wounds, yet they looked exhilarated. "Uncle Lu." Xiang Beifei walked over, looked at the photo, and said, "This person is..." Lu Hong looked at the photo, a bitter smile emerged: "His name is Chen Gang, the captain of the Law Enforcement team in the East District. A very upright person, just like his name, very righteous, always rushing at the forefront when capturing criminals, and many times he helped me out of danger." "We had been through many capture missions together, supporting each other, came all the way together. The day I heard he died while capturing Lai Wuying, I really found it hard to accept. He always seemed to have a way out." Lu Hong''s eyes showed a trace of melancholy. Xiang Beifei stared at the man in the photo, then turned towards the woman in the red dress. Is this woman really Chen Gang? Why would his system task be to kill Lu Hong? "Uncle Lu, are you sure he''s dead?" Xiang Beifei asked. Lu Hong looked up at Xiang Beifei. "What I mean is¡ªhe''s so capable, and it normally would be very difficult for Lai Wuying to kill him, so how exactly did Lai Wuying manage to kill him? Captain Chen''s body must have sustained fatal wounds, Uncle Lu, with your strong identification skills, can''t you deduce Lai Wuying''s method of killing from those wounds?" Lu Hong sighed. "Lai Wuying is extremely cruel, using bizarre methods, right before my eyes, he blew Chen Gang¡ª" Lu Hong''s fingers clutching the photo trembled slightly, almost hissing out two words: "to smithereens!" ¡ª¡ªThat is to say, Chen Gang left no intact body after his death! Xiang Beifei faintly sensed something amiss about this matter. "Lai Wuying, all these years, has never left any trace of his appearance, no matter how hard the Law Enforcers try to catch him, they can''t find the slightest clue, which is unreasonable, because the Law Enforcement team is full of experts, unless¡ª" Unless he knew every move of all Law Enforcers like the back of his hand! The City Guards, a department full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, where most of the Law Enforcers are elites, their systems nearly all designed for capturing criminals. Yet in such a place, teeming with countless elites, there''s still a criminal who left behind no trace of his appearance! Given that, even the top fugitive on the wanted list at least had his silhouette captured. Thus, the most likely possibility is only one! Chapter 39: Chapter 39: The Invisible Man A series of guesses gradually connected together in Xiang Beifei''s mind. But for now, these were just guesses, with no way to confirm them. Xiang Beifei needed to consider one thing¡ªif his conjecture was correct. How should he relay this matter to Lu Hong? It would be impossible for Xiang Beifei to directly say the person was Chen Gang; Lu Hong wouldn''t believe him, and neither would others trust the words of an unfounded high school student. After all, in this world, only he could see other people''s systems. Lu Hong and the others couldn''t see them; revealing it directly might expose his own ability, which would be too reckless. Then just report this "Chen Gang" as "Xu Yang" to them. Xiang Beifei stared at the woman who had already stepped onto the escalator. He nudged Lu Zhiwei with his elbow and whispered, "I see a suspicious person." "Is it Xu Yang? Where?" Lu Zhiwei immediately perked up. "That one, wearing a red dress and high heels, she is heading towards the escalator to the third floor," Xiang Beifei pointed towards the second floor where Chen Gang was and said. Lu Zhiwei asked quizzically, "The woman in the red dress and high heels... Xu Yang is a man, isn''t he?" "He''s disguised himself, but I can vaguely make out his silhouette," Xiang Beifei said. Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiwei caught on. "Where?" "Over by the stairs." Lu Zhiwei looked for a long time without moving and asked doubtfully, "Where is the woman in red high heels?" "Right there! In front of her is an old lady, and behind her is a boy wearing headphones, she''s standing between these two people," Xiang Beifei said. "There''s no one between them!" Lu Zhiwei said, "What are you looking at?" "There''s clearly someone there... wait, you can''t see her?" Xiang Beifei found it strange and ran over to Lu Hong, asking, "Uncle Lu, can you see the woman wearing the red dress and high heels?" "Where?" Lu Hong searched for a while but also couldn''t see the person Xiang Beifei mentioned. "How can they not see her?" A multitude of thoughts flashed through Xiang Beifei''s mind. What went wrong? At that moment, a little girl with ice cream walked by. Xiang Beifei stopped the little girl and asked, "That woman in the red dress, can you see her?" "Of course, I can see her, big brother, do you like her?" the little girl naively asked. "I don''t," Xiang Beifei replied. "If you don''t like her, why are you asking me? I thought you wanted to give me candy in exchange for me to help you get her phone number." The little girl looked at Xiang Beifei with confusion, then turned her gaze to the woman climbing the stairs. Xiang Beifei: "..." Are little girls nowadays so direct? Xiang Beifei shifted his focus back to that person. Why can''t Law Enforcers see this woman, but other people can? Xiang Beifei looked at Lu Zhiwei and Lu Hong, and then at the glasses in his hand. He suddenly had an idea. He had been unaccustomed to wearing glasses, so he had taken them off, while the other Law Enforcers all shared a distinct feature¡ªthey were all still wearing glasses! Xiang Beifei quickly put on his glasses as well. The moment he put on the glasses, that woman, in Xiang Beifei''s eyes, had only a system interface left, and her entire being was gone, as if she had turned invisible. He searched again for the introduction to the Thousand Faces Refined System, and under the system interface, he found another line of text: [Ability: Can block any tracking device, making people unable to see (the user can choose whether it affects electronic devices or not)]. "No wonder." Xiang Beifei furrowed his brows. If this was indeed "Lai Wuying," that would explain it. The reason he could brazenly pass by the law enforcers was because he had a way to make their high-tech glasses ineffective. "Is this Chen Gang really Lai Wuying?" Xiang Beifei grew increasingly astonished at the thought! After all, Lu Hong had an S-class Investigation System, with extremely sharp observation skills, yet during this operation, he seemed to be led by the nose, having detected nothing and completely reliant on Xue Mo. Initially, Xiang Beifei pondered the reason for this, but now he was starting to understand. If "Lai Wuying" truly was an old friend of Lu Hong''s, then he would definitely know how to evade Lu Hong''s Investigation System! Chen Gang had Lu Hong figured out, keenly aware of his investigative capabilities, which is why he deliberately chose the weekend at the mall as the place. Because there were many people in the mall, even if Chen Gang left some traces, the ongoing stream of customers walking by could easily destroy the clues on the ground, resulting in Lu Hong''s Investigation System being unable to track accurately. If the outcome was as Xiang Beifei suspected, then this "Lai Wuying" must have an intimate grasp of the various investigative techniques used by the law enforcement team. Because he was one of the law enforcers! ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei immediately tugged at Lu Zhiwei and said, "Take off the glasses." "Take off the glasses for what? How can we find Xu Yang without wearing the glasses?" Lu Zhiwei asked. "There''s no time to explain now, just take them off¡ª" Xiang Beifei turned his head to look at the second floor''s escalator again, but his heart skipped a beat. In the blink of an eye, the woman in the red dress had vanished! "Where did she go?" Xiang Beifei rapidly searched his surroundings. This time, he couldn''t even see the system interface and hadn''t noticed where the other party had hidden. However, at that moment, an urgent voice suddenly came through the communicator: "Captain Lu, I''ve spotted a suspicious person on the fourth floor, he attacked one of our guys!" "The fourth floor!" Lu Hong, who had been sitting, stood up abruptly and rushed toward the fourth floor without a word. "Wait, he''s not on the fourth floor!" Xiang Beifei yelled after him. "Xiao Wei, you and Beifei stay here and don''t move! All units take note, meet up with Squad Four and myself, the other teams guard all entrances to the mall!" Lu Hong was desperate to catch the suspect and did not listen to Xiang Beifei, dashing quickly to the fourth floor. Lu Zhiwei too wanted to follow, but Xiang Beifei grabbed her just in time. "Stop messing around, I''m going to catch the criminal." Lu Zhiwei was rubbing her fists with a fierce expression, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the criminal. "He''s not on the fourth floor," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Zhiwei asked, "What do you mean he''s not on the fourth floor? Our people there were attacked." Xiang Beifei shouted lowly, "He''s creating a diversion. Just protect me for now, I saw the criminal on the second floor." Lu Zhiwei was confused, her straightforward mind unable to comprehend Xiang Beifei''s words. He quickly realized that being just a student and rashly intervening in such an operation, the others would not believe what he said. Xiang Beifei took off his glasses and searched for a while, and at this time, he saw a man in a suit emerge from around the corner. This man in the suit was someone Xiang Beifei remembered as a member of the law enforcement team, named Wang He, with an R-class Detective System. However, the system interface of the man in the suit read something entirely different: [Host: Chen Gang] [S-class, Thousand Faces Refined System] ... "This guy, he''s disguised as Wang He!" Xiang Beifei''s gaze became slightly more focused. Chapter 40: Chapter 40: Master of Disguise Chen Gang''s target was to kill Lu Hong, but he had to first gather knowledge about Lu Hong from the people around him to increase his chances of a deadly strike against Lu Hong. In that case, he would strike the other law enforcers first. At this moment, Chen Gang had already approached Ma Feiguang on the second floor, who was disguised as an old man. "Xiao Ma!" Chen Gang could choose whether to block the tracking devices, and to learn from Ma Feiguang, he did not use this ability, so Ma Feiguang could see him even though he was wearing glasses. "Wang He, how did you get here? Weren''t you guarding the west staircase?" Ma Feiguang did not realize that the Wang He in front of him was Chen Gang in disguise. A line of text appeared on Chen Gang''s system interface: [You have learned Ma Feiguang''s accent, Voice Material Library +1] "There''s Luo Shan at the west staircase, Xiao Ma you need to head to the north stairway, I just discovered there''s actually another intersection there we all missed, and it''s unguarded," Chen Gang said. "What? That shouldn''t be, we''ve checked all the entrances to the mall, I remember there''s none at the north," Ma Feiguang said. "No intersection? Can''t we create an entrance? Have you forgotten who we are dealing with? Why do you think he appeared silently on the fourth floor?" Chen Gang said. Ma Feiguang realized and said, "Are you saying that the entrance on the north side was created by Lai Wuying?" Everyone had their own system, and they had suspected that Lai Wuying had the ability to create entrances and exits, which was the only explanation for how Lai Wuying always managed to vanish when cornered. "Then I''ll head there now!" Ma Feiguang turned and ran towards the north side. "I''ll come with you." Chen Gang followed Ma Feiguang, and another line of text appeared on his system interface: [You have learned Ma Feiguang''s movement habits, Body Language Library +1] Chen Gang''s running movements gradually matched Ma Feiguang''s, making their strides and movements identical. But when Ma Feiguang turned a corner and ran to the north side of the mall, he found only a wall in front of him. "There''s no entrance, did it disappear?" Just as Ma Feiguang was about to turn around, Chen Gang''s palm struck the back of Ma Feiguang''s head, causing him to lose consciousness immediately. Originally disguised as Wang He, Chen Gang slowly crouched down and reached out to touch Ma Feiguang. [You have learned Ma Feiguang''s appearance, your Appearance Material Library +1] [You have accessed Ma Feiguang''s knowledge about Lu Hong, Thousand Faces Slash Moon (targeting Lu Hong) kill rate is 7%] Chen Gang sneered, and his suit seemed to melt, lighting up with trails of blue light, and in a blink of an eye, he had transformed into Ma Feiguang! ¡ª¡ª By the time Xiang Beifei arrived, Chen Gang had already disappeared; he found Ma Feiguang amongst a pile of cardboard boxes, fortunately, he was just unconscious and still had vital signs. "This guy is so fast!" Xiang Beifei tried to wake Ma Feiguang, but was not successful. Chen Gang''s goal was only to kill Lu Hong and then disguise himself as Lu Hong. Naturally, he couldn''t kill Lu Hong''s followers if he was to replace him. Meanwhile, Lu Zhiwei also hurried over, "Hey, Xiang Beifei, don''t run off...huh? Isn''t this¡ª" Lu Zhiwei was startled when she saw Ma Feiguang lying on the ground. "How could Xiao Ma end up like this?" "He''s been attacked!" Xiang Beifei stood up. "Attacked? Are you talking about¡ªLai Wuying?" When Lu Zhiwei heard this, she didn''t panic, and although her reasoning skills were terrible, her training as a Law Enforcer was still evident. She quickly shouted into the communicator: "Captain, this is Lu Zhiwei, something unusual on the second floor, Xiao Ma has been attacked!" "Xiao Ma was attacked on the second floor? When did Lai Wuying get to the second floor? Wait there, I''ll be right over!" Lu Hong replied in a deep voice. However, no sooner had he spoken than another voice rang out from the earpiece: "Captain, I''m on the third floor and I just saw him take down Zhao Li!" Did he attack someone on the second floor and then immediately run up to the third? "I''ll be right there!" Lu Hong had almost run back to the second floor, but upon hearing this, he immediately turned and ran toward the third floor. "Beifei, go to Xue Mo and stay with him, don''t run around, I''m going to help," Lu Zhiwei said. Xiang Beifei didn''t move. He was wearing glasses, quickly scanning the entire mall. Soon, he spotted Chen Gang at the men''s clothing store on the first floor¡ªnot that he actually saw Chen Gang himself, he only saw Chen Gang''s system panel. "You disguised yourself as Luo Shan, successfully deceived the Law Enforcers, disguise ability +20" "You accessed Luo Shan''s perception of Lu Hong, Thousand Faces Slash Moon (specifically against Lu Hong) has a lethal chance of 18%" In just a couple of minutes, Chen Gang had already disguised himself as several Law Enforcers. The Thousand Faces Refined System was truly powerful! Xiang Beifei didn''t chase after him. Even if he did, he couldn''t possibly capture Chen Gang, who was a practitioner of Meridian Opening and not someone he could contend with. He had to think of another plan. Chen Gang''s system mission was clear, needing first to learn about Lu Hong from those familiar with him, and then use the targeted lethal technique to kill Lu Hong and take his place. He had Lu Hong running around just to complete other tasks first, while incidentally draining Lu Hong''s energy. "If he ultimately plans to kill Uncle Lu, then all I need to do is stay with Uncle Lu, but¡ªhow do I tell him about this?" Xiang Beifei knew that Lu Hong would not listen to him at this time. Lu Hong was very agitated at the moment, wanting to catch "Lai Wuying" to avenge his old friend "Chen Gang." Even if Xiang Beifei told Lu Hong that "Lai Wuying" was actually Chen Gang, Lu Hong would definitely not believe it. Apart from himself being able to identify the disguised Chen Gang, no one else could distinguish him. His claim would seem too implausible, and Chen Gang could disguise himself as any Law Enforcer. He had also accessed others'' perceptions, making it difficult to find flaws. He certainly couldn''t say he was able to see what Chen Gang''s system was. It was clear that Xue Mo''s cat prophecy wasn''t very accurate and couldn''t provide much help to Xiang Beifei. At the moment, Xiang Beifei was the only one who could pinpoint who Chen Gang was disguised as. "How can I break his disguise?" Xiang Beifei planned to first figure out the weaknesses of the Thousand Faces Refined System. Chen Gang was continuing to move forward, about to walk into a blind spot of the mall''s surveillance, but Xiang Beifei promptly found some precautions on the Thousand Faces Refined System panel: "The Thousand Faces Refined can learn and disguise as anyone, but following are flaws of this system, please be aware..." "I see, so that''s it!" Looking at the flaws reminder of the Thousand Faces Refined System, Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. A plan gradually formed in his mind. Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Dueling Performances [You have successfully disguised yourself as Ke Hu, and deceived the Law Enforcers, disguise ability +20] [You have accessed Ke Hu''s perception of Lu Hong, Thousand Faces Slash Moon (targeted at Lu Hong) assassination probability is 63%] "After all, I''ve also been in the Enforcement Team, and you people trying to catch me with this kind of action is just laughable." Once the captain of the East District Enforcement Team, Chen Gang knew the city''s enforcement personnel''s tactics like the back of his hand and could make all the Law Enforcers run around in circles. With his abilities, those Law Enforcers couldn''t touch him. Chen Gang casually weaved through the crowd in the mall, going unnoticed by anyone. He had once again assumed a new identity, currently going by the name of Ke Hu. He had now accessed the perceptions of twenty-one enforcement officers regarding Lu Hong, and the system had helped him integrate the information into "Thousand Faces Slash Moon"; the assassination probability for the "Thousand Faces Slash Moon" designed to kill Lu Hong had increased to 63%. This assassination probability was actually quite high, but Chen Gang was still not at ease because he hadn''t been in contact with Lu Hong for a long time. Lu Hong''s current strength might have greatly improved, so he needed to increase the assassination probability even further. If he wanted to further increase the assassination chances, then the next target was clear. Lu Hong''s daughter, Lu Zhiwei! Lu Zhiwei knew her father Lu Hong better than anyone else. As long as he accessed Lu Zhiwei''s perception of Lu Hong, this operation was almost guaranteed success. Chen Gang turned his gaze towards Lu Zhiwei, who was peering over the third-floor railing, and chuckled lightly as he walked towards her. But at that moment, a restless teenager ran over and accidentally bumped into Chen Gang. "Sorry, sorry, it wasn''t intentional, I''m in a hurry." The teenager quickly apologized. Chen Gang frowned and glanced at the teenager, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar. "Right, this kid is the one Lu Zhiwei and the others kept calling Beifei." Chen Gang reflected inwardly. He didn''t know Xiang Beifei''s name but had eavesdropped on the conversations between Lu Hong and others through his glasses. "If this kid can come here, he must know Lu Hong; maybe like Lu Zhiwei, he''s an intern in the Enforcement Team." To boost his success rate further, Chen Gang couldn''t let go of anyone who knew Lu Hong. "No worries, I know you, you came with Captain Lu, right?" Chen Gang, currently disguised as Ke Hu, pretended to be concerned. "Yes... oh, you are also..." Xiang Beifei realized with a start and then hurriedly lowered his voice, whispering, "Sorry, I didn''t know you were an enforcement officer too." [You have learned Beifei''s accent, accent material library +1] Chen Gang grabbed Xiang Beifei, pulling him to the side and said urgently, "It''s okay, now''s not the time for apologies, be careful, any discoveries?" Chen Gang''s impersonation of Ke Hu was serious in demeanor, a perfect copy of the real Ke Hu, even mimicking Ke Hu''s speech impediment accurately. When it comes to acting, Chen Gang is professional! Xiang Beifei spoke anxiously, "Nothing, that Lai Wuying is too cunning. I''m really worried about Uncle Lu; Lai Wuying is too powerful. I always feel like we''re no match for him." Xiang Beifei looked anxious and even a bit worried and fearful. As he spoke, his gaze darted around, resembling a rookie who was unsettled. A contest in acting? Beifei was no less capable. Chen Gang patted Xiang Beifei''s shoulder concernedly, saying, "You seem very nervous? Don''t worry, Captain Lu is so powerful, he will surely bring Lai Wuying to justice. We have to believe in Captain Lu!" [You have learned Beifei''s body language habits, body language library +1] "I just think Lai Wuying is too formidable, making us chase our tails. But we don''t even know where he is." Xiang Beifei took a deep breath, trying to calm his agitated emotions. Chen Gang patted Xiang Beifei on the shoulder again, saying, "Justice has long arms; Captain Lu will definitely catch Lai Wuying and bring him in. Come on, cheer up." "Yeah, thank you, I feel more confident after your pep talk. By the way, I don''t know your name?" "Ke Hu." "Can I call you Brother Hu?" "Sure." "Brother Hu! Thank you, Brother Hu! My last name is Xiang." "I know, Lu Zhiwei brought you here." "Brother Hu, I want to be a city law enforcer in the future. You must take good care of me, your little brother!" "Don''t worry, I''ve got you covered!" The two actors competed in their performance with genuine emotion and sincerity. It was as if a senior was looking after a junior. [You have read Beifei''s perception of Lu Hong, Thousand Faces Slash Moon (targeting Lu Hong) assassination rate is 63.2%] At this moment, Xiang Beifei remembered something and said, "Right, I need to check out the third floor, can''t delay any longer!" Without waiting for Chen Gang to say anything, Xiang Beifei ran off. Chen Gang looked at Xiang Beifei''s retreating back, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. He had intended to take Xiang Beifei to a blind spot in the mall to fully learn Xiang Beifei''s perception of Lu Hong and impersonate Xiang Beifei, but Xiang Beifei did not give him the chance. Several customers strolled by; he couldn''t lay hands on Xiang Beifei forcefully. However, he did not pursue because he had just tried to read Xiang Beifei''s perception of Lu Hong and found that he had only acquired 0.2%! "Forget it, this kid must be new here and hasn''t gotten to know Lu Hong much. That''s why I only got an increase of 0.2%, which is as good as nothing." Chen Gang believed there was no need to waste effort on a greenhorn, so he searched for Lu Zhiwei''s location again and headed towards her. ---- Chen Gang casually stopped beside Lu Zhiwei. "Ke Hu, how are things on your end?" Lu Zhiwei was peering around from the railing on the third floor when she saw the disguised Chen Gang approach and asked. "I didn''t see ''Lai Wuying''," said Chen Gang. [You have learned Lu Zhiwei''s accent, accent material library +1] He now had a 63.2% assassination rate; his ultimate target for impersonation must be Lu Zhiwei! Lu Hong was not an easy kill. He was significantly stronger than Chen Gang and possessed a powerful Investigation System, which could sense changes in the air around him. Even if one tried to approach while invisible, it was not guaranteed to succeed. In short, Chen Gang alone would have great difficulty in killing Lu Hong. But it would be different if he impersonated Lu Zhiwei. Fathers, in general, are not guarded against their daughters. So he needed to use Lu Zhiwei to get close to Lu Hong. Chen Gang used the glasses he had gotten from Ke Hu to search the mall and saw Lu Hong searching in a clothing store on the fourth floor, smirking to himself. "Zhiwei, I feel like something is not quite right, why is there no movement from the others?" said Chen Gang. Lu Zhiwei stood with her hands on her hips and nodded seriously, "I feel the same. I just saw Sister Lili and Luo Shan knocked out by Lai Wuying and they won''t wake up no matter what." [You have learned Lu Zhiwei''s body language habits, your body language library +1] "Then we can''t split up any longer, we must find Captain Lu and regroup," said Chen Gang. "Let''s go to the fourth floor to find him!" Lu Zhiwei nodded and turned to head towards the fourth floor. Chen Gang followed Lu Zhiwei. As he walked, his posture gradually began to synchronize with Lu Zhiwei. But just at that moment, Xue Mo, carrying a shoebox, came around the corner. Xue Mo, with an urgent look on his face, called out to Lu Zhiwei, "The cat''s alive!" "I know the cat''s alive, but where is he?" Lu Zhiwei asked. Xue Mo kept staring at Chen Gang, who was disguised as Ke Hu, and stuttered, "That... That''s not Ke..." But before Xue Mo could finish his sentence, he suddenly paused because Chen Gang had disappeared right before his eyes. For a moment, all he felt was a clouding of his consciousness, and then he fell over. As his consciousness faded, he vaguely seemed to see two Lu Zhiweis. Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Parking Lot "Xiao Xue, is the cat alive?" Lu Hong pressed his fingertip against his glasses and hissed softly. "The cat is alive." A stiff voice came from the communicator. "Where did it come alive?" "At..." Xue Mo hadn''t finished speaking when Xiang Beifei''s voice rang out through the communicator. "Uncle Lu, come quick! Something''s not right here! I saw him!" "Beifei!" Lu Hong was shocked and called out urgently, "Beifei, where are you?" "Parking lot! Parking lot!" "Hit the Azure Light Armor, give me your position!" "The Azure Light Armor is shattered!" "What? He attacked you? I''m on my way." Lu Hong turned and dashed toward the stairs; as he descended, he nearly took two floors at once, his speed reaching the limit. ¡ª¡ª "In the parking lot?" Chen Gang, who had disguised himself as Lu Zhiwei, flickered slightly as his gaze shifted. He had just used Xue Mo''s voice to try to send Lu Hong to the cinema to find him, but unexpectedly, Beifei had suddenly run off to the parking lot. What was Beifei doing in the parking lot? But he didn''t think too much of it, as in his eyes, Beifei was just a bumbling youngster who didn''t know anything. Now that he was Lu Zhiwei and knew Lu Hong was heading to the parking lot, all he had to do was go there and kill him. The parking lot had few people, making it more convenient to destroy the body and erase any traces. He glanced at his system panel¡ª [You have accessed Lu Zhiwei''s cognition of Lu Hong, and the kill rate of Thousand Faces Slash Moon (targeting Lu Hong) is 75.2%] Even Lu Zhiwei didn''t fully understand her father''s true strength. Nevertheless, 75.2% was almost enough for Chen Gang. "Thousand Faces Slash Moon" was his most potent ability, which he would adapt and learn from various aspects when dealing with any target. By reading the perceptions people close to the target had of them and then integrating that information into "Thousand Faces Slash Moon." This information is best when it''s freshly collected because a person''s strength can change at any moment. If information was gathered a few months or days ago, it might become obsolete if the person has a breakthrough the next day. This would render the collected data useless. So all this had been designed by Chen Gang. It would be more accurate to say that Chen Gang deliberately leaked the information to make Xue Mo foresee his presence at the mall, rather than say he was prophesized by Xue Mo to be there. As the captain of the law enforcement team in the Eastern District, he was very aware of the workings of the enforcement department and knew exactly how to deal with these people. On his system panel, there was a blue orb of light, within which flickered a cold, piercing gleam, incessantly intertwining. This orb was all the information about Lu Hong. He hadn''t yet merged this reward into the mix; he wanted to use the orb at just the right moment! As long as he could unleash it unexpectedly, this move would certainly kill Lu Hong! ¡ª¡ª The parking lot was dim; the lights hadn''t been fully turned on, with only a few sporadically lit. Lu Hong frantically searched the lot, all the while softly calling for Xiang Beifei through his glasses communicator, trying to pinpoint Beifei''s location. Beifei had said he was at parking space number 33, but now that Lu Hong was standing there, he saw no one, and there wasn''t even a car parked. "Beifei, answer me, where are you? Are you alright?" Lu Hong searched the surroundings with caution. He had a powerful Investigation System which could deduce traces of events that had occurred based on the scene. Just now in the mall, because it was the weekend and there were too many customers coming and going, the scene was disrupted, and his Investigation System was held back, unable to determine where Lai Wuying was. But the parking lot was relatively less crowded, and he began to search for traces following the footprints near parking space number 33. "This trace, it was left by Beifei." Lu Hong squatted on the ground, carefully distinguishing for a while. A gleam of Spiritual Power lit up in his hand, transforming into a stream of faint light that seeped into the ground. He then looked up at the fire sprinkler head above, frowning slightly, somewhat puzzled. After a moment, he turned to look at another fire hydrant nearby. The scent remaining on Xiang Beifei''s body had extended there. "What exactly is this kid Beifei up to? He''d better not be in any trouble..." Lu Hong was very anxious. Just as he was preparing to head towards the direction of the fire hydrant, a hurried running sound came from another direction. Turning his head, he saw that it was his daughter, Lu Zhiwei, and he let out a sigh of relief. "Shh, keep it down." Lu Hong made a silencing gesture. "Dad, I heard Beifei''s cry for help. He said he was in the parking lot. Where is he?" Lu Zhiwei came to a stop beside Lu Hong, looking around anxiously. "I don''t know. I''m searching for him." Lu Hong didn''t take a closer look at Lu Zhiwei. "It''s all my fault. I told him to stay with Xue Mo, but he disappeared when I came back. What if something has happened to Beifei?" Lu Zhiwei said with a great sense of guilt. "Now is not the time for self-reproach. Lai Wuying is likely nearby. Be careful, come here, stay close to me." Lu Hong gestured. "Okay." Lu Zhiwei quickly walked towards Lu Hong. A hint of cold light passed through her eyes, and she formed a scarcely noticeable cold smile on her lips, while her hand behind her back clutched tightly at a dagger. Lu Hong, who had been running around the shopping mall, was somewhat exhausted and didn''t take a good look at Lu Zhiwei. In fact, even if he had looked at her closely, it wouldn''t have mattered. Chen Gang knew Lu Hong''s Investigation System too well. He knew exactly how to position himself so as not to be discovered by Lu Hong. "Lu Hong oh Lu Hong, don''t blame me for being ruthless, blame yourself for meddling in the past." Chen Gang watched Lu Hong''s back, slowly closing the distance between them. If not for the lethal ability of Thousand Faces Slash Moon, even if he approached Lu Hong normally, it would be hard to assassinate him because of Lu Hong''s Investigation System, which provided quick investigative abilities and extremely high Agility. But this time he was fully prepared. As long as he was within the lethal distance, Thousand Faces Slash Moon would be able to place him in certain death! Five steps! Four steps! ... However, just then, a voice came from behind them: "Hey! Lai Wuying!" Lu Hong quickly turned around upon hearing the voice. Chen Gang was startled, and the dagger in his hand instantly disappeared. That was close! He nearly got discovered. Chen Gang was secretly annoyed. "Beifei!" Seeing Xiang Beifei unharmed, Lu Hong immediately breathed easier. However, he quickly became alert and asked, "Beifei, what did you just say? Where is Lai Wuying?" The opportunity to assassinate had passed in an instant. Rage flickered in Chen Gang''s eyes, but he forcefully suppressed it, asking in Lu Zhiwei''s concerned tone, "Beifei, are you okay? You had us so worried. We thought you got captured by Lai Wuying." "Lai Wuying wouldn''t come to capture me. I''m not his target." Xiang Beifei stood next to the car, calmly looking at Chen Gang: "I''m right, am I not? Lu Zhiwei, or should I call you¡ªLai Wuying?" Chen Gang, disguised as Lu Zhiwei, stiffened, saying, "Beifei, what nonsense are you talking about? I''m Xiao Wei, what Lai Wuying?" Lu Hong looked at his daughter and then back at Xiang Beifei, asking, "Beifei, what are you talking about?" "Uncle Lu, be careful; she''s not Xiao Wei, but Lai Wuying!" Xiang Beifei stated. Lu Zhiwei laughed: "Beifei, are you confused? How could I be Lai Wuying?" "I not only know you''re Lai Wuying, but I also know your name¡ªyou''re Chen Gang!" "What? Chen Gang?" A shock ran through Lu Hong''s mind! Even Chen Gang almost let his disguise slip in alarm. How does this kid know? Chapter 43: Chapter 43: The System is Not Waterproof Lu Hong asked urgently, "Beifei, what about Chen Gang? Explain clearly." "It will be clear," Xiang Beifei said. At that moment, there seemed to drift a scent of something burning in the air; smoke began to spread, and the temperature started to rise. "Where''s the fire?" Lu Hong looked up behind him, but just then, with a "whoosh," the fire sprinkler overhead in the parking garage burst open, and misty water sprayed out. Lu Hong and Chen Gang were standing right underneath the fire sprinkler. "Damn it!" Lu Zhiwei was shocked, moving quickly to the side, but it was still a step too late; the mist drenched him, and his clothes began to form holes as if they had been splashed with magma. Within these holes, a faint blue glow flickered in and out of sight. [Thousand Faces Refined Reminder: When disguising as someone else, avoid contact with water, as it will wash away all disguises.] This was the vulnerability Xiang Beifei discovered in Chen Gang''s Thousand Faces Refined. This superbly powerful disguise system was actually not waterproof! Xiang Beifei was well aware that he could not make Lu Hong trust him on his own, even if he pointed out Chen Gang''s disguise, the next moment Chen Gang would escape. So all he could do was let Chen Gang attack the others, then lure Lu Hong to the parking lot, simply start a fire in a trash can, and trigger the fire sprinklers above, exposing Chen Gang in front of Lu Hong! Lu Hong also noticed the anomaly on Lu Zhiwei''s body, and realizing the truth, he exclaimed, "You are not my daughter, you are¡ª" "Bastard!" Chen Gang glared at Xiang Beifei, then his figure vanished in front of Lu Hong! His system could block electronic tracking devices, and Lu Hong was wearing tracking glasses at that moment. To him, Chen Gang was invisible. Whoosh! Chen Gang suddenly lunged, kicked off the wall, and leaped high towards Lu Hong. But Lu Hong had already sensed the attack; his Perception was incredibly potent. Even without sight of Chen Gang, the moment Chen Gang struck, he detected the disturbance in the air and sidestepped, narrowly dodging Chen Gang''s dagger. Bang! Lu Hong spun around and kicked, the potent force moving through his body. Relying on his sharp Perception, he aimed for the wrist where Chen Gang held the dagger. Chen Gang was kicked away, crashing into a car window at a distance, shattering it into a hole! "So strong!" Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but admire. Lu Hong possessed the Investigation System; his reaction time was nearly top-notch, and combined with his own strength, he held his own against an invisible Chen Gang. However, the blow did not bring Chen Gang down; with a push of his hands, he leaped out, putting some distance between himself and Lu Hong. "Uncle Lu, the glasses! Take them off and you''ll see him!" Xiang Beifei shouted. "The glasses?" Lu Hong didn''t quite understand why Xiang Beifei wanted him to do that, but remembering that Xiang Beifei had identified something off about Lu Zhiwei earlier, he subconsciously chose to follow his advice without hesitation, tearing off the glasses. But when his gaze landed on the person not far away, he was utterly stunned! "Chen... Chen Gang?" Lu Hong looked incredulously at the familiar figure before him, his mind going blank for a moment. The person in front of him, whose disguise was washed away by the firefighting spray, was none other than the cherished friend he had once lost! Chen Gang glared at Lu Hong with a gloomy expression, then turned his gaze toward Xiang Beifei, who was joining in on the commotion at the side, his heart filled with unending fury! He simply couldn''t understand how he had been exposed! In order to kill Lu Hong, he had strained his brain to lure Lu Hong to the mall, using the system''s disguise and relying on his understanding of law enforcement officers to play them for fools. Even Xue Mo, someone with a predictive-type system, had no way of determining who he had disguised himself as. But in the end, this kid had pierced through his disguise! Looking at the kid''s age, he should still be in school, perhaps he had only recently awakened his system. How could he, an S-tier system owner, be seen through by the other party? "Chen Gang... you... you''re still alive?" Lu Hong looked at the other party in astonishment, "I thought you were killed by Lai Wuying..." "He is Lai Wuying," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Hong was taken aback! "You''re Lai Wuying? How could this be..." Lu Hong seemed unable to accept this fact. Half a year ago, when the news came that Chen Gang had been harmed by Lai Wuying and had died in the line of duty, Lu Hong had been depressed for a long time. He secretly swore to apprehend Lai Wuying and avenge his friend. But he never, ever expected that when he saw Chen Gang again today, he would suddenly be told that the very person he had been chasing was the supposedly slain old friend! He remembered the times in the eastern jurisdiction when he had pursued Lai Wuying with Chen Gang. Many doubts started to clear up with Chen Gang''s "resurrection from the dead." "What exactly is going on here?" Lu Hong clenched his fists, his voice shifting in tone. "If you hadn''t discovered the connection between me and Lai Wuying six months ago, I wouldn''t have needed to come after you!" Chen Gang spat out bitterly. With things having come to this point and Thousand Faces Slash Moon in hand, he couldn''t be bothered to keep up the disguise any longer. Six months prior, when Lu Hong went to find Chen Gang, due to a moment of carelessness on Chen Gang''s part, Lu Hong stumbled upon significant traces left by Lai Wuying, leading to a joint investigation with two other powerful experts. At that time, Lu Hong had not realized that Lai Wuying was Chen Gang. Chen Gang knew that if the investigation continued, it would eventually lead back to him, yet he wasn''t strong enough to kill Lu Hong at the time. His only option was to fake his own death to destroy the evidence. When Lu Hong followed the trail to Chen Gang, he found that Lai Wuying had "murdered" Chen Gang viciously. The scene was extremely bloody, and Chen Gang didn''t leave a whole corpse behind. Knowing Lu Hong''s investigative skills, he disguised the scene himself, making it chaotic to ensure that even Lu Hong with his powerful Investigation System couldn''t identify it. Having the cover of being the captain of the eastern jurisdiction''s law enforcement team, Chen Gang was free to commit crimes under the identity of "Lai Wuying," which made him grow stronger. But all of it was ruined by Lu Hong! Chen Gang couldn''t accept it, he grew to hate Lu Hong, vowing to take back everything he owned! Once the storm had passed, he plotted this entire operation. The opposing district had a prophet, which he already knew about, so he deliberately made the prophet foresee that he would come to this mall. He then used his system to disguise himself, preparing to kill Lu Hong with a fatal blow from Thousand Faces Slash Moon, and then impersonate Lu Hong to become the law enforcement team captain of the western jurisdiction. That way, he could continue to cover up the actions of "Lai Wuying" with the identity of a law enforcement team captain. The entire plan had been proceeding orderly, and even just moments ago, he had the perfect opportunity to strike a deadly blow. But he hadn''t expected the carefully laid trap to be completely destroyed by this kid who came out of nowhere! Chen Gang was filled with bone-deep hatred for Xiang Beifei! Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Waiting for the Opportunity "You... it''s actually you!" Lu Hong clenched his fists, staring blankly at Chen Gang. Initially, when he investigated "Lai Wuying", he found that Lai Wuying was connected to Chen Gang and started suspecting him then. But as he pursued further, he discovered that Chen Gang had been harmed and thought he had misunderstood his old friend, even blaming himself for half a year! Over this half year, he had always felt guilty about the death of Chen Gang. But now, he realized that all this was merely orchestrated by Chen Gang! His intuition had been right all along. "Why? You were already the captain of the enforcement team in the East District, why would you engage in shameful dealings like those of Lai Wuying? Your duty should have been to protect your city, not to commit crimes!" Lu Hong spoke in a deep voice. "Protect the city?" Chen Gang''s expression suddenly twisted. The [Thousand Faces Refined] system required learning to disguise oneself as different people, inherently ensuring he could not just be a law-abiding citizen. There was a time he wanted to use this system to engage in espionage, fight criminals, and restore peace and order. However, he gradually found that being a spy fighting against crime gave limited boosts in the system, and having a moral baseline often tied his hands during missions. It was better to be a criminal, not bound by ethics or laws, doing whatever it took to grow stronger, which allowed for much faster improvement. Thus, he took a different path, leveraging the system to become the elusive "Lai Wuying". From then on, the system made him stronger and his desires grew uncontrollable. "We all have our choices. The moment we awaken our systems, our futures are bound. You have no right to judge others'' rights and wrongs. What kind of system one has dictates what kind of person one becomes." Chen Gang responded coldly. In his view, awakening the [Thousand Faces Refined] system meant he was destined to become a criminal. "Nonsense!" Lu Hong glared at Chen Gang, growling, "We may not be able to choose our Awakening Systems, but we can choose our paths! Don''t you dare blame your misdeeds on your system." Boom! Lu Hong burst forth, his arms glowing with red fire, as if flames of rage were burning. The flames wrapped around his fists, distorting the air around them. "What kind of person to become is a choice we make, not one made by a system!" Lu Hong threw a punch at Chen Gang. The fiery punch''s wind was fierce and powerful, evaporating the mist above and sending two cars next to it flying. He punched Chen Gang, showing no mercy, feeling only fierce anger, unable to forgive Chen Gang for knowingly breaking the law! Chen Gang''s body also emitted a blue glow, numerous lights interweaving on him, instantly transforming myriad times. His dagger radiated a cold moon glow, as he too met the explosive fiery punch head-on¡ª Boom! The chilling moon blade collided with the fiery blast, white and red lights exploded fiercely, and the powerful shockwaves sent nearby cars hurdling into scrap metal! The clash of two Meridian Opening experts wrought extreme destruction! Bang! Chen Gang was thrown backward, crashing into a wall and creating a large dent in it. Splat! Chen Gang spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turning deathly pale as his energy weakened. Meanwhile, Lu Hong, like a gust of wind, launched another fearsome punch at Chen Gang. This punch was something Chen Gang couldn''t defend against at all, and could only watch helplessly as the punch approached in an instant. However, Lu Hong''s fist stopped three inches from Chen Gang''s face. "Half a year has passed, and you''ve become stronger than before." Chen Gang let out a wry laugh, then spit out another mouthful of blood. "I became stronger because of you!" Lu Hong roared, "Over this half year, your death has constantly haunted me. I thought it was my fault that led to your death. To avenge you, I trained relentlessly, enhancing my own strength, all to capture Lai Wuying and avenge you. This punch was originally meant for ''Lai Wuying''!" His voice was full of anger, like a lion that has been suppressed for a long time and is about to erupt. But his voice was also tinged with a trace of regret. Over these six months, he forced himself to grow stronger, cultivating his blazing fist. Avenging Chen Gang became his conviction. His strength was now many times greater than it had been half a year ago! Yet, he never imagined that this punch, meant not only for Lai Wuying, was also for the old friend he had always wanted to avenge! This caused him great pain. ¡ª¡ª Lu Hong''s punch was terrifyingly oppressive, rendering Chen Gang immobile. His chest heaved continuously. But gradually, the flames on his fist dissipated. He withdrew his fist. "Why didn''t you kill me?" Chen Gang inquired. "I am a city defender, not a murderer." Lu Hong glared angrily at the incapacitated Chen Gang, a pair of handcuffs appearing in his hand, ready to restrain him. However, a fierce gleam flashed in Chen Gang''s eyes! He looked at his system interface. The Thousand Faces Slash Moon, gathered through impersonating Lu Zhiwei and others, had not yet been utilized! Aimed at Lu Hong, this critical strike had only one chance, but such a strike was not 100%, he had to surprise him. Chen Gang knew that he had no chance of winning in a direct confrontation with Lu Hong; if he used the Thousand Faces Slash Moon head-on, Lu Hong would likely dodge it. So he waited. He knew Lu Hong too well, understanding his abilities and character thoroughly. This man was stubborn; even after defeating him, he would not deliver a fatal blow, opting instead to capture him. Chen Gang possessed strong deceptive abilities; he used "Thousand Faces Refined" to feign a complete defeat, waiting for Lu Hong to lower his guard and try to handcuff him. That would be the perfect moment to unleash the deadly strike of Thousand Faces Slash Moon! "You are not a murderer, but I am!" Chen Gang''s face twisted into a sinister smile, his hand lighting up again with brilliant moonlight, this time stronger than before, ready to integrate the data collected on Lu Hong into Thousand Faces Slash Moon. This strike, imbued with others'' perception of Lu Hong and at such a close distance, would seal all of Lu Hong''s potential escape routes¡ªLu Hong was doomed! "You¡ª" Lu Hong''s complexion drastically changed! He thought Chen Gang had lost his fighting capacity, but unexpectedly, he had been deceived by Chen Gang once again. Chen Gang sneered; he showed no mercy¡ª However, his sneer suddenly froze! For some unknown reason, the Thousand Faces Slash Moon, which contained information on Lu Hong, suddenly disappeared! This Thousand Faces Slash Moon, specifically against Lu Hong, needed to fully integrate to flawlessly block any of Lu Hong''s defenses. Once it disappeared, this attack became just a normal strike in front of Lu Hong, even filled with flaws! Lu Hong''s perception was top-notch; even though caught off guard, he managed to react in time. With no room for mercy in such urgent circumstances, he punched Chen Gang in the chest. Bang! Chen Gang''s chest caved in. "How could this..." Chen Gang''s eyes bulged in disbelief. This punch was fatal to him! Until his death, he couldn''t understand where his collected fatal strike had gone? It was the system''s ability; he had never missed before when killing others, but he couldn''t understand why the system would malfunction now! As his life force ebbed away, for some reason, Chen Gang inexplicably thought of a person. That young man who had quietly stood by and completely unraveled his disguise. In the last flicker of his consciousness, his gaze turned to Xiang Beifei. The young man watched him calmly, undisturbed. And in his hand, he astonishingly held the Thousand Faces Slash Moon aimed at Lu Hong. Then he even waved at Chen Gang. ¡ªWas he waving at him? Chen Gang glared resentfully at Xiang Beifei. Why... why was it in his hand? Chen Gang couldn''t fathom it. He really couldn''t fathom it! But he no longer had a chance to think about it. Darkness swiftly engulfed him. Chapter 45: Chapter 45: The Path is Chosen by Oneself Lu Hong broke out in a cold sweat as he looked down at his chest, where a patch of mud was attached to his body like a piece of armor. Even though his reaction was fast, he still couldn''t completely dodge Chen Gang''s strike due to the close distance. However, at the critical moment, seemingly out of nowhere, a puddle of mud appeared in front of his chest, blocking Chen Gang''s attack. Had it not been for this mud, his chest would likely have been torn open by Chen Gang, creating a terrible wound with unimaginable consequences! But, even with the mud blocking, he still felt a violent shock, his chest tightened, his blood roiled, and his throat was tinged with streaks of blood. Fortunately, he quickly steadied himself. But where did this thing come from? And how did it block Chen Gang''s attack? Swish! The patch of mud fell off and fluttered in the air, flying back into Xiang Beifei''s hands. "Beifei, you..." Lu Hong watched Xiang Beifei in disbelief. He never would have thought that the thing that saved his life came from Xiang Beifei, who had just awakened his system not long ago! "Dad left it to protect me." Xiang Beifei flicked the breath soil, twisting it into a whip before it vanished from sight. "Xiang Tianxing?" Lu Hong came to a realization. So that was it! He knew that Xiang Beifei''s father was a pioneer, an SR grade Awakener with extremely rare talents. It made sense for such a powerful martial artist to leave his son something for self-protection. "But how could you¡ª" Lu Hong still didn''t understand. Even if Xiang Tianxing had given Xiang Beifei something for self-protection, in order to use it to protect others, Beifei would need to have foreseen such an event and also possess extremely agile reflexes. How did this kid manage that? "I didn''t trust him, so I kept a precaution," Xiang Beifei said. "You didn''t trust him..." Lu Hong was taken aback. After all, he was a martial artist at the Meridian Opening stage, yet his vigilance in this matter was inferior to that of a youth who had only awakened his system recently. "I was too naive," Lu Hong sighed. He had been deceived by Chen Gang last time. This time, he was almost fooled again. He suddenly felt somewhat pitiful. "You just didn''t want to believe that he would kill you," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Hong gave a bitter smile once again. This youth saw things even more clearly than he did. Even at the moment when he defeated Chen Gang, he still hoped Chen Gang would turn back. But Chen Gang had already shredded the trust between them to pieces. ¡ª¡ª The aftermath work was being handled by others. Lu Zhiwei and the others were unharmed; they were merely knocked unconscious by Chen Gang and would probably wake up soon. Lu Hong didn''t involve himself in these trivial matters; he just sat at the corner of the mall stairs, incessantly smoking away, staring blankly at the photo in his hands. Xiang Beifei sat beside him, called over by Lu Hong personally. He looked toward Lu Hong''s system interface. [Host: Lu Hong] [S Rank, Investigation System] [Realm: Early Meridian Opening] [A detection has been made of a special N grade talent, would you like to investigate?] ... Lu Hong''s Investigation System issued a task. Xiang Beifei knew Lu Hong must have many questions in his mind, but luckily, he had already thought of how to handle Lu Hong''s inquiries. Put everything on his dad, simply saying his dad taught him some recognition skills, and that''s how he saw through Chen Gang''s disguise. After finishing an entire cigarette, Lu Hong finally spoke faintly, "Beifei, I heard you''re just an N grade Awakener?" "Yes," Xiang Beifei nodded. Lu Hong looked up at Xiang Beifei, a strange light flickering in his eyes. "I understand." After a pause, he said slowly, "Don''t bother explaining; just keep your secrets well." Lu Hong looked at the task just issued by his system and chose [No]. "Hm?" Xiang Beifei was slightly surprised. He could see Lu Hong''s system tasks, too, and he hadn''t expected Lu Hong to select [No]. He had thought up a plethora of explanations, but they proved unnecessary. This was unexpected. "I once had the privilege of knowing your father. A man as formidable as your father is beyond my reach forever; such a powerful figure''s son would naturally be no ordinary person. I should have thought of this earlier," Lu Hong said with a smile. Xiang Beifei had intended to attribute everything to his so-called SR father, but he hadn''t needed to¡ªLu Hong had figured it out on his own. This was fine, too. "I won''t pry too much. As for today''s events, if you wish to keep a low profile, I will keep your secret," Lu Hong offered. Everyone had secrets; if Beifei had secrets he preferred not to reveal, Lu Hong would naturally respect them without probing further. "Thank you, Uncle Lu." Interacting with intelligent people was simple. Had it been anyone else, Xiang Beifei might not have intervened, but he trusted Lu Hong. "Beifei, promise me one thing." "What is it?" "Your father was a tremendous person engaged in the most noble of endeavors, someone I could only ever look up to. I know I''m not your father, and I''m not qualified to teach you anything, but you have just awakened to your system, and you''ll have your own path to follow and confusions to face. However, no matter what system you''ve awakened to, I hope you understand one thing." Lu Hong stared at the photo of Chen Gang, his eyes brimming with endless desolation. "What kind of person you become is your choice, not the system''s!" A flame appeared at his fingertips, igniting the photograph and turning the man within to a pile of black ash. It was as if he had burned away his past with that person. He had spent so long seeking strength and chasing after Lai Wuying in his quest for revenge for Chen Gang, only to discover that Chen Gang was Lai Wuying. This truth was hard for him to accept. He would have preferred Chen Gang to have died at the hands of "Lai Wuying," at least that would have meant a death with dignity. The black ash drifted in the air, slowly dissolving. Xiang Beifei watched the ashes, contemplative. He had understood this principle long ago. Just as Principal Li Nanxing''s "Confucian Saint System" and headteacher Yang Hua''s "Master Dao System" were both education and nurturing systems, the paths each chose were completely different. Performing tasks related to the system. But one''s character had nothing to do with the system. "I will remember your words, Uncle Lu, but I hope you will also heed a word of advice from me," Xiang Beifei said. "What is it?" "Next time you encounter a criminal like Chen Gang who intends to be utterly vile, don''t show mercy. If you must kill, kill. At the very least, leave him half-dead, break his limbs, and ensure he cannot move. Otherwise, the one who suffers is yourself," said Xiang Beifei. Lu Hong was slightly stunned. He looked at Xiang Beifei. His expression showed profound surprise. The young man handled such matters with even more calmness and decisiveness than he did. Was this really just a high school student who had just awakened to his system? But on second thought, the young man''s words were not wrong. Mercy should be based on the premise that one can protect oneself. If it hadn''t been for Xiang Beifei seeing through Chen Gang, the one to die tonight would have been himself. "I''ll remember. You''re right. I won''t always be so lucky to have you save my life, like you did today," Lu Hong said, nodding. Then, he sighed deeply, his eyes filled with a trace of bewilderment. Xiang Beifei thought for a moment, then added, "I hope Uncle Lu won''t be disheartened. There are many more Lai Wuyings in the Western District that need Uncle Lu''s attention. Chen Gang is definitely not the last criminal you need to deal with." Lu Hong was taken aback. In the past six months, his strength had surged as he pushed himself to the limit to avenge Chen Gang. When he discovered today that Chen Gang was Lai Wuying, there was a moment when his half-year''s conviction suddenly collapsed, leaving him questioning the purpose of gaining strength. But Xiang Beifei''s words were like an enlightening rush to his head, reviving his spirits. As an elder, he should have been the one comforting the younger, yet the roles had reversed tonight. This young man truly puzzled him. "Thank you," Lu Hong said gratefully. The collapse of one belief could lead to the birth of another. Lai Wuying had become a thing of the past. But the future could be carried on by the next generation. "If you have any requests in the future, just let me know. I''ll do everything in my power to help you." Even if just for this child''s sake, he must pull himself together. "Of course, thank you, Uncle Lu," Beifei politely responded. To protect Xiang Beifei, Lu Hong had given him the Azure Light Armor, inadvertently helping Xiang Beifei to illuminate a star. Xiang Beifei was simply repaying the favor. Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Learning Plan The incident at the shopping center didn''t attract much attention, and everything was handled through standard procedures. Xiang Beifei didn''t concern himself with these matters, as they had nothing to do with him. However, he was in a good mood. Because Lu Hong said that once the procedures were completed, he would help him apply for the bounty. As the captain of the law enforcement team, Lu Hong was almost certain to handle it smoothly. By the time he returned, it was already evening. Walking on the road, the noisy crowd gave Xiang Beifei a feeling as if he were in a different world. He had been in this world for less than a month, feeling both familiar and alien to everything. In his previous world, he was just an orphan whose parents had died early, relying on relatives to get through school. That world was not friendly to him. Coming to this world hadn''t improved his situation much either. But at least he had found a relative here. Everyone here carried their own system panel, bustling about for their system tasks. Their goals were clear, whether they were for money or fame, or for strength or family, they all took their system tasks seriously. The system had become the driving force of their lives. Sometimes, Xiang Beifei would ponder. In his previous world, where nobody had systems, what exactly was the difference from this one? Back in that world, weren''t the adults driven by car loans, mortgages, family, and the need to support parents and children, all reasons for everyone to rise early, sleep late, and squeeze onto buses to go to work and earn a living? These burdens carried by adults were the tasks they had to accomplish in their lives. In this system world, these life tasks had been systematized into system tasks. Whether it was the previous world or this system world, everyone had to advance towards their goals. Essentially, there was no difference between the two worlds. Of course, the people here possessed much stronger abilities. Murder, destruction, battles... all were almost foreseeable. The incident between Lu Hong and Chen Gang had given Xiang Beifei a deeper impression of this world. Xiang Beifei was gradually adapting to the rhythm of this world. Those at the bottom struggled to complete system tasks for their livelihood. The powerful strove toward their own goals. He too needed to find his own way to survive. If he wanted to go further in the world of the system, he had to keep pace with this world. ¡ª¡ª When he got home, it was already dark. Xiang Beifei prepared dinner, but Xiang Qingde hadn''t come home yet. He kept the food warm, then returned to his room. He had received another system reward, which was the Thousand Faces Slash Moon finishing move collected by Chen Gang. Although this finishing move was only aimed at Lu Hong, it possessed a Spiritual Power level equal to the early stage of Meridian Opening! Each star constellation actually included one ability. The reason for lighting them up one by one was because the Spiritual Power required to use the abilities contained within each star constellation varied, so Xiang Beifei had to master them step by step, and couldn''t bite off more than he could chew. For example, one at the Qi-Controlling stage could only master abilities that could be executed at the Qi-Controlling stage. As he progressed, the abilities brought by lighting up star constellations became more powerful, and the required realms to master them also became higher. "Woof woof woof!" Xiaohei gave a suggestion. While at the Qi-Controlling stage, Xiang Beifei could light up four star constellations. So far, he had lit up two and acquired two abilities. He had two more abilities to acquire, which would only be accessible at the middle and later stages of the Qi-Controlling level. However, Chen Gang''s "Thousand Faces Slash Moon" was a Spiritual Power crystal from the early stage of Meridian Opening, which could be saved for later use to light up a star constellation at the Meridian Opening stage, thus not wasting it. "Okay, let''s tentatively set it like this for now! But if we can''t find a suitable replacement, we''ll just have to use it." Xiang Beifei agreed. The clash between Lu Hong and Chen Gang tonight enlightened him greatly. Only those in the Meridian Opening phase are truly powerful martial artists! Normally, those in the Qi-Controlling phase could even be considered ordinary people, their combat abilities are clearly insufficient. The Jiuzhou Alliance never lacks people in the Qi-Controlling phase; they can practically be found everywhere on the streets. Even high school teachers are just in the late stages of Qi-Controlling. Without stepping into the Meridian Opening phase, one simply cannot access true martial arts. In tonight''s battle, Xiang Beifei couldn''t intervene. At a critical moment, he relied on breath soil to save Lu Hong''s life, but that was all he could do. Luckily, the breath soil possessed an indestructible defensive capability, able to block Chen Gang''s attacks. But if Chen Gang''s attacks had targeted Xiang Beifei, even with breath soil, he would have had a hard time avoiding them, and might not have even survived. Breath soil can only be said to be indestructible, but that doesn''t mean it can dissipate that powerful force. Chen Gang''s attack hitting the breath soil, the reverberations would still transmit through it to the body. Lu Hong''s physical condition could withstand those reverberations because he was a master of the Meridian Opening phase, but Xiang Beifei definitely could not. This made him realize the necessity of improving his combat abilities and physical condition. Reflecting on the blazing fist Lu Hong displayed tonight, its explosive force left a deep impression on him. Every punch Lu Hong threw almost seemed to spin the air current, as if igniting the air itself. "The fire can burn on the fists; this must be a cultivation technique given by Uncle Lu''s system, Xiaohei, can I learn such a thing?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "Woof woof woof!" Xiaohei rolled over plumply on the bed. "Oh, I see!" Xiang Beifei nodded thoughtfully. Any cultivation technique gifted by the system actually relies on one''s own spiritual power to manifest. Xiaohei can turn system rewards obtained from others into spiritual power crystals because fundamentally, all systems aim to transform spiritual power into something absorbable by the body. And spiritual power is present in all cultivators'' bodies; it is their source of power. What Xiaohei meant was, as long as the method is right, he could also use his own spiritual power to execute those abilities. This ability could be learned through "Learn by Analogy," but the premise is that he first needs to grasp one thing, then he can quickly master other variations of it. That means, if he could learn Lu Hong''s flame fist, next time he would be able to learn any technique involving the use of fire, not just limited to the flame fist. He could learn flame palm, flame foot, flame leg, sparking all around, fire three feet high, fire at one''s heels, fire under one''s butt. Just thinking about it is exhilarating! Xiang Beifei tried throwing a punch into the air. Aside from the whooshing sound of the air, no fire was generated. "I need to ask Uncle Lu for guidance; I wonder if he would be willing to teach me." Xiang Beifei pondered. The next day, he eagerly called Lu Hong to express his intentions. "You want to learn martial arts from me?" Lu Hong seemed very surprised. "Yes, I just awakened my system and want to learn techniques related to combat," said Xiang Beifei. "Sure, if you want to learn, I naturally won''t be stingy, but be prepared mentally; learning martial arts requires great determination and the spirit to endure hardships. It''s definitely not something you can master overnight." Lu Hong agreed readily. There was no way he could refuse the son of Xiang Tianxing wanting to learn martial arts from him. "I understand," Xiang Beifei was aware of these things. "Then come find me after class. I work night shifts, and if I''m not out on a call, I can teach you," Lu Hong said. Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Reclamation System Xiang Beifei was currently only in the early stages of Qi-Controlling, and his power was not yet impressive. However, given the speed of his cultivation, he would definitely reach the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling within two weeks! The speed of advancement through the realms is related to one''s talent. For R-ranked awakened individuals like the class teacher Yang Hua, even after seven or eight years of awakening, he was still only in the late stage of Qi-Controlling. Whereas S-ranked Lu Zhiwei, having awakened for only a year, was already in the late stage of Qi-Controlling. Xiang Beifei had been awakened for less than a month and was not in a hurry. Time at school passed quickly, and after school, once Xiang Beifei had explained the situation to his grandfather, he went to the law enforcement bureau. The place they were located in was the western jurisdiction of Jiuzhou, where the City Guard Bureau was a conspicuous department. It was a place many ill-intended people steered clear of, with various powerful defenses. Xiang Beifei entered the City Guard Bureau and asked a small police officer with an "R-ranked Firearms System" at the front desk, who directed him to the office of Lu Hong. However, he didn''t find anyone there. The affairs department of the guardians was noisy, with many law enforcement officers coming and going, some escorting suspects, others loudly making phone calls, and some carrying large stacks of documents. Xiang Beifei wondered if he should wait inside, but then he caught sight of another interrogation room on the other side and discovered that Lu Hong was inside, seemingly questioning a criminal. Through the glass window, Xiang Beifei could see the situation inside. The criminal appeared calm in the face of Lu Hong''s questioning, not opening his mouth at all, and there was a disdainful expression in his eyes, showing no regard for these law enforcement officers. [Host: Wan Qiu] [R-ranked, Reclamation System] [Realm: Mid-stage Qi-Controlling] It was unclear what crimes Wan Qiu had committed, but the expression on Lu Hong''s face looked somewhat gloomy. Lu Hong questioned for a long time but seemed unable to get anything out of him. He let an officer with an "R-ranked Interrogation System" continue the questioning, then left the interrogation room. "Uncle Lu," Xiang Beifei greeted. "You''ve arrived." Lu Hong saw Xiang Beifei and showed a gentle smile, saying, "I''ve been busy this afternoon, was dealing with some matters just now, it''s kind of headache-inducing." "Did I come at a bad time?" Xiang Beifei asked. "No, you cracked a big case yesterday, How could I not make time for you?" Lu Hong laughed, but he still looked a bit tired; the matter of Lai Wuying, which involved Chen Gang, hadn''t allowed him to recover quickly. But he had not been knocked down, and was still working today. "What about that person just now?" Xiang Beifei asked. "A robbery case," Lu Hong replied, "The bank vault was robbed, he must have been the one to get inside, but we don''t know how he did it. We''ve caught him, but he''s not willing to give up the whereabouts of his accomplices yet, it''s a bit of a headache." A robbery case? The bank vault? This guy has the Reclamation System, without thinking too much it''s clear he must have dug his way in from underground. "You couldn''t get it out of him? Don''t you have specialized interrogators?" Xiang Beifei glanced again at the police officer who had taken over Lu Hong''s interrogation work. That officer possessed the interrogation system, and by all accounts, he should be an expert at extracting information. "He''s a mute, we asked him to write down where his accomplices are hiding, but unfortunately, he won''t write," Lu Hong said, rubbing his forehead. A mute? Xiang Beifei suddenly understood; even the most skillful interrogator is helpless against a mute. He moved forward a couple of steps, closer to the glass window, and scrutinized the other person''s system tasks. The completed task list for Wan Qiu was all related to reclamation. Most of them were¡ª¡ª [You have reclaimed one square meter of wasteland, reclamation value +1.] [You have reclaimed one square meter of mountain forest, reclamation value +1.] These tasks seemed regular and nothing out of the ordinary, but among the recent list of tasks, there were some that were quite special. [Spent 500 reclamation value points to upgrade reclamation tools. The current spade can now reclaim three-dimensional space in reinforced concrete.] [You have reclaimed fifty cubic meters of space within the pier of Qianhe Bridge, reclamation value +10.] This system task was completed three days ago. The Qianhe Bridge was a heavyweight bridge with incredibly thick and massive piers, and it was unexpected that someone actually had the ability to carve out a space inside one. Carving out a space there would indeed be a perfect hiding spot. This guy''s ability was quite impressive. According to his system description, this method of reclamation could disregard the volume of the reclamation target and determine the volume difference between the reclaimed space and the reclamation target proportionally. If he had enough system points, he could even carve out a ten cubic meter space in a single ring. The legendary "storage ring" was said to be based on this kind of reclamation system, a type of black technology from the world of Xianxia stories. "Uncle Lu, based on the clothing and the traces of dust on him, he must have been to Qianhe Bridge recently. You might try searching the piers of Qianhe Bridge; his accomplices could be hiding inside. I don''t know if you have any echo-locating devices to check which pier might be hollow," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Hong looked at Xiang Beifei in astonishment, "Is this true? Are you sure?" "I think there''s no mistake," said Xiang Beifei. Lu Hong then turned to look at Wan Qiu. He himself had a powerful Investigation System, but when he looked at the dust on Wan Qiu''s clothes, he could only tell that the dust came from beneath the bank. He wanted to ask Xiang Beifei how he figured it out, but remembering what happened the day before, Lu Hong held back the question. "Wait a moment." With a wave of his hand, a delicately crafted black raven appeared in Lu Hong''s hand. He patted the raven''s head and said, "Search the piers of Qianhe Bridge." The raven darted into the sky, streaking a flash of light before vanishing. "This is my reconnaissance tool. It''s very effective," Lu Hong explained. This tool came from his system; in fact, he had used it yesterday, but Chen Gang understood his investigative capabilities too well and knew how to counteract them. Lu Hong watched his system interface. As the black raven flew out to investigate, he could see everything happening outside through the raven''s eyes at any time on his system interface. The black raven was incredibly fast, and since Qianhe Bridge was not far away, it almost instantly arrived and began scanning each pier built into the river. Soon, Lu Hong''s expression became more and more astonished! The raven''s eyes had echo-locating ability, and the scanning results showed that the inside of the piers were indeed hollow! Not only that, but the raven''s echo-location also detected seven people lurking within one of the piers! "They really are hidden here!" Lu Hong was truly shocked and couldn''t help but look towards Xiang Beifei, full of amazement! If it weren''t for Xiang Beifei''s suggestion, they might never have thought to look for people hiding inside the solid piers! "Move out! Move out! Raven Squad, prepare to deploy to Qianhe Bridge!" Lu Hong swiftly summoned his subordinates. At his command, they were on the move immediately! Xiang Beifei stood still, watching Uncle Lu''s retreating figure. The event from yesterday had dealt Uncle Lu a heavy blow. If he could help Uncle Lu take care of some things, he was willing to do so. But then he thought about it. Something didn''t seem quite right. What had he come here to do again? Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Intuition Xiang Beifei sat in Lu Hong''s office, observing the city''s guardians coming and going outside. He liked to observe other people''s systems. Those who were able to work in the law enforcement team were required to have at least late-stage Qi-Controlling abilities, and they had to undergo multiple assessments. The talent of every Awakener started at R grade, with many being S grade. Most of the Awakeners here had systems related to crime, such as the [R grade Sniper System], the [R grade Negotiation System], the incredibly fast [S grade Godspeed Guardian System], and there was even an old cop whose system was the [S grade Turn Back to the Shore System] as he sat drinking tea. "I heard your son will experience the Awakening System next year. What''s the most important thing in this world? Of course, it''s family. Which father wouldn''t be by their child''s side on the day they awaken their system? If your son reached SSR next year, and you weren''t there at his brightest moment, how sad he would be..." The old cop was chatting with a handcuffed criminal. His tone was down-to-earth and heartfelt. Initially, the man was defiant, but somehow as they talked, his eyes reddened, and then he began to wipe away tears. "Uncle, you are right, thank you. I never intended to commit fraud. I just... I just..." "I understand, I understand. No one''s perfect; who can be without fault?" "Uncle, then I confess, can I get out this time next year?" "Even if you can''t get out, I must apply for a leave for you next year. How could you not be present when your own child experiences the Awakening System?" "Okay, I confess, I confess." The old cop patted the criminal gently, smiling amicably. The man signed the confession with a guilty expression. "Uncle Chang, thank you for your help." A law enforcement officer said to the old cop. "It''s nothing. I should be off now." The old cop stood up, crossed his hands behind his back, and leisurely walked away. [You have persuaded a criminal to turn over a new leaf, Virtue Points +20] This old cop''s system belonged to the preaching and negotiating type, where he shared life philosophies and the dry contents of Tao Te Ching with criminals. However, many mentally unstable individuals couldn''t resist his persuasion. The old cop, named Chang Shan, was a very amiable old man. It seemed his position wasn''t very high, yet he managed to connect well with many people. However, he possessed late-stage Meridian Opening capabilities! A hidden master! So far, Xiang Beifei had met two of the most powerful cultivators. One was Principal Li Nanxing, and the other was this old cop. Xiang Beifei mused: if this old cop hadn''t been working in the law enforcement team, he might have become a monk dedicating his life to universal salvation. Or perhaps, he was a cop just to offer that salvation? "Hey, Beifei, what are you doing here?" Lu Zhiwei entered the office and immediately saw Xiang Beifei, who was looking around from the window. "I came to see Uncle Lu." Xiang Beifei had forgotten that Lu Zhiwei came here for her internship every day after school. "What do you need my dad for?" Lu Zhiwei casually threw her bag aside, then went to the water cooler, poured two cups of water, and handed one to Xiang Beifei. "Something came up. He just left on a call, so I''m waiting for him here." Xiang Beifei took the cup of water. Lu Zhiwei pulled over a swivel chair, spun around twice, then stopped and gazed at Xiang Beifei as if pondering something. "Is there something on my face?" Xiang Beifei asked hesitantly. "What happened at the parking lot yesterday? I can''t remember anything. I asked my dad, but he didn''t provide details, only mentioning that with your help, they caught Lai Wuying. How did you manage that?" Lu Zhiwei inquired. "I saw the suspect, told Uncle Lu, and Uncle Lu caught him." Xiang Beifei simply described the process. Whoosh! Lu Zhiwei pulled her office chair forward, stopping right in front of Xiang Beifei, leaning forward so close their noses nearly touched, her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she scrutinized Xiang Beifei. "You''re lying." Lu Zhiwei declared. This was the first time Xiang Beifei had been so close to a girl, he could almost smell the faint fragrance from Lu Zhiwei''s hair. Huh, it smells like Seabreeze shampoo. The same brand as mine. "How did you know I was lying?" He leaned back a bit. "Intuition." However, Lu Zhiwei was relentless and leaned forward again, her long eyelashes almost flicking Xiang Beifei''s hair. That''s weird. "Don''t come too close, we aren''t familiar." Xiang Beifei extended a finger and pressed it against Lu Zhiwei''s nose, pushing her back. "Oh, you''re getting shy now." Lu Zhiwei rolled her eyes and swatted Xiang Beifei''s hand away. Xiang Beifei smirked. "Intuition tells me you''re definitely hiding something from me." Lu Zhiwei scratched her nose and said. "You trust your intuition more than your logical reasoning skills?" Xiang Beifei glanced at her system interface. An 11% reasoning accuracy still shining brightly! Lu Zhiwei spun around in her chair and said, "Yesterday when I got home, my dad looked strange, I remember him saying Lai Wuying was Chen Gang, but that doesn''t make sense because Uncle Chen was clearly killed by Lai Wuying." "Couldn''t he have faked his death?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Faked his death?" Lu Zhiwei, touching her chin and pondering, said, "Then how did you know Chen Gang was Lai Wuying? Lai Wuying knocked us all down, he appears and disappears like a ghost, even Xue Mo''s cat is MIA, how did you spot him?" "Lucky guess." "Bullshit!" Lu Zhiwei said, "I don''t believe your luck is that good! Did you awaken some kind of good fortune system?" Xiang Beifei shrugged nonchalantly. "Be honest, what are you doing here today? To record last night''s case?" Lu Zhiwei asked. Xiang Beifei figured he couldn''t keep it a secret any longer and said, "I came here to learn some combat skills from Uncle Lu." "Learning to fight? Were you motivated after seeing my dad destroy the parking lot fighting someone yesterday?" "Whatever you say." "I can teach you." Lu Zhiwei stood up, interlocked her fingers, and pressed down, her joints cracking loudly. Xiang Beifei looked at Lu Zhiwei with disdain. "Hey, what''s with that look? My dad taught me my fighting skills," Lu Zhiwei said, hands on her hips. "Then you''re really good." Xiang Beifei nodded perfunctorily. He was not here solely to learn combat skills, he mainly wanted to find out how Lu Hong managed to produce flames with his punches. Lu Zhiwei was becoming frustrated. This jerk, still as troublesome as ever. "Caught them, good! They were indeed hiding under the bridge pier!" Just then, a loud voice came from outside; Lu Hong had returned. His team efficiently surrounded the culprits at Qiaohe Bridge pier, capturing the bank robbers all in one go, and the entire process took less than half an hour. He was finally back. Xiang Beifei stood up. Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Fist Wind "Captain Lu is amazing!" "I thought this case would be really tricky, but Captain Lu solved it just like that." "Captain Lu, how did you figure out they were hiding under the bridge pier?" A wave of awe filled the air as Lu Hong directly raided the criminals'' hideout, thrilling the entire enforcement team¡ªit was a significant achievement. Lu Hong, while being praised, felt somewhat embarrassed; he knew that the credit didn''t lie with him, but with Xiang Beifei. "Sorry for the delay. You guys proceed with the necessary, interrogate those who need interrogation, and keep busy." Lu Hong then remembered he had promised to teach Xiang Beifei some combat skills, but upon encountering the criminals, he had heatedly forgotten about it and hurried to his office. "I''m back, sorry, I forgot," Lu Hong said with a smile. "Dad, you''re so cool! You solved the robbery case so quickly? How did you figure it out?" Lu Zhiwei excitedly looked at her father. "With the help of a noble person, without him, I really might not have spotted the loophole," Lu Hong said with a smile. "Was it Xue Mo? I thought he took a leave." "Not Xue Mo, it was Beifei!" Lu Hong looked at Xiang Beifei, thoroughly impressed by him now. This kid truly was extraordinary; he didn''t even need to face the suspect for an interrogation or visit the scene, just a quick glance from afar was all it had taken. He had actually managed to catch one of Wan Qiu''s accomplices! This level of investigative ability was even more potent than his own system! "Beifei?" Lu Zhiwei turned her head in confusion and looked at Xiang Beifei, "Did he spot the criminal suspect again?" "He figured it out with reasoning!" Lu Hong explained, "Beifei has a very keen sense for reasoning. He just took one look and analyzed where that guy''s accomplice was hiding! Xiao Wei, you really ought to learn this reasoning ability from Beifei." Lu Zhiwei turned her head and sized up Xiang Beifei again: "How is that possible? Didn''t he just awaken his system? Is he that impressive?" Lu Hong knocked on Lu Zhiwei''s head. "How many times have I told you, you should never underestimate anyone. Beifei has a gift for this, he''s much better than you at it." "Dad, I''m not underestimating him, I just think... nevermind, forget I said anything." Lu Zhiwei muttered a bit but didn''t finish her sentence, feeling that if she continued, she might just get another knock on the head from her dad, so she wisely kept quiet. However, she was becoming more and more curious about Xiang Beifei. Yesterday, their team''s prophecy expert Xue Mo had failed to locate Lai Wuying, who nearly took down the entire enforcement team; yet, it was only Xiang Beifei who had noticed Lai Wuying''s traces and had helped her dad capture him. Today, Xiang Beifei had just arrived at the enforcement team, and before even warming his seat, he had helped her dad solve another case? Was this guy''s ability to solve cases really that strong? "Beifei, have you ever considered being a city guardian here? With your personality and reasoning skills, you''d be perfectly suited for the job." Lu Hong looked at Xiang Beifei with hopeful eyes. "I was just lucky." "There you go being modest again," Lu Hong said. "Uncle Lu, I want to learn some combat skills," Xiang Beifei said. "Right, right, look at my memory, almost forgot! Come on, I''ll take you to the training room." Lu Hong, hearing Xiang Beifei express such an interest, was also pleased. If Xiang Beifei could really end up working here, their jurisdiction''s case-solving rate would probably skyrocket. Beifei fell silent for a moment, then turned to look at Wan Qiu, who possessed the Reclamation System, and reminded, "Uncle Lu, even if you catch them, you must be careful, this person is not so simple." "Don''t worry, they are watching. We have special means of care here, and won''t give him a chance to escape," Lu Hong said. Beifei thought for a while and then said nothing more. ¡ª¡ª The city guard squad had a dedicated training room for combat, specifically for the use of the guards. Lu Hong brought Beifei to a bright room with nothing around¡ªit was a pure fighting arena. Lu Hong took Beifei to change clothes, and Lu Zhiwei, having nothing else to do, followed them in. "Combat skills are very important. You can learn this without having to cultivate the spiritual power. In my eyes, the essence of fighting is all about speed," Lu Hong said as he clenched and then opened his fist, with a faint flow of air swirling around his fingertips. "Beifei, you''ve just awakened your system less than a month ago, so you probably haven''t cultivated any spiritual power yet, have you?" Lu Hong didn''t yet know Beifei''s specific situation, as Beifei had not taken any action that day. "Dad, how could he have cultivated spiritual power so quickly? He''s not an S-rank," Lu Zhiwei muttered. S-rank Awakeners find it simple to break through to the Qi-Controlling phase, but she knew that Beifei was an N-rank Awakener, and for N-rank Awakeners, it would take at least half a year to a year to possibly step into the Qi-Controlling phase. Beifei said, "Regarding that, well¡ªI barely¡ª" He stretched out his finger and lightly clenched it twice, a white light pulsing at his fingertips. "What? You''ve cultivated spiritual power already?" Lu Zhiwei was very surprised! "That''s not right! You just awakened as an N-rank, how could it be so fast?" Lu Zhiwei found it incredible! Lu Hong was also surprised; after thinking for a moment, he realized that Beifei was far from being as simple as an N-level, and he became more certain about Beifei hiding his own talent. Although he was very curious about this young man, considering the identity of Tianxing''s son, he didn''t ask further but simply said, "That makes it much more convenient." Meanwhile, Lu Zhiwei curiously asked, "How did you break through to the Qi-Controlling phase?" After finishing, upon seeing her father ready to scold her, she quickly added, "Just to be clear, I mean no disrespect. The textbooks clearly state what type of system has what kind of learning progress, and you are clearly an N-rank Awakener!" "Zhiwei, don''t be rude! Looks can be deceiving. To become strong, both talent and diligence are important. Have you forgotten our senior officer from Liangzhou, Shang Tianxiong? He''s an N-rank System Awakener, just look at his accomplishments," Lu Hong interjected. "But he didn''t reach the Qi-Controlling phase in just one month either!" Lu Zhiwei muttered. "Alright, no more questions. We are here to train today, focus!" Lu Hong did not allow his daughter to continue. He continued, "I have my own set of unique boxing techniques, which I generally don''t teach others, mainly because everyone''s system attributes differ, and what works for me might not work for others. I''ve only taught Zhiwei, whether it suits you, you''ll have to see for yourself." Lu Hong snapped his fingers, and suddenly, a punching bag appeared in the middle of the room. This was a technologically simulated punching bag, but it was in no way different from a real one. "When sparring with someone, you must be alert in all directions, mindful of attacks coming from any direction at any time, while ensuring that the strength in your arms matches the speed of your eyes. Your focus must always be on your own fists," Lu Hong said as he threw a punch forward. His fist wind howled, igniting flames in the air in the instant it was thrown. Bang! Lu Hong''s fist had not even touched the punching bag, yet the bag was directly blasted into pieces! Beifei''s eyes brightened. That punch was very powerful. Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Rapid Flame "This flame is not an attribute enhanced by the system, but one that I have ignited through burning my Spiritual Power. I''ve named it ''Rapid Flame.'' Distribute your Spiritual Power over your fist, and as long as the speed of your punch is fast enough, the air will friction violently with the Spiritual Power and directly ignite it." "This kind of attack is quite overbearing but not easy to master. Firstly, you need to control your Spiritual Power well, not allowing it to diffuse too much or too little. Otherwise, the air will carry away your Spiritual Power, and no combustion will occur." "After you''ve managed to ignite your Spiritual Power, you must learn to control the flames and compress the flames within a certain area. If you can''t compress the flames, then their effect will merely be for show, burning for a bit and then disappearing, completely meaningless." "To make the flames lethal, you must use your own Spiritual Power to lead the burning flames, then compress them on your fist, creating a high-temperature point near your fist. When you hit your opponent, instantly detonate the flames. The high temperature will generate a fierce tearing force, causing fatal damage to your opponent!" Lu Hong detailed the key points of the Rapid Flame Technique to Xiang Beifei and demonstrated it a few times as well. Every time Lu Hong threw a punch, the air around seemed to twist. "At first, you''ll be unfamiliar with controlling Spiritual Power and will need to swing your fist over a certain distance to ignite the Spiritual Power. Once you''ve mastered the use of Spiritual Power, you won''t even need to swing your fist, just a slight movement will ignite your Spiritual Power, like this¡ª" Lu Hong extended his index finger and gently pressed down. The movement was minuscule, but flames danced at the tip of his finger and burst forth with a tremendously powerful jet of flame, piercing through the sandbag in front of him. Releasing Spiritual Power requires only one finger, with the force generated comparable to a gun! "Don''t think that it just looks like my finger bent a bit. In reality, my finger is vibrating at extreme speeds, something you are probably unable to see with your current realm," Lu Hong explained. "So that''s how it is." Xiang Beifei covered his fist with his own Spiritual Power and began to attempt to ignite it. The process was indeed not so easy to grasp, mainly because his punching speed wasn''t fast enough to ignite the Spiritual Power. But Xiang Beifei didn''t lose heart; he started to swing his fists at the sandbag. With every punch, he adjusted the speed of his punch, striving to deliver sufficient explosive force. Lu Hong stood by patiently, continuously helping Xiang Beifei correct his punching posture. ---- Two hours had passed, and Xiang Beifei was still tirelessly practicing his punches. His muscles ached, but fortunately, Lu Hong used his own system to exchange for a muscle soreness recovery ointment to help Xiang Beifei recover from the muscle damage. "Dad, you''re really generous with him. That stuff must have cost you quite a few system points, right?" Lu Zhiwei muttered. Lu Hong, looking at Xiang Beifei not far away, said, "It doesn''t matter how much it consumes. If it weren''t for Beifei yesterday, I probably would have lost my life." Lu Zhiwei was taken aback, "What? Why haven''t you told me about this? What exactly happened yesterday? How did Beifei save you?" Lu Hong shook his head slightly, "You don''t need to ask about that. Just remember, Beifei is not an ordinary person. In the future, don''t always criticize his N-rank system. Even if he is an N-rank talent, in my view, his future achievements will definitely not be inferior to an S-rank¡ª" Or perhaps, he is inherently an SR-rank talent! "Dad, do you really think so highly of him?" Lu Zhiwei was quite astonished at her father''s evaluation of Xiang Beifei. She glanced over at Xiang Beifei, who was focused on practicing his punches, and found it incredible. Because Lu Hong had never given such a high appraisal to any System Awakener with an N-rank system before. Lu Hong nodded slightly, "He has that potential in him, I believe in him. By the way, in the future, if he needs help, give him a hand. Don''t go looking for trouble with him without a good reason." "I haven''t been troubling him." Lu Zhiwei pursed her lips, but the look in her eyes at Xiang Beifei turned even more puzzled. Her eyes rolled around, seemingly deep in thought. "It''s best not to trouble him; otherwise, the trouble might come hunting you." Lu Hong shook his head slightly, knowing his daughter''s temperament well. Having awakened an S-level talent and been accepted into Liangzhou University, she was extremely proud and competitive. If she knew someone was that outstanding, she''d definitely be discontent. The reason Lu Hong thought highly of Xiang Beifei was because of what happened at the mall yesterday. After returning home yesterday, he had carefully reviewed the events, growing increasingly horrified the more he thought about them. Chen Gang had shown him no mercy, striking with extreme speed, and Lu had nearly been seriously injured due to his carelessness. Yet, the patch of mud had arrived just in time, and even he hadn''t noticed when it had covered him. If that mud had not been there to protect him, but to kill him instead, he wouldn''t have stood a chance of blocking it! Most importantly, Chen Gang''s expression before he died was clearly one of shock, as if something had happened that he hadn''t anticipated. His "Investigation System" could analyze various details; Lu Hong speculated that Chen Gang''s final strike had been prepared with the certainty that it would kill him. But that strike had been as if the rug had been pulled out from under it, losing the power it should have had, otherwise Chen Gang wouldn''t have looked so surprised before his death. This made him wonder whether Xiang Beifei really was just a kid who had recently awakened his system. After all, just a few days ago, when Xiang Beifei was attacked by a demon dog, he emerged unscathed! This was simply not something a child who had just awakened his system could have managed. However, this morning Xiang Beifei had called, saying he wanted to learn combat skills from him, which made Lu think he might be overthinking things. He had also seen for himself just now, Xiang Beifei was indeed only at the early stages of Qi-Controlling. Lu Hong''s current understanding was that Xiang Beifei was definitely not as simple as an N-level system; perhaps like his father, Xiang Tianxing, he owned an SR system but chose not to reveal it. If it was an SR system, then everything would make sense. To know how to deal with demon dogs, to discern Lai Wuying, whom even the S-level prophet Xue Mo hadn''t identified, to deduce that Lai Wuying was in fact Chen Gang, let alone just now when he casually glimpsed and identified Wan Qiu''s accomplice. It wasn''t unusual for an SR Awakener to do these things. But what piqued his curiosity was, if Beifei had an SR system, supposedly endowed with powerful cultivation methods, why would he come to him to learn? "Could it be that he awakened a literary Dao system but wanted to follow the martial path like his father?" Lu Hong pondered to himself. Xiang Tianxing was a pioneer; could it be that the kid intended to emulate his father and grow up to be a pioneer too, but sadly awakened a literary Dao system, which meant his system couldn''t provide him with the means to cultivate, so that''s why he had come to him? Yes, that was the only explanation! Having figured this out, Lu Hong felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Regardless, since you''ve chosen to trust me, I can''t let you down," Lu Hong thought to himself. He did not know Xiang Tianxing well; Tianxing was a pioneer who often dealt with matters even more dangerous than Lu Hong''s cases. Tianxing had once done him a great favor, and they got along well, so whenever Tianxing came back, they would sometimes get together with their kids. He had a great respect for pioneers like Xiang Tianxing. Though Tianxing was now gone due to an accident, if Tianxing''s son wanted to pursue the martial path, Lu felt it was his duty to help. Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Youre Relatively Safe Xiang Beifei didn''t know what Lu Hong was thinking, he was still tirelessly swinging his fists. Until now, he had thrown at least over six thousand punches. He was very grateful that Lu Hong used the system rewards to help eliminate the wear on his muscles, otherwise, he''d probably have collapsed from exhaustion long ago. Though "Learn by Analogy" endowed him with a strong learning ability, for it to take effect, the prerequisite was to master an ability, then he could learn other abilities in the same category. Therefore, he had to master "Rapid Flame" on his own. Xiang Beifei practiced until midnight, had grandpa not called, he might have forgotten about the time altogether. "Xiao Wei, it''s so late, you send him home," Lu Hong said. "Dad, I''m a girl, you know! Since when does a girl send a boy home?" Lu Zhiwei stared at her own father with wide eyes. "You''re always in such a hurry, where''s the resemblance to a girl?" Lu Hong waved his hand dismissively; in his eyes, his daughter, who liked to fight, was no different from any boy. Now that she''d reached the late stages of Qi-Controlling, as long as she didn''t encounter a Meridian Opening practitioner like Chen Gang, basically no one could harm her. It wasn''t easy to encounter a Meridian Opening practitioner in this area anyway. "Aren''t you afraid that I, a young girl, might run into bad people while walking at night?" Lu Zhiwei batted her large eyes, looking pitiful. Lu Hong looked her over and said, "Ordinary bad people should be more afraid of running into you." Lu Zhiwei: "..." Lu Hong patted his head and said, "I almost forgot, Beifei, your Azure Light Armor was damaged yesterday. I''ll give you another piece, protect yourself well." He redeemed another piece of Azure Light Armor with 500 Investigation Value and pressed it onto Xiang Beifei''s body. "Uncle Lu, this..." Xiang Beifei hadn''t expected Lu Hong to give him another piece of Azure Light Armor. Xiang Beifei was still at the beginning stages of Qi-Controlling; the Azure Light Armor was a system item for the intermediate stages of Qi-Controlling, and it could still be used to light up the next star position. "This is a Qi-replenishing pill, it can speed up the recovery of Spiritual Power. You train too hard, which is a big burden on the body. Although it''s good to practice diligently, you can''t be too hasty. Take it slow." Lu Hong spent another 500 system points to exchange for a pill. "Uncle Lu, this is too extravagant," Xiang Beifei said. "Don''t mention it. Yesterday you helped me catch Lai Wuying, and last night you helped me solve a case. Some things can''t be compared to these little items," Lu Hong said generously with a wave of his hand. Xiang Beifei looked at Lu Hong''s system interface. Catching Lai Wuying yesterday wasn''t mainly credited to Lu Hong, so even though it was a big case, it only added 800 Investigation Value to Lu Hong. Catching the bank robbery accomplice at night only added 100 Investigation Value. He exchanged two system items for Xiang Beifei, plus the Azure Light Armor that Xiang Beifei melted, and the muscle-regenerating paste redeemed just now for 100 points, which meant Lu Hong was down 700 system points. But Lu Hong wasn''t a person to fuss over every little thing. The matter with Lai Wuying meant far more to him than a mere 700 system points. "Thank you." Xiang Beifei didn''t make a fuss; he was still only in the Qi-Controlling stage, strictly speaking not even a proper Daoist practitioner yet, lacking in strength. He knew he needed these. Accept them and then remember the favor. "Dad, you''re really generous." Lu Zhiwei shrugged her shoulders. "There''s nothing to be generous about. Xiao Wei, since you don''t have any work here and it''s so late, you should go home to sleep. It just so happens you''re going the same way as Beifei. Don''t worry, you will be very safe walking at night." Lu Hong was still in a hurry to go back and write the case report. After saying that, he left. "Wait, what do you mean I''ll be very safe walking at night ..." Lu Zhiwei huffed and puffed behind him, Inquiring Dao. Xiang Beifei wiped off his sweat, strapped on his backpack, and said, "You don''t need to walk me home, I know the way." "Too late!" Lu Zhiwei made a scary face, grabbed Xiang Beifei''s backpack, and began dragging him outside: "My dad asked me to be a ''guardian of the grass'', I have to protect this little blade of grass from being trampled." ---- The two walked on the road, it was already late at night, with few pedestrians around, and the occasional late worker hurried past without giving them a second glance. "Damn it, they actually say I''m safer walking at night. Do I really look that safe?" Lu Zhiwei grumbled all the way, growing more discontented by the minute, throwing a few punches at the air with a "biu-biu-biu". "I don''t think Uncle Lu meant it that way..." Xiang Beifei turned his head to look at the crow flying above them, which had been following them all along. Lu Hong certainly wouldn''t let his daughter walk alone at night, so he deployed his investigative crow. If anything happened, the crow would notify him immediately and Lu Hong could be there in less than a minute. When he spoke of safety, he meant the crow. But Lu Zhiwei wasn''t paying attention to the crow. "Then what does it mean! I''m his own daughter after all, and he says I''m safer walking at night?" Lu Zhiwei kept touching her own face and then turned to glare at Xiang Beifei: "Hey, Beifei, how do I look?" "Not bad." "Out of ten, how much would you give?" "???" Xiang Beifei was encountering a girl asking him to rate her for the first time. Isn''t this a topic that should be discussed among guys? "Then let''s go with ten." He gave a honest perfect score to avoid listening to complaints all the way. "Then why do they say I''m safer walking at night? Forget it, you definitely won''t tell the truth." Lu Zhiwei stood there, hands on hips, clearly upset. Just then, a young man with a briefcase came walking towards them. Lu Zhiwei grabbed the man, shoved him against a wall, and punched the brick beside his ear with a forceful "wall-bang", asking brashly, "Hey, I want to ask you something. Do you think I look safe?" The young man was walking along just fine when suddenly he was pressed against the wall with the brick beside his ear cracking from the impact, causing him to start screaming, "Help! Help! I''m being robbed!" "What are you shouting for? I''m a city guardian!" Lu Zhiwei gave the man a stern look. "You''re a city guardian? But I... I haven''t done anything, I''m just a programmer, law-abiding, working a nine-to-nine-six schedule, the company squeezes me dry, I''ve been working overtime till now, haven''t had time to misbehave..." The young man, thinking he was in big trouble, quickly explained with a mournful face. He was only mid-stage in Qi-Controlling, with the Awakening of the "N-Level Coder System," specializing in typing rather than fighting. "Cut the crap, a guardian is on a case. Answer my question, cooperate with the investigation." "What... what question?" "If you were a bad guy, would you try anything with me?" "..." The young man was so confused by the question that he couldn''t even respond. Such an idiot! Xiang Beifei held his forehead, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "With your personality, anyone would feel safe..." Xiang Beifei quickly dragged Lu Zhiwei away, to prevent her from making more foolish mistakes. Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Introduction Lu Zhiwei hummed and hawed as she escorted Xiang Beifei to his family''s doorstep. "You''re back? So late." Xiang Qingde had been waiting for him to come home and only relaxed when he saw Xiang Beifei at the door. "Hello, Grandpa Xiang!" Lu Zhiwei greeted him cheerfully. "Eh? Xiao Wei, what brings you here?" Xiang Qingde asked in surprise. "My dad sent me to make sure Beifei got home safely. You don''t need to worry." "Then come in and sit down for a bit," Xiang Qingde hurriedly said. "No, I have to get home myself. I have to catch the early bus tomorrow to go back to school," Lu Zhiwei said. "It''s so late, and it''s not safe for a girl to go home alone. I''ll take you back," he insisted. Xiang Qingde hurried to grab a flashlight and a coat, ready to escort Lu Zhiwei home. "Look at that, now that''s what I call an elder!" Lu Zhiwei complained about her father again, then waved her hand with a carefree smile, "No need, Grandpa Xiang. I can manage on my own." "How can that be alright? It''s so late, and a pretty girl like you walking alone at night is not safe. It would be terrible if anything happened..." Xiang Qingde said. Being complimented on her looks moved Lu Zhiwei deeply: "Ah, Grandpa Xiang, your insight is as sharp as ever." She happily rubbed her face, feeling very pleased. "Don''t worry, Grandpa Xiang. I''m not that easy to mess with. If I can''t beat them, I''ll just use the Teleportation Talisman my mom gave me to escape¡ªit''s a simple matter," she assured him. The Teleportation Talisman was a wonderful thing, an item exchanged through the system, a life-saving Divine Artifact given by her mother to her daughter. Within a certain distance, if she faced danger, the Teleportation Talisman could instantly pull Lu Zhiwei to her mother''s side. That was why Lu Hong was at ease letting Lu Zhiwei head home alone. "Then you still don''t understand what it means to be safe when walking at night?" Xiang Beifei pursed his lips. Lu Zhiwei stuck out her tongue in a mocking face. "Be careful on the way," Xiang Beifei said. "Got it, goodnight." Lu Zhiwei soon disappeared into the night. Xiang Qingde closed the door and then asked Xiang Beifei, "Are you following Lu Hong to learn fighting skills, aiming for the martial path in the future?" "Yes." He didn''t hide it. For Xiang Beifei, the essence of this world was still about the supremacy of the martial path. The outside world was full of desolate beasts that would launch attacks on human settlements from time to time. Martial artists held a higher status compared to literary Daoists. Xiang Qingde sighed. "What''s the matter, Grandpa?" Xiang Beifei wondered. Xiang Qingde patted Xiang Beifei''s shoulder and shook his head, "Nothing. If this is the path you''ve chosen, I naturally have to support you, but..." He trailed off, hesitating. "Is it because of my dad?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiang Qingde sighed. His own son had chosen the martial path, became a pioneer, and never returned. As a father, how could he not be worried? "Grandpa, rest assured, I know my limits," Xiang Beifei said with a smile. "I''ll look after myself, and I will also take good care of you in the future. I won''t be reckless." "Not being reckless is good. Go to bed," Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei washed his face and then went back to his bedroom. Xiang Qingde picked up the photo frame on the table and looked at the family portrait. He wiped the dust from the frame and murmured, "Now Xiaofei is choosing the martial path. If he encounters that same incident in the future, what will I do?" He glanced at his own system. On the system interface, there was nothing but snowflakes, no data at all. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei returned to his room and fell asleep immediately, having just stepped into the realm of Qi-Controlling. His body didn''t have much Spiritual Power, and after a whole night of training, he was greatly drained of energy. But after sleeping through the night, he quickly became as lively as a dragon again. After eating, Xiang Beifei called for Xiaohei, ready to go to school. But he was surprised to discover that Xiaohei was holding a bunch of odd and curious items, including a map, a hammer, a book, a tree sapling, and even a toilet brush. "Where did all this stuff come from?" Xiang Beifei asked in astonishment. "Woof woof woof!" Xiaohei jumped around excitedly. Xiang Beifei suddenly understood, given his constitution, he could''ve been unwittingly drawn into other people''s quests just by walking on the road. For example, the bus driver''s "Old Driver System", after giving Xiang Beifei a ride, his system prompted: "You gave Xiang Beifei a ride, driving proficiency +1" Then, after completing his quest, the rewards would go to himself. And usually, Xiang Beifei wasn''t even aware of this. He picked up the toilet brush and made some gestures with it, wondering whose system reward this could be from and why they would redeem a toilet brush of all things? Was it to enhance the cleanliness of the toilet while scrubbing? He then looked at a slipper. Why was this brand new slipper only one? Could they not afford the other? "Send these things back, life is tough for everyone. Rewards involving people who bear us no grudges, we shouldn''t take," he said. Xiang Beifei waved his hand dismissively. Most of these rewards came from lower-level people''s N-grade systems. The rewards of an N-grade system were often frustrating, with all sorts of bizarre quests, some of which were simply not feasible for a normal person. Those N-grade Awakeners had low strength, and it might take them several years to step into the Qi-Controlling realm. They relied on completing quests to make ends meet. If they lost their rewards, it was adding insult to injury. Since those rewards were of no use to himself and could not help him light up his stars, there was no need to disrupt others'' lives. Xiaohei had been gnawing on a ball, but upon hearing Xiang Beifei''s words, his tail wagged twice, and he mailed all the items back. ¡ª¡ª The end of high school life was approaching fast, and students who had just awakened their systems were putting aside their quests to focus on preparing for college entrance exams. No matter how urgent the system quests were, they couldn''t compare to the importance of the exams. Getting into a good university was crucial. Different levels of universities offered different conditions for completing quests. The better the university, the more comprehensive the facilities, and the more advantageous for completing system quests. All the students were busy except for Xiang Beifei. With his Learn by Analogy skill, he only needed to understand one type of problem, and then he could easily solve the same type next time he encountered it. He had essentially mastered all the types of exam questions, giving him more time to train himself. During breaks, he would go to a deserted place and continue practicing Rapid Flame. Following Lu Hong''s instructions, Xiang Beifei covered his fists with Spiritual Power and swung them punch after punch. With each punch, he paid attention to the range of his Spiritual Power, and gradually, he got the hang of it. When he had thrown over ten thousand punches, his fists finally produced a burst of explosive sound, with tiny sparks shooting out. "I did it!" Xiang Beifei revealed a smile. Although it was just a few sparks, and not a burst of flames like Lu Hong could produce, the mere fact he created sparks with Spiritual Power proved he had entered the threshold. Xiang Beifei approached a tree and fiercely swung a punch towards it¡ª Bang! A dull sound rang out! The bark was indented with his fist print, and around the edges of the imprint, there were signs of slight charring. "It''s not enough, Uncle Lu can pierce through a sandbag with just one finger." Xiang Beifei was not satisfied with this result. To create an imprint, he had to make contact with the bark with his fist. If it was Lu Hong, he could just blast the tree to smithereens from a distance. Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Lock-Free Isnt Possible After school that afternoon, he ran off to the Law Enforcement Team as usual. The training room of the Law Enforcement Team was quite special, equipped with various simulated training devices that could help one concentrate and greatly increase training efficiency. He also needed to consult Lu Hong about some details. Creating sparks and producing flames were not the same concept. Lu Hong was not in the office, and without his pass, Xiang Beifei was unable to access the training room, which was exclusively for the guardians. Xiang Beifei, being an outsider, could not enter or exit at will. He was waiting for Lu Hong to return. But he didn''t have to wait long before Lu Zhiwei leisurely came over. "How''s your arm?" Lu Zhiwei asked. "Not bad, with Uncle Lu''s help, it''s recovering well," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Zhiwei sat in her father''s office chair, propped her chin up with her hand and looked at Xiang Beifei, asking, "My dad praised your deductive abilities again today, told me to learn more from you. Are your deduction skills really that good?" "Just lucky," Xiang Beifei said. "Nobody''s that lucky," Lu Zhiwei said. "Don''t be so modest. Let me test you. What did that bald man do to get caught?" Lu Zhiwei pointed to a bald man sitting outside on a bench waiting for interrogation. She knew about this bald man since she had just gotten the information when she arrived and saw a law enforcement officer bringing him in. The law enforcement officer had not yet documented it, so Xiang Beifei definitely didn''t know these details. It was a good opportunity to test him. "I don''t know," Xiang Beifei said. "You didn''t even look!" Lu Zhiwei snorted and quickly smirked, "I know what you''re waiting for my dad to do, you want to go to the training room but don''t have a pass, right? My dad just went out on a call, no telling when he''ll be back. He called me, told me to take you in. Here''s the deal, if you get the deduction right, I''ll take you to the training room. How about that?" "That''s boring." "Right, I am just bored, looking for something to do." Lu Zhiwei held a door card, tapping on the desk, looking smugly at Xiang Beifei. With leverage in her hand, she felt more confident. Xiang Beifei turned his head and looked at the bald man. The bald man seemed very honest in appearance. He was just slightly over forty years old. Xiang Beifei noted that his little finger nail was sharp and long. Xiang Beifei glanced at the bald man''s system interface: [Host: Lv He] [R grade, Lock-Free System] [Realm: Mid-Qi-Controlling] In the system''s latest task list, a line of completed tasks was displayed: [You have unlocked Zhu Lai''s phone facial recognition lock, lock value +10] [You have unlocked Zhao Ming''s phone password lock, lock value +10] [You have unlocked Liu Jia''s bank password lock, lock value +10] [You have unlocked Mr. Liu''s front door lock, lock value +1] [You have unlocked Miss Wang''s bathroom lock, lock value +1] ... Xiang Beifei grew more amazed as he read. This guy''s abilities were remarkable! His system could even crack facial payment security? Being caught here with a Lock-Free System, he certainly used his system''s capabilities for illegal activities. This man''s tasks mostly involved unlocking people''s doors, he likely lived as a locksmith normally. Besides the door lock, he had also unlocked at least a hundred cellphones, and Xiang Beifei even saw that he had managed to open the company''s Class B safe as well. "Do you want to go over and interrogate him a bit? Can you tell anything just by looking like this?" Seeing Xiang Beifei just staring at the man from a distance, Lu Zhiwei suggested. "True deduction can be made from analyzing a person''s dressing habits to infer their capabilities." Xiang Beifei replied casually, "As for this person, I was wondering if he was recently involved in some illegal profit-making related to cellphones? Like cracking people''s passwords and then transferring money, committing fraud and stuff?" Lu Zhiwei''s eyes widened. "My gosh! How did you figure that out?" She looked at Lv He, then back at Xiang Beifei. She hadn''t dropped any hints just now and Xiang Beifei hadn''t even approached to ask anything, just sized the man up for a minute, and he figured it out! Lu Zhiwei couldn''t be more astonished! "Luck," Xiang Beifei turned his head back and said. "Don''t think I can be fooled that easily!" Lu Zhiwei suddenly stood up and rolled her chair towards Xiang Beifei with a rumble, stopping deftly in front of him. "If it wasn''t for that bald guy being too dumb to know that transfers are done under real names, we wouldn''t have caught him. Tell me, how did you confirm it just by one look?" "Give me the door card," Xiang Beifei said. "Wait, considering I was the messenger last night, teach me how to discern these things." Lu Zhiwei''s face was full of eagerness. The 11% deduction accuracy rate had troubled her for a year. "This requires intuition," Xiang Beifei casually remarked. "I have great intuition!" Lu Zhiwei pointed at her forehead. Xiang Beifei looked at Lu Zhiwei expressionlessly. She chuckled awkwardly, then said, "My dad says, deductive skills need to be learned from details, but I tend to overlook them easily. Just tell me how to observe the details. In exchange, I''ll stand up for you if anyone bullies you in the future?" Lu Zhiwei rubbed her fists together, which made crunching noises. "Alright then!" Xiang Beifei considered for a moment, then made something up: "See his pinky nail? That''s a sign of the legendary Lu Ban Axe Gate, adept with various mechanisms. That nail connects to the system, ordinary locks open with just a touch." Lu Zhiwei immediately pulled out a notebook, and began jotting down notes. "What are you doing?" Xiang Beifei asked in confusion. "Taking notes!" Lu Zhiwei said earnestly, "I need to record all knowledge related to deduction in my life to improve my reasoning skills!" "Oh." Pretty diligent. But why so diligent when the deductive abilities are still so poor? "What else? What else? Tell me, tell me!" Lu Zhiwei urged. "You see his fingers are incredibly slender, each one excessively long. Only someone who regularly performs precise operations would have such hands. I think his fingerprints must also not be fixed, but capable of freely adjusting to mimic others'' fingerprints. Also, his ears are unusually large, larger than ordinary people, like a hearing aid and sometimes they even move. This type of ear shape helps to block out external sounds, focusing on listening to the sounds of mechanisms within safes. If you look closer, you would notice that his facial features and skin are not fixed but move slightly within a small range. He adjusts his facial contours and irises based on the principles of facial recognition and iris recognition..." Xiang Beifei rambled on. Lu Zhiwei earnestly wrote down every word he said. One dared to bluff. The other dared to believe. Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Qin Yi Lu Zhiwei was taking notes and then asked, "So, you''re basing your judgment that he committed this crime just on these facts?" "With these unlocking abilities and the fact that he was brought to the law enforcement squad, what other reason could there be for his actions besides doing something similar to what''s been described?" Xiang Beifei countered. "Oh, deducing the cause from the result, I''ve studied that." Lu Zhiwei suddenly realized and quickly bent down to take more notes. "You do have a strong desire to learn." Xiang Beifei observed the diligent Lu Zhiwei. Although this guy was careless and sometimes silly, he still had a strong desire to improve himself. "I want to be a city guardian, so I need to learn all these skills." Lu Zhiwei said earnestly, then stood up, grabbed her notebook, and ran towards the bald man, "Wait, I didn''t ask clearly just now, I need to check if what you said is correct." Five minutes later, Lu Zhiwei ran back, looking at Xiang Beifei with a face full of amazement, "I believe you!" Her eyes were sparkling as she looked at Xiang Beifei as if viewing a rare treasure. Xiang Beifei just shrugged noncommittally. He had indeed exaggerated a bit, but in fact, he had scraped this information from the "Lock-Free" system interface. Just by seeing which aspects of abilities the bald man used his system value to enhance, one could roughly speculate his specialties. For example, "spent 300 lock points to enhance his hearing, initially acquiring echolocation abilities," this was his enhanced hearing capability. Another example, "spent 500 lock points to enhance his fingerprint bioelectricity, able to connect directly with electronic devices, searching the fingerprint database speed +1," it shows his fingerprints could vary based on the fingerprints in the database search. Lu Zhiwei didn''t know these, but because Xiang Beifei described them nearly accurately, it left her completely stunned. "Xiao Wei, so you were here!" At this moment, a suave young man walked in through the door. This man appeared to be about the same age as Lu Zhiwei, dressed in a neat casual outfit, his hair parted in the middle and gelled, gleaming. "Qin Yi, what are you doing here?" Lu Zhiwei turned her head and seemed a bit surprised to see this young man here. "I was just doing some work nearby and knew you were interning here, so I came to find you." The young man walked in and glanced at Xiang Beifei sitting in his school uniform, then said, "You''ve caught another high school delinquent? What did he do, steal or fight? Do you need my help to interrogate him?" "He''s not a delinquent, he''s my dad''s apprentice, his name is Xiang Beifei." Lu Zhiwei explained and then introduced to Xiang Beifei, "This is my college classmate, Qin Yi." "Uncle Lu started taking students?" Qin Yi''s gaze flashed with surprise, then he continued, "Didn''t Uncle Lu say he was too busy with work to take on apprentices? How come he changed his mind all of a sudden?" "It''s not the same, my dad saw his strong deductive abilities, suitable for being a city guardian, so he took him as an apprentice, planning to groom him properly." By now, Lu Zhiwei had completely believed in her father''s appraisal of Xiang Beifei, "He really is amazing. He only needed one look to describe the criminal''s situation in detail. I am currently learning deductive skills from him." Qin Yi felt a bit uneasy upon hearing these words. He had specifically intended to ask Lu Hong to teach him last time, to get closer to Lu Zhiwei, but Lu Hong had tactfully refused him. Yet, to his surprise, he found out today that the law enforcement captain of the Western District had taken an apprentice. What was so special about this young man? Why had Lu Hong taken him as an apprentice? "Now I''m curious, he''s still just a high school student, right?" Qin Yi carefully sized up Xiang Beifei, his expression slightly grave, "I remember the Awakened ceremony from high school just passed not long ago, is he an S-class? Or an SR-class genius?" If he were an S-class or the even stronger SR-class, it was no wonder Lu Hong favored him, and he needed to pay attention; such people were good to establish relationships with for easier interactions in the future. Lu Zhiwei said, "He''s an N-class Awakener, but..." "Only N-class?" Qin Yi was stunned for a moment, then frowned. Himself, a distinguished S-class Awakener from Liangzhou University, had been rejected by Lu Hong as a disciple, yet Lu Hong had accepted an N-class as a disciple? Qin Yi felt aggrieved. To them, the S-class Awakeners, N-classers were basically trash on the streets, barely noteworthy, so why would Lu Hong choose an N-class? It wasn''t that Qin Yi truly desired to become Lu Hong''s disciple; he just wanted to strengthen his ties with Lu Zhiwei. Even if Lu Hong had taken an S-class disciple, he would have accepted it. But why an N-class? Qin Yi''s gaze towards Xiang Beifei was quite displeased. This kid, besides being more handsome and taller than him... How could he compare with him? He had prestigious family background and was an S-class freshman at Liangzhou University. Why did Lu Hong choose this kid and not him? However, Qin Yi suddenly thought of something and chuckled lightly, "I get it, Uncle Lu couldn''t be moved by pity for his pathetic N-class Awakener talent and made an exception to give him a chance, could he?" That was the only explanation. Otherwise, why would any sane person take an N-class Awakener over an S-class genius? Thinking this, he felt more at ease. "Don''t talk nonsense; he''s my dad''s friend''s son," Lu Zhiwei said. "Oh, he got in through the back door!" Qin Yi became even more disdainful, his voice dripping with sarcasm towards Xiang Beifei. He, as an S-class prodigy from Liangzhou University, would never regard an N-class Awakener seriously. "Hey, watch how you speak! He didn''t get in through the back door; he''s genuinely skilled! Stop looking down on others, okay?" Lu Zhiwei, hands on hips, was clearly unhappy with Qin Yi''s snide remarks. "Alright, alright. You say he''s skilled, then he must be!" Qin Yi chuckled again, glancing at Xiang Beifei. He wouldn''t bother arguing with an N-class Awakener. With only N-class talent, even if he excelled in some areas, how far could he really go? His lifetime''s achievement would merely reach the later stages of Qi-Controlling at best. Whereas he, as an S-class genius, advancing to the Meridian Opening phase was only a matter of time. A common chicken and a phoenix were simply incomparable. In this ruthlessly realistic world, the higher the system talent of the Awakener, the easier it was to carve out accomplishments in any field. Especially graduates from the nine major universities, each was a member of the elite in society, possessing far more resources than ordinary people, whether in connections or status. Qin Yi, as an S-class from Liang Da, just by stepping out, could make a great success in business or leadership, a true paragon among people. In his eyes, the likes of Xiang Beifei, an N-class Awakener, would end up working under someone like him, an S-class prodigy, in the future. Chapter 55: Chapter 55: A Gathering of Talents "I don''t feel like explaining anymore. Don''t bother me, I want to learn reasoning skills from him." Lu Zhiwei ignored Qin Yi and looked eagerly at Xiang Beifei. Though she was also an S-level student at Liangzhou University, she wasn''t as arrogant as Qin Yi. On the contrary, she had been well-educated, thanks to her upright father. Lu Hong had done a good job educating her from a young age, frequently reminding her that there''s always someone better out there. Therefore, Lu Zhiwei never missed an opportunity to improve herself. Even if Xiang Beifei was just an N-level Awakener. "Give me the access card, I''m going to train." Xiang Beifei paid no attention to Qin Yi. Rather than wasting words with others, he preferred to focus on improving himself first. "No way, teach me a bit more, analyze one more criminal for me and walk me through your reasoning process." Lu Zhiwei waved her notebook, "Consider it the fee for escorting you home tonight¡ªum, I''ll escort you home for the night, and in return, you teach me one reasoning technique, how about that?" Qin Yi''s gaze darkened when he saw Lu Zhiwei ignoring his presence, an S-level, and actually seeking to learn from an N-level. After all, he was an S-level. Being disregarded so casually, wasn''t that an affront to him? He said, "Xiao Wei, if you want to learn reasoning skills, wouldn''t it be better to learn from me? Why must you learn from an N-level person?" "You can reason?" Lu Zhiwei looked dubiously at Qin Yi, "I don''t recall you having that ability." "Heh, I usually just keep a low profile, you know, not showing off. I remember Uncle Lu once said, ''A capable person doesn''t need to say how capable they are. Those without abilities are the ones who feel the need to show off what they can do.'' Don''t get tricked by these N-level newcomers, alright!" Qin Yi straightened his collar, puffing out his chest. His words were very straightforward. Xiang Beifei belonged to those who lack abilities but pretend to have them in front of Lu Zhiwei, attempting to gain a sense of presence in front of her. "Oh, you remember what I said, huh!" At that moment, Lu Hong also walked in. "Uncle Lu, long time no see, I''ve always looked up to you every time we meet," Qin Yi hastily flattered him. Lu Hong glanced at Qin Yi and then at Xiang Beifei, who was quietly sitting in the chair waiting, and smiled, "Indeed, those who are capable don''t usually boast about their abilities." Beifei had never claimed to have any reasoning abilities; he always attributed everything to luck. Meanwhile, Qin Yi couldn''t wait to show off his reasoning abilities to Lu Zhiwei, eager to let her know he was a genius with reasoning skills. Who Lu Hong was referring to was clear as day. Qin Yi didn''t catch the subtext of Lu Hong''s words. Seeing Lu Hong return, he naturally needed to perform well, showing Lu Hong that refusing to accept an S-level as a disciple in favor of an N-level was a grave mistake! He looked at his system interface: [Host: Qin Yi] [S-level, Talent Aggregation System] [Realm: Advanced Qi-Controlling] ... The Talent Aggregation System was incredible, because it could provide not just one, but a variety of talents. This system worked by extracting the talents of others, temporarily bestowing someone else''s particular talent onto oneself, which greatly enhances that ability for a limited time! Right now, Qin Yi planned to show off in front of Lu Hong and Lu Zhiwei. His mind raced. [You have spent 500 talent value, please select the talent you wish to extract¡ª] Various talent options appeared on Qin Yi''s system interface, including [Writing Talent][Public Speaking Talent][Music Talent][Martial Arts Talent][Reasoning Talent]... A long list of options covered all aspects of a person''s abilities. [You have chosen: Reasoning Talent] [For safety, automatically ignoring targets stronger than you] [Talent effective time: 3 hours (beyond this time, the extracted talent will automatically return)] [Starting extraction...] [You have extracted Lu Zhiwei''s Reasoning Talent, your reasoning ability +1] [You have extracted Xiang Beifei''s Reasoning Talent, your reasoning ability +10] [You have extracted Cheng Li''s Reasoning Talent, your reasoning ability +5] ... Qin Yi''s system began scanning everyone in the law enforcement office. It was only six o''clock, and with many criminal events in the system world, the law enforcement office was often working overtime. There were still many people around, including offenders and law enforcement personnel. Qin Yi extracted the reasoning talents of those whose cultivation level was similar to or lower than his. But for someone with higher cultivation like Lu Hong, Qin Yi didn''t dare to touch. Low-level individuals targeting high-level individuals could easily be detected, and even suffer backlash. Everyone actually possesses reasoning ability. As long as one is not an idiot, one has it to some degree. For example, if a pen stops writing, one could deduce that the refill is broken or there''s no ink left. That is the simplest reasoning ability. But everyone''s reasoning ability varies, so the value of the extracted talent differs from person to person. Even the criminals in the interrogation rooms have reasoning skills. He extracted reasoning abilities from a total of seventeen people. A few law enforcement officers had a more potent presence than him, so he didn''t dare touch theirs. In just a short span of ten seconds or so, Qin Yi''s reasoning ability value soared to 121. The average person would be pretty good to have a score of 60. In his system''s estimation, even Lu Hong, the captain of the law enforcement team for the Western District, would only have a reasoning ability between 80 and 90. Although this reasoning skill was quite outstanding, it still couldn''t compare to Qin Yi''s. This meant that for the next three hours, Qin Yi''s reasoning ability would be the very best in the entire office! [You have chosen to spend 500 talent value to extract another''s reasoning talent. Task requirement: Solve ten cases] [Task completion reward: An Amulet] Every time Qin Yi extracted someone''s talent, he had to think three times before acting because extracting someone else''s talent meant he had to undertake a related talent task from the system. If he couldn''t complete the task, it meant wasting talent value for nothing. But if he completed the task, he would not only get the talent value back but also receive an extra reward. The talent value could be exchanged for various goods, which he needed to accumulate by doing tasks, making it very important to him. This was the law enforcement squad, and if he concentrated the best of others'' reasoning talents onto himself, he would become the top reasoning expert here. Solving ten cases wasn''t difficult under normal circumstances. "Watch closely, you N-level dimwit! Today, I''ll show you what an S-level reasoning genius looks like!" Qin Yi gave Xiang Beifei a glance. Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Under the Stairs ``` Qin Yi thought he had stealthily extracted everyone''s talents without anyone noticing, unaware that Xiang Beifei was watching his actions with great interest. With a congregation of S-level talents, when Qin Yi extracted a certain talent from others, in three hours, that talent was forcefully taken away by Qin Yi. Thus, Qin Yi was a crane among chickens, having extracted others'' talents, he then launched a dimension-reducing strike on others, making them incomparable to him in that area. With this system, wherever Qin Yi went, he would almost certainly be an undeniable genius. For example, in a singing competition, he would simply take away the musical talents of the other contestants, making himself the one with the most formidable talent. As long as he didn''t touch those with higher cultivation than his, victory was almost a sure thing. By leveraging this system, within his first year at Liangzhou University, Qin Yi had won "New Student Singing Competition" champion, "Best Eloquence Award of Liangzhou University Debate Contest," "First Place in Long Jump for Freshmen Category"... A total of twenty-one various awards. He simply needed to extract others'' talents to himself, lowering the other contestants'' talents, and winning was all too easy. Of course, his task list included failures as well, such as when he only got second place in the high jump competition¡ªprobably because he ran into a tough nut to crack, someone with an even stronger system. After all, Liangzhou University was a hiding place for crouching tigers and hidden dragons, filled mainly with S-level geniuses, and not lacking even SR-level geniuses. The last time he was defeated by an SR-level individual; it wasn''t all that unjust. But still, being second was dazzling since adding up all areas, he had won the most awards among the freshmen. With a multitude of awards to his name, he was certainly the center of attention! ¡ª¡ª After extracting everyone''s talents, Qin Yi''s confidence in deduction greatly increased. He provocatively glanced at Xiang Beifei and said to him, "Xiao Wei said you have strong reasoning abilities, which aroused the hidden deduction passion within me. Friend, how about we compare our deduction skills? We can discuss deduction approaches and even help the enforcement brigade solve some cases, meanwhile contributing to the security of the Western District. What do you say?" Qin Yi''s words were watertight, as he deliberately wanted to show off his skills in front of Lu Hong and Lu Zhiwei. By solving ten cases, not only would he receive system rewards, but he would also make Lu Zhiwei understand who the real deduction genius is! She would surely come to learn reasoning skills from him once she realized this. Two birds with one stone! As for the possibility of losing to Xiang Beifei, Qin Yi wasn''t worried in the slightest. ¡ª¡ªI am the star freshman of Liangzhou University''s Liberal Arts College this year; you think you can flaunt your reasoning talent in front of me? In his eyes, his S-level talent was enough to grind N-level Xiang Beifei into the dust! "You two want to compare reasoning abilities?" Lu Zhiwei''s eyes lit up. She was eager for others to demonstrate how to deduce cases in front of her so she could take notes and improve her reasoning skills. She had already witnessed Xiang Beifei''s reasoning abilities, but Qin Yi had not yet showcased his, though judging by Qin Yi''s performance at school, as long as it involved a competition, he never lost. Speaking with such confidence, he surely believed in himself. If the two men were to spar in deductive skill, she would certainly benefit immensely! Excited, Lu Zhiwei asked, "Beifei, are you interested?" Lu Hong''s gaze flickered slightly. With his skill at reading people, he naturally understood what Qin Yi was plotting: a mere show to satisfy his own vanity. He didn''t like people like Qin Yi. In his opinion, Xiang Beifei''s deductive abilities were exceedingly rare, and he would certainly not lose to Qin Yi. But he didn''t speak out; accepting the challenge was Xiang Beifei''s decision to make. ``` All three of them looked at Xiang Beifei, waiting for his response. But Xiang Beifei spread his hands, uninterested in such matters, "Uncle Lu, I''m here for training. I don''t like analyzing case details. Can you take me to the training room? I have some questions I''d like to ask you." He didn''t want to waste time. Now that Lu Hong had returned, he needed to quickly discuss his doubts about Rapid Flame with him. Lu Zhiwei asked with a hint of regret, "Beifei, aren''t you really going to give it a try?" Xiang Beifei still shook his head, "I just want to train." Seeing Xiang Beifei''s resolute attitude, Lu Hong couldn''t help but sigh. The kid clearly had the ability but was unwilling to show it off. His indifference to fame and fortune was truly rare. "Alright, I''ll take you to train." Lu Hong always appreciated those who could keep their composure. The kid was diligent, polite, and full of potential. He was bound to have a limitless future. Compared to Qin Yi, he had more faith in Xiang Beifei and wanted to cultivate his talents. Xiang Beifei followed Lu Hong towards the door. As he passed by Qin Yi, he thought for a moment, then turned to say, "Work hard on the case! Make good use of your reasoning capabilities, and try to contribute to the security of the Western District!" His tone was sincere, filled with righteousness. Qin Yi narrowed his eyes and sneered lazily, "You sure know your place. But as an N-level Awakener, don''t you want to learn how to analyze cases from me? It''s a rare opportunity!" Xiang Beifei shrugged his shoulders and said nothing more, choosing to leave with Lu Hong instead. "He just left like that!" Lu Zhiwei was somewhat disappointed. She really wanted to see Beifei show more of his reasoning ability, but Xiang Beifei had no interest in accepting the challenge. Qin Yi said, "Haha, Xiao Wei, isn''t it normal for him to leave? An N-level Awakener like him must have wet his pants the moment he heard that I and you come from Liangzhou University. We''re S-level, he''s N-level; he''s nothing in front of us. He knew that if he accepted the challenge, he would expose his true level, so slinking away is the best choice. He''s giving himself an out!" Qin Yi was quite pleased with himself. "Actually, he has some skill in reasoning." Lu Zhiwei still spoke up for Xiang Beifei. She had been quite impressed by his deduction of the bald man earlier. Qin Yi said, "Xiao Wei, you are too naive. Don''t let him deceive you with just a few words. Come on, let me show you what a real reasoning talent is!" He walked outside. Lu Zhiwei followed, half-believing and half-doubting. Outside, a law enforcement officer was dealing with a case involving a house robbery. Various pieces of evidence were packaged in plastic bags and spread across a table along with several crime scene photos, creating a messy display on the surface. "Weird, we just found some clues, but now suddenly I can''t make heads or tails of it!" The law enforcement officer frowned; just five minutes ago, he had almost solved the case, but for some reason, his mind seemed to have slowed down, and he couldn''t understand things he had just figured out. He had even called the person who reported the crime, ready to close the case, and the robbed woman was sitting across from him, waiting for him to say something. Now, he didn''t know how to explain. This law enforcement officer was equipped with an "R-level electronic Tracking System" and had recently graduated from a regular university. Everyone called him Xiao Cao. His cultivation was just at the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling, not even on par with Qin Yi, an S-level freshman from Liangzhou University. He was unaware that the sudden confusion in resolving the case was because Qin Yi had extracted his reasoning capabilities, messing up his logic. At that moment, Qin Yi approached Xiao Cao with big strides, boldly proclaiming, "What''s so difficult about this case? Let me help you!" Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Offering Buddha Borrowed Flowers Qin Yi casually flipped through the photos and evidence, and after glancing at the unpredictably moody plaintiff, he slowly said: "This case is not difficult at all. You think this is a burglary case, but actually, there are too many suspicious points in this case. The timing of these so-called pieces of evidence is too coincidental to be valid. I can tell you with certainty that this is not a case of burglary but a staged case. Normally, it would be a case you concocted to commit insurance fraud, wouldn''t it?" The woman sitting opposite Xiao Cao changed her facial expression slightly, clenched her handbag tightly, and said nervously, "You... don''t joke, someone did break in. I called the police, just look at the surveillance." "The surveillance shows the burglar was your accomplice. You think you did a perfect job, but you still missed one thing¡ªwe captured another photo," Qin Yi effortlessly pulled a photo from the evidence, "The silhouette captured here shows you talking to a man after the incident. Although this man has disguised himself, you greatly underestimated our technology. The slight disguise could never fool us; you two collaborated to commit insurance fraud!" Qin Yi laid out one piece of evidence after another on the table until the woman was red-faced and speechless! "Exactly! How did I not think of that!" Xiao Cao appeared to have an epiphany, smacking his own head, somewhat annoyed but at the same time admiringly looking at Qin Yi: "Impressive! You solved what I was unclear about so quickly." "I really underestimated you!" Lu Zhiwei exclaimed as well. "Haha, it''s nothing! Just a piece of cake." Qin Yi was very pleased with himself. In fact, this case was not something Xiao Cao hadn''t thought of; Xiao Cao had thought of it and was ready to close the case, but Qin Yi had snatched away his Reasoning Talent, which confused him. Qin Yi was merely presenting others'' flowers as his tribute. He could not only take away others'' talents but also acquire their original reasoning thoughts. As long as he integrated the reasoning process of this case from Xiao Cao into his own mind, relying on the amassed reasoning abilities, solving the case was a matter of a moment. If it had been a completely unfamiliar case, he wouldn''t have been able to solve it so quickly. But neither Xiao Cao nor Lu Zhiwei were aware of Qin Yi''s system, and they attributed the solving of the case to Qin Yi himself; thus, they were extremely impressed with him for a while. "So, Xiao Wei, if you want to learn reasoning abilities, you should seek me out. If it had been that high school student, he''d probably still be pondering the meaning of the photo now!" Qin Yi boasted proudly. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei and Lu Hong walked toward the training room. He didn''t know what Qin Yi was talking about, but solving a case wasn''t too difficult for him either because many crime processes were written into the suspect''s system tasks. It was plain to see. On the way, Lu Hong couldn''t help but ask, "You clearly have such impressive reasoning abilities, are you content to be mocked by Qin Yi?" "Using reasoning abilities to solve cases is good enough; there''s no need to prove who is stronger," Xiang Beifei said. He had just had 10 points of Reasoning Talent extracted by Qin Yi, but it had no effect on him; Xiaohei would use a spiritual power crystal to disguise any system points he lost. Xiang Beifei liked to quietly prosper; he even hoped Qin Yi would complete his system tasks quickly! Then, he could get free shipping again. "You! With such a temperament, you''re easily bullied and likely to suffer in the future," Lu Hong shook his head. "Sometimes, suffering losses isn''t a bad thing; misfortune leans on fortune," Xiang Beifei was best at suffering losses. Qin Yi was insistent on performing tasks on him, and he couldn''t do anything about it. Qin Yi might think he had made a huge gain. But Xiang Beifei never suffered a loss. "You, child." Lu Hong smiled, not knowing what else to say. He increasingly found favor with Xiang Beifei. He himself was an S-level Awakener, also within the Investigation System, with an especially keen eye, except for when dealing with S-level Disguise Awakeners like Chen Gang; he rarely misjudged people. Qin Yi was interested in his daughter and had persistently asked him to mentor him, but he found Qin Yi too impulsive and too skilled at flattery¡ªmentorship was not the goal, which displeased him, so he had refused. But Xiang Beifei was different¡ªpossessing outstanding talent, a good personality, doing things quietly without flaunting, and avoiding needless competition. He truly appreciated such a person. Although he refrained from inquiring into Xiang Beifei''s secrets, he wouldn''t really believe that Xiang Beifei was an N-level Awakener. "I just wonder if this kid has any feelings for Xiao Wei. They are only a year apart. If they could see eye to eye..." Lu Hong had some weird thoughts flashing through his mind. Entering the training room, Xiang Beifei changed his clothes and commenced warm-up exercises before training. "Uncle Lu, if I manage to create sparks, how should I gather them together?" Xiang Beifei asked. Seeing how dedicated Xiang Beifei was to his training, Lu Hong, fearing that he was rushing, said: "Beifei, practicing Rapid Flame needs to be done step by step. When I first trained in this technique, it took me a full two weeks just to produce sparks, and Xiao Wei, being naturally restless and highly talented in this area, took two months to learn it because it wasn''t her system ability. If you can''t produce sparks, it''s not a big deal, because my Rapid Flame technique comes from my own system, and it might not match your system attributes. So, you need to keep a level head, not set too high expectations, and not be too demanding. It''s completely normal to spend a month or two." "Does it take that long?" Xiang Beifei was a bit puzzled, shook his hands, and then swung a punch forward in a rather ordinary manner¡ª Zzzt! The punch, carrying a few sparks, blasted a sandbag away. "What!" Lu Hong stared at Xiang Beifei''s punch, then gasped in shock! He was utterly stunned. He... he actually managed it? How could it be so quick! Lu Hong found it incredibly hard to believe his own eyes. To think that "Rapid Flame" was a technique derived from his own system, which surely would be most suited for him to train in, and others should have some setbacks. But why did it take him two weeks to master it, while this... this kid managed it in just one day! He hadn''t been training in Rapid Flame for even twenty-four hours yet, had he? Whose system''s Cultivation Technique was Rapid Flame, after all? Lu Hong almost thought he was the outsider when it came to practicing Rapid Flame. "You... you''ve grasped the basics already?" Lu Hong asked in astonishment. Xiang Beifei threw another punch, sparks flickering, carrying a roaring sound, and slightly nodded, saying, "I thought it wouldn''t be difficult; I''ve been practicing it during breaks today!" "..." Lu Hong''s chest heaved repeatedly, finding it hard to calm his breath. He was choked up by Xiang Beifei''s words. Xiang Beifei hadn''t even been training for a whole day, just during class breaks! The fastest to train in a technique from his own system wasn''t himself but someone else! For a moment, he thought the Awakened system belonged to Beifei. Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Mandatory Mission Lu Hong was at a loss for a long while, watching Xiang Beifei, unsure what to say. He thought he had been keeping a close eye on Xiang Beifei, but he never expected that it was still not enough. Sometimes when you compare yourself to others, it can truly choke you. "Uncle Lu, how does one gather Mars to form a flame?" Xiang Beifei had no idea what Lu Hong was thinking because this wasn''t his system''s cultivation technique, so he had no concept of how long it should take to practice these techniques or how to practice them. He could now produce a gust of wind with his punch, but the power of this gust was not yet sufficient; he aimed to reach the powerful levels that Lu Hong had when he dealt with Chen Gang. Finally, having regulated his emotions, Lu Hong collected his thoughts and said, "Reaching this step means you''ve begun to glimpse the path. To advance further, you need to change the direction of the spiritual power in your hands. Next, you need to convert the spiritual power to your palm, letting your palm control the spiritual power of the fist..." Although this was a technique from his own system, Lu Hong was not stingy and meticulously taught Xiang Beifei each and every point. Xiang Beifei studied seriously according to the method taught by Lu Hong. Having such a good teacher meant he could avoid many detours. Lu Hong stood to the side, watching Xiang Beifei who was fully focused on his punches, and nodded slightly. At that moment, a line of text appeared on his system interface: [Investigation system has detected a special N-level Awakener who has mastered the "Rapid Flame" more aptly than the host. The system has forcefully initiated investigation mode.] [Investigation target: Xiang Beifei] [Investigation direction: Martial Arts Talent] Lu Hong was quite surprised to see the task that suddenly appeared in his system. Normally his Investigation System would issue various investigation tasks which he could choose freely, like when working on cases, he might come across a murder weapon at the crime scene, and the system would issue tasks like [Please investigate the origin of this weapon], rewarding him upon completion. But with previous tasks from the system, Lu Hong could choose whether or not to take them on; however, this time the system had forcibly initiated investigation mode. Lu Hong mentally responded, "I don''t want to investigate him, I''ve already said as much last time." Following the incident with Lai Wuying, the system had issued the task [Would you like to investigate Xiang Beifei?]. After much deliberation, Lu Hong had decided to choose [No] Beifei had saved his life; he was very grateful and felt it was unkind to pry into someone else''s secrets. However, another line of text appeared in his system: [This task is mandatory and cannot be refused. "Rapid Flame" is a cultivation technique generated by the system tailored for the host, yet someone fits it even better than the host. The system needs to reassess the power of "Rapid Flame" and, if necessary, will collect Xiang Beifei''s cultivation progress and details to refine the "Rapid Flame" technique.] Impossible to refuse? Lu Hong stared blankly. He pondered deeply, but another line of text appeared on the interface¡ª [The system requires the host to teach Xiang Beifei all of the "Rapid Flame" techniques, to master his every step of the cultivation plan, to aid him in fully mastering "Rapid Flame", facilitating system assessment, and to improve the host''s way of cultivating "Rapid Flame", enhancing the power of the "Rapid Flame" technique.] Teaching "Rapid Flame" to Xiang Beifei was already Lu Hong''s intention. But something felt off, such tasks from the system seemed illogical. He continued to inquire, "What if Beifei fully masters Rapid Flame?" [The host may choose: Erase him, seize all comprehension about "Rapid Flame" from him, and integrate it into oneself.] "Nonsense!" Lu Hong spoke sternly, "I am a city guardian, not a murderer! I won''t undertake such a task!" [The host may also choose to: cultivate him, and after Xiang Beifei has fully mastered it, ask Xiang Beifei to help the host improve the cultivation method] [Note: This cultivation technique is the host''s basic reliance, and the host''s understanding of Rapid Flame is not on par with Xiang Beifei. To become more powerful, feedback from Xiang Beifei is essential] Lu Hong stared at the words on the system interface, falling into deep thought. As long as it doesn''t involve killing, this option is acceptable to him. But, once Beifei has fully grasped Rapid Flame, would he be willing to share his insights with him? Lu Hong didn''t have the confidence; the system''s message was very clear¡ªonce Xiang Beifei mastered the power of Rapid Flame, he would certainly be stronger than himself in the future. People are selfish, and once they become powerful, they guard their newfound strength as a core secret, barely keeping up with their own protection, let alone sharing it with others. "Forget it, if Beifei can grasp a deeper level of Rapid Flame, it''s still a good thing. If he can give me feedback, great, but if not, I''ll just let it be!" Though Lu Hong was very curious about what a more powerful Rapid Flame might be like, he was fundamentally an honest man, living with openness. If Beifei wanted to help him, he''d accept the help; if not, he wouldn''t insist. [As a reward, each time Xiang Beifei progresses a level in Rapid Flame, the host will receive a corresponding reward] [Current progress: Xiang Beifei has thrown 13,000 punches, creating sparks with his punches, equivalent to the host throwing 164,000 punches. Beifei''s punching details have been recorded in preparation for rewriting the Rapid Flame database] [Mission Reward: Investigation ability value +2000] "2000 points?" Lu Hong was taken aback! He knew that when he normally investigated a criminal, he might only get rewarded with 100 points. The system simply recorded Xiang Beifei''s punching details and gave him 2000 points just like that? Lu Hong watched the way Xiang Beifei earnestly threw his punches and was truly amazed. He also faintly sensed something special about each of Beifei''s punches; the method of execution was evidently no different from his own, yet somehow it felt distinct. Was this Beifei''s understanding of Rapid Flame? Originally, he had taught Xiang Beifei Rapid Flame only to thank Beifei for helping him investigate Lai Wuying, but he had not expected that Beifei would inadvertently bring him these benefits after mastering it. [If Xiang Beifei is willing to provide feedback, you may receive an Advanced Pill] An Advanced Pill! Lu Hong''s heartbeat accelerated instantly! He was currently at the initial perfected stage of Meridian Opening. To step into the middle stage of Meridian Opening, there were two methods: one was relying on his own understanding; the other was buying an Advanced Pill. Relying on his own understanding was truly a challenge for him; it wasn''t that his perception was poor, but at the Meridian Opening stage, every step forward required an epiphany, and such epiphanies do not just happen on demand. Some people may have an epiphany upon seeing a withering grass, while others may struggle for several years without any enlightenment. Lu Hong belonged to the latter; he was naturally very talented, but because of an injury he sustained while on duty, his progress became slow, trapping him in the initial stage of Meridian Opening for nearly fifteen years! It was difficult to advance on his own understanding, so he needed to exchange for an Advanced Pill, striving to step into the middle stage of Meridian Opening. Yet, even now, he still needed to accumulate tens of thousands of investigation points to purchase an Advanced Pill. He hadn''t expected that this time, the system would raise the reward to a significantly higher level in order to improve his Rapid Flame! Lu Hong''s heart was ablaze with excitement! The allure of the Advanced Pill was simply too great for him. Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Flame Gale Xiang Beifei was still forcefully throwing punches. The speed of his punches grew faster, and the spark on his fists flickered. Following the method of spiritual power circulation taught by Lu Hong, he tried to fully unleash Rapid Flame but still did not succeed. "The method of circulating spiritual power taught by Uncle Lu is indeed difficult," he said. Xiang Beifei stopped and looked at his palm. Concentrating spiritual power in the palm, with each punch, spiritual power flowed from between the fingers to the fist, relying on speed to unleash the power of Rapid Flame. For some reason, Xiang Beifei always felt this method was somewhat cumbersome. "Given Uncle Lu''s character, he wouldn''t teach me the wrong way to use Rapid Flame, but why does the training method itself seem like this?" Xiang Beifei found it strange. He applied the regenerative ointment given by Lu Hong on his arms to alleviate the soreness, ran the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula again, and his condition slightly recovered. Sitting in the chair, he contemplated how spiritual power should be circulated more effectively. The "Learn by Analogy" ability could enhance Xiang Beifei''s comprehension, which was also why he could quickly learn the techniques taught by Lu Hong. However, in his perception, the way to execute "Rapid Flame" seemed to have limitations. Xiang Beifei could not be sure of this, as he didn''t have a system to consult when he had doubts during cultivation. Although Xiaohei rolled around on his shoulder all day, it treated the methods regarding system rewards very roughly, simply assimilating them without studying them in-depth. Since "Rapid Flame" was taught by Lu Hong, it knew even less about it. Xiang Beifei could only rely on himself to figure it out. "Since the ultimate outcome is to ignite the burning spiritual power and create a huge impact, could there be another way for the spiritual powers to converge?" Xiang Beifei began to ponder this matter. ¡ª¡ª Lu Hong had been accompanying Xiang Beifei at the training ground, wanting to see if Xiang Beifei could advance further in mastering Rapid Flame. The fact that Xiang Beifei had entered the door of Rapid Flame within a single day was truly shocking to him, and his system had issued a mandatory task with an advancement pill as the reward, which made him take it seriously. Seeing Xiang Beifei sit down to think, he wanted to go over and inquire, but he ultimately restrained himself. "He has his own ideas, and I shouldn''t disturb him," he thought. Lu Hong felt very anxious in his heart; he hoped Xiang Beifei could improve "Rapid Flame," yet he was conflicted about whether Xiang Beifei would share back the method with him. If it were something else, he might not take it too seriously. But the system''s reward was an advancement pill! That was a pill that could help him progress to the middle stage of Meridian Opening. If he could get an advancement pill, he was willing to give Xiang Beifei any system reward he could currently exchange. "I mustn''t overthink it, let nature take its course," he thought. Lu Hong forced himself to calm down. If Xiang Beifei was willing to share feedback, that would be best. If not, he must keep himself clear-headed! No matter how tempting, he wouldn''t allow himself to choose another incorrect method offered by the system. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei channeled the Spiritual Power generated by the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula into his fingertips. Suddenly, he thought if he punched out and divided his Spiritual Power into two parts, letting them clash and explode, wouldn''t it create a greater force than relying on air friction alone? He couldn''t be sure, so he decided to give it a try. This method wasn''t easy to master; he failed the first time, but he didn''t get discouraged and continued to swing his fists, adjusting the two streams of Spiritual Power. After trying no less than a thousand times, he finally discovered the optimal balance of the two Spiritual Power streams. When he punched out, sparks exploded, turning into a fiery red violent gust! Boom! The violent gust was only two inches away from his body, but it had a peculiar resilience and could even be used as a defensive tactic! "This is indeed rare." Even Xiang Beifei himself was surprised after discovering this ability of Rapid Flame. Because during Lu Hong''s teaching, Rapid Flame was an exceptionally powerful and aggressive attack technique with no defensive capabilities, relying solely on brute force to pummel the opponent. If the opponent also countered with brute force, one would have to physically withstand the opponent''s attack. However, according to Xiang Beifei''s experiments, he could actually transform an offensive move into a defensive tactic! He tried again and found out that if he controlled the flame gale well, it could morph and disperse at an angle he desired or even explode at a critical moment, providing more options during combat. However, since Xiang Beifei''s current realm was only at the early stages of Qi-Controlling, his Spiritual Power was not abundant enough to fully harness the power of Rapid Flame''s violent gust. Given his current state, not to mention Lu Hong, even Qin Yi who had the literary Dao system could easily break his violent gust. "It seems I need to advance my realm first." The strength of the early stage of Qi-Controlling was indeed insufficient. Xiang Beifei sat down cross-legged and continued practicing. ¡ª¡ª Qin Yi, utilizing his "Reasoning Talent," thrived in the enforcement unit during the evenings! He had extracted the "Reasoning Talent" from everyone in the enforcement team, diminishing their reasoning abilities and enhancing his own. Basically, everyone in the department seemed like a novice in reasoning in front of him. Those with lower cultivation and system levels than Qin Yi seemed dim-witted when solving cases, and at that moment, with just a couple of casual hints from Qin Yi, their problems were effortlessly resolved, making him the subject of everyone''s praise. "No wonder he''s an S-class student from Liangzhou University! He''s amazing!" "Yeah, Brother Qin, you''re practically divine. No one can match your case-solving abilities!" "Qin Yi, when you graduate, are you interested in working here? We could rely on you to crack cases." Many officers were endlessly praising Qin Yi, completely impressed by his strong case-solving skills. "Oh, not at all! I just love reasoning and even participate in various reasoning societies at school. I came here looking for Xiao Wei and got intrigued by the cases; sorry to show off my little trick." Qin Yi laughed out loud. Being praised by so many, he felt somewhat elated. With his "Talent Aggregation System" in play, he could become the center of attention wherever he went, as long as he used it well. "It''s rare to see such modesty in young people these days!" Most of these officers'' talents were not comparable to Qin Yi''s, and they had no idea that the reasoning prowess Qin Yi displayed was actually siphoned from them. They thought it was all Qin Yi''s own doing, and they kept praising the young man vigorously. "It''s a pity that that N-grade high school student is not here. If he saw my unparalleled reasoning talent, he would definitely be ashamed. Hehe." Qin Yi relished being lauded, yet thinking of Xiang Beifei, he felt somewhat displeased. Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Judging People Today, the system was initiated to extract the talents of others, and the plan was to give that N-level Awakener a good thrashing, so he would understand what the words "genius" really mean, and more importantly, to show him the gap between N-level and S-level. "It''s just a pity that the kid actually refused to fight and ran away." Qin Yi looked at Lu Zhiwei, who had been following him and taking notes seriously, feeling quite proud. He knew that Lu Zhiwei wanted to learn reasoning abilities, and with his own performance today at the enforcement squad, he should have impressed her, right? "Xiao Wei, what do you think? Has my reasoning ability inspired you?" Qin Yi walked over to Lu Zhiwei, asked with a proud smile. But he quickly realized that Lu Zhiwei did not seem to admire him as he had imagined; instead, she was pondering something. "What''s the matter? Xiao Wei, you seem preoccupied?" Qin Yi asked. "No, I''m just thinking about something." Lu Zhiwei was biting her pen, and although Qin Yi had shown off his skills tonight and convinced many people, she felt that many of Qin Yi''s deductions weren''t that difficult, as they all came from existing evidence. They didn''t leave as deep an impression as Xiang Beifei had. "What are you thinking about?" "I''m thinking about Beifei," Lu Zhiwei said. "Thinking about him?" Qin Yi''s expression darkened for a moment before he squeezed out a smile, "Xiao Wei, you don''t still think that high school student named Xiang Beifei has any reasoning ability, do you? He ran away the moment he heard he was going to compete with me in reasoning. I''ve said it before, an N-level nobody, pretending to be something he''s not. The moment I take action, he''s exposed. How can he compare to us at S-level?" Lu Zhiwei furrowed her brows, thought for a moment, and pointing at the bald man in the interrogation room, said, "Then can you tell me, what did that bald man do wrong?" "The bald man?" Qin Yi looked towards the man named Lv He, thought for a while, and began walking towards him. "Where are you going?" Lu Zhiwei called from behind. "To inquire, of course! Without asking, how can the case be solved?" Qin Yi replied. However, Lu Zhiwei said, "Aren''t you able to find clues from various traces? Then just look at him from a distance and tell me what characteristics this bald man has, and what crime he is most likely to have committed." "That''s a bit difficult," Qin Yi said. "Just now, when Beifei looked at him, he identified this bald man''s occupation and crime almost perfectly with a single glance," Lu Zhiwei said. Hearing this, Qin Yi knew he had to prove himself. If an N-level nobody could identify the traits of this bald man, could he, an S-level genius who had gathered so many peoples'' Reasoning Talents, possibly fail? Qin Yi stood outside the interrogation room, staring at the bald man, observing him for quite some time. Hmm, his fingernails were very long, looking as if they hadn''t been trimmed for a while. What are long nails good for? Fighting? Considering his slender fingers, suitable for mutating into various types of claws, and also being bald, perhaps it was due to mutation-caused hair loss. The skin on his face was slack, but his eyes were still lively, combining the abnormal fingers and nails, these characteristics seemed to be the lingering effects left behind to fit the physical mutation of anthropomorphism. That is to say, this guy might have awakened some sort of Mutation System that could mutate his body into a beast? Without the ability to inquire and not allowed to approach, Qin Yi couldn''t learn more details, and could only make a rough analysis based solely on the appearance, clothing, and physical features of the other party. This speculation should be pretty accurate! He coughed and said, "Xiao Wei, if I''m not wrong, this person has the ability to transform into a beast, and he must have been brought in for fighting and disturbing public order, right?" Qin Yi waited somewhat smugly for Lu Zhiwei''s affirmative response. He expected Lu Zhiwei to ask in amazement how he figured it out, after which he could grandly analyze everything, certainly more thoroughly than that N-level high school student! Wouldn''t it then be clear who was superior and who was inferior? However, Lu Zhiwei looked at Qin Yi with a strange expression and shook her head, "No." "How could it not be?" Qin Yi was slightly taken aback. "His ability has nothing to do with transformation into a beast," said Lu Zhiwei. Qin Yi''s face struggled to maintain composure. His system worked by drawing on the collective wisdom, meaning he had absorbed the reasoning talents of the seventeen people present; it was as if those seventeen people had come to a conclusion together, and he had then claimed their conclusion as his own work. But if none of those seventeen people could figure it out, then he definitely couldn''t either! And this bald man before him obviously fell into the category where if one didn''t know the opponent''s system, it was easy to be misled. "Then what''s the deal?" Qin Yi asked. "Beifei has already figured it out," Lu Zhiwei didn''t immediately answer, but instead looked doubtfully at Qin Yi, "How could you get it wrong?" Qin Yi''s face twitched. "Real deduction is not about watching from a distance, but through conversation, picking out the flaws in the other person''s words, so this doesn''t prove anything," Qin Yi quickly said. "But in many cases, you don''t have the opportunity to talk to the criminal, at most you have surveillance footage, and if you can''t identify the criminal''s features from the footage, then how can you solve the cases?" Lu Zhiwei, having awakened the Super Police System, understood various types of case analyses and generalizations, even if her deductive abilities were quite poor. Qin Yi was left speechless for a moment, internally cursing before defending himself, "I admit that my people-reading skills aren''t very accurate, because my specialty is reasoning through various types of cases, not observing people from afar." After a while, he added defensively, "Moreover, you said he figured out what kind of person this bald man is, maybe that guy was just bluffing you? Perhaps he already knew this bald man, knew what he did in the past, so of course, he came up with an answer when you asked him." Though Lu Zhiwei hadn''t considered this point and thought it was unlikely, she couldn''t be certain, so she didn''t argue. Qin Yi glanced at his own system. After he chose the [Reasoning Talent], the system set a task for him to solve ten cases. He had already solved eight, and now needed to solve two more to complete the task. He had to crack two simple cases himself. "Let''s go, I''ll show you a thing or two more, and then you''ll see how good I am," Qin Yi said. What the two didn''t notice was that, after they left, the bald man who had been keeping his head down in the interrogation room suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Think these handcuffs can hold me? How naive." The bald man looked at his handcuffs. These were specially made by the law enforcement team and possessed very strong binding power. Generally, even cultivators at the early stages of Meridian Opening would find it difficult to break free. But these people didn''t know one thing. He was an Awakener with the [R-level Lock-Free System]! Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Jailbreak ``` Qin Yi, once again relying on his reasoning ability, perfectly solved a case in front of Lu Zhiwei, which allowed him to take pride once more. "Pretty impressive," said Lu Zhiwei. "Of course! I''ve got the real deal," said Qin Yi. Next, he just needed to solve one more case to perfectly complete the mission and receive the system''s reward! An amulet. He was very pleased with this reward! Given his current situation, this amulet could at least protect him once from a late-stage Qi-Controlling attack. It was already past eight in the evening, and his Talent Aggregation System could only maintain effectiveness for three hours, and additionally, the same talent could only be used once per day. Once the time was up, the Reasoning Talent extracted from others would disappear, and if the mission were not completed by then, today''s talent value would be wasted! There were probably less than half an hour left. The last task, he would pick an easy one and make it quick and decisive. Lu Hong returned from the training room, ready to finish today''s work after putting aside the matter of "Rapid Flame." But when he passed by the interrogation room and found it empty, he asked Xiao Cao, "Where''s the person from the interrogation room? Have you closed the case?" "Not yet, we haven''t handed over the case of electronic fraud," said Xiao Cao, looking up. "Then where''s the suspect?" "Not there?" Xiao Cao ran over, looked into the interrogation room, and his face changed dramatically! "How is this possible? He was here just ten minutes ago," Xiao Cao muttered in disbelief. Not only that, they discovered that the door to the interrogation room had been left open. Lu Hong had a bad feeling and rushed into the interrogation room, searching every inch of it, only to find a pair of unlocked handcuffs, which made his face grow extremely grave. He shouted to Ma Feiguang, who was closest to the door, "Xiao Ma, did you see anyone pass by the door just now?" "I wasn''t paying attention," Ma Feiguang shook his head. "Check the surveillance!" "Right away." Ma Feiguang quickly tapped away at the keyboard, pulling up the entire office''s surveillance, including footage from the entrance and all other directions. In the last half hour, no suspicious individual left through the entrance; there was only a law enforcement officer who had finished his shift leaving, but they were visible in the surveillance the whole time, confirming it wasn''t a disguise. Ma Feiguang then turned the surveillance to the interrogation room and quickly noticed how the bald man, somehow, managed to unlock his handcuffs and, while others weren''t paying attention, effortlessly opened the door of the interrogation room and then slipped towards the nearby staircase. "Two minutes ago, he ran towards the holding cell area!" "There''s no exit there." Lu Hong furrowed his brows. In their facility, prisoners had to be gathered in the interrogation room first, and once their crimes were confirmed, according to the process, they were taken to the temporary cells at the back, where they would wait to be transported to the prison to be locked up together at a designated time. Next to the interrogation room was the staircase leading to the holding cells. However, at that moment, alarms from the holding cells started blaring! "Someone''s forcibly opening the doors of the holding cells!" Lu Hong''s expression changed dramatically! The doors to the holding cells were alarmed, so if they were opened without a law enforcement officer''s pass, it would immediately trigger an alert! They hurried towards the holding cells and did a check. The prisoner from cell five was gone! "Quick, initiate emergency procedures, lock down the entire law enforcement station!" commanded Lu Hong sternly. ``` Bald-headed Lv He had escaped from the interrogation room two minutes earlier, heading towards the detention area and kidnapping the prisoner from cell five. It had not been long, and it was very likely that these two individuals had not yet managed to escape. "Yes!" Ma Feiguang hurriedly activated the emergency measures of the enforcement office. Hum! The grounds of the enforcement office lit up with a transparent light shield, like a protective bubble, completely sealing off the entire office and simultaneously cutting off all external contacts, blocking every possible means of departure. The enforcement office''s security measures were extremely effective. The Awakeners of this world possessed a variety of systems, including the "Transcend Movie Worlds System," the "Transcend All Worlds System," or those capable of creating spatial corridors or teleporting on the spot. However, as long as they were within the grounds of the enforcement office, any system that could force an escape would be blocked. This ensured that the imprisoned criminals could not flee. Lu Hong''s mechanical raven lit up, scanning every inch of cell five, searching every corner of the cell. However, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the entire cell. The alarm had just gone off, and the only thing he could be certain of was that the two prisoners were still within the grounds of the enforcement office. The question was, how did they disappear? ¡ª¡ª "What happened?" Lu Zhiwei and Qin Yi both rushed over. "You two don''t come in, there''s a prison break and we need to conduct an investigation," Lu Hong stopped the two of them. "Prison break?" Lu Zhiwei blinked in slight astonishment. At this moment, Xiao Cao spoke up, "Captain Lu, you might want to ask Qin Yi. Last night he showed us what a reasoning genius is all about." "Yeah! He''s truly an S-grade elite student from Liangzhou University. He just helped us crack several cases with ease." "Right, right, right, we should have young Qin take a look. He will definitely be able to figure out this case." The officers who had closed cases with Qin Yi''s help were praising him non-stop, all recommending him to handle the situation. Praised by everyone, Qin Yi felt quite proud, puffing out his chest, he said, "Uncle Lu, please let me take a look. I cannot shirk my responsibility when it comes to such matters. Talents should be used in the right place, shouldn''t they?" Lu Hong frowned slightly, as he really didn''t like Qin Yi. He had already searched the area with his own "Investigation System" and came up empty, the adversary had not left any strange traces, it was as though they had vanished into thin air. Lu Hong was not a stubborn man; if he couldn''t find any leads himself, he was willing to let someone capable help. "Fine, if you can really handle it," Lu Hong gave a nod, allowing Qin Yi to enter. However, for some unknown reason, the person who came to mind was Xiang Beifei who was still in the training room. Because the one in cell five was none other than Wan Qiu, the mute bank robber that Xiang Beifei had mentioned yesterday! At that time, Xiang Beifei had only glanced at Wan Qiu before reminding him to check out the situation at Qianhe Bridge. Doubting yet curious, Lu Hong sent out the mechanical raven to search, and indeed they found Wan Qiu''s accomplice in the piers of Qianhe Bridge! The case was not yet completed, thus Wan Qiu was temporarily held here. Lu Hong still vividly remembered what Xiang Beifei said to him before heading to the training room yesterday: ¡ª¡ªBe careful, this person is not so simple. At that time, Lu Hong didn''t take it to heart, knowing the power of the enforcement office; it was nearly impossible for criminals to escape through their systems. So, he didn''t dwell on it. Yet today, an incident occurred! "Should we ask Beifei to come here?" Lu Hong did not trust the boastful Qin Yi to find the criminals. He had more faith in Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei had a very special ability and also possessed a remarkable recognition talent, evident from the "Lai Wuying" incident. Chapter 62: Chapter 62: The Prison Built by SR Lu Hong didn''t immediately go to find Xiang Beifei because Qin Yi was also there. He needed to know what Qin Yi''s reasoning was before deciding whether to seek out Xiang Beifei. All law enforcement officers were in the hallway of the detention room, watching Qin Yi. Qin Yi walked into Room 5 with his head held high, looking around the detention room. The room wasn''t very big, about ten square meters, with only a bed and not even a table. He scanned the ceiling light and the bedsheets. There was nowhere to hide. After a thorough check, Qin Yi found nothing amiss. At this moment, a prompt appeared on Qin Yi''s system¡ª [Host, please note: The extracted talent has only 30 minutes left. Please clarify how the two prisoners escaped within the last 30 minutes.] A sense of dread washed over Qin Yi. Extracting someone else''s talent was time-limited, and he had to complete the task provided by the system within the set time. Otherwise, it would be considered a task failure, and the extracted talent would return to the original person. "This is bad!" he exclaimed. Qin Yi had already solved nine cases, with only one case left. He had planned to choose an easy one for the last case but did not expect to stumble upon this incident. Just now, carried away by the law enforcement officers'' high spirits and their praises, he walked in, and the system automatically assumed he took this case as his tenth one. However, he was now completely clueless! "Qin Yi, have you found anything?" Ma Feiguang asked from behind. "Don''t rush him. Qin Yi is an S-level Reasoning Talent. He''ll definitely find a way," said Xiao Cao, who was very optimistic about this Liangzhou University genius, especially since Qin Yi had just helped him solve a case. "Right, we''re lucky he''s here tonight," other officers echoed, looking expectantly at Qin Yi. Lucky my ass! Qin Yi felt like cursing. The nine cases he''d solved were basically ready to be cracked, and he had merely stolen other people''s efforts to showcase them as his own. The problem was, this case was sudden and lacked any leads. He was in a difficult position now. It was already too late to refuse. The system had started the countdown. "Isn''t there surveillance in the detention room?" Qin Yi inquired. "There is, but this guy came prepared. We haven''t finished searching him yet," Ma Feiguang replied, holding a mobile device, projecting the images from the detention room into midair. The surveillance had two feeds, one from the hallway outside the detention room and one from inside Room 5. The footage showed Lv He with a bald head sneaking from the interrogation room to the hallway, searching until he found Room 5. He then spat out something strange from his mouth, and a thick smoke obscured the surveillance from both the detention room and the hallway, making it impossible to see anything. By the time the smoke cleared, the person was gone. The surveillance provided no insight into how the two vanished. Qin Yi silently wiped off sweat, walked to the wall, and tapped it. "From the current situation, these two criminals have probably already left this detention room. They likely have the ability to pass through walls¡ª" However, Lu Hong interjected coldly, "They couldn''t possibly pass through walls. Do you think the detention room walls in the enforcer''s building can be breached just like that?" "They can''t pass through walls?" Qin Yi was taken aback. Lu Zhiwei explained, "The walls of the detention room were designed by an SR-level architect from the Liangzhou Alliance, someone with extremely strong building abilities, a God Refining stage expert. Unless one''s cultivation is higher than his, it''s impossible to leave the range of the walls¡ªno matter what method is used. There is only one exit, which is precisely the way we came in." The prison constructed by an SR-level practitioner was incredibly formidable, instantly nullifying abilities like teleportation and other system powers! The system had level suppression, and powers wielded by awakeners of lower-level systems would hardly be effective against those from higher-level systems. The prisoner locked up here was named Wan Qiu, and he had only awakened an R-level system. "So it''s like that..." Qin Yi began to feel uneasy. He had planned to bluff his way through by phasing through walls or teleporting, but that path had been completely blocked by the SR-level constructor. He glanced at his system again, seven minutes left. At this moment, his Reasoning Talent score had already started to drop. It fell from 121 to 93. Damn, his Reasoning Talent was about to become ineffective! Qin Yi felt flustered, but with so many eyes on him, he couldn''t possibly do anything else. He feigned composure and then said with certainty, "Then the most likely explanation is that they left through invisibility!" That was the only explanation possible. However, at this time, the other law enforcement officers looked at him with strange expressions. "What''s wrong? Did I say something incorrect?" Qin Yi asked, feeling guilty. Lu Hong pointed toward the corridor of the containment cell and said, "See the door at the end of the corridor? That door is the masterpiece of that SR constructor, and any disguise, no matter who uses it or how, will be stripped away when passing through that door." What kind of SR constructor is this! More like an SB constructor! What was the point in building such a sophisticated prison, just to make a fool of me! Qin Yi internally cursed the constructor''s ancestors over and over. He was the one everyone had placed their high hopes on. If not for this SB constructor, he could have made up something on the spot and muddled through since the law enforcement officers didn''t know how the criminal had escaped. That way, whatever nonsense he spouted would have seemed credible. But this SB constructor had to block him in every way! Lu Hong looked at Qin Yi coldly and said, "Don''t you have strong reasoning abilities? Can''t you deduce the details from all these aspects?" "I..." Qin Yi''s face turned red. He had only extracted someone else''s reasoning skills, not their memories! Besides, he was not a professional law enforcement officer; how could he understand so much? By now, his talent value had dropped to 59. "Qin Yi, don''t get nervous! Just show the same confidence you did when you helped us solve the case earlier. It will be all right," Xiao Cao said from the side. ¡ªI''ve already returned the Reasoning Talent to you guys, how could it still be all right? Qin Yi cursed internally. "You haven''t got a clue, have you?" Lu Hong pressed, staring at Qin Yi. Qin Yi bit his lip, still not giving up: "Give me a moment to think." "Then think, Xiao Wei, go get Beifei over here. He might have an idea about this," Lu Hong said. Beifei? The law enforcement officers here remembered Xiang Beifei and knew he was just an N-level Awakener. Xiao Cao spoke from the side, "Captain, Beifei is just an N-level Awakener. Will it be useful to bring him here?" "Yeah, if even our detective genius Qin Yi tonight can''t figure this out, what good would a high school student do?" Ma Feiguang also chimed in. "Right, if even an S-level like Qin Yi can''t deduce it, then he probably has no chance either," the other law enforcement officers nodded in agreement. Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Unexpected Place Qin Yi, though he couldn''t reason it out himself, seeing someone else''s support, felt more confident and said, "Uncle Lu, even an S-class like me and you are at a loss with this case, what can he possibly do? Can an N-class really be better than the two of us?" Lu Hong was also an S-class Awakener; Qin Yi intended to align himself with Lu Hong. However, Lu Hong paid no attention to this fellow but repeated to Lu Zhiwei, "Xiao Wei, go call him over." "Okay, Dad." Lu Zhiwei put away her notebook and ran outside. About two minutes later, Xiang Beifei was dragged here by Lu Zhiwei, who had pulled and tugged him along. "What''s the meaning of this! I need to cultivate!" Xiang Beifei was training well in the training room when Lu Zhiwei came over, and without saying anything else, she dragged him here. The problem was, he was no match for Lu Zhiwei now and had no chance to resist. "There''s a case here; since your reasoning ability is top-notch, come and take a look for us." Lu Zhiwei had wanted to see who between Xiang Beifei and Qin Yi had better reasoning ability, but Xiang Beifei didn''t want to get involved. Now she had a good excuse, and she suddenly got excited. Seeing Xiang Beifei, Qin Yi''s eyes darkened, and he said with a cold sneer, "What can an N-class like him figure out? Xiao Wei, you still hold hope for him, but he''s probably just talking nonsense." "You were mostly wrong in your reasoning just now, too!" Lu Zhiwei kindly reminded him. "I..." Qin Yi''s face turned various shades of red and pale but he then said, "You should think of it this way, both Uncle Lu and I are S-class, and if we can''t figure it out, then he has even less of a chance!" "Who knows." Lu Zhiwei thought of Lai Wuying''s matter. Qin Yi snorted lightly. Then let''s go. Let me see what you''re capable of! I bet the moment you open your mouth, it''ll be about passing through walls, invisibility, right? Qin Yi inwardly hoped Xiang Beifei would make similar claims, so his previous reasoning wouldn''t seem too foolish. Xiang Beifei, unaware of what had happened, asked in confusion, "Could someone explain to me what exactly happened here?" "Haha, do you think we are all gathered here for a party?" Qin Yi said in a sarcastic tone. Lu Hong ignored Qin Yi, but watched Xiang Beifei with great expectation and explained, "The convict Wan Qiu we captured yesterday has escaped from prison." "Escaped from prison?" Xiang Beifei walked to the entrance of Detention Cell No.5, poked his head inside for a look but retracted it just two seconds later. Seeing that he didn''t even enter the cell, Qin Yi sneered to himself. This guy doesn''t understand anything. Does he really think he can infer anything by doing this? Daydreaming! Xiang Beifei scanned the corridor with a glance and then said, "Uncle Lu, you didn''t check beneath your feet." Upon hearing this, Qin Yi immediately seized the opportunity to mock, "Is this your reasoning ability? Checking beneath your feet? Are you suggesting looking at the floor tiles? Don''t you know that no convict can pass through walls to leave? Checking the floor tiles, that''s hilarious." He completely forgot that he had just speculated Wan Qiu had escaped through the walls. Lu Hong said, "I have checked already, whether inside the cells or the corridor, I have checked all the floor tiles, even scanned them." "I''m not talking about floor tiles." Xiang Beifei walked a few steps along the corridor, "The floor tiles of the corridor, Uncle Lu has checked, that I''m certain of. But¡ª" He glanced among the crowd and then laid eyes on Qin Yi, casually pointing at Qin Yi and saying, "You didn''t check his shoe soles." With Xiang Beifei pointing like that, Qin Yi instantly grew angry, "What do you mean? Are you saying I''m their accomplice? I came here to solve the case; do you dare to doubt me?" "The convict is under your shoe sole." Xiang Beifei looked at Qin Yi. Lu Hong realized something and was slightly taken aback! "Fei Ya, scan his shoes!" Lu Hong commanded sternly. Swish! Fei Ya''s eyes shone with a red light. Immediately after, Lu Hong was shocked! "He''s actually hiding here!" Lu Hong glared at Qin Yi coldly! Qin Yi, suddenly targeted by Lu Hong, was also startled and asked without understanding, "Uncle Lu, what do you mean?" "Take the chewing gum off your shoe sole!" Lu Hong said unequivocally. "Chewing gum on my shoe sole? There''s no chewing gum under my shoes!" Qin Yi, puzzled by the question, instinctively lifted his foot and looked at the sole, only to be shocked a moment later. Somehow, a piece of chewing gum had really stuck to the bottom of his shoe! Lu Hong waved his hand, and a swipe of Spiritual Power passed over, lifting the chewing gum into midair. Then, with a horizontal chop, the sharp edge of the flame sliced the chewing gum in half! Crack! The chewing gum burst open, and two figures tumbled out from it, looking very embarrassed. "What?" Qin Yi''s eyes almost popped out! "How could they be hiding in there?" Xiao Cao and the other law enforcement officers also exclaimed in shock, utterly astonished! How could people be hidden inside chewing gum? What kind of system''s ability was this? Moreover¡ªhow did Xiang Beifei know? To be clear, just a moment ago, Qin Yi, S-class genius of Liangzhou University, had gone through a series of reasoning, yet he had not found any trace of the two prisoners attempting to escape! And among them, each law enforcement officer possessed unique skills tailored to dealing with criminals, especially the most experienced S-class Awakener, Lu Hong, who was present. Yet, even with the combination of three S-class Awakeners and a bunch of R-class law enforcement officers, they had no clue about the jailbreak and were at their wits'' end. But then this N-grade Beifei just arrived, took less than two minutes, and casually found the prisoners! It was simply too incredible! How on earth had Beifei reasoned it out? How had he deduced that the two suspects were hiding under Qin Yi''s shoe? And how had he noticed that there was a piece of chewing gum on the bottom of the shoe? ... All faces were filled with disbelief! Even the S-class prodigy, Qin Yi, was stunned! A series of question marks flew around in their minds. But no matter how much they thought about it, they couldn''t understand the logic. They quickly realized that only Xiang Beifei could answer this question. However, by the time they thought to ask Xiang Beifei, they discovered he had already disappeared. "Where''s the person? Where''s Beifei?" "There!" Everyone looked closely, and Xiang Beifei was walking back the way he came. "Hey, wait, where are you going?" Lu Zhiwei called out anxiously from behind. "Cultivating, do not disturb." With his hands in his pockets, Xiang Beifei walked along the corridor, his departing footsteps calm and serene. Like a leaf fluttering with the wind, leisurely and carefree, his slender and skinny silhouette was elongated by the corridor lights, exuding an indescribable stylishness and elegance. He disappeared at the end of the corridor without turning his head. Leaving behind a group of people, shocked and staring at one another. This young man''s silhouette... Could it really be that handsome! To casually crack a case and leave without a trace? But then again, after solving the case, at least explain a bit! At the very least, tell us how you knew they were hiding there, hey! Is solving such an important case really such a waste of your time? The law enforcement officers looked at each other without a word, silent. The doubts in their minds were still not resolved, making them especially uncomfortable. How exactly did Beifei know that the criminals were hiding under Qin Yi''s feet!!! They needed Xiang Beifei''s answer! But it seemed that Xiang Beifei had no intention of staying longer at all, from being reluctantly dragged there by Lu Zhiwei to leaving after cracking the case, not even staying for two minutes! It was as if he were just a passerby happening upon this place, solving a case that no one else could resolve, yet offering no further explanation. Having done the deed, he shook off his sleeves and left, his merits and fame deeply concealed. Is this what they call a true master? Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Tie me up! "This kid." Lu Hong couldn''t help but laugh and cry. Is cultivation really that urgent? Qin Yi was mocking you to your face, at least throw back a couple of sarcastic remarks! What a perfect opportunity, and you don''t retort? "Forget it, this kid''s personality doesn''t seem to be one that strives to win at all costs." Lu Hong looked over at Qin Yi. Qin Yi''s face was extremely ugly, probably because Xiang Beifei''s sudden arrival had stolen his thunder. His complexion was now like the liver of a pig. Looking at Qin Yi, Lu Hong suddenly realized¡ª Beifei not mocking Qin Yi was actually the biggest mockery of him! After all, Qin Yi is an S-rank elite student at Liangzhou University, a future star of hope, just a moment ago hailed by the law enforcement officials as a super detective with godlike case-solving skills, they had lauded him to the skies. But this favored son of heaven, when faced with this case, spouted a lot of nonsense, and ended up making a fool of himself without getting anything right. Then Beifei was reluctantly dragged over by Lu Zhiwei. With a casual glance, he identified two prisoners trying to escape and directly solved the case. After that, he left without bothering to explain a word. He didn''t even bother to compete with someone like Qin Yi. That was already the greatest mockery for an S-rank genius like Qin Yi! Although Lu Hong himself hadn''t solved the case either, he hadn''t shown off his reasoning skills. With Beifei shining so brightly, he was more than happy; there was no room for envy, let alone feeling mocked. But it was different for Qin Yi. "I knew it, Beifei really is hiding his light under a bushel!" Lu Zhiwei''s eyes were gleaming, and she gripped her notebook even tighter. Reasoning Talent top-notch, I must learn from him! ¡ª At this moment, Qin Yi was almost grinding his teeth to dust! This bastard! Isn''t he an N-rank Awakener? How the hell did he deduce that? It''s unacceptable! It''s too much to bear! The genius image he had so hardly constructed at the law enforcement brigade in the evening was collapsing like a landslide. Compared with Beifei, what was he, Qin Yi, but an egg? He came to solve the case with much fanfare, only to end up with a whimper instead of a bang, while someone reluctantly got dragged over, glanced twice, and closed the case. How could he compare! What''s most despicable is¡ª Why, when that guy was leaving, his damn silhouette looked so cool! He often shone as the favored son of heaven among the freshmen at Liangzhou University, constantly radiating brilliance across the campus, going on stage to receive awards on various occasions until his hands were full of trophies, but¡ªwhy the heck can''t he look as cool as that bastard! Qin Yi was filled with jealousy! Jealous to a splintering degree! No! That cool silhouette must be learned and remembered for the next time! However, at this moment, Xiao Cao came to his senses and pointed at Qin Yi, loudly exclaiming, "Qin Yi, I thought so highly of you, and you turn out to be a co-conspirator with these two men!" As soon as Ma Feiguang heard this, he immediately snapped back to his senses and shouted, "I get it now. You went to so much trouble to help us with the case tonight just to gain our trust, so we''d regard you as a super detective. Then, after they escaped, you knew we''d definitely look to you to solve the case. Following that, you''d have the opportunity to get those two out!" "So that''s it, you''re so crafty! And to think I believed you had a Reasoning Talent, I was really blind!" "Exactly, I was wondering why you were so eager to help us with the investigation, turns out you''re nothing but a jackal!" ... The law enforcement officers, who had lost their Reasoning Talent, had been unable to connect logic, but now as their Reasoning Talent gradually returned, they cobbled together a tale of a cunning criminal conspiracy, openly repairing roads while covertly channeling through the Wei, a grand drama of a joint prison break. And Qin Yi was the key mastermind! "Tie him up!" Xiao Cao and Ma Feiguang didn''t say another word and pinned Qin Yi down. Qin Yi was still gritting his teeth at Xiang Beifei when he was suddenly pressed to the ground, completely dumbfounded. "Hold on, this isn''t what you think, listen to me explain, I really had no idea!" Heaven and earth as his witnesses, he only wanted to put on a show in front of Lu Zhiwei and Xiang Beifei; he truly had no clue what was going on! However, Xiao Cao and Ma Feiguang didn''t care about the details and captured him first to sort things out later. "Uncle Lu! Uncle Lu! Your wise eyes see the truth. You must know I''m not involved! Uncle Lu! You must discern the truth!" Although Qin Yi was an S-rank, he was a student of the Liberal Arts College and not skilled in combat, incapable of resisting, now desperately calling out to Lu Hong in panic. Lu Hong knew that this was very likely unrelated to Qin Yi; this fellow simply liked to show off and, inadvertently, had been used by others. But he kept a stern face, adopting an all-business demeanor, "Whether you''re an accomplice or not isn''t for you to decide! Lock him up! Interrogate him thoroughly first!" ¡ª¡ª Qin Yi had to prove his innocence, but Lu Hong knew Qin Yi wasn''t involved and didn''t want to waste time interrogating him. He intended to interrogate Lv He and Wan Qiu first, so he ignored Qin Yi. As a result, Qin Yi was thrown directly into the detention room by Xiao Cao. No matter how much he tried to explain, there was nothing he could do; he was going to spend the night here. At this time, he was still seething with anger. Today, at the enforcement office, an N-level high school student had slapped his face thoroughly. He, a prestigious Liangzhou University student, an S-rank talent, had lost all his dignity! Not to mention, this was his first time ever being thrown in jail. Humiliation, indeed! Even though he knew he was innocent, he still felt the disgrace! Being a gifted Reasoning Talent and yet being treated as a suspect! Tomorrow, his family and the university must be notified. Imagine, a prominent new figure among Liangzhou University''s freshmen, not having identified the criminal, yet being treated as the suspect. This was a stain on his life. But when he checked his system interface, he was surprised to discover a hint. [You''ve clarified how the two suspects escaped from prison, successfully solved the tenth case, and thus completed the task flawlessly.] "Eh? The system task is completed!" Qin Yi was overjoyed! He clearly wasn''t the one solving the tenth case tonight, so how did the system still consider it completed by him? After some thought, Qin Yi came to a conclusion. In the system''s instructions, it hadn''t specified that he had to solve the case by himself! Solving a case inherently involved gathering clues from various sources. There is no detective who solves cases entirely on their own, they must get help from others. Be it witnesses, or evidence provided by law enforcement officers, all these are within the scope of assistance from others. Even interrogating suspects counts as solving a case with the help of suspects. For this task, the system only required solving the case, not who did the solving. This means as long as a case is resolved, the task is considered complete. And just now, Xiang Beifei had swiftly unraveled the case right before the task''s deadline! That''s the same as helping him complete the task! "Who would''ve thought, who would''ve thought! A blessing in disguise, wahahaha!" Qin Yi couldn''t help but burst into laughter. He was completely agitated, his excitement merging with his agitation. [Host has completed the task, one amulet awarded. Would you like to claim your reward?] "Xiang Beifei, oh Xiang Beifei! You''ve earned fame, but I didn''t lose out either!" Qin Yi smugly selected [Yes] Then¡ª Qin Yi''s face turned grim. Qin Yi''s forehead darkened. "Damn it! System, you''re playing me! If the task failed, just say it failed, why claim I completed it! Damn it, do you find this amusing!" Qin Yi completely lost it and started cursing out loud! He had no idea where his reward had gone, nor did he take the time to think it through, assuming it was just a system error and that he had misunderstood the task rules, instantly becoming utterly enraged. Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Him? Xiang Beifei was seriously swinging his fists in the training room, pondering the violent gust he had just grasped. "Woof woof woof!" Xiaohei barked cheerfully. He turned around and saw that Xiaohei was holding an amulet. "Oh, this thing!" Xiang Beifei nodded slightly. It was a late-stage Qi-Controlling item, which could be used to light up the stars. He still needed to find a few more system rewards to gain his third ability. But he wasn''t in a hurry for now; he first needed to reach the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling, and then he could light up the third star. Xiang Beifei resumed practicing for a while until Xiaohei reminded him that it was already eleven o''clock. Having returned home so late yesterday, Grandfather was worried and had stayed up waiting for him, probably waiting again today, he decided to go home early. He got up, took a shower in the changing room, and then left the training room. "Aha!" He had only taken a few steps when Lu Zhiwei appeared in front of him, lively as ever. "I didn''t interrupt your practice," she quickly said. "Hmm." Xiang Beifei responded. "Then, could you quietly tell me about your reasoning process earlier?" Lu Zhiwei lowered her voice and waved the notebook in her hand. Her face full of a thirst for knowledge, she wanted to know how Xiang Beifei had deduced that those two people were hiding in the tiles, but when Xiang Beifei had left earlier, he had asked her not to disturb him. Desperate to learn deductive skills from Xiang Beifei, she had no choice but to respectfully wait outside, almost dying of anticipation. Xiang Beifei was somewhat exasperated. How could he teach this! Yesterday, when he saw Wan Qiu''s Reclamation System, he had already warned Lu Hong to be cautious of this man. But at that time it was just a caution, he couldn''t tell Lu Hong what the man''s system was, and he still couldn''t say now. However, Lu Zhiwei kept staring at him intently, making him somewhat uncomfortable. "I''m your guardian envoy, just teach me a little, just a little bit!" Lu Zhiwei was earnest in her plea. Xiang Beifei sighed. "Alright, it depends on your insight. I''ll roughly analyze it for you; how much you can learn depends on your fate," he said. "Tell me, tell me, I''m taking notes!" Lu Zhiwei nodded vigorously. "Wait, let me listen to your analytical process too." Lu Hong approached from somewhere, smiling as he looked at Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei''s performance was all observed by him. "Uncle Lu, did they confess?" Xiang Beifei asked. "They confessed, but I still want to know how you deduced it." Lu Hong himself possessed an S-grade Investigation System, but this type of system relied on clues to track, and the coordination between Wan Qiu and Lv He was so seamless that they left no traces. Although he had interrogated them about the incident, he still had not grasped Xiang Beifei''s thought process in solving the case. He needed to know what Xiang Beifei''s reasoning process was. "Alright, it''s actually not that difficult." Xiang Beifei prepared his phrasing in his mind, then said: "First, this case had to be reasoned from Wan Qiu''s system. Initially, I also did not know Wan Qiu''s system, so I could only conjecture¡ªif he was digging under the bank for the vault, then he might possess a system related to digging. Combining that with him hiding his accomplice under the bridge pier, I thought he might concoct the same method again." Lu Zhiwei quickly wrote down everything Xiang Beifei said. "Then why were you so sure they weren''t hiding in the detention room? Why didn''t you search the detention room?" Lu Zhiwei never quite figured this out because just after Xiang Beifei had found out what had happened here, he stuck his head into the detention room, pulled it back out after just two seconds, and didn''t even bother to go inside. Xiang Beifei explained,"That''s because I trust Uncle Lu''s investigative abilities! Uncle Lu''s raven is really incredible. In such a small detention room, if they were hiding there, how could they possibly deceive Uncle Lu? After all, he''s an S-rank powerhouse! Killing those petty thieves in an instant, with various scanning methods activated, where could those two possibly have escaped to?" Lu Zhiwei suddenly realized and then turned to her father excitedly,"Dad, is what Beifei said right?" "It should... it probably is?" Lu Hong suddenly felt embarrassed by the praise. "Although Uncle Lu didn''t immediately think about how Wan Qiu and Lv He mysteriously disappeared, actually, if Uncle Lu just had some time, he would definitely have searched them, and then he would have figured it out." Xiang Beifei gave Lu Hong another way out. "Dad, is that so?" Lu Zhiwei looked at Lu Hong expectantly. "Uh... roughly... it probably is." Lu Hong laughed awkwardly and could only take the hint, else he would appear too undignified in front of his daughter. Actually, Qin Yi hadn''t gone to the detention room at all that evening; he was with Lu Zhiwei the whole time and had an alibi. After the incident, Lu Hong was the first one on the scene, by which time, the two were already gone. Normally, Lu Hong wouldn''t have suspected Qin Yi. If it weren''t for Beifei mentioning it, he might have really overlooked it. "Keep going," Lu Hong said. "First, I guessed their system. Since they could dig under the ground to rob a bank, couldn''t they also dig through tiles? The walls of the enforcement office are very sturdy, but the tiles are just ordinary tiles. There''s only one way out, so they must rely on someone else''s power, meaning they can only rely on outsiders to escape from prison." Xiang Beifei explained it all logically. Lu Zhiwei grew even more impressed and asked again, "Then why did you think of Qin Yi''s shoe soles first?" "If it were me, I would also choose Qin Yi because he isn''t a law enforcement officer. If they chose someone like Uncle Lu, who is an S-rank person, that would be like walking into a trap. Choosing other law enforcement officers wouldn''t be safe either, as law enforcement officers'' systems definitely relate to abilities like handling cases and investigating. Without being sure of their abilities, risks could easily arise, and thus outsiders are the only option." "I knew Qin Yi should have been helping you solve the case last night, but those two, detained from the start, definitely didn''t know about Qin Yi''s deductive abilities and thus regarded him as just an ordinary Awakener, making him the best choice." Xiang Beifei''s explanation was rational and well-founded. However, Lu Hong grasped the essential point and asked, "It seems you had already ruled out Qin Yi as their accomplice early on?" Xiang Beifei said incredulously, "Him?" Lu Hong paused. Him. These two words, plain and simple. Yet, they carried a profound meaning. So, to this S-rank genius from Liangzhou University, a freshman no less, Qin Yi didn''t even qualify to be an accomplice for Wan Qiu and Lv He in Beifei''s eyes. This boy wasn''t uncompetitive, he simply disdained to lower his status to argue with someone like Qin Yi! They simply weren''t on the same level. Lu Hong was deeply moved. It turned out that Qin Yi had never really been looked at properly by Xiang Beifei from the beginning to the end. ¡ª¡ª For Xiang Beifei, no matter how these people tried to hide, their system interface would always shine brightly. He looked around and then noticed two system interfaces on the soles of Qin Yi''s shoes! There was no need for reasoning. And the act of creating a space in chewing gum, that was all written on Wan Qiu''s "Reclamation System." The system was costly when creating a space in small objects, but the chewing gum was something Wan Qiu had created long ago, serving as his last resort escape tool. The legendary Xianxia black technology¡ª"storage ring" could create a vast space. So, a "storage chewing gum"¡ª What''s so surprising about that? Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Four Kinds of Rewards "Dad, is what Beifei said the same as what you interrogated?" Lu Zhiwei asked urgently. Just now, to be safe, Lu Hong did not let any irrelevant people come into contact with Wan Qiu and Lv He, including his daughter, so Lu Zhiwei still did not know the true facts of the matter. Lu Hong nodded slightly, "Wan Qiu is a mute, but Lv He was stubborn at first, but after I asked Uncle Chang to talk to him, Lv He confessed everything." Chang Shan, that''s the veteran officer with the "S-rank, Turn Back and You''re Ashore" system, and he had the cultivation of the late Meridian Opening phase. For ordinary petty thieves, if others couldn''t get anything out of them during interrogation, they would hand them over to him. Usually, after exchanging a few words with him, they''d be touched and confess everything easily. Lu Hong continued, "Lv He and Wan Qiu, who was arrested yesterday, are friends. After Wan Qiu was arrested, he was planning to rescue him before Wan Qiu was transferred from the law enforcement office to prison, because once in the prison, there would be no chance at all, so he planned tonight''s jailbreak." Any criminal who entered the Alliance Prison had virtually zero chance of escape. But getting into the law enforcement squad was not that easy, especially the custody room. "Then did Lv He reveal what his system is?" Xiang Beifei asked. Lu Hong shook his head, "No, the test results for Lv He''s system came out as R-grade, and it would require a system two grades higher to interrogate him." An R-grade system was already considered powerful, with the system itself having self-protection capabilities; even if some interrogation techniques were used, it would be very difficult to make Lv He confess everything. Of course, with an SR-grade interrogation system, there would be ways to forcibly break through the confidentiality defense of an R-grade system. However, SR-grade Awakeners were too rare, and this small law enforcement office didn''t have one. Lu Hong said, "Lv He didn''t reveal his system, but he said he had the confidence to unlock any lock¡ªso I guess his awakening is related to a lock-breaking system. He was deliberately arrested today for cellphone fraud, and then he confessed very directly to his fraud, so we didn''t take it seriously, preparing to follow the procedures. But then, when others weren''t paying attention, he unlocked his handcuffs and slipped towards the custody room." Lu Hong''s guess was actually very close to the truth. Lv He''s awakening was indeed the Lock-Free System, which was indeed powerful. Unfortunately, Lv He overestimated his abilities. Although he managed to unlock the door keeping Wan Qiu, it triggered an alarm. Luckily, he knew Wan Qiu''s capabilities. Wan Qiu could carve out a space anywhere, and at the instant the alarm was triggered, they used Wan Qiu''s Reclamation System to burrow into the corridor''s floor tiles. Wan Qiu''s Reclamation System could not break through the walls built by an SR-grade builder, so they had to start with the floor tiles. The floor tiles were just decorative, utterly ordinary with no protective capabilities¡ªthe protective layer was the cement underneath that they couldn''t dig through. The law enforcement personnel quickly arrived. They rushed towards the custody room first, overlooking the tiles in the corridor. At this time, they saw Qin Yi. Qin Yi was the only person in the corridor who wasn''t from the enforcement office, so while Lu Hong was scanning the custody room, they used the dug-out tiles to get under Qin Yi''s feet. Then, they threw a piece of chewing gum from under the tiles, sticking it to the bottom of Qin Yi''s shoe. Wan Qiu''s Reclamation System had already carved out a space inside the gum. So, they leaped from under the tiles into the space in the gum, simultaneously filling in the space left in the tiles. When Lu Hong began scanning the corridor tiles again, the two of them had already avoided detection. Lu Hong did not immediately think to scan the people there. After all, Qin Yi and the others had arrived later; it didn''t make sense, both emotionally and rationally, that they would hide there. The plan concocted by Wan Qiu and Lv He was nearly flawless. As long as Qin Yi left the law enforcement office that night, they could be smuggled out, equating to a successful jailbreak! But what they didn''t expect was for Beifei to unexpectedly intervene! Xiang Beifei was dragged here by Lu Zhiwei, and he reluctantly checked the scene, spotting them right away! Their jailbreak plan was crushed on the spot. ¡ª¡ª "Dad, I really want to know, could they pass through the corridor''s security gate with the chewing gum disguise?" Lu Zhiwei asked. "Yes." Lu Hong nodded seriously, "Tonight''s incident just made me realize this loophole. Although the corridor''s gate is built to SR standards, which can remove all kinds of disguises, but it cannot detect people hidden in small spaces! Regarding this, I need to report to my superiors and have this loophole sealed! Beifei, you''ve made a great contribution tonight." Xiang Beifei tilted his head, somewhat surprised. "Beifei, your talent would be wasted if you didn''t become a city guardian." Lu Zhiwei became the very picture of a die-hard fan of Xiang Beifei. Although her system level and cultivation were higher than Xiang Beifei''s, his deductive reasoning was truly first-rate. "What are you talking about! Beifei''s talent should be used in higher places. If there''s a chance in the future, he should work at the Jiuzhou Alliance," Lu Hong saw great potential in Xiang Beifei''s future. "It''s very difficult to get into the Jiuzhou Alliance!" Lu Zhiwei muttered. "We''ll talk about it in the future." Xiang Beifei did not care about working for the Jiuzhou Alliance, as he wanted to focus on cultivating and then take the college entrance exam to get into Liangzhou University and, by the way, earn some money. "Being neither arrogant nor impetuous is a good thing. Right, here''s the reward you earned for assisting in the capture of Lai Wuying. I''ve applied for it for you¡ªtwenty thousand yuan. Don''t lose it." Lu Hong handed a cheque from the Alliance to Xiang Beifei. Twenty thousand yuan! Xiang Beifei''s eyes lit up. "Thank you, Uncle Lu," Xiang Beifei said, taking the cheque. "It should be me thanking you," Lu Hong said with a smile. He then looked at his own system. [If Xiang Beifei is willing to make a feedback, you can get one Advanced Pill.] Lu Hong felt quite anxious inside. Beifei, would he really make a feedback to him? After a long thought, he cautiously asked, "Beifei, how are you progressing with your cultivation of Rapid Flame?" "Still learning." Holding the cheque, Xiang Beifei glanced unintentionally at Lu Hong''s system and was a little surprised. He discovered that Lu Hong''s system had issued a mission to assassinate him! Xiang Beifei frowned slightly. However, seeing that Lu Hong had rejected the assassination option, he felt a bit more at ease. "Lucky Uncle Lu is a good man." As an S-level Meridian Opening phase practitioner, if Lu Hong had chosen the [Assassination and Seizure] option, Xiang Beifei would have been in danger. Fortunately, Lu Hong had his own principles. But not taking that route, he must be quite eager at the moment. Lu Hong said, "You helped foil a jailbreak last night; I''ll apply for another reward for you. Also, I''ll give you some more items for protection, as a way of saying thanks for last night." "Uncle Lu, you already gave me the Azure Light Armor and a Qi-replenishing pill yesterday," Xiang Beifei pointed out. "No worries, having extra means of saving your life is always good. This is a Thunderfire Crystal; it contains the essence of my punch and has the power of a mid-stage Qi-Controlling. You can crush it for self-defense. And this Flame Dragon Escape, for running away¡ªcan carry you out in an instant over two hundred meters." Lu Hong handed the two items to Xiang Beifei. Both were system rewards he had carefully selected, which Xiang Beifei could use immediately. Since they were not items from Xiang Beifei''s own system, their potency would be significantly reduced, and since Xiang Beifei''s cultivation level wasn''t high, Lu Hong couldn''t give him anything more advanced, or else he wouldn''t be able to use it. Last time, someone named Xu Yang attacked Xiang Beifei, and now he worried that Xiang Beifei would run into trouble. Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Mock Exam Xiang Beifei was quite surprised. He was still thinking about how to light up the constellation, but Lu Hong had unintentionally paved the way for him. With the Lei Fire Crystal and the Flame Dragon Escape, along with yesterday''s Azure Light Armor and Qi-replenishing pill, these four items could precisely serve as spiritual power crystals for the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling! That meant, as long as his realm reached the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling, he could immediately light up the next constellation in the Spirit Gathering Book! Although he had Chen Gang''s "Thousand Faces Slash Moon," which was a spiritual power crystal for the initial stage of Meridian Opening, he planned to save it until he entered the Meridian Opening stage to use it. Qin Yi''s amulet was for the later stage of Qi-Controlling, and it should be saved to light up the constellation for that later stage. Previously, he had been wondering where to get the mid-stage Qi-Controlling spiritual power crystal, and Uncle Lu had directly solved that for him. "Uncle Lu, this must have cost a lot of system points, right?" Xiang Beifei asked. "It''s alright, you''ve helped me a lot these days, I should really thank you. Oh, here, take this too, a Spiritual Perception Pill, it can enhance the perception of various aspects of the body, I often use it to chase criminals." In the past few days, Lu Hong had given Xiang Beifei a total of seven items in exchange, spending over 3000 Investigation Points. That evening, his system had forcibly launched a mission, whereby Xiang Beifei had obtained 2000 Investigation Points. Lu Hong not only returned all these system points to Xiang BeiFei but also paid extra from his own. "Uncle Lu, it was quite expensive." Xiang Beifei said. ¡ªUncle also has his own motives! Lu Hong couldn''t help but sigh in his heart. He really needed Xiang Beifei''s feedback on the Rapid Flame cultivation, as it determined whether he could advance to the next realm. As long as Xiang Beifei had requests that he could fulfill, he would do his best to accommodate them. "Wow, dad, I''m jealous," Lu Zhiwei said enviously from the side. Lu Hong tapped Lu Zhiwei''s head and said irritably, "Jealous of what? Which of these items can you use now? BeiFei''s cultivation level is not enough, so he needs these. Besides, haven''t I given you plenty?" Lu Zhiwei shrank her head and snickered bashfully. She was at the later stage of Qi-Controlling, and when she first awakened her system, as her father, Lu Hong had given her many system items for self-defense, sparing no expense. "Thank you, Uncle Lu." Xiang Beifei was not pretentious, he truly needed these items. Lu Hong treated him well, and even if he had his own motives, in Xiang Beifei''s view, they were insignificant. Because even before Lu Hong''s system had issued the mandatory mission, he had given him many system items, simply out of concern for Xiang Beifei''s safety. Lu Hong could have chosen the "eradicate and seize" approach, simply killing Xiang Beifei once he grasped the Rapid Flame to take it easily. But he did not do that; instead, he chose another way¡ªletting Xiang Beifei provide feedback. Honestly, according to the method Lu Hong chose to complete the mission, even if Xiang Beifei blabbed any nonsense as feedback, Lu Hong could not tell if it was true or false, because even Lu Hong''s system did not know that Rapid Flame could be improved; it all depended on Xiang Beifei. Truth be told, Lu Hong could have taken control, but he chose to hand that control over to Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei would naturally not disappoint Lu Hong. In this system world, many people resorted to unscrupulous means to complete system tasks, creating a world full of trickery. People like Chen Gang and Liu Qianrou were numerous. But there were still some upright people who maintained the most basic ethical standards while working on system tasks. Xiang Beifei could see other people''s systems, and he could judge who was trustworthy. What he could do was to staunchly protect that trust. He had only been cultivating for a short time, and his realm was still low. Without sufficient strength, Xiang Beifei needed others'' help and protection to get through the novice period of the Qi-Controlling realm. "It''s late, you should head back, Xiao Wei, you accompany him, and be careful on the way." Lu Hong still had work and could not abandon his post, so once again, he entrusted the task of escorting Xiang Beifei to his daughter. ¡ª¡ª Beifei returned home, and his grandfather was indeed waiting for him. "Grandfather, you don''t need to wait for me. I was doing system tasks, and these past few days, I''ve been home late," Beifei could only use this excuse to explain. "It''s alright, I couldn''t sleep. Are you hungry? Should I cook something for you?" Qingde smiled. "Not hungry, I''ve already eaten. Uncle Lu and the others ordered takeout." "That''s good, go to sleep soon. You need to wake up early tomorrow." Qingde then returned to his own room. After a brief wash, Beifei closed his door and began to ponder the matters at hand. He now possessed five system items: the Spiritual Perception Pill, the Azure Light Armor, the Qi-replenishing Pill, the Flame Dragon Escape, and the Thunder Fire Crystal. To light up the third Clan Constellation, he only needed four spiritual power crystals from the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling. However, he hadn''t decided whether to melt them away yet; it was more urgent to advance his cultivation to the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling. Beifei practiced the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula again before resting. In the following days, Beifei didn''t visit the enforcement agency because he realized that if he wanted to improve Rapid Flame, with his current spiritual power, it was still very difficult to manage. The spiritual power of Rapid Flame needed to advance further. Therefore, going back to the training room at the enforcement agency was meaningless. Cultivating spiritual power could be performed anywhere. ¡ª¡ª The college entrance examination was drawing nearer, and virtually everyone had already decided whether to pursue the Martial or Literary Dao. The atmosphere in the school became increasingly tense. Especially for students choosing the Literary Dao, their academic subjects were extremely important. The admission threshold for universities was higher for them, hence everyone was seriously reviewing in the last month, barely accepting any tasks issued by the system. In the last twenty days, the school held the final mock exam before the college entrance exam. Both teachers and students took this mock exam very seriously. Li Nanxing, as the headmaster, was no exception. Suddenly, he remembered Beifei. Looking back, it had been a month since the Awakening System; the scene of Beifei in his office declaring his intention to apply for Liangzhou University still vividly lingered in his mind. "I wonder if this child has made any progress." When Beifei stated his intention to apply to Liangzhou University, Li Nanxing had specifically retrieved Beifei''s score from the last mock exam. Beifei''s score in the previous mock exam was 292. To stand a chance of getting into Liangzhou University, he needed to add at least another 400 points. "His system''s first task is to get into Liangzhou University; he should take this mock exam seriously. Surely he can improve by 50 points or so?" Li Nanxing walked towards Professor Yang''s office. "Professor Yang, excuse me," Li Nanxing knocked on the door. "Headmaster, what brings you here?" Yang Hua was typing on his computer and, seeing the headmaster in person, quickly stood up, looking respectfully at Li Nanxing while feeling somewhat apprehensive about why the headmaster had come. "It''s nothing. I just wanted to ask about something. There''s a student in your class named Beifei. What was his score in this mock exam?" Li Nanxing asked. Upon hearing that the headmaster was inquiring about Beifei, Yang Hua''s expression became uneasy. "What''s wrong?" Li Nanxing noticed Yang Hua''s unusual demeanor. "Beifei didn''t come to the exam at all this time!" Yang Hua said gravely. Chapter 68: Chapter 68: I Understand Your Feelings "He didn''t come for the exam?" Li Nanxing was slightly startled! "Yes, he took sick leave during the exam." Yang Hua couldn''t mention Xiang Beifei without getting angry. Li Nanxing frowned, "Wasn''t he supposed to take the Liangzhou University exam? How could he not show up for the exam?" "Principal, are you joking? With his grades, he still wants to get into Liangzhou University?" Because the principal was present, Yang Hua refrained from saying more unpleasant things about Xiang Beifei. Now that graduation was approaching, he was too lazy to bother with Xiang Beifei. Since Xiang Beifei didn''t show up for the exam, there was no issue of him holding anyone back. "Did he attend class today?" "He did. I just saw him. I was about to ask him some questions. Principal, are you looking for him for something?" Yang Hua was puzzled, not understanding why the principal would look for Xiang Beifei. "It''s nothing important, you''re busy, I won''t disturb you." Li Nanxing left the office and went to Xiang Beifei''s classroom. Xiang Beifei sat at his desk, one hand propping up his chin, staring blankly out the window. The banyan tree outside the window shaded the summer breeze, accompanied by the light chirping of cicadas, creating harmony. Li Nanfeng saw Xiang Beifei''s figure and heaved a slight sigh. This kid, does he look rather melancholic? Indeed, anyone whose first system task was to get into Liangzhou University would not have it easy. "Xiang Beifei, come out for a moment," Li Nanxing called out. "Principal?" Xiang Beifei came back to his senses, shifting his gaze from the banyan tree with some surprise. The other classmates in the room fell silent upon seeing the principal''s sudden visit, but when they realized he was actually there for Xiang Beifei and remembered Xiang Beifei had skipped the exam, they felt a bit of schadenfreude. Being called out by the principal was never a good sign. "Come take a walk with me." Li Nanxing walked ahead with his hands clasped behind his back, walking along the tree-lined path of the campus. Xiang Beifei followed obediently behind. Li Nanxing sat down on a bench under a tree, looking at Xiang Beifei with slightly furrowed brows. "You said you wanted to take the Liangzhou University exam, so why didn''t you take this mock exam seriously?" Xiang Beifei thought for a moment and said, "I had an emergency that day, so I took leave." "What emergency could be more important than an exam? You couldn''t possibly have gone to do a system task. I remember your system''s first task is to get into Liangzhou University!" Li Nanxing said. Xiang Beifei kept silent, just lowering his head and pondering. Li Nanxing thought Xiang Beifei avoided meeting his eyes out of guilt and heaved a sigh. "I know what you''re thinking," he said. Xiang Beifei looked up, his eyes filled with confusion as he gazed at Li Nanxing. Li Nanxing continued, looking at Xiang Beifei''s expression, "Do you feel that the first system task is too difficult, that you cannot possibly get in, so you''ve given up on yourself and didn''t dare to take part in the mock exam?" Given up on himself? Xiang Beifei was somewhat astonished. Li Nanxing spoke earnestly, "For an N-level Awakener to apply to Liangzhou University, there certainly is difficulty. Your grades weren''t good to begin with, and then your system issued you an outrageous task. It''s natural to feel hopeless, but that doesn''t mean you should give up on yourself!" "Principal, I¡ª" "You don''t have to explain anything. I know that you must be feeling disheartened, even desperate. I understand how you''re feeling right now," Li Nanxing said gently. Xiang Beifei: "..." "You must have been under a lot of pressure these days, haven''t you?" Xiang Beifei: "..." "It''s quite normal to feel great pressure. Anyone whose first system task was to get into Liangzhou University would definitely feel it. Over the past month, you''ve probably been so stressed you couldn''t eat or sleep, constantly doubting whether you could really get into Liangzhou University. That''s normal, many N-level Awakeners go through stages of self-doubt." Xiang Beifei: "..." "It''s okay that your foundation is weak, but improving grades doesn''t happen overnight. It''s only been a month since your system issued the task, and you haven''t persisted long before you''re beating a retreat. How can this be acceptable?" Li Nanxing patiently advised. "You have to remember one thing, N-level Awakeners are not useless! When you feel like you can''t keep going, think of our Liangzhou''s Governor Shang Tianxiong. He''s an N-level Awakener, yet his achievements are comparable to those of an SR-level Awakener! But do you think he got into Liangzhou University on his first college entrance exam?" Li Nanxing was serious and earnest, slapping the armrest of the chair, his voice ringing strong: "No! He repeated a year four times!" Xiang Beifei: "..." He couldn''t get a word in edgewise. "You''ve only been preparing for a month and face a little setback, and you''re already disheartened and unwilling to even take the exam. With this attitude towards studying, how can you get into Liangzhou University? You''ve got to pull yourself together! Don''t be defeated by setbacks that easily." Li Nanxing raised his voice again: "Failure is not scary! What''s scary is giving up before you even try!" "If talent is insufficient, diligence will compensate!" "Where there''s a will, there''s a way!" "Without enduring the cold that penetrates your bones, how can you smell the fragrance of plum blossoms?" Li Nanxing earnestly instructed Xiang Beifei, explaining with logic and stirring with emotion. Xiang Beifei: "..." Why does it always feel like something is not quite right? "Why don''t you defend yourself a bit?" Li Nanxing asked. Xiang Beifei: "..." All the words have been said by you, what can I add? Seeing Xiang Beifei silent, Li Nanxing continued, "I once read a novel called ''Fight to the Death in the Firmament'', an extremely stirring novel. I really like a line from it, ''Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west, do not belittle the young for being poor!'' I give this line to you, hoping you will forge ahead and prove yourself to the world with an N-level talent!" Xiang Beifei''s eyes widened: "..." ''Fight to the Death in the Firmament''? Just listening to the name of this novel¡ª Bristles with power! Even the firmament meets its demise. Terrifying to such a degree! "The headmaster reads these kinds of novels?" Xiang Beifei asked. "I like to study various literatures, whether it''s classical literature, online fiction, biographies, league chronicles, the contention of a hundred schools of thought... Every type of literature has its significance. What books you read isn''t important, what matters is learning some principles from them afterwards." Headmaster Li Nanxing, after all, had awakened the "S-level Confucian Saint System", had the temperament of a Confucian Scholar, and studying various literatures was his favorite thing to do. Xiang Beifei nodded thoughtfully. It seemed to make a lot of sense. "The reason why I''m telling you so much is because you are Xiang Tianxing''s son. I believe the old saying, ''A tiger father does not have dog sons.'' If you can''t get into university this year, there''s always next year, the year after, and the year after that... If you want to measure up to an expert like Shang Tianxiong, you have to be prepared to strive for four years! You can''t miss any opportunity to test yourself. Only by taking simulated exams can you know what areas you need to improve upon, understand?" Li Nanxing said. "I understand, headmaster, I''ll work hard," Xiang Beifei nodded. "Mm, good, go back to class now," Li Nanxing said. Xiang Beifei bowed politely to Li Nanxing and then left. Watching Xiang Beifei''s retreating figure, Li Nanxing felt some emotion. "It seems impossible for him to get into university this year, but I hope I''ve managed to awaken him! Keep up the effort next year." As a headmaster, he felt it was his responsibility to guide this young man. Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Abruptly Stop Xiang Beifei had always held a good impression of Li Nanxing. This was a true exemplar of education, refined and gentle, a model for teachers, imparting knowledge without discrimination. He would patiently guide even an N-level student. One could say he was highly esteemed and respected. However, Li Nanxing didn''t quite understand Xiang Beifei, thinking that Beifei''s absence from the mock exam was due to despair over unimprovable grades. Xiang Beifei didn''t know how to explain himself. But what pleased him was that his recent hard work had not been in vain. These past few days coincided with the mock exams, and he was at a critical point in his cultivation, so he chose to skip the exam. That morning, he finally reached the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling! With the Awakening System for a month, he cultivated day and night and finally elevated his cultivation to the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling. This had surpassed all of his classmates. Even the S-level Lu Zhiwei and Qin Yi, who were a year older than Beifei and took five months to reach the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling, were only at the late stage of Qi-Controlling by the end of their freshman year. Yet, Xiang Beifei had taken only a month to cultivate from an ordinary person to the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling. The most crucial point was that he used four spiritual power crystals to activate the third constellation, the Di Constellation. [Di Tu Mao: Abruptly Stop] [Source: "Wen Shi Tong Yi": Suddenly arriving, abruptly stopping] [Ability: Able to make moving objects suddenly stop] Xiang Beifei had tested this ability; he could stop anything Xiaohei threw towards him in its tracks, and even when Xiaohei lunged at him, he would be frozen in place. However, this ability also had its limits, the duration it could hold depended on its power and was also related to Xiang Beifei''s own strength. For those whose cultivation was weaker than his, he could easily stop them; however, for those with higher cultivation, it was difficult to make them abruptly stop, and for those of roughly equal cultivation, it would only briefly pause them. "Right now, I can stop a tree solid in place; even a strong wind can''t move it, pretty good." Xiang Beifei returned to his seat and continued to look at the banyan tree outside the window. Principal Li Nanxing had thought he was giving up on himself, staring out the window in a daze, but actually, he was practicing the "Abruptly Stop" ability. He could now make the tree''s shaking abruptly stop; next, he planned to try stopping the blowing wind. That was challenging. Because the wind is intangible and blows over a wide area, when he blocked one side, the wind from the other side would always sneak past and move the tree. "The principal was looking for you just now, are you alright?" Kong Xiuwen prodded the daydreaming Xiang Beifei with his pen. "I''m fine," Xiang Beifei snapped back to reality. "Speaking of which, weren''t we agreed on taking the entrance exam for Liangzhou University together? Why did you suddenly give it up? I''ve been hitting the books hard these days!" Kong Xiuwen looked dejected; he had lost forty-nine strands of hair preparing for the martial arts department of Liangzhou University! He had spent more than twenty strands of hair to exchange for items from the system mall to enhance his focus and intelligence. "How much did you score?" Xiang Beifei asked. "491 points! Heavenly Dao rewards the diligent, tearfully moved!" Kong Xiuwen held his own test papers, deeply moved by himself. His hair loss had not been in vain! As an S-level, he enjoyed various policy advantages; as long as he reached 500 points, he could enter Liangzhou University, and he was not far from his goal. "That''s not bad," Xiang Beifei said. Kong Xiuwen lowered his voice and said, "Come on, you need to buckle down. My system can exchange items to boost concentration, but that intelligence boost isn''t really applicable to others; I can only give you the concentration pills, take them." He passed a small jade bottle from under the desk to Xiang Beifei. "No need, I have some, keep it for yourself," Xiang Beifei shook his head. "You have some?" Kong Xiuwen looked at him suspiciously, "Who gave them to you?" "My dad was a pioneer, did you forget?" "Oh right! That''s good, let''s work hard together, just don''t let me down at the crucial moment!" Kong Xiuwen said. "Don''t worry." Xiang Beifei turned his head and continued to work on the banyan tree outside the window. ¡ª¡ª Law Enforcement Squad. This place was always busy. The crime rate in the system world was high, but the abilities of the law enforcement officers were also very strong. They specialized in dealing with these criminals. Ordinary criminals were easy to handle, but some criminals were different. Lu Hong sat in his office, he had ordered take-out and was working overtime. Recently, some cases had been giving him a lot of headaches; the criminal suspects were too cunning, knew how to counter-surveillance, and he had no clue whatsoever. Lu Hong stared at a green pea in the meal box, and for some reason, he was reminded of that young man again. "If he helped, the problem should be easily solved, right?" Xiang Beifei hadn''t come to him for training in over ten days. Now, he didn''t know how Xiang Beifei''s training on "Rapid Flame" was progressing. Lu Hong really wanted to call and ask, but every time he picked up the phone, he resisted. He knew Xiang Beifei was still a high school student, with college entrance exams approaching, and needed to revise, so it wasn''t appropriate to call and disturb him. But if he didn''t ask, he was constantly worried about Xiang Beifei''s improvements on Rapid Flame. This matter was extremely important to him. It was the first time Lu Hong felt so conflicted. He really wished Xiang Beifei would come by; he wanted Xiang Beifei''s help with the case and also wanted to inquire about Rapid Flame. Just five days ago, he was handling a fight near the school, and he took the opportunity to look for Xiang Beifei and asked him briefly. However, at that time, Xiang Beifei explained that he had been very busy lately and hadn''t made much progress in training Rapid Flame but would come to seek advice in a couple of days. But that "couple of days" turned into five, and Xiang Beifei still hadn''t come! It left him unable to concentrate on his tea or his meals. Lu Hong held his chopsticks, unable to eat, only fiddling with the green peas in the meal box, listlessly counting: "He will come today, he won''t come today. He will come today, he won''t come today..." "Dad, what are you muttering to yourself?" Lu Zhiwei peered in, looking puzzled at her dad. Lu Hong''s face turned red, and he quickly coughed and said, "Nothing, I''m thinking about a case. You''re here." "Why do you seem odd?" Lu Zhiwei threw her schoolbag aside, went to pour a glass of water, and while drinking, she skeptically scrutinized her dad. "I''m eating, just finished handling a case." Lu Hong picked up a pea, threw it into his mouth, chewed twice, and then, while his daughter was not looking, he quickly used his chopsticks to finish counting the rest of the peas. "He won''t come today! Sigh!" Lu Hong discarded his chopsticks, looking quite depressed. After a long pause, he asked, "Xiao Wei, how many days until Beifei''s college entrance exam?" "Nineteen days and twelve hours!" Lu Zhiwei said without hesitation. "Hm?" Lu Hong looked puzzled at his daughter: "You remember so clearly?" "He hasn''t been here in many days; he promised to teach me reasoning skills!" Lu Zhiwei huffed. "Then don''t disturb him. Beifei needs to prepare for the college entrance exams. He must be studying hard these few days, you know?" Lu Hong instructed. "I haven''t disturbed him for four days already; he clearly told me he''d come in a couple of days." Lu Zhiwei muttered, depressed. "Alright, don''t mind it too much. Help me clean up the meal box, I still need to go interrogate some criminals." Lu Hong had no appetite and got up to leave. "He said he''d come in a couple of days, it''s been four days already, not keeping his word..." Lu Zhiwei walked over to the meal box, about to clean it up, but then she noticed the green peas her dad had left. Thinking of Xiang Beifei, she sighed wistfully, then picked up the chopsticks and started fiddling with the green peas, muttering, "He will come today, he won''t come today, he will come today, he won''t come today..." Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Accompanying Test Xiang Beifei''s realm had reached the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling, and his Spiritual Power was sufficient to support him in continuing to practice and improve Rapid Flame. He hadn''t gone to the law enforcement team these days because he needed to elevate his realm; the Spiritual Power of the early stage of Qi-Controlling was too weak to help him improve Rapid Flame. But after stepping into the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling, his control over Spiritual Power became more proficient, and he was able to try different methods for Rapid Flame. By using Learn by Analogy, he could identify the shortcomings of Rapid Flame and perfect this ability. However, with the college entrance exam approaching, Xiang Beifei had temporarily suspended his cultivation and was mainly focusing on his studies. Both cultivation and study required his serious attention. As it concerned Xiang Beifei''s future, Xiang Qingde was even more nervous than Xiang Beifei these days. He had specially prepared a variety of recipes, cooking different meals for Xiang Beifei every day to supplement his nutrition. Xiang Beifei did not eat much, but Xiaohei was fed until he was round and plump. "Grandpa, there''s no need to go to such expense, simple meals are fine," Xiang Beifei said. "That won''t do, we save when we need to save, and spend when we should spend." Xiang Qingde brought over a rib soup, and today''s menu included rib soup, steamed carp, with potatoes and green vegetables for a balanced diet. In the past, they always had plain meals, but Xiang Qingde worried that a sudden switch to rich meals could cause more harm than good. Therefore, he had gradually been improving their diet ever since Xiang Beifei''s Awakening System activated, which had been going on for more than a month. This was partly to ensure that Xiang Beifei could have a strong body to complete system tasks and partly to ensure that when Xiang Beifei was studying, his nutrition could keep up. "The college entrance exam is tomorrow, just do your best and don''t be too nervous. By the way, do you want me to come along to support you?" Xiang Qingde asked. After he spoke, he hurriedly added, "If my coming makes you feel pressured, then I won''t go. I''ll wait for you at home." After all, the college entrance exam is a significant hurdle in life, and in this world, many parents would take leave to accompany their children at the testing site. Accompanying someone to an exam is useless; it''s purely for peace of mind. Xiang Beifei thought for a moment and said, "Grandpa, if you come, I''ll have more confidence." He knew his grandfather too well. Even if he said there was no need to come, his grandfather would certainly not be able to sit still at home. He would secretly go to the exam venue and anxiously await there. Only after seeing Xiang Beifei leave the examination hall would he rush back home and pretend he didn''t go, so as not to pressure Xiang Beifei. Instead of refusing, it was better to proactively suggest that his grandfather accompany him, saying that it would give him confidence, and also make the old man feel more at ease. "Ah, alright, then I must go," said Xiang Qingde. Upon hearing what Xiang Beifei said, Xiang Qingde immediately became happy, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out. He had felt guilty for not being present when his grandson activated the Awakening System, so this time he was determined to accompany his grandson for the college entrance exam no matter what. "I''ll help you pack your bag and check the tools and documents needed for tomorrow''s exam; you eat," Xiang Qingde said as he got up and went to Xiang Beifei''s room, and Xiang Beifei did not stop him. Xiang Qingde took his grandson''s college entrance exam very seriously. He counted the pens, prepared five of them, tested each to make sure they all worked, and then placed the exam ticket into the same pen case. But at that moment, he suddenly noticed an Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou mock exam paper in the corner of the desk. Curious about Xiang Beifei''s performance and having never asked, he took it out and glanced at it. 43 points! Xiang Qingde saw the score and was shocked: "Only 43 points?" The college entrance exam consisted of four subjects. Chinese, Mathematics, System Integrated, Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou. System Integrated was the most critical subject because it incorporated many branches. It analyzed and summarized the system types that each individual awakened from different perspectives including physics, chemistry, geography, and Desolate Beast Studies. It also introduced methods to identify and counter various systems, as well as how to complete system tasks more cleverly. The full score for System Integrated was 300 points! Yet Xiang Beifei had only scored 43 points? Xiang Qingde''s face turned pale in an instant! It''s over! It''s all over! Xiaofei''s grades were so poor? To earn a living, Xiang Qingde left the house before dawn every day and often didn''t come back until 7 or 8 p.m. Whenever he asked how school was going, Xiang Beifei always said it was fine. But Xiang Qingde had never understood what this "fair" really meant; he only knew that his grandson was generally reliable and wouldn''t be too far off the mark. It wasn''t until today that he found out "fair" meant 43 points! He flipped through the other exam papers, and each one''s score was too dismal to look at¡ª89 points, 55 points... he even found a mock exam with a zero! He couldn''t find a single paper that scored over 100 points! Xiang Qingde panicked for a moment! "Xiaofei originally awakened only an N-level system, and now his grades are this bad..." Xiang Qingde started to get anxious; he felt he had failed miserably as a grandfather. He didn''t dare to hope that his grandson would get into elite universities like Liangzhou University or Qingzhou University, he just hoped for a spot in the most common university, even the lowest-ranked college would do. But with these grades, how could he possibly get into any college? ¡ª¡ª Xiang Qingde was so worried that he couldn''t sleep well all night. The 43-point paper haunted him, and he got up early the next day to make breakfast, feeling almost in despair. However, fearing the effect on Xiang Beifei''s college entrance exam today, he didn''t dare to ask directly. Outside the examination venue, the crowd was huge; many parents were taking this exam very seriously. Xiang Beifei took his grandfather to a shady spot outside the school to avoid the sun. Xiang Qingde was out of sorts, his mind preoccupied with the 43-point paper. With that score going into the exam, he was practically just making up the numbers. Xiang Beifei didn''t know that his grandfather had accidentally discovered the first exam paper he had taken upon arriving in this world. Thinking his granddad was just as concerned about the college entrance exam as all the other parents, he said: "Grandpa, keep a level head, and remember to not panic during the exam. Drink more water, as today''s weather is a bit hot, and don''t let the sun get to you. Grandpa doesn''t need to worry too much, stay in a good mood, and stay spirited." Xiang Beifei was comforting his grandfather. Seeing him so nervous that his shoelaces were untied, he squatted down to tie them He wasn''t flustered at all. But his grandpa was more flustered than him. Looking around anxiously, with sweat pouring down his back. The other parents looked at the grandfather and grandson with curiosity. Isn''t it odd, what the child is saying? Who is the one actually taking the college entrance exam? Why is it the child comforting the parent to not get flustered? All around, every examinee was on edge, and parents were desperately cheering their kids on, reminding them of things to pay attention to for the exam, helping to organize stationery, clothing, and all sorts of things. But at Xiang Beifei''s, it was the other way around; he was instructing his elderly granddad. There was something off about this grandfather and grandson. "I''m not flustered, I''m not flustered, I''m very calm," Xiang Qingde wiped his sweat, took a few deep breaths trying to purge the image of that paper from his mind but failed. His palms were sweating nervously as he continually fiddled with his clothes. Xiang Beifei asked doubtfully, "Grandpa, were you this flustered when my dad took his college entrance exam?" Xiang Qingde, still occupied with the thought of the 43 points, absentmindedly replied, "Oh, he was recommended." Xiang Beifei: "..." That hit home. Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Little Abacus Xiang Beifei had forgotten about it. His old man''s System Talent was incredibly strong. As an SR Awakener, whether he took the college entrance exam or not didn''t matter; all the universities vied for him. Xiang Qingde never needed to worry about his son''s affairs, but his grandson was different. "Sorry, sorry, I shouldn''t have talked about this with you," Xiang Qingde hurriedly said. "It''s okay, I can handle it; it''s my fault for speaking too much." Xiang Beifei said calmly. "Ha! There you are!" Lu Zhiwei suddenly stopped in front of Xiang Beifei, riding a cool motorbike with a whoosh. She wore a helmet and was dressed in a City Guardian uniform, with a boy sitting behind her on the motorbike. "Good day, Grandpa Xiang!" Lu Zhiwei greeted Xiang Qingde cheerfully. "How come you''re here?" Xiang Beifei asked, puzzled. "The exam site needs City Guardians to maintain order, I just happened to be off classes today, so I came over. I also have to run errands for those dumbasses who forgot their admission tickets." As Lu Zhiwei spoke, she turned her head and said to the boy behind her, "No offense meant." "Thank you, big sister." The boy hurriedly got off the motorbike. "Big sister my foot! I''m only a year older than you! How much bigger could I be?" Lu Zhiwei huffily took off her helmet, flipped her hair, and then glared at the boy. The boy''s face turned red, and he quickly ran away. "Every year there are candidates like this, forgetting their admission tickets, then seeking help from us Guardians. We Guardians have to dash through red lights and deliver them within ten minutes, otherwise it looks bad in the news. Then the parents hold our hands, crying with gratitude, and we have to gesture dismissively, saying on camera with a smile that it''s our duty... The same news every year during the college entrance exams." Lu Zhiwei spread her hands, tossed her helmet, and looked around, then said, "Eh? Why aren''t there any parents thanking me? Where are the reporters? Don''t I deserve their gratitude?" "I''ll thank you on their behalf then. Our city needs people like you," said Xiang Qingde, giving her a thumbs up from the side. "Thank you, Grandpa Xiang." Lu Zhiwei said happily, and then turned to Xiang Beifei, "Did you bring your admission ticket? Do you need me to play the hero and save the damsel in distress?" "I brought it." "Oh, what a pity." Xiang Beifei: "???" How badly do you wish I had forgotten my admission ticket? "Okay, good luck! Hurry to the exam room," Lu Zhiwei said with a cheerful smile. Xiang Beifei waved and walked towards the exam room. All the exam rooms had very powerful shielding measures. They were interference fields created by SR rank Awakeners, blocking all the examinees'' System abilities. Higher-ranked Systems could suppress lower-ranked ones. Since SRs are guaranteed admission and don''t participate in the college entrance exam, the highest System level at each exam site was only S rank. With SR suppression, these newly Awakened examinees could not rely on their own Systems to cheat and would obediently follow the rules. Beyond System suppression, the proctors in each exam room also kept a watchful eye on them. The proctor in the exam room where Xiang Beifei was, had an "S-rank Acute Observation System," capable of capturing any subtle movements. Xiang Beifei wasn''t concerned about these measures; he knew he had mastered the material well and needed to score high. ¡ª¡ª Outside the exam room, Xiang Qingde pulled Lu Zhiwei aside and quietly asked, "Xiao Wei, can I ask you something? What was Xiaofei studying with you guys a while back?" Lu Zhiwei replied, "He was learning combat skills with my dad, but he hasn''t come by for a long time, that guy..." She huffed in dissatisfaction. "Xiao Wei, you''re an outstanding student from Liangzhou University, did you tutor him recently?" Xiang Qingde was still concerned about that paper. Tutor homework? Lu Zhiwei scratched her forehead awkwardly; these days, she had been wanting Xiang Beifei to teach her reasoning skills. In the past few days, she had reasoned through many cases, and the more she reasoned, the more confused she became. Her case-solving accuracy rate had already dropped to 10%! "No," muttered Lu Zhiwei. "Then do you know if his recent grades have improved?" Xiang Qingde asked anxiously. Lu Zhiwei frowned and shook her head, "I don''t know about that; he was always careless, but last time he showed me his strong Reasoning Talent, I forgot to ask about his grades." Xiang Qingde was very worried and said, "This morning, when I was packing his school bag, I inadvertently saw his comprehensive subject mock exam paper from two months ago, he only scored 43 points, and I remember this subject is out of 300 points." Lu Zhiwei was stunned and said, "Ah? Did he score that poorly?" "Yes, I''m getting more and more uneasy; if the boy doesn''t even get into an ordinary college, what will we do?" Xiang Qingde wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked anxious. ¡ª¡ªDamn it! I forgot to use this to threaten him! The first thing that came to Lu Zhiwei''s mind was to use tutoring as a bargaining chip to exchange learning reasoning skills with Xiang Beifei. But she still comforted him, saying, "Don''t worry, Grandpa Xiang, it''s alright. He has a talent for solving cases, and even if he doesn''t get into university, um... he can still go guard the doors at the law enforcement team!" Lu Zhiwei felt relieved just thinking about Xiang Beifei being sent to guard doors, as payback for him standing her up all these days. But Xiang Qingde wasn''t going to be reassured. Of course, he hoped his grandson could achieve higher success and not live at the bottom like he did. "Sigh, I just hope Xiaofei can perform exceptionally well and at least score 400 points!" Xiang Qingde fretted. "Grandpa Xiang, it''s useless to think too much now. If he doesn''t get into university, let him retake the year. I''ll tutor him next year," Lu Zhiwei schemed to herself. If Xiang Beifei screwed up his exams in the next few days, she could take the chance to come into play! First, she''d exaggerate Grandpa Xiang''s worries, making Xiang Beifei feel guilty to the point of being unable to face his grandfather; then, she would propose the deal. I''ll tutor your subjects, you teach me reasoning. Then we''ll see if you still stand me up! What a perfect plan! She stood with hands on hips. ¡ª¡ª The college entrance exam lasted two days, covering four subjects. Chinese and Mathematics were the basics. The comprehensive subject was key; studying it well could lead to a better understanding of the system world. Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou mainly covered the primal topography of Jiuzhou and its developmental history, including knowledge about the wilderness and other topics. Xiang Qingde worried about Xiang Beifei for two days, and Lu Zhiwei was busy with her own little schemes as well. Xiang Beifei had no idea what these two were thinking. after each exam, he felt their gazes were odd, especially Lu Zhiwei with her I''ve-got-you-eating-out-of-my-hand look; he didn''t know what was on her mind. He didn''t pay attention to them and just took the exams seriously. After the last exam in the comprehensive subject ended, students rushed out of the exam room, some joyful, some upset. He blended into the noisy crowd and casually walked out of the school gate. "Next, it''s time to start earning tuition fees," Xiang Beifei stretched lazily. "Next, it''s time to prepare to knock him down a peg," Lu Zhiwei rubbed her hands together gleefully. "Next, it''s time to look into retaking the year," Xiang Qingde sighed with concern. Chapter 72: Chapter 72: Tutorial Class The end of the national university entrance exam meant that Xiang Beifei no longer had to go to school, which was a liberation for him. In high school, he only had to learn cultural lessons, which were not difficult and he had mastered them, yet he still had to go to school every day, truly a waste of time. His mastery of Rapid Flame had made significant progress, and when he threw a punch, it was no longer limited to sparks, but he could actually produce flames. Although the power of the flames was far from as strong as those displayed by Lu Hong, Xiang Beifei was able to create a violent gust out of the flames with special finesse, making it both offensive and defensive. On the same level, he would definitely not be at a disadvantage. Combined with the abilities "Abruptly Stop" and "breath soil," he would not be outmatched even against those in the later stages of Qi-Controlling. Lu Zhiwei called and wanted to come to see him, but he dismissed her, telling her there was plenty of time during the summer vacation and they could talk after the results were out. For some reason, Lu Zhiwei unprecedentedly agreed and didn''t bother him. Xiang Beifei felt that her tone over the phone was a bit strange, as if she was somewhat pleased with herself, though he had no idea what she was pleased about, but Xiang Beifei didn''t take it to heart. In this world with system abilities to assist, marking the national university entrance exam was very quick, and results could be released in about three days. So he cultivated diligently at home for three days. However, during these three days, Xiang Qingde was extremely worried. Because Xiang Beifei had locked himself in his room, he only came out to eat all day long! "This child, he must be upset about not doing well on the exam and has locked himself in his room. Ai! I really am not a competent grandfather!" Xiang Qingde was very self-critical. He had never paid attention to Xiang Beifei''s grades in the past and only realized before the exam that Xiang Beifei''s grades were as bad as a garbage truck''s, with no hope for university. But every time Xiang Beifei came out to eat, he acted as if nothing had happened and could still chat and laugh with him, which made Xiang Qingde feel even worse! This child, he must be pretending to be like this so that I won''t worry. He''s too considerate! I''m so incompetent! Xiang Qingde blamed himself for three days. He wanted to comfort his grandson, but he feared that saying too much would make him feel worse. After much thought, he decided to wait until the results were released to talk. These few days, Xiang Beifei hadn''t mentioned anything about the national university entrance exam, so he didn''t bring it up either. But the results were coming out this afternoon. He couldn''t pretend anymore. Xiang Qingde didn''t go to sell vegetables today. He was worried that once the results were out, Xiang Beifei''s mood might worsen, and it would be bad if he did something impulsive. No matter what, even if it was an anticipated bad outcome, he wanted to face it with his grandson and help him get through this difficult time! Then he''d need to find an opportunity to inquire about repeating a year. At mealtime, Xiang Beifei noticed that his grandfather seemed out of sorts and asked in surprise, "Grandpa, is something wrong?" Xiang Qingde, afraid of being too direct and hurting his grandson''s feelings, carefully chose his words and asked tentatively, "Xiaofei, do you have any plans for the summer vacation?" After thinking, Xiang Beifei, who hadn''t figured out the tuition of one hundred thousand for Liangzhou University, said, "I''ll work to earn money." Xiang Qingde was shocked! What? Was this the decision his grandson made after locking himself in his room for three days? Did he acknowledge that there was no hope for university and wasn''t even considering repeating the year but instead planning to find a job and just get by? How could he quit school right after high school graduation? Xiang Qingde quickly said, "The results aren''t out yet, no need to rush. By the way, Xiao Wei mentioned it to me the other day, have you thought about private tutoring classes? You two are pretty familiar with each other, you could discuss private classes and make up lessons during the holidays." "Private tutoring classes?" Why suddenly bring this up? Xiang Beifei didn''t quite understand why Lu Zhiwei would discuss this matter with his grandfather. He was about to go to university, so the lessons certainly weren''t for him, which meant they must be for her to catch up? That girl''s deductive abilities indeed needed some work. Xiang Qingde said, "Xiaofei, Lu Yatou is a talented student at the Martial Arts College of Liangzhou University. I asked around, last year she scored 621 points without any bonus to enter the Martial Arts College, her academic performance is quite good." Xiang Qingde planned to hint indirectly, to let Xiang Beifei understand that Lu Yatou was capable of tutoring his coursework. "621 points?" Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised by the results. I didn''t see that the girl scored so high on the college entrance exam! Xiang Beifei always felt that this girl was carefree, ready to throw a punch at any moment, but he hadn''t expected her academic scores to be so impressive. The admission score for S-level candidates at Martial Arts College of Liangzhou University is 550 points, with an additional 50 points for S-level, so the minimum requirement for S-level Awakeners is just 500 points. But she scored 621 points, which is 671 points with the extra credit. Then why is her reasoning ability so terrible? "She has good scores, then what?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiang Qingde continued to persuade, "Xiao Wei usually does part-time jobs to save money. Last summer, after the college entrance exam, she started a private tutoring class, helping four kids from relatives and friend''s families with their studies, and their grades improved significantly. She told me that she''s planning to start another tutoring class this year." Xiang Beifei pondered. She''s going to start a tutoring class? Is she planning to expand or what? That means she needs teachers, right? Does this girl think I''m good at reasoning, quick-witted, and realizing that my academic performance must be good, so she wants to rope me in to help those high school juniors improve their scores, while also making some extra money on the side? But that can''t be right, doesn''t Lu Zhiwei like to catch criminals? Or maybe¡ª She''s planning to set up a "Reasoning Skills Improvement Class" at the law enforcement squad, and she wants me to be the teacher? And when I agree, I''ll find a bunch of law enforcement officers sitting in the class? It''s like putting up a sheep''s head and selling dog meat. Haha, she''s quite scheming. Xiang Beifei said, "Grandpa, I''m not interested in tutoring classes." "You''re not interested in tutoring classes?" Xiang Qingde became anxious! Is Xiaofei determined not to retake the exam? No way! No way! He had finally negotiated with Lu Zhiwei, and she had agreed to help Xiaofei with his studies! He needed to persuade the child! Xiang Qingde said eagerly, "Actually, Xiao Wei has good intentions. She''s going to work at the law enforcement squad in the future, and I would feel more at ease if you work with her. Grandpa and she have discussed it, and she is quite understanding. Would you reconsider it?" Xiang Beifei saw the anxious look on his grandpa''s face and vaguely understood. Lu Zhiwei probably said something to grandpa, perhaps making some promises, like ensuring his job security in the future? This girl knew he would probably refuse, but since he usually took care of grandpa''s feelings, she knew how to start from that angle! She''s even deployed grandpa to persuade him. What a sly move! Xiang Beifei indeed didn''t want to refuse grandpa directly. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Alright, I''ll discuss it with her! If possible, the tutoring class won''t be a big issue." Tutoring classes are quite profitable nowadays! There are a bunch of tutoring organizations out there, and the teachers'' awakening systems are amazing, like the "R-level Home Tutoring System" that helps others improve their grades while earning system points, and the "R-level Love Studying System" which makes a child love learning and allows you to earn a substantial amount of system income. The industry is booming. Tutoring Lu Zhiwei and making some money wouldn''t be too bad. "Alright, you discuss it with Xiao Wei, and I''ll help you solve the other issues," Xiang Qingde said, his heart finally easing as he heard Xiang Beifei agree to let Lu Zhiwei tutor him. It seems Xiaofei is thinking about retaking the exam. At least he managed to keep Xiaofei from thinking about getting a job and earning money for now. As long as Lu Yatou can persuade Xiaofei to retake the year, with her tutoring, Xiaofei should be able to improve his grades next year and not just score 43 points. Now he just had to wait for the results in the afternoon before bringing up the issue of retaking the exam. Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Friendship Price ``` "Where can I check the results?" Xiang Qingde asked, pretending to be casual. "At the school," Xiang Beifei replied. In the world of the system, results are not private. Everyone has a system, and the ranking of results is sometimes related to many people''s system tasks, so schools publish everyone''s ranking. Part of the reason is to consider the teachers; after all, their teaching is largely dependent on their students'' results to gain system points¡ªadmission rates, the number of high-scoring students... these all determine many teachers'' system tasks. Another part is to consider the students, such as who has surpassed whom in results to complete a system task. Many learning-related systems issue such tasks. Due to level suppression within the system, if the results are not made public, there are many restrictions¡ªlike N-level and R-level systems unable to judge if they have exceeded an S-level host''s results, making it impossible to confirm task completion. Therefore, to accommodate the Awakeners with N-level and R-level systems, it''s necessary to publish the rankings for confirmation. "Then this afternoon, shall I accompany you to the school?" Xiang Qingde asked. "Okay." Xiang Beifei had no objections. After eating, they headed to the school. In the middle of the day, the school was still filled with anxious parents and students, many of whom had come early to wait for the results to be announced. There was a honor roll at the school gate, with results directly transmitted from the Alliance Education Bureau to the honor rolls at each school. The ranking within the school, within each respective Liangzhou, as well as the overall Jiuzhou ranking, were all clearly displayed on the honor roll. The results had not yet been released, and the grandfather-grandson pair waited under the shade of a tree. As for his own results, Xiang Beifei had a good idea, but it was different for Xiang Qingde. As a grandparent, he was restless, worried about poor results affecting Xiang Beifei, and he was already thinking about how to comfort his grandson. "Xiaofei, no matter how well or poorly you did, Grandpa will always be with you, so don''t be nervous," Xiang Qingde reassured him. Nervous? Xiang Beifei smiled wryly to himself. Just like on the day of the college entrance exams, the nervous one was not him. "I understand," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Qingde looked around among the crowd and noticed both the teachers and the school leaders waiting; he immediately spotted Principal Li Nanxing. Decades ago, when his own son awakened to an SR-level talent, causing a sensation throughout the school, he had met Principal Li Nanxing once and recognized him. Thinking about how he, as a grandparent busy making a living, had never interacted with his grandson''s teachers, he felt a wave of guilt. He wondered if the principal still remembered him. "Never mind that, Xiaofei''s grades are so poor, and he just agreed to attend tutoring classes. Even if the principal doesn''t remember me, I must still go and entreat them," he resolved. Xiang Qingde was willing to set aside any concerns about face for the sake of his grandson''s future. This matter could not be delayed. Currently, everyone was waiting for the results and no parent was approaching the principal about retaking a year. Once the results came out, whether it was the teachers or the principal, they would likely be too busy, and finding a spot in repeat classes would become much harder. He stood up, wiped off his sweat, and said to Xiang Beifei, "Xiaofei, Grandpa needs to step away for a moment, wait here for me." Xiang Beifei nodded; he did not know what his grandfather was actually up to. Taking advantage of the lull, he continued practicing his control of "Abruptly Stop" under the tree. But at this moment, Lu Zhiwei appeared out of nowhere. "I''ve kept my promise and didn''t bother you these past few days, but I''m here for the results announcement!" she declared. Lu Zhiwei walked towards him with her hands behind her back, looking quite smug. "Don''t you have classes to attend?" Xiang Beifei asked, seeing the ever-surprising Lu Zhiwei. "University life is more relaxed; we don''t have classes every day. Jealous, aren''t you?" Lu Zhiwei teased. That day, after learning about Xiang Beifei''s poor academic performance from Grandpa Xiang, with only 43 points in comprehensive subjects, she was overjoyed! ``` I scored a whopping 621 points last year and got into Liangzhou University without any extra help, making me a top student. It''s clear that Xiang Beifei is a poor student, so now I have the confidence to discuss studying and reasoning with him. In order to deal with this tutoring class, she forced herself to refrain from looking for Xiang Beifei for another three days. "Are you in a bad mood right now?" Lu Zhiwei inquired. Xiang Beifei replied, "I''m okay." Forcing a smile! Pretending to be fat when slapped in the face! Let''s see how long you can keep this act up! Lu Zhiwei triumphantly said, "Alright, Grandpa Xiang told me everything. I never expected this, never expected that even you have a weakness, huh." Weakness? Knowing that I usually wouldn''t refuse Grandpa''s requests, so you''re using Grandpa to pressure me? Xiang Beifei couldn''t be bothered to say much more. "Did Grandpa Xiang tell you everything?" Lu Zhiwei sat down beside Xiang Beifei, making herself at home and feeling very pleased. "What if he did?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Okay! Let''s cut to the chase. Grandpa Xiang cares about you, otherwise, why would he come to me to discuss this? The old man values nothing more than his grandson''s future, right?" Lu Zhiwei said. "What are you trying to say?" Xiang Beifei asked. "I know you are a filial child who definitely doesn''t want to disappoint your grandfather. How are you considering the private tutoring class issue?" Lu Zhiwei said with a grin. Xiang Beifei thought it over; now truly, running a tutoring class could be quite profitable, but he didn''t know how to set a fair tuition fee. How much should he charge per student? Being so poor he could hear the wind whistling through his pockets, he wouldn''t do anything that didn''t bring in money. He asked, "Since you''ve put it this way, what do you think would be an appropriate price for the tuition?" ¡ª¡ªHa! It looks like he agrees to let me tutor him! Even asking me how much to charge for one lesson! Lu Zhiwei, who grew up with a golden key in her mouth, didn''t lack money; she could completely afford to tutor Xiang Beifei for free as long as he agreed. However, after thinking for a bit, she tentatively said, "One hundred per hour?" She knew Xiang Beifei''s family wasn''t well off, so it wasn''t really necessary to charge him, but she still had to go through the motions. At least, it would make Xiang Beifei value the lessons if they pinched his wallet a bit, and he''d be serious about studying. As for the tuition fees, she could just take the money from Xiang Beifei and then quietly give it back to Grandpa Xiang. After tutoring him a few times, she would have the justification to ask him to teach her reasoning skills! At that time, with Xiang Beifei owing her a favor, he wouldn''t be able to refuse! A perfect plan. "One hundred per hour?" Xiang Beifei pondered. So stingy! Nowadays, standard rates at tutoring institutions are three to four hundred per hour! To tutor her for one hour and only charge one hundred? Forget it, for the sake of Uncle Lu, I''ll accept one hundred as a token amount, a friendship price. But with such a fee, when would it be possible to gather the one hundred thousand tuition fee? Should I find a chance to raise the price next time? Definitely, otherwise, it''s a huge loss! Chapter 74: Chapter 74: The Matter of Repeating Classes As the principal of Luhe High School, Principal Li was naturally expected to observe the moment when the high school examination results were announced. If the students from his own school scored well, his prestige value would also increase, which was very important to him. Principal Li was talking with others; today, not only school teachers but also various parents had come, some of whom were well-known in society. He had to be polite in chatting with them. Xiang Qingde was somewhat anxious, as there were many people talking to Principal Li, most of whom were social elites; he couldn''t make his way through. Those who could speak with the principal were elites from various industries, both in status and realm far surpassing Xiang Qingde; no one noticed him, a plainly dressed old man. However, Principal Li did notice Xiang Qingde; he found the man somewhat familiar and soon remembered ¡ª he was Xiang Tianxing''s father, Xiang Beifei''s grandfather! Thinking of Xiang Beifei, Principal Li pondered for a moment, then took the initiative to walk over to him, making way through the crowd, "Don''t crowd, there''s an old gentleman behind; don''t bump into him." "Principal Li!" Xiang Qingde finally sighed in relief and squeezed his way to Principal Li''s side. "I recognize you, you are Xiang Beifei''s grandfather?" Principal Li said with a smile. "Yes, yes," Xiang Qingde hurriedly replied, "Principal Li, I have something to discuss with you." Thinking of Xiang Beifei, Principal Li said, "Alright, come with me." He greeted the other parents before moving to a quiet spot with Xiang Qingde. "Mr. Xiang, long time no see!" Principal Li said with a smile. Xiang Qingde wiped his sweat, saying helplessly, "I didn''t expect Principal Li to still remember me." "Of course, your son is a genius, one of the few SRs in our school, how could I forget him?" Principal Li exclaimed. An SR student, who had become successful, brought him many system values. Hearing Principal Li mention his son, Xiang Qingde''s expression dimmed slightly. Realizing this, Principal Li said apologetically, "My condolences." Xiang Qingde gave a bitter smile and said, "It''s all right. I came to see you today for my grandson." "Xiang Beifei, right? I haven''t asked him yet, how did he perform this time?" Principal Li inquired. Xiang Qingde sighed, "After the college entrance examination, he locked himself in his room for three days, didn''t go out to interact with classmates. Ah, I have a rough idea of how he performed." Principal Li immediately understood. The kid must have flunked the exam! And not just slightly! How desperate must the kid have been to lock himself in his room for three days? Principal Li could almost feel Xiang Beifei''s overwhelming distress in the room. Being an N-level Awakener with usually poor academic performance, and his first system task being to get into Liangzhou University, was akin to climbing to heaven! Any person would likely be devastated by such a blow. He wondered why fate had to play such a cruel joke on this kid! Principal Li couldn''t help but sigh. "You really need to give him good guidance! Young people are impulsive, and if the pressure becomes too much, it''d be terrible if he does something drastic," Principal Li said earnestly. Xiang Qingde also expressed his concerns, saying, "Yes, but he tends to keep things to himself. At every meal, to avoid worrying me, he pretends as if everything is normal, and it truly distresses me to see him like that." He would prefer Xiang Beifei to cry his heart out in front of him. Let the tears flow out with all his might! At least that way, he could vent his emotions. But Xiang Beifei is too sensible! He just doesn''t want to worry me, preferring to cry alone in his room, swallowing his tears. "Sometimes, being sensible can be heartbreaking!" Xiang Qingde''s guilt deepened a bit more. "The results aren''t out yet, so you don''t need to be anxious. Learning isn''t achieved overnight. First, let''s see if he has improved this time, how far he is from the average university admission score, and then help him strengthen where he''s weak. I talked to him a while ago; he wasn''t in a good state. His chances of getting into a university this year are indeed slim, but as long as he''s willing to try hard, there''s still a chance next year," comforted Li Nanxing. Xiang Qingde responded, "Right, right, that makes sense. However, I''ve already found him a tutor and am planning to have him retake the year. That''s why I came to see you, Principal Li. Could you please help look after him in the repeat class?" Li Nanxing nodded, "The matter of repeating a year isn''t a big issue. However, I suggest that you talk to his homeroom teacher, Professor Yang. Professor Yang leads a repeat class, and since Xiang Beifei is his student, it would be better to consult him." Li Nanxing looked around in the crowd and pointed out to Xiang Qingde which one was Yang Hua. "Thank you, Principal Li, I will go and ask him now." After expressing his gratitude, Xiang Qingde quickly went to find Yang Hua. Li Nanxing watched Xiang Qingde''s receding figure and sighed softly, "It''s quite normal for this kid to not get into university this year, but I hope he can get back on his feet!" ¡ª¡ª Yang Hua had been anxiously waiting for the results to come out, as they would determine whether his teaching prestige value could surge once more. The class leader, Zhuo Jing, stood by his side, looking smug. "Teacher, don''t worry. With my capability, getting into one of the top nine elite universities is easy," boasted Zhuo Jing, puffing out his chest. Yang Hua smiled and said, "Of course I believe you. You''re so outstanding that as long as you perform normally, getting into Liangzhou University is no big deal." His greatest hope at the moment was pinned on Zhuo Jing, an S-class Awakener! Just then, Xiang Qingde approached and hastily said, "Professor Yang, I''m Xiang Beifei''s grandfather, and I''d like to discuss something with you." Xiang Beifei? The one at the bottom of the class? Yang Hua appeared slightly displeased and frowned, asking, "What is it?" Xiang Qingde earnestly said, "Well... Xiang Beifei didn''t perform very well this time. Although the results aren''t out yet, I know he might need to repeat the year. I heard you usually lead a repeat class, and I was wondering, since you''re Xiang Beifei''s teacher, if he wants to repeat the year¡ª" As soon as Yang Hua heard that Xiang Qingde was here to discuss Xiang Beifei''s retaking the year, his expression darkened, saying, "Mr. Xiang, although I do teach a repeat class every year, I''ll be frank with you. A student like Xiang Beifei cannot keep up with the pace of my class, and I won''t accept him." Xiang Qingde was startled and quickly said, "Professor Yang, I haven''t managed him well before and I apologize for the trouble it caused. But he will realize his mistakes. I''m planning to hire a home tutor to help him catch up, and he has agreed. Could you give him another chance, please?" Xiang Qingde, desperate to find a place for his grandson to retake the year, could only bow slightly, his attitude very humble. Lu Zhiwei had already agreed to tutor Xiang Beifei, and this time, he must ensure Xiang Beifei studies hard to strive for admission to an average university next year. As a grandfather, he must find a repeat class for his grandson, even if it means having to beg humbly to secure a spot. Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Results However, Yang Hua snorted coldly, his attitude very indifferent. Truthfully, Xiang Beifei usually followed the rules in class, except for the time he had taken leave for a mock exam, he was quite normal at other times. But the problem was that Xiang Beifei''s grades were really bad! Yang Hua normally taught two classes, a repeat class and a graduating class, which were separate because the repeat class students had awakened systems and needed to do system tasks besides studying. Yang Hua''s repeat class only enrolled students with potential, such as those who wanted to get into a good university but were just a few points short and had an R-level system status. If such students repeated a year and then entered a good university, they could definitely bring him a huge wave of teacher''s prestige value! But what use was there in repeating the year for a student like Xiang Beifei? What could he bring to him? Other than being an eyesore and earning a few insignificant points of teacher''s prestige value by nagging two or three sentences a day, what good was it? Those system values combined were nothing compared to what one student from his repeat class could bring by getting into a university! Yang Hua coldly raised his head, looking sidelong at Xiang Qingde, and said, "Mr. Xiang, as the class teacher, I can kindly remind you that Xiang Beifei is not cut out for studying! Hiring a tutor for him is just wasting money. To put it harshly, his system talents are poor, his academic performance is poor, and his chances of getting into a university are almost zero! It would be best to find him a job early on." Xiang Qingde felt very uncomfortable with Yang Hua''s words. His own grandson, how could he be that bad! The child was very sensible and nice to others, so what if his studies were a bit behind? Doesn''t he deserve a chance to start over? Did he have to be so harsh? Xiang Qingde clenched his fists, feeling very uncomfortable. Just now, when he went to see Principal Li Nanxing, the principal had a very good attitude. How come it turned to such an evaluation when it came to Yang Hua? But he still pleaded, "Professor Yang, actually my grandson Xiang Beifei is a very aspiring child. Please give him a chance!" Yang Hua said impatiently, "My class isn''t for just anyone." He pulled over the S-class Awakener Zhuo Jing, who was next to him, and pointed at Zhuo Jing, saying, "This is S-class Awakener Zhuo Jing. You ask him, what kind of students does my repeat class usually recruit?" Zhuo Jing stood proudly and looked at Xiang Qingde, sneering disdainfully, "Professor Yang''s students are bound for greatness, but a student like Xiang Beifei only tarnishes our teacher''s reputation. Honestly, Professor Yang is embarrassed to tell others that he is Xiang Beifei''s teacher. As Xiang Beifei''s guardian, you know better than anyone else the weight of your own child. Why bother embarrassing yourself?" Xiang Qingde''s face turned a mixture of blue, red, and white. "Oh, is that so?" Xiang Beifei''s voice sounded from behind them. "Xiaofei." Xiang Qingde turned around and saw his grandson, then glanced at S-class Zhuo Jing and Yang Hua, worried they had said something that deeply hurt his grandson''s self-esteem, and quickly grabbed Xiang Beifei''s arm, saying, "Let''s go over there." But Xiang Beifei didn''t move, just frowned as he stared at Zhuo Jing. Kong Xiuwen also stood beside him, having just passed by and seen the situation, he quickly went to get Xiang Beifei. Zhuo Jing also looked back at him defiantly. "Since you''ve heard it, I won''t keep it any longer. Your grandfather wanted you to repeat the year in Professor Yang''s class, but with your grades like that, Professor Yang wouldn''t accept you. If you had any self-awareness, you would understand this," said Zhuo Jing. "Repeat the year?" Xiang Beifei looked puzzled at his grandfather. "Grandpa, the results aren''t out yet. Why should I repeat the year?" Xiang Qingde sighed, feeling uneasy, "It''s not... I just... just..." He didn''t know how to explain to Xiaofei without saying he didn''t trust his grades, which would make Xiaofei feel even worse. Xiang Qingde stammered, thinking of a good excuse. Zhuo Jing spoke sarcastically, "Oh, you''re still waiting for the results? What, do you expect your grades to soar? Everybody here knows what you can score." Xiuwen angrily spoke, "Can you stop looking down on others, please!" Zhuo Jing didn''t plan to clash with Kong Xiuwen. After all, Xiuwen was also an S-rank, his system level just as high, and there was a possibility that his scores could improve rapidly. He could only target N-rank Beifei instead. "I would like to respect him, but I don''t even know if he''s capable," Zhuo Jing said. Beifei nodded thoughtfully. Then, he looked at Zhuo Jing''s S-rank Appreciation System interface: [Current Task: Harvest any 5000 appreciations] [Task Progress: 3629/5000] [Task Reward: Attack Technique¡ªPiercing Strike (can be leveled up)] [Optional Side Task: Score 550 in the college entrance exam, harvest 2000 appreciations] [Task Reward: Double Appreciation Card (can double current appreciation value, only usable during early Qi-Controlling stage)] [Recommended Exchange: Gathering Qi Formula (Intermediate)] ... Beifei shrugged his shoulders. He then glanced at Yang Hua''s system interface: [Task Objective: Reach 15000 prestige value as a teacher to exchange for a Qi and Blood Pill] [Current Progress: 13499/40000] [Note: Qi and Blood Pill, can temporarily enhance one''s strength to combat someone surpassing one''s own minor realm] ... Professor Yang, you haven''t gotten that Qi and Blood Pill yet? Beifei pondered, maybe he would complete the task today. Beifei didn''t retort, but Zhuo Jing''s words had angered Lu Zhiwei, who was beside him. "How can you talk like that? How can you completely lack manners? So what if you''re S-rank? Does it give you the right to be so arrogant?" Lu Zhiwei also clenched her fist and glared fiercely at Zhuo Jing. She was an S-rank Awakener as well but had never looked down on anyone like this. Zhuo Jing shrank back slightly under her glare. "Let''s go, we''ll ask the principal later." Xiang Qingde didn''t want to cause trouble, his grandson still needed to repeat a year at this school, and he couldn''t afford to make impulsive decisions that could result in retaliation later. "Alright!" Beifei remained very calm. Just then, someone exclaimed, "The results are out!" Whoosh! The crowd immediately boiled with excitement as everyone turned their attention to the honor board. This was determining the future of the college entrance examination candidates present! Whether it was parents, teachers, students, school leaders, or media journalists from various fields who had come to report, everyone was waiting for this year''s college entrance examination results from Luhe High School. The results didn''t come out all at once but emerged according to the examination numbers one by one. Everyone''s examination number was scrambled; sometimes the next number belonged to a different school, thus causing a delay. Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Takeoff "The first person''s results are out!" Everyone looked towards the honor roll, and those who couldn''t see it turned to the large screen temporarily set up by the school. [Wu Qi, Level N, Chinese 110, Math 124, Comprehensive 209, Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou 108, Total 551] For a Level N student, this score, even if not good enough for one of the nine elite universities, was still good enough for a reputable standard university ¨C quite a commendable achievement. The student named Wu Qi was also very excited. Although he was at Level N, his score was not bad, and he could pick and choose from universities other than the nine elite ones. [Liu Ke, Level R, Chinese 90, Math 104, Comprehensive 201, Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou 111, Total 506] Even as a Level R, his scores weren''t better than the Level N Wu Qi''s. ... Soon, a string of names popped up one after another, and everyone craned their necks eagerly, watching for their own results with hope. At this moment, Zhuo Jing''s results also came out! [Zhuo Jing, Level S, Chinese 112, Math 113, Comprehensive 241, Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou 115, Total 581] Zhuo Jing was ecstatic! As a Level S Awakener, adding 50 points to this score made it 631 points! Getting into any one of the nine elite universities was now a sure thing! "Great! I knew I wasn''t wrong about you, Zhuo Jing!" Yang Hua was even more excited than Zhuo Jing! [Your student Zhuo''s college entrance exam score is 631 points, your teacher prestige value +631] [Current teacher prestige value: 14130/40000] This was what Yang Hua wanted! Why did he value college entrance exam scores so much? Because his system was crystal clear about it during the annual release of exam results! For each student''s score, that was how many teacher prestige points he would gain! This was much more substantial than scolding students on a normal day! There were fifty-two students in his class, and if every student averaged 500 points, that would add 26,000 points to his total! So he wished they would score as many points as possible! And then there were students like Xiang Beifei, who scored a mere two or three hundred ¨C it was simply intolerable. If they were to repeat the year, the system points for the next year would be halved, scoring 200 meant adding only 100, and there were limited spots for repeat students, so he would rather reserve these spots for those who could score high, rather than for someone like Xiang Beifei! "The class leader is too impressive!" "Oh my God! The class leader''s raw score is 581! I''ve hit the jackpot! What an auspicious number!" "Jackpot! Hooray, take off!" "Take off! Take off! Congratulations to our class leader!" Countless praises chorused, ringing endlessly in his ears. Zhuo Jing was filled with pride! He looked at his system interface, where the numbers were rapidly increasing¡ª [You have received praise from Yang Hua, appreciation value +2] [You have received praise from Liu Honghong, appreciation value +2] [You have received praise from Xiang Beifei, appreciation value +2] [You have received praise from Wu Qi, appreciation value +2] ... "Take off! Take off! Fly me beyond the highest heavens!" Zhuo Jing was laughing heartily inside. Completing the system task was just too easy! With so many people around today, and his name and scores being publicly announced, everyone would surely recognize Zhuo Jing. He was bound to gain a few thousand appreciation points at the very least! This was why scores had to be publicly revealed. Many students'' systems likely required them to use their scores to complete tasks, and Zhuo Jing was undoubtedly one of them. At this moment, Zhuo Jing stood tall and proud, contentedly accepting everyone''s praises. There were just too many people praising and envying him. The numbers on the system were jumping rapidly, which was dizzying to watch. He hadn''t even noticed that among the rising numbers on his system was a familiar name. Xiang Beifei silently gave him a thumbs up. "Now you know where the gap between us lies, right?" Zhuo Jing glanced at Xiang Beifei with a very smug expression, then turned to Xiang Qingde and said, "Students taught by Teacher Yang Hua all need to be like me; you should weigh yourselves accordingly." Kong Xiuwen couldn''t stand it but was unable to refute, grumbling, "Damn, his score is so high." He then glanced at Xiang Beifei and asked quietly, "How about it? Are you confident or not?" Xiang Beifei just smiled and didn''t say much. Meanwhile, Xiang Qingde was also extremely surprised to see Zhuo Jing''s score. 581 points! This kid''s academic performance is actually so high? In the system world, scoring above 550 points is quite an accomplishment because it''s the minimum admission threshold for the nine elite universities, let alone the fact that 581 points were the raw score, which amounted to 631 with bonuses! He couldn''t help but take a glance at his grandson and sighed internally. The gap is too wide! Alas! I wonder if he will be affected. "Xiaofei, let''s not get discouraged." Xiang Qingde patted Xiang Beifei''s shoulder and comforted him. "Grandpa, my score hasn''t come out yet," Xiang Beifei said. "Then let''s go over there and wait." Xiang Qingde was worried that waiting here, with Zhuo Jing''s score setting such a stark comparison, might let his grandson feel wronged, so he quickly pulled Xiang Beifei to the side. "Okay." Xiang Beifei didn''t say much more. However, Lu Zhiwei was unhappy, humming and grumbling, "Aren''t you going to say something?" "He did pretty well on the test," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Zhiwei rolled her eyes, "I''m not talking about that! It''s his arrogant demeanor that''s really annoying!" After a pause, she put her hands on her hips and said, "You need to reflect on yourself. Grandpa Xiang is getting on in years, and he still has to work hard for you. I can''t stand to watch this!" Xiang Beifei shrugged his shoulders. "He''ll work hard, Xiao Wei, don''t pressure him," Xiang Qingde quickly gave Lu Zhiwei a look, signaling her to say less. "I just can''t stand it! He''s always like this, appearing glum and never competing with others. It''s too easy for him to be at a disadvantage!" Lu Zhiwei thought back to the previous encounter with Qin Yi at the law enforcement team, where Xiang Beifei hadn''t bothered to compete with Qin Yi. Xiang Beifei could endure, but she could not. ¡ª¡ª "Yes, this is a student I taught! Zhuo Jing, our class rep, S-grade! Highly talented and very hardworking! He''s my masterpiece!" Yang Hua was speaking to all parents. His teacher''s prestige value could also be obtained from the parents, and now he had to seize this opportunity to market his image as a teacher who had done well in coaching. He also glanced over at Xiang Qingde''s direction, purposefully letting Xiang Qingde know that he only valued students with good grades. "Sigh." Xiang Qingde sighed and sat on the edge of the flower bed. How could he not perceive the implied meaning in Yang Hua''s words? Other parents were eagerly looking forward to their children''s good performance, yet he was afraid to see his own grandson''s results. If the score was too bad and it struck his grandson down, what should he do! Xiang Qingde''s mind buzzed with consoling words to prepare, in case the results were too dismal, he would have to face them with his grandson! At that moment, there was a sudden exclamation from the crowd! "Is this Xiang Beifei''s score?" Xiang Qingde heard someone in the crowd calling his grandson''s name, and his heart clenched tight! What was inevitable still had arrived. Chapter 77: Chapter 77: Focus Xiang Qingde was extremely nervous. The scores of Xiang Beifei must be terribly bad, or else they wouldn''t have provoked so much discussion among the people. He held onto Xiang Beifei''s hand tightly. At this moment, what his grandson needed the most must be a pair of encouraging and comforting hands! He wanted to let Xiaofei know that, even if his grades were poor, he would still be by his side. Xiang Qingde lowered his head, not even daring to look at the scores displayed on the screen. However, the venue suddenly fell silent, everyone staring at the big screen in disbelief at the score displayed. Zhuo Jing, who was originally smug and ready to mock Xiang Beifei, froze the moment he saw the score. Even Yang Hua stood rooted to the spot, frozen like ice, as his mouth hung open in shock! [Xiang Beifei, Level N, Chinese 142, Mathematics 149, System Integrative 300, Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou 141, Total Score 732] 732! The most complicated "System Integrative subject" turned out to be a perfect score of 300! Everyone had looks of shock on their faces! They had almost never heard of anyone achieving a perfect score in "System Integrative"! "This is impossible!" muttered Zhuo Jing to himself. Just moments ago, he had been flaunting his score of 631 in front of Xiang Beifei, wanting to show the difference between an S-level genius like himself and someone at the N-level! However, he now realized that his raw score was more than a hundred points lower than Xiang Beifei''s! Even with his S-level talent adding 50 points, he had only 631! That''s 101 points less than Xiang Beifei who had no added points! Completely left in the dust, not even close! Zhuo Jing found it hard to accept this reality! His own score of 581 seemed to be mocking him! ¡ª "This Xiang Beifei, wasn''t he preparing to repeat a year of school? How could he have this score?" Waves of astonishment crashed within Yang Hua''s heart! Just a few minutes earlier, before the scores were released, Xiang Qingde had talked to him about repeating a year, which he had impatiently rejected and even scorned. In his impression, Xiang Beifei would probably just score around three hundred, not even fit for a vocational college, let alone consider his repeat class. Yang Hua had righteously told Xiang Qingde that Xiang Beifei had no chance of success, and that it was better to find a job sooner rather than later. However, the reality had caught him completely off guard! Xiang Beifei actually scored 732 points! As the homeroom teacher for the graduating class, he knew too well what such a score meant! Did these scores call for repetition? Only a fool would repeat with such scores! Yang Hua was deeply shocked, his mind occupied with only one question: How exactly did he achieve such a score? ¡ª "Didn''t Grandpa Xiang agree to let me tutor his coursework? How am I supposed to tutor with such scores?" Lu Zhiwei opened her mouth wide enough to fit a fist! Last year, without any added points, she had scored 621 on her college entrance exam and with added points, it was 671. Normally, her learning abilities were quite strong; she was a school tyrant, with only her reasoning ability being poor. Ordinarily, tutoring an average high school student would be more than manageable for her. But¡ª She couldn''t possibly tutor with Xiang Beifei''s results! He scored higher than her even without any added points ¨C who was supposed to tutor who now? All done for, her little plans shattered by Xiang Beifei, now she had no leverage! ¡ª "This kid, didn''t he give up and neglect the mock exams? And yet... these scores... oh my goodness!" Principal Li Nanxing from a distance was also stunned! Originally, he thought that given Xiang Beifei''s usual performance, getting into college would be quite a struggle, but he saw potential in the boy, so he specially went to encourage him that day. Thinking that Shang Tianxiong, an N-level Awakener, had to repeat four years, it seemed only right that Xiang Beifei would need to repeat a few years as well. But today, to everyone''s surprise, this kid made a name for himself! Could it be that my words "Don''t underestimate the youth in poverty" really awakened him? ¡ª¡ª Xiang Qingde was still looking down, holding Xiang Beifei''s hand. But he suddenly felt the atmosphere was a bit too quiet. What''s going on? Were the results so bad that they shocked everyone to silence? It makes sense, after all, anyone who scored something like 43 on the comprehensive exam would definitely be shocked. No, no, I must take good care of my grandson''s feelings, and we will weather this together! "Grandpa, why are you closing your eyes?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiang Qingde hurriedly opened his eyes and consoled, "Xiaofei, you... don''t be discouraged... No matter how bad the results are, Grandpa is here for you." Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but to feel a mix of amusement and frustration. Had Grandpa always thought he would perform so poorly? However, the old him did have truly disastrous grades, typically those of someone who needed to repeat a year. Xiang Beifei reassured, "Grandpa, don''t be nervous, you can look at my results first." Xiang Qingde looked up at the big screen anxiously. With presbyopia, he squinted to find the results and finally managed to see Xiang Beifei''s scores clearly. The next moment, he was also stunned! "This..." Xiang Qingde felt his breathing quicken in disbelief! 732! This score was beyond belief! "That is you, isn''t it?" Xiang Qingde looked at the score, doubtful, still wondering if there could be someone with the same name. "The candidate number is written right there," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Qingde rushed forward to take a closer look at the candidate number and, after triple-checking, his shock turned into excitement! He thought that after the exam, Xiang Beifei had locked himself in his room for three days because he had done so poorly, grieving alone, and that had him worried sick; today, he even planned to find a place for Xiang Beifei to repeat the year. But against all expectations, the results turned out like this! "It''s your score! It really is your score, haha, my grandson has made something of himself!" Xiang Qingde ran back, tears of joy streaming down his face, hugging Xiang Beifei tightly. It wasn''t easy! It really wasn''t easy! His worry had started the day before the college entrance examination, and it had lasted for almost a week. Just now, he had even prepared comforting words. But Xiang Beifei gave him a wonderful surprise! This grade had dispelled all the gloom that had accumulated in his heart over these days; his grandson really had it in him! ¡ª¡ª "Amazing! An N-level Awakener scored so high!" "What you''re saying isn''t right; educational achievements and system talents aren''t correlated." "But a good system can make one''s thinking more agile, and it can even improve intelligence. An N-level Awakener must not be relying on the system but on himself." "That''s true, it''s really impressive! This score is surely the top one, right?" "Definitely, who could have imagined that this year''s Luhe High School''s top scholar in the college entrance exam would be an N-level Awakener?" The surrounding people also looked enviously at Xiang Beifei, as parents asked after the high-scoring student''s identity, and for a time, Xiang Beifei became the focus of the crowd! ¡ª¡ª (I''ve had a cold these past few days, and my head''s been all fuzzy, so I wasn''t in the right state of mind writing these chapters... Can''t take a break during the initial launch period of a new book...) Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Primordially Ranked First ``` "He cheated, right?" Zhuo Jing said resentfully. Xiang Beifei''s grades were always atrociously bad, so how did he suddenly score so high? Now everyone''s attention was on Xiang Beifei, overshadowing his own spotlight, leaving no one to admire him. "Nonsense!" Principal Li Nanxing rebuked, "No one can cheat in the college entrance examination. Watch your words!" The people around, hearing the principal''s words, also thought Zhuo Jing sounded like a fool. In the System world''s college entrance examination, the students participating, with the highest talents at most S-class, were monitored with anti-cheating measures set by SR-class individuals! The SR-class anti-cheating measures were more than enough to completely suppress these students'' systems. Let alone an N-class System Awakener! Zhuo Jing''s face turned red with the principal''s rebuke, and he didn''t dare to speak again, forcing down his frustration. The scene was witnessed by thousands of onlookers. There were more parents than students present since many had come with their children. Yet, no one suspected Xiang Beifei of cheating. Instead, they saw him as the shining beacon of reversal among N-class Awakeners! "Xiang Beifei! 732! Are you a god?" Kong Xiuwen was first shocked, then shouted excitedly, seemingly more thrilled than Xiang Beifei himself. He used to be at the bottom of the class with Xiang Beifei, but at least he had awakened an S-class system and could trade his hair to boost his Intelligence at the last moment. But Xiang Beifei was N-class! In his eyes, that was utterly amazing! At this moment, Kong Xiuwen''s score also came out! [Kong Xiuwen, S-class, Language 111, Mathematics 103, Comprehensive 191, Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou 118, Total Score 523] Kong Xiuwen was over the moon! "Ah, I scored over 500!" He yanked at his hair desperately. These past days, in order to score over 500, he had given his all, exchanging all the fallen hair he collected for system rewards that would increase his Intelligence, finally getting some payoff. 523 plus the 50 points, for a total of 573, securing a spot at an elite university was no issue at all! "Congratulations!" Seeing Kong Xiuwen score over 500, Xiang Beifei also breathed a sigh of relief. "Congratulations for what! I should be congratulating you!" Kong Xiuwen laughed heartily, "Now our university is set." "My son, you did it!" A chubby middle-aged man squeezed through the crowd. His sturdy frame effortlessly pushed through the throng, embracing Kong Xiuwen with such enthusiasm that his rotund belly almost sent Kong Xiuwen flying. This was Kong Xiuwen''s father, Kong Daming. [Host: Kong Daming] [S-class, Gluttonous Feast System] [Realm: Early Meridian Opening] Kong Daming was in the catering business, with culinary skills so divine that he could make a simple cabbage dish drool-worthy. Xiang Beifei had known of Kong Daming from his past memories, but since his arrival, he had not seen Kong Daming and only now realized that Kong Daming was also an S-class System Awakener! "Dad, compose yourself, there''s someone even more impressive than me here." ``` Kong Xiuwen clutched his aching belly from the collision, but he couldn''t quite hide his excitement, letting his dad''s chubby hand rub and roll on his head. "Yes, yes, yes! I almost forgot! Xiaofei, good kid! You did it! Hahaha! You left my Xiuwen behind by three streets!" Kong Daming also heartily patted Xiang Beifei on the shoulder, laughing joyfully. Kong Xiuwen and Xiang Beifei were childhood buddies, and Kong Daming had watched Xiang Beifei grow up, always treated him kindly. "You flatter me, Uncle Kong," said Xiang Beifei. Kong Daming laughed again and said to Xiang Qingde, "Old man, Xiaofei is promising, as remarkable as Tianxing." "Haha, Xiuwen is not bad either." Xiang Qingde was so happy his wrinkles seemed to lighten, naturally proud when others praised his grandson. The rest of the scores were still popping up one by one, all the exam candidates had found their grades, but so far, no one had surpassed Xiang Beifei''s score. The score of 732 was unique. This score was even the highest raw score among all the candidates at Luhe High School for the past ten years! When the last student''s score was released, the overall situation for this year''s college entrance examination at Luhe High School had become very clear. The second place was taken by Shen Yu from Class One, who had awakened the "S-class Academic God System"; with a raw score of 679, and even after adding 50 points, it was still only 729, not surpassing Xiang Beifei. After the scores were announced, the honor roll was updated with other rankings. This ranking included school ranking, Liangzhou ranking, and Jiuzhou ranking. Xiang Beifei, with a raw score, ranked 1st in Luhe High School, 1st in Liangzhou, and 1st in Jiuzhou. In total score ranking, he ranked 1st in Luhe High School, 18th in Liangzhou, and 75th in Jiuzhou. Total score ranking included various bonus points. In the whole Jiuzhou with over five million candidates, no one had a higher raw score than Xiang Beifei. But the thing is, many people had bonus points! Moreover, most of the high-scoring candidates were almost all S-level, not only benefited from powerful systems but also received favorable additions to their total scores¡ªa full 50 points! News had already spread online that this year''s college entrance exam champion of the Jiuzhou Alliance was from Qingzhou, with a raw score of 711 plus 50 bonus points, bringing the total to 761! College entrance exam rankings were based on total scores, and although Xiang Beifei was originally first, many overtook him purely through bonus points. That is to say, 74 people with an added 50 points had surpassed Xiang Beifei. So, in a strict sense, Xiang Beifei only claimed the title of valedictorian for Luhe High School, not for Liangzhou or Jiuzhou. But this was still something to be envied. Because at Luhe High School, not a single S-class System Awakener who had added points surpassed Xiang Beifei. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei was pondering his scores. He had expected to score full marks in the Comprehensive subject. Having arrived in this world for the first time and being able to see everyone''s systems clearly, he had studied the knowledge related to the systems very thoroughly. In mathematics, perhaps a careless misstep had cost him one point; after all, he was not perfect and could still be negligent. However, his scores in Chinese and Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou were not as high, scoring 141 on one and 140 on the other. Exams like Chinese and Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou included subjective questions, where many required the student to express their own views on a matter or a sentence. Such divergent, subjective questions purportedly sought to "explore the student''s perspective," when in reality, they assessed not "the student''s perspective" but "the perspective of the grader and the answer key." Your view is not important; what is important is whether it aligns with the grader''s view. Xiang Beifei guessed that the points he lost were likely in these areas. Chapter 79 Regret "Hey, what are you thinking about?" Lu Zhiwei saw Xiang Beifei deep in thought and couldn''t help but ask. She still couldn''t completely calm down. Xiang Beifei''s scores had shocked her too much! She had once thought she was barely an academic overachiever, but compared to Xiang Beifei, she suddenly felt utterly eclipsed. "I was thinking about where I might have been careless to get points deducted." Xiang Beifei said casually. Careless? Scoring so high and still thinking about where you might have lost points due to carelessness? Lu Zhiwei put her hands on her hips, glaring at Xiang Beifei, "Are you asking for a beating by saying that?" "What''s the matter?" Xiang Beifei asked, puzzled. Lu Zhiwei was so annoyed she could grind her teeth, "Didn''t we agree that I was going to tutor you in your studies? How am I supposed to tutor you like this?" "Huh?" Xiang Beifei felt it odd and asked, "Why did you think about tutoring me?" "Wasn''t it agreed, a hundred per lesson?" Lu Zhiwei said through clenched teeth. "I thought it was a hundred per lesson for you to give me money so I could tutor you." Lu Zhiwei: "..." Xiang Qingde also realized what had happened, and couldn''t help but laugh and say, "So the agreement this morning about you accepting to tutor, you thought I was asking you to tutor Xiao Wei?" Xiang Beifei nodded. It turned out they had been on completely different pages all along. Really odd. Xiang Qingde slapped his own forehead, "Oh, my muddled head, my fault, my fault." He had spoken carefully in the morning to spare Xiang Beifei''s feelings, so he didn''t dare to be too explicit, only to realize later that he had unintentionally caused a misunderstanding. But this misunderstanding was no big deal. Xiang Qingde was still very happy. "No worries, no worries, now that your scores are out and you scored so high, Grandpa is no longer worried about you having no universities to attend." Xiang Qingde felt he could now raise his head and puff out his chest, liberating himself from the frustration he felt when he humbly asked Yang Hua for tutoring classes. His grandson scored so high, although not the top scorer in Liangzhou or Jiuzhou, with such scores, why worry about having no university to attend? He glanced at Zhuo Jing and Yang Hua in the distance, feeling extremely at ease! Having a promising child, he could also stand tall, feeling as if his bent stature had stretched quite a bit. At that moment, Principal Li Nanxing also came over with a pleasant smile, expressing quite amazed, "Appearances can be deceiving, Xiang Beifei, our school''s top scorer. I didn''t expect it, didn''t expect it at all, it seems I was mistaken! Ha ha, sorry, sorry!" Li Nanxing admitted this openly and did not deny it, straightforward and generous. He initially didn''t believe Xiang Beifei could achieve good results this year, so he genuinely got a shock when he saw the results. Being the principal, he naturally needed to personally congratulate their school''s top scorer. Xiang Beifei stood up from the edge of the flowerbed and said politely, "Thank you for the cultivation, principal." "Ha ha, hardly any cultivation, hardly any at all! This matter doesn''t have much to do with me. You scoring so high ultimately comes down to your own efforts, which is quite rare indeed." There were many parents around, which was a good opportunity for self-promotion, but Li Nanxing wasn''t greedy for credit. His school''s student getting the highest raw score was honor enough, no need to claim undue credit. He was really too curious and wanted to know how Xiang Beifei had managed to score so high. You should know, just two months ago, Beifei''s composite score was only 43, with college seeming far out of reach! However, when the results came out, he was in a league of his own, and everyone else could only watch his back. Cheating was definitely impossible, as the surveillance measures in the entrance exams were extremely strict. It seemed now that he had always underestimated this young man. Thinking back to every encounter with Xiang Beifei, the youth was always polite yet confident, not very talkative, and spent more time listening and then pondering. Li Nanxing now realized that this boy, seemingly not good with words, was indeed hiding his brilliance behind simplicity! Other school leaders also gathered to congratulate Xiang Beifei, who did not relish such occasions but responded politely nevertheless. Many people also asked Xiang Qingde how he had managed to raise such a gifted grandson, asking him to share some educational insights that could serve as a reference for their own children''s upbringing. Xiang Qingde laughed heartily, his mustache quivering with excitement. He happily clapped Xiang Beifei on the shoulder and shared his approach: "I just let him be!" The crowd was stunned! Xiang Beifei could not help but laugh. He knew his grandfather had misunderstood him these days, probably worrying terribly. Just now, he had thought he would need to repeat the year and had gone to see Yang Hua, which turned out to be quite frustrating. Now that an opportunity had come to vent, he naturally seized it and spoke freely. Xiang Beifei did not want to dampen the old man''s spirits, whatever the old man said was fine as long as he was happy. However, Zhuo Jing''s expression looked quite unpleasant. Now that Xiang Beifei had become the center of attention, his favorable score of 581 no longer attracted others'' admiration. He had to actively seek praise. "So what if you scored high? It''s like you think you can get into an elite university!" Zhuo Jing spat in envy inside. Among the nine elite universities, only Liangzhou University admitted Awakeners with N classification. But even for Liangzhou University, faced with N-class students, there were thresholds set up that were not easily surpassed. But Zhuo Jing, with his scores, would have ample margin at an elite university! Zhuo Jing glanced at his system panel, where his appreciation value had reached 5129, enough to exchange for the "Piercing Strike" cultivation technique. Another task requiring a score of 550 and 2000 praises for an Appreciation Card had also been completed. But he was not eager to exchange it just yet; now was not the time to exchange techniques. Since the crowd was all gathered here, he wanted to seize the opportunity to earn more appreciation values. Soon, he thought of another way to draw attention. "That''s right, with my scores, entering one of the nine elite universities is more than doable. After all, I am S-class, not N-class. It''s simply too easy for me to enter an elite university, but elite universities do not admit N-class." Zhuo Jing said this loudly to a friend beside him, not concealing the pride in his voice. Initially, the crowd was watching Xiang Beifei, but upon hearing Zhuo Jing''s words, they pondered for a moment, then comprehended the issue. Right! Even if Xiang Beifei was the top scholar in the school, he was merely N-class, something the elite universities normally didn''t admit. Even Liangzhou University, the only exception, had not admitted any N-class students for the last ten years. The bar set for N-class students at elite universities was incredibly high! Many, influenced by Zhuo Jing''s words, looked at Xiang Beifei with changed eyes, their admiration tinged with pity. This was just too regrettable! Even someone with 500 points and S-class could easily get in, but a high school entrance score of 732 was kept out of elite universities. Everyone sighed. Chapter 80 Feeding the Dog The awakening system talent determined the threshold for university entry. The world was indeed this realistic. But everyone also understood that the reason for this situation was that the N-level system was simply too outrageous, issuing system tasks that defied logic, and the potential was simply not enough. In this world, the most profound truth was: studying needed to serve practical ends! A good system would enable you to apply the knowledge you''ve grasped more skillfully; if you had an outrageous system like the N-level, even if you learned much from books, the system tasks would be hard to complete, failing to achieve the goal of applied learning. In other words, cultural course grades determined a person''s basic lower limit, while the system talent level determined a person''s future upper limit. In the system world, high scores in cultural courses only meant that you had a deeper understanding of the world than the average person, but it didn''t mean your future achievements would be higher than others. If people were compared to trees, then the awakened system would be like the fertilizer that helps nurture and grow the tree. An N-level system''s fertilizer could at best only allow the tree to grow to one meter, while an R-level could make it reach ten meters, and an S-level could enable it to grow to a hundred meters! As for SR and SSR levels, there''s no need to say ¨C they were enough to cultivate a person into a towering giant of a tree! And the nine elite universities, as the name suggested, cultivated students with high future potential. "What a pity for such a promising seedling, even an R-level system would have been good," someone couldn''t help but lament. "Yes, it''s such a waste." The others echoed in unison with sympathy, regret, and schadenfreude... all kinds of gazes were present, even though they knew there was still a slim hope for N-level candidates at Liangzhou University, that hope was very faint. Because that assessment, according to legend, was an insurmountable chasm for N-levels. Who would have thought the school''s top scorer with 732 points would face such an awkward situation? At the same time, people''s outlook on Zhuo Jing became even more optimistic. Although his score was only 581, one hundred points less than Xiang Beifei, the thing was, he was an S-level! Such a score would comfortably grant him entry into one of the nine elite universities, and he could choose a good major. "The class president is really impressive! Which of the nine elite universities is our class president planning to choose?" someone asked enviously. "Do you even have to ask? His additional points make up a total of 631 points; he can pick any of the nine elite universities." "Yeah, 631 points at S-level is far stronger than 732 points at N-level." [You have received praise from Kangkang, appreciation value +2] [You have received praise from Liu Lan, appreciation value +2] ... Zhuo Jing took the opportunity to harvest another wave of appreciation value, feeling invigorated. He pretended to be humble and said, "Oh, you flatter me too much. I''ve already set my target. As a member of Liangzhou, I plan to stay in Liangzhou and apply to Liangzhou University!" In fact, his decision to apply to Liangzhou University was spur of the moment; Xiang Beifei''s usual scores were far from his, yet the examination results had exceeded his, which irked him. He knew that the only chance Xiang Beifei had to apply for an elite university was Liangzhou University. Then he would choose Liangzhou University! During the entrance examination, Xiang Beifei was bound to be eliminated by Liangzhou University. But whichever elite university he chose to attend right now, he was a prospective university student! 581 points got him into Liangzhou University, while 732 points were turned away at its gates. The contrast was stark! And he, as an S-level talent, appeared even more dazzling! Many nodded subtly, showing their admiration for Zhuo Jing''s words. Zhuo Jing arrogantly glanced at Xiang Beifei with a sidelong look. What if you are the school''s top scorer? What if you are the first in raw scores? My 581 points will still crush your future! They will still steal your limelight! I can still divert everyone''s attention from you to me! Jealous? "Haha! Not only did I complete the system task, but I also overshadowed the school''s top scholar, and I''ve harvested a bunch of appreciation values, awesome!" Zhuo Jing hummed a tune in his heart. Now, it was time to claim the system reward! He happily looked at the system interface, saw the "Double Appreciation Card" and the Cultivation Technique "Piercing Strike," then he clicked on "Claim Reward." One minute later. "Where''s my system reward?" Zhuo Jing suddenly turned to stone on the spot! "You damn system, you actually swallowed my reward again!" Zhuo Jing felt darkness before his eyes and almost passed out. ---- Although Zhuo Jing was an S-level Awakener, he had only awakened his system two months ago and his cultivation was still only at the early stage of Qi-Controlling. Therefore, both "Piercing Strike" and the "Double Appreciation Card" were also rewards for the early stage of Qi-Controlling. Xiang Beifei didn''t even view such rewards with regard, but he still accepted them graciously. The reason was simple, happiness. Towards those who had no grudges against him and whose rewards Xiaohei had mistakenly taken, he would return the rewards. For those who were kind to him, he would respect them and try his best to help them. But for those who sought trouble with him, who came bullying up to his face, there was no need for courtesy! If he had no use for them, he could give them to feed a dog! Xiaohei, being a small milk dog with snow-white fur, happily swallowed the two items, turning them into a Spiritual Qi Crystal and collecting them. "You damn system! You damn system!" Zhuo Jing nearly went mad, still not understanding what had happened, as he still thought the system had glitched like last time. If there hadn''t been so many people around, he would have cursed out his system already. He probably didn''t even realize that his rewards had truly fallen into the paws of a small milk dog. ---- Because of Zhuo Jing''s words, many people stopped envying Xiang Beifei, the school''s top scholar, and gradually shifted their attention to other S-level students, which actually relieved Xiang Beifei. He didn''t enjoy being surrounded by people. The crowd quickly dispersed, and other school leaders went to congratulate other students, only Principal Li Nanxing stayed, his expectations for Xiang Beifei never diminishing. "Mr. Xiang, may I have a word alone with your grandson?" Li Nanxing said to Xiang Qingde. Xiang Qingde was still being surrounded by others, asking about the affairs of being the parent of an original separated family. Li Nanxing''s question snapped him back to reality, and he said, "You talk, you talk, don''t mind me." "Xiang Beifei, could you come to my office?" Li Nanxing said. "Okay." Xiang Beifei followed the principal through the crowded throng and returned to the clean and tidy office once more. Li Nanxing gestured for Xiang Beifei to sit down, then poured him a glass of water. "Your reported target hasn''t changed, has it?" Li Nanxing sat in his own chair, looking at Xiang Beifei, his eyes shining brightly and twinkling with wisdom. He wasn''t like others who, just because of Zhuo Jing''s words, dismissed Xiang Beifei''s future. On the contrary, he still believed in this quiet young man. Back when he consulted the system, the boy had inquired about Liangzhou University''s entrance assessment for N-level students. Li Nanxing had made a point of inquiring further and already had some leads. Chapter 81 Rumors of the Entrance Examination If a month ago, after Zhuo Jing had said those words, Li Nanxing might still have worried about Xiang Beifei''s state of mind collapsing and comforted him. But once Xiang Beifei''s results came out, he understood that he had underestimated the resilience of this young man. If Xiang Beifei had been so easily defeated by Zhuo Jing''s words, how could he possibly have improved so much in just two months? Xiang Beifei replied, "Yes, it''s still Liangzhou University." "That''s good! There''s no need to let some people''s words disrupt your own pace. It''s right to boldly forge ahead. Your father was also sent to Liangzhou University on a scholarship," said Li Nanxing with a smile. He looked at his system interface. [N-level Awakener Xiang Beifei, initially ranked first in the Western District, your prestige +5000, ranked first in Liangzhou, your prestige +10000, ranked first in Jiuzhou, your prestige +90000] [Current prestige value: 16005547] Li Nanxing''s awakening was to the [S-level Confucian Saint System], and Xiang Beifei''s initial scores, ranking first among over five million test takers in Jiuzhou, surprisingly brought him a prestige value of 100,000! This truly surprised him! Because even the second-place S-level Shen Yu, who scored 679 points, only brought him 3000 prestige points. And the third place added only 1000, as for the rest, like Yang Hua, the prestige value was the same as their exam scores. Clearly, an N-level student, with initial scores surpassing all candidates in Jiuzhou, almost 20 points more than the top scholar of Jiuzhou, attracted immense attention! Many people who pay attention to the overall ranking also care about where the person with the highest initial scores comes from. If it''s an S-level student, having the highest initial scores seems normal, and some people might not even check which school the student is from. It''s enough just to know the student''s name and feel envious. But it''s different for an N-level! This year, the student with the highest initial scores is not S-level but an N-level Awakener with the most common talent! This is major news! S-level is expected! N-level is an underdog''s rise! More people are interested in the latter! With something as significant as college entrance exams, many naturally investigate where the student is from, starting from Jiuzhou, to Liangzhou, then to the Western District, and all the way to Luhe High School! Luhe High School became famous instantly! And being the principal of Luhe High School, Li Nanxing also gets mentioned, and the level of attention he receives increases invisibly. Even many Luhe High School alumni who are already working, when discussing this matter, mention to others that they too were students of Luhe High School. Thus, Li Nanxing''s prestige value has frighteningly soared. It could be said that an N-level student ranking first attracts more attention than an S-level student achieving the same feat! Li Nanxing was also very excited! 100,000 prestige points! Just two months ago, he was nearly 300,000 prestige points away from 16 million! Even when this year''s college entrance examination results were released, he still lacked nearly 200,000! If it weren''t for Xiang Beifei helping him increase by 100,000 prestige value, he would probably have to wait until next year''s college entrance exam to accumulate 16 million! 16 million, enough to exchange for a God Refining Pill! His cultivation had been stuck in the late phase of Meridian Opening for ten years, and for this God Refining Pill, he had saved ten years of prestige value and dared not use it recklessly. Now, he had finally amassed enough! Xiang Beifei had given him an unprecedented increase of 105,000 in one go! Li Nanxing was filled with gratitude towards Xiang Beifei. However, he still suppressed his excitement and said, "Last time you mentioned that you wanted to apply for Liangzhou University, I specifically went to ask an old friend of mine at Liangzhou University, and he revealed some information about the assessment for elite universities at level N." Li Nanxing pondered for a moment and continued, "He didn''t specify what the assessment entails, but he mentioned that it''s not easy to pass." Xiang BeiFei listened intently. "You should understand," Li Nanxing said. "Elite universities have stringent controls for N-level Awakeners, and even Liangzhou University only has a tiny loophole. According to my friend, this loophole is so small it''s practically negligible. After all, no N-level has entered Liangzhou University in nearly a decade. Shang Tianxiong''s case was said to be special, but still..." Knowing that Xiang Beifei had a strong capacity to handle the truth, Li Nanxing no longer beat around the bush and got straight to the point, "If you are prepared, I''ll speak bluntly. In short, they give you an opportunity on paper, but in reality, they won''t easily let you pass." The gates of elite universities were never open to N-level students. Xiang Beifei had anticipated this, but he hadn''t given up and said, "Then I need to try." Li Nanxing nodded slightly, "I knew you would. Regardless of the outcome, I will help you make an attempt. That old friend mentioned that the assessment would be very difficult. Although he didn''t go into detail, he mentioned that the person responsible for the assessment had a personal vendetta against your father." Xiang Beifei furrowed his brows. Li Nanxing sighed, "Your father was an SR-level Awakener and a highly talented graduate of Liangzhou University, but any outstanding individual is bound to make enemies. I am not very clear about the specifics, but it''s said that the person handling the assessment is someone named Yuchi Shen. During his school days, he was chastised by your father. Later, Yuchi Shen became a faculty member at Liangzhou University, and now he has encountered you; you must understand the implications." An old enemy disappeared, but now the enemy''s son was coming to study at the school where he taught, and he was in charge of the entrance assessment¡ªwhat a perfect opportunity for revenge. If he couldn''t get even with your dad back then, would he let you off now? Anyone aware of the details would probably understand that the entrance assessment, tainted by personal grudges, was no longer fair. "Even missing, he didn''t forget to leave a trap for me!" Xiang Beifei mused. Where exactly Xiang Tianxing and his wife had gone, he had no recollection, and leaving him to be cared for by his grandfather was one thing, but now even attending school came with special attention; his father, whom he had never met, was indeed capable. "Yes, I think your father inadvertently left you a significant problem!" Li Nanxing sighed. He knew the difficulty of Xiang Beifei''s entrance examination had essentially increased. Yet¡ª Xiang Beifei, watching Xiaohei napping on his shoulder, still had a calm and steady gaze. Many people liked to cause him trouble. But in the system world, what he least feared was trouble! It was just unknown how many opponents Xiang Tianxing made in school. It would have been better to inherit an enemy directory, so he could seek them out one by one. Otherwise, it might be embarrassing to mistakenly take someone else''s system items. Those who had been bullied by Xiang Tianxing wanting to bully his son for revenge? No problem, he''d take a little notebook and jot down names; when the time came, Xiang Beifei could help them with their tasks. If he encountered someone who had bullied Xiang Tianxing and wanted to continue bullying his son? That was okay too. He''d also take a little notebook and jot that down, considering it revenge for his old man. Two birds with one stone! Chapter 82 God Refining Pill "Of course, this is just my guess; he wasn''t specific, and I don''t know if that''s really the case. The final assessment might be something else entirely; I''m just giving you a heads-up," Li Nanxing said. "I understand," Xiang Beifei nodded. Li Nanxing was checking his system interface. After a moment, he spent 5,000 system points to exchange for a tortoise shell and handed it to Xiang Beifei. "This is a Hetu tortoise shell. It possesses strong defensive capabilities, capable of withstanding attacks from the late stages of Qi-Controlling. If they raise the difficulty of the assessment, this Hetu tortoise shell can help you," he said. Xiang Beifei asked, "Is it permissible to rely on external forces during the assessment?" "This is an inherently unfair assessment. Protecting oneself is most important. Besides, you must understand that since everyone in this world can awaken a system, any help from the system is within the allowed range," Li Nanxing said. The greatest advantage of the system world is exactly this: no matter what system items you use, they are all within the rules. It all comes down to whether you have the strength and can utilize these system items effectively. [Current Prestige Value: 16000547] Xiang Beifei''s cultivation wasn''t high; the external help Li Nanxing could offer was limited to the late stages of Qi-Controlling at most. This Hetu tortoise shell was the most suitable item he could come up with. He had wanted to give Xiang Beifei more life-saving measures, but his system points were at an awkward level. He needed to spend 16 million to purchase a God Refining Pill. Spending more system points would prevent him from exchanging for the God Refining Pill. The God Refining Pill was too important to him; he had been stuck in the late stage of Meridian Opening for ten years and couldn''t wait any longer. ¡ª¡ªI''m sorry I can''t offer you more help. I must get that God Refining Pill. Once I step into the God Refining stage, if your assessment has not yet started, I will find a way to compensate you with more items. Li Nanxing silently told Xiang Beifei in his heart. Xiang Beifei had contributed a whole 100,000 system points to him. He knew he should use system points to exchange for more items to help Xiang Beifei through this assessment, but the need for the God Refining Pill was too pressing, and he couldn''t afford to waste more system points. "Thank you." Xiang Beifei accepted the Hetu tortoise shell. A late-stage Qi-Controlling Spiritual Qi Crystal was still very important to him. After a while, Li Nanxing added, "Oh, our school offers a reward for the valedictorian, a scholarship of 50,000 yuan. Specific matters will be notified to you later. There is an application process." Xiang Beifei''s eyes lit up! 50,000 yuan scholarship! He had already gathered more than half of the 100,000 yuan tuition fee. "Thank you, Principal," Xiang Beifei said again. "Don''t mention it. You should hear the news by next Monday when you submit your preferences. Now, go celebrate. I believe your grandfather is already eagerly waiting," Li Nanxing said with a smile. "Okay, then, Principal, I''ll head back first." With the results out, Xiang Beifei had no need to stay at school. Others might spend time celebrating their scores, but he preferred to spend his time on cultivation. ¡ª¡ª After seeing Xiang Beifei off, Li Nanxing closed the door, his gaze returning to the system interface, a sense of excitement building within him. It''s been ten years! A full ten years to save up 16 million prestige points, which was indeed a difficult task. Though he had awakened an S-grade system and his cultivation was higher than many people''s, the system''s tasks became tougher toward the end. Stepping into the God Refining stage was a height many could not reach in their lifetimes. "Xiang Beifei, I owe you a favor. Once I step into the God Refining stage, if you need any help in the future, I will do my utmost to assist you," Li Nanxing promised silently. Li Nanxing trembled slightly as he looked at the God Refining Pill, his eyes filled with intense eagerness! [Would you like to spend 16 million prestige points to exchange for a God Refining Pill?] Suppressing his excitement, Li Nanxing responded almost tremblingly: "Yes." [16 million prestige points spent to exchange for a God Refining Pill. Exchange successful. Current Prestige Value: 547. System reward is being issued...] [Reward issuance complete] Li Nanxing reached out his hand, waiting for the God Refining Pill to appear in his palm. Ten seconds passed. His hand was still empty. "No rush, such a powerful pill." Li Nanxing reminded himself. But the reward was too important for him, and with every second that passed in waiting, it felt like an eternity. A minute went by. There was still nothing in his hand! Li Nanxing wiped off some sweat, feeling uneasy, but still tried to calm himself down, "Don''t worry, don''t worry, just wait a little longer." And he waited for three minutes! Panic began to set in for Li Nanxing! "Where is my God Refining Pill?" he murmured to himself. [Reward distributed successfully] How could this be? He was over sixty years old and had awakened this system nearly fifty years ago. He was very familiar with his system, as every time he wanted to exchange for something, it happened almost instantly. So why was today''s system God Refining Pill missing? [Reward distributed successfully] The system prompted again. "No, this can''t be happening..." Li Nanxing started frantically searching his office. He turned the whole office upside down, but the God Refining Pill was nowhere to be found. During this time, everyone was on the training field, only Xiang Beifei and he were in the teaching building. Could it be that Xiang Beifei took it? But he didn''t have the ability to do that, after all, he was a late-stage Meridian Opening practitioner. If Xiang Beifei had taken it, how could he possibly not have noticed? Besides, knowing the boy''s character, it wasn''t possible for him to do such a thing. "Could it be that the system has malfunctioned again?" He had encountered such situations before when there would sometimes be a miscalculation in the system''s database. Once, when he was in the outer realm wilderness, the system had a scanning anomaly, incorrectly estimating the strength of a desolate beast, which had caused him a lot of trouble. The reason turned out to be that the desolate beast had a bizarre ability that interfered with the system''s judgment. When he was young, there was also an incident where he had just exchanged for a pill, and just as it landed in his hand, it was suddenly swept away by a gust of wind and disappeared without a trace. But those were low-probability events. The system had told him that the chance of an S-rank system experiencing an anomaly was one in ten thousand. "You don''t mean... you don''t mean to tell me that today... on such an important day... the one in ten thousand anomaly has occurred!" Li Nanxing slumped in his chair, his complexion turning as pale as paper! How could this happen... Why does the one in ten thousand probability have to occur right now! Ten years! If this one in ten thousand probability had indeed swallowed up his system reward, would he then need to collect another 16 million prestige value, meaning another ten years? He was already sixty years old, how many decades did he have left? Li Nanxing felt as if all the strength had been drained from his body, listlessly sitting in his chair, panting heavily, and seeming to have aged ten years in an instant. Chapter 83 The Powerful God Refining Pill Xiang Beifei was walking down the stairs, unaware of what had happened in the principal''s office, when suddenly Xiaohei began to bark happily. He turned his head and was astonished to find Xiaohei holding a light blue medicinal pill, joyfully playing with it. The pill was entirely blue, with many profound patterns on it, and emitted a refreshing medicinal fragrance. Just a slight sniff made one feel completely revitalized. A deep and terrifying aura seemed to swirl around the pill. "Where did this come from?" Xiang Beifei looked at the blue pill in amazement; it was the most potent pill he had ever seen! Soon, he suddenly remembered¡ªGod Refining Pill! It was actually a God Refining Pill! He had seen it in Principal Li Nanxing''s system interface! "Xiaohei, did you take the principal''s God Refining Pill?" Xiang Beifei said in surprise. "Woof woof woof!" Xiaohei, holding the pill, happily rubbed and cuddled it. "Are you saying that the Spiritual Qi Crystal contained in this pill can light up all the constellations from mid-Qi-Controlling to mid-Meridian Opening?" "Woof woof woof!" "With this pill, could I possibly step into the Meridian Opening period within half a year?" Xiang Beifei was truly shocked! This God Refining Pill actually had such a terrifying power? Within half a year, to step into the Meridian Opening period! And to light up six constellations, granting him six additional abilities! To be honest, even Xiang Beifei was greatly astonished after hearing this. It was impossible not to be moved; such a thing could save him from taking so many detours! As long as he could reach the Meridian Opening period, what would the assessments at Liangzhou University count for? Those so-called geniuses from elite universities would be nothing compared to him! Xiang Beifei felt his breathing become a bit rapid. But he remained silent, striving to suppress those emotions. After a long while, he spoke, "Xiaohei, return it." "Woof?" Xiaohei looked at Xiang Beifei, puzzled. "The principal is a person of high virtue and respect; he deserves our respect. We don''t take his belongings," Xiang Beifei said. Even though he knew he had increased Principal Li Nanxing''s system value by 100,000 that day, and getting the pill was a bit of help from him, he still resisted the enormous temptation brought by the God Refining Pill. This pill, which took nearly ten years to save up, was vitally important to the principal. "Woof..." Xiaohei whined softly. "I know it''s a pity, but there are many ways to become stronger; this is not the only one," Xiang Beifei said, petting Xiaohei''s head. For those who liked to trouble him, Xiang Beifei would show no mercy, regardless of how much time they had spent; he would not even furrow his brow. For those willing to help him, Xiang Beifei would respect them and even help them complete system tasks for free. He was clear about his debts and grudges¡ªthis was his principle. "Woof." Xiaohei reluctantly licked the God Refining Pill, then with a flick of his tail, tossed it away. The God Refining Pill flashed a blue light as it flew through the air, disappearing from sight. --- Li Nanxing was bewildered, feeling the world spinning around him, as if drained of all strength. He sat on the chair, hands on his forehead, his head in chaos. "How could it be gone... how could it be gone..." He felt a sense of despair, experiencing for the first time how life could be so devastating. A decade of hard work ruined in an instant, it was nearly the end of him. He didn''t even know what he had been working towards these past ten years. Thump! Thump! Some sound bounced twice on the table, emitting a dull thud. Li Nanxing looked up listlessly and glanced at the table. Immediately after, he saw the blue pill. It lay there quietly, radiating a powerful and profound aura. Li Nanxing suddenly stood up from the chair! He looked incredulously at the God Refining Pill that had appeared out of nowhere, even doubting his own eyes, wondering if it was a hallucination born from desperation. "Is this an illusion?" Li Nanxing reached out his trembling, aged hand and touched the God Refining Pill on the table. It wasn''t an illusion! It was a real pill! Life returned to his dim eyes. He then grabbed the God Refining Pill! Dense and profound, smooth as jade. "It''s the God Refining Pill! The God Refining Pill!" Li Nanxing clung tightly to the pill that had been lost and now found, holding it so firmly as if afraid it would disappear again. He took a deep breath, overcome with emotion! Life''s dramatic fluctuations occurred within such a fleeting moment. "Thank goodness it''s still here! Thank goodness it''s still here! Thank goodness it''s still here..." He didn''t even think about where the God Refining Pill had gone just now; just having it in hand was a stroke of immense good fortune for him! Without delay, he planned to find a place to refine the pill immediately and ensure no further mishaps would occur! ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei stood around the corner, looking through the glass window at Li Nanxing''s ecstatic countenance. It turned out that even the usually refined and gentle principal could have such a moment of discomposure. He felt somewhat apologetic as he hadn''t communicated well with Xiaohei; the little creature thought the item would benefit him greatly, so it took the principal''s belongings, nearly causing the principal to collapse. Regardless, it had ultimately been returned. He himself still needed to grow stronger step by step through cultivation. He didn''t feel like he had lost anything, but instead calmly turned and went downstairs. Xiang Qingde and Lu Zhiwei were waiting for him, while Kong Xiuwen and his son had already gone home to prepare for the evening''s celebratory banquet, leaving a message for them to join without fail. The school was still surrounded by a large crowd, and Xiang Beifei didn''t want to stay any longer, so he left with them. "Beifei, have you decided which university to apply for?" Lu Zhiwei asked. "Don''t worry, with such scores, even if I don''t get into an elite university, the other universities will still be vying for me," Xiang Qingde said happily. Xiang Beifei said, "I still want to try for Liangzhou University." Xiang Qingde was stunned for a moment. In the past few days, feeling guilty for being an incompetent parent, he had rushed to learn about the college entrance examination and asked around; he knew that eight of the nine elite universities did not admit N-level Awakeners. The words of Zhuo Jing had also made it very clear that Liangzhou University, although it did admit N-level students, had a very high threshold! Now that Xiang Beifei''s scores met the requirements, he still needed to pass the entrance assessment; only if the assesment was passed could he attend, and if he failed, he would still be eliminated. But Xiang Qingde earnestly said, "Great! Whatever you decide to do, Grandpa will support you!" Xiang Qingde, willing to humble himself before others for the sake of a retake, naturally would also unconditionally support his grandson''s choice, regardless of the cost; he was determined to help his grandson move forward. Meanwhile, Lu Zhiwei''s eyes lit up! In past years, N-level candidates rarely applied for Liangzhou University because the pass rate was so low that many high-scoring N-level candidates retreated understanding the difficulty. But Xiang Beifei was different! This guy, usually dopey and unconcerned with competing with others, was one of those who never showed his hand unless it turned out to be astounding! Perhaps he really could create a miracle! "Then I''ll wait for you at Liangzhou University!" Lu Zhiwei couldn''t wait for Xiang Beifei to report to Liangzhou University in September; then she would be his senior. She looked forward to using various opportunities to rub shoulders with him and learn his reasoning abilities. Chapter 84 The Journalist Yang Hua was in high spirits! Although he had been shocked by Xiang Beifei''s score, had made a fool of himself by making some snide remarks, and then had his face slapped hard by the reality, so what? If Xiang Beifei scored high, then so be it! He wasn''t at a loss at all! "You might think I would feel ashamed for what I just did, but you would be wrong." In this world, things like face aren''t important. System tasks are the real deal! Xiang Beifei scored 732 points, which meant 732 points were added to his teacher prestige value! Not only that, but because the top scorer of the school was from his class, he was granted an additional 10,000 points¡ªfor a total of 10,732 points! He only had an R-level system, not as high as Li Nanxing''s S-level, and since many outsiders generally pay more attention to the name of the school rather than the classroom, he didn''t earn as many system points as Li Nanxing did with his S-level system. But it was enough to make a fortune. All the students in his class had contributed to his teacher prestige value, with Xiang Beifei adding the most. In total, the class contributed 41,544 points! Delightful! "Hello, Professor Yang, we meet again. Do you remember me? I''m Yu Lei, a reporter from the Liangzhou Strait Metropolitan Daily. We met on the System Awakening day," said a person who looked like a reporter, who had approached him. This man wore glasses, had a crew cut, and sported a jacket over his shirt; he thrust a large microphone in front of Yang Hua. "Oh, it''s you." Yang Hua remembered Yu Lei. Reporters usually showed up during the System Awakening and when high school exam results came out. [Host: Yu Lei] [R-level, I Want to Make Headlines System] [Realm: Mid Phase of Qi-Controlling] As a senior reporter from the small TV station in the western district, Yu Lei needed to dig up information that could make the headlines, completing tasks by pushing news to the forefront. The reporters were also itching to break a major story; if a school reported the Awakening of an SR talent, that would be explosive news, and they would definitely want to secure the exclusive. Before the System Awakening ceremony, Yu Lei had been staking out early, interviewing all the class homeroom teachers in advance to prepare, and Yang Hua was one of those he interviewed. Unfortunately, the news of that day wasn''t eye-catching; Luhe High School had no Awakeners with SR talent. The only thing of note was Xiang Beifei''s Thunder Stone¡ªjust when everyone thought they were about to witness a phoenix rise from the grass nest, it turned out to be a wild goose chase. This kind of news merely caused a small ripple in the pond, neither here nor there. Although it was reported, the heat didn''t pick up. Today, with the college entrance examination results released, Yu Lei, as a reporter with a news headline-type system who had undergone Awakening, naturally wanted to cover the conditions of the examinees. Initially, he staked out another high school in the western district, since he believed that school had traditionally performed better than Luhe High School, with last year''s top scholar of Liangzhou coming from that school. The odds of achieving high results were seen as greater there. Unfortunately, he set his sights on the wrong target this year, but he soon found out that a candidate from Luhe High School scored 732 this year, holding the top original score in the whole Jiuzhou! And such a high-scoring candidate was only an N-level Awakener! N-level! 732 points! The first in original score! Outranked by candidates who received bonus points! Unable to attend elite universities! All these were hot topics fit for making the headlines! Yu Lei immediately smelled the news value, and with his years of experience as a journalist and understanding of the market news, he brewed up in his mind the sort of press release that would create a sensation and attract society''s attention! "Shocking! A candidate with 732 points rejected by nine elite universities!" "Candidate with 732 points unable to attend elite universities, the reason is..." He thought through the way to write the article, planning to criticise from three levels, four perspectives, and five points of view the unreasonable practices of the nine elite universities in admitting Awakeners. He then aimed to introduce Xiang Beifei''s difficult journey in education, condemning the irrational phenomena in the assessment system, perfectly creating a media storm! If such an article were to be published, it would definitely spark intense discussions, securing a top spot on the hot search lists of major websites and making news headlines with no issues. This would assuredly earn him a hefty amount of system value! But sadly, by the time he arrived at Luhe High School, he couldn''t find Xiang Beifei, so Yu Lei immediately turned to Yang Hua, preparing to get some information about Xiang Beifei from him first. "Professor Yang, I heard that Xiang Beifei was brought up by you. Can you tell me what kind of student he usually is?" Yu Lei eagerly inquired. What kind of student was Xiang Beifei? A glint of cunning flashed in Yang Hua''s eyes! Being Xiang Beifei''s homeroom teacher and seeing him score such unimaginable results wasn''t something he had expected. Normally, he always found various faults in Xiang Beifei, constantly berating him. Just moments ago, he spoke so rudely in front of Xiang Qingde. However, now that a reporter was interviewing him, how could he reveal those things? As Xiang Beifei''s homeroom teacher who had produced a top scholar for the school, if this made the news, it would undoubtedly elevate his own status! Even if Xiang Beifei couldn''t enter the elite universities, so what? It was talent that blocked him from those universities, not something he could influence; after all, high school teaches academic knowledge, which is linked to the teaching ability of teachers! If other parents were to hear that he has taught a top scholar, wouldn''t they break down doors to cram their children into his class? He could then handpick those students with good academic performance. Every year during the college entrance exams, he would be able to collect a major wave of teacher prestige value! Yang Hua keenly seized the opportunity! He immediately put on a smile, looking radiant and said, "That''s right, Xiang Beifei, the student, I have always had high hopes for him! His past academic performance wasn''t very promising, but I constantly encouraged him, telling him not to be discouraged. I helped him plug the gaps in his knowledge, and his progress was rapid. You could say that his achievement of such high scores today is the result of our joint efforts." Facing the camera, Yang Hua spoke with confidence and sincerity, attributing Xiang Beifei''s high scores to his own efforts. He didn''t need to worry about what Xiang Beifei thought, regardless of whatever grievances they had; those were private matters. In front of the camera, he naturally had to say nice things. He was certain that if Xiang Beifei was interviewed and asked if he was thankful to his teacher, even if Xiang Beifei held considerable resentment, he would only be able to say thank you in front of the camera. Otherwise, such a top scholar could easily be branded as ungrateful. From any angle, being extremely strict as a teacher, nitpicking every day, verbally scolding students, looking down on them, could all be framed as a form of motivation and packaged as the "strict teacher produces outstanding students" teaching method which no one could refute. Yang Hua had placed himself on the moral high ground! Chapter 85 Public Opinion The exam results had been announced; it was the end of July, leaving only one more month of vacation. During this month, he had many things to keep him busy. Earning money, the Liangzhou University assessment, and cultivating. For him, cultivation was still the most important endeavor. At the moment he was only in the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling, and his strength wasn''t very high. He needed to cultivate to the later stages of Qi-Controlling as soon as possible. Lu Zhiwei had originally wanted to cling to Xiang Beifei to learn reasoning skills, but Xiang Beifei told her, "Once I get into Liangzhou University, won''t you have more time to bother me?" "Right, that makes sense!" Lu Zhiwei happily left without bothering him further. Xiang Beifei locked himself back in his room, thinking he could focus on cultivation, but he soon realized he was wrong. Scoring such high marks was not something people would just overlook easily. After interviewing Yang Hua, Yu Lei came to his home and knocked on the door, ready to interview the N-level student. Xiang Qingde, who answered the door, looked at Yu Lei with a puzzled expression, and asked, "Who are you looking for?" "Hello, I am a reporter from the Liangzhou Strait Metropolitan Daily, my name is Yu Lei. You must be the grandfather of Xiang Beifei, this year''s top scholar from Luhe High School, right? It''s a pleasure to meet you! May I interview you about your grandson''s achievements?" Yu Lei got straight to the point. "An interview?" Xiang Qingde furrowed his brows. His grandson was preparing for the Liangzhou University assessment, and interviews were a waste of time and meaningless. He shook his head and said, "It''s not necessary, my grandson doesn''t like these kinds of things." As he spoke, he was about to close the door. "Wait, wait," Yu Lei extended his hand to block the door, displaying a professionally courteous smile, and said, "Old Master Xiang, you must be aware that with Xiang Beifei''s talents, even with such high scores, it is nearly impossible for him to get into an elite university. But as a reporter, if I can interview him, and properly report his predicament, it could cause those within the entire societal system to reflect. Under pressure from all sides, perhaps the elite universities might lower their thresholds." Yu Lei, as a news worker, often dealt with a variety of people and had a keen eye for reading them. He knew exactly what would persuade Xiang Qingde. Upon hearing Yu Lei''s words, Xiang Qingde hesitated. He knew that Xiang Beifei had decided to apply to Liangzhou University, but he was also aware of how difficult the assessments at Liangzhou University were. For ten consecutive years, no N-level students had been admitted, making the hope of entrance exceedingly slim. Yet, what Yu Lei said held a certain truth. Xiang Beifei wasn''t just another N-level Awakener scoring 680 points; he was first among all Jiuzhou candidates with an original score of 732. Although Xiang Qingde didn''t quite understand the internet, he was aware that news reports could inform more people about this matter. If more people paid attention to the fact that high-scoring students were unable to attend elite universities, it might cause a sensation. In that case, Xiang Beifei''s chances of getting into Liangzhou University could indeed be higher. Seeing Xiang Qingde''s hesitation, Yu Lei quickly continued, "Old Master, rest assured, I will report this matter from the most professional perspective. I also think that it''s a waste for your grandson with such results to attend an ordinary university, but I can help you. I just need a simple interview with your grandson, it won''t take long, at most one hour." Xiang Qingde hesitated for a moment but felt it was a good idea, so he said, "I''ll go ask, wait here." Xiang Qingde let Yu Lei into the house, poured him a glass of water, then walked to Xiang Beifei''s bedroom door, knocked, and said, "Xiaofei, may I come in?" "Grandpa, is something the matter?" Xiang Beifei opened the door. Xiang Qingde glanced at Yu Lei sitting outside and said, "A reporter wants to interview you, he said he wants to cover your story as the top scorer in the college entrance examination." Xiang Beifei looked up at Yu Lei, his gaze sweeping over the other''s system interface, and his brow slightly furrowed. The tasks on the other party''s system interface and their intentions were clear as day to Xiang Beifei. After pondering for a moment, he let his grandfather into the bedroom, then closed the door and said, "Grandpa, I don''t need to accept this person''s interview." "The reporter told me that you are the candidate with the highest original score, and if this is blown up, it might create some public opinion pressure and make Liangzhou University more inclined to admit you or something," Xiang Qingde said. "No." Xiang Beifei immediately shook his head. Not understanding, Xiang Qingde asked, "Why not? You want to go to Liangzhou University, and he''s trying to help you, isn''t he?" "Grandpa must understand something, the rule that elite universities don''t admit N-level students has existed for a long time, but it''s never changed. They won''t alter their rules just because of a reporter''s article." Xiang Beifei paused, then continued, "Being admitted through public opinion won''t convince everyone, and it will leave them with a bad impression. Who knows, they might raise the difficulty even further during the admission assessment to prevent me from passing. Then they''ll tell everyone that it''s not that they don''t admit N-level students, but that an N-level student like me doesn''t have the ability." Principal Li Nanxing had already warned him that the admission examination was going to be overseen by Xiang Tianxing''s old adversary, which made it difficult enough. If public opinion got involved, and Liangzhou University sought to offset the pressure by raising the bar, then Xiang Beifei would face an even worse situation. Xiang Qingde thought for a moment and then said, "But it''s also possible that Liangzhou University might lower the examination difficulty due to public pressure, isn''t it? The rule that elite universities don''t admit N-level students should indeed be changed." "If we want to change the situation of elite universities not admitting N-level students, we should rely on N-level students to prove that they have the ability to enroll in elite universities, not on public pressure to get N-level students into elite universities." The type of school determines the intensity of the study required, and indeed, the academic rigors of an elite school aren''t something a normal N-level student can keep up with. "Once admitted through public pressure, they will also find excuses to expel me later, telling everyone it''s because I couldn''t keep up with the progress of study at an elite university, then they''ll take back the public narrative and prove that there''s a reason for the school not admitting N-level students." Xiang Beifei spoke earnestly, "They have their rules, and I will enter according to their rules. That way, they will have nothing to say. Grandpa, I have confidence in passing Liangzhou University''s assessment with my own strength. There''s no need to resort to public opinion. Can you believe in me just this once?" What mattered most was that the reporter, according to the tasks shown on his system interface, came to interview with a far from straightforward purpose. Xiang Qingde thought seriously about Xiang Beifei''s words before he realized they were right. If they relied on public pressure for admission, Xiang Beifei would easily become a target for discrimination, which would be unfriendly to his future. Especially since Xiang Beifei hadn''t even participated in the admission assessment yet, doing such a thing was indeed inappropriate. "What you say makes sense, we should rightfully pass the assessment and prove ourselves that N-level students also have the capability to attend elite universities. If you prove yourself, they will eventually change their views on N-level students, and this will be the best way to diminish discrimination against N-level students. This time I must believe in you! I''m going to refuse him right now." Xiang Qingde agreed with Xiang Beifei''s point of view. The college entrance examination results had made him realize that his grandson was truly intelligent; he had no reason to doubt his grandson''s judgment anymore. Chapter 86 Hype Task Xiang Qingde opened the door and stepped out, saying to Yu Lei, "Sorry, my child is unwilling to accept the interview. He hasn''t yet decided to choose Liangzhou University." Xiang Qingde knew very well how to refuse others tactfully, simply by saying that his child had not yet planned to choose Liangzhou University, making an interview with Yu Lei unnecessary. Yu Lei obviously paused, then said, "But with such high scores, is he content to miss out on an elite university?" "He has his own plans. Attending an elite university comes with risks, but with his scores, he can pick and choose among the remaining universities. We''re very satisfied with that; there''s no need to fret too much. Contentment brings happiness, doesn''t it?" Xiang Qingde explained cheerfully, quite adept at covering for his own child. "Mr. Xiang, if your child is unwilling to accept my interview, then I can interview you instead. As long as you cooperate with me, I can definitely create public opinion that will get your child into a better university. As a parent, don''t you want to see your child become classmates with even more outstanding individuals in an elite university?" Yu Lei was not giving up easily. "No need, I have other matters to attend to and cannot entertain you any longer, please understand!" Xiang Qingde was very firm in his stance. Yu Lei spent a lot of effort trying to persuade him, but was ultimately unable to and had to leave Xiang Qingde''s home. Having descended the stairs, Yu Lei stood at the street corner, took a cigarette from his pocket, took a puff and then slowly exhaled the smoke. The swirling smoke framed his face, casting it in a somewhat gloomy light. "What a pair of fools, too proud for their own good!" Yu Lei spat on the ground with disgust. Before coming here, he had been confident about this interview. His keen senses had detected hot topics in this event that could spark discussions across all circles. The raw score of 732, first in Jiuzhou, unable to enter an elite university due to an N-level Awakener talent, the irrationality of the recruitment system of the nine elite universities... all it needed was a little guiding, and these could become extensively sensationalized topics. He had thought that his reasons would be irresistible, that any other parent would wisely take advantage of the media to help their child, eager for the journalist''s assistance. But unexpectedly, this top-scoring student had no intention of going to Liangzhou University, and he had been bluntly turned away! Yu Lei felt extremely irritated. "Pah! Did you really think I wanted to help you get into Liangzhou University?" He tapped his cigarette against the wall corner, watching the broken ashes drift away with the wind, and snorted coldly. Truth be told, he had never intended to use media pressure to help Xiang Beifei get into university; in fact, he was hoping Xiang Beifei would fail to get into Liangzhou University! If an N-level student was admitted to Liangzhou University, the news would at most express amazement at the student and say his future was limitless, considering him a hidden talent, a second Shang Tianxiong. Such news stories could only sensationalize one aspect: the potential of this N-level student. But Jiuzhou was never short of talented individuals with potential, frequently featuring an SR-level genius here, a business prodigy there... Such reports were far too common! However, if Xiang Beifei were to be eliminated during the Liangzhou University assessment process, that would be worth sensationalizing. He could exploit angles like [Liangzhou University deliberately making it hard for N-level high-scoring students, setting up barriers to prevent N-level talents from passing], or [Why the discrimination against N-level students, are elite universities worth reconsidering], or even [Does the system talent truly determine everything?]... All these perspectives were thought-provoking, could uncover the true value of the news, and would bring more traffic to him as the journalist responsible for the coverage, helping him complete more tasks of making the headlines. So Yu Lei was the person who least wanted Xiang Beifei to be admitted to Liangzhou University! He was a journalist and self-proclaimed "public intellectual", with a combined following of over a million across various social media platforms. Reporting positively on someone''s excellence was commonplace, and such news bored everyone, but taking a negative slant could attract a cluster of internet users who, frustrated by the ups and downs of daily life, only vent on their keyboards against heaven, earth, and thin air, without giving any thought to their own issues. His followers liked to see reports from a negative perspective. For those in the media, the most important thing was to find one point of interest in trivial matters, then blow it out of proportion to catch the public''s eye, spark debate, push the discussions to go viral, become headline news, and gain massive marketing traffic. To achieve this, Yu Lei could exaggerate without any bottom line and twist facts. All he needed to consider was how to write the news to garner the most attention. The actual truth seemed much less important. So even though Yu Lei had everyone discussing the discrimination against N-level Awakeners, he certainly wasn''t truly on the side of those N-level Awakeners. He stood on the side of traffic! After all, he wasn''t the one being discriminated against; as an R-level Awakener, he usually looked down on N-level Awakeners himself. In the past, Yu Lei had secretly bribed the parties involved to complete his "Headline Tasks," disregarding the facts to fabricate news, engaging in countless such shady dealings. He had already figured out how to draft the article on the Xiang Beifei incident! However, this grandfather and grandson duo were clearly unappreciative of his offer and had actually rejected his cooperation! "If you think rejection will make me give up, then you''re seriously underestimating me." Yu Lei looked at his system interface: "You have selected the task: Hype up the N-level top scorer incident" "Direction for the hype: 1, help them get into Liangzhou University, positively promote the candidate; 2, prevent them from getting into Liangzhou University, negatively spin associated hot topics" "You have chosen: 2" "Current task: Hype up the Xiang Beifei incident, reach the top twenty in discussion heat on any media platform''s trending list, earn +1000 headline points (can be cumulative)" "Current headline points: 132783" "Note: Buying trend spots is invalid" "Reward for completing a trending task: Choose any two from the following" "Stealth Talisman x1 (used for invisible tracking); Truth-Telling Talisman x1 (can extract truthful statements); Memory Talisman x1 (can alter someone''s memory); Control Talisman x1 (can control the will of others)" "What a pity that I''ve used up all my control talismans." Yu Lei frowned slightly, for the Control Talisman could be used to alter a person''s will, to change someone''s decisions, like if someone wanted to refuse something, the talisman could make them agree. These talismans were only effective on those whose realm was lower than his own. In the past, he used Control Talismans to make people accept his interviews and say what he wanted them to say in front of the camera. Of course, sometimes he would exchange them for Memory Talismans too, such as after engaging in dirty activities, he would use a Memory Talisman to make a person forget what had just happened, thus freeing himself from unnecessary trouble. To him, these system items were very practical, but they were also in high demand and short supply; currently, he only had two Memory Talismans and one Stealth Talisman. Chapter 87 : 87: Photo "Why not simply spend 1,000 headline points to buy a control talisman?" Yu Lei pondered whether this choice would be cost-effective but decided it was not worth it after some consideration. He needed to save up 150,000 headline points to exchange for a Qi-Raising Talisman, which would help him advance to the later stages of Qi-Controlling. In his previous attempts to obtain news clues, he had spent many headline points to exchange for control talismans and memory talismans to manipulate the news subjects. Unfortunately, once the news was reported, the response was lukewarm, like throwing a stone into the sea¡ªhardly making a splash. Not making the news headlines meant the system points were wasted, which pained him for a long time. Hot searches are something that celebrities and marketing companies can easily achieve with some money, but his system did not work that way; it required genuinely completing tasks. Sometimes, his own miscalculations could also lead to failure. Now, he needed to conserve headline points, ensuring he collected 150,000 to progress to the later stage of Qi-Controlling. The higher his cultivation, the more he could achieve. "Forget it, it''s more important to create a topic first... If this topic hits the hot search, then dealing with those two isn''t too late." Yu Lei opened his personal camera to check the photos he had just taken. They were close-ups of Xiang Beifei''s living room, which he had secretly snapped a few photos of while Xiang Qingde was talking to his grandson. Yu Lei was not satisfied with these photos. Although Xiang Qingde''s home was somewhat impoverished, everything was tidy and clean, even the stovetop utensils shone brightly. This did not meet his expectations. He had wanted to create a "poor boy makes good" sensation, which required dilapidated, dusty walls and messy, cramped furniture for contrast. However, despite only living with his grandson, their place was well maintained, with not many furniture pieces, just enough for their needs, making their home comfortable to live in without giving off an impoverished vibe. Clearly, although poor in material wealth, these two were not poor in spirit and took life very seriously. "Hmph, the photos can be completely fabricated." Yu Lei planned to later find a graphic designer to edit the photos, making them look more disordered. He saw a garbage bin nearby and after a slight contemplation, seeing no one around, he kicked the bin, scattering trash everywhere, then frantically snapped photos of the garbage pile. "An academic prodigy emerging from a filthy, chaotic slum... Isn''t this material perfect? Hehe." Yu Lei casually threw a cigarette butt on the ground and then strode away. Unbeknownst to him, a gaze from above the window sill had been fixed on him the whole time. "All right, if you must do it this way." Xiang Beifei withdrew his gaze; he had seen the other party''s system interface and understood exactly what the guy was up to, hence his firm rejection. Yu Lei thought this time would be like the usual, easily crafting fake news, but he did not realize that Xiang Beifei had seen his chosen system task clearly. Xiang Beifei did not think further; instead, he turned back and continued to sit on the bed to cultivate the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula. ¡ª In the evening, Kong Daming warmly invited Xiang Qingde and Xiang Beifei to his restaurant for dinner, as it was a celebration for Kong Xiuwen, and, therefore, Beifei did not refuse and went with Qingde. Kong Daming''s restaurant business was thriving. The place was large, and he flamboyantly displayed two banners, reading "Warmly Celebrating Kong Xiuwen Scoring Above Elite University Admission Line in the College Entrance Exam" and "Warmly Celebrating Xiang Beifei Attaining the Top Scholar Position in Luhe High School." Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised; he had not expected Kong Daming to also hang a banner for him. "Haha, I originally wanted to arrange something bigger, but time was tight, so let''s just have a small gathering tonight. After you also pass the assessment at Liangzhou University, I''ll throw a big celebration for you and Xiuwen!" Kong Daming cheerfully greeted Xiang Qingde and his grandson. Xiang Beifei and Kong Xiuwen were childhood friends, and Kong Daming had watched Xiang Beifei grow up, so he was always good to Xiang Beifei. "Come on, we''re all family here¡ªno need to be formal!" Kong Xiuwen''s mother, Chen Xiuqin, said with a smile, "It''s Xiaofei who''s really going places, much more so than my Xiuwen. I''m worried when I look at his grades." "Auntie, he''s at least confirmed to be going to Liangzhou University," Xiang Beifei said. "That''s just good luck. Don''t worry, I have high hopes for you too, Xiaofei. You''ll definitely make it as well," Chen Xiuqin said, then turned to Xiang Qingde, "Don''t worry, old man, Xiaofei can do it." Xiang Qingde smiled, "Then I''ll count on your good words." Chen Xiuqin awakened the ["S-grade, Yi Jian Mei System"], and was a hairdresser. With the help of her system, her hairstyling skills were superb. She owned five salon branches, often traveling to style hair for celebrity teams. "Before we eat, let me give you both a haircut, symbolizing¡ª''accumulating thickness and welcoming renewal!''" With a flourish, Chen Xiuqin produced two shiny scissors. Xiang Beifei touched his own short hair, which had been cut very short due to the rules set by Yang Hua, and said, "My hair isn''t long enough." "I don''t just cut hair short," Chen Xiuqin said with a mysterious smile, clicking the black scissors in her left hand, "I can make it grow longer too!" Now that was interesting. Xiang Beifei glanced at Chen Xiuqin''s system and saw that the black scissors in her left hand were a magical item from the system. Unlike other scissors that cut hair short, these scissors could make hair grow long. "She''s always liked these superstitious things. Originally, it was my thick hair that caught her eye, and she chased after me, wanting to practice her hairdressing skills on me every day. Having thick hair has its benefits," said Kong Daming as he proudly ran his hand through his dense hair, akin to seaweed. Chen Xiuqin kicked Kong Daming lightly: "Stop your nonsense¡ªwho chased whom, you know very well. If you hadn''t relentlessly pestered me with that thick skin of yours, would I have fallen for you?" Dive deeper into the story on m-vle-mpyr "Hehe." Kong Daming shook his hair and then smugly patted his round belly, winking surreptitiously at Xiang Beifei and Kong Xiuwen. Kong Xiuwen looked resigned. It was true he had inherited his Dad''s thick hair, but he had awakened the ["hair loss system"], where less hair meant stronger powers, and the lost hair would not grow back! Fortunately, the hair that had not shed could still grow longer. "Seize the last moments of handsomeness before the hair loss begins!" Kong Xiuwen touched his own hair, looking resigned to his fate. Xiang Beifei wondered if Chen Xiuqin cutting too many people''s hair caused Kong Xiuwen to awaken the ["hair loss system"], but regardless, Kong Xiuwen''s system was at least S-grade with great potential. "Quick, let''s get you new hairstyles. Having a crew cut is too rigid; you need something more stylish." Chen Xiuqin especially disliked crew cuts and if it weren''t for the school rule set by Yang Hua, prohibiting long hair, she would definitely change Kong Xiuwen''s hairstyle every day. Without further ado, Chen Xiuqin dragged both Kong Xiuwen and Xiang Beifei to the adjacent salon. Chapter 88 : 88: Chef and Barber Chen Xiuqin was about to cut Xiang Beifei''s hair, and Xiang Beifei didn''t refuse; he was quite curious about the capabilities of the "Yi Jian Mei System." After one snip, Xiang Beifei''s hair, originally only about one centimeter long, had grown to five or six centimeters! Then she began to trim his hair meticulously. With the scissors in her left hand, she cut the hair that was too short, and with the scissors in her right hand, she cut off the hair that was too long. Using a comb that automatically styled hair, she hooked here and trimmed there, designing a sunny-looking hairstyle for Xiang Beifei. A good hairstylist can change a person''s aura and spirit. "With this look combined with the hairstyle, it could charm a crowd of girls!" Chen Xiuqin looked at her masterpiece with satisfaction. [You designed a new hairstyle for Xiang Beifei, hairstyle rating: 96, proficiency +96] [Achieved a score of 90, a new tool will be randomly given] [You have drawn: Golden Jiao Scissors] Upon seeing the system prompt, Chen Xiuqin was initially stunned and then burst into laughter: "Ha, Xiaofei, you really are my lucky charm." Usually, it was difficult for haircut scores to reach above 90 points. For an average person to achieve a 60 was already quite good. It would probably take cutting a few hundred people''s hair to maybe see one 90-point score. She hadn''t expected to achieve it today and even drew a pair of Golden Jiao Scissors! Xiang Beifei carefully examined the introduction of the Golden Jiao Scissors and discovered that these scissors were an extremely powerful weapon in combat capable of cutting through anything one realm higher than itself. This was some good stuff. However, Xiang Beifei did not touch the Golden Jiao Scissors; he found that Chen Xiuqin was not just a hairdresser walking the literary Dao¡ªin her completed system task list, she had even killed quite a few desolate beasts! "Auntie, did you practice martial cultivation before?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Why suddenly ask this?" Chen Xiuqin had taken away the Golden Jiao Scissors and was examining them closely, asking casually. "I vaguely heard my parents mention you before." "Oh?" Chen Xiuqin looked at Xiang Beifei somewhat surprised, then pondered for a moment and nodded slightly: "Daming, your parents, and I were all university classmates. We had initially planned on becoming pioneers, but later on, Daming and I gave up and decided to be plain ordinary people instead." "Uncle Kong and Auntie were pioneers too?" A system for cooking and a system for hairdressing, and they were pioneers? "Any system can choose to pursue the martial or literary Dao. It depends on what you choose. Don''t underestimate Uncle Kong. Although he''s chubby, he''s quite skilled at killing desolate beasts. His favorite thing is to throw various desolate beasts into his large cauldron and then think about how to cook them tastily. He thinks I fell for his hair, but actually¡ª" Chen Xiuqin smiled proudly and said softly: "I was conquered by his culinary skills." "Heh, women." Kong Xiuwen muttered from the side. Chen Xiuqin, annoyed, flicked the forehead of her son: "You have objections? Believe it or not, I''ll shave your head?" "Shave it! Just shave! Shave it to death!" Kong Xiuwen stretched his neck and said. In the future, he won''t need his mom to do it, he''ll be bald himself. Xiang Beifei continued to check the system interface. Chen Xiuqin''s system interface showed that she had several very powerful abilities, such as "Precarious". If her "Thousand-Jun Scissors" touched someone, each strand of their hair would become immensely heavy! Of course, this "thousand jun" was just a metaphor. The actual weight a strand of hair could change into was linked to one''s strength. However, it was undeniable that if the hair of a desolate beast became heavy, its movements would be severely limited. Another ability, "Medusa", could turn her hair into snakes. Anyone bitten by the snakes would be petrified. Xiang Beifei realized he had underestimated Chen Xiuqin, the hairdresser. He asked, "Auntie, you used to be a pioneer, so do you also know about my parents'' situation? What exactly happened to them?" Chen Xiuqin paused, then frowned and after a long while, shook her head and said, "I don''t know." Xiang Beifei always felt that Chen Xiuqin was hiding something. He checked the system task list, but unfortunately, there was no related hint in Chen Xiuqin''s system tasks. ¡ª¡ª During the celebration banquet, Kong Daming and Chen Xiuqin warmly welcomed Xiang Qingde and his grandson. Xiang Qingde, having been very worried about Xiang Beifei these past days, finally relaxed, and without reservation, drank with Kong Daming. Xiang Qingde seldom drank alcohol because it was a substantial expense. He was used to economizing, and only drank a little when Kong Daming occasionally brought him a few bottles, but he never drank to the point of affecting his work the next day. "Uncle! Xiaofei is also going to university now. How much money can you earn by selling vegetables every day? If he passes the assessment at Liangzhou University, the tuition and expenses will be a huge sum. You need to change your job. What if you come work at my shop? I''m short on staff anyway, and I''d like to hire you," Kong Daming said. Kong Daming had always intended to help the grandfather-grandson duo for free, but Xiang Qingde, accustomed to earning his own way, refused the charity. Not to hurt Xiang Qingde''s pride, Kong Daming had previously proposed hiring him. It was both a matter of fellowship and to help take care of the old man since he was getting on in years and could have an accident where he would need assistance. However, Xiang Qingde knew that working for Kong Daming would be no different from loafing around like the old men who wandered about, so he never agreed to it. But now Xiang Qingde had to seriously consider Kong Daming''s words. If his grandson were going to university, the money he saved from selling vegetables wouldn''t be enough. Of course, there was some compensation money at home that could temporarily cover some expenses, but money, if not earned, would eventually run out. "Right, Uncle Xiang, you wake up early and stay out late every day, earning so little while suffering so much. Coming here to help would be better; Daming''s business has been quite busy lately. Xiaofei, you should also persuade your grandfather," Chen Xiuqin said. "Grandpa, I think it''s a good idea," Xiang Beifei, too, didn''t like to see his grandfather selling vegetables at the market every day, not only enduring hardships but also earning very little. He had been looking for stable ways to make money, trying to get his grandfather to retire early. If his grandfather could work here, with Uncle Kong looking after him, Xiang Beifei would feel more at ease. Xiang Qingde thought for a long time, then said seriously to Kong Daming, "Then you have to let me work." "Alright, alright, alright. As long as you come, you can pick any job in the shop," Kong Daming said with a laugh. Xiang Beifei was eating and simultaneously checking Kong Daming''s system. Kong Daming also had a very special ability. He owned a cauldron, named the "Gluttonous Cauldron", specifically used for devouring desolate beasts. Another ability, called "Samadhi Fire", though not the legendary "Samadhi True Fire", possessed a powerful burning capability. When incinerating a desolate beast, it could even roast the meat of the beast into three different flavors out of thin air. Cumin flavor, spicy hot flavor, five-spice flavor. Chapter 89 Five Domains Xiang Beifei remembered Kong Daming and Chen Xiuqin, but it was only today that he had actually met these two in this world and witnessed their systems. He had been browsing through Kong Daming''s system, and given enough time, Xiang Beifei could even flip back to the day when the system first awakened. In recent years, Kong Daming''s system tasks were almost all related to ingredients. His system points were related to feedback from diners; creating an excellent dish or killing a desolate beast could also earn him system points. He continued flipping and then came across several task logs: [July 16, 3026, with the assistance of Xiang Tianxing, you killed the desolate beast Dang Kang. You obtained Dang Kang meat, gluttony value +2369] [July 16, 3026, you abandoned the mission in the Northern District of the Essential Domain] ... [July 29, 3026, you spent 1600 gluttony points to purchase a Heaven-Sniffing Hound Beast Pill] [August 2, 3026, the Heaven-Sniffing Hound Beast Pill expired, Xiang Tianxing not found] ... [August 2, 3026, you spent 1600 gluttony points to purchase a Heaven-Sniffing Hound Beast Pill] [August 6, 3026, the Heaven-Sniffing Hound Beast Pill expired, Xiang Tianxing not found] ... Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. 3026, that was four years ago, and also the time when his parents disappeared. He continued to scroll through Kong Daming''s task logs, and for over a month, Kong Daming kept spending various gluttony values, totaling roughly 20,000, to purchase Heaven-Sniffing Hound Beast Pills, but always failing to find Xiang Tianxing. "Northern District of the Essential Domain?" Xiang Beifei pondered. In high school''s comprehensive system subject, he had already basically learned about the structure of this world. If the domain outside the wilderness was likened to a vast and boundless ocean, the area where humans resided was like an isolated island in the ocean. To determine the danger level of the wilderness outside the domain, humans divided the wilderness into five areas, called "Five Domains." The circle nearest to the outer perimeter of human territory, where the desolate beasts are relatively weaker, or to say the powerful desolate beasts have already been hunted down and cannot cause much impact on human cities, is called the "Cultivated Domain." The next few circles outward are the "Marquis Domain," "Tranquil Domain," "Essential Domain," and "Wild Domain." The division of the "Five Domains" is actually similar to the concept of "Five Servitudes." As recorded in the "Han Shu": Yu the Great tamed the waters, and once the land was leveled, he reformed Jiuzhou, established the Five Servitudes, and assigned the lands to pay tribute. The Five Servitudes are, namely, Cultivated Servitude, Marquis Servitude, Tranquil Servitude, Essential Servitude, and Wild Servitude. The meaning of the Five Servitudes is that, taking the area where the emperor resides as the center and moving outward, every five hundred li is one servitude, creating a circle that expands outward, marking five different circles, with different regions paying tribute to the emperor in varying amounts. In this world, however, the Jiuzhou Alliance had become the territory of humans, and the "Five Servitudes" had been redefined as the "Five Domains" outside the domain. The further one travels outward, the stronger the desolate beasts in the wilderness become, and the higher the danger level. The "Cultivated Domain" is the first level, considered the least dangerous wilderness region, while the fifth level, the "Wild Domain," is the most dangerous place, with almost no one daring to venture into that area. According to Kong Daming''s records, Xiang Tianxing went to the "Essential Domain" and then there was no news of him, which is the fourth level danger zone, only less dangerous than the "Wild Domain." ¡ª¡ª According to Kong Daming''s system records, on July 16, he had killed the desolate beast Dang Kang together with Xiang Beifei''s father Xiang Tianxing, but on the same day, he also gave up the mission in the Northern Mountain District of the Essential Domain. This suggests that they were supposed to go to the Northern Mountain District of the Essential Domain together, but Kong Daming abandoned the mission, while Xiang Tianxing and the others proceeded. About ten days later, Kong Daming began expending Heaven-Sniffing Hound Beast Pills to search for Xiang Tianxing, which means that Xiang Tianxing encountered trouble in the Northern Mountain District of the Essential Domain? Xiang Beifei found few clues in Kong Daming''s system, just bits and pieces of information. Both Kong Daming and Chen Xiuqin''s systems were clearly not to be underestimated; they definitely had the ability to be pioneers, with Meridian Opening phase strength, and the system abilities they acquired were well-suited for dealing with desolate beasts. Yet they chose to abandon this path and pursue the literary Dao, living like ordinary people. Xiang Beifei was very curious about the reason for their decision to give up the mission. Was it because they were tired of the dangers pioneers had to face, or did they think about their son named Kong Xiuwen, not wanting him to become an orphan? If it was the latter, why didn''t Xiang Beifei''s parents learn from them? Xiang Beifei pursed his lips. He didn''t want to complain about the parents he had in this world since, strictly speaking, the parents of this world weren''t much related to him. People always have their choices; one cannot expect everyone to think the same. However, Xiang Beifei had many memories in his mind that didn''t belong to him. The scene of that teenager four years ago, locking himself in his room and weeping under the covers, was still vivid in his mind. After his parents'' disappearance, that fourteen-year-old boy stood by the bedroom window every day, watching the path home. Watching people come and go, watching parents hold their children''s hands, watching the smiles on their faces, watching the parents'' laughter playing with their children... The teenager silently observed all of this, envying, resenting, being jealous, yearning... and then continued to watch the end of that path. How many times he thought he saw those familiar two people returning hand in hand, hope flaring in his heart. But as many times hope was born, disappointment returned just as many times. The teenager''s parents often came home at night, so he slept during the day in class, and then stood by the bedroom window every night to keep watch. Standing there, guarding the road of return, until midnight, until dawn. He kept watch for four years. Then one day, when taking the comprehensive examination in the examination hall, the teenager saw questions about pioneers and the Wild Domain, read about the SR system, the emotions suppressed for four years suddenly made him break down, he lay down and never woke up again¡ª The one who woke up was Xiang Beifei, who had transmigrated. "You really want to find them, don''t you?" Xiang Beifei silently asked himself. The teenager who had been watching might no longer be able to hear him speak¡ªor perhaps he had already become that watching teenager. Xiang Beifei didn''t know. All he knew was that he needed to do something. A strange feeling. Even though he had no real interaction, there were countless ties that bound them. If only Xiang Tianxing and his wife had made the right choice just once, remembered they had an underage child at home, remembered there was an elderly father waiting for them, chosen to return home, to retreat from their adventures like Kong Daming and his wife did, to go back and take care of their own child and the aging father... Just one right choice. Perhaps there would not be the current transmigrated Xiang Beifei. "If I have the ability in the future, I should investigate this matter," Xiang Beifei thought. Since he had become that watching teenager, he needed to fulfill some wishes. Chapter 90 Kept Secret After the banquet, Xiang Qingde insisted on cleaning up the bowls and dishes, saying that if he was to work here, then he should start now. Chen Xiuqin had no choice but to clean up with him. Xiang Beifei also lent a hand on the side, and, taking advantage of a moment when no one was around, he asked the slightly intoxicated Kong Daming. "Uncle Kong, I heard that you were once a pioneer as well. Can you tell me about my parents?" Xiang Beifei inquired. Kong Daming''s face was flushed with a rosy glow because his own son had achieved satisfactory results, and he was very happy. He didn''t think too much about it and replied, "Your parents, ah, they were two remarkable individuals! They were much stronger than Xiuqin and me, with strong comprehensive abilities, top-notch in every aspect, they were the true elites among pioneers." "If they really were elites, they should have been able to come home to take care of their child whenever, just like Uncle Kong," Xiang Beifei said. Hearing Xiang Beifei''s words, Kong Daming stretched out his broad palm and patted Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, consoling him, "Being a pioneer is naturally accompanied by constant danger. Those in this line of work all understand this; no one knows whether they will see the sun tomorrow, but everyone strives their best." "Then why don''t you continue being a pioneer, Uncle Kong?" Kong Daming said, "I was injured on a mission once, and it had a big impact on me, so I retired." "Was it related to my dad?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Uh, that..." Kong Daming hesitated. "What place is the Northern District of the Essential Domain?" Xiang Beifei then asked. Kong Daming was startled by the question, sobering up significantly. He looked at Xiang Beifei with a mix of alarm and suspicion, asking, "Why are you suddenly asking about this?" "I''m of age now, and I''ll try to find some answers," Xiang Beifei said. Kong Daming asked in surprise, "Who have you been talking to about this?" "I''m their son; they left a lot of things behind, and there are always some clues around the house," Xiang Beifei said. Kong Daming murmured to himself, "You''ve actually managed to find out about this..." After a long pause, he continued uneasily, "I can''t disclose this matter." "Why? I''ve come of age; I should be able to learn about the things I need to know," Xiang Beifei paused, then continued, "to understand my own parents." Kong Daming sighed, "It''s not that I don''t want to tell you, but I''m under confidentiality. Your academic studies are very good, so you should understand that the system has restraints. If I chose to retire, then my work must be kept secret." Xiang Beifei vaguely understood. Being a pioneer is a noble profession; thus, within this profession, there must be Awakeners with formidable abilities. Kong Daming was an S-level Awakener. If there were some SR-level individuals compelling him to maintain secrecy, then he would have no choice but to keep silent. Xiang Beifei didn''t ask any further. He understood the system better than anyone else, and if Kong Daming couldn''t say it, there was no point in continuing to ask. "Thank you for the hospitality tonight, Uncle Kong. I''ll entrust Grandpa to Uncle Kong''s care from now on," Xiang Beifei said politely. "Of course... but you..." Kong Daming still had some worries about Xiang Beifei. "Don''t worry, Uncle Kong, I won''t recklessly go looking for them without the strength," Xiang Beifei said. Kong Daming was taken aback, and couldn''t help but size up Xiang Beifei. The boy seemed to have grown a lot, even to the point where he was incomprehensible to him. Compared to the child from four years ago, he had undergone an earth-shattering transformation. Was he really Xiang Tianxing''s son? His character was composed, unruffled. Could it be the result of awakening a System talent? Kong Daming could only attribute Xiang Beifei''s changes to this reason: many people become different after awakening their systems, perhaps aided by the system itself. Maybe this child was the same. Could he really have just awakened an N-tier system? Now, Kong Daming was not so sure. ¡ª¡ª The college application process was next week, and Xiang Beifei had already determined his target, so he did not need to worry about selecting a school. In the two days after the results came out, he continued to practice his cultivation. Xiang Qingde was persuaded by Kong Daming to work at the restaurant, finally not needing to wake up at four or five in the morning anymore. The restaurant work didn''t start that early, he could go after nine in the morning. Of course, Kong Daming would not let the old man do any heavy labor; instead, he let the old man wander around the restaurant, ostensibly as a sitting manager, responsible for supervising the staff and handling some matters. But Xiang Qingde took any job seriously. Kong Daming paid him a good wage, and he believed he needed to earn this pay, not wanting to live on charity, so he would personally take on even minor tasks like mopping the floor. Even so, Xiang Qingde''s job at the restaurant was much easier than selling vegetables. He no longer had to endure the market supervisor Ma Dongqiang''s oppressive presence or put up with some people''s attitudes. Since Kong Daming, the owner and head chef, had given the word, none of the restaurant staff dared to disrespect the old man. They all treated him with the utmost reverence. With Grandpa having switched to an easier job, Xiang Beifei felt more at ease. When it was time for him to go to university and not be at home, with Kong Daming''s help to look after things, he wouldn''t have to worry too much. However, the calm days did not last long; Yu Lei still managed to push Xiang Beifei''s story to the top of the trending searches. It was Kong Xiuwen who first discovered it online, specially sending him a post to look at. "The tale behind a 732-point student from the slums who declined an elite university is unexpectedly heartbreaking" Yu Lei posted the article on his social media account, which stated: ¡ª¡ª The college entrance exam results have been released, eliciting mixed feelings of joy and sorrow. According to the Jiuzhou Education Alliance, out of over five million candidates this year, a total of 121 scored above 700 points. Among these individuals, one candidate''s score is notably unique. His name is Xiang Beifei, who scored 732 points. This score might seem insignificant compared to Jiuzhou''s top scorer Xia Hongtao''s 761 points. After all, there are 74 other candidates with scores higher than 732. But if we say that 732 points was Xiang Beifei''s raw score, it becomes extraordinary. Even Jiuzhou''s top scorer Xia Hongtao only had a raw score of 711. His elevation to top rank came with an S-tier system bonus of 50 points. As for Xiang Beifei, he scored 732 points as an N-tier Awakener without any bonus points, making him first in raw score. It''s hard to imagine that this year''s highest raw scorer in academic subjects is an N-tier Awakener. When I went to interview Xiang Beifei, the sky was overcast, mirroring the heavy mood of that young man. Entering a dirty and narrow alley, I was faced with a stinking pile of garbage. This alleyway has not been cleaned all year, with trash haphazardly dumped, flies buzzing everywhere, and living conditions severe. (Accompanied by a photo of the garbage heap) Opposite this garbage heap stood a residential building with peeling, slightly cracked walls and a jumble of electrical wires. A gray, oppressive sky loomed over the building, enveloping it with an indescribable sense of oppression. I was shocked to find that the candidate with the highest raw score lived in such filthy and chaotic conditions. Chapter 91 Starting with Two Maps I rang the doorbell, and it was Xiang Beifei who answered the door. His awkward eyes were filled with confusion, but after I explained my purpose, he hurriedly welcomed me into the house. The room was dimly lit, and I could smell a strong scent of medicine, accompanied by the heavy coughing of an elderly man. Upon asking, I learned that Xiang Beifei was preparing medicine for his grandfather, who suffered from severe chronic asthma. His condition had flared up in recent days, causing intense coughing fits. I asked him why he hadn''t gone to the hospital? He replied, "We don''t have the money." Upon hearing this, my heart felt heavy. In this day and age of rapidly advancing technology, asthma has long been conquered, and yet some people still suffer from it due to poverty. It turns out a speck of dust in the era of systems is a mountain on the shoulders of a level N Awakener. The room was very cramped, with several big, bulging sacks piled up in a corner. After entering, the room felt even more crowded, leaving hardly any space to move around. (Insert image of overcrowding) Xiang Beifei apologetically brought me a chair. I asked if I could interview him, and he was shy in front of the camera, stating he didn''t want his face to be shown. I respected his choice and didn''t post his photograph. During our conversation, I learned that his parents had died when he was very young, and he had been living with his grandfather ever since. His grandfather supported his schooling by collecting recyclables. Only then did I realize that the sacks in the corner were filled with plastic bottles. I asked him what his plans for the future were, given his high test scores? He said he planned to attend an ordinary university and then earn money to treat his grandfather''s illness. "What about Liangzhou University? It''s the only one of the nine elite universities that recruits level N students. Won''t you give it a try?" I asked further. He shook his head, saying he wouldn''t go. A vocational college had already contacted him. If he could attend, he would be exempt from tuition fees and also receive a subsidy. He wanted to use that money for his grandfather''s medical treatment. Attending Liangzhou University was almost an impossibility for a level N candidate, and even if admitted, the expenses would be enormous, which he couldn''t afford. I sighed inwardly. The child was very sensible. Reality was very cruel. I couldn''t help but wonder, what''s wrong with our Jiuzhou Alliance? Why has a high-scoring student fallen to such a state? Why don''t the nine elite universities recruit level N students, forcing a bright and high-scoring student to opt for a vocational college? A vocational student with 732 points must be the most ironic thing in this era of systems. When every one of us lives with the help of the system, everything seems to be taken for granted. But as the era of systems hastily marches forward, who really has the time to stop and consider these issues? If this had happened to me, I probably would have handled it worse than him. I also asked about his aspirations for the future, and he told me he wanted to become a doctor and cure his grandfather''s illness. His simple wish was inexplicably heart-wrenching. Before leaving, I told him I knew a specialist at a hospital and would recommend him for his grandfather''s treatment. He hesitated, so I made it clear that it was free, the specialist would help for free. Only then did a relieved smile spread across the child''s young face. That smile lit up the dim room and rekindled hope in the family. I distinctly saw the future in Xiang Beifei''s eyes, bright and dazzling. It was his tomorrow. When his grandfather heard about this, he made an effort to get up from the bed despite his illness to thank me profusely. I quickly waved my hands and said, "No need, no need, I''m just doing what I can." Seeing the excited grandfather and grandson, I felt terribly uncomfortable. All I could do was to help cover their medical costs. The grateful pair saw me to the door, and in the moment before it closed, I couldn''t hold back anymore and tears fell from my eyes. I am not a level N Awakener, but at that moment, I felt no different from one. May all the kind people in the world be treated with gentleness. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei read the article with astonishment. Sincere and touching, it resonated deeply! The article was grounded, with every word striking a chord! If he weren''t the person involved, he might have believed it himself! Yu Lei was very skilled at writing such pieces, adept at using pitiful tales to garner sympathy, casting Xiang Beifei and his grandfather as if they were nearly too poor to eat. Not one of the incidents mentioned in the article was true¡ªthey were all fabrications by Yu Lei. To be clear, Xiang Qingde took life seriously, and though he lived in poverty, he kept the home tidy and clean, and was in good health. The garbage piles in the street outside simply didn''t exist; the street cleaners came to clean up on time every day. On the day Yu Lei came, Xiang Beifei didn''t even go out to meet him, not exchanging a single word with him. However, the article portrayed him as a youth with "eyes filled with hope." Start with two pictures, and the rest was pure fabrications. And the pictures were forged! The guy crafted them with finesse, depicting Xiang Beifei as a green youth struggling to survive in the cracks of life, Xiang Qingde as an elderly man confined to his bed, and himself, Yu Lei, as a conscience-driven media person with a sense of justice and responsibility who dared to expose unfairness! Once the article was published on various media platforms, it instantly caused a sensation. Many people kept sharing it, bombarding friends and family group chats, with parents using the story to lecture their underachieving children, expressing sentiments like "the other family''s child," followed by a smiling emoticon. As more people saw it, the discussions grew, and in just half a day''s time, it unexpectedly shot into the top ten trending searches. By doing so, the task set by Yu Lei''s system was sure to be completed. "I really underestimated this guy." Xiang Beifei hadn''t expected Yu Lei to spread rumors so blatantly, to gain attention, increase traffic, and complete his system task. The most astonishing part was the people commenting under Yu Lei''s article, all expressing pity for Xiang Beifei; then, there were those inquiring about his contact details through Yu Lei, saying they wanted to visit, donate money to Xiang Beifei, and offer a helping hand. Then, even more shameless¡ª Yu Lei left a donation account number, claiming he would pass on the contributions. There were probably heaps of donors. And that money was likely to end up entirely in Yu Lei''s own pockets. ¡ª¡ª "Xiang Beifei, whom did you give an interview to?" Kong Xiuwen made a special trip to Xiang Beifei''s house to ask. "I didn''t, this article, not even the punctuation can be trusted, nothing in it is true," said Xiang Beifei. Frowning, Kong Xiuwen said, "I knew it, it''s complete nonsense! Look, he''s released another video, an interview about Teacher Yang Hua!" Kong Xiuwen played the video on his phone, and on the screen, Yang Hua was enthusiastically saying: "Yes, Xiang Beifei, this student, I had high hopes for him from the start! His academic performance wasn''t great in the beginning, but I always encouraged him, told him not to get discouraged, helped him identify and fill in his gaps, and he improved rapidly. You could say, the high scores he achieved today are the result of our joint efforts..." This was shot a few days ago after the results came out, with Teacher Yang Hua elevating himself to a very high pedestal in front of the camera. "How can he have the face to say that!" Kong Xiuwen rolled his eyes. "Let him talk," Xiang Beifei said. He turned to look at Xiaohei, who was playing with a red pill. That was Yang Hua''s Qi and Blood Pill. Chapter 92 Yu Leis Plan There are many educators who truly consider the students'' interests, and Principal Li Nanxing is a prime example. He doesn''t take credit for others'' work, nor does he attribute Xiang Beifei''s achievements to himself. On the contrary, he generously admits his misjudgment and conducts himself with openness. His "Confucian Saint System" gains prestige through genuinely cultivating students, and Xiang Beifei greatly respects such a teacher and senior. He wishes for more educators like Principal Li Nanxing in the world, so that more students can benefit. If he could help Principal Li Nanxing gain more prestige, Xiang Beifei would be happy to do so. The teachers of Xiang Beifei''s other subjects are also acceptable; they don''t intentionally trouble the students or belittle and mock them. However, in any profession, there will always be some rotten apples like Yang Hua. But this doesn''t matter, for the kind are always treated with kindness, and the deceivers are always abandoned. Xiang Beifei understands this principle. Kong Xiuwen on the side felt indignant for Xiang Beifei, saying irritably, "Those two guys, even my dad can''t hoodwink people better than them." "What did your dad hoodwink you with?" "Before the last Awakening Ceremony, my dad gave me two pills and said that eating one would give me a fifty percent chance of awakening an SR system, and two would guarantee it. I actually believed him! Only today, during his conversation with Grandpa Xiang, did I realize he was joking with me, just to keep my mind clear during the Awakening Ceremony." At the time, Kong Xiuwen had even thought about giving one of the pills to Xiang Beifei. "You''re just realizing this now?" Xiang Beifei laughed. He remembered this incident clearly. After all, Kong Daming was an S-rank pioneer and certainly knew better what the Awakening System was all about¡ªpills were useless. "Speaking of my grandfather," Xiang Beifei glanced at the report and fell into thought. ---- Yang Hua was about to go insane! He had painstakingly saved up 150,000 teachers'' prestige value and exchanged it for a Qi and Blood Pill, only to have it vanish into thin air! Just like the last Soul Condensing Pill! "How could this happen?" Yang Hua thought about it for two days and still could not figure it out! He kept asking the system if there was a glitch, but the system''s response was consistent from start to end¡ª"System reward issued." Through his students'' college entrance examination scores, he had finally saved up enough teacher prestige value, only for such bizarre incidents to happen twice in a row! "No, it can''t be a problem with my system. It''s very likely that someone has tampered with it behind my back!" After calming down, Yang Hua began to recall the entire incident. He wasn''t like Zhuo Jing, someone who had just awakened their system and wasn''t familiar with it, someone who wouldn''t think too much if something went missing. He had been an awakened system user for over a decade! There were common elements¡ªor rather, common people¡ªinvolved in both cases where the system rewards disappeared without a trace. He played with his phone in frustration, and at that moment, an article on the phone caught his attention¡ª "732-point Candidate from the Slums Forsakes Elite University, The Heartbreaking Truth Behind It" He casually clicked on the article and read about Xiang Beifei. A flash of insight crossed his mind! "So it was you!" Yang Hua suddenly understood who was most likely taking his rewards! "Yu Lei!" Yang Hua said through gritted teeth. He clearly remembered that it was the day the senior students were preparing for the Awakening Ceremony when he exchanged for the Soul Condensing Pill! That morning, he had been interviewed by Yu Lei, who was there to report on the news! Afterwards, the Soul Condensing Pills disappeared. Then, when the college entrance examination results were announced, he was ready to exchange for a Qi and Blood Pill, but that guy Yu Lei appeared again! He interviewed him once more! After the interview, he went to exchange for the Qi and Blood Pill, and it disappeared again! "You bastard! So the interviews were just a ruse to mess with me and steal my system rewards using some trick?" Anger flashed in Yang Hua''s eyes! The more he thought about it, the more he believed he was correct. Apart from Yu Lei, nobody else had the capability! Because none of the other students in the class, whom he often scolded, had ever encountered such incidents before. What''s more, when the Soul Condensing Pills went missing, none of the students had awakened their systems, so it couldn''t have been one of his own students. But it just so happened that Yu Lei was the one who interviewed him both times! Could there be something fishy about that interview microphone? Damn it! ---- In the elegant coffee shop, soft lighting bathed Yu Lei in a peaceful glow. Yu Lei was leisurely sitting back, sipping coffee and reading an article on his computer. The interview article had firmly hit the hot search lists of three platforms, reaching the tenth position in popularity. Just reaching the top twenty in hot searches on one platform was enough to complete a system task and add 1000 points to his system value. The hyped article hitting the hot search listing on three platforms was equivalent to completing three system tasks. Since the tasks were cumulative, it meant an addition of 3000 points to his system value. "At this rate, reaching the number one spot on the hot search list is completely attainable!" Yu Lei put down his coffee cup, increasingly excited. His system was named "I Want to Make Headlines," and if he could get to the top of the hot search list and become the leading story, it would be more than just completing a task¡ªit would add at least ten thousand system points! "I knew it, many people love this type of news!" Yu Lei typed away proudly, then turned to look out the window. Across from the coffee shop was a restaurant named "Kong''s Mansion Banquet," where an elderly man could be seen bustling about, attending to customers. That was Xiang Qingde, the bedridden old man from his article. Yu Lei knew exactly what he had to do next. Now that the article was out, many people were aware of the story of the Xiang grandfather and grandson. Quite a few sympathized with them, leaving messages saying they wanted to visit. If those busybodies were to come, it would mean that the content of his article would be exposed. Yu Lei couldn''t let those people discover the truth. Having fabricated the news, he naturally had to make it seem even more plausible! So, the next step was naturally to take action against Xiang Qingde and Xiang Beifei! He looked at his system interface; hitting the hot search list on three platforms was equivalent to completing three system tasks. Each completion granted him a choice of two system rewards. Stealth Talisman, Truth-Telling Talisman, Control Talisman, Memory Talisman¡ªchoose any two. "You grandfather and grandson had better cooperate obediently with my performance." Yu Lei chuckled to himself. He had already planned it out: first, use the Control Talisman to make Xiang Qingde and Xiang Beifei obey his every command. Then he''d use the Memory Talisman to alter their memories, making them believe they were the two individuals from his article, living off picking through trash, with a chaotic home life, and having them refuse interviews from other media. Finally, he would arrange for Xiang Beifei to enroll in a vocational college that he had already contacted! Chapter 93 Hype Yu Lei had to force Xiang Beifei to apply for a specialized college¡ªonly then could he stir up a sensation again. He needed to control Xiang Qingde and his grandson to act in a way that conformed to his article, thereby strengthening its persuasive power and also to avoid being arrested by law enforcement for spreading rumors. As for whether elite universities would actually make an exception to admit Xiang Beifei because of his article, he wouldn''t be at a loss. If they made an exception, that would be best. If the nine elite universities changed their system because of his article toward Xiang Beifei, everyone would remember "Yu Lei," the media person "with responsibility, attitude, and justice." His reputation would be made, his influence would grow, and he could aggressively harvest marketing traffic! If the elite universities did not respond, then as the matter fermented further, netizens would direct their anger toward the nine elite universities, flooding their official accounts with posts, and then they would demand Yu Lei to represent them. As long as he continued to defend Xiang Beifei daily on media platforms, vehemently criticizing the elite universities, he would surely garner immense support from countless netizens! Yu Lei was preparing for the second scenario. He knew that netizens loved to defend the underdog. If elite universities yielded, the heat would fade in a couple of days. But the longer the elite universities held out, the longer the hype would last, the more attention he would receive, and the more system tasks he could complete. Being on the headlines would not only boost his fame but also attract massive traffic to his media account; with his popularity at its peak, advertisers would be eager to place ads on his account. To achieve this, Yu Lei had to firmly control Xiang Beifei and his grandfather, puppeteering them at his will! Only he could decide where Xiang Beifei could go to school! In order to extract more benefits from Xiang Beifei, the top "N-grade novice" scholar, even if elite universities were pressured by public opinion to accept him, he would force Xiang Beifei to refuse the invitation! Thus, he must subdue Xiang Qingde and his grandson today, turning them into his puppets with a control talisman. Yu Lei was adept at this kind of manipulation, relying on the system''s help. He had fabricated countless pieces of news, and to headline and complete system tasks, he was prepared to be utterly unscrupulous. ---- Xiang Qingde was still working at the restaurant, so Yu Lei couldn''t act immediately. To avoid attracting attention, he had to wait for a moment when no one was around, so he began browsing online posts right away. The number of online posts had been increasing, evolving just as he had anticipated over the past few days. Yesterday, he posted a Weibo, tagging the nine elite universities, reaching six million views, garnering thirty thousand reposts, twenty thousand comments, and sixty thousand likes. Such popularity was incredibly high! At this moment, Liangzhou University, the only one admitting "N-grade Awakeners," spoke out on their media platform: "We welcome any student to apply to Liangzhou University, and the school treats all students equally. However, the reason why we have an additional assessment for N-grade students is to ensure that their system capabilities can keep up with the intense curriculum of the school. This is a mandatory rule." Yu Lei seized the opportunity and immediately posted a Weibo: "This so-called equality is laughable! We all live in the Jiuzhou Union, so why discriminate against N-grade students? Just like anyone else, N-grade Awakeners can also contribute to the Union!" This post instantly resonated with countless N-grade Awakeners. N-grade Awakeners are the most common and most looked-down upon in this world. Finally, someone spoke up for them, and they saw a glimmer of hope. Countless N-grade Awakeners flocked to the official account of Liangzhou University, beginning to flood it with "N-grade Awakeners can also contribute to the Union!" All kinds of insults and private messages overwhelmed Liangzhou University''s official account, pushing it into the eye of the storm, forcing the institution to shut down comments and private messaging. This further enraged the netizens, so they turned to posting on Yu Lei''s account instead. The readership of Yu Lei''s fabricated articles moved up a notch, and his headline value was skyrocketing! "That''s right, just follow my lead and charge." Yu Lei was feeling very proud, as he could easily lead everyone by the nose with just one fabricated article, while he browsed through his own comment section. "Yu Lei is a conscientious media person!" "Nowadays, there are few who speak out for us N-level Awakeners." "Support Yu Lei, eliminate discrimination against N-level Awakeners!" ... Countless N-level Awakeners gathered in Yu Lei''s comment section, treating him as the vanguard for their rights. "Hehe, you bunch of N-level fools, really think I''m voicing for you?" Yu Lei smirked as he looked at his system interface. The news had successfully reached fourth place on the trending search list, reward: +5000 headline value. Everyone in the world acts with their own interests in mind. He wasn''t really speaking for the N-level Awakeners; he was doing it for his system tasks! "Ha! These N-level trash aren''t completely useless after all!" Yu Lei''s eyes lit up! 5000 headline value, that was a big gain! Just then, a comment from a netizen caught his attention: "I think it would be more reliable to have Xiang Beifei, the top N-level scorer, speak out. Does he have a personal Weibo account?" "Right! Nothing works better than the person involved speaking out!" Many echoed this sentiment, preparing to seek out Xiang Beifei''s Weibo account and have him represent the N-level System Awakeners. Yu Lei frowned. He wasn''t sure if Xiang Beifei used Weibo, but as a marketing account, he quickly saw a bigger opportunity for sensationalism in this situation! In his view, Xiang Beifei indeed needed an account! And this account had to be under his, Yu Lei''s, control. With just one status update to drive traffic, he could make "Xiang Beifei''s" personal account''s followers skyrocket! Later, by hyping up both accounts and leading these N-level Awakeners, using them as pawns, wouldn''t his system tasks be completed more effortlessly? "No time to delay, today I must get Xiang Beifei and his grandfather under control, then use Xiang Beifei to register an account." Yu Lei couldn''t let the real Xiang Beifei have his say; given his attitude that day, it was clear he was unwilling to cooperate. If the real Xiang Beifei came forward to speak, denying the interview Yu Lei had fabricated, that would spell trouble. Fortunately, he knew Xiang Beifei was just a high school student. Even if he had an account, it likely wouldn''t draw much attention. Even if Xiang Beifei issued a denial today, it wouldn''t get many reads, as no one would know if it were true or false. Just by controlling that kid today, how the situation would develop from there would still be up to him, wouldn''t it? Chapter 94 The Disappearing Control Talisman It was already past ten in the evening, and the restaurant was getting less crowded. Kong Daming had earlier urged Xiang Qingde to head home early, but Xiang Qingde disagreed, insisting on waiting until after work to leave. "Then I''ll take you home, it''s quite late," Kong Daming said. "No need, it''s only a ten-minute walk. How could I possibly get lost? You go ahead and close up, I''ve got a flashlight." Xiang Qingde put on his coat, waved at Kong Daming to reassure him, and then left the restaurant. "Be careful." Kong Daming thought about the old man''s robust health; a ten-minute walk at night should pose no problem, so he didn''t think much more about it. Yu Lei, who had been sitting in the cafe? all afternoon, noticed Xiang Qingde leaving the restaurant. He quickly packed up his laptop and followed him. In his view, among the grandson and grandfather, Xiang Qingde was the tougher one to deal with; after all, he had been an Awakener for decades, definitely more challenging than Xiang Beifei, who had only awakened two months ago. Xiang Beifei was merely an N-level Awakener, having just awakened for two months, not even at the Qi-Controlling stage. Wouldn''t it be effortless to subdue him once Xiang Qingde was under control? He planned to attack Xiang Qingde first in a dark corner, using a control talisman to subdue him, then follow him home to take control of Xiang Beifei and capture both grandfather and grandson. To fabricate the situation described in his article, he even prepared in advance the medicinal pot and the bag for collecting recyclables, ready to mess up their home, making it look exactly as described in his story. "Then, I''ll register an account overnight, take a photo with them, generate some traffic, then make the old man quit his job and keep him from contacting other media, making him obediently my puppet!" Yu Lei had thought through the subsequent steps; he intended to use the grandfather and grandson as tools for making money! By half-past ten, there weren''t many pedestrians on the street; Xiang Qingde was walking home with his flashlight. He turned into a street without streetlights, pitch-dark, with the lights from residential buildings failing to reach this side. However, Xiang Qingde was used to it and turned on his flashlight to light up the path ahead. But he didn''t notice at all that a figure was stealthily closing in on him from behind. Yu Lei was a practitioner of the literary Dao, but as an R-level System Awakener who had groped his way through the journalism industry for many years for the convenience of secretly taking photos, he had developed agile movements, with skills reaching the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling. He had scoped out the area during the day; this part of the street had no surveillance. Xiang Qingde was just an ordinary N-level Awakener, not particularly high in skills; he had to make his move on this stretch. Yu Lei had completed three system tasks, with the reward being a choice of two out of four, meaning he could select six rewards in total. He had already chosen to exchange for three memory talismans and three control talismans, which, compared to the truth-telling talismans and stealth talismans, were more useful. "Old fool, just be my puppet!" Yu Lei gripped a control talisman, then stretched his hand toward Xiang Qingde''s back. However, just as his hand was about to touch Xiang Qingde, Yu Lei suddenly felt something was off. It was as if a sinister breeze had blown past, and his just-exchanged control talisman had disappeared! "How could this be?" Yu Lei''s face changed, and he quickly withdrew his hand and dodged to the side. This incident was unexpected; without the control talisman, directly touching Xiang Qingde would be practically the same as greeting him! "Where''s my control talisman?" Yu Lei stopped next to a tree, looking at his system interface in amazement. He had never encountered anything like this before! Not only that, but the three Memory Talismans and two control talismans he had already claimed had also disappeared! In the dead of night, it was like seeing a ghost! Yu Lei searched for his system rewards. He had redeemed this reward ten minutes ago, and it was still there just now. Why did it disappear all of a sudden the moment he made his move? But by this time, Xiang Qingde had already walked far away. He hadn''t been disturbed by Yu Lei, so he continued walking forward, quickly turning around the street corner and disappearing. "Damn it!" Yu Lei gritted his teeth, his system was acting up for some unknown reason, mysteriously making his rewards disappear, but he knew now was not the time to fret about the system glitching, but to deal with Xiang Qingde. With the advanced network technology, finding a person wasn''t too difficult. Maybe as soon as tomorrow, someone could find Luhe High School and ask the school''s teachers about Xiang Beifei''s address. If they were to find out that situation at Xiang Qingde''s home was different from what his article described, he would be in loads of trouble! "I can''t wait any longer!" Yu Lei decided to deal with Xiang Qingde first and then consider the issue of the missing system reward. He immediately spent 1000 headline points and redeemed another control talisman! Besides being a mission completion reward, the control talisman could also be exchanged in the shop using system points. He had only refrained from exchanging it last time because he was worried that the news wouldn''t make it to the trending searches, wasting system points. But now, that article had garnered a massive readership, earning him far more than 1000 headline points! Yu Lei, holding the control talisman, continued to pursue Xiang Qingde. However, he hadn''t traveled far when suddenly a furious gust of punches erupted from the side! Bang! The fist wind created a spark in the air, the exploding flames roaring loudly, and with incredible swiftness, it smashed towards Yu Lei''s face. Yu Lei was startled by the abrupt fist wind and didn''t react in time. With a "thud," he was directly struck in the bridge of his nose, the tremendous impact sending him flying. "Ah!" He let out a scream, his body hitting the wall like a sandbag. Yu Lei was merely a practitioner of the literary Dao, not very adept at fighting. Caught unguarded, he took a solid punch to the nose, breaking it and immediately causing blood to flow. "Damn, who ambushed me!" But, being a mid-stage Qi-Controlling Awakener, he was used to dealing with stealthy situations and reacted very quickly. After his nose was broken, he quickly snapped back to his senses, a grey light flashed over his body, and he transformed into black smoke, disappearing from beneath the attacker''s fist. Stealth Talisman! He had plenty of such items on him, capable of melding himself with the darkness, transforming into black smoke, escaping, and enabling him to remain invisible in various corners. This was an essential skill for paparazzi and also his most proficient ability. "Who are you!" Yu Lei, hidden in the darkness, glared angrily at the person who had suddenly attacked him. The person was dressed in black and also wore a hat, standing in the darkness just like him. It was impossible to see the attacker''s face clearly, but Yu Lei felt an immense pressure! The opponent''s fist wind was too domineering, something he couldn''t resist! Chapter 95 Not So Particular The one who made a move was Xiang Beifei. But he would not explain to Yu Lei. Yu Lei was, after all, in the middle stage of Qi-Controlling, the same realm as himself. Even if Yu Lei was not good at fighting, Xiang Beifei would not underestimate him. Without saying another word, he rushed at Yu Lei again. Although Yu Lei had a Stealth Talisman and had hidden his body, invisible in the dark, to Xiang Beifei it made no difference whether he was concealed or not; the system interface sparkled, serving as a guiding light. Boom! A fist wind smashed down toward the place where Yu Lei was hiding, and Yu Lei was terrified! "How could you..." Yu Lei did not understand how his position had been exposed. Although not skilled in combat, he was very good at concealing himself, always able to follow others without being discovered. But somehow, the guy in the darkness had accurately found him. However, the current scene did not allow Yu Lei to think too much. He surged forward again, and at the same time, a dagger for self-defense appeared in his hand and he stabbed at Xiang Beifei. Even though he was a practitioner of the literary Dao, in this system world, he still learned some abilities to protect himself with the help of the system. The dagger was very sharp, easily picking locks and getting past doors¡ªit was naturally more than enough for stabbing people. In the cover of darkness, the dagger silently moved towards Xiang Beifei''s chest. Xiang Beifei controlled the breath soil, which interweaved in his hands to form a small shield, blocking the dagger and knocking it out of the way. "Damn it!" Yu Lei took a step back angrily, then bitterly said, "You think knocking my dagger away is the end of it?" With a thought, the dagger that was knocked away traced an arc in the air, making a devious curve, and stabbed at Xiang Beifei''s back. "Die!" Yu Lei shouted furiously. However, as the dagger flew through the air, it suddenly seemed to have been forcibly pulled by something, halting so abruptly it could not advance another inch! Abruptly Stop! Using this ability, Xiang Beifei froze Yu Lei''s dagger in place, then dashed forward, landing a punch on Yu Lei''s face. Yu Lei did not dodge this time and was smashed against the wall. But before he could get up, gigantic fists pummeled down on him like hail, striking him all over. Bang! Bang! Bang! In just an instant, Yu Lei was beaten to a bloody pulp, screaming miserably. Then his eyes rolled back, and he fainted. Both were in the middle stage of Qi-Controlling, yet Yu Lei stood no chance against Xiang Beifei! ---- Ever since Yu Lei''s article hit the trending searches, Xiang Beifei had anticipated that this guy would definitely come for them. He had previously seen his system task and knew that Yu Lei had a control talisman; since he succeeded in getting the article trending, for the sake of damage control, Yu Lei would certainly try to control both the grandfather and the grandson. So from the afternoon, Xiang Beifei had been waiting not far from the restaurant, watching over Grandpa in the diner, and after Grandpa finished work, he followed behind. Sure enough, as expected, Yu Lei was prepared to control Xiang Qingde from behind. "Some people are not for you to touch!" Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at Yu Lei, who had been knocked unconscious. Bang! He smashed another punch down. This punch was struck for Grandpa. Daring to have designs on his Grandpa, Xiang Beifei would show no mercy; he was not in the mood to reason with the opponent. Beat him up first, then talk! ``` Bang! He raised his hand and punched Yu Lei in the face again. This punch was to knock him out completely, ensuring that he wasn''t feigning unconsciousness. After Lai Wuying had pretended to be defeated and then suddenly launched a vicious attack that nearly killed Lu Hong, Xiang Beifei realized that such matters required decisive action! "Using my name to set up a personal account and collaborating with you to sensationalize it? You''re quite the cunning one," he said. Xiang Beifei looked at Yu Lei''s system tasks, where the other''s plans were laid out on the system interface for all to see, including the completion conditions and rewards for each step, all crystal clear. The more Xiang Beifei looked at these system tasks, the deeper his frown became. This guy was so shameless for the sake of making headlines, even planning on controlling his grandfather like a puppet, which was something Xiang Beifei absolutely couldn''t tolerate. Originally, when Xiang Beifei saw the fabricated article, he thought he could also create an account to clear the air, exposing Yu Lei''s conspiracy and turning netizens against him instead. But after some thought, Xiang Beifei realized he might not be able to outsmart Yu Lei with just a simple online clarification. Yu Lei was a seasoned media professional with a deeper understanding of the internet than him. So Xiang Beifei decided to take a more straightforward approach. His time was precious, and he had no interest in a battle of wits with someone like Yu Lei; a direct confrontation would suffice. Xiang Beifei then took out the control talisman in his hand. Elixirs produced by other people''s systems that could directly advance one''s cultivation were ineffective on Xiang Beifei, but the effects of a control talisman could still be employed. However, this was a Qi-Controlling mid-stage system item, belonging to the things condensed by Yu Lei''s system. If Xiang Beifei used it directly, it would be difficult to control Yu Lei because Yu Lei''s "Headline System" would protect him. Xiaohei had told him that to make the control talisman effective on Yu Lei without being rejected by Yu Lei''s system, he must first knock Yu Lei out. When he was unconscious, that was when his will was at its weakest, and the control talisman could take effect. "Now it''s time for us to settle accounts," Xiang Beifei declared. Xiang Beifei affixed the control talisman to Yu Lei''s neck; following Xiaohei''s taught method, he infused his Spiritual Power into the talisman. A flicker of light flashed across the control talisman before sinking into Yu Lei''s body and disappearing. Yu Lei soon opened his eyes, his gaze blank, seemingly unaware of where he was. Yu Lei probably never imagined that one day his system items would be used on himself by someone else. "Who are you?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "Yu Lei," he replied. "How many times have you fabricated fake news?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Over a hundred times, I guess; I never counted," Yu Lei responded honestly. "You know what the consequences are for creating fake news, right?" Xiang Beifei asked. "I know." "Have you ever caused anyone''s death with your fake news?" "Yes, I''ve caused the deaths of nine. Three committed suicide after I fabricated stories that resulted in their job loss and they couldn''t bear the accusations from those around them. And there was one person I killed to make up a story..." Yu Lei confessed to all the people he had indirectly or directly caused the death of in order to create fake news. "So, if you''d managed to control the grandfather and grandson pair of the Original Division''s top scholars, what was your endgame for them?" Xiang Beifei continued. "When the hype around the Original Division''s top scholar was about to die down, I planned to control the old man to commit suicide. Then I''d fabricate an article titled ''Elder with Asthma Chooses Suicide to Avoid Burdening His Top-Scholar Grandson'' to sensationalize one last wave of attention," Yu Lei answered plainly. Bang! Xiang Beifei threw another punch. This punch wasn''t for anything in particular; when it''s time to hit, just hit. Nothing fancy. ``` Chapter 96 Confession If the top scorer''s grandfather really committed suicide due to "life''s pressure," the sensation it would cause would be incredible! All he would need to do is publish an obituary, describing in detail how he blamed himself, how he couldn''t better help the grandfather and grandson, then he would garner the sympathy of countless people! Yu Lei could even become a celebrity in the media industry because of this incident. And his system income would probably skyrocket, to the point where Xiang Beifei wouldn''t be surprised if Yu Lei reached the Meridian Opening Realm within a year by harvesting headline values from the system! "For the sake of system tasks, he really is unscrupulous." If Xiang Beifei hadn''t been cautious from the start, he and his grandfather would have been in a very dire situation after being controlled. The world of the system isn''t the same as Xiang Beifei''s previous world; they possess powerful system abilities, and their methods are simple yet effective. Should greed take over, the things they''re capable of are truly terrifying! Xiang Beifei really wanted to kill this guy! However, after thinking it over, he gave up the idea. Currently, the article about the top scorer from the slums is spreading all over the internet, and Xiang Beifei hasn''t debunked it yet. If Yu Lei were killed, that guy would then be seen by his fans as having been murdered for speaking out of turn. Yu Lei might even be elevated to a higher status, like someone who died fighting for N-level Awakener rights, or someone who crossed paths with certain vested interests. They might even build monuments in his honor and regard him as a pioneer against N-level discrimination. That would be letting him off far too easily. Xiang Beifei needed to expose this guy''s true nature and ensure his utter disgrace! After pondering for a moment, he said, "Write a complete article about all the bad things you''ve done, the people you''ve killed, the rumors you''ve spread, how you fabricated news, your objectives, the methods you used, and any evidence you have¡ªeverything from start to finish." "Okay." Yu Lei turned to retrieve his backpack that had fallen to the ground, his computer still inside, but the computer was broken. But as someone with a news system, he was never short of tools for news reporting¡ªXiang Beifei simply had him use system points to exchange for a new laptop. This laptop, provided by the system and linked to Yu Lei himself, could quickly compose an article reflecting Yu Lei''s thoughts, an essential tool for writing news stories. And so, Yu Lei sat by the roadside, beginning to write his confession letter. Xiang Beifei stood by, watching him list all the evidence that could be investigated. The process took about an hour, and people passed by now and then. Xiang Beifei had to use a Stealth Talisman from Yu Lei''s system to conceal them both in the shadows, preventing them from being seen. Xiang Beifei took out his phone to check the news and inadvertently discovered that the fabricated article by Yu Lei had unwittingly topped the trending search list! He turned his head towards Yu Lei''s system interface. [You have successfully made the Xiang Beifei incident the top trending news on two media platforms, earning +20,000 headline values.] [For the first time your coverage of the Xiang Beifei incident has made the headlines on a media platform, extra rewards: Stealth Talisman x2; Truth-Telling Talisman x2; Memory Talisman x2; Control Talisman x2] [Current headline value: 156,988, exchangeable for one Qi-Raising Talisman.] Yu Lei was just a minor reporter, not a big shot, and climbing to the top of the hot search list on major media platforms was no easy feat, because in this world he wasn''t the only one with a system like "I Want to Make Headlines System." Many of his journalist peers who were Awakeners even had S-level related systems, superior to his. One could say, this incident was a golden opportunity for Yu Lei to turn his fortunes around! Only he picked the wrong person to mess with. Xiang Beifei didn''t hold back; after all, Yu Lei came to kill his own grandfather, so taking these items was fair game¡ªthe rewards were all accepted as listed. It was a bit regrettable that Yu Lei merely had mid-stage Qi-Controlling abilities, and the system items were also mid-stage Spiritual Qi Crystals, which couldn''t help Xiang Beifei light up any star positions. But that Qi-Raising Talisman was what Yu Lei planned to use to advance to the later stages of Qi-Controlling, an item from the later stage of the system worth 150,000 headline values, which he had exchanged for. "Go turn yourself in, tell the law enforcement officers all the bad things you''ve done, remember, you must find someone named Lu Hong! Hand over this confession to them and identify how you destroyed the evidence¡ªalso¡ª" Xiang Beifei slapped another Memory Talisman onto Yu Lei''s back: "You did not see me tonight; you decided to confess of your own accord due to a guilty conscience and restless sleep." That was the only excuse he could find. "Okay." Yu Lei''s eyes became vacant, as his memory was altered according to Xiang Beifei''s manipulation. "Wait." Xiang Beifei thought for a moment, then spoke again. Yu Lei looked at him, puzzled. Bang! Xiang Beifei threw another punch. He hadn''t fully vented his anger yet. This guy wanted to kill his own grandfather; it was already generous not to have beaten him to death with a single punch! "Wipe off the nosebleed." Yu Lei immediately did as he was told. Xiang Beifei hid in the shadows, making Yu Lei reveal himself; he had to watch Yu Lei go to the Law Enforcement Brigade personally. As for how the Law Enforcement Brigade would deal with Yu Lei, who came to confess without reason, Xiang Beifei wasn''t too worried. Uncle Lu would cover for him. ¡ª¡ª Lu Hong wasn''t scheduled for the night shift tonight; he was resting at home. His wife had taken their daughter back to her mother''s house, and he finally had a night of freedom. At this moment, he opened his phone''s news app and saw an article being pushed out, titled "A 732-point student from the slums forsakes elite university, the heartbreaking truth behind it." Lu Hong clicked in to read it and instantly became alert. "Is it Beifei?" A couple of days ago, after the college entrance exam results were released, Lu Zhiwei told Lu Hong that Xiang Beifei had the top raw score. At the time, his reaction was quite calm; others might be surprised, but he knew that the kid Xiang Beifei was extraordinary, after all, he was Xiang Tianxing''s son, and he exhibited exceptional talent in all aspects. But the more he read the article, the more Lu Hong felt something was off. "Nonsense! Is this journalist spreading rumors?" Lu Hong had visited Xiang Beifei''s home, and Xiang Qingde was in good health, and Lu Zhiwei had even mentioned Xiang Beifei''s attempt to try for Liangzhou University, which didn''t match the report at all. "No, this could cause Beifei to clash with Liangzhou University, and that would be bad." Lu Hong immediately became serious! Beifei was about to prepare for the entrance assessment of Liangzhou University, and this news was detrimental to him! Lu Hong decided to talk to Yu Lei, the journalist, tomorrow, telling him that spreading rumors was illegal and to honestly delete his post. But just then, his phone suddenly rang; it was Ma Feiguang calling. "Captain Lu, a journalist named Yu Lei has come to confess. He insists on speaking honestly only to you," Ma Feiguang said urgently. "Yu Lei?" Lu Hong was extremely surprised! Wasn''t that the guy? How could this be such a coincidence? He had just planned to seek out Yu Lei tomorrow, but Yu Lei had come forward to confess? Suddenly, the image of the honest and simple Beifei emerged in his mind. His sharp detective''s intuition told him that anything related to Beifei was never simple! At least so far, Lu Hong hadn''t treated Beifei as an ordinary high school student; the boy always managed to do things that impressed him. Lai Wuying was exposed by Beifei, Qin Yi lost face in front of Beifei, and now Yu Lei wrote an article attacking Beifei and then went to confess? "Could this guy have been dealt with by Beifei?" Lu Hong''s gaze turned somewhat strange. Chapter 97 Safety Net Lu Hong was, relatively speaking, one of the few people who knew Xiang Beifei well. Although in his eyes, Xiang Beifei was also a mysterious youth, he didn''t know what system Xiang Beifei had awakened, but he was aware that the boy''s abilities were extraordinary. No matter what Xiang Beifei did, he would not be too surprised. Lu Hong immediately rushed to the law enforcement brigade, sat in the interrogation room with a furrowed brow, surveyed Yu Lei, and then sent the other law enforcement officers away. He was almost certain that Beifei was behind this. The reason was nothing else but the burn scars on Yu Lei''s body, which were caused by Rapid Flame, and Lu Hong, being a possessor of Rapid Flame, knew this all too well. "Beifei acted too rashly, a popular journalist comes forth to confess right after publishing such an article, admitting that what he wrote about the top scholar was false, isn''t he afraid that others would suspect his connection with this scholar?" Lu Hong pondered. Yu Lei was admitting all his actions in great detail and even handed over the confession he wrote to Lu Hong. He even prepared a confession in writing? Lu Hong suddenly paused, thought of something, and chuckled bitterly, "Does this kid think I would come up with a reason for Yu Lei''s confession?" Lu Hong helplessly laughed. He had just been thinking about how to help Beifei cover up the past. Beifei had some special abilities, and before he matured, but could help cover up, he would do as much as possible, keeping a low profile, which would be better for Beifei''s future. At that moment, Lu Hong''s phone vibrated, and a message popped up. He glanced at it and saw that it was from Xiang Beifei, with a simple content: "Please, thank you, Uncle Lu." You still know how to thank me? Lu Hong rubbed his forehead, feeling quite a headache. But this rascal, can he even guess my thoughts? Lu Hong picked up his phone and replied irritably, "Remember to give a heads up next time!" "Okay." Xiang Beifei''s reply was simple, as communication between intelligent people didn''t need to be complex. Lu Hong put away his phone, and his gaze towards Yu Lei suddenly became sharp, he slammed the table and barked, "Continue, confess all the bad things you''ve done!" ¡ª¡ª Yu Lei''s article spread widely, and if he targeted an ordinary household, they would have no recourse. Yu Lei would directly control the person involved, even if relatives called the police, it would be useless because the person had already been controlled and would act according to Yu Lei''s wishes, thus turning the fabricated into reality. But he had hit a snag, he would never have imagined that he had messed with someone he shouldn''t have, especially someone who knew the Captain of the law enforcement in the Liangzhou West Administrative Region! Lu Hong now regarded Xiang Beifei as a treasure, and he would investigate seriously anything that dared to "hit porcelain" with Xiang Beifei. He spent two days investigating all the cases involving Yu Lei''s confession, and when he confirmed Yu Lei''s crimes, Lu Hong was quite shocked! This was actually a villain of the highest order! Lu Hong, as captain of the Liangzhou West Administrative Region law enforcement, quickly spread a clarification online that the top scholar grandfather and grandson were well, not as miserable as the article described. The reason for Yu Lei''s confession, as explained by Lu Hong, was that he knew the grandfather and grandson and was aware of their living situation. To investigate the matter, he specifically summoned Yu Lei, and this led to uncovering even more unknown truths. The persuasive power of the Captain of the Liangzhou West Administrative Region law enforcement was significant, and although many people still had their doubts, Lu Hong directly laid out all the evidence according to Yu Lei''s confession, effectively silencing those people. Your adventure continues at m v|l-e-novelhall The matter was handled very smoothly. After Yu Lei surrendered, his crimes were publicized, all his social media accounts were canceled, and all the fabricated articles were deleted. Afterward, Yu Lei''s act of fabricating news to chase popularity caused an uproar on the internet, with the name "Yu Lei" firmly occupying the top of every major media outlet''s trending lists. Everyone was cursing this guy for his lack of morals and extreme wickedness, exploiting people''s sympathies for profit. The focus shifted from the nine elite universities directly back to Yu Lei. Especially those in the N-level system, who had initially supported Yu Lei righteously, only to find out that they had been used as pawns by him, were indescribably angry! Yu Lei probably didn''t expect that, in his desperation to fabricate fake news to get others trending, he would end up trending himself! But now, he could only receive his system rewards in prison. ¡ª¡ª "Serves him right!" Upon seeing the news about Yu Lei''s arrest, Yang Hua finally breathed a sigh of relief! Yu Lei had committed numerous crimes and had been ruthless in his news creation, which solidified something for Yang Hua! His lost system rewards must have been stolen by Yu Lei! This cunning guy! Unfortunately, now that he was in prison, it seemed impossible to recover those two rewards; he had no choice but to accept his bad luck. "At the end of the day, I have to thank Beifei. It was because of his incident that Captain Lu was able to catch this guy!" Yang Hua felt a rare sense of gratitude towards Beifei. If it weren''t for Yu Lei reporting on Beifei, which coincidentally led Lu Hong, who knew Beifei, to investigate Yu Lei and finally capture him, he might not have had the chance to obtain justice! I need to be careful next time and not just accept interviews casually! ¡ª¡ª Beifei had already completed his college application, choosing Liangzhou University. With his scores, Liangzhou University would surely be upgraded, then give him a chance for an entrance assessment. The exact date was not yet set, but it was going to be in the coming days, so he was still diligently practicing Rapid Flame. He had gradually noticed the issues with Rapid Flame and had successfully made some improvements. "I should be able to give feedback tomorrow." Beifei summarized the characteristics of the Rapid Flame martial art, planning to seek feedback from Lu Hong in the next few days to help Lu Hong complete the mandatory task issued by the Investigation System, aiming to obtain an advancement pill for him. It wasn''t that Beifei coveted the advancement pill; having Lu Hong reach the mid-level of Meridian Opening was also beneficial for Beifei. Lu Hong was very generous and genuinely kind to Beifei, much like Principal Li Nanxing. They both were willing to spend system values to aid him. If Beifei needed system rewards to activate a constellation, Lu Hong would certainly not be stingy. Thus, ensuring that Lu Hong reached the mid-level of Meridian Opening, at least, secured that Beifei could obtain enough system rewards from him for activating constellations at that level. Of course, higher-level system rewards cost more system values, and Beifei did not want Lu Hong to overspend. He would certainly try to obtain system items from others first; if all else failed, then he would turn to Lu Hong for emergency help. As for who these "others" were, Beifei already had a target in mind. Liangzhou wanted list! Obtaining system rewards from these wanted criminals would not only be justifiable but also earn a bounty, killing two birds with one stone. "Helping solve cases should also enable Uncle Lu to earn Investigation Value. It would be fair to him." Beifei pondered and continued to throw a punch into the air. Chapter 98 Counting Numbers Lu Hong had been organizing Yu Lei''s case files; the case had already concluded, and Yu Lei had been imprisoned in the Jiuzhou Alliance Prison due to his crimes. As an R-ranked Awakener, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and once incarcerated, he would never get out again. "I wonder what Beifei has been up to these past few days?" It was somewhat laughable; he had been busy dealing with the issues concerning Xiang Beifei and Yu Lei over the last few days, yet he hadn''t seen the main person involved, the first original party, Xiang Beifei, even once. That made him feel both amused and frustrated. Thanks to his extensive experience in case handling, Lu Hong successfully shifted the focus of netizens from Xiang Beifei to other fabricated news about Yu Lei. Consequently, people discussed Yu Lei more, and Xiang Beifei received less attention. Lu Hong nailed Yu Lei with other crimes because the victims involved in Yu Lei''s case were far too numerous. In his effort to thoroughly investigate, he spent every day probing, and as a result, his Investigation Value increased by over 2000! "I didn''t expect that last time I exchanged all 2000 Investigation Points for system items for Beifei, he''d return them to me so soon." Lu Hong felt quite emotional. Last month, Beifei had his Investigation System initiate a compulsory task and also gifted him 2000 Investigation Points, which Lu Hong used to help Beifei. But within just a month, Beifei had captured Yu Lei and helped Lu Hong replenish the lost Investigation Points. "That being said, ever since I met this lad, I seem to have never been at a loss." Lu Hong sat in his office, twirling a pen in his hand, lost in thought. With Beifei''s help, he had solved the case of Lai Wuying and earned a large amount of Investigation Points. Then, the day Beifei came to learn Rapid Flame, just by taking a glance, he caught Wan Qiu who was robbing a bank and earned another large amount. Next, Beifei had his system initiate a compulsory task, and he earned another batch, and now this one. Even though he had also spent a substantial amount of system points to protect him, in the end, Lu Hong''s Investigation Points income had always been positive. "It''s just¡ª" Lu Hong stared at his system interface. [Note: Rapid Flame is the host''s fundamental reliance, and the host''s comprehension of Rapid Flame is no less than Xiang Beifei''s. To become even stronger, feedback from Xiang Beifei is essential] [If Xiang Beifei is willing to provide feedback, you can receive an Advanced Pill] An Advanced Pill, huh! This could advance him from the early stage to the middle stage of Meridian Opening, which was incredibly important for him! "I wonder if he has made any improvements to Rapid Flame?" Most importantly, if Beifei had improved Rapid Flame, would he come and tell him? Lu Hong felt uneasy. Every time he was free from work and there were no criminals around, he would think about this question, and every time he pondered it, he felt so tormented he had to count. Everyone has a few quirks; his quirky habit was to count to pass the time when he had nothing else to do. He was no longer counting "Will Beifei come today?" but "Will Beifei provide feedback?" Since he was free today, Lu Hong started counting with his pen on a row of file folders on his desk, "He will provide feedback, he will not provide feedback, he will provide feedback, he will not provide feedback..." By the end, he realized the outcome was "he will not provide feedback"! "Bad luck! Xiao Ma, bring a new file folder in here," Lu Hong shouted! The number of folders was even, he needed an odd number so that he could end up on "Beifei will provide feedback." "Boss, here." Ma Feiguang quickly brought in a file folder from outside and handed it to Lu Hong. Lu Hong saw that Ma Feiguang had actually brought two! "I asked for one!" Lu Hong said irately. "What''s the difference?" grumbled Ma Feiguang. "One is enough, two take up space." Without further discussion, Lu Hong threw one of the file folders back to Ma Feiguang and then shoved the new folder into the stack of old ones, feeling slightly better. He propped his chin on his hand and took up his pen again to count the number of pages in a document. Thinking of always starting from "Beifei will provide feedback," but the results always turned out to be frustrating. This time he decided to change it up, starting with "he will not provide feedback!" Then, after counting the number of pages in the document, he discovered the result was¡ª "He won''t give feedback!" Oh boy, damn it! Lu Hong was so frustrated! Until now, he had never counted on "Beifei giving feedback." Could it be that Beifei really wouldn''t give feedback? Lu Hong sighed deeply. At this moment, someone knocked on the office door twice. "Uncle Lu, are you free?" Lu Hong, bored and counting staples, responded without looking up, "No, I''m counting!" "Counting?" The person knocking sounded puzzled. Lu Hong suddenly startled, wait, was this voice familiar? There weren''t many people who called him Uncle Lu! "Beifei!" Lu Hong nearly leaped from his chair, his face breaking into a surprised smile. This rascal, he finally decided to show up! Lu Hong''s mood instantly became excited. "Uncle Lu, am I disturbing you? I heard you saying you were counting? What are you counting? Is it an unsolvable case? Do you need my help?" Xiang Beifei asked curiously. Lu Hong coughed awkwardly; he certainly couldn''t let Xiang Beifei help him with such mundane matters. He quickly tossed his pen aside and said, "No, just counting how many cases Yu Lei has been involved in." "Oh, I see." Xiang Beifei did not think much of it. "Sit." Lu Hong forced himself to calm down. He was, after all, a precinct captain, and though he sometimes engaged in mundane activities to pass the time when free, he couldn''t lose his dignity in front of his junior. "About Yu Lei, you are too reckless! The fist wounds on him, I knew at first glance were caused by Rapid Flame! Did you confront him?" The first time Lu Hong saw Yu Lei, he had noticed the injuries, which he could not overlook. "Yes, thank you, Uncle Lu," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Hong was stunned for a moment: "Thank me for what?" "For covering that up for me." "Are you so sure I would cover for you?" Lu Hong asked. Xiang Beifei smiled politely and did not respond. Lu Hong shook his head helplessly; he indeed had covered it up right away that day. "Speaking of which, Yu Lei has a mid-stage Qi-Controlling ability; how did you take him down?" Lu Hong remembered Xiang Beifei had only awakened two months ago and was busy with his college entrance exams. Logically, his abilities should only be at the initial stage of Qi-Controlling. Xiang Beifei thought for a moment and said, "As soon as I threw a punch, he went down." Lu Hong: "..." Xiang Beifei added, "Uncle Lu teaches well, Rapid Flame is very powerful, it was easy to hit him." "Don''t flatter me!" Lu Hong rubbed his forehead but secretly enjoyed the praise. The kid was polite, had a good temperament, spoke pleasantly, and was strong; it seemed he had all the good traits. After a while, Lu Hong asked somewhat nervously, "By the way, I thought you were preparing for Liangzhou University''s assessment all this while, so I didn''t look for you. What brings you here today?" "For the Liangzhou University assessment," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Hong''s eyes showed a look of disappointment. Beifei came looking for him, not for Rapid Flame? Chapter 99 Exchange Skills Lu Hong sighed internally, possibly Beifei had not made any progress yet, so he would have to wait a bit longer. "Tell me, how can I help you? I graduated from the Martial Arts College of Liangzhou University myself. If I can help, I definitely will, but if you ask me what the examination is about, I really don''t know. I inquired last time but got no news. However, if you want to enter the Martial Arts College, I think it most likely relates to martial arts," Lu Hong still said patiently. "That''s exactly why I''m here. I also feel that the examination might be related to martial arts. Uncle Lu, with your extensive experience, could you spar with me? It would help me identify my weaknesses," Xiang Beifei said. "Spar with you?" Lu Hong pondered; he had not expected Xiang Beifei to suggest this. "Yes, with guidance from Uncle Lu, I should be able to improve faster," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Hong had nothing else planned for the day, so he nodded, "Alright, let''s go to the training room." The two left the office, and outside, Ma Feiguang, seeing Xiang Beifei, his eyes lit up, "It''s the Shadow Detective!" "Captain Lu, what case is the Shadow Detective planning to crack now?" Xiao Cao also asked excitedly. "Get lost, it''s none of your business," Lu Hong waved them off, sending these people away. Xiang Beifei asked in confusion, "Shadow Detective?" "Wasn''t it from that day in the detention room where you identified the abilities of Wan Qiu and Lv He and shocked us all?" Lu Hong explained with a smile, "That day, you cracked the case with one glance and then turned around and left, only leaving a shadow behind. That shadow left such a deep impression on everyone, so they ended up giving you the nickname ''Shadow Detective!''" One night when Wan Qiu and Lv He escaped from jail, Xiang Beifei casually cracked the case, identified the suspects, and without bothering to explain, turned around and left, leaving behind a suave shadow in the corridor. That shadow continued to linger in the minds of these law enforcers, and even though Lu Hong had later explained Xiang Beifei''s reasoning process to them, they were still utterly shocked by Xiang Beifei. Mainly because the entire reasoning process was too precise, fast, and flawless. "That''s really a strange name," Xiang Beifei said. The two arrived at the training room. Xiang Beifei put down his backpack, then clenched his fists, looking at Lu Hong and said, "Uncle Lu, don''t hold back. Just point out my deficiencies." Lu Hong stretched his arms and said, "Don''t worry, I''ll keep my level equal to yours. Just make your move." Xiang Beifei stomped his foot on the ground, abruptly springing forward, charging at Lu Hong! Whoosh! In an instant, Xiang Beifei was in front of Lu Hong. As his fist struck, Spiritual Power wrapped around his hands, blasting out a flame gale! This punch, carrying a bizarre strength, rocketed towards Lu Hong''s face at a tremendous speed! "Well done!" Lu Hong judged that Xiang Beifei''s cultivation might only be in the early stages of Qi-Controlling, so he tried to suppress his Spiritual Power to a similar level. However, since Lu Hong was a cultivator in the Meridian Opening stage, although Xiang Beifei''s fist wind was fast, it still seemed slow to him. He clenched his fist, and a burst of explosive flames rose from his hand, meeting Xiang Beifei''s fist! Boom! Two fist flames violently crossed in the air, giving rise to an explosive sound. Lu Hong''s face suddenly changed, a powerful force transmitted from his arm, he actually couldn''t catch Xiang Beifei''s punch, and in a critical moment, he had to slant his body aside, diverting most of the force from Xiang Beifei''s fist, but as a result, he couldn''t help but step backward several steps! "You ¡ª your strength?" Lu Hong stared at Xiang Beifei in astonishment. He thought Xiang Beifei only had the initial strength of Qi-Controlling, so he suppressed his own spiritual power to the initial stage of Qi-Controlling. It turned out to be a big disadvantage, and had it not been for his vast experience, that punch might have sent him flying. "Qi-Controlling mid-stage." Xiang Beifei clenched his fist, his figure did not slow down as he charged again, his ferocious fist wind hammering towards Lu Hong. Qi-Controlling mid-stage? Lu Hong was stunned! How could he have reached the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling in just two months since awakening? Even for them, the S-level Awakeners, stepping into the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling had taken nearly five to six months, yet Beifei had unknowingly advanced to this level? Lu Hong was genuinely shocked. He had previously speculated that the awakening system of Beifei might not be as simple as an N-level; now, it seemed that his speculation was almost correct. If an S-level could not reach the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling in two months, then N-level was even less likely. Considering this, his awakening talent must be higher, possibly even at the level of his father, Xiang Tianxing! Lu Hong finally understood what Beifei meant when he said earlier, "The moment I throw a punch, he goes down." Yu Lei was only a practitioner of the literary Dao, and his cultivation was also merely at the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling. In front of someone with such extraordinary talent as Beifei, he was hardly worth a few punches. "Nice work, kid! I underestimated you!" Lu Hong laughed loudly, once again elevating his spiritual power to another level. Just now, a confrontation had put him at a disadvantage; if he underestimated his opponent again, he might not be able to save face later. Boom! The clash between the two was without any flair, simply fist against fist, the spiritual power burning and forming fist flames exploding in the air. At first, Lu Hong was worried he might accidentally hurt Xiang Beifei, but soon he realized he was thinking too much; Xiang Beifei''s strength was even higher than he had estimated. "Uncle Lu, watch this punch!" At the same time, when Xiang Beifei''s fist met Lu Hong''s, the flame on his fist suddenly changed its circulating pattern, sweeping over to Lu Hong''s fist, colliding with the intense flame Lu Hong had gathered. The way the flame swept was very bizarre; when meeting Lu Hong''s flame, the two flames should have collided fiercely, the stronger fist wind prevailing. But the already burning flame of Xiang Beifei suddenly got suppressed back into spiritual power by him, and this spiritual power mixed into Lu Hong''s fist flame. As Lu Hong''s fist flame rampaged, it instantly ignited the spiritual power sent by Xiang Beifei. However, this was not Lu Hong''s fist flame. The two flames burned simultaneously on Lu Hong''s arm, Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power essence instantly disrupted Lu Hong''s fist flame, causing his flame to lose control, even making the spiritual power on his arm instantly become extremely chaotic. Crackle! Lu Hong''s face dramatically changed; the flame he had gathered with his spiritual power couldn''t be deployed. Although his fist still emitted flames, this flame no longer belonged to him, but to Xiang Beifei! That is, Xiang Beifei''s flame was burning on his arm! Your next chapter is on m v|l-e-novelhall Most bizarrely, Xiang Beifei''s flame quietly broke through the spiritual power protecting Lu Hong''s arm. Lu Hong had a foreboding feeling, if this continued, his arm would be burned by Xiang Beifei! Chapter 100 Feedback Lu Hong made a split-second decision, immediately retracting his hand while also cutting off his output of spiritual power. However, Xiang Beifei''s other fist had already come smashing from the other side, hitting his arm and removing the force from his limb. For a brief moment, he found he couldn''t muster any strength! In a situation where both parties were evenly matched, being a split second slower meant suffering a significant disadvantage! Thud! Thud! Thud! Lu Hong truly felt the brunt of Xiang Beifei''s punch as his body stumbled backward five steps! "You¡ª" Lu Hong looked at Xiang Beifei in shock. He wasn''t shocked because Xiang Beifei had pushed him back, but because of¡ªRapid Flame! This Rapid Flame seemed entirely different from the attacking style he understood; it wasn''t even accurate to call it Rapid Flame! This Cultivation Technique stemming from Lu Hong''s system¡ª he understood the power of Rapid Flame better than anyone else. However, in his mind, Rapid Flame was never executed this way. It was beyond his comprehension! How on earth did Beifei do it? Lu Hong looked at Xiang Beifei with astonishment. But without pausing, Xiang Beifei continued, "Uncle Lu, watch my next punch!" Whoosh! Xiang Beifei didn''t give Lu Hong a chance to rest. Once again, he closed in for an attack, but this time his fist wasn''t enveloped in flames; it appeared to be an ordinary punch. Subconsciously, Lu Hong threw his fist forward to meet the blow head-on¡ªhis fist wrapped in flame. When it collided with what seemed to be Xiang Beifei''s unremarkable punch, spiritual power on Beifei''s fist took a different direction once more! Hum! The spiritual power changed its course, turning into a clever force that spiraled around Lu Hong''s arm like a vortex, instantly suppressing the flames that Lu Hong had just conjured. Immediately after¡ª Boom! Another fist flame, not his own, flared up on Lu Hong''s arm. The scorching fire ignited his shirt. Lu Hong hadn''t expected this turn of events, and hastily used his spiritual power to disperse the flames. But as soon as he diverted his attention, Xiang Beifei charged at him again, aiming a punch at his face. Lu Hong inhaled sharply! The punch was too fast; if it hit, his nose would undoubtedly be broken. However, as Xiang Beifei''s fist neared Lu Hong''s face, it deviated to the side, missing his face. By now, Lu Hong had reacted, transforming his fist into a palm, and with a burst of Rapid Flame, he struck at Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei deftly sidestepped, and with his left hand now open, he slapped out another palm wind. As their hands met with a thunderous impact, spiritual power on Beifei''s palm shifted eerily once again, wrapping around Lu Hong''s palm. Lu Hong felt as if the strange force from Beifei''s hand was like maggots on bones, completely suppressing his style of Rapid Flame punching. He was utterly unable to exert force, as Beifei countered with another palm strike to his chest. Thud! Thud! Thud! Lu Hong was forced back several steps again. "I actually lost?" Lu Hong looked at Xiang Beifei incredulously. The first retreat could have been explained away by his only using the initial strength of Qi-Controlling, but this second pushback signified a genuine defeat. The skillful force Xiang Beifei used had drastically boosted the power of Rapid Flame. With Lu Hong''s realm only at the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling, he couldn''t suppress Xiang Beifei''s offensive. Within seven moves, he was defeated! This gave Lu Hong a truly shocking surprise! One must know, even if he had suppressed his own realm, his combat experience and perception abilities were still at the Meridian Opening phase, and he even had complete confidence that he could use his experience to firmly suppress an ordinary Qi-Controlling late-stage master with his mid-stage strength. But this experience was completely useless against Xiang Beifei! Xiang Beifei was merely at the Qi-Controlling mid-stage level of strength, and using his mid-stage strength, he couldn''t suppress Beifei at all¡ªinstead, he lost miserably! "I lose completely convinced, both inwardly and outwardly," Lu Hong said with a bitter smile. He was someone who could accept a loss. Even though he knew that relying solely on his mid-stage Spiritual Power would result in a loss to Xiang Beifei, he still did not forcibly enhance his realm and did not break the rules out of concern that losing to a young kid would be embarrassing for a district team leader. For him, rules were rules; if it was said to use mid-stage Qi-Controlling, then mid-stage Qi-Controlling it was. "Actually, I knew that it would be very difficult for me to deal with a strong opponent like Uncle Lu using normal methods, so I used Rapid Flame and played a little smart while deploying Spiritual Power," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Hong suddenly fell into deep thought. Losing to Xiang Beifei wasn''t the point, the point was he always felt something wasn''t quite right. When Xiang Beifei threw a punch, the way Spiritual Power was deployed appeared completely different in his eyes; it was still Rapid Flame, but for some reason, Lu Hong''s Rapid Flame was completely countered by Xiang Beifei''s. Lu Hong felt his Rapid Flame was lagging eighteen streets behind Xiang Beifei''s! "Wait, this isn''t playing smart, this is..." As Lu Hong pondered Xiang Beifei''s so-called playing smart, the way the Spiritual Power was deployed gave him a great revelation. He realized something, turned to his system interface, and then revealed a surprised expression! [Detection: Xiang Beifei has improved Rapid Flame. The opponent''s method of deploying Rapid Flame has been entered into the database. Current feedback progress is 5%.] "This is..." Lu Hong became excited! Feedback! The system actively judged that Beifei was in the process of giving feedback? Lu Hong found himself holding his breath. He carefully recalled Xiang Beifei''s punching technique, pondered it deeply, and the more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He felt like a huge rock that had been pressing on his chest for a month had finally been lifted, and he felt as if he was basking in the long-absent sunshine, making him feel refreshed! "Uncle Lu, is there anything about the way I deploy Rapid Flame that needs improvement?" Xiang Beifei asked. "It''s not that you need to improve, it''s that I need to improve! It''s me that needs to improve! Haha, Beifei, how did you come to think of deploying Rapid Flame like this?" Lu Hong asked excitedly. Xiang Beifei thought for a moment and said, "When I practiced Rapid Flame, I always felt that the method of deploying Spiritual Power was somewhat superfluous, I felt it too overbearing. Being overbearing is good, the stronger it is the better, but it consumes a lot of Spiritual Power, making it disadvantageous in a prolonged battle. So I considered changing the way these powers circulate, and I found it seemed to be able to overcome the original Rapid Flame. Sorry, maybe this isn''t quite right¡ª" "No need to apologize! You did exactly the right thing! No cultivation technique is perfect! Every technique has its flaws, and I never expected that you''d find the flaw of Rapid Flame; in this respect, you are simply a genius!" Lu Hong exclaimed excitedly. Xiang Beifei smiled, looking at Lu Hong''s system interface. Uncle Lu had never taken the initiative to ask him about giving feedback to Rapid Flame, and if Beifei brought up feedback on his own, Lu Hong might suspect how he knew about the enforced task of his system. Although Uncle Lu was trustworthy, some secrets, Xiang Beifei felt, were best kept to oneself. Therefore, he chose another way, and by sparring with Uncle Lu, he believed that with Uncle Lu''s judgement, he would certainly notice the uniqueness of it. As of now, the system had judged his actions as feedback, and that was enough. Chapter 101 Rapid Flame Improvement Xiang Beifei earnestly shared his understanding of the Rapid Flame technique with Lu Hong, who nodded thoughtfully. The improvement process might seem light and easy to talk about, but it wasn''t so simple to master. "Uncle Lu, let''s continue! I came today for Liangzhou University''s assessment, and I don''t know what obstacles they will set up, so you need to use late-stage Qi-Controlling strength! I need you to point out my weaknesses," Xiang Beifei said. In truth, he was half there to help Uncle Lu complete the system''s mandatory task, and the other half to truly spar with Lu Hong. The assessment at Liangzhou University was in the coming days, and it was impossible for him to step into the later stages of Qi-Controlling within this month; he had to know where he stood in comparison to a late-stage Qi-Controlling expert. "It''s not so much about giving pointers, but about improving together!" Lu Hong laughed loudly, and this time he wasn''t careless, elevating his Spiritual Power to the late-stage of Qi-Controlling! However, the previous exchange had made Lu Hong cautious. He knew that even if he used late-stage Qi-Controlling strength, he might not necessarily get the better of Beifei, because both of them used the Rapid Flame technique, and his Rapid Flame was inferior to Beifei''s. He needed to learn from Beifei! Whoosh! Xiang Beifei''s punches once again exploded with powerful force, striking at Lu Hong! Lu Hong also charged forward, clashing hard with Xiang Beifei again! Bang! Their punches collided, and this time they seemed evenly matched! "Good lad!" Lu Hong was genuinely surprised in his heart. He had already used late-stage Qi-Controlling strength, yet he only managed to fight to a standstill with Xiang Beifei, who was in the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling! But at this moment, Xiang Beifei didn''t slow down, his left hand lashed out again towards Lu Hong''s chest. Lu Hong blocked the fist with his own hand, and at the same time kicked upward. Beifei immediately smashed his fist down, deflecting Lu Hong''s kick, and turned around with another punch¡ª Bang! Bang! Bang! The two exchanged more than a dozen moves in an instant, each throwing punches quickly and powerfully. The Rapid Flame technique was naturally domineering, every punch bringing with it an enormous roar, like the sound of a sonic boom. Yet, the more Lu Hong fought, the more shocked he became because Beifei, with only mid-stage Qi-Controlling power, not only showed no signs of weakening but also seemed to be gaining the upper hand! Bang! Xiang Beifei''s punch landed squarely on Lu Hong''s face! Lu Hong took a sharp breath; that punch was rather harsh. "Sorry, facing late-stage Qi-Controlling Uncle Lu, I have to give it my all," Xiang Beifei said earnestly. "No need to apologize, just hit! You hitting me is the only way I can understand how you execute Rapid Flame." Lu Hong touched his face, quickly regaining his composure. Both were using the Rapid Flame technique, and only that. Therefore, it was normal for Lu Hong, despite being the stronger, to be punched several times by Xiang Beifei since his boxing technique wasn''t as good as Xiang Beifei''s. Lu Hong didn''t take it to heart. If he wanted to defeat Beifei, Lu Hong would have to elevate his level even more. Given the situation, late-stage Qi-Controlling wasn''t enough. But Lu Hong had no intention of doing so; he wasn''t there to win against Beifei. He was clear about what he needed. ¡ª¡ª The two sparred in the training room for an entire day. Lu Hong needed to ponder over Xiang Beifei''s Rapid Flame, and Xiang Beifei needed to discover his own shortcomings from Lu Hong. Therefore, neither held back, but it was evident that Lu Hong still suppressed Xiang Beifei with his experience. The reason was simple, Xiang Beifei''s Rapid Flame was stronger than Lu Hong''s at first, but when he shared his way of executing Rapid Flame with Lu Hong, Lu Hong gradually grasped the technique and elevated his Rapid Flame to a higher level. In the following exchanges, he slowly began to hold his own. That was precisely why Lu Hong had been worried that Beifei wouldn''t reciprocate. Everyone is selfish, after all. If one aspect of themselves is strengthened, that aspect becomes their advantage. If they disclose their advantage to an opponent, the advantage vanishes. So, Lu Hong had always wondered, if Beifei were to improve the Rapid Flame martial art, would he teach it back to him in return? This question had troubled him for a month until he found his answer today. Xiang Beifei chose to share the method of the martial art he had comprehended, which made Lu Hong extremely grateful. For Xiang Beifei, going from having the upper hand to gradually being at a disadvantage was all because he revealed the improved Rapid Flame technique, which may seem foolish. But he was well aware that he didn''t actually lose anything. Discover hidden stories at m,v l''e-novelhall.net The Rapid Flame martial art was originally taught to him by Uncle Lu, part of the Lu Hong system''s cultivation techniques. When Lu Hong passed it on to him, he did so without hesitation and quite readily. Currently, Uncle Lu is still suppressing his own cultivation level to spar with him. Under normal circumstances, Beifei is no match for the Meridian Opening stage Uncle Lu, so losing to Uncle Lu wasn''t a big deal at all. And he only ever lost to one person, Uncle Lu. As for others in the later stages of Qi-Controlling, he might not necessarily lose with the help of Rapid Flame. Besides, Lu Hong becoming stronger would also benefit Beifei, since Lu Hong had never let him down. As the sun set, both men stopped, gasping for breath, and sat on the ground without moving. At that moment, the system interface for Lu Hong popped up with a line of text: [You have received feedback from Xiang Beifei''s improvement of Rapid Flame. The Rapid Flame martial art has been entered into the database. The power of Rapid Flame is enhanced by 20% over the original, and you have completed the feedback task.] [Task completed, the host may claim the reward: one Advanced Pill.] Task completed! Lu Hong excitedly clicked to claim it, then looked at the Advanced Pill in his hand! There were two methods for him to enhance his cultivation: one was through his own training, and the other was with the help of the system. Because he had sustained injuries during his younger days while on duty which affected his fundamental strength, it was nearly impossible for him to advance through training alone, so he had to rely on the Advanced Pill provided by the system. He had been saving up Investigation Value for several years to purchase this Advanced Pill, but was still short by over a hundred thousand. He had thought it would take another seven to eight years to gather that amount. But to his surprise, with Beifei''s help, it only took one month! One month''s worth of his effort was equivalent to nearly ten years! With this Advanced Pill, he would soon become a mid-stage Meridian Opening cultivator, and his strength would rise to another level! "Beifei, I owe you one," Lu Hong gratefully said to Xiang Beifei, "You have no idea how much your teaching me the improved Rapid Flame has helped me today! It was also one of my system tasks!" Lu Hong did not hide this fact, thinking Beifei was unaware of his system tasks, so he shared the information with him. "I''m glad I could help Uncle Lu," Xiang Beifei said. "You''re about to participate in the Liangzhou University assessment, and I need to give you a hand. Last time I thought you were just at the early stage of Qi-Controlling, so I only gave you the system items for the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling. But since you have the strength of the mid-stage, I need to give you some later stage Qi-Controlling system items to protect yourself." Lu Hong browsed through his system''s shop, contemplating what could help Beifei. Since he didn''t need to use Investigation Value to buy the Advanced Pill, the Investigation Value could be spent. Chapter 102 Greater Potential of Rapid Flame Not all system items could be used to help others; after all, the system was specifically crafted for the host and not for someone else, so Lu Hong had to be selective. "Uncle Lu, there''s no need for now. If I need something, I''ll come to you," Xiang Beifei said. He holds an amulet, a Qi and Blood Pill, a Qi-Raising Talisman, and a Hetu tortoise shell; these things were all related to the advanced stages of Qi-Controlling. The next constellation ability still required four advanced-stage Qi-Controlling system items, which he had already accumulated. Now, he just needed to raise his cultivation to the advanced stages of Qi-Controlling. "No, I must insist! With your strength, those Azure Light Armors, Flame Dragon Escapes, and the like, are utterly useless to you, nothing but trash." Lu Hong was still contemplating what could provide the greatest help to Xiang Beifei. "Those things are still very useful. I used your items to deal with Yu Lei that day," he replied. Last time Xiang Beifei lit up the constellation for the mid-phase of Qi-Controlling with Lu Hong''s system items, acquiring ''Abruptly Stop,'' and in some aspects, it indeed indirectly helped him to deal with Yu Lei. "Really?" Lu Hong was somewhat skeptical. "I thought beating him was just a matter of one punch for you." "I really don''t need it, Uncle Lu. You also know I can handle ordinary advanced-stage Qi-Controlling now. I don''t need those at the moment. If I need something else in the future, I will definitely come to you," Xiang Beifei assured. Xiang Beifei still decided to let Uncle Lu save his Investigation Value for emergencies. Seeing Xiang Beifei talk this way, Lu Hong pondered for a moment and seriously said, "Okay! Whatever you need, don''t be polite with me! I have at least 150,000 system values prepared for you! Perhaps even more, as long as you need it, I can give you more!" Lu Hong was a generous and genuine person; he remembered the favor very clearly, and it was far from comparable to a mere 150,000 system values. Meanwhile, Lu Hong''s Investigation System had suddenly issued a series of tasks: [Analysis of Rapid Flame feedback from the database is complete. The system has detected that Rapid Flame may possess even greater potential. Due to the substantial increase in combat power that Rapid Flame has brought to the host, the system will increase the feedback reward] [Should Xiang Beifei continue to improve and provide feedback, the host will receive even higher system rewards] [For every 10% increase in Rapid Flame''s power: +10,000 Investigation Value] [If Rapid Flame''s power is increased by 50%, the host will receive a Rapid Flame Fire Formation capable of trapping and killing enemies in the final phase of Meridian Opening] [If Rapid Flame''s power is increased by 100%, the host will receive an advanced pill for the final phase of Meridian Opening] [Current power increase: 2/10] ... "This task!" Lu Hong, seeing the new task released by his own system, was so astonished he was at a loss for words! An increase of 20% in power had already brought him tremendous benefits, but he had never expected that after analyzing Xiang Beifei''s feedback on the punches, his system identified that Rapid Flame held much greater potential! If he could increase it by 100%, he could step into the final phase of Meridian Opening with Xiang Beifei''s help in one fell swoop! Lu Hong found his breathing becoming rapid! He had been stuck in the preliminary phase of Meridian Opening for more than a decade, and had only recently reached the middle-phase. He thought that was his limit, but his system now provided an estimate of even greater potential! Then, if... if Xiang Beifei could become stronger, wouldn''t he also be able to quickly advance to the final phase of Meridian Opening? "What is it?" Xiang Beifei asked. "You''ll never guess what happened to my system again," Lu Hong said with a wry smile, "I don''t know how to put it, but can you improve Rapid Flame any further?" Xiang Beifei saw the new task released by Lu Hong''s Investigation System and after pondering for a moment, he replied, "With my current level of spiritual power, this is as powerful as Rapid Flame can get. Maybe if I reach a higher realm, I''ll see if there is more room for improvement." "Then..." "If my cultivation level advances further in the future, and I''m able to improve Rapid Flame, I''ll inform Uncle Lu at the earliest," Xiang Beifei said. "Ah, thank you!" Lu Hong said gratefully. At this moment, Lu Zhiwei pushed open the door from outside the training room and after spotting the two, she put her hands on her hips and said, "Well, well! So you''ve been training in secret again without me!" "Haha, what are you jealous about, girl!" Lu Hong laughed heartily. "Pfft, as if I''m jealous!" Lu Zhiwei rolled her eyes and holding her phone said, "There''s trouble, and you have no idea!" "What''s happened?" Xiang Beifei asked. "It''s all because of the mess caused by that article from Yu Lei." Lu Zhiwei came in, looking serious. Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-novelhall.net Standing up, Lu Hong grabbed two towels, threw one to Xiang Beifei, and asked, "What about the article? Wasn''t it deleted? Xiao Zhang is a cyber cop, and he''s thorough with his work." The law enforcement team''s technical department had a guy named Zhang Youfa, who had awakened the "S-Class, Tracking System." After becoming a cyber cop in the team, his technical skills were top-notch, and all kinds of mindless trolls and keyboard warriors had to walk around him carefully. There was an incident where someone who had awakened the "Zu''an Greeting System" confronted Xiao Zhang online, and Xiao Zhang simply traced the electronic trail back to the guy''s location, pulled him out of bed without letting him dress, and dragged him to the law enforcement team in just his underpants! "I''m not talking about that article, but about Liangzhou University. Dad, you graduated from Liangzhou University, so you should know there''s a ''Tree Hole'' section in the school forum, right?" Lu Zhiwei said. "I know about that, what''s wrong?" Lu Hong asked as he wiped off sweat. "Now Beifei has become the subject of discussion in that Tree Hole section, and many of the comments are quite unfriendly," Lu Zhiwei said. "Tree Hole?" "It''s an anonymous forum on our Liangzhou University''s school network. In that place, every Liangzhou University student can anonymously air their grievances about the various trivialities of school life. When the academic pressure gets too high, they can vent out there and say whatever they want to relieve their stress," Lu Zhiwei explained. "So, what''s got to do with me?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Because of that article Yu Lei posted last time, many netizens got riled up and started attacking our Liangzhou University''s Weibo, hurling all sorts of insults. If a Liangzhou University student were to post a Weibo defending the school, they would be verbally attacked by uninformed netizens to the point of breakdown. This has greatly impacted our Liangzhou University!" Lu Zhiwei said earnestly. Lu Hong frowned: "Didn''t I clarify everything clearly online? Yu Lei started this, and he is the one who should be condemned." "But the problem is, it seems that many students from Liangzhou University now believe that this incident is a conspiracy between Beifei and Yu Lei, with Beifei planning to use Yu Lei to pressure Liangzhou University and gain admission through the back door. Now they are saying some pretty nasty things about Beifei," Lu Zhiwei said. "So what?" Xiang Beifei didn''t care. Lu Hong was browsing posts in the "Tree Hole" on his phone and suddenly spoke in a deep voice, "The problem does seem quite serious." Lu Zhiwei thrust her phone into Xiang Beifei''s hands and said, "Take a look for yourself!" Chapter 103 Liangzhou University Tree Hole "The ''Tree Hole'' was filled with various discussions about Xiang Beifei, the top scorer with an N-level Awakening. Many people were disdainful of Xiang Beifei." "N-level trash can enter our Liangzhou University? So what if his scores were good? Does his system talent match our school?"" "Exactly, letting this kind of person into our Liangzhou University is simply an insult to our Liangzhou University''s reputation." "Does he, an N-level, really think he can contribute to the Jiuzhou Union? Can''t he take a good look at himself in the urine, who gave him the courage?"" "If this Xiang Beifei is lucky enough to get into our Liangzhou University, I guarantee that every time I see him on campus, I will take good care of him! Does he really think our Liangzhou University is a place where any Tom, Dick, or Harry can get in?"" "Right! Count me in! The audacity he has, thinking he could rely on public opinion to enter our school!" "Yes, if he gets into our Liangzhou University, I''ll be the first to pay extra attention to him! Maybe next semester I can apply to be a teaching assistant at Liangzhou University, give him a hard time!"" "Don''t rush; he hasn''t gotten in yet! I think the school should increase the difficulty of his entrance examination, let him understand just how big the gap is between an N-level and talents like us!"" "When is the entrance examination? Shall we go and take care of him?"" ... The "Tree Hole" of Liangzhou University was rife with discrimination against Xiang Beifei, the top original score. It seemed that many were inquiring about the time of the assessment, preparing to watch the event and planning to show Xiang Beifei who''s boss. Forums like "Tree Hole" exist in many universities, where many students like to post anonymously, complaining about why the Mediterranean professor insists on reading PPTs from his desk, mocking the water meter in the dorm showers that seems to measure the flow of the Huangguoshu Waterfall, wondering why the cafeteria lady''s shaky hands haven''t gotten better yet. But these past two days, the "Tree Hole" of Liangzhou University was almost exclusively discussing Xiang Beifei, with countless people rejecting him, the top scorer of the original scores. Even though their own college entrance exam results weren''t as high as Xiang Beifei''s, every student at Liangzhou University is prouder of their superior talent than his. "Things have gotten troublesome now! You haven''t even started school yet, and you''re already ostracized by the students of Liangzhou University like this," said Lu Hong, frowning deeply. "Is that so?" Having read these anonymous posts, Xiang Beifei casually handed the cellphone back to Lu Zhiwei. "What''s with that reaction? You may not realize the seriousness of the issue. Even if you get into Liangzhou University like this, you''re sure to become a target," Lu Zhiwei said seriously. "So what?" Xiang Beifei placed the towel aside, unconcerned. "I graduated from Liangzhou University myself," Lu Hong said, "the waters are deep inside elite universities, and they are gathering places for geniuses. Top scorers from all over the country are there, and SR-levels are common. These people are smart, but in some ways¡ª" Discover more stories at m,v l''e-novelhall.net He hesitated, "Some of the top talents strive for perfection. To become the best, they will stoop to any level. You could say they are exquisite egoists, with high IQs, worldly, savvy, good at using rules for their purposes, forming cliques, ostracizing others; all kinds of strange things can happen." "Let them come." Xiang Beifei showed no concern and simply turned to walk toward the door. "So-called elites, they only dare to say these things anonymously online; who knows what they''re really like in person." Anyway, things had escalated to this point; there wasn''t much he could say. If they didn''t bother him, all would be well. If they dared to come looking for trouble¡ª Come one, settle one! Come two, settle a pair! Watching Xiang Beifei walk away, Lu Hong and his daughter, Lu Zhiwei, exchanged glances, at a loss for words. "Dad, he¡ª" Lu Zhiwei looked uncertainly at the already-departed Xiang Beifei, "you need to talk to him, he''s not listening at all." Lu Hong, thinking of Xiang Beifei''s terrifying talent, smiled wryly, "Perhaps we are worrying unnecessarily." Lu Zhiwei said urgently, "Dad, how is that worrying unnecessarily? Don''t you know how terrifying those real SR monsters at Liangzhou University can be? People like Qin Yi who are S-level are nothing; Beifei, being so honest and still not realizing the seriousness of the situation, will suffer a lot." "No need to panic; those SR monsters at Liangzhou University may be terrifying, but¡ª" Lu Hong picked up his coat, a slight smile on his lips, "They might encounter someone even more terrifying." "What do you mean?" "The person who should be worried is not Beifei." ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei returned home and took care of his own matters. Today, during his spar with Lu Hong, he found many areas for improvement; he felt he could do even better. In Lu Hong''s view, Xiang Beifei was being a bit too hard on himself. He had managed to hold his own, relying solely on his mid-phase Qi-Controlling cultivation, against Lu Hong whose cultivation was suppressed to late-phase Qi-Controlling. Initially, Lu Hong was entirely suppressed by him in the fight, and even later on, he only managed to gain a slight upper hand by leveraging the strengths he learned from Rapid Flame. Lu Hong admitted to himself that he couldn''t use late-phase Qi-Controlling cultivation to defeat Xiang Beifei. If it were any other late-phase Qi-Controlling cultivator facing Xiang Beifei''s storm-like Rapid Flame punches, they would probably collapse directly! But Xiang Beifei''s true opponents were not people like Lu Hong. Even if he could hold his own against those at late-phase Qi-Controlling, he would not be satisfied with just that. In this world, no matter what others said, the only way for him to reign supreme was to constantly become stronger. The path of the strong was never smooth. After returning home, Xiang Beifei took a bath and then practiced the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula before going to bed. The next morning, Xiang Qingde went to work while Xiang Beifei was still cultivating. But around ten in the morning, someone knocked on the door. Xiang Beifei got up to answer it, and upon opening the door, he was greeted by a scholarly-looking middle-aged man. The man was dressed in a well-fitted suit, wore glasses, had meticulously combed hair, and his expression was gentle and refined. "Hello!" The man gave Xiang Beifei a warm smile, "I am a teacher from the admissions office of Liangzhou University, may I know if you are Xiang Beifei?" "I am." Xiang Beifei looked at the man before him, whose system read: [Host: Ye Changfeng] [SR-level, Supremacy of Ten Thousand Swords system] [Realm¡ª¡ª] ¡ª¡ª When Xiang Beifei saw the man''s system interface, he furrowed his brow. SR-level! This was his first time encountering an SR-level talent Awakener, and not only that, but the man''s system was also very decisive and domineering. This was a martial artist. Not only that, but the man''s cultivation level was not displayed, which meant that this person''s cultivation was above the Meridian Opening phase, at the very least in the God Refining phase! So strong! Xiang Beifei became vigilant. An SR-level with immeasurable cultivation, a teacher from the admissions office of Liangzhou University, could he be that powerful? "My name is Ye Changfeng, you can call me Mr. Ye." Ye Changfeng smiled, extending his hand towards Xiang Beifei. Chapter 104 Ye Changfeng "Hello." Xiang Beifei looked at Ye Changfeng calmly and extended his hand to shake Ye''s without feeling inferior or arrogant. Ye Changfeng was slightly surprised when he saw how calm Xiang Beifei was speaking. He had met many students with exceptional talent, some of whom were top-notch SR-level students, but they would all become somewhat nervous and even hastily put on a smile to welcome him when they heard he was a teacher from Liangzhou University''s admissions office. After all, Liangzhou University was a prestigious institution, and being a teacher there demanded respect from everyone. Even Awakeners who had not yet come into their own would be utterly respectful when facing a university teacher. But Xiang Beifei''s attitude was very composed, as if greeting just an ordinary person, showing no signs of excitement or tension. Discover stories with m,v l''e-novelhall.net Very calm indeed. Ye Changfeng couldn''t help but take another look at Xiang Beifei. "Please come in." Xiang Beifei stepped aside to let Ye Changfeng enter. As Ye Changfeng stepped inside, he surveyed the clean and tidy room and then said with a smile, "No smell of medicine, no coughing, very clean, enough to lay one''s foot down." Xiang Beifei knew what he was referring to; Yu Lei''s article had put Liangzhou University on the hot search, making it common knowledge. The article depicted various fabricated miseries of Xiang Beifei''s home life, which Ye Changfeng was certainly aware of. "Seeing is believing, isn''t it?" Xiang Beifei said plainly. Ye Changfeng''s eyes flickered slightly, and after a moment, he adjusted his glasses, still maintaining a gentle smile, "You''re right." "Please have a seat, I''ll go pour you a glass of water." Xiang Beifei turned and walked into the kitchen, took a disposable paper cup from the cabinet, filled it with hot water, and handed it to Ye Changfeng. "Thank you." Ye Changfeng took the cup politely, his movements genteel and restrained, without any arrogance typical of an SR expert, appearing as an amiable, ordinary person. Xiang Beifei sat across from Ye Changfeng and said, "We don''t often have guests at home, so there isn''t much to offer. Please excuse me." "That''s alright; simplicity is good." Ye Changfeng didn''t mind, his gaze casually sweeping around the living room, he asked, "Is your grandfather not home?" "He''s not," Xiang Beifei replied, and after a pause, he added, "I wasn''t aware that Liangzhou University''s admissions would make a house call." "For an average S-level student, I indeed would not visit, but I do make personal visits to some special students, such as Awakeners who are coveted by the other eight elite universities or¡ª" Ye Changfeng paused here, sizing up Xiang Beifei again before continuing with a meaningful smile, "a top scorer in the college entrance exam, like you." "I am not the top scorer," Xiang Beifei responded. "In my eyes, first place in raw scores is the top scorer. I don''t like the bonus points system." Ye Changfeng took a sip of water, then placed his cup on the table and said, "The S-level system is already more powerful than others, adding points on top of it seems excessive. What do you think?" He looked at Xiang Beifei, very interested in the young man''s opinion. "What I think isn''t important; the system won''t change because of me," Xiang Beifei responded. "If you think it''s excessive, you should try to bring about a change." Ye Changfeng was taken aback. Xiang Beifei spoke frankly; he was just a student for now, not powerful enough to break the rules set by others, lacking the ability to change them. However, as an SR-level professor at Liangzhou University, Ye Changfeng had influence and authority. If anyone should attempt to change something, it ought to be someone influential like him. Ye Changfeng laughed, "You''re right, perhaps I should try to bring up my concerns with those people above." He paused before shaking his head, "But the chances are slim, they are quite stubborn." Xiang Beifei gazed at Ye Changfeng, lost in thought. He wasn''t pondering who the so-called "those people above" might be; he was considering what that sword by Ye Changfeng''s side was. From the moment Ye Changfeng had entered the room, a long sword appeared floating beside him. Three feet in length, the blade shimmered with a cold light, thick with a strong presence¡ªas if a majestic azure dragon coiled around it, the sword was extremely imposing. It clearly came from the system, and normally, it should be invisible to others¡ªor perhaps Ye Changfeng thought his sword was invisible to Xiang Beifei. But Xiang Beifei could see the sword, and not just that; the sword continuously emitted a strange fluctuation as if a pair of eerie eyes were shooting out from the dragon''s shadow, falling upon him, as though trying to see right through him. Xiaohei was making faces on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, and if it weren''t for his restraint, Xiaohei would probably have grabbed the sword to rough it up already. Seeing that Xiang Beifei hadn''t spoken, Ye Changfeng took it upon himself to speak again, "I came here today because you applied to Liangzhou University. Your scores are not a problem. But rules are rules; you need to go through our enrollment assessment. This is the notice for the assessment, with the time and location inside." He pulled a white envelope from his suit pocket and handed it to Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei looked at the envelope. It only had a few simple words on it: Xiang Beifei (Personal), then stamped with the postmark of Liangzhou University. "Thank you." Xiang Beifei took the letter and set it aside. "Aren''t you going to open it?" Ye Changfeng asked. "Do you want me to open it?" "That depends on you." "Then I''m not in a rush," Xiang Beifei replied. Ye Changfeng looked at Xiang Beifei with increasing astonishment and asked, "I thought you''d want to know the exact time." "If it''s not today, there''s no rush," Xiang Beifei replied. Ye Changfeng laughed, nodding slightly, "You really are extraordinary. I was thinking, the son of Xiang Tianxing wouldn''t be simple, no matter what." Xiang Beifei furrowed his brows. "You''re right, I knew your father, and when I found out you were Xiang Tianxing''s son, I specifically took on this task to see what kind of person you really are," Ye Changfeng said. Xiang Beifei nodded thoughtfully. Ye Changfeng seemed to be waiting for Xiang Beifei to ask something, but Xiang Beifei appeared to have no intention of asking much. After a long pause, it was Ye Changfeng who could not help himself and said, "Won''t you ask me about your father''s matters?" "Will you tell me what mission my father was on?" Ye Changfeng smiled and then shook his head. "Then why should I ask?" Xiang Beifei said. Ye Changfeng looked slightly taken aback and said, "I thought you would always be a bit curious." "I don''t like to ask pointless questions," Xiang Beifei replied. Ye Changfeng''s gaze on Xiang Beifei grew even more peculiar; he hadn''t expected such an answer from him. This is interesting. He then said, "What about the enrollment assessment? Don''t you have anything you want to ask me?" Xiang Beifei didn''t speak, just looked at Ye Changfeng strangely. Ye Changfeng realized something, shook his head slightly, and smiled, "In your eyes, that''s also a pointless question, right?" ¡ª¡ª (I''ve been furiously stockpiling chapters these past few days, getting ready to go live. If the subscriptions are decent, I will update with tens of thousands of words every day! Thank you, dear readers, for your daily recommendation tickets, subscriptions, and any tickets that all serve as motivation for writing!) Chapter 105 Three People Who Passed the Assessment What the assessment entailed was seldom revealed by Liangzhou University. It was usually decided on the spot, and for ten years no N-level student had gained admission to Liangzhou University. Given the high bar set by the university, it was impossible that they would disclose the content of the assessment to Xiang Beifei in advance. In other words, even if Xiang Beifei asked anything, Ye Changfeng wouldn''t say much. Find your next adventure on m_v l|e-novelhall.net Xiang Beifei simply continued to look at Ye Changfeng. His words were always brief, avoiding any superfluous talk. Ye Changfeng noticed that the youth was guarded in front of him, remaining calm and collected, speaking in his own way without saying anything extra just because Ye was a teacher at Liangzhou University. This made things very difficult! He couldn''t help but glance at the long sword by his side. The sword light briefly shimmered. No progress at all? After pondering for a moment, Ye Changfeng spoke again, "Regardless, I still need to clarify the situation at Liangzhou University for you, so you''ll be mentally prepared for the admission assessment." "Please do," Xiang Beifei said. Ye Changfeng paused, then continued, "In the history of Liangzhou University, only three N-level Awakeners have passed the admission assessment, and the last time we admitted an N-level student was ten years ago." "Three of them, not bad at all." "It''s not like that," Ye Changfeng shook his head, and added, "The highest official of Liangzhou, Shang Tianxiong, was the first one. But in fact, back then Liangzhou University did not admit N-level students, and for him, it was only an exception." "Is that so?" Xiang Beifei''s reply was short. Ye Changfeng watched Xiang Beifei impartially, trying to see what he might ask, but Xiang Beifei''s expression was calm and steady. The sword beside him remained still; it couldn''t discern anything about Xiang Beifei''s situation. After some thought, Ye Changfeng decided to say a bit more. The more he spoke, the more likely Xiang Beifei might react, allowing Ye to observe something. "When Shang Tianxiong was younger, he saved one of our university''s teachers. That year, a beast tide erupted, breaching the outer defenses of the Jiuzhou Alliance, and our university''s teachers were ordered to resist the desolate beasts. However, one teacher was injured by a powerful desolate beast. He managed to escape back but went unnoticed by everyone preoccupied with the desolate beasts." "It was Shang Tianxiong who rescued him in time. After the beast tide was repelled and the alliance stabilized, the Liangzhou University teacher felt indebted to Shang Tianxiong. So, he lobbied the university''s high-level officials and secured him an opportunity to undergo the entrance assessment." "Yet, since Liangzhou University is an elite institution that normally only admits R-level Awakeners, letting him in through the back door would be unfair to other N-level Awakeners and could negatively impact the school. Consequently, a rule was amended, setting the minimum college entrance examination score for N-level students at 680 points. Anyone scoring 680 could apply for Liangzhou University and participate in the entrance assessment." Ye Changfeng stared at Xiang Beifei. After all, Xiang Beifei''s score this year was 732 points, far exceeding the 680 point threshold. Even among the many S-level Awakeners in Jiuzhou with the "Scholar System," none had a higher score than him. In Ye Changfeng''s opinion, it was quite impressive. "This rule was modified for Shang Tianxiong, but he still had to follow it to get into Liangzhou University. He spent three full years repeating his studies to achieve the 680 points! And he didn''t pass the first assessment. After another year, he scored 689 points and with a year of guidance from that teacher, he finally passed the entrance assessment." Ye Changfeng detailed Shang Tianxiong''s situation to Xiang Beifei, also wanting to convey that even for someone like Shang Tianxiong, gaining admission to Liangzhou University took immense effort and assistance from influential figures. His fingers tapped gently on his thigh, waiting for Xiang Beifei to ask a question. Xiang Beifei remained in a thoughtful pose, like an attentive listener, showing no stance. ¡ª¡ªHe really knows how to keep his cool. Ye Changfeng thought to himself and continued speaking: "After Shang Tianxiong, an N-level student, got into Liangzhou University, his success inspired many N-level Awakeners. Many N-level students took him as a model, working hard to improve their academics. Quite a few scored the required 680 points, but without exception, they all failed the entrance assessment, just like Shang Tianxiong in his first year." "Later, after Shang Tianxiong graduated, he stayed on as a university teacher. A few other N-level Awakeners then sought to attend Liangzhou University, and Shang Tianxiong was in charge of their entrance assessments. Meaning, the second and third N-level Awakeners who entered Liangzhou University did so because Shang Tianxiong turned a blind eye." "However, both of these individuals were flashes in the pan. One of the N-level Awakeners couldn''t keep up with the pace of Liangzhou University''s curriculum and dropped out after two years of study. This incident had some repercussions at the time and served as a warning to those N-level candidates who wished to try for Liangzhou University." Ye Changfeng looked meaningfully at Xiang Beifei. "So, are you here to discourage me today?" Xiang Beifei asked. He finally reacted! It wasn''t easy to get you to talk more. Ye Changfeng smiled and said, "Not at all, I know your father, and therefore, I have expectations for you as well. I just want to inform you that Shang Tianxiong had the help of influential people, and the other two N-level Awakeners had the assistance of Shang Tianxiong. So in the school history of Liangzhou University, we''ve admitted three N-level Awakeners." "But ten years ago, Shang Tianxiong no longer served as a teacher at Liangzhou University and opted to work in the alliance instead. Since then, he hasn''t been in charge of Liangzhou University''s entrance assessments, and in the past ten years, not a single N-level Awakener has made it through." Xiang Beifei nodded thoughtfully. In the school history of Liangzhou University, the three N-level Awakeners could more or less be said to have entered the university through the assistance of influential figures. At least Shang Tianxiong had the capability; he took advantage of his opportunity and made tremendous achievements through his own efforts. But the next two N-level Awakeners faced entrance assessments overseen by Shang Tianxiong himself; being N-level as well, Shang Tianxiong certainly empathized with them and likely lowered the difficulty of the assessments. However, Xiang Beifei''s current situation was that he not only lacked help, but the person responsible for his assessment was also an old adversary of his father! The entrance assessments for the other three N-level Awakeners had reduced difficulty, but his was made more challenging! Ye Changfeng waited for Xiang Beifei to inquire, even thinking to himself that Xiang Beifei might try to ingratiate himself. After all, he knew Xiang Tianxing, and any person with such a connection would likely seize the opportunity to say a few kind words, hoping that he too could become their benefactor. But Xiang Beifei didn''t do so, rather, he continued watching Ye Changfeng politely, neither fawning nor resisting. Chapter 106 Assessment Notification The room fell silent for a long time, until finally, it was Ye Changfeng who lost his patience. "Aren''t you going to say something?" he asked. "What does Mr. Ye expect me to say?" Xiang Beifei asked, puzzled. Ye Changfeng was momentarily at a loss for words. ¡ª¡ªYou''re not even going to offer a couple of flattering remarks? He found communicating with Xiang Beifei extremely difficult! Never had an N-level student spoken to him like this before. The students at Liangzhou University all held him in awe, even tried to curry favor with him, the reason being simple: they all knew he was an SR Awakener! But do I have to tell you to your face that I''m an SR for you to fawn over me? At the very least, I''m still a teacher; you should have some reaction! "Is this how you normally talk to people?" Ye Changfeng couldn''t help but ask. "I talk more with people I''m familiar with," Xiang Beifei replied earnestly. Ye Changfeng didn''t know how to respond to that for a moment. The atmosphere fell silent once again. Ye Changfeng probably realized there was no need to stay any longer, so he stood up and said, "Alright, then I won''t disturb you any further. Everything you need to pay attention to is in the envelope; I should take my leave." Ye Changfeng walked towards the door, and Xiang Beifei followed him there. Just as he was stepping out the door, Ye Changfeng seemed to remember something and added, "Even though I know your father, the assessment isn''t up to me, and I don''t know what the specific assessment will entail, nor can I assist you. Everyone is watching you, and bending the rules is not an option. Remember that." Xiang Beifei looked at Ye Changfeng with a strange expression. Ye Changfeng, a dignified SR-level teacher at Liangzhou University, felt somewhat uneasy under the gaze of a teenager. After a long moment, as if he had understood, he said helplessly, "Oh right, you knew these things earlier; it was I who was vague." He looked meaningfully at Xiang Beifei once more before saying, "Farewell." "Take care, Mr. Ye," Xiang Beifei said. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei sat on the sofa, looking at the envelope, deep in thought. He was not an SR Awakener that all nine elite universities were scrambling to recruit; he was just an N-level Awakener. The teacher from Liangzhou University came to see him merely to find out what kind of person he really was, not to recruit him to Liangzhou University. If he were an SR Awakener, perhaps they would have asked him a few more questions because he would have had the right to choose, coveted by the nine elite universities. But he wasn''t, he had no choice, and asking too many questions would only expose himself to the other party. It wasn''t wise to let the other party know everything about him before even starting at the university. He didn''t know this person, and even knowing his father proved nothing. Xiang Tianxing, as an SR-level Awakener, was known by many, but not everyone who knew Xiang Tianxing was his friend. Especially since he couldn''t see Ye Changfeng''s system tasks, he couldn''t judge from the system tasks what kind of person Ye Changfeng really was, so he couldn''t just trust him blindly. "Woof woof woof!" Xiaohei was at the table, waving its little paws, humming and gesturing. "I know you''re impressive, but snatching that sword isn''t necessarily a good thing," Xiang Beifei said. "Woof!" Xiaohei proudly raised its head. "There are plenty who want to observe us, one sword doesn''t make a difference." Xiang Beifei knew that the sword was observing him, or rather, scanning him, but he didn''t give it any chance, speaking only what needed to be said, and refraining from uttering anything superfluous. He picked up the envelope from the table, tore open the seal, and took out a red piece of letter paper. A circle of ripples hung around this paper, and as soon as the envelope was torn, the ripples swiftly settled on Xiang Beifei, seemingly confirming his identity. His identity was all recorded in the educational system, and Liangzhou University naturally knew how to identify him. After the confirmation of his identity, the restrictions on the letter paper disappeared, and then slowly, a line of words emerged on the paper: ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei, Student: You have applied and passed our university''s admission threshold, and we now invite you to participate in our entrance assessment. Assessment Date: August 5th at 9:00 AM Location: Liangzhou University Training Ground No. 1 Assessment Content: Confidential Cautions: No accompaniment by relatives or friends is permitted; please come alone. Good luck! Liangzhou University Academic Affairs Office: Yuchi Shen ¡ª¡ª A simple letter, with hardly anything but the time and place, no extra explanation, nothing special. "That''s the day after tomorrow." Xiang Beifei stored the letter away and considered whether to inform his grandfather. After a brief moment, he decided against it, reasoning that there was no need to worry his grandfather since he couldn''t accompany him anyway. "Now, even if it''s a dragon''s den and a tiger''s lair, I must venture forth!" Xiang Beifei said, patting Xiaohei on the head. ¡ª¡ª Ye Changfeng stood in the corridor, turning his head to look at his long sword. "Long Yuan, do you see anything?" he inquired. The Longyuan Sword next to him emitted strange fluctuations, and a dragon shadow slowly appeared on the blade''s edge, coiling around the sword, lifting its proud head and replied in a muffled voice, "It''s peculiar, I seem to see right through him, yet at the same time, I cannot pierce his veil." "You can see through him, yet you can''t?" Ye Changfeng expressed his surprise. .net "If he would only speak more, or do something else, perhaps I would discern something. But he reveals nothing," the Longyuan Sword declared. Ye Changfeng shook his head with a smile: "He doesn''t seem like someone who enjoys talking." The Longyuan Sword, in contemplation, eventually said, "Or perhaps he does not wish to speak in front of you?" Ye Changfeng slightly startled, he faintly grasped something. "I think he doesn''t trust me." Ye Changfeng removed his glasses, took out a cloth from his pocket, and began to clean them as he started to laugh: "It''s correct for him not to trust me. Blindly trusting a stranger is not the vigilance a pioneer should possess. If he trusted me or tried to ingratiate himself with me like the other students, flattering and fawning, I would instead be disappointed in him." He put the cloth back into his pocket and donned his glasses again, in his eyes twinkled an odd blue light. "I am quite eager to see how he will deal with those troublesome geniuses in the academy," he remarked. "You seem convinced that he will pass the assessment?" the Longyuan Sword asked. "He is the son of Xiang Tianxing." "But Yuchi Shen is in charge of the assessments. You know how much he detested Xiang Tianxing in the past! Do you think he would let the son of Xiang Tianxing pass easily?" scoffed the Longyuan Sword. Ye Changfeng adjusted his clothes, seemingly undisturbed by Long Yuan''s words. "He will pass," he declared. "You have that much confidence in him?" "I can tell." "You just said you couldn''t tell anything!" "It''s precisely because I couldn''t tell anything that I can tell." Ye Changfeng stepped forward, and beneath his feet, ripples appeared as if he was stepping on the air, creating waves. Then, space seemed to ripple slightly, and in the blink of an eye, he had vanished. Chapter 107 Liangzhou University A piece of news suddenly spread silently within Liangzhou University. August 5th, the day of the entrance examination for this year''s top original score candidate, Xiang Beifei! The gossip tree at Liangzhou University exploded once more. "He''s coming, he''s coming, he''s here!" "Let''s form a group to show him who''s boss. Who''s joining?" "I happen to be free that day, count me in." "Damn it, the school just started summer break, and I''ve gone home. I can''t come back that day. Who can take over and show him who''s boss for me ©c(`§¥ ?)¥Î" "I''m actually on summer internship! I''ll be there to show him what ''elite'' really means!" "Right, I can''t wait to see how he makes a fool of himself! What an overconfident fool!" "Did you hear that this time Yuchi the old demon is in charge of his entrance assessment?" "Hahaha! He''s doomed. Yuchi the old demon hates three types of people: those whose talents are better than his, those whose talents are the same as his, and those whose talents are worse than his!" "Anyone who meets Yuchi the old demon is bound to get skinned, let alone a piece of N-level trash." "You guys are being a bit too harsh. The guy just awakened his system two months ago and hasn''t even reached the Qi-Controlling stage. Why so vindictive?" "Not harsh at all. He should have known the consequences when he conspired with journalists to suppress us with public opinion!" Because of the hype created by Yu Lei, Xiang Beifei had become notoriously well-known in Liangzhou University, and many students couldn''t wait to meet this top-originally-scored candidate. The posts in the gossip tree were hostile towards Xiang Beifei; even the occasional rational voices defending him were quickly drowned out by other mocking posts. August 5th. Early in the morning, Xiang Beifei took a ride to Liangzhou University. He arrived at Liangzhou University by half-past seven. "I misjudged the time." He had never been to Liangzhou University before and was unsure about the travel time, so he left home just after six. Liangzhou University was not particularly far from where he lived: about an hour''s drive ¡ª possibly less if he drove himself, which was likely why Lu Zhiwei would rush to the law enforcement team every day after school. But being early was better than being late. He stood at the school gate, looking at Liangzhou University in front of him. The grand and imposing school gate, made of marble, bore many special stone patterns that twinkled mysteriously under the sunlight. These stone patterns appeared to be the texture of waves at first glance. However, each wave was intricately ordered and reflected off each other, extending up to the grand ''Liangzhou University'' inscription. "Is this a formation?" Xiang Beifei stood at the gate, staring at the huge Liangzhou University sign, pondering. He could see the various system-made objects; system items were actually a form of spiritual power crystal, just manifested in different ways. That meant he could also see any form of energy condensed by spiritual power, including formation patterns and charm patterns. The stone patterns on this gate were protected by a special power, seemingly linked to every tree and every stone in the school, eventually converging on a statue not far away. The statue was of an elder, dressed in ancient attire, holding a walking stick, with kind and benevolent eyes and a pair of wise eyes looking towards the school gate. As Xiang Beifei was examining the statue, he realized that it seemed to be examining him as well. "The university is indeed not to be underestimated." Xiang Beifei knew who the statue represented; it was said to be the school''s founder from a thousand years ago, the venerable Mu Tianhe. He shifted his gaze from the statue of the school''s founder, but the feeling of being scrutinized by the statue did not go away. "Where has Lu Zhiwei gone? She promised to wait for me here." Xiang Beifei looked around, searching for Lu Zhiwei''s figure. When Lu Zhiwei had her internship with the enforcement team, she would stay at home, but if there were academic classes, she would stay at the university. She had called him last night, saying she would wait for him at the school entrance in the morning and take him to Training Site One. Xiang Beifei was not familiar with Liangzhou University and thought that this arrangement would save him from taking unnecessary detours, so he agreed. He made a call to Lu Zhiwei, and the phone was quickly picked up. "Ah, Beifei, this morning my mentor called me to handle some matters, I am now at the lab. Why don''t you come here and then I can take you directly to Training Room One, sparing me the extra trip to the school gate," said Lu Zhiwei. "Where are you?" "Dashang Building, thirteenth floor, walk inside for about five minutes. The building''s name is displayed prominently on the outside," said Lu Zhiwei. Xiang Beifei hung up the phone, walked through the school gate and looked around, then slightly furrowed his brow. Thirteen floors? He looked around; none of the buildings in the school were more than six stories high. Where could there be a thirteen-story building? Xiang Beifei soon remembered that the architecture at Liangzhou University was quite unique. In a world rife with desolate beasts, which sometimes attacked human settlements, buildings were built low to the ground, with additional structures underground. In such attacks, people could take refuge underground, and even if the upper levels were destroyed, the underground sections generally remained intact, facilitating rebuilding. The course Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou had mentioned that in over three thousand years, humanity had suffered several hundred beast tides, each posing an almost catastrophic threat. Desolate beasts from outside Jiuzhou could easily breach outer defenses and cause widespread destruction, hence many buildings were constructed underground. Places like Liangzhou University, being one of the nine elite universities, naturally needed to protect all cultural heritage and legacies and be safeguarded against destruction during beast tides. But Xiang Beifei still could not pinpoint the Dashang Building, afraid to waste time by going wrong, he spotted a security booth not far away and walked towards it. It was just past seven in the morning and summer break, there were some students who stayed on campus, but not many. Xiang Beifei entered the security booth where there was a lounge chair outside, and an old man dressed in a security uniform was sitting on it, leisurely cracking sunflower seeds. Xiang Beifei caught a glimpse of the man''s system interface and was slightly surprised¡ª [Host: Luo Yunxian] [SR grade, Leisure System] [Level: Late Stage of Meridian Opening] .net A gatekeeper old man, at the Late Stage of Meridian Opening? And an SR grade? Is Liangzhou University really such a hidden dragon and crouching tiger? To date, aside from Ye Changfeng, the two most powerful people he had met were President Li Nanxing and Chang Shan from the enforcement team, both in the Late Stage of Meridian Opening and greatly respected figures. Unexpectedly, Xiang Beifei found that even the security guard at Liangzhou University was at the Late Stage of Meridian Opening! When even Lu Hong, who was at the Early Stage of Meridian Opening, could become the captain of the enforcement team in the Western District, this old man with such high cultivation did security work¡ªwhy not choose a better profession? However, one thing was strange. Why, being of the same SR grade talent, was Ye Changfeng above the Meridian Opening, while this security guard was only in the Late Stage of Meridian Opening? Xiang Beifei was puzzled. He looked towards the old security guard''s system interface¡ª [Leisure System Introduction: Do some leisurely activities every day to make yourself stronger!] ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª (Ah, I thought it would take another week for the book to be put on the shelf, but the notice changed abruptly. The editor said the new book is now off recommendations, meaning the new book period is over, asking me to put it on the shelf this Friday, which is tomorrow. It''s a bit rushed, but I have to bite the bullet. Tomorrow, Friday noon, it goes on sale, I hope you all can support. Writing novels is how I make a living with subscriptions, please, I ask for your support for the official release!!!) Chapter 108 The Leisurely Luo Laotou [Daily Task 1: Count three hundred students passing through the school gate, leisure value +50] [Daily Task 2: Eat three hundred sunflower seeds, leisure value +50] .net [Daily Task 3: Nap for an hour, leisure value +50] [Daily Task 4: Chat with someone for an hour, leisure value +50] [Other Optional Tasks (Elective): 1. Watch TV dramas for an hour; 2. Daydream for an hour; 3. Listen to opera for an hour; 4. Play games for an hour; 5. Listen to birds chirping for an hour; 6. Go for a walk for an hour; 7. Dance in the square for an hour; 8. Watch news for an hour...] [Please ensure that the host maintains a happy body and mind, acts leisurely, and lives a joyful life! Do not be impatient, and don''t let yourself be too busy or too tired, as working yourself to exhaustion is not good for you. Remember! Engaging in more leisurely activities will make you stronger!] ... The string of optional leisure tasks left Xiang Beifei dumbfounded. Elective tasks meant these tasks could be done or not, depending on his mood! He had seen various bizarre systems before¡ªthe Eating Dirt System, Hair Loss System, Bootlicker System, Backup Snatch System... but these systems were just a speck of dust in front of this old man''s Leisure System! Just by cracking sunflower seeds and counting students walking by, he could complete all his tasks, and even becoming stronger by watching a TV show or taking a walk! The scariest part was that this old man raised his cultivation to the late stage of Meridian Opening just by lazing around! "It shows how important it is to awaken a good system." Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but sigh. While others were tirelessly working on their system tasks, this old man just lay in a lounge chair, squinted his eyes, napped like a salted fish. Then you look back, and he''s even stronger than you! Comparing yourself with others can be maddening! Honestly, Xiang Beifei really wanted this Leisure System for himself¡ªwho doesn''t like to relax? He finally understood why this old man, despite his high cultivation, was content with just guarding the school gate. Why strive for more when you have such a system? Didn''t you see what the system said? Engaging in more leisurely activities will make you stronger! "Seventy-five." Elder Luo casually spit out a sunflower seed husk and counted Xiang Beifei as he approached. "Hello," Xiang Beifei greeted politely. "Freshman?" Elder Luo cracked another sunflower seed as the system showed he had now eaten 95 seeds. "Is it that obvious?" Xiang Beifei asked. "No upperclassman would greet me so politely." Elder Luo stretched his back, and Xiang Beifei noticed that Elder Luo had chosen the [Chat for an Hour] daily task, intending to casually include chatting with Xiang Beifei as part of this task. Xiang Beifei nodded, "Yes, I wanted to ask how to get to the Dashang Building?" Elder Luo scrutinized Xiang Beifei and, stroking his chin, said, "I seem to have an impression of you." "Really?" Xiang Beifei was puzzled. "Oh right, you are the top scorer of the initial assessment!" Elder Luo sat up from the lounge chair, his lean face lighting up with excitement! "How could you tell?" "Your photograph is in the Liangzhou University gossip forum; it''s there in your college entrance data!" Elder Luo seemed invigorated, wiped his greasy hands on the lounge chair, then took out an old model large-screen cell phone, made a few swipes, and pulled up the photograph of Xiang Beifei applying for universities, not just that, but also various photographs from Luhe High School activities. Graduation photos, athletic meets, student clubs, and other group photos¡ªsome didn''t even have Xiang Beifei as the main subject, he was just incidentally in the background; yet those backgrounds were meticulously cropped out. It was probably some of his classmates who posted it on social media. In this era, there''s no such thing as online privacy. If you want to find something, it''s easy to get your hands on it. "Now the whole school knows you. You''re a celebrity!" Elder Luo said happily, like an old man who loves gossiping about others. Wrong, he was here to gossip about the top scorer exactly. Xiang Beifei saw that he had chosen the "Gather Gossip" daily task. "Fine then." Xiang Beifei was mentally prepared for this, and he could accept that everyone knew him. "Let''s go, I''ll take you to the assessment site!" Elder Luo stood up, having chosen the "Stroll Quest." He enthusiastically led Xiang Beifei to their destination, managing to do the "Casual Chat Quest," the "Gather Gossip Quest," and the "Stroll Quest" all at once¡ªa real bargain! Xiang Beifei didn''t refuse. Although the man was doing it for the tasks, he was also helping him find his way. As long as he could see the other''s system tasks, Xiang Beifei could roughly determine if the other had any malice. "By the way, I need to stop by Dashang Building first. I have a friend waiting for me there," Xiang Beifei added. "Sure thing, sure thing." Elder Luo, while munching on sunflower seeds, looked at Xiang Beifei and offered him some seeds, asking, "Want some?" "No thanks." "Do you realize the situation you''re in now? Many students at Liangzhou University have a bone to pick with you¡ªno, they''re openly hostile! You better be careful; everyone here is a genius, and no one yields to anyone. They will cause trouble for you!" Elder Luo chuckled. "Is that so?" Xiang Beifei nodded. "You don''t seem to care much?" Elder Luo watched Xiang Beifei with enthusiasm. "What else? Do you have any good suggestions?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Beat them up! What kind of question is that! If they don''t comply, just beat them into submission, haha!" Elder Luo burst into laughter and said, "The Martial Arts College and the Liberal Arts College at a prestigious university are different. People in the Liberal Arts College reason things out, valuing both EQ and IQ, and don''t have much aggression. But with the geniuses from the Martial Arts College, the best method isn''t to reason with them but to talk with your fists!" In the Liberal Arts College, students usually don''t get involved in fights. Their awakened systems are used to enhance their IQ and EQ, along with various professional skills. People with high EQ and IQ, understanding the ways of the world, even if they dislike someone, won''t blatantly say it. However, students of the Martial Arts College focus on cultivation and combat, their awakened systems are for enhancing their fighting ability! Power is everything in their eyes! Academic performance isn''t that important to them; at admission, they have lower score requirements than the Liberal Arts College¡ª500 points for an S grade is enough. In short, they are brutes; bruteness solves everything. Xiang Beifei asked doubtfully, "Aren''t you a security guard? Why are you encouraging students to fight?" "I enjoy a good brawl, watching geniuses fight is the most interesting. As long as they don''t kill anyone, small fights are allowed in the Martial Arts College." Elder Luo said cheerfully, tossing his sunflower seed shells into a trash can as they passed by, then asked, "But I''m curious, are you confident you can take them? Those guys are at the Qi-Controlling Stage. Have you reached the Qi-Controlling Stage yet?" Xiang Beifei just smiled and didn''t say much. But Elder Luo kept on imparting his insights non-stop, "Even if you''ve been admitted to Liangzhou University, you won''t be left in peace. People will keep troubling you. The best way to shut them up is to show them how hard your fists are!" He rambled all the way from the school gate to Dashang Building. Xiang Beifei let him ramble on without interrupting, and although the old man was verbose, much of what he said made sense. Xiang Beifei made a phone call to Lu Zhiwei, who replied, "Be right there!" The elevator doors opened, but it wasn''t Lu Zhiwei. Instead, two guys appeared, seemingly talking about something. "Hurry up, we need to go to Training Area One and show that freshman what we''re made of." "It''s all the instructor''s fault for making us do experiments early in the morning; we should still make it, right?" "It''s only eight now, if we''re lucky¡ª" The speaking guy casually looked up and glanced at Xiang Beifei. He initially looked away, but after walking a few steps, something occurred to him. He picked up his phone to check something, then stopped, turned around, and stared at Xiang Beifei. "Wait a minute, you''re that Xiang Beifei!" The guy suddenly furrowed his brows. Chapter 109 Dont Show Your Moves When Fighting "Oh, trouble has arrived." Elder Luo stepped aside, full of excitement, activating his "Thrive in Chaos Mission" and feeling extremely thrilled. One of the students in a shirt approached Xiang Beifei and after confirming his identity, a certain look appeared in his eyes, "You are the N-grade freshman who wants to get into our school through public opinion pressure?" Xiang Beifei calmly looked at the male student¡ª [Host: Wang Ze] [Rank R, Plunder from Martial Worlds System] [Realm: Mid-stage of Qi-Controlling] The Plunder from Martial Worlds System probably meant hopping into various martial arts dramas or novels to play out scenarios, completing certain tasks in each story and receiving rewards if the conditions were met. Xiang Beifei noticed his most recently completed mission: [You killed Qiao Feng and became the leader of the Beggars'' Sect, plundering Qiao Feng''s Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon.] Every time Wang Ze entered a story, he had to kill a character from the plot and then plunder their martial arts. The characters he killed at first were not too strong, such as the Southern Sea Crocodile God and Ye Erniang. The mission required him to duel the targets face to face and to kill them using brute force, so he couldn''t resort to other strategies and wasn''t even allowed to use basic Spiritual Power. Once he entered a story, he was no longer at the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling but a fighter normally practicing Inner Strength. To pass through the stories, one must rely on genuine martial arts, then convert the plundered skills to the system world, and combine them with Spiritual Power to exert greater power in the system world. In order to obtain the Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon, he had to kill forty-two characters in "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," plundering their martial arts, before he could barely kill Qiao Feng by leveraging the martial prowess of many others. It took him a year to complete this task! The Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon had become his most relied upon ability. When he executed the Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon combined with his own Spiritual Power, the power was extremely formidable; there were scarcely any opponents at the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling. Wang Ze''s next mission in the system seemed to be to go through "Swordsman" to kill Linghu Chong. His task list also included killing Yue Buqun and Invincible East. As to what he would plunder would depend on his fate. Xiang Beifei had a clear understanding of the opponent''s plundered abilities. Wang Ze had just obtained the Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon and was considered one of the best among those ranked R. He was becoming increasingly proficient in this palm technique and sought someone to test it on; his gaze settled on Xiang Beifei. "Why aren''t you speaking?" He looked at Xiang Beifei, stretching his hand to rub his fists. After a while, he smiled again, "I get it; you''re scared coming to a place where the elites gather?" The students of Martial Arts College really were blunt, straightforward, and typically spoke without thinking. Xiang Beifei could accept this situation. "Haha, this place is full of Qi-Controlling elites. It''s normal for an N-grade Awakener like you to be scared. Relying on public opinion online is one thing, but here at the Martial Arts College, we rely on our fists! Did you think there would be netizens here to speak up for you?" another male student said. [Host: Song Yuan] [Rank R, Divine Sniper System] [Realm: Mid-stage of Qi-Controlling] This individual had awakened a sniper system, which provided various types of firearms in its interface. To purchase many powerful sniper rifles, he needed to spend system points, which he had to earn by sniping targets, including but not limited to flies, mosquitoes, and so on. The system would create various training simulations for him and even let him go into the wilderness outside of the domain to sniper desolate beasts, or immerse himself in a game, joining in a battle royale. Currently, his most relied upon sniper rifle was a Barrett. Song Yuan''s system was not suitable for combat but was better suited for sniping from cover; his close-quarters combat skills were not that formidable, but the lethality of his sniper rifle was also linked to his cultivation. Wang Ze and Song Yuan both possessed R-grade systems, and in a place like Liangzhou University, where elites converged, strictly speaking, their system talents were at the bottom of the heap. It was difficult for them to have an opportunity to shine in front of those with S-grade and SR-grade systems. Now that an N-grade Awakener had arrived, whose talent was even worse than theirs, their own sense of superiority with R-grade systems was immediately evident. Inside the tree hollow, the two of them were among the ones who shouted the loudest. Xiang Beifei did not speak and shifted his gaze away from them, still waiting for Lu Zhiwei. Seeing themselves being ignored by Xiang Beifei, Wang Ze and Song Yuan narrowed their eyes. "Not speaking doesn''t mean everything will be fine." .net Wang Ze stared at Xiang Beifei. "Let me tell you, Liangzhou University isn''t the place for any trash that comes along. If you knew what was good for you, you''d turn around and go back where you came from, otherwise, you''re going to have a hard time at this elite university." "The Martial Arts College of this elite university isn''t all about high scores in cultural subjects. Everyone here is an elite. Think about it, what grade do you think you are? And you even dare to join forces with journalists to pressure our Liangzhou University in an attempt to get in? Your face is quite big, isn''t it!" Song Yuan remarked. Xiang Beifei still did not speak. Old Man Luo nearby kept cracking sunflower seeds, carrying out his "Join in the Fun Task". He didn''t bother to stop the fight; squabbles were common at the elite university and it was fine for him to do something leisurely. Song Yuan suddenly thought of something and said, "Just now, I remember Lu Zhiwei seemed to say someone was waiting for her outside and was anxious to come out. It couldn''t be him she was looking for, could it?" Wang Ze feigned a look of realization before saying, "I was wondering why such an N-grade Awakener dared to come to Liangzhou University. Turned out he found an S-grade girl to lean on, hiding behind a woman and becoming a kept man. Do you expect to hide behind a girl for all your years at university? Should she protect you at all times?" "This is interesting! An N-grade trash overestimating his ability at the elite university, muddling through three years on the coattails of a woman¡ªhow very interesting!" Song Yuan sneered. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then turned his head and inquired with Elder Luo, "Are we allowed to fight?" Since he was new here, it was better to clarify the rules¡ªit would be more polite. Elder Luo, munching on sunflower seeds, was happy to hear Xiang Beifei finally speak up. He nodded eagerly: "Liangzhou University''s rules state that sparring is allowed as long as there is a faculty member or elder present. I''m faculty and I can testify! I can testify! I love testifying for geniuses!" He was so excited that he sprayed sunflower seed shells everywhere with his mouth. Attending the Martial Arts College meant that these students would be trained to resist desolate beasts from the outer domains in the future. If they couldn''t fight, what was the point of being here? Hearing Xiang Beifei''s words, Wang Ze laughed, "You want to fight with me?" "You must not know our strength, huh? Do you think once you get to university, you''ll get by with just acing exams? Wang Ze, let me handle this! We don''t need you for someone like him; I''m enough." Song Yuan rubbed his palms together and stretched lazily, "Come on, I''ll let you make three moves first, and then I''ll teach you," N-grade Awakener, "what it truly means to be an elite¡ª" Whoosh! Before Song Yuan could finish his sentence, he only felt a blur in front of his eyes as a shadow flashed rapidly past him, bringing a burst of explosive punch wind that slammed into his face. Bang! Song Yuan screamed, his body flying backward and crashing into the wall with a muffled sound, collapsing limply to the ground. "When fighting, don''t hold back." Xiang Beifei stood there, saying earnestly. Chapter 110 The Sublimated Version of Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon Song Yuan was utterly dumbfounded by Xiang Beifei. Although he was a sniper, not adept at close combat, he still possessed mid-stage Qi-Controlling strength. As a sniper, he was extremely sensitive to changes in his surroundings, and his reaction capabilities were definitely top-notch. In his view, N-level Xiang Beifei, who had awakened his system two months ago, hadn''t even reached the Qi-Controlling stage. He himself, being in the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling, didn''t need to rely on sniping to deal with such a person with just one punch. In fact, it was indeed a matter of one punch. But the one knocked down by that punch wasn''t Xiang Beifei, but himself! Wang Ze was also shocked! Even he didn''t know what had happened. He only saw a shadow flash by, and then Song Yuan fell down. He didn''t even have the chance to fight back! How on earth did this guy do it? Wang Ze immediately became alert, slowly waving his hands forward, readying his palms, and fixating on Xiang Beifei. "You''re just an N-level guy, you couldn''t possibly knock down Song Yuan. Whose system item did you use? Lu Zhiwei''s?" .net Wang Ze had not seen clearly how fast Xiang Beifei moved. In his mind, it was impossible for an N-level Awakener to achieve this, nor could an S-level genius who had just awakened two months ago possess mid-stage Qi-Controlling cultivation! Then the only explanation was that the opponent had used someone else''s system for help! Xiang Beifei just seriously stared at Wang Ze, contemplating and offering no explanation. This made Wang Ze feel insulted. He coldly shouted, "You''ve only awakened two months ago. Even with someone else''s system''s help, you can only reach mid-stage Qi-Controlling at best. Do you think knocking down Song Yuan proves anything? He''s not a close combat martial artist, but I am!" His palm conjured up a phantom, with Spiritual Power flowing to his fingertips, faintly showing dragons flashing by. Elevated version of the Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon! "Today I''ll teach you a lesson. Items bestowed by others'' systems are nothing. Real strength is the absolute truth!" Wang Ze was very confident in his Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon. It was the Supreme palm technique he had obtained after spending a year defeating Qiao Feng! In the martial world, the Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon might just be another martial art, but with the assistance of the system, when brought to the real world, it had become an elevated Culivation Technique, its power not comparable to that of a martial world''s top expert! Roar! The dragon''s roar resounded like thunder! Wang Ze waved his palms, and the Spiritual Power transformed into dragon shadows swirling around him, his aura extremely intense. These dragon shadows could attack and defend, able to unleash formidable destructive power with his palms and also timely block various attacks. It can be said that the elevated version of the Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon was flawless! So far, he had never been at a disadvantage against anyone in the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling. Xiang Beifei wasn''t even a practitioner. The power of the system item he borrowed was limited and was nothing before his own Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon. Even with someone else''s system item''s help, he couldn''t possibly be his match. The dragon shadow of Wang Ze''s Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon grew increasingly powerful. Then, his body vibrated, transforming into a golden phantom, creating a cracking sound as it rushed towards Xiang Beifei! Boom! Wang Ze''s dragon-shadow palm created a thunderous roar stirring the air, forming an intense and violent aura. This palm, mixed with the fierce dragon''s roar, was imposing like thunder, shaking the very air and seeming to devour and destroy everything in sight, reducing it to ashes! His palm technique was true to its name. One palm affected the whole body, and with each strike, he could change it into eighteen styles. Delivering one palm strike was like delivering eighteen, each containing flexible transformations and roaring dragon shadows. Within the eighteen changing palm winds, only one was real. The rest were feints, but he could instantly transfer the real palm to any of the feints. So each palm was a feint, yet each was also real. Real and unreal, true and false indistinguishable. The dragon-shadow palm winds turned into myriad forms, all within a single thought from him. This was the elevated version of the Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon, terrifyingly powerful! Xiang Beifei lifted his eyelids, watching the overwhelming Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon¡ª Then he threw a punch. Bang! A muffled thud! "Ah¡ª¡ª" Wang Ze screamed in agony, his body flew backward like a battered sandbag, crashing into a pillar behind him, and fell to the ground like a puddle of mud. His nose was bloody, the blood spraying on his clothes, creating a shockingly gruesome sight. "All flash and no substance." Xiang Beifei muttered. "You... you..." Wang Ze looked at Xiang Beifei in disbelief! He had actually lost! How was this possible! Wang Ze was stunned, completely unable to accept the fact! If it had been Song Yuan who was knocked down by a punch from Xiang Beifei, it would have been understandable, since Song Yuan was a sniper, not a close-combat expert. But he, Wang Ze, was a proper martial artist! He had a powerful system enhancing him, had plundered the Supreme cultivation technique, and after receiving the boost from the Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon, he should have been spirited and prominent. But he had lost! After spending an entire year to kill Qiao Feng and plunder his Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon, when he performed it, his momentum was like a raging torrent, unstoppable, invincible, and extremely domineering. But he still lost! He could perform the Eighteen Palms of Descending Dragon so brilliantly, seamlessly blending illusion and reality, true and false, each strike made his opponents dread, almost no one in the same realm could decipher it, the palms were terrifying and domineering, able to crush rocks into powder with a single hit. But he still lost! He lost to an N-level Awakener! The opponent had merely thrown a punch! His intricate and unfathomable palming technique was, in the eyes of his opponent, merely dismissed as "all flash and no substance"! "..." Wang Ze looked at Xiang Beifei with a mix of shock and anger, he couldn''t stand it! But Xiang Beifei''s punch had left him so disoriented that he couldn''t even muster the language for a moment, not even able to make a sound, like he had become mute, just trembling lips staring at Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei''s punch had left him without even the strength to speak. Elder Luo also stood frozen in place, staring blankly at Xiang Beifei, even forgetting to crack his sunflower seeds. Wang Ze might think that Xiang Beifei had won by borrowing someone else''s cultivation technique, but as an SR-level late-stage Meridian Opening cultivator, his insight was sharp and clear! Xiang Beifei was not relying on someone else''s system, but on his own overwhelming boxing technique! A punch down, and Wang Ze flew. There was no room for negotiation. "Elder was right." Xiang Beifei turned politely to Elder Luo and said. "I... what did I say?" Elder Luo, who hadn''t snapped out of it yet, asked blankly. "The best way to shut them up is with a fist," Xiang Beifei looked at Wang Ze and said, "See, now he can''t talk at all." "..." Chapter 111 The Mysterious Leisure System Elder Luo was stunned for quite a while, but finally came back to his senses, and blinked his eyes before bursting into loud laughter, "Hahaha! I knew it! I just knew it! How could you possibly be that weak! Come on, I must share some sunflower seeds with you! Let''s crack sunflower seeds together! Let''s do it!" Excited, Elder Luo took out a handful of shiny black sunflower seeds from his pocket and stuffed them into Xiang Beifei''s hand without any explanation. "Huh?" The moment he touched the seeds, Xiang Beifei noticed that these weren''t ordinary sunflower seeds, but a peculiar system item. He looked questioningly at Xiaohei, who shook his head, indicating there was nothing abnormal about the seeds. On the contrary, they were quite special; they could replenish energy, stimulate the mind, and seemed to even restore some lost Spiritual Power¡ªmaking them a recovery item. "Thank you, senior." Xiang Beifei didn''t refuse, accepting the sunflower seeds and earnestly started cracking them. Crunchy and fragrant, the seeds transformed into streams of Spiritual Power and merged into his body. "Why call me a senior? I''m just an idle doorman, not impressive at all." Elder Luo waved his hand dismissively. "Anyone with more life experience than me is a senior," Xiang Beifei said casually, cracking the seeds. An idle person, yet capable of reaching such a late stage in Meridian Opening; he wasn''t about to take him lightly. Both being staff at Liangzhou University, Xiang Beifei couldn''t see Ye Changfeng''s system missions, so he didn''t trust Ye Changfeng. However, he could see Elder Luo''s Leisure System and thus could gauge what kind of person he was. Elder Luo was briefly taken aback and then burst into laughter like an old rascal, "Hahaha! Kid, I like your frankness. Let''s go, let''s go, since we''re free right now, let''s go find someone to fight." Xiang Beifei: "..." How idle are you! To actually enjoy watching others fight? "I have to wait for someone," Xiang Beifei said. But speaking of which, he was still very curious about Elder Luo''s [SR-Level Leisure System]. This person owned an SR-level system; his cultivation was only as good as the S-level Li Nanxing and Chang Shan, which baffled him. He was examining the [Leisure System] description, Elder Luo''s daily system missions were filled with all sorts of excruciatingly boring things. Even tasks like "watching ants move house" or "chickens pecking at grains" could earn him system values. At this moment, his leisure value totaled [56,233,689] "56 million?" Xiang Beifei remembered that S-Level Principal Li Nanxing only needed 16 million to buy his God Refining Pills. Although the systems were different and the methods of calculating system values were different, logically, an SR-level system should cultivate faster and even require fewer system values. He checked the other''s system market, the [Leisure System] didn''t have many system items, not even as diverse as others'', but its calculation methods were rather peculiar, seemingly using a mind-washing method to strengthen oneself. In the system''s character profile, there was a comprehensive chart: [Strength: 1111] [Speed: 2222] [Defense: 3333] [Intelligence: 4444] [Agility: 5555] [Social: 6666] [Music: 7777] ... This way of allocating points left Xiang Beifei utterly baffled. A person possessed countless innate abilities, which varied in levels of proficiency; this was evident from Qin Yi''s "S-rank Talent Aggregation System" he encountered last time. Elder Luo''s system talents probably displayed tens of thousands of abilities, even including "paper folding ability" and "dancing ability" within its coverage, but the most absurd part of this "SR-rank Leisure System" was that it could freely allocate points to any ability. Put another way, he had a total of over 56 million leisure points, which could be freely allocated to any aspect without any upper limit, as long as the sum total of the abilities slots equaled the leisure points he had collected. He could allocate all his leisure points to "strength" or he could allocate them all to "speed"! Despite currently being idle and randomly adding points to each of his talents in a prank-like order of 111, 222, if he wanted, he could even zero out other abilities and make the "strength" category show "Strength: 56233689". When Xiang Beifei discovered this characteristic of the "Leisure System," he was quite astonished! An SR-rank system was indeed outrageous! He suddenly understood what was behind Elder Luo''s cultivation level; his system settings did not include a "cultivation" allocation, and his cultivation level was likely a manifestation of the combined real power of several aspects of his abilities. Even following his nonchalant, pranking way of adding points, his cultivation level had surprisingly reached "Late Meridian Opening"! Elder Luo''s system showed "Late Meridian Opening" because he randomly allocated points, but if he got serious, reset the points, and redistributed his over 56 million ability points, his real cultivation level would definitely be far beyond the late Meridian Opening! That way, Xiang Beifei definitely wouldn''t be able to see the other party''s system interface, as by then, it would only display three lines of content, just like the SR-rank Ye Changfeng''s system. What exactly was Elder Luo''s cultivation level? Xiang Beifei was overwhelmingly curious! He suddenly wondered, what if all these system points were added to intelligence? Reaching the pinnacle of human IQ, becoming a sage among men? But Xiang Beifei soon noticed a line of advice [Point Allocation Note: Please host pay attention to balancing abilities appropriately, do not exceed your capacity to handle them.] He sort of understood that putting all points into one category was impractical. Elder Luo could indeed allocate all 56 million leisure points to "strength", but accordingly, other physical aspects, such as "speed", would diminish if reduced to zero, practically immobilizing him during a fight, making great strength useless without speed! If "intelligence" were increased to 50 million, the brain''s nerves might not keep up with the speed of thought, potentially frying his brain! So even though he could adjust these "leisure points" at will, balance was necessary, as each point should be set according to the current physical condition to determine the upper and lower limits. But this was already a minor drawback, as Elder Luo surely knew how to distribute these leisure points, maximizing his strongest attributes while considering other aspects. Seeing so, this SR Elder surely couldn''t be viewed as a normal person! As Xiang Beifei pondered staring at Elder Luo''s system interface, he noticed that Elder Luo also seemed to be contemplating something while watching him. Then, Xiang Beifei inadvertently noticed Elder Luo''s system points were rapidly fluctuating; it looked like he was resetting points! Read latest chapters at m_v-l''e|-novelhall.net Immediately, the line for "Mind Reading" jumped rapidly from "233" to "9999", "Perception" shot up from "250" to "8888", while other aspects like "Square Dancing" and "Shuttlecock Kicking" abilities dramatically dropped from 9999 to 123, and then¡ª Whoosh! Elder Luo''s system interface in Xiang Beifei''s eyes turned into: [Host: Luo Yunxian] [SR, Leisure System] [State¡ª¡ª] Chapter 112 Eating Sunflower Seeds "He''s upgrading his realm, preparing to read my mind?" Xiang Beifei became instantly alert at the last moment when he saw Elder Luo''s system interface disappear! Because he saw Elder Luo''s [Mind Reading Ability] upgrading, it was obvious that Elder Luo had become curious after witnessing Xiang Beifei send Wang Ze and Song Yuan flying with a punch, and he decided to try and elevate his own cultivation, to see if he could uncover Xiang Beifei''s secrets! Xiang Beifei could no longer see Elder Luo''s Cultivation Realm, nor any introduction to the [Leisure System], indicating that the other party''s cultivation had at least ascended to the God Refining stage, or even higher! For such a high-level master, not being able to ascertain what he''s doing can be a bit troublesome. "Woof woof woof!" Xiaohei held its head high with an air of confidence, signaling to Xiang Beifei not to worry. After a while, a hint of confusion appeared in Elder Luo''s eyes as he continuously adjusted his ability points, trying various means such as [Scanning], [Mind Reading], and [Perception] to probe into Xiang Beifei, but it seemed he failed! "Eh? This little guy is quite interesting!" Elder Luo had initially been simply curious about Xiang Beifei, but after the latter knocked down Wang Ze and Song Yuan with a punch, he thought Xiang Beifei might not be as simple as a Level N Awakener, so he wanted to see Xiang Beifei''s true talent. But he found that no matter what he tried, he couldn''t penetrate Xiang Beifei''s thoughts or discover any of his secrets. Xiang Beifei was like a sealed bottle, very well protected. This was the first time he had encountered this. That made things even more interesting. "It seems that if I want to know this little guy''s secrets, I''ll have to wait for him to be willing to show them," Elder Luo mused. After a while, Elder Luo spat out a melon seed, and then the system interface changed back to¡ª [Host: Luo Yunxian] [SR, Leisure System] [Realm: Early Stage of Meridian Opening] Xiang Beifei let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Xiaohei was there. Xiaohei was able to use the spiritual power crystals it collected to thwart anyone''s prying, something Ye Changfeng''s sword couldn''t do, and Elder Luo couldn''t manage it either. Indeed, an SR-level strength couldn''t be underestimated! But then again, this old man really is idle to death, now he has randomly assigned his [leisure value] to useless abilities, and his cultivation immediately dropped to the early stage of Meridian Opening. Fortunately, Xiang Beifei could now again see Elder Luo''s system introduction, indicating the old man was likely just curious about him, without much malice; Xiang Beifei didn''t feel very repelled by him. Read latest stories on m_v-l''e|-novelhall.net There were plenty of people who wanted to pry into his secrets wherever he went, his curiosity piqued. As the son of the SR talent Awakener Xiang Tianxing yet only an N-level himself, there were certainly many who would want to test him. Xiang Beifei had been mentally prepared for this ever since he came to Liangzhou University for the assessment. As long as he could see the other party''s system interface, he could judge whether a person was trustworthy, and for the moment, Elder Luo fell within that range. Xiang Beifei became more curious about Elder Luo. If Elder Luo acted a bit more normally and assigned those [leisure values] to where they should be, what realm would his true strength reveal? At that moment, the elevator doors opened, and Lu Zhiwei came rushing out, seeing Xiang Beifei she quickly said, "Sorry, sorry, the mentor insisted we dissect the newly transported desolate beast carcass; I made an excuse to slip away. Come on, I''ll take you to training area number one." She walked a few steps and suddenly realized something was off, there were bloodstains on the ground. Turning her head, she saw Wang Ze and Song Yuan lying on the ground, groaning weakly in a pitiful state. Lu Zhiwei looked at Wang Ze and Song Yuan on the ground with perplexity, then turned to Xiang Beifei and Luo Laotou and asked the two unharmed men, "What are you doing?" "We''re cracking sunflower seeds." Xiang Beifei seriously gestured with the seeds in his hand, looking like he was an outsider to the whole situation. "What happened to them?" Lu Zhiwei asked. "They wanted to fight each other, and then this happened." Xiang Beifei pointed at Luo Laotou, "He can testify." "Yes! I can! I''m a security guard." Luo Laotou said leisurely, spitting out sunflower seed shells. "Oh, really?" Lu Zhiwei looked dubiously at Wang Ze and Song Yuan, "I thought you two got along quite well. How come there''s sudden infighting, and you both ended up injured?" Wang Ze: "???" Song Yuan: "???" Are we really fighting each other? We were beaten up! Are you blind? Can''t you see the person who beat us is right there cracking seeds? But they were too beaten up to even gather the strength to argue. Even if they could speak, they''d be too embarrassed to mention it; surely they couldn''t tell Lu Zhiwei that they were intending to chastise an N-level Awakener and accidentally got smashed instead? Xiang Beifei couldn''t be bothered to explain; he found Luo Laotou''s seeds quite tasty. Luo Laotou was even less inclined to explain, as watching others fight was his favorite pastime ¡ª it was not only a pleasure for the mind and body but also made him stronger. "You should hurry to the medical office." Lu Zhiwei glanced at Wang Ze and Song Yuan, saw that they were still conscious, and had no time to deal with them. Fighting and sparring in the campus were too common. This was Martial Arts College, after all. If you couldn''t spar, how could you improve? And how would you fight against desolate beasts later on? However, the school rules stated that settling personal disputes should be done in the presence of faculty to avoid fatalities. Luo Laotou was a security guard, an official member of the faculty at that. "Come on, I need to take you there; we can''t be late. Elder Yuchi, who''s responsible for the assessment, has quite a temper; we better take it easy." Without another thought, Lu Zhiwei quickly headed outside. Xiang Beifei followed behind, cracking seeds. Luo Laotou picked up his walkie-talkie, and called out, "Hello, hello, hello, is anyone in the medical office? Who needs to finish a healing task? Send someone to Dashang Building quickly; there are two people here who need help." Medical students, although they belonged to the literary Dao, typically had their studies situated within Martial Arts College. For these students of medicine who pursue the literary Dao, their systems are related to healing and treating illnesses; many of them had to rely on treating others to complete their system tasks. Elite universities were full of geniuses, none of whom accepted defeat from anyone. From time to time, there would be fighting within Martial Arts College. Once cultivators fought, injuries were inevitable. As long as a member of the faculty was present, and nobody was killed or crippled, it was fine. Therefore, medical students, who should have been with the literary Dao, were stationed in Martial Arts College. Besides attending classes, their usual routine was waiting to treat those who got injured in fights to complete their system tasks. After informing the medical office, Luo Laotou casually strode after Xiang Beifei. He didn''t need to bother with Wang Ze and Song Yuan; the medical office would send medical students quickly to rescue people. He still had his own leisure tasks to attend to today. Chapter 113 Only Open to Elites The number one training ground was already surrounded by countless elite students. Among these people, some, like Elder Luo, were just there to join the fun, curious to see what was so special about the top N-grade student from the preliminary selection, while others planned to gang up and intimidate Xiang Beifei, motivated by the public outrage sparked by Yu Lei''s article¡ªthey wanted to show Xiang Beifei a lesson. Now was the summer vacation period, and most elite students either went home, traveled, or participated in summer internships, so there were naturally fewer students on campus than usual, but today, quite a number had made special trips back to the school. Discover more stories at m,v l''e-novelhall.net The number one training ground was a place similar to a gymnasium; it was well known to the students of the Martial Arts College, as they often conducted various simulation trainings here. It featured a variety of sophisticated setups, a high-tech venue perfect for simulating any specific scenario needed for their missions. For instance, if one wanted to kill a desolate beast, it would simulate a battlefield against a desolate beast; if one wanted to practice sniping, it could simulate various extreme conditions; if one wanted to solve crimes, it could recreate various murder scenes. The teaching facilities at the elite university were top-notch, and nearly every student could find scenarios that fit their system abilities to practice in the training ground. "Is Yuchi the old demon only planning to use simulation scenarios to test this N-grade student? That''s letting him off too easy, isn''t it?" "Don''t be foolish, do you think the simulations set up by Yuchi the old demon are that easy to pass? Too naive!" Many people were waiting at the number one training ground, talking and speculating, waiting for that spotlighted person to appear. "Here he comes!" At that moment, someone shouted. Whoosh! Countless gazes swept over! Xiang Beifei had never realized he would attract such attention. Despite it being summer vacation and just past eight in the morning, there were still more than two hundred students from Liangzhou University, who had arrived early waiting for him. As soon as he stepped into the training ground from around the corner, all eyes suddenly fell on him. Curious, schadenfreude, indignant, predatory, fierce, and malicious... All sorts of gazes, like so many curved knives, whooshed chaotically over Xiang Beifei. The scene suddenly became very quiet, so quiet that even the sound of a leaf stirred by the wind, rustling on the ground, could be heard. Lu Zhiwei briefly scanned her surroundings and whispered, "Why are there so many people? It seems like every student club has sent a representative here; the stir you''ve caused is rather big." The elite university had countless student departments, nicely termed as student clubs, but frankly speaking, they were just small gangs. Each student club competed against each other, and sometimes to prove their club''s superiority, they often organized group fights. Group fights were still tacitly approved by the Martial Arts College because when dealing with desolate beasts, it''s rarely a solo fight; almost always, it involved mutual cooperation, with several students teaming up to fight a single desolate beast, which was considered the best approach. Group fights helped cultivate a tacit understanding of cooperation among students. Of course, the rule remained the same: fights could happen, but at school, the number of participants had to be equal on both sides, and there must be a teacher present. After the matter with Xiang Beifei came out, the various student clubs seemed to have reached a tacit agreement. Today, many clubs had sent at least one representative, and it seemed that taking the first shot at intimidating this new N-grade student had turned into a matter of pride for the school. As Xiang Beifei approached the training ground, his path was blocked by a group of students. "N-grade Awakeners are forbidden from passing this way." The leader was a tall boy with his hair combed into a side part, his eyes fiercely fixed on Xiang Beifei. [Host: Tao Jin] [S-grade,Eagle Eye System] [Realm: Advanced Qi-Controlling] Tao Jin was a tracking-type System Awakener. His eyes could spot anomalies under various extreme conditions and identify his opponent''s weaknesses, belonging to the investigative class of martial artists. He blocked Xiang Beifei''s path, his gaze darkly appraising Xiang Beifei as he used his system to size him up. [You scanned Xiang Beifei, and no spiritual power fluctuations were found.] Just someone without any cultivation? That should be easy then. Tao Jin sneered internally. What did it matter if this N-grade Awakener had high scores in academic subjects? Without any cultivation, he dared to come to Liangzhou University? The other students also stood by Tao Jin''s side, lining up to block the way forward completely. Lu Zhiwei stepped forward, stood in front of Xiang Beifei, and challenged, "Tao Jin, what do you mean by this? Dare to block my way?" Tao Jin glanced at Lu Zhiwei, slightly wary, then chuckled lightly, "Lu Zhiwei, if you want to pass, of course, I won''t stop you, but this path is not open to any N-grade individuals." "Since when was this decided? Who needs your authorization to pass through?" Lu Zhiwei demanded. "This was the result of our collective decision." Tao Jin pointed at the people beside him. "That''s right, N-grade trash doesn''t deserve to walk this path!" "If you know what''s good for you, get out of Liangzhou University." Some people beside them chimed in as well. Lu Zhiwei retorted coldly, "So you mean to say that even if Elder Shang Tianxiong of Liangzhou came here, he wouldn''t be allowed to walk this path either?" Tao Jin''s face shifted slightly! That accusation was something he couldn''t bear! Everyone knew that the governor of Liangzhou, Shang Tianxiong, was an N-grade Awakener, but his achievements were heights that many present might never reach in their lifetimes. Nobody dared to belittle him lightly. Truthfully, although Shang Tianxiong was an N-grade Awakener, in reality, his achievements were so great that many people even overlooked the fact that his talent was quite ordinary; they never treated him as just a simple N-grade Awakener. But strictly speaking, if Tao Jin did not want the N-grade Xiang Beifei to pass through, it meant that he was also not permitting N-grade Shang Tianxiong to pass. As a mere late-stage Qi-controlling practitioner, where would he get the audacity to link these two matters together? "The roads of an elite campus are only open to the elite." A woman dressed in light clothes stepped forward and timely extricated Tao Jin from his predicament. She twisted her slim waist, smiling charmingly, and said in a crisp, captivating voice, "Elder Shang Tianxiong is a top-notch elite, of course, he can pass through." [Host: Yu Xiaoyao] [S-grade, Charm Allure System] [Realm: Late-Stage Qi-Controlling] Yu Xiaoyao paused, then using her eyes coated with pink eyeshadow, she looked at Xiang Beifei, "Does this man really deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as an elder like Shang Tianxiong?" Lu Zhiwei narrowed her eyes and stared at Yu Xiaoyao, her voice firm, "The assessments haven''t even started for him yet, how can you determine he isn''t an elite?" "He''s an elite? Hah!" Tao Jin scoffed, then turned to look at the people around him, asking in a tiresome, oily voice, "Here stand all the elite students of Liangzhou University; please raise your hand if anyone needed to be assessed to enter this institution." Chapter 114 Xiong Meng Everyone looked at Xiang Beifei with mocking eyes, and many even snorted in disdain. Tao Jin returned his gaze to Xiang Beifei and continued, "No one raised their hand, do you know why?" He said condescendingly, dragging out his words, "Because true elites do not need to rely on the entrance assessment of Liangzhou University to get in!" After he finished speaking, many people laughed. At Liangzhou University, the lowest system talent is R grade; R grade students are as common as blades of grass, and S grade students are everywhere. Yet, currently, there isn''t a single student who needed to rely on the entrance assessment to get in. The laughter was ear-piercing. They were all mocking Xiang Beifei''s overestimation of himself. Xiang Beifei just stood there calmly, scanning the system interfaces of the students present and assessing their cultivation levels. Explore more stories with m,v l''e-novelhall.net It seemed that the talented students in the Meridian Opening stage hadn''t come; those present were mostly in the Qi-Controlling stage, and most of them had only started attending the university a year earlier than Xiang Beifei. But thinking about it, even for S grades, it is quite difficult to advance to the Meridian Opening stage, not to mention for R grades. Many R-grade law enforcement members of the enforcement team are in the late Qi-Controlling stage and might not reach the Meridian Opening stage even by graduation. As for S grades, the early stages of cultivation are relatively quick, and maybe the Awakening System could reach the late Qi-Controlling stage within a year, but to go further is a bottleneck. To step into the Meridian Opening stage, it would take at least several years! Two to three years would be considered quick, and four to five years would be quite normal. And once reaching the Meridian Opening stage, the subsequent advancement becomes even more challenging. Even Lu Hong, who had probably graduated from Liangzhou University some twenty years ago, was still at the initial stage of Meridian Opening, and only recently, with the help of Xiang Beifei, did he begin to advance to the middle stage of cultivation. Of course, Lu Hong''s cultivation hadn''t progressed further due to a past injury he sustained, and because advancing during the Meridian Opening stage is difficult, and it takes more time. But even so, real Meridian Opening stage cultivators only make up a very small part of the university''s students. Liangzhou University has graduation requirements for its students. Besides needing to earn enough credits for certain courses, there are also strict stipulations for strength! R grades, to graduate, need to be at least in the late Qi-Controlling stage. S grades, to graduate, must at least be in the initial Meridian Opening stage. Those genius students who have already reached the Meridian Opening stage have either left the school or might have stayed to continue further study. Elite students who stay to delve deeper are busy with their own courses and wouldn''t waste time coming to such a place to trouble an N grade student. Since there were no students in the Meridian Opening stage present, that would make things easier. ¡ª¡ª Seeing Tao Jin and the others still aggressively blocking the way, Lu Zhiwei warned, "If you block him, when Mr. Yuchi arrives later, you are going to suffer the consequences!" Tao Jin and Yu Xiaoyao both frowned upon hearing Lu Zhiwei''s words. They knew too well how terrifying Yuchi Shen was, called Old Devil by the students because he trained them ruthlessly. Nobody wanted to provoke the bad luck of offending Yuchi Shen, especially since today''s entrance assessment for Xiang Beifei was under his charge. If they caught his attention, they could expect to be skinned during the next training session! Yuchi Shen hadn''t arrived yet, so they dared to block the way here. But if Yuchi Shen were to arrive later, they''d be too busy trying to escape. Tao Jin and Yu Xiaoyao exchanged glances and then gave a few suggestive looks to the others around them. "Fine, if you want to pass this way," Tao Jin said, with a smile that wasn''t quite a smile, as he looked at Xiang Beifei. Thud! Thud! Thud! At this moment, a dense series of footsteps approached, the steps sounding extremely heavy as if the person was wearing thousand-pound shoes, seemingly stomping on everyone''s heart with each step. Tao Jin and Yu Xiaoyao, among others, tacitly stepped back, clearing the way. Soon, a person entered Xiang Beifei''s line of sight from behind. It was an extremely fat male student, as wide as three normal people put together, his flesh layered upon layer, bulging in an exaggerated manner. But what was piled upon him wasn''t excess fat, it was solid muscle! Each section of muscle undulated as he moved, faintly brimming with terrifying power. [Host: Xiong Meng] [S-rank, Flesh Striking System] [Realm: Late-Stage Qi-Controlling] Xiong Meng was a very greedy person; as long as someone gave him a little benefit and told him what to do, he wouldn''t hesitate and wouldn''t consider the consequences. Tao Jin and Yu Xiaoyao didn''t want to provoke the bad luck associated with Yuchi Shen, so they found Xiong Meng to take the lead, as he was thick-skinned and wouldn''t be much affected by Yuchi Shen''s grinding. "It''s actually this guy!" Lu Zhiwei''s face changed slightly, obviously recognizing Xiong Meng. Xiong Meng was massive, a martial artist who specifically cultivated physical prowess. He had a big reputation in their cohort because every section of his muscles contained great strength. The speed of physical cultivation was incredibly slow; other S-rank systems had reached the late-stage of Qi-Controlling months ago, but he had only stepped into it last week. Back when he was only at the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling, Xiong Meng was able to confront ordinary late-stage Qi-Controlling warriors just with his muscular body. Now, although he had only been at the late stage of Qi-Controlling for a few days, even Lu Zhiwei could not afford to underestimate him! Lu Zhiwei, worried that Xiang Beifei might suffer a loss, still stood in front of Xiang Beifei and shouted at Xiong Meng, "Xiong Meng, don''t look for trouble where there isn''t any!" A red light shone on her arm, ready to deal with Xiong Meng at any moment. However, Yu Xiaoyao''s gaze suddenly lit up with a red gleam, as she smiled at Lu Zhiwei, "Lu Zhiwei, listen, what''s that sound?" A series of tinkling laughter reached Lu Zhiwei''s ears. "I''ve been careless!" Lu Zhiwei inwardly cried out, realizing her mistake. She had focused all her attention on Xiong Meng and had neglected Yu Xiaoyao. Whoosh! An eerie pink light flared up, and Lu Zhiwei and Yu Xiaoyao vanished from the spot. Yu Xiaoyao''s ability was known as [Charm Allure], where ''degree'' refers to a dimensional space. A one-degree space is a one-dimensional space, and currently, she had unlocked up to seven degrees, meaning she could create a Seven-Degree Space! She could lure anyone into her created system space through charm and use the special properties of the dimensional space to suppress her opponent. Yu Xiaoyao knew that Lu Zhiwei was not easy to handle. Lu Zhiwei also had a considerable reputation in their cohort, possessing top-notch qualities in all aspects, and she was straightforward by nature, not caring how others viewed her. If Lu Zhiwei intervened in matters concerning Xiang Beifei, others who wanted to trouble Xiang Beifei might have second thoughts, so Yu Xiaoyao directly pulled Lu Zhiwei into the Seven-Degree Space, denying her the chance to protect Xiang Beifei. Yu Xiaoyao and Lu Zhiwei were both in the late stage of Qi-Controlling, so even if she dragged her in, she wouldn''t gain much of an advantage, but it could buy some time, leaving Xiang Beifei alone at the scene! (Please subscribe, please subscribe, will still update five chapters.) Chapter 115 This Way You Wont See Me Anymore (Please Subscribe) Many people saw Lu Zhiwei, who wanted to protect Xiang Beifei, being led away by Yu Xiaoyao, and their mocking glances toward Xiang Beifei intensified. They knew that this overconfident N-level Awakener was about to face serious trouble. Xiong Meng''s quivering muscles were truly formidable. Each time they pulsated, the muscles trembled, resonating slightly with the air, and through the friction of his own Spiritual Power, they could unleash an incredibly powerful impact; a single punch from him could smash a ten-meter-deep crater into the ground. In the last batch of freshmen at Liangzhou University, he was known as the "S-level Human Bulldozer," a nickname that was well earned. During practical combat classes, he would usually take hits with his body, endure his opponents'' attacks, and then charge at them like a bulldozer. Many people disliked fighting against him because they couldn''t break through his defense; blades and spears couldn''t pierce him, and even regular bullets were blocked. If one was not careful, they could be smashed into a pulp by him. There were few at the same level who could withstand a punch from him. Both his defensive and offensive powers were incredibly formidable. It could be said that in the previous batch of freshmen, only he could withstand the torture administered by Yuchi Shen. Even when Xiong Meng was in the middle phase of Qi-Controlling, nobody dared to trouble him, and these past few days, as he had just stepped into the later stage of Qi-Controlling, his power had escalated even further. No one had truly sparred with him yet, so no one knew just how powerful the current Xiong Meng actually was. But he was undoubtedly more terrifying than ever! Many people, seeing Xiong Meng ready to intimidate the N-level newcomer, gave Xiang Beifei sympathetic looks. If even those at S-level couldn''t withstand his strike, what could the weakest N-level Awakener do? But amidst their sympathy, they also reveled in Schadenfreude, for today everyone had come to put Xiang Beifei in his place, and Xiong Meng was the chosen enforcer! "This kid''s probably going to have a headache now," someone said. Even Elder Luo, who was always stirring up excitement in the back, slowed his pace of eating sunflower seeds, glanced at Xiong Meng, then at Xiang Beifei, pondering the situation at hand. Although he was usually idle, he was still quite familiar with the new generation. He was well aware of Xiong Meng''s overall situation; this big guy focused on cultivating his physique, was a bit slow-witted, but was a formidable stock of potential. Xiong Meng was a grade higher than Xiang Beifei and had practiced for an additional year. His physique was so strong; he couldn''t be compared to the likes of Wang Ze and Song Yuan from just a moment ago. It''s just unclear how this kid plans to deal with this Xiong Meng. - Xiong Meng took heavy steps, walking toward Xiang Beifei step by step, then stopped, his small eyes flickering with ferocity as he rubbed his fists and said in a low voice, "You''re in my way!" Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then stepped aside. Many people who saw Xiang Beifei''s action laughed again: "This guy is scared, so obediently stepping aside, haha!" "If you''re so scared, why don''t you just roll out of Liangzhou University?" "Xiong Meng, why not give him a push!" Many were egging on, eager to see how Xiong Meng would deal with this N-level newcomer. Seeing Xiang Beifei make way, Xiong Meng flashed a row of sinister, brick-like teeth, staring at Xiang Beifei, and said again: "What I mean is, you''re blocking my view!" Xiang Beifei looked puzzledly at Xiong Meng. "Don''t you get it? This is Liangzhou University, you should roll out of my sight!" Xiong Meng extended his arm, muscles rippling on his arms, trembling. The powerful Spiritual Power echoed through the muscles, unleashing terrifying and immense strength. Xiang Beifei then realized, and immediately asked, "You mean, you don''t want to see me?" Xiong Meng flashed a mocking smile, "Exactly! I don''t want to see you!" Many continued to shout, "If you know what''s good for you, just roll out of Liangzhou University!" "Liangzhou University is not a place for N-level trash like you!" "Hurry up and roll to a place where Xiong Meng can''t see you, or you''ll suffer." Xiong Meng''s energy was overwhelming, and in their view, he completely overpowered the frail N-level Awakener. Due to the article about Xiang Beifei by Yu Lei, Liangzhou University had recently been besieged by netizens from all over Jiuzhou, and now the article''s main character was being treated unfairly here, adding to their excitement. Xiang Beifei nodded thoughtfully. "Fine!" he said, "If you don''t want to see me¡ª" Whoosh! This time, his fist burst into intense flames. A fleeting gleam flashed through Xiang Beifei''s eyes. He couldn''t be bothered with idle talk and struck out swiftly, hitting the limits of speed! Whiz! It was still a plain and simple punch! "This kid actually dares to throw a punch at Xiong Meng?" "Is he overestimating himself? He probably doesn''t know how freakish Xiong Meng''s defensive power is?" "Xiong Meng could just stand there and let him hit him for three days and three nights without a scratch." Find adventures at m_v l|e-novelhall.net Many people, upon seeing Xiang Beifei make his move, scoffed. Even Xiong Meng wore a look of disdain. His typical strategy in a fight was to take hits first, waiting for his opponent to tire, then he would strike. "I said, I don''t want to see you again!" Unmoved by Xiang Beifei''s punch, Xiong Meng''s muscles quivered as he fortified his protection. In his eyes, Xiang Beifei''s slender fist was just like tapping him lightly, barely tickling him. Xiang Beifei''s fist was already covered in flames, and amidst the laughter of the crowd, it pounded into Xiong Meng''s belly! Boom! A bizarre force transferred from his fist to Xiong Meng''s body. Spiritual power swirled and penetrated into Xiong Meng''s trembling muscles. Xiong Meng''s explosively powerful muscles paused momentarily, then suddenly shrank, as if they had been drained of power. The originally smug grin on Xiong Meng''s face froze; he felt a tightness in his chest followed by a terrifying force impacting his body, instantly reducing his defensive capabilities. His body couldn''t withstand the punch! Boom! Xiong Meng flew out like a meatball, his bulky body tumbling twice in the air and plunging headfirst into a flowerbed. Clatter! His legs were still stuck in the air, pointing at the sky, twitching slightly. Silence! Dead silence! Everyone present constricted their pupils, and even their heartbeats skipped a beat! What just happened? Everyone''s minds were blank. The so-called "Human Bulldozer," an S-level Awakener Xiong Meng, had just been sent flying by a punch from an N-level Awakener? They had thought Xiang Beifei was going to have a rough time with Xiong Meng today. If Xiang Beifei stubbornly refused to leave, it was likely that Xiong Meng might have grabbed him and thrown him out. But unexpectedly, it wasn''t Xiang Beifei who was thrown out, but Xiong Meng, who had both immense defensive and offensive powers! "This way, you shouldn''t be able to see me anymore." Xiang Beifei retracted his fist, the flames on his fist slowly calming down, and as he looked at Xiong Meng, who had been planted upside down in the flower bed, he seriously said. Chapter 116 Silence is Good (Please Subscribe) The entire crowd of over two hundred taunting students suddenly fell silent! Many people even found it hard to believe what had just happened! Although Xiong Meng had only stepped into the late stage of Qi-Controlling a few days ago, he was, after all, an S-rank with an incredibly strong physique. His muscles were terrifying, and typically, he was the one sending others flying. How did he end up being the one smashed away today? Xiang Beifei''s punch was too bizarre! Even Tao Jin, who had the "Eagle Eye System," hadn''t seen it clearly! He was even startled into ducking his head by Xiang Beifei''s fist! Tao Jin was well aware that if he were to be hit by Xiang Beifei''s punch, he would likely be sent flying even further than Xiong Meng! Is this really an N-level Awakener? Did he rely on his own strength? Or did he rely on someone else''s system for help? Many people looked at Xiang Beifei in shock. Originally, everyone had come today to trouble this N-level Awakener, planning to intimidate an N-level Awakener. However, they had underestimated the N-level Awakener too much! In the end, who was intimidating whom? With Xiong Meng, the last tournament''s strongest defender, sent flying, who else possessed the strength to intimidate Xiang Beifei? "This..." Lu Zhiwei and Yu Xiaoyao also appeared on the scene. Although Yu Xiaoyao had dragged Lu Zhiwei into her Seven-Degree Space, Lu Zhiwei was not someone to be trifled with. She shattered the space with a punch and came out just in time to see Xiang Beifei''s punch! The two of them were also startled. Xiong Meng weighed at least two to three hundred pounds, and just like that, he was sent flying by Xiang Beifei with a punch? ---- Elder Luo, nibbling on sunflower seeds in the crowd, brightened up! "This flame¡ªthis method of circulating Spiritual Power? What Cultivation Technique has he practiced?" Read latest chapters at m_v-l''e|-novelhall.net The students might not notice, but he had been observing Xiang Beifei''s punching technique from the very start. Wang Ze and Song Yuan were far less powerful than Xiong Meng. They were directly overpowered by Xiang Beifei''s tyrannical punch, and at that time, Xiang Beifei hadn''t even used his full strength. But the punch Xiang Beifei landed on Xiong Meng''s body not only burst into flames, it also contained a very special clever force. It was exactly this clever force that rendered the very muscular Xiong Meng completely unable to cope! Xiong Meng was known as the "S-rank Human Bulldozer," with layers upon layers of muscles that trembled slightly whether he was moving or standing still. His defense relied on the combination of muscle and Spiritual Power, with explosive destructive and defensive power emanating in the tremors of his muscles. However, the Spiritual Power on Xiang Beifei''s fist was very strange. When he struck Xiong Meng''s muscles, the Spiritual Power acting between Xiong Meng''s muscles was twisted and pulled by his flames, then ignited! The most bizarre thing was that Xiong Meng''s constantly throbbing muscles seemed to have been forcefully stilled in an instant. All his muscles couldn''t move, cutting off the flow of Spiritual Power abruptly! At present, Xiong Meng was only in the Qi-Controlling stage, and his physique was only relatively unsolvable compared to his peers but not incredibly powerful. Once Xiong Meng''s muscles couldn''t gather Spiritual Power, his body lost its strong defensive and offensive power, making him no different from a fat ordinary man with a bit more weight¡ªnothing special! He only cultivated his physique, focusing on defense and strength, but his speed was very slow. Faced with Xiang Beifei''s fist, he couldn''t possibly react in time! "With such talent, does he still need an admission test? Wahahaha!" Elder Luo became more and more excited, finding more and more pleasure in his thoughts and liking Xiang Beifei more and more every time he looked at him, knocking the sunflower seeds with even greater enthusiasm. ---- In an inconspicuous corner of the training ground stands. Ye Changfeng was sitting there alone, quietly watching everything. The Longyuan Sword floated beside him, humming softly. "He actually has late-stage Qi-Controlling cultivation? So, is he an SR-rank Awakener now?" asked the Longyuan Sword, astonished. "The spiritual power contained in that fist technique was not from the late stage of Qi-Controlling, but the middle stage of Qi-Controlling," Ye Changfeng said with a slight smile, before adding, "However, I think his talent is definitely not as simple as an N-grade." "Middle stage of Qi-Controlling? He took down a late-stage Qi-Controlling cultivator with a single punch using middle-stage strength?" The Longyuan Sword was increasingly astonished, "We didn''t even notice his cultivation level that day!" Ye Changfeng raised his hand to adjust his glasses and said helplessly, "I should have thought of that earlier." "Thought of what? You couldn''t tell either that day!" "It''s precisely because I couldn''t tell..." "Stop with that! Just admit you didn''t know," the Long Yuan scolded angrily. Ye Changfeng was choked by his companion, the Longyuan Sword, but he just laughed and said nothing. After a while, he turned to Luo Laotou, who was cracking sunflower seeds in the crowd, and said, "I think he''s going to snatch someone away again." The Longyuan Sword also looked toward the security-uniformed Luo Laotou, seeming to harbor considerable wariness toward this man whose cultivation was only at the late stage of Meridian Opening, "It''s normal; Xiang Tianxing''s son is here. He wouldn''t let him go no matter what. Maybe you could compete with him for it." "I don''t dare provoke him." Ye Changfeng smiled. He was clearly above the Meridian Opening stage in cultivation, but he did not dare to provoke the old man who was only at the Meridian Opening stage. Because the old man was bored enough to work as a school security guard. That old man would do anything out of boredom, and when he got bored, he was extremely terrifying. ---- Xiang Beifei remained calm and unflustered despite all the watching eyes. Luo Laotou was right. In the elite university, as long as you have a powerful fist, others will shut up. Liangzhou University reportedly has over thirty thousand students on campus, and only around two hundred showed up; the truly bright and elite students were always busy and preferred to spend their time on cultivation rather than troubling him. There wasn''t even a single student at the Meridian Opening stage present. Only those without strength, unable to compare with the capable ones, would go about clamoring on forums, and particularly seek to assert their presence on someone they perceive as lower-ranked than themselves, an N-grade Awakener. Xiang Beifi knew clearly that this group of people could not represent the students of the elite university and couldn''t be expected to protect the future of the Human Race. Now, it was good; a single punch made them quiet down. Xiong Meng''s defensive power might be formidable, causing headaches for many, but in Xiang Beifei''s eyes, the flaws were too obvious. The muscles required rapid trembling to muster defensive power, so all he needed was an "Abruptly Stop" to cease his muscle movement and then one punch to resolve it. Brutally simple! Xiang Beifei walked casually forward, pausing beside Tao Jin, he stopped and looked at him. "You don''t want to see me either, do you?" Xiang Beifei asked earnestly. "I..." Tao Jin was startled by Xiang Beifei''s gaze, taking two steps back in shock! Then he snapped back to his senses, realizing he had been frightened off by an N-grade Awakener, his face flushed with embarrassment! It was a huge disgrace for him! But¡ª Was it really a disgrace? Tao Jin wasn''t sure, because if he hadn''t stepped back willingly, perhaps he''d soon be flying backward unwillingly! Chapter 117 Yuchi Shen Tao Jin still didn''t believe that an N-rank Awakener could have repelled Xiong Meng, and he still thought that Xiang Beifei defeated Xiong Meng by relying on system artifacts given to him by others. The issue was that this was a world where everyone could cheat with systems! As long as someone was willing to help you, as long as you had the cultivation level to wield someone else''s power, it was okay to use any person''s system artifacts. If you were the one who deployed the power of the system artifact, no one would accuse you of an undeserved victory! In this world, using cheats was only reasonable. Especially here at the Martial Arts College, a place where fighting was permitted! To cultivate martial artists for Jiuzhou, who would combat desolate beasts, nobody cared whose system artifact you used. They only cared whether you could kill the desolate beast or survive a siege by desolate beasts! But then again, thinking about it, something seemed off. Because to use someone else''s system artifact, there were limitations on one''s cultivation level. It wasn''t that anyone could just hand you something, and you would become as strong as them. Deploying system artifacts required one''s own spiritual power as a medium, thus spiritual power limited the power of the system artifacts. If Xiang Beifei didn''t have the necessary cultivation level, how could he have utilized someone else''s system artifacts and possibly blasted the late-stage Qi-Controlling Xiong Meng with a single punch? Could it be that this N-rank Awakener also possessed a late-stage Qi-Controlling cultivation level? Impossible! His awakening system was only two months old, right? Tao Jin couldn''t figure it out but he also dared not contradict Xiang Beifei any longer, instead he was left red-faced by Xiang Beifei''s questioning. At that moment, a stir suddenly emerged from the crowd. "Quite lively, huh." A lazy, dull voice rose around Xiang Beifei. It was a middle-aged man. With a hawk-like nose, triangular eyes, thin lips, high cheekbones, his features were extremely discordant. It was as though at birth, he randomly chose the most mismatched nose and eyes to stick on his face, then mixed them carelessly before letting him be born¡ªan exceedingly bizarre face. He had shoulder-length, messy, wavy hair, looking as if it hadn''t been washed in centuries. The appearance of this man seemed to drop the surrounding temperature by several degrees. Xiang Beifei turned his head, looking at the man before him. [Host: Yuchi Shen] [SR level, Purgatory System] [Realm¡ª¡ª] Yuchi Shen! Known to the students of Liangzhou University as Elder Yuchi "Old Devil," the professor who signed the assessment notice, and famously terrifying martial artist who was once the arch-rival of Xiang Tianxing during their student days! Xiang Beifei looked at the other''s system, thinking deeply. SR level; he wasn''t surprised. To be honest, up to now, he had already encountered three SR Awakeners. Apart from Elder Luo idly messing with talents, he couldn''t see the system tasks or introductions of Ye Changfeng and Yuchi Shen. But the word "Purgatory" was definitely not a fun system. Yuchi Shen stared coldly at Xiang Beifei and spoke, "You have quite the nerve, fighting is prohibited on campus, and yet before even enrolling, you want to break the rules?" Many people, upon seeing Yuchi Shen reprimand Xiang Beifei, snapped out of their previous shock. Yuchi Shen''s tone was unfriendly! This tone, anyone familiar with the Old Devil knew all too well! Although Xiang Beifei had just knocked down Xiong Meng, it was Yuchi Shen who truly terrified everyone! No one around dared to speak, they all held their breath, watching Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei calmly looked at Yuchi Shen and said, "There are faculty members present, isn''t fighting allowed then?" "I wasn''t at the scene, where are the faculty members from?" Yuchi Shen retorted coldly. Continue reading at m|v-l''e -novelhall.net Pfft! Haha¡ª¡ªCollapse! Someone broke the silence. The sound was very abrupt, as if spitting something out, accompanied by the sound of chewing. Everyone was wondering who was so bold to speak up at this moment, wasn''t this provoking Yuchi Shen''s wrath? Turning their heads, they realized it was Elder Luo casually spitting out melon seed shells. "I''m watching!" Elder Luo leisurely cracked seeds. Many had seen Elder Luo, the security guard who often dozed off in a chair at the school gate, appearing very unprofessional, yet he was genuinely a faculty member capable of testifying in students'' fights. When Yuchi Shen saw Elder Luo, his gaze became even colder. He didn''t retort at Elder Luo but instead turned to glare at Xiang Beifei, continuing harshly, "You haven''t even passed the assessment, just an outsider, is the school rule set for you?" "Since the rule isn''t set for me, then beating them seems quite appropriate," Xiang Beifei said calmly. Yuchi Shen narrowed his eyes, his tone becoming even colder, as if about to devour someone, his thin lips emitting a deathly threatening sound, "You know this is Liangzhou University, right? You dare to come to my school and beat up my students? You think our school has no teachers?" The surrounding temperature dropped several degrees. Many had realized that Yuchi Shen was also planning to make things difficult for this freshman! Turns out Elder Yuchi, the Old Devil, despised a Grade N freshman more than all the students present. Had they known this, they wouldn''t have needed to act at all, just waiting for Elder Yuchi to make a move would have sufficed. Many were excited again, wanting to see how Elder Yuchi would punish this arrogant Grade N student. Xiang Beifei remained unhurried and calm. "A college student from Liangzhou University wants to trouble a high school student who came for the entrance assessment. The well-trained elite university student couldn''t beat this high school student, so a mighty Liangzhou University teacher has to personally deal with this high school student who just awakened his system two months ago? I think the teachers of Liangzhou University have higher morals than this, they wouldn''t do such a disgraceful thing." At these words, everyone was momentarily stunned, then their expressions became very strange. Xiang Beifei''s words sounded extremely harsh to them. Because Liangzhou University was known as an elite university, where every student was claimed to be elite! But elites were knocked down by a just-graduated high school student with a single punch, which was already smacking these so-called elite students in the face. Xiang Beifei''s punch had almost broken the elite university''s sign. If Yuchi Shen condescended to lay hands on him now, it would be akin to telling outsiders that their school''s elite students couldn''t beat an outsider Grade N high school student and needed a teacher''s assistance to discipline them. If this got out, then Yuchi Shen would be stepping all over the already smashed university sign. The most pressing matter was whether Liangzhou University now wanted to accept this Grade N high school student. Not accept? Because you think this Grade N student doesn''t meet Liangzhou University''s admission qualifications? But your proud elite students were swung away by this Grade N high school student, couldn''t beat a not-yet-enrolled Grade N student, and then claim that the student does not qualify to attend Liangzhou University? What are those elite students that Liangzhou University usually enrolls supposed to be? Chapter 118 Punching Out Qualifications If news of this incident reached the ears of the other eight elite universities, or spread throughout Jiuzhou, then Liangzhou University would truly become the laughingstock of the entire alliance! The only way to cleanse this disgrace was to acknowledge that Xiang Beifei was a prospective student at Liangzhou University! Then it could be said that it was just schoolmates sparring among themselves, losing to one''s own people was nothing shameful, nor would it tarnish the school''s reputation. But once Yuchi Shen regarded Xiang Beifei as part of Liangzhou University, and since faculty members had been present, Xiang Beifei''s act of hitting someone was in accordance with the rules, and he as a teacher couldn''t intervene, otherwise, he would be the one breaking the rules! No matter from which angle, Xiang Beifei''s logic was sound. Yuchi Shen''s face looked almost like it was about to wring out water. He had not expected Xiang Beifei to dare to block him with such words. "Are you trying to coerce me with that approach of using public pressure again?" asked Yuchi Shen coldly. "If that''s what you think, then you''ve threatened the wrong person! Public pressure doesn''t work on me." "Public pressure?" Xiang Beifei turned his head to look at Xiong Meng, who was still struggling to rise from the flower bed, the Human Bulldozer he had knocked senseless with a punch, and slowly said, "Do I need it?" Hiss! Many people gasped. This guy''s tone was so arrogant! He actually dared to say that! Especially to someone known as the "Old Devil," Yuchi Shen! But the over two hundred elite students present, oddly enough, couldn''t find an excuse to refute him. Because Xiang Beifei really didn''t need it! That punch had already made it very clear. "Hahaha, this kid is really sharp, I gave him a few pointers, and he learned them right away," said Luo Laotou, spitting seeds everywhere! Continue your adventure with m|v-l''e -novelhall.net He knew that just with that punch, Xiang Beifei had already earned his admission! With him present, Yuchi Shen could no longer find any reason to deny Xiang Beifei. In the Martial Arts College of Liangzhou University, fists are the ultimate truth, and Xiang Beifei''s punch was not aided by someone else''s system ability but his own cultivated strength! If it was academic performance, Xiang Beifei was ranked first in the national college entrance examination. If it was martial prowess, Xiang Beifei had sent the S-level Xiong Meng flying. Last time, maybe everyone thought Xiang Beifei was relying on public pressure, but this time, Xiang Beifei was relying on his fists. ¡ª¡ª Yuchi Shen narrowed his eyes, staring at Xiang Beifei, like the gaze of the Grim Reaper. In fact, he had arrived earlier, but had deliberately not shown himself, allowing those elite students to trouble Xiang Beifei. The one he hated the most back then was Xiang Tianxing! Seeing Xiang Tianxing''s son being troubled by the "Human Bulldozer" Xiong Meng, he naturally wanted to stand aside and enjoy the show. He had just been sneering, "Xiang Tianxing, oh Xiang Tianxing, who would have thought your N-level useless son would have days like this!" However, this thought had just emerged, and in the next moment, Xiong Meng was sent flying! Yuchi Shen''s face turned as sour as if he was constipated. He was an SR-level, just like Elder Luo, and he was very clear about what Xiang Beifei''s punch meant! Even if he hated Xiang Tianxing deeply, he had to acknowledge the talent in that punch! Although he was in charge of this admissions test, it didn''t mean he was the only one paying attention to Xiang Beifei. Especially since this N-level student is no ordinary person, having secured the top original score and dominated all the examinees in Jiuzhou, he is also the son of Xiang Tianxing, the famous SR genius student from Liangzhou University over two decades ago! During today''s enrollment assessments, numerous teachers and senior leaders of the school were secretly observing everything. The number of teachers he could perceive, including Ye Changfeng, was about seven; as for those he couldn''t perceive, who knew how many there were! Not to mention, that old man who appeared the most lively and carefree as he nonchalantly cracked sunflower seeds was too much for him to handle! Students might not know who this boring old man was, but Yuchi Shen was well aware of his status within the school. Although Yuchi Shen was in charge of handling the enrollment assessment matters, the decision on whether Xiang Beifei was qualified for admission was not up to him, but those people, including this sunflower seed-cracking old man. From what he could see, Xiang Beifei had indeed punched his way to qualifying for admission as a Liangzhou University student. However, Yuchi Shen sneered shortly afterwards. Admission then, admit! I even look forward to you enrolling, attending my class later, and then we can have a good talk about life. But today''s enrollment assessment still had to proceed as usual, following all procedures, and eventually, he would certainly need to teach you a lesson! Yuchi Shen glanced at his system interface, pondered for a moment, and the corner of his mouth showed a sinister curl. "Since there was a staff ID just now, I won''t pursue it. Then next, whether you can pass the enrollment assessment is up to your luck," Yuchi Shen said to Xiang Beifei with a smirk. ¡ª Assessment! Many students perked up! The assessments set by Old Devil Yuchi were absolutely serious business. Usually, if they accidentally got scheduled for a martial arts simulation training class with Old Devil Yuchi, they would be harshly schooled! The simulations he set up were abnormally difficult, and passing them without being stripped down a layer was nearly impossible. Worst of all, Old Devil Yuchi had the highest failure rate among all the teachers at Liangzhou University! The students who had failed under him could nearly form a line around Liangzhou University. Given that Xiang Beifei had been utterly uncompromising in his words to Yuchi Shen just before, wouldn''t Yuchi Shen want to knock him down a few pegs? Xiang Beifei watched Yuchi Shen''s smile; his expression remained undisturbed. Principal Li Nanxing had long told him that Yuchi Shen was his father''s arch-nemesis, so it was perfectly normal for him to be harassed. Because of Xiang Tianxing, Xiang Beifei was bound to receive extra attention from this man. This meant that whether he spoke politely to Yuchi Shen or directly confronted him, it would make no difference. Since that was the case, he had nothing to retreat from; he faced it calmly, ready to retort whenever necessary, and couldn''t afford to tarnish his father''s reputation. All he wondered was the method this man would use to assess him today. "Purgatory System, what exactly is it?" Xiang Beifei pondered slightly. Yuchi Shen was of SR level, and his cultivation was above Meridian Opening; he couldn''t see the other''s system introduction or the related task difficulties, so he could not make effective responses. But since it was called the "Purgatory System," it very likely meant extremely challenging tasks. Lu Zhiwei had said that Yuchi Shen normally liked using various harsh trainings to torment people; could it be that he relied on throwing students into a purgatory he created and then assess their performance to enhance his own strength? With Xiang Beifei''s understanding of systems, he deemed this possibility highly probable! His father had apparently severely thwarted Yuchi Shen in the past; if Yuchi Shen couldn''t surpass the senior, he would trouble the junior. Now seeking to extract some interest from him, the upcoming assessment was likely going to be tough. But no matter, if you make things difficult for me, I won''t make it easy for you either! I never go easy on certain types of people. Chapter 119 Assessment Xiang Beifei wasn''t worried about being suspected for taking Yuchi Shen''s system reward, although he didn''t know what the other''s system task was. The higher the level of the system reward, the longer it definitely took to complete. He had only completed one system task, which might not be enough for Yuchi Shen to receive a reward immediately. It probably would accumulate over some time, possibly taking several days, or even several months to receive. During this period, many changes could occur, and many people would be involved in his task, making it less likely for Yuchi Shen to suspect him. Even if some small rewards could be obtained immediately, Xiang Beifei also needed to alert Xiaohei, reminding it to pick the timing and disguise itself when retrieving the parcel. The instructors at elite universities weren''t like Yang Hua, whose cultivation was only in the late stage of Qi-Controlling; they were more vigilant, and Xiang Beifei had to be even more cautious when exploiting the system. ¡ª¡ª Training Ground One was like a stadium, very large, only instead of grass, the ground was covered with glittering transparent black slates. These slates were quite peculiar. When you walked on them, you could see your own reflection, but the reflection on the floor wasn''t foot to foot like in a mirror, flipped over in your current posture, it seemed more like there was another self standing right below you. It was hard to say if it was really a reflection; perhaps calling it a projection was more apt. The other elite students all sat in the spectator seats. Training Ground One allowed others to watch someone''s simulation training, where spectators could immersively see the scenarios encountered by the people in the field. This facilitated mutual learning among everyone, to glean various experiences and identify individual shortcomings, as was customary in regular simulation training. Yuchi Shen stood at the center of Training Ground One, waiting for Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei also slowly walked towards him. "I don''t care whom you punched away, but in front of me, an assessment is an assessment, and if you don''t pass, then you have no place in Liangzhou University," Yuchi Shen said slowly. Even though he knew that Xiang Beifei was essentially guaranteed admission, he couldn''t truly tell Xiang Beifei that, or Xiang Beifei wouldn''t take this assessment seriously. "Alright then." Xiang Beifei didn''t show any reaction. Yuchi Shen thought he was unclear, but he actually understood it better than anyone. At today''s training ground, besides the more than two hundred elite students in the Qi-Controlling stage, there were also thirteen powerful presences in various inconspicuous corners. Xiang Beifei couldn''t see what these people looked like. They used various methods to hide their figures and stood in the unremarkable corners of the spectator seats, not easily noticed by ordinary people. But Xiang Beifei could vaguely see these people''s system panels. Although a few were too far away, making the system panel information unclear, he could still vaguely discern that these people''s system panels contained only three simple lines of information. Apart from the SR-level Ye Changfeng and Elder Luo, there were six other SR-level individuals and another five S-level experts. Of these thirteen, twelve showed that their system stages were above the Meridian Opening! Even those five S-level individuals, their system interfaces were unclear to Xiang Beifei. Clearly, these five were among the top in the S-level, having broken through the Meridian Opening stage, likely reaching the God Refining stage. The remaining SR who was somewhat unremarkable was Elder Luo, at the [Meridian Opening Initial Stage]. However, with Elder Luo''s system characteristics, Xiang Beifei wouldn''t underestimate him. The powerful instructors of Liangzhou University were definitely not limited to these thirteen; probably only these thirteen had come, while others might be watching from elsewhere using other methods. These people were here to observe him. After his punch earlier, countless prying eyes chaosly glanced at him, wanting to understand what he was really about. Xiaohei was huffy, constantly being glared at by others to the point of nearly losing its temper. Xiang Beifei had a good idea whether or not he could be admitted; he knew he was almost certainly secure. Yuchi Shen wanting to assess him was merely a pretext to intimidate him personally. However, he did not shrink back; he still needed to complete this assessment, rightfully and justly. "I''ll just assume you''re ready." Yuchi Shen chuckled softly, then flicked his hand, and a metal ball came smashing towards Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei furrowed his brows; he did not know the purpose of this metal ball, but he still reached out to catch it. The iron ball was only the size of an egg and felt ice cold to the touch. The moment he grasped the iron ball, it suddenly burst out a grey glow, enveloping his hand. "To pass my admission test, you need to kill a Three Souls Desolate Snake. But if you come back empty-handed, it means your admission test has failed, and you will have nothing to do with Liangzhou University!" Yuchi Shen sneered at Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei felt something was amiss, for at that moment, he saw Ye Changfeng transform into a streak of light, rushing from afar and shouting towards him, "Yuchi Shen, you''ve gone too far!" Even Elder Luo stopped eating sunflower seeds and stood up with a solemn expression. .net "What does this mean?" Xiang Beifei did not understand what had happened; he felt a light emanating from the iron ball in his hand, forming a peculiar pattern under his feet. Suddenly, he was enveloped by darkness, as if something had grabbed him and pulled him into a vortex. ¡ª Ye Changfeng was just a moment too late to grab Xiang Beifei; by the time he arrived, Xiang Beifei had already vanished from the training ground. "Yuchi Shen!" A wrathful look appeared on Ye Changfeng''s usually elegant face, and his aura instantly became fiercely sharp, like a drawn sword pointing directly at Yuchi Shen. "What''s wrong? Ye Changfeng, do you have time to chat with me today?" Yuchi Shen waved to shield their conversation, preventing the other students from listening in. "This is an admission test! Just a test! How dare you send him to that kind of place! You have a personal grudge with Xiang Tianxing, using such disgraceful means under the guise of duty!" Ye Changfeng roared. "The school has assigned me to handle the N-level candidates'' admission tests, so how I conduct the test is none of your business!" Yuchi Shen replied languidly. At this time, Elder Luo had also rushed over, frowning as he looked at Yuchi Shen. "Elder Luo, Xiang Beifei¡ªhe¡ª" Ye Changfeng said urgently. "I saw it." Elder Luo''s gaze was piercing as he stared at Yuchi Shen. Yuchi Shen felt uncomfortable under Elder Luo''s stare, but he still said, "This is the assessment I am in charge of." After a moment, he sneered again, "Aren''t you very confident in him? Do you think he can''t handle this situation?" "He has no experience with the external desolate realms! He hasn''t even systematically studied desolate beasts, and you send him there on his first test; how is that different from sending him to his death!" Ye Changfeng shouted, "Did you have the guts to try the external desolate realms right upon admission? I remember, on your first visit to the external desolate realms, you nearly died under a Mad Claw Beast! And you were an SR-level then! Not to mention, you had studied desolate beasts at school for six months and reached the late stages of Qi-Controlling before you went!" Yuchi Shen''s face darkened, "What are you implying?" "You know exactly what I mean! You couldn''t even pass an assessment after half a year of studying; how dare you expect a high school student who hasn''t received formal training to undertake such a task?" Ye Changfeng''s tone became increasingly aggressive. Chapter 120 Wild Wasteland Beyond the Domain The other elite students saw Xiang Beifei disappear and were first stunned, then became somewhat incredulous. "Did I see that wrong? This doesn''t seem like a simulation training," Tao Jin asked uncertainly. Surprise also showed on Yu Xiaoyao''s face, "Definitely not, that was¡ª" Lu Zhiwei''s complexion changed drastically, "Yuchi Shen surely didn''t really teleport Beifei to the outer domain''s desolate wilderness, did he?" In everyone''s understanding, today''s assessment should have been Yuchi Shen using the training field to simulate a scenario for Xiang Beifei to complete in a simulated environment. No matter what the scene was or how difficult it was, those who participated in the simulation training, even if unable to pass, would at most be beaten to within an inch of their lives, covered in wounds, and lying unconscious for three days and nights, but there would definitely be no danger to their life. However, Yuchi Shen changed the content of the assessment on the fly, using the teleportation sphere to send Xiang Beifei into the wilderness outside the domain! The desolate wilderness outside the domain is different from simulation training. During simulation training, those desolate beasts are all virtual, and although very realistic, they won''t kill the students. But the desolate beasts in the wilderness outside the domain will! Normally, elite students at Liangzhou University need to study the relevant desolate beast knowledge courses first, learning about the various danger levels in the wilderness outside the domain, coping with various wilderness scenarios in the simulated training grounds, and only when they have earned enough credits and passed various simulation trainings with satisfactory scores, and their cultivation has reached the late stage of Qi-Controlling, are students permitted to go to the real wilderness outside the domain for practical training! This practical training also needs to be led by the school''s teachers to minimize the danger! Even for their batch of first-year students like Lu Zhiwei, who had studied for a year at the school, the number of those who truly passed and were qualified to go to the wilderness outside the domain for practical training was fewer than twenty! Because most of the freshmen had almost all failed the simulated training in the wilderness outside the domain, being killed by the desolate beasts in the simulated scenarios without any power to fight back, so they were not qualified to have practical training in the wilderness outside the domain! And Xiang Beifei had just awakened his system less than two months ago; what he studied in high school was the most basic Jiuzhou cultural courses, and some knowledge about the wilderness outside the domain was only roughly introduced in textbooks, far from the actual cruel and dangerous conditions of the real wilderness outside the domain! High school students couldn''t even recognize many basic desolate beasts, not knowing that desolate beasts need to be classified, what the different weaknesses of each type are, how to kill them... High school students have not learned these things! These are all content to be studied at university! And yet, today, Yuchi Shen didn''t discuss with anyone and directly teleported Xiang Beifei to the real wilderness outside the domain! .net In everyone''s eyes, this was no different than throwing an infant directly into a group of lions! ---- The Longyuan Sword beside Ye Changfeng started to tremble, with Sword Qi swirling around him. He was usually a very peaceful person, his sharpness hidden, and was known among the students as someone easy to talk to, but today, he seemed on the verge of losing control. Clearly, what Yuchi Shen did had touched Ye Changfeng''s bottom line. Yuchi Shen responded coldly, "If he feels he can''t stay, he can simply crush the iron ball to come back." "You didn''t explain this to him in detail! You didn''t even tell him how to come back!" Ye Changfeng said angrily. "Would Xiang Tianxing''s son be that stupid?" Yuchi Shen sneered. Ye Changfeng stared at Yuchi Shen intently. Elder Luo, who had been silent, asked, "Where?" "Cultivated Domain, South Mountain Second District," Yuchi Shen responded coldly. "Are there any more teleportation spheres?" Ye Changfeng demanded. "No, I made only one." Yuchi Shen knew that Ye Changfeng would interfere, so he did not give Ye Changfeng a chance to help Xiang Beifei. "You''re going too far!" Beneath Ye Changfeng''s feet, a ripple had already appeared, and he turned to leave towards the Cultivated Domain. Yuchi Shen snorted coldly, "Maybe he couldn''t last ten minutes before he ran back here. You might not even get there in time. If I were you, I might just sit down and watch how he performs out there." Yuchi Shen tapped his foot on the ground twice. The ground of the training field already showed Xiang Beifei''s figure. With that iron ball, Yuchi Shen could project everything Xiang Beifei did in the alien wilderness onto the training ground, so that everyone could observe. Ye Changfeng looked at Xiang Beifei below, his face changing from clear to cloudy, and said, "You better tell me you have a contingency plan!" "Guo Han and Sun Rui will protect him in secret. That''s the mission I gave them on the fly. They''ve been training there during the summer break." Yuchi Shen dropped this piece of information, took a step, and the next moment he had already settled himself in the seats for spectators, then chuckled coldly again. He left two people to protect Beifei, but the orders he gave them were not to intervene until the last moment. "How many minutes can you last, Beifei? Five or ten?" Yuchi Shen didn''t like how bright Xiang Tianxing''s son shined, much like Xiang Tianxing himself when he first started school, always outshining him, which filled him with loathing. In Beifei''s punch, he saw the shadow of Tianxing, and that irritated him. He needed to teach Beifei a good lesson and curb the young man''s sharpness. Xiang Beifei did not have any survival experience in the alien wilderness. He would definitely panic, unlike the arrogance he displayed when he punched Xiong Meng away. Soon, everyone would see this youngster trembling with fear. No one could complete a mission in the alien wilderness on their first try. Yuchi Shen wanted to take great pleasure in watching Xiang Beifei scared witless by a desolate beast. He knew that Xiang Beifei would surely give him that satisfaction. "Elder Luo, aren''t you going to say anything?" Ye Changfeng turned his head to ask. Luo Laotou looked down at the ground, lost in thought for a long while. "It''s a low-risk area. With Sun Rui and the others there, as long as he doesn''t leave the effective range of the Teleportation Array, he will be fine. I just asked him to eat some sunflower seeds." Elder Luo left the training grounds, went back to the spectator seats, found a comfortable position, and looked at Xiang Beifei in the field. Ye Changfeng was slightly startled, then pondered for a moment before disappearing from the training grounds. ¡ª When Xiang Beifei was caught by the iron ball, he realized this was no simulation training. He landed in a forest. The air was bone-chillingly cold, carrying a thick moisture. A faint mist hung all around, limiting visibility to roughly ten meters. He stood next to a swamp, where the black marsh bubbled, thick vines stretched across it, and several sinister skulls hung from the vines, looking like desolate beasts strangled to death. He looked up at the sky. The sky was overcast, with a sun that was missing a piece. "Is this actually the alien wilderness?" Xiang Beifei was quite surprised. This Yuchi Shen, has he really sent me to the alien wilderness? High school textbooks only introduced a rough idea of the alien wilderness. If the weather was good there, one could see the sun but only with a piece missing, as if it had been bitten by a celestial dog. No one knew why the sun in the alien wilderness was like that, but it was the most obvious sign of the alien wilderness. Chapter 121 The Swamp This was his first time venturing into the wilderness beyond the domain. Outside the human territories of the Jiuzhou Alliance, the wilderness stretched, dotted with various powerful desolate beasts. The knowledge Xiang Beifei had gained in high school about this wilderness was very general, just a rough outline, because some people''s awakened systems were based on the literary Dao. They only acted in all aspects of life and rarely dealt with the wilderness, so to accommodate the majority, high school instruction wasn''t in-depth. For high school students, having a concept was considered sufficient. But those who pursued the path of martial cultivation had to truly learn about the wilderness in university and treat it with the utmost priority! Xiang Beifei thought that he would need some simulated training in university before actually going to the wilderness, but to his surprise, Yuchi Shen, that shameless fellow, had sent him directly to the wilderness without any preparation! "Is your hatred for my father really that intense?" He had only met Yuchi Shen for the first time, hardly exchanging a few words before he was thrown here. Yuchi Shen was so eager to get revenge that he couldn''t wait. Xiang Beifei looked down and saw his wrist, where the iron ball that had been crushed a moment ago had turned into a strange liquid that wrapped around his wrist, solidifying into a metal ring. Above him, a small iron ball was flying around him, seemingly assessing him. He knew that everyone must be watching his every move through this flying ball, wanting to see how he would perform in the wilderness. Yuchi Shen was undoubtedly one of them. He reconsidered his current situation carefully, within this strange environment, he had to think about all possible occurrences and how to ensure his own safety. Yuchi Shen hadn''t told him how to return, only mentioning that he needed to kill a Three Souls Desolate Snake, and that coming back empty-handed would mean failure¡ªimplying that even if he couldn''t kill the Three Souls Desolate Snake, he should still return. Was there a time limit, like he would be automatically sent back to Liangzhou University after a certain period? Or could he choose when to return on his own? Xiang Beifei thought it should be the latter, meaning he could make the choice. Even if Yuchi Shen was desperate for revenge, he definitely wouldn''t dare let something happen to him in front of so many people; the way back he left must surely be for preserving life. Given that, the means of return should be this thing on his wrist. Xiang Beifei was completely unfamiliar with the item on his wrist, and even with the ability to "Learn by Analogy," the premise was that he had to have studied it first. He hadn''t attended a single university course yet, and this thing looked like a tool from the wilderness, a newly developed product; he was clueless about how to use it. .net What was more important was¡ªwhat did the Three Souls Desolate Snake look like? In the wilderness beyond the domain, there were countless strong and terrifying desolate beasts, too many to count. High school textbooks only listed a fraction of desolate beasts with images, but those were just a drop in the ocean compared to all types of desolate beasts. For the past two months, he had been focused on cultivating and dealing with the university entrance exam, neglecting to learn about desolate beasts. The Three Souls Desolate Snake was just an academic name, but what it looked like, Xiang Beifei had no idea. "This is insane! I''m given a task, but not told how to return, nor what my target looks like, its habits, or where to find it?" Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but grumble. Lu Zhiwei once said that newcomers must solidify their foundational knowledge before venturing into the wilderness, and if one were to hunt a certain desolate beast, they must fully understand it before acting. But when Xiang Beifei arrived here for the assessment, he never anticipated that Yuchi Shen would actually send him to the wilderness, and he certainly hadn''t coincidentally studied the Three Souls Desolate Snake. Yuchi Shen didn''t offer him an explanation and just forcibly proceeded with the plan. This opening was like a headless, disoriented pattern. Actually, Yuchi Shen had originally intended to make Xiang Beifei give up, knowing how difficult it was, because even when he himself was an SR-level genius, during his first mission in the external wilderness, he had spent six months learning, gaining a complete understanding of the target, before teaming up with others to go there. But even so, he had nearly lost his life! The real external wilderness was different from simulated training in school. The situation in the wilderness could change in the blink of an eye, and you couldn''t expect to encounter only the desolate beast you wanted to kill in that area. There could also be other desolate beasts passing by, facing attacks from different beasts simultaneously. Yuchi Shen couldn''t even manage that himself; he had sent Xiang Beifei here solely to watch his former rival''s son embarrass himself in front of everyone, and then tell everyone that Xiang Tianxing''s son was no big deal! Xiang Beifei could probably guess Yuchi Shen''s purpose, but he couldn''t just go back directly. He took another look around. It was eerily quiet, with a rotten smell wafting through the air, extremely pungent, the sound of the swamp bubbling was particularly jarring, leaves rustling as if something was crawling. "Xiaohei, do you know what a Three Souls Desolate Snake looks like?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiaohei shook its head, it was only the system''s nemesis but not a desolate beast''s nemesis. It hadn''t prepared for Desolate Beast Studies before coming here. This was troublesome. Crack! As Xiang Beifei pondered, suddenly a sound of a snapping twig came from the woods. He became alert immediately, leaping beside the tree trunk, concealing his figure behind it. Hiss! Hiss! It sounded like something was swallowing. Could this sound be the Three Souls Desolate Snake? Thinking of Yuchi Shen sending him to catch a Three Souls Desolate Snake, perhaps he was directly transported to its lair; maybe this swamp was hiding the Three Souls Desolate Snake. That would make things easier, no need to go through a lot of trouble to find it. Xiang Beifei peered through the cracks of the tree branches towards the source of the noise, trying to track the Three Souls Desolate Snake. Splash! It seemed like something had broken through the water in the swamp and was crawling on the ground, but from this position, he couldn''t see the swamp clearly due to the obstructed view. He carefully moved his body, stepping over the damp moss underfoot, while applying his Spiritual Power to the soles of his feet, firmly gripping the ground to avoid accidentally stepping on stones or brittle branches, making noise that would alarm the other party¡ªthat would really be mindless. However, just as he was about to peek his head out from behind the branches, a sharp eagle''s cry suddenly came from the sky. Then something huge seemed to be flapping its wings, rustling as it whooshed over the treetops above. "Roar!" A fierce roar suddenly sounded at the edge of the swamp. Whatever had just crawled out from the swamp seemed to be enraged by the large bird flying overhead, and with a swift motion, it dashed out. By the time Xiang Beifei stuck his head out, the swamp was quiet again, and he saw nothing. Chapter 122 Tail "Huh?" Xiang Beifei had no idea what had just emerged from the swamp. It seemed like a large bird had flown by in the sky, angering something in the marshland. That thing appeared to be chasing after the bird, moving so fast it was soon out of sight. The Three Souls Desolate Snake, judging by the name, must undoubtedly be a snake. However, the creature that had crawled out of the swamp made such a ghastly sound, it didn''t sound anything like a snake. Still, he decided to follow and check it out; he had to at least determine what the target looked like. He wriggled out from behind the tree branches and leaped towards the edge of the forest on the left of the swamp; the noise had just passed by there, and he wondered if it had gone far. The ground was overgrown with weeds, squishy underfoot, but the area looked as though it had been flattened by something recently, seemingly by some kind of reptile. He became even more certain it should be the Three Souls Desolate Snake. Walking cautiously, Xiang Beifei followed the trail ahead, but he hadn''t gone far when he suddenly sensed something wrong. A sharp whooshing sound attacked from the side, fierce and rapid. He sharply caught the noise and dodged in an instant. Bang! A black tentacle slammed right where Xiang Beifei had just been, against the tree, snapping branches as thick as a wrist! Xiang Beifei focused his eyes and saw the creature vanish into the woods in a blur of motion, too fast for him to get a clear look. At that moment, the branches rustled noisily; taking advantage of the cover, the creature moved rapidly, instantly circling to Beifei''s rear and once again launching a tentacle at him. Xiang Beifei clutched the breath soil in his hand, turning it into a giant hammer, and without a second thought, swung it behind him! Bang! His reaction was quick. The hammer struck the tentacle mid-air. The tentacle was quite long, about two meters, and after being hit, it whipped around the branches and then quickly retracted. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Six consecutive times the opponent struck from different angles, its movement swift, the shadowy strikes darting back and forth, dazzling to the eye. Fortunately, Xiang Beifei''s strength was also considerable, and his reactions were quick enough to evade such attacks. However, he soon realized that this creature was aiming to change positions and engage in hit-and-run tactics! Forests are the dominion of desolate beasts; if it turned into a guerrilla fight, he would be at a disadvantage ¨C he had to end the battle quickly. His mind, relying on the "Learn by Analogy" learning ability, quickly analyzed the enemy''s six striking positions. Desolate beasts all have fixed habits; their timing and direction of attacks can be discerned, and a pattern can usually be found. Once you grasp that pattern, it''s easy to find their weaknesses. Soon he deduced where the next attack would come from! "Still thinking of ambushing me?" Xiang Beifei turned the breath soil in his hand into a large cleaver, and before the creature could strike, he chopped towards the top. Halfway through his swing, the tentacle reached down from above, meeting Xiang Beifei''s cleaver head-on. Splurt! Xiang Beifei''s breath soil sliced right through the tentacle. As the tentacle fell from above, Xiang Beifei finally saw that it somewhat resembled a monkey''s paw. "Awoo!" A painful howl echoed through the forest. The severed tentacle tried to retract, but with a tap of his toe on the trunk, Xiang Beifei released a ripple of Spiritual Power, propelling himself high into the air. At the same time, the "Abruptly Stop" aura swept over, striking the shadowy figure and instantly taking effect on his opponent! The fleeing figure paused mid-air, then fell down, but after dropping half a meter, it broke free from the binding of Abruptly Stop. Xiang Beifei''s "Abruptly Stop" required hitting the target first in order to bind their movements, but if the opponent was strong enough, they could break the bondage. However, even if the bind lasted only two seconds, Xiang Beifei had seen the opponent''s appearance. It was an extremely vicious-looking black monkey with sharp fangs protruding from its mouth, each at least three inches long, drool dripping down the fangs. Its body was covered in luxuriant fur, but most importantly, it had two tails. The tails were so long, about two meters, and while they had no fur, each end had a claw. One of those claws had been chopped off by Xiang Beifei, and the stump was still bleeding. This black monkey had a total of six claws, including the two on its tails, which were particularly nimble. But now, one of them had been severed by Xiang Beifei, and the creature looked exceedingly furious as it leaped onto a tree branch, roaring at Beifei. Based on Xiang Beifei''s estimation, this Twin-Tailed Beasthand Monkey had a strength roughly at the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling; it was very fast and somewhat difficult to handle. However, fortunately, he had cut off one of its tentacles and had figured out its attack pattern so he should be able to deal with it. But this was clearly not the Three Souls Desolate Snake, so likely not his target. "Don''t provoke me, or you''re going to regret it." Xiang Beifei didn''t want to waste energy on this strange black monkey, but the monkey''s shape flickered and vanished again amongst the trees, apparently trying to attack him again using the cover of leaves. Rustle! Rustle! Rustle! The branches around him trembled rapidly, as the black monkey shifted its position just as quickly. It moved so fast that shadows appeared on branches in every direction, as if many were encircling Beifei. "Told you not to provoke me!" A gleam of light flashed in Xiang Beifei''s eyes. As the black monkey dashed from behind him, he threw a punch towards a tree branch ahead! Boom! Stay connected through m-v l|e''-novelhall.net His fist accurately struck the black monkey''s forehead, eliciting a miserable shriek from the animal as it fell to the forest floor, struggling a few times, clearly not going to survive. Dealing with one peculiar black monkey was simple enough. He was about to deliver a finishing blow when suddenly, countless roaring sounds emerged from the woods, followed by one... two... three... More and more black monkeys were racing towards them from the distance, and in the blink of an eye, seven or eight were charging his way. "Stirred up a hornet''s nest." Xiang Beifei didn''t hesitate to turn and run, without a moment''s doubt. He could handle a Twin-Tailed Tendril Monkey at the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling by himself, and even eight or nine of them¡ªby his reckoning¡ªit would be touch-and-go. But once their numbers exceeded ten, he definitely couldn''t beat them since they would take cover among the branches, flickering around, dealing low blows now and then. Each black monkey had two absurdly long bizarre tails with claws on them¡ªif ten attacked at once, that would mean twenty clawed tails. In the forest, he couldn''t possibly fend off twenty tails with his bare hands! He must lure them into an open area. Without the camouflage of the branches, the monkeys'' agility was sure to fall a notch, giving Xiang Beifei a chance to fight this horde of monkeys. Chapter 123 The Cave The elite students spectating at Liangzhou University Training Ground No. 1 couldn''t help but exclaim in shock when they saw Xiang Beifei suddenly being attacked by so many black monkeys! Ye Changfeng''s expression changed slightly! "A troop of mid-stage Qi-Controlling Claw-tailed Monkeys! Yuchi Shen, what are you up to!" Ye Changfeng stared at Yuchi Shen, seated not far from him, and shouted. Claw-tailed Monkeys of this strength, even in groups, would be nothing but a one-sword kill in his eyes, but the problem was that Xiang Beifei was only a mid-stage Qi-Controlling practitioner. The fact that he had managed to kill a Claw-tailed Monkey so quickly earlier had already surprised him. However, Claw-tailed Monkeys are social animals. If one is killed, the others become enraged and seek revenge on the target. Yuchi Shen''s face also darkened slightly. He had chosen the training ground carefully; the swamp was the lair of the Three Souls Desolate Snake. But he hadn''t told Xiang Beifei any of this, providing no information to him and letting him find his own way. It just so happened that the Three Souls Desolate Snake had left its nest, and Xiang Beifei had followed, only to run into a troop of passing Claw-tailed Monkeys! Anything could happen out there in the wilderness outside the domain. Even he couldn''t guarantee that the swamp was the exclusive territory of the Three Souls Desolate Snake; sometimes other desolate beasts would pass through another''s domain. Desolate beasts are fierce, and they naturally harbor hostility towards humans. As soon as they see a human, they will definitely attack. "If he can''t hold on, he''ll naturally come back," Yuchi Shen said coldly. However, his heart was a bit unsettled. Because Xiang Beifei had been chased by the horde of monkeys and had strayed from the Three Souls Desolate Snake''s lair, entering other areas of the wilderness outside the domain! Though he wanted to see Xiang Beifei tormented, he absolutely couldn''t watch him die. Otherwise, not even Ye Changfeng, but the school''s leadership wouldn''t let him off the hook. If the news that an N-level student was thrown into the wilderness outside the domain during the entrance examination of Liangzhou University and lost their life got out, it would cause a much bigger stir than the article written by Yu Lei! When Yu Lei wrote the article, public opinion in Jiuzhou was against the nine elite universities, with the other eight universities being attacked even more. Liangzhou University at least gave N-level students a chance and was less criticized. But if an N-level student died during the entrance examination trial in the wilderness outside the domain, Liangzhou University would likely be drowned in criticism. "This fool, couldn''t he just beat it and hurry back?" Yuchi Shen looked at Xiang Beifei in the training ground and cursed inwardly. --- Xiang Beifei was running as fast as he could, but this was a jungle, and the monkeys were even faster. Soon, the Claw-tailed Monkeys jumped ahead of him through the trees, screeching by his side, and long tails like tentacles reached out to grab him from all around. Seizing the right moment, the fist flame in his hand surged violently and slammed into the nearest Claw-tailed Monkey. The violent gust generated by his punch was extremely fierce, and it smashed into the monkey''s head! Bang! Xiang Beifei blew the Claw-tailed Monkey''s head apart, scattering its brains. .net He had trained Rapid Flame to an extremely tyrannical level. Facing a mid-stage Qi-Controlling Claw-tailed Monkey head-on was not a challenge for him, but after he had killed another Claw-tailed Monkey, he further enraged the others. The monkeys howled in furious rage and charged at him from all directions. At this moment, he burst out of the jungle and suddenly the landscape opened up before him. There was a small hill in front covered with jagged rocks and various weeds. In the midst of the rocky hillside, there was a cave that seemed just large enough to allow a person to crawl inside. He hesitated for a moment, then immediately ran toward the cave. With the protection of tree branches, these Claw-tailed Monkeys were incredibly agile, accustomed to guerrilla tactics, retreating after a missed attack. Perhaps by taking advantage of the cave, he could hold his ground at the entrance, allowing for a frontal confrontation. Without the tree branches for cover, the monkeys'' combat abilities would be reduced by a notch, and he could resolve each monkey with a single punch. However, as he approached the cave, he suddenly realized that this was the wilderness, filled with desolate beasts, and it was highly unlikely that the cave was a safe place ¨C it could very well be a desolate beast''s lair! No sooner had this thought occurred to him than his keen instincts made him abruptly stop and dart to the side. Almost in the instant, he dodged, a sharp hissing noise came from the cave followed by a tongue as thick as a water bucket lashing out violently, extending about ten meters long and instantly wrapping around one of the black monkeys that had been chasing Xiang Beifei. Then, with a "slurp" sound, the monkey was dragged back into the cave! Aoow¡ª The cave echoed with the screams of the Claw-tailed Monkey and the crunching sounds of bones being chewed, cracking noise resounding. "What the heck is that!" Xiang Beifei was inwardly shocked, the sound was full of crunching, but he definitely did not want to provoke it. However, at that moment, another hissing noise came from the cave, and this time, the massive tongue rolled out again, even faster, targeting him! This time, Xiang Beifei couldn''t dodge quickly enough, and he was immediately caught by the sticky tongue which sent him flying back toward the cave! Darkness enveloped him in an instant, the wind howled around him, accompanied by a strong scent of blood and the stench of decay, exceptionally pungent. He struggled with all his might, his hands shining with flames as Rapid Flame roared, striking the tongue! Hum! The powerful flame of Rapid Flame, swirling with a burst of violent gusts, charred the ghastly thing''s tongue. It seemed to have not anticipated Xiang Beifei''s punch, and the tongue loosened slightly, as if it feared the flames. Chapter 124: Chapter 123: Cave_2 Seizing the opportunity, Xiang Beifei grasped a protruding rock on the cave wall and broke free from the slippery tongue, landing on the ground. The outside of the cave was quite large, but the inside was very low, barely over a meter high, forcing Xiang Beifei to bend his waist and preventing him from standing upright. The depths of the cave were once again filled with the sound of whooshing. It seemed the tongue was curling towards him again, but this time, he didn''t give it a chance to ensnare him. Facing the depths of the cave, he blasted out a ferocious flame. The fire turned into a powerful flame gale, guarding in front of him, and at that moment, the tongue also struck violently. Buzz! Xiang Beifei''s punch, infused with spiritual power, stirred up high temperatures within the flame gale. As it blocked the advance of the tongue, the flame also clung to it, instantly igniting the huge tongue with Rapid Flame! The tongue immediately recoiled, but it was already ablaze, lighting up the cave and revealing glimpses of its depths about ten meters in. The glow of the flames allowed Xiang Beifei to vaguely see what lay inside. At the far end of the cave, there was a bloated soft-bodied creature, piled up like a mass about three meters wide, unspeakably disgusting ¨C like a soft-bodied snail magnified hundreds of times. It had its mouth wide open, revealing rows upon rows of sharp teeth of uncountable number, likely in the thousands, and incredibly sharp. If one were to be bitten, surely their bones would grind to dust. The Claw-tailed Monkey from before probably met its demise under those teeth. This Soft-bodied Monster seemed to dwell in the cave, waiting for any desolate beast to pass by outside the cave, then extending its tongue to lick and consume them, much like a gecko. The Claw-tailed Monkey it had just eaten didn''t even leave a trace. The fire conjured by Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power clung to the monster''s tongue, setting it aflame. It twisted in pain but made no sound. It seemed like the creature was mute. Steam began to rise from its body, and soon the flames were extinguished. And from the darkness, the sound of heavy breathing came again; it seemed to have been enraged and was preparing to coil around Xiang Beifei once more. Xiang Beifei had some understanding of how to deal with this large soft-bodied creature and thought about rushing forward to land a punch directly on it. Its body seemed to have no defensive power, and a frontal attack with the flames should be effective. But after some thought, he decided to give up. "Forget it, time to retreat! Better safe than sorry," he muttered. Because the deeper into the cave he went, the lower it became, and it was inconvenient to fight in such conditions. Moreover, it was the beast''s lair, giving it the home ground advantage. Besides, he had to hurry to find the Three Souls Desolate Snake, and there was no need to waste too much time here. Still, to leave the cave, he''d have to confront those black monkeys again. He decided to escape using the Flame Dragon Escape. Xiang Beifei was carrying quite a lot of items. Lu Hong had given him many system items last time, and he had used four to ignite his constellations but kept one Flame Dragon Escape for emergencies. .net The items given by Lu Hong were all selected based on an estimation of Xiang Beifei''s strength, ensuring they would be usable by him, and now they were coming in handy. Xiang Beifei crushed the Spirit Talisman of the Flame Dragon Escape, a ferocious Fire Dragon roared as it coiled around him, and with a loud "boom," flames exploded, and Xiang Beifei''s figure was no longer in the cave. ¡ª¡ª Everyone in the training area was unsettled! Their line of sight had lost track of Xiang Beifei! The reason they could see what was happening to Xiang Beifei was that a small iron ball was buzzing around like a tracker, recording the entire event. When Xiang Beifei was pulled into the cave by the huge tongue, the small iron ball followed him, resulting in complete darkness on screen, obscuring the view. When it flew back out of the cave, it hovered like a headless fly, waiting for Xiang Beifei. Everyone thought that after being taken by the tongue, Xiang Beifei would crush a Teleportation Sphere to return, but after waiting for a long time, there was no sign of him! He hadn''t teleported back! By now, the Claw-tailed Monkeys that had been pursuing Xiang Beifei had already left, clearly not daring to provoke the creature in the cave. "That tongue, it belongs to a Ghost Giant Snail! Yuchi Shen, where are the two people you sent to protect him?" Ye Changfeng asked furiously. Yuchi Shen also stood up with a grim expression. Although he wanted to make things difficult for Xiang Beifei, he had never intended for Xiang Beifei to die. At this moment, on the large screen at the training ground, two boys dressed in camouflaged green outfits appeared ¨C they were Guo Han and Sun Rui, sent by Yuchi Shen. They only showed up now and appeared at the entrance of the Ghost Giant Snail''s den. The small iron ball floated above them, circling around them leisurely. "Are these the two you sent? They only take action after everyone is gone?" Ye Changfeng glared at Yuchi Shen with uncontainable fury, "Aren''t you going to use the teleportation sphere to forcibly bring Xiang Beifei back right now!" Yuchi Shen fell silent for a moment before saying, "The teleportation array I inscribed on the iron ball can only be used near that marsh. He can only be teleported back once he returns to the vicinity of the array." "You¡ª" Ye Changfeng looked extremely angry. Teleportation spheres were not omnipotent. The outer wilderness beyond the boundaries was very dangerous, with various strange forces rampant. These forces would suppress human systematic abilities, hence humans faced great restrictions when moving around in the outer wilderness. Additionally, with the vast expanse of the outer wilderness, the distance of teleportation was greatly limited. A rough positioning area was needed. Once deviated from this area, the teleportation sphere would become useless. When Xiang Beifei was being chased by the Claw-tailed Monkey in the marsh, Yuchi Shen originally contemplated forcibly pulling him back. However, considering that Guo Han and Sun Rui were nearby, he refrained. As a result, Xiang Beifei ran out of the teleportation range. And Yuchi Shen did not inform Xiang Beifei about the characteristics of the teleportation sphere nor did he warn Xiang Beifei not to stray away from the marsh. When sending Xiang Beifei over, he explained nothing, leading Xiang Beifei to be unaware of these details! "Elder Luo¡ª" Ye Changfeng turned to look for Luo Laotou, but apart from a pile of sunflower seed shells, there was no sign of Luo Laotou. Luo Laotou had left without anyone noticing when. Ye Changfeng had a pretty good idea of where he had gone. "Yuchi Shen, if anything happens to this kid, I will never let you off the hook!" Ye Changfeng left these harsh words behind, took a step, and without further hesitation, vanished on the spot, determined to head into the outer wilderness by himself. "Enter and check on that Ghost Giant Snail, be careful," Yuchi Shen ordered Guo Han and Sun Rui through Xiaofei Ball''s communicator. Xiaofei Ball was a monitoring device but also served the purpose of transmitting signals. Since the area where Xiang Beifei was located, the South Mountain Second District of the Cultivated Domain, was still relatively close to human habitation, the interference from the wilderness forces was not too strong, so the signal transmission was still functioning. Guo Han and Sun Rui exchanged a glance. They were quite familiar with the Ghost Giant Snail, knowing how to kill it. The creature was fragile with low defensive power, which is why it hid in the cave, relying on its protection. However, its tongue was very troublesome; even they had to be cautious about it. At that moment, the huffing sound echoed once more from inside the den. The Ghost Giant Snail obviously smelled the two people at its entrance, and its tongue lashed out violently. "Now''s our chance!" Sun Rui shouted. In Guo Han''s hand appeared a glass sphere. As the Ghost Giant Snail''s tongue swept toward him, he had already thrown the glass sphere at it, and at the same time, he swiftly retreated more than ten meters. The tongue did not catch him, but the glass sphere landed on the long tongue and was retracted back into the cave. Bang! A puff of blue smoke emanated from the cave. "We can go in now!" Guo Han shouted. The glass sphere was designed specifically for combating the Ghost Giant Snail. They had been allowed to enter the outer wilderness because they were well-trained. They had prepared for what kinds of desolate beasts might be in this area and what tools to use against specific species. Guo Han and Sun Rui had studied the Ghost Giant Snail and thus had prepared many tools, including this glass sphere, which were invented by students specializing in desolate beasts. The school had majors dedicated to researching the weaknesses of desolate beasts, and students in that field would study desolate beasts'' vulnerabilities, creating various items to combat specific types of desolate beasts. These items could be requested from the school''s labs, and any student venturing into the outer wilderness must carry these specific protective tools, just in case. However, Xiang Beifei had none of these tools; Yuchi Shen did not prepare any for him, and simply had him come over with a teleportation sphere. Xiang Beifei did not even know what to call this long-tongued desolate beast, and this asymmetry of information put him at a substantial disadvantage. Chapter 125: Chapter 124: The Serpent! Guo Han and Sun Rui had already entered the cave, carrying lighting tools that illuminated the Ghost Giant Snail''s lurking den, with Xiaofei trailing behind them. This time, Yuchi Shen and the others could see clearly inside. The Ghost Giant Snail was extremely afraid of corrosive substances. Once the glass orbs were crushed, they would burst into a cloud of corrosive smoke, which would cover the body of the Ghost Giant Snail and corrode it into a puddle of liquid. The cave was damp, with water gushing out. The massive body of the Ghost Giant Snail had been corroded to nothing but a sack of skin. It was a soft-bodied creature, its body turned into water, leaving only its long, thick tongue, about ten meters in length. Guo Han, pinching his nose, fiddled within that skin sack twice, pulling out a bunch of broken bones, his face drastically changed as he said, "These bones, they couldn''t be that kid''s, could they?" Sun Rui also squatted down, looking at the pile of broken bones. The Ghost Giant Snail had incredibly strong digestive abilities; anything it consumed would be digested almost in the blink of an eye, except the bones, which would take a bit longer to digest. "These bones look a lot like human bones, this is bad." Sun Rui''s brows were deeply furrowed. "Those are not his bones, they''re from a Claw-tailed Monkey. Are you complete idiots? He surely found a chance to escape. Go around and look for him, quick!" Yuchi Shen shouted. ¡ª¡ª Not everyone was permitted to venture into the wilderness beyond the domain. Beyond human territories, there was a layer of defense intended to ward off desolate beast invasions, and aside from specific individuals, ordinary people were not allowed to leave the Jiuzhou territory. If students from the elite schools wanted to go into the wilderness, they too had to be transported to the boundary before entering the wilderness, or like Yuchi Shen, set up a specific portal point. All nine universities were located at the very outer edge of human territories, closest to the wilderness to facilitate training students in the wilderness. "Son of a bitch, if my pre-designated student goes missing, I''ll tear you to pieces!" Elder Luo cursed as he ran towards his established portal point. Originally, when Xiang Beifei was transported there, he thought there wouldn''t be any major issues since, with the transport orb, Xiang Beifei could return even if he encountered danger. However, once Xiang Beifei deviated from the range of the portal point, he became anxious, ignoring any impulse to blame Yuchi Shen, and immediately rushed into the external wilderness. .net Just like Yuchi Shen, he normally set up several portal points in the low-risk areas around the external wilderness. Though his portal points were far from Yuchi Shen''s location, the wilderness outside the domain was vast. Even a relatively safer area like the Cultivated Domain was immensely vast. He found the nearest portal point, but getting there still took an hour. "Elder Luo, what should we do?" Ye Changfeng also had his own set of portal points for training students, not far from Elder Luo''s, so when he hurried over, he sensed Elder Luo''s furious presence and quickly followed. "What else can we do? Go find him and bring him back! He''s just a novice, knows nothing! He didn''t even bring any tools to deal with desolate beasts, and now he''s strayed from the portal point... Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch! When we get back, I''m definitely going to hang that Yuchi Son of a bitch up and beat him!" Elder Luo cursed angrily, yet his speed did not decrease. The wilderness outside the domain was fraught with danger, potentially encountering various dangerous desolate beasts at any moment. If tangled up and unable to teleport back, Xiang Beifei, lacking the experience of Guo Han and Sun Rui, was in great danger. Elder Luo had already placed all his Leisure Points into his speed, rapidly leaving Ye Changfeng far behind. Ye Changfeng moved by sword flight; although not as fast as Elder Luo, he was still incredibly quick, leaving only a shadow in the air. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei sat behind a rock, lost in thought. He had already checked the area, even the ants the size of fists crawling under his feet were stomped to death by him. The Flame Dragon Escape had brought him out, but he was unclear on the direction he was taken to, as it was random, potentially in any direction, although according to the distance of the escape, it should be about two hundred meters away from that cave. However, to be safe, he ran further away, just in case he was caught up by that group of monkeys again. He tapped the iron ring on his wrist, which seemed unresponsive. Yuchi Shen hadn''t provided him with any information about this assessment or how to return, but he noticed something unusual about the iron ring. At the swampy area, the ring clearly flickered with fluctuations, but once he left the swamp, the ring''s aura quieted down, becoming still. This likely meant that the wrist iron ring needed to be in the swampy area to function, and then it could take him back. "Forget it, first return to the swampy area to look for the Three Souls Desolate Snake." Xiang Beifei decided to head back to the swampy area he had just left to see if the iron ring showed any sign of activity again. He climbed a tree and looked around. The group of monkeys had chased him out of the swamp, and then the Flame Dragon Escape had carried him over two hundred meters away in a direction, leaving him clueless about his whereabouts. Unfamiliar with the region, he needed to reorient himself to the swamp''s direction. "I remember there was a small hill just now, the Soft-bodied Monster was under that cave, meaning I came from that direction, and the Flame Dragon Escape took me to the back of the mountain." Chapter 126: Chapter 124: The Great Serpent!_2 If he wanted to return to the marsh, Xiang Beifei would have had to cross a small hill less than fifty meters high. However, for safety, he decided against climbing over it. Instead, he planned to go around the hill, so he wouldn''t run into that Soft-bodied Monster again. The hill wasn''t big, and taking the detour would only add about ten more minutes to his journey. Using the hill as a center point, Xiang Beifei moved around its base, keeping his body as low as possible and hiding in the thick grass. It hadn''t been ten minutes since he arrived in the wilderness beyond the domain, and he had already encountered numerous dangers, so he had to be cautious. The topography of the wilderness beyond the domain was extremely poor, littered with chaotic rocks. Because no one lived nearby, there weren''t any proper paths. The grass grew wildly, as tall or short as it liked, with some even taller than Xiang Beifei himself. He trekked through the tall grass, pushing aside the prickly stems. But at that moment, a hissing sound suddenly came from the brush, followed by a sharp snake tail sweeping towards him! Whoosh! Xiang Beifei leaped backward two steps and dodged the unexpected snake tail. He grasped the breath soil again, reshaping it into a machete which felt more manageable in this environment. This place was truly dangerous, with a desolate beast lurking every few steps. If he wasn''t careful, he might lose his life without even knowing how. "Hiss!" A massive snake head emerged from the grass, its body as thick as a bucket and approximately ten meters long. Its body was pitch black and densely covered in scales that shimmered with an iron-black luster, making them look extremely tough. What caught Xiang Beifei''s attention the most were the three long horns on its head! Three horns! "Could this be the Three Souls Desolate Snake?" Xiang Beifei turned and asked Xiaohei. "Woof, woof, woof!" Xiaohei also seemed puzzled as he scrutinized the giant snake, unsure of what it was. Neither of them knew what the Three Souls Desolate Snake looked like. The previous snake had run off from the marshland, so they still weren''t clear about their target. But this snake had three large horns, fitting the character "three." Since it was already targeting him, running would only lead to being chased, so he decided to deal with it first. Xiang Beifei focused on the triangular-headed snake, feeling a great deal of pressure from it¡ªits aura was approximately at the late stage of Qi-Controlling but as long as it wasn''t playing dirty tricks like that giant mucus monster, he should be able to handle it. Whoosh! His fists surged with powerful flames, and in a flash, he charged at the giant snake! The triangular snake, seeing Xiang Beifei charging towards it, twisted its body in anger. Its blue snake eyes emitted a lightning bolt, shooting directly at Xiang Beifei! Xiang Beifei was swift but hadn''t expected the snake''s eyes to emit lightning. The lightning, accompanied by a bursting sound, nearly struck him, but fortunately, he reacted quickly and dodged sideways. The lightning struck the grass instead, cutting through it like a lawnmower and sending up puffs of black smoke. Such powerful lightning! Xiang Beifei steadied himself, dodging another blue lightning bolt. He swiftly moved closer and leaped behind the snake, swinging his breath soil machete down at its vital seven inches. Clang! It sounded like a clash of metal. The black snake''s scale armor was incredibly tough, numbing his right hand from the impact, and he couldn''t cut through the scales. At that moment, the black snake''s tail curled back, attempting to trap Xiang Beifei. He stepped on the snake''s body, using it as leverage to leap into the air before swinging a fist down onto the snake''s head! Bang! The snake''s head was extremely hard. Xiang Beifei instead was sent flying, but his spiritual power sparked flames that wildly enveloped the black snake''s body. The flames spread along the texture of the scales, igniting its entire body! The black snake thrashed in terror and pain on the ground, trying to shake off the bizarre flames. Meanwhile, blue lightning shot wildly around, slicing the surrounding grass into disarray. Xiang Beifei had already gotten back on his feet. "Its weak spot isn''t the seven inches; this creature''s weak spot is the eyes." During his brief engagement with the black snake, he quickly, using "Learn by Analogy," analyzed the opponent''s method of attack thoroughly. Although the black snake seemed to fear the flames, the fire didn''t inflict a fatal wound. Instead, it continually protected its eyes. Blinding it should practically seal its fate! Whoosh! Xiang Beifei, taking advantage of the snake trying to extinguish the flames, flashed over again, his breath soil now shaped like a dagger. The black snake had obviously noticed Xiang Beifei''s intention. After its lightning attack was dodged by Xiang Beifei, it opened its foul-smelling mouth wide and lunged at him. However, Xiang Beifei had already figured out the snake''s attack pattern. The creature''s attempt to bite him was anticipated. He clenched his left fist and punched the snake''s lower jaw, forcing the snake''s head upward, and then he thrust the dagger in his right hand downward into the snake''s left eye! Crash! Blinded in one eye, the black snake erupted with blue blood spraying from its eye, contorting in pain. It swung its tail, knocking Xiang Beifei away while its other eye shot out lightning, striking Xiang Beifei''s shoulder. Xiang Beifei felt a numbness in his shoulder. His left arm was paralyzed and he couldn''t lift it, but as he was flung away, he seized the moment in mid-air to throw the Breath Soil again. The dagger formed from the Breath Soil traced a brown arc of light through the air, striking the black snake''s other eye precisely! Bang! The massive body of the black snake collapsed, scattering weeds all over the ground. Massaging his shoulder, Xiang Beifei climbed up from the ground and sat on the messy grass, looking at the dead snake and heaving a sigh of relief. This snake was powerful, its strength and defense comparable to late-stage Qi-Controlling creatures¡ªimpervious to swords and spears and definitely unbeatable in a head-on fight. Xiang Beifei would have probably suffered badly. Fortunately, he was able to spot its weakness and analyze its attack pattern to deliver a fatal blow, or else he would have been in big trouble. Still, he had suffered a serious injury: the snake''s lightning had seared a black wound onto his shoulder, which was very painful. He massaged it, circulating his Spiritual Power to drive away the numbness, "Woof, woof, woof!" Xiaohei bounded out excitedly, landing on the snake''s body and fumbling around. Then, with a swipe of its paw, it slit the snake''s skin open effortlessly. Xiang Beifei watched Xiaohei in surprise, "I had no idea your claws were so sharp!" He had been fighting the snake for a while and hadn''t managed to cut through the snake''s skin, but Xiaohei did it with a single swipe of its paw. "Woof, woof, woof!" Xiaohei rummaged through the snake''s body and pulled out a fist-sized blue crystal stone. "A spiritual power crystal?" Xiang Beifei was taken aback. Everyone''s system items were actually transformed from spiritual power crystals, but Xiaohei''s action implied that every desolate beast also had a spiritual power crystal inside it. However, according to textbooks, this kind of thing was known as a beast pill in desolate beasts, likely present in every desolate beast, encapsulating the essence of a beast''s life, though their power varied. Many beast pills could be used to make powerful tools and energy sources, which were crucial for humans in desperate need of energy and could fetch a good price on the market. Experience exclusive tales on m v|l e''-novelhall.net "Woof, woof, woof!" "Can the beast pill also light up a constellation?" Xiang Beifei''s eyes lit up. This great snake was just the right strength for late-stage Qi-Controlling! However, he had already collected many late-stage Qi-Controlling spiritual power crystals. The headmaster had given him some, and he got others as well. He didn''t really need this particular beast pill. "Collect it, maybe I can sell it next time." Xiang Beifei looked at the corpse of the black snake, but soon encountered a problem. "How can I take such a big snake back?" Without a system, Xiang Beifei couldn''t use any kind of spatial storage technique created by the system to carry such a large thing, which would also be inconvenient for moving around. "Puff!" Xiaohei puffed up its cheeks and spat out a little bubble from its mouth. The bubble landed on the large snake and immediately covered it, swiftly shrinking the ten-meter-long snake''s massive body until it was the size of a thumb-sized glass bead. "You have this ability too?" Xiang Beifei was delighted. Normally Xiaohei would just roll around on his shoulder, occasionally come down to eat, burp contentedly, and then sleep. He had almost never counted on it during a fight. Now he realized Xiaohei had more capabilities than he knew. Using its tail, Xiaohei nudged the little bubble containing the snake, nudging and nudging, then tilted its head and said, "Woof, woof, woof!" "I don''t know if this is a Three Souls Desolate Snake, doesn''t it have three horns?" "Woof, woof, woof!" Xiaohei sniffed the ground with its nose, then pointed forward with its little paw. Chapter 127: Chapter 125: Kill a Few More Xiaohei meant that there was also the presence of snakes ahead, and it seemed there were many snake-type desolate beasts nearby, and they could go look for more. After pondering for a moment, Xiang Beifei said, "Okay, let''s go check it out!" He felt his energy was still quite robust. For some reason, although he had fought with a giant black snake, he wasn''t tired at all. His spiritual power even quickly replenished itself. Turning to look at his shoulder, where he had been burned in the exchange with the black snake, he noticed that a surge of spiritual power not his own had emerged and rapidly healed his wound. "This spiritual power?" Xiang Beifei was somewhat puzzled, then suddenly remembered that he had eaten some of Luo Laotou''s sunflower seeds today. Could those seeds not only replenish spiritual power but also heal injuries? Luo Laotou had been so polite in offering him to eat those seeds, and it turned out there were benefits after all. He got up and ran in the direction Xiaohei had indicated, carefully avoiding other desolate beasts along the way. He even accidentally stepped on and killed a centipede the size of a chopstick. The blood of the centipede splashed onto his pants, corroding a hole in the fabric. Luckily, this centipede wasn''t strong, but with so many desolate beasts around, he had to be cautious. About ten minutes of running later, following Xiaohei''s guidance, he pushed through a thicket of thorny bushes and quickly saw a large snake as long as a carrying pole lying in a ditch. The snake was completely white, but uniquely, there were three red ring-like patterns encircling its neck. Three rings! It matched the "three" in "Three Souls." Xiang Beifei looked at the giant black snake with three horns in the small bubble and then at the white snake with three red rings around its neck and fell into contemplation. "Could this also be the Three Souls Desolate Snake?" "Learn by Analogy" couldn''t help him confirm what the Three Souls Desolate Snake was precisely; without an illustrated handbook, he didn''t know if the one he killed was the right one. The three horns might be the Three Souls Desolate Snake, and so could the three rings. Chin in hand, Xiang Beifei thought for a moment and said, "Why not kill both? Since we don''t recognize it, just kill a few more and take them back for them to choose. One of them must be what they want." Yuchi Shen had always been looking for a reason to find fault with him. If he didn''t bring back the Three Souls Desolate Snake, who knew how his strange face would twist with smugness. "Woof woof woof!" Xiaohei leaped onto Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, seemingly in full agreement. Killing desolate beasts and obtaining Beast Pills sounded good. Hiss, hiss, hiss! The Three Souls Desolate Snake had been napping in the water after just swallowing a ferocious man-eating mud loach and was digesting it when it suddenly raised its head to see a massive fist, ablaze with flames, smashing down towards it. ¡ª¡ª The elite students at the training ground were all looking around. Today was supposed to be about observing the performance of the N-level newcomers during their entrance examination, but the training ground''s big screen was instead showing Guo Han and Sun Rui! It was hard to say whether it was these two being assessed at the moment or if it was the N-level newcomer. Guo Han and Sun Rui had no idea which direction Xiang Beifei had gone off to since everyone had a system, and anything could happen. But considering that Xiang Beifei was only an N-level Awakener, even with some system trick, he probably couldn''t have gone too far. However, the wilderness beyond the domain was vast, and Xiang Beifei could have gone in any direction. Searching so aimlessly was undoubtedly like finding a needle in a haystack. But with the little iron ball following them, they were both very aware that this amounted to a live broadcast of the "Searching for Xiang Beifei Operation," watched by many teachers and classmates. They couldn''t complain and had to press on with the search. Most importantly, they could not shout. Because if they called out Xiang Beifei''s name, what might emerge was not necessarily Xiang Beifei but possibly various weird and vicious desolate beasts! "How are we supposed to find that freshman?" Guo Han quietly asked. .net Sun Rui glanced up at the iron ball above and whispered, "We have to find him, whether or not we can! We failed to protect the new egg earlier, and we''re definitely going to get scolded by Elder Yuchi. If we don''t find him, do you dare to go back?" "It was he who said not to intervene until the last moment." Guo Han kicked a stone on the ground in frustration and muttered. After a moment, he added, "The wilderness outside the domain is so dangerous, and this area is particularly infested with snake-type desolate beasts. These desolate snakes are ''terrors even to ghosts'' and have eaten who knows how many people. Having left our protection, the newbie might have already become snake food by now." "Stop complaining; even if he''s been eaten, we still have to find his bones or hair, or even a piece of his clothing would suffice to report back." Although the two were quietly complaining, neither dared to speak too loudly. They climbed the small hill where the Ghost Giant Snail had lurked, looked around, and then walked down. But at that moment, there was a sudden outbreak of angry roars around them, and from the nearby woods, countless tentacles surged out. "Damn it, it''s that group of Claw-tailed Monkeys from before!" Guo Han''s complexion changed slightly, and he exclaimed in a low voice. Eager to move because of the Ghost Giant Snail''s presence, the monkey group had lingered nearby. But when they quickly realized the snail had been eliminated, and Guo Han and Sun Rui reappeared here, they set their sights on the two men. "Don''t panic; the venom from the Iron Flying Hawk will make them lose their fighting strength." Sun Rui was relatively calm; they were well-prepared after all, with all sorts of high-tech gear for dealing with desolate beasts in their backpacks. This was a low-risk area of the wilderness beyond the domain, and those high-tech devices were very effective. Chapter 128: Chapter 125: Kill a Few More_2 Although Guo Han liked to complain, he was also competent. A shadow of black flicker passed before him, and a gorgeous crossbow was ready in his hands. [Host: Guo Han] [S-grade, Divine Crossbow System] [Realm: Late Qi Mastery] The Divine Crossbow System that Guo Han had awakened possessed an extremely high accuracy rate. He was qualified to come to the desolate wilderness beyond the domain because his archery was unbeatable. He once faced the frontal barrage of twenty machine guns simultaneously with just a bow and arrow in simulated training. His crossbow arrows would split, a single shot splitting into countless smaller arrows. These arrows could automatically seek out targets, intercepting every bullet sprayed from the twenty machine guns. Not only that, his arrows could also unleash various strong elemental powers; water arrows, fire arrows, and lightning arrows were nothing difficult. As long as his cultivation was high enough, the power of these arrows was extremely terrifying! At that moment, the Claw-tailed Monkeys angrily charged at them, their long tails swaying with sharp claws, seemingly eager to capture and devour the two men. Guo Han had already drawn his bow and loaded an arrow before shouting to Sun Rui, "Come on!" Whoosh! Sun Rui, standing by, threw a red glass ball at the approaching group of Claw-tailed Monkeys. Simultaneously, Guo Han fired his arrow. The crossbow arrow transformed into a streak of gray light, whistling through the air and instantly striking the glass ball! The glass ball exploded instantly, erupting a cloud of red mist, and then countless splitting arrows shot out from the mist. These arrows, imbued with the venom of the Iron Flying Hawk, surged toward the group of monkeys. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The originally ferocious group of monkeys became dazed and slow when they smelled the venom of the Iron Flying Hawk. Guo Han''s arrows zipped through the air, unerringly striking the suddenly clumsy Claw-tailed Monkeys. Bang! Bang! Bang! Numerous cries of pain from the monkeys filled the air as Guo Han''s arrows, which had great penetrating power, targeted critical areas like the eyes and hearts. The monkeys'' reactions were only a beat slow, yet they were quickly ensnared by the arrows. In the blink of an eye, the group of Claw-tailed Monkeys was entirely annihilated by his divine crossbow! Claw-tailed Monkeys were extremely agile, much more so than machine gun bullets under normal circumstances. Even Guo Han''s archery might not have hit them all. However, the venom of the Iron Flying Hawk slowed them down, making it easy. "Nice archery," praised Sun Rui. "With the venom of the Iron Flying Hawk, it''s simple. Yuchi the old demon didn''t provide that newbie with the venom. I''m starting to worry about him now," said Guo Han as he put away his bow, resting it on his back. As an elite from Liangzhou University and a high scorer in simulated training classes, coupled with his knowledge of the weaknesses of Claw-tailed Monkeys and having tools specifically designed to counteract them, exterminating these monkeys was more than sufficient. However, Beifei had not been so lucky just now; he had been embarrassingly chased by the monkey group and had eventually lost them. The other students watching all of this praised Guo Han''s archery skills endlessly. Guo Han''s superior archery was his reliance on being allowed to train in the lower-risk zones of the wilderness beyond the domain. As long as he coordinated well, he could safely deal with these not very powerful desolate beasts. "Let''s go, the smell of blood here will attract other desolate beasts soon." After exterminating the group of Claw-tailed Monkeys, the pair didn''t linger and continued forward. However, they hadn''t walked far when Sun Rui suddenly stopped, crouched down, and looked at the overgrown grass, saying, "Wait, it seems like a fight took place here recently!" Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-novelhall.net The tall grass in the area, which was several meters high, was now chaotically slashed, and there were faint traces of lightning strikes. Upon examining the marks on the ground and seeing the traces of grass struck by lightning, Sun Rui exclaimed, "This is lightning from a Triangular Thunder Krait!" "Triangular Thunder Krait!" Guo Han was taken aback and asked, "This creature is considered a dominant snake in this area. Looking at these battle traces, it must have been intense. Did it fight with something?" "It might be another type of snake, we need to be careful, this thing is too difficult to deal with, it might have encountered a Fire Snake, there are still traces of scorched flames, probably left by the Fire Snake''s flames!" Sun Rui said gravely. "Fire Snake!" Guo Han tensed up, "Fire Snakes are even harder to handle than Triangular Thunder Kraits! They are natural enemies of each other! Did you bring the ice pouch of the Water Bomb Turtle?" "I did, but the ice pouch isn''t very effective against Fire Snakes, and Triangular Thunder Kraits are even more troublesome. We need to get out of here fast. Triangular Thunder Kraits are impervious to weapons, and without the strength of the Meridian Opening stage, you can''t cut through their scale armor!" Sun Rui said sternly. Just as their words ended, a loud roar suddenly burst forth from the bushes, and immediately a massive bolt of lightning shot toward them! "Damn, the Triangular Thunder Krait is back, it looks like it has defeated the Fire Snake!" Sun Rui exclaimed, grabbing Guo Han and running backward, dodging the lightning strike with a swift move. Roar! The sound made by the Triangular Thunder Krait was no longer a hiss but was now as deep and thunderous as a boom. Anyone who had studied the habits of the Triangular Thunder Krait knew that when its cries turned so thunderous, it indicated it was in extreme anger, even madness! This Triangular Thunder Krait was over ten meters long, a male, and they usually appeared in pairs. Today, Xiong Leikui went out hunting and returned to find his mate gone and stumbled upon these two humans, sparking his rage instantly! Crack! Crack! Crack! Countless bolts of lightning shot at Guo Han and Sun Rui, utterly aggressive and unreasonable, wreaking havoc and scaring them greatly. This Triangular Thunder Krait was at the Realm: Late Qi Mastery, the same as both Guo Han and Sun Rui, but much stronger! Because its scale armor was entirely impenetrable, the only weak spot was its eyes! This knowledge they had learned in their specialty classes. If you encounter a Triangular Thunder Krait in the wild, you either run or figure out a way to blind it. "Shoot its eyes, quick!" Sun Rui shouted. Guo Han had already fitted his bow with an arrow, lighting up with a gray glow, Spiritual Power cycling through the crossbow, and with a loud blast, the arrow transformed into a rapid stream of light, speeding towards the Triangular Thunder Krait''s eyes! But the Triangular Thunder Krait simply shot out two bolts of lightning and directly turned Guo Han''s arrow into ashes. It turned its head, saw Guo Han who had shot the arrow, roared, and sent several bolts of lightning slashing towards Guo Han! "No good, its lightning is too strong!" Guo Han rolled to the side, ducking his head to dodge another bolt of lightning. The lightning struck the grass beside him, luckily the grass wasn''t set ablaze, only sheared away. "I''ll divert its attention, you shoot it!" Sun Rui stepped on a rock, his body agilely lunged forward, then he pounced towards the Triangular Thunder Krait! The Triangular Thunder Krait, seeing Sun Rui lunging at it, roared fiercely, sweeping its tail at him, but Sun Rui twisted his body, dodged swiftly, and laid a hand on the Triangular Thunder Krait''s tail! His palm held no force, unable to shake the Triangular Thunder Krait, but the moment his hand touched the Triangular Thunder Krait, the skin on his hand began to change and consolidate, turning into scales that looked exactly like those of the Triangular Thunder Krait! [Host: Sun Rui] [S-Class, Beast Transformation System] [Realm: Late Qi Mastery] Sun Rui''s ability allowed him to beast-transform his body. As long as he had been in contact with a desolate beast within the last five minutes, he could mimic a powerful characteristic of that beast. The Triangular Thunder Krait possessed powerful thunder eyes and hard scale armor as well as a snake''s unique flexibility. Sun Rui, weighing his options, knew he couldn''t mimic the thunder eyes. It would be pointless to trade shots with the Triangular Thunder Krait; his own lightning wouldn''t break through its defenses, nor would it have enough accuracy to hit its eyes. Hence, he could only mimic the Triangular Thunder Krait''s hard scale armor. Now Sun Rui''s entire body was enveloped in black scale armor, resembling a snake-skin man. Facing the Triangular Thunder Krait, he fearlessly lunged at it, ready to engage the Triangular Thunder Krait in combat and create a chance for Guo Han to shoot the Triangular Thunder Krait. Chapter 129: Chapter 126: The Invincible Triangular Thunder Krait The Triangular Thunder Krait saw Sun Rui approach it voluntarily, its eyes turning incredibly cold. It unleashed powerful lightning again, striking Sun Rui. Sun Rui did not dodge; his scale armor was the same as the opponent''s, offering equal defense. The lightning that struck him was instantly repelled. "Quick, now is the chance!" Sun Rui deftly maneuvered around the Triangular Thunder Krait. Being a strength-type cultivator, he could withstand the desolate beast to the end as long as his defense was strong enough. Sun Rui entangled himself with the Triangular Thunder Krait. His attacks were already powerful, but regrettably, the Triangular Thunder Krait''s defense was even more monstrous. His strength wasn''t enough to break through the opponent''s scale armor, and the knife in his hand that aimed for the Triangular Thunder Krait''s eyes was directly flung away. Taking advantage of Sun Rui engaging the Triangular Thunder Krait, Guo Han aimed his arrows again at the beast''s eyes. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Numerous arrow shadows crossed the sky, yet the Triangular Thunder Krait, extremely agile, dealt with both men with ease. It noticed that Sun Rui''s defense was the same as its own and completely ignored him, concentrating fully on dealing with Guo Han, who was shooting arrows from a distance. Crack! Crack! Crack! Its lightning targeted Guo Han, causing his face to pale dramatically. He could only escape awkwardly to the side, his arrows being completely countered, finding no suitable opportunity. Meanwhile, the Triangular Thunder Krait swept its tail, striking Sun Rui. The powerful force immediately flung Sun Rui away. Bang! Sun Rui crashed to the ground. Although he had the defensive capabilities of a Triangular Thunder Krait, his strength was not nearly enough to counteract the beast. The tail whip hit his chest, and though it did not break his skin, it stifled his breath. At that moment, the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait wrapped around Sun Rui, firmly grasping him, and then pressed his body backwards! Snakes love to coil around their prey and then crush their bones, causing them to suffocate to death. Sun Rui''s face turned drastically pale! No matter how strong his external defense, he was still human, with bones. If his body were crushed, he would surely die! In a desperate moment, he quickly gave up mimicking the defense of the Triangular Thunder Krait and instead mimicked its flexibility, narrowly and dangerously freeing himself from the body of the Triangular Thunder Krait. But it struck him again. This time he couldn''t transform his defense in time, and endured a blow directly, screaming miserably as he spat out a mouthful of blood, his left hand twisted at an odd angle, clearly broken. "We''re done for!" Guo Han hurried over, grabbed Sun Rui, and then turned and fled into the distance! ¡ª¡ª The elite students watching were all incredibly frightened by this; this was not a simulation, but the actual desolate wilderness where death was a possibility! The situation had gone beyond their expectations! The strength of the Triangular Thunder Krait was monstrously abnormal! None of the elite students present dared say they had the ability to face the Triangular Thunder Krait alone; most of them had been ''killed'' in simulation classes, let alone gaining an advantage in this kind of real combat. Guo Han and Sun Rui, who had practiced during the simulations, were already among the top students of this group and had extensive combat experience in the desolate wilderness. Among the students present, practically no one was stronger than them. The awakening systems of the two were relatively formidable, but unexpectedly, they were left with no chance to retaliate when facing the Triangular Thunder Krait, merely meeting the beast had left Sun Rui severely disabled. While Guo Han''s skills were more suited to long-range attacks, his close-combat ability was very poor. Now that Sun Rui was disabled, their situation was dire! "This is bad! They''re so unlucky to encounter such a creature as the Triangular Thunder Krait!" "Yeah! Last time during a simulation class, it was mentioned that the Triangular Thunder Krait in the South Mountain Second District of the Cultivated Domain is almost invincible among desolate beasts!" "The worst part is there''s only one Triangular Thunder Krait here! They usually appear in pairs; the other must have gone hunting and didn''t come, or both of them would have been dead!" "Now that Sun Rui is disabled, is there any difference from them being dead?" Many students were sweating for the two men. Today was supposed to be the entrance assessment for N-level freshmen, but unexpectedly, a freshman named Xiang Beifei got lost in the desolate wilderness, life or death unknown. Then, the two men sent to protect Xiang Beifei encountered the ferocious Triangular Thunder Krait during their search, and one of them was severely injured! Currently, the Triangular Thunder Krait had locked onto the scent of Guo Han and Sun Rui, relentlessly pursuing them. The speed of the Triangular Thunder Krait was also very fast, not weaker than Guo Han''s, and their death seemed almost certain! Your next read awaits at m,v -novelhall.net Everyone turned their gazes toward Yuchi Shen; the direction of the situation had deviated significantly from its initial intention, and it was Yuchi Shen who, in an attempt to complicate Xiang Beifei''s entrance assessment, had caused this situation! Yuchi Shen''s face appeared very somber. Even now he could not remain calm. Guo Han and Sun Rui were selected students from his infernal training, rarely meeting the qualifications, and he had not expected them to be crippled by the Triangular Thunder Krait! If something had happened to them on another desolate wilderness mission, it could only be attributed to their lack of skills, but this time it was his assigned protection mission, specifically set to trouble Xiang Beifei with an abnormal assessment! If these three were to die in the desolate wilderness, he would definitely be held accountable by his superiors! Chapter 130: Chapter 126: The Invincible Triangular Thunder Krait_2 ¡ª¡ª Boom! A massive skeletal snake crashed to the ground! "One, two, three, four, five... Hmm, there are five large vertebral bones, doesn''t look like it''s the Three Souls Desolate Snake." Xiang Beifei counted the vertebrae of the skeletal snake, a look of regret in his eyes. Xiaohei, with its ability to distinguish snake auras, had led him to many snake-type desolate beasts in this area, and he had pummeled many snakes with his fists. Xiang Beifei was killing snakes based on the number "three", taking down all sorts of snakes with "three". Besides the black snake with three corners that could release lightning and the white snake with three red rings he had encountered at the beginning, he also found ones with three legs, three heads, three eyes, three forked tongues, three tails, three fangs, and even one with three... eggs. In any case, since he could not determine which one was the Three Souls Desolate Snake, he collected them all, just in case one of them met the criteria. It must be said that the variety of desolate beasts in the wilderness beyond the domain is truly vast, with snakes alone numbering in the hundreds of different kinds, especially in this region, which seems to have the most snakes¡ªwinged ones, ones covered in fur, ones with five feet... He couldn''t be bothered to deal with some that didn''t meet the "three" requirement. Your next chapter is on m v|l-e''-novelhall.net These snakes varied in strength; the weak ones he dispatched with a single punch, but the strong snakes required Xiang Beifei to spar with them a bit. The species of desolate beasts were quite complex, and each snake''s weak point was not exactly the same¡ªsome were the eyes, some were the belly, some were the forked tongue, but fortunately, "Learn by Analogy" possessed a great analytical and learning ability. After a few exchanges, he would usually figure out the weak point of the snake before him and know how to counter it. This area was considered a low-risk zone, with basically all the desolate beasts being in the Qi-Controlling stage. As long as it wasn''t a snake with the strength of the Meridian Opening Realm, with the help of breath soil and "Abruptly Stop", targeting their weak points made them fairly easy for Xiang Beifei to deal with. The ten-meter-long skeletal snake before him was also a type of snake desolate beast, but its name was unknown. When Xiang Beifei encountered it, it was all bones, yet its bones were emitting strong flames, aggressive and intimidating. This bone snake had a formidable scorching ability, and its weakness needed to be countered with some special water. But Xiang Beifei, who had learned Rapid Flame, knew all about the types and operation of flames. Thus, for this fiery bone snake, defeating it was just too easy. With one punch, the wind from his fist suppressed the snake''s flames. Without its flames, the snake''s strength dropped significantly, and then puncturing its Beast Pill located in its lower jaw settled the matter. Lacking skin for protection, its flames had been its strongest defense. But once Xiang Beifei disrupted the flames, its Beast Pill was left as easy prey. Xiang Beifei initially saw three large vertebral bones amidst the flames and thought it matched the "three" in Three Souls Desolate Snake, so he attacked it. Unfortunately, upon closer inspection after defeating it, he found two more large vertebral bones, making a total of five. It didn''t seem to be the Three Souls Desolate Snake. "Xiaohei, how many have we collected?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "Woof, woof, woof!" Xiaohei was comfortably lying on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, squinting its eyes with numerous little bubbles floating around. It was leisurely batting these little bubbles around with its tail, like bouncing a ball. Inside each bubble was a snake that had been slaughtered. Roughly counted, there were nearly thirty little bubbles! "I wonder if the Three Souls Desolate Snake is among these." Xiang Beifei and Xiaohei were not very sure. He had just hurried back to the swamp, but still had not seen the Three Souls Desolate Snake, so he left the swamp again. After wandering around the swamp, they had almost caught all the snakes with "three" characteristics in this area. As they made their way, they seized any snake-type desolate beast that felt like the Three Souls Desolate Snake. With the experience of catching snakes, he became more and more adept at it. After half a day fighting with various snakes, Xiang Beifei was still bursting with vigor. Speaking of which, Luo Laotou''s sunflower seeds were really good. He needed to thank him properly next time; otherwise, he might not have had the energy to kill so many snakes. Xiaohei collected the skeletal snake too. Xiang Beifei figured he should go back to the swamp to take a look. He had made a big loop looking for snakes and was now coming full circle, close to the swamp¡ªprobably a five-minute walk away. But just then, a series of thunderous roars suddenly erupted in the distance, accompanied by crackling lightning, clattering noisily. Xiang Beifei looked up, puzzled, and peered into the distance, only to see a figure racing towards them like lightning, with a familiar huge snake monster close behind in relentless pursuit! "Why is there another triangular snake!" Xiang Beifei furrowed his brows, then turned his attention to the two people in front who were desperately fleeing. He hadn''t seen these two back in the swamp, and Guo Han and Sun Rui, fairly well-trained, had concealed themselves far away, out of Xiang Beifei''s sight. Although Xiang Beifei could see others'' system interfaces, if they were too far away or obscured by tree trunks, he wouldn''t be able to make them out. Plus, he had barely taken a few steps after appearing before he was chased by the troop of monkeys, oblivious to anyone else being nearby. However, he realized that the little flying ball that had been monitoring him was now following these two. It seemed that since the little flying ball hadn''t found him, it had followed them instead. "Could it be that these two were sent by Yuchi Shen?" Xiang Beifei speculated about the identities of the two in front of him. ¡ª¡ª Guo Han was close to despair! In his efforts to escape, he had exhausted every possible method, using up all the tools he had brought for evasion, but he just couldn''t shake the Triangular Thunder Krait off his trail. He now saw himself as an arrow, stepping on a bow and using its spring to shoot both Sun Rui and himself out at great speed. However, this method took a heavy toll on the crossbow. Guo Han''s crossbow came from the system, and losing one meant having to buy another, which he was now nearly out of. His only hope was to rush back to the swamp and use the teleportation ball to get out. But his physical strength was nearly sapped and the last of his crossbows had been spent, while the Triangular Thunder Krait showed no signs of weariness and was closing in even more. Crack! The Triangular Thunder Krait once again discharged a bolt of lightning that struck right in front of Guo Han, who, in an attempt to dodge the strike, had to twist his body, resulting in a collision against a large tree, and both men fell clumsily to the ground with a thud! "It''s over!" They were only one kilometer away from the swamp; just one more kilometer of perseverance and they could make it back to the marshlands to teleport away. But they had run out of tools for escape, and were now caught in a desperate situation. Guo Han and Sun Rui both showed expressions of sheer desperation! The students at the training ground were also extremely anxious. Everyone knew the dangers of the wilderness beyond the realm, and they were aware that many pioneers lost their lives trying to explore and chart its terrains. Yet seeing two classmates, who had been with them day and night, perishing right in front of their eyes, while being helplessly unable to assist, filled everyone''s hearts with chilling desolation. They even wondered, if they had been the ones Yuchi the demon sent for this mission, would their fate be any worse? The answer was yes! Because at least Guo Han and Sun Rui had learned survival knowledge for the outer wilderness for a year, and even scored high in various simulated trainings. They were among the best of this group. Yet, even such individuals, in the face of the Triangular Thunder Krait, had tried everything futilely and were left without any power to fight back¡ªlet alone these students who could not even pass the simulated training. "Alas, who made them encounter the ''terrors even to ghosts''-like Triangular Thunder Krait?" "This Triangular Thunder Krait is simply too invincible; how could an ordinary Qi-Controlling late-stage cultivator ever stand a chance against it?" "Exactly! Do you think that freshman is done for too?" "Nonsense, if Guo Han and Sun Rui ended up like this, what good would it do for that Level-N freshman to defeat Xiong Meng? He doesn''t know a thing about survival knowledge in the outer wilderness. He''s probably been eaten by now!" Many sighed, watching as the Triangular Thunder Krait slowly closed in on Guo Han and Sun Rui, some even averting their eyes, unwilling to witness the scene of their killing. Chapter 131: Chapter 127: Instant Kill! The Triangular Thunder Krait was closing in! Guo Han and Sun Rui seemed to have accepted their fate, as Yuchi Shen had made things difficult for new students and left no way out, not even rushing to help. Thinking of this, Guo Han and Sun Rui harbored great resentment towards Mr. Yuchi. This task was originally unnecessary, but it was Yuchi Shen who assigned them to it, and after Xiang Beifei disappeared, it was also Yuchi Shen who forced them to search! Guo Han and Sun Rui felt extremely frustrated! But their frustration was useless, as they had no strength left to dodge. The eyes of the Triangular Thunder Krait emitted flashes of light, and two bolts of lightning struck down thunderously¡ª Whoosh! Just at the critical moment, Guo Han and Sun Rui felt something grab their feet, and then a strong force pulled them away from their original spot! Boom! The lightning from the Triangular Thunder Krait shot into empty space! Guo Han and Sun Rui were stunned for a moment, then they saw a figure darting out from beside them, charging towards the Triangular Thunder Krait! It was that N-level freshman! Guo Han and Sun Rui immediately recognized Xiang Beifei! Not just them, but even the elite students at the training ground spotted Xiang Beifei! How did this guy appear here? But¡ªwas this freshman seeking death? He actually charged towards the Triangular Thunder Krait? That was the Triangular Thunder Krait! One of the strongest desolate beasts in the area, nearly invincible among those at the Qi-Controlling stage! Was the N-level freshman planning to use himself to draw the Triangular Thunder Krait away, creating a chance for Guo Han and Sun Rui to escape? Seeing another reckless human charging at it, the Triangular Thunder Krait became furiously agitated as if it smelled something and went into a rage! Xiang Beifei seemed to carry the scent of its kin! The Triangular Thunder Krait, enraged beyond measure, didn''t hesitate. Its eyes flashed, and it fired two deadly bolts of lightning at Xiang Beifie, who had leaped into the air! The lightning was terrifying, even more powerful than the previous attack, carrying suppressed rage and a fierce intent to kill as it struck fiercely. The lightning made many students feel anxious¡ª But Xiang Beifei seemed to have anticipated all this. He seemed to know exactly from what angle the lightning would come, his body slightly tilted in mid-air, and the lightning barely missed his forehead! Though it was very close, it didn''t hit him, and suddenly, a strange dagger appeared in his hand, which quickly transformed into a fork, the prongs of which matched exactly the distance between the eyes of the Triangular Thunder Krait! Thrust! Xiang Beifei flipped over, precisely stabbing the fork into the eyes of the Triangular Thunder Krait! Whoosh! He somersaulted in the air, smoothly crossing over the head of the Triangular Thunder Krait, drawing an arc in the air, bending at the waist to land on the ground, one hand touching the grass to cushion the force, then he slowly stood up straight. The Triangular Thunder Krait, right behind Xiang Beifei, stood motionless for a moment, then¡ª Boom! The massive serpentine body crashed down, striking the ground with a huge noise, even shaking the ground slightly! Instant kill! The air once again fell silent. Everyone was stunned, looking at the figure of Xiang Beifei, his silhouette graceful and striking, leaving everyone in awe! This N-level freshman had actually... actually killed a Triangular Thunder Krait? The entire process was smooth and decisive, without any hesitation, a fatal blow! The Triangular Thunder Krait, which had once chased the elite students Guo Han and Sun Rui to despair, managed only to fire a single lightning bolt in the face of Xiang Beifei, which neatly missed and then it was blinded! Is this really an N-level freshman? All students were shocked as they watched Xiang Beifei! Even Guo Han and Sun Rui took a long time to recover. They thought they were surely doomed, only to have walked back from death''s door, pulled back by the same freshman they were supposed to protect! This... this... did they still need their protection? Yuchi Shen was also taken aback! Even he hadn''t expected such a turn of events! Originally, he intended to give Xiang Beifei a lesson by throwing him directly into the external wilderness, to scare him and discipline him properly. But he hadn''t anticipated that Xiang Beifei would not be frightened at all; instead, he killed one of the most difficult Triangular Thunder Kraits right in front of him! The training field was quiet, only the rustling of leaves stirred by the wind could be heard. ¡ª Xiang Beifei was unaware of the reactions of others at the training ground; he could only see Guo Han and Sun Rui. Having killed a Triangular Snake once before, he had gained significant understanding. How the Triangular Thunder Krait would attack, which position it would attack from, when it would release lightning, from which angle it would come¡ªhe knew it all by heart, so killing it again was not difficult. Casually ordering Xiaohei to collect the Triangular Snake, he then walked towards Guo Han and Sun Rui. "You two were sent by Yuchi Shen?" Xiang Beifei looked at them puzzled. Guo Han nodded subconsciously, "We were sent by Mr. Yuchi to protect you¡ª" As he finished speaking, his face suddenly turned red. Your next chapter awaits on mvl Who was protecting whom, after all? They had been chased in a disheveled retreat by a Triangular Thunder Krait, nearly losing their lives, only for their supposed protege to suddenly appear and kill the Triangular Thunder Krait with a single strike! How could they still claim they were here to protect others? Chapter 132: Chapter 127: Instant Kill!_2 Sun Rui was also visibly shaken; he simply couldn''t understand why Xiang Beifei could kill a Triangular Thunder Krait so easily, knowing that he himself had been badly injured by it in less than five minutes of confrontation. But it took Xiang Beifei just one encounter to kill the beast instantly! The disparity in strength was just too vast! And they were supposed to be well-trained students! "Oh, I see," Xiang Beifei nodded thoughtfully, considering that these two hadn''t caused him any trouble, then added, "Okay! I don''t know how to heal wounds, so I''d better take you back." They were only a mere kilometer away from the swamp, so it was close. Guo Han and Sun Rui quickly came to their senses and struggled to get up, which was exhausting since they had almost depleted their strength. Supporting each other, Guo Han said with gratitude, "Thank you for saving our lives." "It''s nothing," Xiang Beifei led them casually towards the swamp. Guo Han and Sun Rui could not help but steal glances at Xiang Beifei, puzzled as to how someone so powerful had been unable to defeat a group of Claw-tailed Monkeys earlier. They soon remembered that if it hadn''t been for the venom of the Iron Flying Hawk they brought along, they probably would not have been able to overcome the Claw-tailed Monkeys. Xiang Beifei was a high school student who had been thrown into this place at the last minute by Elder Yuchi; he was unprepared with nothing but his own system! But during his escape from the Claw-tailed Monkeys, he also killed several with a single punch! This freshman could very likely have suffered due to a lack of understanding of the situation. If there hadn''t been so many, he perhaps wouldn''t have needed to flee at all! After all, the Triangular Thunder Krait is much more terrifying than a group of Claw-tailed Monkeys! Experience exclusive tales on mvl At that moment, a loud roar suddenly came from a distance ¡ª "Xiang Beifei! Xiang Beifei! Where are you!" The voice of Luo Laotou was earth-shattering, his terrifying sonic waves rolled in like tides, causing a painful ringing in the ears! "Elder Luo, doing this will attract all the desolate beasts!" Ye Changfeng caught up with Luo Laotou. "Nonsense! If I don''t attract all the desolate beasts in this area to me, they''ll go after that kid!" Luo Laotou continued to shout urgently, bellowing out like a megaphone, his voice carrying for miles as he called out Xiang Beifei''s name. Soon, Luo Laotou''s figure appeared in the distance, rushing toward the swamp, and then he saw Xiang Beifei! "Ah! You''re still alive!" Luo Laotou exclaimed with joy, running over and landing beside Xiang Beifei, quickly checking him over and asking, "You alright? No harm done? Arms all there? I''m so sorry! It took me over an hour to get here..." "Oh, I''m fine, but they''re not," Xiang Beifei pointed at Guo Han and Sun Rui. "Let''s go, forget about that for now. The desolate beasts might have been attracted by my shouting. Let''s get back; we can''t let anything else happen to you." "Right, what does a Three Souls Desolate Snake look like..." "Never mind it, if we can''t catch it, we can''t catch it, let''s go back!" Luo Laotou signaled to Ye Changfeng, who lifted up the two of them and then entered the swamp. At this time, the transport spheres were functional, and Ye Changfeng crushed a transport sphere, creating a vortex that swept all five of them up and sent them back to the training ground! ¡ª When Xiang Beifei and the others appeared back at the training ground, all the elite students were buzzing with excitement. They had witnessed with their own eyes Xiang Beifei killing the Triangular Thunder Krait in one strike, a move which gained the full respect of these elite students. Students of the elite school only believe in strength. As long as one has the strength that compels their respect, they will revere that person, regardless of whether or not they are an N-level fighter. What mattered was the scene of the new student killing the Triangular Thunder Krait with a single strike, leaving a profound impression on everyone! Among those present, apart from the teachers, not one dared claim they had the ability to kill such a fearsome Triangular Thunder Krait! Medical students soon came over to carry Guo Han and Sun Rui aside for treatment, as they were nearly exhausted and seriously injured. "Yuchi Shen, you almost got the new student killed! Come, let''s have a chat about life!" Luo Laotou had been in a rush to save Xiang Beifei and hadn''t even had time to scold Yuchi Shen; now, remembering, he was filled with anger. Just as Luo Laotou was about to rebuke the bastard, Ye Changfeng seemed to find something, pulling him aside and saying in surprise, "Elder Luo, take a look at this." A three-dimensional hologram shot out from his wristwatch, clearly showing the scene of Xiang Beifei''s recent killing of the Triangular Thunder Krait! "This..." Luo Laotou glanced at it and was also shocked! Even the scolding of Yuchi Shen was forgotten! The exquisite strike by Xiang Beifei had truly dazzled him! Dodging a lightning bolt before it was fired, flipping, and backhand thrusting. The Triangular Thunder Krait, dead! His move was flawless! Only someone who understood the Triangular Thunder Krait''s movements incredibly well could pull off such a perfect kill. He was just an eighteen-year-old high school student! How could he possess such prodigious judgment and reflexes? The speed and agility of that Triangular Thunder Krait were on par with Xiang Beifei''s, but in their clash, it ended up exposed with countless flaws, its attacks all anticipated by Xiang Beifei! That was truly terrifying! Knocking down Xiong Meng with a single punch hadn''t surprised Luo Laotou this much because Xiong Meng, at best, was just stepping into the late stage of Qi-Controlling as an S-level freshman. He hadn''t passed the extramural desolate realm simulation test and wouldn''t have been able to fight a desolate beast. Chapter 133: Chapter 127: Instant Kill!_3 But to have killed a Triangular Thunder Krait in the late Qi-Controlling stage with one strike, that''s enough to make it into the Liangzhou University freshmen records! Yuchi Shen watched Xiang Beifei with a cold gaze. Xiang Beifei seemed to be fine, as if he had let out a sigh of relief, but that perfect strike of Xiang Beifei''s had twisted Yuchi Shen''s face with envy. Because it reminded him of someone he once knew very well, a genius among geniuses who always surpassed him. Xiang Tianxing! Back then, that guy''s talent was almost perfect too, making him, who was also an SR-level talent, seem dull in comparison. He had originally thought that with Xiang Tianxing''s son coming to Liangzhou University, he would properly teach him a lesson, making Xiang Beifei embarrass himself in front of everyone. But he never expected it to backfire completely. The way Xiang Beifei killed the Triangular Thunder Krait was something even he couldn''t pick a flaw in! Too perfect! Even Yuchi Shen, who was in the late stage of Qi-Controlling, would not have been able to execute such a flawless kill! With this thought, Yuchi Shen''s mood darkened even further. ¡ª¡ª Everyone was in awe. They knew the assessment was basically over now, and Xiang Beifei''s admission was inevitable. He not only proved himself with his fists but also accomplished a feat that none of the new students could. Xiang Beifei looked around puzzled. From being mocked by everyone just a moment ago to now being looked at with admiration, he couldn''t quite grasp what was happening. All he did was kill a big three-horned snake in front of them; was that really so surprising? To him, it seemed as though they had never seen the world before. He thought he was the one who had never seen the world, considering he still didn''t know the name of the big snake. Ye Changfeng turned to stare at Yuchi Shen and said, "Yuchi Shen, Xiang Beifei has already passed the assessment. Aren''t you going to announce the results?" Yuchi Shen looked at Xiang Beifei, and then a thin smirk formed on his lips. "Failed!" He said with a sneer. Yuchi Shen''s voice wasn''t loud, but it clearly reached everyone''s ears. All those present quieted down and looked at Yuchi Shen in confusion. The Old Devil Yuchi actually declared Xiang Beifei''s entrance examination a failure! What was this Old Devil doing? Today''s assessment, throwing freshmen into the wilderness beyond the domain, was already unreasonable and nearly cost the lives of Guo Han and Sun Rui. All the trouble was caused by him alone, and just when Xiang Beifei had managed to kill a Triangular Thunder Krait in front of everyone and save Guo Han and Sun Rui, the Old Devil Yuchi is now declaring Xiang Beifei a failure! Ye Changfeng shouted, "Yuchi Shen, don''t go too far!" "Damn it! Yuchi Shen, want me to give you another teacher qualification exam? Do you dare to lie with your eyes open?" Luo Laotou said furiously, rolling up his sleeves. Though Yuchi Shen inwardly feared Elder Luo, he still said word by word, "This is the assessment I''m responsible for! My task was to have him kill a Three Souls Desolate Snake!" "Did you get kicked by a donkey? How can a weak species like the Three Souls Desolate Snake compare to the Triangular Thunder Krait? He just killed a Triangular Thunder Krait!" Elder Luo was not one to care about saving face, and he spoke his mind without courtesy. Even those elite students who had never been to the wilderness beyond the domain knew that a Triangular Thunder Krait possessed late-stage Qi-Controlling strength, while a Three Souls Desolate Snake was only at the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling; the two simply could not be compared. Killing a Triangular Thunder Krait was far more difficult than killing a Three Souls Desolate Snake! Xiang Beifei had already exceeded the task in front of everyone; yet Yuchi Shen was still so shameless to nitpick! Was he that desperate to make things difficult for this N-level newcomer? "It doesn''t matter what he killed; all I know is the requirements of my assessment tasks, which stated he had to kill a Three Souls Desolate Snake!" Yuchi Shen said aggressively: "On a mission in the wilderness beyond the domain, the first rule is to understand exactly what the task is! I told him to kill a Three Souls Desolate Snake, and he has to kill a Three Souls Desolate Snake to pass the assessment! Killing anything else doesn''t count as completing the task!" Chapter 134: Chapter 128: Help Me Look for It Yuchi Shen swept his gaze over the elite students who wanted to speak out for Xiang Beifei and coldly shouted, "You are all martial arts students, and in the future, you''ll be carrying out tasks. Remember this! If in the future you are tasked with rescuing a specific person in the outer desolate lands, and you dare to just pick any random child off the big road and try to pass that off as completing the task, come and see what''s going to happen!" Many people felt that Yuchi Shen was being extremely unreasonable, as the two situations weren''t comparable at all. The entire assessment had been unfair to Xiang Beifei from the start¡ªhe was thrown into the outer desolate lands without any tools to deal with desolate beasts, wasn''t told how to return, and nearly got Guo Han and Sun Rui killed. Yuchi Shen wouldn''t even acknowledge his mistake, and now, he was actually giving Xiang Beifei a hard time! They had seen shameless people before, but never someone this utterly shameless! But when they wanted to refute Yuchi Shen, they found they didn''t have any excuses to do so. Because the assessment was managed by Yuchi Shen. It was a real task, and whether it was completed was for Yuchi Shen to decide. In some sense, Xiang Beifei indeed hadn''t killed the weaker Three Souls Desolate Snake, so he hadn''t completed the task set by Yuchi Shen. Yuchi Shen smirked at Xiang Beifei, knowing that Xiang Beifei would definitely be admitted, but he still felt very satisfied because he held a ''moral ground.'' He could still tell everyone that Xiang Beifei had failed in his task; Xiang Beifei''s admission was due to someone else''s favor. "Today, I''m going to teach you a lesson about life! If you''re given a task, do it properly, and don''t mess with any unnecessary things! I''m here to see how you complete the task, not to watch you show off! What does it matter if your talent is exceptional? Without completing the task I assigned, you''re not fit to attend Liangzhou University in my eyes!" Yuchi Shen''s voice was filled with mockery. Many people looked at Yuchi Shen angrily. If Yuchi Shen''s reputation hadn''t been so fearsome, many would probably have cursed him out loud. "Alright, come here, and I''ll teach you how to complete a task." Elder Luo had already rolled up his sleeves, ready to strike. Xiang Beifei seemed thoughtful as he looked at Yuchi Shen, then nodded, "You''re right." Everyone was startled; they hadn''t expected Xiang Beifei to submit to Yuchi Shen at this moment. The feats he accomplished were far more impressive than the task Yuchi Shen had assigned! Xiang Beifei continued, "This was my first time in the outer desolate lands. I didn''t study a bestiary of desolate beasts in high school, so indeed, I don''t know what a Three Souls Desolate Snake looks like." Instead of mocking him, everyone felt it was only natural. Because it was true. Xiang Beifei was just a high school student and hadn''t taken a single college-level class. It was understandable that he didn''t know about desolate beasts; when every elite student present entered Liangzhou University, they also knew almost nothing about desolate beasts. Yuchi Shen sneered, "Since you didn''t pass my assessment¡ª" But Xiang Beifei interrupted him, saying, "Indeed, I don''t know what the Three Souls Desolate Snake looks like, so I killed a whole bunch of snakes that seemed to have something to do with the word ''three, '' better safe than sorry¡ª" He snapped his fingers, and Xiaohei flicked its tail at a little bubble, which immediately floated up, and then¡ª Pop! The bubble burst open. A Triangular Thunder Krait snake fell out of the bubble and suddenly grew in size! This was the Triangular Thunder Krait he had just killed! A few whispers of admiration drifted through the crowd. Pop! Another Triangular Thunder Krait fell out. "Two Triangular Thunder Kraits? He killed two Triangular Thunder Kraits?" This completely unsettled everyone! They were shocked enough that he had killed one Triangular Thunder Krait, but now they learned that Xiang Beifei had somehow killed another! "Triangular Thunder Kraits usually appear in pairs, so he killed them all?" This newcomer had actually killed two of the most ferocious Triangular Thunder Kraits! Pop! Another skeleton of a snake fell out from the bubble! This snake''s skeleton was enormous, roughly the same size as the Triangular Thunder Krait. "That''s a Fire Snake from the later stage of Qi-Controlling! Oh my goodness, the archenemy of the Triangular Thunder Krait, the Fire Snake! Did he kill it too?" Everyone was stunned once again! The Fire Snake and the Triangular Thunder Krait were the two most powerful snake-type desolate beasts in that region, and they were both butchered by Xiang Beifei! What kind of monster was he? Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! Several more bubbles burst open, and a multitude of snakes fell out. The mid-stage Qi-Controlling Three Souls Desolate Snake, the mid-stage Qi-Controlling Strange-footed Earth Snake, the later stage Qi-Controlling Moruo Multi-tail Snake, the later stage Qi-Controlling Three-eyed Python Kirin, the mid-stage Qi-Controlling wild flower-marked pit viper... The training ground suddenly was covered in the corpses of snake-type desolate beasts, and counting them up, there were nearly thirty! Everyone stared dumbfounded at the snake corpses scattered on the ground, too shocked by Xiang Beifei''s display to speak for a long while! This guy must be the bane of snake monsters, right? Wasn''t the snake region supposedly ''terrors even to ghosts''? How did Xiang Beifei manage to kill so many all by himself? He''s the one who should be known as ''Snake Worries'' in that region! Even Elder Luo and Ye Changfeng were shocked! Elder Luo''s mouth was wide open, genuinely startled. Even with their high cultivation levels, they hadn''t expected all of this to happen! This kid, not knowing what the Three Souls Desolate Snake was, simply went and killed a bunch of snake-type desolate beasts to complete the task? They had never heard of anyone completing a task like this! Yuchi Shen''s grim face had also frozen. Chapter 135: Chapter 128: Help Me Look For_2 He had only intended to deliberately make things difficult for Xiang Beifei, but Xiang Beifei''s actions had completely exceeded his expectations! Xiang Beifei counted the snakes on the ground with earnest, and then asked sincerely, "Can someone help me confirm what the Three Souls Desolate Snake looks like? I killed those with ''three'' characteristics, but I don''t know if I killed the Three Souls Desolate Snake. If not, I''ll go look for it again." His tone was sincere, and he was eagerly seeking knowledge! Everyone was stunned once again! Luo Laotou was the first to regain his composure. He seemed even more excited than Xiang Beifei, scanning through the snakes before picking out a large one with three heads, all of which had been smashed. He laughed uproariously, "Hahaha! This is the Three Souls Desolate Snake, the one with three heads, hahaha! Yuchi, you little bastard, here''s your Three Souls Desolate Snake, delivered to you!" Luo Laotou eagerly hurled the Three Souls Desolate Snake toward Yuchi Shen. Yuchi Shen caught the Three Souls Desolate Snake subconsciously, staring at it. As its name suggests, the Three Souls Desolate Snake had three heads. Chopping off one wouldn''t do much harm as the remaining two could still fight fiercely. Only beheading all three could kill it for good, hence its name "Three Souls Desolate Snake." But the one in front of them had each of its heads smashed by a single punch from Xiang Beifei. It hadn''t suffered much before death and had died peacefully. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª He actually completed the task? He actually completed the task! Yuchi Shen''s face turned ashen, as if he could wring water from it! He had made things as difficult as possible for the guy, not giving him any preparation and sending him to face a mid-stage Qi-Controlling Three Souls Desolate Snake. Even though Xiang Beifei had killed the more powerful Triangular Thunder Krait, he had hoped to use the excuse of not killing the Three Souls Desolate Snake to fail Xiang Beifei! But no matter how hard he racked his brains, he had not expected that Xiang Beifei had actually killed a Three Souls Desolate Snake unintentionally. He simply didn''t know the academic name of the snake! He had tried every trick in the book, and yet his victim had completed the task almost perfectly, making his face crack audibly with the slap! "Oh, this one! I thought it looked about right when I encountered it. I had to kill it three times because it was kind of weak," Xiang Beifei muttered. "..." Everyone was so shocked by his words that they were rendered speechless! He actually thought the Three Souls Desolate Snake was too weak? Well, the Three Souls Desolate Snake only had the strength of a mid-stage Qi-Controlling creature, but Xiang Beifei had killed a Triangular Thunder Krait in one blow! And not just one, but two! No matter how many tricks you play, I handle them with ease. What does it mean to be a genius? This is what it means to be a genius! "I should have passed the assessment, right?" Xiang Beifei asked Yuchi Shen earnestly. Yuchi Shen stared fiercely at Xiang Beifei, as if he couldn''t wait to grab him and take a few bites. How he hated this! How could he respond? By saying "yes," wouldn''t he just be diminishing the assertive tone he had maintained just before? But if he didn''t respond, what would his previous statement become? A joke? "Since you''re not speaking, I''ll take that as you conceding that I''ve passed," Xiang Beifei declared. Xiang Beifei had Xiaohei rewrap all the remaining snakes in tiny bubbles. Nobody could see Xiaohei; all they saw was all the snakes being wrapped in bubbles, shrinking, and then vanishing. But nobody thought too much about it, because everyone had systems, and storage items within systems were common. They just assumed that it was Xiang Beifei''s system that had taken the snakes away. "Let''s go, let''s go! Wahahaha, I''m so happy today! To think I found such a treasure, hahaha!" Luo Laotou hummed a tune, seemingly more excited than Xiang Beifei, "Enrolled, enrolled, what''s there to ask? I''ll take you to handle the admission procedures and get you a retroactive admission notice!" He then turned his head and glared at Yuchi Shen, "Your unapproved setting of the Wilderness Realm assessment almost killed three students, and you''re suspected of abusing authority for personal vendettas. Write me a self-criticism of one hundred thousand words first. As for other punishments, we will discuss them later. Thankfully no one was harmed. You should be thanking him." Today, Yuchi Shen''s actions had crossed the line. If Guo Han, Sun Rui, or Xiang Beifei had died, Yuchi Shen would certainly have been held accountable and even dismissed by the university! It was no laughing matter, as every student at the elite school was the future of the Jiuzhou Alliance, and their lives were not to be trifled with. "No need to thank me; here, you can have this back," Xiang Beifei said as he tossed the iron hoop to Yuchi Shen. The iron hoop returned to being a sphere as soon as it left his hand, hovering in mid-air. After a moment''s thought, he added to Yuchi Shen, "Oh, right, the next time you want to put me through another dangerous assessment, it would be best to send a couple of people who are a bit more capable to protect me. Otherwise, I have to take care of the guards you send, which is also quite troublesome." Audacious! Incredibly audacious! All the students held their breath, staring at Xiang Beifei in amazement. It was clear what Xiang Beifei was implying ¨C he was telling Yuchi Shen in no uncertain terms: the people you''ve trained are too weak! You send them to protect others, yet they end up needing protection themselves! What exactly do you do with your students in training? It was a direct challenge to Yuchi Shen''s notorious training methods! All the elite students greatly admired Xiang Beifei''s courage! He was like a young calf not afraid of tigers, daring to speak to Yuchi, the Old Devil, in such a way! Knowing that Xiang Beifei was now a part of Liangzhou University, he would inevitably have to attend training classes by Elder Yuchi. The Old Devil had a myriad of terrifying methods to train students, many of whom were left with scars. And now with what Xiang Beifei had said, he would likely have a worse time than others in the future! Chapter 136: Chapter 128: Help Me Find_3 But Xiang Beifei seemed not to care at all. Although his strength had already become freakish, everyone still sweated for him, who knew whether Yuchi Shen would intensify his schemes against him in the future? However, thinking of the recent entrance assessment, others realized that Xiang Beifei, before even enrolling, was already much more formidable than anyone present, perhaps Yuchi Shen''s abnormal training would only make him stronger! Yuchi Shen''s methods might be abnormal, but one had to admit, the graduates from Liangzhou University were exceedingly competent in every aspect. If one could withstand even the devilish training of Yuchi Shen, then encountering students from other schools wouldn''t put them at a disadvantage. True powerhouses aren''t afraid of any abnormal training! The feud between the two was definitely set in stone. "Wow hahaha, perfect! Just perfect! I love that attitude, let''s go! Off to eat sunflower seeds!" Luo Laotou walked ahead with his hands behind his back, striding valiantly and triumphantly, clearly delighted. Yuchi Shen''s face was grave, the entrance assessment had encountered some unexpected events, and he knew he''d be facing severe punishment, but he was still extremely resentful. Xiang Beifei had dared to confront him so boldly, it just infuriated him. And yet, he had no comeback to Xiang''s defiance! Ye Changfeng glanced at Yuchi Shen and smiled. It was the first time he''d seen Yuchi Shen so deflated! Yuchi Shen was an SR-level expert, powerful and formidable, a devil in the students'' eyes, known for cultivating elites with iron-fisted methods and his gloomy personality, it was rare to find him at a loss. The most frequent instances Yuchi Shen had been put to shame were during his own student days. Back then, there was a genius even more formidable than him, one he detested bitterly. This genius was named Xiang Tianxing. It was unexpected that Yuchi Shen, now a teacher, had again been choked into silence today. And the person who choked him was also a genius. This genius was named Xiang Beifei. Like father, like son indeed! Ye Changfeng was quite happy to see Yuchi Shen looking so abashed. Although his usual expression was sour, the two circumstances were absolutely not the same. Stay connected through mvl Just now, Ye Changfeng was worried sick about the boy Xiang Beifei, but now, he found the situation incredibly satisfying, and even felt a bit like laughing. "Senior, thank you, your sunflower seeds are very effective," Xiang Beifei said earnestly. He was still full of energy, those sunflower seeds had greatly replenished his strength, feeling like he could go slaughter a desolate beast all over again. "Just a small gesture," Elder Luo laughed, waved his hand, and then handed Xiang Beifei a handful of black sunflower seeds, adding, "You actually noticed, impressive." "I just feel like I have endless energy, and everything I ate today was ordinary food, except for the sunflower seeds you gave me," Xiang Beifei explained. "Not many people get the chance to eat sunflower seeds with Elder Luo, and not everyone can handle his seeds," Ye Changfeng remarked on the side. "Oh, is that so?" Xiang Beifei pondered, he really didn''t know there was something special about the sunflower seeds, for in Elder Luo''s "Leisure System", they were just plain sunflower seeds, albeit a bit pricey at 200 leisure value per pack, but beyond that, there were no other descriptions. "Speaking of which, as satisfying as it was to confront Yuchi Shen today, your future days won''t be easy. From a long-term perspective, I think you should still be polite to him," Ye Changfeng advised. Xiang Beifei earnestly asked, "If I''m polite to him, then he''ll treat me better in the future?" Ye Changfeng paused, "Well, that won''t happen¡ª" "Then why should I be polite to him?" Xiang Beifei countered. Yuchi Shen was definitely going to make life difficult for him, whether he was polite or not, the other party would torment him to the death, so might as well just go head-to-head! The SR System''s rewards glinted enticingly! Let''s see who ends up worse off in the end! (Both chapters are nearly nine thousand words, don''t say they''re short again, please subscribe!) Chapter 137: Chapter 129: Probability Ye Changfeng was also momentarily left speechless by Xiang Beifei''s retort. "You really know how to talk back, don''t you!" Ye Changfeng, caught between laughter and tears, had been retorted several times himself, and now sighed somewhat helplessly, "It seems you still don''t trust me, do you?" Xiang Beifei turned his head, sizing up Ye Changfeng, and after a moment, said, "Not necessarily." "Oh?" Ye Changfeng was somewhat surprised. Xiang Beifei shrugged his shoulders and said, "At least Mr. Ye went to that place to find me." Normally, he would interact politely with a senior who treated him well, treating himself as a junior with a modest attitude. But if someone looked for trouble, he was less accommodating. Ye Changfeng paused, then laughed and said, "You and he are very alike." Xiang Beifei just spread his hands. Ye Changfeng pondered for a moment and then asked, "I find it hard to believe, are you really an N-level Awakener?" Xiang Beifei stroked his chin, but Elder Luo, on the side, glared at Ye Changfeng and said irritably, "Enough already, what are you probing for! Trying to steal him from me?" Ye Changfeng smiled and shook his head, "I wouldn''t dare." "Then get moving and bring him his enrollment letter! What are you following us for! Also, handle the content of today''s entrance assessment so it doesn''t get leaked!" Elder Luo demanded. Ye Changfeng, not daring to provoke the old man, could only respond, "Alright, I know what to do." He glanced once more at Xiang Beifei before turning to leave. "Don''t tell him, just let him be in suspense!" Elder Luo snickered as he cracked sunflower seeds. Find your next read on mvl Xiang Beifei watched Elder Luo with a mix of amusement and exasperation. He thought Elder Luo would turn to ask him about the matter himself, but he seemed to have no intention of doing so. Elder Luo took Xiang Beifei to an artificial lake inside Liangzhou University, sat in a pavilion by the lake, and then, looking at the sparkling surface, leisurely counted several black ducks in the lake. [You counted nine black ducks, leisure value +9] This SR Leisure System is really bizarre, even counting ducks makes you stronger! Xiang Beifei couldn''t help muttering. "I had Chang Feng save today''s assessment video in your personal file. It won''t be leaked, trying to keep you as low-key as possible. But after today, surely many will suspect whether you truly are an N-level, as your displayed abilities don''t seem typical of N-levels. Understand this," Elder Luo said. The entrance assessment allowed students to observe live to learn, but recording videos wasn''t allowed as this was confidential to the school. Each student''s ability file had to be protected from being leaked, otherwise, when facing students from other elite schools, they would be at a disadvantage. There''s competition between elite schools as well. They also weren''t worried about students clandestinely filming. The system''s world had various powerful methods to plug leaks, with UR-level anti-leak capabilities effectively suppressing any attempts by S-level and R-level students present. Thus, only those students who were present would see Xiang Beifei''s performance today; others who weren''t there wouldn''t, their only source being second-hand information from those who were present. But student gossip was trivial, after all. "Aren''t you curious?" "Curious, but not necessarily eager to know. Actually, you shouldn''t worry too much about people knowing your talent level. The last thing Liangzhou University lacks is geniuses, especially this year!" Elder Luo thought for a moment, then mysteriously said, "This year, Liangzhou University recruited five thousand new students from high schools across Jiuzhou, among them, fourteen are scholarship students at SR level. Once school starts, the attention they attract will certainly be greater than yours." Fourteen SR freshmen! There were roughly over five million high school seniors across the Jiuzhou Union taking the entrance exams, with SR-level students being exceptionally rare and directly admitted without exams; Xiang Beifei''s own school, Luhe High School, didn''t have a single one. Liangzhou University recruited fourteen SR-level freshmen from across Jiuzhou, these teachers personally visiting the homes of these SR-level freshmen, competing with eight other elite universities for these candidates. Nine elite universities each managed to recruit a similar number of SR-level students this year, with roughly a hundred or so SR-level Awakeners discovered among over five million high school seniors across the Jiuzhou Union. An average of fifty thousand Awakeners produced one SR-level talent! As an elite school, Liangzhou University had the most R-level Awakeners, S-level Awakeners were very common, and nearly five out of every ten students encountered were of S-level. But SR-level, they were truly the shining new stars! These were the real elite of the elites! From their admission to their graduation, they were the most noticed individuals in Liangzhou University, with many either envious or admiring as they sought to learn more about them, their presence surely overshadowing that of an N-level candidate like Xiang Beifei. This indeed made things easier, as Xiang Beifei had already proven his eligibility with his abilities, no need for others to block his way anymore. Xiang Beifei then asked, "So how many SSR-level individuals awakened in the Jiuzhou Union this year?" Elder Luo pondered for a moment and said, "According to the Education Bureau of the Jiuzhou Union, there were a total of eleven SSR-level Awakeners across the entire Jiuzhou Union this year!" Eleven SSR-level Awakeners! That was a one in fifty thousand awakening probability. SSR was an even more terrifying level! Their systems were exceptionally favored, making every task they undertook incredibly simple. Possibly even simpler than the [SR Leisure System], but their potential was even greater! Chapter 138: Chapter 129: Probability_2 ``` "And what about UR?" Xiang Beifei inquired further. UR is already the ultimate level of the System Talents! It''s said that those who awaken at this level, upon awakening, are already in the later stages of Qi-Controlling!" "Two, in other states," Luo Laotou said. In the entire Jiuzhou Alliance, of the over five million Awakeners this year, only two reached the UR level! One in two and a half million, the odds are so low as to be infuriating! As for the potential of a UR, there''s no need to introduce it; in the future, they are the true elites among humans, saying that they are the true pinnacle and perfection of human genes is not an exaggeration. "So how many SSR and UR level students did Liangzhou University manage to snatch?" Xiang Beifei asked. Such Awakeners are certainly coveted by the nine elite universities, and the president of Liangzhou University might personally step in to negotiate, offering a variety of tempting scholarships and other favorable educational policies to get them to attend their school. Having an outstanding alumnus can bring great benefits to a school, something Xiang Beifei is all too clear about, just look at Luhe High School''s principal, Li Nanxing. "Forget about UR, one is in Qingzhou, the other in Yanzhou; with the advantage of proximity, they were snatched up by Qingzhou University and Yanzhou University as soon as they awakened. Those two schools are sly, too quick! We can only compete for those eleven SSRs; let''s see how many we can get. The negotiations are still ongoing, and we should hear some news in a few days," Luo Laotou explained. After he finished speaking, he turned his head, his deep blue eyes shimmering with a strange light as he sized up Xiang Beifei. "Why are you looking at me?" Xiang Beifei absentmindedly cracked sunflower seeds and asked. With a chuckle, Luo Laotou said, "The other eight universities don''t recruit N level, but they didn''t expect you to be so powerful. Missing out on you, they''ve lost big! We''ve hit the jackpot!" He appeared quite proud, like a keen horse scout having found a thoroughbred. Enjoy exclusive chapters from mvl "I''m not an SSR Awakener, so what''s there for them to lose?" Xiang Beifei said indifferently. He wasn''t too concerned about others'' System levels. What mattered to him were the rewards from others'' Systems. SR, SSR, or even UR, they were all the same in his eyes; they could all bring him rewards, and he wasn''t picky. He''d accept all comers, regardless of their capabilities, as long as they dared to provoke him. "I think your potential might be on par with SR, or even more impressive. Managing to get someone like you is very valuable in my opinion! After all, ''Like father, like son,'' haha, your father, Xiang Tianxing, even though he was only SR, he cut down SSR Awakeners when he got serious!" Luo Laotou said excitedly. "It seems you know my father quite well?" Xiang Beifei asked. "He was my student! How could I not know his capabilities?" Luo Laotou said with a pleased air. "Huh?" Xiang Beifei looked at Luo Laotou, somewhat surprised, "You were also my father''s teacher?" "Haha! You get it now! That''s why, before the other teachers at the school could make a move, I snatched you first, to avoid their meddling, hahaha!" Luo Laotou laughed triumphantly. Confused, Xiang Beifei asked, "Make a move on me? What does that mean?" "Taking one''s own students under one''s wing! Although each teacher will lecture to all students, and educational opportunities are fair, a mentor will also take some exceptional students under their wing, teach them exclusively, to undertake some research, or help them complete system tasks, running errands for us mentors and such," explained Luo Laotou cheerfully. "So what system tasks do you need me to help you with?" Xiang Beifei scrutinized Luo Laotou''s Leisure System, thinking that the tasks related to him could only be a few. [You have completed the task of probing into Xiang Beifei''s gossip, leisure value +50] [You have completed today''s chat task, leisure value +50] [You have completed today''s stroll task, leisure value +50] [You have made a fruitless trip to the Cultivated Domain, but you don''t mind, leisure value +50] [You are in a very good mood today, leisure value +100] [You have snatched a precious student, leisure value +200] ``` This system task is so laid-back, even a wasted trip to the wilderness beyond the domain can make you stronger, feeling like it makes no difference whether you have it or not. Today''s good mood is probably because of Xiang Beifei''s performance, but besides that, the daily tasks that Elder Luo sets are such that anyone could complete them for him. "Hahaha, I''ve completed a lot of tasks thanks to you today, do you want to know what they are?" Before Xiang Beifei could even speak, Elder Luo proudly said, "I won''t tell you, just to torture you!" Xiang Beifei: "..." Fine then. I''ll just pretend I didn''t see anything. Above, white clouds drifted leisurely, and on the lake surface, the light shimmered. It''s still summer vacation, so there aren''t many people passing through the campus. Elder Luo took out a piece of bread from who knows where, leaning on the pavilion''s railing, he was scattering bread crumbs into the water. Many large carp were gathered below, scrambling for them. [You have fed the fish today, leisure value +10] Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you know about my father''s situation, elder?" "Don''t call me elder, it sounds strange, you can call me Elder Luo, or Professor Luo." After saying this, Elder Luo pondered for a moment before speaking, "Xiang Tianxing didn''t stay at the university after he graduated. He went to work for the Pioneering Department of the Jiuzhou Alliance, but what specific tasks he was carrying out, I''m not very clear. The Pioneers are a profession of the Jiuzhou Alliance. They say your father had an accident, but I don''t think so." "Oh?" Xiang Beifei looked at Elder Luo with surprise, "Why?" "Intuition." Elder Luo''s eyes flickered with some strange luminescence, and suddenly, the aura around him turned deep and powerful, much like the unfathomable sea, stirring an indescribable trepidation in people. Xiang Beifei saw that the data points on his system interface had suddenly begun to jump again. The [Intuition] column went from 123 all the way up to 12345, and then the system interface in Xiang Beifei''s eyes changed to: [Host: Luo Yunxian] [SR, Leisure System] [Realm¡ª¡ª] About ten seconds later, Elder Luo''s aura calmed down again, and the realm column on the system interface changed to [Realm: Mid Meridian Opening]. He stared at Xiang Beifei, then the value for [Intuition] dropped to 732. That was Xiang Beifei''s college entrance exam score. "So, is Elder Luo''s intuition usually accurate?" Xiang Beifei asked. Intuition is an immediate perception that comes without logical analysis and reasoning, which means it can''t always be one hundred percent right. In other words, even if Elder Luo feels that Xiang Tianxing is still alive, he doesn''t have concrete evidence. "Well, it depends on the situation." Elder Luo threw the rest of the bread crumbs into the lake, then laughed and said, "The first time I saw you, I felt that you couldn''t be a normal N-level student, but you turned out to be more surprising than I expected. My first intuition about you wasn''t simple, and indeed, facts have proven that you really are extraordinary, aren''t You?" Xiang Beifei smiled, his mind still pondering over his father''s matter. Seeing that Xiang Beifei didn''t respond, Elder Luo continued, "I tried to find him once, but after a lot of effort, I couldn''t succeed. He went to a very dangerous area outside the domain to carry out a certain task. I won''t tell You where it is, lest you rush over there on a whim. That place, compared to where you went today, is a different concept altogether." However, Xiang Beifei had already figured it out from Kong Daming''s system logs. "Don''t worry, Elder Luo, I have a plan in mind, and I won''t act recklessly," Xiang Beifei said. He would definitely not go wandering into that kind of place before he had the strength. "That''s good, living your life with ease is the way to go; don''t overthink things. What''s meant to happen will happen naturally." Elder Luo stretched lazily and looked at Xiang Beifei, then said, "Your martial arts talent is tremendous, with strength and reflexes, as well as control over spiritual power, that are one in ten thousand. But your combat style is too straightforward; relying on brute force is simple and brutal, but sometimes it puts you at a disadvantage. Today, You were just taking an assessment in the Cultivated Domain, a relatively low-risk area. The capabilities of the desolate beasts here are weak¡ªof course, for those at the Qi-Controlling stage, this place is already quite dangerous. But the further out You go, the stronger the desolate beasts are, and the abilities they possess aren''t just simple and rough strength and defense but also various bizarre powers." "Like what?" Xiang Beifei hadn''t learned much about desolate beasts. "For instance, there''s a desolate beast called the Mirror Ape. If you cut off its right hand, your left hand will break. If you blind its left eye, your right eye will go blind. It''s like fighting with yourself in the mirror. However, You injure it, the corresponding part of your body will get injured. If You smash its head with a punch, your own head will explode accordingly." Elder Luo said, his tone heavy with implication. Chapter 139: Chapter 130: Spiritual Power Xiang Beifei was astonished and widened his eyes. Such a bizarre desolate beast? "There is also a desolate beast called Meng Huai. It is formless and traceless; you can''t see it. When you''re awake, it won''t do anything to you, but as soon as you close your eyes for more than a minute in the outside domain''s desolate wilderness, it will drag you into sleep. In the dream, no matter how violent or powerful your body''s means of attack are, they are useless in the dream. Your fists won''t work on it, and once it kills you in the dream, you won''t ever wake up!" Luo Laotou added. Many times when venturing deep into the outside domain''s desolate wilderness, tasks require several days, and you will inevitably need to rest. Then the probability of encountering Meng Huai is very high! "There''s a desolate beast called Hun Ye. It is visible but only visible. You can''t touch it. It''s like a ghost, immune to any physical or energy attack! Yet, it can still hurt you!" "There is another desolate beast called Ruolai. It moves with sound waves and screams chaotically in combat. As long as you are within the area covered by its sound, it can appear at any position at will. By the time you hear its sound, it may already have suddenly appeared at your ear, cutting off your neck, leaving you completely unguarded." "There''s also a desolate beast..." Luo Laotou then listed a whole bunch of desolate beasts that couldn''t be killed by brute force alone, which aroused more and more curiosity in Xiang Beifei. He had only arrived in this world not long ago. In the two months since awakening, he had been solely focused on his cultivation. Other than the cultural classes in high school, he hadn''t learned about desolate beasts and had no idea that they had so many strange and bizarre abilities. "Powerful desolate beasts rely not just on brute force but also intelligence. Their abilities are not inferior to those of human System Awakeners. A big reason we''ve been unable to expand our territory is that it''s not so easy to eradicate the desolate beasts in many of the outer border regions. These creatures don''t go down without a fight," Luo Laotou explained. Xiang Beifei nodded thoughtfully. He had learned this basic knowledge: Pioneers are a group of System Awakeners with various miraculous abilities, many of them powerful SR and SSR. If the desolate beasts in the outside domain wilderness were indeed that easy to vanquish, humans wouldn''t be limited to the territories they currently possess. "Then what other abilities should I improve?" Xiang Beifei asked sincerely. "Spiritual power!" Luo Laotou replied. Xiang Beifei stroked his chin in contemplation. "Meng Huai, Hun Ye, and Ruolai can only be dealt with by spiritual power. Thus, it is best for a pioneer team to include someone with strong spiritual power attacks," Luo Laotou continued. "I see," Xiang Beifei nodded slightly. Luo Laotou sized up Xiang Beifei and said with confusion, "Of course, I don''t know what your system is, but I''ve noticed your spiritual defense is rather strong. I just tried various means of spiritual detection to probe you, but it seems none were successful. Do you possess various spiritual power abilities?" "No, I only have spiritual defense." Xiang Beifei shook his head honestly. There was no point in hiding this since so many people had tried to probe him, only to be blocked. Almost everyone could guess he possessed this ability. Any experienced person would deduce it. Stay connected through mvl He had Xiaohei, and Xiaohei''s abilities were very effective against the systems of human Awakeners, designed specifically for flashy system defenses, but he didn''t know if they would work against desolate beasts like Meng Huai and Hun Ye that attacked with spiritual power. "Then you must learn this!" Luo Laotou asserted. "Okay, I''ll learn!" Xiang Beifei nodded earnestly. Without the help of a system, he couldn''t have the various special abilities granted by systems at any time, such as healing, defense, escape skills, etc. Everything he achieved relied on his own cultivation. He was willing to learn anything that could make him stronger and complement his shortcomings. Luo Laotou smiled and said, "Okay, I''m not too busy lately, and you''re on summer break. Come see me in a couple of days. I''ll teach you some basic spiritual power attacks." He got up, stretched lazily and said, "I need to deal with some important matters now, so I won''t accompany you any longer. Don''t worry, in a couple of days, you''ll receive your admission notice." Xiang Beifei noticed that Luo Laotou chose the [Nap Task]. So, the important matters turned out to be this! It was now noon, and after a whole morning of assessments, Xiang Beifei had cracked some melon seeds and wasn''t hungry yet. But he didn''t want to disturb the old man''s sleep and said, "Then I''ll head back first, I''ll come over in a couple of days." Luo Laotou pulled out his phone to add contact details for him, then said, "Oh right, almost forgot. I promised to give Yuchi Shen a piece of my mind. Go back home, and I''ll take care of this for you. I''ll train him a bit; if I don''t peel him a layer, he won''t learn. Does he really think I don''t exist?" He didn''t immediately proceed with the [Nap Task] but chose the [Scolding Task] and [Practice Task] instead, then left contentedly, ready to deal with Yuchi Shen on Xiang Beifei''s behalf. Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but smile. An SR Leisure System must be excellent, as it seemed everything it did led to becoming stronger. ¡ª "Wow! I didn''t know you were that strong!" Lu Zhiwei thought Xiang Beifei had left with Ye Changfeng to handle school admission procedures, so she didn''t follow him and had been waiting for him. "I thought you had gone back to class," Xiang Beifei remarked. "Classes are over! I thought those classmates might bully you, so I decided to skip class to protect you. Who would have thought that you were actually so strong!" Lu Zhiwei huffed, "You made my actions look foolish!" Chapter 140: Chapter 130: Spiritual Power_2 Xiang Beifei smiled and said, "Still, I have to thank you." That Lu Zhiwei stood up for him in the face of an assault by so many S-tier elite students was a kindness he would remember. "How did you suddenly become so powerful?" Lu Zhiwei asked, puzzled. She clearly remembered that two months ago, when Xiang Beifei encountered a strange dog enhanced with a system ability, he even had to call the police for help. "Uncle Lu taught me well," Xiang Beifei said. "Really?" Lu Zhiwei looked at Xiang Beifei with suspicion, "I also learned from my dad, so why didn''t he make me as powerful as you?" "You didn''t study seriously," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Zhiwei rolled her eyes and said, "You must be more than just an N-level, damn it, my dad already knew about this! He even warned me not to inquire about your affairs; I don''t know how much more you''re still hiding." Find your next read at mvl Today, in front of these elite students, Xiang Beifei didn''t show too much, just punching the S-tier Human Bulldozer Xiong Meng flying and then killing a few Claw-tailed Monkeys at the intermediate stage of Qi-Controlling, as well as killing a Triangular Thunder Krait in front of everyone with a single blow. As for how the other snakes were killed, no one saw, but it was enough to leave a huge space for imagination for these elite students. Lu Zhiwei''s eyes rolled gleefully and said, "Forget it, it''s alright if I don''t know. Anyway, you''re already a member of Liangzhou University, just don''t forget what you promised me!" "Fine, when I have time, I''ll teach you reasoning skills," Xiang Beifei said. "Let''s go, it''s just about noon. I''ll take you to the university cafeteria for a meal! Get familiar with the Liangzhou University campus in advance, and then I''ll take you around Liangzhou University in the afternoon." Lu Zhiwei enthusiastically pulled Xiang Beifei towards the cafeteria of Liangzhou University. ¡ª¡ª Liangzhou University has several cafeterias, but because it''s summer vacation, only one is open. Therefore, the elite students who just watched the entrance assessment could only dine in this cafeteria, so when Xiang Beifei arrived at the cafeteria, he was once again surrounded by a crowd of onlookers! However, this time the looks these elite students gave Xiang Beifei were no longer ones of contempt and disdain from the beginning; instead, they were full of various amazement and awe. At the Martial Arts College of Liangzhou University, everyone is an elite. The only thing that can make an elite respect you is being more powerful than them. Xiang Beifei''s performance was enough to conquer these elite students! It would be impossible for anyone to come out unscathed under the harsh difficulties of Elder Luo, the Old Devil. Some of the people here might not even survive if they were thrown into the outer wilderness, even in a low-risk area. When someone achieves what everyone else finds impossible, they gain everyone''s respect. "It''s my treat, eat whatever you like," Lu Zhiwei said generously as she ordered a big pile of dishes, many of which Xiang Beifei had never seen before. Most of them were meat dishes, as martial artists'' need for meat was greater than that of an average person. "Thanks." Xiang Beifei, holding his plate, found a spot to sit with Lu Zhiwei. Although he had the strength from cracking sunflower seeds, these dishes were also very appetizing and increased his appetite. Yu Xiaoyao, who was sitting not far away, saw the two of them and, wiggling her waist, came over to Xiang Beifei with her plate in hand. "Looking for another fight?" Lu Zhiwei glared at Yu Xiaoyao. She had just been dragged by Yu Xiaoyao into the Seven-Degree Space and had a fight. Lu Zhiwei was stronger than Yu Xiaoyao, broke the space, and came out, not afraid of Yu Xiaoyao. "I wouldn''t dare. I came to apologize," Yu Xiaoyao said. "That''s wise," Lu Zhiwei snorted. Yu Xiaoyao looked at Xiang Beifei and said, "I''m sorry about earlier; we didn''t know you would be so strong. You deserve our respect." "Hmm." Xiang Beifei nonchalantly continued to eat his meal. Elder Luo had already told him some simple rules of the elite college: strength spoke the loudest. With one punch, he had convinced those two hundred elite students present. "My name is Yu Xiaoyao, an S-level student. I apologize for the offense earlier, and if you need anything in the future, feel free to come to me. By the way, when you enter university, many people will join student clubs. I''m a member of the Red Night Club. Would you consider our club?" Yu Xiaoyao inquired. "Hey, Yu Xiaoyao, your Red Night Club is all girls, and he''s a guy. What''s all this excitement about?" Tao Jin also came over at this time. Yu Xiaoyao replied with allure, "Our club can make exceptions for the strong!" "Heh." Although Tao Jin and Yu Xiaoyao had just been making things difficult for Xiang Beifei, they were not from the same club; in fact, they were competing rivals. He ignored Yu Xiaoyao and said to Xiang Beifei with all seriousness, "Sorry, my name is Tao Jin, from the Black Hawk Club. My behavior just now was very rude, and I hope you won''t take it to heart. You''re very strong! Really strong!" "Not bad," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Zhiwei spoke up, "Can you guys not? School hasn''t even started yet! Are you so eager to recruit people now? Can''t you wait until school starts?" "Isn''t it because we''re worried that once school starts, we won''t be able to snatch up such a powerful new student?" Tao Jin said with a smirk. "Scram, he''s with me," Lu Zhiwei said fiercely. Yu Xiaoyao and Tao Jin exchanged glances, looking quite regretful. They knew that competing with Lu Zhiwei over this matter seemed hopeless, especially since they were the ones causing trouble earlier while Lu Zhiwei was the one who had helped. "Regardless, please do consider it. Our Black Hawk Club has two SR-ranked members and ranks among the top in all clubs, standing at thirteenth place, while Yu Xiaoyao''s only ranks twenty-first," Tao Jin said. Tao Jin threw an olive branch to Xiang Beifei, not forgetting to emphasize the SR level of his club. Liangzhou University currently has around thirty thousand students, divided between the Martial Arts College and the Liberal Arts College in fairly equal numbers. Each year, about a dozen SR-level new student Awakeners enrol; in the whole of Liangzhou University, not counting the teachers, there are nearly seventy SR-level Awakeners across all grades and advanced students who stay on campus! Of course, these SR-level students are from both the Liberal Arts College and the Martial Arts College, but the student clubs are common to all. Having SR-level Awakeners in a club invariably adds to the club''s strength! Even if the SR-level is from the Liberal Arts College, it''s no exception, as their systemic advantages are clear: their cultivation advances faster than ordinary people. Even if Liberal Arts students aren''t good at fighting, their cultivation alone can deter others. "What? You''re not afraid that recruiting an N-level Awakener will disgrace your club, with SR-level elites at the helm?" Lu Zhiwei retorted from the side. Tao Jin, slightly embarrassed, said, "How could that be? His strength is even stronger than that of an S-level." "Hmph!" Lu Zhiwei clearly did not like someone like Tao Jin. "I''ll consider it," Xiang Beifei spoke up. Yu Xiaoyao and Tao Jin both looked pleased and left. "Consider what! You''re still considering," Lu Zhiwei said. "Well, I''ve got to play along," Xiang Beifei thought for a moment and then asked, "Are you also part of a club?" "You don''t need to join my club," Lu Zhiwei said with her head down, eating, "I''m going to quit next semester." "Why?" "Waste of time! My club, Mountains and Rivers, is so lame! The members in the group do very little real work, and when it comes to fighting, the performance is pathetic. They just put on airs, talk big, suck up to others, and speak with such an affected tone. Oh, and Qin Yi is from our club," Lu Zhiwei complained. Xiang Beifei had already met Qin Yi, who had the ''[S-level talent gathered]'' during his experience with the enforcement squad at the university, a student from the Liberal Arts College. "Then how many SRs does your club have?" Xiang Beifei asked with a smile. "One, that guy has some abilities, but never mind him," Lu Zhiwei said as she fiercely poked the fish on her plate with her chopsticks and continued, "You might consider joining other clubs. Student clubs have a point ranking system, and the clubs compete with each other in fights and various competitions to gain honor and rise in the rankings. A tally is done at the end of every semester, and our club ranks eighty-first this term. Every time there''s a fight, I''m the only one charging ahead, while the others act like idiots, it''s impossible to sustain alone." After a while, she added, "You''re so impressive, a lot of people already know about you, and those clubs will be fighting over you. You don''t have to worry." "Okay." Xiang Beifei didn''t take the matter too seriously but suddenly wondered if his dad had joined any clubs when he was in school. Chapter 141: Chapter 131: Curriculum After lunch, Lu Zhiwei took Xiang Beifei for a tour around Liangzhou University, but since she had skipped her morning class, she had to make up a desolate beast dissection lesson in the afternoon, so Xiang Beifei went back home alone. Meanwhile, a piece of news had spread silently throughout the Liangzhou University student forum, and the Tree Hole had exploded once again. "Who helped me intimidate that N-grade freshman today?" "Right, have you guys targeted that N-grade freshman yet?" "Target him? The Human Bulldozer was sent flying with his punch!" "Really? I know Xiong Meng! Last time he was in our training class, he knocked me into a state where I couldn''t even recognize my own family!" "It''s true! And it''s not just him, even Old Devil Yuchi couldn''t get a word in against him! You don''t know how scary the entrance assessment was, Yuchi Shen intentionally made things difficult for him and sent him to the outer realm''s desolate wilderness!" "The outer realm''s desolate wilderness? ¦²(¤Ã¡ã§¥¡ã;)¤Ã" "Yes! He came back alive! And in front of us, he killed a Triangular Thunder Krait!" "Old Devil Yuchi asked him to kill a Three Souls Desolate Snake, but he didn''t know what a Three Souls Desolate Snake was, so he just killed a bunch of serpentine desolate beasts to muddle through! It''s the first time I''ve ever seen someone complete a task like that!" "Old Devil Yuchi wanted to trouble him on purpose but didn''t succeed, and he even got talked back to! Hahaha! I don''t know why, but this is the first time I''ve felt so satisfied. Old Devil Yuchi always made us miserable, and finally, someone stood up for us!" ... The tone in the Tree Hole regarding the N-grade freshman, Xiang Beifei, had uniformly changed. Liangzhou University had nearly thirty thousand students, but since it was summer break, only a couple hundred were present, and there was no video coverage¡ªeverything relied on oral accounts from these people. However, descriptions in words alone were less impactful than witnessing in person, and many people didn''t understand the true nature of that so-called "perfect strike." Most who were not present were skeptical, finding it hard to believe that an N-grade freshman could achieve such a feat. Some arrogant S-grade prodigies were dissatisfied and clamored to test this N-grade freshman at the start of the school term¡ªthey couldn''t believe an N-grade freshman could be such a miracle. "I don''t believe he''s that strong; he must have used someone else''s system for help." "So what if he used someone else''s system for help? It''s within the rules. Besides, if he doesn''t have the corresponding cultivation level, other people''s system items wouldn''t be of any help to him!" "Heh! Baseless talk¡ªI hardly believe it!" No matter what everyone thought about the entrance assessment in the Tree Hole, one undeniable fact was that N-grade freshman Xiang Beifei had already received the acceptance letter from Liangzhou University. Him becoming a part of Liangzhou University was a foregone conclusion! Xiang Beifei had no idea about these things. He still didn''t know how to access the Liangzhou University forum, but anyway, this matter didn''t matter much to him. His goal of getting into Liangzhou University had been achieved¡ªthat was enough. What he didn''t expect was that he had made the hot search once again! An N-grade Awakener passing the Liangzhou University entrance assessment was major news! Everyone was aware that elite universities do not admit N-grade students. Among the nine elite universities, only Liangzhou University set a very strict threshold for N-grade students, and it had been ten years since any N-grade Awakeners dared to apply for Liangzhou University, let alone pass the entrance assessment. Shang Tianxiong was the first, and his achievements today proved his strength. But the second and third N-grade Awakeners applied during the time when Shang Tianxiong was still teaching at Liangzhou University. Back then, the person responsible for the entrance assessment of N-grade students was Shang Tianxiong! After Shang Tianxiong left Liangzhou University, Xiang Beifei was the first N-grade student to be admitted to Liangzhou University in ten years! Many people were guessing how he managed to get admitted¡ªquestioning if he had bribed the examiners and such. However, once they heard that the person responsible for the assessment was Yuchi Shen, no one dared to suspect bribery anymore. Yuchi Shen was the most fearsome teacher at Liangzhou University, with a notorious reputation. Various online media outlets reported the news, making Xiang Beifei famous once again. If he were to awaken a system like "Fame System", he would undoubtedly soar. ¡ª¡ª "You actually passed the entrance assessment so quietly; you should have told me in advance!" Xiang Qingde was very excited when he heard the news. Continue reading stories on §Þ?? Xiang Beifei smiled but didn''t say much. It hadn''t been many days since the college entrance exam, and on the day of the exam, his grandfather was even more nervous than he was. "Good kid, we''re having a celebration dinner tonight!" Kong Daming was also very pleased and immediately decided to hold another celebration dinner for Xiang Beifei and Kong Xiuwen. After all, running a restaurant made organizing a celebration dinner quite simple. Xiang Beifei didn''t refuse. For two consecutive days, he had to deal with others'' celebrations and dodge media interviews¡ªLu Zhiwei wasn''t the only one interested in him. Two days later, he received the admission letter from Liangzhou University. The admission letter was very exquisite and looked quite impressive, but what caught Xiang Beifei''s attention was a phrase on the admission letter: ¡ª¡ªOur Martial Arts College offers various courses related to martial artists. Please consider the courses you will select based on your system''s features during the summer. Course selection is due one week after the start of term. If uncertain, you can consult the relevant tutor after the start of term. (A course list is attached) The admission letter also came with introductions to various courses, as everyone''s awakened system is different, and elective courses should be chosen based on the features of one''s own system. Chapter 142: Chapter 131: Course_2 Students of the Liberal Arts College need to choose a specialty due to their orientation toward various professions in life, such as doctors, teachers, technology, etc. This decision is made by the system they awaken. However, the Martial Arts College does not differentiate between specialties. People choose the Martial Arts College because their system abilities relate to martial cultivation, which requires fighting, and occasionally capturing a couple of desolate beasts for practice. Xiang Beifei briefly looked over the mandatory courses of the Martial Arts College, which included: "Desolate Beast Cognition and Anatomy," "Outer Domain Desolate Land Simulation," "Jiuzhou Alliance Defense Introduction," "System Ability Analysis and Processing." The Jiuzhou Alliance requires martial artists to guard its territory. Learning to combat desolate beasts is a necessity for every martial artist, so the mandatory courses involve a lot of knowledge about these creatures. There is a vast array of elective courses, including "Magic Knowledge Specialization," "Physical Attack Specialization," "Defense Ability Specialization," "Criminal Investigation," "Criminal Psychology," "Firearms Study," "Desolate Beast Black Tech Tools Study," "All Heavens Knowledge Theory Studies," "Film Appreciation," "Combat Training," "Novel Appreciation," "Mechanical Manufacturing," "Formation Knowledge Introduction," "Rune Knowledge Introduction," "How to Better Complete System Tasks," "Amazing System Items Appreciation," "Desolate Beast Venom Analysis," "Basic Treatment (for non-medical systems)," "How to Become a Game Master," and so on... Beyond the four mandatory courses, there are a whopping one hundred and twenty elective courses offered! These electives were an eye-opener for Xiang Beifei, such as the "Film Appreciation" course, which seems to cater to those who have awakened the [All Heavens System]. Take Wang Ze, whom he encountered last time, who needs to traverse into system-created movies to complete tasks. The "Novel Appreciation" course is similar; some tasks involve traversing into xianxia novels, while others entail penetrating sci-fi and various other genres of novels. These courses can help participants analyze how to accomplish the book and film tasks set by their systems. Most of these books and films are written by people from the Liberal Arts College, which houses professional novelists and filmmakers who write novels or shoot films and animations to earn a living. Once their works are released and sometimes become classics, they are chosen by these [Transcend All Worlds Systems], which then let their hosts traverse into these movies and novels to complete tasks and acquire powerful abilities. Systems like [Transcend All Worlds], which seem very impressive, merely involve traversing through fictional spaces created by systems, be it novels or films. These are just types of virtual spaces set up by the systems and are not real. The abilities hosts acquire in these movie and novel spaces are still tied to their own cultivation levels. In the system worlds, many people often complain about authors online, questioning why they set up their plots in such troubling ways; it''s usually because when they traverse into novels to complete system tasks, they get stuck due to the storyline and can''t finish their tasks, leading them to vent their frustrations on the authors. Yes, that''s probably the reason! Courses like gaming are targeted at students who need to play games to complete their system tasks, where they blast through games to acquire equipment which they can then bring back into reality with the help of their systems. Teachers will instruct them on how to better conquer these games and familiarize them with each game''s characteristics, such as treasure box locations and drop rates, with comprehensive guidance provided. And those who develop these games are still those guys from the Liberal Arts College. ... With such a dazzling array of elective courses, martial artists'' elective options are not all related to martial arts; a wide range of special courses are available as well. Xiang Beifei was also contemplating which courses he needed to choose. The "Magic Attack Course" sounded interesting; he could convert Spiritual Power into flames, which was a form of magic. He wondered if it was possible to transform Spiritual Power into other elements, like ice, or lightning? He was also very interested in "Formation Knowledge." Liangzhou University was clearly protected by a powerful formation, and it was said that Jiuzhou''s border defenses incorporated formations. Not to mention the teleportation spheres from the entrance examination; they were a type of Formation sealed within. He was definitely going to choose the "Amazing System Items Appreciation" course. It felt as if it were tailor-made for him. He wanted to see what other system rewards looked like and from which systems they came, so when the time came to take someone else''s reward, he would have an idea of what to expect. "Basic Treatment" was a course aimed at those outside the medical system. In other words, if his system didn''t provide healing items, it would be best to take this course, which taught how to administer first aid in the wild, such as using herbs or parts of desolate beasts'' blood and tissues, or how to use Spiritual Power to heal others. Without a system of his own, Xiang Beifei had to choose this course. ... From his point of view, it seemed like he could take any of the courses. Being able to participate in others'' system tasks meant that learning from these courses could be very useful. College was a four-year program, and there were specific requirements for graduation in terms of credits and realm. In addition to passing the mandatory courses, one had to take at least thirty elective courses! Since the four mandatory courses had to be taken each semester, choosing four additional electives per semester was quite good. Although every student had a system, their energy was still finite. "Seems like it''s not realistic to study everything." Though Xiang Beifei possessed the ability of "Learn by Analogy," it was predicated on having to learn something firsthand before he could draw analogies from it. Many electives required the teacher''s lecturing and experiential teaching, which couldn''t be learned simply by studying a book. Therefore, if he wanted to truly master a course, he had to attend class earnestly. "I still need to ask Elder Luo for advice and see what he thinks," Xiang Beifei remembered that Elder Luo had agreed to teach him about spiritual power cultivation, which he truly needed at the moment, so he gave Elder Luo a call. On the other end of the phone, Elder Luo agreed quite readily, "Sure, come over tomorrow, and I''ll give you some pointers. It''s a good time to teach you how to cultivate spiritual power." "All right, I''ll come over first thing in the morning." As Xiang Beifei hung up the phone, he seemed to faintly hear the sound of running water in the background, clueless about what boring activity Elder Luo was engaged in now. But he had no interest in knowing, since whatever the old man was doing, he was getting stronger. Being around such an idle fish during his university days must be the right choice. ¡ª¡ª Early the next day, Xiang Beifei went to Liangzhou University. Luo Laotou was still lying at the university gates cracking sunflower seeds. Xiang Beifei greeted him politely, "Hello, Elder Luo." "Wait a second, I''m in the middle of something important." Luo Laotou gestured for Xiang Beifei not to disturb him and continued to stare at the woods in the distance. Rustle! Three birds leaped into the sky from the trees. Luo Laotou, seeing the birds take flight, finally turned his gaze away contentedly. His system interface displayed: [You have counted fifty birds, leisure value +50] He really was idling! Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but think. "Let''s go, I''ll take you out for some fun." Luo Laotou stood up from his lounge chair and offered Xiang Beifei another handful of sunflower seeds. "Thank you." Xiang Beifei quite liked the taste of the seeds. While cracking them open, he said, "I just received my acceptance letter and am considering which electives to take. Do you have any suggestions, sir?" "Ah, university electives! That really brings back memories!" Luo Laotou stretched luxuriously and said, "Back in my day, I used to be a student too, going to class whenever I felt like it, university life is the best, isn''t it!" He stroked his short white beard and turned his head to look at Xiang Beifei, "How about this, I''ll go to class with you? Whatever course you choose, I''ll choose the same one." Discover more content at §Þ?? Xiang Beifei was taken aback. Are you that bored! Following me to class? Would those professors dare to teach then? "You''re not joking, are you?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Not necessarily, who says old people can''t attend classes?" Elder Luo walked leisurely with his hands behind his back, and after a long pause, he casually said, "But to get back to the point, these past two days I''ve been carefully watching the video of your fight with the Triangular Thunder Krait. I reviewed it in slow motion, analyzing your every move from all angles, a full 360 degrees." A video that didn''t even show five seconds of action and it needs such detailed analysis? "And then?" Xiang Beifei asked nonchalantly. Chapter 143: Chapter 132: Mental Attack The video didn''t spread, but the school''s upper echelons could certainly see it, and it was bound to be analyzed, which wasn''t surprising to Xiang Beifei. After all, the world itself was quite special¡ªany ability that seemed unusual compared to ordinary people could be explained with a "system," so he didn''t need to worry about how special his abilities were. "I saw signs of lightning strikes on the shoulder of your clothes, which, from my observation, should be the scorch marks from Triangular Thunder Krait''s lightning. That is to say, you were injured the first time you killed a Triangular Thunder Krait, and it wasn''t very smooth. That Triangular Thunder Krait must have given you some trouble." "But when you killed the second Triangular Thunder Krait, your movements and timing were nearly impeccable. You could determine the timing of the Triangular Thunder Krait''s attack and started dodging before its eyes even emitted lightning. You must have learned from your experience with the first Triangular Thunder Krait. Such strong analytical and learning abilities are truly rare; I even suspect that you might have awakened a system that allows you to ''Learn by Analogy,'' drawing inferences about other cases from one instance," Elder Luo remarked with a sigh. How impressive! Xiang Beifei was quite astonished! This old man who was always idling about had such keen insight! When he killed the first Triangular Thunder Krait, no one saw it; others had only seen him kill the second one, which was captured on camera for just a few seconds. Yet, Elder Luo managed to analyze Xiang Beifei''s encounter in the Outer Wilderness from that short video, inferring his injury from the first Krait and the swift killing of the second. He got most of it right. Your journey continues with §Þ?? He even managed to guess some of Xiang Beifei''s abilities, just short of saying the words "Learn by Analogy"! "Rest assured, I''ve kept the video secret for you. Students can''t see it, which prevents others from fully analyzing you, and that''s to your advantage. Ordinary teachers don''t have my powerful analytical skills. They can''t see much and would at most think you''re a Body Cultivator with judgment beyond that of ordinary people," Elder Luo said with a chuckle. Xiang Beifei noticed Elder Luo''s system interface had an [Observation] value of only 123, but he suspected that when Elder Luo was analyzing the video, this value might have soared to tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions! Elder Luo''s Leisure System could reallocate points at will, directly boosting one aspect of his abilities, which was genuinely not to be underestimated. "Thank you, Elder Luo." Xiang Beifei was truly grateful in his heart. As an elder, Elder Luo was helping him cover up, all for his sake. "No need, you''re following me around, so of course, I have to understand you to mentor you appropriately. If you''re strong at learning, it doesn''t really matter what courses you choose. But I suggest you start with your weaker areas. You have strength and speed, but your defensive power isn''t very good. You need to learn physical defense. Does your system provide any defensive Cultivation Techniques for training?" Elder Luo asked further. Xiang Beifei shook his head, "No, I only excel at offense." To be precise, he didn''t even have offensive Cultivation Techniques. The only one he was practicing was the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula, which was a way of circulating Spiritual Power and belonged to internal practice. The sole means of attack, "Rapid Flame," was learned from Uncle Lu; without a system, he would be a blank slate. "So you''re saying I should take the ''Defense Ability Specialization'' course?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "The ''Defense Ability Specialization'' course is designed for Awakeners whose systems do not provide defensive capabilities. The teacher will offer several of the most basic R-ranked and S-ranked Cultivation Methods for students to select for training. Still, those are generic Techniques with limited achievements, barely better than none for students. I have higher expectations for you; I''ll figure something out for you next time, no rush," Elder Luo replied. Elder Luo''s defense was rather basic, covering his body with Spiritual Power and then simply adding points until it was maxed out¡ªprimitive yet extremely powerful. However, this method did not suit Xiang Beifei, so he didn''t plan to teach him defense himself. "Alright," Xiang Beifei nodded. The elder was experienced and had unique insight; he decided to follow Elder Luo''s lead in everything. "Also, when you fight, it seems you''re accustomed to using your fists and rarely use your feet. Have you never practiced kicks or other foot-based techniques?" Elder Luo continued. "Feet?" Xiang Beifei pondered and spotted a small stone nearby. He walked over and stomped on the ground, instantly igniting his foot with flames, and kicked the stone. Boom! The palm-sized stone shattered into dust from his kick! "This?" Xiang Beifei asked. Elder Luo was startled: "Your footwork is also this powerful? Then why haven''t I seen you use your feet?" Whether it was dealing with Wang Ze, Xiong Meng, or the Triangular Thunder Krait, Xiang Beifei always resolved the fight with a punch; Elder Luo had never seen him use his feet before. "No need!" The flames on Xiang Beifei''s foot gradually faded, and he began munching on sunflower seeds, replying, "Why use feet when a fist can handle it?" With "Learn by Analogy," once he could ignite his fists with fire, it meant every motion of his body could channel Spiritual Power and unleash powerful flames. He didn''t like using his feet because he was wearing shoes, and if he wasn''t careful with controlling the Spiritual Power, the flames would burn them¡ªwhat a waste of a good pair of shoes. Chapter 144: Chapter 132: Psychic Attack_2 They walked along the school''s path and then to the lakeside where they had casually chatted the other day. "Many system abilities rely on spiritual power, such as the major categories of systems related to ''Mind Reading System'' and ''Charming System.'' You have spiritual power defense, but you lack the means for spiritual attack. I don''t know if you can cultivate it, but I''ll guide you, and how much you can learn depends on you," Elder Luo leaned against the pavilion''s railing, gazing at the tranquil lake surface. Seemingly without any movement, an invisible ripple suddenly spread out from him, merging with the lake water. Humm! Suddenly, the lake water roiled with bubbles emerging, followed by several "plop plop" sounds, as countless carp floated to the surface, belly up, appearing to be stunned. "Incredible!" Xiang Beifei''s eyes lit up! He could see Elder Luo''s system, and this type of spiritual power attack was not given by any of Elder Luo''s system abilities, but purely through his own spiritual fluctuations, forcibly stunning the fish. "This kind of remote spiritual attack is very effective against crucial people or desolate beasts, such as Meng Huai, who can only appear in dreams. Of course, your spiritual defense is strong, so they might not drag you into a dream, but if you encounter a team member in the wilderness entangled by Meng Huai, you must actively go into the dream to save them, and at that time, it would be difficult to manage without brute force in the dream," Elder Luo explained. "I understand, so how should I cultivate?" Xiang Beifei really didn''t know how Elder Luo had managed this, which was also his shortcoming. Others had system assistance, possessing various cultivation techniques, but he needed to learn on his own, trying to make up for any potential weaknesses. "Actually, spiritual power is also a type of spiritual power; it just transforms spiritual power in your brain into another form. Therefore, you need to guide this spiritual power through meditation, using your own thoughts," pointed out Elder Luo, pointing at Xiang Beifei''s head, "You can try to imagine." "Imagine?" "Imagine that you can make it move out of thin air. Originally, I just stared at a piece of paper, thinking in my mind, move... move... move... and then it started moving." Elder Luo chuckled. How does it sound like self-hypnosis? Xiang Beifei stared at Elder Luo''s system interface, [Spiritual Power: 732], and grinned wryly, thinking, ''Are you sure it''s not just system enhancements?'' But on second thought, Elder Luo''s system enhancements only increase the intensity of one ability, not create it. Meaning, Elder Luo adjusted his spiritual intensity to 732, which just means the intensity of his spiritual attack is 732. But if his spiritual power is not trained to the point of external projection, even if the spiritual attack intensity is adjusted to 56 million, it won''t be able to be exerted. It''s like loading an ammunition that can cause 56 million points of destruction into a tank, but without learning the operating procedures of the tank, not knowing how to fire it, that powerful ammunition would just rot in the chamber as a dud. Thus, Elder Luo also needs to initially learn a skill before he can use the system to enhance the power of that skill. "You don''t need to deal with the carp in the lake; just try to float these melon seed shells in mid-air. Concentrate fully on the melon seed shells, gathering your spiritual power in your brain, try to decompose it into something intangible and ethereal, let it dissipate around, and then gather it back, finally directing the spiritual power towards one direction," Elder Luo turned his gaze back to the carp in the lake, another wave emanating from his body. Humm! The carp, belly up on the lake surface, were reawakened, righting themselves and sinking back into the water. "When you first learn spiritual power, I suggest you try by enhancing your senses. Do you have any system items that enhance senses?" Elder Luo asked. Xiang Beifei shook his head. Last time, Uncle Lu did give him a Spiritual Perception Pill, but he had integrated it to light up a constellation. "Then you crack this melon seed, and I''ll guide you first. Next time, you must learn to try on your own. You have to understand something, even without the appropriate sensory items, you can enhance your senses with spiritual power," Elder Luo put a red melon seed into Xiang Beifei''s hand. This red melon seed was quite special, acquired by Elder Luo from his own shop using 50 leisure value. "Can I also enhance my senses?" Xiang Beifei had never considered this question before. He cracked open the red seed and then ate it. "Of course, for instance, the Smelling Pill. This pill, after you take it, transforms into a special spiritual power that hovers above your nose, making your perception more acute. However, if you wish to learn, you can enhance your smelling ability through your own spiritual power, though the result won''t be as effective as the system''s items," Elder Luo explained. System items are, after all, a convenient method, highly targeted, and easy to use, much easier than figuring it out on your own. It''s like climbing a hundred-story building: you''d have to take the stairs, but the system instantly provides an elevator or a helicopter. There are some aspects in which system items can achieve what people can through cultivation, but it''s much harder for people. Enjoy new adventures at §Þ?? "Understood." Shortly after Xiang Beifei cracked the seed, he quickly felt a surge of spiritual power not belonging to him within his body. Elder Luo extended a finger and wiggled it. The spiritual power inside Xiang Beifei was drawn to his eyes. At that moment, Xiang Beifei''s vision underwent a remarkable change; it felt as if his eyes had become microscopes. In his view, every texture of the seed shell became clearly visible! The strangest thing was that his vision comprised only the seed shell; he couldn''t see any other scenery. "This is a method to enhance vision. I''ve adjusted your perception to focus on the seed shell. Remember the spiritual power I guided inside your body. In the future, you can also try to guide it using your own spiritual power. Of course, you can learn to block out your other senses, such as¡ª" Elder Luo flicked his finger again, and the foreign spiritual power moved into Xiang Beifei''s ears in a very subtle manner. In an instant, the world became silent, devoid of any sound. Xiang Beifei marveled at Elder Luo''s control of spiritual power, which seemed effortlessly capable of blocking his perceptions. "I should be able to learn this method of circulating spiritual power." Xiang Beifei pondered, planning to try mastering this technique next time. However, for now, as Elder Luo had blocked his hearing, he still needed to focus his spiritual power, step by step. With the world becoming quiet, nothing could distract him; in fact, it was nearly impossible to be distracted since his vision contained nothing else but the seed shell, which Elder Luo allowed him to see. "It''s okay, take it slow. When I mastered this initially, it also took me almost a month. Don''t rush it too much," After conveying his voice to Xiang Beifei, Elder Luo went offline. "Let my spiritual power emanate from my mind, focusing on the seed shell..." Xiang Beifei, contemplating Elder Luo''s words, stared at the seed shell in his hand and began practicing the spiritual power technique Elder Luo had taught him. He tried for a long time without success, but Elder Luo patiently guided him. While Xiang Beifei was cultivating, Elder Luo was counting how many white clouds drifted over in the sky, how many leaves fell from a tree in a minute, and doing other mundane tasks required by the system. Elder Luo was getting stronger nearly every moment, and in Xiang Beifei''s view, this "Leisure System" was truly formidable. ¡ª For three consecutive days, Xiang Beifei came to Liangzhou University to study with Elder Luo. He also practiced at home, but without Elder Luo''s guidance, he couldn''t achieve complete concentration. Gradually, he felt as if something extra existed in his mind, the strands of spiritual power slowly swirling within. He vaguely managed to display the spiritual power in his mind in a special way. However, a problem arose; although the spiritual power was deployed, it drifted around aimlessly without any aggressiveness. He needed to reconcentrate the spiritual power. On the fourth day, Xiang Beifei finally got the trick. He succeeded in levitating the seed shell using his own spiritual power! Moreover, he inadvertently discovered that he had gained a deeper understanding of this ability. Chapter 145: Chapter 133: Disdain and Classmates of Grade N On the fifth day of studying spiritual power, Xiang Beifei routinely took a car to Liangzhou University, ready to share his insights with Elder Luo. However, when he found Elder Luo, he noticed that the elder seemed to be in a bad mood, sitting in a chair and cracking sunflower seeds. Spit! Spit! Spit! The shells he spit out flew like bullets, leaving the nearby trash can riddled with holes! That trash can had seen better days and was now definitely on its last legs. [You vented your anger on the trash can, leisure value +1] "What''s wrong, Elder Luo? You seem really upset?" "Don''t even start, it''s bad luck!" Elder Luo snapped angrily. "What happened? Could someone actually make you so angry?" Xiang Beifei pulled up a chair and honestly sat next to the distressed elder. Elder Luo passed a small handful of sunflower seeds to Xiang Beifei, huffing angrily, "You have huge potential, but those people at the school really have no vision. I have to cultivate you properly, and in the future, you must help me take my revenge! Hang up those SSR talents and beat them hard! See if they dare to spout nonsense! Dare to be arrogant in front of me!" "SSR? Were you bullied by SSR?" Xiang Beifei asked, puzzled. "Didn''t I tell you a few days ago, this year there are eleven SSR new students in the entire Jiuzhou alliance? Originally, the school had already negotiated with two SSR Awakeners, offering them huge benefits to come to our Liangzhou University. But these two guys turned their backs at the last minute! They took the benefits, then refused to come to our university!" Elder Luo was livid. "They did what?" Xiang Beifei exclaimed in surprise, "What made them change their minds?" Among the nine elite universities, Liangzhou University''s overall strength was not the very top, but it was still passable. The university was teeming with powerful Awakeners, making it a great choice for studying here. Elder Luo stopped, saying helplessly, "It''s because of you." "Me?" Xiang Beifei grew even more confused, "I don''t think I''ve even met them." "Because a few days ago, our Liangzhou University admitted you, an N-level new student! Then, the recruiters from other universities seized the chance to undermine us, basically saying that the quality of education at Liangzhou University had declined, sinking to the point of accepting an N-level student, and then they persuaded the SSRs. Basically, at that time, they implied that the reputation of Liangzhou University was lowered by an N-level student like you! They disdained coming to our Liangzhou University and went to Qingzhou University and Yanzhou University instead." "Is that even possible?" Xiang Beifei found it bizarre that just because Liangzhou University admitted him, an N-level student, two SSR students didn''t want to come anymore. They disdained to be in the same school with him, an N-level student? "Last night when you weren''t here, many of our school''s leaders went to retain those two SSRs, but they ended up being openly ridiculed by the admissions staff from Qingzhou University and Yanzhou University. At that moment, I nearly grabbed those bastards and gave them a beating!" Elder Luo was so angry he was blowing his beard and glaring, and then spat out another sunflower seed shell, making another hole in the trash can. He was straightforward and lived a straightforward life, never beating around the bush when it came to speaking his mind. "I wanted to use your potential as a counterargument, but, unfortunately, empty claims only made matters worse. You have no idea how furious I am, knowing your potential but unable to prove it to them! It drives me mad!" Elder Luo tugged at his own beard, extremely aggravated. "It''s the first time I''ve heard of refusing the invitation from Liangzhou University because of an N-level student. Don''t you guys sign some kind of agreement that makes it impossible to back out?" Xiang Beifei said. "It was still under negotiation! We were about to sign, but just before we did, they were persuaded by the people from Qingzhou University and Yanzhou University." Elder Luo explained. After a long pause, he added, "These people are really shortsighted! They actually look down on you!" Elder Luo cursed loudly, "They simply don''t understand your potential. What does being N-level matter? Could an N-level who has killed so many desolate beasts be that simple? What''s so great about SSR-level? It''s just... it''s just..." Elder Luo intended to say something harsh, but after saying "it''s just" for a while, he struggled to find a suitable word to describe it. Because SSR¡ª Was truly remarkable! Having mid-stage Qi-Controlling strength right after awakening, and two months later, now possessing late-stage Qi-Controlling strength! A whole minor realm higher than Xiang Beifei''s current cultivation! With such talent, given time, they might reach Meridian Opening stage within half a year, and possibly God Refining stage by the time they graduate from college in four years! "Bastards, just because they have an extra S! As if they''re so great, daring to act all haughty in front of me; I could slap them dead with one strike!" Elder Luo grew angrier the more he thought about it. It wasn''t that he was angry SSRs weren''t coming, but because he was ridiculed by other schools'' recruiting officers, and he had no way to refute them. [You fiercely cursed the SSR freshmen, leisure value +2] "I see!" Xiang Beifei continued calmly cracking sunflower seeds, and then asked, "Since they''re not coming to Liangzhou University anymore, can you ask them to return the benefits they took?" "You make it sound so easy! It''s just that those people at our school can''t lower their faces, saying that after all, they are SSRs, and their future achievements are boundless; this little benefit is like making friends with them. I just laugh! Make friends my ass! They look down on our Liangzhou University and still want to make friends? Trying to stick a hot face to their cold butts?" Elder Luo was very displeased with the way those leaders at Liangzhou University handled the situation, and then patted Xiang Beifei on the shoulder, "Wouldn''t it be better to give those things to you instead!" Xiang Beifei stroked his chin. Hmm, that''s not a bad idea. Chapter 146: Chapter 133: Disdain to Attend School with N Level_2 "The most important thing is, after I came back last night, some disagreements emerged within our school''s leadership. Some people think that Liangzhou University''s decision to admit you that day was a mistake. They say we admitted a N-level student and lost two SSRs, picking up sesame seeds and losing watermelons! I was so furious back then!" Elder Luo rubbed his fist, squinting and humming twice. Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but laugh silently because he saw in Elder Luo''s task bar yesterday a message¡ª [You flipped a table in front of the school leaders, leisure value +1] [You had an unpleasant confrontation with the school leaders over Xiang Beifei''s issue, leisure value +1] Elder Luo''s Leisure System makes him stronger no matter what he does¡ªeven getting angry when idle counts as leisure, but actively getting angry doesn''t give much leisure value. His system advocates for a joyful life, enjoying life. Like when he cussed out Yuchi Shen, it relieved him, giving him 50 leisure points, but if cussing someone out doesn''t smooth things over for him, he only gets 1 leisure point. Basically, if you do something and feel good after, you get more points, if not, you get fewer. "Don''t dwell on it too much, Elder Luo. Not coming to Liangzhou University is their loss!" Xiang Beifei said. "Exactly! You have a good eye!" Elder Luo looked at Xiang Beifei with satisfaction and then said, "Of course, I know you had no other choice but to come here¡ª" "Even if I had a choice, I would still pick this place. You forgot my old man used to be here, didn''t you?" Xiang Beifei said. "Haha! Right, look at my memory." It was then that Elder Luo remembered and said, "Now, because of the SSR issue, those leaders at Liangzhou University think admitting you was a mistake, but I''m going to train you well just to spite them!" He pondered for a moment, then asked, "By the way, how''s your spiritual power training going? Have you gotten the sunflower seed to move yet? Even a little movement will do, I''m not asking for much." "I''ve made a little progress." "Show me. You''ve only been training for a few days, being able to move the sunflower seed shell even slightly would be a huge improvement," Elder Luo said. "Alright." Xiang Beifei cracked a sunflower seed, and then he spat the shell forward¡ª Whoosh! The sunflower seed shell suddenly floated in mid-air! Xiang Beifei stared at the sunflower seed shell, focusing all his attention on it, and then controlled it to drift up, down, left, and right. Not far away, the trash can that Elder Luo had shot several holes in with sunflower seed shells was now being maneuvered by Xiang Beifei''s own shell like a roller coaster, leisurely threading in and out of the small holes in the trash can. "What?" Elder Luo exclaimed, forgetting to crack the sunflower seed in his hand, "You mastered it this quickly?" This was no small progress at all! This was only his fifth day of training! "Yes, and I also discovered that as long as I control my spiritual power properly¡ª" Xiang Beifei concentrated intently on the sunflower seed shell, focusing all his attention on the floating shell, and then "whoosh!" The sunflower seed shell suddenly burst into flames, then zipped around like a fiery missile! After darting around for a while, the sunflower seed shell turned to ash, falling to the ground. Plop! The sunflower seed fell from Elder Luo''s hand, his eyes filled with astonishment! "You applied your spiritual power operating method to your spiritual power?" "Yes, you mentioned that spiritual power is also a special form of spiritual power, so I tried it," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei then turned his gaze to a fallen leaf on the ground. He stared at the leaf, and his spiritual power formed an invisible wave, concentrating on the leaf. The leaf swiftly lifted up and "whoosh," it ignited again! This time, Xiang Beifei didn''t even touch the leaf; he simply ignited the leaf from a distance! "My goodness! You learned this... you learned this too fast!" Elder Luo suddenly stood up and began sizing up Xiang Beifei once again. "Fortunately, I can control their speed and it''s not very fast. Using this attack on opponents isn''t really practical at the moment, and it''s quite strenuous and thankless." Although this ability seemed impressive, Xiang Beifei needed to be extremely focused to use it, and there was a process involved. His spiritual power had to cover the opponent. Once the opponent moved, if his spiritual power didn''t hit, he basically couldn''t catch up. During a fight, why would an opponent just stand there and wait to be ignited by him? However, this method was good for sneak attacks, like focusing on someone from a distance and then giving them a flame bath without their knowledge¡ªdelightful! "You''re still not satisfied? I only asked for a slight movement, yet you went ahead and made the melon seeds fly and even ignited them!" The more Elder Luo watched Xiang Beifei, the more he felt like he was looking at a little monster. If it weren''t for Xiang Beifei''s current mastery being only in the middle stage of Qi Mastery, he would even suspect that this kid''s awakened system talent could possibly be at the UR level! Every time Xiang Beifei seemed to bring him many unexpected surprises, and quickly he remembered something and suddenly burst out laughing proudly, "Haha! I knew it! I knew it! My judgment can''t be wrong! You definitely won''t be inferior to those two SSRs! Beat them up in the future!" Xiang Beifei liked Elder Luo''s straightforward nature. He thought for a moment and then asked, "What are the names of those two SSR Awakeners? Which elite universities did they go to now?" "One is called Hou Chengwu; he went to Qingzhou University. The other is called Chen Baiwen; he went to Yanzhou University. They unexpectedly defected and were recruited by those universities'' admission teachers because the only two URs in the entire alliance this year also went to these two universities, so they chose these schools," Elder Luo said. "Hou Chengwu, Chen Baiwen... Okay, I''ve got it. Are these names spelled like this?" Xiang Beifei''s fingertips emitted flames, and with the flames, he wrote these two names in the air. "Yes, those are the names." Elder Luo watched Xiang Beifei in amazement, as he wrote with spiritual power in the air¡ªa level of proficiency with spiritual power that almost no newcomer could achieve. Well, noted down in the little notebook, SSR Awakeners are rare, as long as the names are right, then definitely there won''t be a mistake in finding the right person. Next time there''s a chance, having a chat about life with them and helping Elder Luo seek revenge sounds good. Xiang Beifei erased the flames from the air, but just then, a piercing voice suddenly came from the school gate. "Haha! Professor Luo, has Liangzhou University fallen so low that they let someone like you guard the gate?" The speaker was a bald old man with a tuft of goatee beard and a black mole on his cheek, which was particularly prominent because of a single hair growing out of it. Upon hearing this voice, Elder Luo nearly exploded; he immediately stood up and glared at the newcomer angrily, "What are you doing here?" "Isn''t it just to escort Hou Chengwu back to our Qingzhou University, specially came to bid you farewell? After all, you''ve taken such good care of him these past few days, it''s only proper for him to show some manners, isn''t it?" the goatee-bearded old man said with a smug yet insincere grin. [Host: Ren Jianghai] [SR level, Threshold System] [Realm¡ª¡ª] The description of this system wasn''t very clear; the opponent''s strength was obviously above Meridian Opening, and Xiang Beifei couldn''t see it nor could he infer anything from the name of the system. Next to this man named Ren Jianghai was a young man about Xiang Beifei''s age, who looked arrogant and somewhat slack in his demeanor. Xiang Beifei was slightly surprised because he saw the system interface of this person: [Host: Hou Chengwu] [SSR level, Shadow Saint System] [Realm: Late Qi Mastery] Huh? This guy, is he the SSR that Elder Luo mentioned? The genius Awakener who took a huge favor from Liangzhou University and then didn''t switch sides to Liangzhou University? This was Xiang Beifei''s first encounter with an SSR-level Awakener; up till now, he had only seen people with SR systems. Except for Elder Luo''s system, which was rather special and visible to him, the cultivation of other SR-level Awakeners was too high, beyond his sight. Let alone an SSR! However, it was clear that this SSR person appeared to be a freshman, and his cultivation was still within a range that he could see! "This fellow student looks familiar!" Ren Jianghai sized up Xiang Beifei and soon recalled something, revealing a smile that seemed mocking, "Got it, the freshman N-level student newly recruited by Liangzhou University this year, the one who was the top scorer originally, right?" Xiang Beifei''s photo was still circulating quite a bit. After he finished speaking, the SSR young man slightly frowned, turned his face to look at Xiang Beifei, and soon his eyes showed a trace of disdain. An N-level, what is he in front of an SSR? Chapter 147: Chapter 134: Shadow Saint "Mind your own damn business!" Elder Luo replied. "Of course it''s none of my business, but to think that Liangzhou University actually recruited an N-level student... Haha! What a fall from grace! Hou Chengwu, now you should realize how right your choice was." Ren Jianghai glanced lazily at Hou Chengwu. Hou Chengwu didn''t respond directly. Although he was an SSR, he hadn''t yet fully grown and couldn''t talk big to someone like Professor Luo. However, he snorted disdainfully through his nose. Xiang Beifei didn''t say anything, just curiously observing Hou Chengwu''s system. This was his first encounter with an SSR system. The opponent was only in the latter stages of Qi-Controlling, so Xiang Beifei could see exactly what the system was all about. [Shadow Saint System Overview: Anyone whose shadow you step on will silently be bound to you. For every advancement they make in their cultivation, you can plunder their cultivation for your own use, with the amount depending on the opponent''s status (this includes various attributes like strength, speed, etc.)] [Current shadows bound by your shadow: 1000/1000 (Qi-Controlling stage)] [Note: Try to bind and plunder people with high talent and rapid progression as your shadow servants. Do not attempt to bind someone whose cultivation level is a whole realm higher than yours.] ... After reading this system introduction, Xiang Beifei was quite amazed. The system that allowed S-level Liu Qianrou to plunder backups had already seemed very strange to Xiang Beifei, but this Shadow Saint system was even more terrifying! Hou Chengwu''s [SSR Shadow Saint System] actually plunders other people''s cultivation? That meant he didn''t need to cultivate at all; he just needed to bind those with good innate talent. People whose shadows he stepped on were essentially bound to him, turning into his shadow servants. As long as his shadow servants'' cultivation levels increased, so did his! Now, Hou Chengwu had already bound 1000 people, which was the maximum number of people he could bind at the Qi-Controlling stage. If he steps into the Meridian Opening stage, he would be able to bind 5000 people! If his cultivation reached the Meridian Opening stage, just by stepping on the shadows of 5000 people, these 5000 would essentially be helping him cultivate, and his future entry into the God Refining realm would almost entirely rely on plundering the cultivation of these 5000 people! "This ability is too overbearing," Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but think. Aside from not being able to plunder cultivation from someone a whole realm higher than himself, there were no flaws; it was purely about strengthening himself by plundering the cultivation of others! The most bizarre part was, as an SSR system, those bound as his shadow servants, with system levels inevitably lower than his, faced absolute suppression. Not even SR systems could resist, and they wouldn''t even realize they were bound! An SSR system, indeed excessively powerful! No wonder the higher the system''s level, the quicker the upgrade. Xiang Beifei thought Elder Luo''s [SR Leisure System] was already powerful, but the [SSR Shadow Saint System] was even more perverse! At present, a thousand people secretly bound by him were responsible for cultivating, while he just needed to plunder their cultivation and strengthen himself. While Xiang Beifei was looking, a line of data flashed in Hou Chengwu''s system¡ª [Liu Sa''s strength has just improved by 10 points, you''ve plundered 1 point of his strength] [Wang Minggui''s speed has just improved by 15 points, you''ve plundered 2 points of his speed] [Zhao Lina''s cultivation has just advanced from early Qi-Controlling to mid Qi-Controlling, you''ve plundered 42 points of her cultivation] ... The current strength diagram of Hou Chengwu is: [Cultivation: 2098/6000 (late Qi-Controlling stage)] [Strength: 899] [Speed: 658] [Intelligence: 127] ... This SSR system quantified every capability improvement of his shadow servants, including cultivation which could also be measured by data. He could also use these system points he plundered to enter lotteries or buy items in the store. In the world of systems, nearly everyone is doing system tasks every day, then strengthening themselves through these system tasks. However, those shadow servants whose system talents aren''t like Hou Chengwu''s, definitely wouldn''t expect that while they are getting stronger, their strength is quietly being stolen by the SSR! The amount of cultivation Hou Chengwu could plunder from a person wasn''t fixed, but as long as the data reached 6000 points, he could step into the Meridian Opening stage! It had only been two months, but Hou Chengwu had already plundered 2000 cultivation points through this powerful SSR system. With this momentum, reaching the Meridian Opening stage in half a year wasn''t out of the question! Xiang Beifei was genuinely surprised by Hou Chengwu''s system. However, he had already figured out who these two people were. This Ren Jianghai must be the teacher from Qingzhou University''s admissions office. Last night, the leaders of Liangzhou University had an unpleasant dispute with people from Qingzhou University, but Ren Jianghai dared to come, claiming it was a farewell visit, but in reality, he planned to provoke Elder Luo one more time with SSR Hou Chengwu before heading back. Elder Luo was likely so angry mainly because of this history with Ren Jianghai, and now being ridiculed, he had no way to refute it. Elder Luo''s face was grim, and he said sternly, "What students Liangzhou University recruits is none of your business! Just manage your own school''s students!" "Of course, our Qingzhou University doesn''t recruit N-level students! We only recruit absolute elites, like SSR Awakener Hou Chengwu." Chapter 148: Chapter 134: Shadow Saint_2 ``` Elder Luo glared at Hou Chengwu with a malevolent gaze, greatly disapproving of this SSR Hou Chengwu! Having promised to study at Liangzhou University and having taken all the benefits, and then being snatched away by Qingzhou University, he still had the audacity to appear before himself! Xiang Beifei was indifferent to whether or not Hou Chengwu wanted to study at Liangzhou University; he was merely curious about the SSR system and was observing it. But at this moment, he suddenly noticed a line of text appearing on Hou Chengwu''s system interface¡ª [A candidate with extraordinary potential for shadow servant detected] [Xiang Beifei: N-level Awakener, mid-stage Qi-Controlling] [Analysis: The progress of this person''s cultivation seems a bit fast; current analysis is inconclusive. According to rumors on the Liangzhou University forum, he has killed two desolate beasts in the late stage of Qi-Controlling, with a potential rating of 8. The target is merely an N-level system; the host could try to bind him] Hou Chengwu had also noticed this, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes! Xiang Beifei''s feat of killing desolate beasts had also been vaguely heard by people from other schools, but he never expected his SSR system would deem an N-level System Awakener to have enormous potential, moreover, a potential of 8 points? Is this a joke? He had stepped on the shadow of an S-level and only judged it to be 7 points, and yet an N-level was given 8 points? Hou Chengwu had been awakened to this SSR system for two months, and in these two months, whenever he encountered a person, his system would analyze their potential. The SSR system is a uniquely powerful system, and most people whose shadows he stepped on had a potential rating of over 5. The highest potential he had stepped on was from an SR system person, rated at 10 points. The higher the potential, the faster the cultivation progress, and the more one could contribute to his strength! "This N-level student has such strong potential?" Hou Chengwu wondered to himself. [Based on the descriptions of this student in the Liangzhou University tree hole, he can punch an S-level late Qi-Controlling Awakener flying, indicating great potential! Although he is N-level, his potential can be referenced against Liangzhou''s top leader, Shang Tianxiong. The analysis will not be wrong.] The system resolved Hou Chengwu''s doubts. Hou Chengwu''s eyes brightened! The SSR system is extremely precise and powerful; everyone whose shadow he had stepped on obediently became his shadow servant, surrendering their cultivation to him. He had never failed in plundering the cultivation of his shadow servants! Could the system really be comparing this N-level to someone as high as Shang Tianxiong? "Good!" Hou Chengwu''s gaze towards Xiang Beifei switched from disdain to something much more fervent! He trusted his system; if his SSR system thought Xiang Beifei might become the next Shang Tianxiong, then he must make his move on this person! "Too bad, maybe you could have become the second Shang Tianxiong, but you are only N-level. With me here, you won''t have the chance to become Shang Tianxiong. Hand over your cultivation obediently!" Hou Chengwu stared at Xiang Beifei and then sneered. Elder Luo and Ren Jianghai, who couldn''t see the system mission, didn''t know what Hou Chengwu was thinking; the two still stood in sharp opposition. "Liangzhou University has truly fallen to such lows, it''s regrettable. I have nothing more to say. Today, I came to bid farewell on behalf of our SSR Hou Chengwu. Hou Chengwu, shouldn''t you hurry and say goodbye to Professor Luo? After all, he took care of you once." Ren Jianghai said with a smile. "Professor Luo, until we meet again." Hou Chengwu said to Elder Luo. Elder Luo snorted coldly. "Hahaha!" Ren Jianghai laughed triumphantly and then headed towards the school gate. Hou Chengwu followed behind, but as he passed by Xiang Beifei, his foot inadvertently stepped on Xiang Beifei''s shadow. [Releasing the shadow servant with the lowest potential: Wang Li, potential 4] [You are preparing to forcibly bind a new shadow servant: Xiang Beifei, potential 8] [Binding successful!] [You have a new shadow servant: Xiang Beifei] [Current number of shadow servants: 1000] [The newly bound shadow servant can have its strength forcibly plundered; current loot value under analysis¡ª¡ª] [Xiang Beifei has provided you with 30 points of strength, 23 points of speed, 1 point of cultivation] [Note: If the potential is below 5, unbinding can occur at any time; if potential exceeds 5, unbinding requires stepping on the target''s shadow again] ``` ``` ... "Eh?" Hou Chengwu didn''t bother to glance at Xiang Beifei; he even stepped on Xiang Beifei''s shadow without pausing, an action that occurred in a mere instant and went unnoticed by everyone. But after passing by, he couldn''t help but turn back and take another look at Xiang Beifei, who appeared to be naively honest. Each time a new shadow servant is bound, he would steal a portion of their power, euphemistically calling it an "entrance fee." He would replace those with lower potential with those of higher potential. Typically, a new shadow servant would only add up to 15 points to his abilities, as he needed to ensure a steady progression. But to his surprise, as soon as he bound Xiang Beifei, he directly looted 30 points of strength and 23 points of speed! As for cultivation, it seemed to be only 1 point, which was a little less, but Hou Chengwu didn''t care. "I understand now! This one named Xiang Beifei must be a body cultivator! His cultivation hasn''t added much to me, but his strength and speed will bring me more benefits in the future!" Hou Chengwu saw that Xiang Beifei was still obliviously stroking his chin, deep in thought, and smiled with satisfaction in his heart: "Get stronger quickly! You naive N-level genius, the stronger you are, the more I gain, hehe!" ¡ª¡ª "Once you''ve bound me, you can''t unbind that easily!" Xiang Beifei watched Hou Chengwu, who was smugly self-satisfied, with contemplation. In the latter''s SSR system evaluation, his potential was an 8. To unbind, Hou Chengwu would have to find him and step on his shadow again. But how could Xiang Beifei possibly make it easy for him to step on his shadow again? Just now, the other party attempted to loot his speed, strength, and cultivation. Naturally, Xiang Beifei wouldn''t let himself be looted. Last time, after catching so many snakes, Xiaohei symbolically converted one of the early-stage Qi-Controlling Beast Pills into points for the other party''s system to loot, merely as a welcome gift. As for the benefits¡ª Xiang Beifei clenched his fist, and a strange aura swirled between his palms! The other party had looted 1 point of his cultivation. Currently, his cultivation points stood at +1, totaling 2099. That meant this point of cultivation had become a type of system reward¡ªif Xiang Beifei wished, he could completely take all of this fellow''s cultivation! He could even control this guy''s cultivation; for example, he could take away 100 points and make it 1999, which would demote Hou Chengwu''s cultivation to the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling. Or he could loot all 2099 points, leaving the other with no cultivation at all! Not just cultivation but also strength, speed... "Tsk tsk, that''s quite a profit." Xiang Beifei could only convert the other''s cultivation into spiritual power crystals; he couldn''t use it to enhance his own cultivation. However, this was enough; spiritual power crystals were valuable, used to assist in absorbing and improving one''s cultivation. "If you want to steal someone else''s cultivation, be prepared to have yours stolen!" Xiang Beifei murmured to himself. Messing with him was a big mistake; the SSR system of this ultimate genius was practically wasted! A mage''s power always surpasses that of a demon''s. A looter has encountered the ultimate looter. He wasn''t worried about the other party discovering anything. After all, Hou Chengwu was from Qingzhou University and didn''t attend school here, so they wouldn''t normally cross paths. Xiaohei was rolling on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, baring its teeth and laughing loudly. It initially wanted to just take away the other person''s cultivation, but Xiang Beifei stopped it. Grabbing the other''s property right after being bound would raise suspicions. Keep a low profile! There''s no rush; after a while, once Hou Chengwu has nearly forgotten about him, Xiaohei can collect the delivery! Yes, just shear a little wool at a time. One mustn''t be too greedy, but aim for a steady supply. ¡ª¡ª "That bastard Ren Jianghai! He even made a point of showing off in front of me before he left!" Elder Luo was furious! If it hadn''t been for the fact that they were still at the school gate where a scuffle would look bad, he might have gone straight up and punched Ren Jianghai. "Elder Luo, do you want me to vent for you? I can settle that SSR with one punch," Xiang Beifei offered. Elder Luo had been so hospitable in offering him seeds to eat, so Xiang Beifei couldn''t just eat them for free! Elder Luo, thinking quickly, said, "No, no, I was just joking with you. They are now in the late stage of Qi-Controlling, SSR-level cultivators in the late stage of Qi-Controlling, not something that S-level cultivators like Xiong Meng and Guo Han in the late stage of Qi-Controlling can compare with. You can''t just pick a fight with them; if you come out worse, it would only serve to confirm the speculations of those people." The gap in strength is significant even among those in the late stage of Qi-Controlling, especially between the S and SSR levels with a difference in talent of many degrees. It''s likely that Xiong Meng wouldn''t be able to defeat a new SSR-level student. Although Elder Luo verbally expressed a desire for Xiang Beifei to take action, he truly did not want Xiang Beifei to be at a disadvantage. ``` Chapter 149: Chapter 135: The more I think about it, the more I feel at a loss after stepping back ``` Can''t defeat him? Xiang Beifei seriously pondered this question. SSR is indeed a genius! But so what! In his eyes, it''s just for fleecing! Especially with an SSR-level talent like this, completing system tasks is extremely simple, finishing one task after another effortlessly. Currently, this Hou Chengwu dares to bind with him without knowing what''s coming; he will fleece so much from this SSR that it will start doubting its own existence! "You believe in my potential, right?" Xiang Beifei said. "But not like this! We aren''t strong enough right now. It''s okay to suffer some setbacks and be underestimated. We need to keep a low profile, accumulate strength quietly, endure humiliations, and then, with patience and time..." The more Luo Laotou spoke towards the end, the deeper his frown became. The more he thought about restraining himself temporarily, the angrier he got! The more he thought about stepping back, the greater the loss seemed! "Dammit, I can''t take it anymore! Do whatever you want to them! While there''s still a chance in the Qi-Controlling stage, if they advance too quickly in their cultivation, opportunities will grow slimmer!" Luo Laotou said angrily as he rolled up his sleeves. He was quite optimistic about Xiang Beifei''s strength. After analyzing how Xiang Beifei killed the Triangular Thunder Krait, he realized Xiang Beifei could likely defeat almost anyone in the late stages of Qi-Controlling, even though he was only in the mid-stages himself. And SSR Awakeners are only in the late stages of Qi-Controlling, who knows, they might step into the Meridian Opening stage soon, and by then, Xiang Beifei might not be able to beat them. So, revenge needed to be taken sooner rather than later. "Alright then! I will definitely take revenge for you!" Xiang Beifei nodded. Elder Luo had already made trouble with some of the leaders at Liangzhou University for him; he couldn''t just stand by and do nothing. Hou Chengwu was almost dealt with, and if there was a chance, he would go after Chen Baiwen. Observing that there was no one around, Luo Laotou then quietly asked, "What''s your plan for dealing with them? Are you going to hit them?" After a long pause, he added, "I''m not saying you can''t hit them, giving them a beating is fine, but you must run away fast after! Make sure they can''t recognize you, otherwise, there''ll be trouble. Us elders cannot intervene because of our status, and those two universities are now protecting them. They''re especially on guard against us!" It seemed Luo Laotou wasn''t exactly law-abiding in his youth, even teaching how to fight while also reminding to protect oneself. "I won''t tell you the plan. Students should handle student matters; you just pretend you don''t know anything," Xiang Beifei said. "Haha! Lad, that''s the spirit! The more I see of you, the more I like you, hahaha!" Elder Luo patted Xiang Beifei on the shoulder, acknowledging that the nine elite schools were still nominally brother schools, and it was inappropriate for teachers to resolve conflicts, but it was different for students. A little scuffle between students was nothing unusual ¨C if I beat you, it just proves our school''s students are stronger! After a moment, Elder Luo added, "Actually, you''re not in a rush. In half a year, our nine elite universities will hold an exchange competition for new students. It''s ostensibly about exchange, but really, it''s to showcase the comprehensive strength of each school''s new students. Then you''ll see if you get the chance to come across this Hou Chengwu on stage and give him a good thrashing!" "The new student exchange competition in half a year?" Xiang Beifei thought about it. He could control Hou Chengwu''s cultivation level; if nothing went wrong, Hou Chengwu should be in the Meridian Opening stage by then. If he encounters him on stage, manipulating his cultivation level... Hmm. Interesting. "That''s settled then! I will definitely train you to reach the late stages of Qi-Controlling in this half a year!" Luo Laotou said enthusiastically, rubbing his hands together, full of confidence! ---- Throughout the entire summer break, Xiang Beifei spent almost all his time with Luo Laotou, who even arranged his dormitory for him in advance, allowing him to move into the freshmen dormitory directly during the summer. This gave him even more time to cultivate, saving Xiang Beifei the two-hour commute back and forth every day. Though Luo Laotou spent his days doing exceedingly mundane things, it didn''t stop him from being a powerful cultivator. His control and insight into spiritual power were very unique, even providing Xiang Beifei with new understanding into Rapid Flame. Luo Laotou thought it might take Xiang Beifei up to half a year to reach the late stage of Qi-Controlling, but he still underestimated Xiang Beifei. Under Luo Laotou''s guidance, Xiang Beifei''s cultivation progressed at incredible speed, and by the end of August, as school was about to start, he finally broke through to the late stage of Qi-Controlling in his dormitory! This was an astounding achievement! Apart from SSR and UR Awakeners, no one else had managed to reach late-stage Qi-Controlling in such a short time! And even for S-rank Awakeners, reaching the late stage of Qi-Controlling had taken a full year! Xiang Beifei was also quite pleased, because this meant he could light up the fourth constellation. He had long prepared the spiritual power crystals required to light up the constellations for the late stage of Qi-Controlling. The Amulet from Qin Yi, the Qi and Blood Pill from Yang Hua, the Qi-Raising Talisman from Yu Lei, and the Hetu tortoise shell gifted by Principal Li Nanxing. In fact, he didn''t really need these items at the moment because he had also killed two late-stage Qi-Controlling Triangular Thunder Kraits and a Fire Snake; their Beast Pills were also suitable for lighting up the constellations. After some thought, he decided to keep Qin Yi''s Amulet and the Hetu tortoise shell given by Principal Li Nanxing for protection and used the Beast Pills from the Triangular Thunder Kraits instead. The constellations on the Spirit Gathering Book glittered, and he activated the fourth ability for the Qi-Controlling period¡ª [Fang Constellation: Light as a Feather, Heavy as Mount Tai] [Ability description: Control over weight, limited to application on external objects] ``` Chapter 150: Chapter 135: The more I think about it, the more I feel at a loss after stepping back_2 This ability made Xiang Beifei feel rather magical. Being lighter than a feather or heavier than Mount Tai could apply weight to anything. If one''s cultivation was strong enough, even a palm-sized pebble could be made as heavy as a mountain! Of course, the weight one could control was linked to one''s own cultivation level. Xiang Beifei tried out this ability and found that he could currently control a weight of around one hundred pounds! In other words, he could make a feather weigh a hundred pounds, or make something weighing a hundred pounds as light as a feather. With higher cultivation, the controllable weight would be even greater. "Being able to control weight is a great thing!" Xiang Beifei didn''t disdain any ability; of course, all these abilities were just supplementary to him. If he wanted to become stronger, he still needed to rely on his own cultivation! There were only a few days left before school started, and Xiang Beifei was pondering that he should also start preparing for school. But at this moment, he received a call from Lu Zhiwei. "Hello, Beifei! Are you up for making twenty thousand?" "I am!" Xiang Beifei stretched lazily. Although with Elder Luo around, tuition fees and such were not a big problem, money was something no one would ever find excessive. "Quick to respond! I''m below your dorm building, come down!" Lu Zhiwei said on the phone. "Early." Xiang Beifei replied. Lu Zhiwei was dressed in a light yellow short-sleeved shirt today, paired with casual pants, and her hair was tied into a ponytail, clean and fresh. She was riding a red motorcycle, its body shining bright like flames, quite stylish indeed. "Let''s not dawdle, we have a person to catch," Lu Zhiwei said seriously. "Who are we catching?" Xiang Beifei asked, curious. "A crafty guy, ranging within our jurisdiction," Lu Zhiwei clenched her fist, then looked at Xiang Beifei, "You''re free today, right? I haven''t come to bother you these past few days." "I''m free, what''s his strength?" Xiang Beifei needed to consider the gap between enemy and ally before deciding whether to take the risk. Making money was important, but the prerequisite was to stay alive. Otherwise, running into someone with the power of Lai Wuying and without Lu Hong as backup, just the two of them going in would be akin to seeking death. "They say he''s at the late stage of Qi-Controlling! He showed up in the southern jurisdiction last month, and though he got away, the Law Enforcers from there sent word that he''s at the late stage of Qi-Controlling," Lu Zhiwei informed. "A late-stage Qi-Controlling managed to escape?" "The criminals on the wanted list are no simple matter; otherwise, why would they be on the list? They all have very tricky systems, and when facing Law Enforcers in the Meridian Opening phase, even if they can''t win, they can still run," she explained. Lu Zhiwei rubbed her hands together eagerly and looked at Xiang Beifei with anticipation, "But we have you!" Xiang Beifei felt quite the headache, they really took him for a master detective! After thinking a bit, he asked, "This one has a ten thousand reward, right?" "All you think about is money," she chided. "No money, no deal," Xiang Beifei declared. Lu Zhiwei pouted and said, "Of course, it''s there. Ordinary citizens who help capture criminals always get a reward. This criminal is ranked seventy-ninth on the wanted list, weaker than Lai Wuying, but still worth a bounty of twenty thousand." "Deal!" Xiang Beifei nodded slightly, then asked, "What are the specifics?" Lu Zhiwei took out some documents and handed them to Xiang Beifei, "Early this morning, someone reported a car accident on the highway, a cruise ship hit a sedan." "A cruise ship hit a sedan on the highway?" Xiang Beifei raised an eyebrow. That''s quite the thrill, isn''t it? "Yes, according to eyewitnesses, they saw a cruise ship traveling along the road, and then it suddenly crashed into the lead car, sending it spinning in the air several times and turning into a heap of scrap metal," Lu Zhiwei elaborated. "And then?" "The people in the car vanished, and after the cruise ship hit the sedan, it disappeared too. My dad is still at the crime scene investigating. What we can preliminarily confirm is that this guy is the ''Highway Cruise Ship Killer'', a fugitive on the wanted list. But there''s no other progress beyond that, so I snuck off to find you." Lu Zhiwei handed Xiang Beifei a piece of information with an introduction to the "Highway Cruise Ship Killer". "That''s a really strange name." Xiang Beifei looked over the information about the Highway Cruise Ship Killer. This guy didn''t have a real face, but there were photos of the cruise ship. It was a white cruise ship, its white paint peeling off, looking like it had seen better days¡ªwith no identification on it, just an ordinary, old cruise ship. In the photo, the cruise ship was captured traveling on the highway, looking particularly eerie. "Here''s some surveillance footage from past incidents, pretty similar to this one, but we just can''t capture who this person is." Lu Zhiwei passed her phone to Xiang Beifei and tapped on the video screen. Although it was night, the video was fairly clear because the surveillance was created with high-tech systems, so it was still very clear and even had sound. In the video, several sedans drove along the highway, looking normal, but at this moment, the car in front suddenly honked loudly, even starting to slow down and hitting the brakes as if to make way for something. A cruise ship came into view at the end of the highway. The appearance of the cruise ship into the camera''s frame was sudden, completely dark with no lights, speeding along the highway like a ghostly shadow. Next, the light in the video frame suddenly dimmed, as though something interfered with the filming. The light around the cruise ship seemed to be absorbed by it, then it quickly crashed into one of the red sedans, cutting the vehicle in half. The strangest part was that the red sedan wasn''t at the front¡ªit had other cars in front of it. However, the highway cruise ship moved like a ghost, nimbly dodging through a row of cars, like an experienced driver on the highway, avoiding the other vehicles before hitting that one sedan in the stream of cars. "It seems to have a specific target. Who was sitting in that sedan?" Xiang Beifei asked, pointing to the video. "Its targets are always couples!" Lu Zhiwei said. "Couples?" "Yes, we can''t find the people, so we can only deduce from missing persons cases, every time the sedan that was hit happened to have a couple in it." Lu Zhiwei said, "That''s why this guy is also called the Highway Couples Killer by us!" Xiang Beifei nodded thoughtfully, "Turns out being single has its benefits." Lu Zhiwei''s eyes widened, "Hey, is that the point!" Xiang Beifei calmly asked, "Have none of the victims been found?" Lu Zhiwei shook her head, "All the cases are very strange. Every time a cruise ship hits a car on the highway, there are no bloodstains left inside. It''s like the car was empty, as if the people inside vanished the moment they were hit." Could there really be such a bizarre thing? Xiang Beifei was deep in thought, considering which systems could achieve this. But so far, he hadn''t encountered many powerful systems. The ones that had left the deepest impression on him were probably Thousand Faces Refined and the Reclamation System; it was hard to determine without checking the crime scene. "Let''s go have a look." Xiang Beifei said. "Let''s go." Lu Zhiwei tossed a helmet to Xiang Beifei and donned one herself. With a confident flick of her hair, she motioned for Xiang Beifei to hop on. "I always feel like it''s never good news when I run into you." Xiang Beifei muttered, sitting behind Lu Zhiwei. "Hold onto me tight! We''re going to act like a sweet little couple! Maybe then that cruise ship will come hit us." Lu Zhiwei said nonchalantly. Xiang Beifei: "..." Lu Zhiwei was very bold. As a talented student from Liangzhou University, an S-rank Awakener, and with the Super Police System, she was extremely skilled in every aspect except reasoning. But she knew Xiang Beifei was even more powerful. After all, he had once killed a Triangular Thunder Krait in a single strike, so she had great confidence in Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei didn''t say much. As he sat behind Lu Zhiwei, he hesitated and stretched out his hand, gesturing, pondering where to place it respectfully. But Lu Zhiwei had already floored the accelerator, speeding off! The huge inertia almost threw Xiang Beifei off, and he instinctively hugged Lu Zhiwei''s waist tight. Quite slender, indeed. Chapter 151: Chapter 136: Crime Scene "First time on a motorcycle? Why so tense?" Lu Zhiwei laughed loudly. "Do you take people out every day?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Not really, but I did give a ride to a few dummies who forgot their admission tickets recently. They wanted to hug me, but I kicked them out. Did they think they could just hug me? It was good enough that I used my spiritual power to drag them along!" Lu Zhiwei hummed and hawed. Xiang Beifei: "..." He wondered if he was considered to be hugging her now. Lu Zhiwei didn''t seem to care how Xiang Beifei placed his hands. She rode very fast, her hair fluttering wildly in front of her eyes. Two months ago, she had short hair, but now she had suddenly grown it long, and it fluttered so much that Xiang Beifei''s helmet made a clattering sound. He tried using "Abruptly Stop," and the fluttering hair immediately fixed itself in midair. This ability was quite useful. Lu Zhiwei seemed unaware as she turned the motorcycle towards the highway outside the city. Soon, the urban area was far behind them, and they sped along the highway with fewer and fewer cars in sight. About half an hour later, they arrived at yesterday''s crime scene, where the road had already been cordoned off with police tape. Law enforcement officers were examining the scene. On the road, a sedan had been smashed into a heap of scrap metal, charred black and slightly smoking, with pieces of its bumper scattered all around¡ªa gruesome sight. Drones flew back and forth above, and dense woods bordered the highway on both sides. The drones navigated through the trees, searching extensively across the area. "Brother Ma, any progress?" Lu Zhiwei parked the motorcycle on the side of the road, took off her helmet, and asked Ma Feiguang, who was nearby. "Xiao Wei, you''re here!" Ma Feiguang was maintaining the order of the passing vehicles. His gaze soon fell on Xiang Beifei, and his eyes brightened instantly: "Ah! The Silhouette Detective is also here!" "Silhouette Detective, how do you plan to solve the case this time?" Xiao Cao also ran over from a distance, looking at Xiang Beifei with anticipation. "What a strange name." Xiang Beifei wasn''t quite used to this title yet and asked, "By the way, where''s Uncle Lu?" "He and some others are searching in the woods." Ma Feiguang pointed toward the woods on the left, then turned to Xiang Beifei, "It''s okay, you can start by looking at the accident scene." Normally, such a crime scene would not allow bystanders, but Ma Feiguang obviously didn''t consider Xiang Beifei an outsider. Having such a talented young man to assist in solving the case was extremely efficient. Xiang Beifei crossed the police line and approached the wrecked sedan. Other law enforcement officers also quickly gathered around, ready to observe how the "Silhouette Detective" would showcase his skills. Last time, Xiang Beifei had merely glanced a few times before closing the case, astonishing everyone and leaving them reminiscing to this day. Now, their expectations for Xiang Beifei were very high. Xiang Beifei didn''t pay attention to these officers; his gaze lingered on the sedan for a moment. Since advancing to the later stages of Qi-Controlling, his Perception had become much stronger. Lately, he had also been learning about spiritual power with Elder Luo, and he could sense any anomaly created by the System. The sedan in front of him had been split from the front, like a sharp incision had cut the car in half, similar to the scene displayed in the video. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei jumped onto the scrap metal from his shoulder, gesticulating wildly with his paws. "Is there something unusual about the space around here?" Xiang Beifei stood up and looked around. He could faintly sense something rippling nearby, overlapping with the visible scene, very vague. It was a fluctuation formed by the System, apparently, someone had used the system to mask this area. "Have you not noticed some strange fluctuations around here?" Xiang Beifei asked. Ma Feiguang and Xiao Cao looked at each other and shook their heads slightly, but Xiao Cao said, "Captain Lu also mentioned a strange fluctuation earlier; he felt it!" Lu Hong was an S-level Investigation System, with very strong perception abilities. Lu Zhiwei was taking notes rapidly on the side, recording every move Xiang Beifei made. Then she looked up seriously, "I felt it too." Although Lu Zhiwei''s deductive abilities were somewhat poor, she was part of the Super Police System and also had strong perception abilities. Ma Feiguang and Xiao Cao''s systems weren''t investigative, so their perceptual abilities weren''t as strong as those of Xiang Beifei and Lu Zhiwei. "What are you all doing standing around here? Don''t you have your own work to do?" Lu Hong emerged from the woods, saw everyone gathered, and immediately shouted. "Captain Lu, we were just learning how the Silhouette Detective solves cases! Last time, he pinpointed the perpetrator with just one look," Xiao Cao explained sheepishly. "Last time was last time. Do you think the guy who hit someone would still be around this time? Don''t crowd around here, go do your work," Lu Hong said sternly. Ma Feiguang and the others could only disperse grudgingly and attend to their own tasks. Although Lu Hong had a stern face, seeing his daughter bring Xiang Beifei here, he soon revealed a smile: "Beifei, I heard you were admitted to Liangzhou University. Xiao Wei mentioned it to me, and I haven''t had the chance to congratulate you yet!" "Congratulations to Uncle Lu as well," Xiang Beifei said. "Haha, you noticed that?" Lu Hong laughed and was quite grateful to Xiang Beifei. His feedback on the last case of Rapid Flame had earned him an advanced pill, and now his abilities had reached the middle stage of Meridian Opening! After a while, he sized up Xiang Beifei again: "Impressive, I feel like I can see through you even less these days." Lu Zhiwei said, "He''s been studying these last few days with an old security guard from our school. That security guard seems very powerful. Last time, for Beifei''s sake, he even dared to scold Yuchi Shen. I had no idea before!" Chapter 152: Chapter 136: Crime Scene_2 Xiang Beifei indeed knew a bit; Elder Luo was once a professor at Liangzhou University. Later, when he lost interest in teaching, he just hung onto the title. In recent years, he became so idle he took on a job as a security guard, spending his days counting students at the school gate. Most students didn''t recognize the old man or take him seriously. "The old security guard? Who is that?" Lu Hong asked, looking at Xiang Beifei. "His surname is Luo, probably used to be a teacher," Xiang Beifei said. "Surname Luo? Luo Yunxian, Professor Luo?" Lu Hong exclaimed in surprise. Lu Zhiwei asked doubtfully, "Dad, do you know that security guard?" "More than ten years ago, when I was studying at Liangzhou University, he was still a professor. He was straightforward but extremely powerful! At that time, among the nine universities, he had a fierce reputation! Once, on a field practice in the desolate wilderness, I saw him spit out a sunflower seed shell and obliterate a desolate beast that was equivalent to the early stage of God Refining! To this day, it seems no one knows his true cultivation level!" Lu Hong said with an air of admiration. When Lu Hong spoke of Elder Luo, he was clearly amazed. Elder Luo''s cultivation level was definitely high, but how high it actually was, even Xiang Beifei didn''t know. Although he could see Elder Luo''s system value, Elder Luo''s system was quite special. Normally he would add skill points randomly out of boredom, and whenever he wanted to show his true power, he''d respec, and the system interface would become invisible. To this day, Xiang Beifei still had no way to estimate Elder Luo''s true cultivation level based on his system value. "Then why did he become a security guard?" Lu Zhiwei asked, puzzled. In her view, an SR-level Awakener should be the star wherever they go. If he went to serve in the Jiuzhou Alliance, countless people should be vying for him. "I think it''s probably because of that incident a few years ago?" Lu Hong said. After some thought, Lu Hong added, "I remember it was six years ago! There was a large-scale beast tide that broke out. Desolate beasts attacked our alliance''s borders. I heard that the Jiuzhou Alliance asked him to command the battle, but in the process, a very powerful SSR died!" "An SSR died?" Lu Zhiwei inhaled sharply, "What was his cultivation level? How could he be killed by a desolate beast?" Six years ago, when the beast tide from the wilderness attacked the borders of Jiuzhou territory, they were too young. When the air-raid alarm sounded, all martial artists went to battle, and those who were old, weak, or young were taken underground to take shelter just in case. "I don''t know the specifics, but I heard from a friend serving in the Jiuzhou Alliance that the SSR didn''t die at the hands of a desolate beast but was executed by him according to military law! Apparently, the SSR was very arrogant, did not obey his orders as an SR, was insubordinate, and acted unilaterally, leading to a breach in the borders. When the beast tide poured in, hundreds of defenders died, including SR and S-grade martial artists. In his wrath, he killed that SSR on the spot!" Lu Zhiwei''s eyes widened. SSRs are very rare Awakeners; the entire Jiuzhou typically wouldn''t see more than ten SSR awakenings in a year. Each SSR is extremely powerful, and just like that, he killed one? "Yes, I heard at the time that many high-ranking officials of the Jiuzhou Alliance tried to stop him, wanting to plead for the SSR. After all, he was a top talent with extraordinary potential, hoping he would show leniency. But Professor Luo showed no mercy and killed the SSR in one strike! However, it also stirred up a lot of trouble, as many in the Jiuzhou Alliance had grievances against him. But he couldn''t be blamed because stopping the beast tide was credited to him, so they couldn''t do much about him. But since then, it seemed he was ostracized by the Jiuzhou Alliance, and after that, I hadn''t heard any news about him, only to find out now that he had returned to the university to work as a security guard, sigh," Lu Hong expressed with a sigh. During the beast tide invasion on the alliance borders that year, he was also part of the defenders and participated in the defense. However, he was guarding another side of the battlefield and had not seen Elder Luo face-to-face. But he greatly admired someone like Elder Luo; on the battlefield, those who don''t follow the rules should be executed on the spot, no matter if they''re SR or SSR! Elder Luo always had a straightforward temper; Xiang Beifei wasn''t surprised he would execute an insubordinate SSR. Suddenly, Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen came to his mind. These two new SSRs of this year thought highly of their talents, were dishonest, accepted the school''s scholarship, agreed to attend Liangzhou University, then turned tail at the last minute. No wonder Elder Luo was so angry. It''s also fortunate that this was about schooling, not battlefield conduct. Elder Luo just got angry for a while and couldn''t be bothered with them. Otherwise, these two ignorant SSRs wouldn''t even know how they died. "Anyway, we don''t understand the world of the powerful ones! He must have chosen to retire afterward, contributing his remaining energy by helping to guard the school; I didn''t even know he became a security guard," Lu Hong said with another sigh, then turned to Xiang Beifei, "You should learn well from him! And Xiao Wei, when you encounter him in the future, you also need to be more polite, and never judge a book by its cover." "Oh, I understand," Lu Zhiwei nodded then looked seriously at Xiang Beifei. "What is it?" Xiang Beifei felt uncomfortable being stared at. "My dad said not to judge a book by its cover." "So?" "I already judged you by your cover in the past!" Lu Zhiwei said earnestly, "Now I''m thinking about how to really ''get'' you." Before Xiang Beifei had killed a Triangular Thunder Krait with a single dagger, she had no idea how strong Xiang Beifei was. Even now, she didn''t know how strong he really was. "Oh." Xiang Beifei found her words a bit odd, so he said, "Let''s focus on solving the case at hand first! Uncle Lu, have you found any clues after searching this area?" ``` "We still can''t be sure, this area is covered by something very strange, and I haven''t found the source yet," Lu Hong shook his head. "I used the ravens to search the entire area, and I even scanned it, but I didn''t see anything abnormal. I can''t even determine where exactly that cruise ship came from." "What about the information on the two missing people?" "Still looking. The car was hit so badly and it caught fire, everything got burned, including the license plate which is hard to recognize now. Xiao Cao is using technical means to restore it. He''s good at this kind of thing and should have some results soon. Once he confirms it, we''ll be able to find out who the missing persons are," Lu Hong explained. Xiang Beifei nodded thoughtfully, but at this moment, Xiaohei barked twice, pointing in the direction of the woods, and then dashed into the thicket. "Let''s go have a look over there." Xiang Beifei stepped over the police line, chasing after Xiaohei. Lu Hong and Lu Zhiwei exchanged glances and hastily followed. The woods had no clear path; the ground was covered with thorny shrubs and weeds. The trees were tall and dense, intertwining with one another, greatly obstructing the view. Xiaohei swiftly darted through the forest. If it weren''t for Xiang Beifei''s connection with it, he would have likely lost track of it. Xiaohei didn''t run far, just for a short while, then it stopped on a rock by a white birch tree. At that moment, a rapid breathing sound suddenly came from ahead, as if someone was running at high speed. Whoosh! A figure darted out of the woods toward Xiang Beifei. "Someone''s here," Xiang Beifei whispered sharply. "Where?" Lu Hong and Lu Zhiwei instantly became alert, searching around for the figure. Xiang Beifei climbed up a small slope, and soon he saw what was happening ahead. What appeared before him was a woman in her twenties running through the woods, but what surprised him was that her figure was flickering in and out of visibility. Moreover, she seemed to ignore the trees, passing directly through the trunks as though¡ª she were a ghost. Xiang Beifei saw the woman''s system interface. [Host: He Yun] [N level, Fashion Design System] [Realm: Early Qi-Controlling] "Save me!" The woman named He Yun seemed to have also seen Xiang Beifei, she cried out frantically to him. Xiang Beifei frowned slightly, looking down at He Yun''s feet. Somehow, she was stepping on thin air, but clearly struggling to climb upwards, her hands tightly grasping at nothing as if she was clinging to an invisible rock. Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, she suddenly burst into tears of joy. "Save me! There''s a desolate beast! It''s chasing me!" He Yun looked back in panic, scrambling a couple of steps upward, but seemed unable to get a firm grip. She screamed miserably and slid down. Hum! He Yun''s figure fell from the air to the ground and instantly disappeared. "Uncle Lu, that woman!" Xiang Beifei turned and spoke. But when he turned back, he found no one there! Xiang Beifei was slightly taken aback. Where were Lu Hong and his daughter? ``` Chapter 153: Chapter 137: Falling into the Dirt Haunted. Just a few seconds ago, Lu Hong and Lu Zhiwei were clearly right behind him. How could they have suddenly disappeared? Xiang Beifei frowned. Honestly, ever since he entered this forest, he had felt that the atmosphere around him was a bit eerie. The system fluctuations were very strong, as if something was enveloping the area, rendering the forest surreal. Xiaohei "swooshed" onto Xiang Beifei''s shoulder and clung tightly to his neck. "Xiaohei, what''s going on? Where are Uncle Lu and Lu Zhiwei?" Xiang Beifei inquired. Xiaohei shook his head, seemingly also confused. Xiang Beifei''s attention had been drawn away by a woman named He Yun just now, neglecting what was behind him, but Lu Hong and Lu Zhiwei were supposed to be just five steps behind him, so how could they just vanish? He turned around and looked at the slope behind him. He had been at the base of the slope because he''d heard a noise and climbed up. At that time, Uncle Lu and the others were still beside him, but when he got to the top, he saw the ghostly figure of the woman, who called out to him for help. He alerted Uncle Lu, and Uncle Lu had responded. In less than ten seconds from the woman appearing to her disappearing, how could they disappear in such a short span? Xiang Beifei leaped down the slope, watching his surroundings warily, then whispered, "Uncle Lu?" No one answered. "Lu Zhiwei?" Still no response. It was as if the two of them had vanished into thin air. The forest was eerily silent, only the rustling of leaves in the wind. But soon, amidst these rustling noises, Xiang Beifei thought he heard something strange. The sound... was like the waves crashing against the rocks! "Why would there be the sound of waves?" Xiang Beifei found it odd. This place was a forest, with the nearest coastline being hundreds of kilometers away. There couldn''t possibly be waves nearby. "Xiaohei, what were you chasing to get here?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Woof woof." "And the scent?" "Woof woof!" "It disappeared?" After contemplating for a moment, Xiang Beifei decided that something peculiar was going on in this area. He resolved to return to the road to see if he could find Xiao Cao and Ma Feiguang to help search together. He retraced the route they had originally taken, moving through the thorns to head back. However, after a few steps, he increasingly felt that something was amiss. For some reason, the light between the trees would occasionally appear distorted, becoming very strange. With no one around, it seemed like something was watching him from the dark. He seemed to understand something. "Xiang Beifei! Where are you?" At that moment, Xiang Beifei suddenly heard Lu Zhiwei''s voice coming from the trees to his right. He perked up immediately and turned toward the source of the sound, running. The ground in the forest was uneven. He ran forward for a while and soon saw Lu Zhiwei. "Where did you go just now?" Xiang Beifei approached Lu Zhiwei. "I should ask you the same; you suddenly disappeared." Lu Zhiwei was standing on a branch two meters high and then reached out a hand, saying, "Hurry, come up. What are you doing running down in the ditch?" What running in the ditch? Xiang Beifei felt puzzled; he looked around, and clearly, it was an open field. How could it be a ditch? "You come down, standing on a tree and¡ª" Xiang Beifei hadn''t finished speaking when he suddenly realized something and looked at Lu Zhiwei''s feet in astonishment. Lu Zhiwei was not standing on the branch. Her feet were clearly a distance away from the branch. She was suspended in midair! "What are you dazed for? Is it fun being stuck in the mud?" Lu Zhiwei waved her hand, beckoning Xiang Beifei to hurry up. Xiang Beifei felt increasingly uneasy. He hesitated for a moment but still reached out to grab Lu Zhiwei''s hand. However, their hands passed through each other in midair. Xiang Beifei''s hand grasped nothing! It was as if Lu Zhiwei was just a shadow, impossible to hold! "This¡ª" Lu Zhiwei also paused, stunned. She tried to grab Xiang Beifei''s hand again, but their hands crossed paths again in the air. "What''s happening? What ability did you use?" Lu Zhiwei asked in astonishment. "It''s not me; there''s something strange here," Xiang Beifei said gravely. Lu Zhiwei squatted down, looking at Xiang Beifei puzzledly. She tried several times to grab his hand but failed, and her face gradually turned uneasy. "What''s wrong?" "Behind you! Watch out!" Lu Zhiwei yelled. Chapter Explore: Xiang Beifei swiftly turned around, breath soil had already transformed into a dagger in his hand, and a flame arose on his arm. However, there was nothing behind him! Lu Zhiwei shouted from above, "Run! What are you dazed for? The desolate beast is coming at you!" "I can''t see any desolate beast!" Xiang Beifei said sternly. This wasn''t the outer wilderness; normally, the chances of a desolate beast appearing weren''t very high. Last time, a person named Xu Yang had attacked him with a mutated stray dog, but that was no desolate beast. "It''s roaring at you; wait, I''ll jump down and join you," Lu Zhiwei said. Xiang Beifei thought of something and yelled, "Wait, don''t jump!" But it was already a step too late; Lu Zhiwei had jumped from the tree. Her figure hit the ground and then disappeared straight into the earth. Just like that woman named He Yun! "Lu Zhiwei?" Xiang Beifei ran forward a few steps and knocked on the ground where Lu Zhiwei had just disappeared. But the ground was only a muddy patch of grass, very moist. Lu Zhiwei had landed there, but no footprints were left. Using the tree trunks as a slight leverage, he channeled Spiritual Power into his feet and flipped onto the branch where Lu Zhiwei had just been standing, then looked down. Chapter 154: Chapter 137: Falling into the Ground_2 But he saw nothing. Lu Zhiwei seemed to have fallen to the ground, and then disappeared. "What in the world is this thing." Xiang Beifei jumped back down to the ground. However, he landed steadily on the ground, not sinking into the earth like Lu Zhiwei. Xiang Beifei crouched down and dug through the dirt with breath soil, creating a small hole, hoping to find something in the soil. But other than some dried leaves and grass roots, there were only some pebbles and dirt. Still, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. He calmed down and began to think about the current situation, analyzing all the clues he had gathered in detail. A ship suddenly appeared on the highway and collided with a sedan. Xiaohei sensed something strange here, and then they tracked it to this place, where they saw a woman named He Yun being chased by a desolate beast. But she was stepping on air, seemingly trying to climb upward, yet she didn''t get very high before falling down. And like before, she fell into the ground and disappeared! Soon after, Uncle Lu and Lu Zhiwei both vanished as if some ability had separated them. Then he heard the sound of waves. And then Lu Zhiwei''s voice calling for him. After finding Lu Zhiwei, the same situation occurred again. Did Lu Zhiwei also jump into the ground and disappear? Xiang Beifei was certain that this area must have been affected by some kind of system ability! In other words, the person who attacked that car last night must still be lingering nearby, but even Uncle Lu''s raven couldn''t detect his presence¡ªwhat kind of system is that? Is it a kind of system that involves space overlap? Of all the space-related systems he had encountered, the one that left the deepest impression on him was the Reclamation System, which could even reclaim a space from something as small as a piece of chewing gum. Clearly, this place was also covered with a layer of special system space, but Uncle Lu''s raven failed to work and couldn''t detect any anomalies. To block the raven, the system level had to be at least the same as Uncle Lu''s, or perhaps an SR-level that could shield against Uncle Lu''s S-level. But he distinctly remembered Lu Zhiwei mentioning that another jurisdiction''s law enforcement officer said that this guy was only in the later stages of Qi-Controlling. How could a system awakened in the later stages of Qi-Controlling possibly elude the raven''s detection? "Specifically targeting couples, could it really have mistaken me and Lu Zhiwei for a couple?" Xiang Beifei stroked his chin, analyzing the current situation. If the criminal truly was just in the later stages of Qi-Controlling, then he should be manageable. However, even if he could win in a direct fight, he first had to find the person. But the other party was obviously very cunning. Being on the wanted list and not even caught by Meridian Opening level law enforcement officers indicated that he usually relied on his system to create spaces for hiding himself. This meant that he wouldn''t show himself unless absolutely necessary. Xiang Beifei suddenly thought of something and turned to ask, "Xiaohei, did you just stop someone from applying their system ability on me?" "Woof woof!" Xiaohei nodded. "So that''s how it is!" Xiang Beifei understood. No wonder, when he saw Lu Zhiwei and that woman named He Yun, he always felt as if they were not in the same world as him. Xiaohei served as a powerful defense, blocking any system abilities that tried to target Xiang Beifei from the shadows. Just now, that person must have tried to quietly pull Xiang Beifei into a space created by his system, but Xiaohei blocked it, and Lu Zhiwei, who wasn''t protected, got pulled in. What about Uncle Lu? Xiang Beifei pondered. Could it be that this guy''s space could overlap multiple layers, separating all three of them? ``` "Xiaohei, do you have a way to take me into that space?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiaohei nodded, barked twice, and then removed the defense around Xiang Beifei. Because that space had been pulling at Xiang Beifei, wanting to take him inside, but Xiaohei was blocking it. However, as soon as Xiaohei let go, Xiang Beifei immediately felt a sudden change in the scenery before him. Whoosh! The sky, which had been clear a moment ago, was now shrouded in dark clouds. He seemed to still be standing in a forest, but the arrangement and types of trees around him were different. The sound of waves crashing against rocks became clearer and clearer. He ran toward the sound of the waves and after about a hundred meters, he found himself on the edge of a cliff overlooking a vast and boundless sea. The sea surged with rolling waves, creating layers upon layers that crashed against the stones at the base of the cliff, setting off a thunderous roar. "Is this the space that guy''s system created?" Xiang Beifei looked around. He felt as though he was on an island, which specific island he was unsure of, with no landmarks to guide him, but it seemed to be a deserted, uninhabited isle. This was his first time being dragged into someone else''s system space. There were many types of system spaces, such as those of novels and movies. For hosts who traveled into novels and movies to complete quests and receive rewards, those worlds were merely simulations by the system and did not truly exist. After completing a task in the system space, the host would return to reality. So was this "Highway Killer" specifically bringing couples into his own system space to have them complete tasks for him? Xiang Beifei couldn''t be sure. If there was a task to be completed, that would be fine, but he must first know exactly what the task was and how to help the other party complete it. Then, after completion, he could harvest a wave of system rewards from the other party! Unfortunately, he had not yet seen the "Highway Killer''s" system interface, so he couldn''t confirm anything. It would be much more convenient if he could just see the other party. Xiang Beifei looked out at the turbulent sea. The sea seemed to have been cut off; it was certain that traversing the sea would be impossible, so he decided to turn back. He re-entered the forest and started exploring. He needed to find Lu Zhiwei or any person he could see. Of course, most importantly, he had to find out which system the host that created this space was using. The forest was very dim, and he was alone, with no clear paths on the ground. However, fortunately, he had acquired the ability to control his weight and could make his body lighter. Covering the soles of his feet with Spiritual Power, he leaped lightly, controlling the Spiritual Power to land on a tree branch. Then, with a slight bend of his knees, he sprang forward, moving swiftly through the trees. This way of moving was very agile, like executing Qinggong. As long as he controlled the Spiritual Power properly, he could move through the crisscrossing branches without obstacle. After about ten minutes of moving through the forest, Xiaohei suddenly tugged on his ear and pointed in a certain direction. Xiang Beifei tapped his toes on the trunk of a tree and quickly turned, sprinting in the direction Xiaohei had indicated. Soon, he saw a figure in the underbrush below, seemingly collapsed on the ground. Chapter Find: Xiang Beifei landed cautiously on the ground, staring at the man lying there. Having recently learned to use spiritual power from Elder Luo, he attempted to probe the man with it. "He''s still alive." Xiang Beifei approached the man cautiously. The man was wearing a plaid shirt, was pale, had some scratches on his body that seemed to have been made by branches, and some of the wounds had turned white. He saw the man''s system interface. [Host: Liu Gui] [R-level, Marketing Genius System] [Realm: Mid-phase of Qi-Controlling] Xiang Beifei browsed through the man''s system tasks, but unfortunately, the man''s system log mostly consisted of market marketing matters. The man seemed to be the marketing director of a clothing company. His task log contained no records about why he appeared in this forest, although there was a task: [With the help of He Yun, secure the agency rights of the "Eight Wolves" brand for the two stores on West Street, reward: 10,000 Yuan] "He Yun? Isn''t that the woman I just saw?" Xiang Beifei remembered the woman who had asked him for help when he first came to this forest. Her system interface displayed her name as He Yun. So it looked like the car that had been wrecked on the highway by the cruise ship early this morning belonged to the two of them? ``` Chapter 155: Chapter 138: Ice Tiger Xiang Beifei checked Liu Gui''s injuries. Liu Gui had a bruised forehead, and there were scratch marks on the tree beside him as if he had fallen from its branches and been knocked unconscious. Liu Gui''s system was not the Martial Arts System; his system tasks and rewards were all business-related ¡ª he seemed clumsy, having been rendered a complete muggle after jumping from a height of five meters. Xiang Beifei had not learned any relevant healing techniques yet, but Elder Luo had taught him how to use spiritual power. Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power transformed into an invisible wave, absorbed into Liu Gui''s mind. Liu Gui''s body trembled as if electrified, and he woke up with a start, then sat up, looking at Xiang Beifei with a face full of terror. "Who are you?" Liu Gui asked cautiously. Xiang Beifei did not respond directly, but instead asked, "Were you hit by a cruise ship last night?" "Yes, yes! We were driving home last night when a cruise ship suddenly appeared on the highway and hit our car. We woke up, and we were here..." At this point, Liu Gui looked at Xiang Beifei with uncertain suspicion, "Were you also captured by him?" "Him?" Xiang Beifei frowned, "Who is he?" Liu Gui, rubbing his shoulder, shook his head, "I don''t know who he is. I''ve been looking for Xiao Yun since I woke up, and then I encountered a desolate beast. I don''t know what this desolate beast is called; it looks like a tiger. It kept chasing me, so I climbed up a tree. Then I heard a voice, a man''s voice in my mind, saying that I had to find Xiao Yun if I wanted to survive¡ª" Liu Gui paused here, hesitated, and did not finish. He lifted his head and asked urgently, "Have you seen Xiao Yun? A girl in a white short-sleeved shirt, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old." "I have seen her, but we got separated," Xiang Beifei said. "Did you come here alone?" "I''m with another girl... uh, she''s my girlfriend," Xiang Beifei remembered Lu Zhiwei mentioning pretending to be a couple and decided to go along with the act. Liu Gui seemed to realize something and whispered, "So your situation is the same as ours. Have you heard the voice of that man?" Xiang Beifei gazed at Liu Gui, pondering something, then said after a long while, "No." Liu Gui got up, his eyes panicked, and he said, "This place doesn''t seem very safe. We must find them quickly. Do you have the ability to search for others?" "No, but she does. I hope she can find me," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Zhiwei''s awakened Super Police System and Lu Hong''s Investigation System were of the same type. Although she seldom used her system abilities, Xiang Beifei knew her system inside out. If he wasn''t wrong, Lu Zhiwei should be using her system abilities to search this forest right now. "Are you a martial artist?" Liu Gui inquired. "Yes." "I''m a literary Daoist, not good at wilderness survival. You look so young, are you still in university?" Chapter Find: "Yeah." "Is your girlfriend a martial artist as well?" "Let''s find the others first, then talk," Xiang Beifei said. "Oh... okay." Liu Gui faltered, his gaze anxiously drifting to the depths of the forest as if worried about something, then he glanced at Xiang Beifei and dropped the conversation. But before they had taken two steps, a tiger''s roar suddenly erupted from the forest. The roar was so deep and powerful that it made the leaves rustle. The color drained from Liu Gui''s face as he said, "The Ice Tiger is coming again!" As soon as he finished speaking, a shadow unexpectedly appeared above them, and sharp claws glistening with cold light lunged at them. Liu Gui let out a terrified yelp and dove to the side. Xiang Beifei''s gaze sharpened; without a look, he dodged to the side and, turning around, his fist lit up with flames as he threw a punch. Bang! His fist directly sent the ambushing desolate beast flying! The ambusher, a desolate beast, crashed against a distant tree, snapping one as thick as a bowl. It was an Ice Tiger covered in frost, sharp ice ridges all over its body. After being punched away by Xiang Beifei, it quickly stood up, staring fixedly at him. Xiang Beifei didn''t know the academic name of this Ice Tiger. Previously, during the entrance examination, he suffered from not recognizing the Three Souls Desolate Snake and thought about cramming the names and types of desolate beasts, but these past few days, he had been busy practicing with Elder Luo and had put it off. However, not knowing the academic name of a desolate beast wasn''t important. He didn''t know the names of those snakes either, but still, he was able to analyze them thoroughly. The name isn''t important; what matters is how to kill them. This Ice Tiger had the strength of a later stage Qi-Controlling martial artist, and it wasn''t a desolate beast created by the system but a real one, seemingly captured from the outer wilderness domain and tamed! Roar! The Ice Tiger, angry at being punched away in one encounter, vigorously roared. From its mouth, it expelled a chilling gust of wind which drifted in the air, transforming into a rapidly spinning tornado that swept through. Xiang Beifei did not hesitate and stretched out his fist to scatter the tornado once again. However, the dispersed tornado turned into ice shavings, which scattered in the air. Then, all of a sudden, the ice shavings abruptly swelled, transforming into numerous sharp ice blades surrounding Xiang Beifei from all directions! Swish! Swish! Swish! The countless ice blades charged fiercely at Xiang Beifei, cutting off all possible escape routes. Yet Xiang Beifei wasn''t panicked; spiritual power surged around him, instantly igniting into flame gales that encircled him! Chapter 156: Chapter 138: Ice Tiger_2 ``` Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Sharp icicles pierced against his flame gale, all of which he blocked and even melted into vapor. With a push of his body, he shot towards the Ice Tiger amidst a sky filled with icicles¡ª Boom! Xiang Beifei''s fist smashed into the Ice Tiger''s head. The beast hadn''t had time to react and was cracked all over by his Rapid Flame punch. Spiritual Power rushed through the cracks of the Ice Tiger and ignited. The whole creature burst into flames. With a "bang", the enormous Ice Tiger was blown apart by Xiang Beifei''s Rapid Flame, shattering into countless ice chunks that scattered throughout the forest. "Wow, so strong!" Liu Gui watched Xiang Beifei in shock, not having expected him to kill a fearsome desolate beast with just two punches! However, Xiang Beifei turned back and stared at Liu Gui, asking, "Are you hiding anything else from me?" Liu Gui was stunned for a moment. A flash of panic crossed his eyes as he said, "I, I''m not hiding anything from you." "If you were being chased by this desolate beast, it could have killed you in an instant, yet how are you still alive?" Xiang Beifei glared at Liu Gui. This Ice Tiger had the strength of someone in the late stages of Qi-Controlling; just breathing could form various icicles in the air. Liu Gui was a devotee of the literary Dao, and his system had no ability to protect himself. He couldn''t possibly have escaped this Ice Tiger''s pursuit by simply climbing a tree. But he had just fallen from a tree and been knocked unconscious; the Ice Tiger hadn''t killed him. "That voice in your mind, what exactly did it tell you to do?" Xiang Beifei said gravely. Liu Gui, intimidated by Xiang Beifei''s presence, backed up to a tree, his face full of panic. He said, "What do you mean? You don''t think I brought this Ice Tiger here, do you?" Xiang Beifei studied Liu Gui''s system interface and said, "You don''t have the capability, so you''d best tell me what deal you made with who." All of a sudden, Liu Gui pulled out an ice knife, pointing it at Xiang Beifei, and shouted, "What''s with the act! You''re in the same situation as me. If you want to leave this place, you have to do the same thing! That voice must have told you too!" Xiang Beifei frowned and asked, "Told me what?" "You really don''t know? He hasn''t told you?" Liu Gui looked at Xiang Beifei''s expression and realized he did not seem to be feigning ignorance. He put down the ice knife anxiously and shook his head, "Sorry for shouting at you. He''ll tell you soon. The only way out of here is that method. This place only allows men to survive. I must kill Xiao Yun to make it! You probably have to do the same, to kill your girlfriend." "You want to kill your own girlfriend?" Xiang Beifei furrowed his brows. "I don''t want to! I like her, how could I possibly do it?" Liu Gui threw away the ice knife in his hand, looking revolted by it. "This ice knife, where did it come from, did you pick it up?" Xiang Beifei had just fought the Ice Tiger, which had used similar ice knives. Liu Gui shook his head and said, "I don''t know what happened. I was driven to the brink by that Ice Tiger, then that voice appeared in my head. It said this was a game rule. If I wanted to stay alive, I had to play its game, and then this ice knife mysteriously appeared in my pocket." But at that moment, suddenly there came a commotion from behind, as if someone was running fast, accompanied by panicked screams and many ferocious tiger roars. Swish! Swish! Swish! Two figures leaped out of the trees. On closer inspection, it was Lu Zhiwei and He Yun. "Lu Zhiwei!" When Xiang Beifei saw Lu Zhiwei, he called out. "Ah, Beifei, finally found you! Run, run! A whole pack of Extreme Ice Tigers are after us!" Lu Zhiwei screamed as she dragged He Yun, sprinting towards Xiang Beifei. Hot on their heels were two white Ice Tigers emanating frost, identical to the one Xiang Beifei had just killed, ferociously chasing after the two women. ``` Beifei darted past Lu Zhiwei and He Yun, his body erupting with domineering flames that roared as they thundered towards two Extreme Ice Tigers. The explosive force of his punch slammed into the head of one, sending it flying away. The other Extreme Ice Tiger dodged in time, let out a roar, and spewed a vortex of ice shards towards him. Beifei''s flame gale shone brightly once more, blocking in front, incinerating the sudden barrage of icicles. However, more roars erupted from behind the trees. He glanced over and saw no less than a dozen Extreme Ice Tigers encircling them. "Fifteen in total, maybe more. Don''t get entangled, these two''s cultivation levels are too low. We''re no match for them in a straight fight, we need to find higher ground!" Lu Zhiwei shouted. Beifei also knew that the situation wasn''t right; he could handle one Extreme Ice Tiger, but if he were to be surrounded by fifteen, it would be extraordinarily troublesome, not to mention that there were the literary Daoists, Liu Gui and He Yun. Without hesitation, he kicked away an approaching Extreme Ice Tiger and then retreated, catching up to Lu Zhiwei. "Xiao Yun! Are you okay?" Liu Gui exclaimed with surprise upon seeing He Yun. "Liu Gui, you''re here, that''s great!" He Yun, being dragged along by Lu Zhiwei, was also very excited to see Liu Gui. "Now''s not the time. Let''s go." Beifei grabbed Liu Gui, who wanted to go to He Yun, and turned his head to run back. "What exactly happened? How did you get surrounded by so many desolate beasts?" "I don''t know, I just ran into He Yun, then they suddenly appeared!" Lu Zhiwei was pulling along a pale-looking He Yun, who seemed to have many cuts all over, her body covered with mud, looking very bedraggled. Beifei didn''t ask any further because it seemed like more Extreme Ice Tigers were joining the encirclement. Their path of escape was quickly cut off and the four of them were trapped under a huge pine tree. "Climb the tree! Climb the tree!" Beifei grabbed Liu Gui and threw him onto the branches above, while Lu Zhiwei brought He Yun up with her. The four of them stood on the tree branches, looking down at the Extreme Ice Tigers gradually closing in from below. Roar! Roar! A dense pack of Extreme Ice Tigers surrounded them tight, the situation extremely dire. "Xiao Yun, you''re not hurt, are you?" Liu Gui clutched the branches tightly, adjusted his stance, and glanced down anxiously. "I''m fine; she saved me." He Yun also clung firmly to the tree trunk. "Good that you''re okay," Liu Gui said eagerly, "hold tight, don''t fall." "The two of you, don''t move around, stay put!" Lu Zhiwei shouted at them while at the same time, four square glass explosion-proof shields appeared in her hand. She waved the shields, enclosing Liu Gui and He Yun within them. It was her ability, the powerful blast-resistant shields that could withstand attacks from late-stage Qi-Controlling, but with so many Extreme Ice Tigers here, blocking one might still be possible, but they definitely couldn''t block so many. Thus, she could only first ensure the two weakest were protected. "Be careful, Beifei! This can protect you," Lu Zhiwei said as she flung her hand again, and a blast shield appeared on Beifei, flickering in and out of sight, like wrapping him within a protective layer, while a shield also appeared around herself. Whoosh! The leading Extreme Ice Tiger leapt high from the ground, lunging ferociously at them. Lu Zhiwei''s body ignited with brilliant flames, the pattern of their flow resembling that of Lu Hong''s lineage. Her Rapid Flame was also incredibly strong! Bang! Her fist, cloaked in flames, struck the underside of the lurching Extreme Ice Tiger''s jaw, the colossal force repelling it mid-attack. Another was on the approach, but Beifei dashed forward, booting the incoming Extreme Ice Tiger away. "Come on, let''s work together. Keep an eye out for me; I''m going to give them a taste of their own medicine!" Lu Zhiwei stood on the branch, her ''Super Police System'' interface revealing a long list of powerful firearms¡ªflamethrowers, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, grenades, machine guns... every type of firearm imaginable. Rattle! Chapter Find: She swept her spiritual power across, instantly wrapping around five weapons from the system interface¡ªa machine gun, rocket launcher, submachine gun, shotgun, and even a rocket-propelled crossbow¡ªeach weapon floating in mid-air. Chapter 157: Chapter 139: Full Firepower Lu Zhiwei''s entire body lit up with light as the system fully armed her with a tight black combat suit, adorned with various combat weapons and magazines, completely transforming her appearance into a formidable and efficient warrior. Five guns floated beside her, entirely controlled by her own Spiritual Power, while she held two machine guns in her hands. "Come on! Fire at will!" Lu Zhiwei shouted loudly! Thud! Thud! Thud! Boom! Boom! Bang! Bang! Bang! Machine guns, rocket launchers, and shotguns fired ruthlessly at the Extreme Ice Tigers below, the terrifying rockets falling and hitting an Extreme Ice Tiger, exploding on impact and blasting it into fragments. The explosive shockwave spread, flinging another two Extreme Ice Tigers away. Roar! Roar! The Extreme Ice Tigers, enraged by her, charged persistently, but Lu Zhiwei''s machine guns were not for show, piercing the frontmost Extreme Ice Tiger into a wasp nest, while the other two attempting a flank attack were decapitated by her rocket crossbows with a single shot! Boom! Boom! Boom! The entire forest echoed with the intense sounds of explosions and rumblings as Lu Zhiwei, firing from atop a tree branch, obliterated a large swath of Extreme Ice Tigers! "Impressive." Beifei watched Lu Zhiwei in astonishment. Although he was aware of Lu Zhiwei''s system capabilities and knew her system included various firearms, Lu Zhiwei was not typically a girl who liked to show off her firearms. She had never flaunted them in front of him, nor had she ever threatened him with a gun on a whim. Instead, she would always carry a little notebook, eagerly following him to learn reasoning. Lu Hong had taught her well since childhood, telling her guns should only be used against desolate beasts or bad people, and thus she never used guns in front of Beifei. Because of this, Beifei had momentarily even forgotten that Lu Zhiwei was a martial artist, an S-grade super detective capable of utilizing various firearms! When Lu Zhiwei got serious, she was utterly ruthless, wielding powerful weapons and bombarding relentlessly, completely routing the frontmost Extreme Ice Tigers. However, she couldn''t cover the Extreme Ice Tigers behind her. Their ice blades shot from the rear, but fortunately, Beifei was there to blast away those trying to leap at them. "Hahaha! Did you really think I was scared of you? Behave yourselves!" The more Lu Zhiwei bombarded, the more thrilled she became. She had been chased by the Extreme Ice Tigers earlier because she was protecting He Yun, a novice literary Dao practitioner of Qi-Controlling, without anyone to back her up. Now, with Beifei watching the gaps, she could unleash her capability without restraint. Boom! Boom! Boom! Not only the Extreme Ice Tigers but also the tall trees suffered. The forest was filled with gun smoke, scattered with shattered remnants of Extreme Ice Tigers composed of ice blocks, presenting a grisly scene. "Haha, I have never had such a thrilling fight except in school simulation classes, Beifei, do you want to try a heavy machine gun? It''s exhilarating!" Lu Zhiwei excitedly tossed a light machine gun to Beifei. Beifei realized he had indeed underestimated Lu Zhiwei, who although usually carefree and occasionally brandishing her fists, excelled not in close combat but in long-range bombardment. "I''ll give it a try." Beifei had never handled firearms before, but given the numerous enemies, he found ranged attacks obviously more convenient than close combat. He attempted firing a few bursts, but the strong recoil was uncomfortable for him, and his shots wildly missed the mark. "You can''t shoot like that, there''s recoil in a machine gun. You need to do it like this..." As Lu Zhiwei controlled her firearms to fire automatically, she also quickly instructed Beifei on how to use the light machine gun. Beifei learned quickly; his "Learn by Analogy" ability soon mastered the heavy machine gun, and then he began wildly firing at the Extreme Ice Tigers! Thud! Thud! Thud! Back to back, the two were engulfed in gunfire and swirling smoke, flashes of light echoing through the forest as they took down the charging Extreme Ice Tigers. Beifei also managed to throw a few grenades down, wiping them out entirely. In a brawl, Lu Zhiwei''s system capabilities were simply unbeatable. "Not bad! You''re a quick learner; together, we can be a formidable duo!" Lu Zhiwei laughed heartily, her weapons ceaselessly softening up the once formidable Extreme Ice Tigers into a fleeing mess. "Not bad." Beifei didn''t continue using brute force; while he was also formidable in close combat, it was better to engage from a distance, particularly since they had the geographical advantage. Commanding the high ground, they bombed the Extreme Ice Tigers, who couldn''t mount an attack. The group of Extreme Ice Tigers retreated far away. They could only try to dodge behind trees, but the power of the rockets was not to be underestimated. The damage these weapons could cause was linked to Lu Zhiwei''s level of cultivation, and being in the advanced stages of Qi-Controlling, she posed a significant deterrence against the Extreme Ice Tigers. All around, the trees were blasted askew by Lu Zhiwei''s formidable firepower, clearing a large area in the forest. But the Extreme Ice Tigers collectively retreated to a distance, no longer attempting an attack but instead spraying whirlwinds. These frost-laden cyclones whipped up strong winds in the forest, quickly sweeping up the fragmented remains of the Extreme Ice Tigers and transforming them into sharp ice blades. Chapter 158: Chapter 139: Full Firepower_2 Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Countless ice knives densely shot from all directions off the ground, with Xiang Beifei and Lu Zhiwei firing at them, only to quickly realize that their target wasn''t them, but rather the large pine tree they were standing on! Crack! The ice knives of the Extreme Ice Tiger were powerful and sharp. A few sweeps of the blades, and the pine tree on which Xiang Beifei and his group stood was severed in the middle! "Not good!" Lu Zhiwei was enjoying her shooting too much and forgot about this. As the pine tree fell, they fell too. Xiang Beifei and Lu Zhiwei could only stop shooting, quickly grabbed He Yun and Liu Gui, and jumped out, landing on the ground. But now, the four of them lost the high ground advantage. They swept again with the machine gun, but those Extreme Ice Tigers seemed to have learned and collectively conjured a wall of ice in front of them. Zhiwei, stop shooting, or those bullets will probably bounce back at us. By now, they were completely surrounded by four ice walls, firmly bonded together, blocking all their paths of escape. The ice walls continuously moved, creating a cage to trap them. "It''s over, we can''t escape." Liu Gui muttered to himself. "What do we do? What do we do? We can''t stop these desolate beasts." He Yun also spoke in a rushed tone. "It''s okay, it''s okay, they must have a way." Liu Gui comforted He Yun. "Beifei, I am out of ideas." Lu Zhiwei tried to melt the ice walls with a laser gun, but it was deflected back by the wall, almost hitting her. The ice walls created by countless Qi-Controlling late-stage Extreme Ice Tigers were now able to stop Lu Zhiwei''s firepower. Amongst this chaos, Xiaohei scratched Xiang Beifei''s ear and barked twice. Xiang Beifei was surprised and turned to ask Xiaohei on his shoulder, "Do you have a way to get them out of this space?" Xiaohei barked and nodded. Beifei had forgotten that this was a space created by the World Control System, which could render any system ability ineffective. Not to mention this virtual space, even if Lu Zhiwei fired a rocket at him from the system, Xiaohei would intercept it. Xiaohei was specifically designed to counter all kinds of fancy systems. "You should have said so earlier, then we wouldn''t have been in such a predicament. Let''s get out first." Xiang Beifei scanned the surroundings. This space was artificially created, but he still hadn''t seen where the person controlling it was hiding. Their enemy was using the Extreme Ice Tigers to push them to the brink, so there was no point in staying any longer. Xiang Beifei was about to send Liu Gui and He Yun out of this place and back to reality, but at that moment, a scream suddenly came from behind! Liu Gui looked at He Yun in disbelief, with an ice knife embedded in his abdomen, clearly the blade of an Extreme Ice Tiger. Blood soaked through Liu Gui''s clothes and dripped onto the ground. "Xiao Yun, how... how could you..." Liu Gui looked at He Yun in horror. Lu Zhiwei was shocked and exclaimed, "He Yun, what have you done!" He Yun''s hands shook as she said, "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, it''s the only way! He said it''s the game rule, only women can survive, I have to kill you, I''m sorry, I''m so sorry..." Liu Gui''s face went deathly pale, "He told you? He told me too, but he said only men could survive here. But I like you so much, I really can''t bring myself to do it, I thought you liked me too, why could you be so heartless..." He had no intention of attacking He Yun and had thrown away his ice knife long ago. "I want to live!" He Yun seemed on the verge of tears, "I''m sorry, I want to live, I have to survive, I still have a sister to take care of, and my parents to look after..." ``` "Is this your excuse for killing?" Xiang Beifei looked at He Yun coldly, "Why bother finding excuses? Just say you''re greedy for life and fear death." He Yun began to sob. Lu Zhiwei said, "He Yun, have you lost your mind! You believed what that person said? You took his nonsense seriously! After I just tried to save you too!" He Yun, looking frenzied as the ice walls closed in around them, shouted desperately at Lu Zhiwei, "He said it''s part of the game rules, the men have to die! If you want to escape, you have to kill your boyfriend too! You must kill him!" She seemed to be urgently hoping Lu Zhiwei would make the same choice as her, to strike at Xiang Beifei. Only then would she feel some relief, sparing herself from too much torment. "How does it matter if I heard it? Do you think everyone is as foolish as you are! Can you live with yourself after killing the person you care about just to escape?" Lu Zhiwei retorted angrily. "Don''t you dare blame me! You were instructed too, if you don''t kill your boyfriend, you can''t leave either!" He Yun shrieked at Lu Zhiwei. Lu Zhiwei, hands on her hips and furious, declared, "I am a law enforcer, not a murderer! You idiot!" That man''s voice had also appeared in her mind, but she hadn''t taken his threats seriously, not even believing his words were true, always intending to catch this person and confront him. "I thought you liked me, you weren''t supposed to attack me..." Liu Gui''s face grew paler. "You promised to protect me at all costs, if only one of us could live, you''d certainly want me to survive, so I had no choice! You won''t blame me, will you...?" He Yun looked like she was about to collapse. She was truly scared, especially when the Extreme Ice Tiger pinned her down, and the chilling breath made her feel utterly hopeless. She wanted to live, even seeing the slightest chance. But then the Extreme Ice Tiger really let her go, leaving behind an ice knife. She was too scared, accepting the rules of the killer on the highway cruise line in utter despair, she had to kill Liu Gui. She couldn''t reconcile it with her conscience, so she desperately searched for excuses, hoping that Lu Zhiwei would do the same to lessen her guilt. Liu Gui looked at He Yun with a bitter expression, "I did hope you would survive...live a good life...I''m sorry I couldn''t protect you..." He was heartbroken; the girl he had loved for so long could treat him like this. He thought he found the one to share his life with, had even thought about proposing to her in the future, but the knife felt so cold, piercingly cold. "Don''t blame me...I''m sorry...it''s the game''s rules he set, I''m just an N-level Awakener, I can''t resist, I just want to live..." He Yun stood up and kept backing away, retreating to the corner of the ice wall, away from Xiang Beifei and the others. Liu Gui passed out, and Lu Zhiwei quickly used her police medical supplies to stop his bleeding. "You fool, if it''s the game rules, then why can''t you leave?" Lu Zhiwei said while treating Liu Gui. He Yun, in panic, started banging on the ice wall, yelling into the air, "I killed him, why won''t you let me leave!" "Because he''s not dead yet!" A lazy voice came from the woods. Xiang Beifei heard it too this time, and he searched for the source of the voice, soon spotting a figure sitting on a tree branch, watching them with mockery. Through the thick ice wall, Xiang Beifei couldn''t see the person''s face clearly, only sensing the figure seemed to be wearing a mask, but he did make out the person''s system¡ª [Host: Zhu Xinjue] [SR-level, World Control System] [Realm: Early Meridian Opening] "This guy, indeed, is an SR-level Awakener!" Xiang Beifei watched warily. Uncle Lu''s crows couldn''t scan this person, simply because he wasn''t ordinary. Not only that, but the law enforcers seemed to have mistakenly estimated the "Highway Cruise Killer"''s strength. The person was not at the Late Qi-Controlling stage but at the Early Meridian Opening stage! "Or perhaps, this guy has just stepped into the Meridian Opening stage?" Xiang Beifei was pondering in his mind. An SR-level system actually had very strong innate talent too, increasing its holder''s strength very rapidly, only a fine line weaker than SSR, but reaching Early Meridian Opening in one year of awakening. That meant that this person could very likely still be a student! ``` Chapter 159: Chapter 140: Cruise to Lonely Island Having the SR System, definitely a talent from one of the nine elite universities, yet they commit crimes while wearing a mask! Xiang Beifei was browsing the other party''s system introduction: [SR-Level World Control System: You can choose from a variety of adventure worlds, complete tasks within to obtain rewards, and after clearing them, you can control the current world. You can drag anyone into your world, and within this world, they can only abide by the rules you set.] [Current Controlled World: Lonely Island] [The rules you set: Couples brought to this lonely island by the cruise must face a trial. If one decides to kill the other, the one who takes action will die, and the victim will survive. If both wish to kill their partner, then both will die. If neither wishes to kill the other, choosing to die together, then they will both live.] ... Zhu Xinjue''s system contained a variety of world options, including Zombie Apocalypse, Abandoned Building Survival, Plane Crash Self-Rescue, and Dungeon Guerilla... All these adventure worlds required Zhu Xinjue to clear them himself, and the rewards for each clearance were immense. Lonely Island was just a simple world, but Zhu Xinjue found that in this world, he could also bring in real-world couples, and if he could induce them to kill each other, the rewards were quite substantial. [Special Reward: If one of the tested couples dies, you will obtain all of the deceased''s cultivation, with a survival value of +1000] It was a shortcut to becoming stronger, so he disguised himself as the "Highway Cruise Killer", deliberately crashing couples into this world with a cruise, then tempting them to kill each other. ¡ª¡ª He Yun kept banging on the ice wall, shouting in fright and anger, "No, let me out, please, I don''t want to die here." Her desire to survive was incredibly strong; she had just been terrified by those ferocious Extreme Ice Tigers. Being only an N-level Awakener with no self-protection ability, she only thought about leaving, to the point she would even attack her own boyfriend with whom she''d spent her days and nights. However, Zhu Xinjue sneered and said, "If you want to leave, you can only do so by killing your boyfriend. As long as he''s alive, you can''t leave." Lu Zhiwei stood up, furious, "You bastard! Are you that twisted inside to take pleasure in this kind of thing?" "Take pleasure? Hahaha! Pleasure is just one part of it!" Zhu Xinjue mockingly watched Lu Zhiwei, having witnessed her unleashing her full firepower, he had to admit the girl was incredibly strong, blasting those Ice Tigers without any chance to fight back. Only in the face of his own SR-level Meridian Opening initial stage, Lu Zhiwei was still nothing. He controlled the Ice Tigers, coordinating their actions, easily fending off Lu Zhiwei. "If you want to live, you have to kill your boyfriend." Zhu Xinjue said to Lu Zhiwei. "Dream on! I''m not as disgusting as you." Lu Zhiwei spat out. "You may think so, but maybe your boyfriend behind you is contemplating how to kill you! Aren''t you going to be wary of him?" Zhu Xinjue mockingly looked at Xiang Beifei, saying, "You may know people''s faces but not their hearts. I''ve seen too many couples participate in my games. At critical moments, many so-called couples who swore never to part chose to kill their other half to survive. I''ve seen plenty of such cases." He laughed proudly, his laugh piercingly sharp, "Some naive people think their other half loves them, won''t make a move, but in the end, they find themselves stabbed by the person they trusted, mercilessly shattering the trust between them." Zhu Xinjue laughed out loud, his gaze shifting between Xiang Beifei and Lu Zhiwei, "So, here''s a piece of advice for you two lovebirds, is there really such a thing as true love in this world? When it comes to survival, so-called unbreakable bonds aren''t worth mentioning!" Lu Zhiwei shouted angrily, "You sick twist, were you betrayed by someone, and that''s why you can''t stand to see others happy?" Zhu Xinjue seemed to have been hit where it hurts by Lu Zhiwei''s words; he snorted coldly and declared, "The person who betrayed me has long been buried deep in the ocean of this world." "So I guessed right!" Lu Zhiwei said contemptuously. Zhu Xinjue''s eyes were frosty. Indeed, Lu Zhiwei was right. He had once loved someone, but was betrayed, so he resented any loving couple in this world, wanting to prove that between two people, affection means nothing in the face of true despair! "I''ve already told you the rules of the game. If you want to survive, let''s see whose knife is sharper among you two lovebirds!" Lu Zhiwei said, "You''re still too green to drive a wedge between us!" "Since you''re not playing the game my way, then you need to learn a lesson on what happens when you don''t follow the rules!" Zhu Xinjue said with a faint smile. Whoosh! He Yun, who had been pounding on the ice wall, suddenly found an ice dagger thrust out from the wall in front of her, piercing her heart! He Yun''s eyes widened in shock, staring at Zhu Xinjue, "You... you... why? I... I''ve already made a move on him!" "But you didn''t kill him, he was revived, so only you must die!" He Yun''s eyes bulged with fear as she strained to turn her head, looking at Liu Gui lying on the ground. Even in her dying moments, her eyes were still filled with a hint of unwillingness and confusion. "See, she never regretted her choice, not even before her death. She''s still wondering why her boyfriend hasn''t died yet. This world, huh? Where is there such a thing as weathering storms together or having an unbreakable bond?" Chapter 160: Chapter 140: Cruise to Lonely Island_2 Zhu Xinjue set a game rule for this world, and He Yun''s death adhered to this rule. If she chose to turn on her other half, then she herself would die! But he wouldn''t disclose this hidden rule to Lu Zhiwei, because even though this system world offered an option to survive, what he really wanted to see was not the survival of a couple, but rather that the two people ruthlessly killed each other to death. In fact, even if both parties were unwilling to kill each other, Zhu Xinjue would lend a hand and directly kill them both! Whether it was for entertainment or to gain the other''s spiritual power, he wouldn''t allow anyone to escape. Even if Liu Gui had chosen not to strike He Yun, Zhu Xinjue would still have killed Liu Gui! He loathed any loving couple! If he couldn''t have it, he didn''t want to see anyone else have it either. Up to now, not a single couple had escaped from his grasp! ¡ª¡ª "Damn it!" Lu Zhiwei was shocked to see He Yun actually pierced through the heart by an ice blade, wanted to pull her back, but the ice wall had already dragged He Yun into it, merging her with the wall to form a statue of ice. He Yun still looked at the man who had fallen to the ground from within the ice layer. She wanted to live and make it out, wanted to abide by Zhu Xinjue''s game rules, but she didn''t expect that she would be the first to die. "So, how will you two choose? Who will kill whom?" Zhu Xinjue mockingly looked at Xiang Beifei and Lu Zhiwei. "Neither of us will kill the other!" Lu Zhiwei said angrily. "Then both of you will have to die." Zhu Xinjue let out a cruel laugh. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei furrowed his brows as he looked at the guy in front of him and said in a low voice, "Lu Zhiwei, you take Liu Gui and get out first." Lu Zhiwei paused, asking, "Get out? How do we get out? You don''t mean for me to kill you, do you? I won''t do it!" "Take Liu Gui and get out!" Xiaohei wrapped the system''s abilities around Lu Zhiwei and Liu Gui, ejecting them from the space created by the system, while he charged towards the ice wall! Whoosh! Xiaohei suddenly kicked Lu Zhiwei and Liu Gui out of "Lonely Island," and because they were not Xiang Beifei, upon being kicked out of this system world by Xiaohei, the two reappeared in their original forest, unable to see Xiang Beifei anymore. "Beifei! Xiang Beifei! Where did you go?" Lu Zhiwei stood up hastily, calling out loudly. But the forest was silent, with no signs of struggle, as if it was totally different from just a moment ago, resembling a return to reality even more. "Don''t you do anything stupid!" Lu Zhiwei started to get anxious. ¡ª¡ª "What''s going on?" Zhu Xinjue sensed something was amiss from a distance, immediately got up, but found that both Lu Zhiwei and Liu Gui had suddenly vanished into the ice wall. Whereas Xiang Beifei, at some unspecified time, had already passed through the ice wall and stood on a clearing in the forest! "Such a pity, I could have saved you." Xiang Beifei turned his head to look at He Yun, who had already been dragged into the block of ice, feeling somewhat regretful. He had the means to lead everyone out, it was just that He Yun hadn''t waited for that moment to come. He Yun, thinking she was in a hopeless situation, had intended to kill Liu Gui in order to escape, but she did not expect that Zhu Xinjue didn''t plan to let them live in the first place, and instead, he killed her. Zhu Xinjue was a Qi-Controlling practitioner at the stage of Meridian Opening, and this world, being one he controlled after passing through the barrier, made killing almost a matter of thought, something Xiang Beifei, no matter how quick his response, couldn''t prevent. He didn''t look at He Yun again. She had made her choice and paid her price. But now, he needed to deal with this troublesome fellow. Xiang Beifei''s gaze refocused on Zhu Xinjue. A practitioner at the initial stage of Meridian Opening, very powerful! This space created by the system overlapped with the original world, and with Xiaohei''s help, he could move freely between the real world and the system space. Earlier on the outside, he had realized that he could see Lu Zhiwei, but not touch her. If he stood in the real world, he could see people in the system space, but neither could interact with the other. That also meant he could legitimately use this ability to deal with Zhu Xinjue! Xiang Beifei must try, or else if he left this place, Zhu Xinjue would pursue him to the outside world, Uncle Lu was definitely taken to another world, unable to confront Zhu Xinjue head-on; then they would stand even less of a chance. ¡ª¡ª "Where did they go?" Zhu Xinjue actually failed to notice how Lu Zhiwei and Liu Gui had disappeared. Anyone who came into his system world must abide by the rules of his system, and without his permission, no one could leave, yet now two people had abruptly vanished right under his eyes, which infuriated him! There had never been a couple who escaped from his grasp before! "Could it be that you also possess space abilities? Did you take them into your space?" Zhu Xinjue glared at Xiang Beifei with a sullen expression. But on closer thought, it seemed wrong. His was an SR-level system, already considered a high-level system, which had absolute suppression over lower-level systems, so space abilities lower than SR level were ineffective here! Unless, Xiang Beifei possessed a system like his, or one that was even more advanced? "Are you an SR? Or perhaps an SSR?" Zhu Xinjue looked at Xiang Beifei, his heart becoming slightly wary. The person in front of him looked very young and seemed familiar from somewhere, but he couldn''t recall where at the moment. Xiang Beifei didn''t speak; instead, his figure shifted, and he charged toward Zhu Xinjue! Zhu Xinjue saw Xiang Beifei recklessly attempting to make a move and sneered, "You''re overestimating yourself. Even if your system''s level is high, what of it? You''re just a Qi-Controlling late-stage cultivator!" He had clearly observed Xiang Beifei''s confrontation with the Extreme Ice Tiger and knew Xiang Beifei''s true strength. The gap between late-stage Qi-Controlling and Meridian Opening was like a chasm, not so easily crossed! Whoosh! Zhu Xinjue tensed his body as the blizzard around him swiftly whirled, circulating around his entire body and quickly converging in his hand, forming a long ice blade. The ice blade was blue all over, three feet long, and its edge shone sharply. He slightly raised his eyelids, saying with a mocking look, "Especially here in my space, you stand no chance!" Hum! Zhu Xinjue''s blue ice blade vibrated in the air, releasing a powerful surge of Spiritual Power. This surge was extremely fierce, causing the air to buzz. Swoosh! His ice blade swiftly slashed towards Xiang Beifei! The slash was incredibly fast! Like lightning, it arrived in an instant, striking toward Xiang Beifei! Zhu Xinjue, being an SR-level early-stage Meridian Opening practitioner, not only had a high system talent, but his cultivation was also advanced! The strength and speed of Meridian Opening practitioners'' strikes were utterly different from late-stage Qi-Controlling practitioners, both swift and powerful! Xiang Beifei''s gaze sharpened, his eyes fixed on the ice blade without any carelessness. Although Xiaohei could deal with fanciful system items, if the opponent relied on their own Spiritual Power to confront Xiang Beifei, Xiaohei wouldn''t be able to block those things! Zhu Xinjue''s slash, the ice blade he formed, wasn''t a system ability, but an attack method cultivated, strong enough to hurt him! Moreover, as a late-stage Qi-Controlling cultivator, he couldn''t block a strike from a Meridian Opening practitioner! But Xiang Beifei didn''t panic because Xiaohei was tightly gripping his shoulder, intently watching the raging ice blade. Zoom! Just as Zhu Xinjue''s ice blade was about to sweep past him, Xiaohei had already flashed Xiang Beifei out of the system space. The ice blade passed directly through his body without causing any harm, and after it did, Xiang Beifei had once again entered the system space, closing in on Zhu Xinjue! Zhu Xinjue''s ''Lonely Island Cruise Space'' was anchored to the real world, overlapping with it, so as Xiang Beifei switched his form between the reality and the system space, his reentry after leaving kept him in the same position. "How can this be?" Zhu Xinjue''s expression changed slightly, and he was astonished to see Xiang Beifei didn''t avoid his attack and seemingly let the blade strike him, yet remained unharmed! Although Xiang Beifei disappeared and reappeared quickly, for some unknown reason, there was a moment when he suddenly couldn''t sense Xiang Beifei''s presence. It was as if the connection to this world had been severed, puzzling him, but he had no time to ponder this as Xiang Beifei''s disappearance was but a brief moment, quickly reconnecting, and he was already in close range. Swoosh! Explosive flames surged around Xiang Beifei, the fire converging on his fists as he threw a punch toward Zhu Xinjue''s chest! Chapter 161: Chapter 141: Frozen World Zhu Xinjue didn''t take this punch seriously, because the gap in strength meant Xiang Beifei''s speed seemed slow to him, even very slow, and this punch couldn''t hurt him at all. Layers of frost had already lit up on his body, gathering at the spot where Xiang Beifei''s punch was about to hit him. Boom! Xiang Beifei''s fist, glowing with Rapid Flame, struck Zhu Xinjue''s chest, but Zhu Xinjue''s chest was protected by a layer of hard ice armor, which blocked the Rapid Flame. Moreover, the ice armor quickly released a cold breath, which shot up along Xiang Beifei''s fist! The strong Spiritual Power immediately suppressed the flames on Xiang Beifei''s fist, but his Spiritual Power whirled and exploded instantly, shattering the cold air, and Xiaohei made a move again, whisking him away. However, Xiang Beifei''s fist roared past, piercing through Zhu Xinjue''s body at the critical moment without touching him at all. "You have quite the keen sense of smell!" Zhu Xinjue had planned to freeze Xiang Beifei''s fist with frost the instant it hit him, to firmly clutch it, but he found out that Xiang Beifei wouldn''t fall for it. Xiang Beifei had already moved behind Zhu Xinjue, his Spiritual Power circulating, dispelling the severe chill from his fist. This guy was truly an SR-level Meridian Opening practitioner¡ªthe chill was strong enough to resist his Rapid Flame and almost gave him frostbite! In close combat, it seemed he couldn''t gain an advantage. Zhu Xinjue swung his ice blade backward again, with his Spiritual Power trembling and releasing a powerful fluctuation, slashing at Xiang Beifei. Whoosh! The ice blade struck Xiang Beifei''s body again, but Xiang Beifei''s body seemed to be just a shadow, completely untouchable! Xiang Beifei counterattacked with a kick aimed at Zhu Xinjue''s face, and this time Zhu Xinjue''s ice armor couldn''t keep up with Xiang Beifei''s speed and didn''t cover his face in time. Zhu Xinjue couldn''t afford to take the hit, so he dodged sideways. Crack! Xiang Beifei''s kick landed on the tree trunk beside Zhu Xinjue, splitting the tree instantly! "You''ve got some moves!" Zhu Xinjue widened the distance between them, staring at the tree trunk that Xiang Beifei had split, frowning. With a wave of his hand, all the Extreme Ice Tigers charged at Xiang Beifei again. But Xiang Beifei faced the Extreme Ice Tigers calmly and fearlessly, meeting them head-on. Having been unaware of Xiaohei''s ability to pass through system space, he struggled against the Extreme Ice Tigers'' siege, but now he had mastered this ability, constantly transitioning between reality and system space was enough to deal with the attacks of a group of Extreme Ice Tigers! Boom! Boom! Boom! Xiang Beifei could not overcome Zhu Xinjue, but dealing with the Extreme Ice Tigers was a piece of cake; he took them head-on, returning to the real world to dodge the Extreme Ice Tigers and then smashing their heads with a punch! In just a few moments, all the remaining Extreme Ice Tigers were directly killed by Xiang Beifei! "What kind of system ability is this?" Zhu Xinjue had been observing Xiang Beifei''s fight with the Extreme Ice Tigers, frowning deeply. He noticed that Xiang Beifei''s figure would disappear and reappear erratically, sometimes completely invisible, but then he would show up out of nowhere, yet still, he couldn''t make contact with his opponent. Xiang Beifei didn''t explain; he disliked wasting time talking to his opponent during a fight! However, from the brief exchange before, he had already deduced Zhu Xinjue''s attack patterns using "Learn by Analogy". The ice armor was like a constantly moving snake, shifting on Zhu Xinjue''s body, blocking wherever Xiang Beifei attacked. But there was a slight delay in protecting Zhu Xinjue''s face. Xiang Beifei had no intention of trying to confront this ice armor head-on; he knew that if he touched it, his fists would be frozen, so he had to seize the moment when the ice armor momentarily delayed while protecting Zhu Xinjue''s face and find a way to bypass its guard and strike Zhu Xinjue. Whoosh! He charged at Zhu Xinjue again, with his fists creating a whirlwind from different directions, all aiming at Zhu Xinjue. However, Zhu Xinjue''s cultivation was a whole major realm higher than his, so every time Xiang Beifei aimed to hit, the ice armor would appear in time. An SR-level Meridian Opening Awakener is not like those desolate beasts such as the Triangular Thunder Krait; after being nearly caught off guard the first time, Zhu Xinjue had wised up, started changing his tactics, and left Xiang Beifei with no opportunity to capitalize on. "You can''t underestimate an SR-level Awakener!" Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but reflect inwardly, the difference between the later stages of Qi-Controlling and the early stages of Meridian Opening was simply too vast; even with Xiaohei''s help, it was very hard to cause any harm to Zhu Xinjue. He had just stepped into the later stages of Qi-Controlling, and the gap in strength between them was indeed significant. Zhu Xinjue, this fellow, could be said to be the most troublesome cultivator Xiang Beifei had ever faced thus far! "What''s the point in continuing this fight if you can''t harm me?" Zhu Xinjue was growing impatient, as Xiang Beifei was unable to get the better of him, yet he couldn''t deal with Xiang Beifei either. This made him very frustrated! Being a high-level practitioner in Meridian Opening and having difficulty dealing with a Qi-Controlling lay practitioner was nothing short of a colossal shame for him! He soon scoffed and said, "If you think you can drag out a guerrilla war with me like this, then you''re mistaken!" Whoosh! Zhu Xinjue didn''t try anymore and swiftly leaped out, landing on an Extreme Ice Tiger. Standing on the tiger''s back, he then swung the ice blade in his hand violently forward! Crash! The entire forest''s temperature plummeted abruptly, followed by the sudden onset of a fierce blizzard! The blizzard engulfed an area of several hundred meters around, with Xiang Beifei''s position at its center, howling and swirling, encircling Xiang Beifei completely! "This is my system space; here in my space, you''ll play by my rules!" Zhu Xinjue shouted loudly! Under normal circumstances, his system space was maintained by completing missions and receiving rewards, but an SR-level system space was much more than that. Unlike the many worlds created by lower-level systems, for every world that he completed created by the system, he could control every aspect of it! That meant, right now, anything on this desolate island could be manipulated according to his will, whether it was the weather, plants, trees, or temperature. He could nearly change them with just a thought! He was the god of this desolate island''s world! This was the most overpowered aspect of the SR-level system. In the past, when Zhu Xinjue faced others, he would drag them into the space world he controlled. Even if they were SR-level Awakeners, lacking the home-field advantage in his world, they would be defeated by him! Zhu Xinjue watched Xiang Beifei, who was surrounded by the blizzard, with a cold sneer and shouted, "Frozen World!" Stay tuned to Freewebnovel Then he asked in a softer voice, "By the way, how long did it take Elder Luo to master this ability?" "He probably practiced for a day? He didn¡¯t grasp it right away at first; I later thought of a compromise," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei recalled the scene where Elder Luo struggled with countless "dings," and couldn¡¯t help but want to laugh. "That old rascal, he bragged to me that he learned it in no time at all, then lambasted me without mercy, buzzing my head for two days before he told me the real method of mastering it," Professor Guo said, clearly annoyed. Xiang Beifei responded with mixed laughter and tears. The laid-back elder liked to tease people, and even Professor Guo was no exception. Having a hard time with his disciple, Luo sought out the Professor to regain some ground. Still, the fact that Elder Luo could joke around with Professor Guo meant his personality was unchanged; the recent incident concerning the Unrestrained matter apparently hadn¡¯t affected him. "I have yet to thank you. You have no idea what happened to my System!" Professor Guo seemed to be in a good mood. Chapter 465 - 352: Refining the Divine Soul (Two Chapters Combined)_2 "If I can help the professor, that''s great." Xiang Beifei couldn''t see what Professor Guo''s system interface was like, but he could roughly guess; if Elder Luo''s system had added 450,000 leisure value, Professor Guo''s wouldn''t fall far behind. "No, no, you still don''t understand how much improvement this method has helped me! I''ve advanced an entire minor realm!" Professor Guo exclaimed, "The help you''ve brought me isn''t just the addition of system value, but also in the advancement of the ''Anti-Reversion'' cultivation technique. It''s closely related to my cultivation level. I really don''t know how to thank you." Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised, but he still said, "Then congratulations to you, professor. Please don''t mention it, you''ve also helped me a lot." Although he didn''t know what exactly Professor Guo''s cultivation level was, he was still happy to have been able to help him advance. "Anyway, I''ve noted this favor! Elder Luo isn''t here today, if you have any questions or need help with anything, I''ll do my best to assist you," Professor Guo said. "There is something I do wish to consult with Professor Guo," Xiang Beifei said, "Professor, what exactly is the spirit soul?" "Spirit soul? Why are you suddenly asking about spirit souls?" Professor Guo found it strange as Xiang Beifei''s cultivation was supposedly a long way from the God Refining phase. Xiang Beifei hesitated and said, "Actually, my system asked me to find the answer in advance..." Professor Guo exclaimed in surprise, "This is your system task?" "Yes, it''s a system task! To complete it, I need to learn a lot of knowledge in advance," Xiang Beifei said earnestly. "No wonder!" Professor Guo nodded slightly and said, "You were able to score so highly on the Liangzhou University entrance exam and quickly master all the knowledge in my papers, handling matters with ease. Your Awakener system must be related to learning, isn''t it?" Many people were curious about Xiang Beifei''s Awakener system, and Professor Guo was clearly one of them. He didn''t usually feel comfortable asking outright, as it was private, but today he finally got the chance, and it was Xiang Beifei who brought it up himself. Xiang Beifei earnestly gave a thumbs-up: "I can''t hide anything from the professor." "Haha, not at all!" Professor Guo laughed, then said, "Don''t worry, your system is absolutely confidential with me. Whatever you want to know about the spirit soul, just go ahead and ask." Xiang Beifei said, "I want to know what exactly is the difference between the Meridian Opening phase and the God Refining phase? If I were to encounter a master of the God Refining phase, would I have any chance of defeating them?" "No chance." Professor Guo shook his head directly and said, "I know you have great talent, but in reality, the Meridian Opening phase and the God Refining phase are not even in the same league. Once in the God Refining phase, one''s entire strength undergoes a qualitative change; there''s not the slightest chance, because the others have an additional spirit soul. You in the Meridian Opening phase have no chance of killing a master in the God Refining phase." Xiang Beifei nodded thoughtfully. "Then what exactly is the spirit soul?" he asked. "The spirit soul is a whole new realm," Professor Guo patiently explained to Xiang Beifei. In the Meridian Opening phase, one needs to forge energy meridians, which are used to strengthen one''s physical constitution and make one''s Spiritual Power more abundant, ensuring you don''t feel powerless when using your abilities. Once the energy meridians are fully forged, one must refine these meridians into a spirit soul! Energy meridians are imbued within the body''s own meridians, a very special substance. In a way, forging energy meridians is like constructing an additional skeleton within one''s body! But in the end, this skeleton is just a skeleton. After being fully opened, it is still a kind of unconscious, lifeless object. And God Refining is about turning that skeleton into a living thing! "So God Refining is the process of gradually animating the energy meridians in a very special way. It''s like giving yourself a second life! If your body is destroyed, you can rely on the spirit soul to survive," Professor Guo concluded. ""So that''s how it is." Xiang Beifei had roughly understood, and he then asked, "It seems like the spirit soul doesn''t have battle strength?" "The spirit soul in the God Refining phase doesn''t have battle strength, at least when you''ve just refined it, it cannot condense battle strength. To determine the strength of someone''s spirit soul, one must look at its substantiality. If it is only a shadow-like spirit soul, then it belongs to the very weak ones, but if you touch the spirit soul and can feel its solidity, then that person''s spirit soul does possess battle strength!" "You mean, the more condensed the spirit soul, the stronger it is?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Right! That''s the idea." Professor Guo nodded. From this perspective, Liu Shenghui''s spirit soul was very weak, and the spirits of Eternal Sleep and Keshi were also shadow-like, not too impressive. "Then, can a spirit soul be revived?" Xiang Beifei asked again. "That depends on the abilities of the system. Although it''s like having an extra life, the spirit soul is not really a body after all. A martial artist with a fragile spirit soul will need the help of others, but generally, systems will have their ways." Professor Guo said. "So, how do you refine meridians into a spirit soul?" Xiang Beifei asked again. "Once you''ve fully opened your meridians, the system will definitely help you. It will propose the most suitable path according to your body''s condition. You don''t have to worry about this for now. Elder Luo and I discussed it before, different systems have different ways of refining the spirit soul, and I can''t say if my method suits you." Professor Guo said. Xiang Beifei said, "Professor, could you give me some guidance without revealing the secrets of your system?" "What kind of talk is that? Helping students become stronger is our responsibility as teachers; there''s no such thing as secrets in this context. Since you need to do a system task, I''ll certainly help you." Professor Guo gestured dismissively. "Professor, regarding system secrets, it''s still important to be cautious and not disclose everything. After all, if others learn about your system, it''s akin to exposing your weaknesses, and it''s easy to be targeted." Xiang Beifei knew that Professor Guo was a responsible teacher, but it was often such people who were easier to be exploited by those with ulterior motives. For instance, when dealing with those blind to reason, he always relied on exploiting the weaknesses of their systems, something he knew all too well. "Haha, don''t worry, I know my limits. I wouldn''t tell just anyone, but you''ve helped me a great deal, so this doesn''t count as a secret. I can even tell you how Luo refined his spirit soul, which he had once shared with me and would undoubtedly share with you as well." Professor Guo said. An Xiyu looked at Xiang Beifei with rippling eyes. If it had been someone else, she would certainly have intervened to prevent Professor Guo from divulging such information, for fear of troublemakers like Wu Shixuan. But since it was Xiang Beifei who asked, she didn''t say much. However, she was also pondering over the issue with Xiang Beifei''s system. There were too many systems of the scholarly type, various Scholar Systems, Invincible Scholar God Systems, from S to SSR; a multitude could be listed, many of which essentially pursued the literary Dao. An Awakener like Xiang Beifei, who was peerless in the martial Dao, was truly rare. "If there''s anything you don''t understand, just ask more. I''m here to help you with the task. You can ask anything, and if I can help you become stronger, I''d be willing to sit here and answer your questions for three days and nights!" Professor Guo was a person with a strong sense of responsibility. As long as he could help students become stronger, and grow into talents that could resist desolate beasts, he would impart all his knowledge to them. "Thank you, Professor." "Then let me tell you how to refine meridians into a spirit soul." Professor Guo said. "I''ll leave then." An Xiyu said. "You don''t need to leave; you can listen to this as well." Professor Guo said. An Xiyu fell silent for a moment, then shook her head, "No, I shouldn''t know about these things; I''ll wait outside." "You child, we''re all one of our own, what shouldn''t you know?" Professor Guo asked. But An Xiyu didn''t explain and turned to leave the grove. Xiang Beifei stared at An Xiyu''s retreating figure, faintly realizing something." Chapter 466 - 353: Refining the Divine Soul! (Two Chapters Combined) Xiang Beifei had already gone back¡ªhe had acquired the knowledge he wanted. Professor Guo had taught him everything he knew about the soul. An Xiyu had been waiting outside the forest for them. "This child has a bright future! His cultivation speed is obviously faster than yours, Xiyu, so you should grasp the opportunity!" Professor Guo remarked wistfully. An Xiyu asked, "What do you mean by that, Professor?" Professor Guo revealed a meaningful smile, "I saw you climbing the stairs that day." An Xiyu''s expression turned stiff. "Ha-ha, I''m not completely oblivious to the outside world, I do occasionally go online. The people''s choice¡ªsuch a boy belongs to something... oh right, what they call online, a ''treasure boy''! Everyone is treasure hunting, but you have the ''pavilion by the water''s edge'', and just now you didn''t even chat with him a bit more." Professor Guo said with weight in his words. An Xiyu shook her head slightly, "My climbing the stairs had no other meaning; I was just curious why he would make such a request." "I understand, I understand," said Professor Guo, his mouth corner upturned with a smile, "but with your competitive nature, you must have already met the selection criteria." An Xiyu remained silent and did not deny it. Professor Guo spoke patiently, "You''re also of age now¡ªif you truly like him, be bold. I''ll make the decision for you. He is Luo''s disciple, and if you have that intention, I will have to thicken my face and go to Luo to whisper in his ear... oh no! To start a tornado! Stir the waters!" In Professor Guo''s eyes, the two of them were extremely outstanding, a match of talent and beauty. Given his relationship with Luo Yunxian, he felt compelled to pursue the matter with Luo Yunxian. "There''s no need for the Professor to do that," An Xiyu shook her head. "Don''t be shy, be bold!" "Professor, you''re not aware of why the alliance is so supportive of him?" An Xiyu said. Professor Guo was taken aback, "Why?" "The Professor should pay more attention to the directions of alliance policies when you have time, analyze their purposes, and be more cautious of the people in the alliance." An Xiyu was somewhat helpless regarding the honest Professor Guo, who was solely focused on academia, not caring much for power. He preferred research, studying what abilities could be better used to resist the beast tides, how to kill the invading desolate beasts. He didn''t understand the underhanded tricks, the power struggles, the cunning schemes, nor did he like to ponder the significance of the alliance''s actions. He preferred to spend his time teaching and researching defense against beast tides. Because of this, despite his considerable strength, he was still oppressed by the likes of Wu Shixuan, who were less noble within the alliance. "The alliance''s support for Xiang Beifei is mainly to monitor Professor Luo closely. Xiang Beifei''s talent is indeed high, which makes the alliance very apprehensive, so the comprehensive selection is just a front¡ªit''s less ''the people''s choice'' and more ''the people''s surveillance''," An Xiyu explained. "People''s surveillance on Luo?" Professor Guo was quite shocked! He had been so engrossed in his research recently that he hadn''t thought about this, only knowing that Xiang Beifei had suddenly become popular, without realizing it was the alliance''s deliberate doing. "Not only Professor Luo, but also you, Professor, since many people know about your close relationship with Professor Luo. If the alliance fears Professor Luo, they will inevitably target you too." An Xiyu was a girl with a sharp mind; she saw through these matters very clearly, which is why she always harbored underlying concerns. "During my internship at the alliance, many have approached me to inquire about his matters, and I have tried my best to cover for him, but I cannot be sure that I won''t slip up¡ªmaybe I inadvertently revealed something without even realizing." An Xiyu furrowed her eyebrows. In the alliance, there were many whose system rankings and strengths surpassed hers; their system abilities were formidable. As an SR Awakener, her advantage in the alliance wasn''t that significant. Professor Guo said gravely, "They''ve gone too far!" "So, I came back today hoping you could give me some ways to protect myself, to ensure I''m not coaxed into talking, or perhaps¡ª" An Xiyu paused here, pressing her lips tightly together, and said, "Professor, is there a way for me to forget any memories about his and Professor Luo''s cultivation and life?" "You want to forget him?" Professor Guo was extremely surprised. An Xiyu looked in the direction where Xiang Beifei had left, silent for a long time as if making up her mind, then said, "I know too many everyday things about him and Professor Luo; I must forget these to avoid becoming a breakthrough point for the alliance against them." Once she joined the alliance, she realized how difficult it was for her. The alliance''s system-centric, flawed hierarchy was a place she disliked, even wanting to escape at one point. She would rather fight desolate beasts than stay in such a conniving place. But Xiang Beifei''s words last year made her realize that to protect pure educators like Professor Guo, she needed to climb higher, to a very high position. Only with power could she protect those she respected most, improving the situation for guardians like Professor Guo who dedicated themselves to defense. Only then did Professor Guo realize why An Xiyu had chosen to leave when he was teaching Xiang Beifei the method to refine his soul. An Xiyu was restraining herself from learning too much about Xiang Beifei to avoid causing trouble for him and Professor Luo. Thus, regarding how to refine the soul, even if she wanted to know, she couldn''t afford to listen in. Chapter 467 - 353: Refining the Divine Soul! (Two Chapters Combined)_2 Professor Guo said, "You can keep it secret, just like a pioneer who can''t disclose their mission." An Xiyu shook her head, "The alliance has all sorts of Awakeners, including those who excel at decryption. I don''t possess your strong defenses, nor do I have Professor Luo''s indestructible spiritual power, making it hard to resist them." Professor Guo''s gaze wavered uncertainly; he had not considered the underlying reasons behind the whole matter until now, when he realized the severity of the situation. After a long time, he sighed and asked, "Are you really willing to do this for him? Do you truly have no feelings for him... in that regard?" An Xiyu withdrew her gaze, a strange light in her eyes¡ªperhaps melancholy, perhaps loss. She didn''t know why she felt this way, since she and he were just classmates. She was a teaching assistant; he was the class representative. Their usual interactions were limited to discussing how to lead their classmates in dealing with beast tides. Yet, when she made this decision, her heart felt empty. "No." She said softly, biting her lip. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei returned to his cultivation spot and began refining his soul. He needed to quickly enhance his cultivation level; only with strength could he protect those around him and do what he wanted to do. "To refine the spiritual veins into the soul, you need to strip out the spiritual veins," Xiang Beifei recalled Professor Guo''s words. According to Professor Guo, stripping out the spiritual veins and refining them into the soul wasn''t too complex a process, but it was very troublesome. Initially, Professor Guo achieved it with the help of the system, using a God-gathering Talisman and spending a hefty sum of system points, step by step with the system''s aid. For high-level System Awakeners, Qi-Controlling and Meridian Opening stages are not difficult, but the step of refining the soul, everyone spends a long time on it! Because refining the soul is very difficult! This process is divided into two steps. The first step is to separate the spiritual veins. The second step is to refine the spiritual veins into the soul. Professor Guo, a highly gifted SR, took over a year to complete these two steps! Elder Luo was relatively more adept; it took him eight months to complete these two steps. The process is lengthy, and even with the system''s help, God Refining is not achieved overnight. It means that his high school principal, S-level Li Nanxing, who obtained a God Refining Pill last July, might not have reached the God Refining stage yet; he might only be on the second step. Once in the God Refining stage, cultivation improvements become much slower, and system missions more challenging; like Yuchi Shen and Ye Changfeng, who have had awakening systems for at least twenty years and are still only in the mid to late stages of God Refining. "No wonder so many people get stuck in the late Meridian Opening stage." Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but exclaim. Refining the soul represents a qualitative change! It''s a completely different realm from the Meridian Opening stage. These two steps determine their strength. Both Professor Guo and Elder Luo refined their souls relying on their cultivation techniques. Elder Luo used his extreme spiritual power that could block UR detection to refine spiritual power, while Professor Guo used a powerful counter-technique. Fortunately, Professor Guo explained this process in great detail, Xiang Beifei had also learned both men''s techniques, and even combined their techniques, which could exert more powerful effects. "Learn by Analogy" allowed him to quickly find a method to refine his soul that suited him, but he did not rely on spiritual power and counter-technique, but "Learn by Analogy" to his own Chaos Yin-Yang Formula. The Chaos Yin-Yang Formula is highly receptive to other system''s techniques, capable of simulating the status of spiritual power and counter-technique, then transforming into his own version; it does not reject any technique, thus Xiang Beifei could practice various system techniques. Elder Luo and Professor Guo''s techniques were just what Xiang Beifei had blended together, so he began to cultivate following their ways of soul refining. The first step is to separate the soul! Chaotic Yin and Yang circulated throughout his body, the spiritual power contained within the spiritual veins was very abundant and flowed smoothly, soon he entered a very peculiar state. To refine the soul, one must first perceive the spiritual veins throughout the body and strip the perception of the spiritual veins alone, maintaining a very clear state in mind. The process was very cumbersome because a person''s spiritual veins, said to stretch for 108,000 miles, was not an exaggeration; intertwined closely with the blood vessels, they formed the shape of the human body, and his task was to fully display this state. When he circulated spiritual power in his spiritual veins, his mind clearly perceived the full view of his spiritual veins. Next, he needed to slowly strip away the perception of the spiritual veins, allowing the spiritual veins to exist independently of the body, as if drawing silk from a cocoon. This was a meticulous task. According to Professor Guo, the first step took him a full two months. Xiang Beifei was prepared for a prolonged battle; he figured it would also take him a long time, at least ten to fifteen days. Thus, he seriously circulated the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula, drawing the silk from the cocoon following Professor Guo''s guidance. The Chaos Yin-Yang Formula slowly circulated through all the meridians in his body, and then¡ª Hum! An odd fluctuation spread throughout Xiang Beifei''s entire body. "Huh? What happened to the prolonged battle?" Xiang Beifei was stunned. In his mind, he distinctly felt his body''s meridians peeling off smoothly under the flow of the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula. Very smooth. It was as if¡ªwith just a slurp¡ªthey separated on their own! This made Xiang Beifei become solemn! Too smooth! It certainly didn''t seem like something that would take two months to achieve. He had only used half an hour! Could Professor Guo have been mistaken? "No, I must confirm this." The matter of refining his soul was something he was exploring on his own. Everyone else was slow, but his progress was alarmingly fast, which made him nervous. Professor Guo had mentioned that if there was the slightest carelessness during the separation of the meridians, failing to separate them properly could damage the meridians. That would be equivalent to cultivation regression, requiring the re-opening of the damaged meridians! He couldn''t be careless! He carefully examined the separated meridians. They floated outside the blood vessels, and it seemed as if his body and bones no longer existed, leaving only a skeleton composed of pale white meridians. His ultimate goal was to transform these pathways into a soul, which meant providing these meridians with a bodily framework. If one had to describe it, it would be like coating the meridians with a layer of flesh conjured by Spiritual Power to form the soul. This framework is usually built using one''s own cultivation technique. Elder Luo used spiritual power to condense it, while Professor Guo used his Contrary Technique. Similarly, he needed to use his own Chaos Yin-Yang Formula. Xiang Beifei carefully compared notes with his notebook. Professor Guo was very responsible; to help him, he had meticulously recorded every point, every step clearly, almost as if he had personally helped Xiang Beifei separate them himself. About ten minutes later, Xiang Beifei had finished checking all the meridians in his body. "There''s nothing wrong!" Xiang Beifei compared the key points in the notebook and again checked his own state of the meridians. The meridians had separated from the bodily blood vessels and could change shape at any time, without any discrepancy! "Perhaps Professor Guo was a bit too exaggerated. This isn''t that difficult." Xiang Beifei didn''t think further. Having separated the meridians, he moved on to the next step¡ªto refine the meridians into a soul! The second step was the hardest! Professor Guo took nine months on this step! "This is the real endurance battle." Xiang Beifei once again prepared himself, perhaps for the next few months he would be cultivating here. But soon, he realized he might be mistaken again. Because about a week after he ran the Chaotic Yin-Yang Qi Formula, a black aura started rising around those white meridians! This seemed different from what Professor Guo had described. Where did it go wrong? He was practicing the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula, but now he couldn''t be sure what this technique actually implied. However, he quickly remembered Xiaohei, who was entirely white. The Chaos Yin-Yang Formula had come from Xiaohei, and Xiaohei could not only become white but also black. Could there be a connection? He ran the formula again, and at that moment, the black aura, lingering outside the white meridians, began to condense automatically. That black aura swiftly formed into a faint figure, as if it had created a black skeleton supporting the white meridians! This... seemed to be a soul? "Huh, it seems... not too difficult." Xiang Beifei stroked his chin. These two steps had taken Professor Guo over a year, Elder Luo eight months, yet he had only taken a week? Was that too fast? Chapter 468 - 354: Meeting (Two Chapters Combined) Every May is a very special day, at least for the leaders of Liangzhou University, who will be busy for the next two or three months. It''s the month of the annual Awakening System. During this period, professors and teachers from elite universities pay attention to and contact principals from every high school, greeting them and asking for their assistance in scouting for new student sources. As soon as a school identifies a super genius Awakener, they waste no time in sending delegates to negotiate school selection. Students with high-tier System ranks are highly sought after by everyone. "This matter is of the utmost seriousness, concerning the reputation of our school! Everyone must mobilize your connections to search for SR and SSR students, and even URs! We absolutely can''t let other schools get there first!" As the president of Liangzhou University, Cao Pei was conducting a staff mobilization meeting in the Liangzhou University auditorium. Jiuzhou is vast, with thousands of high schools at least, and no one knows which of them will awaken a UR or SSR this year, which is why deploying personnel in advance is a task that every elite university needs to prepare for. The teachers and professors of Liangzhou University are all quite capable, and they have a good reputation, but not every high school principal will give them face, because the other eight elite universities are also recruiting! This is a silent contest among elite universities! Last year was unlucky for Liangzhou University, as they didn''t recruit any SSR freshmen. Although the events at the elite competition were bizarre, where an N-level swept all SSRs, this after all, was an unlikely event. Improbable events cannot dictate the admissions rules of Liangzhou University. After Cao Pei''s impassioned speech, he then said, "If anyone has any suggestions about this year''s admission situation, you can present them now." Ye Changfeng spoke up, "Due to Xiang Beifei, I estimate this year we will have many N-level Awakeners applying to our university. Right now, Xiang Beifei''s influence is significant, and many are filled with longing for Liangzhou University because of him, subtly elevating the status of our university by a notch. Has anyone considered seizing this opportunity to slightly improve the admissions system?" An N-level who could beat SSRs, Xiang Beifei, had practically become the foremost among the nine elite universities, which was an acknowledged fact. However, no sooner had Ye Changfeng finished speaking than someone immediately opposed him. "Allowing N-level students into our elite university? What a joke! How do N-level students deserve to study at our elite university? Do we also want to become the laughing stock of other universities?" Wei Tong was the first to object. He was extremely displeased with the existence of Xiang Beifei. Because of this N-level student, his "Methodical System" could not perform the archival arrangement task well. If a few more N-levels were recruited, wouldn''t it cause him trouble? "It was an N-level student who got us the overall first place in the elite freshmen competition this year," Ye Changfeng stated. Wei Tong retorted, "Are you sure that N-level student has brought honor to our university? Initially, other universities were suspicious of us, and there are still those who doubt that our university orchestrated that event for the sake of honor! The damage to our reputation this caused far outweighs the honor he brought us!" "Who is suspicious? The Alliance or Qingzhou University? How can you not refute such absurd accusations with confidence? As the dean of the Martial Arts College, you should at least know how to defend your own students, shouldn''t you?" Ye Changfeng stared at this literary Dao SSR. After the freshmen competition incident, the Alliance was full of suspicions about Xiang Beifei, and Wei Tong, like a dead man, never spoke up for him. Logically, every school suffered serious losses, but only Xiang Beifei brought his team back safe and sound. He should have been commended by the school. But Wei Tong, as if blind, seemed not to see these things; after returning to school, he did not even mention them. "I am the dean; of course, I act with measure! Each step must be carefully considered; solving problems outside isn''t about fists, but brains!" Wei Tong said angrily. "Someone with a clear head should know how to protect their students out in the world," Ye Changfeng remarked. The faculty and staff in attendance began to whisper among themselves. In fact, many were dissatisfied with Wei Tong serving as the dean of the Martial Arts College, but since he was sent by the Alliance and was an SSR himself, they held back their displeasure. The atmosphere of the meeting became somewhat stiff due to the disagreement between Wei Tong and Ye Changfeng. At this moment, a discordant voice came from the corner, "Mr. Ye, this is where you are wrong. Dean Wei is impartial; he helped the investigation by the Alliance with an attitude of fairness and pursuit of truth. His approach should be commended." Ye Changfeng turned his head and looked towards the corner of the auditorium. A middle-aged man dressed in a white suit sat there, spotlessly clean, neat as a pin, like a refined gentleman, mild and scholarly. Even sitting in an inconspicuous corner, he still could not hide the regal demeanor of someone extraordinary in every movement. The others suddenly also noticed the man''s presence and were slightly startled. This person was not a faculty member of Liangzhou University, but everyone knew who he was. The commander of the Alliance Beast Tide Defense Department, a UR-level Awakener, He Caiwei! Ye Changfeng''s brows furrowed. He didn''t even know when He Caiwei arrived; he wasn''t there before the meeting started. Chapter 469 - 354: Meeting (Two Chapters Combined)_2 Cao Pei had also just noticed He Caiwei, but he seemed unsurprised and said with a smile, "Commander He has arrived, and everyone should recognize Commander He, an alumnus of Liangzhou University. Today we are fortunate to have Commander He attend our Liangzhou University faculty meeting. Let''s give him a warm welcome." A round of enthusiastic applause echoed throughout the meeting room. The teachers here were naturally aware of He Caiwei''s identity and status. The reason elite schools scramble to snatch high-ranking talents from high schools across Jiuzhou every year is to maintain their voice in the alliance. As an UR-level Awakener, He Caiwei had emerged from Liangzhou University! Among the alumni of Liangzhou University, he is one with extraordinary achievements¡ªthe commander of the entire Jiuzhou Beast Tide Defense Department! The person who held this position before him was Luo Yunxian. Such an important position being consecutively held by two individuals from Liangzhou University demonstrates the confidence Liangzhou University has within the alliance! Ye Changfeng did not clap. He did not welcome this man. Despite being a product of Liangzhou University, He Caiwei did not truly stand with Liangzhou University; within the alliance, he belonged to the vanguard of the "Idle Faction," siding with other UR-level elites from elite schools to ostracize Elder Luo and even failing to speak up for Liangzhou University on some key decisions. He claimed to be "helping justice, not relatives," but in actuality, he was "helping his own interests, not relatives." Before the meeting, Cao Pei and other school leaders did not notify Elder Luo and did not even consider him as a staff member to be included in the meeting. They did not invite Elder Luo, but they did invite someone like He Caiwei. That was because in Cao Pei''s eyes, UR-level He Caiwei was clearly more worth ingratiating with than Luo Yunxian, who had retired and no longer had much say. Previously, they could never invite him, but now that he had volunteered to come, Cao Pei could not be happier. "It is a fortunate thing that Commander He could take the time out of his busy schedule to guide our work. Now, please allow Commander He to say a few words," Cao Pei said with a beaming smile. Another round of applause broke out in the auditorium. "Thank you, Principal Cao. Being able to return to Liangzhou University is a very nice thing," He Caiwei said. He Caiwei slowly walked up from the corner, and Cao Pei made way for the main speaker''s position, clearing the floor for He Caiwei. Glancing over the entire meeting room, he revealed an approachable smile: "Coming back to Liangzhou University once again is indeed quite moving for me. After all, this is my alma mater. I hope it can develop even better in the future, and if there are any issues, I also hope to contribute to building Liangzhou University." He looked towards Ye Changfeng and then said, "Let us continue with the question Mr. Ye just raised. Mr. Ye, are you hoping for elite universities to recruit N-level students?" "That''s correct," Ye Changfeng replied with neither servility nor arrogance. "Then how do you plan to deal with these N-level students?" He Caiwei asked. Ye Changfeng responded, "I suggest taking advantage of the influence brought by Xiang Beifei to set up a special improvement class, specifically recruiting high-scoring N-level students and arranging courses according to their abilities." He Caiwei nodded slightly and said, "Mr. Ye''s intention is good, but you''ve forgotten one thing: the number of N-level students who can achieve success is ultimately sparse. If we indiscriminately let them into our school, the quality of our student body will become uneven, and N-level students are also likely to face exclusion from others." "However, we should consider another aspect. These N-level students lack any advantage from the system''s ranking, but scoring over 650 points entirely through their own intellect proves they are clever and have a solid foundation. They may not have achieved much in martial Dao, but with their brains, they certainly have a place in the literary Dao," Ye Changfeng paused before continuing, "Offering such students a chance to study at elite universities is not a bad idea. On one hand, it can showcase Liangzhou University''s magnanimity, and on the other hand, it can enhance the influence of Liangzhou University." Wei Tong spoke dismissively from below, "N-level students, even if they graduate from an elite university, won''t achieve much in the future. What''s the use of learning? How many low-ranking Awakeners ever make something of themselves?" "Education should be fair, not biased by the advantage of the system''s ranking to deny these high-scoring N-level students the chance to even receive the finest education by keeping them out of elite universities with one single standard." "Every day we face various threats from desolate beasts in the outer domains. If the desolate beasts were to attack on a large scale again, those Level N students might not be able to join the fight, but they would at least understand how to protect those around them, as well as handle logistics. That is the purpose of teaching and nurturing students at elite schools, to cultivate people who can protect civilians at critical moments." Ye Changfeng still held fast to his view. He Caiwei smiled slightly and said unhurriedly, "Mr. Ye seems to have forgotten something. Cultivating Level N students is what ordinary universities are supposed to do, not something for elite institutions to consider. This is the difference between ordinary and elite universities. If we also start enrolling Level N students on a large scale, what''s the point of having elite universities? Mr. Ye, your suggestion needs further consideration, and I don''t agree with its feasibility." Ye Changfeng fell silent for a moment and didn''t speak again. The system determined fate; a person''s social status was destined at the moment of their awakening. No matter how smart they were, if they awakened a Level N system, it was basically hopeless. He wanted to change this situation, but still felt powerless. Moreover, Cao Pei had already planned to use He Caiwei to raise Liangzhou University''s status within the Alliance, creating further complications. "Where has Elder Luo gone, with no news for so long?" Ye Changfeng let out a small sigh inside. If Elder Luo were still at the university, how could someone like He Caiwei even have a say? But recently, Elder Luo was hardly ever at the university, and He Caiwei had been keeping an eye on him. He was making these moves because he had noticed Elder Luo''s absence. "That being said, why haven''t we seen Xiang Beifei lately? He hasn''t attended classes, nor has he shown his face around the university. It''s been two months since anyone last saw him," Cao Pei inquired. "He is cultivating," Ye Changfeng replied. "Not showing up at all, not a trace of the discipline a student should have¡ªthat''s unacceptable! He hasn''t even requested leave from me!" Wei Tong huffed. "The essence of martial Dao is cultivation," Ye Changfeng responded. He Caiwei looked at Ye Changfeng with a meaningful expression, saying, "A student should still behave like a student. I hope he''s not using cultivation as an excuse to skip classes. As far as I''m aware, although he has reached the proficiency required to graduate, he is still a student if he hasn''t completely passed all the graduation course assessments." "Dean Wei''s words make sense. Since Xiang Beifei hasn''t requested leave, his current actions are equivalent to skipping classes. If he doesn''t follow the school''s regulations, I don''t think Dean Wei would allow him to graduate. If he isn''t able to graduate in the end, that would be quite the joke once it gets out. Mr. Ye, I hope you''ll talk to him." Ye Changfeng''s expression darkened. With Xiang Beifei''s abilities, passing the graduation assessment would be a piece of cake, but the problem was that He Caiwei was obviously intending to interfere with the affairs of Liangzhou University. Wei Tong stood with He Caiwei, and whether Xiang Beifei could graduate was up to He Caiwei''s decision. He Caiwei now wanted to suppress Xiang Beifei, making him show up daily, monitoring him, and disrupting his cultivation rhythm. And even if he did show up, He Caiwei wasn''t likely to let him graduate easily! Xiang Beifei''s reputation was soaring high; if such a talent couldn''t graduate, he would likely face much criticism. Whether or not to graduate was actually irrelevant to Xiang Beifei; even if he dropped out, it wouldn''t make much difference. But the problem was, many people would start questioning Liangzhou University, and at that time, He Caiwei could direct all the blame towards Elder Luo. As a venerable elder of Liangzhou University, it would be a huge joke if a student mentored by Elder Luo couldn''t meet the graduation requirements of Liangzhou University. Elder Luo''s reputation in the public eye would likely plummet. With just a little push from He Caiwei using his own tactics, he could completely set Elder Luo against all Level N Awakeners! The supporters of Xiang Beifei were all brought up by the Alliance, and it wouldn''t be hard for the Alliance to guide them. With just a slight implication that Xiang Beifei couldn''t graduate because of Elder Luo, all Level N Awakeners might join together in an offensive against Elder Luo! This was He Caiwei''s real aim! "This is getting troublesome." Ye Changfeng began to feel a growing anxiety. Chapter 470 - 355: Rectifying Education For He Caiwei''s sake, Cao Pei specifically convened a school-wide assembly, gathering all Martial Arts students together, allowing He Caiwei to deliver a speech. This left many students extremely excited! Awakener He Caiwei, the Commander of the Alliance Beast Tide Defense Department, was also their former senior at Liangzhou University! Each aspect of his identity was highly respected by countless students! Each new cohort of SR students could already command much attention, let alone witnessing an UR Awakener today¡ªtruly a rare and fortunate occurrence! Many students looked up to He Caiwei with reverence, listening to his guidance and treating him as if he were a god. "Our students at Liangzhou University, each and every one of you, are elites. In my eyes, each of you is a pillar of the Alliance''s future. Liangzhou University''s achievements today are the result of everyone''s joint efforts. As the Commander of the Alliance Beast Tide Defense Department and a former student of Liangzhou University, I am extremely proud! I admire every Liangzhou University student, and if you aspire to work for the Alliance in the future, I will do my utmost to help you all. I also hope everyone strives for excellence, as Liangzhou University will not give up on any student." He Caiwei''s speech was deeply moving. His own scholarly demeanor, coupled with the status of an UR individual, made his influence extremely powerful. A simple speech from him stirred the emotions of all students, and the applause on the field lasted for a full ten minutes. "I didn''t expect Commander He to be so approachable; he doesn''t put on any airs at all!" "Indeed, he''s encouraging us as a senior. Being treated like younger siblings by an UR big shot is truly lucky!" Many students couldn''t stop praising He Caiwei, and even began to look forward to the chance of working under him after graduating and joining the Alliance. His friendly attitude towards juniors had harvested a wave of goodwill. However, these students probably never imagined that this refined senior before their eyes had secretly dispatched three God Refining stage masters to assassinate his so-called junior, Xiang Beifei! He Caiwei had a great reputation at Liangzhou University. Quiet changes were taking place at the Martial Arts College of Liangzhou University. With the covert support of He Caiwei, Wei Tong, the dean of the Martial Arts College, had gained enough power to start a series of reforms at the Martial Arts College of Liangzhou University. Wei Tong, who had awakened the [SSR-grade Methodical System], now held significant power in the school with the support of the Alliance''s He Caiwei. He had indeed implemented a uniform dress code for all university students: male students had to wear crew cuts, female students were required to tie up their hair, all students had to get up at 6 a.m., and leave the dormitory before 6:30 a.m., even if they had no classes in the morning or afternoon, they were not allowed to return to their dorms! Students returning from training in the outer desolate wilderness had to take a shower in the public bathhouse before entering the campus. Garments ragged and stained with desolate beast blood were not allowed on campus. Loud noises were forbidden in school; the volume was not allowed to exceed eighty decibels! Lights had to be out and the internet shut off by eleven at night, no shoulder-hugging was allowed on campus, displaying the remains of desolate beasts was prohibited, as was boasting about how one had slain a desolate beast. On-campus fighting using martial practitioning abilities for trivial disputes was forbidden because it would disturb the neatly arranged plants and scatter dust everywhere. Wei Tong had set up a point system for students'' daily behavior, starting at one hundred for each person. Those who didn''t follow the rules would have points deducted, and those who didn''t reach sixty by the end of the term were not allowed to take exams in various subjects! Of course, where there were penalties, there were also rewards. Wei Tong encouraged students to report on each other for infractions. If the report was true, for every few points deducted from the person being reported, the reporter would have the same number of points added! He even established a patrol team consisting of students to monitor the campus, directly deducting points for improper behavior! Wei Tong also made it clear that the higher one''s daily behavior points, the greater the likelihood of his recommendation to the Alliance. Now, every student of the Martial Arts College was feeling quite uneasy; all of them usually focused on their own training or internships in the outer desolate wilderness or simulation rooms, therefore often ending up dirty and disheveled. But Wei Tong, a literary Daoist who didn''t understand martial cultivation, had set a bunch of messy rules that greatly troubled them. Due to the importance of daily behavior points, they had to squeeze out time from their training sessions to meet Wei Tong''s requirements. [Class 1-3 students, following your requirements, have worn the unified school uniform, orderliness value +50] [All male students in Class 1-4 have crew cuts, orderliness value +60] The more orderly the students'' behavior, the more points were added to Wei Tong''s Methodical System. A fine Martial Arts College, which should have been cultivating martial practitioning warriors to resist desolate beasts, had become Wei Tong''s private backyard for completing system tasks. All Martial Arts students were aggrieved and annoyed, but for the sake of their futures, they dared not defy Dean Wei Tong. Of course, some students saw this as an opportunity. To obtain the chance to join the Alliance, many began to secretly report on others to increase their own points. The culture of reporting within the campus grew stronger and the atmosphere at Liangzhou University had become quite strange. Wei Tong was an SSR literary Daoist who couldn''t fight and didn''t even understand the classification of desolate beasts; in any case, even if a beast tide erupted, it was not his turn to fight on the battlefield. Such a literary Daoist only needed to safely hide at home. Chapter 471 - 355: Teaching Rectification_2 Moreover, the beast tide hasn''t erupted for a very long time now, and the front-line defenses these past few years have been very solid, with desolate beasts unable to break through. He didn''t care at all whether the students trained like this could withstand the beast tide, he only knew that in just one short week, he had reaped as much as three million orderliness values! Three million, no less! Usually, he''d have to complete system tasks for half a year or even a year to earn that amount! Yet, all he had to do was enact a few regulations, and he reached it in one week! "This is the Martial Arts College I wanted to see." Wei Tong was very satisfied with the current situation. When he had first arrived, under the imposing aura of Luo Yunxian, he had felt restrained in his actions. Now that Luo Yunxian had disappeared for some unknown reason and had He Caiwei''s support, his confidence was substantially bolstered! Wei Tong not only established a behavioral standard score for students but also created a teaching score for teachers. He demanded that teachers must fix the students'' seating during class, with each student being seated according to the system''s rank. Students with high-level systems would sit in one row, and those with low-level systems would sit in another, with each row also ordered by height, with shorter ones in the front and taller ones in the back, and male and female students separated. He would regularly inspect classrooms, and if any teacher did not teach to his standards, he would immediately deduct teaching points, which were tied to evaluations and honors. The entire Martial Arts College of Liangzhou University had been forced to adapt to Wei Tong''s Methodical System and had started to transform into formalized teaching. However, some teachers had no intention of making any corrections. ¡ª¡ª "Ye Changfeng, why is your classroom so disorderly? How many times have I told you to make corrections?" When Wei Tong inspected Ye Changfeng''s classroom, he found it rowdy with students standing around loudly discussing something, not following his instructions for the class, which infuriated him. [Ye Changfeng''s classroom is too disordered, please host bring order and sort it out!] His system prompted him. Ye Changfeng looked at Wei Tong indifferently, adjusted his glasses, and said, "I''m conducting a simulation class on the extraterritorial desolate territory, a practical course, so it''s impossible to be neat and tidy." Wei Tong snorted coldly and was not convinced, as such a classroom simply could not add to his system value. Especially since the students had already been divided into groups, but not all groups had the same number of members; some groups had five, some six, and some even had ten! [Ye Changfeng''s classroom has unbalanced group numbers, please host bring order and sort it out!] "Why have you divided the groups like this? Isn''t it unfair to other groups with fewer members if group numbers aren''t balanced? Is this your standard of teaching?" Wei Tong reprimanded. "The groups in my class are divided based on pioneers'' teams, with the number of each group determined by the diverse abilities of the students. As the dean of the Martial Arts College, I hope you''ll study more about what the cultivation philosophy of martial artists is supposed to be," Ye Changfeng plainly stated. "Nonsense! Pioneer teams typically consist of groups of five, do you think I''m unaware of that? Do I need you to teach me how to do my job?" Wei Tong grew even more irritated. "Not all teams in actual operations are composed of five people. If you truly researched what pioneering means, you wouldn''t make such a statement. Teaching should consider the matching of students'' abilities, not just forcibly aim for equal numbers¡ªthe desolate beasts won''t explain the concept of fairness to you, they only care if you can inflict a kill," Ye Changfeng argued. Five people per group is only because in the alliance of pioneers, there is no shortage of individuals with various system types, and one can readily form a well-rounded team. But that''s not feasible in the classroom because the students'' Spiritual Power capabilities are varied, and there is a limited number of students. For instance, the number of Awakeners with mobility or defensive capabilities may not be exactly enough for even distribution. All students must participate in the simulation training, so the excess students must inevitably be compromised into other groups to compensate for any shortcomings, hence the situation where some groups might have six or even ten members. But Wei Tong did not grasp this at all; he only knew that Ye Changfeng''s classroom didn''t follow his rules! Uneven numbers were in contradiction to his Methodical System! "Don''t give me excuses. I demand that you strictly divide the numbers in your class as per my requirements. Every time your class is a complete mess, with no semblance of order in your teaching, what can the students learn?" Wei Tong barked angrily. Ye Changfeng remained unmoved, "How I teach my class is my business, please do not interfere." "Ye Changfeng, don''t provoke my patience. I am the dean of martial artists here, and what I say goes. Do you still want to apply for the associate professor position this year? Can someone with your teaching method become an associate professor?" Wei Tong said, his tone full of threat Whether he could become an associate professor in the end still required the signature of Wei Tong, the dean! Ye Changfeng glanced at Wei Tong, then directly ignored him and said to the students, "Let''s get moving. In this class, we''ll be training in volcanic terrain on how to deal with the Black Meteor Fox. Every group needs to be vigilant and minimize the losses!" With a wave of his hand, he took all the students into the simulation illusion, leaving Wei Tong standing alone at the classroom door, gritting his teeth with hatred at the empty room. "Protecting the truant Xiang Beifei, not reporting Xiang Beifei''s situation, acting on your own, not following my rules¡ªI''ll make you understand that opposing me brings no good!" Wei Tong took out a pen and scribbled down a note on paper, deducting points from Ye Changfeng right away! He then went to inspect Yuchi Shen''s classroom, but Yuchi Shen was even more direct, his awakening was the Purgatory System, laying down a layer of Purgatory Domain in the classroom, its icy breath and murderous intent so strong that it sent shivers down one''s spine from a distance. Yuchi Shen was already a late-stage God Refining martial artist, at the same level as Wei Tong, but his strength was many times more powerful than that of Wei Tong, a literary Daoist with a mere 250 combat power. Wei Tong tried several times to approach Yuchi Shen''s classroom but was deterred by the extremely cold zone. In the end, Wei Tong couldn''t even enter Yuchi Shen''s classroom. [Yuchi Shen''s classroom atmosphere clashes with others, disrupting the orderly atmosphere of the teaching building. Please rectify this promptly, host!] "Yuchi Shen, according to regulation 9.4.3 of the Martial Arts College of Liangzhou University, your classroom atmosphere is too gloomy, seriously disrupting the teaching order, and you''re not allowing me to enter. You have one day to rectify this!" Wei Tong waited until after class to specifically intercept Yuchi Shen. "Oh." Yuchi Shen responded emotionlessly. However, in the afternoon''s class, he sealed the classroom off again! Wei Tong was absolutely furious! Of course, for Yuchi Shen''s students, such a teaching method was undoubtedly very painful because Yuchi Shen''s training often left students peeling off a layer of skin. But they had grown accustomed to struggling in purgatory, so they didn''t mind. Many teachers were also very resentful towards Wei Tong, so they complained to Principal Cao Pei, hoping he would stop Wei Tong from interfering with their teaching. However, Principal Cao Pei was now keen on gaining the alliance''s support for Liangzhou University and planned to curry favor with He Caiwei. Since Wei Tong was appointed by He Caiwei, no matter what Wei Tong did, Cao Pei turned a blind eye. Most teachers were just seeking employment here. With Wei Tong now holding immense power, if one did not comply with his requirements, various bonuses would be deducted, so they had no choice but to swallow their grievances. Of course, many straightforward professors didn''t take Wei Tong''s nonsense. For example, when Wei Tong inspected Professor Guo''s class and saw that Professor Guo had taken the students to the simulation room to prepare for desolate beast defense in the plains terrain. There, as they set up defense lines, they formed teams to lay traps, and discussions were buzzing all over the plains. [Guo Zhenghong''s classroom is too disorderly. Please sort it out methodically, host!] Wei Tong''s brows were almost knotted into a tattered rag as he strode over to Professor Guo and barked, "Professor Guo! I sent you the classroom orderliness value table to your email the day before yesterday, and yet your class is still so..." "Get lost!" Professor Guo shouted without hesitation! The sound was thunderous, like a muffled clap of thunder, stupefying Wei Tong, who staggered and fell onto a poison gas trap just laid by the students. A purple fog enveloped him immediately and an appalling stench nearly knocked him out cold! Though Wei Tong also had a late-stage God Refining cultivation, Professor Guo was of a higher level. A mere shout could stupefy him like a muggle, leaving him unable to summon his Spiritual Power. Being a literary Daoist, he had no clue about the nature of the trap nor how to defend against it. Chapter 472 - 356: Means (Two Chapters in One) "Ugh..." Wei Tong had just vomited a full stomach of water, bringing up his last night''s meal. Fortunately, his body''s resilience was strong; the taste assault was the only thing he had to deal with, without damaging his essence, but it still rattled him. He vomited for a full ten minutes before he finally stopped. When he realized he was surrounded by a group of pointing and whispering classmates, Wei Tong was immediately furious! "Professor Guo, you dare to poison me!" Wei Tong said, his lips quivering. "This poison gas bomb was only meant to defend against Dan shrimps of the middle Qi-Controlling stage. How can you, as the dean of the Martial Arts College, not be able to withstand even this?" Professor Guo said impatiently. The thing he hated most was someone disrupting his class! Wei Tong grew even more ashamed and angry! When did he ever have time to care about such trifles? In his view, such juvenile traps were only something that simple-minded martial artists would study! Him, a lofty SSR, found his valuable time better spent ensuring the bookshelves in the library were tidy and the plants in the college gardens weren''t growing crooked. That was his real job! How could he possibly waste time on student battle traps? "Professor Guo! Don''t change the subject! Your classroom order is a mess, not following the classroom order regulations issued by Martial Arts College of Liangzhou University. According to the classroom order chart, rule number three, clause fifty-four, item nineteen, every teacher''s classroom order must ensure students carry out their studies in an orderly fashion, the number of students..." But before Wei Tong could finish speaking, Professor Guo interrupted him. "This is practical combat teaching, not an audition. Don''t bring your meaningless nonsense into my classroom! When a beast tide hits, do you think martial artists will waste time making all their traps nice and uniform for your appreciation? To be honest, someone like you, a literary Dao adherent meddling in the training of martial artists, is a scourge to Jiuzhou! With desolate beasts lurking outside, you think of nothing but putting on a show of formality! Putting the cart before the horse and senselessly interfering will sooner or later bring disaster to the students of Liangzhou University!" Professor Guo was known for his forthrightness, saying what he thought, and he had long been dissatisfied with people like Wei Tong. If all the deans of martial arts schools in elite universities were like Wei Tong, then Jiuzhou might well be doomed. Many students greatly admired Professor Guo. They were very resistant to the various regulations promulgated by Wei Tong, but with Wei Tong being an SSR of noble status, students, no matter how resentful, didn''t dare to question the decisions. However, Professor Guo had openly voiced everyone''s thoughts, and seeing an SSR like Wei Tong being verbally thrashed by an SR professor to the point of blushing made them secretly respect Professor Guo! Indeed, you don''t mess with the old professors! "Guo Zhenghong! By questioning my decisions, you''re questioning the decisions of the alliance. I will report your words to the alliance today, and I hope you''ll continue to be so confident in the future." Wei Tong suppressed the anger in his heart¡ªhe dared not confront Professor Guo directly¡ªso he left in a huff. ¡ª¡ª A month later. The assessment of teachers by Wei Tong had come out. Of the more than one thousand teachers at Liangzhou University, six hundred and ninety-six were from the Martial Arts College, all under Wei Tong''s management. Of these teachers, four hundred and thirty-one failed the classroom evaluation. Four hundred and ten were given a first warning and a deadline for improvement, while twenty-one were severely warned! Among them, Ye Changfeng was retained for observation, Yuchi Shen lost his associate professor title, and Professor Guo was directly demoted from full professor to ordinary lecturer! All three were also suspended from teaching for a month to reflect. For university professors, ranking such as a professorship can grant them higher authority both in the university and the alliance, making it easier for them to carry out teaching activities. Professor Guo had been teaching his whole life and had reached retirement age; now rehired to teach, he had never expected to be targeted by Wei Tong in such a petty way, having his professorship title stripped. This was the first time many had seen such a thing happen, and many felt it was unfair to Professor Guo. In the eyes of all students, although Professor Guo was strict, he was the most responsible professor, having guided nearly every student. To see him suppressed by Wei Tong like this angered many students. But no matter how unfair they felt, there was nothing they could do about it. As an SSR, Wei Tong''s word was nearly absolute within the college; no one dared to contradict him! ¡ª¡ª Ye Changfeng''s classes were suspended, and Wei Tong demanded he properly rectify his classroom order according to the requirements and pass Wei Tong''s auditing assessment before he could resume teaching. But adhering to Wei Tong''s methods meant Ye Changfeng had to split every pioneer team into groups of five, which was practically impossible. The students'' system types varied, and it was not possible to form the right number of groups without causing a severe imbalance in strength, which would greatly hinder his teaching. Li Zimu, Long Guocheng, Xi Keyao, and Ma Ziqian came to the office together to visit the suspended Ye Changfeng. Just yesterday, all four of them had been called to the dean''s office by Wei Tong and interrogated about the newbie contest. He wanted to clarify Xiang Beifei''s true situation. This was the third time this month they had been called in for a talk. Chapter 473 - 356: Methods (Two Chapters Combined)_2 "Mr. Ye, the Dean has already approached us. He seems to have quite an opinion about your teaching method and specifically inquired about our last training in the external desolate realm," Ma Ziqian was the first to speak up. "I don''t like turning my class into a formality," Ye Changfeng said. Wei Tong was one of He Caiwei''s people. In the school, those who supported Elder Luo had all been warned. He and Professor Guo were bound to receive special attention, and he had anticipated this. "Who knows why the Alliance sent such an outsider here. Does he really understand the way we martial artists learn?" Long Guocheng also had a lot of resentment toward Wei Tong. Ever since university students were required to wear school uniforms and cut their hair short, everyone had basically been assimilated. It had become difficult for him to draw attention when walking in the crowd, and recently his attention value had sharply declined. Of course, this wasn''t so important, because he could still earn attention value from the fighting arena. However, the proud Long Guocheng couldn''t stand Wei Tong, a literary Daoist, pointing fingers at them martial artists. What he revered were the strong, not the likes of Wei Tong and his SSR. Such people were a disaster for Jiuzhou! "It''s pretty clear that the Alliance is suppressing Liangzhou University. Mr. Ye, if I''m not mistaken, this must have something to do with Xiang Beifei, right?" Li Zimu was a scholar and understood many things without them needing to be said outright. "What could that guy have to do with it?" Long Guocheng asked with a frown. Xi Keyao muttered resentfully in a low voice, "It has everything to do with it! The Alliance is targeting Xiang Beifei! They think that Xiang Beifei..." She hesitated there, not finishing her sentence, and instead changed her words, "In any case, they are being very unreasonable." Xi Keyao knew many things but also understood that some matters were better not spoken. "It''s been a long time since we''ve seen Xiang Beifei," Xi Keyao mumbled. After pondering for a moment, Ye Changfeng asked, "You share a dormitory with Xiang Beifei, do you have any news about him?" Li Zimu slightly shook his head: "I only saw him in passing last week, and I haven''t seen him these past few days either. He''s been practicing in the space all this time." "That brainless Dean came to our dormitory yesterday. He kept trying to force that guy out of the practice space but didn''t succeed," Long Guocheng said. The practice space was a type of UR-level high-tech system, a sealed space technology created especially for elite students to practice. It was costly, but very safe and effective, and it was hard for outsiders to disrupt the practice inside, which also prevented roommates from disturbing each other. Once students inside entered the state of practice, even Wei Tong was helpless to intervene. But everyone knew that Wei Tong would not let things go easily because Xiang Beifei had already been singled out for criticism many times by the entire faculty, and his base student points were almost completely deducted. The next step was probably academic probation. "If he doesn''t come out soon, he''s probably going to be expelled by the Dean," Li Zimu said. "Didn''t that guy qualify for graduation a long time ago?" Long Guocheng spoke, "According to school regulations, once you reach the Meridian Opening phase, you don''t need to attend classes." "The rules were changed at the last minute," Li Zimu said. Xiang Beifei''s absence from classes was originally in line with the college regulations, but to monitor Xiang Beifei''s every move, Wei Tong forcibly changed the rules just for him. Ye Changfeng sat down on a chair, contemplating the situation, a look of concern flashing in his eyes. Lately, Elder Luo had gone who knows where, with no sign of him for the whole month. He Caiwei would show up at the Martial Arts College from time to time, openly and covertly backing Wei Tong. The Martial Arts College was already under Wei Tong''s control. They enforced rules on all sides, making life difficult for teachers and students. Every day, the faculty and students had to put on a good facade, dealing with Wei Tong''s inspections and doing tasks for Wei Tong''s Methodical System. This had severely affected the fundamental pace of the teachers'' and students'' training and instruction. If this continued, whether the students could become qualified martial artists was questionable! "If this continues, trouble is bound to arise." Ye Changfeng''s worries grew. ---- Dean''s office. He Caiwei sat in his chair, leisurely brewing a pot of tea. Wei Tong respectfully sat opposite He Caiwei, his eyes burning with fervor, he harbored a fanatic adoration toward He Caiwei! [He Caiwei''s tea-making method is orderly and meticulous, orderliness value +189] [He Caiwei dresses neatly and appropriately, with dignified and graceful manners, orderliness value +244] [He Caiwei''s hair is combed without a hair out of place, orderliness value +311] [He Caiwei''s leather shoes are polished spotlessly, orderliness value +199] ... Wei Tong essentially regarded He Caiwei as his god, such a UR-level genius Awakener not only had high strength but also, like himself, was extremely meticulous about dress and behavior, in his eyes, He Caiwei was a perfect person. Wei Tong''s Methodical System could increase the system value not only because he was organized in his affairs, but also from others. Being with He Caiwei, every sentence he uttered, every action he took, harvested a large wave of orderliness value for Wei Tong''s [Methodical System], and because it was a UR-level Awakener, the added orderliness value was very substantial. "How many people in the Liangzhou University faculty team are siding with Luo Yunxian, have you ascertained that?" He Caiwei asked after sipping his tea. "Yes, I have made it clear, and the list is all here." Wei Tong respectfully handed a list to He Caiwei. These were four hundred and thirty-one teachers who had been critiqued through internal notices. His method of dealing with them was simple, anyone who didn''t conduct their classes in an orderly fashion as per his teaching regulations was labeled a cohort of Luo Yunxian without discussion, to be warned after a notice of critique! He Caiwei took the list and examined it carefully, his eyes settling on the section about Guo Zhenghong and Ye Changfeng, and seeing their punishment, he slightly frowned. "The punishment of Guo Zhenghong and Ye Changfeng is still not severe enough," He Caiwei said. "Do you want to expel them?" Wei Tong swiftly asked. He Caiwei pondered for a moment and shook his head, "Not yet. These two, one is a crony of Luo Yunxian, and the other is brought up by him. They are Luo Yunxian''s enforcers and pose a potential threat within the alliance; they must be monitored and should not leave the school." Once expelled, they could no longer be watched. Wei Tong asked, "Then, what does Commander He think should be done to punish these two?" He Caiwei hummed lightly with indifference, "They have colluded with Luo Yunxian and have created a mess in Liangzhou University over the years, causing abhorrent behaviors. You''re reforming Liangzhou University now; investigate thoroughly and you will definitely find their actions harmful to the alliance. If the information is verified, they can be arrested!" Wei Tong hesitated, "But it''s very difficult to find evidence of wrongdoing for Guo Zhenghong." Even the nitpicky Wei Tong had to admit that Guo Zhenghong was truly incorruptible, with an excellent reputation among students. He had spent his life in teaching and nurturing, being open and upright. As long as it didn''t affect his teaching or his pursuit of slaying desolate beasts, he was generally easygoing. "That is just a fac?ade he has crafted! He is a master of disguise, and the Su People are already investigating him. It''s very possible that he is involved with the Unrestrained! Do you think his constant presence at the border and unwillingness to join the alliance is because he is dedicated to guarding it? You are too nai?ve; that is merely him carrying out a task for the Unrestrained. Rest assured, leave this man to me to handle." A hint of coldness flashed in the depths of He Caiwei''s eyes. How simple it was to assign someone a baseless charge? When Eternal Sleep and Keshi went to assassinate Xiang Beifei last time, they disappeared precisely at the segment of the border guarded by Guo Zhenghong. He Caiwei found it difficult to prove that Luo Yunxian had killed them. But he could strong-arm the blame onto Guo Zhenghong. After all, Guo Zhenghong was not Luo Yunxian and was much easier to deal with than Luo Yunxian! He sneered repeatedly in his heart. First, get rid of the people around Luo Yunxian, leaving him without support, then it would be easier to deal with him later. Chapter 474 - 357: Orifice Transforming Essence Blood (Two Chapters Combined) In the neat dean''s office, the fragrance of tea lingered. "Still no news of Luo Yunxian?" He Caiwei asked slowly. "None. It''s almost impossible to trace where he''s gone," Wei Tong shook his head. Luo Yunxian was no ordinary person; as long as he didn''t want to be found, it was basically impossible for even an Awakener to track him down. "What about Xiang Beifei?" He Caiwei asked. "His roommate said that Xiang Beifei has been cultivating all the time and rarely comes out," Wei Tong replied. He Caiwei poured himself a cup of tea, gently swirled the cup, and then asked, "Are you sure he''s inside? Have you seen him with your own eyes? Or has the roommate seen him?" Wei Tong hesitated, "No, but the cultivation space in his dormitory has been active all this time. I can''t disrupt it just to confirm." "Go and confirm it." He Caiwei flung out a talisman, which hovered in mid-air, "This can forcibly interrupt the cultivation space." "But what if he''s at a critical point in his cultivation?" Wei Tong asked. In this world, everyone practiced a cultivation method. If one''s cultivation was forcibly interrupted at a critical juncture, they could even suffer a backlash from their own spiritual power, with dire consequences! That''s why the cultivation spaces provided by the school were so special, protected by UR-grade safeguards to prevent such occurrences. However, these closed-system cultivation spaces were ultimately provided by the UR-grade Awakeners of the alliance, who all banded together for mutual support and were familiar with each other. Commander He had more than enough ability to find the UR-grade Awakener who designed such tiles. "You''re still concerned about him suffering a backlash?" He Caiwei asked indifferently. "Not exactly." Wei Tong didn''t care about whether Xiang Beifei would suffer a backlash or not, but to him, damaging the tiles of the cultivation space and interrupting someone''s cultivation was not a tidy affair. "We must clarify his whereabouts. If he''s cultivating, interrupt him by force. But if he''s not there, then we must consider whether he''s conspiring with Luo Yunxian about something. All we do is for the future of the alliance, and those two pose a hidden threat to it," He Caiwei said. "Understood." Wei Tong nodded seriously. Although interrupting someone''s cultivation didn''t fit his system''s style, compared to Commander He''s orders, what was the significance of someone as insignificant as Xiang Beifei? One was Commander He Caiwei, a UR-grade figure of the alliance, and the other was the apprentice of Luo Yunxian, who was shunned by the alliance. The choice between them didn''t even bear questioning. "You boldly reformed the ethos of Liangzhou University. If anything happens, just come to me, and don''t worry if Luo Yunxian returns. If he comes back, I''ll be there too. If he dares to obstruct, it will further confirm his guilt of plotting rebellion against the alliance!" "Yes! With those words from Commander He, I will surely bring a new Liangzhou University to Commander He," Wei Tong said with solemnity. After all, this month since Commander He Caiwei had his support, Wei Tong had vigorously reformed the Martial Arts College in the way he envisioned, and all teachers and students had to follow the rules he set. This alone added ten million to his orderliness value in just one month! That was a huge sum! If it had been before, it would have taken him several years to achieve that ten million! Wei Tong respectfully saw He Caiwei out, and only after Commander He had disappeared into thin air did he excitedly look at his system interface: [Current orderliness value: 50001498] [Orderliness value has reached fifty million, current phase target mission completed!] [You have received additional rewards: 1. One thousand Orderliness Pills (capable of forcibly organizing anything chaotic into order) 2. Subservience ability +5000 (now you can make those in the later stages of God Refining obey you!)] [System mainline mission completed, with fifty million orderliness value, you can exchange for a drop of Orifice Transforming Essence Blood!] [The Orifice Transforming Essence Blood can help the host open a divine orifice and step into the orifice transforming stage!] Orifice Transforming Essence Blood! Wei Tong''s heart surged with excitement! A drop of Orifice Transforming Essence Blood was enough to enable him to open a divine orifice and become an Awakener in the orifice transforming stage! You must know, he was a practitioner of the literary Dao, not strong in combat. When encountering some unfathomably powerful individuals in the alliance, he always had to rely on feigned momentum to elevate his status. He could feign an aura of the orifice transforming stage, and those unaware would be stunned by his formidable presence! However, what was feigned was ultimately fake, and in the face of a martial Daoist like Luo Yunxian, it would be punctured at a touch and utterly meaningless. But stepping into the orifice transforming stage was different! At least his power would be real, and while he might still be unable to confront Luo Yunxian, he could suppress others! He had reached the target today, and in just a short hour of conversation with Commander He, he had gained over two thousand system points from him. It could be said that Commander He helped him complete the final step of the system mission! Of course, even if Commander He wasn''t there today, Wei Tong reaching the orifice transforming stage in a few days was inevitable. But what Commander He brought was far more than just those few thousand orderliness values; one could say that the ten million orderliness values from reforming the Martial Arts College this month were all with Commander He''s help! At this moment, Wei Tong was filled with endless gratitude towards Commander He! "The alliance should have more people like Commander He who love cleanliness!" Wei Tong couldn''t help but exclaim. Commander He had shown him great favor, and he silently swore loyalty to this important person, determined to cling to Commander He''s coattails, serving him through thick and thin, climbing mountains and plunging into seas of fire without hesitation! And now, he couldn''t wait to collect his system reward! Chapter 475 - 357: Orifice Transforming Essence Blood (Two Chapters in One)_2 ``` [Would you like to spend fifty million to exchange for a drop of Orifice Transforming Essence Blood?] "Yes!" Wei Tong was trembling with excitement! This was a thrilling moment! [Exchanging for a drop of Orifice Transforming Essence Blood!] [Exchange successful!] [Current orderliness value:1498] [The reward has been distributed! Please refine the Orifice Transforming Essence Blood as soon as possible to reach the orifice transforming phase!] He waited for ten seconds... Twenty seconds. One minute. Wei Tong''s excited expression froze! "Where is my Orifice Transforming Essence Blood?" Wei Tong looked at his empty palm and could not help but ask. [The reward has been distributed! Please refine the Orifice Transforming Essence Blood as soon as possible to reach the orifice transforming phase!] The system prompted again. "Impossible!" Wei Tong said hastily. However, the system still displayed that same line of text. Wei Tong started to get nervous, that was a fifty million system reward! If it was lost, it was almost like losing his life! He immediately crouched down to search under the desk, to see if it had fallen onto the floor. Nothing! The floor of his office was cleaner than the faces of martial arts students, spotless without a single speck of dust. Under the sofa, beneath the bookshelf, inside the tea tray... Wei Tong appeared crazed as he searched everywhere for his system reward, which was extremely important to him. At this moment, he even neglected the cleanliness of his office, moving books aside, turning his office upside down. "It''s not here! Still not here!" Wei Tong felt his heartbeat almost stop! This was an unprecedented event! As an SSR, ever since his Awakening System was activated, he had never experienced the system devouring a mission reward. Today was the first time! The SSR system, a very strong and perfect system, could not possibly have issues internally. So who could have taken his system reward? Wei Tong''s gaze wildly swept around, then fixed on a stack of papers. Those were the files about Xiang Beifei. He was suddenly startled! It was this guy! "He Caiwei!" Wei Tong uttered these words with trembling lips. The files about Xiang Beifei were meant to be presented to He Caiwei, who had also been frequently entering Wei Tong''s office these past few days regarding matters about Xiang Beifei. To satisfy He Caiwei, Wei Tong had meticulously investigated any matter concerning Xiang Beifei at the university. He Caiwei, being a UR-level Awakener, had a system ranked even higher than his¡ªno one other than He Caiwei could have taken his system reward! The more he thought about it, the more it made sense! And the angrier he became in his heart! "He Caiwei, you bastard! I have been so loyal to you, yet you... you are such a person!" [Current orderliness value:1498] Watching his system value drop from fifty million to 1498 without receiving the corresponding reward, Wei Tong''s vision darkened, he couldn''t catch his breath, and he was so furious that he fainted. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei stretched lazily. Last month, he had already refined his soul, but he was not content with just that because, as Professor Guo had said, the strength of the soul could be gleaned from its form. His newly condensed soul was very weak, practically just a miserable projection. So, he didn''t go out, but continued to seclude himself for a long time, cultivating restlessly day and night. In order to increase his strength faster, he had also dissolved and absorbed a spirit sealing talisman he obtained from Liu Shenghui! The spirit sealing talisman was an item from the late phase of God Refining. After being refined by Xiaohei, the spiritual power inside was extremely pure and vast. The spiritual power crystal from the late phase of God Refining was a big tonic for a freshly condensed soul! Basically, very few martial artists cultivated like he did, unless they were from wealthy backgrounds, like having a UR-level elder. Otherwise, they wouldn''t casually use late phase God Refining system items to supplement their soul. Keep in mind, late phase God Refining system items cost at least one million system values, and even SSRs couldn''t afford to spend a million system values so lavishly¡ªit takes a long time to gather a million. But Xiang Beifei didn''t care. Willful! ``` Xiang Beifei absorbed a late-stage God Refining spiritual power crystal, using it entirely to nourish his soul. It took him over a month to fully absorb it! What amazed him most was that his Chaos Yin-Yang Formula seemed to cultivate the soul at an incredibly fast pace. Now, his soul appeared much more solidified, far surpassing that of Liu Shenghui. If he were to confront Liu Shenghui now, he wouldn''t need to rely on the Dou Constellation; a single punch would be enough to pin Liu Shenghui to the ground and grind him into the dirt. But a new problem arose. He didn''t know how to gauge his own realm. During the Meridian Opening stage, he could determine his phase by the extent of the meridians he had opened, but this was not possible with the soul. Judging it could only be done by sensing how solidified the soul was, but he had no way of determining what degree of solidity corresponded to the mid-stage of God Refining. The only certainty was that when the soul was refined enough to have a physical presence, tangible to the touch, that was the Great Perfection of late-stage God Refining! Of course, the division of realms didn''t really matter much to Xiang Beifei''s strength, but the only issue that affected him was the Bull Constellation. The Bull Constellation is the asterism following the Dou Constellation. It was sealed by an enchantment equivalent to the mid-stage of God Refining, and Xiang Beifei''s strength had to reach the mid-stage of God Refining to be able to suppress it. If he couldn''t confirm what level constituted the mid-stage of God Refining, it would be troublesome when the time came to unlock the seal of the Bull Constellation. The Dou Constellation was already covetously eyeing him, ferociously powerful, not to mention the next one, the Bull Constellation. What if he blindly attempted to unlock its seal without being strong enough and allowed it to escape? "Forget it, let''s first see what the Dou Constellation is," he said. Xiang Beifei was truly curious about the Dou Constellation. Despite the fact that it had been trying to deal with him, there was no denying that it had helped him many times, and he had long wanted to meet the Dou Constellation. "Xiaohei, come here!" Xiang Beifei called out. While he had been in closed-door cultivation, Xiaohei had always stayed by his grandfather''s side to protect him. "Woof!" Xiaohei "pfft" into existence from thin air, wagging its tail proudly as it played with a drop of red blood like it was a toy ball. "Eh? Where did this come from?" Xiang Beifei exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the drop of blood. Such magnificent Spiritual Power! The aura was so potent it even made his heart palpitate! "Woof! Woof woof! Woof woof woof!" "Oh! You received it from Wei Tong just three days ago?" he asked. Xiang Beifei examined the blood drop with interest. It was the Orifice Transforming Essence Blood purchased for fifty million system points, equivalent to an early stage system item of Meridian Opening! Good heavens, Xiaohei had pilfered someone''s grand reward! "Woof woof woof!" Xiaohei grinned triumphantly. "Right, he won''t suspect us," Xiang Beifei nodded slightly. He had been in secluded cultivation these past few days, and Wei Tong hadn''t been carrying out missions on him, so even if he suspected anyone, he could never imagine it was Xiang Beifei who had taken his property. But back at the beginning of December last year, just before they headed to Qingzhou University, Xiang Beifei had been too conspicuous among the four SRs, and without any clear reasons, Wei Tong had criticized him, marking him for a mission at that time! With so much time having passed, even if Wei Tong lost his belongings, he would never guess it was Xiang Beifei who had swiped them. Xiaohei, the courier, had placed an order long ago, now finally confirming the delivery! "Woof woof woof..." Xiaohei conveyed the recent events of the college to Xiang Beifei, including how Wei Tong had caused chaos within the Martial Arts College. During the days of Xiang Beifei''s secluded cultivation, when Xiaohei got bored, it would run over to Xiang Beifei''s side. Seeing that Xiang Beifei was cultivating and not wanting to disturb him, Xiaohei would stroll around the college, gathering information. "That happened?" Xiang Beifei hadn''t expected Wei Tong to actually bring his antics to the college. How could he not pay a price for that? "Well done!" Xiang Beifei gave Xiaohei a thumbs up! Xiaohei puffed out its chest proudly, barking, "Woof woof!" It indicated that Wei Tong had entered their cooperation list; in the future, whatever he exchanged, it would take for itself, teaching Wei Tong the consequences of meddling with the Martial Arts College of Liangzhou University! This SSR Dean was practically ruined! "This is just the beginning." A gleam flashed in Xiang Beifei''s eyes. He was well aware that with Elder Luo absent, Professor Guo and Ye Changfeng had already been troubled, and many of the teachers who supported Elder Luo had been dealt with by Wei Tong, both openly and secretly; the situation was very ambiguous. The Alliance might send someone else to deal with Elder Luo. But it didn''t matter, whoever dared to come wouldn''t just have their wool sheared, but be shaved clean! Shaved until they questioned their existence! Xiang Beifei clenched his fist. He didn''t mind using the spiritual power crystal to nourish his soul! Chapter 476 - 3) "Let''s put this reward away for now, we need to think about how to unseal the Dou Constellation first." The Dou Constellation had originally unsealed two seals. During the last confrontation with Liu Shenghui, another two were unsealed, leaving three seals remaining. The system items of Wei Tong naturally needed to be retained for future use, as they were for the early phase of orifice transforming and could not be wasted here. Xiang Beifei had trapped the souls of Eternal Sleep and Keshi. In theory, he could just hand these two over to Dou Constellation, but after pondering for a moment, he ultimately decided against destroying their souls directly. The two were from Su People. The Su People not only knew the secrets of Su Alliance''s covert operations, but they also had knowledge about the Unrestrained, making them useful to retain, perhaps to pry some secrets from them. However, Xiang Beifei still planned to obtain the spiritual power crystals from Keshi and Eternal Sleep in the early stage of God Refining! Though they only had their souls remaining, they still possessed a system interface and could still undertake system tasks in their soul state. Unfortunately, even though Xiang Beifei had participated in Keshi''s system rewards, Xiaohei was unable to directly receive parcels without the other party actively spending system values. As Xiao Sheng had mentioned before, the Su People are loyal to the alliance and only obey orders from Zhu Yiji, and would not divulge secrets even in death, so expecting them to willingly trade system values was definitely not feasible. Therefore, Xiang Beifei decided to try another method. ¡ª The souls of Eternal Sleep and Keshi were quickly brought out by Xiaohei. They were trapped in a blue bottle, like little sprites in a message bottle, and were furious when they were released. "Don''t waste everyone''s time, it''s better for both of us," Eternal Sleep said fiercely, staring at Xiang Beifei. "We won''t reveal anything," Keshi also said coldly. "That''s quite manly," Xiang Beifei nodded slightly. "To kill or to slash, as you wish. Enough of the nonsense!" Eternal Sleep said through gritted teeth. Xiang Beifei contemplated for a moment and said, "Then I''ll take you to a place." He left the cultivation space. There was no one in the dormitory, and Xiang Beifei didn''t care; he stepped out from the balcony and disappeared into the void. Traversing the void! This was a mode of movement known to most God Refining martial artists. The soul itself is born from nothingness, and to move instantly through the void, one relies on the power of the soul. However, the distance that the soul can travel through the void is limited and highly consumes the soul, especially for those in the early stages of God Refining. If not absolutely necessary, most people would not choose this way of traveling. Xiang Beifei''s current speed was about five kilometers per step, which wasn''t very fast, but it was adequate as he sped above the vast sea of people, feeling as if the entire earth was beneath his feet. Shortly after, he stopped at the entrance of a neighborhood. "Do you recognize this neighborhood?" Xiang Beifei asked Eternal Sleep. "I don''t," Keshi replied calmly. "You are from Liangzhou. Although you, as a Su Person, use code names to hide your identity, it doesn''t mean others can''t find out your information," Xiang Beifei said slowly as he looked at Keshi. There was a flash of panic in Keshi''s eyes, but his expression remained unchanged. He still said, "Do you think the alliance doesn''t have protective measures for us Su People while we carry out missions outside?" Su People also have families, but their families are closely protected. The alliance has special methods to safeguard the families of Su People. Those intent on investigation would not be able to find any information because they don''t even know the real names of Su People. But Xiang Beifei calmly said, "Just with those UR-level protections?" Keshi frowned and said, "That''s quite bold of you to think UR-level protection is a joke." Xiang Beifei didn''t speak but instead looked around at the neighborhood entrance and then walked towards a nearby park. It was the weekend, and many children were playing in the park. A little girl with adorable pigtails was playing with sand in the sandbox. She seemed about three years old, lively and cute with baby fat on her clean little face, looking very endearing. Keshi could no longer keep his composure upon seeing the little girl. "You... how could you..." Keshi looked at Xiang Beifei in disbelief. The little girl by his side had strong UR-level protection making it impossible for even acquaintances to associate anything related to Su People with her, yet Xiang Beifei¡ª he had ignored that layer of protection. He knew the little girl''s identity! Xiang Beifei paid no mind to what Keshi was saying, instead walking up to the little girl and squatting down, asking, "Niuniu, what are you holding in your hand?" The three-year-old girl, without any wariness, blinked her big eyes and happily waved a small toy, proudly saying, "This clay figure is Brother Beifei! I am also a little option!" Ever since he became famous, many related products about Xiang Beifei had been designed by various toy manufacturers and were selling extremely well, although it seemed no one had considered paying him royalties. "This toy does look quite like him!" Xiang Beifei laughed. "Right! It really does! I really like Brother Beifei! Do you like Brother Beifei a lot too?" Niuniu naively asked. "Me?" Xiang Beifei glanced at Keshi, whose soul was trembling in shock, then smiled and said, "Yes, I am also a part of the choices." "As long as you say you like Brother Beifei, then we''ll be good friends!" Niuniu happily extended a pinky finger. Beifei smiled and also extended a pinky finger, hooking it together with Niuniu''s. "Let her go!" Keshi roared through clenched teeth. Beifei ignored him, still earnestly saying to Niuniu, "Niuniu, when you''re outside, don''t trust strangers easily, even if he claims he is a choice, he might not be a good person. Little kids must learn to protect themselves." Niuniu blinked her big eyes and said, "But I feel that big brother, you are not a bad person!" "Me?" Beifei gently touched Niuniu''s head and said, "Then tell me, if someone wants to frame Beifei for no reason, who could he be?" Upon hearing this, Niuniu immediately became indignant, "Definitely a big villain! Brother Beifei is so brave, who would want to frame him without any reason?" "Yes, who would want to frame him without any reason?" Beifei muttered to himself as he stood up, glanced at the red-eyed Keshi, then left Niuniu and sat down on a nearby chair. In the distance, a young woman was watching Niuniu. That was Niuniu''s mother, but she seemed unaware of Niuniu''s peculiarity, nor did she see him. Because in her eyes, Niuniu was still playing with sand, not talking to someone else. "Your daughter is very cute, I didn''t even know she was my little fan." Beifei said. Keshi trembled all over. "She is still just a kid! If you have something against me, come at me, don''t involve family members! How could you target such an innocent child!" he said, clenching his fists in shock and anger. Beifei glanced at him carelessly and said, "Before you came to kill me, did you ever think that I too am someone''s child? What have I done to deserve death that you had to send three God Refining stage people to kill me? You know the principle of sparing family, so why did you try to attack my grandfather while fighting with someone else? Your daughter is innocent; isn''t my grandfather innocent too?" "I..." Keshi was rendered speechless by Beifei''s words. That day, when he and Xiao Sheng were fighting, they were at a standstill, so he swung his knife at the unconscious Xiang Qingde, trying to divert Xiao Sheng''s attention by attacking Qingde. Beifei had never forgotten this incident. After a long while, Keshi deflated like a pierced ball and pleaded, "Please... spare her! As long as you spare my daughter, you can kill me however you want, I won''t have any complaints, please..." "I''m not as tasteless as you." Beifei stretched lazily and glanced again at Niuniu playing. The child was adorable, and he couldn''t possibly harm such a naive little one, but he had to teach these two a lesson. "I''m only telling you a principle, your family is your last line, and my family, is also my line! It''s better to leave some leeway in what you do!" Beifei''s voice was very calm, yet it echoed in Keshi''s ears, making him involuntarily shiver. "I''m sorry..." Keshi gritted his teeth and said. He was a Su People, with his own duties, but he was also a father to a three-year-old child, and his job was too dangerous, always living on the edge. He had hoped to work a few more years and then retire to spend a peaceful life with his family. However, circumstances were unpredictable. When he fought with Unrestrained, he did so without reservations, as the alliance would protect his identity. Yet, he suddenly realized he had provoked someone far more frightening than Unrestrained! This person had only awakened the system a year ago, yet his talent and methods exceeded many URs in the alliance! He regretted provoking such a person without cause. "Whatever you want to do, I will cooperate wherever possible, but there are many secrets I can''t disclose. We Su People have our own ways of behaving, and the possibility of leaking information is zero. I went to kill you just following orders. They told us you were Unrestrained and had to be eliminated; we just cooperated, that''s the truth. I''m not lying." Keshi''s psychological defense was completely shattered by Beifei''s words. He wasn''t afraid of death, but there were things scarier than death, like his daughter, his family. Now he could only comply with this young man before him and disclosed all he could. "You think I am Unrestrained?" Beifei asked. Keshi shook his head in panic, "You don''t have the characteristics of Unrestrained." They had been chasing Unrestrained for years and knew how to identify him, but Beifei clearly had nothing to do with Unrestrained. "Good to know." Beifei turned the breath soil in his hand into a sharp mud knife and swung it twice in front of Keshi, asking, "How do you like this knife?" [Beifei showed you a sharp and rare mud knife, knife intent value +500] "Good knife," Keshi said, surprised in his eyes. He was a knife user; anything related to blades enhanced his strength. This knife, from his perspective, was quite powerful; just one look had increased his system value by 500 points! ---- I''ve been quite busy this month, so updates have been slow, but I''ve now adjusted, and will start updating three chapters every day. I''ll be staying home laboring with words for the May Day Labor Day, leaving the holiday to you to guard. (¨s¨F¡õ¡ä)¨s(©ß©¥©ß Please subscribe and support with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Chapter 477 - 1) "Of course it''s a good blade." Xiang Beifei looked at the system interface of Keshi. [Current knife intent value: 29521642] He was very satisfied. Now that he had participated in the system task of Keshi, these knife intent values belonged to him. "I need a Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword," Xiang Beifei said. To unlock the seal of the Dou Constellation, Xiang Beifei needed Keshi to act. He warned Keshi, asking him to exchange for the item and then to hand it over obediently! The "Imperial Sword Saint System" of Keshi was in some ways similar to Ye Changfeng; it contained various blades within. The abilities of different blades were distinct, and some powerful blades required special system values to possess. The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, designed with encircling dragons, had a bird-shaped pommel. It was a very powerful sword; holding it in hand, one could suppress all dragons, serpents, and avian beasts. Not only was it the bane of such creatures in the outer realm''s desolate wilderness, but it could also restrain a certain group of special martial artists. As long as one had slain any beast of the dragon or serpent type or had dissected such creatures, they would find their strength suppressed when facing the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword! The more one had made contact, the more their power would be suppressed! Any martial artist, as long as their cultivation level was at Meridian Opening, would have come into contact with such desolate beasts, since martial artists took dissection classes at school. Many had touched related avian sculptures, hangings, etc., and these all fell within the range of effect of the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword. For example, Xiang Beifei had killed countless flying eagles and desolate snakes; if he were just an ordinary Awakener, then the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword, by normal means, could suppress ten percent of his strength! Keshi''s system displayed that this blade cost nine million system points and was an item with the power level of the early stages of God Refining. Among all the early stage God Refining Divine Artifacts, it was the cheapest one, considered a discount for him. "Alright, here...here it is." With hardly any hesitation, Keshi hurriedly handed it over, fearing that any delay might endanger his daughter. He didn''t even consider why Xiang Beifei knew of the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword''s existence; he only knew that he had no privacy before this man. His family, despite all the layers of protection, could be found, so it was only to be expected that Xiang Beifei would know about the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword. Xiang Beifei examined the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword, its edge sharp and fierce, adorned with a pattern of a blue dragon, the hilt decorated with a Vermilion Bird. It was a complete natural masterpiece, its knife intent blazing. Even if he didn''t know how to wield a sword, he couldn''t help but exclaim that it was a good blade! "And what about you?" Xiang Beifei turned towards Eternal Sleep. Eternal Sleep''s complexion changed dramatically! He glanced at Niuniu, who was playing not far away, then at the despairing Keshi, harboring a glimmer of hope in his heart, but now, it was shattered completely by Xiang Beifei''s words. He didn''t know how Xiang Beifei managed to do this, but if the Keshi Family''s daughter could be found, then naturally, his own family could be as well. Eternal Sleep said with an ashen face, "Whatever you want to do, I''ll cooperate." "Bring me the rejuvenating mysterious needle and the Divine Escape Talisman," said Xiang Beifei. Eternal Sleep was shocked to his core! The rejuvenating mysterious needle was his system item, originally a tool for healing. When inserted into human acupoints, it could save lives and help in recovery; he had nearly never told anyone the name of his set of mysterious needles, but Xiang Beifei knew! This was also an item that cost nine million acupoint values to exchange in his system! And the Divine Escape Talisman came from the Su Alliance as a life-saving item, also an early stage God Refining system item. He had been reluctant to use it, and now, unexpectedly, Xiang Beifei had found out about it. "Here." Eternal Sleep sighed and voluntarily handed over these two items to Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei, without any pleasantries, directly took the three items for himself. No matter whether Keshi and Eternal Sleep were just following orders or had no choice, they dared to come to kill him, they had to pay a price! "Woof!" Xiaohei directly tossed the three items into the bubble. Keshi had been watching Niuniu, who was playing with clay figures. As a father, his eyes were filled with tenderness for his daughter; it seemed she was his everything. Being in someone else''s hands, his chances of survival were slim; perhaps he would never see his daughter again. He took every chance to watch her, each glance could be his last. Xiang Beifei fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Want to see her?" Keshi''s gaze slightly stalled. He dearly loved his daughter, and even as a prisoner, he couldn''t let go of his child. "You... You would agree?" Keshi asked anxiously. "Ten minutes." Xiang Beifei flicked his wrist, a stream of Spiritual Power entered Keshi''s soul, like a shackle, binding him tightly. "Thank you! Thank you!" Keshi said gratefully. He crawled out of the bottle, but looking at his own body, he hesitated. Then he wielded a knife and used the knife''s intent to create an illusion, disguising himself with flesh and blood, so as not to scare Niuniu. At this moment, he was not Keshi, but Zhou Jianzhong. "Daddy! You''re back!" Niuniu, seeing her father, hopped and ran towards him eagerly. "Niuniu..." Zhou Jianzhong choked up, wanting to embrace Niuniu, but then remembered he was merely a soul without a physical body, incapable of holding Niuniu. Just then, a pile of sand floated through the air, adhering to his soul, quickly forming his limbs and torso. Zhou Jianzhong was slightly startled, looking at his temporarily constructed body. It was made from breath soil, as if helping him reshape flesh and blood. He tried to clench his hand and found that he could actually control the breath soil with the power of his soul, making various movements. He suddenly understood where this sand had come from. "Thank you." Zhou Jianzhong turned his head and thanked Xiang Beifei gratefully. Xiang Beifei just coldly twitched his mouth. Niuniu burst into Zhou Jianzhong''s arms, excitedly saying, "Daddy, look, the clay figure of Brother Beifei that Mommy just bought for me, I really like Brother Beifei! When I grow up, I want to learn from Brother Beifei too!" "Good Niuniu! If you like it, then that''s great." Zhou Jianzhong held Niuniu, his heart filled with mixed emotions. The person Niuniu liked most was the very target he had been sent to assassinate. Niuniu had just said that whoever wanted to set up Xiang Beifei was a big baddie, but the innocent girl had no idea what her father had done. And more importantly, after his failure, Xiang Beifei could have easily killed him, yet he was still willing to give him a chance to see his daughter. All this seemed so ironic. "When can Daddy take me to get Brother Beifei''s autograph? I really want his signature! If I could meet Brother Beifei in person, I promise to be a good Niuniu who eats on time!" Niuniu said longingly. "Next time, definitely next time." Zhou Jianzhong said with a heavy heart. Chapter 478 - 360: Make a Scissor Hand Gesture (Part 2) Father and daughter were talking there, and Xiang Beifei did not interrupt. Eternal Sleep also quietly watched from the side, occasionally unable to resist stealing glances at this young man. He did not understand why the young man would be willing to do this, but he vaguely understood that something was definitely wrong with the orders from above. The real Unrestrained would never give the Su People such an opportunity. Unrestrained capturing a Su Person would definitely mean an immediate execution! Because if you can''t extract information, there''s no use in keeping them. But this young man even let Keshi be reunited with his daughter. This feeling was very strange. Zhou Jianzhong was playing in the sand with Niuniu. It was only when his wife, who was sitting not far away, called Niuniu''s name did he realize that more than half an hour had passed. He quickly stood up, reluctantly looked at Niuniu, and then at his wife in the distance, who still had no idea what had happened here. "Daddy, mommy is calling me. Why can''t she see you?" Niuniu asked. "Niuniu, darling, shall we play a game?" Zhou Jianzhong said through clenched teeth. "Yes, yes! Daddy, what game are we playing?" Niuniu asked excitedly. "You can''t tell mommy I was here today. I want to give her a surprise. If you tell her, there won''t be a surprise anymore," Zhou Jianzhong said, trying hard to smile. Niuniu shook her head energetically, nodding vigorously, "Niuniu loves surprises the most, I promise not to tell!" He sighed inwardly and said, "Then go to mommy." Niuniu ran off quickly. Zhou Jianzhong stood up and walked towards Xiang Beifei. Back here, his identity became Keshi again. "Sorry, I lost track of time," Keshi said uneasily. The young man had only given him ten minutes to reunite, but he had overstayed. Yet somehow, the other party did not remind him, nor did they interrupt, just let him continue to be with his daughter. "Oh." Xiang Beifei still responded coldly, without caring, he withdrew the breath soil. Throughout it all, Keshi did not play any tricks, nor did he try to leave a message for the Alliance through Niuniu. He knew very well that it was unwise to do so, Xiang Beifei''s suppression was omnipresent, he could not escape even if he wanted to, so he simply acted purely as a father playing with his daughter. In his eyes, this was the last time he could spend with his daughter, he did not want to gamble with her safety. Moreover, this young man did not seem as vicious and exterminating as Unrestrained; his daughter should be safe. "Thank you for giving me this half hour with my daughter. You may proceed to kill me, I will harbor no grievances," Keshi said in a low voice. Eternal Sleep did not speak and just waited with a dead look on his face. Both had prepared themselves for death as Su People mostly encountered Unrestrained, and falling into Unrestrained''s hands meant certain death. They were clear about the consequences and were not afraid of death. Their current predicament was not much different from falling into Unrestrained''s hands. However, Xiang Beifei just snorted softly. "I won''t harm your families, but you had better learn your lesson, and in the future understand what you can and cannot touch," Xiang Beifei said. "In the future?" Both Eternal Sleep and Keshi were slightly taken aback! They still had a future? "You... you will let us go?" Keshi asked incredulously. Anyone who could live would not wish to die, especially since he had a family, and a lively and lovely little Niuniu. "Depends on my mood." Xiang Beifei waved his hand and put Keshi back into the bottle, then threw it into Xiaohei''s bubble. He had determined the information about their families from Eternal Sleep and Keshi''s system logs. Information about Niuniu, like her picking up a pencil sharpener or playing with toy scissors, all of which could increase the system value for Keshi, the Imperial Sword Saint, was written in the system logs. As long as he was interested in investigating, there was no information that Xiang Beifei could not uncover. Keshi and Eternal Sleep were Su People of the Alliance, specifically dispatched to confront Unrestrained. When they came to kill Xiang Beifei, Zhu Yiji apparently used his authority to tell these two Su People that Xiang Beifei was Unrestrained. Any assassination task related to Unrestrained, they would execute. Unfortunately, they had bad luck and hit a snag. But these two people still had some use left, after all, they were well-trained Su People. If there''s a chance to reform them in the future, Xiang Beifei may offer them a chance to live. --- Xiang Beifei had now obtained three early-stage God Refining system items. Now was the time to have a showdown with the Dou Constellation and see what this Dou Constellation really was. He didn''t immediately return to school but chose to walk through the void directly, stepping over into the region beyond the borders. Ordinary constellations would be under his control as soon as their seals were released; however, it was clear that what was inside the Dou Constellation was no ordinary matter, and it wouldn''t be too well-behaved. If he couldn''t subdue it, a fight would ensue, and the disturbance it would likely cause could be immense; he had to find a secluded place. Xiang Beifei utilized the identity he had forged last time, entered through a standard teleportation post, had his identity verified, and then was transmitted to the wastelands beyond the domain. Being quite familiar with the Cultivated Domain, he traveled to the eastern mountain area, crossed the vast forest, and reached the desolate mountain range where, seeing no one around, he finally took out the Spirit Gathering Book. As soon as he opened the page for the Dou Constellation, an overwhelming aura burst impatiently from the constellation, swept up to the sky, and transformed into a massive cyan claw, its formidable pressure looming over Xiang Beifei''s head, glaring menacingly at him. "I really can''t figure out, what exactly are you?" Xiang Beifei muttered. Hum! The huge claw in the sky roared! But it didn''t slap down towards Xiang Beifei, only menacingly waved back and forth. Although it had its four seals undone, being extremely powerful, it was still restrained by the Spirit Gathering Book, and before it was completely unsealed, for Xiaohei, dealing with it was merely a swat¡ªof which it was well aware. "Want this?" Xiang Beifei presented three already refined spiritual power crystals in front of him and gestured towards the giant claw in the air. The giant claw immediately became more vigorous and extremely irritable! It indeed needed them! Boom! The giant claw swept down eagerly, trying to devour the three early God Refining spiritual power crystals. Snap! However, Xiang Beifei unceremoniously closed the Spirit Gathering Book. Peace returned as if nothing had ever happened. "Don''t be hasty." Xiang Beifei then reopened the Spirit Gathering Book, flipping back to the Dou Constellation. Hum! The powerful aura of the Dou Constellation burst forth again, this time appearing even more enraged! This ignorant human, how dare he tease it! "Stay calm, it''s better for everyone," Xiang Beifei said as he lightly slid his fingertip across the page of the Spirit Gathering Book, speaking in a calm and leisurely tone. The giant claw frantically waved in the air and, taking advantage of a moment when Xiang Beifei was distracted, swiftly reached for the three spiritual power crystals again. Snap! Xiang Beifei closed the Spirit Gathering Book again. All was quiet once more. Then he reopened the Spirit Gathering Book. Hum! Snap! ... Boom! Snap! ... After opening and closing it five or six times, the giant claw seemed utterly exasperated! But this time, it finally stopped and didn''t attempt to grab the three spiritual power crystals anymore. "Remember, I am your master; don''t think about causing any trouble," Xiang Beifei said. The giant claw was filled with resentment. "Give me a peace sign," Xiang Beifei said nonchalantly. Giant claw: "..." "I know you understand me, we need to first reach a consensus." Xiang Beifei tossed the spiritual power crystals, which tantalized the giant claw like tempting food. Chapter 479 - 3) The giant claw was vaguely discernible with five talons, but it seemed to have its dignity, as making it give a scissor hand gesture was simply an insult to it. It swung around in the air, angrily striking at the mountains surrounding Xiang Beifei, shattering some hills and trees into pieces as if venting its rage. Circling around Xiang Beifei, it resembled a flyswatter, smacking every place by his side until the area was unrecognizable. But it just wouldn''t dare to strike Xiang Beifei. Because Xiang Beifei could merge books. After a ferocious flurry of actions, the hills and wilderness centered around Xiang Beifei were razed to the ground. Many desolate beasts were killed under its crushing blows, dying at the claws of the beast. The land under Xiang Beifei''s feet was unharmed though, with a few blades of grass still vibrant and green, looking full of life. He didn''t need to dodge; the giant claw didn''t dare hit him. "Come on, behave," Xiang Beifei urged, unmoved. Enraged, the giant claw struck another grove, pulverizing a few big timber wolves that hadn''t managed to flee into meat pies before turning back reluctantly. The giant claw was enormous; about half the size of a basketball court in the sky, it blotted out the sun. "I''m losing patience," Xiang Beifei said slowly. Seeing Xiang Beifei seemed ready to merge books again, the giant claw reluctantly twisted its talons, retracting the unnecessary fingers. Its movements were clumsy; normally in a fight, it would strike with a straightforward swat, not stretch out two fingers. But for the sake of the spiritual power crystal, it still submitted. The two talons in the air looked particularly comical, displaying an extremely awkward and ugly scissor hand gesture. Instead of calling it a scissor hand, it would be more apt to call it a giant slingshot! "Good, very obedient," Xiang Beifei remarked. Xiang Beifei tossed one of the spiritual power crystals over to it. The giant claw perked up, catching the spiritual power crystal and devoured it! A vast aura burst forth from Dou Constellation, as if it were repressed for a long time and was now eager to explode. Hum! The fifth star on Dou Constellation was also lit up! The giant claw solidified by a fraction, and this time even the patterns on the claw were clearly visible. It was hard to say what kind of claw it was, but it looked like a massive bird''s talon, only much more domineering. Layer upon layer of wooden patterns on the claw resembled tree rings, circling around and around. This seemed to be some plant-like creature. At that moment, its aura surged once more, becoming even stronger. Every time a seal was broken, its strength increased, and this time it was at least thirty percent more formidable than before! "This is strange." Also in the initial stage of God Refining, but just by breaking through five seals, its strength already far surpassed that of Eternal Sleep and Keshi! Xiang Beifei even had a feeling that even if Liu Shenghui, Eternal Sleep, and Keshi, all three, joined forces, they seemed unable to defeat the giant claw at this moment! "It seems you are not just breaking the seals; you are expanding the seals?" Xiang Beifei noted this detail. If other constellations were to have seals broken, it was only when a star''s seal absorbed enough spiritual power that it would light up and the seal would dissipate. Spiritual power crystals merely provided energy for the star''s seal, and the entity within wouldn''t absorb the spiritual power crystal. But the entity in Dou Constellation was odd; it devoured the spiritual power crystal and then forcibly expanded the seals with its power! That is to say, it was something that could devour external objects to grow stronger. And it could free itself from seals. This thing seemed very strange. Hum! The giant claw became increasingly powerful, its sheer presence like a dark cloud over the town, making the air feel suffocating. According to Xiang Beifei''s estimate, the giant claw now, even when facing Xiao Sheng plus Liu Shenghui¡ªfour experts in the stage of God Refining¡ªmight not even be defeated! Boom! Boom! Boom! The giant claw, having broken five seals, became even wilder. Having been sealed for so long, it finally got the chance to break loose. A single slap shattered the ground, creating a ten-meter deep rift, then it continued swatting around, its once domineering claw now turning into an enormous flyswatter, smacking with glee. However, at a certain moment, it took advantage of Xiang Beifei''s distraction and "whooshed" a swat towards him! It even harbored killing intent towards Xiang Beifei! Crack! Xiang Beifei closed the book again. The wild aura dissipated once more. All was quiet between heaven and earth. ... "You think I don''t know what you''re scheming," Xiang Beifei muttered to himself. There were still two seals on the Spirit Gathering Book, clearly strong enough to subdue the creature. He opened the book again. But this time, the Dou Constellation made no move; it seemed to have no intention of coming out. Only, Xiang Beifei noticed that it was clearly striking against the two remaining seals on the Spirit Gathering Book, attempting to forcefully break them. Unfortunately, it still underestimated the Spirit Gathering Book; the two seals were barely holding it. Of course, from the look of it, these two seals also seemed on the verge of collapse, as if they wouldn''t last much longer. "Come out," Xiang Beifei said to the Dou Constellation. "Awooo!" A roar came from within the Dou Constellation, as if rejecting him. It seemed to have become sulky. "Eh? Did your voice change?" Xiang Beifei exclaimed in surprise, "It sounds like a wolf howling." However, Xiang Beifei''s words seemed to enrage it. A giant claw rapidly emerged from the Dou Constellation, materializing in mid-air, and furiously roared at Xiang Beifei from above: "Awooo!" "What breed of wolf are you?" Xiang Beifei asked, puzzled. "Awo!" The giant claw felt insulted, it soared into the sky, circled around, and soon spotted another surviving large timber wolf not far away. Perhaps to demonstrate that it was not a lowly wolf, it slapped down with a paw, killing the large timber wolf desolate beast! It then smacked the corpse of the wolf repeatedly, pulverizing it into mush, seething with rage as if to physically tell Xiang Beifei that it was nothing¡ª Like! That! At! All! "Alright, alright, I get it," Xiang Beifei felt a bit of sympathy for the large timber wolf. It seemed this creature had a strong sense of pride, but why did the Spirit Gathering Book seal something with consciousness? Couldn''t it be like the other things before, something he could claim without having to subdue it himself? The reason Xiang Beifei provoked it was actually to determine the creature''s strength after one seal was released, to avoid a bad situation if he couldn''t overcome it once it was fully unsealed. But now he had a reasonable understanding of the giant claw''s strength, and he had a plan in mind. Considering that the two seals were probably about to fail to contain it, he tossed the remaining two spiritual power crystals to the Dou Constellation, saying, "Forget it, just eat them! Maybe you can become even stronger." The giant claw perked up instantly! It seemed not to expect Xiang Beifei to hand over the two items so readily, but without giving it much thought¡ªand fearing Xiang Beifei might change his mind¡ªit hurriedly lunged forward, swallowing the two spiritual power crystals! Hum Hum Hum! A mighty and imposing aura surged in an instant! The Dou Constellation on the Spirit Gathering Book couldn''t hold back the creature inside anymore; the stellar seal was burst open by the giant claw, and then¡ª Boom! A cyan light shot up to the sky! In a flash, the whole area underwent a dramatic change. The sky was shrouded in cyan light, and the violent aura swept out in all directions, causing a deafening rumble on the ground, shaking hills and valleys, with all the desolate beasts within a ten-mile radius trembling and cowering on the ground. Chapter 480 - 362: Jianmu "Why do we need to patrol the archive room? Who would be so bored as to steal from the archive bureau? If you ask me, it wouldn''t even matter if we didn''t come here for a year." Zhou Guan lazily cradled his head in his hands, following behind Sun Zhong. He wasn''t very interested in the job, and he grumbled all the way. After reaching the third floor, Sun Zhong patrolled past a series of rooms. [You have patrolled the N-level Talent Inspection Department, patrol points +2] [You have patrolled the N-level Talent Dispatch Department, patrol points +2] ... Sun Zhong circled twice around the empty room with care, then pressed a button on the wall to ensure the alarm was working correctly before leaving the room. [You have patrolled the main archive room entrance, patrol points +5] But just then, Zheng Xing thought of something, hurriedly pulled out his phone to video call his son, and asked, "Son, last time you said you saw Xiang Beifei, look at this person, is it Xiang Beifei?" During the new student competition, although students from the major elite schools weren''t present, the event was broadcast live. Anyone with eyesight could recognize him. Although Zheng Xing''s son was a student of Jizhou University, he had seen Xiang Beifei before. The moment he saw Xiang Beifei, he excitedly said, "It''s him! It''s him! The genius who stepped on the SSR from Qingzhou University! Dad, you actually met him? Oh my God!" That was a legendary genius! "You really are that Xiang Beifei!" Zheng Xing was also stunned. His son had mentioned the new student competition to him before he came home for the holiday, and back then he was also amazed by Xiang Beifei. He never expected that today he would coincidentally meet such an incredible talent! Sometime later, he quickly came back to his senses, excitedly saying, "He''s definitely Xiang Beifei, my son is from Jizhou University, he''s seen him before!" Xiang Beifei put the matter aside for the moment and asked, "By the way, Uncle Kong, are there any houses for rent nearby? We want to move over." "A house? Of course, it''s about time you moved here, the old man has always been saying he wants to save money for you to do tasks and things. How come you suddenly changed your mind?" Kong Daming asked. "Xiaofei has grown up, the house is too shabby, and he won''t be able to find a wife," Xiang Qingde said seriously. "Hahaha, that''s true," Kong Daming nodded. But Lu Hong disagreed, "How could that be! If she really likes him, she wouldn''t care about the house." "Still, it''s better to live in a nice place. The old house was a bit too dark," Kong Daming said, "Leave it to me. I remember there''s a family that moved out on my floor, just two doors down from my place, directly across the street. Moving over would be good, it''ll be easier to look after each other." "Then, when is Uncle Kong''s restaurant planning to reopen?" Xiang Beifei asked again. The appearance of the One-Armed Crab, a desolate beast, was still unexplained, and Xiang Beifei currently had no leads on one person he suspected. Xiao Sheng! The one disguised as an N-level employee, an SR, the day before the desolate beast appeared, disappeared without a trace, and he wanted to see if Xiao Sheng would return to work. "Day after tomorrow! The staff have been asking about it too. Speaking of which, I need to contact them; we''ve been closed for so long," Kong Daming said. "Then I''ll go to the wholesale market tomorrow. We''ve been cut off from food supplies, I need to talk with them again," Xiang Qingde said. Kong Daming quickly responded, "No need, Uncle Xiang, you rest. I''ll handle it." "We''ve been idle for so long; a little movement won''t hurt. I''m familiar with the place anyway. Reopening, there''s a lot of work to be done in the restaurant, and many customers have made reservations, waiting for us to open so they can support us. You''ll be busy enough. I can go tomorrow," Xiang Qingde insisted, waving his hand. Unable to persuade him otherwise, Kong Daming had to agree. When Xiang Beifei returned home, he purposely held a conversation with his grandfather in front of the living room''s surveillance camera, clarifying the reasons for his move and directly stating that he could now earn money and no longer wished to live there. For a Meridian Opening phase cultivator, earning a living is not at all challenging. The person surveilling their home, as long as not foolish, would surely understand Xiang Beifei''s current Cultivation Realm after a simple inquiry at the school; no one would doubt such an excuse. With this, the other party would probably move on to the new house. Xiang Beifei wanted to see who would dare to secretly install a surveillance camera under his watch. After saying this, Xiaohei then disabled the camera again. The grandfather and grandson packed up their belongings together that evening; surprisingly, they had quite a few items at home. "We need to call for a vehicle. Without an elevator, we''ll have to carry everything down together," Xiang Qingde was considering the most convenient way to move. "I can handle the items by myself, Grandpa needn''t worry, just rest on the side," said Xiang Beifei. "How can that be? You can''t possibly move so much on your own! I am still capable of helping you carry them," Xiang Qingde was concerned that his grandson would wear himself out, as moving was indeed a laborious task. Xiang Beifei expressed a bittersweet amusement: "Grandpa, why do I always feel like you''ve forgotten again that I''m a cultivator?" "So what if you''re a cultivator? Many cultivators also have to hire people to move, don''t they?" Xiang Qingde replied. Xiang Beifei stamped his foot once more, and all the packed boxes started to drift upward, floating in mid-air. Lighter than a feather. Lightening the mass of the objects, then lifting them all with Spiritual Power. Xiang Qingde watched in amazement: "I had no idea you could do this!" Xiang Beifei also realized that he seldom talked about his abilities with his grandfather. He smiled, set everything back down, then glanced at the surveillance camera on the ceiling and said, "Rest assured, from now on, I''ll handle everything. You just need to rest, Grandpa." Xiang Qingde was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at Xiang Beifei. Once upon a time, he had always been meticulously protective of his grandson, safeguarding his self-respect, teaching him to be aspirational, and hoping he wouldn''t give up on himself. But ever since the Awakening had occurred, his grandson seemed to have changed into a different person, becoming diligent and cheerful. Now a cultivator in the Meridian Opening phase, he possessed the ability to protect himself. It took Xiang Qingde a long time to come back to his senses; then he smiled, "The Awakening System truly is a wonderful thing." He suddenly felt old and in need of protection from his grandson. That was fine¡ªas his grandson was so sensible, it made him happy just watching on. Moving wasn''t a difficult task. Ordinary N-level Awakeners, if they didn''t have a corresponding spatial system, would need to hire a moving company, rent a vehicle, and spend a significant amount of money. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to, as Xiaohei could create bubbles for that. "Xiaofei is a big star now, we will all be relying on you in the future!" Kong Daming joked. "Isn''t being a star very tiring? I heard they have to shoot all sorts of films every day," Lu Zhiwei said curiously. "That won''t do! Xiaofei needs to practice cultivation," Lu Hong said earnestly. Unconsciously, he had started referring to Beifei as Xiaofei, because in his mind, Xiang Beifei was still a cultivator, who should prioritize cultivation. Chen Xiuqin entered from outside and laughed, "I won''t lie to you, these past few days I don''t know how many calls I''ve received from economic companies. They know I''m acquainted with Xiaofei, and they keep asking about business activities, offering a lot of money to see if Xiaofei would be willing to sign with their companies." "What did you say?" Kong Daming asked. "Of course, I said we''d consider it. How could I decide on such a matter? We still need to ask Xiaofei''s opinion," Chen Xiuqin chuckled. She hadn''t agreed to any offers, but neither had she declined them outright, always leaving the choice open for Xiang Beifei. Chapter 481 - 363: Sword and Leaf Ye Changfeng and the Kylin were locked in an intense battle. The giant Kylin''s swatting tail whipped through the air, each blow causing the earth to tremble and space itself to seem twisted. However, Ye Changfeng''s swordsmanship was also incredibly powerful. He floated through the air like a celestial Sword Immortal, with each and every sword strike full of immense might. "Roar!" The great Kylin, realizing its tail was on par with Ye Changfeng''s sword and gaining no advantage, immediately withdrew its tail. Following that, it let out another roaring howl, creating a vortex in the air that centered on it and whipped up a whirlwind. Within this great vortex, countless green shadows flickered in and out of sight. When Ye Changfeng''s towering sword light struck, those green shadows revealed themselves as leaves. These leaves were small, but each one shimmered with an exceedingly concentrated life force, enveloping Ye Changfeng''s sword light. The sword light was sharp and powerful, and those green leaves seemed inconsequential in front of its cutting edge, as if they could be shredded in an instant. Yet, with each strike, each leaf moved as if it had a mind of its own, cleverly drifting through the air, always evading the sword''s edge just right. Vibrant life force radiated from each leaf, softening the hard like yielding overcomes strength, diminishing the sword''s momentum. A single leaf took away a thread of Sword Qi, and as millions of leaves fluttered continuously, they carried away millions of threads of Sword Qi, astonishingly neutralizing Ye Changfeng''s fierce attack! "Amazing! Impressive!" Xiang Beifei exclaimed like a bystander taking in the spectacle! It turned out this Kylin wasn''t only skilled in tail attacks, but also possessed such a clever ability. It was indeed a rare way to neutralize an attack. "Roar, roar!" The Kylin roared proudly at Ye Changfeng, showing no concern for his swordsmanship. Ye Changfeng had noticed this but didn''t panic. He shifted his swordplay again, the originally forceful and dominant strikes unexpectedly changing their approach. He slashed out with his sword once more, but this time the blade was soft, the Sword Qi in the air seemingly so fragile it could break at a touch, so weak it gave the illusion that even a Qi-Controlling period fighter could resist it! However, when this soft sword strike met the similarly soft leaves, those leaves seemed unable to escape the grasp of the Sword Qi. Instead, they became entangled with it, as if melting into one. The two became indistinguishable, with the leaves even treating the Sword Qi as one of their own. But soon, the Kylin sensed something amiss, as at that moment, the soft Sword Qi had unobtrusively penetrated the leaves! Buzz! Bursts of Sword Qi surged out from all the leaves, slicing each thin leaf along the veins into two! Whoosh! The Sword Qi within the leaves coalesced, striking the Kylin. Caught off guard, the Kylin was flipped over by Ye Changfeng''s Sword Qi! "666!" While others fought, he narrated - full of praise! Xiang Beifei laid idle like a salted fish, constantly marvelling at the side! Ye Changfeng''s sword was not only robust but also embodied fluid ingenuity. The Kylin utilized leaves, using softness to overcome hardness. In response, Ye Changfeng immediately altered his sword intent, using softness to overcome softness! This is what made Heavenly Sword Nine Traces so formidable; its swordplay did not solely rely on overwhelming force but in its agility and versatility, bending and stretching with ease! Ye Changfeng''s strength was inseparable from his Heavenly Sword Nine Traces, the sword technique almost reaching perfection. Nevertheless, the Kylin quickly stabilized itself. The strike that hit its body had only sent it flying, causing no real pain or damage. It squinted its eyes, realizing its complacency, and began to take the formidable swordsman before it seriously. It was not one to admit defeat so easily; having strenuously broken free from the Spirit Gathering Book''s seal, how could it possibly lose to a human whose origin it knew not? Hum! A blazing light shone from its horn, bathing the leaves in radiant light, each leaf once again brimming with vigorous life. At that moment, Ye Changfeng launched another sword strike, unpredictable and ferocious, yet seemingly frail and powerless, utterly inscrutable. Ye Changfeng''s swordsmanship had reached an enigmatic realm; his Sword Qi moved with his will, a mere thought could manifest a thousand forms of Sword Qi! When his sword came slashing down, the Sword Qi would become immensely hot at times and bitterly cold at others. His sword was crafted specifically for countering an opponent''s attacks. As soon as the opponent changed their attack method, he would immediately redirect his Sword Qi to another orientation. However, in the eyes of the Kylin, large as copper bells, there appeared a faint glimmer. The Sword Qi and leaves tangled once more, with the leaves seeming to twist rapidly, suddenly radiating a fierce killing intent! This sudden surge of killing intent even transformed into sword gleams in mid-air, and upon closer inspection, each sword gleam was identical to Ye Changfeng''s sword movements! It was actually mimicking Ye Changfeng''s sword techniques with leaves! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Ye Changfeng''s Sword Qi collided with the Kylin''s leaves yet again. When Ye Changfeng''s Sword Qi turned sharp, the leaves became sharp as well. When Ye Changfeng''s Sword Qi attempted to change its momentum to attack in a weaker fashion, the leaves instantly became even more feeble! They always matched Ye Changfeng''s Sword Qi, never allowing themselves to be suppressed by him! This transformation finally caused Ye Changfeng to frown, since during the entanglement of their Sword Qis, neither could gain the upper hand over the other. Ye Changfeng immediately retracted his sword and pointed it straight at the heavens. Invoking Heavenly Sword Nine Traces, his Sword Qi stirred among the clouds, thunderous roars echoing through the sky! Heavenly Sword Nine Traces'' sixth move, Mysterious Azure Falling Thunder! Boom! Blue lightning, mixed with majestic heavenly might, fell from the sky, guided by the sword light. The pure and explosive blue lightning, righteous and upright, seemed capable of destroying all evil between heaven and earth! This powerful lightning was something many desolate beasts greatly feared, and it was also the divine power most capable of restraining those trees! As the lightning fell, even the Kylin did not take it lightly. It roared towards the lightning in the sky, its leaves gathering around it to meet the attack! And at that moment, the lightning merged with the fierce sword gleams, striking those leaves! But suddenly the leaves underwent a change! In the crisscrossing veins of a leaf, it was as if a tree had appeared within it! And on this tree sprouted numerous tinier leaves, yet the small leaves were covered with even tinier trees, identical in appearance to the larger tree! When the lightning struck the leaves, it was immediately absorbed by the large tree that had grown from them, but it wasn''t directly destroyed; instead, it was absorbed again by the leaves within the large tree¡ªlightning striking the leaves within the leaves, and then the leaves within those leaves... Through layer upon layer, all the lightning was devoured in an instant! "What kind of ability is this?" Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but marvel at this move by the Kylin; a single leaf conjuring a whole tree? From one leaf comes a Bodhi tree? And within that a leaf of the Bodhi is again a Bodhi tree? But that leaf was clearly not from a Bodhi tree. Not even Xiang Beifei could tell what kind of tree it actually was; he didn''t know what kind of leaves these were. However, before long, a gleam of light shone in Xiang Beifei''s eyes, for he discovered a very peculiar phenomenon¡ªif one observed closely, the Kylin''s leaves could only split into three layers: a leaf, the tree within the leaf, and the leaves of the tree within the leaf. It was like three nested worlds! The Kylin was using these three tree worlds to dissipate the power of the lightning! And what was destroyed by the lightning was merely the leaves of the third-tiered tree world; the second and the first layer were unscathed! "This ability has something to it." Xiang Beifei grew increasingly curious about the Kylin, pondering over this devouring method and extrapolating the process by using Learn by Analogy. The more he deduced, the more he realized the power of this ability! ¡ª¡ª (I just noticed that QiDian is having a burst release event, and I''m pondering whether I should set a flag for a burst release. I wonder if I could reach 1000 monthly tickets¡ªit seems so difficult, as I, a salted fish, have never exceeded 1000 monthly tickets any month... Should I participate or not?) Chapter 482 - 364: One Sword (First Update) Ye Changfeng was equally astonished by the Kylin''s abilities. His brows grew increasingly furrowed, for he realized he simply couldn''t overcome this beast! Boom, boom, boom! As they continued to clash mid-air, Ye Changfeng came to understand that he might have encountered a truly formidable opponent. No matter how he attacked, no matter how his Sword Qi varied, it was always neutralized by the Kylin''s leaves. The Kylin seemed to be able to mimic his Sword Qi, treating each leaf as a sword. Each leaf was capable of unleashing Sword Qi! What kind of Desolate Beast was this? The more Ye Changfeng fought, the more alarmed he became! However, he suddenly sensed something¡ªa strange Sword Qi flickering around him. He turned his head, only to find that there was another person nearby! Xiang Beifei had somehow come back, and there he was, brandishing his Ronin Sword and gesturing! "Xiang Beifei, what are you doing! Didn''t I tell you to run!" Ye Changfeng was almost driven mad with frustration! This Desolate Beast was exceedingly powerful, matching his own strength. He had expected Xiang Beifei to go for reinforcements, yet the boy hadn''t budged! Couldn''t this rascal listen to him for once? Why was he always so hot-headed, needing to be hammered into submission before obeying? But in the moment of Ye Changfeng''s distraction, the Kylin seized the opportunity. Its tail, like a fly swatter, swept across the sky with a resounding boom before striking him. Boom! All Ye Changfeng could do was brace his Sword Qi in front of him, but the Kylin''s vast paw still sent him flying! "Ao wu! Ao wu!" The Kylin bellowed victoriously, clearly pleased with itself. Having avenged the previous strike, it was arrogantly triumphant! Fortunately, Ye Changfeng''s defenses were strong. He quickly stabilized his posture, but by the time he came to, he saw the Kylin had turned its attention back to Xiang Beifei. "Ao wu!" Ever since being forced to play rock-paper-scissors, the Kylin had harbored great resentment towards Xiang Beifei. Seeing him distracted, how could it miss the opportunity for revenge? It let out strange cries, and its massive tail, blotting out the sun, swept towards Xiang Beifei. "Be careful!" Ye Changfeng shouted a warning, instantly creating a ripple underfoot as he surged towards Xiang Beifei, fearing the inattentive junior brother would be smashed by the Kylin''s tail. But Ye Changfeng''s expression froze almost immediately! Because Xiang Beifei suddenly raised his hand, and with a casual flick, the tail stopped dead in mid-air, unable to advance an inch! Abruptly Stopped! Now that Xiang Beifei had entered the God Refining realm, his Abruptly Stop ability also escalated to a new level. He could create a static domain around him where nothing could move. Unless their strength surpassed his. The Kylin''s large, bell-like eyes also stared in disbelief. It desperately pressed its tail downward but found it couldn''t prevail over Xiang Beifei! It struggled to accept this! Because unlike the others sealed within the stars, it wasn''t just at the early stage of God Refining. After devouring seven spiritual power crystals, its strength had already reached the mid-stage of God Refining! Normally, it should be able to grind the annoying person who often taunted it into the ground! But why... was the situation not quite right? Ye Changfeng was also stunned. Xiang Beifei didn''t dodge---he just stopped that great Desolate Beast''s tail with one hand? Wasn''t his cultivation level only at Meridian Opening? But then, Ye Changfeng noticed something else: Xiang Beifei was actually smiling. He was laughing! This bratty kid was actually laughing! "I think I know how to improve!" Wielding his Ronin Sword, Xiang Beifei spoke to Ye Changfeng, "Mr. Ye, watch my sword technique." "Your sword technique?" Ye Changfeng didn''t quite understand. Wasn''t Xiang Beifei''s sword technique his own? Yet Xiang Beifei gently twirled the Ronin Sword in his hand, and immediately a fierce momentum burst forth from him! Whoosh! His figure vanished on the spot and reappeared high in the sky. The Ronin Sword traced a crisp white arc in his hands, like the lustrous sheen of autumn waters, a stroke that split the air, the Sword Qi like a rainbow, almost carrying the force of wind and thunder, humming through the skies. The Sword Qi was piercingly cold, revealing a glinting frost. With a single thrust, it was as if he had thrust out a million swords. Amid the surging shadows of swords, the heavens and earth underwent a massive change, all the energy converging towards Xiang Beifei''s sword! He stood there, as if merging with the void itself. Then, the myriad sword shadows instantly unified, and it seemed as if the only thing left in the world was the sword in Xiang Beifei''s hand! Swish! A majestic sword light soared from the ground, aiming straight for the Kylin''s face! This sword was unstoppable and incredibly sharp! "Awooo!" The Kylin let out another ghostly howl. It dropped the disdain in its eyes and fixed its gaze on Xiang Beifei''s sword strike. The whirling leaves around its body divided and faced Xiang Beifei''s sword light once more. This sword strike was so peculiar that even the Kylin dared not underestimate it. Discovering its leaves couldn''t keep up with Xiang Beifei''s sword control, it decided to use the leaves to devour this stream of Sword Qi! The fluttering leaves rapidly transformed into the shadow of a tree. The leaves within the tree cloned to form another tree. When Xiang Beifei''s Sword Qi hit the leaves, it seemed to be on the verge of being devoured, but suddenly Xiang Beifei''s Sword Qi began to tremble explosively. And then¡ªBoom! The Sword Qi unexpectedly ignited into flames, and as the fire splattered, those flames morphed into even larger Sword Qi. As the split Sword Qi surged out, the divided Sword Qi further split into even bigger Sword Qi! With just three divisions, the air was filled with chaotic Sword Qi. The way it scattered was incredibly powerful, sweeping out with the force of a thousand pounds. When the Kylin''s leaves tried to devour the Sword Qi, they found a completely different repelling force within the Sword Qi. It couldn''t devour it! Crack! The Kylin''s sweeping leaves were shredded in an instant by Xiang Beifei''s omnipresent Sword Qi. The chaotic sword shadows bombarded the Kylin, assaulting it into a frenzy; it howled wildly, dodging continuously within the sword shadows. However, right at that moment, all the sword shadows in the sky suddenly disappeared, leaving only one sword! Swish! That one sword instantly struck the Kylin''s rear end, flipping it outwards! Boom! The Kylin tumbled like a cumbersome little mountain in the sky, rolling several times and crashing down, leaving a deep beast-shaped pit in the ground of unknown depth! "You shrink, I expand! It''s not like you''re the only one who knows how to cause trouble." Xiang Beifei hovered in the air, extending his slender index finger to lightly stroke the bluish frost of the sword blade, his figure ethereal and transcendent, graceful as a startled swan, exuding an otherworldly aura. The young swordsman, with one sword conquered the heavens! ¡ª¡ª QiDian''s double monthly ticket event, explosive updates! Today, let''s see if we can go for five chapters. Everyone, please cast your votes! That event setting the goal wants seven consecutive days of explosive updates to receive 1000 monthly tickets... The holiday is just five days! Yet they want seven days of updates! I need your support! I hope you''ll subscribe to the official version; I''m fervently typing away this Labor Day! ©ß©¥©ß(©c(`§¥ ?)¥Î(©ß©¥©ß Chapter 483 - 365: The Essence of the Sword! (2nd Update) "Your sword momentum..." Ye Changfeng''s mind echoed with the way Xiang Beifei had just wielded his sword. His swordsmanship had also reached a pinnacle, within the alliance, his sword made him an absolutely strong force among God Refining stage martial artists! But even the most powerful swordsman would reach a bottleneck. If one cannot break through oneself, then their swordsmanship would advance not an inch further! Ye Changfeng was currently at this stage. However, the sword Xiang Beifei had just displayed seemed to directly break through the veil that had bound him for many years, enlightening his entire being! He had never taught Xiang Beifei to use the sword in this way! But what Xiang Beifei had clearly displayed was the momentum of the Heavenly Sword Nine Traces! And it was even stronger than his own sword momentum! Is this what they mean by "the student surpasses the master"? Could it be¡ª He looked at his system interface: [The system has detected that Xiang Beifei has improved the Heavenly Sword Nine Traces, the power condensed from this sword momentum is extremely profound! Evaluating...] [Xiang Beifei''s swordsmanship is very peculiar, the potential contained in his sword momentum is too great, temporarily unable to estimate the enhancement it can bring to the host. Preliminary judgment, there is still more room for improvement!] [Xiang Beifei assisted the host in improving and feedback of sword Qi, sword Qi value +300,000] [The sword momentum has been recorded, please focus on comprehension, host!] He actually improved it! Ye Changfeng was utterly shocked! "Mr. Ye, I have finally understood the essence of the sword," Xiang Beifei said. The Ronin Sword in Xiang Beifei''s hand swung gently in front of him, the blade trembling slightly as if it split all the dust in the air in two. "What is it?" Ye Changfeng asked urgently. The lad hadn''t been seen for several months, yet he had cultivated such a powerful Sword Intent! Could it be that he had been comprehending my swordsmanship during his months of secluded cultivation? Yes! How else to explain the rapid progress of his swordsmanship? Ye Changfeng was quite moved for a moment! This youngster had finally seen the light, remembering my swordsmanship. Silent until magnificent! These past few months, he must have put a lot of thought into secretly studying the Heavenly Sword Nine Traces, how else could he have reached such a realm? But has he really grasped the essence of swordsmanship? If so, then... then I must consult him! Ye Changfeng anticipated eagerly! "The ultimate essence of the sword, is for¡ª" Xiang Beifei held his sword horizontally as starry light burst forth, radiating sharp brilliance from his entire being, resembling a Supreme Swordsman despising the world, slicing through all phenomena with one strike! "Coolness!" Xiang Beifei declared aloud. Ye Changfeng: "..." Coolness... coolness? Ye Changfeng was petrified! He never expected Xiang Beifei to blurt out such words! "No wonder Mr. Ye likes using the sword so much, with its chilling brightness, coolness personified! Every time Mr. Ye displays his swordsmanship, his figure is so cool, it''s captivating!" Xiang Beifei praised. Those words...were pleasing to the ear! Ye Changfeng adjusted his glasses slightly and stood up a bit straighter in midair. Every time he drew his sword, his mind was as calm as still water, and his movements were ethereal. Not even his hair fell into disorder. "When a sword is struck, it doesn''t matter if the power is strong or not; what''s important is that it must be stylish! The wielder of the sword should perform every move with smooth naturalness, their form floating effortlessly," Xiang Beifei said as he once again swung his sword, his entire being seemingly merging with the blade in his hand! "If the technique of the sword strike isn''t handsome enough, then the swordsmanship is rendered meaningless!" Xiang Beifei said with gravity. These words were enough to make one spit blood! However, as Ye Changfeng watched Xiang Beifei''s swordplay and pondered over his words, it was as if a great door in his mind had been flung open, and sudden clarity dawned before him! He suddenly realized that Xiang Beifei was not wrong! How could one ensure that their sword''s momentum is handsome and imposing? Only by reaching the realm where the sword and the person were fully integrated, a seamless natural state! When the sword in hand fully becomes an extension of one''s body, the swordsmanship performed will have no obstructions; each move will flow effortlessly, naturally forming intent. Sword Intent, directed by the heart; Sword Qi, following the blade! A single thought, and Sword Qi could shatter the void, claiming the head of an enemy miles away! If one could reach this realm, which swordsman wouldn''t be dashing? Therefore, those who learn the sword must lay the groundwork for handsomeness! Hearing Xiang Beifei''s words, Ye Changfeng suddenly had a moment of epiphany, even beginning to evolve Xiang Beifei''s Sword Qi in his mind! To make the sword stance even cooler, one must solidify the sword in hand and elevate one''s Sword Intent to a Supreme, flawless state. Otherwise, if an opponent caught any flaw and disrupted the sword momentum, striking them down to the ground, how could the swordsman maintain their coolness? ... "Alright, I''ve just realized this bit of momentum in swordsmanship. I haven''t figured out how to perform the rest in a cooler way. I''ll help you study it some more when there''s a chance, haha!" Xiang Beifei spread his hands apologetically towards Ye Changfeng. Ye Changfeng''s face twitched: "..." You''ve only realized this bit of sword momentum? Do you know how hard it is for ordinary swordsmen to advance further along the Sword Dao? Just grasping a bit of Sword Qi is enough to greatly enhance one''s strength, yet you''re just... just haven''t figured it out? Ye Changfeng felt utterly thrown for a loop. "Awoo!" At that moment, the Kylin, tough-skinned and hard-fleshed, quickly climbed out of the crater and glared at Xiang Beifei with fury. Xiang Beifei put away the Ronin Sword, then looked at the Kylin before him and rubbed his knuckles: "To deal with this sort of creature, fists are faster." The Kylin flicked its tail, still smarting from where Xiang Beifei''s sword had hit its rear. It would not be a Kylin if it didn''t take revenge. It let out a roar towards Xiang Beifei as a vortex wrapped around its body again. But once again, Xiang Beifei took a step forward¡ª Whoosh! Before the Kylin could react, he had already landed behind it, his fist emitting explosive flames as he smashed it directly onto the Kylin''s forehead! Bang! The Kylin, once so defiant, now crumpled like a broken sandbag as Xiang Beifei''s punch sent it flying into the ground, creating another thunderous crater! The Kylin only felt dizzy, its entire beast form functioning poorly. That punch had given it a concussion. As it tried to scramble up, it suddenly felt its tail caught by someone, and then, uncontrollably, it was lifted into the air! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Clutching the Kylin''s whip-like tail, Xiang Beifei swung it around in the air several times, as if wielding a meteor hammer, then smashed it left and right, carving the ground with gullies and leaving the Kylin dizzy and Ye Changfeng''s mouth continuously twitching. Boom! After a brutal round of pummeling the Kylin, Xiang Beifei finally stomped its head down into the ground. "Now, I''ve finally confirmed the extent of my strength," Xiang Beifei stated calmly while standing on the Kylin''s head, brushing the dust off his clothes. It turned out that he was at the God Refining middle stage! Chapter 484 - 366: Because Mr. Ye Cant Win (3rd Update) The Kylin was stupefied. Its thick skin and tough flesh meant that being thrashed about by Xiang Beifei didn''t actually hurt it at its core, but the problem was, the humiliation! It was already quite special, having swallowed seven spiritual power crystals, then broke through the seal on its own to show off. It had thought it would strut around and have a chance to give Xiang Beifei a good thrashing, but then¡ª It found itself beaten so badly, even its own father wouldn''t recognize it! "Behave yourself. Do you really think I''d let you out without being sure I could handle you?" Xiang Beifei had calculated the kind of strength this creature would gain after devouring the remaining two spiritual power crystals, ensuring he could overpower it before letting it out. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei was also grinning and mocking this foolhardy creature. However, Xiang Beifei had also not realized that after breaking free from the seal, this creature had reached the strength of the mid-stage of God Refining, and the seven spiritual power crystals had boosted it so much. Next time, he would have to try enhancing it even more. "Awoo!" The Kylin tried to resist, but Xiang Beifei bound a strand of the soul force he had cultivated directly inside of it! The strength of soul force lay in its ability to launch attacks on the soul and bind others'' souls, similar to how Xiao Sheng had bound Eternal Sleep and Keshi before. Anything that came out of the Spirit Gathering Book, Xiaohei maintained a slender link with it, and this Kylin was no exception. In the past, when Xiang Beifei used the power of other constellations, he would bind the corresponding entities within his own body. Xiaohei had a specific cultivation technique for binding. Once this brand was imprinted on the Kylin, and if his strength was greater than it, the Kylin would be unable to resist. "We''ll talk again next time." Since Ye Changfeng was still there, Xiang Beifei couldn''t interrogate this creature directly. Thinking back, he had learned "Woof" to communicate with Xiaohei last time, and now, to have a conversation with the Kylin, he was probably going to have to learn "Awoo" language¡ªlife is truly tough! With a wave of his hand, Xiang Beifei grabbed the disheveled Kylin and threw it into Xiaohei''s bubble, then he walked over to Ye Changfeng. ¡ª¡ª Ye Changfeng felt like he couldn''t keep up with Xiang Beifei''s strength anymore! This kid had actually managed to subdue the desolate beast so easily? Didn''t that mean that his current cultivation level must be at least at the mid-stage of God Refining? Ye Changfeng''s amazement was beyond description! He knew Xiang Beifei''s talent for cultivation was monstrous, but he hadn''t expected it to be this monstrous! After all, even UR-level Awakeners from a year ago weren''t likely to reach the God Refining stage within a year¡ªthe soul is a true watershed for upper-level powerhouses and extremely difficult to achieve! Under regular cultivation speed, Awakeners with S-level Awakening Systems might struggle with somewhat more challenging quests, possibly never reaching the God Refining stage in their lifetime. SR-level Awakeners would definitely reach the God Refining stage, but it still typically took five to twenty years. The fastest record for SR was achieved in three years, accomplished by Elder Luo. As for SSR-level Awakeners, depending on the difficulty of their system quests, reaching the God Refining stage would require three to six or seven years¡ªeven with a higher level, some SSR-system tasks are troublesome to complete the God Refining stage. And UR-system Awakeners, who are at the ceiling of system levels, would still need about two to four years to go from the Awakening System to the God Refining stage! Yet Xiang Beifei had only taken a year! In just one year, he had far surpassed his UR peers, and more than that¡ª He had even defeated the desolate beast that even Ye Changfeng couldn''t defeat! ¡ª¡ª "You... you''re really at the mid-stage of God Refining?" Ye Changfeng asked incredulously. "Originally, I wasn''t sure, but now I''m pretty much certain." Xiang Beifei nodded slightly. Without a system, Xiang Beifei could never be sure of what level he had reached each time, which was a source of frustration for him! Other people''s levels were displayed exactly as they were, whereas his had to be inferred from others'' reactions. But now things were finally clear! "Why... why is that?" Ye Changfeng didn''t understand what he meant. "Because Mr. Ye couldn''t defeat it," Xiang Beifei said earnestly. Ye Changfeng: "..." ¡ª¡ªAre you judging your own strength based on me? If I can''t beat it, and you can, so you just confirm your own strength? Are you kidding me? Ye Changfeng''s forehead veins bulged, feeling a surge of old blood stuck in his chest, almost spitting it out! You''re using me as the standard to determine your strength? I''ve actually become a tool! Damn it! You''ve robbed all the bamboo shoots in the bamboo forest! Ye Changfeng was so angry inside! Of course, under normal circumstances, Xiang Beifei''s cultivation wouldn''t have increased so swiftly. This was all thanks to the late-stage God Refining spirit sealing talisman given by He Caiwei. It could be said that the spiritual power crystal refined from that talisman boosted his soul significantly! At the Meridian Opening stage, after all, one needs to progress step by step to open up the meridians. Only by opening up the complete meridians can they be refined into the soul, so it''s relatively slow. But at the God Refining stage, all that needed to be done was to nurture the soul, which didn''t seem so difficult for Xiang Beifei. He just poured the late-stage God Refining spiritual power crystal directly onto his soul, continuously absorbing the spiritual power crystal, constantly becoming stronger! With a solid foundation laid during the Meridian Opening stage, boosting the soul seemed like child''s play. However, it was not so smooth for others, because not everyone at the early stage of God Refining could get system items from the late-stage like Xiang Beifei to nurture their souls. They couldn''t complete system tasks and receive these rewards that were beyond their level. Even if they received system items given by others, they couldn''t transform them into spiritual power crystals to absorb. At best, they could use the items to exert abilities, as a life-saving trump card. However, Xiang Beifei had Xiaohei, so none of this was a problem. For Xiang Beifei, advancing through the God Refining stage became even easier than the Meridian Opening stage! If Ye Changfeng knew this, he would probably be green with envy and spit blood! Because in the cognition of Ye Changfeng and everyone else, advancing through stages was always increasingly difficult. That was common knowledge! God Refining was a qualitative change, and advancing was absolutely hundreds of times more difficult than the Meridian Opening stage! Otherwise, why would the God Refining stage be more formidable than the Meridian Opening stage? But here was an anomaly! He overturned Ye Changfeng''s common sense! "Mr. Ye is very impressive. It''s the first time I''ve seen Mr. Ye truly unleash his power!" Xiang Beifei exclaimed admiringly. Are you praising me? If I had unleashed my power and won, it would be fine, but the problem is¡ª¡ªI didn''t win! How awkward is that! Ye Changfeng felt a herd of alpacas trampling through his heart. He suddenly had the urge to grab the kid and give him a beating. Then he realized, he couldn''t beat him anymore. "Alas! I was careless! I was so careless!" Ye Changfeng shook his head and sighed. "What do you mean careless?" Xiang Beifei asked, puzzled. "I should have given you a beating last year." Ye Changfeng said with heartfelt regret. "Oh!" Xiang Beifei had a sudden realization. Chapter 485 - 367: Professor Guos Situation (4th release) Ye Changfeng finally managed to compose his complicated feelings before he asked, "What was with that desolate beast just now?" "It was something my system found for me to practice on; I was supposed to beat it for a task," Xiang Beifei earnestly bluffed. "My system has always been tricky; it requires me to ascertain my own strength, which is also a kind of system task," Xiang Beifei made up on the spot. Everyone''s system is strange in thousands of ways, and having this kind of task is not unusual. Anyway, anything bizarre can be blamed on system tasks, and since Ye Changfeng is not a stranger, there''s no fear of him spreading the word. Three lines appeared on Ye Changfeng''s forehead once again! "Your system task? I thought it was a God Refining-stage desolate beast that had come here, almost took it as a sign of a beast tide outbreak!" Ye Changfeng said with annoyance. Xiang Beifei chuckled dryly twice, then asked, "Mr. Ye just mentioned investigating some incident; did something big happen recently?" It was then that Ye Changfeng remembered the purpose of his visit, slightly calming the chaos Xiang Beifei had stirred up in his emotions, his expression becoming grave. "This is a long story. It happened a few months ago, around January, a very serious incident occurred in the Cultivated Domain here!" Ye Changfeng explained. Xiang Beifei had a faint premonition that something was off. "You might not know, but three staff members from the alliances were assassinated while passing through the Cultivated Domain! They died miserably right here in the Cultivated Domain!" "Eh?" Xiang Beifei blinked in surprise. Thinking Xiang Beifei was unaware, Ye Changfeng said very seriously, "Although it is heartbreaking when martial artists suffer incidents in the barren lands beyond the domains, such occurrences are not unprecedented. But what if I tell you that all three of these people were God Refining-stage SR experts?" Xiang Beifei: "..." "The strongest desolate beasts in the Cultivated Domain are only at the late Qi-Controlling stage, and such beasts could not possibly threaten them. Think about it, three God Refining-stage SR martial artists killed in the barren lands outside the domain, and not by desolate beasts; who else is most likely involved?" Ye Changfeng''s eyes were extremely solemn. Xiang Beifei: "..." Most likely involved with whom? Me! Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but cry and laugh. He hadn''t revealed this matter before because the three people who tried to kill him had been dealt with, but he didn''t have the corresponding strength to confront it head-on, so he chose to remain silent at first. Ye Changfeng continued, "That''s right! I know you might have guessed it by now; those bold enough to ambush the alliance''s staff in the Cultivated Domain, the most likely suspects are the Unrestrained!" Xiang Beifei: "..." Unrestrained, the unexpected scapegoat! Looking around at the devastated terrain, Ye Changfeng said, "If that desolate beast did not come from your system, I almost thought it was a rare desolate beast that had stealthily snuck in from the Tranquil Domain and was the murderer of those three!" Xiang Beifei: "..." Speaking of those three, they really were killed by the Wooden Kirin''s fly swatter. Xiang Beifei steadied his spirit and asked, "Why would Mr. Ye come to investigate this matter? Isn''t the alliance looking into it?" Ye Changfeng lifted his glasses and said, "The alliance has long been investigating, but a friend from the alliance tipped me off in advance that the alliance isn''t blaming this on Unrestrained. Instead, they''re suspecting Professor Guo!" "Professor Guo?" "That''s right, the location of the incident has been confirmed, and that area is under the guard and construction responsibility of our Liangzhou University, specifically under Professor Guo''s teaching district." "Just because it happened in Professor Guo''s area of responsibility, you think it has something to do with him? There are probably people getting hurt there every day, even dying. Should we just blame everything on Professor Guo?" Xiang Beifei frowned and said. "You don''t understand the situation, things are far from being as simple as you imagine. During the months you''ve been cultivating, many things have happened at the Academy, and now..." "I get it, it''s He Caiwei''s doing behind the scenes," Xiang Beifei said. Ye Changfeng''s gaze flashed with surprise, "You know him?" "He''s not a good person," Xiang Beifei said. Ye Changfeng nodded slightly, "This must be He Caiwei''s doing. He is targeting Elder Luo, anyone related to Elder Luo is being targeted. I know there''s more to this incident, which is why I''ve been investigating around here for the past few days, to clear things up before they come for Professor Guo." Professor Guo is a good friend of Elder Luo. If they could deal with a Professor Guo, it would significantly weaken a large part of Elder Luo''s combat power. He Caiwei is now planning to strike one by one at those around Elder Luo. "Didn''t Mr. Ye go and warn Professor Guo in advance?" Xiang Beifei asked. "I did tell him! But you know what kind of a person Professor Guo is. He responded to me, saying that if he conducts himself with integrity, there''s no need to stoop to address slanderous talk. What could I say?" Ye Changfeng said helplessly. "That''s too naive of him," Xiang Beifei said. He Caiwei is clearly trying to frame him. What good will acting with integrity do? "That''s just his personality. If he didn''t do it, he wouldn''t care. So I can only conduct my own investigation. No matter what, we must find evidence to prove that he didn''t do it," Ye Changfeng said. "So, what did Mr. Ye find out from the investigation?" "It''s hard to say, the site of the incident has been covered up, I can''t uncover more truth. At first, when I saw this strange desolate beast, I thought I had found the culprit. But it turned out to be a false alarm. Now the case has hit a dead end again, and we need to start the investigation over," Ye Changfeng sighed. Xiang Beifei fell into deep thought. His testimony wouldn''t make much difference; it was hard to directly prove that the whole thing was orchestrated by He Caiwei. Although he had two Su People with him, when they came to kill Xiang Beifei, they were just fulfilling orders from the Su Alliance, which had nothing to do with He Caiwei. Zhu Yiji of the Su Alliance could certainly claim he hadn''t dispatched the Su People for such a task, wash his hands clean of the incident, and even potentially turn the tables on Xiang Beifei, accusing him of capturing the Su People without reason, killing them intentionally to slander the high-ranking leaders of the Su Alliance. One was a N-level student, the other was a UR-level senior leader. Without guessing, anyone would know which side the Alliance would favor. After all, he had killed Liu Shenghui, and even though it was in self-defense, considering the incident where Elder Luo killed an SSR ¡ª that was justified too, but what were the consequences? Self-defense is not a good excuse in the Alliance, and his situation would not be much better than Elder Luo''s. This matter needed more careful planning. Mr. Ye had intended for Xiang Beifei to go back while he continued the investigation, but Xiang Beifei stopped Mr. Ye, saying, "Mr. Ye, I''m afraid investigating won''t uncover much. We should go back and check on Professor Guo first, we can''t let anything happen to him." Ye Changfeng also realized that the situation was indeed so and decided to go back first. Xiang Beifei didn''t tell Ye Changfeng the whole truth. Because he couldn''t explain how he had the power to kill three God-Refining-level individuals back in January, and this matter was also related to his grandfather and that strange mountain; many things were simply too complicated to explain. Most importantly, he understood Ye Changfeng. Although he always seemingly provocatively teased his senior, Ye Changfeng took great care of him. In Elder Luo''s absence, it was very likely that after knowing about Xiang Beifei killing someone, Ye Changfeng would choose to take the fall for him. Xiang Beifei decided to handle it his own way. Chapter 486 - 368: Wu Shixuan (Fifth Update) The desolate border, swept up by winds and sands, obscured the sun and made the entire sky seem even murkier. Professor Guo was currently suspended from teaching by the school, which irked him greatly. The school leadership had stopped him from teaching and had other teachers take over his classes. After his appeals were fruitless, he had no choice but to come to the border. Though no longer a teacher, he was still the commanding officer of the border defense in Liangzhou. He would still come here daily from Liangzhou University to patrol, ensuring that all aspects of the border wall''s defense were without issues. Having just completed a patrol round, he had inquired about the conditions of other guards before returning to his personal office in the fortress. "I wonder if their coursework is keeping up." Professor Guo still worried about the educational progress of the students in his class. Having another teacher meant adopting a different teaching style. Especially the teacher who took over his class, who blatantly followed the teaching rules set by Wei Tong. He deeply disliked this method of teaching, as students trained this way could never take on significant responsibilities in the future! "No! I cannot let these children''s martial arts education be compromised. The education on desolate beast defense must not be theoretical only." After much thought, Professor Guo decided to take some action. He kept records of each student''s grasp of the curriculum, and with this in mind, he turned on the computer and began organizing the following teaching plans according to each student''s situation. "Chen Bin, your understanding of Earth Dragons is not precise enough. You still need to strengthen your approach to traps for handling Earth Dragons. Next study suggestion: Review the relationship between Earth Dragons and Sky Eagles, considering whether traps will work if they appear simultaneously. The answer is no, because the sonic abilities of the Sky Eagles will repel the Earth Dragons, making the Earth Dragon disruptor ineffective..." Ordinarily, Professor Guo wouldn''t list the answers, as he required students to think for themselves first, giving the answers only if they made mistakes. But with him unable to teach, he thoroughly listed both the questions and the answers for them this time. "Email, email, let''s see..." He searched for the email addresses and sent the written syllabus to the student through email.'' Professor Guo didn''t know if the students would check the syllabus in their email or if they''d actually study according to the specially formulated syllabus. But even if just one student read and learned from it, he felt his efforts were not in vain. He wrote specialized syllabi for about ten students in the class, then rubbed his neck. His age was showing, joints aching from sitting long-, lamenting that he was indeed getting old since his neck got tired after just a short time of sitting. But at that moment, there was a "knock knock knock" at the door. "Come in," said Professor Guo. The door quickly opened, and a short-statured young man appeared at the doorway. Upon seeing the young man, Professor Guo''s face brightened with a smile, "Shixuan! What brings you here today?" The visitor was none other than an SSR Awakener, and also one of Professor Guo''s former students! Wu Shixuan! With dark skin and a relatively short stature, Wu Shixuan walked with his head held high and his eyes looking superior. "Commander Guo, today I came here in my capacity as the head of the Alliance Command Supervision Team to inspect the work," Wu Shixuan stated indifferently. Professor Guo''s smile slightly froze, and when Wu Shixuan addressed him as Commander Guo instead of Professor Guo, he understood immediately. He stood up from his seat and said, "Welcome." Professor Guo was just the front-line commander of Liangzhou. Wu Shixuan now held the position of Deputy Secretary of the Jiuzhou Alliance Border Defense, which was a rank higher than that of Professor Guo. He was an SSR and flourished in the Alliance after graduation, with his system talents highly valued by the leadership. In just three years, he had climbed to this position. The Alliance had previously invited Professor Guo to work at the Alliance Headquarters, but that position would not allow him to stay at the border year-round and would require him to work in a department toward the civilian side of things in Liangzhou. He found this amusing; how could the border defense department effectively handle border issues if they did not work at the border? He could not adapt to a civilian role and thus returned to front-line work. Working on the front line allowed him to combat desolate beasts and also teach students, which was enough for him. Wu Shixuan said with an indifferent tone, "Commander Guo, I am here for work today. When it comes to work, there is no room for sentimentality. Please remember that." "Of course." Professor Guo didn''t think much else and quickly tidied up his somewhat messy desk. Before he could invite Wu Shixuan to sit, Wu Shixuan had already walked over and heavily sat in the chair previously occupied by Professor Guo. Professor Guo pursed his lips but did not say anything else. He turned around, took a thick file from the bookshelf next to him, placed it on the table, and said, "This file contains records of desolate beasts attacking the border wall over the past two months. It''s all here. If you need other materials, I can get more." Wu Shixuan casually opened the file, glanced at it briefly, and saw that it was recorded in great detail. He was too lazy to look because he knew it was almost impossible to find faults in Professor Guo''s work, given his responsible nature. He quickly closed the file and said, "I am not here to inspect your work today but to investigate a matter. Recently, three God Refining stage Awakeners disappeared in this region of Liangzhou after an encounter. Are you aware of this?" Professor Guo slightly frowned; he had already been warned by Ye Changfeng. Ye Changfeng had cautioned him before leaving, though Professor Guo hadn''t been very concerned but still responded, "I am not aware." ''"Three God Refining fights breaking out, making such a huge noise, and you, as the captain of the guard, are completely unaware of such a significant event in your area?" Wu Shixuan asked, narrowing his eyes. "The wilderness beyond the domain is inherently chaotic, with desolate beasts stirring up disturbances daily. I am responsible for guarding the border, not to abandon my post over every minor noise to investigate," said Professor Guo. The actual location of the incident was quite far from the border, over two hundred kilometers away, nearly reaching the Marquis Domain. Even if there were noises, they couldn''t possibly reach here. This incident had nothing to do with Professor Guo, and it was impossible to hold him accountable. Wu Shixuan slowly said, "Professor Guo, I hope you are not shirking responsibility. Liu Shenghui and two Su People encountered trouble on January 26. Where were you at the time of the incident?" "Secretary Wu, what is the meaning of this?" Professor Guo said sternly. He hadn''t expected that his own student, after arriving here, would accuse him without a word, which left a bitter taste in his heart. (Five updates today, ask for monthly pass!) Chapter 487 - 369: The Hundred Family Surnames (Two in One) But at that moment, Hou Chengwu, with his keen eyesight, suddenly spotted Xiang Beifei''s figure and immediately roared, "He''s over there!" This time, everyone saw clearly, Xiang Beifei was indeed a real person! The others also saw Xiang Beifei, but because of the flood, it was difficult for them to disentangle themselves. "Yu Hongbo, you keep an eye on these SRs for us, we''ll deal with him!" Hou Chengwu shouted. "Okay!" Yu Hongbo had to look after his subordinates, otherwise the SRs would be submerged by the flood. Zhu Xinjue''s eyes revealed a hint of ruthlessness, and he conjured a gigantic glass sphere in his hand, which flashed and transformed into an illusory glow, enveloping this void. "This time I''ll see where you can go!" Zhu Xinjue sneered coldly. The glass sphere was a UR-grade spatial item that rendered any spatial teleportation useless. Since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman, Zhu Xinjue was worried Xiang Beifei would escape. Soon, Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong had Xiang Beifei completely surrounded, their powerful auras not any weaker than the floodwaters, they stared intently at Xiang Beifei. "Xiang Beifei, even though I know you''re strong, we now have four people, so I still advise you to forfeit," said He Qiutong. He Qiutong was unaware of Zhu Xinjue''s plan, she, like Chen Baiwen, just wanted Xiang Beifei out of the game. Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the four people in front of him. Four people, easier to deal with than five. "That''s correct, we don''t want to do anything to you, just exit the game obediently, to avoid trouble." Chen Baiwen said gravely. Yet, Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue were filled with endless murderous intent. "What are we waiting for? We need to take him down first before we can make him exit!" Hou Chengwu barked. This time, facing Xiang Beifei, he had enough confidence, although he didn''t know what happened last time in the arena and lost, now with four against one, Xiang Beifei was in his eyes undoubtedly a dead man! Hou Chengwu said through gritted teeth, "I''ll make you pay today!" That day, as an SSR, he was stuffed into a trash can, utterly losing face, today he must kill Xiang Beifei! "Three against two, not too bad, could be worse." Beifei said. "Three against two?" Zhu Xinjue snorted derisively, "Have we scared you senseless? Can''t you even count properly now? Right now, it''s four of us against you alone!" "With such high esteem and virtue as President Ren has, he''s stated, ''Names are not important, strength is what matters.'' A senior who can speak like that must surely be open-minded, why would he bother with such minor matters as name-calling with me? You, as President Ren''s proud pupil, why don''t your principles in dealing with people align with President Ren''s?" Xiang Beifei looked at Hou Chengwu quizzically, then added, "Haven''t you learned even the basics from him?" His words were watertight, first sarcastically commenting on Ren Jianghai, then immediately elevating Ren Jianghai on a pedestal, preventing him from reacting over Xiang Beifei''s slight on such a trivial matter, and subtly insulting Hou Chengwu in the process. "You..." Hou Chengwu turned red with anger because of Xiang Beifei. In midair, Li Zimu stood there, looking down at the scene below, and said, "They actually can''t distinguish." The flood here was the illusion of Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm, and his Poetry Realm had reached the point where it was hardly distinguishable from reality. Although Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen were SSRs, a higher system level than his, and had higher cultivation levels, they theoretically shouldn''t be so flustered. "Of course, they can''t distinguish, none of them are System Awakeners with a mental type." Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power was attached to the Poetry Realm created by Li Zimu, so even though Li Zimu only had late-stage Qi-Controlling cultivation, the flood he created carried the might of Meridian Opening stage! As for suppression from system level, with Xiang Beifei present, the so-called superiority of the SSR system was just a display. He specifically sought Li Zimu''s assistance to trap this group of people. But after traveling for a while, a fork in the road suddenly appeared ahead! Xiang Beifei''s figure reappeared at the fork, but then disappeared once more down this new path. "Which way should we go?" Hou Chengwu asked Chen Baiwen urgently. "I don''t know, there''s no trace." Chen Baiwen shook his head. "Forget it, let''s split up and take different paths, it''ll be faster that way." Zhu Xinjue said. "Splitting up means diluting our strength, if we encounter Xiang Beifei, do you think we''ll have a chance against him?" Chen Baiwen inquired. "Xiang Beifei is clearly being hunted by that desolate beast now, how could we not have a chance if we meet?" Zhu Xinjue replied. After discussing for a moment, they decided to separate, but all agreed that upon encountering Xiang Beifei, they would first signal the others. If they could not find anyone after half an hour, they would regroup here. To ensure mutual trust, they decided to mix up their personnel. Zhu Xinjue and Yu Hongbo went one way, and He Qiutong went another, while Chen Baiwen and Hou Chengwu took another route. Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen, with three SRs, took the left path. Chen Baiwen seemed preoccupied, but Hou Chengwu still warned, "Don''t forget our agreement." Xiang Beifei vaguely understood, saying, "Absorbing memory?" A desolate beast that eats the brain of another can sometimes ascertain the memories of that beast, meaning what one desolate beast has seen and heard can be digested by another. Chapter 488 - 369: The Hundred Family Surnames (Two in One)_2 If this green caterpillar were trampled to death by Long Guocheng, it would mean that the caterpillar encountered Xiang Beifei and the others! Even if the green caterpillar couldn''t understand human language, images would still linger in its brain! So what exactly did they say when they met the green caterpillar? Could the caterpillar have remembered? Eating the brains of other desolate beasts to compensate for one''s own deficiencies and to expand one''s knowledge would mean that the more they consumed, the higher the intelligence these desolate beasts would inevitably possess! A desolate beast that is powerful but simple-minded isn''t terrifying. The most terrifying are those with high intelligence! Currently, it is unknown what kind of impression this green caterpillar that Long Guocheng trampled to death has left of them. Li Zimu''s stone house had many rooms built up; everyone had their own separate room. There were no beds, no quilts; although it was simple, in the wilderness outside of civilization, there wasn''t much to fuss about. When Xiang Beifei returned from his shift, Long Guocheng was standing with his arms crossed in front of him, leaning against the door, and said, "Can I ask you a question?" "What is it?" Xiang Beifei asked. "You''re not an N-level Awakener, are you? You''re at least SR, right?" "Is that important to you?" "It would make me feel better," Long Guocheng reluctantly said. If he lost to an SR like Li Zimu, he wouldn''t feel too embarrassed; after all, the other''s talent was not inferior to his, and being both SRs, if he lost, he could win back another time. But losing to an N-level Awakener would always leave a lump in his heart. "That''s your own problem, and it has nothing to do with me." Xiang Beifei didn''t like explaining his power system to others. Because he didn''t have a system at all. "We are a team! I''ve told you all about my abilities! But we don''t know anything about your abilities. Since we are a team, there should be some mutual understanding," Long Guocheng emphasized. "You''re acknowledging we''re a team now? I thought you always liked to show off," Xiang Beifei said. Long Guocheng huffed and didn''t refute this point. Indeed, he liked to be the center of attention; if he didn''t stand out, there was no way for him to collect system points. "If you tell me you''re SR or SSR, only then will I truly accept my defeat," Long Guocheng stated. "Do you look down on those whose system ranks are lower than yours? What''s wrong with being N-level? Or R-level? Or S-level? Besides their increase in cultivation, in what ways are they worse than you in terms of character, morality, or conduct... Do they deserve your disdain? Do you enjoy finding a sense of superiority over those with lower system levels?" Xiang Beifei said sternly. "I..." Long Guocheng was left speechless by the retort. He looked down on those whose talents were lower than his because in his view, these people would never amount to anything, especially the bottom-ranked N-level Awakeners. He would only revere the strong. But his pride was always shattered to pieces in front of Xiang Beifei. In his heart, he strongly hoped that Xiang Beifei''s system rank was SR, or even SSR; he could accept that. If he were defeated by Xiang Beifei with such a ranking, he wouldn''t feel too frustrated, and it would allow his long-held principle of pride to persist. But the one fact he couldn''t accept was that Xiang Beifei was N-level! "I just can''t believe that an N-level Awakener has such great potential. Their systems are so lousy, they''ll only achieve so much in their lifetime, they can''t possibly have such strength," Long Guocheng ground out between his teeth. "Why can''t an N-level Awakener defeat an SR? Shang Tianxiong is also an N-level Awakener, how many can surpass him? Those with strength can even slay SSRs at SR level! We all live in this world, we are all human; you are no nobler than anyone else. You just have a higher starting point than others, it doesn''t mean you will be above others in the future, it''s better to stay humble as a person." Having said this, Xiang Beifei went straight back to his own compartment. "Humble, huh?" Long Guocheng''s expression fluctuated as he pondered Xiang Beifei''s words.¡ª ¡ª¡ª At a little past nine o''clock in the evening, Ye Changfeng gathered everyone together; he had obtained a schedule of the next day''s competitions and rules. Elder Luo said, "We need to discuss tomorrow''s situation first; everyone must be on high alert." The rules were actually already clear to everyone: the freshman competition was divided into individual contests and team pioneering. In the individual contests, nine schools would compete in a round-robin, clashing with each other only once, meaning each school would fight eight matches, totaling thirty-six matches, spread over two days. At that time, the decision on whether to use Meridian Opening stage or Qi-Controlling stage participants would be made by rolling dice. "Tomorrow''s schedule, the first match, Jizhou University against Yanzhou University. Our school''s contest is not the first up, which is good; everyone can observe the strength of other schools first. However, the second match is Qingzhou University against Liangzhou University." Ye Changfeng handed a flyer to everyone, and they all looked at the schedule, their expressions solemn. "Yuchi Shen, you tell them about the strength of each school at present," Elder Luo instructed. Yuchi Shen glanced at Xiang Beifei expressionlessly, before he began to explain. "But there are rules; one person can compete in a maximum of two matches, so later we will need to analyze the situation together with other teachers, before deciding the order and opponents for your group of five to face," he said. This was like Tian Ji''s horse racing, but not quite the same. In Tian Ji''s horse racing, there were three matches with room to maneuver, but between two schools, there was only one match, which was basically random. Generally, they would prefer other schools to first handle the strong students from other schools, using up their two chances, and then when it''s their turn to face us, they can only use weaker students. For instance, Qingzhou University and Liangzhou University both have two SSRs this year; since each person has to participate in two matches, those two SSRs can, at most, only fight in four matches. Then Ye Changfeng would hope that Qingzhou University uses those two SSRs'' four chances to face the other seven schools, and by the time they reach us, if their quota is used up, they will have to send SRs to compete, which would increase our chance of winning. However, all these schools were elites, and the teachers leading them certainly understood this principle. So, the allocation of competitors would be a kind of psychological game. Before entering the field, no one could know whether the opponent would send out the strong or the weak. "You should also be clear that this year our school doesn''t have an SSR, which means our strength falls short compared to other schools. In individual contests, you will find it difficult to gain an advantage," Yuchi Shen said, his gaze fixed on Xiang Beifei. "Apart from Qingzhou University, Yanzhou University, and Jizhou University, the other schools only have one SSR too, which means only one at the Meridian Opening stage. We don''t need to worry too much, at least we have classmate Xiang Beifei," Xi Keyao timidly interjected. "The situation is not that simple," Elder Luo said. "The rule in the individual contests is to fight eight matches, with one point per match; thus, the total score is very important. But have you considered that other schools, in order to achieve a higher total score, will definitely try to secure an assured one point, and from whom that one point is almost guaranteed to be taken?" Long Guocheng and the others understood: "From Liangzhou University?" The other eight schools all had a common understanding: Liangzhou University didn''t have an SSR this year, meaning no students at the Meridian Opening stage. So, in order to secure that sure point, they would definitely send out an SSR at the Meridian Opening stage to face Liangzhou University! Because if an SSR was sent to face other schools, sometimes they would meet opponents also at the SSR level, both at the Meridian Opening stage, and a loss was inevitable. Should they lose, it would be an unfortunate waste. But now, since other schools considered all students from Liangzhou University to be only at the later stage of Qi-Controlling, sending a Meridian Opening stage SSR to face Liangzhou University, who only has Qi-Controlling students, was almost a guaranteed victory. Everyone wanted to pick the easiest target to squeeze first for an early point! "Exactly, which means that our opponents in each match could potentially all be SSRs at the Meridian Opening stage!" Elder Luo said with a meaningful tone. "This..." Everyone''s expressions grew serious. Elder Luo added, "Alright, how to allocate participants for the upcoming matches and how to break through this situation, you five need to discuss this on your own." "Really, why do they have to make a simple freshman competition so complicated?" Ma Ziqian muttered from the side. To them, martial artists, the simplest method was to rush up for a head-on clash, which would save the most trouble. "Because this is also a strategy," Elder Luo explained. "Facing opponents of uneven strength, how to arrange one''s participants to break through this deadlock, seizing more victories, is a type of command strategy. The competition among elite universities is a comparison not only of martial prowess but also of various skills in adapting to changing situations," Chapter 489 - 370: System Mall (3rd Update) After grasping the system of Wu Shixuan, Xiang Beifei immediately turned to look at Yang Chengze¡¯s system interface. [Host: Yang Chengze] [SR level, Subliminal Influence System] [Realm: Mid-stage God Refining] Yang Chengze was a professor at Yanzhou University and the one who last helped Zhu Yiji¡¯s grandson, who is none other than Zhu Xinjue, disguise his identity. His Subliminal Influence System belongs to a type of mental ability that can control another person¡¯s cognition, subtly allowing a person¡¯s impression of certain events to change without them knowing. While helping Zhu Xinjue change his name and identity to Zhu Pengfei, he used his ability to alter the cognition of those students who suspected Zhu Pengfei was actually Zhu Xinjue. [You used Subliminal Influence on Huang Yuwen, causing him to have a distorted memory of January 26 and act according to your instructions] [You used Subliminal Influence on Huang Yuwen, making him believe Guo Zhenghong is untrustworthy, and convincing him that reporting Guo Zhenghong is the right thing to do] [You used Subliminal Influence on Zhao Yong, leading him to modify his cognition according to your views] [You used Subliminal Influence on Qian Li, leading him to modify his cognition according to your views] ... No wonder. Xiang Beifei finally understood why Huang Yuwen had come to testify against Professor Guo. Huang Yuwen, who had met a few times before, was Professor Guo¡¯s student and also Xiyu¡¯s senior. He was an Awakener with an S-level Builder System and, as a guardian, held immense respect for Professor Guo. Normally, he would never do such a thing against Professor Guo. But, Yang Chengze, using Subliminal Influence, forcefully changed Huang Yuwen¡¯s cognition and utilized Zhao Yong and Qian Li to fabricate false testimonies. With Yang Chengze¡¯s Mid-stage God Refining cultivation at SR level, these three had no way to resist! It was clear to see that Yang Chengze was acting on an assignment from He Caiwei. Their methods were pure, not needing to find evidence, but simply fabricating three witnesses out of thin air. If Professor Guo could not prove his innocence, he would definitely be detained as a suspect. And given He Caiwei¡¯s position within the alliance, once Professor Guo was detained without resistance, there was almost no chance of him getting out. "If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s play this game slowly," he muttered. A flash of deadly intent glimmered in Xiang Beifei¡¯s eyes! Back when they were in the Outer Desolate Lands, Yang Chengze had already made a move on Xiang Beifei for Zhu Xinjue¡¯s sake. Last time, Xiang Beifei was only at the Meridian Opening stage and couldn¡¯t fully control Yang Chengze¡¯s Mid-stage God Refining system; he could only slightly guide it, but now it was different. He could directly reverse and control Yang Chengze¡¯s cognition! At this moment, Yang Chengze also looked at Xiang Beifei, still holding a memory of him from the time in the Withered Forest. He had intended to confront Xiang Beifei then, but it had come to nothing, and he hadn¡¯t expected to see him again today. But on the other hand, this person seemed somewhat different from before. --- Wu Shixuan was still staring at Xiang Beifei who, however, remained silent, just watching Yang Chengze. At this moment, Ye Changfeng also walked in from outside the door and shouted, "Wu Shixuan, don¡¯t go too far. Professor Guo once mentored you profoundly, is this how you repay him?" When Wu Shixuan saw Ye Changfeng, he also slightly frowned, saying, "Mr. Ye, I am being fair, not favoring personal relationships. You should understand that." [Conversing with Mr. Ye, surname value +89] Ye Changfeng is just a university professor; he isn¡¯t a guardian and does not share a superior-subordinate relationship with Wu Shixuan. He spoke quite bluntly. "What a case of ¡¯judging the case, not the relations!¡¯ You don¡¯t even understand what justice is, yet you dare to take Professor Guo away? Professor Guo has dedicated his life to the border, diligently killing countless desolate beasts attempting to breach our walls, and protecting the peace of Jiuzhou every day. Furthermore, he has trained countless outstanding martial artists! Your contributions to the defense of Jiuzhou¡¯s borders don¡¯t even compare to his toes, and yet you dare come here and falsely accuse Professor Guo?" Ye Changfeng truly loathed Wu Shixuan. He had heard somewhat of Wu Shixuan¡¯s past deeds, but he had never imagined Wu Shixuan would be so ungrateful and treacherous! After being lectured by Ye Changfeng, Wu Shixuan turned pale with anger. He said coldly, "Mr. Ye, I address you as ¡¯Mr. Ye¡¯ out of respect, but I am here today representing the Jiuzhou Alliance to investigate the mysterious deaths of Liu Shenghui and two Su People. Someone saw Commander Guo at the scene of the crime, implicating him, which is why I am here to ask for his cooperation in the investigation. I am just following orders, and while your cursing doesn¡¯t matter to me, if you obstruct my enforcement of the law, that means you are hindering the Alliance¡¯s investigation. Consider the consequences yourself!" Wu Shixuan casually threw a big accusation onto Ye Changfeng¡¯s head. Although he was no match for Ye Changfeng, his status and position within the alliance were much higher than Ye Changfeng¡¯s. Ye Changfeng spoke up, "These three witnesses¡¯ statements¡ªare they true or false, have you confirmed it? Whether they are lying or telling the truth, have you had them examined by a professional System Awakener?" The color deepened on Wu Shixuan¡¯s face. Originally intending to forge evidence, how could he withstand such scrutiny? However, he didn¡¯t reply immediately. Inadvertently glancing over, he noticed Xiang Beifei staring at him again and quickly changed the topic, shouting at Xiang Beifei, "What are you doing here? We are discussing important matters; what opinion could a Meridian Opening martial artist like you possibly have?" [You have reprimanded the Awakener named Xiang, Surname Value +75] In his eyes, SSR youngsters like Hou Chengwu being trampled underfoot by Xiang Beifei was simply disgraceful to all SSR Awakeners. But he was different! He himself was an early-stage God Refining martial artist and had just cultivated his soul a few months ago. He had progressed from the Awakening System to the God Refining stage in just over three years¡ªsuch talent was truly against the heavens! No matter how highly others tout Xiang Beifei¡¯s natural talents, what of it? Could he reach the God Refining stage in one year? If he¡¯s not at the God Refining stage, how dare he swagger before these significant figures? Xiang Beifei was indifferent to Wu Shixuan¡¯s rebuke; he was just casually browsing Wu Shixuan¡¯s system store, shopping in his mind with Xiaohei... "This Flowing Jade Crown looks pretty, finely crafted, and can defend against God Refining stage attacks, all for just 5 million." "Woof woof!" "You want Chen Xuetu? It can transport someone into a world of ice and snow¡ªbut this item is specifically for people named Chen, right?" "Woof woof!" "Oh, this Flowing Jade Crown is actually also designed for people named Liu! I forgot there were people named Liu!" "Woof!" "This Yue Family Spear does look excellent, and it costs 8.88 million¡ªa really auspicious number! Hey, there¡¯s an Xiang Ding here! Only for 9.98 million!" "Woof woof!" Xiaohei¡¯s eyes gleamed with eagerness. "Right, right, right, he will definitely use this against me next time, let¡¯s add it to the cart first!" Xiang Beifei and Xiaohei couldn¡¯t care less about Wu Shixuan¡¯s words; they were having a great time shopping in Wu Shixuan¡¯s store. Every system item in Wu Shixuan¡¯s inventory related to a surname. Depending on the opponent¡¯s surname, he could pull out system items specifically targeting that surname. And all these system items began with the surname. Items like Xuanyuan Sword, Dragon-slaying Saber, Shangfang Sword, such nonsense, buttons, landladies, Pikachu, Lujiazui, Zhangjiajie, Ma Jia... Each item possessed a specific ability that one could guess from the name! An SSR-grade system store, indeed rich in variety! Chapter 490 - 371: I Like the Look of You (4th Update) ``` Wu Shixuan was still glaring furiously at Xiang Beifei, but soon, another voice came from outside. "Who told you he doesn¡¯t have the right to stand here?" A deep voice carried through from outside the door. As Wu Shixuan looked up, his expression changed slightly, and he immediately forced a smile, "Minister Sun, what brings you here?" The newcomer was an elderly man with flecked gray hair, a lean figure, but quite tall, wearing a brown coat and standing with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression stern. [Host: Sun Heshun] [SSR level, As Far As Possible System] [Cultivation level: late orifice transforming] As soon as Wu Shixuan saw Sun Heshun, his face turned sour, cursing inwardly about why he had to provoke this man. Sun Heshun was a respected senior within the Alliance, an SSR system user, in charge of the Pioneering Department, responsible for pioneer tasks, not only cultivated to a high level but also holding a position not inferior to He Caiwei, certainly not someone Wu Shixuan could afford to provoke. "Old Guo, are you all right?" Sun Heshun asked Professor Guo. Professor Guo shook his head slightly, "I¡¯m fine, I have a clear conscience about things I haven¡¯t done. What brought you here?" "Ye Changfeng called me. As soon as he mentioned you were in trouble, I came right over," Sun Heshun nodded towards Ye Changfeng. Ye Changfeng expressed his gratitude,"Thank you, Minister Sun, for taking the time to come here. I hope you will stand for justice in this matter." Not many higher-ups in the Alliance would stand on Elder Luo¡¯s side, and Sun Heshun was definitely one of them, also a representative figure of the "Leisure Faction." "No trouble at all. With what happened to Old Guo, I had to come by. By the way, I remembered that the young man was here¡ª" Sun Heshun scanned the room, his gaze landing on Xiang Beifei, then lit up,"Ah, here he is!" His look at Xiang Beifei was full of appreciation. Back at the freshman competition, he had taken a great liking to Xiang Beifei, a clearly exceptional young man who seemed to be excellent material for a pioneer, and he had been waiting for Xiang Beifei to graduate so he could recruit him to work in the Pioneering Department. "Do you still remember me? We met during the freshman competition," Sun Heshun said with a smile. "I¡¯ve met Minister Sun," Xiang Beifei greeted politely. In fact, this was not Xiang Beifei¡¯s first time seeing Sun Heshun. When he went to the Archives Building last time, Elder Luo had been with Sun Heshun, and with him present, He Caiwei couldn¡¯t continue to doubt Elder Luo. Xiang Beifei had not been able to contact Elder Luo, but knowing the relationship between Sun Heshun and Elder Luo, he had immediately asked Ye Changfeng to call Sun Heshun before coming over. "No need for formalities!" Sun Heshun patted Xiang Beifei on the shoulder, smiling, "I know your father, an exceptionally talented martial artist. I snatched him away from old Luo back in the day." Then he leaned in closer, lowering his voice, "If you¡¯re interested in becoming a pioneer after graduation, just let me know. With your qualifications, you¡¯ll be admitted without exams!" "I will consider it," Xiang Beifei said. Truth be told, when he met Sun Heshun for the first time, he had no idea what the man¡¯s position in the Alliance was, as he was just officiating the freshman competition. Later on, he found out that this referee was no simple character! Sun Heshun then turned to Wu Shixuan and snapped, "How come Xiang Beifei doesn¡¯t have the right to be here? As a student of Professor Guo, isn¡¯t it only natural for him to defend his mentor? And you! As Professor Guo¡¯s student, you come here leading people without distinguishing right from wrong. Have you checked thoroughly? You dare to arrest someone? Where did you get the nerve?" Wu Shixuan¡¯s face turned very ugly, the presence of Sun Heshun already making things difficult, not to mention his apparent high regard for Xiang Beifei. Damn it! How did this kid manage to climb onto Sun Heshun¡¯s coattails? However, Wu Shixuan calmed down quickly. Sun Heshun was just an SSR, and the powerful support behind him was the UR level He Caiwei! ``` I want to see whose thighs are actually bigger! "Minister Sun, regarding the mysterious deaths of the three SRs in the alliance, you should be aware as well," Wu Shixuan said. "I am here on orders to investigate this matter, and there are three witnesses who can testify to it." "Three witnesses? Have you verified their statements?" Sun Heshun asked. "Yes, I have," Wu Shixuan nodded. "Commander He and Minister Zhu from the Su Alliance personally verified these three before sending me over. They confirmed that the witnesses weren¡¯t lying." Sun Heshun frowned. He Caiwei and Zhu Yiji worked in different departments. Liu Shenghui and the two Su People were under their jurisdiction; they should be the ones to investigate. This wasn¡¯t within Sun Heshun¡¯s responsibilities, and he couldn¡¯t intervene; he could only inquire slightly. "This matter requires another verification, and others must be present during it. No matter what, there must be no mistakes! Go to the university first, and gather everyone else. Move!" Sun Heshun commanded sternly. Wu Shixuan¡¯s gaze flickered uncertainly, but he had no choice since Sun Heshun made the decision. He didn¡¯t have the power to confront Sun Heshun. For now, he had to follow orders and then get He Caiwei to hurry over and handle the situation. Sun Heshun said, "Guo, come with me. Don¡¯t worry, I will find a way to investigate this thoroughly." Professor Guo looked somewhat weary but nodded slightly. "All of you, come with me as well." Sun Heshun unleashed a burst of qi, wrapping up everyone and rushing to the university with them. ¡ª¡ª The atmosphere in the meeting room of the Martial Arts College was oppressive. Sun Heshun sat in the meeting room, talking with Cao Pei. With such a serious incident occurring, Cao Pei, as president, couldn¡¯t stand by and do nothing. Wu Shixuan also sat aside and said, "I¡¯ve informed Commander He. He should be arriving shortly." Yang Chengze stood in the hallway outside the meeting room, watching over the three witnesses. From time to time, he glanced at Ye Changfeng on the side, looking quite smug. "Mr. Ye, I trust you are unharmed!" Yang Chengze smiled. "Yang Chengze, what business do you have here?" Ye Changfeng asked coldly. "I am simply entrusted to investigate this matter," Yang Chengze smiled. "These three witnesses are very important people, and I need to ensure their safety." Ye Changfeng furrowed his brow, but just then, Sun Heshun called him into the meeting room from inside, seemingly to ask about some matters. Ye Changfeng ignored Yang Chengze and entered the meeting room. Soon, only Yang Chengze and the four others remained in the hallway. And Xiang Beifei. "You, kid, are really an eyesore." Yang Chengze had a very poor impression of Xiang Beifei. He even felt a strong aversion to him because, during the newcomer contest, Xiang Beifei¡¯s team emerged unscathed while Yanzhou University suffered grievous losses, and even Zhu Xinjue¡¯s life was lost! "Is that so?" Xiang Beifei lifted his eyelids, a faint white light appearing in his eyes. With a smirk that wasn¡¯t quite a smile, he said, "Why do I feel like you find me very appealing?" Yang Chengze was taken aback! For some reason, when Xiang Beifei spoke those words, the previously unbearable Xiang Beifei suddenly appeared different in Yang Chengze¡¯s mind. Come to think of it, this kid had fine features, high talent, a good temper, manners, excellence, radiance... As Yang Chengze looked at Xiang Beifei, he automatically filled in various merits about Xiang Beifei. Yang Chengze said subconsciously, "Yes, I actually do find you quite appealing." Xiang Beifei smiled faintly, "That¡¯s more like it." Huang Yuwen and the other two exchanged glances, confused about what the two were really discussing. Chapter 491 - 372: He Caiweis System (Fifth Update) He Caiwei arrived, still impeccably dressed, and became the focus of attention as he walked through the crowd. Cao Pei stood up to welcome He Caiwei, saying, "Commander He, it''s troubling that you had to come in person." "I had to come to this matter." He Caiwei gave a slight nod as a sign of acknowledgment and then glanced at Professor Guo sitting in the corner. A trace of regret appeared on his face, "Honestly, I can''t imagine someone as respectable as Professor Guo being linked to the deaths of those three people, nor can I imagine Professor Guo being Unrestrained. I also hope to see justice served for Professor Guo." Professor Guo lifted his head to stare at He Caiwei, still feeling an uncontainable anger within. Ye Changfeng had already told him that He Caiwei was the one pushing this matter. He Caiwei and Wei Tong were the two types of people he despised most; instead of putting their efforts into developing the Alliance''s defenses against the desolate beast invasions, they busied themselves with meaningless actions all day long. Not only did they create a gloomy and dismal atmosphere within the entire institution, but they also falsely accused him, and now they were pretentiously spouting excuses right in front of him. Such people are truly a tragedy for the Alliance! "I also don''t believe Professor Guo is related to the Unrestrained, so it''s imperative that we thoroughly investigate this matter today," Cao Pei said with a slight nod before asking, "By the way, where is Minister Zhu?" The deaths of the two Su People, being related to the Su Alliance, demanded the presence of Zhu Yiji, the head of the Su Alliance. "I''m sorry to have kept everyone waiting." As he spoke, another elderly man with sparse hair suddenly appeared in the conference room. No one knew how he had arrived, but by the time everyone turned their heads, they found him already sitting calmly in a chair as if he had been there for quite some time. Zhu Yiji, the head of the Su Alliance! "Minister Zhu, my apologies for not greeting you at a greater distance, please forgive," Cao Pei said with a smile. Zhu Yiji also nodded politely to Cao Pei, then turned his gaze to He Caiwei. After an understanding look between the two, they quickly averted their eyes. On the other side, Sun Heshun greeted them simply. Although his system talent didn''t match that of the two URs He Caiwei and Zhu Yiji, he was also a powerful SSR, holding a position in the Alliance not weaker than either of them. However, when Sun Heshun withdrew his gaze, he began to feel an unexplainable sense of apprehension. With these two personally present, it was clear they intended to interrogate Professor Guo as a criminal. At that moment, Mu Yiqing also made her way into the conference room with measured steps. Dressed in a suitably formal ladies'' suit, her figure was graceful as she greeted the others, "I pay my respects to all the seniors present." "You''ve arrived; you are needed here," Sun Heshun said with a nod. Many were aware of Mu Yiqing, someone with strong identification skills capable of distinguishing whether a person was telling the truth. She was from the Alliance Development Department, and despite her youth, she was very capable, especially adept at discerning the truth. Her SSR-level Words and Deeds Global System could determine whether others were lying. For criminals the Alliance couldn''t handle, she often unearthed the truth through conversations with them. Her assessments were recognized as authoritative within the Alliance. When He Caiwei saw Mu Yiqing, his gaze flickered slightly, but he said nothing more. The people of the Alliance could roughly guess the type of Mu Yiqing''s system. Many Awakeners kept their distance out of respect for her because in her presence, there was virtually no privacy. Thus, those with lower cultivation levels than hers would speak with her as little as possible. But for He Caiwei, he knew how to deal with Mu Yiqing''s system assessment. After all, Mu Yiqing was just an SSR, while He Caiwei was a UR-level Awakener. His system was one rank above hers, and as long as he assisted Yang Chengze with his own protective system, Huang Yuwen and the other two making false testimonies would not be discovered. That is to say, no matter who came today, it did not matter; He Caiwei had already decided to take down Professor Guo! Ye Changfeng, standing next to Professor Guo, started to worry as well. If Professor Guo failed to prove his innocence later, He Caiwei and Zhu Yiji would undoubtedly take Professor Guo away. Once Professor Guo was accused of being an Unrestrained, his end would be dire! "Where on earth has Elder Luo gone?" Ye Changfeng was extremely anxious, having not seen Elder Luo for several months nor being able to contact him. Without Elder Luo''s help, all initiative was in the hands of He Caiwei and Zhu Yiji. The meeting room was gradually filled with many of Liangzhou University''s top leaders; there were more than twenty of them! With such an incident having occurred, everyone felt obliged to come, and the room had essentially become a private court for the trial of Professor Guo! Aside from a few witnesses, the cultivation level of those present was at least at the God Refining stage, with each person being prominent and influential, most having a say within the Alliance. However, what everyone failed to notice was that there was a young man sitting in the corner of the room. He was the youngest person there, invisible to everyone''s sight, even the two UR Awakeners. He had obtained a sword from Ye Changfeng, named the "Eclipse Sword," which made him invisible. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei slightly lifted his head, observing the system interfaces of these people. It was his first time witnessing such a grand gathering. Among so many people, last year, he could barely see the system interfaces of half of them. But since he had cultivated his soul and stepped into the God Refining stage, he could see even more systems. [Host: Sun Heshun] [SSR Level, As Far As Possible System] [Realm: Late Orifice Transforming Stage] By the name, the system seemed quite straightforward to understand. As long as Sun Heshun did what was within his capabilities, he would grow stronger. [You closed the door, Effort Value +12] [You got dressed properly, Effort Value +14] Whatever he was capable of doing, if he did it, it would make him stronger. Thus, in essence, Sun Heshun was getting stronger with anything he did each day. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei shifted his gaze to He Caiwei''s system interface. [Host: He Caiwei] [UR Level, Unrestrained Uniqueness System] [Realm: Late Orifice Transforming Stage] He Caiwei''s Unrestrained Uniqueness System was such that he must be the best at something in order to add to his system value. [Today''s stats: You hold the record for reaching the Meridian Opening stage in twenty-nine days within the Awakening System, Uniqueness Value +100] [Today''s stats: You hold the record for stepping into the God Refining stage before the age of twenty, Uniqueness Value +100] [Today''s stats: You hold the record for stepping into the Orifice Transforming stage before the age of thirty, Uniqueness Value +100] ... [Today''s stats: You are the record holder for the highest cultivation level at twenty-one years old, Uniqueness Value +100] [Today''s stats: You are the record holder for the highest cultivation level at twenty-two years old, Uniqueness Value +100] ... The more Xiang Beifei looked, the more amazed he became. Because He Caiwei''s Unrestrained Uniqueness System was very peculiar, as long as he set a record and no one broke it, that record would keep adding 100 to his Uniqueness Value every day! Chapter 492 - 373: Uniqueness Value Over a Hundred Million! (Two in One) Xiang Qingde could only say so, but his heart sighed again. Kong Xiuwen was an S-level Awakener, scoring 500 could get him into an elite university, but Xiang Beifei was N-level, and his grades were so poor... "Haha, that''s great, to celebrate such a great score from my son, I won''t do business tonight, and instead, I''ll throw a celebration feast for you all. Old Master, come join us!" Kong Daming used to be classmates with Xiang Tianxing, and after Xiang Tianxing''s incident, he often took care of the grandfather and grandson, telling them that they wouldn''t be charged for eating at his restaurant. Such an astonishing thing. Yet Xiang Qingde and his family rarely went; even though they were not high earners, they did not want to freeload. Kong Daming also understood this, so he changed tactics, often sending meat to Xiang Qingde''s home for them to cook themselves. To avoid burdening Xiang Qingde psychologically, he only symbolically charged the price of cabbage. During the recent period of Xiang Beifei''s college entrance exams, Xiang Qingde had been buying the food meant to nourish the body from Kong Daming. "Congratulations! Well done, Kong Xiuwen, I always said you had potential!" Yang Hua appeared at the right time, loudly praising Kong Xiuwen. Kong Xiuwen had also brought him 563 teacher''s prestige value, which was considered quite a high income! Kong Xiuwen had no fondness for Yang Hua, who, before activating his Awakening System, had marked both him and Xiang Beifei out for criticism. Later, when he awakened his S-level System, Yang Hua''s attitude towards him had completely flipped. Kong Xiuwen was an upright person; he did not like people like Yang Hua. But Kong Daming was unaware of these issues. With a teacher offering his congratulations, he naturally had to respond politely, "Haha, thank you, Professor Yang, we must also thank you for your nurturing!" "Oh no, no, I could tell right from the start that Kong Xiuwen was a student full of potential, bound to make his mark one day. I''m not at all surprised by his achievements," Yang Hua said with a laugh. Kong Xiuwen was rolling his eyes the whole time. Nurturing my ass! His high score was completely thanks to the aid of his own System and his own late-night efforts studying. It had nothing to do with Yang Hua. If he hadn''t awakened an S-level System, Yang Hua would probably have had another story to tell. "Fair-weather friend" probably referred to this kind of person. Yang Hua glanced at Xiang Qingde and his grandson, then said to Kong Daming, "An outstanding student should be just like Kong Xiuwen, diligent and hardworking, not without ambition. But it is very important who one associates with. The outstanding should be with the more outstanding; I told Kong Xiuwen as much in the past." Kong Daming, usually busy running his business, didn''t quite understand what Yang Hua meant, and asked, "Professor Yang, what do you mean by that?" "Nothing much, just speaking my mind. With Kong Xiuwen''s current grades, getting into an elite university is no problem; he will be able to associate with even more excellent individuals in the future. Your son definitely has a promising future. Congratulations again! I need to go check other students'' scores, so I won''t disturb your celebration any further." Yang Hua waved his hand and couldn''t be bothered to pay any more attention to Xiang Qingde and Xiang Beifei, blatantly ignoring them. "Don''t take what that guy said to heart; you can definitely do it," Kong Xiuwen came over to cheer up Xiang Beifei. But Kong Xiuwen also didn''t have much confidence; getting into an elite university wasn''t difficult for him, but for Xiang Beifei, it was a big challenge, and up until now, he didn''t know how much Xiang Beifei had improved. Xiang Beifei didn''t elaborate much either, but Xiang Qingde felt increasingly upset after hearing Yang Hua''s words. Xiang Beifei looked at Wang Dan, his mind slightly pondering. The exam system of the System world could be just, but it wasn''t fair. The nine elite universities were not friendly towards N-level Awakeners. Not only did N-level students not get extra points, but the threshold for elite universities was also high, with special admission assessments. Apart from Liangzhou University, the other eight elite universities even outright rejected N-level students. If it were S or R-level, a score of 601 would more than suffice for the elite universities, even Kong Xiuwen''s 513 would do. But the System world was unique; it had its own rules for survival. To live better in this world, system talent was far too important. High-level talent Awakeners could complete system tasks quickly, an indisputable fact. Special schools having special enrollment requirements was actually quite normal and applied everywhere. For example, clinical medicine does not allow those with infectious diseases, and those with a stutter are not suitable for teacher-training programs. The nine elite universities needed to cultivate Jiuzhou Alliance''s top talents, reserve talents for the alliance, so having higher selection criteria made sense. After all in this world, cultural course grades were only one reference. The decisive factor was the System talent. Yang Hua was happily counting his teacher prestige value; most of his classroom''s student scores had come out, and currently, the highest score in his class wasn''t from S-level Zhuo Jing, but from Wang Dan, who had awakened an N-level Flower Cultivation System! She scored 601! Wang Dan also appeared very excited; her system was Flower Cultivation, so she planned to apply for a university specializing in agriculture and forestry. "Good, very good!" Yang Hua congratulated Wang Dan loudly. He was all smiles, treating Wang Dan very warmly, having gained another 601 teacher prestige value. However, many remembered that two months after awakening her System, Wang Dan had been ignored by Yang Hua, even moved to the back of the class, and when she asked questions during lesson, he seemed impatient. All because Wang Dan was an N-level Awakener. Chapter 493 - 373: Uniqueness Value Over a Hundred Million! (Two in One)_2 But Yang Hua didn''t concern himself with these things, as long as they could benefit him, he fully embraced them and had no problem changing his attitude by a full 180 degrees. "This child, I hope he can achieve something in the future! Although he''s only Level N, he has genes from Xiang Tianxing. Getting into Liangzhou University this year seems bleak, let''s see if there is hope next year or the year after." Li Nanxing didn''t expect Xiang Beifei to bring him any prestige value. Honestly, he thought relying on Xiang Beifei to boost his prestige was less useful than banking on those Level S students. But the reason he came to encourage Xiang Beifei was largely due to Xiang Tianxing. That day, when Xiang Beifei consulted him about the school selection system in his office, Li Nanxing thought he saw a shadow of Xiang Tianxing in him. Just then, a voice came from the side, "Professor Yang, how can you belittle a student like this?" Li Nanxing walked over from the crowd, his expression serious as he looked at Yang Hua. "Principal." Upon seeing Li Nanxing, Yang Hua''s arrogant demeanor faltered, and he quickly put on a smile to greet him. Li Nanxing was also there to see the students'' results. As the principal, he naturally couldn''t miss such an important event, but he inadvertently heard the conversation here and had to speak up. "As a teacher, you should educate without discrimination, seek out each student''s strengths, not arbitrarily define a student. Is it right for a teacher to belittle someone''s child in front of their parents?" Li Nanxing rebuked. Yang Hua didn''t dare respond, but he still scorned inwardly. ¡ª What strengths could a student like Xiang Beifei have? I merely spoke the truth, he simply isn''t capable of getting into university. Li Nanxing turned to Xiang Qingde with an apologetic face, saying, "I''m sorry, Professor Yang was just a bit anxious waiting for the results, which led him to speak rashly. As the principal, it''s my fault for not managing my teacher properly. I apologize to you here, please don''t take it to heart." "Not at all." Xiang Qingde was somewhat flattered. He knew that Principal Li Nanxing was at least at the Meridian Opening phase, a person of high cultivation and status. It was rare for someone like him to lower his stature and apologize to him. Li Nanxing said, "You are Xiang Beifei''s grandfather, right? Don''t worry, I still have high hopes for this child. I know he might not have performed ideally in this year''s college entrance examination, but no worries, if Xiang Beifei wants to repeat a year, I will arrange a class for him." "Really? Thank you so much, Principal." Xiang Qingde said gratefully. Li Nanxing comforted, then he barked, "Professor Yang, won''t you hurry up and apologize to him?" Yang Hua said reluctantly, "I''m sorry, Old Master Xiang, I was impulsive just now." However, inwardly he scoffed: Forget next year, giving Xiang Beifei ten years might still not be enough for him to get into university! "Tomorrow, focus on doing your best, don''t be burdened, just perform your best without overthinking, and make sure to double-check your paper..." Xiang Qingde kept instructing Xiang Beifei endlessly. "Grandpa seems really nervous?" Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Qingde said, "This is a major event in your life, of course, Grandpa is nervous." He knew Xiang Beifei''s grades were poor, so poor they could be called abysmal, plus an awakened Level N system, his prospects were bleak. But since the awakening system had come two months ago, Xiang Beifei seemed like a changed person, incredibly diligent, which reignited a bit of hope within him. "You little guy, eat slower." Xiang Qingde saw Xiaohei almost crawling into the bowl, he rubbed Xiaohei''s head. Nobody usually could see Xiaohei, but since he discovered the lure of delicious food, he wanted to get on the dining table, so he chose to let Xiang Qingde see him, to avoid the scene where a piece of meat just vanishes, which looked frightening. Xiang Beifei simply explained it was due to his own system, Xiang Qingde didn''t suspect anything, and agreed to let him on the table, even preparing a small bowl for him. Xiaohei smacked his lips, belching contentedly. The dinner was mundane yet delightful. Xiang Qingde still waited for Xiang Beifei to finish eating before he started. Xiang Beifei still only ate half of his portion, leaving the other half for his grandfather. Life was modest, but also warm. Xiang Beifei enjoyed this kind of life. Xiang Beifei said, "Using surveillance to search, I guess it won''t be found." "How could that be? These glasses were made by our police high-tech development center." Lu Zhiwei whispered, "The person who developed these glasses is a big shot in the tech world. Even if he uses the Invisibility System, his silhouette can still be captured and will be notably marked based on the air flow. The Invisibility Ability would become ineffective." "Have none of you ever considered why, after Lai Wuying has been rampant for so long, none of you have even captured his likeness, not even a silhouette? Other fugitives at least have a known appearance, but he has never left any trace in the surveillance, has he?" Xiang Beifei said. Hearing Xiang Beifei''s words, Lu Hong spoke up, "He has strong anti-surveillance capabilities, so he definitely knows how to avoid monitoring. He must have the ability to walk through walls, which is why we can''t track his movements and information." "What if he isn''t deliberately avoiding it?" Xiang Beifei said. Lu Hong furrowed his brow, "What do you mean?" "You all should know more about the system''s capabilities than me. If his system can assist him in not being captured by any electronic monitoring, that''s also a possibility. If he has the ability to block electronic monitoring, then wearing these glasses, you might not even see him even if he walked right past you," Xiang Beifei explained. Lu Hong looked at Xiang Beifei in surprise, originally thinking that this young man was just a newbie who had just awakened his system and didn''t fully understand his own system yet, but he hadn''t expected Xiang Beifei to consider this point. "Keep talking, how do you think we should search for him then?" Lu Hong asked calmly. "It''s simple." Xiang Beifei fiddled with the glasses in his hand, Learn by Analogy allowing him to quickly master all the features of the glasses. He tapped on the glasses and then said, "Just make one of the lenses malfunction." Lu Hong and Lu Zhiwei looked at each other. "Why?" Lu Zhiwei didn''t understand. "If his system is used to block electronic devices, then wearing the glasses is like being blind with our eyes open. By using our natural sight to compare, we can figure it out," Xiang Beifei explained. Xiang Beifei moved through the crowd, and not far behind him, a figure closely followed him. It was a man in glasses, carrying a briefcase and dressed in a business suit, looking just like an office worker. He maintained a distance of about fifty meters from Xiang Beifei, neither too close nor too far. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder barked alertly. "Is someone following me?" Xiang Beifei slightly furrowed his brow and stopped when he passed a bus station. There were many people at the bus station. Xiang Beifei leaned next to a young man who possessed an [N-Level Insurance Sales System], pretending to wait for the bus, then turned his gaze behind him. But the suited man seemed to not look at Xiang Beifei at all and just walked past him, not even giving Xiang Beifei a glance. Xiang Beifei caught a glimpse of the man''s system interface. [Host: Chen Gang] [R-Level, Eight-Faceted Ingenious System] [Realm: Late Qi Mastery] "What is the Eight-Faceted Ingenious System?" Xiang Beifei was curious, about to take a clear look at the man''s system information, when the man named Chen Gang had already turned the street corner and disappeared. "Was it this guy who was following me?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Woof!" Xiaohei nodded. As Xiang Beifei pondered what to do next, a woman in high heels and a white dress approached from the corner. Normally, Xiang Beifei wouldn''t have noticed this white-dressed woman, now after work hours, the streets were bustling with people of all ages. Had he not just happened to see the system interface of the white-dressed woman¡ª [Host: Chen Gang] [R-Level, Eight-Faceted Ingenious] [Realm: Late Qi Mastery] Chapter 494 - 374: No Lies! (Third Release) Mu Yiqing''s Word Spirit Sphere is a system item that can strike directly into the depths of another''s mind to discern the truth, while the Protective Talisman ensures that Huang Yuwen and others'' minds are not disturbed, blocking the impact of the Word Spirit Sphere! Normally, even if SR-grade Yang Chengze has the ability of Subtle Influence to change others'' cognitions, he would still be detected by SSR-grade Mu Yiqing! But He Caiwei is here! He Caiwei had calculated Mu Yiqing''s cultivation level, and such an Amulet could definitely resist Mu Yiqing''s discernment firmly, meaning Mu Yiqing would not be able to detect any truth in the influences Yang Chengze had on the trio of Huang Yuwen. This meant that no matter how Huang Yuwen and the others answered, the Word Spirit Sphere would definitely not react and would treat the trio''s false testimonies as if they were true! For He Caiwei, being able to deal with Professor Guo and get rid of Luo Yunxian''s right-hand man before going after Luo Yunxian himself was worth it because the system reward he would get if the task was successful was not simply 2.5 million! These 2.5 million uniqueness values were absolutely worth it! The UR system''s ability is just that omnipotent! Mu Yiqing spoke, "Secretary Wu has already told me about the incident, and I''ve sorted it out a bit. I''ll repeat the question, starting with Huang Yuwen. Huang Yuwen, on January 26th, was it true that Professor Guo asked you to create a false work record, that he didn''t patrol the city walls but left midway? Is that what happened?" Sun Heshun and others stared at Huang Yuwen, while He Caiwei let out a sneer, as he already knew how Huang Yuwen would respond. Professor Guo sighed softly. Huang Yuwen said nervously, "No, Professor Guo was patrolling with me all the time; he never left. Professor Guo has strict requirements for himself during his work; how could he possibly abandon his post?" Professor Guo was slightly taken aback! He Caiwei''s expression also froze! Wu Shixuan also felt that something was off! "What''s going on? Wasn''t Huang Yuwen supposed to be using Yang Chengze''s ability to fabricate facts?" Wu Shixuan was internally astonished! Logically, since Yang Chengze had already affected the memories and cognition of Huang Yuwen and the others, they would have framed Professor Guo according to the script they had concocted, but why... why would Huang Yuwen tell the truth? The Word Spirit Sphere remained quiet. "He''s telling the truth," Mu Yiqing said. "Good," Sun Heshun''s eyes brightened, and he said, "Continue asking; we need to give Professor Guo justice." Mu Yiqing glanced at Wu Shixuan and He Caiwei, her brows furrowing slightly. The answer she got was clearly different from what Wu Shixuan had said, but since she and Wu Shixuan were not on the same side, she continued to ask, "So, on January 26th, Professor Guo was always present and never left?" "Right, never left," Huang Yuwen nodded. The Word Spirit Sphere still showed no reaction. "Then why did you slander me like that when we were at the city tower earlier?" Professor Guo spoke out. "Professor, I didn''t slander you!" Huang Yuwen said nervously, "How could I ever slander you? I would accuse anyone but not you!" "Have you forgotten what you said at the city tower?" Professor Guo asked with a frown. "What I said at the city tower..." Huang Yuwen rubbed his forehead with his fingers, his memory was a bit jumbled, but he quickly recalled something and was suddenly shocked! "It''s over, what have I done! I deserve to die!" Huang Yuwen gave himself a slap without hesitation, then looked anxiously at Professor Guo, eyes filled with guilt, "Professor Guo, it''s not what you think, those things I said weren''t my intention, I was being controlled, now the control is fading, I remember now! It was... it was Wu Shixuan who told me to give false testimony!" Wu Shixuan''s face changed, and he exclaimed, "Huang Yuwen, what nonsense are you talking about? When did I tell you to give false testimony? Do you dare to falsely accuse me in front of so many people?" Yet the Word Spirit Sphere remained still. After a moment of silence, Mu Yiqing said, "Huang Yuwen isn''t lying." "Impossible! How could I do those things! Huang Yuwen''s words are not credible. Go ask Zhao Yong and Qian Li; both of them saw Guo Zhenghong kill Liu Shenghui and the two Su People with their own eyes!" Wu Shixuan said angrily. Mu Yiqing looked at Zhao Yong and Qian Li, and continued to ask, "You two claim that on January 26th, you saw Professor Guo kill three God Refining experts and heard him say he was ''Unrestrained.'' Is that true?" Zhao Yong''s face turned pale as if he, too, remembered his original memory and shook his head saying, "I... that''s not true. I didn''t see any Su People, nor have I ever met this Professor Guo. In fact, I''m meeting him for the first time today." Everyone was looking at the Word Spirit Sphere. "He is telling the truth." Mu Yiqing frowned again and after a long pause, asked again, "So why did you say it was Professor Guo who did it?" Zhao Yong pointed at Wu Shixuan, saying, "It was him! Wu Shixuan had us give false testimony. He said we should do him a favor, help frame Professor Guo!" "Nonsense! Are you looking for death?" Wu Shixuan shouted angrily! "Wu Shixuan, calm down! Do not threaten the witness before the investigation is clear!" Sun Heshun said sternly. Wu Shixuan clenched his teeth, anxiously looking towards He Caiwei. He Caiwei also felt something was amiss! He had thought the situation was almost certain, but why had things spiraled out of control? No! He Caiwei briefly sensed the amulet in Huang Yuwen''s mind and was shocked and nervous! The amulet in Huang Yuwen''s mind¡ªhad vanished without a trace! Gone? How could this be! That was the Protective Talisman imprint he had set up himself; other than him, who had the ability to break it? Sun Heshun? Impossible, although his cultivation was on par with his own, Sun Heshun was SSR, and system ranking suppressed, he couldn''t affect his Protective Talisman! Zhu Yiji? He was on the same side as he was! Cao Pei? Even less likely, he was merely an orifice transforming beginner in literary Dao and also just SSR. He Caiwei swept his gaze over everyone in the entire conference room, yet couldn''t identify anyone who met the criteria! ¡ª¡ª He Caiwei looked again at Yang Chengze. The matter of fabricating testimony was handled by Yang Chengze. If there were a problem, it would surely be on Yang Chengze''s end! However, Yang Chengze''s gaze was very calm; he didn''t even look at Wu Shixuan or He Caiwei, let alone glance at Zhu Yiji, who sat quietly in the corner without saying a word, as if this matter had nothing to do with him. But what no one saw was that some information appeared on Yang Chengze''s system interface: [You have removed the Subtle Influence on Huang Yuwen, allowing him to regain normalcy.] [You have removed the Subtle Influence on Zhao Yong, allowing him to regain normalcy.] [You have removed the Subtle Influence on the potential Subtle Influence, allowing him to regain normalcy.] ... "Playing system tricks in front of me? Child''s play!" Xiang Beifei sat there calmly, stretching lazily. Chapter 495 - 275: Who Touched My Protective Talisman (4th Update) Truth be told, if Xiang Beifei hadn''t intervened, it is likely that Mu Yiqing would indeed have failed to detect that Huang Yuwen and the others were lying. With He Caiwei''s methods, he had thought through the incrimination plan thoroughly before taking action; under normal circumstances, his scheme would have certainly succeeded. Thus,. it was almost certain that Professor Guo would be tagged as unrestrained today! Unfortunately, even the wisest can overlook something. Yang Chengze, who possesses an SR-level Subtle Influence, is now Xiang Beifei''s underling! ¡ª¡ª The atmosphere in the conference room had become somewhat tense. Several leaders from Liangzhou University were present, and they all supported Professor Guo. When they realized that Professor Guo was being slandered, their gazes turned to Wu Shixuan instantly. Feeling the stares of so many, Wu Shixuan began to feel nervous. Sun Heshun said, "Mu Yiqing, please evaluate Wu Shixuan as well." Wu Shixuan''s face changed as he spoke, "Minister Sun, are you treating me as a suspect?" He Caiwei also spoke up, "Minister Sun, this is a bit too much!" Sun Heshun said sternly, "We are all here today to investigate an incident. If you can treat Professor Guo as a suspect, now that the allegations against him have been disproved, how can we not treat Wu Shixuan as a suspect? Is there a distinction of rank among suspects? I do not wish for someone to take this opportunity to frame Professor Guo. If you haven''t done it, then just tell the truth; why worry about Mu Yiqing making a mistake in her evaluation?" Wu Shixuan looked to He Caiwei as if seeking rescue. Although it''s true he is an SSR, the problem is that Mu Yiqing is also an SSR! And she''s an SSR in the late stages of God Refining! If she were to evaluate him, he would definitely be exposed! He Caiwei remained silent for a long time. With so many people watching, if he didn''t allow Wu Shixuan to be questioned, it would truly seem like there was something to hide. He looked at his system interface and quickly composed himself. He did not know how the Protective Talisman imprints in the minds of Huang Yuwen and the others had been erased. Perhaps there was some inadvertent error along the way. At this moment, he had to ensure that Wu Shixuan did not slip up! [You have spent 900,000 uniqueness value to purchase a Protective Talisman!] "Wu Shixuan, it''s okay; if you''re upright, you need not fear a crooked shadow! We are here to investigate the truth, and it''s right to accept questioning," He Caiwei said, patting Wu Shixuan''s shoulder. What no one saw was the amulet being transferred from He Caiwei''s palm into Wu Shixuan''s body, silently appearing in Wu Shixuan''s mind. Wu Shixuan also felt the existence of the Protective Talisman and calmed down. With Commander He''s protection, he could tell lies with his eyes closed and still make no mistake! "Alright, ask away," Wu Shixuan said. Mu Yiqing hesitated, then let the aura of the Word Spirit Sphere fall upon Wu Shixuan! Sun Heshun said, "Everyone knows of Mu Yiqing''s abilities; she has determined that these three people have told the truth. So now, Wu Shixuan, tell us why you arranged for three false witnesses to frame Professor Guo? I remember when you were studying, Professor Guo was your teacher; he nurtured you. Why would you frame him?" Sun Heshun watched Wu Shixuan with a cold gaze! Now confident, Wu Shixuan immediately said, "I don''t know why these three suddenly changed their testimonies, but clearly, they are framing me! I did no such thing!" Whir! The Word Spirit Sphere spun rapidly, emitting a red light that illuminated the entire conference room! Mu Yiqing looked at Wu Shixuan in surprise, silent for a moment, then slowly said, "He''s lying." Suddenly the room was abuzz! Seeing that red light flare up, Wu Shixuan panicked and said vehemently yet anxiously, "I cannot be lying! Everything I said is true!" Whir! The red light shone even more brightly, as if it would reach the sky! Even Mu Yiqing was very astonished. Wu Shixuan took a sharp breath in! He didn''t dare to speak out again and franticly looked towards He Caiwei once more. The look in He Caiwei''s eyes changed as well, how could this be? He himself had personally applied the Protective Talisman on Wu Shixuan''s body, which should absolutely be able to withstand Mu Yiqing''s identification, so how did Mu Yiqing still identify that he was lying? He Caiwei immediately went to check the Protective Talisman inside Wu Shixuan''s body, only to see his expression change once again! Gone! The Protective Talisman was actually gone again! What in the world was going on? Even He Caiwei was no longer able to remain calm now! If the disappearance of the Protective Talismans inside the bodies of Huang Yuwen and the other two could be explained as an accident, then what about the Protective Talisman in Wu Shixuan which he had just put there himself, how could it have disappeared? A storm of shock and horror rose in He Caiwei''s heart! Who touched my Protective Talisman? ¡ª¡ª "Woof woof woof!" Xiaohei was grinning and barking in laughter! In its hand, it was actually holding four Protective Talismans! The 110 million free shipping express delivery from He Caiwei had already begun to be dispatched. Four Protective Talismans, each worth about 900,000 uniqueness value, belonged to the early stage of God Refining spiritual power crystals. "The system rewards from the UR system are really quite affordable," Xiang Beifei couldn''t help thinking. Take the SR systems for example, like Keshi''s Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword, just the early stage of God Refining system reward cost 9 million, whereas the UR system''s early-stage items only needed 900,000, the gap was huge. But it didn''t matter, from now on, every time He Caiwei would exchange for a system reward, it would disappear once, and the most formidable part was that Xiang Beifei was still invisible, He Caiwei would suspect anyone but him! Although Xiang Beifei still couldn''t beat He Caiwei, he could make He Caiwei start to question his life! "I really hope you hurry up and exchange for something from the orifice transforming stage!" Xiang Beifei was getting impatient. ¡ª¡ª "Mu Yiqing, could there be a mistake in your identification?" He Caiwei calmed down and stared at Mu Yiqing as he spoke. Mu Yiqing, with a gleaming look in her eyes, responded, "Commander He, the work done by us in the Alliance Development Department has always been free of mistakes. You should also be clear whether I have made any mistakes over the many years I''ve been handling affairs." "Hmph! I just hope you aren''t bending the law for personal gain and intentionally exonerating certain people," He Caiwei said, staring intently at Mu Yiqing. In fact, he knew in his heart that this matter was unrelated to Mu Yiqing, because Mu Yiqing''s identifications were almost always correct; it''s just that things hadn''t gone according to the script He Caiwei had set. But now the situation had bizarrely spiraled out of his control, he had to find a way to direct the blame towards Mu Yiqing! Mu Yiqing, a person who grew stronger through her eloquence, understood the implications of everyone''s words thoroughly and knew exactly what He Caiwei was trying to convey. But she wasn''t a fool either, and with a graceful smile, she said: "I merely conducted the identification according to my abilities normally. Of course, for such a major matter, a one-sided identification naturally cannot convince everyone. After all, whether it''s Professor Guo or Secretary Wu, both are indispensable figures in the Alliance, and it''s natural to think twice before reaching a conclusion about them. If Commander He has doubts about my identification results, you can invite several more experts with the ability to identify. Having several people conduct the identification together would also help ensure fairness and justice." Chapter 496 - 376: Frankness Without Evasion (Fifth Update!) Mu Yiqing spoke very appropriately, she clearly knew that her appraisal was unquestionably accurate, but she also faintly understood that He Caiwei wanted to target Professor Guo and would definitely tamper with something. She was slightly puzzled, why would He Caiwei, being well-prepared, allow her to detect it? However, she was a smart person who only did what she needed to do, and it was best not to meddle in matters that didn''t concern her. He Caiwei narrowed his eyes, the current situation was very strange, even if other appraisal experts were invited, the probability might still be the same as Mu Yiqing''s appraisal unless he could get an appraiser on his side to tamper with it. At that moment, Zhu Yiji, who had been silent until then, suddenly spoke up. "The witness has given inconsistent statements before and after, and must have been influenced by something. From my years of pursuing Unrestrained, it''s highly possible that it was the work of a UR-level Awakener! If you trust me, let me do the appraisal!" Zhu Yiji''s voice was not loud, but everyone heard what he said. Everyone turned their heads to look at Zhu Yiji. He was the highest-ranking elder among all the Awakeners on the scene, with UR-level talents, and his prestige and status in the alliance were extremely high. Once he spoke, no one objected. "That would naturally be good, I trust Minister Zhu." He Caiwei felt a weight lifted from his heart. Zhu Yiji was one of his own, aiming to target Luo Yunxian. Without thinking, it was clear that he would stand on his side! If Zhu Yiji conducted the appraisal, even if Huang Yuwen and the others spoke the truth, it would be forcibly twisted into a falsehood, even if the final appraisal result differed from Mu Yiqing''s. However, between a UR-level and an SSR-level appraiser, it was clear whose word carried more weight. Mu Yiqing''s expression fluctuated, but she quickly calmed down and smiled, "Since Minister Zhu wants to conduct the appraisal himself, then I won''t boast out of my league, especially as I''m only an SSR! If it''s as Minister Zhu mentioned, that a UR Awakener subtly influenced the situation, I am certainly powerless. But Minister Zhu has always been fair and just, everyone trusts his judgment." Mu Yiqing was a shrewd woman, she didn''t want to offend people like Zhu Yiji or He Caiwei, but she was even less willing to have conflicts with someone like Luo Yunxian, so maintaining neutrality was best for her. However, when Ye Changfeng heard that Zhu Yiji would personally conduct the appraisal, his expression changed. Zhu Yiji had conflicts with Elder Luo, and naturally, would target Professor Guo, how could such a person ensure a fair and just appraisal? He spoke out, "We have never seen Minister Zhu have the ability to appraise whether others are telling the truth. I wonder how Minister Zhu intends to conduct the appraisal?" "The purpose of establishing the Su Alliance was to deal with Unrestrained, and to catch Unrestrained we naturally have ways to determine truth from falsehood. There is no need to doubt this. My words and actions represent the Su Alliance and will naturally comply with every rule of the alliance. In any case, this concerns the whole alliance, and we must give everyone an explanation." Zhu Yiji spoke with an authoritative tone, like a respected elder in charge of a major affair, leaving outsiders unable to find fault in his words. "Mr. Ye, you are too anxious. Minister Zhu works in the alliance, he will naturally give everyone an explanation. We believe in Minister Zhu," Cao Pei said to Ye Changfeng. Ye Changfeng frowned, but he could not directly prove Zhu Yiji would falsify results, nor could he refute, so he had to let it go. Zhu Yiji waved his hand, and a faint ripple quickly spread from his body above the meeting room, soon turning into a black square that encircled Huang Yuwen and the others. "This square is called ''Frankness Without Evasion.'' Within this square, one can only speak the truthEven if someone wants to lie, it would be impossible. If you don''t believe it, you can test it yourselves. The method is simple: just think of a fabricated event, and you''ll find that what you end up saying will be completely different from the fabrication, and will certainly be the truth!" Zhu Yiji dispersed the ripple of the square, and everyone quickly discovered a similar square on the ground beneath them, like a cage, binding them within. Whether it was Ye Changfeng or Sun Heshun, they both slightly furrowed their brows when they were surrounded by this triangle. To test the viability of this triangular truth, they both tried whispering to themselves. The fictional event in Ye Changfeng''s mind was, "The alliance will be better tomorrow with them." But when he whispered, it turned out to be another matter, "With this group of people, I fear the alliance is doomed." This was the real sentiment in Ye Changfeng''s heart; he found that a strange force had bound him. When he tried to tell a lie, the square immediately twisted it straight, forcing him to speak the truth he intended! The others also tried whispering quietly, and then they all became vigilant! Because they also realized that when they were bound by this square, they were utterly unable to tell any lies! Even Cao Pei and Mu Yiqing looked at Zhu Yiji with considerable suspicion and alarm. None of them had expected the square Zhu Yiji had crafted to be so formidable. Everyone had secrets, and if Zhu Yiji were to forcefully apply this "Frankness Without Evasion" on them, the consequences... Everyone looked uneasily at Zhu Yiji, deeply wary of this ability! Zhu Yiji smiled faintly, waved his hand again, and withdrew all the squares from beneath everyone''s feet, saying, "Rest assured, this was just to ensure the viability of this power and to dispel any doubts you might have. This is a tool of the Su Alliance to counter the Unrestrained, not to be used against any of you. The innocent need not worry about being constrained by ''Frankness Without Evasion.'' If there are still any questions, feel free to speak up." The people in the meeting room looked at each other. This "Frankness Without Evasion" ability had already been witnessed by all, and who would dare question it now? If someone did, then Zhu Yiji''s "Frankness Without Evasion" would next fall at their feet, leaving them with no secrets within this square! Even Ye Changfeng and Sun Heshun couldn''t question this power, as they had just tested it and spoken only the truth within the square! Cao Pei laughed, "Minister Zhu''s ''Frankness Without Evasion'' ability is indeed formidable. I think everyone has had enough experience by now and must admit, Minister Zhu''s authentication is quite authoritative. Whatever Huang Yuwen and the other two say next, I am certain it will be the truth." "That is indeed correct," agreed the other leaders from Liangzhou University. "Then, what does Mr. Ye think?" Zhu Yiji asked. Ye Changfeng was silent for a moment, then said, "I have no objections now." He indeed could not find any flaw in this ability. (Fifth update, seeking monthly votes, seeking subscription to the genuine version!) Chapter 497 - 277: Square and Round Rules! (Two in One) 497 Chapter 277: Square and Round Rules! (Two in One) Desolate beasts with great strength but simple minds are not scary; what''s truly terrifying are those with high intelligence! At present, they didn''t know what kind of impression this green caterpillar, which had been squashed to death by Long Guocheng, had left regarding them. Li Zimu''s stone house had many rooms piled up, each person separated by a room, with no beds, no quilts. Though simple, such lack of luxury wasn''t much of an issue in the foreign desolate wilderness. When Xiang Beifei finished his shift and returned, Long Guocheng was leaning against the door with his arms crossed in front of him and asked, "Can I ask you a question?" "What?" Xiang Beifei said. "You''re not an N-level Awakener, are you? You''re at least SR, right?" "Is that important to you?" "It would make me feel better," Long Guocheng said reluctantly. If he lost to SR-level Li Zimu, he wouldn''t feel too ashamed. After all, the other''s talent was not weaker than his. Both were SR, and if he lost, he could just win back the next time. But losing to an N-level Awakener left him with a knot in his heart. "That''s your own problem, not mine," Xiang Beifei did not like to explain his system to others. Because he simply did not have a system. "We''re a team! I''ve told you about my abilities! But we all don''t know about yours! Since we''re a team, we should at least understand each other," Long Guocheng emphasized. "Now you admit you''re part of a team? I thought you always liked to steal the spotlight," Xiang Beifei said. Long Guocheng huffed and did not refute this point. He did indeed like to stand out, as without it, he had no way to accumulate system points. "If you tell me you are SR or SSR, I can accept my defeat," Long Guocheng said. "Do you look down on people whose system rank is lower than yours that much? What''s wrong with N-level? Or R-level? Or S-level? Apart from cultivation progress, are they inferior to you in character, morality, conduct... in any way that you should despise them? Is it that pleasurable for you to find a sense of superiority over someone with a lower system?" Xiang Beifei said sternly. "I..." Long Guocheng was rendered speechless. He looked down on those with less talent than himself because in his opinion, those people just wouldn''t amount to anything, especially the lowest-tier N-level Awakeners. He would only respect the strong. Yet, his pride was always crushed to pieces in front of Xiang Beifei. Deep down, he hoped Xiang Beifei ranked at least SR, or even SSR. That way, if defeated by Xiang Beifei, he wouldn''t feel too frustrated, and could maintain the principle of pride he always held on to. But the one thing he couldn''t accept was the fact that Xiang Beifei might be N-level! Long Guocheng''s face showed alternating expressions of contemplation and uncertainty as he pondered Xiang Beifei''s words. In the individual matches, nine universities would compete in a round-robin, with each institution facing off against each other only once, meaning each university would fight eight matches, with a total of thirty-six matches to be completed over two days. 08:15 "I just don''t believe an N-level Awakener has that much potential. Their systems are so useless; they''ll only ever achieve so much in their lives. There''s no way they could be that powerful," Long Guocheng said through gritted teeth. "Why can''t an N-level Awakener defeat an SR? Shang Tianxiong is also an N-level Awakener. How many people can surpass him? Those with strength can even kill SSRs as an SR! We all live in this world, we''re all human, and you''re not nobler than anyone else. Just because your starting point is higher than others, does not mean you will always be above them in the future. Be more humble in your conduct," Xiang Beifei lectured. After finishing these words, Xiang Beifei went straight back to his own compartment. "Humble, huh?" Long Guocheng''s face showed alternating expressions of contemplation and uncertainty as he pondered Xiang Beifei''s words. Around nine o''clock in the evening, Ye Changfeng gathered everyone together and received a schedule and rules for the next day''s competition. Elder Luo said, "We need to discuss tomorrow''s situation first; everyone should increase their vigilance." The rules were already clear to everyone: the freshman competition consisted of individual matches and group pioneering. In the individual matches, nine universities would compete in a round-robin, with each institution facing off against each other only once, meaning each university would fight eight matches, with a total of thirty-six matches to be completed over two days. The decision of whether to field students in either the Meridian Opening or Qi-Controlling stage would be made by rolling dice. "Tomorrow''s schedule, the first match, Jizhou University versus Yanzhou University. Our match is not first, which is good. Everyone can observe the strength of other schools first. But the second match will be Qingzhou University against Liangzhou University," Ye Changfeng said. Ye Changfeng distributed a flyer to everyone; all of them looked at the schedule with solemn expressions. "Yuchi Shen, explain the current strength situation of each university this year," Elder Luo instructed. Yuchi Shen glanced expressionlessly at Xiang Beifei, then began to introduce. "But there are rules, a person can only participate in two matches at most. So, we need to analyze the situation together with the other teachers, and then decide on how to allocate the order of appearance and opponents among you five," Elder Luo continued. This was like betting on a horse race, but not quite the same. Because in Tianji''s Horse Racing, each side would compete in three races, allowing room for maneuvering, while each university would have only one chance in a face-off, mostly leaving things to chance. Therefore, it was generally hoped that other schools would take on the stronger students of another university and use up their two quotas, so that when facing one''s own, the opposing side would have to field weaker students. Take Qingzhou University and Liangzhou University, for instance, with Qingzhou having two SSR-level students this year, if each participates in two matches, it means those two SSR-level students can at most compete in four matches. Hence, Ye Changfeng hoped that Qingzhou University would use the four chances of their two SSR-level students to fight the other seven universities. So, by the time they faced his own school, quotas would be exhausted, resulting in only SR-level students being available, increasing their chances of winning. Chapter 498 - 277: Square and Round Rules! (Two in One)_2 However, since everyone comes from elite schools, the teachers in charge of the teams certainly understand this point, so the allocation of players during the matches will become a psychological game. Before going onto the field, no one can know whether the opponent will send in their strong or weak players. "You should also be clear by now that this year our school doesn''t have any SSRs, which means our strength is a notch below other schools, and in individual matches, you''ll find it hard to gain an advantage," Yuchi Shen''s gaze fixated on Xiang Beifei. "Except for Qingzhou University, Yanzhou University, and Jizhou University, other schools also have only one SSR, which means only one person at the Meridian Opening phase. We shouldn''t worry too much, thankfully we also have student Xiang Beifei," Xi Keyao said timidly. "The situation isn''t that simple," Elder Luo said, "In the individual matches rules, only eight matches are fought, with one point per match, so the total points are very important. But have you considered, for other schools to score higher overall, they will definitely find a way to secure that one point. So on whom is this almost guaranteed point going to be scored?" Long Guocheng and the others understood: "On us, Liangzhou University?" Now, the other eight schools all share a common understanding that Liangzhou University doesn''t have any SSRs this year, meaning, there are no students at the Meridian Opening phase. Therefore, to secure that certain point, they will definitely send out an SSR at the Meridian Opening phase to face Liangzhou University! Because if an SSR is sent to face other schools, sometimes they come up against opponents who are also SSRs, and everyone being at the Meridian Opening phase, one is bound to lose. If they are the ones to lose, it wouldn''t be worth it. But now, the other schools all presume that all students from Liangzhou University are merely at the later stage of Qi-Controlling, so sending out an SSR at the Meridian Opening phase to face Liangzhou University, which only has Qi-Controlling students, is almost a certain victory. Everyone wants to pick the soft persimmons first, to get that one point right off the bat! "Yes, which means in every match we face, the opponent is likely to be an SSR at the Meridian Opening phase!" Elder Luo said meaningfully. "This..." Everyone''s expressions turned solemn. Elder Luo said, "Alright, next you five need to discuss how to allocate which players to send onto the field and how to break out of this situation." "Really, why do they have to make a simple freshman competition so complicated?" Ma Ziqian grumbled on the side. For them martial artists, the most straightforward method is to charge up and have a hard fight, which is the most hassle-free. "Because this is also a tactic." Elder Luo said, "Faced with unevenly matched opponents, how to arrange one''s players to break this deadlock and secure more victories is a form of command-based strategy. Elite universities'' competitions test not only martial prowess but also various abilities to respond to changing situations, maximizing the effectiveness of limited manpower. It tests the leading teachers as well as the freshmen. Cultivating this kind of thinking can also be applied to fighting desolate beasts during a beast tide in the future." The Martial Arts Colleges of the elite universities aim to cultivate pioneers and defenders. Essentially, the basic teaching principle is combat. In the face of a beast tide, the desolate beasts'' strengths are uneven, so schools need to teach students how to effectively use their manpower to maximize combat power. This freshman competition''s rules seem unfair at first glance, with the Meridian Opening phase facing off against the Qi-Controlling phase, the battles are nearly one-sided, failing to truly reflect the new students'' actual strength. However, the truth is, when facing desolate beasts, there is never anything fair! In battle against desolate beasts, the desolate beasts'' strength is often somewhat greater. So, how to win and obtain the most points, in reality, is a test of the tactical coordination abilities of the various universities. Which battle to give up on, which to go all out for, who to send against different opponents, learning to choose, to engage in psychological games with one another, is a battle not only of bravery but also of intelligence. Although Elder Luo usually seems idle and not very serious, he has served as the commander-in-chief of Jiuzhou Alliance''s anti-beast tide efforts. His strategic perspective in command warfare is extremely formidable. As for what the real purpose of such a competition is for the nine elite universities, he couldn''t be clearer. In other words, Elder Luo has an idea of how to break this situation, but he hasn''t spelled it out. Instead, he wants Xiang Beifei and their team to think about it first, as this is also a form of training. If their ideas don''t work, Elder Luo will then provide guidance. ¡ª¡ª Hearing Elder Luo say this, they couldn''t complain any further. Ye Changfeng and Yuchi Shen were both sitting on the side, neither of them spoke again, but watched the group of five led by Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei and his group remained silent. After a long pause, Long Guocheng was the first to speak, "In tomorrow''s competition, our first match is in the second round, facing Qingzhou University. Facing them, we don''t know who they will send to confront us." Xiang Beifei said, "The person Qingzhou University sends out tomorrow will definitely be this Hou Chengwu, without any surprises." Long Guocheng asked, "Are you so sure? Qingzhou University has two SSRs, one UR, and two SRs, and they haven''t confirmed their candidate yet." Xiang Beifei replied, "It will be Hou Chengwu for sure! He initially rejected us at Liangzhou University and instead chose Qingzhou University. He must prove to others that his choice against Liangzhou University was the right one. The way to prove it is to come and beat us in person." "That''s also true," Li Zimu nodded thoughtfully, "I think after you refuted him today, he would want revenge no matter what." "Xiang Beifei, do you have the capability to defeat Hou Chengwu?" Xi Keyao asked. Xiang Beifei fell silent for a moment before nodding slightly. The faces of Long Guocheng and the others slightly improved. They all recognized Xiang Beifei''s abilities by now. Although this guy was not an SSR, his strength was outrageously formidable. With him around, even if Liangzhou University was not as openly powerful as those three universities, they were still capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the other schools. "But if other schools send SSRs against us, we are almost certain to lose. Xiang Beifei can only go up twice, meaning at best he can only score two points, but to our four, it''s almost certain defeat," Ma Ziqian said. "Unless we find a way to stop them from using SSRs against us," Li Zimu said. "Now they all think we''re easy targets. How can we make them change their minds?" Long Guocheng asked. "It''s simple, we must let them know we are not that weak," Xiang Beifei stated. Li Zimu caught on and said, "I get it, we must show them that our school also has a Meridian Opening stage student. That way, they won''t all send their Meridian Opening players against us. That means tomorrow against Qingzhou University, Xiang Beifei, you must go up." A person can go up to fight a maximum of two times, so after Xiang Beifei''s first move, just showing a hint of his strength would be enough to intimidate people from other schools, making them wary. They will understand that the Liangzhou University''s persimmon might not be so easy to squash! Because if their SSRs are sent out and encounter a tough opponent like Xiang Beifei and lose, it would be a substantial loss. Hence, other schools would not send SSRs blindly after Liangzhou University. This ability is very peculiar; anyone with guilt, whether it''s a desolate beast or a person, can be targeted by him, which automatically forms a "cover door" in his mind. Even if this "cover door" isn''t originally the opponent''s weak point. It''s like with the Triangular Thunder Krait, whose vulnerability was originally in its eyes. But if Yuchi Shen uses "Seven Deadly Sins Kill," then Yuchi Shen can forcefully change that weak point, concentrating it elsewhere, such as... Then, if Yuchi Shen hits the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait, it''s certain death for the krait! "This ability is really powerful, forcibly changing the opponent''s weak point?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Yes, I heard that originally there were two SSR Awakeners to come to our Liangzhou University, but since Liangzhou University accepted an N-level, those two SSRs looked down on our university and went to other elite schools instead," he said. "Must the school be furious? To lose two SSRs because of an N-level student?" asked. "Exactly! This N-level Awakener really is trouble." And just then, Xiang Beifei exclaimed in surprise, for he noticed that a figure had suddenly appeared behind the baby! This figure almost teleported into existence, holding a sword with a powerful aura, disregarding the tendrils! It was Ye Changfeng! Ye Changfeng frowned at the baby and then swung his sword at it! The baby seemed to sense something; however, before it could turn its head, Ye Changfeng''s sword had already cleaved it into two! Chapter 499 - 378: Truths and Lies (Third Update) He Caiwei''s expression was extremely unpleasant. Many professors and teachers from Liangzhou University were staring at him with doubtful and suspicious eyes, wondering if he indeed had a guilty conscience. He immediately used a Sound Transmission Talisman, preparing to connect with Zhu Yiji, secretly communicating with him to ask what was really going on. However, he soon discovered that his communication abilities had been blocked by Zhu Yiji! Zhu Yiji wasn''t responding to him at all! "Zhu Yiji, you bastard! How could you betray me without even discussing it with me?" He Caiwei was furious, thinking that Zhu Yiji had changed sides and was even refusing to communicate with him! ¡ª¡ª Zhu Yiji''s expression was even darker. They had a special communication ability between them, the Sound Transmission Talisman, which belonged to He Caiwei. Each possessed one, and they could communicate telepathically through it. He tried to contact He Caiwei using the talisman to ask what was happening. But He Caiwei wasn''t responding to him either! "He Caiwei, what are you doing! How dare you not respond to me?" Zhu Yiji was also very annoyed with He Caiwei! However, Sun Heshun spoke again, "Minister Zhu, to clarify the truth of the matter, please help by interrogating Wu Shixuan, and give everyone an explanation." Everyone was waiting. With so many people present, Zhu Yiji could not refuse Sun Heshun''s request! He had already guaranteed that there was no possibility of falsification in his assessment; it was already confirmed that Wu Shixuan had framed Professor Guo, and everyone was aware of it. Thus, it wouldn''t make sense for Wu Shixuan and He Caiwei to refuse the assessment. If they were to assess Wu Shixuan and He Caiwei next, he could actually tamper with the rules within the Square and Round Rules, allowing them to defend themselves by saying they didn''t direct Huang Yuwen and the other two to give false testimony. However, the issue was, once Wu Shixuan said this, it would mean there was a conflict between the testimonies of Wu Shixuan and that of Huang Yuwen and the other two! That meant one side had to be lying! Therefore, Zhu Yiji''s previous statements that his assessments could not be falsified would become a joke! More importantly, Zhu Yiji couldn''t say that his assessment was influenced by some Unrestrained Awakener, or that there was a glitch in his system. Because he was a minister of the Su Alliance! And a Supreme UR Awakener! If an assessment by a Su Alliance UR-level minister could be interfered with, how could they credibly investigate a difficult organization like the Unrestrained? If he said that, he wouldn''t be able to continue in the minister''s position either. For his own reputation, he had no choice but to act as an "incorrupt official"! And since Huang Yuwen''s statement came first, his words had to be treated as fact! This meant that in assessing Wu Shixuan, they had to make Wu Shixuan admit to what Huang Yuwen had stated! Keeping the testimonies consistent was the only way to ensure that Zhu Yiji''s "assessment abilities were fair and unbiased." Even if Wu Shixuan wanted to argue, Zhu Yiji had to reset the Square and Round Rules to make it impossible for Wu Shixuan to argue! ¡ª¡ª Zhu Yiji was extremely annoyed! He found that not only was He Caiwei not responding to him, but Wu Shixuan wasn''t either! The three of them couldn''t communicate secretly, but by now he was in too deep to back out. Now, he could only sacrifice the pawn to save the king and throw Wu Shixuan, the fool, under the bus! As for He Caiwei, since Qian Li had only heard these words from Wu Shixuan and had not seen He Caiwei face-to-face, there was still some room for maneuver. "Okay, however the truth may be, I will surely uncover it. I will not let any wrongdoer escape, nor will I wrong a good person." Though Zhu Yiji was furious inside, he could only pretend to look just and upright. He waved his hand, and immediately a black circular line of Spiritual Power appeared under Wu Shixuan''s feet! [You have set the current Square and Round Rule as: Wu Shixuan must admit to framing Professor Guo!] Upon seeing that he was enveloped by Zhu Yiji''s systemic power, Wu Shixuan looked desperately towards Zhu Yiji for help. ¡ª Minister Zhu, you must save me! Zhu Yiji still pretended to be unhurried, as if he had everything under control, and said, "Wu Shixuan, did you, as Huang Yuwen and the other two claimed, manipulate three witnesses to frame Professor Guo with false testimony?" Wu Shixuan''s heart trembled; it was true, how could he possibly admit it? ¡ª Of course not! It''s all nonsense from Huang Yuwen and the others! Wu Shixuan thought about this line, wanting to say it, but when the words reached his lips, they became, "Yes, I admit it, I instructed Huang Yuwen and the other two to give false testimony to frame Professor Guo." Hiss! As soon as these words were uttered, even Wu Shixuan took a sharp breath, and then he looked terrified and widened his eyes! ¡ª No! No! That''s not what I wanted to say, why would I say that? Wu Shixuan was roaring inside; he wanted to deny it, but he couldn''t resist Zhu Yiji''s Square and Round Rules at all; he had to act according to the rules set by Zhu Yiji! "What a bold move, Wu Shixuan, to actually dare to frame Professor Guo!" Sun Heshun barked angrily. The other university leaders in the meeting room were also in an uproar! Now the truth had finally come out! Professor Guo was innocent; it was all Wu Shixuan''s scheme! Maliciously schemed! ¡ª Wu Shixuan felt his heart go cold! He clearly wanted to deny it, but why did he confess instead? Soon, he suddenly realized why things had turned out this way! He recognized that it was Zhu Yiji who had deliberately made him confess using his system powers. That is to say, for his own name, Zhu Yiji was kicking him to the curb! He had unexpectedly become a disposable pawn! Wu Shixuan felt the world spinning; he had never imagined things would escalate to this point. He had loyally run errands for them; how could they treat me this way? Wu Shixuan''s heart was bleeding! Sun Heshun scoffed coldly, glanced at He Caiwei, and then asked, "Qian Li said that you were instructed by He Caiwei; is this true or false?" Zhu Yiji immediately and silently altered the circular rules under Wu Shixuan''s feet: [You have set the current Square and Round Rules as follows: Everything Wu Shixuan has done is unrelated to He Caiwei, mentioning He Caiwei because he wants to shirk responsibility; this matter is unrelated to He Caiwei] Zhu Yiji could only go this far. Between He Caiwei and Wu Shixuan, Zhu Yiji naturally chose to save He Caiwei, as He Caiwei was also a UR-level Awakener, in his camp. As for Wu Shixuan, even if he got into trouble, framing someone else wouldn''t amount to a death sentence, at most a stint of detention as punishment. Moreover, Wu Shixuan was an SSR, and the Su Alliance was very lenient towards SSRs. Once he intervened, leniency was likely. It wouldn''t be too much to say he was merely punishing himself with three cups of wine. If all else failed, Zhu Yiji could still have Wu Shixuan change his identity and start anew, just like he once changed his grandson Zhu Xinjue, who had committed a capital crime, to Zhu Pengfei. ¡ª Wu Shixuan felt extremely suffocated, but he was helpless; he realized his boss was pushing him out as a scapegoat to bear all the criminal evidence, and he dared not go against it. However, Zhu Yiji would surely save him. Forget it, no matter what he thought, he would speak according to Zhu Yiji''s wishes; even if he told the truth, Zhu Yiji would twist it into a lie, so he might as well just say anything. "It''s true; indeed, He Caiwei instructed me." Wu Shixuan thought this, given everything that had happened before, he knew what he said wouldn''t match what he intended. However, he was soon shocked! Because while he thought this way, it also came out exactly as he intended! The voice was even emphatic, clearly echoing to every corner of the meeting room! The Square and Round Rules of Zhu Yiji had, unbeknownst to when, become ineffective! Chapter 500 - 379: Cant Shrink! (4th Update) The entire conference room fell silent! All eyes were on He Caiwei! The evidence was conclusive! Hisss! Wu Shixuan gasped in shock! How had he let the truth slip out? He didn''t say what he should have said and said what he shouldn''t have! He Caiwei''s face turned even redder! The look he gave Wu Shixuan was enough to kill! Zhu Yiji was also stunned! What the hell was this idiot doing? He was such an old man, an SSR, yet was his brain filled with shit? You can''t even understand my intentions? Was he so angry that he was ready to bring us all down together? "Well done, Wu Shixuan! Is that all the ambition you have? You can''t even take responsibility for your boss; how can we rely on you in the future!" Zhu Yiji was infuriated and cursed in his heart! Wu Shixuan panicked! He didn''t know what Zhu Yiji was thinking, but looking at Zhu Yiji''s expression, he could guess. He mentally screamed: No, leader, listen to my explanation, it''s not what you think; it''s your system capability that has issues... ¡ª¡ª "Woof woof!" Xiaohei rubbed his paws inside the circle at Wu Shixuan''s feet, laughing loudly. "That''s right." Xiang Beifei smiled faintly, he could guess what rules Zhu Yiji would set next, so he told Xiaohei not to interfere the first time, but the second time, he directly made Zhu Yiji''s system capabilities fail. As for what Wu Shixuan would say after the rules failed the second time, Xiang Beifei couldn''t control that; he was merely guessing that Wu Shixuan would tell the truth because he felt abandoned. Wu Shixuan really did well! Zhu Yiji could never have imagined that he, while intending to frame Professor Guo using his Square and Round Rules system capability and deal with him, inadvertently helped clear Professor Guo of suspicion! What made him want to vomit blood was that Wu Shixuan even implicated He Caiwei! He prided himself on an absolutely safe and reliable judgment system, so Huang Yuwen and the other two weren''t lying, Wu Shixuan wasn''t lying either, so the real truth was that He Caiwei orchestrated everything. Was the case solved just like that? Had he really become a just and unbiased Bao Qingtian! ¡ª¡ª Sun Heshun coldly looked toward He Caiwei and inquired, "Commander He, Minister Zhu has confirmed that what Wu Shixuan said is true, so why did you try to frame Professor Guo?" He Caiwei''s gaze was filled with coldness, and he kept staring at Wu Shixuan. If it weren''t for the people around, he would definitely have rushed over and devoured Wu Shixuan alive! Zhu Yiji realized that he couldn''t question He Caiwei now, as doing so would certainly make things worse! He immediately gave Principal Cao Pei a meaningful glance! Principal Cao Pei, as the head of Liangzhou University, was also inwardly lamenting, what on earth was happening today! You must know, whether it''s Professor Guo, Wu Shixuan, or He Caiwei, they all graduated from Liangzhou University! Any scandal involving them greatly impacts the reputation of Liangzhou University! Frankly speaking, it impacts the reputation of the chancellor the most! If problems with He Caiwei and Wu Shixuan were uncovered somewhere else, it would still be manageable since he couldn''t control that, but the problem was uncovered right in the conference room of Liangzhou University! If this isn''t handled well, the problem is very serious. Seeing the look in Zhu Yiji''s eyes, Cao Pei got the hint and rose immediately to start smoothing things over, "In my view, let us pause on this matter today, everyone should remain calm, perhaps there''s some misunderstanding here, let''s all cool down first. I believe Commander He wouldn''t do such a thing, Secretary Wu must have misunderstood something, perhaps misconstrued Commander He''s meaning, Professor Guo is innocent, which is great..." Cao Pei was clearly trying to provide He Caiwei, a UR-level individual, a way out. However, upon hearing this, Ye Changfeng could no longer restrain himself, his gaze suddenly turned sharp! "Misunderstanding? Today, with such a huge mobilization, you want to cover it up with just a misunderstanding? So, it''s okay for Wu Shixuan to frame Professor Guo? If Wu Shixuan misheard and framed Professor Guo today, who knows who will mishear tomorrow and frame Professor Guo again, and then what will become of Professor Guo''s reputation as you frame him back and forth?" Ye Changfeng''s voice was full of anger! Frowning, Cao Pei rebuked in a low voice, "Ye Changfeng, no one is pleased to see this situation escalate to this extent today. Everyone here is a distinguished figure in the Alliance; isn''t it better to minimize major issues and trivialize minor ones? Professor Guo hasn''t even spoken. Please, speak less yourself!" Minimize major issues and trivialize minor ones? This statement completely infuriated Ye Changfeng! "Principal Cao! Don''t you forget something, you are the chancellor of Liangzhou University! Professor Guo is a professor at Liangzhou University! Both morally and logically, you should be standing by Professor Guo, advocating justice for him! Professor Guo hasn''t even uttered a word, and you''re trying to trivialize the matter! This isn''t what a chancellor should be doing!" Ye Changfeng''s words were sharp; his entire being stood there like an unsheathed blade, upright and unyielding! "Ye Changfeng! Since you know I''m the chancellor of Liangzhou University, I decide how things should be handled! What business is it of yours to interfere!" Cao Pei said, annoyed and embarrassed. Ye Changfeng was also furious and shouted: "Cao Pei! Do you only now remember that you''re the chancellor of Liangzhou University? Where were you as chancellor when Wei Tong turned the entire Martial Arts College into a mess? Where were you as chancellor when Wei Tong abused his power and revoked Professor Guo''s professorship? Professor Guo has devoted his life diligently to defending our borders, educating others, and fully committed to the security of the Alliance. Now when he''s being framed by lowlifes like Wu Shixuan and He Caiwei, and the truth has already come to light, which side did you stand on as chancellor? You keep saying you''re the chancellor, have you cared about the students'' learning? Have you cared about your own school''s teachers? Look at your actions, do any of them match a chancellor''s demeanor?" Ye Changfeng was truly furious! He was always a very composed person; even when occasionally provoked by Xiang Beifei, he never lost his temper. However, the matter today was beyond his ability to stay calm! "Let me tell you, today''s issue cannot be trivialized!" Ye Changfeng said sternly. Professor Guo, such an upright person, was unfairly framed, treated like a criminal, slandered time and again, and just as he was proving his innocence, Cao Pei suggested trivializing the issue, attempting to gloss over the matter! Professor Guo, on the side, was silent, clenching his fists. Cao Pei, his face red with anger, retorted in annoyance and embarrassment, "Ye Changfeng, mind your status, you''re just a teacher, mind your attitude, or else..." "Or what?" Ye Changfeng looked at Cao Pei contemptuously, his sharp eyes reflecting Cao Pei''s figure as if looking at a dirty rat. Cao Pei was unable to finish his sentence under that intense gaze! "Are you going to ensure I never become a professor? Or expel me from the faculty of Liangzhou University? Cao Pei! Is that all you are capable of? Need more time to think about what to say, something that could possibly threaten me?" His tone was full of disdain! It was as if he was speaking to a disgusting cockroach, his voice full of revulsion! Everyone was stunned by Ye Changfeng''s fierce demeanor! They knew Ye Changfeng as a young but potentially great teacher, yet he always seemed gentle and not someone who would easily get angry. But today''s Ye Changfeng was very different! He was utterly sharp and resolute! He was like a sword that had been sheathed for many years, never easily harming anyone. But to obtain justice for Professor Guo, he had no choice but to unsheathe! Chapter 501 - 380: The Upright Swordsman! (5th Update) Professor Guo dislikes these underhanded and scheming affairs, and once the truth comes to light, he might not pursue the matter further, but Ye Changfeng can''t let it go! If they''re not held accountable this time, they''ll just come back and do it again! That''s why Ye Changfeng can no longer tolerate it! "As a teacher, I have always taught my students, through words and actions, what should be done and what shouldn''t. Wei Tong has turned the martial arts curriculum at Liangzhou University into mere formalism, a complete outsider to the martial Dao who dares to instruct martial arts students. What on earth have they learned these days? Do you expect students trained by Wei Tong to resist martial Daoists? Ask Wei Tong what the basic elements of a pioneer are? Ask Wei Tong where the weakness of a Triangular Thunder Krait lies? Do you think Wei Tong can answer that?" He can''t! He knows nothing about martial Dao yet dares to manage the Martial Arts College and takes liberties in directing teachers like Professor Guo, disrupting the teaching order! Cao Pei, I have a message for you, if you really know you are the president of Liangzhou University, then do something a president would do! Stand firm, show some backbone, and set an example for the students of an elite university! Don''t ingratiate yourself with powerful interests, turning yourself into a spineless person!" Ye Changfeng stood there, but in Cao Pei''s eyes, it was as if he was standing high above, looking down on him, making Cao Pei feel utterly insignificant! This made Cao Pei furious with humiliation! He was a university president¡ªsince when could a suspended teacher look down on him like this? "Ye Changfeng, you''ve gone too far!" Cao Pei''s aura suddenly surged like a violent storm, pressing down on Ye Changfeng! He was at the early stage of orifice transforming, and although he was a literary Daoist, his aura was very formidable. In his opinion, he was more than enough to intimidate Ye Changfeng who was at the mid-stage of God Refining! But when Cao Pei''s aura bore down on Ye Changfeng, he found that Ye Changfeng''s imposing figure stood out like an unshakable sword in the storm, soaring to the skies, resolutely blocking Cao Pei''s intimidation! Cao Pei''s expression darkened, and, for a moment, he was unable to suppress Ye Changfeng! This swordsman had such a formidable sharpness! Ye Changfeng''s upright figure made Cao Pei feel small and powerless! It was clear that he was pressuring Ye Changfeng, but it felt as if it was Ye Changfeng oppressing him, causing a storm of shock to rise in Cao Pei''s heart! "Ye Changfeng is this powerful?" Cao Pei was astounded! Seeing that the situation was not right, Sun Heshun, who did not expect the sudden confrontation between Cao Pei and Ye Changfeng, changed his expression slightly and was about to shout for them to stop when he suddenly realized he couldn''t make a sound, he couldn''t even intervene! Sun Heshun felt a chill in his heart, not understanding what was happening! What he didn''t see, however, was the black circle that had appeared beneath his feet! That was Zhu Yiji''s Square and Round Rules. He had quietly used his powerful cultivation to impose rules on Sun Heshun! Within this black circle, one couldn''t interfere with the conflict between Cao Pei and Ye Changfeng! In the distance, Zhu Yiji''s gaze flickered with a cold intent. He had even silently bound the other teachers in the classroom with his Square and Round Rules ability, preventing the other school leaders from intervening. This included Professor Guo! As an UR-level Awakener above the stage of orifice transforming, the rules he set were difficult for anyone present to resist! Zhu Yiji''s intention was clear¡ªhe wanted Cao Pei to deal with Ye Changfeng himself and teach Ye Changfeng a lesson! "Woof?" Xiaohei turned his head and asked. Xiang Beifei, focusing on Ye Changfeng''s aura, said, "Senior brother is a martial Daoist!" ¡ª¡ª Cao Pei was unable to suppress Ye Changfeng! He had no idea how terrifying a steadfast swordsman could be when truly provoked! However, Cao Pei was not an ordinary person either, for he too was an SSR! [Host: Cao Pei] [SSR-level, Like Fish in Water System] [Stage: Early stage of orifice transforming] Cao Pei was a practitioner of the literary Dao. He had all manner of techniques in speech and conduct, and no matter what situation or predicament he encountered, the Like Fish in Water System could always create favorable conditions for him, steering the situation to his advantage! This system could make smooth things smoother, and it could twist adverse situations towards a favorable direction! Cao Pei, being an orifice transforming Awakener, would take a serious hit to his reputation if he failed to suppress Ye Changfeng, who was in the mid-stage of God Refining. Therefore, his system had already provided a prompt! [Detected that Ye Changfeng''s momentum is overly fierce. Host should not rashly challenge his edge. Use the tactic of the water grass to avoid the momentum, and suppress him from the left!] Hum! Cao Pei''s aura transformed completely, becoming light and ethereal, like clusters of water grass floating in water, dissipating Ye Changfeng''s fierce momentum. Then, all of his aura swept up again, concentrated on Ye Changfeng''s left side, and in an instant, became incredibly dense, bearing down on Ye Changfeng forcefully! This tremendous oppression was terrifying, like a tidal wave roaring insanely, its presence vast and mighty! "Ye Changfeng, you shouldn''t commit insubordination!" Cao Pei shouted! Even though he was a practitioner of the literary Dao, he was ultimately a realm higher than Ye Changfeng! The mid-stage of God Refining and the early stage of orifice transforming were not the same thing at all! With the help of Like Fish in Water, Cao Pei''s aura once again grew stronger, overpowering Ye Changfeng''s edge, and pressing down on him once more! This time, it seemed very difficult for Ye Changfeng to withstand! However, Ye Changfeng''s expression remained cold, still standing immovable as a mountain on the spot! "Cao Pei, do you know what Sword Dao is?" Ye Changfeng watched Cao Pei coldly, indifferent to Cao Pei''s terrifying momentum. "You don''t understand. You don''t even know what martial arts really are. True martial arts can''t just be suppressed with lip service!" Boom! Ye Changfeng''s aura suddenly surged violently! His body''s strength formed a vortex around him, these vortices converging onto him, flashing with sword shadows as if it had split into countless threads of Sword Qi in an instant! But when others wanted to take a closer look, they found that these Sword Qi had once again condensed into an unstoppable sharp sword. Just one sword! Ye Changfeng''s sword shadow slashed out directly! The air blasted with a roar, Sword Qi interweaving within it, elevating Ye Changfeng''s aura by a notch! Boom! Ye Changfeng''s sword light instantly shattered Cao Pei''s oppression! "How can this be?" Cao Pei was shocked beyond measure! His orifice transforming oppression had actually been shattered by Ye Changfeng! Especially since Ye Changfeng''s cultivation level seemed not to be in the mid-stage of God Refining, but¡ª The late-stage of God Refining! Not just him, but even the others were extremely surprised to see Ye Changfeng''s sudden surge in energy! Was this a sign of a breakthrough? Ye Changfeng had, at this moment, broken through his own limits, stepping into the late-stage of God Refining! "Cao Pei, is this all you''re capable of?" Ye Changfeng''s voice was as cold as frost. (Please vote for monthly tickets! Please subscribe!) Chapter 502 - 381: Two Sword Bursts! (First Update) A powerful aura enveloped his body, converging into a sharp and fierce energy that silently landed on Ma Kainian. Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, Ma Kainian''s heart shuddered, terrified by Xiang Beifei''s formidable presence. Xiang Beifei was rumoured to be capable of killing a One-Armed Crab at the late stage of Meridian Opening with a single punch. His presence here was no joking matter. Ma Kainian steadied himself and cursed under his breath. After all, he was an official of the alliance. No matter how famous this youngster was, he was still just a civilian, powerless and insignificant. If anyone should be afraid, it ought to be him! "Xiang Beifei, a big shot, huh?" Ma Kainian said in a mocking tone. Xiang Beifei did not respond, merely glancing indifferently before walking toward Kong Daming, and asking, "I just saw the phone message. What happened to my grandfather?" "I''m not sure. He seemed unwell just now, so I helped him upstairs to rest. He''s there now," Kong Daming replied. "Understood, I''ll go see him." Xiang Beifei, without another word, headed for the stairs. However, Ma Kainian, seeing himself being ignored, was quite annoyed! "Hmph! Not even the basic courtesies..." "Scram!" Xiang Beifei said directly. "Yes." Ma Kainian''s mind went blank, and he involuntarily lay down and then actually rolled away on the floor. "Ah?" Kong Daming and Zhang Xiang watched in shock as Ma Kainian rolled away on the ground, completely dumbfounded. Ma Kainian actually... just rolled away like that? This turn of events was utterly unexpected. "Why are you patrolling the archive room? Who would be idle enough to break into the archives to steal things? If you ask me, it wouldn''t even matter if we didn''t come here for a whole year." Zhou Guan lazily placed his hands behind his head, following behind Sun Zhong. He wasn''t very interested in this job and kept muttering all the way. Sun Zhong went to the third floor and patrolled along the rows of rooms. [You patrolled the N-level Talent Appraisal Department, patrol value +2] [You patrolled the N-level Talent Dispatch Department, patrol value +2] ... Sun Zhong made a couple of rounds in the empty rooms and then pressed a button on the wall to make sure the alarm was working correctly before leaving the room. [You patrolled the main archive room entrance, patrol value +5] Right then, an idea struck Zheng Xing, who promptly took out his cell phone to video call his son, then asked, "Son, you said last time that you''ve seen Xiang Beifei. Is this the person Xiang Beifei?" During the freshman competition, though students from major elite schools weren''t present, it was broadcasted live, so anyone who wasn''t blind could recognize him. Zheng Xing''s son, although a student of Jizhou University, had also seen Xiang Beifei. The moment he saw Xiang Beifei, he excitedly exclaimed, "It''s him! It''s him! The genius who trampled that Qingzhou University SSR underfoot! Dad, you actually saw him? My goodness!" That was a legendary genius! "So it really is that Xiang Beifei!" Zheng Xing was also stunned. His son had mentioned the freshman contest before his holiday break, and back then, he too was amazed by Xiang Beifei. Little did he expect that he would encounter such a great genius today! After a moment, he quickly recovered and excitedly said, "He is Xiang Beifei, no doubt about it, my son met him before; he''s from Jizhou University!" Xiang Beifei momentarily set aside the matter and asked, "By the way, Uncle Kong, are there any houses for rent near your place? We''re thinking of moving there." "A house? Yes, there are. You should have moved over a long time ago. The old man keeps talking about saving up money for your missions and such. Why the sudden change of mind?" Kong Daming asked. "Xiaofei has grown up, and the house is too shabby, he might not find a wife," Xiang Qingde said seriously. "Hahaha, that''s true," Kong Daming nodded. But Lu Hong disagreed, "Not necessarily! If you really like each other, who cares about the house?" "We still need a nice place to live, the old house was a bit too dark," Kong Daming said, "Leave it to me, I remember there''s a family that just moved out from my floor, just two doors down from mine, diagonally opposite. It would be good to move here, easier to look out for each other." "When is Uncle Kong''s restaurant planning to open?" Xiang Beifei asked again. The emergence of a One-Armed Crab, a type of desolate beast, hadn''t been investigated thoroughly, and Xiang Beifei still hadn''t found the person he currently suspected. Xiao Sheng! The guy who pretended to be an N-level clerk, an SR, disappeared just before the desolate beast appeared, and he wanted to see if Xiao Sheng would come back to work. "The day after tomorrow! The staff have also been asking. Speaking of which, I need to contact those employees; we''ve been closed for quite a while now," Kong Daming said. "I''ll go to the wholesale market tomorrow, our supplies have been cut off, we need to renegotiate," Xiang Qingde said. Kong Daming quickly said, "No need, Uncle Xiang, you rest, I''ll go." "We''ve been resting for so long, I need to get moving, and I know the place well anyway. There is a lot of prep for reopening, and many customers have booked appointments, waiting for your reopening. You''ll be busy, I can go tomorrow," Xiang Qingde waved his hand, insisting. Unable to persuade him otherwise, Kong Daming could only agree. When Xiang Beifei returned home, he made sure to talk briefly in front of the living room camera with his grandfather, clarifying his reasons for moving. He outright said he could now earn money and simply didn''t want to live there anymore. For a martial artist in the Meridian Opening phase, earning enough to support oneself was far from difficult. The person monitoring their home, unless foolish, could simply ask around at school and would certainly understand Xiang Beifei''s current Cultivation Realm, making this an excuse no one would suspect. With that, he figured the person would likely find new premises. Xiang Beifei was curious to see who would dare to secretly install surveillance under his observation. Having said all this, Xiaohei then blocked the camera again. That evening, the grandfather and grandson packed up their belongings together, and really, there were quite a lot of them. "We''ll need to call a cab; there''s no elevator, so later we''ll carry it down together," Xiang Qingde pondered on how to move in the easiest way possible. "I can handle the stuff myself, Grandpa doesn''t need to worry too much, just rest," Xiang Beifei said. "How can that be? You can''t move so much stuff by yourself! Grandpa can still do some work, I''ll help you carry it," Xiang Qingde worried his grandson might exhaust himself, as moving was indeed laborious. Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but laugh and cry, "Grandpa, why do I always feel like you forget I''m a martial artist?" "So what if you''re a martial artist? Many martial artists still need to hire people when they move," Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei stomped his foot again, and all the already packed boxes floated up, hovering mid-air. Light as a feather. He made the items lighter, then used his Spiritual Power to pull them all up. Xiang Qingde looked on in amazement, "I didn''t know you had this ability!" Xiang Beifei realized he rarely discussed his abilities with his grandfather. He laughed, let the items down, then glanced at the ceiling camera again and said, "Don''t worry, from now on, I''ll handle everything, Grandpa just needs to rest." Xiang Qingde paused, staring blankly at Xiang Beifei. Once upon a time, he had always been careful to protect his grandson, his self-esteem, telling him to keep an upbeat attitude and not to give up on himself. But ever since awakening his system, his grandson seemed like a changed person. Chapter 503 - 382: Sword and Mountain (Second Update) "Being a celebrity must be exhausting, right? I heard you have to shoot different films every day," Lu Zhiwei said curiously. "That won''t do! Xiaofei needs to practice," Lu Hong said seriously. Unconsciously, he had started referring to Beifei as Xiaofei, as in his mind, Xiang Beifei was still a martial artist and should primarily focus on his training. Chen Xiuqin walked in from outside and laughed, "I can''t tell you how many calls I''ve received these past few days from talent agencies. They know I''m acquainted with Xiaofei and have been asking about his willingness to sign up for various commercial activities, offering big money." "What did you say?" Kong Daming asked. "Of course, I said I would consider it," Chen Xiuqin laughed. "How could I decide something like that on my own? I still need to ask Xiaofei''s opinion." She didn''t agree outright, but she didn''t flatly refuse either, leaving some room for Xiang Beifei to choose. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then said, "I do need to practice, and I don''t have time for filming commercials. However, when I have time, I could start a column specifically to teach everyone how to kill desolate beasts, so they won''t panic when they encounter such situations." He needed to use this identity to properly guide everyone. Lu Hong''s eyes brightened, and he nodded, "Right, many civilians because they live in inland cities, have a very superficial concept of desolate beasts, and most lack a sense of crisis. Your idea is good." Formidable desolate beasts are common for martial artists, but not so for civilians. As a martial artist, it is only natural for Xiang Beifei to engage in such promotional activities. "That''s excellent, I''ll help you with the publicity. As a celebrity, you need to specialize in one area, and as a martial artist, you should do it the martial artist''s way." Chen Xiuqin was also half in the entertainment industry, having dealt with many celebrities, she knew exactly how to handle marketing. Being Xiang Beifei''s number one fan, she was more than happy to help him. So it was settled. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to do much; when the next semester started, he would simply shoot a few videos while on a mission in the outer wilds. It was quite a simple task. But then again¡ª "Does she really think she can use my fame however she wants?" The last person who tried to exploit Xiang Beifei''s fame for profit had already been dealt with by him. This time, trying to make decisions without consulting him, deliberately pushing him into the limelight, was clearly intentional. The alliance''s purpose in exposing such a genius was quite apparent. The main reason lay in the fact that Xiang Beifei was trained by Elder Luo! Elder Luo''s relationship with the alliance was not good; the alliance even feared him because they could not suppress such an SR-level Awakener who did not follow their commands, worrying that Elder Luo might build his own forces at Liangzhou University. The emergence of a genius like Xiang Beifei posed an even greater threat to them! That''s why they targeted Xiang Beifei! Once a normal person is exposed, it''s hard for them to keep a low profile anymore; wherever they go, they attract attention. By exposing Xiang Beifei like this, they forced him to stand with the alliance, making him watched by the entire Jiuzhou, thereby limiting his ability to covertly oppose the alliance. His every move was under the alliance''s scrutiny. Whatever arrangement the alliance made afterward, Xiang Beifei would have to comply. From the alliance''s perspective, Xiang Beifei would become a chess piece to control Elder Luo, to isolate him in a special way, monitor him, and weaken his influence. But does Mu Yiqing really believe I will obediently comply and act according to her ideas? "Being the standard for an N-level Awakener means that the initiative is now in my hands." Xiang Beifei Is his name the way out of the withered forest? Coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei felt very unreal. His long-missing father, who he had never met, had named him at a time when he must have been just an infant. How was he so sure he would encounter Youmeng? Had his father just casually decided on his son''s name? Could he have taken naming a bit more seriously! This SSR-level System Awakener possessed the ability to establish rules. Anyone or anything around her that complied with the rules would increase her system value, and acting according to the established rules could also increase her system value. In short, as long as there were rules in a place, she could become stronger. Those who did not follow the rules had nowhere to hide in her presence. Xiang Beifei was looking at Mu Yiqing''s system log, which listed a plethora of incidents involving her handling of rules, one of which read: [You have drafted the "Jiuzhou Policy on SR Talent Recruitment Planning," approved by the Alliance Planning Minister Zhu Yiji, issued as a regulation, with currently 2546 people adhering to this rule, your rule value +2546] The Planning Department of the Jiuzhou Alliance was responsible for crafting and amending various systems to manage every aspect of the alliance, planning the development of Jiuzhou. Simply put, as a UR-level Zhu Yiji was there to set the rules. Xiang Beifei had just learned of Zhu Yiji''s position in the alliance. Those who set the rules, leading by breaking them, even pulling their own grandson out of prison¡ªit was truly astounding. That said, Mu Yiqing also belonged to Zhu Yiji. It was yet unknown whether she was involved in the matter where Zhu Xinjue, who was supposed to be sentenced to death, was disguised, reborn, and escaped from prison. Xiang Beifei soon came across a system log from September: [You revised the regulations on SR Awakeners'' bail application, this rule currently applies to only one person, your rule value +1] "It seems pretty much certain," he muttered. Xiang Beifei''s brow furrowed slightly. Her system, whenever she amended the rules, would add as much to her rule value as the number of people it affected. For example, last time she participated in revising a student recruitment system in Jiuzhou, which directly affected five million college entrance examination students in Jiuzhou, her system value spiked by 5 million! Logically, with this system, Mu Yiqing should adhere to various rules. However, Xiang Beifei quickly thought again. What are rules? Rules are merely set by humans. Since they are set by humans, they can naturally be amended by humans as well. The amended rules are still rules and still fit the criteria of her system. Thus, the higher she stood in the alliance, the easier it would be to hold all the rules in her own hands, and her "Word Spirit Rule System" supposedly operating by rules to become stronger, actually equated to acting as she pleased. Otherwise, why say an SSR-level system is so powerful? ¡ª "Our two schools supported each other in the withered forest and jointly avoided danger," Xiang Beifei said, then turning to Ren Jianghai, added, "We also encountered a student from your Qingzhou University on our way, you can just ask him." "Yes, we nearly were caught Chapter 504: 380 Chapter 504: 380 The other side¡¯s Zhu Yiji showed a look of astonishment in his eyes! Due to his identity, he had never taken action to interfere, only setting the Square and Round Rules under everyone¡¯s feet to prevent them from intervening! This naturally included Professor Guo and Sun Heshun! Zhu Yiji could not let these two help Ye Changfeng and Xiang Beifei, for once Sun Heshun and Professor Guo intervened, the situation would certainly change! Thus, he tightly bound these two men, relying not only on the system but also on Spiritual Power! However, for some reason, Professor Guo had broken free from his Square and Round Rules, escaping the blockade of Spiritual Power! This greatly shocked Zhu Yiji! His cultivation was stronger than Professor Guo¡¯s, and his system level was also higher than Professor Guo¡¯s! Logically, Professor Guo should not have been able to break free, yet why had Professor Guo suddenly become so powerful? He could not understand! ¡ª¡ª Professor Guo¡¯s expression was cold as he faced He Caiwei! An intense aura enveloped him, robust and unbreakable! The Square and Round Rules were broken by Xiaohei, but the Spiritual Power bond was forcibly shattered by Professor Guo himself! Though Professor Guo looked very tired, his fatigue was mixed with an uncontainable rage! His own SSR-ranked student, Wu Shixuan, brought outsiders to slander him, and the Alliance treated him as a criminal. Even after the truth was revealed, Cao Pei decided to deal with it without inquiring him, intending to just let the matter slip away. Professor Guo had never been one to recklessly engage in conflicts or to enjoy manipulative games; he did not like to speculate about the thoughts of others. His abilities were meant for the desolate beasts; he always believed that the true purpose of a martial artist was to guard the borders and fight against the desolate beasts! So he had endured many things, even if Wu Shixuan had previously issued some unreasonable border regulations surreptitiously, he would not comment. For him, teaching and guarding the borders were the two most important things in his life. As long as he could do these two things, he would not care about the rest. Yet everything today seemed like a joke in his eyes, provoking him and making him feel unbearably oppressed! Ye Changfeng and Xiang Beifei both stood up for him, seeking to get justice for him, confronting those who were framing him unjustly, and standing against Cao Pei, who only cared about his own reputation and not the students¡¯ futures. Even though they knew they were no match, they still stood up to speak for him, to do something for him. How could he remain silent any longer? Professor Guo¡¯s anger had been building up and upon seeing He Caiwei move against Xiang Beifei and Ye Changfeng, he finally broke through Zhu Yiji¡¯s bindings! It was as if a slumbering dragon had opened its eyes, striving to break free from the shackles that bound it! Zhu Yiji¡¯s Spiritual Power bondage was indeed powerful, but Zhu Yiji would never have imagined that the fire of conviction could be even more terrifying! Professor Guo¡¯s whole demeanor turned fiery, causing even Zhu Yiji a bit of trepidation! ¡°Guo Zhenghong! Being a subordinate, how dare you defy me?¡± He Caiwei was pushed back, his heart unable to contain his anger! After all, he was the commander of the Alliance Beast Tide Defense Department, Guo Zhenghong¡¯s direct superior, a UR-ranked Awakener! How could he allow himself to be repulsed by an SR-ranked subordinate in front of everyone? However, Professor Guo merely looked at He Caiwei indifferently and said slowly, ¡°You¡ªwhat are you worth?¡± He had long understood that blindly giving way only allowed others to become more aggressive! He had always believed that cultivation was not the key determinant of one¡¯s position, that a person in a high position must have his reasons, his capabilities, and not just because of high cultivation. So when Wu Shixuan rose above him, becoming his superior, he was genuinely happy for Wu Shixuan, believing his talents were recognized by the Alliance, and even if his cultivation was only at the early stages of God Refining, occupying that position was fine because he could support Wu Shixuan to be a good leader. When He Caiwei became the commander of the Alliance Beast Tide Defense Department, he had no objections, believing that He Caiwei was seated there through his own capabilities, that the Alliance appointed He Caiwei because of his ability to manage and coordinate the overall situation. But Professor Guo now saw through it all! This group had no bottom line, they were not seated there by their talents and virtues but by various means, acting unscrupulously, and exploiting opportunities! They abused their power, removed dissenters and framed others. Such people were utterly unworthy of their high positions! ¡°In my eyes, there is only one true commander of the Alliance Beast Tide Defense Department.¡± Professor Guo looked at He Caiwei, his voice steady and strong. ¡°And that person is not you!¡± He said so. Able ones are like hidden gems in the ocean, obscured by the world. The inept, however, are in cahoots, squandering their responsibilities! The one truly capable of leading all martial artists to resist the tide of beasts, upright and able to single-handedly repel the tide of beasts, saving the entirety of Jiuzhou! But he was sidelined by the Alliance leadership for slaying a disobedient SSR-ranked military officer! If he had not chosen to retire, how could He Caiwei, a lowly person, climb to such a high rank? The golden age is discarded; mediocrity thunders like pots and tiles! This is the current state of the Jiuzhou Alliance! ¡ª¡ª ¡°Guo Zhenghong, you are courting death!¡± He Caiwei was furiously embarrassed! How could he not realize who the ¡®someone¡¯ Professor Guo was referring to? Luo Yunxian, a legendary figure! Like a dazzling star, commanding the reverence of everyone in the Alliance! And he, as Luo Yunxian¡¯s successor, was always living in Luo Yunxian¡¯s shadow. Chapter 505 - 380: The Awakened Guardian (Part 3 and 4) Chapter 505: Chapter 380: The Awakened Guardian (Part 3 and 4) Although he had been in this position for five years, many people, when mentioning the Alliance Beast Tide Defense Commander, would first think of someone else, not him¡ªsomeone who had retired five years ago! The one who did nothing but lounged in the woods of Liangzhou University for five years! Yet his prestige still hadn¡¯t diminished! This infuriated He Caiwei! He was only younger than Luo Yunxian, but reaching Luo Yunxian¡¯s level was only a matter of time! In terms of system talent, he was a Supreme ¡°UR¡± grade, far surpassing the ¡°SR¡± grade Luo Yunxian by leagues! But he still couldn¡¯t win everyone¡¯s approval! He couldn¡¯t understand, he wasn¡¯t inferior to Luo Yunxian in any aspect, so why should that ¡°SR¡± grade shine so brightly? And why¡ª did this ¡°SR¡± subordinate dare to utter these words in front of him? He Caiwei was seething with rage, murderous intent already apparent in his eyes! Buzz! He stepped forward, and his spatial abilities surged out instantly, enveloping the entire meeting room and pulling Professor Guo and the other two into the system space he created! This was a school, where just now, Ye Changfeng and Xiang Beifei had clashed with Cao Pei, causing a huge commotion. Countless students were heading this way, wanting to know what was happening here. But the events here, He Caiwei absolutely couldn¡¯t let the students of Liangzhou University know! Violent system space fluctuations rippled, and in an instant, the surroundings dramatically changed. They were now in a desert, with sand everywhere, and the wind howled fiercely! Boom! Boom! Giant lightning bolts, thick as pillars, constantly thundered down from the sky, striking the ground and making it buzz. Countless bolts roared, incessantly blasting down as if in a frenzied sea of thunder! ¡°You three, just go die!¡± He Caiwei¡¯s gaze especially fell on Xiang Beifei! Now, there were only the four of them left in this world, with even Cao Pei gone! Even if he killed these three people here, with no one to see, he could completely fabricate the facts¡ªclaiming that the three had attempted a coup, tried to assassinate the Alliance Beast Tide Defense Commander, and he executed them on the spot! Boom! A ferocious might surged from He Caiwei, his vicious aura soared to the sky. A gigantic black vortex appeared in the clouds above, filled with countless roaring thunders, thundering loudly, echoing He Caiwei¡¯s calls! In his hand appeared a long spear! The spear was azure and translucent, carved with thunder patterns that coiled around it. Potent Spiritual Power circulated within the thunder patterns, like spreading electric light, crackling and hissing! This spear, named Thunder Roar, was He Caiwei¡¯s most powerful reliance and the weapon he used to earn his reputation. It had been with him for over a decade. The powerful lightning array patterns on it were terrifying, sealing thousands of giant thunders, all collected from the thunder seas of the outer domains! With Thunder Roar unleashed, the entire heaven and earth changed color! Xiang Beifei furrowed his brows. This Thunder Roar, he could see from He Caiwei¡¯s system interface, was a growth-type weapon, used by He Caiwei ever since the beginning of his Awakening System. Although it was a system weapon, Xiang Beifei couldn¡¯t control it, as it wasn¡¯t recently exchanged through He Caiwei¡¯s system. ¡°Professor Guo, be careful!¡± Ye Changfeng whispered. Even he could see the power of Thunder Roar; just the spear light it emitted was enough to warp the space around it, its contained aura was unimaginably terrifying! But Professor Guo was undaunted, his gaze sharp as he watched He Caiwei, his posture still steady and upright. ¡°Go die!¡± He Caiwei¡¯s expression was fierce, and Thunder Roar responded instantly. Brilliant thunder surged from the sky, the blue electric light lighting up the entire desert, as all the desert¡¯s lightning columns were drawn to the spear! Boom! He Caiwei slashed with the spear-tip, and rolling thunders tore through the space, thundering toward Professor Guo¡¯s side! Professor Guo didn¡¯t move; he merely lifted his eyelids, a sharp light flashing in his eyes! Buzz! Sand suddenly appeared from all directions, this flying sand being the concentration of Professor Guo¡¯s own Spiritual Power, different from the desert¡¯s sand. The sand roared, circling around him, forming a wall of sand! ¡°You think you can withstand my Thunder Roar?¡± He Caiwei¡¯s spear pierced through the void, striking Professor Guo¡¯s sand wall with an explosion of sharp attacks. Layer upon layer of lightning compounded, forming fierce waves of assault that continuously bombarded the seemingly fragile sand wall! Boom! Boom! Boom! In He Caiwei¡¯s eyes, his Thunder Roar was incredibly powerful; he himself had almost stepped into the Heavenly Connection realm. Thus, the attack created by his Thunder Roar was absolutely the strongest among those in the orifice transforming phase, and no martial artist at that stage could withstand this attack! However, He Caiwei¡¯s expression soon stiffened! Because countless bolts of lightning struck the seemingly weak sand wall, they seemed to hit cotton. The sand was very strange; it wasn¡¯t static but constantly moving in a pattern! Each time the lightning struck a spot, countless grains of sand flowed, rubbing against each other, forming vortexes that guided the lightning. The imposing lightning was wrapped by these moving sands. Layer upon layer of lightning was redirected into the vortexes, quickly being devoured! In just a blink of an eye, the vast sea of lightning created by He Caiwei had disappeared into the sand wall surrounding Professor Guo! ¡°How could this be?¡± He Caiwei¡¯s pupils shrank! In that instant, he could no longer feel the powerful attack generated by his Thunder Roar; it was as if all the attacks had sunk into the sea without a trace! Professor Guo stood there, immovable as a mountain, no matter how fierce He Caiwei¡¯s attacks were, he remained completely unshaken. The sand wall, seemingly insignificant, had blocked all the attacks from the outside! ¡°You are not worthy!¡± Professor Guo coldly rebuked, and, in an instant, the swirling sand around him suddenly froze but only for a second before the grains began moving again. However, this time, the sands moved in a completely opposite manner! Rumble! Roaring sounds emerged from the flying sand; thunderous noises filled the air and blue lightning spread out from the sand wall. Then, with a loud bang¡ª All the lightning started spinning and flowing backwards, redirecting towards He Caiwei! He Caiwei¡¯s face showed shock! The aura of these lightning bolts was clearly from him, originating from the same source as his Thunder Roar, but they were countered and sent back by Professor Guo! Countering! One of Professor Guo¡¯s most powerful abilities! However, He Caiwei soon calmed himself, sneering coldly,¡±You use my lightning to attack me? You¡¯re too naive!¡± He Caiwei disdainfully watched the lightning repelled by Professor Guo. No one knew better than him how his lightning worked. This ignorant old man, whose cultivation was inferior to his, thought he could defeat him by countering his lightning? Such wishful thinking! He Caiwei¡¯s Thunder Roar swept out once again; his deadly spear poised like a dragon, sweeping forward to meet the lightning repelled by Professor Guo. He intended to use the lightning patterns engraved on the Thunder Roar to reclaim those lightning bolts and use them for himself! However, as the lightning repelled by Professor Guo spread to his Thunder Roar, He Caiwei¡¯s expression suddenly changed! He now realized that the repelled lightning was different. Their flow was completely opposite to the attack method He Caiwei had used! This lightning might look similar, but it was actually another type of attack altogether! And the lightning patterns engraved on his Thunder Roar weren¡¯t simply able to absorb these lightning bolts; a transformation was needed, but he had led Professor Guo¡¯s counterattacking lightning into his spear¡¯s patterns without transforming it, instantly making the entire pattern¡¯s aura become chaotic! Crack! Crack! Fissures began to appear on the patterns of the Thunder Roar, lines of cracks spreading all over the long spear as the lightning counterattacked by Professor Guo shook it to the core! ¡°What!¡± He Caiwei was hugely shocked! He had never expected his Thunder Roar to encounter such a mishap! He looked at Professor Guo, filled with shock and fury, unable to accept this reality. How could a lowly SR-ranked system shatter his supreme UR-ranked Thunder Roar? (That¡¯s all for today, four chapters, 8000 words, too sleepy, I¡¯m going to catch some sleep) Chapter 506 - 381: Lend Me A Punch! (Two in One) Chapter 506: Chapter 381: Lend Me A Punch! (Two in One) From the look of things on the scene, those hostile towards Xiang Beifei were too many, and even the rational ones who spoke up risked becoming targets of attack. Lu Zhiwei was very angry. Someone from their detective agency was looking for her, telling her not to stir up trouble, but Lu Zhiwei was not someone who shied away from problems; she was arguing her case with the other party. ¡°Lu Zhiwei, if you continue to cover for this N-level person, our detective agency will have to draw a clear line with you!¡± a male student with a crew cut said. ¡°Draw the line then! Do you think I care?¡± Lu Zhiwei, irritated, clenched her fists and declared, ¡°Come on, I¡¯m putting it out there today, if anyone dares to touch a single hair on him, ask my fists.¡± ¡°Lu Zhiwei, if you really want to fight, why not fight me?¡± a male student stepped forward, looking at Lu Zhiwei. This male student was also a late-stage master of Qi-Controlling! Lu Zhiwei watched him warily; this person was clearly not someone easy to provoke, but she did not back down. However, the expression on Zhuo Jing¡¯s face looked terrible. Xiang Beifei had now become the center of attention, his lucky score of 581 could no longer attract anyone¡¯s praise. He had to actively seek praise. ¡°So what if your score is high? It¡¯s as if you can get into an elite university!¡± Zhuo Jing spat out in jealousy. Of the nine elite universities, only Liangzhou University would admit N-level Awakeners. But even Liangzhou University, faced with N-level students, would set a high entry threshold and not easily let them pass. As for him, Zhuo Jing, his score was more than sufficient for elite universities! Zhuo Jing looked at his system panel, where his appreciation value had reached 5129, enough to exchange for the ¡°Piercing Strike¡± Cultivation Technique. Another task required a score of 550 and 2000 appreciations to exchange for the double Appreciation Card, which he had also completed. But he was not in a hurry to exchange; it was not the moment to exchange Cultivation Techniques. Everyone was focused here, and he wanted to seize the opportunity to earn more appreciation value. Soon, he thought of another way to attract everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°That¡¯s right, my score is more than enough to get into any of the nine elite universities; after all, I am S-level, not N-level. It¡¯s too easy for me to get into an elite university, but elite universities don¡¯t admit N-levels.¡± Zhuo Jing said these words loudly to a friend next to him, making no attempt to hide the pride in his voice. Originally, a crowd was watching Xiang Beifei, but upon hearing Zhuo Jing¡¯s words, they pondered a bit and then realized the issue. Right! What does it matter if Xiang Beifei was the top scholar in school? He was only N-level, and normally, elite universities do not admit N-level students! Even the only exception, Liangzhou University, had not admitted N-level students for the past ten years. The entry threshold set by elite universities for N-level students is extremely high! Many people were swayed by Zhuo Jing¡¯s words, and the way they looked at Xiang Beifei changed instantly, their praise mixed with pity. It was really too bad! Even an S-level with only 500 points could easily get in, but a high school exam score of 732 was still shut out of the elite universities! Everyone was sighing. The system¡¯s innate talent determined the university¡¯s threshold. That¡¯s just how realistic this world is. But everyone understood that this situation existed because the N-level system was too outrageous, releasing system tasks that didn¡¯t make sense and lacked potential. In this world, one profound truth is: studying needs to be applied practically! A good system allows you to utilize your knowledge more proficiently. For an outrageous system like N-level, even if you understand a lot of knowledge from books, it is very difficult to complete the system tasks and achieve the purpose of applying knowledge practically. Put simply, your academic performance determines your fundamental lower limit, while the level of your system talent determines your future upper limit. In the world of systems, high academic scores only mean that your understanding of the world is deeper than normal people, but it doesn¡¯t mean your future achievements will be higher than others. If one were to compare a person to a tree, then an Awakener¡¯s system is like the fertilizer that helps grow the tree. An N-level system¡¯s fertilizer can only let the tree grow up to one meter, but an R-level might let it grow to ten meters, and an S-level could allow it to grow to a hundred meters! As for SR and SSR levels, they could cultivate a person into a towering giant tree! And the nine elite universities, as the name suggests, nurture students who have high future potential. ¡°It¡¯s a pity for such a promising seed. If only his system were R-level.¡± One person couldn¡¯t help but lament. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s such a pity.¡± Others chimed in with sympathy, pity, schadenfreude... various looks were directed at him, even though there was still a small hope for N-level candidates at Liangzhou University, it was very slim. Because that assessment, as legend has it, is an insurmountable barrier for N-levels. Who would have thought that a top scholar with a score of 732 would face such an embarrassing situation? Meanwhile, people were becoming more optimistic about Zhuo Jing. Though his score was only 581, over a hundred points less than Xiang Beifei¡¯s, the fact was that he was S-level! With such results, he could securely enter any of the nine elite universities and choose a good major. ¡°The class president is really impressive! Which of the nine elite universities is the class president planning to choose?¡± someone asked enviously. ¡°Is that even a question? With his additional points, he has a total score of 631. He can pick from any of the nine elite universities.¡± Chapter 507 - 381: Lend Me a Punch! (Two in One)_2 Chapter 507: Chapter 381: Lend Me a Punch! (Two in One)_2 ¡°Yeah, an S-level score of 631 is way stronger than an N-level score of 732.¡± [You¡¯ve received praise from Kangkang, appreciation value +2] [You¡¯ve received praise from Liu Lan, appreciation value +2] ... Seizing the opportunity, Zhuo Jing harvested a wave of appreciation value, and he felt refreshed and invigorated. He pretended to be modest and said, ¡°Oh, you¡¯re all too kind. I¡¯ve already set my goal. As a member of Liangzhou, I plan to stay here and apply to Liangzhou University!¡± In fact, applying to Liangzhou University was a spur-of-the-moment decision. Xiang Beifei¡¯s usual grades were nowhere near his, but his college entrance exam score had surpassed him, which really annoyed him. He knew that Liangzhou University was the only elite university Xiang Beifei could possibly apply to. So he had to choose Liangzhou University! Xiang Beifei was bound to be eliminated by Liangzhou University during the entrance examination. But right now, choosing any elite university meant being a prospective student of that university! A score of 581 got into Liangzhou University, 732 got rejected at the door. Such a stark contrast! That made him, an S-level high achiever, stand out even more! Many people nodded slightly, appreciating what Zhuo Jing said. Zhuo Jing looked at Xiang Beifei with a sidelong, arrogant glance. So what if you¡¯re the top scholar of the school? So what if you have the highest original score? My score of 581 will still annihilate your future! It will still steal your thunder! It will still shift everyone¡¯s gaze from you to me! Jealous, aren¡¯t you? ¡°Haha! Not only did I complete the system task, but I also overshadowed the top scholar of the school and earned a lot of appreciation value. Thrilling!¡± Zhuo Jing hummed a tune to himself. Now, it was time to receive the system rewards! He happily looked at the system interface, eyeing the [Double Appreciation Card] and the [Piercing Strike] cultivation technique, then he clicked on [Receive Reward]. One minute later. ¡°Where are my system rewards?¡± Zhuo Jing suddenly turned to stone on the spot! ¡°Damn system, you actually swallowed my reward again!¡± Zhuo Jing felt darkness before his eyes and nearly passed out. ¡ª¡ª Although Zhuo Jing was an S-level Awakener, he had only awakened his system two months ago, and his cultivation was still only at the early stages of Qi-Controlling. Thus, the two system rewards of [Piercing Strike] and [Double Appreciation Card] were also for the early stages of Qi-Controlling. These types of rewards were something Xiang Beifei wouldn¡¯t even bother with, but he happily accepted them. The reason was simple, he was delighted. To those with whom he had no grudges, if their rewards were mistakenly taken by Xiaohei, he would return them. He respected people who were good to him and would do his best to help them. But for those who sought trouble with him, who bullied him to his face, there was no need for courtesy! If he couldn¡¯t use it himself, he could feed it to a dog! Xiaohei, a little milk dog with snow-white fur, happily swallowed the two items, turning them into Spiritual Qi Crystals and collected them. ¡°Damn system! Damn system!¡± Zhuo Jing was on the verge of madness, still unaware of what had happened. Because his system had malfunctioned before, he thought it had crashed today as well, and had there not been so many people around, he would have cursed at his system already. Little did he know, his rewards had indeed ended up in the paws of a little milk dog. ¡ª¡ª Because of Zhuo Jing¡¯s speech, many people no longer envied Xiang Beifei, the top scholar of the school, and their attention gradually shifted to other S-level students. This actually relieved Xiang Beifei. He didn¡¯t enjoy being the center of attention. The crowd quickly dispersed, and other school leaders went to congratulate other students. Only Principal Li Nanxing stayed, his expectation for Xiang Beifei unwavering. Li Nanxing¡¯s expression turned serious when he mentioned the outer desolate lands. The outer desolate lands, beyond the territory of Jiuzhou, were filled with various dangerous and powerful desolate beasts, ferocious and terrifying. The task of the frontier expanders is to eliminate the desolate beasts of a region, and then expand the territory of Jiuzhou, securing more living space for humanity. This is a very daunting task, as desolate beasts are not so easily destroyed. On the contrary, it¡¯s more common for the expanders to be encircled and killed by the desolate beasts! This is also why the profession of a frontier expander holds such a high status, they fight for humanity¡¯s living space, nearly tying their own lives to their belts. In Jiuzhou, if one¡¯s cultivation hasn¡¯t reached the Meridian Opening Realm, they are generally not allowed to venture into the outer desolate wilds, because those in the Qi-Controlling Realm who go there are no different from seeking death! ¡°I don¡¯t understand what the people at Liangzhou University are thinking, setting such an entrance examination,¡± Li Nanxing said with dissatisfaction. This clearly amounted to displaying the words ¡°Reject N-level Awakeners from enrollment¡± for everyone to see. But he was just a high school principal and could not influence the affairs of Liangzhou University. No matter how unfair he felt, he could not do anything about it. ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t have to worry. You are not a Qi-Controlling practitioner, so the test they have set for you should be in a simulation training ground. Elite universities have simulation facilities, that¡¯s where they will...¡± Li Nanxing explained. Xiang Beifei fell into deep thought. An entrance examination, is it going into the outer desolate wilds? His parents, had gone to the outer desolate wilds and never returned. What exactly was that place like? He had yet to visit himself. This world is closely connected with the outer desolate wilds, yet Xiang Beifei¡¯s current experience still only scratched the surface. The college entrance examination scores of Luhe High School¡¯s students were released one by one. Some rejoiced, some were despondent, with scores of 300, 400, and each person¡¯s expression varied. Currently, the highest scorer was named Shen Yu. He had awakened the [S-level Academic God System], and scored 667 points without any bonus points, from Class One. At this time, Kong Xiuwen¡¯s score was also revealed: [Kong Xiuwen, S-level, Language 101, Mathematics 103, Integrated Science 191, Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou 118, Total Score 513] Kong Xiuwen was overjoyed! ¡°Ah, I scored 500 points!¡± He frantically clutched at his hair. He had gone all out these days to reach 500 points, exchanging all the hair he had lost for system rewards to increase his intelligence, and at last it had paid off. 513 plus the 50 points bonus, 563 points, this score was more than enough to get into an elite university! ¡°Congratulations,¡± Xiang Beifei said. ¡°Thank you. I didn¡¯t expect to perform so well!¡± Kong Xiuwen was extremely excited, but quickly suppressed his enthusiasm and asked, ¡°How confident are you? Last time, you said we would go to Liangzhou University together. I¡¯ve done it, now I¡¯m waiting for you! Don¡¯t let me down!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait until the results come out,¡± Xiang Beifei replied. ¡°Son, you did it!¡± A chubby middle-aged man squeezed through the crowd. His figure was robust, easily pushing through the throng and hugging Kong Xiuwen excitedly, almost knocking him over with his round belly. This was Kong Xiuwen¡¯s father, Kong Daming. [Host: Kong Daming] [S-level, Gluttonous Feast System] [Realm: Early Meridian Opening] Kong Daming was in the catering business, his cooking skills were extraordinary, turning even a simple cabbage dish into a mouthwatering delicacy. ¡°Dad, be a bit more reserved,¡± Kong Xiuwen said, holding his stomach which had been bumped painfully, but unable to hide his excitement, letting his father¡¯s large hand rub back and forth over his head. ¡°Hello, Uncle Kong.¡± Xiang Beifei greeted politely. ¡°Haha, good, good, it¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve seen you, Xiaofei,¡± Kong Daming laughed heartily, then turned to greet Xiang Qingde, ¡°Old Master, how¡¯s your health?¡± ¡°Still good, congratulations, Daming,¡± Xiang Qingde managed to say with a smile. ¡°Haha, thank you, thank you! My Xiuwen has made it. By the way, has Xiaofei¡¯s score come out yet?¡± Kong Daming asked. ¡°It should be out soon.¡± Xiang Qingde¡¯s mind inadvertently conjured the image of the 43-point paper and he sighed silently. ¡°Xiaofei, you¡¯ve got to do your best! You two have played together since childhood, have always been in the same class, I hope you can go to the same university!¡± Kong Daming said cheerfully. ¡°Hopefully,¡± Xiang Qingde could only reply, inwardly sighing again. Kong Xiuwen was an S-level Awakener, and a score of 500 could get him into an elite university, but Xiang Beifei was N-level, and his scores were so poor... ¡°Haha, that¡¯s great. To celebrate my son¡¯s excellent results, I¡¯m not doing business tonight, just preparing a celebration feast for you all. Old Master, you must come too!¡± Kong Daming and Xiang Tianxing used to be classmates, and since Xiang Tianxing¡¯s misfortune, he often took care of the grandfather and grandson, always telling them to eat for free at his restaurant. However, the Xiangs rarely accepted, even though their income was low, they didn¡¯t want to take handouts. Kong Daming understood this, so he changed tactics, often sending some meat to Xiang Qingde¡¯s house for them to cook themselves. Chapter 508 - 385: The Strongest Defense! (3rd and 4th updates) Boom! Boom! Boom! Punch after punch! Even though Commander He Caiwei desperately used his Spiritual Power to resist, he was still beaten into a pitiful state! The fists that Professor Guo formed from condensed sand tore through the spatial system created by He Caiwei, creating crack after crack! Outside, people like Cao Pei could see through those broken spatial cracks and were shocked when they saw He Caiwei lying on the ground like a dead dog, beaten powerlessly by Professor Guo! Is this really a professor from their school? The very president of Liangzhou University, unaware of the terrifying powerhouse, Professor Guo, within his own faculty! That''s He Caiwei! UR-ranked Commander He! The chief commander of the Alliance Beast Tide Defense Department! Only a person with extremely powerful and terrifying strength is qualified to sit in this position! That was also the reason Cao Pei had always tried to please He Caiwei! However, now Cao Pei realized, in front of the truly fearsome Professor Guo, this so-called Commander He¡ª Is nothing at all! Professor Guo had always worked on the frontier, barely ever engaging in hand-to-hand combat or conflicts with anyone apart from being strict with students, and was otherwise known for his good temperament. His usual opponents were desolate beasts, which led many to overlook his strength. "How can Professor Guo be so strong?" As a practitioner of the literary Dao, Cao Pei had only been transferred from the Alliance to take the position of president at Liangzhou University a few years ago, overseeing both the Liberal Arts College and the Martial Arts College. He only cared about SSR and UR Awakeners; these were the people he felt he needed to pay attention to. He never truly understood Professor Guo''s actual strength, thinking of him only as a straightforward SR-ranked senior professor with no status in the Alliance and mediocre power, who spent his life working for SSR and UR without ever making waves. However, today he realized just how ridiculously wrong he had been! Their school was actually harboring such a quietly formidable senior professor! The professor who usually did nothing but teach at school and patrol the frontier had such terrifying prowess! He was just a commander on the fringe line of the Liangzhou Beast Tide Defense, yet he was able to hang Commander He Caiwei up and beat him senseless! Boom! Boom! Boom! With every punch Professor Guo threw, Cao Pei gasped in shock! UR-ranked Commander He looked like a ragged doll, powerless to retaliate, beaten punch after punch! As Cao Pei thought about how he had just tried to offer Commander He a way out, ignoring how Professor Guo had been framed, his back broke out in a cold sweat! At this moment, Professor Guo looked grim, but it was evident he was extremely angry. Each punch landed on He Caiwei felt like it was hitting Cao Pei''s chest, making it difficult for Cao Pei to breathe! He deeply regretted not having understood Professor Guo''s true strength, regretted not speaking up for Professor Guo earlier, and moreover, having trivialized the matter! If Commander He wasn''t a match for Professor Guo, then he, as the president of Liangzhou University, facing Professor Guo, would probably be nothing before his gaze! Wu Shixuan beside him was scared out of his wits! As an SSR, he had always looked down on Professor Guo, thinking that UR He Caiwei was the real powerhouse. Yet, the powerhouse he relied on was beaten so badly by Professor Guo that even his own mother wouldn''t recognize him. Thinking about how he had tried to frame Professor Guo, Wu Shixuan trembled with fear! ¡ª "Stop!" Zhu Yiji, who had been watching from the outside, sensed something was off, forcefully tore through the spatial system, and upon seeing He Caiwei being beaten on the ground, he exclaimed in rage, "Guo Zhenghong, you dare to disrespect and attack the leadership of the Alliance!" However, Professor Guo just coldly glanced at Zhu Yiji, said nothing, and threw another punch at He Caiwei, smashing him into the ground! "You are out of line!" Zhu Yiji, seeing that Professor Guo had disregarded him, became furious. With a wave of his hand, a square and round rule instantly enveloped Professor Guo! "Disrespecting superiors, clashing with leadership, plotting against an important official of the Alliance, disregarding the laws of Jiuzhou, I want you to kneel and admit your mistake!" Zhu Yiji shouted! As a practitioner of the Heavenly Connection realm, his strength was much greater than that of He Caiwei! His stern shout and the black square and round rule shaped law confined Professor Guo within! His Square and Round Rules demanded Professor Guo to kneel! Yet, Professor Guo still turned a blind eye and landed another punch on He Caiwei''s chest! "This punch is for the delay you caused to the students of the Martial Arts College at Liangzhou University!" His voice was still stern! Boom! He Caiwei roared and was smashed into the ground again! Zhu Yiji was astonished! Professor Guo had once again disregarded his Square and Round Rules! No, there weren''t many who could ignore his Square and Round Rules, which were akin to a form of mental control. Once someone was bound by his square and round, if they weren''t sufficiently defensively mentally, they had to act according to his rules! With his Heavenly Connection realm prowess, there weren''t many in the Alliance who could withstand his rules, which was why he had been able to dominate the Alliance. However, three times today, his Square and Round Rules had been broken, which was utterly baffling! His gaze swept over the trio ¨C Professor Guo, who had the strength to defeat He Caiwei, Ye Changfeng with his sharp and potent Sword Qi, and Xiang Beifei with his peculiarly rapid talent progression! Chapter 509 - 385: The Strongest Defense! (3rd and 4th updates)_2 Zhu Yiji suddenly realized who was most likely to be capable of this! Luo Yunxian! In the entire alliance, less than ten people could ignore his Square and Round Rules, and these ten were all UR-level masters! But it was SR-level Luo Yunxian that was the most troublesome to him! He was the only SR capable of withstanding his Square and Round Rules! These three must be under the protection left by Luo Yunxian! "Damn it! That guy disappeared and still left such strong protection!" Zhu Yiji was seething with resentment, and soon a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes! These three were challenging his authority so brazenly, disregarding his words, as if he had come here to play the role of an impartial official today! "Guo Zhenghong, stop right now!" Zhu Yiji was furious, and the Spiritual Power surged around him, instantly forming a giant palm in front of him that slapped down towards Professor Guo! Professor Guo furrowed his brow slightly and stopped his sand fist, turning to look at the palm strike descending from the sky! The strike was so massive that it obscured the sky and wielded overwhelming power, contorting and cracking the entire space created by He Caiwei, revealing the Liangzhou University campus through the cracks. This was the might of a Heavenly Connection realm expert, so tremendously powerful! This palm strike was far beyond what could be resisted by someone in the orifice transforming stage; it was more than ten times stronger than He Caiwei''s earlier attack! Xiang Beifei''s expression also grew solemn. This palm strike from Zhu Yiji wasn''t just for show. But there was nothing he could do, as Zhu Yiji didn''t use the Square and Round Rules, so this level of battle was beyond his ability to intervene. "Professor Guo¡ª" Ye Changfeng called out urgently. "Don''t panic! Stand behind me!" Professor Guo commanded coolly! The flying sand around him gathered once more, rapidly spinning in front of him, with the ferocious sandstorm rotating at an unimaginable speed, making the flying sand seem like brown beams of light around him. The faster the sand spun, the more solid the light beams became; the speed of the sand was so extreme that it almost materialized, and the air howled as it was sliced by the sand, creating more cracks in the space created by He Caiwei. The battlefield of their clash began to burst, and the erupting aura seeped through the cracks into the Liangzhou University campus! However, Professor Guo''s flying sand did more than tearing through He Caiwei''s system space; it also created layers upon layers of black vortexes around him! There was an incredibly powerful and strange suction force pulsating within the cracks, akin to black holes. At this moment, the terrifying palm of Zhu Yiji had fallen from the sky, slamming onto the outer defenses of Professor Guo! Hum! The frightening Spiritual Power of the Heavenly Connection realm violently compressed Professor Guo''s flying sand, infiltrating it, intending to directly annihilate his defenses! Nevertheless, Professor Guo''s spinning sand persisted, the outermost layer quickly extinguished by Zhu Yiji, but as it did, it also took a bit of the power from Zhu Yiji''s palm wind! Layer upon layer of flying sand perished, but the vortexes alongside were also consuming Zhu Yiji''s palm wind. Each grain of sand carried away a shred of force, and the sheer volume of the weakening by countless grains was terrifying! When Zhu Yiji''s palm wind eradicated all the flying sand, half of his power had already been wiped out! But the Heavenly Connection realm was still too strong and hadn''t been completely erased; the remaining palm wind continued to bear down on Professor Guo, who also struck forward with a palm of his own¡ª Boom! The two mighty palm strikes collided, unleashing terrible fluctuations. Shockwaves violently sprayed outward, sweeping through the space created by He Caiwei, destroying everything in their path! The space could no longer hold together and completely collapsed! Thud! Professor Guo, with Spiritual Power surging around him, forcefully dispersed Zhu Yiji''s attack, but he too staggered back a step! Blood stained the corner of his mouth! ---- "How... how powerful!" Cao Pei and others present were shocked beyond measure! It was one thing for Professor Guo to defeat He Caiwei, but to withstand a palm strike from Zhu Yiji? Zhu Yiji''s strength was that of a bona fide Heavenly Connection realm cultivator! Incomparable to the orifice transforming stage, he was countless times stronger than the late-stage He Caiwei! However, after clashing with Zhu Yiji, Professor Guo, who was in the middle stage of orifice transforming, merely stepped back one step and sustained only a minor injury without even a change of expression on his face. Was Professor Guo''s defense ability really so terrifying? "This person is probably the strongest defensive type Awakener in the Alliance!" Even Zhu Yiji couldn''t help but think to himself, his heart shaking from the defensive power of Professor Guo! Unlike He Caiwei and Cao Pei, Zhu Yiji had a slight understanding of Professor Guo''s past. Although he had never seen Professor Guo fight anyone, in the past, during the desolate beast tide, the areas where Professor Guo was present were never breached. In the past, Zhu Yiji thought Professor Guo was able to withstand the beast tide because he had a thorough knowledge of the desolate beasts, but only after today''s combat with Professor Guo did he realize his defense had reached a terrifying level! Within the Alliance, it would likely be impossible to find another who could match Professor Guo''s defense. If Professor Guo were to step into the later stage of orifice transformation, he probably could easily block even Zhu Yiji''s fierce palm strike! But this only made Zhu Yiji even angrier! No matter how strong Professor Guo''s defense was, he was still just at the middle stage of orifice transformation. If he, a Heavenly Connection realm figure, couldn''t overcome him, wouldn''t he become a laughing stock if word got out? But now that He Caiwei''s System Space had been torn apart, they had returned to reality, and in front of so many people at Liangzhou University, Zhu Yiji needed to consider his own status. ¡ª¡ª "Not bad," Professor Guo gave a thumbs up, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze fixed on Zhu Yiji, his expression still cold and solemn, showing no concern for the minor wounds. "If that skill were used to kill desolate beasts instead of to set people up, then what would there be to fear from the beast tide?" Professor Guo said coldly. Zhu Yiji''s face turned an iron blue! "You deserve to die!" On the other side, He Caiwei also clumsily climbed up from the ground, his body covered with bruises. Even though he had been brutally beaten by Professor Guo, as a martial artist in the later stage of orifice transforming, he had used his Spiritual Power to protect his vitals and managed to save his life. But even so, he suffered a terrible price: a broken arm, fractured ribs in the chest, displaced internal organs, and a thigh bone smashed and twisted... No one would have imagined that the once immaculately dressed and noble He Caiwei could end up in such a state! He glared bitterly at Professor Guo, his murderous intent undiminished. If not for Zhu Yiji''s intervention just now, he might have been even more seriously injured! [Do you want to spend 8 million uniqueness value to exchange for a restoration pill to heal your injuries?] "Yes!" He Caiwei replied hatefully in his mind. [You have successfully exchanged 8 million uniqueness value for a restoration pill; this pill will directly heal all current injuries of the host!] This is the strength of a high-level system; no matter how severe the injury is, as long as it is not fatal, it can forcibly restore all injuries using system points! There won''t be any aftereffects! "Once my injuries are healed, I will make you pay!" As He Caiwei waited for his injuries to heal, he plotted his revenge against Professor Guo in his mind. However, after waiting for a long time, he found that his body was still in a miserable condition, without any sign of his wounds healing! "Where''s the restoration pill?" He Caiwei roared in his mind. [The restoration pill has taken effect, healing is ongoing, please wait patiently...] He Caiwei continued to wait. [Healing Failed!] He could no longer stand; his legs had been broken by Professor Guo, and when he saw this message, shock and anger surged through him, and he collapsed on the ground with a "bang!" How could this be? How could his invincible restoration pill fail? Could it be that Professor Guo''s methods were so powerful that even the restoration pill couldn''t heal them? [You, an UR-level, were beaten by SR-level Professor Guo to an extent that your wounds can''t heal, congratulations on setting a new record! This negative record will not count toward your uniqueness value!] He Caiwei saw the system suddenly pop up with this message and couldn''t help but spit out another mouthful of blood! (Eight-thousand-word update completed) Chapter 510 - 386: One Sentence! (4000 words) But after walking a short distance, a fork in the road suddenly appeared! Xiang Beifei''s tracks reappeared at the fork, but then vanished once again on this new path. "Which way should we go?" Hou Chengwu asked Chen Baiwen in an urgent tone. "I don''t know, there are no tracks," Chen Baiwen shook his head. "Forget it, let''s split up and take separate ways, it will be faster," Zhu Xinjue suggested. "If we split up, we''re dividing our strength. If we encounter Xiang Beifei, do you really think we stand a chance against him?" Chen Baiwen questioned. "Xiang Beifei is clearly being hunted by that desolate beast. If we run into him, how could we not have a chance?" Zhu Xinjue retorted. After a brief discussion, they ultimately decided to go their separate ways, but all agreed that if they encountered Xiang Beifei, they would first send a signal to the others, and if they couldn''t find anyone after half an hour, they would regroup at this location. To ensure mutual trust, they decided to mix the members from both parties. Zhu Xinjue and Yu Hongbo, along with He Qiutong, took one path, while Chen Baiwen and Hou Chengwu took another. Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen took three SR members and went left. Chen Baiwen seemed preoccupied with heavy thoughts, but Hou Chengwu still cautioned, "Don''t forget our agreement." Xiang Beifei faintly understood and said, "Digest memories?" A desolate beast, after devouring the brain of another desolate beast, can sometimes extract the memories of its prey, meaning that what the latter had seen and heard could be digested by the predator. If that green-haired caterpillar was crushed by Long Guocheng, it means that the caterpillar had seen Xiang Beifei and his people! Even if the green-haired caterpillar couldn''t understand human language, the images and scenes would still be imprinted in its mind! What exactly did they say when they encountered the green-haired caterpillar, and did it commit those words to memory? To eat the brains of other desolate beasts in order to compensate for their own shortcomings, to expand their own knowledge¡ªthus, the more they consume, the greater their wisdom inevitably becomes! Desolate beasts with great strength but simple minds aren''t frightening, the ones with high intelligence are the most terrifying! The question now is what sort of impression of themselves had the green-haired caterpillar, crushed by Long Guocheng, left behind. Li Zimu''s stone cottage had many rooms built, with everyone separated by one another, without beds or blankets. Although quite spartan, such details weren''t too important in the harsh lands beyond the borders. When Xiang Beifei returned from his shift, Long Guocheng was leaning against the door, hands crossed in front of him, and he asked, "Can I ask you a question?" "What is it?" Xiang Beifei said. "You''re not an N-level Awakener, are you? You''re at least SR, right?" "Is that very important to you?" "It would make me feel better," Long Guocheng reluctantly admitted. If he had lost to the SR-ranked Li Zimu, he wouldn''t feel too embarrassed. After all, the other''s talent was no less than his. They were both SR-ranked, and if he lost, he could always win back the next time. But losing to an N-level Awakener left a knot in his heart. "That''s your problem, not mine," Xiang Beifei said, not liking to explain his system to others. Because he didn''t have a system at all. "We''re a team! I''ve told you all about my abilities! But we know nothing about yours! If we''re a team, there should be mutual understanding," Long Guocheng emphasized. "Oh, now you admit we''re a team? I thought you liked to show off," Xiang Beifei remarked. Long Guocheng snorted but didn''t refute the point. He indeed liked to stand out because without doing so, he couldn''t collect system points. "If you tell me you''re SR or SSR, I''d accept my defeat wholeheartedly," Long Guocheng declared. "So you''re looking down on those whose system level is lower than yours? What''s wrong with being N-level? Or R-level? Or S-level? Besides their cultivation level, how are they inferior to you in character, morality, or behavior? Do they deserve your contempt? Do you enjoy finding a sense of superiority over those with a lower system?" Xiang Beifei spoke sternly. "I..." Long Guocheng was rendered speechless. He looked down on those less talented than himself, seeing them as having no future prospects, especially the lowly N-level Awakeners. He only respected the strong. But his pride always seemed to be shattered by Xiang Beifei. Deep down, he hoped that Xiang Beifei''s system was SR-level, or even SSR. Then, being defeated by Xiang Beifei wouldn''t be too frustrating, and his long-held principles of pride could remain intact. But what he couldn''t accept was the fact that Xiang Beifei might actually be an N-level! "I just don''t believe that an N-level Awakener has such potential. With such a useless system, they''ll only ever achieve so much, they couldn''t possibly have such strength," Long Guocheng said through clenched teeth. "Why can''t an N-level Awakener defeat an SR? How many people are there who can surpass Shang Tianxiong, also an N-level Awakener? Someone truly capable can kill an SSR even if they are just SR! We all live in this world, we are all human, you are not nobler than anyone else. You merely have a higher starting point, but that doesn''t mean you''ll end up higher than others in the future, one should remain humble," Xiang Beifei spoke. After finishing his statement, Xiang Beifei went straight back to his own compartment. "Humble, huh?" Long Guocheng''s face shifted between clouds and sunshine as he pondered Xiang Beifei''s words. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª At around nine in the evening, Ye Changfeng gathered everyone up. He had obtained the schedule and rules for the matches the next day. Elder Luo said, "We need to discuss tomorrow''s situation first, everyone must stay alert." Chapter 511 - 386: One Sentence! (4000 words)_2 The rules are clear to everyone already: the new student competition consists of individual challenges and group pioneering. In individual challenges, the nine schools compete in a round-robin tournament, facing each other only once¡ªmeaning each school will fight eight matches, for a total of thirty-six matches over two days. Whether the competitors are in the Meridian Opening stage or the Qi-Controlling stage will be determined by a roll of dice. "Tomorrow''s schedule, the first match, is Jizhou University against Yanzhou University. Our match is not the first one up, which is good. Everyone can observe the strength of the other schools first. However, in the second match, it will be Qingzhou University against Liangzhou University," Ye Changfeng distributed a flyer to everyone, and they all looked at the schedule with solemn expressions. "Yuchi Shen, explain to them the current strength of each school this year," Elder Luo said. Yuchi Shen glanced at Xiang Beifei expressionlessly before beginning his introduction. "But, it''s stipulated that one person can only participate in up to two matches, so when the time comes, I''ll need to analyze the situation with the other teachers before deciding how to allocate the order of appearance and opponents among you five," he said. It''s like Tian Ji''s horse racing, but not quite the same. During Tian Ji''s horse racing, there are three rounds where there''s room to maneuver, but here, schools only face each other in one match¡ªit''s basically random. Normally, you''d hope that other schools would take on the strong students from different schools, using up their two chances, and by the time they face us, they can only field their weaker students. This is like with Qingzhou University and Liangzhou University¡ªthis year, Qingzhou University has two SSRs; each has to fight in two matches, so the two SSRs can fight in, at most, four matches. Thus, Ye Changfeng hopes that Qingzhou University will use those four opportunities against the other seven schools so that by the time they face us, the quota is used up, and only SRs can be sent into battle, increasing our chances of winning. However, all the schools are elite and the teachers in charge of the teams certainly understand this principle. So the allocation of fighters will be a psychological gambit. Before taking the stage, nobody can know whether the opponent will field a strong or weak player. "You should understand by now, our school doesn''t have an SSR this year, which means our strength is weaker than other schools. In the individual challenges, it will be difficult for you to gain an advantage," Yuchi Shen said, his gaze fixed on Xiang Beifei. "Apart from Qingzhou University, Yanzhou University, and Jizhou University, the other schools only have one SSR as well¡ªonly one Meridian Opening stage student. We don''t need to worry too much, especially since we have student Xiang Beifei," Xi Keyao said timidly from the side. "The situation isn''t that simple," Elder Luo said. "In the individual challenges, there are only eight matches, one point per match, so the total score is very important. But have you considered, to secure a higher total score, the other schools will certainly find a way to secure their points. So, who are they nearly certain to get a point from?" Long Guocheng and the others caught on, "From us at Liangzhou University?" Now, the other eight schools have a common understanding: Liangzhou University doesn''t have an SSR this year, which means no Meridian Opening stage students. So, in order to secure an assured point, they will most certainly send their Meridian Opening SSRs against us! Because if SSRs face other schools, sometimes they''ll meet opponents who are also SSRs, all of whom are in the Meridian Opening stage, and inevitably someone will lose. If you end up losing, it''s not worth it. But now, all the schools think that all Liangzhou University''s students are only in the late Qi-Controlling stage. Therefore, sending a Meridian Opening SSR to face a school with only Qi-Controlling stage students is almost a guaranteed win. Everyone wants to pick the soft persimmons first and secure a point. "Yes, which means in every match we face, the opponents may all be Meridian Opening SSRs!" Elder Luo said, his tone laden with meaning. "This..." Everyone''s expressions grew more solemn. Elder Luo said, "Alright, next you''ll need to discuss among yourselves how to allocate those who take the field and how to break through this situation." "Really, why must they make this simple new student competition so complicated?" Ma Ziqian muttered on the side. For them, martial artists, the simplest approach would be to rush up and have a straightforward fight, the most hassle-free way. "Because this is also a form of tactic," Elder Luo said, "When facing opponents with uneven strengths, how to arrange your players to break the deadlock and achieve more victories is a form of command strategy. The competitions at elite universities test not only martial power but also various abilities to adapt on the fly, such as how to make the most effective use of limited personnel. It''s a test for the team leader and the freshmen alike. Cultivating this kind of thinking will also be applicable when facing a desolate beast tide in the future." The Martial Arts Colleges at elite universities are all about training pioneers and guardians, which means the basic mindset is combat-oriented. When facing a desolate beast tide, the beasts'' strengths are uneven, so each school must train students on how to maximize combat effectiveness with efficient use of personnel. The rules of this freshman competition seem very unfair at first glance; there will be Meridian Opening phase facing Qi-Controlling phase, and the fights are almost one-sided, failing to truly reflect the freshers'' genuine strength. However, the truth is, when facing desolate beasts, there has never been any fairness! In battles with desolate beasts, most of the time the desolate beasts are a bit stronger. So how to achieve victory and earn the most points is actually a test of each university''s tactical coordination abilities. Which battle to give up on, which one to go all out, who to send against different opponents, learning to make trade-offs, and playing psychological games with each other, it''s a struggle not just of courage but also of wits. Although Elder Luo seems idle and often not very serious, he once served as the commander-in-chief of the Jiuzhou Alliance in resisting the desolate beast tide, and his strategic vision in command of battle is incredibly formidable. He knows all too well the original intention behind these kinds of competitions among the nine elite schools. That is to say, Elder Luo has an idea of how to break this situation, but instead of making it explicit, he wants Xiang Beifei''s team to think it over for themselves first, as part of their training. If their ideas don''t work, Elder Luo will then provide guidance. ¡ª¡ª Hearing Elder Luo say this, nobody could continue to complain. Ye Changfeng and Yuchi Shen were also sitting to one side, neither saying anything, but instead, they were looking at the five members of Xiang Beifei''s team. Xiang Beifei and his team were silent. After a long while, Long Guocheng was the first to speak, "In tomorrow''s competition, our first match is in the second round against Qingzhou University. Facing Qingzhou University, we don''t know who they will send to face us." Xiang Beifei said, "The person that Qingzhou University sends out tomorrow will definitely be Hou Chengwu, without any surprises." Long Guocheng asked, "Are you so sure? Qingzhou University has two SSRs, one UR, plus two SRs, and they haven''t decided on the participants yet." Xiang Beifei said, "It will definitely be Hou Chengwu! He originally rejected our offer from Liangzhou University and chose Qingzhou University instead. He must prove to others that his choice of not choosing Liangzhou University was correct, and the way to prove it is to come and defeat us personally." "That''s also true," Li Zimu nodded thoughtfully, "Considering you snubbed him today, he would surely want to seek revenge." "Xiang Beifei, do you have the ability to defeat Hou Chengwu?" Xi Keyao asked. Xiang Beifei was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly. The expressions of Long Guocheng and the others improved slightly; they now all acknowledged Xiang Beifei, and were aware of his prowess. Although this guy isn''t an SSR, his strength is outrageously strong. With him around, even if Liangzhou University isn''t as overtly powerful as those other three universities, it is still enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the other schools. "But if the other schools all send their SSRs against us, we are almost certainly defeated; Xiang Beifei can only compete twice, which means at most he can earn two points" Chapter 512 - 387: Blood Art Surge! (4000 words) "No problem?" Elder Luo turned his head to look at Professor Guo and the other two. He then set his gaze on Xiang Beifei and inquired. "I''m okay, I just figured you would probably be here by now." Xiang Beifei lightly tossed the large melon seed in his hand! That was something Elder Luo had given Xiang Beifei during the winter break for self-defense. He had counted fifty thousand stars to get the system reward and had immediately given it to Xiang Beifei. It was like a system credit card. Xiang Beifei could directly use this melon seed to borrow in advance Elder Luo''s leisure value. With Elder Luo''s leisure value, Xiang Beifei could unleash powerful strength to protect himself. But Xiang Beifei had never used it, because it was linked to Elder Luo''s combat strength, and he wouldn''t misuse it carelessly. It wasn''t until today when they were about to interrogate Professor Guo that Xiang Beifei borrowed 7979 leisure value. When he wiped away the massive amount of leisure value, Elder Luo immediately sensed it. He knew very well that Xiang Beifei wouldn''t use it unless it was dangerous. Elder Luo carefully pondered the number and realized that 7979 meant "help, help", so he hurried back to confirm the situation. Upon arriving, he found Zhu Yiji daring to lay hands on his people. Elder Luo immediately couldn''t suppress his anger and took action! He was never someone easy to provoke! "Is Guo injured?" Elder Luo looked again at the slightly disordered aura around Professor Guo. "It''s nothing serious," Professor Guo shook his head slightly. "And you?" "We''re okay, Professor Guo was protecting us," Ye Changfeng said. "That''s good. You all rest¡ª" Elder Luo rubbed his fist. "I''ll vent your anger for you." A hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes! By this time, Zhu Yiji, who had just been blasted underground by a word from Elder Luo, had already stepped out from deep beneath the ground and reappeared in the air, looking at this side in a mix of shock and anger. "Luo Yunxian! You''re too much!" Zhu Yiji was obviously putting on a bold front, but even he was shocked by Luo Yunxian''s malicious force. Five years ago, he knew Luo Yunxian was strong, but also not that much different from himself. In five years, Zhu Yiji''s strength had greatly advanced! Completing missions with a UR-grade system was very simple! Over the past five years, the strength of UR-grade Zhu Yiji had improved a lot. He thought he could trample Luo Yunxian under his feet, which is why he dared to take action recently. But unexpectedly, after five years of not seeing him, today Luo Yunxian blew him away to the ground with just a loud shout! This made Zhu Yiji furious with embarrassment! "Too much? Don''t be in such a hurry, this is just the beginning." Elder Luo narrowed his eyes. The old eyes suddenly became clear as water, as if they contained a vast starry sky, profound and vast. Hum! Powerful spiritual power fluctuations swept out, instantly sealing off the surrounding space. The entire meeting room shifted once more, and it was as if they had arrived in a land of molten lava! Spiritual illusion! When this fluctuation swept out, even Xiang Beifei was secretly astonished! Because this was not a system ability, but something Elder Luo created with spiritual power, a type of Spiritual Power! Such a level of illusion was so real it surpassed the spaces created by Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei''s systems! When Elder Luo''s spiritual power spread, Xiang Beifei found that he could no longer see Elder Luo''s system information. The White Crane was truly a master of Heavenly Connection! At this moment, when Zhu Yiji saw the surroundings change, his expression darkened, and he immediately shouted, "Luo Yunxian, do you really want to fight me here?" "It''s not about you taking action¡ª" Elder Luo lifted his eyelids, without any noticeable movement, the ground''s magma suddenly began to boil violently. Zhu Yiji felt something was not quite right. He immediately turned to look back, but just as he turned his head, a fiery fist slammed into his nose! Bang! Zhu Yiji had no time to react, and his entire form was smashed away, falling towards the magma below. But just as he fell not ten meters, another fist appeared below, striking Zhu Yiji''s face and blasting him to the left! However, before Zhu Yiji could recover from being hit to the left, another punch struck his forehead on the left, smashing him to the right. But there was already another fist waiting for him on the right! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Zhu Yiji was bombarded from all directions with countless fists appearing as if out of thin air, always managing to hit Zhu Yiji just before he could react, battering him around in the air like a ragged punching bag! "It''s me taking unilateral action." Elder Luo didn''t move at all. He just stood there, watching Zhu Yiji with a menacing aura, as if he were just a spectator watching a play, the sudden appearance of those fists seemingly having nothing to do with him. That was the powerful force he had condensed with spiritual power, no different from actual attacks! Zhu Yiji was battered and bruised from being hit by fists from all sides; his head was spinning, and he couldn''t even fight back! "How... how can he be so strong?" Zhu Yiji himself was stunned! In front of Luo Yunxian, why was he like a child who hadn''t learned to walk yet, without any chance to fight back? He was a Heavenly Connection realm martial artist of the UR-grade, right? To be... to be so powerless before Luo Yunxian? What kind of monster... what kind of monster is this man? But his whole body was battered so badly that he could only use various powerful system rules to protect various parts of his body. In the blink of an eye, Zhu Yiji''s body was covered with various patterns of black and white squares and circles. Chapter 513 - 387: Blood Art Surge! (4000 words)_2 [You have currently set the Square and Round Rules for your face, current rule: your nose will ignore any physical attacks!] Crack! Zhu Yiji''s nose was directly smashed to one side. [You have currently set the Square and Round Rules for your ribs, current rule: your ribs can ignore any spiritual attacks!] Crack! There was a sound of Zhu Yiji''s ribs fracturing! ... "Woof!" Even Xiaohei was so surprised that he kept wagging his tail! Zhu Yiji''s system information was invisible, so Xiaohei couldn''t fully control his system abilities or restrict Zhu Yiji from using the Square and Round Rules. To crack the Square and Round Rules, Xiaohei had to break them with his own paws. But Zhu Yiji moved too quickly, and the fluctuations erupting from his body were extremely terrifying; Xiaohei couldn''t get close. So the Square and Round Rules currently on Zhu Yiji were not broken by Xiaohei''s help. It was Elder Luo who smashed Zhu Yiji''s various Square and Round Rules with his terrifying strength! Zhu Yiji''s Square and Round Rules might be invincible against others, but in front of Elder Luo, they were being one-sidedly crushed! This was an absolute suppression of horrifying strength! ¡ª¡ª "I can''t beat him at all!" Zhu Yiji was beaten to a complete mess, and he didn''t know how many bones he had broken, but at least he was doing better than He Caiwei, because he could still barely fend off with system items, whereas He Caiwei couldn''t. But now Zhu Yiji also started to retreat! This wasn''t a battle of the same level at all, Luo Yunxian was still too terrifying! [The host currently cannot withstand Luo Yunxian''s attack, do you want to use Blood Art Surge?] Blood Art Surge! It could forcefully elevate one''s cultivation level by a small realm! This was Zhu Yiji''s strongest trump card! However, he wouldn''t use it unless it was absolutely necessary. Because the cost of the Blood Art Surge was too great, not only did it require fifty million square and round value, after the cultivation level soared, it would also enter a period of decline, and he would fall one small realm in at least three months! If it were normal times, falling one realm in three months might be acceptable, but now that he had provoked Luo Yunxian, if Luo Yunxian came looking for trouble in the next three months, he would be finished! There were no other better options at the moment, because if he didn''t use the Blood Art Surge, he wouldn''t be able to break free from Luo Yunxian''s spiritual illusion, and he would probably be bombarded to death by an enraged Luo Yunxian! Luo Yunxian looked like he had no intention of stopping! Zhu Yiji chose [Yes] with hatred! Buzz! A white light quickly spread over his body. As Elder Luo''s fist came down again, he gritted his teeth, and blood burst forth from every pore on his body, forming a blood light that enveloped him, and a terrifying aura surged forth¡ª Boom! Zhu Yiji forcibly blocked the punch. His cultivation level surged by a realm! "Luo Yunxian, I will make you pay!" Zhu Yiji said with bloodshot eyes. "Is this your Blood Burst Skill?" However, Elder Luo just sneered with disdain, then stretched lazily and his figure disappeared into thin air! This time he moved! Even though Elder Luo didn''t move when bombarding Zhu Yiji so many times just now, this time Zhu Yiji had qualified to make him take action personally. Zhu Yiji, having used Blood Art Surge, was mentally invigorated and shouted, "To force me to use my ultimate move, Luo Yunxian, you are indeed impressive. But if you think I still can''t beat you¡ª" Bang! Before Zhu Yiji could finish speaking, he saw a foot descend from the sky, kicking him directly onto the ground! "Indeed, you still can''t beat me." Elder Luo said slowly, and his figure disappeared again! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Zhu Yiji, engulfed in a mist of blood, seemed to be kicked from all directions by numerous Elder Luo figures, his whole body getting battered without a single part left unharmed! Zhu Yiji was full of grief and indignation. He had used the Blood Art Surge to increase his cultivation level, but still¡ªhe still couldn''t win! Why was this old man so terrifying? At that moment, Zhu Yiji realized his aura was weakening, the Blood Art Surge had been significantly shortened due to Luo Yunxian''s relentless bombardment, and it looked like it was about to fade! Not good! Zhu Yiji knew he couldn''t delay any longer. If the effect of the Blood Art Surge wore off, he would be truly finished! "Luo Yunxian, I swear, I will never let you go!" Zhu Yiji had expended all his strength, his body instantly burst into a cloud of blood mist, and when the blood mist dissipated, Zhu Yiji''s figure had vanished. Elder Luo slightly frowned. "All you know is to escape using your Blood Art." He did not pursue, nor did he bother to. Although Zhu Yiji''s cultivation was not as high as his, he was still of the Heavenly Connection realm, and had means to protect himself. The level of his Blood Art was so advanced in evading that even he could not catch up. "Woof!" However, Xiaohei suddenly barked, tugging on Xiang Beifei''s ear with surprise. Xiang Beifei was also very surprised! Because right when the blood mist scattered, he saw a system interface: [Host: Zhu Yiji] [UR-level, Square and Round Rules system] [Realm: Late Orifice Transforming] He could see Zhu Yiji''s system interface? Xiang Beifei and Xiaohei looked at each other in astonishment¡ªdidn''t that mean¡ª he could receive the delivery? "Woof Woof Woof!" Xiaohei excitedly bounced around! ---- Buzz! The spiritual power dissipated, and the surrounding magma also vanished without a trace, and once again, they were back in the conference room. "Do you feel vindicated now? If not, I can go beat him up again next time, beat him until you''re satisfied! After all, he''s in the Su Alliance. He can''t run far," Elder Luo inquired, looking at Professor Guo, Xiang Beifei, and Ye Changfeng. Standing up for his own people, there was nothing he was afraid to do. Professor Guo did not speak; he had grown accustomed to Luo''s temper. If he said anything, Luo might really charge off to the Alliance. Ye Changfeng was resigned as he adjusted his glasses. The protective Great White Crane was still as impetuous as ever; he too did not speak for the moment. "For now, it''s okay." Xiang Beifei and Xiaohei were planning Zhu Yiji''s delivery. Run if you must, but you can''t outrun the system, nor Xiaohei. Then, he curiously looked at Elder Luo''s system interface. [Realm: Early Meridian Opening] This terrifying old man''s realm had changed to the Meridian Opening phase again! Seeing the three of them saying nothing, Elder Luo rubbed his fists, then glanced at He Caiwei lying on the ground in misery, and asked, "What''s the deal with this guy?" "He Caiwei, taking advantage of Elder Luo''s absence, conspired with Wu Shixuan to frame Professor Guo¡ªhe even tried to kill us just now!" Xiang Beifei said. Whoosh! Luo''s gaze turned sharp like a blade, directly cutting towards He Caiwei, who was vomiting blood on the spot! He Caiwei, realizing he had caught Luo''s attention, gasped and swallowed the blood he had just coughed up into his mouth! He had always wanted to get rid of this person before him, to become the genuine commander and to complete the system''s tasks, so he had constantly been using various schemes, colluding with Zhu Yiji to trip up Luo Yunxian. Simply because he knew that Zhu Yiji''s cultivation was almost on par with Luo Yunxian''s, there was a chance to eliminate Luo Yunxian! However, what he never expected was that he would not only be blasted into an unrecognizable state by Professor Guo, but even Zhu Yiji, who he believed could go toe-to-toe with Luo Yunxian, was also beaten into a sorry state by Luo Yunxian! From the moment Zhu Yiji was blasted into the ground, He Caiwei had been utterly shocked by Luo Yunxian! With Zhu Yiji present, he had the confidence to confront Luo Yunxian, but without Zhu Yiji, where would he get the capital to oppose Luo Yunxian? "You dare to frame Guo? And you think about killing my people?" Luo stared at He Caiwei, a murderous intent flaring in his eyes again. He Caiwei was seething inside; he himself was the one who had almost been killed! "Luo Yunxian! Before the matter is investigated..." He Caiwei attempted to defend himself with a fierce but fearful tone. However, Luo did not give He Caiwei a chance to explain, already slapping him across the face! Slap! Luo Yunxian did not hold back with his slap, making He Caiwei''s face swell immediately! "What do you count for, touching my people?" Luo barked coldly! Zhu Yiji was of Heavenly Connection realm, and he had let him escape; next, it would be He Caiwei''s turn. (Today''s 8,000-word update is completed. Please subscribe.) Chapter 514 - 388: It Must Be Symmetrical! (4000 words) Xiang Beifei looked thoughtfully at the people from Yanzhou University, his gaze sweeping over them before resting on Zhu Xinjue. After a moment, he said, "How did you end up here?" "After we entered this withered forest, we realized something was off and then ran up this mountain. The situation outside is very bad. Did you just encounter those strange tree-people too?" Yu Hongbo asked. "That''s right," Xiang Beifei said indifferently. "Are you all right?" Yu Hongbo asked. "Not too bad," Xiang Beifei glanced at Tang He behind him. Tang He was from Qingzhou University, and their team was in quite a bad situation. When Tang He saw Yu Hongbo and the others, he also showed a shocked expression. He hadn''t expected to encounter people from Yanzhou University, especially since Hou Chengwu of their Qingzhou University had died at the hands of "Zhu Pengfei"! However, he didn''t dare to say much now. He was only a late-stage Qi-Controlling SR-level Awakener and, without any teammates around, he was no match for these people from Yanzhou University. "How long have you been in this withered forest?" Xiang Beifei asked. "We came in last night!" Yu Hongbo said. "Last night? You''ve been here for almost a day now?" Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. "Yes, we came here last night!" Yu Hongbo no longer harbored thoughts of dealing with Xiang Beifei, but rather he felt a hint of wanting to join forces with Xiang Beifei. Since his team was also in a very awkward position. This place was really strange; they were trapped and couldn''t find a way out. Seeing Xiang Beifei, Yu Hongbo felt a surge of hope. Xiang Beifei was strong; perhaps he had a way! "So, you''re alright?" Xiang Beifei asked. "One of us had an accident," Yu Hongbo said solemnly. Now, only four of them remained in their team. "Have you been on this mountain since last night?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Not exactly, at first we were walking in the withered forest, but then suddenly it got darker, and things seemed wrong, so we ran up the mountain. We found that those tree-people didn''t dare to come up, and we breathed a sigh of relief. We weren''t on this mountain at first, but on another mountain." "So you are the N-level Awakener, Xiang Beifei?" Chen Baiwen didn''t look good facing Xiang Beifei. He actually didn''t want to come forward, because the previous Hou Chengwu lost inexplicably, and he hadn''t seen clearly how Hou Chengwu lost. If he lost to an N-level student, his reputation would be almost destroyed. However, if he didn''t come forward to challenge Xiang Beifei, he would be even more ridiculed as a coward, indirectly proving that he, a prestigious SSR Awakener, was afraid of an N-level! That would mean Xiang Beifei won without fighting. After all, like Hou Chengwu, he had dismissed the idea of attending Liangzhou University which recruited N-level students, persuaded by other universities not to go to Liangzhou University. Since Chen Baiwen had decided to give up on Liangzhou University initially, it showed he was an arrogant SSR himself; how could he not prove himself? Xiang Beifei just calmly looked at Zhu Xinjue, but a murderous intent appeared in his eyes. Last time he hadn''t killed this fellow who was obviously planning to kill him, so this time he must kill Zhu Xinjue! However, just as he finished speaking, he felt his knees bend, and with a "snap," he suddenly knelt in front of Xiang Beifei! Zhu Xinjue and the others were also startled! "Hou Chengwu, what are you doing?" Chen Baiwen asked in surprise. Hou Chengwu was also shocked by his own actions! Why did he kneel down? Wasn''t it agreed to let Xiang Beifei off track? Why was it him who knelt instead? Hou Chengwu''s face turned red with anger as he tried to stand up, but no matter what, he couldn''t! ¡ª But just then, Hou Chengwu, with sharp eyes, suddenly saw Xiang Beifei''s figure and immediately shouted, "There he is!" This time everyone saw clearly, Xiang Beifei was a real person! The others also saw Xiang Beifei, but due to the flood, it was difficult for them to split off. "Yu Hongbo, you keep an eye on these SRs, we few will deal with him!" Hou Chengwu shouted. "Alright!" Yu Hongbo had to take care of his subordinates, otherwise the SRs would be directly overwhelmed by the flood. Zhu Xinjue''s eyes revealed a trace of ruthlessness, and a huge glass ball appeared in his hand. The glass ball flickered, turned into a phantom light, and enveloped the void. "This time I''ll see where you can go!" Zhu Xinjue sneered. The glass ball was a UR-level space system item, capable of making any space-transferring item ineffective. Since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman, Zhu Xinjue was worried that Xiang Beifei might escape. Soon, Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong encircled Xiang Beifei, their powerful auras no weaker than the flood, staring intently at Xiang Beifei. "Xiang Beifei, although I know you''re strong, now that we''re four, I still advise you to forfeit," He Qiutong said. He Qiutong was not aware of Zhu Xinjue''s plan; like Chen Baiwen, her only goal was to make Xiang Beifei drop out. Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the four people before him. Four people, easier to deal with than five. "Correct, we don''t want to harm you. Just drop out on your own to avoid trouble," Chen Baiwen said gravely. Chapter 515 - 388: It Must Be Symmetrical! (4000 words) However, Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue were filled with endless murderous intent. "What are we waiting for? If we want him out of the game, we must take him down first!" Hou Chengwu shouted. This time facing Xiang Beifei, he already had enough confidence. Although he didn''t know how he had lost during the last match on the platform, now with four against one, he considered Xiang Beifei as good as dead in his eyes! Hou Chengwu gritted his teeth and said, "Today, I will make you pay the price!" That day, as an SSR himself, he was thrown into a trash bin, completely disgraced. Today, he must kill Xiang Beifei! "Three against two, not too bad, not too terrible." Xiang Beifei said. "Three against two?" Zhu Xinjue scoffed, "Are you scared stupid by us? Can''t even count the numbers now? It''s four of us against you alone!" "President Ren is so esteemed and respected; he himself said that names don''t matter, strength does. A senior who can say such words must have a broad mind. How would he care about trifles like names with me? As a proud student of President Ren, why is your philosophy not aligned with his?" Xiang Beifei looked at Hou Chengwu puzzledly and then said, "Haven''t you learned even the slightest from him?" His words were seamless: first, he sarcastically remarked on Ren Jianghai, then immediately elevated Ren Jianghai to a high pedestal, making it impossible for Ren Jianghai to lash out over Xiang Beifei''s jest about names, and simultaneously subtly insulted Hou Chengwu without leaving a trace. "You..." Hou Chengwu was so infuriated by Xiang Beifei that his face turned red. In midair, Li Zimu stood there, looking down in surprise and said, "They actually can''t tell." The flood here was a transformation of Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm. Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm had reached a stage where true and false were indistinguishable. However, Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen, being SSRs a level higher and more cultivated than him, should not be in such a sorry state. "Of course they can''t tell. Not one of them is a spiritual type System Awakener." Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power was adhered to the Poetry Realm created by Li Zimu, so even though Li Zimu was only at the later stages of Qi-Controlling, the flood he created had the power of Meridian Opening phase! As for the suppression due to system levels, with Xiang Beifei there, the so-called superiority of the SSR system was just a decoration. He specifically sought Li Zimu''s help to trap this group. But after walking a distance, a fork suddenly appeared ahead! Xiang Beifei''s shadow reappeared at the fork, but then disappeared again on this path. "Which way should we go?" Hou Chengwu asked Chen Baiwen anxiously. "Don''t know, no traces." Chen Baiwen shook his head. "Forget it, let''s split into two groups. It''ll be faster." Zhu Xinjue said. "Splitting into two groups means dispersing our power. If we encounter Xiang Beifei, do you really think you stand a chance against him?" Chen Baiwen asked. "Xiang Beifei is obviously being chased by that desolate beast. How could we not have a chance if we encounter him?" Zhu Xinjue said. After a brief discussion, they decided to split up but agreed that if they encountered Xiang Beifei, they would first signal the others. If they couldn''t find anyone after half an hour, they would regroup here. To ensure mutual trust, they mixed up the members from both sides. Zhu Xinjue and Yu Hongbo, He Qiutong took one route, while Chen Baiwen and Hou Chengwu took another. Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen, accompanied by three SRs, took the left path. Chen Baiwen appeared deeply preoccupied, but Hou Chengwu still warned, "Don''t forget our agreement." Xiang Beifei vaguely understood and said, "Digesting memory?" Desolate beasts eating other desolate beasts'' brains could sometimes digest the memories of those beasts - meaning all that the eaten beast had seen and heard could be absorbed by another. If the green caterpillar was squished by Long Guocheng, it means the caterpillar had seen Xiang Beifei and his people! Even though the caterpillar didn''t understand human language, images would still remain in its mind! So, what exactly did they say when they encountered the green caterpillar? Had it remembered anything? Eating the brains of other desolate beasts to make up for one''s own deficiencies and expand one''s knowledge, the more they consume, the higher the intelligence these desolate beasts inevitably possess! Powerful but simple-minded desolate beasts are not frightening, the ones with high intelligence are the most terrifying! Right now, we just don''t know what impression the green caterpillar, which was stomped to death by Long Guocheng, left about them. Li Zimu''s stone house was stacked with many rooms, everyone was separated by one room, there were no beds, no quilts, although it was crude, things weren''t so particular in the desolate wilderness outside the domain. When Xiang Beifei returned from his shift, Long Guocheng was leaning against the door with his hands crossed in front of him and asked, "Can I ask you a question?" "What?" Xiang Beifei said. "You''re not a N-level Awakener, are you? You''re at least an SR, right?" "Is that important to you?" "It would make me feel better," Long Guocheng said reluctantly. If he lost to an SR like Li Zimu, he wouldn''t feel too embarrassed because the opponent''s talents were no less than his, both being SR, losing once could be won back the next time. But losing to an N-level Awakener left a knot in his heart. "That''s your own problem, it has nothing to do with me," Xiang Beifei didn''t like explaining his system to others. Because he didn''t have a system at all. "We are a team! I''ve told you all about my abilities! But we all don''t know yours! As a team, we should understand each other better." Long Guocheng stressed. "Now you admit you''re part of a team? I thought you always liked to show off," Xiang Beifei said. Long Guocheng snorted, offering no retort to that. He did indeed like to show off, as he couldn''t earn system points otherwise. "If you tell me you are SR or SSR, then I would accept my loss wholeheartedly," Long Guocheng said. "So you just look down on people with a lower system rank than yours? What''s wrong with being N-level? What about R-level? How about S-level? Aside from cultivation improvements, how are they inferior to you in character, morals, personality... that you need to despise them? Do you really enjoy feeling superior to those lower in the system?" Xiang Beifei said sternly. "I..." Long Guocheng was at a loss for words. He looked down on people with lesser talents than his, because he believed that these people would never amount to anything, especially the bottom-tier N-level Awakeners. He only respected the strong. But his pride was always shattered by Xiang Beifei. He hoped that Xiang Beifei''s system rank was SR, or even SSR, which he could accept, so that the defeat by Xiang Beifei wouldn''t be too demoralizing, and he could maintain his deeply-held prideful principles. But what he couldn''t accept was the fact that Xiang Beifei was an N-level! "I just don''t believe that N-level Awakeners have such potential, their system is so useless, they achieve so little in a lifetime, they couldn''t possibly have such strength," Long Guocheng clenched his teeth. "Why can''t N-level Awakeners defeat an SR? Shang Tianxiong is also an N-level Awakener, how many people can exceed him? People with strength can kill an SSR even if they''re SR! We all live in this world, we are all human, you''re not nobler than anyone. You just started higher than others, it doesn''t mean your future is higher, you should stay humble," Xiang Beifei stated. After saying this, Xiang Beifei went straight back to his own compartment. "Humble, huh?" Long Guocheng''s expression flickered, pondering Xiang Beifei''s words. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Late in the evening, around nine o''clock, Ye Changfeng gathered everyone together, holding a copy of the competition schedule and rules for the next day. Elder Luo said, "We need to discuss tomorrow''s situation first, Chapter 516 - 389: Favors "What use is your acknowledgement of wrongdoing to me?" Elder Luo coldly watched Wu Shixuan, who was kneeling on the ground and slapping his own face. Understanding dawned on Wu Shixuan as he moved on his knees in front of Professor Guo, ceaselessly kowtowing, "Professor Guo, I was wrong! I''m sorry! I was heartless and deserve to die! I shouldn''t have listened to slander and framed you! You''re a noble person, please forgive me ..." Professor Guo stood there, watching Wu Shixuan, watching this student he had always cultivated wholeheartedly, feeling unavoidably melancholic! He had just realized something he''d always neglected. Morality before skill. A person without morals, even if you teach him all the skills, how can you expect him to protect his home and country? How can you expect him to withstand the tide of beasts? Professor Guo looked at Xiang Beifei and Ye Changfeng, they were Jiuzhou''s future! How come every disciple Elder Luo took on was so outstanding and righteous? He watched Wu Shixuan, who was kowtowing and begging for mercy, he didn''t speak, and he didn''t stop him from continuing to kowtow, as if he no longer cared about it all. Silently, he turned around and headed towards the doorway. "Professor Guo, Professor Guo, please spare me! Just say a word...Professor Guo..." Wu Shixuan shouted in fear behind him, hoping to receive a word of forgiveness from Professor Guo. He understood Professor Guo too well, knowing that if he kept pleading, Professor Guo would inevitably soften his heart and forgive him. Just like when he was still a student, no matter how unruly or arrogant he was, Professor Guo would only severely criticize him, then help him solve his problems. He thought that Professor Guo would do the same today, if he pretended to be miserable, Professor Guo would definitely soften his heart, and he could be forgiven, just like always, by exploiting Professor Guo''s nature. Professor Guo reached the doorway, seeming to hesitate. Wu Shixuan was overjoyed, thinking that Professor Guo really wanted to plead for him. However, Professor Guo gritted his teeth and stepped forward, disappearing into the void! Wu Shixuan felt his heart turn cold! "He didn''t say he''d spare you." Elder Luo said with a chilling air. "No...that''s not...Professor Guo will forgive me, listen to me..." Wu Shixuan was still trying for a last-ditch effort. Smack! Elder Luo showed no mercy, striking Wu Shixuan so hard that he spun 720 degrees in the air and smashed onto the ground! "Protect me!" Wu Shixuan, seeing stars from the blow, also yelled loudly in his mind towards the system. [Current character: Luo Yunxian, surname: Luo, with extremely high cultivation level! Would you like to spend 10 million system points to exchange for Camel Grass, negating ten percent of the power?] "Yes! Yes..." Wu Shixuan nodded desperately! [Camel Grass exchanged and directly applied to the host!] Smack! "Ah..." "Woof! Woof!" ... After more than a dozen resounding slaps, Wu Shixuan had been beaten to a point where he was unrecognizable, lying breathlessly on the ground, even worse off than He Caiwei! "You dare to frame someone like Guo, who has done so much for the borders! What have you contributed to the borders? How dare you commit such atrocities? Do you really think you''re untouchable as an SSR, that no one can kill you?" Murderous intent had begun to flare in Elder Luo''s eyes! An SSR like this, keeping him would only cause trouble; better to kill him! But just then, an extremely powerful fluctuation swept over the place, followed by an ethereal voice. "Luo, show some mercy!" It was a pleasant and melodious voice, like it came from an empty valley, reminiscent of flowing spring water, tinkling gently. It was a woman! Upon hearing this voice, Elder Luo''s eyebrows twitched slightly. "You also want to meddle in these muddy waters?" Elder Luo clearly recognized this hidden woman and was somewhat scornful. "It''s beyond my control. You''ve already punished the two of them, and they''ve paid the price. If you still feel unsatisfied, you can continue beating them. But please spare their lives." The ethereal voice resonated. Cao Pei and the others exchanged glances because they had no idea who this woman speaking was. They were unaware that someone like her was hidden within the alliance! Her cultivation was clearly much stronger than Zhu Yiji''s! Elder Luo glanced at Wu Shixuan, with the murderous intent in his eyes undiminished, "What if I say no?" He wanted to kill, and this woman was unlikely to stop him! The woman let out a faint sigh, "Luo, do you remember you once said you owed me a favor?" Elder Luo frowned slightly. "Favors are not repaid like this." "You said you would definitely help me with a favor," the woman said. Elder Luo responded coldly, "This isn''t just my affair, but my student''s affair as well, and it''s also about Guo''s reputation! Where were you when Guo was being slandered just now? Where were you when He Caiwei and Zhu Yiji were giving them trouble? You have the cheek to talk about favors when I''m about to fight for justice for them? If I hadn''t returned, do you have any idea what the consequences would have been for my student and Guo?" He was not buying it. The woman said softly, "I was unaware this had happened here, if I had been, I definitely would have stopped it. You should know, I''m not asking you for mercy on their behalf, I just don''t want¡ª" She paused, her voice growing complicated, "I just don''t want another five-year incident." At this point, Sun Heshun also felt compelled to step in and mediate. "Elder Luo, wait, beating is one thing, but killing needs careful consideration..." "He dared to move against Guo and even dared to kill my disciple. Do I still need to think twice?" Elder Luo said coldly. "You can''t do it like the last time again, you know I''ve always been on your side..." Sun Heshun said urgently. Xiang Beifei looked at Sun Heshun, his thoughts also dwelling on the woman''s words. After a long moment, he finally spoke, "Elder Luo, there''s no need to kill." Five years ago, in front of everyone, Elder Luo executed an SSR, tarnishing his own reputation significantly. If he were to kill another SSR in front of so many people again, he would likely stir up a lot more trouble. So, Elder Luo must not take action. He would do the killing! "You''re not going to pursue him?" Elder Luo asked, frowning. "We can''t make things difficult for Minister Sun; he helped us a lot today." Xiang Beifei nodded gratefully at Sun Heshun. Sun Heshun was a good man, always willing to lend a helping hand. Sun Heshun also nodded slightly at Xiang Beifei, seeming to relax. Xiang Beifei wasn''t as uncompromising in his actions as Elder Luo, which pleased him. Xiang Beifei raised his head and swept his gaze across Cao Pei and the others, especially He Caiwei who was on his last breath, the corners of his mouth revealing a hint of mockery, "I believe the fair and incorruptible Jiuzhou Alliance has its own laws to punish these two, right?" His words were directed towards the woman who didn''t wish even to show her face. Just now, Wu Shixuan''s guilt was nearly confirmed, yet Cao Pei still thought of playing down the issue. The Alliance''s so-called fairness was a joke; only those who knew which side to stand on had a say in the Alliance! "Yes, I''ll give you an explanation, I promise," the woman responded. Elder Luo pondered for a moment and then asked, "What about Chang Feng?" Ye Changfeng looked at Wu Shixuan, who was kneeling on the ground with disgust, but still shook his head. "You''re lucky." Elder Luo then kicked Wu Shixuan aside. "Thank you." A gust of wind passed, and He Caiwei and Wu Shixuan had both disappeared from the conference room. "If the Alliance doesn''t give an explanation, I will go and demand one from the Alliance!" Elder Luo called out from behind. "Certainly!" The woman''s voice echoed. Elder Luo once more cast a cold glance at Cao Pei, who was trembling with fear, before turning and leaving the conference room. Xiang Beifei glanced at Yang Chengze huddling in the corner without speaking and left with Ye Changfeng, following Elder Luo. "Principal Cao, we take our leave!" Sun Heshun took the three terrified witnesses who had been cowering in the corner and also left. Cao Pei stood in place, panting heavily; it was only after a long time that he turned to everyone behind him and said, "Regarding today''s matters, no one is to disclose any information until the investigation is clear! Professor Liu, keep today''s events a secret! With such a commotion, find an excuse to manage the students'' side of things too!" If this matter weren''t handled well, his reputation as principal would be greatly affected! However, what Cao Pei did not see was that, in a corner of the conference room, Xiaohei was prying a camera off the wall and pocketing it. The entire process had been recorded by Xiang Beifei! ---- The bleak border, shrouded in grey fog sweeping over the vast desolate wilderness beyond sight, where countless desolate beasts lurked. Professor Guo sat on top of the city wall, silently watching the grey fog, his expression somber. He was deep in thought, silent. Eventually, he turned his attention to the desolate beasts roaring below the city wall, then waved his hand, killing all the gathering desolate beasts and took their Beast Pills. He placed the Beast Pills into the city wall, integrating them into the Formation to strengthen the defense. "I thought you would rest for a couple of days." The voice of Elder Luo sounded beside Professor Guo. "We still need to clear out the small-scale beast waves," Professor Guo replied without turning around, continuing to embed the Beast Pills into the bricks of the wall. Elder Luo slowly walked up to the edge of the wall, laying a hand on the sturdy structure and then, bending his finger, knocked on the wall with his knuckles. The black bricks emitted a thudding sound. "The defense is very strong," he said. "The border is long. Even the strongest defenses will be worn down by the power of the desolate beasts," Professor Guo said. Elder Luo nodded slightly, just watching Professor Guo work with the Beast Pills. He knew Guo''s character well and understood what the defense of the border meant to him. Elder Luo was a few years older than Professor Guo. Back when a beast wave broke through Jiuzhou''s defenses and took Professor Guo''s family, Professor Guo had not yet awakened his system. It was Elder Luo who rescued him. Since then, Professor Guo, having lost his family, made a determined vow to become a guardian, to protect the defenses of Jiuzhou, to safeguard its civilians, and to prevent such tragedies from befalling others. This was a lifetime''s commitment. He never slackened his efforts! Even though he had just experienced unfounded allegations, it changed nothing for Professor Guo. After a while, Elder Luo finally said, "What do you think is the most likely scenario in which the city wall''s defenses could be breached?" Professor Guo was silent for a moment and then answered, "If there is a large-scale systematic attack by a beast wave with creatures of God Refining strength or higher, and if it goes unopposed, then the city wall''s defenses will be broken." "You''re wrong," Elder Luo said, rejecting Professor Guo''s statement. "You''ve been doing this all your life, and still, you don''t understand? What''s the greatest threat to the border defenses?" Chapter 517 - 390: Counterattack (4000 words) He can be with even better people in the future, your son is definitely going to be successful, congratulations, congratulations, I need to go check on the other students'' results, so I won''t disturb the celebration between you and your son. Yang Hua waved his hand, too lazy to pay any more attention to Xiang Qingde and Xiang Beifei, outright ignoring them. "Don''t take what that guy said to heart, you can definitely do it," Kong Xiuwen came over to cheer Xiang Beifei on. But, Kong Xiuwen actually didn''t feel confident either. It was not hard for him to aim for the elite universities, but for Xiang Beifei, the difficulty was significant; up until now, he didn''t know how much Xiang Beifei had improved. Xiang Beifei didn''t go into any detailed explanation either, but Xiang Qingde felt increasingly uncomfortable after hearing Yang Hua''s words. Xiang Beifei looked at Wang Dan, sinking into thought silently. The assessment system of the system world might be just, but it''s not fair. The nine elite universities don''t treat N-level Awakeners very kindly. Not only do N-levels not get extra points, but the thresholds for elite universities are high, and there is a special entrance examination. Aside from Liangzhou University, the other eight elite universities even directly reject them. If it were an S or R-level, a score of 601 would have been more than enough to get into the nine elite universities; even Kong Xiuwen with 513 could make it. But the system world is special, with its own rules for survival. To live better in this world, system talent is too important. Higher-level talent Awakeners complete system tasks swiftly, and that is an undeniable fact. It is normal for special schools to have special enrollment requirements that apply everywhere. For example, clinical medicine won''t allow those with infectious diseases, and someone with a stutter isn''t suitable for the teaching profession. The nine elite universities need to train the top talents of the Jiuzhou Federation and reserve talent for the Federation, so it makes sense for their selection criteria to be high. After all, in this world, academic scores are just a reference, while what really matters is the system talent. Yang Hua was happily counting his teacher prestige value; most of his class''s results were also out. The highest scorer in his class wasn''t the S-level Zhuo Jing, but Wang Dan, who had awakened the N-level Flower Cultivation System! She scored 601 points! Wang Dan seemed very excited; her system was Flower Cultivation, so she planned to apply to agricultural and forestry universities. "Good, not bad! Very good!" Yang Hua congratulated Wang Dan loudly. He was beaming, treating Wang Dan very kindly, having gained another 601 points of teacher prestige value from her. However, many people remembered that two months after awakening her system, Wang Dan was neglected by Yang Hua, even moved to the back of the classroom, and when she asked questions during class, he appeared impatient. Just because Wang Dan was an N-level Awakener. But Yang Hua didn''t care about that; as long as someone could bring him benefits, that was a good thing for him, and he could generously offer praise with a complete change of attitude with no issues. "I hope this child can achieve something in the future! Although only an N-level, his genes come from Xiang Tianxing. The prospect of getting into Liangzhou University this year looks slim, but let''s see if there is hope next year or the year following." Li Nanxing wasn''t counting on Xiang Beifei to bring him any prestige value. Frankly, in his view, hoping that Xiang Beifei would boost his prestige was even less likely than relying on those S-level students. But the reason he came to encourage Xiang Beifei was mostly because of Xiang Tianxing. That day, when Xiang Beifei came to his office to consult about system university selection, Li Nanxing seemed to see a shadow of Xiang Tianxing in Xiang Beifei. Just then, a voice came from the side: "Professor Yang, how can you belittle a student like this?" Li Nanxing walked over from the crowd, staring at Yang Hua with a serious expression. "Principal." When Yang Hua saw Li Nanxing, his haughty expression faltered, and he quickly put on a smile to greet him. Li Nanxing was also there to see the students'' results, such an important event. Naturally, as the principal, he couldn''t be absent, but he happened to overhear the conversation here and felt the need to intervene. "As a teacher, you should teach without discrimination and explore the strengths of each student, not casually label a student. You belittle someone''s child in front of their parents; is that what a teacher should do?" Li Nanxing scolded. Yang Hua didn''t dare to respond, but inside, he still looked down on everything. ¡ªHow could a student like Xiang Beifei have any strengths? I only spoke the truth¡ªthere''s no way he could get into university. Li Nanxing turned and apologized to Xiang Qingde with a remorseful expression, "I''m sorry, Professor Yang was just agitated from waiting for the results; he spoke rashly. As the principal, I didn''t manage my teacher properly, and for that, I apologize. Please don''t take it to heart." "Not at all." Xiang Qingde was somewhat flattered, knowing that Principal Li Nanxing was at least a Meridian Opening Stage individual, with high cultivation and status. It was rare for such a person to lower himself to apologize. Li Nanxing said, "You are Xiang Beifei''s grandfather, right? Don''t worry, I have quite a high opinion of Xiang Beifei. I know he may not have performed well in the college entrance examination this year, but no matter, if Xiang Beifei wishes to retake the year, I will arrange a class for him." "Really? That''s very kind of you, Principal," Xiang Qingde said gratefully. Li Nanxing reassured and then sternly said, "Professor Yang, aren''t you going to apologize right away?" Yang Hua said reluctantly, "I''m sorry, Old Master Xiang, I was impulsive just now." However, in his heart, he snorted coldly: Forget about next year, giving Xiang Beifei ten years might still not give him a chance to get into university! Chapter 518 - 390: Counterattack (4000 words)_2 "You need to do well on the test tomorrow, don''t let yourself feel burdened, just perform your best, don''t think too much, and make sure to check your paper after finishing..." Xiang Qingde instructed Xiang Beifei incessantly. "Does Grandpa seem nervous?" Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Qingde replied, "This is a major event in your life, of course, Grandpa is nervous." He knew Xiang Beifei''s grades were poor, so poor they could be described as terrible, and having awakened an N-level system, his future seemed bleak. But ever since the Awakening System appeared two months ago, Xiang Beifei had become a different person, incredibly diligent, reigniting a glimmer of hope in him. "You little rascal, eat slower." Xiang Qingde saw Xiaohei almost burying himself in the bowl and rubbed Xiaohei''s head. Others usually couldn''t see Xiaohei, but since the temptation of delicious food made it want to move up to the dining table, Xiaohei chose to be visible to Xiang Qingde, to prevent the unnerving sight of meat disappearing into thin air. Xiang Beifei simply said it was a result of his system, Xiang Qingde didn''t doubt it, agreeing to let it on the table, and even prepared a small bowl for it. Xiaohei smacked his lips and belched contentedly. The dinner was simple and joyful. Xiang Qingde still waited for Xiang Beifei to finish eating before he started. Xiang Beifei still only ate his half, leaving the other half for his grandfather. Life was impoverished, but also warm. Xiang Beifei liked this kind of life. 2020-11-17 Xiang Beifei said, "Using surveillance to search, you probably won''t find him." "How is that possible? These glasses are the high-tech creation of our police research and development center." Lu Zhiwei whispered, "The researchers behind these glasses are big shots in the tech industry. Even if he uses an Invisibility System, his figure should be captured and prominently marked. The circulation of air makes invisibility abilities ineffective." "Haven''t you all considered why Lai Wuying has been rampant for so long, yet you haven''t captured even a hint of his appearance? Not even a silhouette? Other criminals at least have a known appearance, but he has never left any trace in the surveillance, has he?" Xiang Beifei said. Lu Hong, who heard Xiang Beifei''s words, spoke up, "He has strong counter-surveillance skills, surely knows how to avoid monitoring, and probably possesses the ability to pass through walls. This is why we can''t track his whereabouts and information." "What if he''s not deliberately avoiding it?" Xiang Beifei said. Lu Hong furrowed his brows slightly, asking, "What do you mean?" "You all should be clearer about the capabilities of systems than I am. If his system allows him to remain undetected by all electronic surveillance, it''s possible. If he has the ability to block electronic monitoring, then even if he walks right past you while you''re wearing those glasses, you might not see him," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Hong looked at Xiang Beifei surprisedly, originally thinking this young man was just a rookie who had just awakened his system and still hadn''t figured out his own abilities, but he hadn''t expected Xiang Beifei to consider this possibility. "Continue, then. What do you think we should do to find him?" Lu Hong asked quietly. "It''s simple," Xiang Beifei played with the glasses in his hand for a moment, Learn by Analogy allowed him to quickly master all the functions of the glasses. He tapped on the glasses and then said, "Just let one lens of the glasses go out of order." Lu Hong and Lu Zhiwei looked at each other dumbfounded. "Why?" Lu Zhiwei didn''t understand. "If his system is to block electronic devices, then with the glasses on, we are blind even with our eyes open. So, if we use our naked eyes to make comparisons, we can figure it out," Xiang Beifei said. 2020-11-15 ¡ª Xiang Beifei walked among the crowd, a figure followed closely behind him. It was a man wearing glasses, carrying a briefcase and dressed in a suit, looking just like a regular office worker. He maintained a distance of fifty meters from Xiang Beifei, not too close yet not too far. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder barked alertly. "Is someone following us?" Xiang Beifei frowned slightly. As he passed by a bus stop, he halted. The bus stop was crowded; Xiang Beifei stood next to a young man who owned an [N-level insurance sales system], pretended to wait for the bus, and then glanced backward. But the suited man seemed not to look at Xiang Beifei at all. He walked past Xiang Beifei without even a glance in his direction. Xiang Beifei caught a glimpse of the other party''s system interface. [Host: Chen Gang] [R-Level, Eight-Faceted Ingenious System] [Realm: Late Qi Mastery] "What is the Eight-Faceted Ingenious System?" Xiang Beifei was curious. He was about to take a good look at the other party''s system information when the man in the suit named "Chen Gang" had already turned a street corner and disappeared. "Is he the one tracking me?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "Woof!" Xiaohei nodded. As Xiang Beifei was pondering what to do, at that moment, a woman in high heels and white clothes approached from the corner. Ordinarily, Xiang Beifei wouldn''t have paid any attention to the woman in white. It was the end of the workday, and the streets were filled with men and women, young and old. Had he not happened to see the system interface of the woman in white¡ª [Host: Chen Gang] [R-Level, Eight-Faceted Ingenious System] [Realm: Late Qi Mastery] The man in the suit earlier was called Chen Gang; how could this woman in high heels also be called Chen Gang? And their system information is exactly the same? Something doesn''t seem right. The step Xiang Beifei had just lifted halted once again. Could the man in the suit and this woman in high heels be the same person? Xiang Beifei found this extremely novel, and this time he took a serious look at the other party''s system interface. [Eight-Faceted Ingenious System: Skillful and adept in handling matters] The system''s introduction was brief, just this one sentence; however, he saw more information on the Eight-Faceted Ingenious System''s interface: [You used the Ingenious Mirror to reflect on passersby for disguise, disguise time is half an hour, remaining disguises for today: 5] This is indeed fresh! Xiang Beifei vaguely understood that this [Eight-Faceted Ingenious System] was a system for disguising, and looking at the other party''s daily mission interface, one could disguise as a passerby up to eight times per day. "Then how does this system execute missions?" Xiang Beifei was very curious about these matters; surely getting stronger couldn''t depend solely on disguises, right? But he quickly discovered that the other party grew stronger by interacting with people and learning their abilities to handle matters. At a certain level, this Eight-Faceted Ingenious System could even learn some special abilities of the person being disguised! ¡ª "This kid has a really sharp sense of smell; I almost got caught. But thankfully, he probably thinks I went far away, he would never expect me to come back following him in the guise of a woman." Chen Gang, wearing high heels, walked coldly past Xiang Beifei, stretched her neck pretending to look into the distance, waiting for the bus. Xiang Beifei was still leaning on the bus stop, staring at the signboard, deep in thought, as if looking for a stop. Chen Gang''s gaze inadvertently fell on Xiang Beifei, then her eyebrows slightly furrowed. "That being said, why did the boss ask me to investigate this kid''s talent? He doesn''t look anything like a UR-level hidden genius." Chen Gang was very puzzled. In her mind, if there was a UR-level Awakener, the Jiuzhou Alliance would have officially sent someone to protect him early on, not let such a rare gem wander around? Regardless, she needed to find a way to test this kid named "Xiang Beifei." Chen Gang squeezed her way toward Xiang Beifei, also staring at the bus stop and then said, "Excuse me, handsome guy, could you tell me how to get to Qianda Plaza by bus?" Xiang Beifei said, "Take the number 16 bus." "Oh, the number 16 bus!" Chen Gang suddenly realized. [You conversed with Xiang Beifei, you learned Xiang Beifei''s accent, your accent material library +1] [Current Chapter 519 - 391: Pioneer Stone Xiang Beifei was not at all surprised. "Unrestrained might be behind them. I have always been looking, but unfortunately, they act very covertly. I caught a few members of Unrestrained, but couldn''t get anything out of them," Elder Luo said. "Are they still alive?" Xiang Beifei asked. Elder Luo shook his head, "Their secrecy measures are very well implemented. They use their lives to keep secrets." Xiang Beifei was not surprised either. Eternal Sleep and Keshi also mentioned this point. Both Unrestrained and the Su People have their own ways of keeping secrets. "Let me try next time," Xiang Beifei said. "You think you can interrogate them?" "Perhaps." Xiang Beifei didn''t need to interrogate them. All he had to do was take a look at their system logs. "Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company looks like a very normal company, paying taxes to the alliance on time, conducting various public welfare activities, honest and upright businessmen. But I can''t find their core research base, I suspect this company has set up its core research base in the extraterritorial wilderness! And only certain special people can go there." "Extraterritorial wilderness?" Xiang Beifei was surprised, "No wonder then!" "No wonder what?" Elder Luo asked. "No wonder Xiao Sheng couldn''t find anything either." Xiang Beifei told Elder Luo about Xiao Sheng''s situation. "He is indeed quite dependable," Elder Luo nodded slightly. "Did Elder Luo go to the extraterritorial wilderness to look for their research base?" "The extraterritorial wilderness is too vast. You have to understand that even the Cultivated Domain close to the Jiuzhou continent encompasses the borders of nine provinces, which are extremely expansive. If we cannot pinpoint which province it''s in, searching there would be like finding a needle in a haystack. It''s impossible to determine exactly who is there." There was nothing Elder Luo could do about this. The Jiuzhou continent is like a huge island, covered by the boundless extraterritorial wilderness. Each province guards a section of the border, and even the borders of Liangzhou are vastly expansive, not to mention the borders of Qingzhou, Yongzhou, and other places. The Cultivated Domain of Unrestrained might not necessarily be the one near Liangzhou. It could also be in the Cultivated Domains on the peripheries of other provinces, making it even harder to search. Elder Luo added, "By the way, regarding your parents, I suddenly found a very serious issue." "What happened?" "They were pioneers. Sun Heshun, the head of the Pioneering Department, told me that Xiang Tianxing and others were not executing a mission in the Essential Domain. At that time, there was some turmoil in the Tranquil Domain, and Sun Heshun sent them to investigate. But that mission had already ended. They chose to move forward on their own, directly entering the Essential Domain. So, the latter incidents in the Essential Domain were not part of the pioneering missions." Elder Luo knew Sun Heshun and therefore knew these details. The Tranquil Domain is a third-degree danger zone, whereas the Essential Domain is even deeper and more dangerous, seldom visited by humans. "And then?" Xiang Beifei asked. "I went to that place again recently," Elder Luo said. "Wasn''t it agreed we''d go together?" "I followed a member of Unrestrained there. I discovered that guy rushed all the way to the Northern Mountain District of the Essential Domain. I tracked him to that place. At the time, I was also surprised, unfortunately, he slipped away from me!" Elder Luo said. "A Heavenly Connection rank Unrestrained?" Xiang Beifei asked. Elder Luo tugged at his short beard, awkwardly said, "It''s a bit embarrassing to say, but he was in the God Refining stage." "Really?" Xiang Beifei was stunned! A martial artist at the God Refining stage, managed to slip away from Elder Luo? Zhu Yiji of the Heavenly Connection stage even had to rely on the Blood Burst Skill to barely escape, how could someone at the God Refining stage manage it? "Did he rely on some system item?" Xiang Beifei asked. Elder Luo furrowed his brows, reminiscing, "It should not be the case. It''s rather that the area in the Northern Mountain District of the Essential Domain is a bit peculiar. He disappeared very abruptly. Do you remember that thing I told you about initially? I went to find your parents, but ended up walking back to my original position." Xiang Beifei suddenly understood, "You mean, he found a way to move forward?" Elder Luo nodded slightly, "Yes, many terrains in the extraterritorial wilderness are very peculiar. He definitely understands that region, must have mastered some special method. He moved forward, whereas, I ended up walking back to my original position. However, what''s most astonishing is that now I can''t even find the pioneering stone left by Xiang Tianxing anymore. The region has changed too much! I have been searching for a week without any results." Xiang Beifei hadn''t expected this. Unrestrained had also gone to the Northern Mountain District of the Essential Domain. And his parents had also disappeared in the Northern Mountain District of the Essential Domain. His father had even sent Xi Wenxuan with a golden bird cage to look for Qin Hongyi. These matters are definitely related! He suddenly remembered that his "Return to the Original State" ability was now completely under his control. It was time to restore that pioneering stone; perhaps he could find some clues. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei sat on his dormitory bed, staring at the pioneering stone in front of him. He was finally ready to deal with the pioneering stone. If it were as Elder Luo had said, and there had been changes in the Northern District of the Essential Domain, then to find out what Xiang Tianxing and the others were up to, he needed to unlock the pioneering stone and perhaps use its records to clarify the direction. The pioneering stone was the key. Elder Luo, being a master of the Heavenly Connection realm, had sought the help of various people to repair the pioneering stone, but all attempts had ended in failure. The pioneering stone was too special; it simply couldn''t be repaired with systematic abilities. Therefore, Xiang Beifei didn''t repair it in front of Elder Luo because he didn''t know how to explain his own abilities. Xiang Beifei''s palm emitted a white glow. Although he could now control "Return to the Original State" and wasn''t at risk of being backfired upon by it, the process still needed to be handled with extreme caution. Even though "Return to the Original State" couldn''t backfire on him now, it could still backfire on other objects. If not carefully controlled, it could still destroy the pioneering stone. Xiang Beifei manipulated the Return to the Original State with his Spiritual Power, and it quickly emitted a faint aura that spread over the pioneering stone. Under his guidance, the power of Return to the Original State rapidly permeated the stone. Every tiny crack within the pioneering stone seemed to be filled with the aura of Return to the Original State, beginning to change and gradually, the stone reunited into its original form. The whole process wasn''t too difficult. Xiang Beifei was no longer the novice he had been six months ago. Soon, the pioneering stone was completely restored by Return to the Original State! "What exactly did you leave behind?" Xiang Beifei calmly looked at the pioneering stone, now unharmed, then made an imprint of it onto paper. Buzz! Lines of text soon appeared on the paper; they were Xiang Tianxing''s handwriting, left during his expedition in the outer wilds. In just a moment, all the words appeared in front of Xiang Beifei! A complete diary! Xiang Beifei eagerly opened the diary and began to read from the beginning. This matter was very important to him! The first few pages of the diary were routine records of Xiang Tianxing''s journey before venturing out to pioneer, including where he set up pioneering points, what kind of terrain he encountered, any special markers, and the desolate beasts in the area. All this data was recorded clearly, as pioneers had to leave behind their records to facilitate the reference for their successors. Such information wasn''t what Xiang Beifei was looking for, but he still read through earnestly, not missing a single word. ¡ª¡ª [July 18th, Northern District of the Essential Domain. We''ve exited the bounds of the Northern District of the Essential Domain; barely any pioneers come this way. Lian and I are among the few who do. We continued north and entered a withered forest. The withered forest is peculiar¡ªit revives as we advance. I quickly realized that what surrounds us are not trees, but a unique kind of desolate beast. Because they are distributed around Mao Hou! We finally reached Mao Hou, confirming that our direction was correct. These treelike beings¡ªI think they should be called Youmeng, which sounds like their call. The Youmeng chased after us the whole way, although I wasn''t too concerned about them. However, Lian said she could sense that these Youmeng were different from ordinary desolate beasts, and advised me not to harm them for now. Once we reached Mao Hou, the Youmeng stopped pursuing us. This place is their sacred ground, and my guess was right. Mao Hou, Yin Wood, restrains Youmeng. At the foot of Mao Hou, the Youmeng watched us with keen eyes, but I knew they meant no harm. I discovered that they¡ªI still decide to call them ''he'' because their intelligence is far superior to that of ordinary desolate beasts¡ªtheir tone is quite special. Although they only make two sounds, the length and tone of these sounds make them easy to master. One of the Youmeng tried to communicate with me. It was difficult to converse with a Youmeng, but I think I managed it; at least I learned their tones. In the process of communicating with them, I gradually learned about the Youmeng''s past. The Youmeng are a unique species. I don''t even want to categorize them as desolate beasts because they have their unique way of living, though their fate is somewhat bumpy. When asleep, they are trees; when awake, they are people. They said that they are a race burdened with fate, forced to be connected with Mao Hou. I asked why they had to be connected with Mao Hou; they wouldn''t say but only told me that even I was no better off than they, as we are all bound by fate. Mao Hou is like the shackles of fate, binding them here. Lian asked them why they don''t try to break this bondage; they said they were powerless, having tried and failed. I know this because we are also trying; hence I came to find that answer. I decided to leave the withered forest. The Youmeng told me where I could find the answer I was searching for, but I had to leave the forest first. They told me to ''fly north.'' Interestingly, because my son''s name is Xiang Beifei, taken by his grandfather. I wonder if Chou Hou is still intact?] ¡ª¡ª This was the record from July 18th. As Xiang Beifei read this entry, he suddenly noticed something amiss! Because he saw some strange phrases. Chapter 520 - 392: Spiritual Imprint (4000 words) However, the infant did not dissipate; after being cleaved, countless tentacles burst from its body and merged into the surrounding tentacles. "Seeking death!" Ye Changfeng grasped his sword tightly and slashed out once again towards the front! This strike was like a bolt of lightning, mixed with the terrifying force of thousands of pounds, and the bitter Sword Qi cut through hundreds of meters, actually splitting open a fissure in the sky full of tentacles! As the tentacles were cleaved apart, they attempted to congeal back together, but soon between the tentacles, countless Sword Qi exploded¡ª Boom! Boom! Boom! All the tentacles failed to escape under Ye Changfeng''s sword; he forcefully destroyed them throughout the city! The tentacles were shredded by the Sword Qi, and the remaining ones began retracting towards the ground in fear, quickly disappearing from sight. "You all wait here, don''t run around!" Ye Changfeng flung his sword out; the Longyuan Sword hovered over their heads, as if to protect them, while another sword appeared in his hand. With a single step, he vanished into thin air amidst a flicker of space. "Thank goodness Mr. Ye came." Fan Kai breathed a sigh of relief. If Mr. Ye hadn''t arrived in time, they might have been doomed this trip. But Sun Yushan didn''t quite understand and asked, "What kind of desolate beast is this thing? Why have we never seen it before?" The two had been training in the Cultivated Domain for three years, and they were roughly aware of the types of desolate beasts present. Although some desolate beasts were powerful, none had ever been as troublesome as this time, and they hadn''t expected to nearly lose their lives today. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then turned to Xiaohei and said, "Xiaohei, you should be able to take him out of this space, right?" Xiaohei nodded. This was a space created by the system, and no power of the system could confine Xiaohei; it could leave the system''s bindings whenever it wished. "Then take him out of this space first and let him stay in the forest." Xiang Beifei said. It was unclear what dangers lurked on this deserted island, but considering what had happened to Liu Gui, leaving him here would be unsafe. Taking him to the forest outside appeared to be a better option. Xiaohei hopped onto Liu Gui, its tiny paws stepping on him, and Liu Gui''s body started to seem a bit strange; Xiang Beifei could still see him, yet he could also see the forest ground outside of the space. "This should be fine. Xiao Ma and the others might come into the forest looking for us; we need to continue searching for the others." Xiang Beifei stated. Liu Gui''s current condition should ensure he won''t be harmed by any desolate beasts on the island, but Xiang Beifei needed to quickly find Lu Zhiwei and He Yun. Based on their earlier descriptions, the forest was very unsafe and could potentially kill them. Xiang Beifei leaped forward and continued forward for about five minutes when suddenly, from within the forest, an urgent noise arose, followed by a surge of ¡ª From the school, the only useful system rewards he could get were from teachers; the other students, even S-rank ones, were still only at the early stages of Qi-Controlling, and their task rewards were ineffective. He had inadvertently taken part in many teachers'' tasks, the reason they became teachers often due to their own system''s choosing, frequently performing tasks on students. But system rewards aren''t instantaneous; to receive the rewards, one must wait until the other party completes their task. Some people''s tasks take a long time to complete, a few days at the least or even several months, so even if one partakes in the rewards, they''re not received quickly. However, Xiang Beifei had his principles. Some teachers and students were quite good to him, working hard on tasks to improve themselves, and it would be unfair to them to lose their rewards; he wouldn''t target these people. As long as no one brought trouble his way, everyone could coexist peacefully. On the weekend, Xiang Qingde went to the market, while Xiang Beifei stayed at home and continued to practice the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula, finally breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling. He realized that the speed at which he was enhancing his strength was faster than that of S-rank Awakeners; Zhuo Jing and Liu Qianrou were still at the early stage of Qi-Controlling, and many R and N grade classmates hadn''t even reached the threshold of Qi-Controlling. Everyone possessed a system, and their power advances relied on completing tasks. Of course, some systems also provided their hosts with various cultivation methods, mainly to strengthen physical fitness, requiring personal cultivation to work. Clearly, the pace of advancement varied. "Are you the N-rank new student planning to enter Liangzhou University under societal pressure?" asked a ¡ª "I hear you scored high in the cultural exams! But do you think our elite academy accepts anyone just because they''re good at their studies?" another boy scoffed. "Come on, let me, your sister, take care of you and teach you how to write the word ''elite''." A girl dressed breezily stretched lazily, her little finger digging into her ear. "Hey, Yu Xiaoyao, we were here first. We need to establish our presence with the new student; it''s our turn, your Mount Tai Club can queue up," the tall boy yelled. Yu Xiaoyao, the girl referred to, let out a string of silvery laughter and said, "What''s the matter, still sore from losing to us last time? Planning to take it out on the N-rank Awakener? Is that all you''re capable of?" "What do you mean by that! We went easy on you girls last time; can''t you tell?" the tall boy retorted. "Hehe, that''s so amusing! Ding Ming, since you like letting us win so much, why not give us another chance?" Yu Xiaoyao giggled, twisting her slender waist. Chapter 521 392: Spiritual Imprint (4000 words)_2 "Everyone is just teaching a lesson to a kid who doesn''t know how high the sky is, why fight over it?" someone spoke up. Lu Zhiwei furrowed her brows, stepped in front of Xiang Beifei, and shouted, "Hey, are you done? He''s under my protection, try touching him and see!" With her shout, Yu Xiaoyao and the others also stopped and looked at Lu Zhiwei. "Lu Zhiwei, does your detective club also want to join in this mess?" Yu Xiaoyao cautiously looked at Lu Zhiwei, she still had some reservations about Lu Zhiwei, as she was not someone easy to mess with. Tall boy Ding Ming sneered at Lu Zhiwei, "Lu Zhiwei, are you saying that your detective club plans to cover for this N-grade trash that''s ruining our Liangzhou University''s reputation?" "Stop pinning big labels on us." At that moment, a crew-cut boy stepped out of the crowd in response, then turned and frowned at Lu Zhiwei, saying, "Lu Zhiwei, what are you doing? Why are you hanging out with an N-grade? Don''t ruin our detective club''s reputation!" Lu Zhiwei retorted angrily, "Are you guys idiots? Where did Xiang Beifei ruin our Liangzhou University''s reputation? The news even said that it was all Yu Lei''s own doing, yet you all live in your own perceptions, deliberately ignoring the truth, right?" "Anyone can say anything in the news, but I won''t let an N-grade person into our Liangzhou University, he doesn''t deserve it!" "Right! This is a gathering place for elites, not a garbage shelter!" "N-grade people, get out of Liangzhou University!" "N-grade people, get out of Liangzhou University!" Many people started shouting, and near them, only a few students did not join in, they just watched from the side. Not all elite students have such hostility, some are quite rational. However, given the situation at the scene, there were too many people against Xiang Beifei, even if rational people spoke up, they might inadvertently become targets of attack. Lu Zhiwei was very angry, someone from their detective club was looking for her, telling her not to cause trouble, but Lu Zhiwei was not someone who avoided trouble, she was arguing her point with the other party. "Lu Zhiwei, if you keep shielding this N-grade person, our detective club will have to distance ourselves from you!" the crew-cut boy said. "Distance away! You think I care?" Lu Zhiwei, furious, clenched her fists and declared, "Come on, I''m putting it out here today, if anyone dares to touch even a hair on him, ask my fists." "Lu Zhiwei, if you really want to fight, why don''t I fight you?" a boy stepped forward, looking at Lu Zhiwei. This boy was also a late-stage Qi-Controlling expert! Lu Zhiwei eyed him warily, clearly this person was not easy to provoke, but she did not back down. However, Zhuo Jing''s expression looked very unpleasant. Now, Xiang Beifei had become the center of attention, his lucky score of 581 no longer attracted any more praise. He had to actively seek appreciation. "What does it matter how high you score? As if you could attend an elite university!" Zhuo Jing spat in his head out of jealousy. Among the nine elite universities, only Liangzhou University takes in N-grade Awakeners. But even Liangzhou University sets assessment thresholds for N-grade students, not letting them pass easily. And Zhuo Jing, his score was more than enough for any elite university! Zhuo Jing looked at his system panel, his appreciation value had reached 5129, which was enough to exchange for the "Piercing Strike" Cultivation Technique. Another mission required a score of 550 points and 2000 appreciations to exchange for a double appreciation card, which he had also completed. But he wasn''t in a hurry to exchange them right now, it was not the time to exchange for the cultivation technique yet. As the crowd was all gathered here, he wanted to take the opportunity to garner more appreciation values. Soon, he thought of another way to attract people''s attention. "Exactly, with my scores, I''m more than qualified for the nine elite universities, after all, I am S-grade, not N-grade. It''s too easy for me to get into an elite university, but elite universities don''t admit N-grade people." Zhuo Jing loudly stated this to a friend nearby, not hiding the pride in his voice. While a group was surrounding Xiang Beifei, hearing Zhuo Jing''s words, they also momentarily pondered, and soon realized the issue. Right! How does it matter if Xiang Beifei was the top student of his school? He is just an N-level, and elite universities normally do not admit N-level students! Even Liangzhou University, the only exception, has not admitted an N-level student for ten consecutive years. Elite universities set very high thresholds for N-level students! Many people, upon hearing Zhuo Jing''s words, suddenly changed their views on Xiang Beifei, their admiration mingled with regret. This is indeed too regrettable! Even those with 500 points at S-level can be admitted easily, but a high school exam score of 732 points keeps him out of elite universities! Everyone was sighing. Chapter Eighty: Feeding the Dogs The awakening system''s talent determined the threshold for colleges. This world is just so realistic. But everyone also understood that the reason this situation exists is because the N-level system is outrageous, the system tasks are illogical, and the potential simply isn''t there. In this world, the most profound truth was: learning should be for practical application! A good system enables one to apply acquired knowledge more adeptly. If it were an absurd system like the N-level, even if you acquired a lot of knowledge from books, it would be difficult to complete the system tasks, making it impossible to achieve practical application. In other words, academic scores determine a person''s basic foundation, while the level of system talent dictates a person''s future ceiling. In a system world, high academic scores only mean your understanding of this world is deeper than normal people, but it does not mean your future achievements will be higher than others. If you compare a person to a tree, then the awakened system is like the fertilizer that helps nurture this tree. The fertilizer produced by an N-level system can at most make this tree grow to one meter, but an R-level can make it grow to ten meters, while an S-level can make it grow to one hundred meters! As for levels SR and SSR, needless to say, they are enough to nurture a person into a towering tree! And the nine elite universities, as the name suggests, nurture students who have high future ceilings. "What a pity for such a promising seedling, even an R-level system would have been better," someone couldn''t help but lament. "Yes! Such a pity." Others chimed in with sympathy, regret, schadenfreude... all kinds of looks were cast, even though there was still a slim hope that Liangzhou University might admit N-level candidates, that hope was very slim. Because that assessment, legend has it, is a gap that N-levels simply cannot cross. Who would have thought that a top scorer of 732 points would face such an embarrassing situation? Meanwhile, people were more optimistic about Zhuo Jing. Although his score was only 581, more than a hundred points less than Xiang Beifei, but his was an S-level! With such scores, he could easily get into one of the nine elite universities, and even choose a good major. "The class president is really impressive! Which of the nine elite universities is the class president planning to choose?" someone asked enviously. "Do we even need to ask? He has a total score of 631 points after bonuses, he can pick any of the nine elite universities." "Yes, an S-level 631 points is much stronger than an N-level 732 points." [You received praise from Kangkang, appreciation value +2] [You received praise from Liu Lan, appreciation value +2] ... Zhuo Jing seized the moment to harvest more appreciation value, feeling refreshed. He humbly claimed, "It''s nothing, everyone flatters me too much. I''ve already set my target. As a part of Liangzhou, I plan to stay here and apply for Liangzhou University!" Actually, his decision to apply for Liangzhou University was spontaneous, he was annoyed that Xiang Beifei''s normal academic performance was not as good as his, yet Xiang scored higher than him on the college entrance exam. He knew Liangzhou University was Xiang Beifei''s only chance to apply to an elite university. So, he chose Liangzhou University! Chapter 522 393: Xiang Tianxing Xiang Beifei''s hand emitted a threatening aura. This aura originated from "Return to the Original State," which could restore a destroyed spiritual imprint to its original condition and naturally could destroy it again! "That''s somewhat unfilial," said Xiang Tianxing with a smile. His tone was light when he spoke, as if engaging in casual conversation, his expression bearing a strong resemblance to Xiang Beifei''s. "I haven''t yet said how I would deal with you," said Xiang Beifei. "But I can tell, you''re threatening me," said Xiang Tianxing. "I didn''t realize this residual consciousness from the spiritual imprint could talk so much," said Xiang Beifei. "This matter is quite important, so the consciousness I retained has to be more elaborate. Some things are not suitable for too many people to know," said Xiang Tianxing, appearing quite natural. "What about me?" "The son I remember is silent, rebellious, and volatile." "Perhaps it''s just because you are irresponsible?" retorted Xiang Beifei. "How much do you understand about what has happened to me over these years?" Xiang Tianxing thought for a moment. "You''re right, I can''t refute that. People always have to learn to grow up, growing up means constantly overturning our once nai?ve selves." Xiang Tianxing smiled again. "If this is such a change, then it is excellent." Xiang Beifei considered the consciousness before him without responding. "I thought you''d be happier to see me," Xiang Tianxing added. "Why should I be happy?" asked Xiang Beifei. Xiang Tianxing seemed stumped by the question. "At least show some happiness, crack a smile, maybe choke up a bit ¡ª shouldn''t a father-son reunion be a deeply moving scene? Sure, I also envisioned you cursing at me, that I could accept, I was ready for your rebuke, Oh right, even thought you might feel guilty and apologize to me, considering that last thing you said when we parted was kind of hurtful ¡ª" Xiang Beifei raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead and vent, don''t hold back." "Oh." Xiang Beifei nodded slightly. There was silence for five minutes. Xiang Beifei did not say a word. "That''s it?" Xiang Tianxing asked, astonished. "What else?" "I thought you were brewing some emotions, and all you give me is an ''oh''?" Xiang Tianxing''s consciousness appeared well-prepared, his son at home was not easy to manage. He had anticipated many scenarios: his son storming at him, cursing, throwing things, roaring, bellowing... He could handle any emotional outburst from Xiang Beifei with this consciousness, and wouldn''t retaliate. What he didn''t expect was for his son to simply respond with an "oh" and be done with it. This wasn''t something he had imagined. "I was thinking that he would come here, then he would take the Pioneer Stone to find you, so you could see me. That''s why I retained a more complete spiritual consciousness, to spend more time talking to you, listening to your outpouring. I figured you wouldn''t communicate with us face-to-face, so this method should make you more comfortable," said Xiang Tianxing helplessly. The ''he'' he mentioned, it goes without saying, was Elder Luo. Xiang Beifei looked at his nominal father with neither sadness nor joy, still reluctant to speak. "But you don''t seem very keen on talking to me." Xiang Tianxing looked somewhat helpless, having come up against a brick wall, he could only rub his own nose. "Go ahead, I''m listening," said Xiang Beifei. The atmosphere fell silent again. Xiang Beifei remained silent, and suddenly Xiang Tianxing also didn''t know what to say. Because he had already said everything like a chatterbox moments before. The unfamiliar father and son stared at each other, neither of them speaking for a while. Normally, you would ask a question and I would answer," Xiang Tianxing pointed out. "You''re not him." "If I could return, the me inside the Pioneer Stone would be able to merge back into my original consciousness, and then the original body would know about this conversation. Come! Let''s chat, father and son." "When are you coming back?" Xiang Beifei asked, frowning. Xiang Tianxing''s expression faltered. "Okay! The first question is a tough one!" Xiang Tianxing said, propping up his chin. "Ask something simpler. To avoid being forcefully spied upon by Unrestrained, the memory in the consciousness I left behind is limited; there are some things I can''t express, just to be safe." "What did you go to do?" "Ask something even simpler." "What is the answer you''re looking for?" "Simpler still." "Are you an idiot?" "Ha! I can answer that question," Xiang Tianxing finally showed a relieved smile, "No." Xiang Beifei: "..." What a fool! How did I end up with such a man for a father. "What is the secret you specifically stayed behind to tell?" Xiang Beifei asked. "I originally wanted to tell him." "Professor Luo taught me spiritual power." Xiang Beifei slightly stamped his foot, and powerful spiritual fluctuations swept out, transforming the past, and instantly turned the waves around Xiang Tianxing into a piece of glass. Crack, crack! The glass developed cracks. Xiang Tianxing seemed to be seriously looking at the cracks under his feet because with just a thought from Xiang Beifei, the glass would shatter, and he would fall through. He would really fall through. Everyone here controls spiritual power, so everything here is real. "You''re making me lose face like this," Xiang Tianxing said. "You''re not usually so chatty, I remember you as being more serious," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Tianxing spread his hands. This gesture was very similar to Xiang Beifei''s. "Your mother said that if I wanted to communicate with you, I needed to change some things, I couldn''t be like before. I tried to change myself, maybe to ease the tension between father and son a bit, so I became¡ª" "Silly and mushy?" "Humorous! It''s humorous!" Xiang Tianxing touched his forehead, looking somewhat exasperated, "I specially bought ''How to Communicate with a Rebellious Child,'' ''Battlefield Between Father and Son,'' ''Art of Managing Rebellion,'' and other series of parenting books! I even brought these books with me to the Cultivated Domain, flipping through them whenever I could, hoping to find answers and try communicating with you if I ever returned." "Other people''s parenting styles might not suit you," Xiang Beifei said. "They should be more or less the same¡ªright? The relationships are all the same, father and son, both males, aren''t they?" "Others'' kids grow up with their parents always around, your child is a left-behind child," Xiang Beifei calmly said. Xiang Tianxing propped his chin again. "You''re right," he pondered, "communicating with you is tough, your way of speaking always makes it hard for me to follow up. Have you always been this way?" "That depends on who it is," Xiang Beifei replied. Xiang Tianxing seemed to have lost track of how to continue the conversation again, he muttered to himself, "I thought I read enough books, so the consciousness I left in the Pioneer Stone was learned from books, on how to be a good father, but you seem not to give me that chance." "You always had the chance, you just never chose to take it." "So what do you think should be done to improve our relationship?" "Come back alive," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Tianxing was startled. A simple answer, but it seemed not so simple. "If I tell you the secret about the Hou, what would you do?" Xiang Tianxing asked. Xiang Beifei pointed at the glass under his feet, already filled with web-like cracks, and said, "First, I would throw you down, then I would drag the real you back." "That sounds very good." Xiang Tianxing seemed to accept Xiang Beifei''s reasoning. He put away his pleasant expression and looked much more solemn. "If you are going to search for answers, remember to follow the Hou sequence; otherwise, you will not find the location of the next Hou and get lost. Pick up some special things from the Hous, as it helps in locating the next Hou, missing any item from the Hous is not an option¡ªsome Hous are invisible, they cannot be found without special guidance, which is also the reason Unrestrained couldn''t proceed after reaching Mao Hou. They didn''t understand which number this Hou was, so no matter where they went, they couldn''t find the next one. I think they must have realized the reason. They will go back to Jiuzhou to investigate clearly! I''m now very worried because they might seek a person who is apparently uniquely connected with the Hou; I know who that person is, and you must protect him well!" Xiang Tianxing explained this statement in detail. "Is that person Grandfather?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiang Tianxing was silent for a moment, then said, "Yes." "So to find you, I need to follow the sequence of Zi Hou, Chou Hou, Yin Hou, Mao Hou, Chen Hou, Si Hou, Wu Hou, Wei Hou, Shen Hou, You Hou, Xu Hou, Hai Hou ¡ª these twelve Hous?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Yes," Xiang Tianxing nodded. Xiang Beifei pondered slightly and asked, "Where is Zi Hou then? In the Cultivated Domain?" He originally thought that Zi Hou should be the mountain that was shattered by Grandfather. But since Xiang Tianxing mentioned in the Pioneer Stone "not knowing whether Chou Hou is intact", it seemed more likely that the frequently shattered mountain was Chou Hou, the second Hou. "Chou Hou is in the Cultivated Domain, only Unrestrained knows the location of Zi Hou because they occupy that mountain, which is one of their strongholds," Xiang Tianxing said. "Can you tell me the exact location?" "Unrestrained has protected it with very powerful means, it''s uncertain, but Zi Hou is on the side of Yuzhou, Chou Hou is on this side of Liangzhou," Xiang Tianxing said. It seemed he was right in his thinking. What Elder Luo investigated about Unrestrained was also correct; Unrestrained indeed set their stronghold in the outlying desolate wilderness. Without a way to find the situation of Unrestrained, the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company might be his only way to approach Zi Hou. "Have you been to Zi Hou without any guide?" "I have been there because I have the capability, but it is, after all, in the outlying desolate wilderness, hidden by various means. I can give you guidance, but you might not be able to find it; the terrain around would be changed, not the same as when I visited," Xiang Tianxing said. "Do you have anything else to tell me?" Xiang Beifei asked. "I always had one question I wanted to confirm." "What''s the question?" "The day of the Awakening System, did anything happen?" "What do you think happened?" "For example¡ªdid you have the Awakening System?" Chapter 523 394: Awakening System At nine o''clock in the evening, Ye Changfeng gathered everyone together. He had received a copy of tomorrow''s competition schedule and rules. Elder Luo said, "We need to discuss tomorrow''s situation first; everyone should be on high alert." The rules were already clear to everyone. The freshman competition consisted of individual matches and team pioneering. In the individual matches, nine schools would compete in a round-robin format, each school facing another only once, which meant each school would fight eight matches, totaling thirty-six matches over two days. At that time, whether a participant in the Meridian Opening phase or the Qi-Controlling phase would be determined by rolling dice. "Tomorrow''s schedule, the first match pits Jizhou University against Yanzhou University. It''s good that our matches are not first. Everyone can observe the strength of other schools first. However, the second match is Qingzhou University versus Liangzhou University." Ye Changfeng handed out a flyer to everyone, who looked at the schedule with a solemn expression. "Yuchi Shen, tell them about the current strength of each school this year," Elder Luo said. Yuchi Shen glanced at Xiang Beifei expressionlessly before beginning his introduction. "However, it''s stipulated that a person can only participate in two matches max, so later I and the other teachers need to analyze the situation and decide how to distribute among you five the order and opponents for the matches." This resembled cheating at horse racing, yet not exactly. In horse racing, there''s room for play since they face off in three rounds, but schools face each other only once in this system, which is basically random. Thus, it''s generally hoped that other schools will tackle the powerful students of other schools first, using up their two chances, and then face their own weaker students. For instance, Qingzhou University and Liangzhou University¡ªQingzhou University has two SSR-rated students this year, each required in two matches, meaning their two SSRs can at most fight four rounds. Then Ye Changfeng hoped that Qingzhou University would use these four rounds against the other seven schools, and by the time it was their turn, if the quotas were used up, only SR students would be available to fight, thus increasing their chance of winning. However, as all are elite schools, the teachers in charge of the teams certainly understand this, so allocating who plays when ultimately becomes a psychological ploy. Until they play, no one can be sure whether the opponents will be strong or weak. "You should also be aware that this year our school doesn''t have any SSRs, which means our strength is a notch below other schools. In individual matches, you are unlikely to have an advantage." Yuchi Shen''s gaze fixed on Xiang Beifei. "Apart from Qingzhou University, Yanzhou University, and Jizhou University, the other schools also have only one SSR, which means only one in the Meridian Opening phase. We don''t need to worry too much. At least we have student Xiang Beifei," Xi Keyao said timidly. "The situation isn''t that simple," Elder Luo said. "In individual matches, there are only eight rounds, each round worth one point. Total points are crucial. But have you considered that other schools, to achieve a higher score, will definitely try to ensure a win, so almost definitely the point will be taken from whom?" Long Guocheng and the others realized, "From us at Liangzhou University?" Now the other eight schools share a common understanding that Liangzhou University lacks any SSRs this year, meaning no students in the Meridian Opening phase. Thus, to secure this guaranteed point, they will definitely send out an SSR in the Meridian Opening phase against Liangzhou University! Because if an SSR is sent against another school, sometimes it could encounter an SSR opponent; both being in the Meridian Opening phase, one must lose. If it happens to be our loss, it''s not worth it. But now, other schools assume all of Liangzhou University''s students are only in the late Qi-Controlling phase, so sending an SSR in the Meridian Opening phase against Liangzhou University, which only has Qi-Controlling phase members, is nearly a guaranteed victory. Everyone wants to pick the weakest for an easy point! "Exactly, which means each of our match opponents could potentially be in the Meridian Opening phase as an SSR!" Elder Luo said meaningfully. "This..." Everyone''s expressions grew increasingly grave. Elder Luo said, "Alright, next, how to assign players to matches and how to break through this situation is something you five need to discuss." "Really, why must a simple freshman competition be made so complicated?" Ma Ziqian muttered on the side. For these martial artists, the most straightforward approach was to rush in and fight it out, which was the easiest. "Because this is also a tactic." Elder Luo said, "Facing opponents with unbalanced strengths, how to arrange your players to break through the deadlock and win more rounds is a type of command strategy. Elite university competitions are not just about martial strength but also about the ability to respond spontaneously, how to most effectively utilize limited manpower; it tests the teacher leading the team and also tests the freshmen. Developing this type of thinking can later be applied to battling desolate beasts waves." In elite university Martial Arts Colleges, the fundamental teaching principle is to train pioneers and defenders, basing it on combat thinking. When facing a wave of desolate beasts, their strengths are not equal, so schools must train students on how to make the most of effective manpower to maximize combat power. This freshman competition''s rules might seem unfair, with Meridian Opening phase facing Qi-Controlling phase, resulting in battles that are almost one-sided, hardly reflecting the true strength of the freshmen. However, the fact was that when facing desolate beasts, there was never such a thing as fairness! In battles against desolate beasts, most of the time the beasts were somewhat stronger. Therefore, how to win and score the most points was actually a test of each university''s tactical planning capabilities. Which battle to give up on, and which to go all out for, who to send against different opponents, learning to make choices, engaging in psychological games with each other¡ªit wasn''t just about bravery but also about wits. Although Elder Luo usually seemed idle and hardly serious, he had once served as the chief commander of the Jiuzhou Alliance during its campaign against the beast tide, and his grasp of the big picture in commanding battles was extremely formidable. He was all too clear about the original intent of these competitions among the nine elite schools. In other words, Elder Luo had an idea of how to break through the situation, but he didn''t spell it out. Instead, he wanted Xiang Beifei and his team to think it through first, which was also a form of training. If their ideas didn''t work, Elder Luo would then provide guidance. ¡ª¡ª Hearing Elder Luo say this, no one else could complain further. Ye Changfeng and Yuchi Shen sat aside, also remaining silent, watching Xiang Beifei and his group of five. Xiang Beifei and the others maintained their silence. After a long pause, Long Guocheng was the first to speak, "Tomorrow''s contest, our first encounter is in the second round, facing Qingzhou University. We don''t know who they will send against us." Xiang Beifei said, "The person Qingzhou University will send tomorrow will definitely be Hou Chengwu, no surprises there." Long Guocheng asked, "Are you so sure? Qingzhou University has two SSRs, one UR, and two SRs, they haven''t confirmed their choice yet." Xiang Beifei said, "It will be Hou Chengwu! He initially refused us at Liangzhou University and chose Qingzhou University instead. He must prove to others that not choosing Liangzhou University was the right decision, and the way to prove it is to beat us personally." "That also makes sense," Li Zimu nodded thoughtfully, "I think he was embarrassed by you today, he has to seek revenge for that." "Xiang Beifei, do you have the ability to defeat Hou Chengwu?" Xi Keyao asked. Xiang Beifei paused for a moment, then nodded slightly. The expression on the faces of Long Guocheng and the others slightly improved; they now recognized Xiang Beifei and knew his formidability. This guy, although not an SSR, was exasperatingly strong. With him, even if Liangzhou University couldn''t match the overt strength of those three universities, it was still enough to be on par with other schools. "But if other schools all send SSRs to face us, we are almost certain to lose. Xiang Beifei can only participate twice, meaning at most he could only score two points, but the four of us will almost certainly lose," Ma Ziqian said. "Unless we find a way to prevent them from all sending SSRs against us," Li Zimu said. "They now think we''re easy targets, how can we change their minds?" Long Guocheng asked. "It''s simple: we must let them know that we aren''t that weak," Xiang Beifei said. Li Zimu caught on and said, "I understand, we must show them our school also has someone in the Meridian Opening stage. That way, they won''t all send Meridian Openers against us. That means, Xiang Beifei, you must participate tomorrow against Qingzhou University." A person could participate a maximum of two times, so after Xiang Beifei''s first appearance, merely showing a hint of his strength would be enough to intimidate the other schools and make them cautious. They would understand that they might not be able to crush the Liangzhou University "persimmon" so easily! Because if their own SSRs faced Xiang Beifei, a tough opponent, and lost, it would be a significant loss, and then other schools wouldn''t all send SSRs to confront Liangzhou University. This ability was quite peculiar. Regardless of whether the target was a desolate beast or a human, once marked by him, a target gate would automatically form in his mind. Even if this gate was not originally the adversary''s weak point. Just like with the Triangular Thunder Krait, its original weak spot was its eyes, but if Yuchi Shen used "Seven Deadly Sins Kill," Yuchi could forcibly shift this weak spot to another location, such as moving the gate to the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait. Then if Yuchi Shen struck the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait, it would surely die! "This ability is powerful, forcibly changing an opponent''s weak point?" Xiang Beifei spoke appreciatively. "Right, I heard there originally were two SSR Awakeners who wanted to come to our Liangzhou University, but since Liangzhou University admitted an N grade, those two SSRs looked down on our Liangzhou University and went to other elite schools instead," Chapter 524: 395 Chapter: The Person Who Disappeared in the Video Xiaohei quickly organized the data it recorded into the computer, moving the entire database of the gods over, except for those specially protected SSR and UR records. Essentially, one could find the information on anyone from Jiuzhou here. [Xiang Tianxing: Born April 1, 2990, SR-level martial artist, cultivation at the God Refining stage, resident of Beilin Street in the Liangzhou West Administrative Region, graduate of Liangzhou University, Profession: Pioneering Tasker. Head of the Pioneering Department''s team in Tranquil Domain, went missing in the Northern District of the Essential Domain. Has undertaken tasks from level one to five, possessing extremely high pioneering literacy. Married, with a wife named Yu Tinglian, who disappeared with him, and a son named Xiang Beifei, a freshman at Liangzhou University.] The danger levels of the Pioneering Department''s tasks are divided from one to five, with five being the highest; tasks from level three onwards are generally carried out in the Tranquil Domain. When Qin Hongyi''s information was checked initially, his highest task level was only three. Xiang Tianxing was obviously an exceptional tasker; he carried out the Alliance''s pioneering tasks almost always smoothly, which is why Sun Heshun, the head of the Pioneering Department, had such high hopes for Xiang Tianxing. Love me, love my dog; Sun Heshun now also highly praised Xiang Beifei, wanting to dig him out from Elder Luo''s side to become a pioneering tasker after learning about Xiang Beifei''s talent. This information was probably updated last year, but the Alliance''s understanding of Xiang Tianxing was obviously insufficient, at least before Xiang Tianxing''s disappearance, the Alliance still believed he was just an SR-level God Refining martial artist. Xiang Beifei called up the video information about Xiang Tianxing. There were quite a few videos stored in the archives; he saw one about a beast tide that erupted seven years ago and clicked into it. The first thing he noticed was not comrade Xiang Tianxing, but Qin Hongyi! Xiang Beifei quickly realized that Qin Hongyi was the deputy team leader of the thirteenth team of Pioneering Taskers in the Tranquil Domain, while Xiang Tianxing was the overall person in charge of the Tranquil Domain Taskers team, which meant that Qin Hongyi''s official rank was probably two levels lower. The Tranquil Domain Taskers team, meaning the pioneering tasks they often carried out, were generally in the third danger zone, the Tranquil Domain. Without the corresponding ability, one would not be qualified to undertake tasks in the Tranquil Domain. Qin Hongyi stood in the first row, along with twenty other people who were team leaders and deputy team leaders of various teams in the Tranquil Domain, seemingly listening to someone higher up giving a speech. Xiang Beifei followed the gaze of Qin Hongyi and the others to the high platform in front¡ª It was completely empty. There was no sound on the high platform, no people, nothing at all. Yet Qin Hongyi and the others listened very seriously, with solemn and reverent expressions, as if¡ªthey were listening to the air giving a speech? He watched the half-hour-long tactical deployment video on fast forward and still did not see where Xiang Tianxing was. It was a very eerie scene. Xiang Beifei clicked through several more videos, and then he saw several familiar people: Xiao Sheng speaking to the air, Kong Daming speaking to the air, Xi Wenxuan speaking to the air... Xiang Tianxing''s presence seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no image in the video! "Did he erase all his own data?" Up to this point, basically everyone has their own video data in the Jiuzhou archives. Although the AI "God" is often messed with by Xiaohei, it is more than enough to monitor the data of Jiuzhou''s population. Essentially everyone is registered at birth, and "God" periodically stores recent videos of each person in their population profile. However, the video image records left by his father are all blank! There are no images of him in these videos! Xiang Beifei immediately called his grandfather to inquire about any video recordings of his father. "You mean your dad''s videos? Wait a moment! Let me see if there''s anything on my phone." Xiang Qingde fiddled with his old-fashioned phone, looked for a moment, then said, "Forgot it, a busy man like him, where would he make videos, I only have a few photos... oh yes, there''s one! Last time you had your birthday, he rarely came back, and I specifically took a video, let me find it." "Grandpa, send it to me." "Let me see! Send... oh, is the send button this stewpot icon?" "Stewpot? Wait, wait, wait! No, that''s the trash can! It''ll delete the file, it''s not a stewpot!" "Oh, that''s the trash can? I thought it looked so much like our family''s stewpot!" Xiang Beifei hurriedly shouted, "Nevermind, don''t touch the phone anymore, Grandpa, you might delete it by mistake, I''ll be home right away! By the way, could you please check if my dad left anything else behind? Like old cameras and mobile phones." The old man didn''t know how to use a phone; he even mistook the trash can icon for a stewpot. It''s hard to imagine that such a confused old man could smash Chou Hou, several hundred meters tall, to pieces with a single slap. Xiang Beifei immediately packed up his computer, threw it into Xiaohei''s bubble, and then took a step forward, leaping into the space and disappearing. It took him a little over twenty minutes to rush back home; he was slower than Elder Luo, who needed only ten minutes from the university to here. "You''re back? That was quick?" Xiang Qingde was quite leisurely nowadays, occasionally visiting Kong''s Mansion for a feast. As Xiang Beifei opened the door, he was rummaging through his son''s belongings in the bedroom. "Young people run fast, Grandpa, let me see the phone," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Qingde handed him the phone, then asked, "What''s up? Missing your dad?" "I just want to understand more about him because many people in the university know him, and I found that I seem to know less about him than others do." Xiang Beifei flipped through his grandfather''s phone, quickly finding the video. The video showed his thirteenth birthday, a bit shaky¡ªGrandpa''s skills weren''t up to par. The frame was tilted, initially capturing only a half-body shot, but eventually, the screen straightened up, revealing the thirteen-year-old Xiang Beifei. However, the thirteen-year-old Xiang Beifei in the video didn''t look very happy. He refused to wear a birthday hat and even had a bit of a hostile frown. He glanced at the cake and then began to yell at the person next to him, "I said I wanted a twelve-inch pudding cake! Why did you give me a fourteen-inch fruit cake? When will you guys ever remember what I say?" Xiang Beifei in the video shouted angrily, flipping over the intact, uncut cake onto the floor, scattering candle wax and cream everywhere. Then he stood up, kicked the cake tray away, and stormed back to his room. "Wait, Xiaofei." Xiang Qingde, who was filming, quickly put the phone down. The frame started to shake a bit and then captured the floor, and all that was left in the video was the sound of Grandpa knocking on the bedroom door. However, there was no response from Xiang Beifei inside the bedroom. "This guy really deserves a smack!" Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but want to slap the back of that guy''s head, with no respect for his elders at all. "Ha ha, you realize now how much of a temper you had back then, right? You were still little, so stubborn! Thankfully, you''ve grown up quite a bit now and are more sensible than before," Xiang Qingde said with a chuckle. "Oh, right, I forgot." Xiang Beifei suddenly remembered that the thirteen-year-old in the video was himself. "My parents aren''t in the video," Xiang Beifei said. "They are there, aren''t they the ones you were yelling at?" said Xiang Qingde. "There''s no one in the video." Xiang Beifei handed the video to Xiang Qingde. Xiang Qingde leaned over to take a look and was quite surprised, "Huh? Did I not capture them? Impossible, I remember they were both standing right here. Your dad bought this cake, and when it was wrong, you got very upset. They were standing right here." Xiang Qingde pointed out the rough location in the frame to Xiang Beifei, but there was nothing in the video. It was emptiness again! How had the video suddenly gone missing? Xiang Qingde handed an old digital camera to Xiang Beifei, saying, "See if it''s in here." Xiang Beifei checked again, and there were some videos from the wilderness outside Jiuzhou. They were of Kong Daming and others, apparently hunting a Landmine Tiger in the late stages of Meridian Opening. They intended to make it a training video for pioneers, but still, there was no sight of Xiang Tianxing. "I need to ask Uncle Kong and Mr. Ye." Xiang Beifei immediately called everyone Xiang Tianxing knew, asking if they had any video material related to Xiang Tianxing. Everyone was quite willing to help, and he even approached his father''s boss, Sun Heshun. Soon Sun Heshun, Ye Changfeng, Elder Luo, and Xi Wenxuan all sent quite a few videos to Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei checked all the videos one by one. Still nothing! "What''s going on here?" The more Xiang Beifei thought about it, the more wrong it seemed. "If there are no traces of system intervention, could there be evidence of software editing?" Xiang Beifei asked Xiaohei. Ordinary videos just need an editing software to cut a person out of the video; that''s how movie post-production works with special effects. But as long as the video is analyzed closely, traces of editing can be detected. Xiaohei carefully checked all the videos again and then shook its head. Its detection was absolutely authoritative. Meaning, these videos had no system traces, no software edits! Xiang Tianxing seemed to be forcefully erased from Jiuzhou, with the exception of photographs. He had mysteriously vanished from all other videos! "Does he really not want anyone to see what he''s up to? The question is, how did he do it?" If it was about dealing with videos on other people, there might be a possibility, but some archives are recorded in God''s database. To cut those out under the nose of the God of Jiuzhou would be difficult! Because some of the video material Xiang Beifei had was stolen from "God." Yet a high-level artificial intelligence like "God" wouldn''t allow anyone to modify files, with UR-level protection measures in place and the power of Heavenly Connection realm. Unless it was someone like Xiaohei and Xiang Beifei who could ignore system level rules, pin "God" to the ground, and scrub themselves from the video. Other System Awakeners, even at the UR level, couldn''t possibly do it. And Comrade Xiang Tianxing, he was only an SR! Xiang Beifei suddenly furrowed his eyebrows. Was he? Chapter 525 - 396: Investigation Report (4000 words) Li Nanxing mentioned the desolate wilderness beyond the domain, his expression turning serious. In the desolate wilderness outside the territory of Jiuzhou, it was filled with various dangerous and powerful desolate beasts, fierce and terrifying. The task of the pioneers was to eradicate the desolate beasts in an area to expand the territory of Jiuzhou and secure more living space for humans. This was a daunting task because desolate beasts could not be easily eliminated, and on the contrary, it was easier for the pioneers to be encircled and killed by them! This was also why the profession of a pioneer was held in such high esteem, as they fought for human living space, almost tying their own lives to their belts. In Jiuzhou, if one''s cultivation had not reached the Meridian Opening Realm, they were generally not allowed to go to the desolate wilderness beyond the domain because for those in the Qi-Controlling Realm, going there was akin to courting death! "I do not understand what those people at Liangzhou University are thinking¡ªthey actually set such an admission assessment." Li Nanxing spoke with dissatisfaction; it was clearly a signal of "refusing N-tier Awakeners on campus" for everyone to see. But he was just a high school principal and could not influence the decisions of Liangzhou University, nor could he do anything about this unfair situation. "Of course, you do not need to worry, you are not yet at the Qi-Controlling stage, so the assessment they set for you should be in the simulation training ground. Elite universities have simulation training facilities, that is what they will do." Li Nanxing said. Xiang Beifei fell into deep thought. The admission examination was to enter the desolate wilderness beyond the domain? His parents had gone to the desolate wilderness and then never returned; he had never been there and wondered what that place was really like. This world was closely related to the desolate wilderness beyond the domain, yet what Xiang Beifei had currently experienced was still just the tip of the iceberg. The scores of the high school candidates from Luhe High School came out one by one, some joyful, some disappointed, with scores at 300, 400, each expressing different emotions. Currently, the highest score belonged to Shen Yu, who awakened the [S-tier Academic God System] and scored 667 without any bonus marks, from Class One. At that time, Kong Xiuwen''s results also came out: [Kong Xiuwen, S-tier, Chinese 101, Math 103, Comprehensive 191, Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou 118, Total 513] Kong Xiuwen was overjoyed! "Ah, I scored over 500 points!" He desperately tugged at his own hair; these days, in order to score over 500 points, he had exerted all his strength and exchanged all the fallen hairs he collected for a system reward that enhanced intelligence, and finally, it paid off. 513 plus 50 points, 563 points, getting into an elite university was no problem at all! "Congratulations." Xiang Beifei said. "Thank you, I didn''t expect to perform beyond my usual ability!" Kong Xiuwen was very excited, but he quickly restrained his excitement and asked, "How confident are you? You were the one who said we should go to Liangzhou University together last time, and I''ve done it, now I''m waiting for you! Don''t disappoint me!" "Let''s wait and see how the results turn out." Xiang Beifei said. "Son, you did it!" A chubby middle-aged man squeezed through the crowd; his substantial figure easily pushed aside the crowded people, and he excitedly embraced Kong Xiuwen, his round belly almost knocking Kong Xiuwen over. This was Kong Xiuwen''s father, Kong Daming. [Host: Kong Daming] [S-tier, Gluttonous Feast System] [Realm: Early Meridian Opening] Kong Daming ran a catering business, his culinary skills were divine, and he could even make a plain cabbage taste irresistibly delicious. "Dad, have some restraint, have some restraint." Kong Xiuwen covered his aching belly, but he could hardly hide his excitement, letting his father''s large palm rub back and forth on his head. "Uncle Kong, hello." Xiang Beifei politely greeted. "Haha, good, good, it''s been a while since I saw you, Xiaofei." Kong Daming laughed joyously, then turned to greet Xiang Qingde, "Is the old man in good health?" "Still well, congratulations, Daming." Xiang Qingde forced a smile. "Haha, thank you thank you, my Xiuwen has achieved success! By the way, have Xiaofei''s results come out yet?" Kong Daming asked. "They should be out soon." Xiang Qingde''s mind involuntarily recalled the paper with 43 points and he silently sighed. "Xiaofei, you need to work hard! You two have played together since childhood, always in the same class; I hope you can be together in university as well!" Kong Daming said cheerfully. "Hopefully." Xiang Qingde could only say so much, but his heart sighed again; Kong Xiuwen was an S-tier Awakener, scoring 500 points to get into an elite university was easy, but Xiang Beifei was N-tier, and his scores were so poor... "Haha, that''s great, I''m so pleased with my son''s fantastic score that I''m closing my business for tonight and throwing a celebration banquet just for you guys. Old man, you should come too!" Kong Daming was old classmates with Xiang Tianxing, and after Xiang Tianxing had an accident, he often took care of the grandfather and grandson, always telling them that there was no charge for meals at his restaurant. But Xiang Qingde and his family rarely went; though their income was not high, they didn''t want to freeload. Kong Daming was aware of this, so he changed his approach, often delivering some meat to Xiang Qingde''s home for them to cook themselves. To avoid giving Xiang Qingde a psychological burden, he symbolically charged just the price of cabbage. Recently, during Xiang Beifei''s college entrance exam period, the ingredients for body nourishment all came from Kong Daming. "Congratulations! Well done, Kong Xiuwen, I always said you had potential!" Yang Hua appeared just in time at this moment, loudly praising Kong Xiuwen; Kong Xiuwen had also brought him a teacher''s prestige value of 563, which was a substantial amount! Chapter 526 - 396: Investigation Report (4000 words)_2 Kong Xiuwen did not take to Yang Hua. Before his awakening, both he and Xiang Beifei were criticized, but after awakening the S-class system, Yang Hua''s attitude towards him underwent a drastic change. Kong Xiuwen was also straightforward. He did not like people like Yang Hua. But Kong Daming was not aware of these details. When a teacher came to congratulate, he naturally responded with courtesy, "Ha ha, thank you, Professor Yang. I really have to thank you for your nurturing!" "Not at all, not at all. I had seen from the beginning that Kong Xiuwen was a student with great potential. He was bound to make a mark, and I am not at all surprised at his achievements," Yang Hua said with a smile. Kong Xiuwen rolled his eyes the entire time. Nurture my ass! His high scores were entirely due to the help of his system and his own efforts of studying late into the night. It had nothing to do with Yang Hua. If he hadn''t awakened an S-class system, Yang Hua would have probably sung a very different tune. A fair-weather friend, that is what you could call such a person. Yang Hua glanced at Xiang Qingde and his grandson, then said to Kong Daming, "An excellent student should be like Kong Xiuwen, diligent and hardworking, not complacent. However, it''s very important who one associates with; the superior should be with the more superior. I told Xiuwen this from the beginning." Kong Daming, usually busy with business, did not quite understand Yang Hua''s implications and asked, "Professor Yang, what do you mean by that?" "Nothing much, just speaking my mind. With Kong Xiuwen''s current performance, getting into an elite university is no problem. He will be able to mingle with even more outstanding people. Your son is definitely promising. Congratulations, congratulations! I need to go check on the other students'' results, so I won''t disturb you two celebrating any longer." Yang Hua waved his hand, too lazy to pay any more attention to Xiang Qingde and Xiang Beifei, and simply ignored them. "Don''t take his words to heart; you can definitely do it," Kong Xiuwen leaned over to encourage Xiang Beifei. However, Kong Xiuwen wasn''t really sure himself. Getting into an elite university was not difficult for him, but it was a significant challenge for Xiang Beifei, who still didn''t know how much he had improved. Xiang Beifei didn''t explain much, but Xiang Qingde felt increasingly uncomfortable after hearing Yang Hua''s words. Xiang Beifei looked at Wang Dan, lost in thought. The assessment system of the system world was perhaps just, but not fair. The nine elite universities were not very welcoming to N-class Awakeners. Not only did N-classes not receive bonus points, but the threshold for entering elite universities was also high, requiring specific entrance assessments. Except for Liangzhou University, the other eight elite universities even outright rejected them. If it were an S-class or R-class, a score of 601 would be more than enough to enter any of the nine elite universities. Even Kong Xiuwen with a score of 513 managed to get in. But the system world was unique with its own rules of survival. To live better in this world, system talent was incredibly important; higher-level talent Awakeners could complete system missions faster, an undeniable fact. Special schools with special requirements are actually quite normal, applicable everywhere. For example, clinical medicine does not allow people with infectious diseases, and people who stutter are not suitable for teaching professions. The nine elite universities needed to cultivate the top talent for the Jiuzhou Alliance, to reserve manpower, and thus high selection criteria were justified. After all, in this world, academic scores were just a reference, while the decisive factor was system talent. Yang Hua was happily counting his prestige value as teacher; most of his students'' results had been released, and the highest score in his class was not Zhuo Jing with an S-class, but Wang Dan, who had awakened the N-class Flower Cultivation System! She scored 601! Wang Dan also looked very excited, her system being Flower Cultivation, so she intended to apply to an agricultural university. "Good, very good!" Yang Hua loudly congratulated Wang Dan. He was all smiles, treating Wang Dan very warmly, having earned 601 points of teacher prestige value for himself. However, many people remembered that two months after awakening her system, Wang Dan had been neglected by Yang Hua, even moved to a seat in the back of the class, and when Wang Dan asked questions, he appeared impatient. This was because Wang Dan was an N-class Awakener. But Yang Hua did not bother with these things; as long as they brought him benefits, it was all good. He could freely praise them, and changing his attitude by a complete 180 degrees was no problem at all. "This child, I hope he can achieve something in the future! Although he is only an N-grade, his genes come from Xiang Tianxing. It seems unlikely that he will get into Liangzhou University this year, but maybe there will be hope next year or the year after." Li Nanxing did not really expect Xiang Beifei to bring him any prestige value. Honestly, he felt that relying on Xiang Beifei to boost his prestige was less reliable than relying on those S-grade students. But the reason he came to encourage Xiang Beifei was largely because of Xiang Tianxing. That day, Xiang Beifei was in his office consulting about the system for choosing schools, and on Xiang Beifei, Li Nanxing seemed to see a shadow of Xiang Tianxing. Just then, a voice came from the side, "Professor Yang, how can you demean a student like this?" Li Nanxing walked over from the crowd, looking seriously at Yang Hua. "Principal." Upon seeing Li Nanxing, Yang Hua''s arrogant expression paused, and he quickly put on a smiling face to greet him. Li Nanxing was also there to look at the students'' grades, and as the principal, he naturally couldn''t miss such a major event, but he had inadvertently heard the conversation and had to speak up. "As a teacher, you should teach without discrimination, and unearth each student''s strengths instead of rashly defining them. Is it right for a teacher to demean someone else''s child in front of their parents?" Li Nanxing scolded. Yang Hua did not dare to respond, but he still felt disdain in his heart. ¡ªXiang Beifei, a student like him, what strengths could he have? I was just stating the truth, he simply can''t make it into college. Li Nanxing turned his head, and with an apologetic face, he said to Xiang Qingde, "I''m sorry, just now Professor Yang was just anxious waiting for the results and spoke recklessly. As the principal, it''s my fault for not managing my own teacher properly, I apologize to you, please don''t take it to heart." "Not at all." Xiang Qingde was somewhat flattered as he knew that Principal Li Nanxing was at least a Meridian Opening stage individual, with high cultivation and status. For such a person to lower themselves to apologize was indeed rare. Li Nanxing said, "You are Xiang Beifei''s grandfather, right? Don''t worry, I still have good hopes for this child. I know he might not have performed ideally in the college entrance exams this year, but no worries, if Xiang Beifei wants to repeat a year, I will arrange a class for him." "Really? Thank you so much, Principal." Xiang Qingde said gratefully. Li Nanxing comforted him, then shouted, "Professor Yang, aren''t you going to apologize right now?" Yang Hua reluctantly said, "I''m sorry, Old Master Xiang, I was impulsive just now." However, in his heart, he scoffed: Don''t even think about next year, giving Xiang Beifei ten years might still not be enough for him to get into college! "You must do your best on the test tomorrow, don''t be burdened, just perform at your best, don''t overthink, and make sure to check your paper after you''re done..." Xiang Qingde incessantly advised Xiang Beifei. "Grandfather seems really nervous?" Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Qingde said, "This is a major event in your life, of course, I''m nervous." He knew Xiang Beifei''s grades were poor, and they could even be described as very bad, with an N-grade Awakening System, his prospects were bleak. But these past two months since the Awakening System arrived, Xiang Beifei had changed completely, very diligent, which gave him a glimmer of hope. "You little rascal, eat slower." Xiang Qingde saw Xiaohei had even crawled into the bowl and rubbed Xiaohei''s head. Normally, others couldn''t see Xiaohei, but because he was tempted by the lure of delicious food, he decided to let Xiang Qingde see him, saving Chapter 527 - 397: The Failed UR System (4k Words) In the center of Jiuzhou continent, this area is a bustling hub, as well as the safest place. Even if a horde of great beasts were to surge a hundred times, this place would remain unaffected. High-level Awakeners all strive to purchase a plot of land here, but the cost is astronomical; even an S-rank Awakener working a lifetime may not afford a single square meter here, not to mention the R and N ranks. It is considered an honor to be able to buy land in central Jiuzhou; it''s a symbol of status. At the foot of the mountain in the outskirts stands a secluded villa. The villa covers a vast area; generally, only UR-rank Awakeners who hold important positions in the alliance could afford such an estate. This is one of Zhu Yiji''s private villas. Zhu Yiji had not shown himself these past few days. Following the alliance''s advice that he should lie low for a bit, he found a place to protect himself. He had become much more low-profile recently and avoided showing his face. He used to think he was formidable until Luo Yunxian gave him a thorough beating, which made him realize the gap between them. Now, he didn''t dare to make a sound, fearing Luo Yunxian would come over and thrash him again. That day, all his bones were broken; due to his use of the Blood Art Surge, he was now only left with the cultivation level of the late orifice transforming phase. Under normal circumstances, he only needed to hide quietly for two or three months to regain his strength. But an unexpected situation occurred. As soon as he fled back that day, he immediately drew a circle around himself to start healing. [You have established a rule: Within this circle, anyone''s injuries will completely heal!] [Rule value required to heal these injuries: 5 million] Right after Zhu Yiji established the rule, a green light emerged within the circle, casting its glow upon him! The Square and Round Rules of a UR-rank were incredibly powerful; a single rule was an ability in itself. As long as he had enough square and round value, it was easy to heal someone''s injuries. With these 5 million points, he would instantly become an uninjured, normal person! However, that day, Zhu Yiji was furious! For some reason, the circle at his feet just disappeared! His Square and Round Rules began to fail one after another, leaving him both shocked and angry. But he figured the beating might have caused a system malfunction, so he had not dared to use the Square and Round Rules all week. Even his injuries were treated by another SSR-rank Awakener, but it was only the external wounds; the internal injuries were still not healed. Luo Yunxian had struck decisively that day, each punch causing severe damage to his soul. The soul, just like the meridians, is best known by oneself; thus, only one''s own system would know how to restore it. Even if someone had miraculous healing abilities, capable of regenerating limbs or mending bones, they could only address the symptoms, not the root cause. Surviving was not an issue, but the soul''s injuries had to be treated by himself! He had values worth hundreds of millions in the system, after all! If he couldn''t make use of these hundreds of millions of system values, then what use was the system to him! "The system has rested for a week, so there shouldn''t be any problems now, right?" Zhu Yiji looked deeply concerned as he decided to start with a small test of the system values. He immediately drew a circle in front of him. [You have established a rule: Within this circle, sand will float up!] [Rule value required for this rule: 5] Whoosh! A grain of sand immediately leapt into the air! "No problem?" Zhu Yiji suddenly felt a surge of joy! After calming himself, he tried again with 10 points, 100 points, all the way up to 10,000 points, and the Square and Round Rules were all in good order! "Excellent! The system has finally recovered to normal!" Zhu Yiji was completely reassured. It seemed that his system malfunction last time was just a fluke and likely not because of any interference from Luo Yunxian. After all, he thought, my awakening entails the highest-grade UR system; how could it possibly be disturbed by an SR-rank like Luo Yunxian? No matter how strong he may be, his system can''t compare with my own. The suppression of system levels is not something to merely talk about. Now that the system was back to normal, it was time to start healing his soul! "Luo Yunxian, this isn''t over! Once my soul is healed, we''ll settle our score!" Zhu Yiji immediately drew a circle around himself. [You have established a rule: Within this circle, the soul will be healed, duration ten days, with a recovery of 10% of the soul''s condition] [Rule value required for this rule: 5 million] Zhu Yiji had decided: He would not leave the house until his soul was recovered! He closed his eyes at once, began to inspect the injuries to his soul, which were severe; but it didn''t matter, it should start recovering now¡ª Ten minutes passed! Twenty minutes passed! "Strange, why are there no signs of the soul healing?" Zhu Yiji furrowed his eyebrows, then opened his eyes, only to be shocked! The circle beneath his feet had disappeared without him noticing it! "Gone again!" Zhu Yiji was stunned! The square and round value worth 5 million that he created had failed again! Hadn''t he just tested it earlier? Weren''t the Square and Round Rules functioning well, why... Pfft! Zhu Yiji was so incensed that he spurted out a mouthful of blood. ¡ª¡ª "Woof woof!" What Zhu Yiji didn''t know was that, thousands of miles away, a little white dog was gleefully grasping a spiritual power crystal in its paws, licking it with its tongue! This was a spiritual power crystal from the early phase of orifice transforming! Ever since Xiang Beifei stepped into the God Refining phase, Xiaohei''s range for accepting deliveries had grown larger, allowing it to obtain items even across a thousand miles. As soon as Zhu Yiji exchanged system items, Xiaohei detected it and immediately snatched them away. Chapter 528 - 397: The Failed UR System (4k Words)_2 It was also quite savvy, knowing that Zhu Yiji specifically used small system values to verify his own system, so it deliberately did not go after those 1 or 10 point Square and Round Rules. It targeted the bigger scores! "Our gains these past few days have been so-so, I suppose!" Xiang Beifei rubbed Xiaohei''s head, tallying the system items he currently possessed. From He Caiwei, he had managed to secure tens of millions of uniqueness value, which, when converted into spiritual power crystals, amounted to about nine God Refining late stage, three orifice transforming early stage, four orifice transforming middle stage, and one orifice transforming late stage! However, he got relatively less from Zhu Yiji, only two orifice transforming early stage spiritual power crystals. But no matter, as long as Zhu Yiji couldn''t recover to the Heavenly Connection level, Xiaohei had him completely under control! The worst thing he did was trying to set rules for Xiang Beifei with a circle while at Liangzhou University. Setting such rules would lead to a lifetime of regret! ¡ª¡ª Zhu Yiji, frustrated and furious, investigated his system''s issues when suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Master, this is bad, something has happened," someone outside said urgently. This was his personal butler, Du Mao, an SR-level Awakener. "Is it Luo Yunxian who has come?" Zhu Yiji''s expression changed. His biggest concern was that Luo Yunxian would charge into the Alliance headquarters alone and give them another thrashing, so he deliberately hid in an extremely secluded place, daring not to show his face. Du Mao carefully glanced at Zhu Yiji and said in a low voice, "It''s not him, but there''s something more important. I''ve sent you a video. It''s currently going viral on the internet, absolutely exploding." Zhu Yiji frowned, suppressed his rage, then pulled out his phone and opened the video link. Soon, his face turned ashen! The video displayed the events of a week earlier, starting with the interrogation of Professor Guo, through Huang Yuwen and his group truthfully incriminating Wu Shixuan, followed by He Caiwei''s provocations, Ye Changfeng and Xiang Beifei''s repelling of Cao Pei, including He Caiwei creating a system space, brazenly declaring his intent to kill Professor Guo, only to end up beaten by Professor Guo, and finally Zhu Yiji getting blasted to the ground by Elder Luo... Every spoken word and every action taken by everyone during the entire process, including Zhu Yiji''s attempts to use his own powers to block others'' methods, were thoroughly recorded! Annotations accompanied the footage, including who the people were, their positions within the alliance, why they spoke as they did, and their motives¡ªeverything was labeled clearly, so that even those with poor comprehension, as long as they could read, would undoubtedly understand what this video implied. The video had begun spreading online, with viewership climbing rapidly. Uploaded less than an hour ago, it had already garnered a hundred thousand views! "Who released this video? Why isn''t it deleted yet?" Zhu Yiji shouted outside the door. Soon, Du Mao, who was waiting outside, came in with his head bowed and said, "Master, the Alliance said they can''t delete the video. It seems very unusual, extremely powerful." "How can it not be deleted? Are those people in the Alliance Development Department just slacking off? Isn''t there a God maintaining order online?" Zhu Yiji roared. This was truly a case of misfortune piling up as his system issues had not been fully resolved yet, and now this troublesome matter had emerged. Last week, the Alliance had initiated an investigation into the event involving Professor Guo, which the "Idle Faction" had forcibly suppressed. The outside world was largely unaware of what had occurred at Liangzhou University that day, and the students at Liangzhou University were kept completely in the dark. But if this video spread widely, the matter would become utterly uncontrollable. No matter how strong the secrecy measures, they couldn''t silence all the Awakeners across the Jiuzhou continent! "They say they are trying to mitigate the negative impact on the Alliance, but... they can''t block this video. They''ve tried every system ability, but nothing works! Even God seems to be helpless," Du Mao said in panic. "Delete it! Completely erase it! If this video still exists in an hour, I''ll have your dog life! Get out!" Zhu Yiji waved his hand, and a slap landed across Du Mao''s face! "Yes, yes!" Feeling his face burn from the unwarranted slap, Du Mao stood still, not daring to move. While the incident was clearly unrelated to him, he had to suffer the consequences. He didn''t dare to even breathe loudly but could only hang his head and scuttle out submissively. "Damn bastard! Deserves to be dealt with by Luo Yunxian!" After closing the door, Du Mao couldn''t help but curse Zhu Yiji in his heart! He was an SR-grade Awakener, a prestigious figure wherever he went. However, in Zhu Yiji''s employ, he could only serve as the butler. Normally, being the butler for Zhu Yiji was something many dreamt of, SR-grade included. After all, Zhu Yiji was a UR-grade Awakener and a minister of the Su Alliance! He possessed power, strength, and status. Keeping company with such a prominent figure naturally elevated Du Mao''s own status. Even SSR-grade Awakeners had to treat him with respect. However, since Zhu Yiji''s return last week, Du Mao had noticed his standing in the Zhu family plummeting and he had repeatedly become the target of Zhu Yiji''s scolding and outlet for his rage. That day, he was just on the phone with a friend, mentioning he was an SR-grade Awakener and a graduate of Liangzhou University. Zhu Yiji just happened to pass by and hear this, and suddenly, he slapped him! That look in his eyes was as if Du Mao had committed some unforgivable sin. Du Mao was also dumbfounded by the slap. Only upon seeing that video from Liangzhou University did he understand the reason. It turned out Zhu Yiji had been miserably beaten by the SR-grade Luo Yunxian! As an SR-grade Awakener and a graduate of Liangzhou University, Du Mao, being Zhu Yiji''s assistant, almost reminded Zhu Yiji of that humiliating episode at Liangzhou University, where he, a dignified UR-grade, was mercilessly humiliated by an SR-grade. "I shouldn''t have come to report this! Can''t beat Luo Yunxian, so he hits me? His authority all expended on me, what an old bastard!" Massaging his face, Du Mao felt intense hatred for Zhu Yiji. He deliberately went to a secluded place and replayed the video of Zhu Yiji being brutally beaten by Luo Yunxian ten times, finally feeling somewhat appeased! Although he wasn''t a match for Zhu Yiji, the sight of UR-grade Zhu Yiji being beaten by SR-grade Luo Yunxian was satisfying indeed! No way, he had to edit this clip! A super stress-relieving video, to be secretly watched whenever Zhu Yiji scorned him, guaranteeing immediate refreshment! "Professor Luo is truly the pride of us SR-grades, powerful and domineering! And he stands up for his own! It''d be much better to side with him than with Zhu Yiji..." Du Mao envied Xiang Beifei and Ye Changfeng deeply and regretted not having connected more with Professor Luo during his university days. Having been by Zhu Yiji''s side for years, Du Mao knew very well how Zhu handled affairs. Past scandals were forcefully suppressed, but clearly, this video seemed beyond suppression by the alliance. If it became widely known throughout Jiuzhou, it meant Zhu Yiji and others like He Caiwei would be utterly disgraced, definitely causing big trouble! If he were implicated, it wouldn''t be good. With the tree fallen, the monkeys would scatter; it was best to pack up and flee early to avoid another unfounded beating next time he reported. "Should I go to Professor Luo for shelter? But they probably won''t trust me. Perhaps...I should take more of Zhu Yiji''s dirty deeds with me as a show of good faith?" Considering his options, Du Mao thought it was time to tender his resignation. He was adept at picking sides and it was clear Zhu Yiji, this UR-grade, was no longer reliable. There were whispers within the alliance about the still vigorous Luo Yunxian planning a comeback, a sign it was time to latch onto a sturdier leg. Chapter 529 - 398: The Video That Cant Be Deleted (4000 Words) Others also saw Xiang Beifei, but because of the flooding, it was difficult for them to break free. "Yu Hongbo, you keep an eye on these SR, we''ll deal with him!" Hou Chengwu shouted. "Alright!" Yu Hongbo had to take care of his own people, otherwise the SR would be directly submerged by the floodwaters. Zhu Xinjue''s eyes revealed a trace of fierceness as he produced a huge glass sphere in his hand. The sphere flickered and transformed into an illusionary light, enveloping the void. "Let''s see where you can go now!" Zhu Xinjue sneered. This glass sphere was a UR-level spatial item, capable of rendering any spatial transmission ineffective. Zhu Xinjue was worried that Xiang Beifei would escape since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman. Soon, Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong had Xiang Beifei surrounded. The powerful aura emanating from them was in no way inferior to the floodwaters as they stared intently at Xiang Beifei. "Xiang Beifei, even though I know you''re strong, we''ve got four people here. I''d still advise you to forfeit." He Qiutong was unaware of Zhu Xinjue''s plan, her objective, like Chen Baiwen''s, was merely to get Xiang Beifei eliminated. Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the four people in front of him. Four people were easier to deal with than five. "That''s right, we don''t want to harm you. Just eliminate yourself quietly to avoid trouble." Chen Baiwen said gravely. But Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue on the side were filled with endless killing intent. "What are we waiting for? If we want to eliminate him, we first need to take him down!" Hou Chengwu barked. He now had ample confidence facing Xiang Beifei again. Although he couldn''t understand how he had been defeated on the stage last time, now they were four against one, and in his eyes, Xiang Beifei was certainly a dead man this time! Hou Chengwu gritted his teeth and said, "Today, I will make you pay!" It was embarrassing for him, an SSR, to have been dumped into a trash can that day. Today, he had to kill Xiang Beifei! "Three against two, not bad, not too terrible." Xiang Beifei said. "Three against two?" Zhu Xinjue scoffed, "Have we scared you into stupidity? Can''t even count the number of people anymore? It''s four of us against one of you right now!" "President Ren is so esteemed and respectable, he even said ''names aren''t important, strength is.'' For a senior to say such words, his heart must be open and broad, why would he care about such trivial matters as names with me? As President Ren''s proud disciple, why don''t you share the same philosophy in dealing with people?" Xiang Beifei looked at Hou Chengwu curiously and added, "Haven''t you learned even the slightest from him?" His words were watertight, first, he sarcastically mentioned Ren Jianghai, then immediately elevated Ren Jianghai to a high status, preventing Ren Jianghai from reacting over the teasing about names, and at the same time subtly insulted Hou Chengwu. "You..." Hou Chengwu was left red-faced and seething with anger by Xiang Beifei. In midair, Li Zimu stood there, shocked as he watched the people below, saying, "They actually can''t tell." The flood here was an illusion created by Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm. Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm had reached a level where it was hard to distinguish real from fake. However, Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen were SSR after all, higher than Li Zimu in system level and cultivation, so they shouldn''t be in such a sorry state. "Of course, they can''t tell. Not one of them is a System Awakener of the mental series," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power was attached to the Poetry Realm created by Li Zimu. Hence, even though Li Zimu only had the cultivation of late-stage Qi-Controlling, the flood he created possessed the power of the Meridian Opening stage! As for the suppression due to system level difference, with Xiang Beifei present, the so-called superiority of the SSR system was nothing but a decoration. He specifically sought Li Zimu''s help to trap this group of people. But after traveling a distance, they suddenly encountered a fork in the road! Xiang Beifei''s afterimage reappeared at the side of the fork, but then disappeared once again on the path. "Which path should we take?" Hou Chengwu asked Chen Baiwen urgently. "Don''t know, there are no traces." Chen Baiwen shook his head. "Forget it, let''s split up, it''ll be faster that way." Zhu Xinjue said. "Splitting up means dividing our strength, if we encounter Xiang Beifei, do you think we stand a chance against him?" Chen Baiwen asked. "Xiang Beifei is obviously being chased by that desolate beast, if we meet him, how could we not stand a chance?" Zhu Xinjue replied. After discussing for a moment, they decided to separate, but they all agreed to signal the others upon encountering Xiang Beifei. If after half an hour no one was found, they would regroup here. To ensure mutual trust, they decided to mix up their groups. Zhu Xinjue and Yu Hongbo, He Qiutong took one path, while Chen Baiwen and Hou Chengwu took another. Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen, leading three SRs, took the left path, Chen Baiwen seemed preoccupied, but Hou Chengwu still warned, "Don''t forget our agreement." Xiang Beifei vaguely understood and said, "Digesting memories?" A desolate beast that ate the brain of another could sometimes gain the memories of the devoured beast, meaning all that the consumed beast had seen and heard would be assimilated by the other. If the green-haired caterpillar was squashed by Long Guocheng, that means it must have seen Xiang Beifei and the others! Even if the caterpillar couldn''t understand human language, its mind would still retain visual images. Chapter 530 398: The Video That Cant Be Deleted (4000 Words)_2 What exactly did they say when they encountered the green-haired caterpillar? And did the caterpillar take note of them? Eating the brains of other desolate beasts to compensate for their own deficiencies and expand their knowledge, the more they eat, the higher the intelligence these desolate beasts will inevitably possess! Strong but simple-minded desolate beasts are not frightening; the most terrifying are those with high intelligence! Currently, it is unknown what kind of impression this green-haired caterpillar, crushed to death by Long Guocheng, had of them. Li Zimu''s stone house was made up of many rooms, everyone had separate rooms, there were no beds, no blankets, although crude, such things weren''t particular in the foreign desolate lands. When Xiang Beifei returned from his shift, Long Guocheng, with his hands crossed in front of him, leaning on the door, said, "May I ask you a question?" "What?" Xiang Beifei said. "You''re not an N-level Awakener, right? You''re at least SR, right?" "Does that matter to you?" "It would make me feel better," Long Guocheng said reluctantly. If he lost to SR-ranked Li Zimu, he wouldn''t feel too embarrassed, as the opponent''s talent was not inferior to his, both being SR, losing today meant he could win back another day. But losing to an N-level Awakener kept nagging at him. "That''s your own problem, not mine," Xiang Beifei did not like to explain his system to others. Because he quite simply had no system. "We are a team! I''ve told you about my abilities! But we know nothing about yours! Since we''re a team, we should have some understanding of each other," Long Guocheng emphasized. "You''re admitting now that you''re part of a team? I thought you always liked to show off," Xiang Beifei said. Long Guocheng snorted but didn''t refute this point. He did indeed like to show off; without doing so, he couldn''t accumulate system values. "If you tell me you are SR or SSR, then I would accept my defeat wholeheartedly," Long Guocheng said. "Do you really look down on people with system levels lower than yours? What''s wrong with being N-level? Or R-level? Or S-level? Aside from their cultivation progress, in what ways are their character, morality, or comportment inferior to yours? Do you need to despise them? Do you really enjoy feeling superior over those with lower system levels?" Xiang Beifei said sternly. "I..." Long Guocheng was left speechless. He looked down on those with less talent than him because, in his view, these people would never amount to anything, especially the lower-tier N-level Awakeners. He only revered the strong. Yet, his arrogance was always shattered by Xiang Beifei. He hoped in his heart that Xiang Beifei''s system was SR or even SSR, which he could accept. Being defeated by Xiang Beifei wouldn''t be too hard to endure, and it would let him keep his cherished principle of pride. But the one thing he could not accept was the fact that Xiang Beifei was N-level! "I just don''t believe that an N-level Awakener has such potential. Their systems are so weak, they''ll only achieve so much in their lifetimes, incapable of such strength," Long Guocheng gritted his teeth and said. "Why can''t an N-level Awakener defeat an SR? Shang Tianxiong is also an N-level Awakener; how many can surpass him? A capable person can kill an SSR even if they''re only SR-level! We all live in this world, we are all human, you are not nobler than anyone. You simply had a higher starting point; it doesn''t mean your future will be above others. Be humble," Xiang Beifei said. After saying this, Xiang Beifei went back to his own room. "Humble?" Long Guocheng''s expression fluctuated, pondering Xiang Beifei''s words. ¡ª¡ª Late at night, around nine o''clock, Ye Changfeng gathered everyone together as he had obtained a copy of the competition schedule and rules for the next day. Elder Luo said, "We need to discuss tomorrow''s situation first, everyone must stay alert." Actually, everyone was already clear about the rules: the freshman competition consisted of individual and team pioneering challenges. In the individual challenge, the nine schools would compete in a round-robin format, facing each other only once, meaning each school would fight eight matches, totaling thirty-six matches over two days. At that point, deciding whether a participant was in the Meridian Opening phase or the Qi-Controlling phase would be determined by rolling dice. "Tomorrow''s schedule, the first match, Jizhou University versus Yanzhou University, we''re not the first to compete, which is good, allowing everyone to observe the strengths of other schools first. However, the second match will be Qingzhou University versus Liangzhou University," said Ye Changfeng as he distributed flyers to everyone. They all looked at the schedule with grave expressions. "Yuchi Shen, tell them about the current strength of each school this year," suggested Elder Luo. Yuchi Shen, expressionless, glanced at Xiang Beifei before beginning his introduction. "But it''s stipulated that a person can only participate in two matches at most, so later, the teachers and I will need to analyze the situation and decide the sequence of your appearances and opponents among you five," he said. This was akin to deploying stratagems in a race, yet not quite the same. In a direct confrontation, there''s space for performance as it involves three matches, whereas between two schools, there''s only one face-off and is largely random. Therefore, it''s generally more advantageous if other schools could first deal with strong students from other institutions, using up their two participation quotas, and then face weaker opponents when it''s their turn. Just like Qingzhou University and Liangzhou University, Qingzhou University has two SSR this year, with each person up for two matches, meaning those two SSRs can at most compete in four matches. Thus, Ye Changfeng hoped that Qingzhou University would use the four opportunities of these two SSRs against the other seven schools, and by the time they faced his school, their quotas would be used up, leaving only SRs to compete, which would increase their chances of winning. However, since all the schools are elite, the coaches leading the teams are sure to understand this tactic, so the distribution of players for the matches becomes a psychological gambit. Before the match, no one can be sure whether the opponent will send forth their strong or weak players. "You must also be aware, this year our school doesn''t have any SSR, which means our strength is weaker than other schools. In the singles competition, it will be hard for you to gain any advantage," Yuchi Shen said, staring pointedly at Xiang Beifei. "Besides Qingzhou University, Yanzhou University, and Jizhou University, other schools also only have one SSR, meaning just one in the Meridian Opening phase. We shouldn''t worry too much; after all, we have student Xiang Beifei," Xi Keyao timidly commented. "The situation isn''t that simple," Elder Luo said, "In the singles challenge, there are only eight matches, each worth one point, so the total score is very important. Have you considered, to get a higher total score, the other schools definitely want to secure a point; and almost certainly, whom they win that point from?" Long Guocheng and the others realized, "From us, Liangzhou University?" Now the other eight schools all share a common understanding: this year Liangzhou University doesn''t have an SSR, which means no students in the Meridian Opening phase. So to secure a guaranteed point, they will definitely send their Meridian Opening SSRs against Liangzhou University! Because if SSRs face SSRs from other schools, where everyone is in the Meridian Opening phase, one will inevitably lose. If it happens to be their own loss, it wouldn''t be worth it. But now the other schools all assume that all Liangzhou University students are only in the late Qi-Controlling phase, so sending an SSR in the Meridian Opening phase against Liangzhou University, who only has Qi-Controlling students, would almost guarantee victory. Everyone likes to pick the low-hanging fruit, to secure a point early on! "Yes, that means each of our opponents in the matches might be Meridian Opening SSRs!" Elder Luo said meaningfully. "This... Everyone''s expressions grew more solemn. Elder Luo said, "Alright, next, how we distribute our players for the matches and how we break this situation are things you five need to discuss." "Really, why do they have to make a simple freshman competition so complicated?" Ma Ziqian muttered on the side. Chapter 531 399: Record Keeper The support outside was overwhelmingly vigorous, and Elder Luo started to make his move. His prestige was unprecedentedly high, it was the moment to strike back! With a call to arms, he rallied the entire Martial Arts College, tearing down the dean''s office door together with Xiang Beifei! "Tie him up!" Elder Luo commanded! "I''ll do it! I have the immortal binding rope!" "To hell with that, use my poison vine. This guy once found my poison vine too ugly because it was uneven and banned its use, despite it being my tool against desolate beasts! He docked my points because he thought it ugly. Should the killing of desolate beasts be judged on looks?" Many martial arts students had long harbored anger towards Wei Tong, who had crazily targeted them for all sorts of bizarre reasons, delaying their martial arts studies for several months and suppressing their true natures. Now that Elder Luo was back to uphold justice, everyone was extremely proactive. Wei Tong was dragged out like a little chick; the sight of an SSR-rank dean surrounded by so many menacing people scared him out of his wits! "A martial artist should learn to use his abilities to confront desolate beasts, not bind their nature for your so-called aesthetics! It''s obvious what kind of System Awakener you are! Treating the college as your personal backyard for system tasks, you''ve delayed the training of martial artists. It''s a good thing we''re not in wartime, or I would''ve executed you myself!" Elder Luo had specifically investigated for an entire week, collecting enough evidence from the school before moving against Wei Tong, to avoid giving anyone a handle against him. Wei Tong was already scared witless; he begged, "Professor Luo, I know I was wrong, I know it! It was all... all orchestrated by He Caiwei who didn''t want your Martial Arts College to become too powerful, threatening his position. I was just a runner! Really, I have more evidence of him causing trouble!" Wei Tong also deeply detested He Caiwei, believing that He had stolen his Orifice Transforming Essence Blood, cutting off his path to reach the Orifice Transforming stage. Lately, his system was glitching too, with anything he replaced being stolen by He Caiwei. He had also seen the video of Elder Luo beating He Caiwei mercilessly, which he found very satisfying. If he didn''t kick a man while he was down now, should he wait for more of his system items to be stolen? "Oh? Let''s hear it." "I''ll tell! I''ll confess everything!" In front of the camera, Wei Tong detailed all the underhanded acts He Caiwei had committed, divulging everything he could. Although He Caiwei was normally very careful and took various secrecy measures, Wei Tong was familiar with these procedures as an SSR and knew how to handle them. ¡ªHe Caiwei, you steal my Orifice Transforming Essence Blood, I''ll drag you down with me! Wei Tong had completely thrown caution to the winds! With He Caiwei now the target of public anger, it was the perfect opportunity for him to seek revenge. Since he couldn''t escape anyway, he planned to destroy both himself and He Caiwei in the process, hoping to perhaps earn some merit by exposing He! ... He Caiwei was nearly driven insane with rage! Since the incident, he had already set too many records in these days! [You are the first UR Awakener to have his leg broken by an SR, congratulations on setting a new record! This negative record doesn''t count towards uniqueness value!] [You are the first UR Awakener to be slapped by an SR Awakener, congratulations on setting a new record! This negative record doesn''t count towards uniqueness value!] [You are the first UR-level Awakener to be beaten so miserably by Luo Yunxian, congratulations on setting a new record! This negative record doesn''t count towards uniqueness value!] [You are the first minister-level alliance figure to be beaten beyond recognition by someone, congratulations on setting a new record! This negative record doesn''t count towards uniqueness value!] ... However, these records were still considered old news created a week ago. In the past few days, because of the video leak, which incited public outrage, countless new records had continuously emerged! [You are the first UR Awakener to be slapped by the entire populace, congratulations on setting a new record! This negative record doesn''t count towards uniqueness value!] [You are the first UR Awakener to be universally scorned, congratulations on setting a new record! This negative record doesn''t count towards uniqueness value!] ... "Will you fucking stop already!" He Caiwei yelled at his system in his mind! Ever since he was rescued, his system reminded him daily of the negative records he had set, kindly informing him and spontaneously popping up from time to time, causing him to feel like his head was about to explode. What made him blood boil the most was that some records were deemed positive by the system, such as: [You are the first UR Awakener designed as the protagonist of a stress relief game, congratulations on setting a new record! Uniqueness value +100!] [You are the protagonist of the highest downloaded game in history, congratulations on setting a new record! Uniqueness value +100!] ... These records, deemed positive and contributing to his uniqueness value, meant that he would continue to receive corresponding uniqueness value credits daily, which sounded wonderful. However, for the arrogant He Caiwei, this was nothing short of a blatant humiliation! The most important point was that even though he had garnered so many uniqueness values, they were of no use at all! Just like Zhu Yiji, he had not fully recovered from his injuries yet! Because his infallible medicine, the restoration pill, had failed! For some unknown reason, every time the restoration pill began to work within his body, it would simply vanish. Up to now, he had exchanged for four restoration pills! And they were all useless! The injuries he now had were healed by another person, a doctor of SSR rank. However, the problem was that, even though this SSR could heal external injuries, they could not cure the soul that had undergone orifice transformation! When Luo Yunxian slapped him, it wasn''t just a simple matter of turning him into a pig-headed mess; he had also severely drawn out his soul. His face might have recovered, but the soul damage was not so easily healed! Unless he used his own divine medicine, the restoration pill! He was now bleeding inwardly because his uniqueness value had dwindled from over a hundred million to forty million! He had spent roughly seventy million system points on system items, all of which had mysteriously disappeared. He dared not spend any more, because the system seemed to be malfunctioning; he couldn''t receive any system rewards now! But if he didn''t spend his uniqueness values, then what was displayed on the system as uniqueness values was meaningless to him! Every day, he watched as those uniqueness values continuously accrued, yet he could only look on; the uniqueness values no longer belonged to him. This made him feel like vomiting blood! His own system rewards were right in front of him, but he couldn''t obtain them! "Luo Yunxian, what exactly did you do to me!" He now had a deep-rooted fear of Luo Yunxian. Whether his eyes were open or closed, he saw the terrifying slap from Luo Yunxian on his face. For a whole week, he had nightmares every night! He Caiwei was filled with rage and hatred. As a UR-ranked Awakener, what good was the system if he couldn''t receive system rewards? ¡ª¡ª The video couldn''t be deleted and the situation grew more and more serious. The entire alliance was now completely unable to suppress the public''s anger. This was the first time that the alliance faced such a tricky problem that high-level officials usually had methods to deal with system awakeners causing trouble. But this time the adversary was too bizarre to handle, yet the public''s anger was growing stronger and stronger, with countless awakeners demanding punishment for Wu Shixuan, He Caiwei, and Zhu Yiji. Even the Idle Faction now had to make a choice; if they didn''t provide Jiuzhou with a satisfactory response, the alliance''s prestige would be severely damaged. At the alliance headquarters building, in a circular conference room. The conference room was solemn, filled with various oppressive and powerful fluctuations. The place was somewhat gloomy. Many seemed reluctant to reveal their true selves, sitting in the shadows at the corners and blending into the darkness, almost imperceptible unless looked at closely. A general assembly was being held here! The general assembly was a meeting where prominent figures from various divisions of the alliance decided the direction of the alliance. Those attending were leaders and commanding officials of various departments. Everyone here was either SSR or UR! These individuals were elites graduated from top universities, then moving into the high ranks of the alliance, clinging together in groups, actively and covertly competing for their sides'' interests. But today, they had all come together to discuss the current issues. The only ones not present were He Caiwei and Zhu Yiji. "What does everyone think we should do about the current situation?" Fu Mingpu, the Minister of the Security Department, asked gravely. He did not care about the troubles of He Caiwei and Zhu Yiji, being a neutral party. But as a member of the Security Department of the alliance, he needed to ensure the safety of all aspects of Jiuzhou and suppress those threatening the alliance. An elderly woman with a black veil snorted coldly from the corner and said, "Luo Yunxian dared to provoke our alliance''s dignity, recklessly releasing the video and causing chaos in Jiuzhou. If we do not handle him, where would we put the face of our alliance?" As soon as the elderly woman finished speaking, someone immediately echoed in agreement: "That''s right, Luo Yunxian is too outrageous! He has severely threatened the security of the alliance. We can''t let him continue to be arrogant!" These people were UR-ranked awakeners of the Idle Faction, mostly retired elderly members of the alliance''s elder council. They didn''t manage affairs regularly, only emerging when major issues overwhelmed the alliance. Yet on the other side, another voice spoke up: "This whole issue was the fault of Zhu Yiji, He Caiwei, and Wu Shixuan. How can we misplace the blame and deal with Luo Yunxian instead? Elder Qiu, you must speak reasonably and not lose your measure." The one who retorted was another woman in the corner. Her voice was very clear, and the light around her was vague, obscuring her real form. Judging only by her voice, one could mistake her for a young girl. She was the UR-ranked Awakener who had taken He Caiwei and Wu Shixuan away from Luo Yunxian and was also a member of the elder council. However, it was clear that she belonged to the Leisure Faction. Chapter 532 400: Coming to Apologize (4000 words) "Our two schools supported each other in the Withered Forest, jointly avoiding dangers," Xiang Beifei said, and then looked at Ren Jianghai, adding, "We even encountered a student from your Qingzhou University along the way; you can ask him if you like." "Yes, we nearly got wiped out, but it was Xiang Beifei and the others who saved me. Later, we kept running into teams from other schools and warned them about the danger, but they didn''t trust us ¡ª only the team from Yongzhou University followed us." Tang He thoroughly recounted the events, including how they clashed with Yanzhou University, then how they encountered Shi Renmei, saw the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, were pursued, and were rescued by the team from Liangzhou... After listening, Ren Jianghai''s brow was deeply furrowed. But with Tang He stepping forward, he had no choice but to drop the matter. After all, Tang He was a student of Qingzhou University, and by both feelings and reason, Xiang Beifei "All eleven of you," Xiang Beifei did not utter another word but watched Tang He thoughtfully. Tang He was a normal person, which was undeniable because he had a system interface, and the system was still rapidly updating. His [Po Jun Eye System] was a scouting type of system and could quickly pinpoint an opponent''s weaknesses, allowing him to defeat the opponent through those weaknesses. At the moment, his system log appeared normal¡ªsomething not hidden from Xiang Beifei''s eyes. However, what puzzled Xiang Beifei was¡ª This guy, for some reason, seemed to faintly carry a hint of the aura of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage! Was it because he had been attacked by the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, leaving behind this aura? As these people showed up, the atmosphere immediately turned ominous. Chen Baiwen, Yu Hongbo, Zhu Xinjue! The team from Yanzhou University! Unexpectedly, they also appeared here! Zhu Xinjue caught sight of Xiang Beifei in the crowd and his heart missed a beat, then a resentful expression flashed in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. Because their alliance with Qingzhou University had now broken, they had no way to join forces against Xiang Beifei. When Yu Hongbo and Chen Baiwen saw Xiang Beifei, they too were slightly shocked! The two couldn''t help but exchange looks! Just yesterday, they were considering joining forces with Qingzhou University to deal with Xiang Beifei, but they ended up not finding Xiang Beifei; instead, it was Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University who ended up dead. They also hadn''t expected to run into Xiang Beifei at this place. "Don''t panic! He probably doesn''t know what happened yesterday!" Chen Baiwen signaled Yu Hongbo and the others with his eyes, understanding each other without needing to speak. Yu Hongbo composed himself and then said, "Xiang Beifei, I''ve long admired your reputation, I am Yu Hongbo, the captain of the Yanzhou University team." Chen Baiwen also nodded slightly, but he didn''t speak. Xiang Beifei thoughtfully watched the people from Yanzhou University, his gaze sweeping over them and then lingered on Zhu Xinjue, eventually asking, "How come you are here?" "After we entered this Withered Forest, we realized something was off, then we ran up to this mountain, things outside are pretty bad. Did you guys also encounter those bizarre tree people just now?" Yu Hongbo asked. "That''s right," Xiang Beifei replied calmly. "Are you all okay?" Yu Hongbo asked. "Not too bad," Xiang Beifei glanced at Tang He, who was from Qingzhou University, and their team seemed to be in a very bad situation now. When Tang He saw Yu Hongbo and the others, he also showed a shocked expression; he hadn''t expected to run into people from Yanzhou University, especially since Hou Chengwu from his own Qingzhou University had died at the hands of "Zhu Pengfei"! But he now dared not say much, being just a late-stage Qi-Controlling SR-class Awakener with no other teammates around, he simply was no match for the people from Yanzhou University. "How long have you been in this Withered Forest?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Since last night!" Yu Hongbo answered. "Last night? Have you been here almost a day now?" Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. "Yes, we came here last night!" Yu Hongbo no longer had the intention of dealing with Xiang Beifei; instead, he even felt somewhat inclined to join forces with Xiang Beifei. Because their team was also in a very difficult situation now. This place was indeed too bizarre, and they were trapped, unable to find a way out. Seeing Xiang Beifei, hope rose in Yu Hongbo''s heart. Xiang Beifei was very strong; perhaps he had a way! "So, you''re all okay?" Xiang Beifei asked. "We''ve had one casualty," Yu Hongbo said solemnly. Now only four of their team members were left. "Have you been on this mountain since last night?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Not exactly, at first we were walking through the Withered Forest, but then it suddenly got dark and something felt wrong, so we ran up the mountain, finding that those tree people didn''t dare to come up, and we could breathe a sigh of relief. We weren''t initially on this mountain, but on another one." "Are you the N-class Awakener, Xiang Beifei?" Seeing Xiang Beifei''s face, Chen Baiwen looked somewhat displeased; he actually didn''t want to come up, as the previous Hou Chengwu had lost inexplicably, and he hadn''t clearly seen how Hou Chengwu had lost. If he were to lose to an N-class student as well, it could almost destroy his reputation. Chapter 533 400: Coming to Apologize (4000 words)_2 However, if he didn''t come up to face Xiang Beifei, he would be even more regarded as a coward, indirectly proving that he, a dignified SSR Awakener, was afraid of a mere N-level! In that case, Xiang Beifei would essentially win without fighting. After all, like Hou Chengwu, he had initially looked down on Liangzhou University for admitting N-level students and was persuaded by other universities not to go to Liangzhou University. Since Chen Baiwen had initially chosen to give up on Liangzhou University, it indicated that he too was a self-important SSR who needed to prove himself. Xiang Beifei simply looked at Zhu Xinjue calmly, but a killing intent emerged in his eyes. Last time he hadn''t killed this guy who obviously came to kill him, so this time he must kill Zhu Xinjue! However, as soon as Hou Chengwu''s words fell, he felt his knees bend, and with a "snap", he suddenly knelt in front of Xiang Beifei! Zhu Xinjue and the others were also stunned! "Hou Chengwu, what are you doing?" Chen Baiwen asked in surprise. Hou Chengwu was also shocked by his own actions! Why did he kneel down? Wasn''t it agreed to let Xiang Beifei be thrown off-track? Why did he end up kneeling instead? Hou Chengwu''s face turned red with anger, he tried to stand up, but found that he could not stand up no matter what! ¡ª But just then, Hou Chengwu, sharp-eyed, suddenly spotted Xiang Beifei''s figure and immediately shouted, "He''s over there!" This time everyone clearly saw that Xiang Beifei was a real person! The others also saw Xiang Beifei, but because of the flood, they had a hard time extricating themselves. "Yu Hongbo, watch these SRs for us, we few will deal with him!" Hou Chengwu shouted. "Alright!" Yu Hongbo had to take care of his subordinates, otherwise the SRs would be directly flooded. A fierce look appeared in Zhu Xinjue''s eyes as he held a huge glass sphere in his hand, which flickered and transformed into an illusory light, enveloping this void. "This time I''d like to see where you can go!" Zhu Xinjue sneered. The glass sphere was a UR-level spatial system item, capable of rendering any teleportation-related objects ineffective. Since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman, Zhu Xinjue was worried that Xiang Beifei might escape. Soon Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong had Xiang Beifei completely surrounded, their powerful auras hardly weaker than the flood, tightly focusing on Xiang Beifei. "Xiang Beifei, although I know you are strong, we have four people here, so I still advise you to forfeit." He Qiutong was not aware of Zhu Xinjue''s plan, her goal, like Chen Baiwen''s, was merely to eliminate Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the four people in front of him. Four people, easier to deal with than five. "Right, we don''t want to do anything to you, just step out quietly to avoid any trouble," Chen Baiwen said gravely. However, Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue were filled with endless murderous intent. "What are we waiting for? If we want him out, we must take him down first!" Hou Chengwu shouted. This time facing Xiang Beifei he had enough confidence, although last time on the stage he didn''t know what happened and lost, but now with four against one, he viewed Xiang Beifei as a dead man in his eyes! Hou Chengwu said through gritted teeth, "Today, I will make you pay!" That day, being an SSR, he was stuffed into a trash can, losing all face, and today he must kill Xiang Beifei! "Three to two, not bad, not too terrible." Xiang Beifei said. "Three to two?" Zhu Xinjue sneered, "Have we scared you silly? Can''t you even count now? It''s four of us against you!" "President Ren is such a revered figure, he said himself that names are not important, but strength is. A senior who can say such words must indeed have an open heart. How could he possibly bother about trivial matters like names with me? As President Ren''s proud disciple, why do your principles in handling affairs differ from his?" Xiang Beifei looked at Hou Chengwu puzzledly and added, "Haven''t you learned even the slightest from him?" His words were impeccably phrased, first sarcastically poking at Ren Jianghai, then immediately elevating Ren Jianghai to a high position, preventing him from erupting over Xiang Beifei jesting about names, and subtly insulting Hou Chengwu without leaving a trace. "You..." Hou Chengwu was so infuriated by Xiang Beifei that his face turned red and his ears grew hot. In midair, Li Zimu stood, looking down at the people below in astonishment, and said, "They actually can''t tell." The flood here was a transformation of Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm. Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm had reached a stage where reality and illusion were indistinguishable. Although Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen were SSRs, a level above him, and had higher cultivation, they should not be in such disarray in theory. "Of course they can''t tell. Not one of these people is a spiritual-power System Awakener," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power was attached to the flood created by Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm, so even though Li Zimu was only in the later stages of Qi-Controlling, the flood he created had the power of the Meridian Opening stage! As for the suppression due to system level differences, with Xiang Beifei present, the so-called superiority of the SSR system was merely for show. He specifically sought Li Zimu''s help to trap this group of people. But after walking a while, a fork in the road suddenly appeared ahead! Xiang Beifei''s shadow briefly reappeared at the fork, but then disappeared again on this path. "Which way should we go?" Hou Chengwu asked Chen Baiwen desperately. "I don''t know, there are no tracks," Chen Baiwen shook his head. "Forget it, let us split into two groups, it will be quicker." Zhu Xinjue said. "Splitting into two groups means dispersing our strength. If we encounter Xiang Beifei, do you really think we''ll have a chance against him?" Chen Baiwen asked. "Xiang Beifei is clearly being pursued by that desolate beast. If we encounter him, how could we not have a chance?" Zhu Xinjue said. After a brief discussion, they decided to split up, but all agreed to signal the others if they encountered Xiang Beifei, and if they couldn''t find anyone in half an hour, they''d return here to regroup. To ensure mutual trust, they decided to mix members from both parties. Zhu Xinjue, Yu Hongbo, and He Qiutong took one path, while Chen Baiwen and Hou Chengwu took another. Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen, with three SRs, took the left path. Chen Baiwen seemed preoccupied, but Hou Chengwu still cautioned, "Don''t forget our agreement." Xiang Beifei vaguely understood and asked, "Absorbing memories?" A desolate beast, after eating the brain of another desolate beast, can sometimes gain the memories of that beast, which means whatever the beast saw and heard can be absorbed by another. If the green caterpillar had been stepped on by Long Guocheng, it would mean that the caterpillar had seen Xiang Beifei and the others! Even if the caterpillar couldn''t understand human language, its mind would still retain visual images! So, what exactly had they said when they encountered the green caterpillar? Had it remembered them? Eating the brains of other desolate beasts to make up for their deficiencies and expand their knowledge meant that the more they consumed, the higher the intelligence these creatures were likely to possess! A powerful desolate beast with a simple mind is not frightening, but those with high intelligence are! Currently, it is unknown what kind of impression of these people the green caterpillar squashed by Long Guocheng had left. In Li Zimu''s stonework dwelling, many rooms had been put together; everyone was separated by one room, with no beds or quilts. Although it was simple, such simplicity wasn''t too demanding in the wild. When Xiang Beifei was on his shift, Long Guocheng, with his hands crossed in front, leaned against the door and said, "Can I ask you a question?" "What is it?" Xiang Beifei asked. "You are not an N-level Awakener, are you? You must be at least SR, right?" "Is that really important to you?" "It would make me feel better," Long Guocheng replied reluctantly. If he lost to SR Li Zimu, he wouldn''t feel too ashamed, since the opponent''s talent was not inferior to his, and being of the same SR level meant that, even if he lost this time, he could win the next. Chapter 534 - 401: Submerging Pig Cage "Are you apologizing to me?" Elder Luo asked. Lady Qiu gritted her teeth and said, "What else do you want?" "Whom is the alliance sorry for by doing this?" Elder Luo continued to ask. Lady Qiu, of course, knew. But how could she, a distinguished UR Awakener, willingly apologize to Guo Zhenghong, who was only at the SR level and in the orifice transforming phase? In her view, her visit to Liangzhou University today was already a concession. However, Luo Yunxian simply wasn''t having any of it. Fu Mingpu spoke up from the side, "Elder Luo, on behalf of the alliance, I apologize to Guo..." "You can only represent yourself. She has a mouth, let her speak," Elder Luo interrupted Fu Mingpu. Fu Mingpu wisely shut his mouth. Lady Qiu still did not speak. "What''s the matter? Testing my patience?" Elder Luo was cracking sunflower seeds and then gently spat out a shell from his mouth. The shell seemed to be carelessly spat out; it floated gently in the air and landed at the feet of the three people, including Lady Qiu. Hum! An extremely terrifying aura instantly rippled out, directly breaking through the combined aura of these three people. Their faces changed, showing a look of horror in their eyes. Because in their eyes, the surroundings were no longer a forest. They seemed to be standing on a lonely pillar, which began to constantly crumble and break apart, and the space to stand grew smaller and smaller. Lady Qiu had initially thought it was just an illusion, but when the pillar crumbled under her feet, she found she couldn''t even fly but stepped into thin air, took two steps back in shock, and accidentally bumped into the two elders behind her. They grunted and moved back, and the three of them immediately huddled together and fell to the ground with a "bang." Then the pillar broke completely, and the three fell with a splash into a lake, where three iron cages were conveniently placed to trap them. A dunking cage! Fu Mingpu and the others were shocked to see three distinguished UR Awakeners actually being dunked! "Luo Yunxian, you dare..." Lady Qiu and the others, in a sorry state, emerged from the lake water only to find themselves trapped in pig cages, feeling utterly humiliated. Just as she was about to yell angrily, the iron cages started to sink. Gurgle! Lady Qiu and the others were immediately choked with water! What frightened them the most was that the lake water was very strange, like glue, which restricted their spiritual power so much that they didn''t even have a chance to resist. The iron cages trapping them were even indestructible! Stranger yet, it seemed as if they had forgotten how to breathe in their minds! When submerged in water, they drowned! "Bow and apologize," Elder Luo said slowly. "Luo Yunxian, you''re looking for..." Although Lady Qiu and the others were very angry, before they could finish speaking harshly, Elder Luo waved his hand, whoosh! They were dragged down to the bottom of the water again! Gurgle gurgle! The three of them swallowed a bellyful of water before being pulled up again. "Here, you don''t get to be arrogant!" Elder Luo waved his hand again, and the three were pressed down into the water once more. Gurgle gurgle! "You really think I don''t know what you old witches are up to? If you want to intimidate me, I suggest you bring a few more people, call Tu Laogui and the bald ones too. Otherwise, dunking just the three of you isn''t lively enough," Elder Luo said, then waved his hand again. Gurgle! Lady Qiu and the others were pressed down into the water again. ... Fu Mingpu and the others were also twitching at the corners of their eyes. Just watching the video, everybody couldn''t feel how powerful Luo Yunxian was because the video couldn''t show that strong aura. When they saw Zhu Yiji getting thrashed, Lady Qiu even thought Zhu Yiji was just a wimp. But having actually encountered Luo Yunxian, she suddenly realized she wasn''t much better. Luo Yunxian was very decisive in his actions, showing no mercy, handling three people single-handedly with ease, and he didn''t even bother to get up while tossing them into the pig cages. Watching the sorry state of these three, Fu Mingpu and the others definitely didn''t dare to say much. Unlike Lady Qiu''s arrogance and disdain towards Luo Yunxian, they were relieved that Luo Yunxian wasn''t targeting them. Lady Qiu had brought misfortune upon herself by seeking trouble. Everyone just stood quietly to one side to avoid asking for mercy and ending up being pressed into the water themselves. Interestingly, although these ten or so individuals were all very powerful and usually revered wherever they went, in front of Luo Yunxian, they could only nod and bow, hardly daring to breathe. Deep down, they weren''t sure they could handle Luo Yunxian either. After having swallowed a bellyful of water, Lady Qiu was almost driven mad! She never expected that she would be humiliated like this. From the moment she awakened in the UR system until yesterday, she had never been treated poorly, nor had anyone dared to disrespect her! Originally, the plan today was to join forces to pressure Luo Yunxian and force him to delete the video, but she was still too naive. "I apologize! I apologize!" After being dunked into the water thirty-eight times, Lady Qiu finally begged for mercy! She realized that if she continued to be stubborn, she would really end up at the bottom of the pond. Luo Yunxian snorted coldly, then finally pulled the three of them up and tossed them onto the grass. Lady Qiu spewed out several mouthfuls of water, feeling incredibly aggrieved, but now she dared not hesitate any longer. She clumsily climbed out of the cage and walked over to Professor Guo, bowing as she said, "I''m sorry, Professor Guo, I apologize on behalf of the alliance." "Sorry, Professor Guo, it was our oversight." The other two were already frightened by the soaking and dared not delay, fearing that they would be dunked in the cage again if they were slow to react, so they hurriedly bowed to apologize to Professor Guo. Professor Guo looked at these people indifferently and didn''t say anything. "Next time be more mindful. When you apologize, show some sincerity. Don''t each harbor your own schemes and think you can muddle through by just going through the motions! Do you really think the tricks you pull in the alliance will work on me? You''ve grown accustomed to high positions and lost your senses?" Elder Luo then stared down Lady Qiu and the others, making them tremble with fear. "Professor Guo, the alliance is at fault in this matter. Please do not lose faith in the alliance; we will strive to make amends," said Fu Mingpu as he bowed earnestly to Professor Guo. When it was Sun Heshun''s turn to apologize, Professor Guo actually spoke for the first time, "Minister Sun doesn''t need to apologize. I should thank you for that day." Sun Heshun joked, "I was also afraid of being dunked in the pig cage by Elder Luo!" "Alright, just quietly sit aside. I know they brought you here to mediate, but today you''re not needed. We''ll handle this as it should be handled; you don''t need to worry about it," Luo said. Sun Heshun resignedly smiled. The two had been good friends for many years, and normally it was just him, an SSR amid a crowd of URs, considering their friendship. But now it seemed Elder Luo had his own plans, so he would not interfere. He found himself a stool and sat down. The rest of them apologized to Professor Guo one by one, even Elder Yin was no exception. After everyone had apologized, all eyes were on Elder Luo. He now held the initiative, and they had to follow whatever means he suggested for making amends. For a moment, the woods fell silent again, save for the sound of Xiang Beifei cracking sunflower seeds, which was particularly grating. Everyone then turned their gaze to him, slightly frowning. This guy, still in the mood for sunflower seeds! "Oh, don''t mind me, continue," Xiang Beifei said calmly. He was just there for the spectacle, not really concerned about these people. Sun Heshun, watching Xiang Beifei inappropriately eating seeds, couldn''t help but smile. He found this youngster always odd and unpredictable, always stirring up unexpected actions, yet such an outstanding talent should certainly be recruited under his wing as a pioneer in the future. Lady Qiu and the others also dared not say anything to Xiang Beifei, because he was not someone to be trifled with now. Not only did he have numerous supporters, but most importantly¡ªhe had backing! But it must be said, the sound of Xiang Beifei eating seeds somehow eased the tense atmosphere. Elder Yin didn''t speak, as she watched Lady Qiu being rebuked and daring not to speak out, she actually felt somewhat pleased. She suddenly remembered that it had been a long time since she saw Luo Yunxian confronting someone like Lady Qiu. Normally, Lady Qiu was accustomed to acting on her seniority within the alliance. Since everyone was a UR, even if there was mutual dislike, polite words were still exchanged upon meeting, and sarcasm was limited to sarcasm, because no one could truly dominate another. But Luo Yunxian was different. The only person who could disregard those messy social norms seemed to be this man lounging in his chair. Ever since Luo Yunxian left the alliance, she hadn''t seen him dealing much with these people. She thought he had toned down his edges and would become smoother, but unexpectedly, he was as sharp as ever. It was still the Luo Yunxian she knew. Elder Yin''s gaze reflected Luo Yunxian''s figure as she pondered her own matters and eventually said, "Professor Luo, can you speak a few words for the alliance?" Elder Luo glanced at Elder Yin and said, "What everyone in Jiuzhou wants to see now is not me speaking, but you solving the problem! What good does it do for them to hear me talk? The real culprits not being dealt with, do you expect me to forgive them based on that?" "I understand," Elder Yin nodded slightly. Addressing He Caiwei, Zhu Yiji, and Wu Shixuan was key. After a pause, she added, "Does Professor Luo have any other requests?" "Liangzhou University is now under my management. If anyone from the alliance dares to meddle in the affairs of martial artists and disrupt the students'' studies, they are asking for a beating!" Elder Luo swept his cold gaze over Lady Qiu, who had sent a teacher to Liangzhou University as an undercover agent and had already been thrown out by him. Many UR level Awakeners present had opinions but had to swallow their objections because, for now, Luo Yunxian indeed held the upper hand. "Also, the alliance''s support fund for elite universities must not be cut short. This place is where the future talents to resist desolate beasts are cultivated for Jiuzhou. Whoever dares to interfere, I don''t mind visiting their home," Elder Luo threatened again as he swept his gaze over the crowd. "Rest assured, the alliance is sensible about this matter, raising the next generation of elites isn''t child''s play," Elder Yin said. "About that video..." Fu Mingpu hesitated. "What does the video have to do with me? I didn''t release it. Besides, what are you hiding it for? It''s the truth after all. What are you guilty about? Resolve the matter and the public anger will subside, won''t it?" Elder Luo said impatiently. Elder Yin and others looked at each other. They weren''t actually afraid of the video, but were wary of Luo Yunxian who now had a large group of supporters. If he called them out, standing in opposition to the alliance, then Jiuzhou would be thrown into chaos. However, Elder Yin also knew Luo Yunxian''s temper well. She understood that as long as the alliance acted according to the rules, Luo Yunxian would not say much more. Chapter 535 - 402: The New Commander-in-Chief (4000 words) Revisions made at six. At that moment, a lazy voice emerged from the corner, "Otherwise, how should we talk? In the Martial Arts College, we communicate with our fists. Why don''t you two have a fight?" Wei Tong turned his head and noticed that somehow Elder Luo had been sitting there all along, and his face quickly changed. A fight? What a joke! Even though he was an SSR, he wasn''t a match for a single punch from Ye Changfeng. An Xiyu, realizing something, spoke up, "Have you reached the late stage of Meridian Opening?" Professor Guo also came to his senses, staring at Xiang Beifei in astonishment. He knew Xiang Beifei was talented, but normally by now, he would at best be at the mid-stage of Meridian Opening. How could he have suddenly reached this level? Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment and shook his head, "Not yet." "So, what is your level of cultivation?" Professor Guo asked cautiously. "Mid-stage of Meridian Opening," Xiang Beifei replied. It wasn''t that he didn''t trust Professor Guo, to be honest, his concern was An Xiyu. Last term, An Xiyu followed his suggestion and chose to develop within the alliance, and now she was interning in the alliance. The alliance had always been watching him, searching for information about him, so they would definitely spare no effort to find a breakthrough from those around him, and An Xiyu was obviously one of them. Of course, given An Xiyu''s character, Xiang Beifei believed she wouldn''t betray him actively. However, she was just an SR in the late stage of Meridian Opening. Any SSR at a stage similar to Mu Yiqing''s late God Refining could easily extract information from An Xiyu without a trace, even with Liangzhou University''s many confidentiality measures for its students. Liangzhou University was now not purely Liangzhou University. For instance, the literary Daoist managing the Martial Arts College was a person sent by the alliance, all keeping a close watch on Xiang Beifei. His strength had improved fast enough. With the Awakening System, in half a year, he had reached the early stage of Meridian Opening, and in less than a year, he had reached the late stages, far surpassing the common SSR! This terrifying speed of cultivation was something even UR Awakeners couldn''t achieve! If those people knew his cultivation speed was so fast, they would probably stop at nothing to cause him trouble. Thus, Xiang Beifei had to keep it concealed until he broke through to the God Refining phase. By then, he would truly have the ability to protect himself, not fearing people like He Caiwei¡ª And he could even catch the alliance''s lofty SSRs and URs off guard and give them a lesson! He had already spread this news, and recently had deliberately demonstrated his mid-stage Meridian Opening strength in front of many students, which should reassure He Caiwei. Now He Caiwei would definitely think it was Elder Luo who had killed those three men, and wouldn''t dare to act rashly. He Caiwei and the others focusing their attention on Elder Luo, would then not pay attention to Xiang Beifei, whose cultivation was only at the mid-stage of Meridian Opening. That way, Xiang Beifei could quietly grow stronger. Once he attained sufficient cultivation, he could then go out and fight. "So that''s how it is." With this level of strength, Professor Guo could accept it, but he was clearly somewhat dispirited; he actually hoped Xiang Beifei''s cultivation was at the late stage of Meridian Opening. "Then why did you ask about the matters of the divine soul?" Professor Guo asked again. His powerful aura coalesced into a sharp force that silently descended upon Ma Kainian. Ma Kainian shuddered upon seeing Xiang Beifei, intimidated by his frightening aura. Xiang Beifei was rumored to be capable of killing a One-Armed Crab in the late stage of Meridian Opening with a single punch; his presence here was no joke. Ma Kainian steadied himself and cursed inwardly. After all, he was an official of the alliance. No matter how famous this kid was, he was just a commoner with no power or influence. If anyone should be scared, it should be him! "Xiang Beifei, a big shot, huh," Ma Kainian spoke in a sarcastic tone. Xiang Beifei, without a word, glanced indifferently and then walked towards Kong Daming, asking, "I saw the phone message just now. What happened to my grandfather?" "I''m not sure, he seemed to be feeling unwell just a while ago, so I helped him upstairs to rest. He''s up there now," Kong Daming said. "Got it, I''ll go up and see him." Xiang Beifei, without another word, headed for the stairs. However, Ma Kainian was irked to see that he had been ignored! "Hmph! To this day, not even basic manners..." "Scram!" Xiang Beifei said bluntly. "Yes." Ma Kainian''s head spun. Then he involuntarily lay down and actually rolled out of the place on the ground. "What?" Kong Daming and Zhang Xiang watched Ma Kainian roll away on the ground in shock, and for a moment, they were completely stunned. Ma Kainian had actually... just rolled away like that? This turn of events was totally unexpected for them. "Why patrol the archives anyway? Who, with nothing better to do, would come steal from the archives? If you ask me, even if we didn''t come for a year, it probably wouldn''t matter," Zhou Guan complained languidly, his hands behind his head, following behind Sun Zhong. He wasn''t very interested in this task and kept grumbling all the way. Sun Zhong patrolled past a row of rooms on the third floor. [You patrolled the N-level talent review department, patrol points +2] [You patrolled the N-level talent dispatch department, patrol points +2] ... Sun Zhong made a point to circle the empty room twice, then pressed a button on the wall to ensure the alarm was working properly before he left the room. [You patrolled the main archive room entrance, patrol points +5] Just then, Zheng Xing thought of something, quickly took out his phone to video call his son, and asked, "Son, you said you''ve seen Xiang Beifei before. Look, is this person Xiang Beifei?" Chapter 536 - 402: The New Commander-in-Chief (4000 words)_2 Chapter 536: Chapter 402: The New Commander-in-Chief (4000 words)_2 At the initial competition for freshmen, although students from all the major elite schools did not attend, there was a live broadcast, and anyone who wasn¡¯t blind could recognize him. Although Zheng Xing¡¯s son was from Jizhou University, he had seen Xiang Beifei before. The moment he saw Xiang Beifei, he suddenly exclaimed excitedly, ¡°It¡¯s him! It¡¯s really him! The genius who trampled that Qingzhou University SSR underfoot! Dad, you actually met him? Oh my gosh!¡± That was the legendary genius! ¡°You really are that Xiang Beifei!¡± Zheng Xing was also stunned. His son had mentioned the freshman competition before he came home for the holidays; he had been amazed by Xiang Beifei then, and had never imagined that he would run into such a great genius today! A moment later, he quickly snapped back to reality and said excitedly, ¡°He is Xiang Beifei, no doubt. My son is from Jizhou University. He¡¯s seen him before!¡± Xiang Beifei momentarily set aside that matter and asked, ¡°By the way, Uncle Kong, do you have any houses for rent nearby? We¡¯re thinking of moving over.¡± ¡°A house? Yes, you should have moved over a long time ago. The old man kept saying he wanted to save money for you to do missions and stuff. Why the sudden change of mind now?¡± Uncle Kong asked. ¡°Xiaofei has grown up, the house being shabby, he might not find a wife,¡± Xiang Qingde said seriously. ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s true,¡± Kong Daming nodded. But Lu Hong disagreed, ¡°That¡¯s not true! If someone really likes him, why would they care about the house?¡± ¡°Still, it¡¯s better to live in a nice place. The old house was a bit too gloomy,¡± Kong Daming said, ¡°Leave this to me; I remember there¡¯s a family that just moved out on my floor, just two doors down from my place, diagonally opposite. It would be good for them to move over, easier to look after each other.¡± ¡°When is Uncle Kong¡¯s restaurant planning to open?¡± Xiang Beifei asked again. How the One-Armed Crab desolate beast appeared was still under investigation, Xiang Beifei suspected someone but hadn¡¯t settled on anyone yet. Xiao Sheng! The fake N-level clerk, the SR, who disappeared somewhere just before the desolate beast appeared, he wanted to see if Xiao Sheng was going to come back to work. ¡°The day after tomorrow! The staff have been asking too, come to think of it, I need to contact those staff members; the business has been closed for so long,¡± Kong Daming said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go to the wholesale market tomorrow, the food supply has been cut off, need to renegotiate with them,¡± Xiang Qingde said. Kong Daming quickly said, ¡°No need, Uncle Xiang, you rest, I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve rested for such a long time now, need to get moving. I¡¯m familiar with that area anyway, and with the reopening, there¡¯s a lot of work to be done in the restaurant; a lot of customers have even reserved, waiting for your opening to support you, I can manage tomorrow,¡± Xiang Qingde waved his hand, insisting. Kong Daming couldn¡¯t argue and had to agree. When Xiang Beifei got home, he even made a point of discussing the reasons for his move in front of the living room camera with his grandfather, straightforwardly stating that now he could earn money, he didn¡¯t want to live there anymore. For martial artists in the Meridian Opening Phase, earning money to support themselves was too simple. Those surveilling their home, as long as they weren¡¯t fools, would surely also understand Xiang Beifei¡¯s current Cultivation Realm if they went to the school to ask around; no one would doubt such an excuse. With that, the opposition should head to the new house. Xiang Beifei was curious to see who would sneakily install surveillance under his watch. Having said all that, Xiaohei then blocked the camera. The grandson and grandfather packed their belongings together that night, and really, their own home had quite a lot of stuff. ¡°We¡¯ll need to call a truck, no elevator, then we can carry it down together,¡± Xiang Qingde pondered on how to move in the easiest way. ¡°I can handle the things alone, Grandpa doesn¡¯t need to worry too much; just rest,¡± Xiang Beifei said. ¡°How can that be? How can you move so many things by yourself! Grandpa can still handle it, I¡¯ll help you carry,¡± Xiang Qingde worried about his grandson getting exhausted, considering moving was such a physically demanding task. Xiang Beifei found it both funny and sad, ¡°Grandpa, why do I always feel like you forget that I¡¯m a martial artist?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with martial artists? Don¡¯t many martial artists also need to hire people when they move?¡± Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei stomped his foot again, and all the packed boxes began to float, hovering in mid-air. Lighter than a feather. He made the objects lighter and then pulled them all up with his Spiritual Power. Xiang Qingde looked on in amazement, ¡°I didn¡¯t even know you had this ability!¡± Xiang Beifei realized he had rarely discussed his abilities with his grandfather. He smiled, set everything down, then glanced at the camera on the ceiling and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, from now on, I¡¯ll handle everything. You just relax, Grandpa.¡± Xiang Qingde was stunned for a moment, gazing at Xiang Beifei in a daze. There was a time when he had been carefully protecting his grandson, safeguarding his self-esteem, teaching him the importance of striving for improvement, hoping he would never give up on himself. But ever since he awakened the system, his grandson had changed, becoming diligent and cheerful. Now, as a martial artist at the Meridian Opening stage, he had the ability to protect himself. It took a while for Xiang Qingde to snap out of it; he then smiled, ¡°The Awakening System really is a blessing.¡± He suddenly felt old, needing protection from his grandson. That was fine. Seeing his grandson so sensible made him happy. Moving was not a difficult task. Ordinary Awakeners needed to hire moving companies, rent vehicles, and spend a significant amount if they didn¡¯t have a corresponding space system. Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t need to; having Xiaohei spit bubbles was enough. ¡°Xiaofei is a big star now. We¡¯ll all rely on you in the future!¡± Kong Daming joked. ¡°Isn¡¯t being a star tiring? I heard you have to go shoot different films every day.¡± Lu Zhiwei said curiously. ¡°That won¡¯t do! Xiaofei needs to cultivate,¡± Lu Hong said seriously. Unconsciously, he had started referring to Beifei as Xiaofei, still viewing him as a martial artist who should prioritize cultivation. Chen Xiuqin entered from outside and laughed, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe how many calls I¡¯ve received from talent agencies these last few days. They know I know Xiaofei and keep asking about business activities, offering a lot of money to see if Xiaofei would consider signing with their companies.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Kong Daming asked. ¡°I said we¡¯d consider it, of course. How could I decide such a thing alone? I still need to ask Xiaofei¡¯s opinion,¡± Chen Xiuqin laughed. She didn¡¯t agree outright, but she hadn¡¯t completely declined either, always leaving Xiaofei room to choose. Xiang Beifei thought for a moment then said, ¡°I do need to cultivate. I don¡¯t have time to shoot films and commercials. But if I find some time, I might start a column to teach everyone how to defeat desolate beasts, so they won¡¯t panic when facing them.¡± He needed to use his identity to properly guide everyone. Lu Hong¡¯s eyes lit up and he nodded, ¡°Right, many civilians who live in inland cities barely understand the concept of desolate beasts and are often lacking in crisis awareness. Your idea is good.¡± Powerful desolate beasts are common for martial artists, but they are seldom encountered by civilians. As a martial artist, it was only natural for Xiang Beifei to engage in promotional activities for martial artists. ¡°That¡¯s great then. I¡¯ll help promote you. Being a celebrity, you need to specialize in something. As a martial artist, you should do it the martial artist¡¯s way,¡± Chen Xiuqin said, half a part of the entertainment industry herself. She had seen plenty of celebrities and knew how marketing should be handled. As Xiang Beifei¡¯s number one mom fan, she was more than willing to help him. With that settled, Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t need to do anything special. When the next semester started, and he went on missions to the outer desolate wilds, he¡¯d just need to shoot a few simple videos. But then again¡ª ¡°She really thinks she can use my fame to do as she pleases?¡± Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com Chapter 537 - 403 Chapter 537: 403 Yin Nianqing slowly walked along the riverbank in the middle of the mountain valley, where a stone bridge wound sinuously across the river¡¯s surface, creating a unique sight. She stepped onto the stone bridge, paused in the middle, and watched the carp swimming back and forth in the river. The place resembled a tranquil paradise, with picturesque scenery. Xiang Beifei leaned against the railing, surveying the surroundings, wondering what exactly Yin Nianqing intended to do. ¡°I have always wanted to meet the person who could be taken as a disciple by Luo Yunxian,¡± Yin Nianqing said slowly. Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t speak, merely looking at Yin Nianqing¡¯s system, pondering. Although he couldn¡¯t see the specific introduction, he could guess it. A system manifestation by its name suggested that the other party could seemingly turn imagined things into reality. To Xiang Beifei, this ability should fall under the category of spiritual power. The valley was filled with strong spiritual fluctuations. If it wasn¡¯t for Xiang Beifei, but someone else, they would have treated this place as the real world. In other words, Yin Nianqing¡¯s ability could completely interfere with reality, similar to Elder Luo¡¯s, because his singing could also disrupt reality. ¡°I don¡¯t remember you being so quiet,¡± Yin Nianqing said softly. Xiang Beifei said, puzzled, ¡°We¡¯ve only just met.¡± ¡°Did he never mention me to you?¡± Yin Nianqing asked. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°I understand now.¡± Yin Nianqing sighed lightly, her tone clearly tinged with a hint of disappointment. ¡°I thought he would at least mention a word or two,¡± Yin Nianqing said, looking at the water. Xiang Beifei was quite puzzled. This beautiful older sister... aunt? grandmother? Why did she seem so disappointed? What kind of connection did she have with Elder Luo? Linking Yin Nianqing¡¯s system to Elder Luo¡¯s spiritual power, it seemed quite fitting. ¡°How has he been... these years?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve only known him for a year,¡± Xiang Beifei said. ¡°You should ask Mr. Ye.¡± ¡°You and little Ye are different.¡± Yin Nianqing turned her head, her beautiful eyes clear as water, and said, ¡°There is a sparkle in his eyes, like reignited hope. I have never seen him like this before¡ªat least not last year before you arrived.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Xiang Beifei leaned on the railing, propping up his chin, and reflected on Elder Luo¡¯s affairs. What kind of sparkle is coming from the old man! Always heartless and thoughtless, just pondering how to amuse himself by playing tricks on me with his songs. Or perhaps¡ªbeing too familiar with him, one fails to notice? ¡°Were you very close before?¡± Xiang Beifei asked curiously. ¡°More or less.¡± ¡°How close?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t go into details.¡± ¡°Did you ever hold hands?¡± Xiang Beifei asked with keen interest. Yin Nianqing was slightly startled. ¡°It¡¯s impolite for a young child to ask such questions,¡± she said. ¡°Then I will ask him later,¡± Xiang Beifei said seriously. ¡°Uh...¡± Yin Nianqing¡¯s expression stiffened. Does this kid speak without holding back at all? Who talks like this! ¡°You should learn something good from him, not these messy traits.¡± ¡°What are his good qualities that I should learn?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. Yin Nianqing was stunned again. Indeed! What good qualities did Luo Yunxian have? Blunt, headstrong, reckless, never thinking of the consequences, carefree, cursing whomever he wanted without considering others¡¯ feelings, cynical, and unmanageable... full of flaws. All flaws! She thought to herself. ¡°You don¡¯t need to pry into my matters,¡± Yin Nianqing said, shaking her head slightly and regaining her composure. Xiang Beifei felt somewhat disappointed. Old ginger is still more pungent, and although she might not look too old, she had lived for several decades as a UR bigshot, understanding much about the ways of the world, not as easily swayed as Mu Yiqing. ¡°Speaking of yourself, since you¡¯re so outstanding, you should understand that many young girls like you. If you meet the right person, you should cherish her. Many girls might not say it, perhaps due to some reasons, but they are willing to do things for you,¡± Yin Nianqing said. Xiang Beifei said, puzzled, ¡°Why suddenly bring this up about me?¡± ¡°Because I worry you will turn out just like your master, led astray by him,¡± Yin Nianqing said. ¡°Oh,¡± Xiang Beifei nodded slightly. But he was still puzzled. He thought Yin Nianqing wanted to meet him to discuss alliance benefits, like throwing a bunch of sugar-coated bullets to tempt him, convincing him to persuade Elder Luo to speak well of the alliance or to discuss the disadvantages of opposing the alliance. Even if Yin Nianqing had straightforwardly expressed a wish for him to side with the alliance, Xiang Beifei wouldn¡¯t have been surprised. But it didn¡¯t seem to be the case now. ¡°Do you know who around you is willing to make sacrifices for you?¡± Yin Nianqing asked. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what Elder Yin means.¡± ¡°You really are like him, having learned things you shouldn¡¯t have,¡± Yin Nianqing said ruefully. Xiang Beifei propped up his chin, feeling that Elder Yin held a profound grudge against Elder Luo. ¡°Should I call you master¡¯s wife?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. Yin Nianqing¡¯s face froze. ¡°Don¡¯t speak nonsense,¡± she said. But Xiang Beifei noticed that Elder Yin¡¯s cheeks seemed to have changed color slightly, although she quickly covered it up with her system abilities, he could still see it. ¡°What a pity, Elder Luo often mentioned to me a woman he met when he was young, with stories like this and that, I thought it was Elder Yin.¡± Xiang Beifei said. Yin Nianqing turned her face in surprise, her eyes clearly showing expectation, ¡°What has he said to you?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not Elder Yin, then I can¡¯t just reveal his secrets.¡± Xiang Beifei said earnestly. Yin Nianqing¡¯s complexion kept changing continuously, and after a long while, she said, ¡°My relationship with him is very complicated, difficult to explain clearly, but it¡¯s not what you think.¡± ¡°So there is a past after all,¡± Xiang Beifei realized. Actually, Elder Luo didn¡¯t talk to him about any girls at all, he was making it all up. But coaxing information is an art form. ¡°What did he tell you?¡± Yin Nianqing asked. ¡°Nothing much, just worried about things like Maple Sugar Preserves...¡± Xiang Beifei said offhandedly. Suddenly, a hint of surprise appeared on Yin Nianqing¡¯s face. ¡°He talked to you about this?¡± ¡°Yes, Maple Sugar Preserves.¡± ¡°He actually still remembers this.¡± Yin Nianqing murmured to herself. Back during the university competition for freshmen, Elder Luo had said that he also had fears, like the regular shop he visited running out of Maple Sugar Preserves and Osmanthus Wine. At that time, Xiang Beifei felt there was a story there, and he couldn¡¯t believe his wild guess turned out to be right. ¡°That stuff is so sweet it causes toothaches, can¡¯t understand how someone would like it.¡± ¡°I like it.¡± ¡°Oh, I knew it! Only extraordinary people would like that stuff,¡± Xiang Beifei immediately corrected himself. Strange indeed! He thought that old man only knew how to count ducks, but it turned out he also had a way with women¡¯s hearts when he was younger. ¡°You¡¯re so clever with words, how come you haven¡¯t managed to sort out your own affairs?¡± Yin Nianqing asked. ¡°Me? How did this get to me again?¡± Xiang Beifei was puzzled, why did the conversation turn back to him? ¡°You never know when someone is protecting you, do you?¡± ¡°Many people protect me, Elder Luo, Professor Guo, Mr. Ye. Most of my teachers stand in front of me.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about the others.¡± Xiang Beifei shrugged, he and Elder Yin weren¡¯t close, and after all, Elder Yin represented the Alliance. He only mentioned things that were common knowledge, and left the rest unsaid. ¡°Pay more attention to the people around you, and don¡¯t let down those who care about you,¡± Yin Nianqing said. Her words became stranger and stranger. ¡°Let¡¯s head back,¡± Yin Nianqing said. Xiang Beifei shrugged and left the valley, returning to the shady path. He looked back with a murmur, ¡°Strange, she¡¯s here too.¡± It wasn¡¯t just him in the valley, there were others. Even though they were well hidden by various systems, to Xiang Beifei, systems were the least valuable thing. However, he didn¡¯t think further and turned to leave. In the valley. Yin Nianqing watched the river and then said, ¡°You should tell him.¡± A figure appeared on the stone bridge. She was dressed in a neat white outfit with fitted trousers, looking very smart. It was An Xiyu. ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± she shook her head. ¡°You did this for him, yet he doesn¡¯t know, is it worth it?¡± Yin Nianqing asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t do it just for him,¡± An Xiyu said softly. ¡°No matter whom you did it for, you¡¯re still protecting him in your own way.¡± An Xiyu chose to develop with the Alliance, but the Alliance had too many powerful figures seeking information about Xiang Beifei from her. She had initially let Professor Guo help to remove that part of her memory about Xiang Beifei, not wanting to trouble him. It was Yin Nianqing who helped her retain it and protected An Xiyu¡¯s memories with her powerful UR system from prying eyes. ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything, he¡¯s handling it very well, and he¡¯s even done things I can¡¯t do,¡± An Xiyu said. From the bottom of her heart, she was grateful to Xiang Beifei for clearing Professor Guo¡¯s name and dealing with the likes of Wu Shixuan and He Caiwei, who were making life difficult for him. ¡°Sometimes, it¡¯s not always about taking action. Making a choice requires courage too.¡± Yin Nianqing turned her head to look at An Xiyu and sighed, ¡°He is that old man¡¯s disciple; he doesn¡¯t learn what he should, but he¡¯s picked up all the wrong aspects of his personality. Although he¡¯s very smart, it¡¯s obvious that he¡¯s not adept at dealing with these matters. It won¡¯t lead to anything if you keep doing this.¡± ¡°I never thought about those things,¡± An Xiyu shook her head. At the beginning of school, when Professor Guo decided to teach the Inquiring Dao to Xiang Beifei, she had deep suspicions about Xiang Beifei, fearing he would become another Wu Shixuan. But now she realized that Xiang Beifei¡¯s talent far exceeded her expectations, and he was not on the same level as the likes of Wu Shixuan at all. He was a kind-hearted, good-tempered, principled big boy. Yet she initially judged such a person without reason, which left her with a sense of guilt. ¡°He deserves someone better,¡± An Xiyu said with gritted teeth. ¡°Sigh! Silly girl, why undervalue yourself?¡± Yin Nianqing sighed again, looking up at the sky above the valley. ¡°Men are rough when it comes to emotions, especially people with the personalities of those two masters and disciples; they have their own goals and live freely. They can see through many things, yet their nature is sometimes just like a child¡¯s. If you don¡¯t spell it out for them, they will never understand.¡± She helped An Xiyu because she saw her own past in An Xiyu, accustomed to doing things silently for the other party, things that seemed inconsequential, yet never bringing them up to their face. But such one-sided efforts will never be known by the other party. But she knew, people like An Xiyu would never talk about it. Just like herself, she never said a word. Chapter 538 - 404 Bull Constellation (4000 words) Chapter 538: Chapter 404 Bull Constellation (4000 words) Five points modified. Xiang Beifei did not ask further but looked at Tang He thoughtfully. Tang He was a normal person, of that there was no mistake, because he had a system interface that was rapidly updating. His [Po Jun Eye System] was a type of reconnaissance system which could also quickly identify an opponent¡¯s weaknesses and use them to defeat the opponent. Everything in his system log appeared normal, a fact that could not escape Xiang Beifei¡¯s eyes. However, what Xiang Beifei found strange was¡ª This guy, for some reason, had a faint hint of Ghostly Visage¡¯s aura about him! Was it because he had been attacked by Ghostly Visage that this aura lingered? The moment these people appeared, the atmosphere suddenly felt off. Chen Baiwen, Yu Hongbo, Zhu Xinjue! It was the team from Yanzhou University! He had not expected that they would also show up here! At a glance, Zhu Xinjue noticed Xiang Beifei in the crowd and his heart skipped a beat, then a look of resentment flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. Because their alliance with Qingzhou University had already collapsed, they were unable to join forces against Xiang Beifei. When Yu Hongbo and Chen Baiwen saw Xiang Beifei, they were also slightly surprised! The two couldn¡¯t help but exchange glances! Just yesterday, they had been thinking about joining forces with Qingzhou University to deal with Xiang Beifei, but then they couldn¡¯t find Xiang Beifei, and instead, Hou Chengwu of Qingzhou University ended up dead. They hadn¡¯t expected to encounter Xiang Beifei here either. ¡°Don¡¯t panic! He probably doesn¡¯t know about yesterday¡¯s incident!¡± Chen Baiwen made a gesture to Yu Hongbo and the others. Without speaking, they understood each other. Yu Hongbo steadied himself and said, ¡°Xiang Beifei, I¡¯ve long admired your reputation. I am Yu Hongbo, the leader of the Yanzhou University team.¡± Chen Baiwen also nodded slightly, but did not speak. Xiang Beifei looked thoughtfully at the people from Yanzhou University, his gaze sweeping over them, and then he looked at Zhu Xinjue before saying after a long while, ¡°What brings you guys here?¡± ¡°After we entered this Withered Forest, we realized something was amiss, and later we made our way to this mountain. The situation outside is dire, did you also encounter those bizarre tree people just now?¡± asked Yu Hongbo. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Xiang Beifei said, unfazed. ¡°Are you all unharmed?¡± Yu Hongbo asked. ¡°Not too bad,¡± Xiang Beifei glanced at Tang He behind him; Tang He was from Qingzhou University, and their team¡¯s situation seemed quite grim at the moment. When Tang He saw Yu Hongbo and the others, his expression also showed shock. He hadn¡¯t expected to run into people from Yanzhou University when Hou Chengwu from his university, Qingzhou, had died at the hands of ¡°Zhu Pengfei!¡± But he dared not say much now; he was just an SR-level Qi-Controlling Awakener in the late stages, and without any teammates around, he was no match for these people from Yanzhou University. ¡°How long have you been in this Withered Forest?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. ¡°We entered last night!¡± Yu Hongbo said. ¡°Last night? You¡¯ve been here for almost a day now?¡± Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. ¡°Yes, we have been here since last night!¡± Yu Hongbo no longer harbored thoughts of dealing with Xiang Beifei; in fact, he was entertaining the notion of joining forces with Xiang Beifei. Because their team was also in a very difficult position. This place was too eerie, they were trapped and couldn¡¯t find a way out, and upon seeing Xiang Beifei, a glimmer of hope rose in Yu Hongbo¡¯s heart. Xiang Beifei was strong; perhaps he had some way out! ¡°So are you alright?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. ¡°One of our team members had an accident,¡± Yu Hongbo said with a grave tone. There were only four people left in their team now. ¡°From last night until now, have you been on this mountain the whole time?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. ¡°Not exactly; we were initially walking in the Withered Forest, but then it suddenly got dark, and with things looking bad, we ran up to the mountain. We realized that those tree people didn¡¯t dare to follow up here, and we were relieved. We weren¡¯t on this mountain at first but on another one.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re that N-level Awakener, Xiang Beifei?¡± Chen Baiwen¡¯s face didn¡¯t look too good facing Xiang Beifei; he didn¡¯t really want to come up, as Hou Chengwu¡¯s loss beforehand had been inexplicable, and he hadn¡¯t seen clearly how Hou was defeated. If he himself lost to an N-level student, it would practically be the end of his reputation. Yet, if he didn¡¯t come up to challenge Xiang Beifei, he would be even more regarded as a coward, tantamount to indirectly proving that he, a powerful SSR-level Awakener, was afraid of an N-level! Without fighting, Xiang Beifei would essentially win by default. After all, like Hou Chengwu, he had disregarded Liangzhou University for accepting N-level students, being persuaded by other universities not to go to Liangzhou. Since Chen Baiwen had chosen to give up on Liangzhou University from the start, it showed that he too was a self-important SSR. How could he not prove himself? Xiang Beifei just watched Zhu Xinjue calmly, but a killing intent surfaced in his eyes. Last time he hadn¡¯t killed this guy, who clearly intended to come and kill him; therefore, this time he must kill Zhu Xinjue! However, just as he finished speaking, he felt his knees buckle and he suddenly knelt down right in front of Xiang Beifei! Zhu Xinjue and the others were also startled! Chapter 539 - 404 Bull Constellation (4000 words) _2 Chapter 539: Chapter 404 Bull Constellation (4000 words) _2 ¡°Hou Chengwu, what are you doing?¡± Chen Baiwen asked in surprise. Hou Chengwu was also shocked by his own actions! Why did he kneel down? Wasn¡¯t it agreed that Xiang Beifei would be thrown off track? Why was it him kneeling down instead? Hou Chengwu¡¯s face turned beet red; he angrily tried to stand up, only to find that no matter what, he couldn¡¯t get up! ¡ª¡ª But just at that moment, Hou Chengwu, with sharp eyes, suddenly spotted Xiang Beifei¡¯s figure and immediately shouted, ¡°He¡¯s over there!¡± This time, everyone could clearly see that Xiang Beifei was indeed a real person! The others also saw Xiang Beifei, but due to the flood, it was hard for them to untangle themselves. ¡°Yu Hongbo, you keep an eye on these SRs, we¡¯ll go deal with him!¡± Hou Chengwu yelled. ¡°Alright!¡± Yu Hongbo had to take care of his own people; otherwise, the SRs would be directly submerged by the flood. Zhu Xinjue¡¯s eyes flashed with ruthlessness as he produced a huge glass ball in his hand. In a flicker, the glass ball transformed into a beam of illusory light, covering the void. ¡°This time, let¡¯s see where you go!¡± Zhu Xinjue sneered. This glass ball was a UR-level spatial system item, capable of rendering any spatial transport ineffective. Since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman, Zhu Xinjue was worried about Xiang Beifei escaping. Soon, Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong had Xiang Beifei surrounded. Their powerful presence was in no way inferior to that of the flood, as they tightly fixed their gaze on Xiang Beifei. ¡°Xiang Beifei, although I know you¡¯re strong, now with the four of us, I still advise you to forfeit,¡± said He Qiutong. He Qiutong did not know Zhu Xinjue¡¯s plan; her aim, like Chen Baiwen¡¯s, was simply to eliminate Xiang Beifei from the game. Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the four people in front of him. Four people were easier to deal with than five. ¡°That¡¯s right, we don¡¯t want to do anything to you. Just eliminate yourself quietly, so there won¡¯t be any trouble,¡± Chen Baiwen said gravely. But Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue beside him were filled with endless intent to kill. ¡°What are we waiting for? To eliminate him, we have to take him down first!¡± Hou Chengwu shouted. This time facing Xiang Beifei, he already had enough confidence. Although he did not understand how he was defeated on the arena last time, now they were four against one, and in his eyes, Xiang Beifei was definitely a dead man! Grinding his teeth, Hou Chengwu muttered, ¡°I¡¯ll make you pay today!¡± That day, he, a dignified SSR, had been put into a trash bin, utterly losing face. Today, he must kill Xiang Beifei! ¡°Three against two, not too bad, it¡¯s manageable,¡± Xiang Beifei said. ¡°Three against two?¡± Zhu Xinjue scoffed, ¡°Have you been scared silly by us? Can¡¯t you even count anymore? There are four of us against just you!¡± ¡°President Ren is such an esteemed person; he said that names are not important, only strength matters. A senior who can say such words must have an open mind; why would he care about such trivial things as names with me? As President Ren¡¯s proud disciple, why is your approach to handling matters inconsistent with President Ren¡¯s?¡± Xiang Beifei said, looking at Hou Chengwu puzzledly before adding, ¡°Haven¡¯t you even learned the basics from him?¡± His words were watertight, first sarcastically referring to Ren Jianghai, then immediately elevating Ren Jianghai to a high status, making it difficult for Ren Jianghai to react about Xiang Beifei teasing regarding names. He then subtly insulted Hou Chengwu. ¡°You...¡± Hou Chengwu was so angry with Xiang Beifei that his face turned crimson. Hovering in mid-air, Li Zimu looked down in surprise and remarked, ¡°They can¡¯t even tell.¡± The flood here was a manifestation of Li Zimu¡¯s Poetry Realm; Li Zimu¡¯s Poetry Realm could now reach a level where truth and illusion were indistinguishable. However, Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen were after all SSRs, one level higher than him in the system and with higher cultivation, so they theoretically should not be so flustered. ¡°Of course they can¡¯t tell; not one of them is a spiritual power-based System Awakener,¡± Xiang Beifei explained. Xiang Beifei¡¯s spiritual power was attached to the Poetry Realm created by Li Zimu, so even though Li Zimu was only at the late stage of Qi-Controlling, the flood he created had the power of the Meridian Opening phase! As for the suppression at the system level, with Xiang Beifei around, the so-called SSR system superiority was just a decoration. He had specifically sought out Li Zimu¡¯s help in order to trap this group of people. But after they had walked some distance, a fork in the road suddenly appeared ahead! Xiang Beifei¡¯s shadow briefly reappeared at the edge of the fork, but then vanished once again on this new path. ¡°Which way should we go?¡± Hou Chengwu asked Chen Baiwen, anxiously. ¡°I don¡¯t know, there are no traces.¡± Chen Baiwen shook his head. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s split up and take both paths, it¡¯ll be faster that way.¡± Zhu Xinjue suggested. ¡°Splitting up is the same as scattering our strength. If we encounter Xiang Beifei, do you really think you stand a chance against him?¡± Chen Baiwen inquired. ¡°Xiang Beifei is obviously being hunted by that desolate beast right now. If we run into him, how could we not have a chance?¡± Zhu Xinjue replied. After a brief discussion, everyone decided to split up. However, they all agreed that if they encountered Xiang Beifei, they would first send a signal to the others, and if they couldn¡¯t find anyone after half an hour, they would return here to regroup. For the sake of mutual trust, they chose to mix members from both sides. Zhu Xinjue and Yu Hongbo, along with He Qiutong, would take one route, while Chen Baiwen and Hou Chengwu would take another. Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen, leading three SRs, took the left path. Although Chen Baiwen seemed preoccupied with heavy thoughts, Hou Chengwu still warned, ¡°Don¡¯t forget our agreement.¡± Xiang Beifei began to vaguely understand and said, ¡°Digesting memories?¡± When desolate beasts eat the brains of other desolate beasts, they can sometimes gain the memories of that desolate beast. That is to say, the experiences and observations of one desolate beast can be digested by another. If this green-haired caterpillar was stomped to death by Long Guocheng, it means the caterpillar saw Xiang Beifei and the others! Even if the green-haired caterpillar couldn¡¯t understand human language, its mind would still retain visual images! So what exactly did they say when they encountered the green-haired caterpillar? Had it been remembered by the caterpillar? By eating the brains of other desolate beasts to make up for their own deficiencies and expand their knowledge, such desolate beasts would invariably grow more intelligent the more they consumed! Desolate beasts that are strong but simple-minded are not scary; the most frightening ones are those with high intelligence! It¡¯s just uncertain what kind of impression the green-haired caterpillar that Long Guocheng crushed to death had retained about them. Li Zimu¡¯s stone house had many rooms built, and everyone occupied one room each, lacking beds and blankets. Although crude, such conditions weren¡¯t much of a concern in the foreign wilderness beyond their realm. When Xiang Beifei returned from his shift, Long Guocheng was leaning against the door with his arms crossed, saying, ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°What?¡± Xiang Beifei responded. ¡°You are not an N-level Awakener, right? You¡¯re at least an SR, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Is that important to you?¡± ¡°It would make me feel better.¡± Long Guocheng said reluctantly. If he lost to an SR Awakener like Li Zimu, he wouldn¡¯t feel too embarrassed, seeing that the opponent¡¯s innate talent was not inferior to his own, and being both SRs, losing now meant he could simply win back another time. But losing to an N-level Awakener would keep gnawing at him. ¡°That¡¯s your own problem, it has nothing to do with me.¡± Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t like to explain his system to others. Because he didn¡¯t have a system at all. ¡°We are a team! I¡¯ve told you all about my abilities! But we know nothing about yours! Since we¡¯re a team, we should at least have an understanding of each other.¡± Long Guocheng stressed. ¡°Now you admit that you¡¯re part of a team? I thought you always liked to show off.¡± Xiang Beifei said. Long Guocheng snorted but didn¡¯t refute the claim. He indeed liked to show off; if he didn¡¯t, he wouldn¡¯t be able to collect system points. ¡°If you tell me that you¡¯re an SR or SSR, I can accept my loss with no hard feelings.¡± Long Guocheng said. ¡°You really look Chapter 540 - 405 Chapter 540: 405 ¡°Five Pieces of Stone, such a blunt name. Could there really be just five rocks?¡± Xiang Beifei weighed the two tiles in his hands, feeling puzzled. If that was the case, where were the remaining three tiles? Besides, what was so special about these tiles? He held one tile in each hand. Upon first glance, the tiles seemed ordinary, except they were extremely hard. Xiang Beifei had tried bending them last time, using various methods, but had not managed to break them. Back then, he was only at the Meridian Opening stage, but now, with his God Refining mid-stage cultivation, he tried again and still couldn¡¯t break them. Their hardness exceeded his imagination. He knocked the two tiles together. Thud! A dull sound echoed from the black tiles, and following their collision, a golden pattern emerged covering the entirety of both tiles! The golden pattern flashed and disappeared before Xiang Beifei could make out what it was. ¡°Eh?¡± He knocked the tiles together again, and the golden pattern reappeared. This time he saw it clearly; the pattern was on the tiles. If observed closely, one could see that the pattern was continuous where the two tiles touched. Just from the pattern, it was hard to say what it resembled¡ªpossibly some sort of feathered pattern or maybe clouds, but since the golden pattern wasn¡¯t comprehensive, it was hard to be certain. He brought the two tiles together from different angles and discovered that no matter from which position they touched, the golden pattern remained unchanged. Clearly, to see the complete pattern clearly, he first needed to gather the rest of the tiles. ¡°Five Pieces of Stone, that¡¯s even more arbitrary than the name I picked for Erha!¡± Xiang Beifei had a multitude of questions in his mind. He didn¡¯t understand how the stone bound in his Spirit Gathering Book was just like the tile that came out of his grandfather¡¯s system. Obviously, this wasn¡¯t an item from the system since the tile had no system fluctuations and was immune to the system¡¯s abilities and spiritual power¡ªthis much was certain. So, all Xiang Beifei could guess was that his grandfather must have obtained this tile from somewhere and stored it in his system space. Only, something unexpected happened that day, causing the tile to fall out and hit him on the head. Beyond that, Xiang Beifei couldn¡¯t think of any other reasonable explanation. ¡°Such hard material is indeed quite rare,¡± Xiang Beifei remarked. ¡°Roar! Roar!¡± The Wooden Kirin jumped up and down beside him, not believing this outcome, thinking it could definitely break the tile. ¡°Then you try it and see if you can handle it.¡± Xiang Beifei tossed the tile to the Wooden Kirin. Eager to test itself, the Wooden Kirin swiftly grabbed the tile and, unable to wait, bit and scratched at the tile as its potent spiritual power blasted out, greeting the tile with all it had. However, the tile remained completely calm, uncracked and unshaken, untouched by Erha¡¯s antics and not even losing the black dust from its surface. ¡°Roar! Roar!¡± The Wooden Kirin grew even more frustrated and increased its efforts, harshly mangling it. Xiang Beifei just watched the Wooden Kirin struggling foolishly with the tile, his mouth twitching. This tile, after all, was something only a mid-stage God Refining seal could suppress, a level higher than this fool, so how could it be easily damaged? He casually tossed the other piece toward it: ¡°Here, scratch both. There¡¯s a golden pattern too.¡± The second tile traced an arc in the air, quickly striking the first tile, and then¡ª Thud! The golden pattern flowed again from where the two tiles collided, but before the Wooden Kirin could react, the pattern suddenly spread from the tile, reaching its hooves and then up its body! ¡°Roar¡ª¡± The Wooden Kirin hadn¡¯t finished bellowing when it suddenly rolled its eyes back and collapsed with a thud! ¡°Eh?¡± Xiang Beifei looked in surprise at the foolish creature sprawled on the ground, tongue lolling and eyes rolling, because a gold pattern like a dense spider web had clearly appeared on its blue body. For some reason, its entire spiritual power had quieted down, as if it were bound and unable to move, visibly unconscious. Yet the two tiles were still maintaining the collision position, one corner resting on the other tile as if standing independently, without falling over, suspended in mid-air. ¡°This is weird.¡± Xiang Beifei bent down and took the colliding tiles out of the foolish creature¡¯s embrace, picking up one while the Wooden Kirin still embraced the other. As soon as the tiles separated, the golden pattern quickly faded from the Wooden Kirin¡¯s body. ¡°¡ªRoar!¡± The Wooden Kirin suddenly opened its eyes wide, confused as it got up, finishing the cry it hadn¡¯t completed before, and looked at the tile in its embrace, seemingly unaware of why it had suddenly passed out. ¡°You seem to have a thick hide; let me try again.¡± Xiang Beifei tossed the tile he was holding back into the arms of the Wooden Kirin. Thud! The tiles collided again, and the golden pattern reappeared. Before the Wooden Kirin could manage to throw the tile away, it rolled its eyes back again and collapsed! Its whole body was once again trapped in the golden pattern! ¡°Impressive!¡± Xiang Beifei¡¯s eyes lit up. This was a true weapon of mass destruction! He had no idea the tile was this effective. You should know the Wooden Kirin might be a bit dim-witted, but initially, it had devoured the spiritual power crystals of seven early-stage God Refining seals before it escaped. It¡¯s different from other constellations; while others break their seals, it swallows spiritual power crystals and then strengthens itself to break the seal. Last time, as soon as it broke free, it was able to exchange blows with Ye Changfeng, who was at the mid-stage of God Refining! Recently, Xiang Beifei had thrown it some spiritual power crystals from the God Refining stage that he couldn¡¯t use himself, making it even stronger than when it had first emerged! However, facing this brick, it rolled its eyes back from a single ¡°thud¡±? ¡°These Five Pieces of Stone seem to be not entirely useless, I need to study them a bit,¡± Xiang Beifei suddenly became interested and picked up the brick that was standing upright. The golden patterns quickly dissipated from the Wooden Kirin¡¯s body, and by then, the Wooden Kirin had already recovered. This brick is toxic! It desperately swung its hooves trying to throw the brick away, and then Xiang Beifei hit it again with another brick on top of the one in its embrace! Thud! The Wooden Kirin rolled its eyes and fell down again! This time Xiang Beifei took both bricks away, and once the bricks were removed from the Wooden Kirin¡¯s body, the golden patterns on its body also vanished, but the golden patterns on the bricks were still there. The Wooden Kirin then opened its eyes. It roared twice in a ¡°woe is me¡± manner and ran off, clearly terrified by the brick, and disappeared in a flash. ¡°Hold on, cooperate with my research.¡± Xiang Beifei took a step forward and instantly appeared above the Wooden Kirin running in the sky on his flying sword. His speed was much faster than the silly creature. Just as the Wooden Kirin looked up, Xiang Beifei gently placed the two joined bricks on the Wooden Kirin¡¯s horn. Thud! This time there wasn¡¯t even a hit, just a muffled sound, and then golden patterns fell onto the Wooden Kirin, it rolled its eyes back and lost consciousness, plummeting from the sky. The strangest part was that the two bricks, sticking like glue, also firmly adhered to the body of the Wooden Kirin and it crashed into the ground with a ¡°boom,¡± creating a large pit. Yet such a huge tremor did not shake the bricks loose at all; it was as if whoever they fell on, they stuck to. ¡°Goodness! This thing is effective.¡± Xiang Beifei picked up the bricks, and the Wooden Kirin, doubtful and wary, immediately sprung up again. Its thick skin protected it from harm when falling from a hundred meters, but it was definitely scared by these two bricks and ran off again. ¡°Why are you running! Let me study a bit! You have thick skin anyway!¡± ¡°Wow! Wow!¡± the Wooden Kirin cursed loudly. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a spiritual power crystal from the late stage of Meridian Opening as a compensation!¡± ¡°Wow! Wow!¡± the Wooden Kirin bargained. ¡°But I don¡¯t have any from the mid-stage of God Refining left; you¡¯ve swallowed them all!¡± ¡°Wow! Wow!¡± ¡°No way, that piece of Xuanguang Armor from the early stage of God Refining is meant for Kong Xiuwen!¡± ¡°Wow! Wow!¡± ¡°That one is reserved for Lu Zhiwei, you silly creature!¡± Xiang Beifei flung his hand¡ª Thud! The Wooden Kirin rolled its eyes back and fell again. ¡°How nice it would be if you just cooperated with me instead of running.¡± Xiang Beifei looked at the bricks sticking to the back of the Wooden Kirin¡¯s mane. Strangely, the mane of the Wooden Kirin was very graceful and soft, flopping down under pressure, but when he placed the two bricks on the mane, they didn¡¯t push the hairs down but lightly stood on the tips, but even just that caused the golden patterns to incapacitate the Wooden Kirin. ¡°But why doesn¡¯t it affect me when I touch them?¡± Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t quite understand. Normally, after he unlocked a constellation, he would use his own cultivation technique to imprint it, which allowed him to control the powers within the constellation. But so far, he had not imprinted one of the bricks because spiritual power was ineffective on it. That is to say, these two bricks still didn¡¯t belong to him. Yet he had been chasing the Wooden Kirin around with these two bricks all this while, ¡°thudding¡± Erha several times, but they didn¡¯t trouble him. Xiang Beifei looked at the Wooden Kirin lying on the ground rolling its eyes and looked around, noticing a golden kite flying towards him in the sky, and waved at it. The golden kite, initially searching for prey in the sky, lit up with excitement in its sharp little eyes upon seeing Xiang Beifei waving. This human had no spiritual power fluctuations, looked white and tender, and seemed delicious! It screeched sharply and dived towards Xiang Beifei, ready to turn this ignorant human into its lunch. It had just dived down when it felt a gust of wind surging past, propelling it even faster as if riding the wind. Heaven helps me too! The golden kite was still rejoicing when it realized that as it dived towards the human, something violently yanked it, and it suddenly couldn¡¯t move, caught by surprise! ¡°Come, let¡¯s experiment happily together.¡± Xiang Beifei grabbed the neck of the golden kite and then tossed it towards the two bricks. The golden kite hadn¡¯t even had time to react before it crashed onto the Wooden Kirin, attempting to spread its wings to fly away, only to find a golden pattern quickly spreading towards it from the Wooden Kirin. Then ¡°thud¡±! It rolled its eyes back and fell down. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s contagious?¡± Xiang Beifei was very surprised. Chapter 541 - 406: The Red-headed Weasel (4000 words) Chapter 541: Chapter 406: The Red-headed Weasel (4000 words) 5:20 Revision Which battles to forfeit, which to fight with all our might, who to send against different opponents, learning to make strategic sacrifices, engaging in psychological warfare amongst ourselves, we are battling not just in courage, but also in wits. Although Elder Luo seemed carefree and oftentimes not very serious, he was once the supreme commander against the beast tide in the Jiuzhou Alliance, with an outstanding strategic vision in commanding battles. He couldn¡¯t be clearer about the original intention of these competitions between the nine elite schools. That is to say, Elder Luo had an idea of how to break this situation but didn¡¯t spell it out. Instead, he wanted Xiang Beifei¡¯s team to think for themselves first, which was also a form of training. If their ideas were not feasible, Elder Luo would then give further guidance. ¡ª¡ª Having heard what Elder Luo said, nobody had a reason to complain anymore. Ye Changfeng and Yuchi Shen were also sitting off to the side, now silent, watching the five members of Xiang Beifei¡¯s team. Xiang Beifei and his team were quiet. After a long silence, Long Guocheng was the first to speak, ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s competition, our first battle is the second match, facing Qingzhou University. We don¡¯t know who they will send against us.¡± Xiang Beifei said, ¡°The person Qingzhou University will send tomorrow will definitely be Hou Chengwu, no doubt about it.¡± Long Guocheng asked, ¡°Are you so certain? Qingzhou University has two SSRs and one UR plus two SRs, and they still haven¡¯t decided on a candidate.¡± Xiang Beifei said, ¡°It has to be Hou Chengwu! He had initially refused our Liangzhou University and turned to Qingzhou University. He must prove to others that not choosing Liangzhou University was the right decision. The way to do it is to come and beat us personally.¡± ¡°That¡¯s also true,¡± Li Zimu nodded thoughtfully. ¡°I think he was embarrassed by you today, and he would want to take revenge.¡± ¡°Xiang Beifei, do you have the ability to defeat Hou Chengwu?¡± Xi Keyao asked. Xiang Beifei fell silent for a moment and then nodded slightly. The expressions of Long Guocheng and the others improved a bit. They now recognized Xiang Beifei and knew his capabilities. This guy might not be an SSR, but his strength was absurdly strong. With him onboard, even if Liangzhou University was not as overtly strong as those three universities, it was enough to compete with other schools. ¡°But if other schools send SSRs against us, we are almost certain to lose. Xiang Beifei can only fight twice, meaning at best he can score two points, but the four of us are likely to lose,¡± Ma Ziqian said. ¡°Unless we find a way to stop them from all sending SSRs to face us,¡± Li Zimu said. ¡°They all think we¡¯re easy targets now, how can we change their minds?¡± Long Guocheng asked. ¡°Quite simple, we must let them know that we are not that weak,¡± Xiang Beifei said. Realizing what this meant, Li Zimu said, ¡°I get it, our school needs to have an Awakener in the Meridian Opening phase, so they won¡¯t all send those from the Meridian Opening phase against us. That means tomorrow, when facing Qingzhou University, Xiang Beifei, you must fight.¡± An individual could compete at most twice, which means that after Xiang Beifei¡¯s first fight, as long as he showed a glimmer of his true strength, it would be enough to intimidate the people from the other schools, making them wary. They would understand that the Liangzhou University ¡°persimmon¡± might not be so easy to squeeze! If the SSR they sent next faced Xiang Beifei, a difficult opponent, and lost the battle, it would be a significant loss. Hence, other schools would not send their SSRs recklessly to confront Liangzhou University. This ability was very peculiar; it could target any being with a sin, whether a desolate beast or a person. It would create a so-called ¡°gate¡± in the target¡¯s mind. Even if this gate was not the opponent¡¯s original weakness. Take the Triangular Thunder Krait, its original weakness was its eyes. But if Yuchi Shen used the ¡°Seven Deadly Sins Kill¡±, he could shift that weakness to another area, such as moving the ¡°gate¡± to the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait. Then, as long as Yuchi Shen struck the Krait¡¯s tail, the Triangular Thunder Krait would inevitably die! ¡°This ability is indeed formidable, forcibly changing an opponent¡¯s weakness?¡± Xiang Beifei said in awe. ¡°Right, I heard that originally two SSR Awakeners were supposed to come to our Liangzhou University, but Liangzhou University admitted an N level, and those two SSRs looked down on our Liangzhou University and went to other elite schools instead,¡± Zimu said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the school be infuriated? Losing two SSRs because of one N level student?¡± ¡°Indeed! That N level Awakener really knows how to cause trouble,¡± Zimu said. At that moment, Xiang Beifei suddenly exclaimed in surprise because he noticed a figure that had appeared abruptly behind the infant! This figure seemed to have teleported there, holding a sword with a strong presence, ignoring the tentacles! It was Ye Changfeng! Ye Changfeng frowned as he looked at the small infant and then slashed down with his sword! The infant seemed to realize the danger, but before it could turn around, Ye Changfeng¡¯s sword had already split the small infant in two! However, the infant did not dissipate. After being split open, numerous tentacles burst from its body and merged into the surrounding tentacles. ¡°Courting death!¡± Ye Changfeng gripped his long sword and slashed forward again! This slash was like a bolt of lightning, mixed with a terrifying force. The ferocious Sword Qi stretched hundreds of meters, creating a fissure straight through the tentacles-filled sky! Chapter 542 - 406: The Red-headed Weasel (4000 words)_2 Chapter 542: Chapter 406: The Red-headed Weasel (4000 words)_2 The tendrils that were severed tried to congeal again, but were soon blasted apart by countless streams of Sword Qi¡ª Boom! Boom! Boom! None of the tendrils could successfully escape under Ye Changfeng¡¯s sword; he destroyed them all across the city! The tendrils were shredded to pieces by the Sword Qi, while the remaining ones, fearful, began to retract towards the ground and soon vanished from sight. ¡°You all wait here, don¡¯t run around!¡± Ye Changfeng flung the sword in his hand, and the Longyuan Sword hovered above the three of them as if to protect them. Meanwhile, he produced another sword and took a step forward; space flickered, and he disappeared into mid-air. ¡°Thank goodness Mr. Ye came.¡± Fan Kai breathed a sigh of relief. If Mr. Ye hadn¡¯t arrived in time, they might have been done for on this trip. However, Sun Yushan didn¡¯t quite understand and said, ¡°What kind of desolate beast is this thing? How come we¡¯ve never seen it before?¡± The two of them had trained in this Cultivated Domain for three years and were roughly familiar with what kinds of desolate beasts there were. Some desolate beasts were powerful, but none had ever been as troublesome as this time; they hadn¡¯t expected that today, they almost lost their lives here. Xiang Beifei thought for a moment, then turned to Xiaohei and said, ¡°Xiaohei, you should be able to lead him out of this space, right?¡± Xiaohei nodded. This was a space created by the system, and no system ability could trap Xiaohei, who could leave the system¡¯s restraints directly if it chose to. ¡°Then take him out of this space first, let him stay in the forest.¡± Xiang Beifei said. One didn¡¯t know what dangers existed on this solitary island, but given that Liu Gui had been injured to this extent, it wasn¡¯t safe to leave him here any longer; tossing him to the forest outside was a better option. Xiaohei jumped onto Liu Gui and stepped on him with a little foot, causing Liu Gui¡¯s body to become somewhat strange. Xiang Beifei could still see him but could also see the forest ground outside the space. ¡°That should do it. Xiao Ma and the others might come searching in the forest; we need to continue looking for the other people.¡± Liu Gui¡¯s current state should prevent him from getting hurt by any desolate beast on the island, so Xiang Beifei needed to find Lu Zhiwei and He Yun quickly. Based on their description just now, the forest was very unsafe and could kill them. Xiang Beifei continued to leap forward; he walked for about five minutes when suddenly, a series of urgent noises came from the woods, followed by a At school, the only people who could provide him with useful system-generated rewards were teachers; even classmates who were S-level were still in the early stages of Qi-Controlling, and their task rewards were of no use up to now. He had inadvertently been involved in many teachers¡¯ tasks. These people actually chose to teach because of their own systems and would often carry out tasks on students. But system-generated rewards don¡¯t come instantly; you have to wait until the task is completed to receive them. Some people¡¯s tasks take a long time to complete, a few days at the least, and several months at most, so even if you¡¯re involved in a reward, it won¡¯t come quickly. However, Xiang Beifei had his principles; some teachers and classmates were quite kind to him, and it would be innocent to lose their hard-earned rewards from tasks aimed at improving themselves. He wouldn¡¯t take advantage of these people. As long as they didn¡¯t provoke him, everyone could get along harmoniously. During the two-day weekend, Xiang Qingde went to the vegetable market, while Xiang Beifei stayed home and continued to practice the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula and finally broke through to the middle stage of Qi-Controlling. He found that his speed of improving strength was faster than that of S-level Awakeners, even though Zhuo Jing and Liu Qianrou were still in the early stages of Qi-Controlling, and many R-level and N-level classmates hadn¡¯t even reached the threshold of Qi-Controlling up to now. Everyone had a system, and improving strength all depended on completing tasks. Of course, some systems provided the hosts with various cultivation methods, mainly to enhance physical fitness, requiring personal practice. But obviously, the speed of promotion was different. ¡°So you¡¯re the N-level newbie trying to get into Liangzhou University by leveraging public opinion pressure?¡± said a. ¡°Heard your academic scores are quite high! But do you think our elite university is a place where anyone who is good at studying can come?¡± another boy sneered. ¡°Come on, let your sister take care of you and teach you how to write ¡®elite.''¡± said a girl in revealing clothing, stretching and poking her little finger in her ear. ¡°Hey, Yu Xiaoyao, we got here first, and it¡¯s our job to set an example for the newbies. Get your Flower-Snow-Moon Club to line up,¡± the tall boy commanded. The girl known as Yu Xiaoyao let out a string of bell-like laughter, saying, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you from the Mount Tai Club still sore about your loss to us and looking to save face by picking on Awakeners at level N? Is that the best you can do?¡± ¡°What do you mean! We went easy on you girls last time, can¡¯t you see?¡± the tall boy retorted. ¡°Heh, now that¡¯s really amusing! Ding Ming, since you love giving in so much, why not do it again!¡± Yu Xiaoyao said with a sneer, her slender waist twisting as she chuckled. ¡°We¡¯re all here to teach a lesson to a brat who doesn¡¯t know his place, so why fight over it?¡± someone chimed in. Lu Zhiwei frowned and stepped in front of Xiang Beifei, exclaiming, ¡°Come on, enough is enough! I¡¯ve got his back; let¡¯s see who dares to touch him!¡± As she shouted, Yu Xiaoyao and the others paused to look at Lu Zhiwei. ¡°Lu Zhiwei, does your Detective Club also want to muddle in?¡± Yu Xiaoyao eyed Lu Zhiwei cautiously¡ªshe had to be somewhat wary of her, as Lu Zhiwei wasn¡¯t an easy target to provoke. The tall boy Ding Ming looked at Lu Zhiwei with a cold sneer, ¡°Lu Zhiwei, is your Detective Club planning to cover for this level N trash that¡¯s tarnishing the reputation of Liangzhou University?¡± ¡°Stop pinning big hats on us.¡± At that moment, a crew-cut boy stepped out from the crowd and responded, then turned to Lu Zhiwei with a frown, saying, ¡°Lu Zhiwei, what are you doing? Why are you hanging out with a level N? Don¡¯t damage our Detective Club¡¯s reputation!¡± Lu Zhiwei angrily retorted, ¡°Are you people idiots? How has Xiang Beifei tarnished the reputation of Liangzhou University? The news already said it was Yu Lei¡¯s one-man show, so you¡¯re just living in your own narrative, deliberately rejecting the truth, right?¡± ¡°Anyone can make a claim in the news, but I won¡¯t allow a level N person to join our Liangzhou University. He doesn¡¯t deserve it!¡± ¡°Exactly! This is a gathering place for elites, not a dump for trash!¡± ¡°Level N people, get out of Liangzhou University!¡± ¡°Level N people, get out of Liangzhou University!¡± Many people started shouting, though a few students on the side didn¡¯t join in; they merely watched from the sidelines. Not all elite students have a strong hostile temperament; some are quite rational. However, given the situation at hand, those opposing Xiang Beifei were too many. Even rational voices speaking up could inadvertently become a target for condemnation. Lu Zhiwei was furious. Someone from their Detective Club was trying to reach her, telling her not to stir up trouble, but Lu Zhiwei was not one to back down from a fight; she was fiercely arguing her point. ¡°Lu Zhiwei, if you keep defending this level N individual, our Detective Club will have to distance ourselves from you!¡± the crew-cut boy said. ¡°Distancing is fine by me! You think I care?¡± Lu Zhiwei, infuriated, clenched her fists and declared, ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll make it clear today: whoever dares to lay a finger on him will have to answer to my fists.¡± ¡°Lu Zhiwei, if you¡¯re so eager to fight, how about going against me?¡± a boy stepped up to her with a challenge. This boy was also an expert in the late stage of Qi-Controlling! Lu Zhiwei eyed him warily. Clearly, this person was not to be underestimated, but she did not retreat. However, Zhuo Jing¡¯s expression was far from happy. Xiang Beifei had now become the center of attention, and his auspicious score of 581 was no longer attracting anyone¡¯s praise. He had to actively seek approval. Chapter 543 - 407: The Beast Language Awakener Chapter 543: Chapter 407: The Beast Language Awakener Shen Zhenrong led his granddaughter as they walked out, preparing to leave the forest. As they walked, he said, ¡°There¡¯s a pioneering spot nearby, wait there for me, I¡¯ll come back here later.¡± ¡°Grandpa, it¡¯s better not to take the risk.¡± Shen Tongtong insisted. Shen Zhenrong looked at his granddaughter indulgently, smiling, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know how to deal with those red-headed weasels. When I was a pioneer, I dealt with many desolate beasts like them.¡± However, at that moment, sharp cries seemed to ring out from within the forest, the surrounding leaves shaking rapidly, and then one after another, red-headed weasels appeared on the branches, staring at the two of them hungrily. ¡°It¡¯s the red-headed weasels!¡± Shen Zhenrong was first startled, then quickly said with delight. He had planned to come back later to find them, but he hadn¡¯t expected these red-headed weasels to show up on their own. Red-headed weasels had white bodies, but their heads were covered with blood-red fur, looking somewhat cute in appearance, but they were actually very fierce. Their combat power was also extremely high, and warriors at the early stage of Meridian Opening would avoid such beast groups. ¡°Grandpa, something¡¯s not right! It¡¯s really not right!¡± Shen Tongtong said nervously as she watched the red-headed weasels in front of them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, stand behind me, I¡¯ll handle it.¡± In Shen Zhenrong¡¯s hand, three blue bombs appeared. These were pioneering tools specifically for red-headed weasels. When the bombs exploded, they would emit blue powder. If the red-headed weasels got covered in blue powder, they would lose their Perception ability, making them much easier to clean up. He still had experience. To ensure nothing went wrong, he had specifically bought many potent pioneering tools. Since they were designed for the Meridian Opening stage, one bomb was priced starting at fifty thousand, which was very expensive. But he wouldn¡¯t frown at spending any amount of money for his granddaughter¡¯s system quest. ¡°Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!¡± All the red-headed weasels on the branches leapt onto the limbs, surrounding the two of them, about nineteen in total. Shen Zhenrong was just about to take action, but his face changed, because somewhere among the leaves, a giant Purple Kui Snake had appeared! ¡°Why is there a Purple Kui Snake here?¡± Shen Zhenrong whispered in surprise. Purple Kui Snakes and red-headed weasels were like oil and water, natural enemies. Normally, a Purple Kui Snake wouldn¡¯t break into red-headed weasel territory, as it would be attacked to death. However, when this Purple Kui Snake appeared, the red-headed weasels showed no hostility towards it. They just kept their gaze fixed on Shen Zhenrong. Whoosh! Whoosh! The red hats on the red-headed weasels¡¯ heads suddenly flared up with scorching flames, and roaring, they lunged at Shen Zhenrong. Shen Zhenrong instantly crushed the bombs in his hand, spraying out blue mist, which rushed toward the red-headed weasels. The flames on the heads of the red-headed weasels were extremely lethal, but as long as these flames were extinguished, their combat power would be directly halved! However, when the blue bombs exploded in mid-air, the red-headed weasels ignored the blue powder, which did not affect them even though it fell on their bodies. Meanwhile, the flames on their heads turned into a line of fire and rushed over! ¡°How can it not work?¡± Shen Zhenrong¡¯s expression turned from shock to grave seriousness. In theory, these bombs specifically for red-headed weasels should have worked. Could they be counterfeit goods? He had no time to think further, as several red-headed weasels were already rushing toward him. He waved his hand, and amidst the trembling of Spiritual Power, his arm rapidly wrapped in a layer of grey-brown stone skin, petrifying his arm. This was his system ability, capable of fusing his body with various stones, using their hardness to enhance his offensive and defensive power. He slapped at one of the red-headed weasels, accurately striking its head! Normally, with his intermediate Meridian Opening strength, crushing the head of an early-stage red-headed weasel would have been a breeze, but he quickly froze when his arm passed right through the head of the weasel. Meanwhile, another red-headed weasel had bypassed him and bit down on his arm! Crack! A crack appeared in Shen Zhenrong¡¯s petrified arm, which was bitten open by the red-headed weasel! Hiss! Shen Zhenrong took a sharp breath as his arm was bitten open, the red-headed weasel¡¯s venom infiltrating and numbing his arm! He couldn¡¯t understand; his defense should have been very strong, yet somehow these red-headed weasels were more formidable than he had imagined. He had been injured as soon as he struck! Whoosh! Whoosh! Shen Zhenrong suppressed the pain in his arm because several more red-headed weasels were lunging at him. He wished to dodge, but his granddaughter was right next to him. If he moved aside, the weasels would harm his granddaughter, so he immediately shouted, ¡°Tongtong, run!¡± Shen Zhenrong turned and pushed his granddaughter behind him, but he himself was directly bitten by five red-headed weasels on the arm. Crack! Crack! Crack! The sound of splitting came from his arm, and before Shen Zhenrong could react, there was a ¡°crunch,¡± and his right arm was bitten off by the sharp teeth of the red-headed weasels! Blood gushed out from where his arm had been severed, revealing the white bone fragments. ¡°Ah!¡± Shen Zhenrong¡¯s face instantly went pale. He could only petrify the outer layer of his skin while underneath was normal flesh and blood. The heart-piercing pain made him let out a terrible scream, and his whole body was covered in cold sweat. ¡°Tongtong, run!¡± Shen Zhenrong, heedless of his own injuries, immediately turned around, a Stone Escape Talisman appearing in his left hand as he slapped it towards Shen Tongtong, intending to send his granddaughter away with all his might. However, just as he stretched out his left arm, another red flash passed by in the distance, and the tail of the Purple Kui Snake, sharp like a blade¡¯s edge, cleanly severed his left arm at the shoulder! Thump! Shen Zhenrong¡¯s severed arm fell to the ground, the Stone Escape Talisman in his hand not having reached his granddaughter before falling to the ground. ¡°Grandfather!¡± Shen Tongtong cried out in terror. ¡°Run! Pick up the Stone Escape Talisman and run!¡± Shen Zhenrong, despite being pale from the excruciating pain, still urgently shouted, for his granddaughter¡¯s life was more important to him than his own. But Shen Tongtong refused to leave, she ran towards her grandfather, wanting to drag him away with her, yet the tail of the Purple Kui Snake struck at her again like a cleaving blade. ¡°Be careful!¡± Though Shen Zhenrong had lost both his hands, he still threw himself forward, shielding his granddaughter, who was only at the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling, for without his protection, she would surely have been in jeopardy. Shen Zhenrong mustered all his strength to push his granddaughter away, and the tail of the Purple Kui Snake struck him directly at the waist. Despite his skin having turned to stone, the Purple Kui Snake sliced through him as easily as if cutting vegetables, severing him completely in two at the waist. ¡°Grandfather!¡± Shen Tongtong let out a terrified scream, staring at the lower half of her grandfather¡¯s body on the ground, utterly frightened. ¡°Go... go quickly! Tongtong must survive.¡± Shen Zhenrong¡¯s consciousness had already become blurry. Desolate beasts were incredibly fierce. Having been a pioneer all his life, he had retired unscathed, only to face death in such a place today. However, more and more red weasels rushed towards him. From somewhere, Shen Tongtong summoned the courage to let out a loud shout, her mouth emitting a piercing screech! This sound was extremely shrill, yet it caused the red weasels still in the air to halt, all of them looking at Shen Tongtong in surprise, because the sound she made was their language, and for the moment they seemed unable to distinguish whether Shen Tongtong was one of their own. ¡°Indeed, she is a Beast Language Awakener.¡± The young man atop the tree branches watched the battle below with indifference. The short-haired woman beside him let out a sinister laugh, ¡°Take her away! The old man¡¯s corpse will evaporate, leave no trace.¡± ¡°Grandfather, grandfather, please be alright!¡± Shen Tongtong had fallen into despair, clutched the broken upper half of her grandfather¡¯s body tightly, at a loss for what to do. She was only a novice to the Awakening System for less than a month and didn¡¯t realize the danger of this place before. ¡°Tongtong... you must survive, go... go quickly.¡± At this point, Shen Zhenrong had already lost consciousness from the pain, but he was still muttering, urging his granddaughter to flee for her life. The young man snapped his fingers, and the Purple Kui Snake darted beside Shen Tongtong, coiling around and lifting her! Meanwhile, the red weasels that Shen Tongtong had briefly halted reacted once more, their flames on their heads surging towards Shen Zhenrong like magma, intending to engulf him, ¡°Tongtong!¡± Shen Zhenrong shouted in agony. He was filled with regret. Had he known, he would not have pretended to be strong and brought his granddaughter on this venture. Now, seeing that he was not going to survive and his granddaughter¡¯s life was at stake, he felt as if the sky was collapsing. But then at that moment¡ª The air seemed to solidify, the flames of the red weasels suddenly slowing down, and after lingering for an age, they still had not reached Shen Zhenrong. The Purple Kui Snake in the air also stopped midway, unable to take Shen Tongtong away. The young man and the short-haired woman standing amongst the treetops furrowed their brows simultaneously, and then as if they realized something, they quickly darted away. At the same time, a sharp edge cut through where they had been standing! Whoosh! The tree was sliced in half, but the bifurcated tree did not immediately collapse. Its fall was exceedingly slow, as if time had slowed down. ¡°Such a powerful psychic illusion!¡± The short-haired woman landed warily on a tree branch, scanning her surroundings in search of the creator of this illusion. She was not greatly affected by it, but the young man appeared to be bound, his actions two beats too slow. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Why do I feel my movements have slowed?¡± the young man asked in a low tone. ¡°That¡¯s just your misperception, don¡¯t be led astray!¡± the short-haired woman shouted. ¡°Is it the Su People?¡± the young man attempted to raise his hand but failed. ¡°No, this aura¡ªit couldn¡¯t be¡ª¡± the short-haired woman started to say. However, her words were cut short as a red light burst forth and barreled towards her. She crossed her hands before her chest and managed to block the red light, then her body floated backwards like a falling leaf. Chapter 544 - 408: Wholehearted Resistance (4000 words) Four-thirty in the afternoon, revised. However, judging by the situation on the scene, there were too many people hostile towards Xiang Beifei, even if rational people spoke up, they might accidentally become targets of condemnation. Lu Zhiwei was very angry, someone from their detective agency was looking for her, telling her not to stir up trouble, but Lu Zhiwei was not one to shy away from confrontation, she was arguing her case vigorously. "Lu Zhiwei, if you continue to protect this N-level, our detective agency will have to draw a clear line with you!" a boy with a buzz cut said. "Draw the line then! You think I care?" Lu Zhiwei, fuming, clenched her fists and declared, "Come on, I''m putting it out there today, whoever dares to touch a single hair on him, ask my fists." "Lu Zhiwei, if you''re so eager to fight, why not fight with me?" a boy stepped forward, eyeing Lu Zhiwei. This boy was also an expert at the late stage of Qi-Controlling! Lu Zhiwei watched him warily; this person was obviously not easy to provoke, but she did not back down. However, Zhuo Jing''s expression was very unsightly. Xiang Beifei had already become the center of attention, his lucky score of 581 no longer able to attract others'' praise. He had to actively seek praise. "So what if he scored high? Acting as if he can get into an elite university!" Zhuo Jing spat in jealousy in his heart. Among the nine elite universities, only Liangzhou University accepted N-level Awakeners. But even Liangzhou University set assessment thresholds for N-level students and would not easily let them pass. And Zhuo Jing, with his scores, could easily gain admission to an elite university! Zhuo Jing looked at his system panel, where his appreciation value had reached 5129, enough to exchange for the [Piercing Strike] Cultivation Technique. Another task requiring a score of 550 and 2000 appreciations, to exchange for a double Appreciation Card, was also completed. But he was not in a hurry to exchange them; now was not the time for exchanging Cultivation Techniques. The crowd was all focused here, and he wanted to seize the opportunity to gain more appreciation value. Soon, he thought of another way to attract everyone''s attention. "That''s right, with my score, gaining admission to any of the nine elite universities would be more than sufficient. After all, I am an S-level, not an N-level, and getting into an elite university is very easy for me, but elite universities don''t accept N-levels." Zhuo Jing said these words loudly to a friend next to him, not hiding the pride in his voice. While a group of people was watching Xiang Beifei, upon hearing Zhuo Jing''s words, they pondered for a moment, then realized the problem. Right! So what if Xiang Beifei was the school valedictorian? He was only N-level, and elite universities usually did not accept N-level students! Even Liangzhou University, the sole exception, had not admitted N-level students for ten consecutive years. The thresholds set by elite universities for N-level students were incredibly high! Many people, led by Zhuo Jing''s words, looked at Xiang Beifei with changed eyes, their admiration tinged with regret. That was too disappointing! An S-level with a score of 500 could easily get in, but a high-stakes score of 732 was blocked out of the elite universities! Everyone was sighing. The talent of your awakened system determined the threshold for university. That''s how realistic this world is. But everyone understood that the reason for this situation was that the N-level system was too absurd, issuing tasks that defied logic, lacking in potential. In this world, the most profound truth is: education needs to be applied in practice! A good system allows you to apply your acquired knowledge more skillfully. If you had an absurd system like the N-level, even if you learned a lot from books, it would be very difficult to complete system tasks, and you wouldn''t achieve the goal of applying knowledge. In other words, your cultural class score determines the lower limit of your foundation, while the grade of your system talent determines the upper limit of your future potential. In the world of systems, high scores in cultural classes only mean that you have a deeper understanding of the world than the average person, but it doesn''t mean your future achievements are higher than others''. If people were compared to trees, then the awakened system is like the fertilizer that helps nurture the tree. The fertilizer produced by an N-level system could at most make the tree grow to one meter in the future, but R-level could make it grow to ten meters, and S-level could make it grow to one hundred meters! As for SR and SSR grades, there''s no need to say, they can cultivate a person into a towering tree! And the nine elite universities, as the name suggests, cultivate students with high future potential. "What a pity for such a promising seedling, it would have been better if he had an R-level system at least," someone couldn''t help but lament. "Yeah! Such a waste." Others echoed with sympathy, pity, and schadenfreude... all kinds of looks were present. Even though they were aware that Liangzhou University might still hold the hope of admitting N-level students, that hope was very slim. Because that assessment, according to legend, was an insurmountable gulf for N-level students. Who would have imagined that a school valedictorian with a score of 732 would face such an embarrassing situation? At the same time, everyone''s optimism about Zhuo Jing increased. Even though his score was only 581, more than a hundred points less than Xiang Beifei''s, the thing was, he was an S-level! Such scores would comfortably get him into one of the nine elite universities, and he could choose a good major. "The class president is amazing! Which of the nine elite universities is the class president planning to choose?" someone asked enviously. "Is that even a question? With his bonus points, he has a total score of 631, he can pick any of the nine elite universities." Chapter 545 - 408: Resisting with Heart (4000 words)_2 Chapter 545: Chapter 408: Resisting with Heart (4000 words)_2 ¡°Yeah, a grade S score of 631 is much stronger than a grade N score of 732.¡± [You received praise from Kangkang, appreciation value +2] [You received praise from Liu Lan, appreciation value +2] ... Zhuo Jing took the opportunity to harvest another wave of appreciation value and felt invigorated. He pretended to be modest and said, ¡°Oh, not at all, you flatter me too much. I¡¯ve already set my goal. As a member of Liangzhou, I plan to stay in Liangzhou and apply to Liangzhou University!¡± In fact, his decision to apply to Liangzhou University was a spur-of-the-moment idea. Xiang Beifei¡¯s usual grades were not as good as his, but his score in the college entrance exam had surpassed him, which annoyed him. He knew that Xiang Beifei¡¯s only chance to apply to a prestigious university was Liangzhou University. So he would choose Liangzhou University himself! Xiang Beifei was bound to be eliminated by Liangzhou University during the entrance exam, but his current condition meant whichever prestigious university he chose, he was essentially a prospective student there! A score of 581 got into Liangzhou University, 732 got rejected. What a contrast! As a grade S high achiever, he then appeared even more dazzling! Many nodded slightly in approval of Zhuo Jing¡¯s words. Zhuo Jing eyed Xiang Beifei haughtily. So what if you¡¯re the valedictorian or the top original scorer? My score of 581 will still crush your future! It will still steal your limelight! It will still divert everyone¡¯s attention from you to me! Jealous, aren¡¯t you? ¡°Haha! Not only did I complete the system task, but I also overshadowed the valedictorian and earned lots of appreciation value. Awesome!¡± Zhuo Jing hummed a little tune in his heart. Now, it was time to claim the system rewards! He happily looked at the system interface, at the [Double Appreciation Card] and the [Piercing Strike] cultivation technique, then he clicked [Claim Reward] One minute later. ¡°Where¡¯s my system reward?¡± Zhuo Jing suddenly petrified on the spot! ¡°Damn it, system, you¡¯ve swallowed my reward again!¡± Zhuo Jing felt dizzy and almost passed out. ¡ª¡ª Although Zhuo Jing was a grade S Awakener, he had only been awakened for two months, and his cultivation was still in the initial phase of Qi-Controlling. Thus, both the [Piercing Strike] and [Double Appreciation Card] were also designed for the initial phase of Qi-Controlling. Xiang Beifei wouldn¡¯t even care about such rewards, but he accepted them nonetheless. The reason was simple, delight. If someone he had no qualms with mistakenly took a reward, he would return it. To those who treated him well, he would respect them and try his best to help them. But for those who sought trouble on him, who bullied him upfront, there was no need to be polite! If he couldn¡¯t use it, he could feed it to a dog! Xiaohei, being a snowy white little puppy, happily swallowed both items, turning them into Spiritual Qi Crystals and collecting them. ¡°Damn it, system! Damn it, system!¡± Zhuo Jing nearly went mad, still unaware of what had happened, because the system had malfunctioned before, so he still thought it had crashed today. If not for the crowd, he would have cursed his system publicly. He probably didn¡¯t even realize that his reward had truly ended up in the paws of a little puppy. ¡ª¡ª Because of Zhuo Jing¡¯s words, many no longer envied Xiang Beifei, the school valedictorian, and their attention gradually shifted to other grade S students, which actually relieved Xiang Beifei. He didn¡¯t like being surrounded by people. The crowd quickly dispersed, and other school leaders went to congratulate other students. Only Principal Li Nanxing was still there, and his expectation for Xiang Beifei hadn¡¯t lessened at all. Li Nanxing mentioned the Wilderness Beyond the Domain, and his expression turned serious. The Wilderness Beyond the Domain is located outside the territory of Jiuzhou, filled with various dangerous and powerful desolate beasts, fierce and terrifying. The pioneers¡¯ task is to eliminate the desolate beasts in a region and then expand the territory of Jiuzhou, securing more living space for humanity. This is a rather daunting task because desolate beasts cannot be easily eliminated; instead, the pioneers are more likely to be besieged and killed by the desolate beasts! This is also why the status of the pioneers is very esteemed¡ªthey struggle for the living space of humanity, almost staking their lives on it. In Jiuzhou, if one¡¯s cultivation has not reached the Meridian Opening Realm, they are generally not allowed to go to the Wilderness Beyond the Domain because for someone at the Qi-Controlling Realm, going there is practically akin to courting death! ¡°I don¡¯t understand what those people at Liangzhou University are thinking¡ªthey actually set up such an admission assessment.¡± Li Nanxing spoke discontentedly, clearly displaying the message ¡°Refuse N-level Awakeners from entering the school¡± for everyone to see. But he was just a high school principal and had no influence over the affairs of Liangzhou University; no matter how unfair he felt, he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. ¡°Of course, you don¡¯t need to worry. You haven¡¯t reached the Qi-Controlling phase yet, so the assessment they set for you should be in a simulation training field. Elite universities have simulation training facilities, after all,¡± Li Nanxing said. Xiang Beifei fell into deep thought. An admission assessment, is it to enter the Wilderness Beyond the Domain? His parents had gone to the Wilderness Beyond the Domain and never returned. What exactly was that place like? He had never been there. This world is closely related to the Wilderness Beyond the Domain, yet the portion of it Xiang Beifei had seen was still just the tip of the iceberg. The high school graduation exam results, one by one, came out at Luhe High School. There were those who rejoiced and those who were disappointed, some scored 300 points, others 400 points; each person wore a different expression. Currently, the highest score is by Shen Yu, who has awakened the [S-rank Scholar God System] and scored 667 without any added points, from Class 1. At this time, Kong Xiuwen¡¯s results also appeared: [Kong Xiuwen, S-rank, Language 101, Mathematics 103, Comprehensive 191, Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou 118, Total 513] Kong Xiuwen was overjoyed beyond expectation! ¡°Ah, I scored 500!¡± He desperately tugged at his hair. For the sake of scoring 500, he had put all his effort into it, exchanging all the hair he could collect for system rewards to boost his intelligence, finally seeing some returns. 513 plus 50 points, 563 points, securing a place in an elite university was no problem at all! ¡°Congratulations,¡± Xiang Beifei said. ¡°Thanks, I didn¡¯t think I would perform beyond expectations!¡± Kong Xiuwen was very excited, but soon he restrained his excitement and asked, ¡°How sure are you? Last time you said we would go to Liangzhou University together. I¡¯ve done it, now it¡¯s your turn! Don¡¯t disappoint me!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s wait for the results,¡± Xiang Beifei said. ¡°Son, you did it!¡± A chubby middle-aged man squeezed through the crowd. His figure was robust, easily pushing through the bustling crowd, and he swept Kong Xiuwen into an excited hug, nearly knocking him over with his round belly. This was Kong Xiuwen¡¯s father, Kong Daming. [Host: Kong Daming] [S-rank, Gluttonous Feast System] [Realm: Early Meridian Opening] Kong Daming was in the catering business, his culinary skills were extraordinary, even a simple cabbage could be cooked to make mouths water. ¡°Dad, keep it down, keep it down.¡± Kong Xiuwen covered his belly in pain from the bump, but he couldn¡¯t hide his excitement as his father¡¯s large hands rubbed his head vigorously. ¡°Hello, Uncle Kong.¡± Xiang Beifei greeted politely. ¡°Haha, good, good, Beifei, it has been a long time since I saw you,¡± Kong Daming laughed heartily, then turned to greet Xiang Qingde: ¡°Is the old man in good health?¡± ¡°Doing well, congratulations, Daming,¡± Xiang Qingde managed a smile. ¡°Haha, thank you, thank you. My Xiuwen is promising. By the way, have Beifei¡¯s results come out yet?¡± Kong Daming asked. ¡°They should be coming out soon,¡± Xiang Qingde replied. Xiang Qingde couldn¡¯t help but recall the paper with only 43 points, sighing internally. ¡°Beifei, you have to work hard! The two of you have been together since childhood, always in the same class, I hope you can be together in university as well!¡± Kong Daming said cheerfully. ¡°Hopefully,¡± Xiang Qingde could only say, his heart sighing once more. Kong Xiuwen was an S-rank Awakener; scoring 500 and getting into an elite university was practically assured. Chapter 546 - 410: Huajiu Yue Chapter 546: Chapter 410: Huajiu Yue Gao Zhuo¡¯s originally smug expression instantly froze, his pupils contracted, and his eyes revealed endless horror! This guy... He actually ignored his own system rules? Normally, his Unparalleled Chess Player System was a very powerful rule-based system ability. If someone wanted to defeat him, they had to play by the rules of his system. Just now, Gao Zhuo had used the system rules to trap Xiang Beifei, treating the twisted ghost panthers as two knights on the chessboard. This meant that if Xiang Beifei wanted to deal with his twisted ghost panthers, he had to do it in the manner of killing knights! But Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t play by the rules at all! He simply punched and killed the two mid-God Refining stage twisted ghost panthers! Not only that, but he actually snatched the two Beast Pills of the twisted ghost panthers! This infuriated Gao Zhuo extremely! Because these two twisted ghost panthers were his most powerful reliance and were firmly bound to him, normally, even if they were killed, the Beast Pills would rapidly be retrieved and couldn¡¯t possibly be snatched by someone else. However, for some reason, Xiang Beifei forcefully snatched his two Beast Pills! The alliance was gathering information on Xiang Beifei, and Unrestrained naturally would not miss out. Practically everyone in Jiuzhou was interested in Xiang Beifei, investigating his abilities from all sides, especially the video revealed that day¡ªa countless number of people had studied the segments of him taking action many times over. They all thought that he had been mentored by the powerful spiritual power system Awakener, Luo Yunxian, so they definitely possessed strong spiritual power, which is why they specifically made defenses against spiritual power. They even came up with such an extremely hardcore way to defend against it. But these people did not understand at all that the strong spiritual power was just the tip of the iceberg he had shown. Even for Elder Luo, his strength lay not just in his spiritual power, but in his comprehensive combat power! Otherwise, those UR-level Awakeners would not have gathered to figure out a method to counteract the spiritual power to deal with Elder Luo. But up until now, Elder Luo was still someone many top officials of the alliance dared not provoke. ¡°Unforgivable!¡± Gao Zhuo roared. ¡°I was thinking of seeing what special qualities you¡¯ve developed over these six months apart from your greatly increased cultivation. But you¡¯ve really disappointed me.¡± Xiang Beifei tossed aside the Beast Pills in his hand, lightly shook his head, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just deal with you first.¡± ¡°You underestimate¡ª¡± Gao Zhuo furiously waved his hand, preparing to gather another desolate beast to face Xiang Beifei. However, before he could finish his words, he suddenly felt a whooshing sound in the air and then a ¡°thud¡± as if his head was violently smashed with a plank, he didn¡¯t even have time to react, golden patterns quickly lit up and entered his body. His eyes rolled back, and his body stiffly fell to the ground. ¡°Woof woof!¡± Xiaohei proudly stood on the plank, paws on hips, looking utterly triumphant. Using its innate ability of invisibility, knocking someone out from behind was its forte. ¡°It seems planks are effective against humans, too.¡± Xiang Beifei confirmed this. Behind him, Shen Tongtong was dumbfounded! She stared incredulously at the tall figure standing in front of her, her mind filled with that name. Xiang Beifei! It really was Xiang Beifei! ¡°Is... is it him? Is it really him? Grandpa?¡± Shen Tongtong asked in a daze. Xiang Beifei was the person she most admired; she chose Liangzhou University this year because she was so inspired by the legendary tales of this genius senior. ¡°Tongtong, you are saved!¡± Shen Zhenrong¡¯s bleeding had stopped, and though he looked extremely gruesome and was still in great pain, he was overwhelmed with tears of joy! Although he didn¡¯t know why Xiang Beifei suddenly appeared here, his presence meant that his granddaughter was saved! ¡°Tongtong... you must live to return home.¡± Shen Zhenrong, becoming weaker, soon fell unconscious, but his last thought was that his granddaughter was saved¡ªand by that legendary genius no less! As long as his granddaughter could survive, he would have no regrets even if he lost his life. ¡°Grandpa... please don¡¯t let anything happen.¡± Shen Tongtong tightly hugged the now unconscious Shen Zhenrong, looking at Xiang Beifei and murmuring to herself. ¡ª- ¡°So, do you still make friends?¡± Xiang Beifei turned toward Hua Jiuyue. This guy was obviously even more troublesome. When Hua Jiuyue saw the golden patterns on Gao Zhuo¡¯s body light up, she also frowned slightly, and instead of directly helping Gao Zhuo block like before, she swiftly retreated, increasing the distance between herself and Gao Zhuo! ¡°Trade! We must trade! I think we can be close friends!¡± Hua Jiuyue¡¯s smile did not lessen, and her gaze at Xiang Beifei turned even more fervent, like a fanatic fan who had just met an idol, eager to rush over and embrace them. However, just then, a huge tail descended from the sky, violently slamming toward her head! The Wooden Kirin¡¯s tail was like a flyswatter; as it pressed down, it was powerful enough to flatten a mountain. It locked down any escape route for Hua Jiuyue, its formidable presence leaving no room for her to dodge! But Hua Jiuyue seemed not to panic at all. She was like a slippery snake; though the presence locked her in, her body twisted and she managed to wriggle out from under the Wooden Kirin¡¯s oppression, her surrounding space rippling as she disappeared on the spot! Boom! The Wooden Kirin¡¯s flyswatter-like tail smashed onto the ground, turning the entire forest into a mess, with the ground rumbling and cracking open to form a huge trench. ¡°Exciting! This is so exciting!¡± Hua Jiuyue excitedly appeared atop a treetop, her long tongue sticking out, lashing about. Her mental state appeared very deranged, like a lunatic on steroids. ¡°Roar! Roar!¡± The Wooden Kirin, missing its hit, let out a ghostly howl and again swung its tail toward Hua Jiuyue, but this time Hua Jiuyue was prepared. She opened her mouth, and suddenly her tongue also stretched out, the scarlet tongue like a giant snake, growing longer in the wind, and powerfully collided with the tail coming down from the sky! Bang! Terrifying waves swept outward from directly above her, rippling out, intertwining red and blue lights, the wild aura instantly shredded all the trees within miles. The huge tongue actually managed to smack the Wooden Kirin¡¯s giant tail away, flipping the Wooden Kirin off into the distance, crashing into the ground and forming a large pit! ¡°Fun! Come on, let¡¯s do it again!¡± Hua Jiuyue¡¯s tongue swung about in the air, excitedly shouting! It¡¯s unclear why, despite her long tongue sticking out, her voice was still so clear. ¡°Roar!¡± The Wooden Kirin, infuriated by its failure, burst out from the large pit. It didn¡¯t expect that someone other than Xiang Beifei could strike it, and immediately let out a furious roar. Buzz! From the soil on the ground, numerous huge vines sprung up, thick with thorns, twisting and turning, each segment of their branches oozing with toxin, all of them entwining rapidly towards Hua Jiuyue! These vines were from plant seeds hidden beneath the wilderness soil of the domain, and even if miles of the forest and mountains were wiped out, they would still remain embedded deep underground. The greatest strength of the Wooden Kirin lay in its control over all plants, causing an excessive growth to initiate attacks! The plants of the outer domain were formidable; many of them thrived by capturing desolate beasts for nutrients, their lethal prowess not even weaker than some desolate beasts, so under the control of the Wooden Kirin, they could also unleash significant combat strength. The air was already enveloped by a purple fog, its intense corrosive nature spread across the entire area, forming a vast whirlwind that suddenly swept toward Hua Jiuyue. However, Hua Jiuyue¡¯s tongue was rippling in the air, appearing to have suction cups, emitting a powerful sucking force, shaking vigorously. The scarlet huge tongue actually began to devour all the purple poison fog! ¡°Delicious! Is there more?¡± Strangely fluctuating waves radiated from the surface of Hua Jiuyue¡¯s tongue, which even alarmed the Wooden Kirin! But before she could revel in her victory, Xiang Beifei had already appeared above her, grabbed the scarlet tongue, and with a forceful pull, swung her around like a meteor hammer, fiercely smashing her toward the ground! Boom! Xiang Beifei was too familiar with handling attacks akin to a flyswatter; dealing with such big things, he just had to swing them around for a beating! Hua Jiuyue hadn¡¯t expected Xiang Beifei to handle her in such a way, or even that Xiang Beifei possessed such immense strength. When she was swung around, she hadn¡¯t had time to react and was smashed back and forth like a mallet. ¡°Not knowing at all how to be tender to a woman.¡± Hua Jiuyue¡¯s voice echoed around. She still didn¡¯t seem very flustered, the suction cups on her tongue rapidly opened, shooting streams of red mucus toward Xiang Beifei¡¯s arm. This mucus possessed a strong devouring essence, gushing onto Xiang Beifei¡¯s hands in an instant, attempting to corrode his arm away. However, spiritual power surged quickly on Xiang Beifei¡¯s arm. Subsequently, exploding flames spread cleverly into the suction cups on Hua Jiuyue¡¯s tongue, drilling in through the pores! Pfft! Pfft! Hua Jiuyue¡¯s tongue, after devouring Xiang Beifei¡¯s flames, immediately showed a slight change in complexion. These strange flames rampaged inside her tongue, causing it to seem cooked, hissing white smoke quickly emerging from each suction cup hole. Hua Jiuyue was also very decisive. She stretched out her slender finger, which flicked out a sharp light, directly severing her own long tongue! Hiss! The severed tongue immediately caught fire, also emitting the scent of roasted skewers. Chapter 547 - 411: Means of Heart-to-Heart Talk (4000 words) (Modified at 5:50 AM) When Li Nanxing mentioned the outer wilderness, his expression became serious. The outer wilderness, beyond the territories of Jiuzhou, was filled with various dangerous and powerful desolate beasts, ferocious and terrifying. The task of the pioneers was to eliminate the desolate beasts in a region and then expand the territory of Jiuzhou, securing more living space for humanity. This was a daunting task, as desolate beasts were not so easily eliminated. Instead, pioneers were more likely to be surrounded and killed by them! This was why the profession of a pioneer held such a high status; they fought for human living space, almost as though their lives hung by their belts. In Jiuzhou, if one had not reached the Meridian Opening Realm, they were generally not allowed to go to the outer wilderness, because for those in the Qi-Controlling Realm, going to the outer wilderness was akin to courting death! "I don''t understand what those people at Liangzhou University were thinking. They actually set up such an entrance examination," Li Nanxing said discontentedly, clearly indicating that this was a way to signal "refusing N-level Awakeners at the school." But he was just a high school principal and could not influence the affairs of Liangzhou University, and as unfair as he felt it was, he could do nothing about it. "Of course, you don''t need to worry. You are not yet in the Qi-Controlling stage, so the test they have set for you should be in the simulation training field. Elite universities have simulation training facilities, that''s what they would do," Li Nanxing said. Xiang Beifei fell into deep thought. The entry examination, was it to enter the outer wilderness? His parents had gone to the outer wilderness and then had never returned. He had never been to that place himself. This world was closely related to the outer wilderness, yet what Xiang Beifei had seen so far was still just the tip of the iceberg. The scores for Luhe High School''s college entrance exam students were released one by one. Some were happy, some were dejected. There were scores of 300, and scores of 400; everyone had a different expression. The current highest scorer, named Shen Yu, had awakened the [S-level Scholar God System], and scored 667 points without extra credits, from class one. At this time, Kong Xiuwen''s results also came out: [Kong Xiuwen, S-level, Language Arts 101, Mathematics 103, Comprehensive Subjects 191, Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou 118, Total 513] Kong Xiuwen was ecstatic! "Ah, I scored 500 points!" He desperately pulled his own hair, having striven these days to reach 500 points, even exchanging all the fallen hair he had collected for rewards from the intelligence-enhancing system; finally, it paid off. 513 plus 50 points, 563 points. Getting into an elite university was totally no problem! "Congratulations," Xiang Beifei said. "Thanks, I didn''t expect to perform beyond my expectations!" Kong Xiuwen was extremely excited, but quickly suppressed his excitement and asked, "How confident are you? Last time, you said we should go to Liangzhou University together. I have done my part, and now I am waiting for you! You have to live up to my expectations!" "Let''s talk when the results come out," Xiang Beifei said. "My boy, you did it!" A chubby middle-aged man squeezed through the crowd. His figure was sturdy, directly pushing through the crowd, and excitedly embraced Kong Xiuwen, his round belly almost knocking Kong Xiuwen over. This was Kong Xiuwen''s father, Kong Daming. [Host: Kong Daming] [S-level, Gluttonous Feast System] [Realm: Early Meridian Opening] Kong Daming was in the catering business, his culinary skills were divine, he could even make a simple cabbage dish irresistible. "Dad, show some restraint, some restraint," Kong Xiuwen covered his belly which was hurt from the collision, but he could hardly hide his excitement, allowing his father''s huge palms to rub all over his head. "Uncle Kong, hello." Xiang Beifei greeted politely. "Haha, hello hello, Xiaofei, I haven''t seen you in a long time," Kong Daming said merrily laughing, turning his head to greet Xiang Qingde, "How''s the old man doing?" "He''s doing well, congratulations, Daming," Xiang Qingde said with a forced smile. "Haha, thank you, thank you. My Xiwen has made us proud. By the way, have Xiaofei''s results come out yet?" Kong Daming asked. "They should be out soon," Xiang Qingde couldn''t help but think of that 43-point paper and sighed silently. "Xiaofei, you need to work harder! You two have played together since childhood, have always been in the same class, and I hope you can go to university together too!" Kong Daming said cheerily. "Hopefully," Xiang Qingde could only say that much, sighing inwardly again. Kong Xiuwen was an S-level Awakener, and scoring 500 points allowed him to enter any elite university, but Xiang Beifei was rated N-level, and his scores were poor... "Haha, that''s great! To celebrate my son''s excellent results, I''m closing the business tonight to prepare a celebration feast. Old man, you guys should come too!" Kong Daming used to be classmates with Xiang Tianxing, and since the accident, he often took care of the grandfather and grandson, always telling them that eating at his restaurant was free. However, Xiang Qingde''s family rarely accepted, although their income was not high, they did not like to accept handouts. Kong Daming was aware of this, so he changed his approach, often sending meat to Xiang Qingde''s home for them to cook themselves. In order not to make Xiang Qingde feel obliged, he symbolically charged a minimal cost for the meals. Recently, during Xiang Beifei''s college entrance exam period, the nourishing ingredients Xiang Qingde bought were all from Kong Daming. "Congratulations! Great, Kong Xiuwen, I knew you had a bright future!" Chapter 548 - 411: Methods of Heart-to-Heart Talks (4000 words)_2 Chapter 548: Chapter 411: Methods of Heart-to-Heart Talks (4000 words)_2 Yang Hua appeared timely at the scene, loudly praising Kong Xiuwen, who had also brought him a 563 teacher¡¯s prestige value, which was a hefty sum! Kong Xiuwen was not fond of Yang Hua. Before his Awakening System, he and Xiang Beifei had both been subjects of criticism. However, once he awakened the S-class system, Yang Hua¡¯s attitude toward him had changed drastically. Kong Xiuwen was also a straightforward person. He did not like people like Yang Hua. But Kong Daming was unaware of these issues. With a teacher coming to congratulate, it was natural for him to respond politely, ¡°Haha, thank you, Professor Yang, I also have to thank Professor Yang¡¯s nurturance!¡± ¡°Oh, not at all, I had seen from the beginning that Kong Xiuwen was a student full of potential. I¡¯m not surprised at all by his achievements,¡± Yang Hua said with a smile. Kong Xiuwen rolled his eyes continuously at the side. Nurturance my ass! He scored so high solely because of the help from his system and his own efforts of studying late into the night. It had nothing to do with Yang Hua. If it weren¡¯t for his awakening of the S-class system, Yang Hua would probably be singing a different tune. That was probably what they meant by fair-weather friend. Yang Hua glanced at Xiang Qingde and his grandson, then said to Kong Daming, ¡°Excellent students should be like Kong Xiuwen, diligent and striving, not complacent. However, it¡¯s also important with whom one associates. Excellent people should be with other more excellent individuals. I had told Kong Xiuwen this before.¡± Kong Daming, who was usually busy with business, didn¡¯t really understand Yang Hua¡¯s implication and asked, ¡°What do you mean by that, Professor Yang?¡± ¡°Nothing much, just speaking my mind. With Kong Xiuwen¡¯s current grade, getting into an elite university is no problem. He will be able to associate with even more excellent people. Your son will definitely be successful. Congratulations, congratulations! I need to check other students¡¯ scores as well, so I won¡¯t interrupt your father-son celebration anymore.¡± Yang Hua waved his hand and couldn¡¯t bother to deal with Xiang Qingde and Xiang Beifei anymore, completely ignoring them. ¡°Don¡¯t take his words to heart. You can definitely do it,¡± Kong Xiuwen came over to Xiang Beifei to boost his morale. But Kong Xiuwen didn¡¯t really have confidence himself. Getting into an elite university wasn¡¯t difficult for him, but for Xiang Beifei, it was a significant challenge, and until now, he had no idea how much Xiang Beifei had improved. Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t explain much, but Xiang Qingde felt increasingly uneasy after hearing Yang Hua¡¯s words. Xiang Beifei looked at Wang Dan, lost in thought. The assessment system of the Awakeners¡¯ world was perhaps just, but not fair. The nine elite universities were not very friendly to N-class Awakeners. Not only do N-classes not receive extra points, the entry thresholds were high and required special entrance exams. Except for Liangzhou University, the other eight elite universities even outright rejected them. If it had been an S-class or R-class, a score of 601 would have been more than enough to get into any of the nine elite universities, even Kong Xiuwen¡¯s 513 score could get in. But the world of systems was peculiar, with its own rules of survival. To live better in this world, the talent of the system was extremely important; higher talent Awakeners completed system tasks faster, an undeniable fact. Special schools having special requirements for admissions was actually quite normal, applicable everywhere. For example, clinical medicine would not allow those with infectious diseases, and those with a stutter are unsuitable for a teaching profession. The nine elite universities need to cultivate the top talents for the Jiuzhou alliance, reserving resources for the alliance, so it¡¯s reasonable for them to set high selection standards. After all, in this world, academic performance was just one aspect of reference; what¡¯s decisive was the system talent. Yang Hua was happily counting his prestige value as his class¡¯s academic scores were mostly in. Currently, the highest scorer in his class was not S-class Zhuo Jing but Wang Dan who had awakened the N-class Flower Cultivation System! She scored 601! Wang Dan also seemed very excited; since her system was about cultivating flowers, she was planning to apply to a university specializing in agriculture and forestry. ¡°Good, not bad! Very good!¡± Yang Hua congratulated Wang Dan loudly. He was all smiles, treating Wang Dan very kindly, having gained another 601 points of teacher¡¯s prestige value. However, many remembered that two months after awakening her system, Wang Dan was neglected by Yang Hua, even her seat was moved to the back; and when Wang Dan asked questions in class, he appeared impatient. All because Wang Dan was an N-class Awakener. But Yang Hua didn¡¯t bother with these, as long as it could bring him benefits, it was all good, and he could definitely afford to praise it, having no problem with a complete 180-degree change in attitude. ¡°This child, I hope he can achieve something in the future! Although he¡¯s only N-level, his genes come from Xiang Tianxing. There¡¯s only a slim hope of him getting into Liangzhou University this year, let¡¯s see if there¡¯s any hope next year or the year after.¡± Li Nanxing didn¡¯t really expect Beifei to bring him any prestige value. To tell the truth, he thought that relying on Beifei to boost his prestige was even less likely than relying on those S-level students. But the reason he came to encourage Beifei was largely because of Tianxing. That day, when Beifei was consulting the selection system in his office, Li Nanxing felt as if he could see Tianxing¡¯s shadow in Beifei. Just then, a voice came from the side, ¡°Professor Yang, how can you belittle a student like that?¡± Li Nanxing walked over from the crowd, looking seriously at Yang Hua. ¡°Principal.¡± Upon seeing Li Nanxing, Yang Hua¡¯s arrogant demeanor paused, and he quickly put on a smiling face to greet him. Li Nanxing had also come to see the students¡¯ results. Such a major event naturally couldn¡¯t proceed without the principal, but he unintentionally heard the conversation here and had to speak out. ¡°As a teacher, one should teach without discrimination, striving to discover each student¡¯s strengths instead of casually defining a student. In front of other parents, belittling their child, is that something a teacher should do?¡± Li Nanxing scolded. Yang Hua didn¡¯t dare to respond, but inside, he still felt disdainful. ¡ªWhat good could there be in a student like Beifei? I was just telling the truth; he simply couldn¡¯t make it to college. Li Nanxing turned to face Xiang Qingde with an apologetic expression and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Professor Yang was just anxious waiting for the results and spoke out of turn. As the principal, it¡¯s my neglect for not managing my own teachers properly. I apologize to you for this. Please don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Xiang Qingde was somewhat flattered. He knew that Principal Li was at least a Meridian Opening stage individual, with high cultivation and status. It was rare for someone of his stature to humble himself and apologize. Li Nanxing said, ¡°You¡¯re Beifei¡¯s grandfather, right? Rest assured, I am quite optimistic about Beifei. I know his college entrance exam performance this year might not have been ideal, but that¡¯s okay, if Beifei wants to retake the year, I will arrange a class for him.¡± However, he snorted coldly in his heart: Forget next year, even if Beifei got ten years, he still might not have a chance to get into college! Xiang Qingde went on and on, advising Beifei. ¡°Grandpa seems really nervous?¡± Beifei said. Xiang Qingde said, ¡°This is a big matter in your life, of course, Grandpa is nervous.¡± He knew Beifei¡¯s grades were poor, even disastrously so, and with an N-level Awakening System, his prospects were bleak. But since the Awakening System arrived two months ago, Beifei had changed as if he were a different person, becoming very diligent, and this gave him a glimmer of hope. Normally, others couldn¡¯t see Xiaohei, but because he was tempted by the delicious food, he thought about getting on the table, so he allowed Xiang Qingde to see him to avoid the eerie sight of meat disappearing into thin air. Beifei simply said it was brought by his own system, and Xiang Qingde didn¡¯t suspect anything, so he agreed to let it on the table and also prepared a small bowl for it. Xiaohei smacked his lips and belched contentedly. The dinner was plain yet pleasant. Xiang Qingde still waited for Beifei to finish eating before he started. Beifei still only ate half of his portion, leaving the other half for his grandfather. Life was impoverished, yet it was warm. Beifei liked this kind of life. Chapter 549 - 412: The Heart鈥檚 Beast Pill Chapter 549: Chapter 412: The Heart¡¯s Beast Pill Bang! Hua Jiuyue¡¯s body fell to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Confusion and bewilderment lingered in her eyes. To her death, she couldn¡¯t understand why Xiang Beifei had been so decisive, striking without hesitation. She had thought that after Xiang Beifei captured her, he would at least interrogate her about some matters, or at the very least ask why she was there and what her purposes were. After all, she had revealed her Unrestrained identity. If Xiang Beifei really wanted to investigate the ¡°Unrestrained,¡± he likely wouldn¡¯t have killed her so readily. But Xiang Beifei did not hold back; he struck to kill immediately! He truly resorted to a hardcore ¡°heart-to-heart¡± approach! ¡°Playing psychological tricks with me, you¡¯re thinking too much.¡± Against those who were cunning and sought to probe his secrets, Xiang Beifei never showed mercy. Hua Jiuyue was no ordinary woman; she was just an R-level Awakener, yet she possessed the realm of late-stage God Refining and her methods were unbelievably powerful. When she made her move, it was plainly with the intention of studying Xiang Beifei¡¯s abilities. When hit by the brick, she didn¡¯t fall but could still speak, which was enough to denote her exceptional nature. Xiang Beifei understood clearly. Given how calm Hua Jiuyue was despite being captured, she certainly had an escape ace up her sleeve, which likely gave her the confidence to negotiate and probably came from that golden cage. Just now, Hua Jiuyue¡¯s clothes had shattered, but the golden cage still withstood the power of Return to the Original State, seemingly rippling with a bizarre fluctuation that protected her from it. Normally, Xiang Beifei intended to capture the Unrestrained himself and use their system logs to discover any secrets of these Unrestrained members. But Hua Jiuyue¡¯s system log had been stagnant for half a year; she had not undertaken any missions for six months. Elder Luo once said, the Unrestrained protect their secrets with their lives. Then keeping this Unrestrained alive was pointless. It was simpler to kill her. There was no need to waste that time. ¡ª¡ª Hua Jiuyue¡¯s heart was excavated, and without any hesitation, Xiang Beifei¡¯s spiritual power surged into her body, covering all her breaths while he searched for her soul. But soon, he frowned. This person, she doesn¡¯t have a soul? She had the cultivation of the God Refining stage but lacked the soul that should accompany it! This was nothing like a normal System Awakener. ¡°Indeed very odd.¡± Xiang Beifei pondered slightly. The reason he had decisively killed Hua Jiuyue was because her situation was very similar to someone else encountered before! That old woman who appeared at the Greedy Bowl Embrace Moon Desolate Beast Wholesale Market! Back then, that old woman awakened the Tailoring System, and her system had also been inactive for months, with a lengthy period where she had not continued her missions. Yet, her strength was excessively strong. Strictly speaking, the old woman couldn¡¯t even be considered human, because there was a Beast Pill in her heart! Xiang Beifei stared at the heart he had extracted from Hua Jiuyue¡¯s chest, which was much larger than that of an ordinary person, seemingly stretched, with much thicker blood vessels, all different from ordinary people. A slight tremor of spiritual power, and the heart cracked open. A white Beast Pill revealed itself from within the heart! As expected! It was exactly the same as the Beast Pill found in the One-Armed Crab¡¯s heart from the street attack. After the white Beast Pill left her heart, her system interface also vanished. ¡°What exactly is this person¡¯s background?¡± Implanting a desolate beast¡¯s Beast Pill into a human heart, was Unrestrained conducting some experiment with beasts and humans? He recalled that old woman who had awakened an N-level Tailoring System. With just one Beast Pill, her cultivation had reached the late-stage of Meridian Opening! And this Hua Jiuyue, only awakened an R-level system, yet her cultivation had reached late-stage God Refining! Could it be that the S-level Qin Hongyi¡ªwas he also relying on the Beast Pill in his heart to forcibly elevate his cultivation to the Orifice Transforming stage? Then, how did they skip the process of soul cultivation? Xiang Beifei looked at Hua Jiuyue¡¯s body, searched on her for a moment, and could only find a cage at her waist, lacking any specific identifiers that could expose her identity, exceptionally clean throughout. Then he remembered, he seemed to have just dispersed her clothes with ¡°Return to the Original State.¡± ¡°I was careless.¡± Xiang Beifei felt somewhat regretful, but fortunately, another person had been left behind. He turned his head to look at Gao Zhuo, who had previously been kidnapped in the Withering Forest. Gao Zhuo was still being smacked around by the Wooden Kirin, and to prevent Gao Zhuo from escaping, he decided to subdue this guy first. Xiang Beifei flicked his hand, and the brick flew toward Zhuo, hitting Gao Zhuo squarely on the head. Already dazed by the Wooden Kirin¡¯s battering, Gao Zhuo was struck by the brick and immediately fell unconscious again. The Wooden Kirin had been quite pleased with itself, not noticing that Gao Zhuo¡¯s body was once again enveloped by golden patterns. It swung its tail again but carelessly hit Gao Zhuo¡ª Thud! The golden patterns spread from Gao Zhuo¡¯s body to the Wooden Kirin. The kirin¡¯s eyes rolled back as it collapsed onto Gao Zhuo. ¡°Woof woof!¡± Xiaohei burst out laughing. ¡°What a fool.¡± Xiang Beifei couldn¡¯t be bothered with this silly creature and walked toward Gao Zhuo. The reason he had spared Gao Zhuo¡¯s life was that Gao Zhuo was weaker and easier to deal with. It was natural to negotiate with someone who couldn¡¯t escape. But most importantly¡ª Xiang Beifei had to figure out why he had come out of such a place as the outer domain wastelands and even joined Unrestrained! If Gao Zhuo could come out, what about the others who were captured? Gao Zhuo¡¯s cultivation had reached the mid-stage of God Refining, not as powerful as Qin Hongyi and Hua Jiuyue, but did he also have a Beast Pill in his heart? There was still an ice cone embedded in Gao Zhuo¡¯s chest, reminding him to fend off attacks with his heart. Thus, he stabbed his heart with the cone, effectively blocking the spiritual power impact. This indicated that his heart was definitely not ordinary. Xiang Beifei had preserved the white beast pill that he had extracted from Hua Jiuyue¡¯s heart, and then he approached Gao Zhuo, ready to explore if there was an abnormal fluctuation in Gao Zhuo¡¯s heart as well. He squatted down, and his spiritual power traveled along the ice cone on Gao Zhuo¡¯s chest, penetrating into his body. Indeed, a fluctuation from a Beast Pill transmitted back! ¡°This guy needs to be dissected by Elder Luo.¡± The last time Gao Zhuo had been captured by Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage, and now he appeared here lively and kicking, was definitely not by chance! Xiang Beifei examined Gao Zhuo¡¯s body and even retrieved a golden cage from him, then apprehended him. After confirming that everything was correct, he turned to lift the Wooden Kirin off Gao Zhuo to help it regain consciousness. Erha looked infuriated as it roared at Xiang Beifei. It had intended to attack Gao Zhuo but ended up knocking itself out as well. ¡°It¡¯s your own fault for being silly!¡± Xiang Beifei flicked Erha¡¯s forehead and then walked over to Shen Tongtong to look at her system interface. The Beast Language System enabled communication with desolate beasts and was crucial for pioneers in any team because she could assess risks for the team through her interactions with the desolate beasts. Unlike Xiang Beifei¡¯s Learn by Analogy, if Xiang Beifei wanted to learn a language, he needed cooperation from the other party. Creatures like Xiaohei and Erha, which were intelligent, could understand Xiang Beifei¡¯s words and then translate them into roars or barks. Xiang Beifei had so far grasped all languages of ¡°canine species¡± and ¡°kirin species¡±¡ªit wasn¡¯t clear if these counted as actual languages, for Erha had made it clear it was not a wolf, although it always howled like one. Nonetheless, since wolves belonged to the Canidae family, Xiang Beifei hadn¡¯t understood them initially. Shen Tongtong¡¯s Beast Language System allowed her to learn a beast language by capturing a cub. The system would interpret the desolate beast¡¯s sounds, ultrasonic waves, dancing, and other vocal or behavioral languages to understand the beast¡¯s intentions. She was a specialist in this area, not needing the beasts to cooperate but only to observe. The system would help her synthesize the meanings, so she knew more beast languages than Xiang Beifei. Were Gao Zhuo and Hua Jiuyue targeting Shen Tongtong because they valued her ability to communicate with desolate beasts? ¡ª ¡°Grandpa...¡± Shen Tongtong was still holding her grandfather¡¯s body, crying regretfully, appearing helpless. She was just a rookie who had recently awakened her system. Besides being able to converse with desolate beasts, she lacked the means to heal. Shen Zhenrong¡¯s body was only half intact. Although the bleeding had stopped, his injuries were severe, and he was unconscious. ¡°Can you save my grandpa? Can you save him?¡± Shen Tongtong asked through her sobs. ¡°Step back.¡± Xiang Beifei gestured for Shen Tongtong to move away and then squatted down to assess the injuries, pondering over them. Fortunately, the severed limbs were still there. During the battle with Hua Jiuyue, he had protected them; otherwise, it might have required more effort. Shen Tongtong carefully put down Shen Zhenrong¡¯s upper body and then anxiously stepped back. Xiang Beifei released the aura of ¡°Return to the Original State,¡± covering Shen Zhenrong. He had never tried using ¡°Return to the Original State¡± for healing before, but he knew it could change the state of the body. Previously, when his cultivation was insufficient, forcibly using Return to the Original State would cause his body¡¯s channels to revert to their pre-opened state. But this also meant that he could revert an injured body back to its pre-injured state. The aura from ¡°Return to the Original State,¡± emitting a unique essence, quickly settled on Shen Zhenrong. Xiang Beifei was much more cautious this time, unlike his unrestrained attack on Hua Jiuyue. An excessive return could directly shatter the cells, causing even more severe consequences. Under Xiang Beifei¡¯s guidance, this essence rapidly began to work on Shen Zhenrong¡¯s wounds. The wounds quickly started to heal, and the severed arms and lower body, under the effect of returning to the original state, swiftly reconnected. Xiang Beifei needed to precisely control the extent of the return to the original state, deciding not to exceed the limit; he only reverted to an hour before. As the injuries healed, Shen Zhenrong quickly regained consciousness. He sat up, surprised, moved his body, checked his shoulders, and looked down at his waist. Unharmed! ¡°I... I¡¯m healed?¡± Shen Zhenrong incredulously examined his injuries; there wasn¡¯t a single wound on his body! ¡°Not bad.¡± Xiang Beifei was fairly satisfied, at least confirming that ¡°Return to the Original State¡± indeed had the capability to heal injuries in some sense. Chapter 550 - 413: Repairing the Qi Meridians (4000 words) Chapter 550: Chapter 413: Repairing the Qi Meridians (4000 words) Edited Chapter at 3:30 AM Please support the authorized version on QiDian. There are gift coins available to claim: watch a 15-second video advertisement each day to get 10 gift coins, with a maximum of 50 gift coins per day. And it only costs 5 gift coins per thousand words, which isn¡¯t much money, and authors do earn income from these coin subscriptions. When a desolate beast eats the brain of another desolate beast, sometimes it can acquire the memories of the consumed creature, meaning it digests everything that the other desolate beast saw and heard. If this green-haired caterpillar was squashed by Long Guocheng, it means the caterpillar witnessed Xiang Beifei and the others! Even if the caterpillar cannot understand human language, the images it saw would still remain imprinted in its brain. So, what exactly did they say when they encountered the green-haired caterpillar, and did the caterpillar remember it? Consuming the brains of other desolate beasts to compensate for their own deficiencies and expand their knowledge means that the more they eat, the higher the wisdom these beasts will attain. A powerful but simple-minded desolate beast is not scary, but those with high intelligence are truly terrifying. As of now, it¡¯s unclear what sort of impression the green-haired caterpillar, which was killed by Long Guocheng, retained about them. Li Zimu¡¯s stone hut had many rooms built up; everyone chose separate rooms. There were no beds, no blankets, though it was simple, there was no need for such luxuries in the wilderness beyond civilized domains. When Xiang Beifei returned from his shift, Long Guocheng was leaning against the door with his arms crossed, asking, ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°What?¡± Xiang Beifei replied. ¡°You¡¯re not an N-level Awakener, right? You must be at least SR, right?¡± ¡°Is that very important to you?¡± ¡°It would make me feel better,¡± Long Guocheng said reluctantly. If he lost to SR-level Li Zimu, it wouldn¡¯t embarrass him too much since the other¡¯s talent was equal to his. Since they were both SR, if he lost this time, he could win the next time. But losing to an N-level Awakener would always stick in his craw. ¡°That¡¯s your own problem, it has nothing to do with me,¡± Xiang Beifei did not like explaining his system to others. Because he simply didn¡¯t have one. ¡°We¡¯re a team! I¡¯ve told you about my abilities! But we know nothing about yours! As a team, there should be mutual understanding,¡± Long Guocheng emphasized. ¡°So, you¡¯re admitting you¡¯re part of a team now? I thought you always liked to hog the limelight,¡± Xiang Beifei said. Long Guocheng snorted but didn¡¯t refute the claim. He did indeed like to steal the spotlight because without it, he couldn¡¯t collect system points. ¡°If you tell me you¡¯re SR or SSR, I¡¯d accept my defeat gracefully,¡± Long Guocheng stated. ¡°So you look down on people with a system level lower than yours? What¡¯s wrong with N-level? Or R-level? Or S-level? Other than cultivating higher levels, in what way are their character, morals, or behavior inferior to yours? Why do you scorn them? Do you enjoy feeling superior over those with lower systems so much?¡± Xiang He looked down on those whose talent was inferior to his, because in his view, those people would never amount to anything, especially the lowly N-level Awakeners. He only revered the strong. Yet, his pride was always shattered to pieces when he faced Xiang Beifei. In his heart, he hoped that Xiang Beifei¡¯s system was at least SR-level or even SSR so he could accept his defeat without his pride being tarnished, maintaining the principle of arrogance he always upheld. But he simply couldn¡¯t accept the fact if Xiang Beifei turned out to be N-level! ¡°I just can¡¯t believe that N-level Awakeners have such potential. Their systems are garbage; they¡¯ll spend their entire lives achieving so little. They can¡¯t possibly have such strength,¡± Long Guocheng said through clenched teeth. ¡°Why can¡¯t N-level Awakeners defeat SR? How many can surpass Shang Tianxiong, who is also an N-level Awakener? Those with strength can even kill SSR-levels! We all live in this world, all human, and you¡¯re no nobler than anyone else. Just because your starting point is higher, it doesn¡¯t mean your future will be superior, stay humble,¡± Xiang Beifei said. After saying these words, Xiang Beifei went straight back to his own room. ¡°Humble, huh?¡± ¡ª- At around nine o¡¯clock in the evening, Ye Changfeng gathered everyone to discuss the competition schedule and rules for the next day¡¯s match, which he had just received. Elder Luo said, ¡°We need to discuss the situation for tomorrow; everyone must stay alert.¡± Everyone was already aware of the rules: the freshmen competition was divided into individual matches and group pioneering. For the individual matches, nine schools would compete in turn, where each school would face off against the others only once, which meant every school would participate in eight matches, totaling thirty-six matches over two days. When it comes to deciding whether the Meridian Opening stage or the Qi-Controlling stage would compete, it would be decided by rolling dice. ¡°For tomorrow¡¯s schedule, the first match will be Jizhou University against Yanzhou University. Our match won¡¯t be first, which is good; it gives us a chance to assess the strength of other schools. However, the second match will be Qingzhou University against Liangzhou University,¡± Ye Changfeng said while distributing flyers to everyone, who all studied the schedule with serious expressions. ¡°Yuchi Shen, talk to them about the strength of each school as it currently stands,¡± Elder Luo instructed. Yuchi Shen glanced emotionlessly at Xiang Beifei, then started his briefing. ¡°However, it¡¯s stipulated that a person can only participate in a maximum of two matches. So at that time, teachers and I will need to analyze the situation before deciding how to assign the order of appearance and opponents among you five,¡± he added. Chapter 551 - 413: Repairing the Qi Meridians (4000 words)_2 Chapter 551: Chapter 413: Repairing the Qi Meridians (4000 words)_2 This was like Tian Ji¡¯s horse racing, but not exactly the same. During Tian Ji¡¯s horse racing, each side faced off in three rounds, allowing for room to maneuver, whereas the two schools faced off in just one match, basically at random. So generally, it was hoped that other schools would handle the powerful students from different schools first, exhausting their two rounds, and then when it was their turn to compete, they could only use their weaker students. Take Qingzhou University and Liangzhou University for example. This year Qingzhou University has two SSRs, and each person must compete in two matches, meaning a maximum of four matches for the two SSRs. Thus, Ye Changfeng hoped that Qingzhou University would use the four opportunities for their two SSRs to contend with the other seven schools, and by the time they faced his, they would have exhausted their slots and would have to send SRs into battle, thereby increasing his chances of winning. However, everyone came from elite schools and the teachers leading the teams certainly understood this principle, so the allocation of competitors would turn into a psychological game. Before the competition, no one could predict whether the opponent would send out their strong or weak contestants. ¡°You should be clear by now, this year our school doesn¡¯t have any SSRs, meaning we are weaker than the other schools by a margin. In one-on-one contests, it will be hard for you to gain an advantage,¡± Yuchi Shen said, his gaze fixed on Xiang Beifei. ¡°Apart from Qingzhou University, Yanzhou University, and Jizhou University, the other schools also only have one SSR, just one Meridian Opening stage student. We don¡¯t need to worry too much, at least we have our classmate Xiang Beifei,¡± Xi Keyao said timidly from the side. ¡°The situation isn¡¯t that simple,¡± Elder Luo said, ¡°The rules of the single matches are only eight games, one point per game, so the total score is very important. But have you considered that other schools will surely find a way to secure one point? And against whom is that one point almost guaranteed?¡± Long Guocheng and the others came to realize, ¡°Against us, Liangzhou University?¡± Now, the other eight schools all shared a common understanding that Liangzhou University did not have any SSRs this year, meaning no students were in the Meridian Opening stage. So, to gain the guaranteed point, they would almost certainly send out Meridian Opening stage SSRs against Liangzhou University! Because if SSRs were sent to contend with other schools, sometimes they would encounter opponents who were also SSRs, all in the Meridian Opening stage, and inevitably one would lose. If it was their own loss, that would be quite unworthy. But now, other schools believed that all of Liangzhou University¡¯s students were at the late Qi-Controlling stage, so sending a Meridian Opening stage SSR against only Qi-Controlling stage students from Liangzhou University was almost a sure win. Everyone wanted to pick on the weak to secure an easy point! ¡°Right, this means our opponents in each match could potentially all be Meridian Opening stage SSRs!¡± Elder Luo said with deep meaning. ¡°This...¡± The expressions of everyone grew grave. Elder Luo said, ¡°Alright, how to allocate our competitors and how to break this deadlock is something you five need to discuss on your own.¡± ¡°Really, why must they make this newcomer competition so complicated?¡± Ma Ziqian muttered on the side. For them, martial artists, the most straightforward approach was to rush in and fight it out, the most hassle-free way. ¡°Because this is also a tactic.¡± Elder Luo said, ¡°Facing opponents with uneven strengths, how to arrange your competitors to break this stalemate and achieve more victories is a type of command strategy. Elite university competitions are not only about martial power but also about the ability to adapt to various situations, optimizing limited personnel most effectively. This tests the team leaders and also the freshmen. Cultivating this mindset for use when facing beast tides can also be applied to combat against them.¡± Elite university Martial Arts Colleges all aim to train pioneers and guardians, meaning the basic philosophy is combat. In the face of beast tides, desolate beasts¡¯ power is unequal, so schools need to train students on how to maximize combat effectiveness with effective manpower allocation. This newcomer contest rule might seem very unfair, with Meridian Opening stage students possibly facing Qi-Controlling stage students, making the combat almost one-sided and not truly reflecting the freshmen¡¯s real strength. However, in reality, when facing desolate beasts, there is never any notion of fairness! In battle with desolate beasts, the desolate beasts¡¯ power is often somewhat stronger. Therefore, how to win and secure the most points is actually a test of each university¡¯s tactical and strategic capabilities. Which battle to give up and which to go all out in, whom to dispatch against different opponents, learning to make choices and engage in psychological warfare¡ªnot only a test of courage but also of intelligence. Although Elder Luo normally seems idle to the point of restlessness and seldom serious, he once served as the supreme commander against the beast tide in the Jiuzhou Alliance. His strategic perspective in commanding battles is incredibly formidable. As for the original intention behind the competition among the nine elite schools, he couldn¡¯t be clearer. In other words, Elder Luo knew how to break this situation, but he didn¡¯t state it outright. Instead, he wanted Xiang Beifei and his team to think it over first, which was a form of training in itself. If their ideas weren¡¯t feasible, Elder Luo would then offer guidance. ¡ª¡ª Having heard what Elder Luo said, there was no room for further complaints. Ye Changfeng and Yuchi Shen sat aside as well, neither speaking any more, but instead observing the five people including Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei and his teammates remained silent. After a long pause, Long Guocheng was the first to speak, ¡°In tomorrow¡¯s competition, our first match is in the second round, against Qingzhou University. We don¡¯t know who they will send to face us.¡± Xiang Beifei replied, ¡°The person Qingzhou University sends out tomorrow will definitely be Hou Chengwu, no surprises there.¡± Long Guocheng asked, ¡°Are you so sure? Qingzhou University has two SSRs and one UR, plus two SRs. They haven¡¯t decided on their candidates yet.¡± Xiang Beifei insisted, ¡°It will definitely be Hou Chengwu! He once refused Liangzhou University and chose Qingzhou University instead. He must prove to others that not choosing Liangzhou University was the right decision. The way to prove it is to come and defeat us himself.¡± ¡°That also makes sense,¡± Li Zimu said thoughtfully, nodding. ¡°Considering you embarrassed him today, it stands to reason he¡¯ll want revenge.¡± ¡°Xiang Beifei, do you have the ability to defeat Hou Chengwu?¡± Xi Keyao asked. Xiang Beifei was silent for a moment before nodding slightly. The expressions of Long Guocheng and the others improved a bit. By now, they all acknowledged Xiang Beifei and were well aware of his prowess. Although not an SSR, this guy¡¯s strength was ridiculously strong. With him present, even if Liangzhou University couldn¡¯t compare to the overtly powerful other three universities, it was still strong enough to compete with other schools. ¡°But if the other schools all send SSRs against us, we¡¯re almost certainly doomed. Xiang Beifei can only participate in two matches, meaning he can at most secure two points. However, it¡¯s almost certain that the rest of us will lose,¡± Ma Ziqian said. ¡°Unless we find a way to prevent them from using their SSRs against us,¡± Li Zimu suggested. ¡°They all think we¡¯re pushovers now. How can we change their minds?¡± Long Guocheng asked. ¡°Quite simple, we must let them know we are not as weak as they think,¡± Xiang Beifei stated. Catching on, Li Zimu said, ¡°I get it. We need to show that our school has someone in the Meridian Opening stage too. That way, they won¡¯t all use their Meridian Opening stage fighters against us. That means tomorrow when facing Qingzhou University, Xiang Beifei, you must fight.¡± With a person being allowed to fight up to two times, just a slight display of Xiang Beifei¡¯s strength in his first match would be enough to intimidate other schools, making them wary. Understand that the ¡°persimmon¡± that is Liangzhou University might not be so easy to crush! Because if another school¡¯s SSR faces the tough challenge of Xiang Beifei and loses, the loss would be considerable. Then, other schools would not thoughtlessly send out their SSRs to deal with Liangzhou University. This ability is quite peculiar, whenever there are sins. Chapter 552 - 414 Cultivation Chapter 552: Chapter 414 Cultivation Xiang Beifei stared at the Wooden Kirin. This creature represented brainlessness, sadly it was genuinely foolish and not feigning stupidity. The Wooden Kirin, originally huffing and puffing, became alert and raised its tail defensively when it saw Xiang Beifei looking at it, growling softly twice. ¡°Mr. Xiang, words cannot express how much I owe you. If there¡¯s ever anything I can assist you with, just say the word, and I will make it happen!¡± Shen Zhenrong didn¡¯t know what Xiang Beifei was thinking. He simply looked at the young man before him with eyes full of reverence, inwardly admiring such genius. ¡°No need. It was a mere trifle,¡± Xiang Beifei said nonchalantly. Shen Tongtong whispered, ¡°Senior Xiang is so amazing. I wish I could be as powerful as Senior Xiang someday.¡± ¡°You are at the SR level. Just keep training, and you definitely will,¡± Xiang Beifei said. Shen Tongtong nodded vigorously. ¡ª¡ªHe¡¯s so handsome, and kind too. His voice is also very nice to listen to. Meanwhile, Shen Tongtong couldn¡¯t help but think to herself. She had always been covertly watching Xiang Beifei, her eyes filled with curiosity and excitement. She had fantasized many times about meeting Xiang Beifei in person, but she had never imagined it would be under these circumstances. In an era where everyone made choices, she was no exception. As an experienced chooser, she even knew things like Xiang Beifei¡¯s height and weight, his usual habits in the cafeteria, what his temperament was like... she knew them by heart! Imaginations about Xiang Beifei uncontrollably filled Shen Tongtong¡¯s mind. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ll talk more when we get back,¡± Xiang Beifei said. ¡°Oh, right!¡± Shen Tongtong only then reacted, her face becoming slightly red. Xiang Beifei took them both into the air and then shouted to the Wooden Kirin, still huffing and puffing nearby, ¡°Hurry up and make grass grow here to cover the tracks.¡± Hua Jiuyue and Gao Zhuo had been dealt with, and soon, members of the Unrestrained might come here. At present, the Unrestrained were still collecting information on Xiang Beifei. He had to ensure the clean-up was thorough. He had originally planned to use ¡°Return to the Original State¡± to restore the area, but activating Return to the Original State required a lot of energy, and the aftermath of the battle was too widespread; it would be too laborious. He had only reverted the epicenter of the battle to its original state; the rest was up to the Wooden Kirin to control. The Wooden Kirin reluctantly controlled the trees and restored them, quickly turning the area back into a lush forest. Due to the peculiar nature of the exotic wilderness, the environment had strong regenerative capabilities and would return to its original state in just a few days. Xiang Beifei took the two to Liangzhou University and handed Gao Zhuo over to Elder Luo. As a person in charge within the Su Alliance, Elder Luo took the matter very seriously. After all, the incident with the SR-level freshmen during the newcomers¡¯ competition had caused a stir in Jiuzhou, and now that one had returned, the situation naturally required thorough investigation. ¡°This Gao Zhuo, would Elder Luo¡¯s interrogation skills work on him? Or any other similar abilities that compel the truth?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. Elder Luo was a versatile person who could enhance his abilities in certain aspects by accruing points, which included skills such as Mind Reading Technique and hypnosis, among others. ¡°I¡¯ve tried, to no avail,¡± Elder Luo said, shaking his head slightly. The Unrestrained¡¯s measures for keeping secrets were obviously formidable; they had anticipated this. Otherwise, Elder Luo would have extracted the information from a captive member of the Unrestrained long ago. ¡°That¡¯s going to be troublesome,¡± Xiang Beifei commented. He hadn¡¯t found any useful system logs on Gao Zhuo¡¯s system because Gao Zhuo¡¯s system was the ¡°Unparalleled Chess Player System¡±, which only allowed him to get stronger by playing chess. The missions were also related to chess, leaving no chance to reveal his recent whereabouts. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯ll involve Sun Heshun in continuing the investigation of this matter,¡± Elder Luo said as he kicked Gao Zhuo, who was lying motionless with golden patterns flickering all over his body, and then asked, ¡°Your doing?¡± ¡°Yes, I immobilized him. Right, his heart should contain a Beast Pill, which is the reason for his strength. You might try to open up his heart and take out the Beast Pill, then examine his cultivation level. I suspect that all of the Unrestrained might have such hearts,¡± Xiang Beifei said. He always felt that the Unrestrained¡¯s people had grown formidable because of the Beast Pill in their hearts, and he needed confirmation. ¡°It¡¯s like that? Let¡¯s go dissect him,¡± said Elder Luo, without any hesitation, promptly carrying Gao Zhuo to the university¡¯s desolate beast dissection room. This classroom was originally designed for dissecting various desolate beasts, equipped with all kinds of dissection tools. Of course, this was probably the first time it was being used to dissect a living person. [Surgical Knife Control Ability: 9999] [Medical Mastery: 9999] Elder Luo quickly applied all his knowledge about dissection into his accrual of points. ¡°What if he doesn¡¯t survive because the heart gets damaged?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. Putting on a mask and picking up a shiny scalpel, Elder Luo said, ¡°I¡¯ll just make a simple incision, remove the Beast Pill quickly, and do you have healing abilities? After I remove it, you can heal it quickly.¡± ¡°I can do that, but what if there are problems with the heart after the Beast Pill is removed?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. Without a second thought, Elder Luo replied, ¡°Then we¡¯ll take a cultivated pig¡¯s heart from over there for a transplant.¡± Opening the chest, expanding the rib cage... Elder Luo skillfully cut into Gao Zhuo. With his abilities, he didn¡¯t even bother taking X-rays or using an MRI; instead, he relied on his enhanced abilities, coupled with his spiritual power, to handle all the preparatory work for surgery on his own. Anesthesia was unnecessary; Elder Luo could use his formidable spiritual power to influence Gao Zhuo¡¯s cognition, making him forget what pain felt like. After making the incision and reaching Gao Zhuo¡¯s heart, which was still beating inside the opened chest, Xiang Beifei assisted in stopping the bleeding. Elder Luo let out a light exclamation, ¡°This heart is larger than that of a normal person.¡± ¡°It is overly large. That¡¯s why I¡¯m very curious; it seems like it has been stretched, or rather its potential prematurely overdrawn,¡± Xiang Beifei responded. He had seen many such deformed hearts; just a few hours before, he had crushed one. ¡°The lifespan of this heart has been greatly shortened. They must have been relying on a Beast Pill as an energy support, but something feels off. Why does it feel strange?¡± Elder Luo held a pair of tweezers and was searching through Gao Zhuo¡¯s chest cavity. Soon, he suddenly raised his head, looking very surprised. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. ¡°Take a look at this.¡± Elder Luo pointed to where the heart connected to the blood vessels for Xiang Beifei to see. Among those dense blood vessels, there was a hint of tiny white strands swirling around. It was like white spider silk, clinging to the walls of the blood vessels, not yet fully spread out. ¡°This aura, it¡¯s not that...¡± Xiang Beifei was also surprised. ¡°Did you sense something?¡± Elder Luo asked. Xiang Beifei took a scalpel and gently cut one of the blood vessels. The blood quickly flowed out, but Xiang Beifei used his Spiritual Power to seal the wound. Then, he slowly peeled the blood vessel apart, and immediately¡ª Whoosh! The white strands retracted quickly, withdrawing back into the heart. ¡°This thing seems familiar. I don¡¯t know where I¡¯ve seen it before,¡± Xiang Beifei said. ¡°First, take down the Beast Pill.¡± Elder Luo immediately made an incision in the heart, revealing a white Beast Pill inside. The moment he cut into the Beast Pill, it was clear that the white strands were withdrawing into it. He swiftly acted, plucking the white Beast Pill out! However, at that moment, Gao Zhuo¡¯s blood suddenly stopped flowing, and his body¡¯s vitality swiftly began to fade away. ¡°Beep¡ª¡± The instrument detecting life fluctuations started to alarm. ¡°It seems his life force is ebbing away!¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Beast Pill! He was bound to the Beast Pill, without it he¡¯ll die. Put it back!¡± Elder Luo made a decisive call! Hum! Elder Luo immediately reopened the heart and stuffed the Beast Pill back into Gao Zhuo¡¯s heart, while Xiang Beifei quickly used the technique Revert to Simplicity to heal the incision. Gao Zhuo¡¯s body then stabilized, the signs of his life force ebbing stopped. Elder Luo could only resew the heart¡¯s incision, frowning as he said, ¡°He¡¯s a student from Jizhou University; he can¡¯t die yet.¡± No matter how Gao Zhuo got involved with Unrestrained, he was now the key to finding the other missing students, and it was necessary to see if more crucial information could be obtained from him. ¡°At least one thing is certain,¡± Xiang Beifei said thoughtfully. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°He indeed became stronger because of the Beast Pill.¡± Xiang Beifei had been paying attention to Gao Zhuo¡¯s system interface; the instant the Beast Pill was removed, Gao Zhuo¡¯s system information had changed: [Realm: Late Qi-Controlling] Now, his system information had reverted back to: Mid God Refining! ¡°Is it possible that the other missing students have also become one of the Unrestrained?¡± Elder Luo asked. ¡°First, we¡¯ll have to locate Unrestrained¡¯s stronghold,¡± Xiang Beifei planned to investigate Unrestrained¡¯s research base. Because he must find Zi Hou! Elder Luo checked Gao Zhuo again but was still unable to find more clues, so for the time being, Gao Zhuo was locked up. Afterwards, two Su People were dispatched to covertly protect Shen Zhenrong and the others, to prevent Unrestrained from making another move on them. Now that Elder Luo had taken over the Su Alliance, it meant that they had the conditions to investigate Unrestrained. With the power of the Su People, the task would be much easier. The Su Alliance itself was quite fragmented. Under Zhu Yiji¡¯s leadership, the alliance was hardly addressing real issues. He employed the Su People mainly to eliminate adversaries rather than to truly hunt Unrestrained. Anyone who opposed him, Zhu Yiji would simply label ¡°Unrestrained,¡± then deploy the Su People. Elder Luo was currently reorganizing the power of the Su Alliance. Xiang Beifei had even released Eternal Sleep and Keshi, and forcibly branded their souls, ensuring they would be much more compliant. Eternal Sleep and Keshi didn¡¯t dare do much anyway; with Zhu Yiji gone, they were lucky to have their lives spared. So, next, Xiang Beifei needed to deal with Zi Hou¡¯s matter. According to Elder Luo¡¯s investigation, Zi Hou was very likely the core research base of the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company. He must first find a way to infiltrate the company. That means he would have to get a job there. Chapter 553 - 415 Job Application (4000 words) Chapter 553: 415 Job Application (4000 words) Four thirty revision. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Xiang Beifei said without changing his expression. ¡°Are you guys alright?¡± Yu Hongbo asked. ¡°Not too bad,¡± Xiang Beifei glanced back at Tang He, who was from Qingzhou University. Their team¡¯s situation seemed very grim at the moment. When Tang He saw Yu Hongbo and the others, he also showed a shocked expression, for he hadn¡¯t expected to encounter people from Yanzhou University. To think that their Qingzhou University¡¯s Hou Chengwu had died at the hands of ¡°Zhu Pengfei¡±! However, he didn¡¯t dare to say much now. Being only a Qi-Controlling later-period SR-level Awakener and without any teammates by his side, he was no match for the people from Yanzhou University. ¡°How long have you been in this withered forest?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. ¡°We¡¯ve been here since last night!¡± Yu Hongbo replied. ¡°Last night? You¡¯ve been here for almost a day?¡± Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. ¡°Yes, we came here last night!¡± Yu Hongbo now had no intention of dealing with Xiang Beifei. On the contrary, he even entertained the idea of joining forces with Xiang Beifei. Because their team was also in a very embarrassing position. This place was just too strange; they were trapped and couldn¡¯t find a way out. Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, Yu Hongbo felt a glimmer of hope. Xiang Beifei was strong; maybe he had a way! ¡°So you¡¯re fine?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. ¡°One of us had an accident,¡± Yu Hongbo said with a heavy tone. Now only four people remained in their team. ¡°Have you been on this mountain since last night?¡± Xiang Beifei inquired. ¡°Not exactly; we initially walked through the withered forest, but then it suddenly got dark, and things seemed off, so we ran up the mountain. We found that those treants wouldn¡¯t dare to come up, which was a relief. We weren¡¯t on this mountain at first; we were on another one.¡± ¡°Are you that N-level Awakener, Xiang Beifei?¡± Chen Baiwen¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t good as he faced Xiang Beifei. He didn¡¯t really want to come up because Hou Chengwu had lost inexplicably before, and he didn¡¯t see clearly how Hou Chengwu lost. If he lost to an N-level student as well, his reputation would be almost ruined. However, if he didn¡¯t come up to challenge Xiang Beifei, it would be even more cowardly, as if indirectly proving that he, a distinguished SSR-level Awakener, was afraid of an N-level one! That would mean Xiang Beifei triumphed without a fight. After all, like Hou Chengwu, he had also scoffed at Liangzhou University for recruiting N-level students and was persuaded by other universities not to go to Liangzhou. Chen Baiwen, having chosen to give up on Liangzhou University initially, was an SSR with a high opinion of himself. How could he not prove himself? Xiang Beifei just looked calmly at Zhu Xinjue, but a murderous intent appeared in his eyes. He had not killed this guy last time, and dealing with Zhu Xinjue, who apparently came to kill him, meant he must kill Zhu Xinjue this time! However, as soon as he finished speaking, he felt his knees bend, and with a ¡°snap,¡± he suddenly knelt before Xiang Beifei! Zhu Xinjue and the others were also stunned! ¡°Hou Chengwu, what are you doing?¡± Chen Baiwen asked in surprise. Hou Chengwu was also shocked by his own actions! Why had he knelt down? Wasn¡¯t it agreed to bring Xiang Beifei down? Why on earth was he the one who ended up kneeling? Hou Chengwu¡¯s face turned red with anger as he tried to stand up, only to find that no matter what, he couldn¡¯t get up! ¡ª¡ª But just then, Hou Chengwu, with sharp eyes, suddenly spotted Xiang Beifei and shouted, ¡°He¡¯s over there!¡± This time everyone saw clearly, Xiang Beifei was a real person! Others also saw Xiang Beifei, but because of the flood, it was difficult for them to separate. ¡°Yu Hongbo, you watch these SRs for us, we¡¯ll deal with him!¡± Hou Chengwu called out. ¡°Alright!¡± Yu Hongbo had to take care of his subordinates; otherwise, the SR-level Awakeners would be directly submerged by the flood. Zhu Xinjue¡¯s eyes showed a trace of ferocity as a huge glass ball appeared in his hand. Between flashes, the glass ball turned into an illusory light, enveloping the void. ¡°This time, I¡¯d like to see where you can go!¡± Zhu Xinjue sneered. The glass ball was a UR-level space system item, capable of rendering any form of spatial teleportation ineffective. Since everyone had Forfeit Talismans, Zhu Xinjue was worried that Xiang Beifei might escape. Soon Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong surrounded Xiang Beifei. Their powerful auras were no weaker than the flood, and they watched Xiang Beifei closely. ¡°Xiang Beifei, although I know you are strong, now there are four of us, so I advise you to forfeit,¡± He Qiutong said. He Qiutong was unaware of Zhu Xinjue¡¯s plan; like Chen Baiwen, her aim was merely to get Xiang Beifei eliminated. Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the four people in front of him. Four people, easier to deal with than five. ¡°That¡¯s right, we don¡¯t want to harm you. Just drop out peacefully to avoid trouble,¡± Chen Baiwen said gravely. However, Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue beside him were filled with endless killing intent. ¡°What are we waiting for? To make him drop out, we need to take him down first!¡± Hou Chengwu exclaimed. This time, facing Xiang Beifei, he had full confidence. Despite his unexplainable defeat on the stage last time, now it was four against one. No matter how powerful Xiang Beifei was, in his eyes, he was definitely a dead man this time! Chapter 554 - 415 Job Application (4000 words)_2 Chapter 554: Chapter 415 Job Application (4000 words)_2 Hou Chengwu clenched his teeth and said, ¡°Today, you will pay the price!¡± That day, despite being an SSR, he was stuffed into a trash bin, losing all his dignity. Today, he must kill Xiang Beifei! ¡°Three against two, not too bad, not too terrible,¡± Xiang Beifei remarked. ¡°Three against two?¡± Zhu Xinjue sneered, ¡°Have we scared you silly? Can¡¯t you even count anymore? It¡¯s four of us against just you!¡± ¡°President Ren is so revered and respected, he himself has said, ¡®Name isn¡¯t important, strength is.¡¯ A senior who can say such things must have a broad mind. How could he mind these trivial matters over names with me? As President Ren¡¯s proud student, why are your principles different from President Ren¡¯s?¡± Xiang Beifei looked at Hou Chengwu in confusion and added, ¡°Haven¡¯t you learned even a bit from him?¡± His words were watertight, first sarcastically targeting Ren Jianghai, then swiftly elevating Ren Jianghai to a high status so that Ren could not react to Xiang Beifei¡¯s teasing about names, and immediately subtly insulted Hou Chengwu. ¡°You...¡± Hou Chengwu was so infuriated by Xiang Beifei that his face turned red. In midair, Li Zimu stood there, surprised at the scene below, and said, ¡°They actually can¡¯t tell.¡± The flood here was an illusion created by Li Zimu¡¯s Poetry Realm. Li Zimu¡¯s Poetry Realm had reached a level where real and fake were indistinguishable. However, Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen were SSRs, a level higher than him, and even more advanced in their cultivation. Logically, they shouldn¡¯t have been this flustered. ¡°Of course they can¡¯t tell; none of these people are spiritual System Awakeners,¡± Xiang Beifei stated. The spiritual power of Xiang Beifei had adhered to the Poetry Realm created by Li Zimu, thus even though Li Zimu was only at a later stage of Qi-Controlling, the flood he created possessed the force of the Meridian Opening stage! As for the suppression due to system level, with Xiang Beifei present, the so-called superiority of the SSR system was merely a decoration. He had specifically sought Li Zimu¡¯s help to trap this group of people However, as they walked on, suddenly a fork in the road appeared ahead! Traces of Xiang Beifei reappeared at the fork, but then vanished again on this new path. ¡°Which path should we take?¡± Hou Chengwu asked Chen Baiwen urgently. ¡°I don¡¯t know, no traces,¡± Chen Baiwen shook his head. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s split up into two groups; it¡¯ll be quicker that way,¡± Zhu Xinjue suggested. ¡°Splitting up into two groups means dispersing our strength. If we encounter Xiang Beifei, do you really think we¡¯d stand a chance?¡± Chen Baiwen questioned. ¡°Xiang Beifei is clearly being chased by that desolate beast. If we encounter him, how could we not have a chance?¡± Zhu Xinjue argued. After a brief discussion, they decided to split up but agreed to signal the others if they encountered Xiang Beifei. If they couldn¡¯t find anyone within half an hour, they would regroup here. To ensure mutual trust, they decided to mix members from both groups. Zhu Xinjue and Yu Hongbo, He Qiutong took one path, while Chen Baiwen and Hou Chengwu took another. Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen led three SRs down the left path. Chen Baiwen seemed to be preoccupied, yet Hou Chengwu still cautioned, ¡°Don¡¯t forget our agreement.¡± Xiang Beifei seemed to realize something and said, ¡°Digesting memories?¡± When a desolate beast eats the brain of another desolate beast, it can sometimes gain the memories of that beast, meaning whatever the other beast had seen and heard could be digested by the one who ate it. If this green caterpillar was squashed by Long Guocheng, that means it saw Xiang Beifei and these people! Even if the green caterpillar didn¡¯t understand human language, it would still retain images in its mind! When they encountered the green caterpillar, what exactly did they say? Was it remembered by the caterpillar? Eating the brains of other desolate beasts to compensate for their own deficiencies and expand their knowledge implies that the more they eat, the higher the intelligence these desolate beasts will possess! A powerful but simple-minded desolate beast is not terrifying, but those with high intelligence are the most frightening! Currently, it¡¯s unknown what impression this caterpillar, squashed by Long Guocheng, left about them. Li Zimu¡¯s stone house had many rooms piled up; everyone was separated by one room without a bed or quilt. Although it was simple, such arrangement wasn¡¯t much of a concern in the outer wilds. When Xiang Beifei returned to his duty, Long Guocheng stood with his hands clasped in front of him, leaning against the door, and said, ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°What?¡± Xiang Beifei replied. ¡°You¡¯re not an N-level Awakener, are you? You¡¯re at least SR, right?¡± ¡°Is that important to you?¡± ¡°It would make me feel better,¡± Long Guocheng said reluctantly. If he lost to Li Zimu, an SR-level competitor, he wouldn¡¯t feel too embarrassed, as his talent was not inferior to his, and being both SR, losing now just meant he could win next time. But losing to an N-level Awakener left a lump in his heart. ¡°That¡¯s your own problem, nothing to do with me,¡± Xiang Beifei did not like to explain his own system to people. Because he did not have a system at all. ¡°We are a team! I¡¯ve told you all about my abilities! Yet, we do not know yours. As a team, we should have an understanding of each other,¡± Long Guocheng stressed. ¡°So now you admit we¡¯re a team? I thought you always liked to hog the limelight,¡± Xiang Beifei said. Long Guocheng hummed and did not rebut this point. He indeed loved hogging the limelight, as without it, he couldn¡¯t accumulate system values. ¡°If you tell me you are SR or SSR, then I will lose with no hard feelings,¡± Long Guocheng said. ¡°Do you look down on people with a lower system level than yours that much? What¡¯s wrong with being an N-level? Or an R-level? Or an S-level? Besides their advancement in cultivation, what about their character, morals, personality... Which aspect is inferior to you that warrants your scorn? Do you really enjoy finding a sense of superiority over those with lower systems?¡± Xiang Beifei said sternly. ¡°I...¡± Long Guocheng was rendered speechless. He looked down on those with inferior talents because, in his view, they would never amount to anything, especially the lower-ranking N-level Awakeners. He only respected the strong. Yet his pride was always shattered in front of Xiang Beifei. He dearly hoped that Xiang Beifei¡¯s system was SR or even SSR; he could accept it if Xiang Beifei defeated him, allowing him to maintain his cherished principle of pride. But he absolutely couldn¡¯t accept the fact that Xiang Beifei was an N-level! ¡°I just can¡¯t believe that an N-level Awakener could have such potential. Their systems are so useless, their achievements so limited in a lifetime. It can¡¯t be possible for them to have such strength,¡± Long Guocheng gritted his teeth. ¡°Why can¡¯t an N-level Awakener defeat an SR? Shang Tianxiong is also an N-level Awakener. How many people can surpass him? People with strength can kill an SSR even if they are SR-level! Everyone lives in this world, we are all humans; you are not nobler than anyone. You just had a higher starting point, it doesn¡¯t mean you are higher in the future. It¡¯s better to stay humble,¡± Xiang Beifei said. After saying this, Xiang Beifei went directly back to his compartment. ¡°Humble, huh?¡± Long Guocheng¡¯s expression fluctuated as he pondered Xiang Beifei¡¯s words. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Around 9 p.m., Ye Changfeng gathered everyone together. He had obtained the schedule and rules for tomorrow¡¯s competitions. Elder Luo said, ¡°We need to discuss tomorrow¡¯s situation first; everyone should stay alert.¡± Everyone was already familiar with the rules; the freshman competition consisted of individual fights and team pioneering. For individual fights, nine schools would compete in a round-robin format, with each school facing each other once, which meant each school would fight eight matches, totaling thirty-six matches over two days. The decision whether to go for Meridian Opening or Qi-Controlling would be decided by rolling dice. ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s schedule, the first match, Jizhou University versus Yanzhou University Chapter 555 - 416: Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company Chapter 555: Chapter 416: Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company Having the ability to communicate with desolate beasts is indeed rare. Such individuals are highly sought after in the Pioneering Departments of the Union, especially for missions in foreign desolate territories. Students from elite universities are often recruited by the Pioneering Department as soon as they graduate. Shen Tongtong, as an Awakener of the ¡°SR-grade Beast Language System,¡± possessed exceptionally powerful desolate beast communication abilities; she was precisely the type of talent they sought. It was understandable that the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company urgently needed such System Awakeners, but the question was, did they really need them to this extent? After all, Jiuzhou residents had been studying the characteristics of desolate beasts for generations in order to combat them, summarizing a set of behavioral languages for desolate beasts and collecting and recording translators for common desolate beast sounds. Although the translation couldn¡¯t guarantee one hundred percent accuracy, the primary business of the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company was to provide various types of edible desolate beasts to the Jiuzhou continent, capturing them ultimately for slaughter. Even if they wanted to research and improve desolate beasts, those beasts weren¡¯t very powerful, with the strongest only at the Meridian Opening stage. In such cases, the Beast Language Translators were absolutely sufficient. So why did they specifically need someone to communicate with the desolate beasts? Considering that people like Huajiuyue and Gao Zhuo were targeting someone like Shen Tongtong, Xiang Beifei always felt there was more to it than met the eye. Normally, Shen Tongtong was still just a high school student, and her knowledge was not comprehensive. Such a person, even if joining the Desolate Beast Company, would be groping in the dark. Only by going to university to systematically study desolate beast knowledge and advancing her cultivation could she better handle her duties. But Unrestrained seemed very urgent, and so did the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company. What exactly were they so urgent about? The two people in the stairwell did not discuss this further, and Xiang Beifei did not ask further. He was just an applicant ready for an interview. It was most important to blend into the company first; once he was in, there would be plenty of opportunities to snoop around. The elevator quickly reached the sixth floor. He stepped out and was met by a long corridor, with a light blue floor that looked impeccably clean. The offices lined both sides of the corridor. For a large conglomerate like the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company, the Human Resources Department alone occupied an entire floor, as they dealt not only with employee matters but also with filing various desolate beast records. He turned left through a yellow glass door and arrived at Room 501, only to find that six people were already waiting there. When he entered, they all looked up, their expressions ranging from wary, curious, arrogant, to indifferent, apparently all job seekers. Large companies have many applicants each day, and the positions required a large number of personnel. Normally, there would be more than these people, probably waiting to go in for their interviews one by one. Xiang Beifei found a seat and began observing the system interfaces of these job seekers. Those present were mostly older than Xiang Beifei, with one or two looking like they had just graduated. Most were S-grade, with a few R-grade Awakeners. The positions applied for varied, as did the requirements for System Awakeners. For instance, the girl in a yellow dress beside him had awakened the ¡°R-grade Notification System.¡± Her system log was filled mainly with notifications. From her system log, it seemed she had been the class president in school, often posting various announcements in the class group, including exam schedules and holidays, all handled by her system tasks. She was likely applying for an administrative position. Another side had a young man dripping with sweat, appearing quite nervous and looking around restlessly, muttering to himself. His system was the ¡°R-grade Penny Pinching System.¡± He would insist on going Dutch at meals and precisely calculate down to three decimal places. He was probably applying for an accounting position. Not far away, there was a man in a yellow jacket, an Awakener of the ¡°R-grade Fiery Eyes Insight System.¡± With such a high-end name, it was clear he possessed a very special discernment ability¡ªhis probable job application was for a product quality inspector? Of course, apart from these, he also spotted a man dressed in thick clothing, looking like he was wrapped like a dumpling in this scorching heat, seemingly awakened to some cold-natured constitution, too frail for comfort. Yet, as soon as he sat down, he started removing his outerwear, then a sweatshirt, a strong odor of sweat wafting through the air, causing people nearby to frown in disgust. But this man seemed utterly oblivious, and after a while, he put his removed clothes back on, only to start undressing again after five minutes. His behavior looked very strange! But in reality, he had awakened the ¡°S-grade Armor Shedding System.¡± This system had a unique ability¡ªshedding off one¡¯s body defenses could enhance his own power. This meant that him removing an item of clothing, or getting someone else to take off theirs, was essentially equivalent to completing a task. After all, even the thinnest clothes served as a protective item. Of course, helping someone trim their nails or trimming his own also counted as performing tasks. He trimmed his nails right to the flesh, almost as if he wanted to pull them all out. However, his most formidable ability was aimed at desolate beasts equipped with armor, possessing an extremely strong armor-breaking capability. This person was here either to apply for a technician role researching armored desolate beasts or for a high-paying job like a Desolate Hunter within the company. The latter possibility was more likely. ... Xiang Beifei observed these people with interest. Although he had tricked two ministers of the Union and even killed Unrestrained. But he had, in strict terms, entered society for the first time, just about to experience the life of a corporate drudge, yet he was still profoundly curious about these job seekers. In the Martial Arts College, he had seen systems mostly related to combat, but once out of the Martial Arts College, he realized that this world was not just about those with strong lethal systems, but also housed a variety of very special literary Dao System Awakeners. The people in the reception room were all waiting, with three rooms on the other side apparently conducting interviews simultaneously. Every now and then, a voice would announce who should go to which room for an interview, and the people leaving the interviews looked either happy or distressed but were continually replaced by newcomers. A big company deserved its reputation with a never-ending stream of interviewees. Xiang Beifei had been waiting for half an hour when the pretty receptionist downstairs suddenly came over apologetically and said, ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, there has been a mistake in the notice. You are applying for the laboratory technician position; you should go to the laboratory on the seventh floor, they are waiting for you there.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t care much and stood up to head towards the seventh floor. Just as he stepped out of the staircase, he saw an old man in a white lab coat standing there, discussing something with another young man. The old man in the lab coat, hearing footsteps, looked up and glanced at Xiang Beifei, asking, ¡°Are you here to apply for the Beast Pill research technician position?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like people who are late,¡± the old man in the lab coat said sternly. ¡°The receptionist notified the wrong location; I waited on the fifth floor for half an hour,¡± Xiang Beifei responded politely. ¡°I hate liars; you better not lie to me.¡± The old man immediately took out his phone and called the reception to confirm the matter. Xiang Beifei couldn¡¯t help but be surprised, thinking how seriously this old man took the matter, needing to confirm such a trivial issue personally. Soon, the old man received a response and angrily scolded the person on the other end of the phone: ¡°You¡¯re not working diligently! Do you not realize you¡¯re wasting a lot of our time here? The time of our research department is wasted by you! If you can¡¯t handle this job, you might choose to resign, otherwise, fulfill your duties properly!¡± The old man sternly rebuked the person on the phone. ¡°Definitely not someone easy to provoke,¡± Xiang Beifei couldn¡¯t help but think. ¡°Don¡¯t be late next time,¡± the old man said to Xiang Beifei after hanging up, then turned and walked inside. ¡°If there is a next time,¡± he added. ¡°Okay.¡± Xiang Beifei followed, all the while observing the old man¡¯s system interface. [Host: Zhao Ruizhong] [SR level, Biological Modification System] [Stage: Early Orifice Transforming] This man specialized in researching various creatures; by modifying the bodies of organisms, they could be strengthened! This specifically manifested in ways such as catching a mosquito and breaking off one of its wings, which counted as a modification! Thus, normally if he plucked out one of his own hairs, cut his nails, or pulled out some fur from his pet, it all counted as modification! As long as the modified creature stayed alive, it would increase his system value! [You have lost three hairs inadvertently modifying your own body, modification value +1] Modifying organisms, simple changes hardly added much system value, like shedding hair which was merely a point, but the more complex the modification, the more system value it added, and the amounts could be substantial. [You transplanted the Flame Spray Gland from the White Flame Rabbit to the Extreme Ice Rabbit, giving the Extreme Ice Rabbit powerful ice and fire attack abilities, modification value +1821] The capabilities of Zhao Ruizhong¡¯s system to modify many desolate beasts, making them stronger, understandably made Xiang Beifei wary. Because enhancing desolate beasts, making them stronger, strictly speaking, was not a good thing! He suddenly remembered the three people from the marketing department he had met in the elevator earlier, who had been complaining about the sudden increase in strength of desolate beasts leading to fluctuations in the prices of edible-type desolate beasts; could it be related to this man? But that didn¡¯t make sense, because logically, since he was from the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company, fortifying desolate beasts should result in economic losses for his own company. ¡°Doctor Zhao is very thorough. This time it was the receptionist¡¯s fault, not yours, but be sure to be punctual next time.¡± The young man walked beside Xiang Beifei and kindly reminded him, then smiled, ¡°Of course, I hope you get hired; this lab always lacks personnel, and Doctor Zhao tends to dismiss those who do not meet the standards.¡± ¡°Does he often dismiss employees?¡± ¡°Yes, he prefers to err on the side of deficiency rather than excess. He doesn¡¯t indulge those he finds unfit,¡± the young man said, ¡°I forgot to introduce myself; my name is Liang Hao, and I¡¯m a technician in this lab.¡± [Host: Liang Hao] [SR level, Super God Gene System] [Stage: Early God Refining] This person¡¯s system also dealt closely with desolate beasts, akin to a biological modification system, where he could extract the genes of one desolate beast and transfer them to another, merging the two types of genes, making the resulting beast stronger. Liang Hao¡¯s system and Zhao Ruizhong¡¯s had a similar purpose; both involved enhancing desolate beasts through modifications. Does everyone in this lab need to research how to make desolate beasts stronger? Chapter 556 417: Rival (4000 words) It was 5:30 when it happened. Zhu Yiji suddenly froze! His Square and Round Rules failed again! "Then I''ll do it myself!" The repeated failures made Zhu Yiji furious. His aura instantly swept into an invisible slap, flying towards Xiang Beifei''s face! ¡ª¡ª "Xiaohei, we need to find someone we know to help us out, and while we''re at it, collect a debt," Xiang Beifei said. "Woof?" Xiaohei asked, puzzled. Xiang Beifei stood up, rubbed his fists, and said, "Yang Chengze." Yang Chengze was the team leader from Yanzhou University, and he was one of Zhu Yiji''s men. During the incident of Zhu Xinjue''s change of name and identity, Yang Chengze was involved as well. Under Zhu Yiji''s instructions, he used his SR-level Subtle Influence to change the minds of students who suspected that Zhu Xinjue was Zhu Pengfei. After Xiang Beifei led his team out from the Withered Woods, Yang Chengze went to question Xiang Beifei, trying to pin Zhu Xinjue''s death on him. Too bad he underestimated Xiang Beifei. But last time, Xiang Beifei wasn''t strong enough to truly influence Yang Chengze''s thoughts, only able to somewhat guide him. But now, it was different. However, Xiaohei had already charged from Professor Guo''s side, extending a paw to smash the Square and Round Rules beneath Sun Heshun''s feet! "Minister Zhu! Commander He! The two of you are going too far!" Sun Heshun had been confined at first but finally broke free and immediately called out to stop them! Zhu Yiji''s expression darkened once again! Sun Heshun had broken through his Square and Round Rules as well? However, Zhu Yiji could no longer take action! Today''s events were already unfavorable for him fundamentally. The moment he attacked anyone, it also made He Caiwei realize something. He still had a chance to prove his innocence. He had been dragged into this matter, but those words were only heard by Zhao Yong from Wu Shixuan''s mouth saying it was under his instigation. Even if Zhao Yong said so, it couldn''t directly prove that the framing was related to him! The only way he could clear himself now was to sacrifice the pawn to save the chariot! That is to say, Wu Shixuan must be kicked away! He could just say that Wu Shixuan was framing him! A hint of coldness appeared in He Caiwei''s eyes! ... The entire conference room had become tense as a drawn bow. "Everyone stop! Don''t go too far!" Zhu Yiji finally stood up and said coldly, "You three, dare to cause trouble at the school. Do you really not take me seriously?" His gaze was like an eagle''s, scrutinizing Professor Guo and the other two, particularly resting on Xiang Beifei. He hadn''t noticed how Xiang Beifei managed to appear in the classroom, which made him wary! However, at this moment, Zhu Yiji stood tall like the midday sun! He was still the strongest person here! He could still suppress these few! He quickly looked at his own system interface¡ª [Detected that Luo Yunxian is enraged. Spend uniqueness value to enhance your own defense?] "Ten million!" However, Luo Yunxian had already raised his hand, When He Caiwei''s aura hit the invisible barrier in front of Professor Guo, it was as if it had collided with a tough city wall. Around this wall, strange spiritual power circulated, dissolving and transforming all of He Caiwei''s attacks before guiding them along the same path, striking back at him! Buzz! He Caiwei was once again pushed back by Professor Guo''s counterstrike! To be precise, he was pushed back by his own momentum! "How is this possible?" He Caiwei stared hard at Professor Guo! He had always known that Professor Guo was strong, but because Professor Guo was only at the mid-stage of orifice transforming, he had never taken the SR-level Professor Guo seriously! But he had overlooked one thing. Professor Guo, with his mid-stage orifice transforming strength, didn''t have many means of attack, and his attack power wasn''t great, but he possessed the strongest defense in the alliance! This defense was the confidence he had to withstand late-stage orifice transforming martial artists with his mid-stage strength! For him, the strongest defense was to counterstrike! And He Caiwei couldn''t shake him at all! "Speak the truth! What''s the matter?" Zhu Yiji shouted. Zhao Yong slapped his head and said, "Wu Shixuan was talking to himself. He said that both Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei wanted to deal with Luo Yunxian, and that he should dispose of Professor Guo by Luo Yunxian''s side first. So, to set up Professor Guo, we would have to give false testimony! If he does well in this matter, he should be rewarded greatly... Yes! There was also a person called Zhu Yiji, like He Caiwei, who instructed Wu Shixuan to frame Professor Guo!" Zhao Yong blurted out everything he knew! With his words, the entire conference room fell silent! The twenty or so leaders from Liangzhou University all gasped in shock, feeling chilled to the bone! Zhu Yiji? Zhao Yong actually said that Zhu Yiji was involved in framing Professor Guo? Everyone knew about Zhu Yiji''s "Frankness Without Evasion" ability, Witnessed by All. Inside this black square, absolutely nobody could lie! That meant what Zhao Yong was saying right now was one hundred percent¡ªtruth! Zhu Yiji had let Zhao Yong reveal that Zhu Yiji was a perpetrator? "Mr. Ye, how is your mental defense? Can you block the influence of the UR Awakener System like Elder Luo?" Xiang Beifei asked. Many high-level System Awakeners can control lower-level systems with their own. Ye Changfeng''s strengths and talents were only above average within the alliance, but not by much. "Barely. Many people in the alliance have grievances against Elder Luo and have been trying to probe his secrets through me. Thus, I specifically followed Elder Luo in training my spiritual power. I may not reach his level, but at least I can protect myself," Ye Changfeng replied. Chapter 557 - 417: Competitor (4000 words)_2 Chapter 557: Chapter 417: Competitor (4000 words)_2 Ye Changfeng¡¯s spiritual power was extremely strong; after all, he was also a Direct Disciple of Elder Luo. Compared to Xiang Beifei, his talent might not seem like much, but in reality, he far surpassed other SRs. Many in the Alliance coveted Elder Luo¡¯s position and, naturally, they would try to target Ye Changfeng from his side. Those system abilities that forced the truth, mixed up facts, and other psychic manipulations, all fall under the category of spiritual control. That¡¯s why he practiced extremely hard on his spiritual defense, to prevent such incidents from happening. It was only after Xiang Beifei had confirmed this point that he said, ¡°This matter is actually related to me.¡± In the end, he still revealed the ins and outs of the entire matter, only omitting the details about Xiao Sheng, his grandfather, and that mountain. After listening, Ye Changfeng was tremendously shocked! ¡°Such a big issue, why are you only mentioning it now? Why didn¡¯t you tell us earlier? If you didn¡¯t tell me, you should have at least informed Elder Luo,¡± said Ye Changfeng, who looked very angry and even a bit frightened. Xiang Beifei may have made light of it, but Ye Changfeng could easily imagine how dire the situation was at that time. ¡°What does Mr. Ye think Elder Luo would do if I told him?¡± asked Xiang Beifei. Ye Changfeng was slightly startled before he finally came to a realization. ¡°I was too hasty,¡± he admitted. He understood Elder Luo¡¯s temperament well; the old man, protective of his own, would rush off to settle accounts with He Caiwei without a second word. However, the problem was that He Caiwei wouldn¡¯t have made his move without a fallback plan, and he would have cleaned his hands of the entire matter. Then it would be Elder Luo who would be at a disadvantage. Elder Luo was already excluded from the Alliance, and it wouldn¡¯t be wise for him to confront someone without evidence. Ye Changfeng furrowed his brows as he weighed the pros and cons of the situation before he sternly said, ¡°No matter what, you must not admit that you killed anyone, understand?¡± ¡°I understand.¡± An Awakener at SR level would need at least three to five years, sometimes even longer, from the beginning of the Meridian Opening phase until the entry into the God Refining phase. Awakeners at SSR level would also need around two to four years to reach the God Refining phase. The URs are the quickest, generally needing around one to two years to step into the God Refining phase without any problem. The videos that couldn¡¯t be deleted were stirred up by it, and although the Alliance had various formidable network tech Awakeners, when facing the videos set by Xiaohei, they turned out to be duds! No matter how they used system items, they couldn¡¯t get rid of the relevant footage. Then, from a corner came Elder Luo¡¯s languid voice, ¡°Otherwise, how should the conversation go? In the Martial Arts College, it¡¯s all about who has the stronger fist. Why don¡¯t you two have a fight?¡± Wei Tong turned his head to look and, only then did he realize that at some point, Elder Luo had been sitting there. His face quickly changed. Fight? What a joke! Even though he was an SSR, he would not be able to withstand even one punch from Ye Changfeng. An Xiyu on the side realized something and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve reached the late stage of Meridian Opening?¡± Professor Guo also caught on and looked at Xiang Beifei with astonishment. He knew that Xiang Beifei was very talented, but under normal circumstances, he would at most be at the mid-stage of Meridian Opening; how could he have suddenly reached this level? After pondering for a moment, Xiang Beifei shook his head, ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°So, what is your level of cultivation?¡± asked Professor Guo cautiously. ¡°Mid-stage Meridian Opening,¡± replied Xiang Beifei. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust Professor Guo; honestly, he was worried about An Xiyu. Last semester, An Xiyu followed his advice, opting to develop within the Alliance, and now she was interning within the Alliance. The Alliance had been keeping a watchful eye on him, searching for his information, so they would definitely use every means possible to find a breakthrough from the people around him; An Xiyu was clearly one of them. Of course, with An Xiyu¡¯s character, Xiang Beifei believed she wouldn¡¯t actively betray him, but after all, she was only an SR in the late stage of Meridian Opening. The moment someone like Mu Yiqing, an SSR in the late stage of God Refining, came along, it would be easy to extract information from An Xiyu without leaving a trace, despite Liangzhou University¡¯s many security measures for its students. Liangzhou University was now not purely Liangzhou University anymore, like the person managing the Martial Arts College, a practitioner of the literary Dao, who was sent by the Alliance and was keeping an eye on Xiang Beifei. His own strength had improved frightfully fast; with the Awakening System, half a year was enough to reach the early stage of Meridian Opening, and in less than a year, he had reached the late stage of Meridian Opening, far surpassing ordinary SSRs! Such a terrifying cultivation speed was even beyond what UR Awakeners could achieve! If those people knew how fast his cultivation was progressing, they would probably stop at nothing to cause him trouble. Therefore, Xiang Beifei had to keep it a secret until he broke through to the God Refining stage. Only then would he truly have the ability to protect himself and not fear people like He Caiwei¡ª And he could even take the members of the alliance, those lofty SSR and UR, by surprise and teach them a lesson! He had already spread this news, and had even made a point of demonstrating his mid-Meridian Opening strength in front of many students recently. This way, He Caiwei could feel at ease. Now He Caiwei would definitely think that it was Elder Luo who had killed those three people. He wouldn¡¯t dare act rashly. With He Caiwei and the others focusing on Elder Luo, they wouldn¡¯t pay attention to Xiang Beifei, whose cultivation was only at mid-Meridian Opening. In this way, Xiang Beifei could quietly develop his strength. Once he had sufficient cultivation, then he could burst out and join the fight. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Professor Guo could accept this level of strength, but clearly lost some interest. He actually wished that Xiang Beifei¡¯s cultivation was at the late phase of Meridian Opening. ¡°Then why did you ask about the soul?¡± Professor Guo asked again. A powerful aura on him concentrated into a sharp fierceness, silently falling upon Ma Kainian. When Ma Kainian saw Xiang Beifei, his heart trembled, frightened by Xiang Beifei¡¯s terrifying aura. Xiang Beifei was the one rumored to be able to kill a late Meridian Opening One-Armed Crab with a single punch. His presence here was no joking matter. Ma Kainian steadied himself and cursed under his breath, reminding himself that, after all, he was an official of the alliance. No matter how famous this kid was, he was just a civilian, without power or influence. If anyone should be afraid, it should be him! ¡°Xiang Beifei, such a big shot,¡± Ma Kainian said with a snide tone. Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t speak. He glanced indifferently and then walked towards Kong Daming, asking, ¡°I saw the phone message just now. What happened to my grandfather?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. He seemed to be feeling unwell, so I helped him upstairs to rest. He¡¯s upstairs now,¡± Kong Daming said. ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll go up and see him.¡± Without another word, Xiang Beifei headed for the stairs. However, Ma Kainian felt quite annoyed at being ignored! ¡°Hmph! To think you don¡¯t even have basic manners...¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± Xiang Beifei said bluntly. ¡°Yes.¡± Ma Kainian¡¯s mind went blank, and he unexpectedly found himself lying down and actually rolling away on the ground. ¡°Huh?¡± Kong Daming and Zhang Xiang were shocked to see Ma Kainian rolling away on the floor, and they were completely stunned for a moment. Ma Kainian actually... really rolled away just like that? This turn of events was completely unexpected by them. ¡°Why do we need to patrol the archives room? Who would have nothing better to do than to come here to steal? If you ask me, it probably wouldn¡¯t matter even if we didn¡¯t come for a year,¡± Zhou Guan said lazily, cradling the back of his head and following behind Sun Zhong. He was not very interested in this job and kept nagging the entire way. Once Sun Zhong reached the third floor, he patrolled past rows of rooms. [You have patrolled the N-level Personnel Review Department, patrol points +2] [You have patrolled the N-level Personnel Dispatch Department, patrol points +2] ... Sun Zhong made a point of walking around the empty room twice, then pressed a button on the wall to confirm the alarm was set before leaving the room. [You have patrolled the main archive room entrance, patrol points +5] But at that moment, Zheng Xing thought of something and quickly pulled out his phone to video call his son. Then he asked, ¡°Son, you said you¡¯ve seen Xiang Beifei before. Take a look, is this the man Xiang Beifei?¡± Chapter 558 - 418: Beast Pill Chapter 558: Chapter 418: Beast Pill The Beast Pill is the essence of a desolate beast; for instance, the Beast Pill of a thunder-type desolate beast would have the characteristics of lightning, while that of a fire-type desolate beast would have the properties of flames. In the study of Beast Pills, there has been a discussion on how to utilize the abilities contained within the Beast Pills to create various pioneering tools, also known as ¡°black technology¡± by martial arts students, to aid them in having more life-preserving capabilities during pioneering activities. However, it¡¯s quite rare to utilize Beast Pills to cultivate an adult desolate beast for combat purposes. Of course, the systems of many people are related to desolate beasts. Awakeners with something like ¡°beast-controlling systems¡± need to kill various desolate beasts and then seal them within their own systems, to summon the desolate beasts in critical moments, becoming a force for their own battles. But the issue is, this type of System Awakener only needs the Beast Pills, not the living desolate beasts. Lv Peng and the others clearly couldn¡¯t understand this, but they didn¡¯t raise any objections either. After all, this was an interview; Zhao Ruizhong had already made it clear that what they were assessing was comprehensive technical ability¡ªthey just needed to complete the tasks as required. After all, during interviews, in order to test employees¡¯ divergent thinking abilities, some companies even ask insanely ridiculous questions such as, ¡°There are only five cups of water in the office, but six leaders have arrived, how would you distribute it?¡± or ¡°There are two pairs of underwear, one dry and unwashed, one washed and not dried, which one would you wear?¡± In comparison, those in technical fields just need to honestly show their abilities, without the need for all that. After speaking, Zhao Ruizhong and Liang Hao sat down at the side and began to monitor the four individuals, observing them while looking at the computer screens. In the lab, there was a storage rack for Beast Pills, with each container holding a Beast Pill of varying colors, from solid to dual-toned to rainbow. There were densely packed options, no less than a thousand types! These Beast Pills were not labeled; which Beast Pill belonged to which desolate beast, one had to select on their own. Everyone carefully observed the rack, meticulously distinguishing the Beast Pills. Since they needed to cultivate a desolate beast for combat, they would of course need to pick the most powerful desolate beasts. Identifying Beast Pills wasn¡¯t difficult for these four, whether it was Song Xiu or Fan Yu, or even SR-level Lv Peng; they were specialists in Beast Pills and could easily recognize most of them. While looking, they quickly marked off the names of the Beast Pills on their computers. Their pens were very special¡ªthought pens, a product created by System Awakeners who specialize in thought systems. These pens were extremely expensive and required just a thought for the pen to swiftly write, much faster than writing by hand. For basic Beast Pills, it only took them a second or two to identify and label. But some Beast Pills looked identical on the outside when, in fact, they belonged to two different desolate beasts. Even those with abundant experience could make a mistake and would need to spend more time. Out of a total of 1200 Beast Pills, Lv Peng identified the Beast Pills of over 1170 desolate beasts, but there were about 30 Beast Pills that even he had never seen before. While Song Xiu and Fan Yu were also pondering, their extensive work experience was useful. They had been introduced to more Beast Pills than Lv Peng, with probably only about a dozen they couldn¡¯t fully recognize. But this made the situation more complex. ¡ª ¡°Doctor Zhao, whom do you favor among these four?¡± Liang Hao asked. Zhao Ruizhong, staring at the four individuals hovering near the cabinets, countered, ¡°What do you think?¡± After pondering for a moment, Liang Hao said, ¡°Lv Peng¡¯s ability might not be the strongest, but he¡¯s worth looking forward to. Although he just graduated from university and doesn¡¯t have much work experience, his SR-level system is enough to compensate for this deficiency.¡± Zhao Ruizhong nodded slightly, admitting that the inherent advantages of SR-level were there. Liang Hao continued, ¡°Next would be Song Xiu. Song Xiu¡¯s resume is specifically filled with interactions with Beast Pills. He should have invented a type of scientific system and has five years of work experience. His proficiency with the application of Beast Pills is beyond doubt.¡± He paused, then added, ¡°Then comes Fan Yu. From his resume, the system he awakened seems to be related to biology. He also has four years of work experience. I checked the results he had published before, and they are really good. Perhaps we should consider him too. As for this Zheng Xian¡ª¡± Liang Hao sized up Xiang Beifei, then picked up the resume for another look, and said, ¡°Although he graduated from Liangzhou University, and his academic qualifications are no problem, his grades seem very good, apparently a hardworking student. But the issue is, he has no work experience, which is a serious drawback. Compared to the first three, his system doesn¡¯t match Lv Peng¡¯s, and his experience is less than Fan Yu¡¯s and Song Xiu¡¯s, lacking competitiveness.¡± Having discussed his opinions on all four, Liang Hao added, ¡°What do you think, Doctor?¡± ¡°Work experience doesn¡¯t always represent ability,¡± Zhao Ruizhong said. ¡°Then from which aspect does the Doctor judge talent?¡± Liang Hao asked again. Zhao Ruizhong didn¡¯t respond immediately, simply watching the individuals, then said, ¡°Let¡¯s see who selects a Beast Pill first.¡± Liang Hao nodded thoughtfully. ¡ª This was a contest. A competition between three S-level and one SR-level. Xiang Beifei rested his chin on his hand, looking at the Beast Pills he had marked. When he saw a white Beast Pill, he immediately furrowed his brows! Out of the 1200 beast pills left by the desolate beasts, 1140 are from Qi-Controlling period beasts, and the remaining 60 are from Meridian Opening period beasts. However, among them, a white beast pill was extremely conspicuous! Or to be more precise¡ªonly to him, it was very familiar! Because he couldn¡¯t be more familiar with this beast pill. One-Armed Crab, old woman, Gao Zhuo, Hua Jiu Yue... They all had such a beast pill in their bodies¡¯ hearts! In the storage cabinet, there were countless white beast pills, and this particular beast pill was hidden amongst all the other beast pills. In fact, it wasn¡¯t very noticeable, and if someone¡¯s eyesight was slightly off, it might have been mistaken for a beast pill from some ice and snow class desolate beast. People like Lv Peng and the other two couldn¡¯t recognize this beast pill, or they might have directly given it to the wrong person. However, Xiang Beifei remembered the strange fluctuation of this pill clearly and would definitely not mistake it! ¡°Are all these laid out for everyone to experiment on?¡± Xiang Beifei¡¯s gaze flickered for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal. He didn¡¯t plan on taking this beast pill; strictly speaking, he also was unsure what type of desolate beast this pill came from, perhaps Zhao Ruizhong and Liang Hao knew. If he rashly chose this beast pill, Zhao Ruizhong and Liang Hao would definitely ask why, and he couldn¡¯t just say he had seen it before, right? But if he said he mistook it for another beast pill, it would also be quite embarrassing and could leave a bad impression on others later. Now that he had confirmed Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company possessed this kind of beast pill, he had to secure this position no matter what. Xiang Beifei shifted his attention away from this beast pill. If the competition was about the combat strength of the cultivated desolate beasts, normally, one would choose to cultivate a Meridian Opening period desolate beast. Cultivating a powerful Meridian Opening period desolate beast wasn¡¯t too difficult, but the ultimate goal was to have the desolate beasts fight each other, which meant Xiang Beifei couldn¡¯t enter the fray himself. So, even if his own cultivation was high, it wouldn¡¯t be of much use. The focus was on the desolate beasts. However, Xiang Beifei¡¯s last-minute cramming wasn¡¯t for nothing. Just yesterday, he had specifically looked up research papers on beast pills in the alliance periodicals. One of the papers was titled ¡°On the Cooperative Relationship Between Earth-Head Snakes and Earth Dragon Beast Pills,¡± and it was authored by Zhao Ruizhong. The Earth-Head Snake is a very peculiar desolate beast. It belongs to the Earth Attribute desolate beasts and has normal strength comparable to a mid-Meridian Opening period martial artist when operating underground. As its name implies, no matter when, it only exposes one snake head, with the rest of its body fused with the earth. As long as there is soil, it is invincible within its realm because it can instantly move to any place within the earth, and its favorite mode of attack is to suddenly appear beneath its prey¡¯s feet and bite off their legs, an attack that is hard to defend against. The way to deal with an Earth-Head Snake is quite simple: fly, or directly seal the ground¡¯s soil, forcibly changing it to concrete or steel, etc.¡ªin short, deprive it of its ability to move through soil. Its drawback is obvious, so ordinary pioneers aren¡¯t very afraid of encountering an Earth-Head Snake. Sprinkle some solidifying agent on the ground, and it can no longer move, no different from a clump of grass growing on the ground. But Zhao Ruizhong¡¯s paper proposed to use the Earth Dragon¡¯s beast pill to compensate for the Earth-Head Snake¡¯s weaknesses, making the Earth-Head Snake more perfect. The Earth Dragon is a desolate beast similar to a pangolin. It moves through soil as if it is moving through water, very fast. Its ability is to twist spatial volume, so it can disregard the obstruction of soil space. The Earth Dragon specifically counters spatial system abilities. People like Zhu Xinjue, who create system spaces to obtain combat enhancements, are simpletons in front of an Earth Dragon. But it also has shortcomings¡ªaway from soil, it dies. However, it can control soil, and during battle, it forcibly twists space, excavates a piece of the ground¡¯s soil, manipulates it, and then can directly transport itself to that chunk of soil suspended in the air. While the Earth Dragon¡¯s ability might seem formidable, it is only a Meridian Opening early phase desolate beast, and its combat prowess is nowhere near that of the Earth-Head Snake. Zhao Ruizhong¡¯s research aimed to use the Earth Dragon to make up for the Earth-Head Snake¡¯s drawbacks, applying the Earth Dragon¡¯s soil and spatial control abilities to the Earth-Head Snake. Once an Earth-Head Snake could manipulate soil and space, it wouldn¡¯t be limited to moving on the ground but could also appear in any corner of the sky, greatly enhancing its strength! Normally, research aimed at making desolate beasts stronger is not allowed by the alliance, but there is an exception¡ªif the paper is based on helping martial artists. Thus, he published his work in a section like ¡°Sealed Desolate Beast.¡± This section is especially for System Awakeners who wish to seal an Earth-Head Snake as their combat force, since they rely on desolate beasts for their combat strength, and they must make up for the beasts¡¯ drawbacks. After reading this paper, Xiang Beifei realized that Zhao Ruizhong¡¯s research also had its limitations because the Earth Dragon and Earth-Head Snake are two different types of desolate beasts. He was unable to coordinate between the two, achieving very limited success so far. ¡°It looks like if I want to get this position, I¡¯ll have to help him solve this problem.¡± Chapter 559 - 418: Cultivating Desolate Beasts (4000 words) Five-point revision. Hope everyone supports the official release, Qi Dian now allows you to collect free coins at the end of each chapter. Just watch a 15-second advertisement to get ten coins, click at the end of each chapter, and click through five free chapters for about two minutes. You can collect around fifty coins a day. I update 7000 words a day, which only requires 35 coins, so there are always some left over. These coins also provide income for the author, so supporting the official release is beneficial. Li Nanxing was also there to see the students'' grades. Such an important event naturally could not proceed without the presence of the school principal, but he unintentionally overheard the conversation here and felt compelled to speak out. "As a teacher, one should educate without discrimination and seek to discover each student''s strengths, not casually label a student. Is it appropriate for a teacher to demean someone''s child in front of their parents?" Li Nanxing rebuked. Yang Hua dared not respond, but he still felt disdain in his heart. ¡ªWhat strengths could a student like Xiang Beifei possibly have? I simply stated the truth. He will never be able to get into college. Li Nanxing turned around with an apologetic expression and said to Xiang Qingde, "I''m sorry, Professor Yang just spoke out of anxiousness while waiting for the results. It was my negligence in not managing my staff properly. I hope you don''t take it to heart." "Not at all." Xiang Qingde was somewhat flattered. He knew that Principal Li Nanxing was at least at the Meridian Opening stage, with both high cultivation and status. It was rare for someone of his stature to apologize personally. Li Nanxing said, "You are Xiang Beifei''s grandfather, right? Rest assured, I think highly of that boy. I understand his performance in this year''s college entrance exam may not have been ideal, but it''s all right. If Xiang Beifei wants to retake the year, I''ll arrange a class for him." "Really? Thank you so much, Principal." Xiang Qingde gratefully said. Li Nanxing comforted him and then commanded, "Professor Yang, aren''t you going to apologize as well?" Reluctantly, Yang Hua said, "Sorry, Old Master Xiang, I was impulsive just then." However, he scoffed internally: Forget next year, giving Xiang Beifei ten more years might still not offer him a chance to get into college! "Hope you do your best tomorrow. Don''t let the pressure get to you. Just perform to the best of your abilities, try not to overthink, and make sure to double-check your answers." Xiang Qingde gave a never-ending stream of instructions to Xiang Beifei. "Grandpa seems really nervous?" Xiang Beifei remarked. Xiang Qingde replied, "This is a significant event in your life, of course, your grandpa is nervous." He knew Xiang Beifei''s grades were poor, even very bad, and that his Awakening System was at a low level, offering little hope for the future. But since the arrival of the Awakening System two months ago, Xiang Beifei had changed, showing great diligence, which kindled some hope in him. "Slow down, you little rascal." Xiang Qingde noticed Xiaohei was almost diving into the bowl and patted Xiaohei''s head gently. Ordinarily, others could not see Xiaohei, but since he discovered the temptation of delicious food, he wanted to join the dining table, so he decided to let Xiang Qingde see him to avoid the eerie sight of meat vanishing into thin air. Xiang Beifei simply mentioned that this was brought about by his system, and Xiang Qingde, having no suspicions, agreed to let him join the table and even prepared a small bowl for him. Xiaohei smacked his lips and belched contentedly. The dinner was simple yet pleasant. Xiang Qingde still waited for Xiang Beifei to finish his meal before he started eating. Xiang Beifei also ate only half his portion, saving the other half for his grandfather. Though life was modest, it was also warm. Xiang Beifei enjoyed this way of life. Xiang Beifei said, "Using surveillance to search probably won''t work." "Why not? These glasses are high-tech, developed by our police force''s R&D center." Lu Zhiwei whispered, "The person who developed these glasses is a big shot in the tech community. Even if he uses the Invisibility System, his outline can still be captured and prominently marked, and the airflow would render the Invisibility Ability ineffective." "Have you ever wondered why, despite Lai Wuying''s long crime spree, you haven''t captured even a glimpse of him, not even his silhouette? Other criminals at least leave a visual trail, but he''s never left any trace on surveillance, has he?" Xiang Beifei commented. Hearing this, Lu Hong said, "He has strong anti-surveillance abilities, surely he knows how to evade monitoring; he must have the ability to pass through walls, which is why we can''t trace his movements or information." "But what if he isn''t deliberately hiding?" Xiang Beifei asked. Lu Hong furrowed his brow and asked, "What do you mean?" "You should know better than I do about the abilities of systems. If his system could help him remain undetected by any electronic surveillance, then it''s possible. If he has the capability to block electronic surveillance, then wearing these glasses wouldn''t help you see him, even if he walked right past you," Xiang Beifei explained. Lu Hong looked at Xiang Beifei in surprise, initially thinking the youngster was just a novice who had newly awakened his system and hadn''t even figured out his own capabilities yet. However, he hadn''t expected Xiang Beifei to consider this possibility. "Keep talking, then tell me, how do you think we should search for him?" Lu Hong asked quietl... Chapter 560 - 418 Cultivating a Desolate Beast (4000 words)_2 Chapter 560: Chapter 418 Cultivating a Desolate Beast (4000 words)_2 ¡°If his system is for blocking electronic devices, then wearing glasses would be like being blind with eyes open. So, if we use our naked eyes to compare, we can find out,¡± Beifei said while walking through the crowd. Not far behind him, a figure closely followed. That was a man wearing glasses, carrying a briefcase, and dressed in a business suit, looking like an office worker. He maintained a distance of about fifty meters from Xiang Beifei, not too close nor too far. ¡°Woof woof!¡± Xiaohei, perched on Xiang Beifei¡¯s shoulder, barked alertly. ¡°Is someone following us?¡± Xiang Beifei frowned slightly and stopped when he passed by a bus stop. There were many people at the bus stop. Xiang Beifei leaned next to a young man who possessed an [N-level Insurance Sales System], pretending to wait for the bus, and then turned his gaze backward. But the man in the suit seemed not to look at Xiang Beifei, walking past him without even glancing at him. Xiang Beifei caught a glimpse of the man¡¯s system interface. [Host: Chen Gang] [R-level, Eight-Faceted Ingenious System] [Realm: Late Qi Mastery] ¡°What is the Eight-Faceted Ingenious System?¡± Xiang Beifei was curious and was about to take a closer look at the man¡¯s system information, but the man called ¡°Chen Gang¡± had already turned the corner and disappeared. ¡°Is that guy the one following me?¡± Xiang Beifei inquired. ¡°Woof!¡± Xiaohei nodded. As Xiang Beifei was pondering what to do, at that moment, a woman in a white dress wearing high heels came walking towards him from around the corner. Normally Xiang Beifei wouldn¡¯t have paid any attention to her, as the streets were busy with people of all ages now that work was over. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he had just seen the woman¡¯s system interface¡ª [Host: Chen Gang] [R-level, Eight-Faceted Ingenious] [Realm: Late Qi Mastery] The man in the suit was called Chen Gang, so why did this woman in high heels also go by Chen Gang? And their system information was exactly the same? Something didn¡¯t seem right. Xiang Beifei¡¯s foot, just lifted, paused again. Was the man in the suit and this woman in high heels the same person? Xiang Beifei was intrigued, and this time he took a serious look at the other person¡¯s system interface. [Eight-Faceted Ingenious System: Skilled in handling affairs, operating with ease.] There wasn¡¯t much of an introduction to the system, just this sentence. However, he also saw the information interface for the Eight-Faceted Ingenious System: [You used the Ingenious Mirror to disguise yourself as a passerby, disguise duration is half an hour, remaining disguises for today: 5] This was something new! Xiang Beifei vaguely understood that this [Eight-Faceted Ingenious System] was a system for disguises. Looking at the daily tasks on the other person¡¯s interface, they could disguise themselves as ordinary people up to eight times a day. ¡°So how does this system complete tasks?¡± Xiang Beifei was very curious about these things. Surely one couldn¡¯t get stronger by just disguising oneself, right? But he quickly found out that the other person grew stronger by interacting with people and learning their problem-solving skills. This Eight-Faceted Ingenious System could even learn some of the special abilities of the people it disguised as once reaching a certain level! ¡ª ¡°This kid¡¯s got a keen nose, he almost caught on to me. Luckily, he probably thinks I¡¯ve walked far away. He¡¯d never guess I¡¯d disguise myself as a woman and come back to follow him,¡± Chen Gang thought to herself as she, now in high heels, coldly walked up to Xiang Beifei. She craned her neck, pretending to look into the distance, waiting for the bus. Xiang Beifei still leaned on the bus stop sign, gazing at it absorbedly, as if looking for a particular stop. Chen Gang¡¯s gaze fell unintentionally on Xiang Beifei and then her brows slightly furrowed. ¡°But come to think of it, why did the boss send me to investigate this kid¡¯s talent? He doesn¡¯t look like a UR-level hidden genius at all.¡± Chen Gang was puzzled. In her recollection, if there were a UR-level Awakener, the Jiuzhou Alliance would have officially sent someone to protect them long ago. How could they let such a rare gem wander around unchecked? Regardless, she needed to find a way to test this ¡°Xiang Beifei¡± kid. Chen Gang squeezed closer to Xiang Beifei, also staring at the stop, and said, ¡°Handsome young man, could you tell me how to get to Qianda Plaza by bus?¡± Xiang Beifei replied, ¡°Take the number 16 bus.¡± ¡°Oh, bus route 16!¡± Chen Gang suddenly realized. [You have conversed with Xiang Beifei, you have learned Xiang Beifei¡¯s accent, +1 to your accent material library] [Current learning progress is 1%, you need to learn another 19% to discover the other party¡¯s system talent level] Xiang Beifei was slightly surprised to see Chen Gang¡¯s system prompt. This guy is planning to probe my system talent level? Xiang Beifei became wary. This kind of ¡°Eight-Faceted Ingenious System¡± could disguise someone as another person and even temporarily mimic the other¡¯s abilities. So if the impersonation progress reached one hundred percent, would he have my ¡°Learn by Analogy¡±? Or would he have the ability to see someone else¡¯s system? ¡°Xiaohei, is this system like I imagined?¡± Xiang Beifei inquired. Xiaohei barked, ¡°No, his system is ineffective against you, it would only simply disguise itself as the image you usually present to others.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± Xiang Beifei pondered and then asked, ¡°So do I count as having participated in his system task?¡± ¡°Yes, his accent material library has recorded your accent,¡± Xiaohei said. Very well, then this guy¡¯s next task reward is included in the postage. However, Xiang Beifei needed to figure out why this guy was tracking him. At that moment, However, just then, Yang Hua angrily rebuked Xiang Beifei, ¡°Xiang Beifei, why did you wake Kong Xiuwen?¡± Xiang Beifei slightly furrowed his brow. This time, he didn¡¯t seem to have done anything wrong, did he? He merely reminded Kong Xiuwen that it was time for class. Why was he being criticized again? But Yang Hua sternly scolded, ¡°You, a class-bottom N-level Awakener, how dare you disturb an S-level system user like Kong Xiuwen? Kong Xiuwen must have been tired from doing system tasks last night, why did you go wake him?¡± Xiang Beifei was bewildered by the scolding. ¡°You, with your lousy talent, even affect others! Hopeless case!¡± Yang Hua glared fiercely at Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei remained silent, looking thoughtfully at Yang Hua¡¯s system panel. [You have criticized Xiang Beifei, +1 teacher prestige value] Kong Xiuwen seemed a bit dazed too; he had thought he was going to be punished by the head teacher to stand as before, but the head teacher, Yang Hua, was actually scolding Xiang Beifei who was kind enough to remind him? On closer look, it was a Qi-Controlling Pill! ¡°How is there another Qi-Controlling Pill?¡± Xiang Beifei was very surprised. Xiaohei deftly scratched at the pill-looking sketch in the book, which was drawn in the book, but somehow it managed to remove it. Looking grumpy, it took another Soul Condensing Pill from beside and tossed it into the book. The Soul Condensing Pill fell onto the page as if it had fallen into water, soon after, black and white energy on the page rapidly entwined and wrapped around the pill. Buzz! A strange fluctuation passed! The Soul Condensing Pill on the page actually turned into two! Xiang Beifei¡¯s eyes lit up; he understood what Xiaohei was getting at. ¡°Are you saying this book can duplicate?¡± ¡°Woof woof!¡± Xiaohei nodded. Xiang Beifei looked at the two Soul Condensing Pills with delight; although he was not yet a practitioner, he could tell that both pills were completely identical in terms of quality and aura! So the mascot had this kind of ability! ¡°Can I eat this extra Qi-Controlling Pill then?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. Compared to the Soul Condensing Pills, he felt that he needed the Qi-Controlling Pill more, as stepping into the Qi Mastery realm was key. Xiaohei nodded again. Without any hesitation, Xiang Beifei swallowed the extra Qi-Controlling Pill. A warm flow spread throughout his entire body, transforming all his meridians, as powerful strength continuously enhanced his physique, every muscle in his body seemed to firm up in an instant. Stepping into the realm of Qi Mastery was completed in just an instant. It was even easier than he had imagined. Chapter 561 - 419: Battle Between Desolate Beasts Chapter 561: Chapter 419: Battle Between Desolate Beasts As soon as the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast appeared, it immediately attracted everyone¡¯s attention! This Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast itself was equivalent to the late stage of Meridian Opening, powerful and domineering, with perfect body proportions. Explosive power radiated from every joint in its body. Its body was pitch black, covered in a layer of steel-like Scale Armor, but the six pairs of wings on its back were impeccably white. The six pairs of wings looked soft and beautiful, yet each feather on those wings was very sharp, and with just a slight flutter, they were like white blades, howling loudly, and no one dared to doubt their lethality! Additionally, there was a bell hanging around the neck of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, though it was unclear what it was for. ¡°So powerful!¡± Song Xiu and Fan Yu exchanged glances, unable to help exclaiming in awe. This desolate beast, just by standing there, emitted an immensely majestic aura, suppressing the space around it. If it really fought, it would definitely be even stronger than the combat power it displayed on the surface! But Song Xiu and Fan Yu stabilized their minds slightly, appearing extremely calm. They had already secretly agreed on a collaboration earlier. According to the normal way of nurturing desolate beasts, it would be difficult for the two of them to defeat the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, so they had already planned to join forces to deal with this Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast first, and then divide the victory or defeat between them. As for the local snake ¡°Zheng Xian¡±, they didn¡¯t even consider him at all, because local snakes had too obvious disadvantages, and were very easy to target. They had chosen powerful desolate beasts during their earlier cultivation and modification of their beasts¡¯ abilities, making it too easy to confront the local snake. At that moment, Song Xiu also opened the cage of the desolate beast he had nurtured and released it. Chiu! A crisp chirp pierced the sky, the sound as clear and melodious as a phoenix¡¯s song, resonating in everyone¡¯s ears. It was a red bird, glowing all over with red light. Its wings spanned over ten meters when spread, brilliantly dazzling. Bright red, slim feathers clung to its body, arranged neatly like rows of willow leaves, softly distributed in one direction, beautifully lined. It possessed four wings, each flutter of which caused the feathers to flicker with flames, trailing a long tail. The three tail feathers were extremely long and slightly curled, each one a different color with various patterns on them. The Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow, a desolate beast with late stage Meridian Opening strength, a fire attribute, a very strong flying desolate beast, one of the dominators of the skies in the Marquis Domain! Subsequently, Fan Yu also released the desolate beast from his cage, and a silver shadow instantly transformed into form! Roar! A sound like a deep bell spread out, heavy and muffled, rushing through the air and landing on the ground with a swift huff, without causing any earth-shattering noise. In fact, not even dust was stirred up, and its form looked very agile. Its shape was quite strange, resembling a mutated large gorilla, almost as tall as a human, only its legs were bent and thin, like bamboo sticks, seemingly breakable with a snap. However, the joints were covered in thick sinewy skin, appearing very solid. Atop the gorilla¡¯s head grew a strange red tumor, resembling a rooster¡¯s comb, and other parts of its body had various strange protrusions, covered in rough silver hair. The Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, a late stage Meridian Opening desolate beast. Compared to the powerful and domineering Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast and the bright and beautiful Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow, Fan Yu¡¯s desolate beast immediately seemed inferior, and even ugly. However, when the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape appeared, even Zhao Ruizhong¡¯s eyebrows raised slightly, because this Shadow Deficient Grey Ape seemed different from the typical ones seen normally; at least, the typical Shadow Deficient Grey Apes did not have red combs. It seemed that Fan Yu had modified it, though it was unclear to what extent the modification had enhanced its power. ¡°Doctor, what do you think of these desolate beasts that they have modified?¡± Liang Hao inquired. Zhao Ruizhong¡¯s gaze swept over the three desolate beasts, especially pausing for a moment on the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast. ¡°The modification of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast is very successful. It¡¯s powerful yet carries a subtle essence. I remember he previously chose another Beast Pill, the Remnant Smelling Bug, for nurturing. He hid the Beast Pill inside the bell around the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast¡¯s neck, it seems he thought things through very thoroughly.¡± Zhao Ruizhong couldn¡¯t help but take another look at the bell, pondering quietly to himself. Liang Hao observed the big red bird in the air and said, ¡°That said, this Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow is also quite interesting. The power it gathers is not simple at all and seems to contain very strong energy. This energy doesn¡¯t belong to the Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow but seems to belong to the Jade Fire Ruby Eye Beast Pill, especially targeting the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast.¡± Zhao Ruizhong turned his attention to the ugly Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, expressing, ¡°The Shadow Deficient Grey Ape seems to have undergone special modification too. That large red comb isn¡¯t part of the desolate beast¡¯s abilities but is a modified capability. Fan Yu¡¯s system must be cell-related.¡± Being an expert in desolate beasts, his vision in scrutinizing them was very accurate! ¡°The aura of the desolate beasts of Song Xiu and Fan Yu is clearly complementary. It looks like they intend to cultivate these kinds of desolate beasts to join forces against the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, but speaking of which...¡± Zhao Ruizhong remembered something, looked at the tablet in his hand, and then compared it with the data on the three desolate beasts, nodding slightly. ¡°Interesting.¡± Zhao Ruizhong seemed to have discovered something, appearing quite astonished. ¡°I am actually looking forward to this fight,¡± Liang Hao said. However, whether it was Zhao Ruizhong, Liang Hao, or Lv Peng, all three of them completely ignored the last desolate beast, as the local serpent posed no threat whatsoever. What they didn¡¯t see was that Xiang Beifei¡¯s desolate beast, the moment it left the cage, instantly vanished into the soil. ¡ª¡ª In the wilderness, three desolate beasts faced off against each other. They were controllable because experienced desolate beast researchers knew how to use technology to temporarily control desolate beasts. They simply needed to imprint simple commands into their minds when they were still cubs. So, strictly speaking, these three desolate beasts were under the control of Lv Peng and the others. ¡°I know what both of you are plotting,¡± said Lv Peng indifferently, looking at Fan Yu and Song Xiu. ¡°However, if your desolate beasts are only of this level, I¡¯m afraid there isn¡¯t much of a chance.¡± Song Xiu and Fan Yu exchanged glances, remained silent, but softly issued commands! Whoosh! Whoosh! The Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow and the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape had already sprung forward, forming a phantom in the air, charging from left and right towards the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast with incredible speed, causing explosive whooshing sounds! Three desolate beasts at the late stage of Meridian Opening, two against one, this was a real test of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast¡¯s stamina! Swish! The Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow flashed in the air, its feathers erupting with thin red lights, countless plume feathers like willow leaf flying daggers, breaking through the void, suddenly streaking towards the front of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast! The Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, seeing the incoming willow leaf flying daggers, did not panic but simply waved its two long white wings forward! The white wings instantly turned blue, bursts of blue ice shot out from the wings, sweeping towards those burning willow leaf flying daggers! Putt! Putt! The extreme cold and the ice collided fiercely in the air, immediately exploding, red and blue lights violently undulated, creating ripples that spread rapidly outward, shattering the grey fog that filled the sky! The Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, meanwhile, bent its legs powerfully against the ground, leaping high instantly, reaching a hundred meters into the air! Though it was the only one of the three desolate beasts that couldn¡¯t fly, it seemed at a disadvantage compared to the other two. However, its jumping ability was astonishing¡ªit could leap up to a hundred meters! The Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, now a grey shadow in the air, darted behind the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast. Its two bamboo-like legs swept out in the air like two glinting grey blades, slicing towards the back of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast! Swoosh! The second pair of wings of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast flapped, scattering flames from the wings, rolling towards the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, the hot air seeming to ignite, distorting the air. However, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape¡¯s bamboo-like legs directly split the oncoming flames in two halves, continuing to lunge forward! The Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast¡¯s black tail slashed towards the head of the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape! But the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape didn¡¯t even attempt to dodge, letting the tail hit its head¡ª Hum! The black tail slammed onto the head of the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, but it seemed to become transparent, the tail smashing right through its body without causing any harm, while the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape had already closed in on the body of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, its blade-like legs chopping down! Clang! Clang! The clash of metal rang out as the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape¡¯s legs hit the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, directly sparking a shower of sparks! The most powerful aspect of the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape lay in the fact that its weakness was not in any part of its body but was in its shadow! To harm it, one had to attack its shadow. And in battles in the air, the shadow generally falls on the ground, so as long as it jumped into the air to fight, it was unilaterally attacking! However, the defense of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast was astonishing; it was not afraid of the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape¡¯s thin yet sharp sweeping legs. When it realized this, it vibrated its six wings, instantly jumping even higher, and at that moment, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, missing its strike, immediately lost its footing and started to rapidly plummet downwards. This was a flaw of the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, when fighting flying desolate beasts. Even with its powerful jumping capability, it was at a disadvantage. If it missed its aerial attack, it would fall down, only able to launch another attack by finding another landing spot. However, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape was not fighting alone; the Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow took the opportunity when the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast¡¯s attention was all on the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, to also leap up to a higher position! Chapter 562 420 Sound Waves and Clones (4000 words) Disordered chapter, modified at 5:30. Refresh then, and those who have subscribed will not need to subscribe again. "Yu Hongbo, keep an eye on these SRs for us, we''ll go deal with him!" Hou Chengwu yelled. "Okay!" Yu Hongbo had to take care of his own people; otherwise, the SR would be directly overwhelmed by the flood. Zhu Xinjue''s eyes revealed a trace of ferocity as he produced a massive glass sphere in his hand. The flickering sphere transformed into a ghostly radiance that enveloped the void. "Let''s see where you can run to this time!" Zhu Xinjue sneered. The glass ball was a UR rank space system item that could render any form of spatial transmission ineffective. Since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman, Zhu Xinjue was worried that Xiang Beifei might escape. Soon, Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong had Xiang Beifei completely surrounded. Their powerful auras were not inferior to the flood''s, and they kept a tight gaze on Xiang Beifei. "Xiang Beifei, although I know you are strong, we now have four people. I still advise you to forfeit." He Qiutong was not aware of Zhu Xinjue''s plan; her objective, like Chen Baiwen''s, was merely to get Xiang Beifei out of the game. Xiang Beifei looked at the four people in front of him with an indifferent face. Four people, easier to deal with than five. "Exactly, we don''t want to harm you. Just drop out nicely, so you don''t get hurt," Chen Baiwen said in a deep voice. However, Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue were filled with endless murderous intent. "What are we waiting for? To get him out, we need to take him down first!" Hou Chengwu shouted. This time, facing Xiang Beifei, he had ample confidence. Although he didn''t understand how he was defeated last time on the stage, now it was four against one. In his view, Xiang Beifei was certainly a dead man this time! Hou Chengwu, grinding his teeth, said, "Today, I will make you pay the price!" That day, as an SSR, to be stuffed into a trash bin had been a total loss of face; today, he must kill Xiang Beifei! "Three against two, not too bad, it could be worse," Xiang Beifei said. "Three against two?" Zhu Xinjue scoffed, "Have we scared you to stupidity? Can''t you even count properly now? There are four of us against you!" "With President Ren being so highly esteemed and moral, he himself said, ''Names are not important, strength is what matters.'' For a senior to say such words, he must have an open and magnanimous mind; how could he fuss over trivial things like names with me? Why do your actions as President Ren''s proud disciple deviate from his philosophy?" Xiang Beifei looked at Hou Chengwu in confusion and added, "Haven''t you even learned the slightest from him?" His words were watertight, first using irony on Ren Jianghai, then promptly elevating Ren Jianghai to a high status, making it impossible for Ren Jianghai to react to Xiang Beifei''s mockery of names, and immediately and subtly disparaged Hou Chengwu. "You..." Hou Chengwu''s face turned red with anger due to Xiang Beifei. In the sky, Li Zimu stood there, watching the people below in astonishment, and said, "They actually can''t tell." The flood here was an illusion created by Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm. Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm had now reached the realm where truth and illusion were indistinct, but Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen were still SSRs, a rank higher in the system and in cultivation than him, so they shouldn''t be in such a sorry state. "Of course they can''t tell, not one of them is a System Awakener of the spiritual power type," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power had adhered to the flood created by Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm, so even though Li Zimu was only a latter stage Qi-Controlling cultivator, his created flood had the power of the Meridian Opening stage! As for the suppression by system level, with Xiang Beifei present, SSR system superiority was merely a decoration. He had specifically asked Li Zimu for help to trap these people. But after traveling a distance, a fork suddenly appeared ahead! Xiang Beifei''s shadow reappeared at the fork, but then disappeared again on this new path. "Which way should we go?" Hou Chengwu asked Chen Baiwen urgently. "I don''t know, there are no traces," Chen Baiwen shook his head. "Forget it, let''s split up into two groups, it will be faster that way," Zhu Xinjue said. "Splitting up into two groups means dispersing our strength, if we encounter Xiang Beifei, do you think we stand a chance against him?" Chen Baiwen asked. "Xiang Beifei is clearly being chased by that desolate beast. If we encounter him, how could we not have a chance?" Zhu Xinjue retorted. After discussing for a moment, they decided to split up but agreed to send a signal to the others if they encountered Xiang Beifei; if they couldn''t find anyone after half an hour, they would return to this spot to regroup. To ensure mutual trust, they decided to mix their members. Zhu Xinjue and Yu Hongbo went one way with He Qiutong, while Chen Baiwen and Hou Chengwu went another. Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen led three SRs to the left. Chen Baiwen looked preoccupied, but Hou Chengwu still warned, "Don''t forget our agreement." Xiang Beifei vaguely understood and said, "Digesting memory?" When a desolate beast consumes the brain of another desolate beast, sometimes it can assimilate the memories of that beast, meaning the experiences of that beast become known to the other. If the green-haired caterpillar was crushed by Long Guocheng, it means it saw Xiang Beifei and the others! Even if the caterpillar couldn''t understand human speech, its mind would still retain visual images! Chapter 563 - 420: Sound Waves and Cloning (4000 words) _2 Chapter 563: Chapter 420: Sound Waves and Cloning (4000 words) _2 So when they encountered the green caterpillar, what exactly did they say? Did the green caterpillar remember it all? Eating the brains of other desolate beasts to compensate for their deficiencies and to expand their knowledge, the more they consume, the higher the intelligence these types of desolate beasts will inevitably possess! Powerful desolate beasts with simple minds are not to be feared, the most terrifying are those with high intelligence! At present, the main question is what kind of impression that green caterpillar, which was squashed by Long Guocheng, had left about them. Li Zimu¡¯s stone huts had been stacked up into many compartments, everyone separated by one, with no beds, no blankets; although crude, such simplicity was the norm in the wilderness beyond the domain¡¯s bounds. When Xiang Beifei was heading back from his shift, Long Guocheng was standing with his arms crossed in front of him, leaning against the door, and asked, ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± ¡°What?¡± Xiang Beifei said. ¡°You¡¯re not an N-level Awakener, right? You¡¯re at least SR, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Is that very important to you?¡± ¡°It would make me feel a bit better,¡± Long Guocheng said reluctantly. If he lost to an SR like Li Zimu, he wouldn¡¯t feel too embarrassed, as the other¡¯s talent was no weaker than his own; both being SR, he could just win back the loss next time. But losing to an N-level Awakener left a knot in his heart. ¡°That¡¯s your own problem, and it has nothing to do with me,¡± Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t like explaining his system to others. Because he fundamentally didn¡¯t have a system. ¡°We are a team! I¡¯ve told you all about my abilities! But we don¡¯t know anything about yours! As a team, there should be mutual understanding,¡± Long Guocheng emphasized. ¡°You finally admit that you¡¯re part of a team now? I thought you always liked to show off,¡± Xiang Beifei said. Long Guocheng snorted but didn¡¯t refute this point. He did indeed like to show off; without doing so, he couldn¡¯t collect system values. ¡°If you tell me you¡¯re SR or SSR, then I can accept my defeat wholeheartedly,¡± Long Guocheng said. ¡°Do you look down on people with system levels lower than your own? What¡¯s wrong with N-level? Or R-level? Or even S-level? Aside from cultivating their power, in what ways are their character, morality, personal conduct... any worse than yours? Do they need your disdain? Do you enjoy finding a sense of superiority over those with lower system levels so much?¡± Xiang Beifei said sternly. ¡°I...¡± Long Guocheng found himself at a loss for words. He looked down on those with less talent than himself because in his view, they would never amount to much, especially the lower-level N-level Awakeners. He would only show awe to the powerful ones. But his pride was always crushed into pieces before Xiang Beifei. He hoped that Xiang Beifei¡¯s system would be at least SR-level, or even SSR; then, even if defeated by Xiang Beifei, he wouldn¡¯t feel too crushed, and he could maintain the prideful principles he had always upheld. But the one thing he couldn¡¯t accept was the fact that Xiang Beifei was an N-level! ¡°I just can¡¯t believe that N-level Awakeners have such potential, their systems are so faulty, they¡¯d only achieve so much in a lifetime, they can¡¯t possibly have such strength,¡± Long Guocheng gritted his teeth. ¡°Why can¡¯t N-level Awakeners defeat SR? How many can surpass Shang Tianxiong, who is also N-level? Someone with strength can even kill an SSR while being SR! Everyone lives in this same world, we¡¯re all human, you¡¯re not nobler than anyone else. You just had a higher starting point, that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll always be above others in the future, it¡¯s best to remain humble,¡± Xiang Beifei said. After saying this, Xiang Beifei went straight to his own compartment. ¡°Humble?¡± Long Guocheng¡¯s face alternated between shades, pondering over Xiang Beifei¡¯s words. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª At around nine in the evening, Ye Changfeng gathered everyone together, as he had obtained a schedule and a set of rules for tomorrow¡¯s competition. Elder Luo said, ¡°We need to first discuss the situation for tomorrow. Everyone must be more vigilant.¡± The rules were actually already clear to everyone. The competition for new students was divided into individual matches and team pioneering. For the individual matches, nine universities would compete in a round-robin tournament, facing each other only once, meaning each university would have to fight eight matches, for a total of thirty-six matches to be played over two days. At that time, it would be decided by the roll of a dice whether the participant from each match would be from the Meridian Opening or Qi-Controlling stage. ¡°Tomorrow¡¯s schedule, the first match, Jizhou University versus Yanzhou University. Our matches are not the first to take place, which is good. Everyone can observe the strength of the other universities first, but the second match is Qingzhou University versus Liangzhou University.¡± Ye Changfeng distributed a flyer to everyone, all of whom looked at the schedule with grave expressions. ¡°Yuchi Shen, you tell them about the current strength of each university this year,¡± said Elder Luo. Yuchi Shen glanced emotionlessly at Xiang Beifei before beginning his introduction. ¡°But there¡¯s a rule that a person can only participate in a maximum of two matches, so when the time comes, I and the other teachers will need to analyze the situation and then decide how to distribute the order of appearance and opponents for the five of you.¡± It was like the horse races of Tian Ji, yet not quite the same. In Tian Ji¡¯s horse races, there was room for strategy over three matches, but when two universities competed, it was only for one match, essentially at random. Thus, it was generally preferable for other universities to first deal with the strong students from different universities, using up their two opportunities, and then when it was their own turn, they would only have weaker students to go against. Take Qingzhou University and Liangzhou University, for example. Qingzhou University has two SSRs this year, and each person can participate in two matches, meaning the two SSRs could at most compete in four matches. Therefore, Ye Changfeng hoped that Qingzhou University would use their two SSRs¡¯ four opportunities to confront the other seven universities, and by the time they faced themselves, those opportunities would be exhausted, leaving only SRs to compete, thereby increasing their own chances of winning. However, all were elite universities, and the teachers in charge of the teams certainly understood this principle, so the distribution of who would appear in the matches became a game of psychological tactics. Before actually stepping onto the field, no one could know whether the opponent would send their strong or weak students. ¡°You should all be clear by now. This year, our university doesn¡¯t have an SSR, which means our strength is a notch below the other universities. In individual matches, it will be hard for you to gain the upper hand,¡± Yuchi Shen said, his gaze fixed on Xiang Beifei. ¡°Apart from Qingzhou University, Yanzhou University, and Jizhou University, the other schools also only have one SSR, which is just one in the Meridian Opening stage. We don¡¯t need to worry too much; after all, we have Student Xiang Beifei,¡± Xi Keyao said timidly from the side. ¡°The situation is not that simple,¡± said Elder Luo. ¡°In individual matches, you¡¯ll fight eight rounds, and each round is worth one point. The total points are very important. But have you considered that for the sake of securing a higher total point score, the other universities will surely devise ways to secure a guaranteed point? And from whom that almost certain point will come?¡± Long Guocheng and the others understood immediately: ¡°From us, Liangzhou University?¡± All eight other universities shared a common understanding: Liangzhou University had no SSRs this year, meaning no students in the Meridian Opening stage. So, to ensure the easy point, they would certainly send out their Meridian Opening stage SSRs to face Liangzhou University! Because if an SSR faced another university, sometimes they would encounter an opponent who was also an SSR, both in the Meridian Opening stage, and one was bound to lose. If it ended up being a loss for them, it wouldn¡¯t be worth it. But now, other universities believed that all Liangzhou University students were only at the late stage of Qi-Controlling, so sending a Meridian Opening SSR to face the Qi-Controlling-only Liangzhou University was almost a sure victory. Everyone wanted to pick on the weakest link first and clinch the easy point! ¡°Exactly, the opponents we¡¯ll be facing in each match might all be SSRs in the Meridian Opening stage!¡± Elder Luo said meaningfully. ¡°This...¡± Everyone¡¯s expressions grew even more solemn. Elder Luo said, ¡°Right, now how to distribute the players for the matches and how to break this situation is something the five of you need to discuss on your own.¡± ¡°Really, why make a simple competition for new students so complex?¡± Ma Ziqian grumbled to one side. For these martial artists, the simplest solution would be to charge headfirst into a direct confrontation¡ªsaving time and effort. ¡°Because this is also a tactic.¡± Chapter 564 - 421: Means Chapter 564: Chapter 421: Means The Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast¡¯s wings were immensely huge, and when it flapped them, it was like whipping up a hurricane, scratching icy crystals out of the grassy ground. It possessed tremendous elemental control abilities, instantly freezing the ground with a thick layer of ice amidst the interplay of ice and fire, forcing the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape to leap high to avoid it! But as the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape leaped, its shadow appeared on the ice, and at that moment, another Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast swiftly landed, flying low, its massive paws striking towards the shadow of the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape! Its target was the shadow¡¯s head! If it hit the head, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape would definitely not survive! However, at that moment, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape suddenly disappeared in mid-air, along with its shadow! Gone! Everyone was slightly startled! Immediately following, an aura reappeared, and when the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape re-emerged, it didn¡¯t attack the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, but instead leapt towards the gasping Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow! Its figure was incredibly fast, in mere moments, it was beside the Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow, its sharp foot lifted and directly tore open the heart of the Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow, revealing a bright red Beast Pill! The red crest atop the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape¡¯s head quickly swelled into a bulge, split open, and swallowed the Beast Pill! Swish! A foreign aura suddenly engulfed the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape and following that, it emitted a fierce roar, the echoes thundering, and in the blink of an eye, it translocated from the ground to atop one of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beasts! Nobody knew how the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape managed to appear above the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, not even the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast itself realized. But after devouring the Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow¡¯s Beast Pill, the aura on the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape distinctly leveled up! Not only that, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape seemed to have acquired the abilities of the Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow; with just one roar, the waves rolled out, and it translocated onto the back of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, this terrifying mode of movement astonishing everyone! At the same time, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape¡¯s blade-like legs suddenly slid dramatically, chopping off the wings of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast at once! Roar! This Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast emitted a sharp roar, with two wings on its left side chopped off, its asymmetric wings could no longer support its massive body, which started to wobble and spiral downwards like a headless fly. But the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape was still on its back, it emitted a sound wave again, its legs below sharp as blades once more scraped, the right leg, sharp as a dagger, slicing right into the center of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast¡¯s forehead! This cloned Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast immediately stiffened up! Gurgle gurgle! The red crest atop the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape¡¯s head once again blossomed like a bud, its tendrils spreading like petals, directly devouring the massive Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, then the red tendrils closed back up! ¡°How could this happen?¡± Even SR-grade Lv Peng¡¯s face changed! ¡°This...¡± Zhao Ruizhong and Liang Hao were also quite astonished! Even they seemed not to have anticipated such a development. Initially in the battle, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape and the Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow were suppressing the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast in combat, with the Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow taking the lead and the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape just using its desperate abilities to draw the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast¡¯s attention. It was more like cannon fodder meant to attract firepower. But with the assistance of the Healing Insect, which possesses strong healing abilities, the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast quickly adjusted, and by cloning, managed to beat the Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow into a critical state. It was assumed that after losing the powerful leading player, the Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape wouldn¡¯t be able to combat the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast anymore, but unexpectedly, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape went on to devour the Beast Pill of the Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow! And an aberration occurred, devouring the creature and acquiring its sound wave movement ability! They all knew, this definitely wasn¡¯t an ability inherently possessed by the real Shadow Deficient Grey Ape! Both turned their eyes almost simultaneously toward Fan Yu, who had been quietly unspoken all this time, ¡°The ability to clone is indeed formidable, but I can guess what the disadvantage of a cloned desolate beast is.¡± Finally, Fan Yu spoke, his voice proud, and within that pride was a trace of cunning. Beside him, Liang Hao rested his chin in his hand, his gaze intensifying, ¡°The strength gets distributed.¡± ¡°Exactly, there¡¯s only one desolate beast, but you used this one beast to clone another, effectively splitting the strength of this desolate beast in two. Now you have no advantage,¡± Fan Yu stared at Lv Peng, chuckled softly. In the beginning, the attacks of the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape weren¡¯t too severe, its legs could only scrape sparks off the body of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, unable to breach its defenses. But when the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast was cloned into two, its defenses suddenly weakened! The Shadow Deficient Grey Ape was then able to breach the skin of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast! Zhao Ruizhong frowned, saying, ¡°Not only that, but you initially didn¡¯t seem to let the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape give it its all.¡± Fan Yu¡¯s gaze faltered slightly. When Zhao Ruizhong pointed this out, Song Xiu suddenly realized what was happening and instantly became extremely angry, ¡°Fan Yu, so you had been targeting my Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow from the start!¡± We agreed to collaborate against the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast and then determine the winner, but obviously, Fan Yu had held back. Under his command, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape was only feinting at attacking; in reality, it was waiting for the Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow to be defeated by the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, so it could then devour the Beast Pill of the sparrow! ¡°I was merely making rational use of limited resources, fully leveraging the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape¡¯s strengths,¡± Fan Yu smiled cunningly. ¡°Despicable!¡± Song Xiu realized he had been tricked and was furious with embarrassment. ¡°Our study of desolate beasts is naturally for the purpose of transforming and controlling them, perfectly harnessing their abilities. I was only enhancing the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape¡¯s strength, which is also a part of its transformation. I can only say you¡¯re too naive,¡± Fan Yu said. Fan Yu had already prepared excuses for his actions. He knew that on his own, the chances of standing out in this audition were not great, but he was naturally a clever person, understanding how to utilize others to achieve his goals. So on the surface, he was collaborating with Song Xiu, but in reality, he was only using him. At this point, Song Xiu¡¯s anger was futile, as his own cultivated desolate beast had been annihilated. He essentially lost his competitiveness in this audition. Zhao Ruizhong asked, ¡°The large red crown that has appeared on the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, is that due to your system ability?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Fan Yu nodded, admitting it without offering a detailed explanation. Actually, his system was called the ¡°Cell World System,¡± which gained strength by modifying cells. If he had a Beast Pill, he could use it as a cell nucleus to transform a ¡°cell¡± into a ¡°rough cell,¡± quickly endowing it with the capabilities of that Beast Pill. He used his system ability to modify the cells atop the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape¡¯s head, granting it powerful devouring and assimilative abilities. But he was also aware of one thing¡ªall the attendees knew the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape¡¯s weakness lay in its shadow! Therefore, he chose a Beast Pill from the Invisible Beast, using it to ¡°Now, say goodbye to your desolate beast!¡± Fan Yu snapped his fingers! Roar! Rolling sound waves once again swept across the wilderness, with the remaining Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast unable to hide, caught in the midst of the sonic wave. Before it could react, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape had already appeared at the bell of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, removing it along with the Healing Insect enclosed. With the loss of the Healing Insect¡¯s treatment, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape thrust its sharp foot forward and directly severed the head of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast. Then, with a flash of its shadow, it also devoured the Beast Pill! Boom! The body of the Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, as large as a hill, smashed into the ground, trembling once more. ¡°Although you are an SR level Awakener and I can¡¯t compete against you one-on-one, when it comes to the combat power of transformed desolate beasts, you have much to learn,¡± Fan Yu said, glancing at Lv Peng with a smug tone. Honestly, he had managed to overcome the strong despite being weaker, although using tactics that were not exactly honorable. However, he hadn¡¯t broken any rules of the audition since everything had been achieved during the battle, constituting a kind of strategy. An S-level System Awakener, using his transformed desolate beast to defeat an SR-level Awakener¡¯s transformed beast, added a significant accolade to his resume for the future. Lv Peng¡¯s face had turned ashen! Having just graduated from college, he had thought that with his SR-level system, he could easily handle any requirements during the interview. But he was still too young. He was the pride of his school, capable of surpassing his peers, with a certain arrogance believing he was invincible, but once he stepped out of university, lacking real-world experience, he stumbled here! ¡°Doctor, there should be no doubt about who the winner of this contest is, right?¡± Fan Yu asked. But Song Xiu shouted, ¡°Doctor, does your company really plan to hire such a cunning person?¡± Fan Yu proudly said, ¡°You still don¡¯t understand. I am just...¡± But before he could finish¡ª Bang! The previously arrogant Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, which had been dominating the skies, was suddenly slammed to the ground, creating a massive crater! Fan Yu froze, abruptly turning to look towards the wilderness! On the ground, a yellow serpent, as straight as a piece of dry grass, two meters long, stood there, hissing, its eyes coldly staring at the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape it had blasted into the crater. ¡°Excuse me, may I start now?¡± Xiang Beifei politely asked. Chapter 565 - 422: Invincible Skinny Bamboo Pole (4000 words) 5:30 a.m. update. Refresh to see, subscribers will not be asked to subscribe again. When Zhu Xinjue changed his name and surname, Yang Chengze also got involved under Zhu Yiji''s instructions, using his SR-rated Subtle Influence to change the minds of some students who suspected Zhu Xinjue was Zhu Pengfei. After Xiang Beifei led his team out of the Withered Forest, Yang Chengze pursued him, intending to pin Zhu Xinjue''s death on Xiang Beifei as well. Unfortunately for him, he still underestimated Xiang Beifei. But last time, Xiang Beifei''s strength wasn''t enough to really influence Yang Chengze''s thoughts and could only slightly guide him, but now it was different. However, Xiaohei had already charged out from Professor Guo''s feet, extending its small claws, and shattered the Square and Round Rules beneath Sun Heshun''s feet! "Minister Zhu! Commander He! You two have gone too far!" Sun Heshun, initially restrained, finally broke free and immediately cried out to stop them. Zhu Yiji''s expression darkened once again! Sun Heshun had also broken through his own Square and Round Rules? Yet Zhu Yiji could no longer take action! The matter of today, he was already on shaky ground, and once he acted against anyone, it also made He Caiwei realize something. He still had a chance to prove his innocence. He was dragged into this matter, but those words were only heard by Zhao Yong from Wu Shixuan claiming He Caiwei instigated it; even if Zhao Yong said it, it couldn''t directly prove that the setup had anything to do with him! The only way to clear his own name now was to sacrifice the pawn to save the chariot! That is to say, Wu Shixuan must be kicked aside! He just has to say that Wu Shixuan is framing him! A hint of coldness appeared in He Caiwei''s eyes! ... The entire conference room had become a place of drawn swords and tense bows. "Everyone stop! Don''t be so presumptuous!" Zhu Yiji finally stood up, voicing a cold command, "You three, dare to cause trouble in the school, do you really not take me seriously?" His gaze, like an eagle''s, fixed on the three of them, especially lingering on Xiang Beifei. Even he had not noticed how Xiang Beifei had appeared in the classroom, which made him apprehensive! But at this moment, Zhu Yiji alone stood tall with an aura like the midday sun! He was still the most powerful person here! He could still suppress these few people! He quickly glanced at his system interface¡ª [Luo Yunxian has been detected to be angry, would you like to spend uniqueness value to enhance your defenses?] "Ten million!" However, Luo Yunxian had already raised his hand, When He Caiwei''s momentum hit the invisible barrier in front of Professor Guo, it was like slamming into a firm city wall, with strange Spiritual Power circulating all around it, completely neutralizing and transforming He Caiwei''s attack, and then redirected it back along the same path¡ªthe attack recoiled on its initiator! Whoom! He Caiwei was once again repelled by Professor Guo''s counter! To be precise, he was repelled by his own momentum! "How can this be?" He Caiwei stared intensely at Professor Guo! In the past, he only knew that Professor Guo was strong, but because Professor Guo only had a mid-stage orifice transforming strength, he never took the SR-rated Professor Guo seriously! But he had overlooked one thing. Professor Guo, with his mid-stage orifice transforming strength, might not have many attack methods, nor great attack power, but he possessed the strongest defense in the alliance! This defense, was his confidence to withstand a late-stage orifice transforming martial artist! For him, the strongest defense, was the counterattack! And He Caiwei, simply couldn''t shake him! "What''s going on? Tell me the truth!" Zhu Yiji demanded. Zhao Yong slapped his forehead and said, "Wu Shixuan was muttering to himself at that time, he said that Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei both wanted to deal with Luo Yunxian, and he needed to take care of Professor Guo, who was close to Luo Yunxian. So, framing Professor Guo would require our false testimony! If he does this well, there should be great appreciation for him...right! There''s another person named Zhu Yiji, just like He Caiwei, also instructing Wu Shixuan to frame Professor Guo!" Zhao Yong blurted it all out in one go! As his words came out, the whole meeting room fell silent! The twenty plus leaders of Liangzhou University in attendance were all inhaling sharply, feeling the chill! Zhu Yiji? Zhao Yong was saying that Zhu Yiji was also involved in the framing of Professor Guo? It is known that Zhu Yiji''s "Frankness Without Evasion" ability is Witnessed by All; in this black square, absolutely no one lies! This means, what Zhao Yong is saying now, is one hundred percent¡ªthe truth! Zhu Yiji allowed Zhao Yong to reveal that he was also one of the culprits? "Mr. Ye, how about your psychic defense? Can you block the influence of the UR Awakener System like Elder Luo?" Xiang Beifei asked. Many high-level System Awakeners can control lower-level systems with their own system. Ye Changfeng''s strength and talent were considered slightly above average in the alliance, but not a significant advantage. "Barely. Many people in the alliance have grievances against Elder Luo and try to probe his secrets through me, so I have specially trained my spiritual power with Elder Luo. While I may not reach his level, at least I can protect myself." Ye Changfeng''s spiritual power was extremely strong; after all, he was Elder Luo''s Direct Disciple. His talent might seem insignificant compared to Xiang Beifei, but in fact, he far surpassed the other SRs. Given the envy the alliance harbored toward Elder Luo, many naturally attempted to target Ye Changfeng. Abilities that forced truth-telling or confused facts were types of psychic manipulations, and therefore he trained fiercely in defending against such psychic abilities to prevent those situations from occurring. Chapter 566 - 422 Chapter Invincible Skinny Bamboo Pole (4000 words)_2 Chapter 566: 422 Chapter Invincible Skinny Bamboo Pole (4000 words)_2 Xiang Beifei was certain of this before he said, ¡°This matter is actually related to me.¡± He eventually told the whole story, only omitting the details about Xiao Sheng, his grandfather, and the mountain. Ye Changfeng was extremely shocked after hearing it! ¡°Such a big issue, why are you only speaking up now? Why didn¡¯t you tell us earlier? If not me, you should at least have informed Elder Luo,¡± Ye Changfeng said, looking very angry and even a bit terrified. Although Xiang Beifei described it casually, Ye Changfeng could imagine how serious the situation was at that time. ¡°Mr. Ye, what do you think Elder Luo would do if I told him?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. Ye Changfeng was taken aback for a moment before finally coming to his senses. ¡°I was too hasty,¡± he said. He knew Elder Luo¡¯s temperament all too well; the old man who was protective of his own would go straight to He Caiwei for a reckoning without a second thought. However, if He Caiwei dared to do such a thing, he would naturally have a contingency plan, and he would manage to completely extricate himself from the situation. In the end, it would be Elder Luo who seemed to be in the wrong. Elder Luo was already being marginalized by the alliance, and confronting someone without evidence was unwise. Ye Changfeng frowned, weighing the pros and cons of the entire matter, and then said sternly, ¡°No matter what, you are not to admit that you killed anyone, understand?¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Awakeners of rank SR, from stepping into the Meridian Opening phase to consolidating their soul and stepping into the God Refining phase, would need at least three to five years, or even longer. Awakeners of SSR rank would need about two to four years to reach the God Refining phase. UR rank is the fastest, basically one to two years, stepping into the God Refining phase is no problem. The indestructible video was all its doing; there were all sorts of skilled network technology awakeners within the alliance, yet when faced with the video settings Xiaohei had put in place, they became powerless! No matter how they used system items, they couldn¡¯t delete the related videos. At that moment, a lazy voice from the corner emerged, ¡°Otherwise, how should one speak? The Martial Arts College always speaks with fists, why don¡¯t you two have a fight?¡± Wei Tong turned his head and realized that, unbeknownst to him, Elder Luo had been sitting there, and his expression quickly changed. A fight? What a joke! Although he was an SSR, he couldn¡¯t block Ye Changfeng¡¯s punch. An Xiyu, on the other hand, realized something and spoke up, ¡°You¡¯ve reached the late stage of Meridian Opening?¡± Professor Guo also reacted, looking at Xiang Beifei in astonishment. He knew that Xiang Beifei had great talent, but normally by now, he should have at best the strength of mid-Meridian Opening phase. How could he suddenly have reached this level? After pondering for a moment, Xiang Beifei shook his head, ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°So your cultivation level is?¡± Professor Guo asked cautiously. ¡°Mid-Meridian Opening phase,¡± said Xiang Beifei. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust Professor Guo. To be honest, he was worried about An Xiyu. An Xiyu had taken his advice last semester and chosen to develop within the alliance. She was now interning there. The alliance had always been watching him, searching for his information, so they would definitely use all means to find a breakthrough from the people around him, and An Xiyu was obviously one of them. Of course, with An Xiyu¡¯s character, Xiang Beifei believed she would not betray him actively. However, she was just an SR who had reached the late stage of Meridian Opening. If someone like Mu Yiqing, an SSR in the late stage of God Refining, came along, it would be quite easy to silently extract information from An Xiyu¡¯s mouth, even if Liangzhou University had many confidentiality measures for students. Liangzhou University was no longer purely its own entity. For example, the person managing the Martial Arts College from the literary Dao sector was a delegate from the alliance, all watching over Xiang Beifei. His own strength had already increased rapidly; in half a year with the Awakening System, he reached the early stage of Meridian Opening. Within less than a year, he had reached the late stage of Meridian Opening, far surpassing ordinary SSRs! Such a terrifying speed of cultivation, even UR rank awakeners could not achieve! If those people knew about his swift cultivation progress, they would probably go to great lengths to trouble him. Therefore, Xiang Beifei had to keep it a secret until he broke through to the God Refining phase. At that time, he would truly have the ability to protect himself, unafraid of people like He Caiwei¡ª And he would also be able to give the lofty SSR and UR members from the alliance a surprise lesson! He had already spread the news, and even made a point of demonstrating his mid-Meridian Opening strength in front of many students some time ago, so as to put He Caiwei at ease. He Caiwei would definitely think that it was Elder Luo who had killed those three people, so he wouldn¡¯t dare to act rashly. He Caiwei and his people focused their attention on Elder Luo, which meant that they would not pay attention to Xiang Beifei, whose cultivation was only at the mid stage of Meridian Opening. In this way, Xiang Beifei could quietly develop. Once he had gained enough cultivation, he would be able to break out and fight in group battles. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Professor Guo could still accept this level of strength, but it obviously somewhat dampened his interest; he actually hoped that Xiang Beifei¡¯s cultivation was in the late stage of Meridian Opening. ¡°Then why did you inquire about the soul?¡± Professor Guo asked again. A powerful aura emanated from him, condensing into a sharp and potent qi that silently descended upon Ma Kainian. When Ma Kainian saw Xiang Beifei, his heart trembled, and the terrifying aura of Xiang Beifei startled him. After all, Xiang Beifei was rumored to be the man who could kill a late Meridian Opening stage One-Armed Crab with one punch; his presence here was no joke. Ma Kainian steadied himself and cursed silently; he was an official of the alliance, and despite the young man¡¯s fame, he was still a mere commoner with no power or influence. If anyone should be afraid, it was him! ¡°Xiang Beifei, quite the big shot,¡± Ma Kainian said sarcastically. Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t bother to respond and, with an indifferent glance, walked over to Kong Daming and asked, ¡°I just saw the phone message; what happened to my grandfather?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, he seemed to be feeling unwell just now, so I assisted him up the stairs to rest, and now he¡¯s upstairs,¡± Kong Daming replied. ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll go up and see him.¡± Without another word, Xiang Beifei headed for the stairs. However, Ma Kainian, seeing himself being ignored, was quite angered. ¡°Hmph! Not even the common courtesy until now...¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± Xiang Beifei said directly. ¡°Yes.¡± Ma Kainian¡¯s mind went blank as he involuntarily lay down and actually rolled away on the ground. ¡°Huh?¡± Kong Daming and Zhang Xiang watched in shock as Ma Kainian rolled away on the ground, both completely stupefied at the moment. Ma Kainian had actually... just rolled away like that? The turn of events had caught them all by surprise. ¡°Why do we need to patrol the archives room? Who would bother to come to the Archives Bureau to steal anything for no reason? I say, even if we didn¡¯t come for a year, it probably wouldn¡¯t matter.¡± Zhou Guan lazily held the back of his head and followed behind Sun Zhong. He was not very interested in this work and grumbled continuously along the way. Sun Zhong walked to the third floor, patrolling past row after row of rooms. [You patrolled the N-level Personnel Review Department, patrol points +2] [You patrolled the N-level Personnel Dispatch Department, patrol points +2] ... Sun Zhong made a couple of rounds in the empty room, pressed a button on the wall to confirm the alarm system was working correctly, then left the room. [You patrolled the General Archives entrance, patrol points +5] But just then, Zheng Xing thought of something, pulled out his phone, and video called his son, then asked, ¡°Son, you said you¡¯ve seen Xiang Beifei before, have a look, is this person Xiang Beifei?¡± During the initial orientation competition, although the students from the elite schools had not attended, the event had been broadcast live, and anyone with working eyes could recognize him. Though Zheng Xing¡¯s son was from Jizhou University, he had seen Xiang Beifei and, upon sighting him for an instant, he excitedly said, ¡°It¡¯s him! It¡¯s really him! The genius who trampled the Qingzhou University SSR under his feet! Dad, you actually met him? Oh my god!¡± That was the legendary genius! ¡°You really are that Xiang Beifei!¡± Zheng Xing was also stunned. His son had talked to him about the freshman competition before going back home for the vacation. Chapter 567 - 423: Erha鈥檚 Hyperspace Variable Chapter 567: Chapter 423: Erha¡¯s Hyperspace Variable ¡°This is impossible, impossible...¡± Fan Yu could not accept what had just happened. As an S-Class warrior, using some strategies with the help of the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, he had forcibly defeated Lv Peng¡¯s modified Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, which was an SR-Class. This was an instance of triumphing over strength with weakness, something he could boast about for a lifetime. Yet, in the blink of an eye, his own desolate beast had been devoured by an inexplicable local snake! He looked at Xiang Beifei in disbelief, unable to comprehend how this person had managed to raise such a terrifying giant snake. But the reality was right before his eyes, and his reluctance to accept it was futile! On the other side, Song Xiu turned her head, her face full of surprise, and asked, ¡°Why could the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape be killed by the local snake even though it was invisible?¡± ¡°The weakness of the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape is not its literal shadow, but rather something akin to soul power. To maintain its combat effectiveness, it must always be attached to a tangible object. It doesn¡¯t matter whether its body is invisible or whether it has a shadow, you just need to tear at the position where it sinks.¡± Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t keep it to himself, explaining the weakness of the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape with great pleasure. Everyone was a martial artist fighting against desolate beasts, so it was beneficial to enlighten them on their blind spots in knowledge. The body of the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape was invincible in combat with other desolate beasts, always unharmed, because its body had no soul, having detached its soul. Therefore, it mattered not how its body was attacked. However, the soul needs a physical object to reside in¡ªearth, leaves... these were all things that could temporarily store a soul. Normally, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape just habitually used its shadow as a marker for where to store its soul, but in reality, even in darkness where no shadow is cast, its soul still falls right beneath its feet, not disappearing. Typically, desolate beasts, not being as intelligent as martial artists, encountering a Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, wouldn¡¯t know to attack its shadow, so the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape had strong combat power among desolate beasts. But for martial artists, it was simple. Even if they didn¡¯t understand the complexity of the soul, attacking its shadow was still the right approach. ¡ª- The battle among the desolate beasts had concluded, and the one standing in the wilderness was that skinny local snake, skinny as a bamboo pole! At this point, even Lv Peng, an SR-Class, had nothing to say. Zhao Ruizhong suppressed the excitement in his heart, he had already dashed out, coming before the local snake, and observed it as if it were a piece of art, admiring it in amazement. The local snake coldly watched Zhao Ruizhong, sandstorms erupting around it as it rushed towards him. However, with a simple raise of his hand, Zhao Ruizhong plucked it from the air. He was a genuine orifice-transforming phase martial artist, and in the face of absolute power, it stood no chance of resisting. Yet Zhao Ruizhong still carefully stuffed that local snake into a glass incubator, fearful of harming it. Zhao Ruizhong suppressed the excitement in his heart, packed up the local snake, took everyone out of the simulation room, then said to Lv Peng and the others, ¡°That¡¯s it for today¡¯s interview. You can go back and wait for the news.¡± But in reality, all three of them understood what Zhao Ruizhong¡¯s words meant; going back to wait for news meant that there would be no further news. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but take another look at ¡°Zheng Xian,¡± resignedly hanging their heads in dejection as they left. Xiang Beifei was also planning to leave, but Zhao Ruizhong stopped him, saying, ¡°Could you please wait a moment?¡± ¡°Oh, sure,¡± Xiang Beifei said. Zhao Ruizhong shut the door of the laboratory, then took out a glass incubator. The local snake inside was ceaselessly thrashing about in the dirt, trying to escape from the constraints of the incubator, but alas, Zhao Ruizhong¡¯s power was far greater. Unable to help himself, he crouched down and scrutinized the local snake from head to toe, as if appraising a rare treasure, his eyes bursting with uncontrollable excitement! At the start, when Xiang Beifei had opted to cultivate the local snake and the Earth Dragon, Zhao Ruizhong had disapproved of Xiang Beifei¡¯s choice, thinking of him as just an arrogant young man. However, he now realized he had almost misjudged! This young man truly had the capability! The local snake before him was proof enough! ¡°Perfect! Absolutely perfect! Did you merge the Beast Pills of the local snake with the Earth Dragon?¡± Zhao Ruizhong couldn¡¯t help asking. ¡°Yes, I had read Doctor Zhao¡¯s research paper on the local snake and Earth Dragon in the last alliance seminar. Doctor Zhao¡¯s research was very enlightening, so I gave it a try,¡± Xiang Beifei said. ¡°You should know that was only theoretical research!¡± Zhao Ruizhong wiped the sweat from his forehead in excitement, his eyes intensely fixed on Xiang Beifei, and said, ¡°I proposed this idea, but no matter what I did, I wasn¡¯t able to prove this theory experimentally, I just couldn¡¯t merge the Earth Dragon¡¯s abilities onto the local snake due to their rejection of each other, how exactly did you manage it?¡± Zhao Ruizhong was incredibly excited, this matter was very important to him! Xiang Beifei said, ¡°Actually, the reason Dr. Zhao¡¯s theory couldn¡¯t be realized was that it was impossible to obtain the appropriate Earth Dragon horn. It had to be removed at the very moment it gained power to avoid rejection by the local snake. With such a horn, transplanting it onto the local snake would be very simple.¡± ¡°Exactly! The Earth Dragon has the ability to distort space, which inevitably affects the space in the petri dish. Moreover, it¡¯s impossible to find a horn of the right degree in a normal wild environment¡ªthat¡¯s why my theory couldn¡¯t be realized!¡± As an early-stage SR in orifice transforming, Zhao Ruizhong was well aware of where his theory fell short. He then asked anxiously, ¡°You just relied on an incubator, how did you manage it?¡± ¡°I was able to monitor the process, um¡ªthanks to my system abilities, the moment the petri dish was affected, I could sense it. My system ability is quite unique in this regard.¡± Xiang Beifei attributed all unexplainable things to the system. However, Zhao Ruizhong was utterly astonished, ¡°Your system? Your system can actually do that? The incubator is UR-level, and it would be influenced by the Earth Dragon, how could you possibly¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t use my system to measure directly. It was done indirectly through calculations. I am especially good at spatial fusion calculations. By recording all the conditions of the entire local snake and then combining it with its physical qualities, I can calculate the developmental extent needed for the Earth Dragon¡¯s horn. Then, combining a spacetime variable that my own system provides based on time and spatial coordinates¡ªI call this value ¡®Erha¡¯s Hyperspace Variable,¡¯ and it changes all the time...¡± Xiang Beifei spouted a bunch of technical jargon, none of which was true. Since Zhao Ruizhong couldn¡¯t see his described system, Xiang could say whatever he wanted. He clearly stated that it was his system¡¯s calculations, so Zhao Ruizhong could not fully verify the entire calculation process. After a spate of nonsense, Zhao Ruizhong was completely taken in by him! At that moment, Zhao Ruizhong¡¯s face showed tremendous astonishment! Although he didn¡¯t understand what ¡°Erha¡¯s Hyperspace Variable¡± meant, it seemed... incredibly impressive? Prestigiousness beyond comprehension! ¡°So this is actually your system ability...¡± Even though he was an experienced biological Desolate Beast researcher, unique in the field of biological transformation, with various authoritative research throughout Jiuzhou, and even many of his studies had been included in textbooks, yet¡ª Zhao Ruizhong found no reason to question it! If it had been before, hearing Xiang Beifei spout so much nonsense and come up with something like an ¡°Erha¡¯s Hyperspace Variable,¡± he would have unhesitatingly cursed, ¡°Nonsense! Full of hot air!¡± But the man had perfectly combined the local snake with the Earth Dragon, even allowing the local snake¡¯s formidable strength to be perfectly exhibited, turning his theoretical research into reality! This was no longer mere nonsense! This so-called ¡°Erha¡¯s Hyperspace Variable¡± must definitely exist! This ¡°Zheng Xian¡± is genuinely skilled! As an early-stage SR-level researcher himself, familiar with the abilities of systems, he knew well that everyone in this world has various unique systems, and systems differ from person to person, with the most bizarre system abilities existing without doubt. If Xiang Beifei¡¯s system specialized in this type of calculation, even an SR-level like Zhao Ruizhong could not doubt this kind of algorithm. ¡°But when I saw the transformed local snake you worked on, it seemed even stronger than the combination of the local snake and Earth Dragon in my theory! How is that possible?¡± Zhao Ruizhong asked again. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then said, ¡°The heart of the local snake contains two Beast Pills, and the interaction between the two Beast Pills is not as simple as one plus one. They produce a qualitative change!¡± Zhao Ruizhong and Liang Hao looked at each other, seeing the astonishment in each other¡¯s eyes! ¡°But different Beast Pills would reject each other!¡± Zhao Ruizhong hurriedly said. ¡°I used my system ability to calculate a very complex array through ¡®Erha¡¯s Hyperspace Variable¡¯ that perfectly solved this problem. It can eliminate the repulsion produced between any two different Beast Pills. Of course, each different Beast Pill requires a new calculation, and of course, only I can perform it,¡± Xiang Beifei said. The purpose of this application was aimed at investigating the fusion of Beast Pills. If he didn¡¯t claim to have this unique patent for fusing Beast Pills, how could he possibly attract the attention of the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company? Indeed, both Zhao Ruizhong and Liang Hao¡¯s expressions became serious, because eliminating the repulsion between Beast Pills was a problem they had always been trying to solve! But many of their SR-level and even SSR-level Awakeners hadn¡¯t managed to achieve it, yet unexpectedly, an S-level Awakener had done it! Although this S-level was not highly skilled, only at early Meridian Opening, the problem was that his system-provided ¡°Erha¡¯s Hyperspace Variable¡± was genuinely impressive! Indeed, one should not judge by appearances or system levels! Expertise requires specialization, in any work field what matters is the most suited system ability, not the level of the system! ¡°Dr. Zhao, it¡¯s getting late, so I¡¯ll go back and wait for the news,¡± Xiang Beifei politely said. ¡°No! We need to discuss the details of your hiring!¡± Zhao Ruizhong said, unable to contain his impatience. Chapter 568 - 424: Replication Experiment (4000 words) Chapter 568: Chapter 424: Replication Experiment (4000 words) Edited at 5:30 AM. Subscribed chapters will be refreshed without duplicate subscription. Please support the official release; writing as an author is not easy¡ªit¡¯s how I make my living, and without subscriptions, it¡¯s hard to continue writing. At the school, the only people who could provide useful system rewards for him were the teachers; other students, even if they were S-rank, were still only at the initial stage of Qi-Controlling; their task rewards were useless to him. He had unintentionally participated in many teachers¡¯ tasks a long time ago; these people chose to become teachers because of their own systems and often set tasks involving students. However, system rewards don¡¯t come instantly; to receive a reward, he must wait until the other party completes their task. Some people¡¯s tasks took a long time to complete, ranging from a few days to several months, so even if he participated in the rewards, they wouldn¡¯t come quickly. However, Xiang Beifei had his own principles; some teachers and students were quite nice to him, struggling through tasks to improve themselves. It would be unjust to lose their rewards; he wouldn¡¯t target those people. As long as they didn¡¯t bother him, everyone could live in harmony. During the weekend break, Xiang Qingde went to the vegetable market, while Xiang Beifei stayed home and continued practicing the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula, finally breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling. He discovered that his rate of improvement was faster than those S-rank Awakeners; even Zhuo Jing and Liu Qianrou were still at the initial stage of Qi-Controlling, while many R-rank and N-rank students hadn¡¯t even reached the threshold of Qi-Controlling. All of them had systems; strength improvement depended on completing tasks, and some systems provided various cultivation methods primarily to enhance physical fitness, which required personal cultivation. But clearly, the rate of progression varied. ¡°So you¡¯re the N-rank freshman who planned to use public pressure to enter Liangzhou University?¡± someone said. ¡°I heard your academic scores are high! But do you think our elite university is just for anyone who studies well?¡± another boy scoffed. ¡°Come, let big sister take care of you and teach you what ¡®elite¡¯ really means,¡± a girl in cool attire stretched lazily, picking her ear with her little finger. ¡°Hey, Yu Xiaoyao, we were here first. We¡¯re setting an example for the new students. You and your Flower, Moon, Snow, Wind Club, get in line,¡± a tall boy shouted. The girl called Yu Xiaoyao let out a string of bell-like laughter, ¡°What, still sore from losing to us last time, Mount Tai Club? Trying to find your dignity from an N-rank Awakener? Is that all you¡¯ve got?¡± ¡°What do you mean! We took it easy on you girls last time, couldn¡¯t you tell?¡± the tall boy retorted. ¡°Ha, that¡¯s really funny! Ding Ming, since you guys love to give way, why not do it again?¡± Yu Xiaoyao twisted her slim waist, giggling. ¡°We¡¯re all here to teach a lesson to a kid who doesn¡¯t know his place. Why the fight?¡± someone chimed in. Lu Zhiwei frowned and stepped in front of Xiang Beifei, shouting, ¡°Hey, are you done? He¡¯s under my protection, let¡¯s see who dares to touch him! With that, Yu Xiaoyao and the others also stopped to look at Lu Zhiwei. ¡°Lu Zhiwei, does your Detective Club also want to meddle in this mess?¡± Yu Xiaoyao cautiously watched Lu Zhiwei, as she still had some reservations about Lu Zhiwei, who was not someone easy to provoke. The tall boy Ding Ming looked at Lu Zhiwei with a sneer, ¡°Lu Zhiwei, are you saying that your Detective Club plans to cover for this trash that spoils the reputation of our Liangzhou University?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t pin big labels on us.¡± At this moment, a crew-cut boy came out from the crowd, and turning to Lu Zhiwei, frowned, ¡°Lu Zhiwei, what are you doing? Why are you associating with an N-rank? Don¡¯t ruin our Detective Club¡¯s reputation!¡± Lu Zhiwei angrily retorted, ¡°Are you guys idiots? How has Xiang Beifei spoiled the reputation of Liangzhou University? The news squarely stated that it was Yu Lei acting alone. Are you all deliberately ignoring the truth, choosing to ostracize based on your own biased notions?¡± ¡°Everyone can talk on the news; I won¡¯t allow an N-rank person into Liangzhou University, he doesn¡¯t deserve it!¡± ¡°Right! This is a gathering place for the elite, not a dump for trash!¡± ¡°N-rank people, get out of Liangzhou University!¡± ¡°N-rank people, get out of Liangzhou University!¡± Many people started shouting, though a few students nearby didn¡¯t join in. They just watched from the side¡ªnot all elite students had a relentless disposition, some were fairly rational. But from what the situation looked like at the scene, too many were against Xiang Beifei; even if rational people spoke up, they risked becoming targets of this crusade. Lu Zhiwei was very angry. Someone from her Detective Club was looking for her, asking her not to stir up trouble, but Lu Zhiwei wasn¡¯t someone who shied away from conflict; she was fiercely arguing back. ¡°Lu Zhiwei, if you keep covering for this N-rank person, our Detective Club will have to clearly distance ourselves from you!¡± the crew-cut boy said. ¡°Distance yourselves if you must! Do you think I care?¡± Lu Zhiwei angrily clenched her fists, declaring, ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll say it here today, whoever dares to touch a single hair on him will have to answer to my fists.¡± ¡°Lu Zhiwei, if you¡¯re so eager to fight, how about fighting me?¡± a boy stepped forward, staring at Lu Zhiwei. This boy was also an expert in the later stages of Qi-Controlling! Lu Zhiwei watched him warily; evidently, this person was not easy to provoke, but she didn¡¯t back down. Chapter 569 - 424: Replication Experiment (4000 words)_2 Chapter 569: Chapter 424: Replication Experiment (4000 words)_2 However, Zhuo Jing¡¯s expression was quite ugly. Now that Xiang Beifei had become the center of attention, his lucky score of 581 was no longer able to attract the admiration of others. He had to actively seek praise. ¡°So what if you score high? Acting as if you could get into an elite university!¡± Zhuo Jing spat out in jealousy inside. The nine elite universities, only Liangzhou University recruits N-level Awakeners. But even Liangzhou University, when faced with N-level students, had to set assessment thresholds, not letting them pass easily. And Zhuo Jing, with his score, had more than enough to enter an elite university! Zhuo Jing looked at his system panel, where his appreciation value had reached 5129, already enough to exchange for the ¡°Piercing Strike¡± Cultivation Technique, and another task that required a score of 550 points plus gaining 2000 praises, which could be exchanged for a double Appreciation Card, had also been completed. But he was not in a hurry to exchange, now was not the moment to exchange for a Cultivation Technique; currently, the crowd was all focused here, and he wanted to seize the opportunity to harvest more appreciation value. Soon, he thought of another way to attract the attention of others. ¡°That¡¯s right, with my score, it¡¯s more than enough to get into any of the nine elite universities. After all, I¡¯m an S-level, not an N-level. It¡¯s too easy for me to enter an elite university, but elite universities don¡¯t take N-levels.¡± Zhuo Jing loudly said this to a friend beside him, not concealing the pride in his voice. Originally, a group of people was gathering around Xiang Beifei. Hearing Zhuo Jing¡¯s words, they pondered for a moment before realizing the issue. Indeed! What does it matter if Xiang Beifei is the school¡¯s top scorer if he¡¯s just an N-level? Elite universities typically don¡¯t admit N-level students! Even Liangzhou University, the only exception, hasn¡¯t admitted N-level students for ten consecutive years. Elite universities set very high thresholds for N-level students! After being led by Zhuo Jing¡¯s words, many people looked at Xiang Beifei differently, their admiration mixed with pity. How regrettable! An S-level with just 500 points can easily get admitted, but a Gaokao score of 732, blocked from the elite universities! Everyone sighed. The awakening system talent determined the threshold of universities. This world is just that realistic. But everyone also knew that this situation existed because the tasks of the N-level system were too outlandish, lacking logic and potential. In this world, a profound truth is: study needs to be applicable in practice! A good system allows for more skilled application of the knowledge you have from books. If you have an absurd system like the N-level, no matter how much knowledge you gain from books, it¡¯s very difficult to complete the system tasks, failing to achieve the aim of applying what you¡¯ve learned. In other words, academic performance determines one¡¯s basic lower limit, while the level of system talent sets the upper limit for one¡¯s future. In the world of systems, high academic scores mean you understand this world more deeply than an average person, but that doesn¡¯t mean your future achievements are higher than others. If you compare a person to a tree, then the awakened system is like the fertilizer that helps to cultivate the tree. The fertilizer produced by an N-level system can at most let the tree grow to one meter, but R-level can make it grow to ten meters, while S-level can reach a hundred meters! As for SR and SSR levels, it goes without saying, they are enough to nurture a person into a towering tree! And the nine elite universities, as the name suggests, cultivate students with high future limits. ¡°What a pity for such a good seedling, even if he had an R-level system.¡± Someone couldn¡¯t help but lament. ¡°Yes! Such a shame.¡± Others echoed, sympathetic, regretful, reveling in Schadenfreude... All kinds of gazes were present, even though there was still a slight hope for N-level candidates at Liangzhou University, that hope was slim. Because that assessment is said to be an insurmountable chasm for N-levels. Who could have imagined the school¡¯s top scorer with 732 points would face such an awkward situation? At the same time, everyone¡¯s outlook on Zhuo Jing was more optimistic. Although his score was only 581, more than a hundred points less than Xiang Beifei, the point was he was S-level! With such a result, he was destined for one of the nine elite universities and could choose a good major. ¡°The class leader is still amazing! Which one of the nine elite universities are you planning to pick?¡± someone asked enviously. ¡°Do you even have to ask? With his bonus points, he has a total score of 631, he can pick any of the nine elite universities.¡± ¡°Yes, an S-level¡¯s 631 points is much stronger than an N-level¡¯s 732 points.¡± [You have received Kangkang¡¯s praise, appreciation value +2] [You have received Liu Lan¡¯s praise, appreciation value +2] ... Zhuo Jing took the opportunity to harvest another wave of appreciation value, and his whole being felt refreshed and invigorated. He pretended to be humble and said, ¡°Oh, not at all. Everyone¡¯s praise is misplaced. I¡¯ve already set my goal. As a member of Liangzhou, I plan to stay and apply to Liangzhou University!¡± In fact, his decision to apply to Liangzhou University was a spur-of-the-moment one. Xiang Beifei¡¯s regular grades were never as good as his, but he had surpassed him in the university entrance exam, which really irked him. He knew that Xiang Beifei¡¯s only chance to apply to an elite university was Liangzhou University. So, he would choose Liangzhou University too! Xiang Beifei was bound to be eliminated by Liangzhou University during the admission test. But wherever he chose to go now, he was a prospective student of that elite university! 581 points got into Liangzhou University, 732 points got rejected by Liangzhou University. What a stark contrast! And so, he, an S-grade genius, would shine even brighter! Many people nodded slightly, appreciating Zhuo Jing¡¯s words. Zhuo Jing glanced at Xiang Beifei with a slant of pride in his eyes. So what if you¡¯re the valedictorian? So what if you¡¯re first in raw scores? My 581 points will still utterly eclipse your future! They will still steal your spotlight! They will still shift everyone¡¯s attention from you to me! Jealous, aren¡¯t you? ¡°Haha! Not only did I complete the system task and overshadow the valedictorian¡¯s limelight, but I also gained a lot of appreciation value. Awesome!¡± Zhuo Jing hummed a tune to himself. Now, it was time to receive the system rewards! He looked at the system interface with delight, at that [Double Appreciation Card] and the [Piercing Strike] cultivation technique, then clicked on [Receive Reward]. One minute later. ¡°Where¡¯s my system reward?¡± Zhuo Jing suddenly turned to stone on the spot! ¡°Damn system, you¡¯ve swallowed my reward again!¡± Zhuo Jing felt darkness before his eyes and nearly passed out. ¡ª¡ª Although Zhuo Jing was an S-grade Awakener, he had only awakened the system two months ago, and his cultivation was still only at the early stage of Qi-Controlling. Therefore, both the [Piercing Strike] and the [Double Appreciation Card] rewards were also at the early stage of Qi-Controlling. These rewards were something Xiang Beifei wouldn¡¯t even glance at, but he accepted them nonetheless. The reason was simple: happiness. He would return the mistakenly taken rewards to those with whom he had no grievances or animosity. For those kind to him, he would respect them and try his best to help them. But for those who sought trouble with him, who bullied him to his face, there was no need for courtesy! If he couldn¡¯t use it himself, he could feed it to a dog! Xiaohei, a little snow-white puppy, happily swallowed the two items, turned them into Spiritual Qi Crystals, and collected them. ¡°Damn system! Damn system!¡± Zhuo Jing nearly went insane. He still didn¡¯t understand what had happened, assuming that the system had malfunctioned again since it had glitched before. If not for the many people present, he would have already cursed out loud at his system. Little did he know that his rewards had actually ended up in the paws of a little puppy. ¡ª¡ª Because of Zhuo Jing¡¯s words, many people no longer envied Xiang Beifei, the school¡¯s top scorer, and their attention gradually shifted to other S-grade students, which actually relieved Xiang Beifei. He didn¡¯t like being surrounded by people. The crowd dispersed quickly, and the other school leaders went to congratulate the other students. Only Principal Li Nanxing stayed, his expectations of Xiang Beifei never diminished from beginning to end. Chapter 570 - 425: Surveillance Chapter 570: Chapter 425: Surveillance Xiang Beifei found a cheap holiday hotel where a night cost 199 yuan, which was decent enough. He took a comfortable bath and then sat on the bed, kicking Erha, who had taken up half of it, to the side, ¡°Shrink a bit, this is my bed, or you¡¯ll sleep on the floor!¡± ¡°Aoow!¡± The Wooden Kirin grumbled twice in dissatisfaction, but it obviously preferred the soft mattress and unwillingly shrank to the same size as Xiaohei. Earlier in the lab, it had been forced to shrink to palm-size and then, using Ye Changfeng¡¯s Eclipse Sword for invisibility, stayed on Xiang Beifei¡¯s shoulder. It had been itching to burst out and raid the Beast Pill cabinets, regarding the many Beast Pills as a supermarket snack rack. But it was beaten by Xiang Beifei. ¡°Aoow, aoow!¡± Thinking of those Beast Pills, it was still feeling sore about it. ¡°Stop howling! I¡¯ve named a technique after you, aren¡¯t you satisfied? You have to understand, Erha¡¯s Hyperspace Variable is desperately needed by them. Once we infiltrate the key lab of the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company and find more Beast Pills, I¡¯ll let you eat your fill!¡± Xiang Beifei said languidly. Erha¡¯s eyes lit up! ¡°Woof woof!¡± Xiaohei reminded him. Xiang Beifei glanced outside the window and said with a smile, ¡°Someone is monitoring us? That¡¯s good; it means we¡¯re in the right place.¡± If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, Zhao Ruizhong must have reported his ability to merge Beast Pills. Zhao Ruizhong would surely try to replicate the experiment after he left, but even if Zhao Ruizhong knew all the experimental steps, it would be useless if the critical matter of the Beast Pills¡¯ repulsive forces couldn¡¯t be reconciled; the consequence would be death from backlash for the local snake. Erha¡¯s Hyperspace Variable, plainly speaking, is the ability of ¡°Return to the Original State.¡± Whenever the powers of two Beast Pills were about to clash, his ¡°Return to the Original State¡± embedded in the array patterns would resolve the conflict. This ability was very unique, unlearnable by others, and even copying his experiment would prove futile. If Zhao Ruizhong discovered that he couldn¡¯t replicate the experiment, he would surely report it. How could Unrestrained possibly let go of someone who could reconcile the repulsive forces of Beast Pills? Therefore, it wasn¡¯t surprising that someone came to monitor him. Currently, Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t know what abilities Zhao Ruizhong had, what position he held in the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company, or what his status was with Unrestrained, but the presence of the white Beast Pill in the lab confirmed that the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company was connected to Unrestrained. Xiang Beifei walked to the window and stretched. He was on the sixth floor of the hotel, and it was already 7 p.m. The night view of the city was not bad, bustling with traffic, neon lights flickering, and the streets filled with people rushing home from work. Above these people¡¯s heads were all kinds of system interfaces, flashing system information nonstop; everyone was diligently completing system tasks to improve themselves. Then, Xiang Beifei pretended to casually glance at the rooftop of a tall building across from him. It was pitch dark there, where only a few stars could be seen occasionally, and in the sky hung a crescent moon with a missing corner, clearly without a single human figure. But in the darkness, a system interface was stubbornly shining! Because it was too far away, even with Xiang Beifei¡¯s excellent vision, he couldn¡¯t completely make out those small prompts, so he took a pair of high-tech glasses out of his pocket and put them on. These high-tech glasses, used for surveillance by the Su People, had all sorts of functions, and using them as a telescope was more than sufficient. Ever since Elder Luo took over the Su Alliance, Xiang Beifei had conveniently acquired quite a few good things from him. He even specifically asked Elder Luo to commission some custom equipment for Xiaohei, who was his capable assistant. [Host: Dai Ping] [SR Level, Lone Ranger System] [Realm: Late God Refining Stage] This system increases his system value for any solitary activity he undertakes or for simply seeing an individual person, a flying insect... anything done alone. For a person who always operates solo, completing system tasks was ridiculously easy. [Your solo surveillance of Zheng Xian¡¯s activities earned you +23 solo value.] This was the latest prompt on the other party¡¯s system interface. ¡°Eh? This is a normal person.¡± Xiang Beifei took a closer look at the other person¡¯s system journal and saw that their journal was continuously active. He had initially thought that whoever was monitoring him would be a modified Unrestrained. Normally, R level Awakeners with Late God Refining strength were considered modifiers, whose system journals would stop, as they can become stronger without completing system tasks. But unexpectedly, it turned out to be a normal high-level System Awakener. This surprised him quite a bit. However, normal System Awakeners were not bad either; at least they were easier to deal with than those like Hua Jiuyue. Because Dai Ping involved him in a system task! ¡°Did they send someone to watch me in case I left?¡± Xiang Beifei gently smiled, scrutinizing the person¡¯s system journal. Most of the journal entries were solitary activities the person had done, mostly trivial, including going out to eat alone, staying in a room alone, using the restroom alone... These were not the details Xiang Beifei was looking for, so he continued browsing, in search of useful information. [June 15, 3031, Your solo meeting with Qin Hongyi earned you +35 solo value.] Qin Hongyi! It was indeed him! Today is the 15th, this happened today! Looking at it like this, it should have been just a few hours ago. Xiang Beifei¡¯s eyes flickered for a moment before he continued reading. After a series of irrelevant journal entries, he saw the following¡ª [June 15, 3031, you left the core base alone, solo value +45] [June 15, 3031, you single-handedly killed the Blood Spirit Nine Lightning Dove, solo value +46] Xiang Beifei quickly grasped this clue! ¡°Leaving the core base, and the next entry is about killing the Blood Spirit Nine Lightning Dove, this means the Blood Spirit Nine Lightning Dove must have been near the core base!¡± The Blood Spirit Nine Lightning Dove is a mid-Meridian Opening desolate beast, which indicates that it was in the Marquis Domain, meaning that at the time, this guy left from the core base. So, in the desolate wilderness outside of Yuzhou, which area of the Marquis Domain is the Blood Spirit Nine Lightning Dove distributed in? Xiang Beifei wanted to continue reading, but suddenly Dai Ping glanced over at a certain position, and a new mission appeared on his system interface: [You took a call alone, solo value +21] That guy seemed to be talking to someone, his figure flashed to the side, and the system interface was blocked by the wall, quickly becoming invisible. ¡°Xiaohei, go and listen to what he is saying,¡± Xiang Beifei turned to Xiaohei, who was playing with a mobile phone, and said. ¡°Woof, woof!¡± Xiaohei jumped up, wore a set of special high-tech glasses for dogs, looking like a spy dog, spirited and tidy, and disappeared from the room in no time. When it reappeared, it was already crouched next to Dai Ping¡¯s ear, earnestly fiddling with the glasses arm with its paw, seriously listening to the phone call with this unrestrained guy. Xiang Beifei withdrew his gaze and then went back to the room, sat on the sofa, and also pressed the glasses arm. Soon, two voices came through the glasses¡¯ microphone. ¡ª¡ª ¡°Yes, he¡¯s staying in Room 603 of the Holiday Hotel, I¡¯m monitoring him,¡± Dai Ping said, his voice somewhat gruff. ¡°Any discoveries?¡± The other voice was lower, but familiar. Then Xiang Beifei recognized it¡ªit was Qin Hongyi¡¯s voice! ¡°Nothing. He seems to be just a normal Liangzhou University graduate. I¡¯ve verified his records; he indeed is an S-class student from Liangzhou University, and the graduate¡¯s records check out. He¡¯s an orphan with no family,¡± Dai Ping said. ¡°Who would have thought that the person we¡¯ve been looking for so long would be at Liangzhou University! This student possesses a very special ability that is very important for our organization¡¯s research. Make sure to keep an eye on him! If he comes to the company tomorrow, that¡¯s fine, but if not, we will have to take forceful measures!¡± Qin Hongyi commanded. ¡°Understood.¡± Dai Ping replied, paused for a while, and then asked, ¡°How much longer can your heart hold out?¡± ¡°Not much longer, I need to replace my heart again. The lifespan of these hearts is too short, and the rejection force is too strong. If we can confirm that this person¡¯s ability can solve the rejection issue with the Beast Pills, then we won¡¯t need to restrain ourselves in the future. We would possess the strength to counter the Su Alliance, so we must recruit him!¡± Qin Hongyi stated. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll keep an eye on him. If there¡¯s any situation, I will inform you.¡± Dai Ping quickly hung up the phone and then redirected his attention to Room 603 here. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei listened carefully to their conversation, which was quite surprising. This call provided him with a lot of information. Qin Hongyi¡¯s ability to possess orifice transforming strength indeed relied on Beast Pills. But at the same time, it seemed that his heart needed to be replaced at any moment! This meant that those whose cultivations had surged abruptly were essentially achieving it by inserting a Beast Pill into their heart. However, there is a rejection force between the Beast Pill and humans. It is evident that without controlling this rejection force, the heart would deteriorate quickly. ¡°So, is this company doing so many desolate beast Beast Pill fusion experiments ultimately to find a way to overcome the rejection force?¡± Xiang Beifei couldn¡¯t help thinking about that rampaging, out-of-control One-Armed Crab. If that¡¯s the case, then what comes next will be easy. The Erha¡¯s Hyperspace Variable is his patent, and only he could perform it. His solution was simple¡ªimplant a jade piece carved with array patterns in all the hearts, then seal a bit of the ¡°Return to the Original State¡± power within it, so whenever rejection force arises inside the heart, it would be reverted to simplicity. This method was like putting a stent in the heart. But for Xiang Beifei, all it would take was a thought, and he could make the Return to the Original State ineffective at any moment, causing the Return to the Original State to destroy the heart. Clearly, Unrestrained must be using the combination of Beast Pills with humans to achieve a burst in strength, but they also have to deal with the consequences of severe heart damage. If Xiang Beifei were to install a heart stent for every member of Unrestrained, wouldn¡¯t he be able to control the lifeline of these people? As long as he wished, the lives of all those with implanted heart stents would be in his hands. Then dealing with Unrestrained would just be a matter of thought! ¡°Nice! Such an exciting task, how can I just let it go? Come on, I must help you mass-produce them!¡± Xiang Beifei laughed happily. Once he had equipped all the hearts of those who got stronger through Beast Pills with stents, he could confront Unrestrained. If they dared to be arrogant, he just needed to snap his fingers, and a bunch of Unrestrained would collapse with a crackle and a pop. That scene would certainly be spectacular! Chapter 571 - 426: God Rich System (4000 words) Chapter 571: Chapter 426: God Rich System (4000 words) Refresh at 5:30, and the changes will take effect. Once subscribed, chapters will not be subscribed to again. There are chapter red envelopes on QiDian, and you can claim QiDian coins by watching ads, which are enough to subscribe to these chapters, so please support the genuine version, thank you. When He Caiwei¡¯s momentum hit the invisible barrier in front of Professor Guo, it was as though it struck a tough city wall. This wall circulated with a strange spiritual power, dissolving and transforming He Caiwei¡¯s attack and then redirecting it back along the same path, striking back at him! Buzz! He Caiwei was repelled by Professor Guo¡¯s counterattack once more! To be precise, he was repelled by his own momentum! ¡°How can this be?¡± He Caiwei stared intently at Professor Guo! Previously, he knew only that Professor Guo was very strong, but because Professor Guo was only at the mid-stage of orifice transforming, he never took SR-grade Professor Guo seriously! But he overlooked one thing. Professor Guo might only have mid-stage orifice transforming strength, and not many offensive techniques or great attack power, but he had the most formidable defense in the alliance! This kind of defense was the confidence he had to withstand late-stage orifice transforming martial artists with only his mid-stage strength! For him, the strongest defense was counterattack! And He Caiwei couldn¡¯t shake him at all! Zhao Yong slapped his head and said, ¡°Wu Shixuan was talking to himself at that time, saying that both Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei wanted to deal with Luo Yunxian. He planned to deal with Professor Guo first, Luo Yunxian¡¯s aide, so framing Professor Guo would rely on us giving false testimony! If he does well on this, he should receive great praise... That¡¯s right! There¡¯s also someone named Zhu Yiji, just like He Caiwei, who also instigated Wu Shixuan to frame Professor Guo!¡± Zhao Yong spilled everything out in one breath! Once he spoke, the entire meeting room fell silent! The twenty-plus leaders of Liangzhou University in the room all inhaled sharply, feeling a chill in the air! Zhu Yiji? Zhao Yong actually said that Zhu Yiji was also involved in framing Professor Guo? It should be noted that Zhu Yiji¡¯s ability of ¡°Frankness Without Evasion¡± was Witnessed by All; in this black square, absolutely no one would lie! That means that what Zhao Yong just said was one hundred percent ©¤©¤ the truth! Zhu Yiji had Zhao Yong reveal that Zhu Yiji himself was one of the culprits? ¡°Mr. Ye, how is your spiritual defense? Can you block the influence of the UR Awakener system like Elder Luo did?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. Many high-level System Awakeners can use their systems to manipulate lower-level ones. Ye Changfeng¡¯s strength and talent were only considered slightly above average in the alliance, and his advantage wasn¡¯t significant. ¡°Barely, many people in the alliance have issues with Elder Luo and want to discover his secrets through me, so I specifically trained my spiritual power with him. I can¡¯t say that I have reached his level, but at least I can protect myself.¡± Ye Changfeng¡¯s spiritual power was incredibly strong; after all, he was also a direct disciple of Elder Luo. His talent might not seem to be much compared to Xiang Beifei¡¯s, but in reality, it far surpassed that of other SRs. Many in the alliance were coveting Elder Luo¡¯s position, and naturally, they would try all means to start from Ye Changfeng. Those abilities to compel truth, confuse facts, and similar system powers all belonged to spiritual manipulation, so he practiced exceptionally hard on spiritual defense to prevent such incidents. Once Xiang Beifei confirmed this, he then said, ¡°This matter actually concerns me.¡± He finally explained the whole situation but left out the details regarding Xiao Sheng and his grandfather, as well as the mountain. Ye Changfeng was extremely shocked after hearing everything! ¡°Such a big issue, why are you talking about it only now? Why didn¡¯t you tell us earlier? If not me, you should at least have informed Elder Luo.¡± Ye Changfeng looked very angry, and even a bit frightened. Although Xiang Beifei spoke lightly, Ye Changfeng could imagine how dire the situation was back then. ¡°Mr. Ye, what do you think would happen if I told Elder Luo?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. Ye Changfeng was taken aback and finally came to his senses. ¡°I was too anxious.¡± He knew well Elder Luo¡¯s temperament; the short-tempered old man would rush to settle accounts with He Caiwei without a second thought. However, if He Caiwei dared to do what he did, he must have planned contingencies. The whole affair would be wiped clean by him. Then, Elder Luo would be blamed unjustly. Since Elder Luo was already repudiated by the alliance, it would be unwise to seek retribution without solid evidence. Ye Changfeng considered the pros and cons of the situation with a furrowed brow, then said in a serious tone, ¡°No matter what, you must not admit to killing anyone, understand?¡± ¡°I understand.¡± SR Awakeners, from the beginning of Meridian Opening, opening up their energy meridians, to accumulating their soul and stepping into God Refining, would at least need three to five years, or even longer. The unremovable videos were all concocted by it; the alliance had various impressive network technology Awakeners, yet when it came to the videos set up by Xiaohei, they turned out to be duds! No matter how they used system items, they couldn¡¯t delete those videos. At that moment, a lazy voice came from the corner: ¡°How else should you speak? In the Martial Arts College, it¡¯s all about speaking with fists. Why don¡¯t you two fight it out?¡± Wei Tong turned his head to look, only to realize that Elder Luo was sitting there, not knowing when he had arrived; his face quickly changed. Fight? What a joke! Although he was SSR-grade, he couldn¡¯t withstand a single punch from Ye Changfeng. An Xiyu, on the other hand, sensing something, spoke out, ¡°You¡¯ve reached the late stage of Meridian Opening?¡± Chapter 572 - 426 God Rich System (4000 words)_2 Chapter 572: Chapter 426 God Rich System (4000 words)_2 Professor Guo also reacted, looking at Xiang Beifei in astonishment. He knew that Xiang Beifei had great talent, but normally, by now he should at most have the strength of a mid-Meridian Opening period, so how could he suddenly have reached this level? Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment and shook his head, ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°So your cultivation level is?¡± Professor Guo asked cautiously. ¡°Mid-Meridian Opening period,¡± Xiang Beifei said. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust Professor Guo. To tell the truth, he was worried about An Xiyu. Last term An Xiyu had followed his advice and chose to develop towards the alliance, and now she was interning with the alliance. The alliance had been keeping an eye on him, searching for his information, so they would definitely spare no effort to find a breakthrough from the people around him, and An Xiyu was clearly one of them. Of course, given An Xiyu¡¯s personality, Xiang Beifei believed she would not actively betray him. It¡¯s just that she was only an SR of the late Meridian Opening period. If someone like Mu Yiqing, an SSR of the late God Refining stage, were to come, they could easily extract information from An Xiyu¡¯s mouth without a trace, regardless of Liangzhou University¡¯s many confidentiality measures for students. Liangzhou University was not purely its own anymore. For example, the literary Daoist managing the Martial Arts College was a person sent by the alliance, all of whom were watching Xiang Beifei. His own strength had improved fast enough. With the Awakening System, in half a year, he was already at the early Meridian Opening stage, and in less than a year, he had reached the late Meridian Opening period, far surpassing the usual SSR! Such a terrifying cultivation speed, even a UR Awakener could not achieve! If those people knew how fast his cultivation speed was, they would definitely go to great lengths to trouble him. So Xiang Beifei had to keep it a secret, waiting until he broke through to the God Refining stage. At that time, he would truly have the ability to protect himself and wouldn¡¯t fear people like He Caiwei¡ª and he would also be able to unexpectedly teach those lofty SSRs and URs of the alliance a lesson! He had already spread this piece of news. Not long ago, he had specifically demonstrated his mid-Meridian Opening strength in front of many students, so that He Caiwei could be at ease. Now, He Caiwei would definitely think that it was Elder Luo who had struck and killed those three people back then, and he wouldn¡¯t dare to act rashly. With He Caiwei and the others focusing on Elder Luo, they would not pay attention to Xiang Beifei, whose cultivation was only at the mid-Meridian Opening stage. This way, Xiang Beifei could secretly develop. Once he had sufficient cultivation level, he would then be able to burst out and fight in groups. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± At this level of strength, Professor Guo could accept it, but he clearly lost some interest as he genuinely hoped that Xiang Beifei¡¯s cultivation was at the late Meridian Opening stage. ¡°Then why are you asking about the soul?¡± Professor Guo asked again. The strong aura from his body condensed into a sharp energy that quietly landed on Ma Kainian. When Ma Kainian saw Xiang Beifei, his heart trembled, and he was frightened by Xiang Beifei¡¯s terrible aura. Xiang Beifei was the person rumored to be able to kill a late Meridian Opening period One-Armed Crab with a single punch; his showing up here was not for fun. Ma Kainian composed himself and cursed inwardly; after all, he was an official of the alliance. This kid might be famous, but he was just a commoner, without power or influence. If anyone should be afraid, it should be him! ¡°Xiang Beifei, quite the big shot,¡± Ma Kainian said sarcastically. Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t speak, simply glancing indifferently before walking over to Kong Daming and asking, ¡°I saw the phone message just now, what happened to my grandfather?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, he seemed to be feeling unwell just now, so I helped him upstairs to rest. He¡¯s upstairs now,¡± Kong Daming said. ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll go up and see him.¡± Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t say another word and headed for the staircase. However, when Ma Kainian saw that he was being ignored, he became quite angry! ¡°Hmph! To this day, not even the basic courtesy...¡± ¡°Get lost!¡± Xiang Beifei said bluntly. ¡°Yes.¡± Ma Kainian¡¯s head buzzed, and involuntarily, he lay down and actually rolled out from the ground. ¡°Ah?¡± Kong Daming and Zhang Xiang looked on in shock as Ma Kainian rolled away on the ground, completely stunned for a moment. Ma Kainian really... just rolled away like that? This turn of events was completely unexpected for them. ¡°Why the hell are we patrolling the archive room? Who has nothing better to do than to steal from the archive bureau? If you ask me, it probably wouldn¡¯t matter even if we didn¡¯t come for a year.¡± Zhou Guan lazily cradled his head in his hands, following behind Sun Zhong. He wasn¡¯t very interested in this task and kept mumbling along the way. After reaching the third floor, Sun Zhong patrolled past one room after another. [You have patrolled the N-level Talent Audit Department, patrol value +2] [You have patrolled the N-level Talent Dispatch Department, patrol value +2] ... Sun Zhong made a couple of rounds in the empty room, then pressed a button on the wall to make sure the alarm was in order before leaving the room. [You have patrolled the main archive room entrance, patrol value +5] But at that moment, Zheng Xing thought of something, quickly took out his cellphone, and video called his son, then asked, ¡°Son, you said you¡¯ve seen Xiang Beifei before, take a look, is this man Xiang Beifei?¡± During the freshman competition, although students from the elite schools didn¡¯t attend, the event was broadcast live, and anyone who wasn¡¯t blind could recognize him. Zheng Xing¡¯s son, although a student from Jizhou University, had also seen Xiang Beifei. The instant he saw Xiang Beifei, he became excitedly exclaiming, ¡°It¡¯s him! It¡¯s really him! The genius who had the Qingzhou University SSR under his feet! Dad, you actually met him? Oh my god!¡± That was a legendary genius! ¡°You really are that Xiang Beifei!¡± Zheng Xing was also stunned. His son had mentioned the freshman competition to him before going back home for the holidays, and at that time, he had been very impressed by Xiang Beifei. He would have never imagined that he would encounter such a great genius by such coincidence today! A moment later, he quickly regained his senses and said excitedly, ¡°He is Xiang Beifei, no mistake, my son saw him at Jizhou University last time!¡± Xiang Beifei set aside the matter for the moment and asked, ¡°By the way, Uncle Kong, is there a house for rent nearby? We are thinking of moving there.¡± ¡°A house? Of course, you should have moved over long ago. The old man has always mentioned saving money for you to take on tasks and such. How come you suddenly changed your mind?¡± Kong Daming asked. ¡°Xiaofei is grown up now; the house is too shabby, he won¡¯t be able to find a wife,¡± Xiang Qingde said seriously. ¡°Hahaha, that¡¯s true,¡± Kong Daming nodded. But Lu Hong disagreed, ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be an issue! If there¡¯s real affection, who would care about the house?¡± ¡°Still, it¡¯s better to live in a nice place. The old house was a bit too dark,¡± Kong Daming said, ¡°Leave this to me. I remember a family moved out on my floor, just two doors away from mine, diagonally across. It¡¯ll be good for you to move over, we can look after each other more easily.¡± ¡°So when is Uncle Kong¡¯s restaurant planning to reopen?¡± Xiang Beifei asked again. The appearance of the desolate beast like the One-Armed Crab had not been thoroughly investigated, and Xiang Beifei had a suspect in mind whom he hadn¡¯t pinned down yet. Xiao Sheng! The SR who had disguised himself as an N-level clerk; on the day the desolate beast appeared, he had vanished without a trace, and Xiang Beifei wanted to see if Xiao Sheng would return to work. ¡°The day after tomorrow! The staff have been asking about it too. Speaking of which, I need to contact those workers; it¡¯s been closed for so long,¡± Kong Daming said. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the wholesale market tomorrow. We¡¯ve had a stop in supplies, need to renegotiate with them,¡± Xiang Qingde added. Kong Daming quickly replied, ¡°No need for that, Uncle Xiang. Please rest, I¡¯ll handle it.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been idle for so long already, it¡¯s good to get moving. I¡¯m familiar with that place anyway. With the reopening, there¡¯s a lot of work in the restaurant. Many customers have made reservations, waiting for the reopening to support us. You will be busy; I can go tomorrow,¡± Xiang Qingde insisted, waving his hand. Kong Daming couldn¡¯t argue any further, so he had to agree. When Xiang Beifei got home, he made a point to have a conversation with his grandfather in front of the living room camera, explaining the reason for moving, and stating directly that he now knew how to make money and did not want to live there anymore. Chapter 573 - 427: Do You Understand? Chapter 573: Chapter 427: Do You Understand? Lin Long¡¯s system log showed that three years ago, he had tipped a female anchor with two rockets but afterward, for some unknown reason, he never spent money on system tasks again. However, during these three years, it was impossible that he didn¡¯t spend any money at all, yet the system never made a judgment on this, which puzzled Xiang Beifei. To tell the truth, ever since he met the old woman with the tailor system, he had this question. These individuals were clearly alive, so why did the system halt when a Beast Pill was added into their bodies? Xiang Beifei still could not ascertain the reason. But the moment he saw the ¡°God Rich System,¡± he immediately thought of his grandfather. Originally, his grandfather preferred to live a life of poverty and saved all his money for Xiang Beifei, considering this very situation. If Xiang Beifei were to awaken a system like this one where spending money could enhance strength, then all the compensation from the alliance and the huge fortune left by Comrade Xiang Tianxing would definitely be spent by Xiang Beifei. Indeed, his grandfather had far-reaching wisdom! Xiang Beifei couldn¡¯t help but sigh repeatedly. With a God Rich System like Lin Long¡¯s, if born into a noble family, becoming stronger would be a matter of minutes! But if a poor person with no family background and no financial ability awakened this kind of ¡°God Rich System,¡± the situation wouldn¡¯t be optimistic since he would need to spend money to complete tasks, and the system didn¡¯t provide a way to earn money. Without money, he wouldn¡¯t even know how to strengthen himself. ¡°Come, let me introduce you, this is the head of our Beast Pill experiment department, Lin Long. He is responsible for the research progress of our Beast Pill project,¡± Zhao Ruizhong introduced to Xiang Beifei. ¡°Mr. Lin,¡± Xiang Beifei greeted aloud. He glanced at another young man next to Lin Long, who was none other than Dai Ping who had been monitoring him all night. ¡°Just call me Dr. Lin.¡± Lin Long looked at Xiang Beifei, showing a friendly smile, then reached out his hand to Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei also extended his hand and shook it. However, the moment his hand touched Lin Long¡¯s palm, a silent Spiritual Power immediately surged along his arm and rushed into his body! This Spiritual Power was very peculiar, being a probing type. Normally, an orifice transforming period martial artist like Lin Long, when striking, wouldn¡¯t be noticed by a mere Meridian Opening period S-level adherent. ¡°Gosh, so impatient,¡± Xiang Beifei thought quietly while watching Lin Long, without saying much. This Spiritual Power from Lin Long was searching for the Qi pathways in his body; as long as it could touch the Qi pathways, it would confirm that he was just a martial artist still in the Meridian Opening phase and not a Su People in disguise from the God Refining phase. Luckily, he was well-prepared for such matters; the Spiritual Power he cultivated was quite special and quickly simulated a Qi pathway. This simulated Qi pathway wasn¡¯t real, but it was enough to handle the probing! ¡°There¡¯s a Qi pathway; looks like he¡¯s undoubtedly a new graduate,¡± Lin Long thought to himself, then withdrew his hand. The handshake lasted only two seconds, but those two seconds dispelled his doubts. He had to do this because this ¡°Zheng Xian¡± came from Liangzhou University. Nowadays, Liangzhou University was managed by Professor Luo, not to mention that Professor Luo had also accepted the invitation to become a minister of the Su Alliance. Therefore, Lin Long had to carefully check ¡°Zheng Xian¡¯s¡± identity because if he was going to rely on this young man to resolve the Beast Pill conflict, he would inevitably involve the young man in deeper corporate secrets. Only after ascertaining the situation and ensuring that the student from Liangzhou University was just looking for a job normally and not sent by Professor Luo would he feel relieved. ¡°Zheng Xian, the system level here is not crucial; what matters is your ability! The company will help you plan your career properly, and as long as you perform well, the company will never treat you poorly,¡± Lin Long said smiling. ¡°I will work hard,¡± Xiang Beifei responded eagerly. Then Zhao Ruizhong said, ¡°Zheng Xian, let¡¯s drop the formalities. Yesterday, you mentioned the ¡®Erha Hyperspace Constant,¡¯ and we were really curious about it, wanting to know if you could also solve the repulsion problem of integrating other Beast Pills?¡± ¡°It should be possible; the principle is the same,¡± Xiang Beifei said. ¡°Can you then try to integrate another Beast Pill for us now?¡± Xiang Beifei spoke perplexedly, ¡°Am I starting work today? I thought I was just here to familiarize myself with the company. As you know, I came from Liangzhou for the interview and I haven¡¯t even settled finding a place to stay; I also need to inform my teacher.¡± Zhao Ruizhong said, ¡°This experiment is very important to us, so it appears a bit urgent. Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll cover your accommodation for these two days; there¡¯s no need to worry about these issues. What¡¯s crucial is the feasibility of your ¡®Erha Hyperspace Variable.¡¯ If it¡¯s possible, we need to recalibrate the direction of our experiments.¡± Xiang Beifei, stroking his chin, said, ¡°This is closely related to my system ability, but I can try to explain it to you.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t only be capable of fusing the beast pills of Earth Snakes and Earth Dragons, right? Can you do it with any type of beast pill?¡± Lin Long asked. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say, it depends on the repulsion and bearing capacity of the beast pill,¡± Xiang Beifei replied. ¡°Then try fusing other desolate beast¡¯s pills and show us. Can you merge the beast pills of the Fire Rat and the Ice Toad? They are two entirely different desolate beasts,¡± Lin Long said. ¡°It should be possible, as long as it¡¯s calculated properly based on the degree of repulsion between them. Let me demonstrate.¡± Xiang Beifei didn¡¯t waste any words, walked over to the beast pill storage cabinet, and found the beast pills of the Fire Rat and the Ice Toad. ¡°The beast pill of the Fire Rat is more explosive; according to my classification, it¡¯s a very extreme Level 10 Positive Yang. The beast pill of the Ice Toad, I have classified as Level 12 Negative Yin. The Fire Rat¡¯s aura is at a later stage of Qi-Controlling, and the Ice Toad is at the early stage of Meridian Opening, so the gap between them translates into one Erha unit.¡± ¡°One Erha unit? What does that mean? Why does the name sound a bit... too casual?¡± Lin Long questioned. ¡°I came up with the name because my system didn¡¯t name it, and I happened to be dissecting an Erha at the time, so I just named it that,¡± Xiang Beifei said. ¡°I see, I was wondering why your names sound so odd,¡± Zhao Ruizhong nodded slightly. ¡°Naming systems like this, I think it should be more rigorous,¡± Lin Long said. ¡°Haha, that¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong, Dr. Lin. Nowadays, young people like to pick unconventional names, naming things haphazardly. College students, you know! Very expressive, it¡¯s normal,¡± Zhao Ruizhong explained on behalf of Xiang Beifei. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Lin Long nodded with a smile, then added, ¡°So, one Erha unit, if we were to understand it in our terms, what exactly is its measure?¡± ¡°That involves the conjugate symmetry of the Erha sequence. First, we need to sample the spiritual power fluctuations emitted by the Fire Rat¡¯s beast pill, then analyze its time domain and frequency domain. Here we can use the method of linear convolution. First, we must obtain the main value interval of the Fire Rat beast pill¡¯s spectrum, which has to be determined from the beast pill itself, then using Fourier transformation to calculate the time intervals when flames burst forth from the beast pill, thus determining the threshold of the formation pattern, which is one Erha unit. This way, when the beast pill outputs energy, the magnitude of the energy is controllable, and this number is really important as it determines the first variable of the Erha Hyperspace Variable, because we need to link it to the Formation Jade, and then the second variable...¡± Xiang Beifei rambled on about a bunch of nonsensical things, then started talking about the fluctuations related to the Ice Toad, analyzing its variables, making credible arguments, and even listing a bunch of formulas, passionately explaining the entire experimental process. Zhao Ruizhong and Lin Long both looked utterly confused as they watched Xiang Beifei. The words Xiang Beifei used were all familiar, but when put together, everyone was simply bamboozled. Zhao Ruizhong, a PhD in biological transformation and an expert in every aspect of desolate beasts, could analyze what kind of desolate beast a piece of charred bone ash came from, really a true expert. However, listening to Xiang Beifei¡¯s explanation, his head buzzed, completely unable to follow! What on earth was he talking about? Liang Hao and Dai Ping were equally baffled. Dai Ping was somewhat okay with it since he wasn¡¯t specifically doing biological research, so not understanding didn¡¯t matter, but Liang Hao, also a biologist, was totally out of his depth. ¡°Does this knowledge actually exist?¡± All the doctors were pondering. Why had they never studied such topics during their university years? Soon, in front of everyone, Xiang Beifei had formed the formation jade piece, adeptly channeling the auras of both the Fire Rat and Ice Toad¡¯s beast pills into the Formation Jade! ¡°By channeling 0.35 Erha units at the Ice Toad inlet in this formation pattern, and based on calculations, only 1.57 Erha units can be channeled from the Fire Rat¡¯s side. This way, their powers won¡¯t cause repulsion when they intertwine.¡± Xiang Beifei slightly trembled his hand, and the two distinctly different beast pills just floated in mid-air. This time, he didn¡¯t cultivate a complete desolate beast; he just directly combined the two beast pills. Zhao Ruizhong¡¯s mouth hung open, unbelievably! Lin Long was also full of amazement! They were clearly two extremely opposite beast pills of ice and fire, but in their perception, there was no sense of discord at all. Clearly, there were two beast pills, but in their perception, it felt like a complete one! ¡°The process is exactly like this, you should understand now, right?¡± Xiang Beifei asked. Zhao Ruizhong came to his senses, and after hearing Xiang Beifei¡¯s words, he looked somewhat embarrassed! How should he answer this? After all, he was a doctor in the field of orifice transforming, an expert in beast pills, essentially Xiang¡¯s superior. To say he didn¡¯t understand, wouldn¡¯t that devalue himself? No way! He couldn¡¯t just admit he didn¡¯t understand! Zhao Ruizhong steadied himself, and nodded, saying, ¡°I... sort of got it!¡± ¡ª Are you kidding me? I don¡¯t get it at all! Xiang Beifei couldn¡¯t help but mock internally. Chapter 574 428: Unknown No. 2 (4000 words) [Chapter confusion, modified at 5:30 am, those who have subscribed will not be charged again, refresh to update.] Please support the official release by subscribing with the chapter coins from QiDian, the author relies on subscriptions to eat.. Though Zhuo Jing was an S-class Awakener, he had only awakened his system for two months and his cultivation level was still just at the beginning stages of Qi-Controlling, so the system rewards¡ªPiercing Strike and Double Appreciation Card¡ªalso belonged to the early stages of Qi-Controlling. Such rewards were something Xiang Beifei wouldn''t even glance at, but he accepted them with a smile nonetheless. The reason was simple, happiness. For those who had no grudges against him, if the rewards were mistakenly taken by Xiaohei, he would return them. To those who were kind to him, he would respect and make every effort to help them. But for those who were looking for trouble, who bullied him right to his face, there was no need for courtesy! If he didn''t need them, he might as well feed them to a dog! Xiaohei, a completely white milk dog, happily swallowed the two items and turned them into Spiritual Qi Crystals, collecting them. "Damn system! Damn system!" Zhuo Jing was nearly driven mad, and he hadn''t yet realized what was going on. Because his system had had a glitch last time, he still thought it had crashed today. If there hadn''t been so many people around, he would have already started cursing at his own system. He probably didn''t even realize that his rewards had indeed fallen into the paws of a little milk dog. ---- Because of Zhuo Jing''s words, many people no longer envied Xiang Beifei, the school''s top scholar, and gradually shifted their attention to other S-class students. This gave Xiang Beifei a sigh of relief. He Li Nanxing mentioned the outer desolation, and his expression turned serious. The Outer Desolation, beyond the territories of Jiuzhou, was filled with various dangerous and powerful desolate beasts, ferocious and terrifying. The task of the pioneers was to eliminate the desolate beasts in a region and then expand the territory of Jiuzhou, securing more living space for humanity. This was a very daunting task, as desolate beasts would not be easily eradicated, and it was more likely that the pioneers would be besieged and killed by them! This was also the reason why the status of pioneers was highly esteemed¡ªthey fought for humanity''s living space, often risking their very lives. In Jiuzhou, if one''s cultivation hadn''t reached the Meridian Opening Realm, they were generally not allowed to venture into the Outer Desolation, as those at the Qi-Controlling stage going there was virtually tantamount to courting death! "I don''t understand what those people at Liangzhou University are thinking; to set up such an admission test." Li Nanxing said discontentedly, it was as if the words "N-class Awakeners not welcome" were written for all to see. But he was just a high school principal and couldn''t interfere with Liangzhou University''s affairs. He felt the injustice, but there was nothing he could do about it. "Of course, you don''t need to worry. You''re not yet at the Qi-Controlling stage, so the test they set for you should be in the simulation training field. Elite universities have simulation training facilities, that''s what they will..." Li Nanxing said. Xiang Beifei fell into deep thought. The admission test was to enter the Outer Desolation? His parents had gone to the Outer Desolation and never returned. What that place was truly like, he had yet to experience for himself. This world was closely linked to the Outer Desolation, yet Xiang Beifei had only seen the tip of the iceberg. The high school exam results came in one by one at Luhe High School, some were overjoyed while others were despondent. There were those who scored 300 points, those with 400, each person bearing a different expression. The current highest scorer was named Shen Yu, who had awakened the [S-class Scholar System], scoring 667 points without any bonus, from class one. And at this time, Kong Xiuwen''s results also came out: [Kong Xiuwen, S-class, Language 101, Mathematics 103, Integrated Sciences 191, Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou 118, Total 513] Kong Xiuwen was over the moon with joy! "Ah, I scored 500 points!" He pulled at his own hair in excitement. He had tried his hardest these past days to reach 500 points, even exchanging all the hair he had shed for system rewards to boost his IQ, and finally, it paid off. 513 plus the 50 bonus points, 563 total. With this score, getting into an elite university was not a problem at all! "Congratulations," Xiang Beifei said. "Thanks. I never expected that I would perform beyond my expectations!" Kong Xiuwen was extremely excited, but soon tempered his excitement and asked, "How confident are you? It was you who said we would go to Liangzhou University together. I''ve done it; I''m just waiting for you! Don''t let me down, okay?" "Let''s wait for the results," Xiang Beifei said. "Son, you made it!" A chubby middle-aged man made his way through the crowd. His build was sturdy, and he shouldered through, hugging Kong Xiuwen excitedly, almost knocking him over with his round belly. This was Kong Xiuwen''s dad, Kong Daming. [Host: Kong Daming] [S-class, Gluttonous Feast System] [Realm: Early Stage of Meridian Opening] Kong Daming was in the catering business, his culinary skills were nearly magical¡ª he could make a plain cabbage dish drool-worthy. "Dad, act with some dignity, please," Kong Xiuwen said, clutching his belly where he had been bumped, but he could hardly hide his own excitement, allowing his father''s plump hand to rough up his hair. "Uncle Kong, hello," Xiang Beifei greeted politely. "Haha, good, good, Xiaofei, I haven''t seen you in a long time," Kong Daming laughed joyously before turning to Xiang Qingde, "Is the old man still in good health?" Chapter 575 428: Unknown No. 2 (4000 words)_2 "Things are going well; congratulations, Daming," Xiang Qingde forced a smile and said. "Haha, thank you, thank you! My Xiuwen has become promising. By the way, has Xiaofei''s score come out yet?" Kong Daming asked. "It should be out soon." Xiang Qingde couldn''t help but think of that test score of 43 again and quietly sighed. "Xiaofei, you have to work hard! You two grew up playing together and have always been in the same class; I hope you can go to university together too!" Kong Daming said cheerfully. "Hopefully." Xiang Qingde could only say that, but he sighed again in his heart. Compared to Kong Xiuwen, an S-grade Awakener with the prospect of getting into an elite university with a mere 500 points, Xiang Beifei, an N-grade, performed so poorly... "Haha, that''s great! To celebrate this excellent performance of my son, I won''t do business tonight and will prepare a celebration banquet especially for you. Old man, you should come too!" Kong Daming used to be an old classmate of Xiang Tianxing; after Tianxing had the accident, he often took care of the grandfather and grandson, always telling them that they would not be charged for meals at his restaurant. However, Xiang Qingde and his family rarely went. Although their income was not high, they did not want to eat for free. Kong Daming was aware of this, so he changed his approach and often sent some meat to Xiang Qingde''s house for them to cook themselves. To avoid giving Xiang Qingde a psychological burden, he symbolically charged them the price of vegetables. Recently, during Xiang Beifei''s college entrance exam period, all the nourishing ingredients Qingde bought were from Daming. "Congratulations, congratulations! Well done, Xiuwen, I always said you had potential!" Yang Hua appeared just in time and loudly praised Kong Xiuwen; Xiuwen had also brought him a teacher''s prestige value of 563, which was a significant addition to his earnings! Kong Xiuwen was not fond of Yang Hua; before he awakened his system, he and Xiang Beifei were both subjects of criticism. After his awakening to the S-grade system, Yang Hua''s attitude toward him dramatically changed. Kong Xiuwen was an upright person and did not like people like Yang Hua. But Kong Daming was unaware of these details. With a teacher offering congratulations, he naturally had to be polite: "Haha, thank you, Professor Yang, and we should thank you for your cultivation of him!" "Not at all, not at all. I had seen from the start that Kong Xiuwen was a student full of potential, destined to achieve greatness. I am not surprised at all by his accomplishments," Yang Hua said with a smile. Kong Xiuwen rolled his eyes on the side. Cultivation my ass! His high score was entirely due to the help of his system and his own late-night studies; it had nothing to do with Yang Hua. If he hadn''t awakened an S-grade system, Yang Hua would probably be singing a different tune. ''Opportunist'' is probably a good way to describe such people. Yang Hua glanced at Xiang Qingde and his grandson, then said to Kong Daming, "An excellent student should be like Kong Xiuwen, diligent and hard-working, not complacent. But the company one keeps is very important. Excellent people should be with even more excellent people. I told Xiuwen this from the beginning." Kong Daming, usually busy with his business, didn''t quite understand Yang Hua''s meaning and asked, "What do you mean, Professor Yang?" "Oh, nothing much, just speaking my mind. With the current achievements of Xiuwen, getting into an elite university is no problem. He will be able to be with even more outstanding people in the future. Your son definitely has a bright future. Congratulations! I need to check the scores of other students, so I won''t disturb your father-son celebration," said Yang Hua. Yang Hua waved his hand, not bothering to pay any more attention to Xiang Qingde and Xiang Beifei, effectively ignoring them. "Don''t take that guy''s words to heart; you can definitely do it," Kong Xiuwen came over to cheer Xiang Beifei up. But deep down, Kong Xiuwen also felt unsure. It wasn''t hard for him to get into an elite university, but for Xiang Beifei, the difficulty was significant. Up to now, he didn''t know how much Xiang Beifei had improved. Xiang Beifei didn''t explain much, but Xiang Qingde became increasingly uncomfortable after hearing Yang Hua''s words. Xiang Beifei looked at Wang Dan, pondering silently. The assessment system of the world of systems might be just, but it was not fair. The nine elite universities were not friendly toward N-grade Awakeners. Not only did N-grades receive no extra points and faced high thresholds for elite universities, but they also had to pass special admission assessments. Except for Liangzhou University, the other eight elite universities even directly refused them. If it were an S or R grade, a score of 601 would be more than enough to get into one of the nine elite universities, even Kong Xiuwen with a score of 513 got in. But the world of the system is special, with its own rules for survival. To live better in this world, system talent is extremely important, as high-grade talent Awakeners complete system tasks faster, which is an indisputable fact. Special schools have special admission requirements, which is actually quite normal and applicable everywhere. For example, clinical medicine does not allow those with infectious diseases, and those with speech impediments are not suitable for teacher training programs. The nine elite universities need to cultivate the top talents of the Jiuzhou Alliance and reserve talents for the alliance, so it''s reasonable to have higher selection criteria. After all, in this world, academic scores are only a reference, and what is decisive is the system talent. Yang Hua was happily counting his teacher prestige value; most of the student scores from his class were out, and currently, the one with the highest score in the class was not the S-grade Zhuo Jing, but Wang Dan who had awakened to an N-grade Flower Cultivation System! She scored 601! Wang Dan looked excited too, her system being Flower Cultivation, so she planned to apply for agricultural and forestry universities. "Good, not bad! Very good!" Yang Hua congratulated Wang Dan loudly. He was all smiles, treating Wang Dan very kindly, having gained another 601 teacher prestige points from her. However, many remembered that two months after her Awakening System, Yang Hua had neglected Wang Dan, even moving her seat to the back of the classroom, and he seemed impatient when she asked questions during class. Just because Wang Dan was an N-grade Awakener. But Yang Hua didn''t care about these things; as long as they brought him profits, it was all good, and he could be lavish in his praise with no problem turning his attitude a full 180 degrees. "This child, I hope she can achieve something in the future! Although she''s only N-grade, her genes come from Xiang Tianxing. The prospects of being admitted to Liangzhou University this year seem bleak, but let''s see if there''s hope next year or the year after." Li Nanxing did not expect Xiang Beifei to bring him any prestige value; to be honest, he thought that counting on Xiang Beifei for a boost of prestige was less promising than relying on those S-grade students. But the reason he came to encourage Xiang Beifei was mostly because of Xiang Tianxing. The day Xiang Beifei came to his office to consult about the system school selection, Li Nanxing seemed to see Xiang Tianxing''s shadow in him. Just then, a voice came from the side: "Professor Yang, how can you belittle a student like that?" Li Nanxing came over from the crowd, looking at Yang Hua with a serious expression. "Principal." Seeing Li Nanxing, Yang Hua''s proud demeanor hesitated, and he quickly put on a smile to greet him. Li Nanxing was also there to check on the students'' scores, a matter of such importance that he, as the principal, naturally could not be absent. But he couldn''t help speaking out after inadvertently hearing the conversation. "As a teacher, one should teach without discrimination, seek out each student''s strengths, and not casually pigeonhole a student. In front of other parents, you demeaned their child; is this something a teacher should do?" Li Nanxing rebuked. Yang Hua dared not reply, but in his heart, he was still dismissive. ¡ªXiang Beifei, a student like that, what strengths could he possibly have? I merely spoke the truth; he simply can''t get into college. Li Nanxing turned with an apologetic face to Xiang Qingde and said, "I''m sorry, Professor Yang was just speaking out of anxiety waiting for the scores. As the principal, it''s my negligence for not managing my own staff properly. I apologize to you; don''t take it to heart." "Not at all." Xiang Qingde was somewhat flattered; he knew Principal Li Nanxing was at least a Meridian Opening stage person, high in both cultivation and status. For such a person to apologize to him was truly rare. Chapter 576 429: Defeat a Desolate Beast with a Desolate Beast "The desolate beasts cultivated from the laboratory have various defects, short lifespans, and they cannot reproduce offspring as their bodies are inherently a combination of two Beast Pills. You don''t need to worry about mutation issues. However, compared to other desolate beasts, they have a very obvious advantage!" Zhao Ruizhong paused, then said in a deep voice, "They are controllable!" The desolate beast incubators come with this type of control system ability, provided by the beast-controlling type System Awakener. Such Awakeners are born with the ability to fight by controlling Beast Pills. Applying the beast-controlling ability to desolate beast incubators is designed to prevent the cultivated desolate beasts from going out of control. "The desolate beasts raised in incubators since their early days can have their consciousness interfered with when they are still very weak, making them remember our commands. As a result, when they grow up, they will follow our commands obediently." Zhao Ruizhong was unstoppable when discussing the cultivation of desolate beasts. Initially, Xiang Beifei and the others could control desolate beasts for combat during their interviews. "The desolate beasts from the laboratory are not much different from those beast-controlling martial artists. They can also fight for us during the outbreak of a beast tide, and they even have greater combat power! Safe and reliable!" Zhao Ruizhong said. Xiang Beifei exclaimed, "That''s a very constructive idea! Theoretically, the Alliance should support it, since it''s essentially creating many beast-controlling martial artists!" Beast-controlling martial artists are mostly not to be underestimated. The most typical of them is Gao Zhuo with his "Unparalleled Chess Player System," specifically sealing desolate beasts for combat. His system, although simple for Xiang Beifei to crack, rendered the sealed desolate beasts nearly invincible on the battlefield against the beast tide, as those desolate beasts would never figure out how to break his chessboard rules. If this idea could be realized, it essentially means many pioneers could become beast-controlling martial artists, controlling desolate beasts to fight against desolate beasts, significantly reducing human casualties! "Doctor, haven''t they explained this to them?" Xiang Beifei asked. "How could they not have explained? This idea of mine originally had Alliance support, but unfortunately, after a change in leadership, they scrapped my research." Zhao Ruizhong sighed. "Which department did Doctor Zhao previously work in?" Xiang Beifei asked. "At the Alliance Beast Tide Defense Department. You graduated from Liangzhou University; you know Professor Luo Yunxian, right?" Zhao Ruizhong asked. "I know him, but not well," Xiang Beifei said. "That''s too bad. With your capabilities, it''s a pity that Professor Luo didn''t discover you. If you could have received guidance from Professor Luo, I believe your achievements would have been much higher!" Zhao Ruizhong mentioned Professor Luo with great respect. Xiang Beifei touched his forehead. That great idle fish! "He once greatly agreed with my philosophy and supported my research into desolate beasts. But as you may know, Professor Luo resigned because of some issues. As soon as the new leader He Caiwei came in, he terminated my research under the pretext of jeopardizing Alliance security," Zhao Ruizhong brought up the matter, still resentful. He still couldn''t understand why He Caiwei didn''t accept his viewpoint. However, Xiang Beifei knew the reason. He Caiwei''s targeting of Zhao Ruizhong was not really about the so-called security of the Alliance; it was actually because Elder Luo supported Zhao Ruizhong''s research, so Zhao was treated as Elder Luo''s accomplice. "Why not go to Liangzhou University? With Doctor Zhao''s capabilities, being a professor at Liangzhou University would be more than adequate," Xiang Beifei asked. Zhao Ruizhong helplessly said, "It''s not that simple. I tried my best to explain to He Caiwei that my research on desolate beasts was for defending against the beast tide, and I explained the feasibility of using desolate beasts to defeat desolate beasts. Professor Luo could attest to this. However, He Caiwei still arrested me on charges of harboring ill-intentions and endangering Jiuzhou''s safety. Even though I was later released, I''ve been branded, and He Caiwei has banned any Alliance department from hiring me." Nine elite universities, under the jurisdiction of the Alliance, were also departments of the Alliance. Zhao Ruizhong''s interference by He Caiwei meant that he could not take a position at the university. "So the doctor came here?" "Yes, originally I was somewhat at a dead end. The owner of the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company found me and said he could support me in any desolate beast research, providing the equipment and resources for my research. It was like a glimmer of hope for me, so I''ve always been grateful to the company." Zhao Ruizhong smiled, then clapped Xiang Beifei on the shoulder and said, "This company has always prioritized the attitude towards scientific researchers. They prioritize researchers first in everything and accept any feedback we might have. Actually, offering you a salary of two million was my own initiative, but they didn''t say anything. Believe me, you won''t regret working here." "I see." Xiang Beifei nodded slightly, not expecting Zhao Ruizhong to have such a past. His dislike for He Caiwei deepened even further. For such talent to be forced to leave the Alliance was indeed a significant loss for the Alliance. He suddenly realized why the Unrestrained forces were so potent. Given the situation within the Alliance, higher-ranked Awakeners form cliques, reject dissenting opinions, and forcefully expel those not complying with their views from the Alliance. This was equivalent to offering Unrestrained an opportunity to recruit talents! Particularly, the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company also knew how to respect and attract talented individuals. From Lin Long''s initial treatment of Zhao Ruizhong, it was evident they had always respected scientific talents like Zhao Ruizhong, offering high salaries and fulfilling any conditions necessary. Unrestrained truly achieved the feat of wisely selecting and employing the capable. It sounds quite ironic when said out loud. Zhao Ruizhong said, "But speaking of which, now that He Caiwei has been imprisoned, it really is a relief. I should really thank Professor Luo for standing up for me. Oh right, the most thanks should actually go to Professor Luo''s disciple Xiang Beifei!" "Eh? Xiang Beifei?" Xiang Beifei himself was stunned when he heard this. That name sounded so familiar. "Yes! Over these years, many people have forgotten what the name Luo Yunxian means. It was Xiang Beifei who reintroduced him to everyone. In fact, I feel that Professor Luo''s decisive handling of He Caiwei and Zhu Yiji, gaining so much public support, couldn''t be separated from Xiang Beifei. Honestly, if Xiang Beifei were here, I would genuinely want to express my gratitude to him. Ah, what a pity there''s no chance to interact with such a prodigy." Zhao Ruizhong expressed considerable regret. Xiang Beifei: "..." "By the way, Zheng Xian, you graduated from Liangzhou University, do you know Xiang Beifei?" Zhao Ruizhong asked. "I can''t really say... I know him? I have seen him at school. I guess he and I... aren''t from the same world," Xiang Beifei tried to find the right way to put it. "Zheng Xian, don''t sell yourself short! Although Xiang Beifei is impressive, he''s only skilled in martial arts! But you, even though you''re an S-grade with modest martial arts capability, you are an absolute genius in the field of Beast Pills! Everyone has their specialty, and anyone can find their place to shine. I can assure you, you will excel beyond Xiang Beifei in this field, so never underestimate yourself!" Zhao Ruizhong clapped Xiang Beifei on the shoulder, encouragingly said. In his view, Zheng Xian''s future was also bright! With proper cultivation, his achievements in desolate beast research could equally match Xiang Beifei''s! "Is... is that so?" Xiang Beifei secretly broke into a sweat. Chapter 577 430: Core Base (4000 words) Chapters will resume normal updates at five-thirty. If you have a subscription, you will not be double-charged. Please continue to support the official version. The author relies on subscriptions for a living, which is really important. "Does she really think she can do whatever she wants with my fame?" Those who had tried to exploit Xiang Beifei''s reputation for profit had already been dealt with by him. This time, without consulting him, they decided on their own to make him the scapegoat, obviously trying to thrust him into the limelight. The reason the Alliance wanted to expose such a talent as Xiang Beifei was all too clear. The main reason was that Xiang Beifei was mentored by Elder Luo! The Alliance didn''t have a good relationship with Elder Luo, and they even feared him because they could not suppress an SR-ranked Awakener who didn''t follow the Alliance''s orders. They were worried that Elder Luo would cultivate his own power base at Liangzhou University. And the emergence of a genius like Xiang Beifei posed an even greater threat to them! So, they decided to target Xiang Beifei! Normal people, once exposed, find it hard to keep a low profile; they attract attention wherever they go. By exposing Xiang Beifei like this, they were forcing him to stand with the Alliance, to be monitored by everyone in Jiuzhou, thus Xiang Beifei would almost be unable to covertly oppose the Alliance and every move he made would be under their scrutiny. Later, whatever the Alliance planned, Xiang Beifei would have to comply. In the eyes of the Alliance, Xiang Beifei would become a piece to counter Elder Luo, to isolate Elder Luo in a special way, to monitor him, and to weaken his influence. But Mu Yiqing must not really think that I''ll just submit and behave according to her wishes? "To become the benchmark for N-ranked Awakeners means that the initiative lies with me." Xiang Beifei His name was the way out of the withered forest? Coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei felt very unreal. His long-missing father, who he''d never met, had named him at a time when he was still an infant. How could he be so sure that he would encounter Youmeng? He just casually decided on his son''s name? Could he be a bit more serious about naming! This SSR-ranked System Awakener possessed the ability to make rules, and any person or thing around her that followed the rules would increase her system value. Moreover, acting according to the rules she set could also increase her system value. In short, as long as there were rules in a place, she could become stronger. Those who did not follow the rules would have nowhere to hide in her presence. Xiang Beifei looked at Mu Yiqing''s system log, which listed a bunch of things she''d done concerning rules, including one entry that said: [You have formulated the "Jiuzhou SR Talent Selection and Planning System" plan, which has been approved by the Alliance''s Planning Director Zhu Yiji and released as a rule. Currently, 2546 people are following this rule, your rule value +2546.] The Planning Department of the Jiuzhou Alliance is responsible for forming and revising all systems of the Alliance, managing all aspects of the Alliance, and planning the development of Jiuzhou. Simply put, as a UR-ranked Zhu Yiji, his job was to set the rules. Xiang Beifei only now understood Zhu Yiji''s position within the Alliance. The one who sets the rules, leading the way in breaking them, and pulling his own grandson out of prison, is really miraculous. So, it seems Mu Yiqing also belongs to Zhu Yiji''s camp. It''s just unknown whether she was involved in the matter of Zhu Xinjue, who was supposed to be sentenced to death, being able to change his appearance and leave the prison reborn. Xiang Beifei quickly saw a system log entry from September: [You have revised the SR Awakener bail application regulation, which currently only applies to one person, your rule value +1.] "It seems there''s little doubt now." Xiang Beifei frowned slightly. Her system, as long as the rules she revised could apply to many people, would add that much to her rule value. For example, she was involved in revising a student recruitment system for Jiuzhou, which directly applied to five million Jiuzhou college entrance exam students, and her system value was directly increased by five million! Logically, with such a system, Mu Yiqing should comply with all sorts of rules. But Xiang Beifei quickly thought. What are rules? Rules are made by people. Since they are made by people, they can naturally be modified by people. The modified rules are still rules and still comply with her system''s criteria. Therefore, the higher she stands in the Alliance, the more likely she is to hold all the rules in her hands, and the so-called "acting according to the rules" to become stronger by her [Word Spirit Rule System] actually means acting at will. No wonder SSR-ranked systems are so powerful. ¡ª¡ª "Our two schools supported each other in the withered forest and jointly escaped the danger," Xiang Beifei said, looking at Ren Jianghai, "On the way, we also encountered a student from Qingzhou University. You can ask him for details." "Yes, we almost got caught, but it was Xiang Beifei and his team who saved me. Afterwards, we encountered other school teams and warned them of dangers, but they didn''t trust us. Only Yongzhou University''s team followed us," Tang He recounted the events in detail, including their conflict with Yanzhou University, how they met Shi Renmei, saw Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage, were chased, and treated by Liangzhou''s team... Ren Jianghai listened and frowned deeply. But with Tang He stepping forward, he had no choice but to give up. Chapter 578 430: Core Base (4000 words)_2 After all, Tang He was a student of Qingzhou University, and Xiang Beifei felt obligated both emotionally and rationally. "All eleven of you, are" Xiang Beifei didn''t ask any more questions but watched Tang He thoughtfully. Tang He was an ordinary person; of this there could be no mistake since he had a system interface that was rapidly updating. His [Po Jun Eye System] was a type of investigative system, and it also allowed him to swiftly identify an opponent''s weaknesses and to defeat them through those weaknesses. His system log was showing everything to be normal, which couldn''t escape Xiang Beifei''s notice. However, what puzzled Xiang Beifei was¡ª This guy, for some reason, had a faint whiff of the Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage about him! Was it because he had encountered an attack by the Ghost Whiskers, leaving behind this residue? The moment these several people appeared, the atmosphere immediately felt off. Chen Baiwen, Yu Hongbo, Zhu Xinjue! It was the team from Yanzhou University! Unexpectedly, they also showed up here! Zhu Xinjue caught sight of Xiang Beifei among the crowd and his heart skipped a beat before a hint of resentment flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. Because their alliance with Qingzhou University had already broken down, they had no way to join forces against Xiang Beifei. When Yu Hongbo and Chen Baiwen saw Xiang Beifei, they were slightly surprised as well! They couldn''t help but exchange glances! Just yesterday, they had been thinking of joining forces with Qingzhou University to deal with Xiang Beifei, but they had not found him, and instead, Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University had died. They hadn''t expected to encounter Xiang Beifei at this place. "Don''t panic! He probably doesn''t know about yesterday''s incident!" Chen Baiwen gave Yu Hongbo and the others a meaningful look, and without speaking, they all understood each other. Yu Hongbo calmed himself and started, "Xiang Beifei, I''ve long admired your reputation. I am Yu Hongbo, the team leader of Yanzhou University." Chen Baiwen also nodded slightly but said nothing. Xiang Beifei looked at the people from Yanzhou University thoughtfully. His gaze swept over these people and then lingered on Zhu Xinjue before he finally said, "How did you all end up here?" "After we entered this withered forest, we realized something was wrong and then ran up to this mountain. Things outside are pretty bad, did you also encounter those strange tree people just now?" Yu Hongbo asked. "That''s right." Xiang Beifei said indifferently. "Are you all okay?" Yu Hongbo asked. "Not too bad." Xiang Beifei glanced at Tang He, who was behind him. Tang He was from Qingzhou University, and their team''s situation now seemed quite dire. When Tang He saw Yu Hongbo and the others, he also showed a look of shock. He hadn''t expected to run into people from Yanzhou University. After all, their Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University had died at the hands of "Zhu Pengfei"! But he didn''t dare to say much now, being just a late-stage SR-ranked Qi-Controlling Awakener, with none of his teammates around, he was hardly a match for these people from Yanzhou University. "How long have you been in this withered forest?" Xiang Beifei asked. "We came in last night!" Yu Hongbo said. "Last night? You''ve been here for almost a day?" Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. "Yes, we came here last night!" Yu Hongbo no longer harbored the idea of dealing with Xiang Beifei; on the contrary, he even had a hint of wanting to act together with Xiang Beifei. Because their team was also in a very predicament. This place was too strange, and they were trapped, unable to find a way out. Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, Yu Hongbo still felt a glimmer of hope. Xiang Beifei was strong. Maybe he had a way out! "So you''re all right then?" Xiang Beifei asked. "One of us had an accident." Yu Hongbo said heavily. Only four people were left in their team at the moment. "You''ve been on this mountain since last night?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Not exactly, we started in the Withered Forest, but then the sky suddenly darkened, and something felt wrong. So we ran towards the mountain and realized those Tree People didn''t dare to follow, which allowed us to breathe a sigh of relief. We weren''t on this mountain initially, but on another one." "Are you that N-level Awakener, Xiang Beifei?" Chen Baiwen''s expression was not good as he faced Xiang Beifei. He didn''t really want to come up because Hou Chengwu had lost in a baffling manner before, and he hadn''t clearly seen how Hou Chengwu had lost. If he were to also lose to an N-level student, his reputation would almost certainly be ruined overnight. However, if he didn''t come up to challenge Xiang Beifei, he would be even more ridiculed as a coward, essentially proving indirectly that he, a mighty SSR Awakener, was afraid of an N-level! In that case, Xiang Beifei would win without a fight. After all, like Hou Chengwu, he had looked down on Liangzhou University for accepting N-level students and was persuaded by other universities not to go to Liangzhou University. Since Chen Baiwen had chosen to dismiss Liangzhou University from the start, it showed that he was an SSR who held himself in high esteem; how could he not prove himself? Xiang Beifei just calmly looked at Zhu Xinjue, but a killing intent flashed in his eyes. He hadn''t killed that guy last time; facing someone who was evidently coming to kill him, he had to make sure Zhu Xinjue died! However, as soon as he had spoken, he felt his knees bend, and with a "snap," he suddenly found himself kneeling before Xiang Beifei! Zhu Xinjue and the others were also stunned! "Hou Chengwu, what are you doing?" Chen Baiwen asked in astonishment. Hou Chengwu himself was shocked by his own actions! Why did he kneel down? Wasn''t it agreed that Xiang Beifei would be the one to fall? Why was it that he ended up kneeling instead? Hou Chengwu''s face turned red with anger. He tried to stand up furiously but found that no matter what, he couldn''t stand up! But just then, Hou Chengwu''s keen eyes suddenly caught sight of Xiang Beifei''s figure, and he shouted, "He''s over there!" This time everyone saw clearly that Xiang Beifei was a real person! The others also spotted Xiang Beifei, but due to the flood, they had a hard time separating. "Yu Hongbo, you help us watch these SRs; we will go deal with him!" Hou Chengwu called out. "Alright!" Yu Hongbo had to look after his own men; otherwise, the SRs would be directly submerged by the flood. A cruel glint flashed in Zhu Xinjue''s eyes as he held a giant glass sphere in his hand. The glass sphere flickered and turned into a ghostly beam of light, enveloping the void. "Let''s see where you can run to this time!" Zhu Xinjue sneered. This glass sphere was a UR-level space artifact that could render any space-teleportation items useless. Since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman, Zhu Xinjue was worried that Xiang Beifei might escape. Soon enough, Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong had Xiang Beifei completely surrounded. Their powerful auras were not less intimidating than the flood as they fixed their eyes on Xiang Beifei. "Xiang Beifei, although I know you are strong, there are four of us now. I still advise you to forfeit," He Qiutong said, unaware of Zhu Xinjue''s plan. Her goal, like Chen Baiwen''s, was simply to eliminate Xiang Beifei from the competition. Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the four people before him. Four people, easier to deal with than five. "That''s right, we don''t want to harm you. Just withdraw yourself gracefully to avoid any trouble," Chen Baiwen said gravely. However, Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue by his side were filled with endless killing intent. "What are we waiting for? To make him withdraw, we have to take him down first!" Hou Chengwu shouted. This time facing Xiang Beifei, he was filled with enough confidence; even though for some unknown reason he had lost last time in the arena, now it was four against one. No matter how formidable Xiang Beifei was, in Hou Chengwu''s eyes, he was definitely a dead man this time! Clenching his teeth with resentment, Hou Chengwu said, "Today, I will make you pay the price!" That day, himself, a prominent SSR, had been stuffed into a trash bin and humiliated. Today, he had to kill Xiang Beifei! Chapter 579 431: Desolate Beast Arena This is a rule of the system type. If Xiang Beifei had to describe it, it would be more like the system rule created by Zhu Yiji''s "Square and Round Rules". The moment he tried to disclose the secret, his speech would be directly controlled, and a strong aura would be immediately emitted to notify the person who was exercising that ability. Not only that, but as the aura enveloped him, he felt as if he had established an invisible connection with someone. This meant that no matter where he went, he would be under the surveillance of that person, who could even use this aura to directly locate him! The man in charge of registration saw that Xiang Beifei was cooperative and his expression softened a bit. Then he put a bracelet on Xiang Beifei and said, "Don''t wander off in the desolate beast breeding base. Some desolate beasts here are highly aggressive, and you are just an S-class at the Meridian Opening stage. I don''t want you to lose your life here." "Understood," Xiang Beifei nodded. "Come this way." Zhao Ruizhong was already used to such checks and didn''t say much, taking the lead to walk outside. Dai Lan followed behind them lazily. "Xiaohei, be careful," Xiang Beifei said to Xiaohei in his mind. It was safer to leave the exploration of this place''s secrets to Xiaohei. Xiaohei was naturally invisible to others and could ignore various system abilities. With little glasses, it could record everything here. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei immediately hopped up and ran off with its tail wagging. "Ao wu! Ao wu!" The Wooden Kirin was also eager to play. It had the ability to turn invisible and wouldn''t be seen by people, but Xiang Beifei stopped it. This guy wasn''t too bright; who knew what trouble it might cause if it rushed off somewhere. "Ao wu, ao wu!" The Wooden Kirin assured him solemnly that it would not cause any trouble. It just wanted to scope out the place to become familiar with the layout, so it could strike directly at the heart if there was an attack next time! "Then remember to behave, don''t get into a fight with anyone! Follow Xiaohei and take its lead!" "Ao wu ao wu." The Wooden Kirin was itching with impatience and quickly shook its butt as it chased after Xiaohei. The teleportation pavilion was built within a courtyard, which was quaint, reminiscent of an old-fashioned Siheyuan, with limited visibility. The sky was clear with lazily drifting white clouds against the blue, but that was a false illusion created by the system. There was an arched gate ahead. Passing through the gate, they came to a long corridor, which was styled with the simplicity of an ancient courtyard, complete with red-painted wooden handrails and a rather unique surrounding. Scenes to either side varied. On the left, one could see a bamboo forest, lush and teeming, with dark shadows flickering within. On the right was the sea, seemingly boundless, with the waves gently rolling. It was unknown what sort of desolate beasts lived within those waters. Xiang Beifei was pondering this when suddenly a massive tentacle shot out of the sea toward them. "What the hell!" Xiang Beifei jumped in fright, his complexion turning pale, as he quickly dodged towards Zhao Ruizhong. However, the tentacle was blocked by an invisible fluctuation as it reached the red-painted wood of the corridor, emitting a buzzing sound and repelling it. "It turns out you get scared too. I thought you were a block of wood," Dai Lan said with a playful smile on the side. "How could I not be scared when it suddenly springs at you?" Xiang Beifei calmed himself and steadied his nerves as he spoke. "Aren''t you capable of cultivating even late-stage Meridian Opening desolate beasts? That''s just a mid-stage Meridian Opening desolate beast." Xiang Beifei frowned and said, "I can control the Earth Dragon, but not that. How could I have the strength to face it?" Dai Lan chuckled lightly and said, "Well, that''s true." But internally, she was a bit more relieved. The kid was clearly scared. Although he tried to cover it up afterwards, pretending to be composed, the initial reaction was genuine. It seemed he really was just a greenhorn fresh out of graduation. Probably no serious threat. Zhao Ruizhong said, "That''s a Black Water Octopus and Water Pig hybrid, delicious as a meat animal for cultivation. Don''t worry, as long as you stay on this corridor, you won''t be harmed by any desolate beast." "Got it." Xiang Beifei nodded, straightening his sleeves, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over the sea. He could wipe out such desolate beasts with just a breath, but his current identity was a martial artist at the early stage of Meridian Opening. "Fear" was the least respect he could give to this persona. He glanced to the left again, sizing up the bamboo forest, and inquired, "Judging from the shape of these ancient-text bamboo, is this area for cultivating black-and-white beasts?" "Yes, these black-and-white beasts have very powerful attacks, but their pelts are quite valuable. The temperature remains steady at thirty degrees even after death; they are commodities for keeping warm. This place is vast, with many sectors separated from each other, yet all part of the true outer desolate regions. Follow me, and don''t get lost," Zhao Ruizhong explained. They had only taken a few steps along the corridor when a small cart came rolling by. The cart was like those found in scenic areas for sightseeing. Once the three of them were aboard, it started to move slowly along the corridor. The corridor seemed endlessly long, with the vast ocean always to their left, while the right side constantly changed, starting from bamboo forests all the way to canyons, then to plains and small mountains. Soon, the corridor forked, and they took the left one. The ocean was out of sight as they entered a pitch-black cave. The light suddenly dimmed, and they walked as if underground, with red eyes occasionally flashing in the cave. However, they did not linger there. Zhao Ruizhong took regular pauses, frequently leaving the cart to check on the growing desolate beasts in the enclosures. These modified desolate beasts were all raised in the true outer desolate regions. Though penned in, they had a wide range of movement and strong adaptability. Xiang Beifei used a recorder to note all the desolate beasts altered by Zhao Ruizhong, getting a mental tally. Zhao Ruizhong also detailed for Xiang Beifei how he had modified these beasts, while also asking for his opinions on their modification. As he seriously offered his insights to Zhao Ruizhong, he also kept an eye on the surroundings. He was looking for the heavily guarded mountain that Zhao Ruizhong had mentioned. Along the way, he had indeed seen many mountains large and small, but it was clear they were all constructed for the desolate beasts, not the important site Zhao Ruizhong spoke of that even he hadn''t visited. Unfortunately, Dai Lan was always behind them, listening to their conversation and occasionally contributing a few words, so Xiang Beifei couldn''t ask openly. Now, all he could hope for was that Xiaohei and the Wooden Kirin would scout around and perhaps find that mountain. It would be best if they could draw a map of this place. They quickly arrived at the breeding base for Earth Dragons and Ground Serpents. The eggs of the Ground Serpents were still incubating. Zhao Ruizhong asked Xiang Beifei to select experimental subjects among the Earth Dragons. The researchers here had already caught over thirty Earth Dragons to provide offspring. Xiang Beifei purposely took ten minutes to inspect each Earth Dragon, telling Zhao Ruizhong why he chose those particular Earth Dragons, trying to buy time for Xiaohei. Dai Lan merely yawned beside them, bored as she watched the experiments unfold. She had no interest in such matters, but she didn''t complain, keeping her attention fixed and giving Xiang Beifei no opportunity to act. However, just then, a thunderous "boom" resounded from afar. The sound was massive, as if something had exploded, the ground rumbling ominously! Xiang Beifei''s heart skipped a beat! Damn it, could it be that Erha, the Wooden Kirin, had stirred up some trouble? This was not good! "What''s happened?" Zhao Ruizhong asked. Dai Lan, who had been yawning on a stone beside them, also stood up. She frowned slightly before leaping up, tapping twice on the tree branches, and promptly reached the high sky. She gazed into the distance, seemingly observing something, and quickly withdrew her gaze to jump back down, landing beside them, she said, "It''s nothing serious, quite normal." Normal? Xiang Beifei found it strange. Do such occurrences frequently happen in this desolate beast field? Nevertheless, he breathed a sigh of relief. Since Dai Lan said so, it meant that the disturbance was not caused by Erha and Xiaohei. Zhao Ruizhong seemed unclear about what was happening there, too. He asked with confusion, "How can such a big tremor be normal?" No sooner had he spoken than another thunderous shaking began! The ground trembled again, and from a distance, there were shouts, as if people were calling out about something. The air was even swirling with countless powerful fluctuations. Each of those fluctuations was terrifyingly strong, easily at the level of God Refining beings! Dai Lan lazily spread her hands and said, "Just a little mishap, it''s been happening for the last couple of days. But no worries, it''s under control." Boom, boom, boom! The tremors continued! The birds and beasts in the forest were howling in panic, darting to escape. Even the nearby Earth Dragons and Ground Serpents were frightened and attempted to burrow into the ground. The shaking lasted for a full half-hour. Zhao Ruizhong frowned as the ground kept trembling. It was impossible to work under these conditions, so they had to return to the sightseeing cart. "The accident in the desolate beast field today seems a bit serious. Perhaps, Doctor, it would be better to come back another time," Dai Lan said. "Alright, I''ve left the breeding records behind. Remember to handle them next time," Zhao Ruizhong instructed. As they rode the cart back, they were about to reach the entrance of the park when they encountered a crowd ahead, seemingly talking anxiously about something. "Quick, save him!" "No use, his heart is having issues. We need to think of another way." Suddenly, someone in the crowd raised their head, saw Xiang Beifei and the others, and shouted urgently, "Doctor Zhao, you''ve come at the right time, help us save him!" The speaker was Lin Long. And the one lying on the ground with burn marks and patches of green on his skin, as if poisoned, had his chest cut open, revealing a disproportionately large heart that was faintly beating. Chapter 580 432 Eerie Cold Air (4000 words) Chapter confusion amended at 5:30 pm. Those who have subscribed will not be resubscribed. Please support the authorized version. Xiang Beifei was rumored to be able to kill a One-Armed Crab at the late stage of Meridian Opening with a single punch, and his presence here was definitely not for fun. Ma Kainian steadied himself and cursed inwardly, reminding himself that he was an official of the alliance, after all. Even if this kid was famous, he was still just a civilian, without power or influence. If anyone should be afraid, it should be him! "Oh, Xiang Beifei, quite the big shot," Ma Kainian said with a sarcastic tone. Xiang Beifei didn''t say a word, glanced indifferently, and then walked towards Kong Daming, asking, "I saw the phone message just now. What happened to my grandfather?" "I don''t know. He seemed a bit unwell just now, so I helped him upstairs to rest. He''s up there now," replied Kong Daming. "Got it, I''ll go up and see him." Without another word, Xiang Beifei headed for the stairs. However, Ma Kainian couldn''t hide his irritation at being ignored. "Hmph! You don''t even have the manners to greet someone..." "Scram!" Xiang Beifei said bluntly. "Yes." Ma Kainian''s mind went blank for a moment, and then, uncontrollably, he lay down and actually rolled away from the spot. "Huh?" Kong Daming and Zhang Xiang both looked on in shock as Ma Kainian rolled away on the ground, completely frozen in disbelief. Did Ma Kainian... actually just roll away like that? The turn of events caught them both off guard. "Why do we even have to patrol the archives? Who would bother stealing from the Archive Bureau for no reason? If you ask me, it probably wouldn''t matter if we didn''t show up for a year," Zhou Guan said lazily, hands behind his head, following Sun Zhong. He wasn''t particularly interested in the job and kept grumbling along the way. Sun Zhong patrolled past a row of rooms on the third floor. [You patrolled the N-level Talent Review Department, patrol value +2] [You patrolled the N-level Talent Dispatch Department, patrol value +2] ... He took extra time to circle twice in the empty room and pressed a button on the wall, confirming the alarm was in order before leaving the room. [You patrolled the main archive room entrance, patrol value +5] Just then, Zheng Xing had a thought, quickly pulled out his phone to video call his son, and asked, "Son, you said you''ve met Xiang Beifei before, have a look, is this person Xiang Beifei?" During the new student competition, although students from elite schools hadn''t attended, the event was broadcast live, and anyone who wasn''t blind could recognize him. Zheng Xing''s son, a student at Jizhou University, had also seen Xiang Beifei. Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, he immediately exclaimed excitedly, "It''s him! It''s really him! The genius who trampled an SSR from Qingzhou University under his feet! Dad, you actually saw him? Oh my god!" That was the rumored genius! "You really are that Xiang Beifei!" Zheng Xing was also stunned. His son had just brought up the new student tournament before going back to school for the holidays, and he too had found Xiang Beifei remarkably impressive. He never imagined he would have such a coincidence to encounter such a great genius today! A moment later, he quickly snapped out of it and excitedly said, "It''s definitely him, Xiang Beifei, my son is at Jizhou University, and he saw him last time!" Xiang Beifei temporarily put that matter aside and asked, "Right, Uncle Kong, are there any houses for rent near you? We want to move over." "Houses? Yes, there are. You should have moved over a long time ago. The old master has always talked about saving money for you to do missions and such. Why the sudden change of heart?" Kong Daming asked. "Xiaofei has grown up. The house is too shabby, he won''t find a wife," Xiang Qingde said seriously. Kong Daming laughed, "That''s true." But Lu Hong didn''t agree, "That''s not necessarily true! If you really like them, why would you care about the house?" "Still, it''s better to live in a nice place. The old house was a little too dark," Kong Daming commented, "Leave it to me. I remember a family on my floor who moved out. They lived just two door numbers away from mine, right across the street. Moving over would be good for looking after each other." "So, when is your restaurant planning to reopen, Uncle Kong?" Xiang Beifei asked. The origin of the desolate beast like One-Armed Crab had not yet been clarified, and Xiang Beifei currently had no leads on a person he suspected. Xiao Sheng! The counterfeit SR-level clerk who had disappeared somewhere right before the appearance of the desolate beast. He wanted to check if Xiao Sheng would return to work. "The day after tomorrow, I guess! The staff has been asking about it too. Come to think of it, I need to get in touch with them; we''ve been closed for so long," Kong Daming said. "Then I''ll head to the wholesale market tomorrow. We''ve run out of supplies, and I''ll need to work things out with them again," Xiang Qingde said. Quick to respond, Kong Daming said, "No need, Uncle Xiang, you rest. I can do it." "We''ve been idle for so long now. It''s good to get out and about. I''m familiar with the place anyway. With the reopening, there''s a lot to do in the restaurant. Many customers have already made reservations, waiting to support us on reopening day. You''re going to be busy. I can go tomorrow," Xiang Qingde insisted, waving his hand. Unable to persuade him, Kong Daming had to agree. When Xiang Beifei got home, he made a point to have a conversation with his grandfather in front of the living room camera, explaining clearly why he wanted to move, stating that he now knew how to make money and it was fine to live somewhere else. For a martial artist in the Meridian Opening phase, earning enough money to support oneself was too easy. The people monitoring their family, as long as they weren''t foolish, would understand Xiang Beifei''s current Cultivation Realm if they just inquired at the school; no one would doubt such an excuse. Chapter 581 - 432: Bizarre Cold Air (4000 words)_2 With this, the other party should have gone to find a new home by now. Xiang Beifei wanted to see who would dare to secretly install surveillance right under his nose. Having said that, Xiaohei proceeded to shield the camera again. The grandfather and grandson packed up their belongings together at night, and there really were quite a few things in their own home. "We need to call for a truck, there''s no elevator; we''ll carry them downstairs together later," Xiang Qingde pondered on how to move house in the most convenient way. "I can handle the stuff myself, Grandpa doesn''t need to worry, just rest on the side," Xiang Beifei said. "How can that be? How can you move so much stuff by yourself! Grandpa can still do some work and help you carry it," Xiang Qingde worried that his grandson would be overburdened, after all, moving house is a physically demanding task. Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but smile wryly, "Grandpa, why do I always feel like you forget that I''m a martial artist?" "So what if you''re a martial artist? Many martial artists also have to hire people when they move," Xiang Qingde remarked. Xiang Beifei stomped his foot again, and all the packed boxes floated up, hovering in mid-air. Lighter than a feather. He lightened the weight of the objects and then used Spiritual Power to lift them all up. Xiang Qingde watched in amazement, "I didn''t know you had this ability!" Xiang Beifei also realized that he rarely talked about his abilities with his grandfather. He smiled, put everything down, and then glanced at the camera on the ceiling before saying, "Rest assured, I''ll handle everything from now on, Grandpa just needs to rest." Xiang Qingde was momentarily stunned, looking at Xiang Beifei in a daze. There was a time when he was always carefully protecting his grandson, safeguarding his self-respect, telling him to be positive, hoping he wouldn''t give up on himself. But ever since he became a System Awakener, his grandson has changed, becoming diligent and cheerful. Now, as a martial artist at the Meridian Opening stage, he possesses the ability to protect himself. Xiang Qingde took a long while to snap back to reality, then broke into a smile, "The Awakening System really is a good thing." He suddenly felt old, needing protection from his grandson. But that was fine, seeing his grandson so sensible made him happy. Moving was not a difficult task. Ordinary N-level Awakeners, if they didn''t have the corresponding space-type systems, would need to hire a moving company, rent a vehicle, and incur some expenses. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to; Xiaohei could simply blow bubbles to handle it. "Xiaofei is a big star now, we all will rely on you in the future!" Kong Daming joked. "Isn''t being a star very tiring? I hear you have to shoot all sorts of films every day," Lu Zhiwei asked curiously. "That won''t do! Xiaofei needs to cultivate," Lu Hong said seriously. Unconsciously, he had started referring to Beifei as Xiaofei, and in his mind, Xiang Beifei was still a martial artist who should prioritize cultivation. Chen Xiuqin walked in from outside and said with a laugh, "Not to hide it from you, these past few days I''ve received calls from so many talent agencies. They know I''m acquainted with Xiaofei and have been inquiring about commercial activities, offering a lot of money to see if Xiaofei would be willing to sign with their companies." "So what did you say?" Kong Daming asked. "Of course, I said we''d consider it. How could I make a decision on this matter? It''s still up to Xiaofei to decide," Chen Xiuqin laughed. She neither agreed to them nor completely refused, keeping options open for Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment and then said, "I really do need to cultivate, and I don''t have time for shooting movies or advertisements. But when I have time, I can set up a column to teach everyone how to kill desolate beasts, so they don''t panic when they encounter such situations." He needed to use this identity to properly guide everyone. Lu Hong''s eyes lit up, and he nodded, "Right, many civilians, living in inland cities, have a shallow concept of desolate beasts and lack crisis awareness. Your idea is good." To powerful desolate beasts, martial artists are accustomed, but for common folk, such encounters are rare. As a martial artist, it is natural for Xiang Beifei to do promotional activities for martial artists. "That''s great, I''ll help you advertise. As a celebrity, you need to specialize in a direction. Since you''re a martial artist, you should do it the martial artist''s way," Being half-involved in the entertainment industry, Chen Xiuqin understood marketing very well. As a self-proclaimed number one fan-mom of Xiang Beifei, she was more than willing to help him. The matter was settled just like that. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to do anything special - just shoot a few videos next semester when he was doing missions in the outer wilds. It was a simple task. But then again¡ª "Does she really think she can just do as she pleases with my reputation?" The last person who wanted to use Xiang Beifei''s fame to make money had already been dealt with by him. This time, thinking of making him the scapegoat without consulting him is clearly an intentional move to push him into the limelight. The alliance wanted to expose such a genius to the public for a very obvious reason. The main reason is that Xiang Beifei was brought up by Elder Luo! Elder Luo does not have a good relationship with the alliance, and they even dread him because they can''t control such an SR-level Awakener who does not follow the alliance''s orders; they worry that Elder Luo is building his own forces within Liangzhou University. The emergence of a genius like Xiang Beifei posed an even greater threat to them! That''s why they want to act against Xiang Beifei! Once exposed, normal people have a hard time keeping a low profile and attract attention wherever they go. By exposing Xiang Beifei like this, they are essentially forcing him to stand with the alliance, under the watchful eyes of the entire Jiuzhou, which means Xiang Beifei would hardly be able to act against the alliance in secret; his every move is under their surveillance. In the end, Xiang Beifei would have to cooperate with whatever the alliance plans. From the alliance''s perspective, Xiang Beifei could become a pawn to counteract Elder Luo, using a special method to isolate Elder Luo, monitor him, and weaken his influence. But does Mu Yiqing really think I''ll just comply obediently and act according to her wishes? "Becoming a benchmark for N-level Awakeners means the initiative is in my hands now." Xiang Beifei His name, was it the way out of the withered forest? A coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei felt very surreal. His father, who had been missing for so long and whom he had never met, had named him at a time when he was still an infant; how could he be so sure that he would encounter Youmeng? Did he just casually decide his son''s name on a whim? Can you take naming a bit more seriously! This SSR-level System Awakener has the ability to set rules; anyone or anything that follows the rules around her increases her rule value, and acting according to the rules she''s set also boosts her rule value. In short, as long as a place has rules, she gets stronger. Those who don''t follow the rules have nowhere to hide in front of her. Xiang Beifei looked at Mu Yiqing''s system log, which listed a bunch of matters she dealt with regarding rules, one of which read: [You have created the "Jiuzhou Regulations for SR Talent Usage Plan," which was approved by Zhu Yiji, Head of the Alliance Planning Department, becoming an official rule. Currently, 2,546 people are adhering to the rule, and your rule value has increased by 2,546.] The Planning Department of the Jiuzhou Alliance is responsible for setting and amending the systems governing all aspects of the alliance, managing the entire alliance in all respects, and planning the development of Jiuzhou. Simply put, as a UR-level, Zhu Yiji is the one who sets the rules. Xiang Beifei only now realized Zhu Yiji''s position within the alliance. The rule-setter, leading the charge in breaking the rules, pulling his own grandson out of prison¡ªthat truly is astonishing. It seems that Mu Yiqing is also one of Zhu Yiji''s people. It''s just unclear whether she was involved in the affair of Zhu Xinjue, who was supposed to be sentenced to death, getting a new identity to be reborn and leave the prison. Chapter 582 - 433: Unknown No. 3 "But..." "Don''t worry, Doctor, I can handle it." Xiang Beifei directly pulled the trigger of the lava gun, and the scorching lava immediately gushed out from the barrel, forming a sharp pillar of fire under his control that merged into the broken stump of Wang Chengli''s arm. More and more ice chips were appearing from where the cold air was exiting on Wang Chengli''s shoulder, and his entire body resembled an ice sculpture continuously crumbling, while the freezing cold spread slowly. When the pillar of fire attacked, the cold air at the wound immediately followed the fire upwards, attempting to freeze the pillar of fire just like it had attacked Zhao Ruizhong before. "Be careful!" Zhao Ruizhong immediately warned, ready to lend a hand to prevent Xiang Beifei from getting into trouble. But he soon paused in surprise. Because this time, the cold air hadn''t frozen the magma; instead, an unusual aura emitted from the magma quickly subdued the unstoppable cold air! Unlike the magma Zhao Ruizhong had used before, the magma controlled by Xiang Beifei was incredibly dense, pressing down the cold air and forcing it to retreat continuously. Shortly after, the cold air retracted back into the icy wound, and then the ice crystals at the wound also began to dissipate as the fiery aura surged into Wang Chengli''s body! Hiss! Wang Chengli''s body emitted steam as if the cold within him began to be pushed out, and the cold air that had left everyone helpless was evaporated by the fiery column controlled by Xiang Beifei! "This¡ªit actually worked?" Lin Long was genuinely surprised! Not just him, other Unrestrained observers also watched in astonishment at Wang Chengli and then turned toward Xiang Beifei, all faces filled with disbelief! It was clear to them that freeze like what happened to Wang Chengli was not the first time, but whenever someone was frozen like this, they were nearly beyond saving, waiting to shatter into pieces of ice. However, Xiang Beifei had actually managed to save him! "How did you do it?" Lin Long''s expression became more severe. Because this cold air was no ordinary cold air! It was something that had troubled them for a long time! "Erha Hyperspace Constant," Xiang Beifei shrugged. Lin Long blinked in surprise! Again, this Erha Hyperspace Constant! "This ability is actually that powerful?" Lin Long said. "As long as there are two completely different forces, I can coordinate the Erha units between them. Controlling the Erha units not only balances the two forces but can also make one of the forces stronger, thus suppressing the other," Xiang Beifei explained seriously once again. Actually, it wasn''t that complicated. He still relied on "Return to the Original State." The cold air was indeed powerful, but it was directly reverted by "Return to the Original State," so there was no need to use magma; he could have handled this eerie toxin regardless. However, even after the toxin had dissipated, Wang Chengli still hadn''t awakened and remained in a coma. Xiang Beifei walked over and closely observed him, noticing that the man''s heart was also in chaos, probably disturbed by the cold air, causing an issue with the heart''s Beast Pill. His fingers came together, flashing a sharp Spiritual Power, slicing open the heart to reveal a white Beast Pill lying there, slightly trembling. Xiang Beifei feigned surprise and asked, "Why does he also have Unknown No. 2 in his heart?" Zhao Ruizhong came over to look and his expression also grew solemn. Looking up, he questioned Lin Long, "This isn''t Unknown No. 2, this is Unknown No. 3. How did you use Unknown No. 3 in a human body? Don''t you know this is a Beast Pill!" Lin Long''s face showed fluctuating expressions. Usually, he only let Zhao Ruizhong research this Beast Pill to see if they could make a breakthrough, but he hadn''t told Zhao Ruizhong about the human experiments with the Beast Pill, which were supposed to be very confidential, and he hadn''t involved Zhao Ruizhong in them. Lin Long immediately found an excuse, "This... he was severely injured in an extraterritorial wilderness and was close to death at that time. We couldn''t save him, so we tried the Beast Pill, and unexpectedly, it brought him back to life, and later the Beast Pill wasn''t removed." He paused for a moment and then added: "We are currently developing the possibility of using this kind of Beast Pill to save people. It has powerful healing abilities and can revive someone from the brink of death. If we can eliminate the impact of the Beast Pill, it''s like giving those martial artists who battle desolate beasts an extra life." Zhao Ruizhong was just a researcher in the company, responsible for studying and improving the Beast Pills, but in reality, many Unrestrained had these Beast Pills implanted in them. They had considered turning Zhao Ruizhong into an Unrestrained, but his purpose in doing research was always clear: to strengthen desolate beasts for assisting pioneers and guardians in battle. He didn''t want to get involved with the Unrestrained. Thus, Lin Long could only let Zhao Ruizhong research in his own way. Once there was progress, he could take all of Zhao Ruizhong''s research results here for others to take over the experiments and improve the Beast Pill. Zhao Ruizhong frowned, not quite approving of this method. Experimenting with Beast Pills on desolate beasts was understandable, but implanting a Beast Pill into a person''s body, to him, seemed like a desolate beast dressed in human skin! A Beast Pill was the essence of a desolate beast and even included various eerie powers of the desolate beast. Whether human thoughts would be influenced by the desolate beast, or if they would lose control and be assimilated by the desolate beast, had not been verified, and the risk was tremendous! Lin Long said to Xiang Beifei, "Regardless, saving him is urgent. Zheng Xian, the Beast Pill in Wang Chengli''s heart is clearly problematic. Do you have a way to neutralize that repelling force?" "I''ll give it a try!" Xiang Beifei pulled out a piece of Formation Jade, which had already been inscribed with many patterns he had prepared beforehand. He had prepared a whole lot! After all, he was the man tasked with mass-producing Erha''s hyperspace hearts for the Unrestrained! How could he do it without these Formation Jades by his side! Xiang Beifei kept extending his hand, comparing the aura on Wang Chengli''s body, here a gesture, there a gesture, as if he was collecting the most suitable data before continually adjusting the formations on his jade piece. All the Unrestrained looked at Xiang Beifei with eyes filled with expectation! Because they had heard rumors that Doctor Zhao''s company had recruited an S-level researcher who could neutralize the repulsive power of Beast Pills. Behind every Unrestrained whose strength had surged dramatically, there was an amount of pain unknown to ordinary people - the feeling of obstruction caused by heart expansion, which could be intensely uncomfortable. So having heard of such a person, they had been waiting eagerly for higher-ups to send him to resolve this disadvantage. Now, seeing Zhao Ruizhong, they understood that the young man before them was the legendary talent who could eliminate the flaws in their hearts! "Look at this sharp detection method, look at this skilled approach, one can tell he''s a researcher with extremely high professional integrity!" This thought surfaced in the minds of the Unrestrained! However¡ª Xiang Beifei himself didn''t know what he was measuring. He didn''t really have that many ideas, for he had long understood the investigation of this "unknown Beast Pill" and knew clearly how to overcome its disadvantages without the need for such flashy maneuvers. However, he still had to put on an act! After making the necessary improvements, Xiang Beifei carefully inserted the Formation Jade into Wang Chengli''s heart, using the powerful repulsive force of "Return to the Original State" to quickly neutralize the repulsive force emitted by the Beast Pill. Formation Jade merely served a monitoring function. When the Beast Pill and the heart encountered rejection, "Return to the Original State" would send the rejection back, a principle quite simple. After inserting the Formation Jade into his heart, Xiang Beifei quickly stitched up the heart, and at that moment, the enlarged heart, as if guided by a strange aura, slowly began to retract and gradually returned to its normal size. But he did not tamper with the huge gash on his chest. "This wound won''t heal; it''s been frozen. Next time, find something to stitch it up," Xiang Beifei said, spreading his hands. Actually, he could have used "Return to the Original State" to heal it. But he was too lazy to make the effort. After all, he was there to promote his heart Formation Jades, not to help the Unrestrained heal wounds. Dealing with the heart was enough; other treatment aspects were not his concern. Wang Chengli quickly opened his eyes, his expression one of shocked disbelief as he sat up, looking down at the large gash on his chest and seeing his still-beating heart, he was quite astonished! "This is¡ªmy heart..." He had lost an arm and had many other gaps in his body, but his initial concern wasn''t about those, but his heart! Discovering that his heart had become completely unobstructed, he was overjoyed! "How do you feel?" Lin Long asked. "Incredible! This sensation! I''ve never felt so at ease even when getting a new heart! Great, just great!" Wang Chengli exclaimed excitedly. ¡ª¡ªThe best is yet to come! Xiang Beifei quietly smiled to himself. He only needed a thought to decide this man''s life or death! The first step of the plan was already accomplished! ¡ª¡ª Wang Chengli continued to describe the sensation in his heart. The other Unrestrained, having heard, their eyes also lit up, all of them looking towards Xiang Beifei as if they were beholding a rare and precious treasure! This kid, he could actually remedy the heart''s defects! Zhao Ruizhong, on the other hand, furrowed his brows deeper and deeper, always watching Wang Chengli''s heart that had not yet been fully stitched at the chest crack, seemingly deep in thought. But he eventually didn''t probe further, only saying, "Since there''s no trouble, let''s head back then!" He immediately turned around, signaling Xiang Beifei to follow directly. Xiang Beifei didn''t say much, he was continuously communicating with Xiaohei in his mind, requesting Xiaohei to quickly return, roughly by the time they reached the transport gazebo, Xiaohei and the Wooden Kirin finally ran back. "Woof woof!" The two creatures looked very excited! "Did you find it?" Xiang Beifei asked in his mind. Xiaohei nodded. "Good, we''ll talk more after we get back." Xiang Beifei''s spirits lifted. Chapter 583 - 434: Blood and Caves (4000 words) Chapter confusion corrected at 5:30 AM. Subscribers won''t have to subscribe again, just refresh. "Our two schools have been looking out for each other in the withering forest, evading danger together," Xiang Beifei said, then turned to Ren Jianghai and continued, "We also encountered a student from Qingzhou University on the way, you can ask him yourself." "Yes, we almost got caught, but Xiang Beifei and his team rescued me. Later, we ran into teams from other schools and warned them of danger, but they didn''t trust us. Only the team from Yongzhou University followed us." Tang He narrated the events in detail, including how they clashed with Yanzhou University, how they met Shi Renmei, how they saw the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, how they were chased, and how they were saved by a team from Liangzhou... Ren Jianghai, after listening, frowned deeply. But with Tang He stepping forward, he had no choice but to let it go. After all, Tang He was a student of their Qingzhou University, and Xiang Beifei was right both emotionally and logically. "All eleven of you," Xiang Beifei didn''t continue asking aloud but looked at Tang He thoughtfully. Tang He was a normal person, that much was certain, because he had a system interface on him, and the system was still rapidly updating. His "Po Jun Eye System" was a type of reconnaissance system that could also swiftly identify opponents'' weaknesses and exploit them to defeat the opponent. The real-time logs in his system were all displaying normally, which couldn''t escape Xiang Beifei''s keen eyes. However, what puzzled Xiang Beifei was¡ª This guy, for some reason, seemed to faintly carry a whiff of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage! Was it because he had encountered an attack by the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage that some of its aura remained on him? As these few people showed up, the atmosphere suddenly turned wrong. Chen Baiwen, Yu Hongbo, Zhu Xinjue! It was the team from Yanzhou University! Unexpectedly, they also appeared here! Zhu Xinjue caught sight of Xiang Beifei in the crowd, and his heart skipped a beat. Then, resentment flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed the emotion. Because their alliance with Qingzhou University had already broken down, they had no way to join forces to deal with Xiang Beifei. When Yu Hongbo and Chen Baiwen saw Xiang Beifei, they were also slightly taken aback! The two couldn''t help but exchange glances! Just yesterday, they were planning to team up with Qingzhou University to target Xiang Beifei, but instead, they couldn''t find Xiang Beifei, and Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University ended up dead. They also didn''t expect to run into Xiang Beifei in this place. "Don''t panic! He probably doesn''t know about yesterday''s incident!" Chen Baiwen gave a meaningful glance to Yu Hongbo and the others, and without speaking, they all understood each other. Yu Hongbo composed himself and then spoke, "Xiang Beifei, I''ve long admired your name. I am Yu Hongbo, the team leader from Yanzhou University." Chen Baiwen also nodded slightly but didn''t speak. Xiang Beifei looked thoughtfully at the people from Yanzhou University, letting his gaze sweep over them, then glanced at Zhu Xinjue and finally asked, "How come you''re here?" After we entered this withering forest, we realized something was wrong, so we ran up to this mountain. The situation outside is very bad, did you just run into those eerie tree people too?" Yu Hongbo asked. "That''s the case." Xiang Beifei said indifferently. "Are you all right?" Yu Hongbo asked. "Not too bad." Xiang Beifei glanced at Tang He behind him, as Tang He was from Qingzhou University, and their team situation seemed quite dire. Seeing Yu Hongbo and the others, Tang He also showed a look of shock; he never expected to encounter people from Yanzhou University, knowing that their Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University had died at the hands of "Zhu Pengfei"! But he didn''t dare say much now, being just a late-stage SR-grade Qi-Controlling Awakener by himself, without any teammates around, he was no match for these people from Yanzhou University. "How long have you been in this withering forest?" Xiang Beifei asked. "We came in last night!" Yu Hongbo said. "Last night? Have you been on this mountain for almost a day now?" Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. "Yes, we''ve been here since last night!" Yu Hongbo no longer harbored thoughts of dealing with Xiang Beifei. On the contrary, he even had a hint of wanting to act together with Xiang Beifei. Because their team was also in a very difficult situation. This place was just too bizarre; they were trapped and couldn''t find a way out. Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, Yu Hongbo still felt a glimmer of hope. Xiang Beifei was strong; perhaps he had some way out! "So, are you all unharmed?" Xiang Beifei asked. "One of us had an accident," Yu Hongbo said gravely. There were only four people left in their team at that point. "Have you been on this mountain from last night until now?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Not exactly, at first we were walking through the withering forest, but then it suddenly got dark, and when things seemed off, we ran up the mountain. We discovered those tree people didn''t dare to come up, so we breathed a sigh of relief. We weren''t on this mountain at first, we were on another one." "Are you that N-level Awakener, Xiang Beifei?" Chen Baiwen''s expression wasn''t pleasant when facing Xiang Beifei; he actually didn''t want to come up here because earlier, Hou Chengwu had lost inexplicably, and he hadn''t clearly seen how Hou Chengwu had lost. Chapter 584 - 434: Blood and Caves (4000 words) - 2 If he were to lose to an N-level student again, his reputation would be ruined instantly. However, if he didn''t come forward to fight Xiang Beifei, he would be even more ridiculed as a coward, indirectly proving that he, a distinguished SSR Awakener, was afraid of an N-level! In that case, Xiang Beifei would essentially win without fighting. After all, just like Hou Chengwu, he had looked down on Liangzhou University for admitting N-level students and was persuaded by other universities not to go there. Since Chen Baiwen had chosen to give up on Liangzhou University, it showed he too was an arrogant SSR who needed to prove himself, didn''t he? Xiang Beifei simply looked at Zhu Xinjue calmly, but murderous intent flickered in his eyes. Last time he hadn''t killed this guy, who obviously had plans to kill him, so this time he must kill Zhu Xinjue! However, as soon as he finished speaking, he felt his knees bend, and with a "snap," he suddenly knelt before Xiang Beifei! Zhu Xinjue and others were also stunned! "Hou Chengwu, what are you doing?" Chen Baiwen asked in surprise. Hou Chengwu was shocked by his own actions! Why did he kneel? Wasn''t it agreed to let Xiang Beifei go off track? Why was it him who ended up kneeling instead? Hou Chengwu''s face turned crimson with rage, and he angrily tried to stand up but found he simply couldn''t! ¡ª¡ª But just then, Hou Chengwu caught a glimpse of Xiang Beifei''s figure and immediately shouted, "There he is!" This time everyone saw clearly; Xiang Beifei was a real person! The others also spotted Xiang Beifei, but because of the flood, they found it hard to move freely. "Yu Hongbo, watch these SRs for us; the few of us will handle him!" Hou Chengwu yelled. "Okay!" Yu Hongbo must take care of his subordinates; otherwise, the SRs would be directly overwhelmed by the flood. A glint of ruthlessness appeared in Zhu Xinjue''s eyes as a huge glass orb materialized in his hand, shimmering and transforming into an ethereal light that engulfed the void. "Let''s see where you can go now!" Zhu Xinjue sneered. This glass orb was a UR-level space-system item that could cause any kind of spatial transportation device to fail. Since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman, Zhu Xinjue worried Xiang Beifei might escape. Soon Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong had completely surrounded Xiang Beifei. Their powerful aura was no weaker than the flood, and they stared intently at Xiang Beifei. "Xiang Beifei, although I know you are strong, now that there are four of us, I still urge you to forfeit," He Qiutong said. He Qiutong, unaware of Zhu Xinjue''s plan, had the same goal as Chen Baiwen¡ªsimply to eliminate Xiang Beifei from the competition. Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the four people in front of him. Four, easier to deal with than five. "Yes, we don''t want to hurt you; just exit graciously to avoid trouble," Chen Baiwen said gravely. However, Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue were filled with endless murderous intent. "What are we waiting for? If you want him out, we need to take him down!" Hou Chengwu shouted. This time he faced Xiang Beifei with more confidence; even though he had inexplicably lost during the last match on the platform, with four against one, he saw Xiang Beifei as a dead man! Hou Chengwu gritted his teeth and said, "Today, you will pay the price!" That day, as an SSR, he had been stuffed into a trash can, losing all face; today, he must kill Xiang Beifei! "Three against two, not too bad," Xiang Beifei remarked. "Three against two?" Zhu Xinjue sneered, "Have we scared you silly? Can''t you even tell how many of us there are? There are four of us now, beating up just you!" "President Ren is so esteemed and respected, he said himself, ''Names aren''t important; strength is what matters.'' A senior who can say such words must have a broad mind; how could he bother about little things like names with me? You, as President Ren''s proud student, why is your philosophy in handling things not consistent with his?" Xiang Beifei looked at Hou Chengwu with confusion and added, "Haven''t you even learned the basics from him?" His words were watertight, first sarcastically hitting at Ren Jianghai, then quickly elevating Ren Jianghai to a high status, making it hard for Ren Jianghai to lash out over Xiang Beifei teasing about names, and immediately and subtly taking a dig at Hou Chengwu. "You..." Hou Chengwu was so infuriated by Xiang Beifei that his face turned red with rage. In midair, Li Zimu stood there, looking down at the people below in surprise, and said, "They actually can''t tell." The flood here was an illusion formed by Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm, and his Poetry Realm had now reached a level where the true and the false were indistinguishable. However, Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen, being SSR, one level higher in the system and more advanced in cultivation, shouldn''t be this embarrassed. "Of course they can''t tell; not a single one of them is a spiritual type System Awakener," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power was attached to the illusion created by Li Zimu. Therefore, even though Li Zimu only had late Qi-Controlling stage cultivation, his created flood packed the power of the Meridian Opening stage! As for system-level suppression, with Xiang Beifei present, the so-called superiority of the SSR system was just for show. He had specifically sought Li Zimu''s help to trap this group of people. But after walking a while, a fork in the road suddenly appeared ahead! Xiang Beifei reappeared at the fork, but then disappeared again on this new path. "Which way should we go?" Hou Chengwu asked Chen Baiwen anxiously. "I don''t know, no traces," Chen Baiwen shook his head. "Forget it, let''s split into two groups, it''ll be faster," Zhu Xinjue said. "Splitting into two groups means spreading our strength thin. If we encounter Xiang Beifei, do you really think you''ll have a chance against him?" Chen Baiwen asked. "Xiang Beifei is clearly being chased by that desolate beast. If we encounter him, why wouldn''t we have a chance?" Zhu Xinjue argued. After a short discussion, they decided to split up, but all agreed to signal the others if they encountered Xiang Beifei. If they couldn''t find each other after half an hour, they would regroup here. To ensure mutual trust, they decided to mix the members of both groups. Zhu Xinjue went with Yu Hongbo and He Qiutong, while Chen Baiwen went with Hou Chengwu. Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen, leading three SRs, took the left path. Chen Baiwen seemed preoccupied, but Hou Chengwu still warned, "Don''t forget our agreement." Xiang Beifei began to understand and said, "Digesting memory?" A desolate beast could sometimes gain the memories of another it ate, meaning whatever the eaten beast had seen and heard would be digested by the other. If the green caterpillar had been killed by Long Guocheng, that meant it had encountered Xiang Beifei and the others! Even if the caterpillar couldn''t understand human language, images and scenes would still remain in its mind! Then what exactly had they said when they encountered the caterpillar, and had the caterpillar remembered it? Eating the brains of other desolate beasts to supplement its own shortcomings and expand its knowledge meant that the more it ate, the higher the intelligence these kinds of beasts would have! Desolate beasts that were strong but simple-minded weren''t scary, but those with high intelligence were truly terrifying! At the moment, it was unknown what sort of impression the green caterpillar that had been squashed by Long Guocheng had retained about them. Li Zimu''s stone hut had many separate units. Everyone was occupying a unit each, without beds and blankets; although primitive, it wasn''t much of a concern in the wild outer territories. When Xiang Beifei returned to his shift, Long Guocheng was standing with his arms crossed in front of him, leaning against the door, and asked, "Can I ask you a question?" "What is it?" Xiang Beifei said. "You''re not an N-level Awakener, are you? You''re at least SR, right?" "Is that important to you?" "It would make me feel a bit better," Long Guocheng reluctantly said. Chapter 585 - 435: Golden Patterns Familiar golden patterns! These golden patterns were from his own magic bricks! Xiang Beifei immediately took out two magic bricks. Erha had been happily lying beside the sofa, watching videos and licking an ice cream, but when it saw Xiang Beifei pull out the bricks, with a "howl," it reflexively jumped into the air and hit the ceiling, cracking it! "I''m not messing with you, what''s with the overreaction?" Xiang Beifei said irritably. "Howl! Howl!" Erha glared with indignation. Xiaohei stood by the side, grinning, mocking Erha for being a coward. Xiang Beifei couldn''t be bothered with the Wooden Kirin and instead carefully compared the patterns in the video, gently touching the two magic bricks together! Boom! When the magic bricks collided with each other, a series of golden patterns immediately appeared on them, composed of intersecting lines. Some were like curved half-circles, while others were very straight, like parallel lines. But these patterns were incomplete; most of them broke off at the edges of the bricks, as if more patterns were needed to complete the picture. However, these patterns were nearly identical to those patterns Xiaohei had seen! Xiang Beifei compared for a long time, trying to see if he could connect the brick patterns with the other patterns, but couldn''t find a connection point. "Woof woof woof!" At this moment, Xiaohei paused the video, zoomed in quickly, and enlarged the grooves on the ground! At the center of that groove was a rectangular slot. Xiaohei took the brick, held it vertically, and gestured. Xiang Beifei understood. His magic brick could fit into that slot. According to what Xiaohei described, the size of the slot matched his magic brick perfectly! "Tick!" At that moment, after the man spilled the last drop of blood, he started to walk back, leaving the cave. Xiaohei had planned to stay and investigate, but considering it couldn''t leave without the man and the magic bricks were with Xiang Beifei, it had no choice but to jump onto the man''s bucket and leave the cave with him again. "Woof! Woof woof!" Xiaohei danced around with a serious face, gesturing. It indicated that Xiang Beifei couldn''t feel that aura just from the video, but the atmosphere in the cave was very strange. Being there, it felt extremely oppressive and powerful, indescribably weird, as if some monster was whispering. "The whisper of a monster? Is something sealed below?" Xiang Beifei exclaimed in surprise. Xiang Beifei watched the video back and forth, comparing the entire cave''s patterns, pondering the origin of the magic bricks. He still didn''t understand what the deal was with the magic bricks. One brick came from his grandfather, and the other was sealed in the Bull Constellation. When used separately to hit someone, aside from causing a bump, they seemed to have no ability. But when combined, they had the power to immobilize someone. To say nothing of the complaining Erha by his side, which had been hit by the magic bricks many times, now it howls whenever it sees a brick on the roadside. "It seems I really need to take a look at that cave sometime." But he also knew how difficult it would be to infiltrate the core base of Unrestrained. After all, he still didn''t know the exact location of Zi Hou. Xiang Beifei put away the magic bricks and looked at the video Xiaohei had recorded. After leaving the cave, Xiaohei realized that Erha was missing and started looking everywhere for it. At that time, the ground began to tremble, and the video became unstable. The shaking was intense and spread far and wide. Suddenly, a bunch of people appeared on the cliffs on either side of the canyon, and all of them were from Unrestrained. Like worker bees disturbed from a wasp''s nest, they collectively leaped into the air, looking uncertainly in one direction. "The mountain is acting up again! Everyone, quickly evacuate the base!" "Be careful! Watch the ground and surroundings, don''t let the cold air invade!" Someone shouted urgently from the sky, apparently warning their companions. They clearly knew this situation well, as it wasn''t the first or second time they had encountered it. A group of people began to fly rapidly out of the canyon. That direction was toward the desolate beast area. "Woof woof woof!" Xiaohei pointed at the other side of the canyon, the obvious source of the shaking, which was opposite the direction the Unrestrained were evacuating. It wanted to check out the source of the vibrations, but just then, a scream emanated from the crowd, and Xiang Beifei saw a familiar figure. Wang Chengli! Wang Chengli had been evacuating with the others, flying in mid-air not too far from the others. However, at that moment, the space next to him seemed to rip open, and a gust of cold air shot out from the crack, instantly enveloping his right arm! His face changed immediately, then his whole body started to convulse, and he fell straight from the sky! "Quick! Quick! Use the black rope to get him out, but be careful not to touch him." Someone was shouting as they flew toward Wang Chengli, quickly surrounding him. Soon after, a segment of black cord was flung toward him, its material unknown, but it carried an aura of frostiness. The black cord wrapped around Wang Chengli, pulling and dragging him away. The specifics of what happened next remain unknown, as Xiaohei was too far away and the video didn''t capture it clearly. It didn''t concern itself with this person, instead running swiftly ahead, while everyone else ran towards the back end of the canyon, it went in the opposite direction. When it emerged from the canyon, it quickly saw a towering mountain piercing the clouds! It was a snow mountain! The snow mountain was some distance away, and at its foothills were a series of sharp ice spires rising from the ground. These spires were both sharp and tall, resembling slender peaks; the tallest even reached hundreds of meters, while the shorter ones stood at least ten or so meters tall. From afar, the grand snow mountain appeared to be surrounded by a dense thicket of thorns, a magnificent sight to behold. "Woof woof woof!" Xiaohei turned its head and gestured to Xiang Beifei. This towering snow mountain stood there, with its surroundings a vast expanse of pallid whiteness, uninhabited by humans. However, Xiaohei indicated that the snow mountain was protected by powerful forbiddances from all directions, including both a system and Spiritual Power. "Could this be Zi Hou?" Xiang Beifei looked at the snow mountain with a hint of amazement. Not being there in person, he could not sense the aura of the snow mountain, but from the video, the mountain seemed majestic and imposing! And the source of the disturbance that shook the entire desolate beast battlefield came from this snow mountain. Xiang Beifei wanted to keep watching, but he found that the footage that followed was just Xiaohei running back in a mad dash. It was when he called Xiaohei to prepare for departure, and Xiaohei showed no sign of stalling. The Wooden Kirin also emerged from nowhere, running back alongside Xiaohei. "Zi Hou and the mountain cave, what exactly is going on?" Xiang Beifei had a plethora of questions in his mind, many things he could not explain clearly at the moment. The strange mountain cave marked with snowflakes, the snow mountain on the other side of the canyon¡ªall very odd. Moreover, it wasn''t even clear how Wang Chengli got injured. It seemed as if he was just the unlucky one chosen, suddenly swept up by the frostiness emanating from the space itself, nearly losing his life. The most important thing was, if this place was so dangerous, why would the Unrestrained gather there? Couldn''t they just find a place to live further away? Did it have to be in the canyon? ... Xiang Beifei pondered these issues, yet he wasn''t in a hurry. Having found some clues, he decided to investigate them one by one, slowly. Next, the Unrestrained would surely ask him to help mass-produce Formation Jades, and he would eventually get his chance. "It''s a pity I didn''t get more video footage," Xiang Beifei said with some regret. "Aoow!" The Wooden Kirin flew down from the ceiling, scampered to the sofa across, and distanced itself from the brick in Xiang Beifei''s hand. Then it barked at him a couple of times. "Eh? Did you also get some video footage?" Xiang Beifei exclaimed in surprise. With a smug lift of its head, Erha tapped the glasses on its tail, indicating that it wasn''t just good for making trouble¡ªit could get things done, too. Xiang Beifei took the glasses from it and played the video within. His eye twitched momentarily. This silly creature, rather than wearing the glasses on its face, had placed them on its tail, meaning the entire video was shot looking backward. Originally following Xiaohei forward, Erha saw Xiaohei enter a cave and, not wanting to be left out, it hurried off to the other side of the canyon and into a large cave. This cave was far more whimsical, seemingly more imbued with a sense of modern technology than the one Xiaohei entered, lined with white glass panes on its walls, with shiny floor tiles, passing through various compartments akin to a laboratory. It ran joyfully into the cave, stopping now and then, looking around curiously. "You''re running with such purpose¡ªare you onto some scent?" Xiang Beifei asked. As the fool had filmed the tail-end of itself, it remained unclear what it planned to do or where it was heading. The Wooden Kirin wagged its tail, letting out a smug laugh. It had caught the scent of a Beast Pill! "I knew it," Xiang Beifei said resignedly, thinking to himself that next time he should attach a bell camera to its collar to save it from its own whims, preventing it from wearing the camera back to front like this. But at that moment, it stopped running, and fortuitously the tail turned around. Although still tilted, it managed to capture the side view of a laboratory. The strangest part was that the laboratory contained rows of lying people! These individuals were covered in blood, with various types of wounds on their bodies. Upon closer inspection, they appeared to have been inflicted by desolate beasts, and many were clinging to life by a thread. Xiang Beifei assessed the system interface of these people and discovered they were all S-rank Awakeners! And some, by their attire, were clearly wearing the clothing of explorers from the alliance! These were all explorers! Chapter 586 - 436: Hunting the Pioneers (4000 words) Chapter errors fixed at six o''clock. Refresh if you''re subscribed - you won''t be double-subscribed. Please support the official version. "So, when is Uncle Kong planning to open the restaurant?" Xiang Beifei inquired. The appearance of the One-Armed Crab, a desolate beast, still hadn''t been fully investigated, and a person Xiang Beifei currently suspected had yet to show up. Xiao Sheng! The SR disguised as an N-level clerk had disappeared somewhere before the desolate beast''s appearance that day. He wanted to see if Xiao Sheng would come back to work. "Day after tomorrow, I guess! The staff have been asking about it too. Comes to think of it, I need to contact those employees; we''ve been closed for so long," Kong Daming said. "Then I''ll go to the wholesale market tomorrow. Our supplies have been cut off; we need to renegotiate with them," Xiang Qingde stated. Kong Daming hastily replied, "No need, Uncle Xiang. You should rest; I''ll go." "We''ve been closed for so long; a bit of moving around won''t hurt. I''m familiar with the place anyway. With the reopening, there''s a lot to do in the restaurant, and many customers have made reservations, waiting to support our opening¡ªyou''ll be busy. I can go tomorrow," Xiang Qingde waved his hand, insisting. Unable to dissuade him, Kong Daming could only agree. When Xiang Beifei got home, he made a point to talk to his grandfather in front of the living room camera, explaining his reasons for moving clearly, simply saying he could earn money now and didn''t want to live there anymore. For a martial artist in the Meridian Opening phase, making a living was too easy. Those surveilling their home, as long as they weren''t foolish, would surely learn about Xiang Beifei''s current Cultivation Realm after a trip to the school; no one would doubt this excuse. In doing so, the surveillers would likely move on to the new home. Xiang Beifei wanted to see who would dare install surveillance under his watch. After discussing these matters, Xiaohei then blocked the camera again. The grandfather and grandson packed up their belongings together that night, and, truth be told, they had a fair amount of possessions. "We''ll need to call for a vehicle, and since there''s no elevator, we''ll carry things down together," Xiang Qingde pondered the most convenient way to move. "I can handle the belongings myself, Grandpa. Don''t worry too much; you just rest," Xiang Beifei said. "How can that be? You can''t move all this stuff by yourself! I can still work; I''ll help you carry," Xiang Qingde worried that his grandson might overexert himself, given that moving house was strenuous work. Xiang Beifei gave a smile tinged with irony: "Grandpa, why do I always feel like you''ve forgotten that I''m a martial artist?" "What does being a martial artist have to do with anything? Many martial artists still have to hire people when they move," Xiang Qingde pointed out. Xiang Beifei stomped his foot once more, and all the packed boxes began to float, hovering mid-air. Lighter than a feather. He made the objects lighter, then lifted them all with Spiritual Power. Xiang Qingde looked on in amazement: "I had no idea you had this ability!" Xiang Beifei realized he rarely spoke of his abilities with his grandfather. He smiled, placed the objects back down, glanced at the camera on the ceiling, and said, "Don''t worry, from now on, I''ll handle everything; it''s best if you rest, Grandpa." Xiang Qingde was taken aback, gazing at Xiang Beifei, lost in thought. Once upon a time, he had carefully protected his grandson, safeguarding his self-esteem, teaching him to be positive and hopeful, wishing he wouldn''t give up on himself. But ever since the Awakening System had been activated, his grandson seemed like a different person: diligent, cheerful, now a martial artist in the Meridian Opening phase, possessing the ability to protect himself. It took Xiang Qingde a while to snap out of it before he started smiling: "The Awakening System really is a blessing." Suddenly, he felt old, needing the protection of his grandson. But this was good; his grandson was so sensible, and it made him happy to look at him. Moving house wasn''t tough. Ordinary N-level Awakeners would need to hire a moving company and rent a vehicle if they didn''t have a suitable space-related system, which would cost them a pretty penny. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to. He could just let Xiaohei blow bubbles. "Xiaofei is a big star now; we''re all going to rely on you in the future!" Kong Daming joked. "Isn''t being a star exhausting? I''ve heard you have to film all sorts of stuff every day," Lu Zhiwei said curiously. "That won''t do! Xiaofei needs to cultivate," said Lu Hong seriously. Unconsciously, he had started calling Beifei ''Xiaofei,'' still seeing Xiang Beifei as a martial artist who should prioritize cultivation. Chen Xiuqin walked in, laughing: "I won''t lie, these past few days I''ve received so many calls from talent agencies. They know I''m acquainted with Xiaofei, constantly asking about commercial activities, offering all sorts of money to see if Xiaofei would be willing to sign with their companies." "So what did you say?" Kong Daming asked. "Of course I said we''d consider it. How could I decide something like that? We need to ask Xiaofei," Chen Xiuqin said with a smile. She didn''t commit to anything, but she didn''t outright refuse either, always leaving Xiang Beifei room for choice. After pondering for a moment, Xiang Beifei said, "I do need to cultivate; I don''t have time for movies or commercials. However, when I have the time, I can start a column, specifically teaching everyone how to kill desolate beasts, so that people won''t panic when they face such situations." He needed to use this identity to guide people effectively. Lu Hong''s eyes lit up, and he nodded: "Right, many civilians, due to living in inland cities, have a superficial understanding of desolate beasts. Most lack a sense of crisis. Your idea is good." Chapter 587 - 436: Hunting the Pioneers (4000 words)_2 Desolate beasts were commonplace to martial artists but rarely encountered by civilians. As one such martial artist, Xiang Beifei naturally engaged in promotional activities for martial artists. "That''s great. I''ll help you promote. Being renowned, one needs to focus on a field, and as a martial artist, you must do so in the way of a martial artist," Chen Xiuqin was also partly involved in the entertainment industry, having dealt with numerous stars and acquainting herself with the ins and outs of marketing. Being Xiang Beifei''s number one "mama fan," Chen Xiuqin was more than happy to aid him. Thus, the matter was settled. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to do much. Once the next semester began and he went to the outer domain wilderness for missions, he would simply shoot a few videos¡ªquite an easy task. But then again¡ª "Does she really think she can do whatever she wants with my fame?" The last person who tried to profit from Xiang Beifei''s fame had already been dealt with by him. This time, without consulting him, they rashly decided to make him a figurehead, obviously intending to thrust him into the limelight on purpose. The alliance''s motive for exposing such a genius was quite clear. Primarily, it was because Xiang Beifei was trained by Elder Luo! Elder Luo and the alliance were not on good terms, and alliance members even dreaded him, as they couldn''t suppress such an SR-ranked Awakener who disobeyed alliance commands. They feared Elder Luo''s influence growing within Liangzhou University. With Xiang Beifei emerging as a genius, it only increased the threat to them! That''s why they wanted to target Xiang Beifei! A normal person, once exposed, would find it hard to remain low-key; wherever they went, they would attract attention. By exposing Xiang Beifei this way, they forcefully made him align with the alliance and placed him under the surveillance of everyone in Jiuzhou. Subsequently, Xiang Beifei would hardly be able to oppose the alliance in secret; his every action watched closely by the alliance. In the end, the alliance would dictate how Xiang Beifei was to comply. According to the alliance, Xiang Beifei would become a chess piece to counterbalance Elder Luo, uniquely isolating and monitoring Elder Luo, diminishing his influence. But Mu Yiqing wouldn''t truly believe that she would obediently follow her plans, would she? "Becoming a benchmark N-level Awakener means the initiative is in my hands," Xiang Beifei Was his name, the way out of the Withered Forest? A coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei felt incredulous. His long-lost father, who had been out of touch, named him at a time when he was still merely an infant. How was he so sure that he would encounter Youmeng? Did he casually decide on his son''s name just like that? Could he not take naming a bit more seriously! This SSR-level System Awakener possessed the ability to set rules; wherever there were rules around, she could increase her system value, and likewise, working according to the established rules would add to her system value. In short, as long as there were rules in a place, she could grow stronger. Those who didn''t follow the rules would not be able to hide in her presence. While examining Mu Yiqing''s system log, Xiang Beifei glimpsed an entry that outlined one of her regulated activities: [You have formulated the "Jiuzhou Scheme for SR Talent Selection and Planning," which has been approved by Alliance Planning Minister Zhu Yiji and is now officially a rule, currently being followed by 2546 individuals, your rule value +2546] The Jiuzhou Alliance''s planning department is responsible for setting and revising systems to manage all aspects of the alliance and the development of Jiuzhou. Simply put, as a UR-ranked individual, Zhu Yiji sets the rules. Xiang Beifei had only now realized Zhu Yiji''s position within the alliance. The one who sets the rules, leading the way in breaking them, extracting his grandson from prison was truly miraculous. As it turned out, Mu Yiqing also belonged to Zhu Yiji. It was unclear if she was involved in the supposed death-sentenced Zhu Xinjue''s makeover and rebirth that freed him from prison. Xiang Beifei soon spotted a system log entry from September: [You amended the regulations on the SR Awakener''s bail application, this rule is currently effective for only one person, your rule value +1] "It seems like there''s no getaway anymore." Xiang Beifei slightly furrowed her brows. Her system, as long as she amended a rule, could govern many people, basically adding as much to her rule value. For instance, last time she participated in revising a rule about the enrollment system in Jiuzhou, this rule directly affected five million college entrance examination students in Jiuzhou, her system value rose by 5 million! Logically speaking, Mu Yiqing possessing this system, should abide by various rules. However, Xiang Beifei soon thought again. What are rules? Rules, after all, are set by people. Since they are set by people, they can naturally be amended by people too. The amended rules, still being rules, still conform to her system''s judgment. Thus, the higher her position in the alliance, the easier it would be for her to control the rules, making the [Word Spirit Rule System]¡ªwhich supposedly works by following rules¡ªstronger, essentially enabling her to act as she wishes. Otherwise, why say the SSR-level system is so powerful? ¡ª¡ª "Our two schools coordinated with each other in the Withering Forest, collaboratively avoiding danger," Xiang Beifei said, then looking at Ren Jianghai, she said, "We also encountered a student from your Qingzhou University on our way, feel free to ask him." "Yes, we nearly got wiped out. It was Xiang Beifei and her group who saved me. Later on, we encountered other school teams, warned them about the danger, but they didn''t trust us. Only the Yongzhou University team followed us." Tang He detailed the events, including how they clashed with Yanzhou University, then onto how they encountered Shi Renmei, saw the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, got chased, and were rescued by the Liangzhou team... After listening, Ren Jianghai also deepened his frown. But with Tang He stepping forward, he could only let it go. After all, Tang He was their student from Qingzhou University, Xiang Beifei was reasonable by all means¡ª "All eleven of you," Xiang Beifei didn''t ask further, just gazed thoughtfully at Tang He. Tang He was a normal person, that much was sure, because he had a system interface and the system was still rapidly updating. His [Po Jun Eye System] was a reconnaissance type of system, and it could also swiftly spot an opponent''s weak points, defeating them through these vulnerabilities. Thus far, his system logs all displayed normal, which Xiang Beifei couldn''t miss. However, what puzzled Xiang Beifei was¡ª This guy, for some reason, had a faint trace of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage on him! Was it because he was attacked by the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage that these traces lingered? As soon as these people appeared, the atmosphere instantly turned sour. Chen Baiwen, Yu Hongbo, Zhu Xinjue! It was a team from Yanzhou University! She hadn''t expected them to appear here too! Zhu Xinjue caught sight of Xiang Beifei in the crowd and his heart skipped a beat, then spite flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. Because their alliance with Qingzhou University had broken down, they had no means to confront Xiang Beifei together. When Yu Hongbo and Chen Baiwen saw Xiang Beifei, they too were slightly taken aback! The two couldn''t help but exchange glances! Because just yesterday, they had been thinking about teaming up with Qingzhou University to confront Xiang Beifei, but they hadn''t found Xiang Beifei and instead Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University had died. They also hadn''t expected to encounter Xiang Beifei here. "Don''t panic! He probably doesn''t know about yesterday''s matter!" Chen Baiwen signalled Yu Hongbo and the others with his eyes, and without speaking, they all understood each other. Yu Hongbo composed himself and spoke, "Xiang Beifei, I''ve long heard of your great name, I am Yu Hongbo, the captain of the Yanzhou University team." Chen Baiwen also nodded slightly but said nothing. Chapter 588 - 437: Torture and Gratitude It must be said that Unrestrained Organization operates with substantial principles. They secretly hunted pioneers, but all of this was clearly conducted at a core base in the territory outside the wilderness. As for their Jiuzhou base¡ªWufu Desolate Beast Research Company, they managed to operate it like a flawless corporation. The company adhered to all laws, never engaged in tax evasion, and strictly followed the alliance''s regulations, ready to face any surprise audits. It could be said to be the model enterprise throughout Jiuzhou! Therefore, even though Zhao Ruizhong disagreed with the experiment of transplanting beast pills into human bodies, Lin Long did not do anything to Zhao Ruizhong. Because he was well aware of Zhao Ruizhong''s research capabilities. Zhao Ruizhong was not only there to modify living beings but also capable of using beast pills to create various black technologies. They needed such talent to develop the company. However, due to differing philosophies, Lin Long set up a separate laboratory for Xiang Beifei, moving him from the seventh-floor beast pill research lab to the eighteenth floor. And he named this eighteenth-floor laboratory the New Concept Laboratory. Apart from Xiang Beifei, he also transferred Dai Lan over, claiming it was to serve as his assistant, to do his bidding, assisting him with experimental research. But what the purpose truly was, Xiang Beifei was very clear about¡ªthe guy was there to monitor him. "Doctor Zhao and our research philosophies clash, so you don''t need to tell Doctor Zhao what we''re doing for now, just say we''re carrying out other experiments," Lin Long instructed. He had already applied UR-level secrecy measures to this matter, in his view, comrade "Zheng Xian" was unlikely to leak any secrets. But he still symbolically told Xiang Beifei this. "Alright." Xiang Beifei nodded slightly and then looked at the several people in his office. Apart from Dai Lan and Lin Long, there were five other people in the office, all of whom Lin Long had originally sent over to deal with heart issues for Unrestrained. Simply put, they were used as test subjects to verify the feasibility of Erha''s Hyperspace Heart. Although they had already saved one Wang Chengli, Lin Long and his team still needed to verify several more. "So, Comrade Zheng Xian, how may I assist you?" Dai Lan asked with a charming smile. "You examine them. Follow the data I provide for their body checks. Only then can I adjust the variables based on their condition. Remember, every index must be precise," Xiang Beifei pointed to a physical examination machine, sending Dai Lan to handle this matter. "But when you treated Wang Chengli that day, it seemed like you didn''t perform any checks," Dai Lan was quite attentive to detail. "It''s because we didn''t perform a complete check, so his heart only appeared unharmed. He might have to come back to me after a month. If we want the heart to last longer, we must clarify every index of the body," Xiang Beifei said. Dai Lan pulled the scanner over, smiled gracefully and said, "I see." Since she didn''t understand the principles of Erha''s Hyperspace Variable, she didn''t say much. She gave Xiang Beifei a meaningful look, and then headed towards those five Unrestrained. Now, the entire Unrestrained Organization was coveting the capability that Xiang Beifei had. Dai Lan quickly completed the measurement of all body indices for the first Unrestrained, and handed the data to Xiang Beifei, who then meticulously carried out calculations and simulation simulations. A flurry of operations fierce as a tiger! Only then did the surgery begin. Xiang Beifei examined the Unrestrained named Zhang Shan in front of him, and then pulled out a sharp scalpel, saying, "To avoid any external factors affecting your body conditions and causing my misjudgment, I will not use an anesthetic or deprive you of your consciousness." "Good, Mr. Zheng, please proceed, I can endure it!" Remembering Wang Chengli, who had been saved and brought back, Zhang Shan trusted Xiang Beifei a bit more. Xiang Beifei nodded expressionlessly and then directly cut open the other''s chest with his scalpel! Hiss hiss hiss! Zhang Shan thought he could absolutely endure this pain, but he quickly realized he was wrong! The agony was extremely intense. Xiang Beifei''s scalpel could separate spiritual power, and this scalpel''s purpose was to prevent patients from unconsciously using their spiritual power to heal wounds during surgery, which would interfere with the procedure, so Zhang Shan couldn''t use his spiritual power for pain relief. The entire process was like a normal person not being anesthetized, just directly using a knife to cut, especially since Xiang Beifei deliberately electrified the scalpel, stimulating various peripheral nerves and amplifying the pain tenfold! "Ah..." Intense pain suddenly invaded Zhang Shan''s entire body, causing him to sweat profusely and helplessly cry out in agony. "Endure it!" Xiang Beifei, ignoring Zhang Shan''s screams, continued to operate on his clearly abnormal heart! These Unrestrained were ruthless and merciless when hunting pioneers, and while those pioneers were still conscious, they brutally dissected them, not only draining their blood but also removing their abdominal organs. The pioneers'' deaths were extremely painful; they died with their eyes wide open. Xiang Beifei was not a particularly good man; he just wanted Unrestrained to experience the agony of being tortured like the pioneers. The member of the Unrestrained Organization had been wailing agonizingly for fifteen minutes. The heartbreaking screams caused the eyelids of the other four waiting for surgery to twitch uncontrollably! They were all martial artists, their pain tolerance was stronger than that of ordinary people, but like Xiang Beifei meticulously cutting open the wound one slice at a time, even the tough guys couldn''t bear it! However, Xiang Beifei didn''t torture them for too long; it only took ten minutes before he directly stuffed the Formation Jade into them, using the Return to the Original State to resolve the backlash brought by "Unknown Number Three Beast Pill," restoring the heart to normal and then quickly suturing the wound. Zhang Shan''s wailing finally stopped, the wound had completely healed, the pain gradually disappeared, but he felt completely drained, his body covered in cold sweat. "How do you feel?" Zheng Xian, having been rattled by Zhang Shan''s reaction, asked hesitantly. Zhang Shan took several breaths before regaining his composure, but when he felt the changes in his heart, he suddenly exclaimed with excitement, "Brothers! It''s worth it! It''s like being reborn!" Zhang Shan had been tormented to the brink of death by Xiang Beifei, but he was still immensely grateful to Xiang Beifei! It was as if this painful ordeal was a baptism that transformed them! The other members of the Unrestrained heaved a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this. If the heart issue could be resolved, they could accept this level of pain! Soon, everyone willingly lay on the operating table, bracing themselves for another round of torment! "Ah..." The screams echoed in the laboratory for a long time! Zhang Shan encouraged his brothers from the side, "Guys, endure it! You must endure it! Without enduring the biting cold, how can the fragrance of plum blossoms be appreciated! You have to trust Mr. Zheng! He is doing this for our own good!" Zhang Shan had unshakable faith in Xiang Beifei''s abilities and even acted as Xiang Beifei''s spokesperson. He had no clue that Xiang Beifei could have spared him this pain, nor did he suspect that Xiang Beifei might be deliberately torturing him! On the contrary, he was tearfully grateful to Xiang Beifei! Typical of someone who not only gets traded but also helps count the money for the trader. ---- Lin Long remained very cautious. Although Xiang Beifei openly expressed his favorable stance towards the research of transplanting beast pills into humans, Lin Long did not let Xiang Beifei conduct the research at Zi Hou''s, keeping him only at the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company. Such caution; no wonder after many years of investigations, the alliance still could not determine the exact location of the Unrestrained. But Xiang Beifei was not in a hurry, he attended to at least thirty Unrestrained in his lab daily, methodically treating their hearts, his face expressionless, his attitude serious. During the surgeries, screams were incessant, but afterward, everyone was immensely grateful to Xiang Beifei. Thus, Xiang Beifei gradually earned a peculiar title among the Unrestrained, "Cold-faced King of Hell, Reincarnation of Hua Tuo," which spread widely; everyone who mentioned "Mr. Zheng" held him in high esteem! Xiang Beifei continued his treatments for half a month, implanting his Formation Jade into nearly five hundred Unrestrained hearts, as if setting up timed bombs, just waiting to press the detonation button. Only then did he realize how terrifying an organization Unrestrained was, possessing too many people with high cultivation, and these were all low-level System Awakeners who had counterattacked using beast pills. Xiang Beifei did not immediately deal with these five hundred Unrestrained; to him, these were just minor players. The real masterminds behind the scenes had yet to be rigged with bombs, requiring patience. His targets were the truly formidable ones like Lin Long and Qin Hongyi. The fact that these individuals could reach the orifice transforming stage meant they were the real black hands behind everything. It was useless to target the minor players without dealing with them. But clearly, Lin Long and Qin Hongyi were still observing. The higher the power, the more cautious about their lives, they remained skeptical about Xiang Beifei''s Erha''s Hyperspace heart technique, so they sent their subordinates as guinea pigs first. If it was confirmed there were no side effects, they would act. Xiang Beifei was also not in a hurry, torturing the Unrestrained patiently every day, then recording every piece of information about each Unrestrained and having Xiaohei record all their system data. One question had bothered him for a long time. "Why can some people with beast pills achieve the orifice transforming stage, while others can only reach the God Refining stage, or even just the Meridian Opening stage?" Xiang Beifei was very puzzled. He had treated five hundred people, most of whom had very low system levels, with N grade and R grade taking up the majority. Yet, some N-grade System Awakeners could even reach the late stage of God Refining, while some R-grade could only be late Meridian Opening. Could it be that when different Unrestrained are implanted with beast pills, the pills consider the physical qualities of these individuals to grant different enhancements? Xiang Beifei had not experienced the initial process of beast pill transplantation, so he could not conclude definitively. But in the third week, Xiang Beifei finally met the person he had been wanting to see. Qin Hongyi! Chapter 589 - 438: Unknown No. 5 (4000 words) Chapter revised at 5:30. Subscribed chapters can be refreshed without re-subscription. Ye Changfeng distributed leaflets to everyone, and they all looked at the schedule with serious expressions. "Yuchi Shen, tell them about the current strength of each school this year," Elder Luo said. Yuchi Shen glanced emotionlessly at Xiang Beifei before he began to explain. "But there''s a rule, a person can only participate in two matches at most, so when the time comes, I and the other teachers will need to analyze the situation and then decide how to allocate the order and opponents for the five of you," he continued. It was like Tian Ji''s horse racing, but not quite the same. During Tian Ji''s horse racing, there were three matches, allowing room for performance, but there was only one match between two schools, which was basically random. Generally, one would hope that other schools would face off against strong students from other schools first, using up their two chances, and when it was their turn, they could only employ weaker students. Just like Qingzhou University and Liangzhou University, Qingzhou University had two SSRs this year, each needing to compete in two matches, meaning the two SSRs could at most fight in four matches. Thus, Ye Changfeng hoped that Qingzhou University would use their four chances of the SSR''s appearances against the other seven schools, and by the time they faced his own team, Qingzhou University would have exhausted their slots and would only be able to send SRs, increasing his team''s chances of winning. However, all the schools were elite, and the teachers in charge certainly understood this logic, so the allocation of who played when would essentially be a psychological game. Before the matches, no one could know whether the opponents would send the strong or the weak. "As you must understand, our school does not have an SSR this year, which means our strength is weaker than other schools, and it will be hard for you to take advantage in individual matches," Yuchi Shen said, his gaze fixed on Xiang Beifei. "Apart from Qingzhou University, Yanzhou University, and Jizhou University, other schools also have only one SSR each, which means only one Meridian Opening stage student, so we don''t have to worry too much, thankfully we also have student Xiang Beifei," Xi Keyao timidly added. "The situation isn''t that simple," Elder Luo stated, "The rules for individual matches are to play eight matches, one point per match, so the total score is very important. But have you considered, for other schools to aim for a higher total score, they will definitely find a way to secure this point, and whose point is almost guaranteed?" Long Guocheng and the others realized: "At our Liangzhou University?" Now all the other eight schools shared a common belief that Liangzhou University didn''t have an SSR this year, meaning no students at the Meridian Opening stage. To secure an easy point, they would definitely send a Meridian Opening SSR to face Liangzhou University. Because if an SSR faced another school, sometimes encountering another SSR opponent, both at the Meridian Opening stage, there would inevitably be a loss. If it were their own loss, it wouldn''t be worthwhile. But now, other schools believe that all students from Liangzhou University are only at the later stages of Qi-Controlling, so sending a Meridian Opening SSR to face only Qi-Controlling students from Liangzhou University was almost a certain victory. Everyone wants to pick an easy target to secure an initial point! "Exactly, which means our opponent in every match might be a Meridian Opening SSR!" Elder Luo said meaningfully. "This... The expressions on everyone''s faces turned grave. Elder Luo continued, "Alright, next you five will need to discuss how to allocate players for the matches and how to break through this situation." "Really, why do they have to make a simple freshman competition so complicated?" Ma Ziqian muttered. For them, martial artists, the most straightforward way was to go forth and fight a hard battle, which was the simplest method. "Because this is also a tactic." Elder Luo said, "Facing opponents of unequal strength, how to arrange your players to break through this deadlock and secure more victories is a type of command strategy. Elite university competitions are not only about martial strength but also about the ability to adapt to various situations; how to most effectively use limited manpower tests both the leading teachers and the new students. Cultivating this kind of thinking can, in future confrontations with desolate beast waves, also be applied to fighting these waves." Elite university Martial Arts Colleges aim to cultivate pioneers and defenders, where the basic approach is combat-oriented. In facing desolate beast waves, the desolate beasts'' strengths are unequal, so schools need to teach students how to use effective manpower to maximize combat power. The rules of this freshman competition might seem unfair, with Meridian Opening stage facing Qi-Controlling stage, making the fights almost one-sided and not truly reflecting the freshmen''s actual strength. But in fact, in facing desolate beasts, there''s never any notion of fairness! In battles against desolate beasts, the beasts'' strength is often more formidable. So how to win and secure the most points actually tests every university''s strategic planning abilities. Which battles to forfeit, which battles to fight all-out, who to send against different opponents, learning which choices to make, engaging in psychological gamesmanship, they are competing not only in bravery but also in intelligence. Elder Luo, although usually idle and not very serious, had once served as the chief commander in the Jiuzhou alliance against beast waves; his grasp of the overall situations in commanding battles was extremely potent. As for what the original intentions of these elite school competitions were, he understood it better than anyone. Chapter 590 - 438: Unknown No. 5 (4000 words)_2 That is to say, Elder Luo had an idea of how to break this situation, but he didn''t spell it out. Instead, he wanted Xiang Beifei and his team to think for themselves first. This was also a form of training. If their ideas didn''t work, then Elder Luo would offer guidance. ¡ª¡ª Since Elder Luo had put it that way, no one could complain any further. Ye Changfeng and Yuchi Shen also sat on the side without speaking, just watching the five members of Xiang Beifei''s team. The team remained silent. After a while, Long Guocheng was the first to speak, "Our first match tomorrow is the second game, against Qingzhou University. We don''t know who they''ll send to face us." Xiang Beifei said, "The person Qingzhou University sends out tomorrow will definitely be Hou Chengwu, no surprises." Long Guocheng asked, "Are you so certain? Qingzhou University has two SSRs and one UR, plus two SRs, and they haven''t finalized the contestants." Xiang Beifei said, "It will be Hou Chengwu! After all, he rejected us at Liangzhou University and instead turned to Qingzhou University. He must prove to others that not choosing Liangzhou University was the right decision, and the way to prove it is to defeat us personally." "That''s also true," Li Zimu nodded thoughtfully, "I think he lost face because of you today; he''ll want revenge no matter what." "Xiang Beifei, do you have the ability to defeat Hou Chengwu?" Xi Keyao asked. Xiang Beifei fell silent for a moment, then nodded slightly. The expressions of Long Guocheng and the others improved slightly; they all recognized Xiang Beifei and were aware of his prowess. Although this guy wasn''t an SSR, his strength was absurdly powerful. With him present, even if Liangzhou University didn''t compare to those three universities with obvious strengths, they were still on par with other schools. "But if the other schools all send SSRs against us, we are almost sure to lose. Xiang Beifei can only play twice, meaning at most he can score two points, but the rest of us are likely to lose," Ma Ziqian said. "Unless we find a way to prevent them from using SSRs against us," Li Zimu said. "Now they all think we''re easy targets. How can we make them change their minds?" Long Guocheng asked. "Simple, we must make them realize we''re not that weak," Xiang Beifei said. Li Zimu caught on and said, "I understand now. We must let them know our school also has someone in the Meridian Opening phase; that way, they won''t all send Meridian Openers against us. That means tomorrow against Qingzhou University, Xiang Beifei, you must go." An individual could only fight at most twice, so after Xiang Beifei''s first move, as long as he showed a bit of his strength, it would be enough to intimidate the people from the other schools, making them wary. They would realize that the persimmon that was Liangzhou University might not be so easy to crush! Because if their own SSRs faced off against Xiang Beifei, a tough opponent, and lost, it would be a heavy loss for them. Hence, other schools wouldn''t just blindly send SSRs against Liangzhou University. This ability was very peculiar. Any being with sins to its name, be it desolate beasts or humans, could be targeted by it, and then a cover door would automatically form in the mind. Even if this cover door wasn''t the opponent''s original weakness. Take the Triangular Thunder Krait, a desolate beast whose weakness was originally in its eyes, but if Yuchi Shen applied "Seven Deadly Sins Kill," he could forcibly shift this weakness to another area, like moving the cover door to the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait. Then, if Yuchi Shen hit the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait, the creature would be doomed! "This ability is amazing, forcibly changing an opponent''s weakness?" Xiang Beifei commented with interest. "Yes, I heard there were originally two SSR Awakeners who were going to come to our Liangzhou University, but after Liangzhou University admitted an N level, those two SSRs looked down on our Liangzhou University and went to other elite schools instead." "Doesn''t the school feel furious about that? Losing two SSRs over one N level student?" "Indeed! That N level Awakener really knows how to cause trouble." And just then, Xiang Beifei exclaimed in surprise, for he noticed that a figure had suddenly appeared behind the baby! The figure seemed to have teleported, holding a sword in hand, exhibiting a powerful aura, ignoring the tendrils! It was Ye Changfeng! Ye Changfeng frowned as he looked at the little baby and then slashed at the baby with his sword! The little baby seemed to realize what was happening, but before it could turn its head, Ye Changfeng''s sword had already cut the baby in half! However, the baby didn''t disperse. After being split, countless tendrils burst from its body, merging into the tendrils around it. "Courting death!" Ye Changfeng grasped his long sword, striking out once more in the direction in front of him! This slash was like a bolt of lightning, packed with terrifying force. The icy Sword Qi stretched for hundreds of meters, actually splitting open a crevice through the mass of tendrils in the sky! The tendrils, after being split, tried to reconvene, but soon numerous Sword Qi exploded amongst them¡ª Boom! Boom! Boom! All the tendrils failed to escape under Ye Changfeng''s sword and the tendrils throughout the city were forcibly destroyed by him! The tendrils were shredded to bits by the Sword Qi, and the remaining tendrils fearfully began to retreat into the ground, quickly disappearing from sight. "Stay here and don''t wander off!" Ye Changfeng threw his sword into the air, and the Longyuan Sword hovered above the three, as if protecting them, while another sword appeared in his hand. With a step, space flickered and he vanished into midair. "Thank goodness Mr. Ye arrived," Fan Kai breathed a sigh of relief. Had Mr. Ye not come in time, they might have met their end on this trip. But Sun Yushan didn''t quite understand, asking, "What kind of desolate beast is this thing? How come I''ve never seen it before?" The two of them had been training in this Cultivated Domain for three years and were quite clear about the types of desolate beasts present. Although some desolate beasts were powerful, they had never encountered one as troublesome as this, and today they nearly lost their lives here. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then turned to Xiaohei and said, "Xiaohei, you should be able to take him out of this space, right?" Xiaohei nodded. This was a system-generated space, and no system ability could confine Xiaohei. If it wished, it could leave the system''s restraints directly. "Then take him out of this space first and let him stay in the forest," Xiang Beifei said. It was uncertain what dangers lay on this deserted island, but with Liu Gui wounded like this, it was no longer safe to keep him here. Throwing him out to the forest outside would be better. Xiaohei jumped onto Liu Gui, stepping on him with a little foot, and Liu Gui''s body began to look a bit strange. Xiang Beifei could still see him, but he could also see the forest floor outside the space. "That should do it. Xiao Ma and the others might come looking in the forest, we need to continue searching for the others," Xiang Beifei said. In Liu Gui''s current state, he should be safe from any desolate beast on the island. Xiang Beifei needed to quickly find Lu Zhiwei and He Yun. Judging by their descriptions earlier, the forest was very unsafe and could prove fatal for them. Xiang Beifei continued to leap forward, walking for about five minutes, when suddenly, a series of urgent sounds came from the forest, followed by a At the school, the only ones who could provide him with useful system rewards were the teachers; other students, even if they were at S-level, were still only at the early stages of Qi-Controlling, and their task rewards were ineffective. He had inadvertently been involved in many teachers'' tasks, these people becoming teachers by choice because of their own systems, often using students to complete tasks. But system rewards weren''t instantaneous. To get a reward, one must wait for the other party to complete their task. Some people''s tasks took a long time to complete, fewe Chapter 591 - 439: Bottom Line Xiang Beifei had thought about Qin Hongyi''s Beast Pill issue for a long time but still couldn''t figure it out because he had already carefully checked the Unknown No. 5. Other than a slightly different aura, nothing else was abnormal. So, for now, he could not make any conclusions. However, no matter what, this Beast Pill absolutely needed thorough investigation. He was not in the mood to go out to eat with Dai Lan. This guy was obviously kept confidential using Unrestrained''s methods, making it unrealistic to extract any secrets from them; dining together would be a pure waste of time. Yet, Dai Lan was always enthusiastic about this wooden "Zheng Xian". "Then invite me to your place." Xiang Beifei looked Dai Lan up and down and said, "Next time, for sure." Honestly, the sibling duo of Dai Lan and Dai Ping was quite strange because, unlike most others associated with Unrestrained who relied on Beast Pills to grow stronger, these two did not. Of course, it was partly because their system levels were high, being genuine SR-grade; they could grow stronger without reliance on Beast Pills. But Xiang Beifei had checked their backgrounds; they had been exceptional students who graduated from Yongzhou University and had worked for the alliance, pioneering in the same period as Qin Hongyi. Later, for some reason, they joined the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company and became Unrestrained. The elevator was full of people clocking off work, all cramming into the same elevator, with acquaintances whispering to each other. At that moment, the elevator stopped on the seventh floor, the doors opened, and Zhao Ruizhong walked in. "Doctor Zhao," Xiang Beifei greeted. "Zheng Xian." Zhao Ruizhong was obviously surprised to see Xiang Beifei after not having seen him for over a month. Initially, he had recruited Xiang Beifei into his lab to assist with experiments, but soon after joining the company, Xiang Beifei had been snatched away by Lin Long. Dai Lan also greeted Doctor Zhao with a beaming smile. Since the elevator was crowded, Doctor Zhao didn''t say much until it reached the ground floor lobby, and people began to squeeze out. That''s when Zhao Ruizhong stopped Xiang Beifei. "Zheng Xian, can I talk to you alone?" Zhao Ruizhong glanced at Dai Lan and said. "Sure." Though Xiang Beifei didn''t know what Zhao Ruizhong wanted to discuss, he didn''t refuse. Dai Lan interjected, "Doctor Zhao, make it quick! Zheng Xian has agreed to have dinner with me." Zhao Ruizhong nodded slightly, walked out of the corporate building, and found a secluded spot before solemnly asking, "Zheng Xian, what have you been up to recently?" Xiang Beifei looked at Dai Lan, who was staring over from not far away, and then said, "I''m sorry, Doctor, I can''t say. I''ve signed a confidentiality agreement." Zhao Ruizhong frowned. He was well aware of the company''s stern confidentiality agreements, so he didn''t dwell on the matter and instead asked, "Then let me ask you, what do you think about transplanting Beast Pills into the human body?" "Transplanting Beast Pills into the human body, if it can save lives, is not necessarily a bad thing," Xiang Beifei said calmly. "So you agree with the company''s experiments of that kind?" Zhao Ruizhong asked. "The company''s intentions are good," Xiang Beifei replied. "But the risks are significant!" Zhao Ruizhong said agitatedly, "You must consider the potential consequences of these experiments." "I have my own judgment, Doctor Zhao. You once mentioned researching Beast Pills and transforming desolate beasts, all aiming for us to have a way to defend ourselves when facing desolate beasts; right now, I am doing just what you talked about," Xiang Beifei explained. "I did say that, but..." Zhao Ruizhong sighed slightly, then spoke earnestly, "Zheng Xian, you are still young, but in our line of work, there are some ethical lines that must be kept!" Xiang Beifei didn''t say anything, just thoughtfully looked at Zhao Ruizhong. Zhao Ruizhong hesitated, as if unsure of something, but then he added, "Zheng Xian, remember, we research and transform desolate beasts to control them, not to let the desolate beasts control us." "I know my limits," Xiang Beifei said indifferently. Zhao Ruizhong looked deeply troubled, as if he had a lot to say, but hesitated whether or not to speak. Ultimately, he only managed to pat Xiang Beifei on the shoulder before quickly leaving. Xiang Beifei watched Zhao Ruizhong''s retreating figure and didn''t say much, also leaving in another direction. At the top floor of the building, two people stood there, watching every move of Zhao Ruizhong and Xiang Beifei below. "Does Doctor Zhao strongly oppose this experiment?" Qin Hongyi asked. "Yes, he had refused to research in this direction before, so we had him switch to studying Beast Pills and had other teams expand on his research results. It could be said that most of the credit for developing the Beast Pill to level five goes to Doctor Zhao," Lin Long said. "But he has always been unaware?" "Yes, he doesn''t know," Lin Long nodded. Qin Hongyi watched Zhao Ruizhong''s departing figure, then turned to look at Xiang Beifei, who had gradually blended into the crowd and said, "Zheng Xian is now more valuable." "Yes, from what we''ve observed in the past few days, Zheng Xian never had any objection to conducting experiments. Once I heard him say that this way the ''system task'' would be completed. I think he belongs to the type who would do anything for ''system tasks,''" Lin Long said. "That''s good, a win-win situation." Qin Hongyi looked at Xiang Beifei with admiration in his eyes. "Perhaps we could try to make him a member of our organization," Lin Long said. They preferred people like Zheng Xian who pursued their goals regardless of the consequences, unlike Zhao Ruizhong, who insisted on sticking to his principles. They simply didn''t have regard for such old stubborn individuals. ---- With Qin Hongyi taking the lead, many high-ranking officials from Unrestrained soon came to Xiang Beifei. They all concealed their cultivation levels, and Lin Long didn''t tell Xiang Beifei the identities of these people, allowing them to disguise themselves as hunters injured in foreign wastelands undergoing surgery. In their view, this was a flawless plan of disguise. Lin Long always interspersed them among ordinary people, so Zheng Xian would definitely not be able to recognize the identities of the surgery subjects. Lin Long continued to be very cautious until he was completely certain that Zheng Xian was willing to join Unrestrained. But he would never have guessed that Xiang Beifei didn''t need to guess their identities at all. He only needed to look at the system interface to know their status within Unrestrained. "The ninth orifice transforming phase, plus Lin Long, makes exactly ten." Xiang Beifei had already installed Formation Jades in ten Martial Artists of orifice transforming phase! So far, things were going well. But Xiang Beifei still had not discovered Zi Hou''s location, which was his main concern. He had been collecting information all this time. However, on Friday afternoon of the third week, Xiang Beifei was performing surgery on Zhou Gao from Unrestrained and noticed some strange wounds on his body. "Are these wounds caused by the Blood Spirit Nine Lightning Dove and the Kan Crystal Ancient Beast?" Xiang Beifei asked, examining the burns. "Yes, this morning in the foreign wasteland, I encountered these two desolate beasts fighting. I was just passing by, but they attacked me. Although I dealt with them, the wounds are kind of deep. Mr. Zheng, do you have any way to treat these wounds?" Lying on the operating table, Zhou Gao nodded and looked eagerly at Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei''s gaze flickered slightly before he responded, "Such a minor injury, I can help you out." "Thank you!" Zhou Gao sighed in relief, feeling somewhat fortunate that Mr. Zheng was indeed benevolent. "No need, it''s a simple gesture." Xiang Beifei realized how he could find out Zi Hou''s location in the foreign wasteland! Chapter 592 - 440: Fifteenth District of Marquis Domain (4000 words) Revision at 5:30 AM. Subscribers can refresh the chapter without being charged again. Please support the genuine version. Watch a 15-second video on the QiDian app to receive 10 free QiDian coins. You can collect about 200 coins a day, which can be used for subscriptions. The author gets a share, too. Please, I rely on subscriptions to eat; I update 7000 words every day and work really hard. "You really are Xiang Beifei!" Zheng Xing was also stunned. His son had mentioned the freshman competition before the holiday, and at the time, he was extremely impressed by Xiang Beifei. Little did he expect that he would meet such a great talent today by such a coincidence! Moments later, he quickly recovered and excitedly said, "He is Xiang Beifei, no doubt about it. My son goes to Jizhou University, and he saw him last time!" Xiang Beifei momentarily put aside this matter and asked, "By the way, Uncle Kong, are there any houses for rent nearby? We''d like to move over." "A house? Of course, you should have moved over long ago. The old man has been talking about saving money for you to do tasks and whatnot. Why the sudden change of mind?" Kong Daming inquired. "Xiaofei is all grown up, the house is too shabby, he won''t be able to find a wife," Xiang Qingde stated seriously. "Hahaha, that''s true," Kong Daming nodded. But Lu Hong disagreed, "Not at all! If there''s true affection, who would care about the house?" "Still, it''s better to live in a nicer place. The old house was a bit too dark," Kong Daming said, "Leave it to me, I remember a family just moved out from my floor, just two doors down from me, directly diagonally opposite. Moving over would be good for mutual care." "When is Uncle Kong''s restaurant planning to reopen?" Xiang Beifei asked further. The appearance of a desolate beast like the One-Armed Crab, the investigation was still unclear, and Xiang Beifei suspected someone who hadn''t shown up yet. Xiao Sheng! The SR who was disguised as an N-level clerk, who disappeared somewhere right before the desolate beast appeared that day, he wanted to see if Xiao Sheng would come back to work. "The day after tomorrow, then! The staff have been asking about it. That said, I need to get in touch with the employees, it has been so long since we closed," Kong Daming said. "Then I''ll go to the wholesale market tomorrow. Our supply of ingredients has been cut off. I need to renegotiate with them," Xiang Qingde suggested. Kong Daming quickly replied, "No need, Uncle Xiang, you rest. I''ll take care of it." "We''ve been idle for so long, a bit of exercise wouldn''t hurt. I''m familiar with that place anyway. There''s a lot to do for reopening the business; many customers have already made reservations and are waiting to support us when we open. It''ll be busy for you; I can go tomorrow," Xiang Qingde insisted, waving his hand. Kong Daming couldn''t argue and had to agree. When Xiang Beifei got home, he even made a point to talk to his grandfather in front of the living room camera, explaining clearly why he wanted to move, stating directly that he could now make money and didn''t want to live there anymore. A martial artist in the Meridian Opening phase, earning money to support themselves is too easy. Those monitoring their home, as long as they aren''t foolish, would definitely understand Xiang Beifei''s current Cultivation Realm if they inquired at the school. No one would doubt this excuse. With that done, the other party should move on to the new home. Xiang Beifei wanted to see who would dare to install surveillance under his watch. After saying all this, Xiaohei then blocked the camera again. The grandfather and grandson packed up together that evening, and frankly, there were quite a few belongings in their home. "We''ll need to call for a vehicle. There''s no elevator; we can carry it all downstairs together," Xiang Qingde considered how to move in the most convenient way. "I can take care of the stuff by myself; Grandpa doesn''t need to worry. Just rest," Xiang Beifei said. "How can I do that? How can you move all these things alone! I can still do work; I''ll help you carry it," Xiang Qingde worried that his grandson would wear himself out, after all, moving is quite the laborious task. Xiang Beifei was both amused and frustrated, "Grandpa, why do I always feel like you keep forgetting I''m a martial artist?" "So what if you''re a martial artist? Don''t martial artists also hire people to move?" Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei stomped his foot again, causing all the packed boxes to levitate, floating in the air. Lighter than a feather. He lightened the weight of the objects and then used Spiritual Power to lift them. Xiang Qingde watched in amazement, "I had no idea you could do this!" Xiang Beifei realized he rarely mentioned his abilities to his grandfather. He smiled, put everything down, and then glanced at the camera on the ceiling, saying, "Don''t worry, I''ll handle everything from now on. Just relax." Xiang Qingde paused, gazing at Xiang Beifei, lost in thought. Once upon a time, he protected his grandson meticulously, shielding his self-esteem, telling him to stay positive and not to give up on himself. But ever since the Awakening System was activated, his grandson seemed to have changed into a different person, becoming diligent and cheerful. Now as a martial artist in the Meridian Opening phase, he had the ability to protect himself. It took a while for Xiang Qingde to snap back to reality, smiling, "The Awakening System really is a good thing." He suddenly felt old, in need of his grandson''s protection. But that was alright; his grandson was so sensible, and it made him happy to see it. Moving wasn''t difficult. Ordinary N-level Awakeners, without the relevant spatial systems, would need a moving company, a rented vehicle, and the expense of a substantial fee. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to, as Xiaohei could just spit bubbles. Chapter 593 - 440: Fifteenth District of Marquis Domain (4000 words)_2 "That won''t do! Xiaofei needs to focus on his cultivation," Lu Hong said seriously. Unknowingly, he had started referring to Beifei as Xiaofei, reflecting his belief that Xiang Beifei was still a martial artist and should prioritize his cultivation. Chen Xiuqin walked in from outside, smiling, "I won''t lie to you; these past few days, I''ve received so many calls from economic companies. Knowing that I know Xiaofei, they kept asking about related commercial activities, offering various large sums of money to see if Xiaofei would be willing to sign with their companies." "What did you say?" Kong Daming asked. "Of course, I said I would consider it. How can I decide such a thing? I still need to ask Xiaofei''s opinion," Chen Xiuqin laughed. She hadn''t committed to any offers, but she hadn''t outright rejected them either, always leaving Xiang Beifei with some options. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment and said, "I indeed need to prioritize my cultivation, I don''t have time for filming movies or ads. However, when I have some time, I can create a column specifically to teach everyone how to kill desolate beasts, so they won''t be caught unprepared when such situations arise." He needed to use this identity to properly guide everyone. Lu Hong''s eyes lit up, nodding, "Right, many civilians, because they live in inland cities, have a shallow concept of desolate beasts, and most lack a sense of crisis. Your idea is good." For a powerful desolate beast, it''s commonplace for a martial artist, but for civilians, it''s rare, and as a martial artist, promoting martial arts activities is only natural. "That''s great, I''ll help you with the promotion. Being a celebrity, one certainly needs to specialize in a direction. As a martial artist, you should do it the martial artist''s way." Chen Xiuqin, being somewhat involved in the entertainment industry herself, had dealt with many stars and knew well how to handle marketing. As Xiang Beifei''s number one fan mother, Chen Xiuqin was very willing to help Xiang Beifei. The matter was thus settled. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to do much; after school resumed next semester and he went to the outland desolate realm for missions, he would just randomly shoot a few videos, a simple task. But then again¡ª "Does she really think she can do as she pleases with my fame?" The last person who wanted to use Xiang Beifei''s fame for profit had already been dealt with by him. This time, they were thinking of making decisions without consulting him, purposely pushing him into the limelight. The Alliance''s reason for exposing such a talent was quite clear. The main reason was that Xiang Beifei was brought up by Elder Luo! Elder Luo didn''t have a good relationship with the Alliance, and they even feared him, as they couldn''t suppress such an unruly SR-ranked Awakener and were worried about Elder Luo building his power in Liangzhou University. With the emergence of a genius like Xiang Beifei, he posed an even greater threat to them! So they had to target Xiang Beifei! Ordinary people, once exposed, find it hard to keep a low profile, attracting attention wherever they go. By exposing Xiang Beifei in this manner, they essentially forced Xiang Beifei to align with the Alliance, having him under the watch of everyone in Jiuzhou, preventing him from opposing the Alliance covertly as every move of his would be under their surveillance. Later on, whatever arrangements the Alliance made, Xiang Beifei would have to comply. From the Alliance''s perspective, Xiang Beifei would become a chess piece to restrain Elder Luo, isolating and monitoring Elder Luo in a special way to weaken his influence. But does Mu Yiqing really think I would comply obediently, acting as she wishes? "Becoming the benchmark for N-level Awakeners means the initiative is in my hands now," Xiang Beifei His name, was it the way out of the Withered Forest? Coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei felt very surreal. His long-disappeared father, when naming him at a time he was still an infant, how could he be so sure he would encounter Youmeng? His father had casually settled on his son''s name? Could you be more serious in choosing a name! This SSR-level System Awakener possessed the ability to establish rules, gaining system value from everyone or everything around that adhered to the rules, and she also could gain system value by adhering to the established rules herself. Simply put, as long as there are rules in a place, she could grow stronger. If a person who doesn''t abide by the rules stands before her, there is nowhere to hide. Xiang Beifei looked at Mu Yiqing''s system log, which listed a large number of things about her handling of rules, one of which read: [You have formulated the "Jiuzhou Scheme for SR Talent Selection Planning System", which has been approved by Zhu Yiji, the Director of the Alliance Planning Office, and released as a rule. Currently, 2546 people adhere to this rule, and your rule value +2546.] The Planning Department of the Jiuzhou Alliance is responsible for formulating and amending systems in various aspects of the alliance, managing all aspects of the entire alliance, and planning the development of Jiuzhou. Simply put, as an UR-level Zhu Yiji, he is there to set the rules. Xiang Beifei only now realized Zhu Yiji''s position within the alliance. The one who sets the rules, leading in breaking them, pulling his own grandson out of prison, is truly miraculous. Therefore, it seems Mu Yiqing also belongs to Zhu Yiji''s people. It''s just unclear whether she was involved in the matter of Zhu Xinjue, who was supposed to be sentenced to death, changing his appearance and reborn, leaving the prison. Xiang Beifei quickly noticed another system log from September: [You revised the regulations on SR Awakeners applying for bail, this rule is currently effective for only one person, your rule value +1.] "It seems quite certain now." Xiang Beifei slightly frowned. Her system, wherever she revised the rules, could bind how many people, basically adding that much to her rule value. For example, last time she participated in revising a regulation on Jiuzhou student recruitment, this regulation directly affected five million college entrance examination candidates in Jiuzhou, and her system value increased by 5 million! Logically, Mu Yiqing, having this system, should abide by various rules. But Xiang Beifei quickly thought again. What are rules? Rules, after all, are set by people. Since they are set by people, they can naturally be modified by people. The modified rules, still are rules, and still conform to her system''s criteria. So, the higher her standing in the alliance, the easier it becomes to hold the rules in her own hands, making the [Word Spirit Rule System] supposedly enforcing rules stronger, in fact, it equates to acting as she pleases. Otherwise, why are SSR-level systems so powerful? ---- "Our two schools supported each other in the Withered Forest, jointly dodging danger," Xiang Beifei said, then looked at Ren Jianghai, adding, "On our way, we also encountered a student from your Qingzhou University; you can ask him." "Yes, we almost failed, and it was Xiang Beifei and others who saved me, later we continuously encountered other school teams, warning them of the danger, but they did not trust us, only the Yongzhou University team followed us." Tang He elaborated on the events, including how they conflicted with Yanzhou University, then how they encountered Shi Renmei, how they saw Ghostly Visage, how they were pursued, and how they were rescued by the Liangzhou team... Ren Jianghai listened, his brows also deeply furrowed. But with Tang He stepping forward, he could only give up. After all, Tang He is a student of their Qingzhou University, and it was reasonable for Xiang Beifei "The eleven of you, all" Xiang Beifei did not inquire further but looked thoughtfully at Tang He. Tang He is a normal person, this much is certain because he has a system interface, and the system continues to actively operate. His [Po Jun Eye System] is a type of reconnaissance system, which can also swiftly identify an opponent''s weak spots, exploiting them to defeat the opponent. So far, his system log seemed very normal, a fact that escaped Xiang Beifei''s observation. But, the strange thing for Xiang Beifei was¡ª This guy, for some reason, seemed to subtly carry a hint of the aura of Ghost Whiskers! Chapter 594 - 441: Determination However, it was already too late, intense fluctuations of Spiritual Power were coming from a distance! Keshi''s figure quickly shot out, killing all the Kan Crystal Ancient Beasts in the canyon! When he made his move, he did not conceal the strength of his God Refining stage; the fluctuations spread far and wide! "Keshi, you said that incident wouldn''t affect you!" Xiang Beifei quickly rushed out as he shouted. He understood what Keshi intended to do. They had searched the entire area and couldn''t locate Unrestrained, so the simplest method was to lure Unrestrained out! He planned to destroy the mountains one by one! If the entrance for Unrestrained was related to these mountains, it was obvious they would come out to deal with the person causing the disturbance. "We need a faster way to help our captain locate Zi Hou. If they come out to capture me, we can determine exactly from where they emerged!" Keshi''s voice remained calm. "If you attract all of the Unrestrained, I won''t necessarily be able to save you!" Xiang Beifei shouted. He had not yet branded all of Unrestrained with his mark, especially the higher-ups of Unrestrained. A huge organization capable of confronting the alliance couldn''t possibly be without experts at the Heavenly Connection stage. "You can''t come to save me! Finding the base of Unrestrained is what matters most! Only then will we have a chance to eliminate them with the people of Su Alliance!" "So your life isn''t important? Have you forgotten your own family? You even have Niuniu! Are you insane!" Xiang Beifei angrily said. There were other methods available, yet Keshi chose this single-minded approach. "It''s because of Niuniu that I''m doing this!" With a calm expression, Keshi shattered a mountain, one which housed a group of Blood Spirit Nine Lightning Doves, killing these desolate beasts as well and continued to generate strong fluctuations as he flew onward. "If Unrestrained isn''t destroyed, many others might become their targets in the future. Today it is my brother, perhaps someday it could be Niuniu. She always says she wants to be a martial artist like the captain one day. I want her to learn from him, but I also hope that her future involves killing desolate beasts, not fighting Unrestrained." Keshi had made up his mind. "We''ve been chasing Unrestrained for so long but have never pinpointed their exact location. The Su Alliance has changed significantly from the past; this might be our best chance to succeed, and I can''t miss it." In the past, Su Alliance was merely a tool used by Zhu Yiji to eliminate dissent, rarely bothers to locate the actual lair of Unrestrained. But now, with Elder Luo and Xiang Beifei, they were the true doers. So Keshi was willing to take the risk. The death of his brother haunted him, and he was tired of this cat-and-mouse game. If sacrificing himself could directly destroy their lair, then he was willing to do it! "Are you so sure they will be lured out by you?" Xiang Beifei shouted. "Yes," Keshi whispered, "because they are already here!" Xiang Beifei and Eternal Sleep were both startled! They had just arrived at Keshi''s location and immediately sensed something wrong. The space in front of them seemed as if it had suddenly been stitched together, creating a strange anomaly. This fault appeared very abruptly; Xiang Beifei had just scanned this place and had not noticed any abnormalities. The fault soon blended in seamlessly with the surrounding scenery and vanished, as if nothing had happened. However, within the mountains, six beams of light suddenly emerged, deeply embedded within six mountains, forming transparent pillars of light, like doors invisible to the naked eye were opened. A figure quickly shot out from this door, standing in the void and sinisterly looking at Keshi. And Xiang Beifei immediately stopped, staring intently at this person. [Host: Wang Ze] [R level, Financial Tycoon System] [Realm: Early Orifice Transforming] This was an Orifice Transforming stage Unrestrained! And the thing Xiang Beifei feared also happened, as he had never met this person before. Which meant he hadn''t replaced this Unrestrained''s heart and couldn''t control him using Spiritual Power! "Who are you?" Keshi looked coldly at Wang Ze. "That''s what I should be asking you." Wang Ze frowned as he looked at Keshi, then suddenly thinking of something, his gaze turned chillingly cold: "I smell a familiar stench; you are from the Su People!" He had instantly recognized Keshi''s identity! Buzz! A powerful wave of Orifice Perception swept out, instantly covering an area of a hundred miles. Xiang Beifei immediately grabbed Eternal Sleep, hiding him. "Is it just you?" Wang Ze let out a breath of relief, then his expression became amused. "Tell me, why would a person from Su People suddenly appear here? Are you lost?" Keshi''s brow furrowed, and without another word, he turned to leave! He had to make the other party realize he was inadvertently passing through and was not setting any trap. However, Wang Ze just sneered, and a powerful presence swept out, instantly sealing off the entire expanse of void! "Having come, it won''t be that easy to leave," Wang Ze said slowly. "You¡ª" Keshi''s expression became frantic. However, his eyes were incomparably cold. Whoosh! In his hand, a large sword had appeared, emitting a blue glow, its fierce aura slicing through the void! Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword! Without a word, Keshi struck directly at Wang Ze with the sword! The magnificent sword intent surged from the ground, instantly swelling to a tremendous force, shattering the gloom over the desolate territory and slashing down towards Wang Ze! This strike was exceedingly domineering, the overflowing blue light illuminating the entire sky, instantly shattering the mountains below and destroying rivers, as if to split the sky open! However, when the terrifying and mighty blade reached just above Wang Ze''s head, it seemed as though it was fixed in place, unable to advance even an inch further! "Nice sword." Wang Ze stood in the air with his hands behind his back, looking up at the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword stopped in front of him, and couldn''t help but praise. Then he reached out a finger and gently flicked the blade! Crack, crack, crack! The majestic, towering blade light involuntarily began to tremble, and soon, cracks appeared on the blade, and the powerful Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword shattered in mid-air! Keshi''s pupils constricted! The gap was too great! God Refining early stage and Orifice Transformation early stage were ultimately not on the same level. "With such formidable strength, why did you become one of the Su People?" Wang Ze stretched out his hand, and the void was instantly distorted; Keshi couldn''t react in time and felt the air around him solidify, completely immobilizing him! Crack, crack! The sound of breaking bones clearly transmitted. "Ugh!" Keshi''s face turned pale, immense pain sweeping through his body, all his joints having been shattered! "Keshi!" Eternal Sleep bellowed, about to charge forward! "Don''t come over!" Keshi''s voice echoed in their minds. He clenched his teeth, and despite all his bones being broken, he still maintained his last bit of sanity. "Captain, you must figure out where they are!" Keshi''s consciousness was almost collapsing, but he still insisted. They still hadn''t seen where this person had appeared from. Xiang Beifei clenched his fists. "Captain!" Eternal Sleep said softly. Xiang Beifei shook his head slightly. Wang Ze was a master of the early Orifice Transformation stage and had no Formation Jade in his heart; even if they fought him, not to mention whether they had a chance of winning, they definitely wouldn''t be able to take down Wang Ze in a short time. And this was Unrestrained''s lair. Just the fluctuation of Spiritual Power of the God Refining stage had drawn an Orifice Transformation stage expert; who knew how many uncontrolled Orifice Transformation stage masters would come later? "I should have killed you directly since I can''t get any information from you anyway," Wang Ze sneered. Just as Unrestrained protected its secrets with life, the Su People also had their means to protect secrets. Whoever fell into the other''s hands would not bother to interrogate. But he stopped torturing Keshi, saying, "But killing you so easily would be too cheap. God Refining stage hearts are just what I need. Next week, I need to discuss Beast Pills with Zheng Xian, so it seems I have to keep the heart beating a little longer." Wang Ze grabbed Keshi by the neck and dragged him up, "You''re lucky; you get to live another couple of days." Keshi''s consciousness neared collapse as Wang Ze tortured him, not just wreaking havoc on his body but also tormenting his soul, making him wish for death. Yet his eyes were still as piercing as ever, never showing fear! "Destroy Unrestrained," Keshi said with his last bit of energy. Xiang Beifei remained silent, and Eternal Sleep also calmed down. They both knew what they had to do; if they acted now, all of Keshi''s sacrifices would be in vain! Wang Ze, holding Keshi like a rag doll, took a step forward and in an instant landed at the foot of an inconspicuous mountain. This mountain was too ordinary, so ordinary that nothing unusual about it could be detected, not even by Xiang Beifei through its aura. However, Wang Ze quickly walked up to the mountainside and kicked a stone there; then the mountain wall began to collapse inward as if the stone had come to life, revealing many strange patterns. These patterns were interconnected, forming a bizarre formation! Xiang Beifei was increasingly astonished as he looked at the pattern. This pattern was exactly the one formed by the merging of his two bricks! But Xiang Beifei soon realized, it seemed a bit different; strictly speaking, it looked more like a simplified version of the pattern. The eerie pattern flashed with beams of light, shining on Wang Ze. Wang Ze seemed to enjoy the light very much, stretching comfortably, and soon, his skin seemed to be cut open by something, creating numerous fine cracks, from which suddenly sprouted numerous black tendrils! His body had countless black tendrils! These black tendrils, bathed in the formation''s radiance, made him feel extremely comfortable! Yet Xiang Beifei''s heart was thrown into turmoil! Chapter 595 - 442: Entrance (4000 words) Around 5:30, the regular chapters will be restored. Subscribers who have already subscribed can simply refresh, and you will not be charged for a second download. Please support legitimate subscriptions; you can watch a 15-second ad to earn starting coins for the subscription¡ªit won''t take much time, but it allows you to read, and your support is appreciated. "Then I''ll go to the wholesale market tomorrow. We''re out of ingredients, and I need to renegotiate with them," Xiang Qingde said. Kong Daming hurriedly said, "No need, Uncle Xiang, you rest. I can go." "We''ve rested long enough. It''s good to move around, and I''m familiar with that place anyway. With the reopening, there is a lot of work in the store. Many customers have made reservations, waiting to support us once we''re open. You will be busy; I can go tomorrow." Xiang Qingde waved his hand and insisted. Kong Daming couldn''t argue with him and could only agree. When Xiang Beifei got home, he even made a point of talking to his grandfather in front of the living room camera, explaining his reasons for moving out clearly. He just said that he was now making money and didn''t want to live here anymore. For a martial artist in the Meridian Opening phase, earning enough to support himself was all too simple. As long as the people surveilling their home weren''t foolish, a quick inquiry at school would reveal Xiang Beifei''s current Cultivation Realm. No one would suspect this excuse. With that, the other party would likely head to his new house. Xiang Beifei wanted to see who would dare to try installing surveillance under his watch. After discussing this, Xiaohei blocked the camera again. That night, the grandfather and grandson together packed up everything. And really, they had quite a lot of stuff at home. "We''ll need to call for a vehicle, and since there''s no elevator, we''ll carry everything down together," Xiang Qingde was pondering how to move houses more conveniently. "I can handle the stuff myself, Grandpa doesn''t need to worry, just rest on the side," Xiang Beifei said. "How can that be? How can you move so many things by yourself! Grandpa can still work, and I''ll help you carry it," Xiang Qingde worried that his grandson would exhaust himself, as moving house was back-breaking work. Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but laugh and say, "Grandpa, why do I always feel like you forget that I''m a martial artist?" "What does being a martial artist have to do with it? Many martial artists also need to hire people when they move," Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei stamped his foot again, and all the packed boxes started floating up, hovering in mid-air. Light as a feather. He made the stuff lighter and then used Spiritual Power to lift them up. Xiang Qingde watched in amazement and said, "I had no idea you could do that!" Xiang Beifei realized that he had rarely discussed his abilities with his grandfather. He smiled, put everything down, and then glanced at the camera on the ceiling and said, "Don''t worry, from now on, I''ll handle everything. Grandpa, just take it easy." Xiang Qingde paused, staring blankly at Xiang Beifei. Once upon a time, he had carefully protected his grandson, safeguarding his self-respect, instilling him with positive values, and hoping he wouldn''t give up on himself. But since awakening the System, his grandson had changed¡ªbecoming diligent and cheerful, now even a martial artist in the Meridian Opening phase, capable of protecting himself. It took a while for Xiang Qingde to snap back to reality, and then he smiled, "The Awakening System really is a good thing." He suddenly felt his age and the need to be protected by his grandson. That was a good thing, too. Seeing his grandson so sensible made him happy. Moving wasn''t difficult. Ordinary N-level Awakeners, if they didn''t have the corresponding space-related Systems, had to hire moving companies, rent a vehicle, incurring expenses. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to. Xiaohei could create bubbles to do the job. "Xiaofei is a big star now. We''ll all rely on you in the future!" Kong Daming joked. "Isn''t being a star tiring? I hear you have to shoot all kinds of films every day," Lu Zhiwei said curiously. "That won''t do! Xiaofei has to cultivate," Lu Hong said seriously. Without realizing, he had already started calling Beifei ''Xiaofei'', in his mind, Beifei was still primarily a martial artist and should focus on cultivation. Chen Xiuqin walked in with a smile and said, "I don''t mind telling you, these past few days I''ve received so many calls from talent agencies. They know I''m acquainted with Xiaofei and have been inquiring about related commercial activities. They''re offering a lot of money wondering if Xiaofei would be willing to sign with their company." "What did you say?" Kong Daming asked. "Of course, I said we''d consider it. How could I decide on something like this on my own? We still need to ask for Xiaofei''s opinion," Chen Xiuqin laughed. She hadn''t agreed to anything yet, but she hadn''t completely refused either, always leaving Xiaofei room for choice. After pondering for a moment, Xiang Beifei said, "I do need to cultivate, and I don''t have time to shoot movies or commercials. However, when I have time, I can open a column to teach everyone how to kill desolate beasts, so that people won''t panic when they encounter such situations." He needed to use his identity to properly guide everyone. Lu Hong''s eyes lit up, and he nodded, "Right, many civilians, living in inland cities, have too superficial a concept of desolate beasts, and most lack a sense of crisis. Your idea is good." Mighty desolate beasts are common for martial artists, but civilians rarely encounter them. As a martial artist, it was natural for Xiang Beifei to engage in promotional activities for fellow martial artists. "That''s great then, I''ll help you spread the word. As a public figure, you need to specialize in one direction. Since you''re a martial artist, you should promote it in the martial artist''s way," Chen Xiuqin said. As someone who worked in the entertainment industry, Chen Xiuqin was acquainted with many stars and knew all about how to market them. As Xiang Beifei''s number one fan and his mother, Chen Xiuqin was eager to help him succeed. Chapter 596 442: Entrance (4000 words)_2 This matter was thus settled, and Xiang Beifei didn''t need to do anything. After the start of the next semester, while performing tasks in the outer domains, he could just casually shoot a few videos, a very simple task. But then again¡ª "Does she really think she can do whatever she wants with my reputation?" The last person who tried to use Xiang Beifei''s fame to make money had already been dealt with by him. This time, they again thought of making decisions without consulting him, intending to use him as their frontman, clearly aiming to push him into the limelight. The reason why the alliance wanted to expose such a genius was quite obvious. The main reason lay in the fact that Xiang Beifei had been brought up by Elder Luo! The alliance''s relationship with Elder Luo was not good, and they even dreaded him, because they couldn''t suppress an SR-rated Awakener who wouldn''t listen to the alliance''s commands, worried that Elder Luo would build his own power base at Liangzhou University. The emergence of a genius like Xiang Beifei posed an even greater threat! So that''s why they wanted to target Xiang Beifei! Once an ordinary person was exposed, it would be hard for them to keep a low profile, wherever they went, they would attract attention. By exposing Xiang Beifei like this, it was the same as forcing Xiang Beifei to take the alliance''s side, making him watched by all of Jiuzhou, such that Xiang Beifei could hardly act against the alliance in secret, and his every move would be under the alliance''s watch. In the end, Xiang Beifei would have to cooperate with whatever plans the alliance had for him. In the eyes of the alliance, Xiang Beifei would become a piece to restrain Elder Luo in reverse, isolating Elder Luo in a special way, monitoring him, and weakening his influence. But Mu Yiqing wouldn''t really think that he would just comply obediently and act according to her wishes, would she? "Becoming the paragon of N-level Awakeners, that means the initiative is in my hands." Xiang Beifei Was his name the key to leaving the Withered Forest? A coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei felt very unreal. His long-lost father, who he had never met, had named him at a time when he was supposed to be just a baby; how could he have been so sure that he would encounter Youmeng? Did he simply mention it and then decide on his son''s name just like that? Could he be a bit more serious about naming? This SSR-level System Awakener possessed the ability to set rules, and anyone or anything around her that abided by the rules would increase her system value, and she could also increase her system value by handling matters according to the rules already set. In short, as long as there were rules in a place, she could grow stronger. If someone was not abiding by the rules, they would have nowhere to hide before her. Xiang Beifei looked at Mu Yiqing''s system log, which listed a multitude of matters concerning rule management, including one entry that read: [You have formulated the "Jiuzhou Policy for the Selection of SR talents" scheme, which has been approved by Zhu Yiji, the Minister of Alliance Planning, and implemented as a rule. Currently, 2,546 people abide by this rule, your rule value +2546] The planning department of the Jiuzhou Alliance was in charge of making and revising the systems for managing all aspects of the alliance and planning the development of Jiuzhou. Simply put, as a UR-level, Zhu Yiji was the one who set the rules. It was only now that Xiang Beifei realized Zhu Yiji''s position within the alliance. The one who set the rules, was the first to break them, pulling out his grandson from prison, truly miraculous. As such, Mu Yiqing was also one of Zhu Yiji''s people. It was just unknown whether she was involved in the affair of Zhu Xinjue, who should have been sentenced to death, changing his identity and leaving prison reborn. Xiang Beifei soon saw a system log from September: [You have revised the bail application regulation for SR Awakeners, this rule is currently only effective for one person, your rule value +1] "It looks like it''s pretty much confirmed." Xiang Beifei frowned slightly. Her system, for every rule she revised and was able to apply to people, would add to her rule value accordingly. For example, last time she participated in revising a student recruitment system for Jiuzhou, a system that directly affected five million college entrance examination students in Jiuzhou. Her system value increased by a direct 5 million! Logically speaking, with such a system, Mu Yiqing should abide by all kinds of rules. However, Xiang Beifei quickly thought of something else. What are rules? Rules are, after all, made by humans. Since they are made by humans, naturally, they can also be modified by humans. The revised rules are still rules, and they still conform to her system''s determination. So the higher she stands in the alliance, the easier it becomes for her to have the rules in her own hands, meaning the "Word Spirit Rule System''s" supposed rule-following becomes stronger, which actually equates to doing as she pleases. Otherwise, why would it be said that SSR-level systems are so powerful? ¡ª¡ª "Our two schools mutually supported each other in the Withered Forest, joining forces to avoid danger," said Xiang Beifei, and then looking at Ren Jianghai, he continued, "We also encountered one of your Qingzhou University students on the way; you can ask him." "Yes, we almost got into serious trouble. It was Xiang Beifei and the others who saved me. Later, we continuously warned other school teams about the danger, but they didn''t trust us. Only Yongzhou University''s team followed us." Tang He detailed the account of their experience, including how they clashed with Yanzhou University, how they encountered Shi Renmei, how they saw the Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage, how they were pursued and saved by the team from Liangzhou University... After listening, Ren Jianghai''s brow was also deeply furrowed. But with Tang He stepping forward, there was nothing he could do. After all, Tang He was a student of Qingzhou University and Xiang Beifei was reasonable both "All eleven of you," Xiang Beifei did not inquire further but watched Tang He thoughtfully. Tang He was a normal person, there was no mistake in that because he had a system interface, with the system still rapidly updating. His "Po Jun Eye System" was a type of scouting system and could also quickly identify an opponent''s weaknesses, striking to defeat them through those weaknesses. His system log was displaying everything as normal, a fact that Xiang Beifei''s eyes couldn''t miss. But what puzzled Xiang Beifei was¡ª For some reason, this guy seemed to carry a faint whiff of Ghost Whisker aura about him! Was it because he had encountered an attack by Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage that this aroma lingered? As soon as these several people appeared, the atmosphere immediately turned wrong. Chen Baiwen, Yu Hongbo, Zhu Xinjue! It was the team from Yanzhou University! He hadn''t expected them to also show up here! Zhu Xinjue''s heart skipped a beat when he first saw Xiang Beifei in the crowd, and resentment flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed that trace of resentment. Because currently, their collaboration with Qingzhou University had disintegrated, leaving them no means to join forces against Xiang Beifei. When Yu Hongbo and Chen Baiwen saw Xiang Beifei, they were also slightly startled, exchanging glances involuntarily! Just yesterday they had been considering joining forces with Qingzhou University to confront Xiang Beifei; however, Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University ended up dead instead, and they failed to find Xiang Beifei. They had not expected to encounter Xiang Beifei here. "Don''t panic! He probably doesn''t know about yesterday''s incident!" Chen Baiwen gave Yu Hongbo and the others a meaningful look, and they all understood each other without needing to speak. Yu Hongbo steadied himself, then said, "Xiang Beifei, I''ve long heard of your reputation. I am Yu Hongbo, the leader of Yanzhou University''s team." Chen Baiwen also nodded slightly, but he didn''t speak. Xiang Beifei looked at the people from Yanzhou University thoughtfully, his gaze sweeping over them and then lingering on Zhu Xinjue, he eventually said, "How did you all end up here?" "After we entered the Withered Forest, we realized something was amiss, and subsequently, we ran up to this mountain, the conditions outside are terrible. Did you also encounter those bizarre tree people just now?" Yu Hongbo asked. "That''s correct," said Xiang Beifei nonchalantly. "Are you all alright?" Yu Hongbo asked. Chapter 597 443: Heartbeat In the brightly-lit laboratory, there were various kinds of instruments shaped like glass tubes, within which crimson blood flowed¡ªhuman blood! In the corner of the laboratory, several withered corpses were strewn about haphazardly, strikingly conspicuous. Apart from Keshi, there were six other pioneers who were barely clinging to life; they also lay on the operating tables, awaiting the moment of despair when their hearts would be plucked out. "Who is this person?" Lin Long inquired. "This is one of the Su People, I just captured him," Wang Ze said. "The Su People!" Lin Long immediately became vigilant, suddenly releasing a strong aura that swept around Keshi, firmly shielding his presence. "How did a Su Person come to this place?" "I don''t know, he was acting crazy outside just now, constantly destroying the mountains. The patrolling men were worried he''d destroy the entrance, so they reported it to me, and I captured him," explained Wang Ze. "Constantly destroying the mountains?" However, Lin Long frowned deeply and asked in a heavy tone, "A Su Person wouldn''t act so recklessly! Normally, they would not make such a significant commotion to destroy mountains. You brought him here alive without thoroughly investigating?" "I did explore the area. There was nobody within a hundred miles, just him. Probably he came to hunt some desolate beast, and when he saw me, he tried to run. It''s likely he stumbled upon us by accident." Wang Ze hadn''t thought too much about it. "Idiot! You can''t even detect me, and you think you can detect other Su People? The Su People are very principled in their actions. His appearance here is not just a coincidence; haven''t you considered he might have deliberately lured you out?" Lin Long chided angrily. He was extremely cautious, especially when facing the Su People. Without sufficient caution, it''s all too easy to invite the wolf into one''s house. So when he found out that Keshi was inexplicably captured, he began to suspect that this might be a plan by the Su People! Wang Ze, upon Lin Long''s remark, froze, then said, "Could that be? I''ve already tortured him to this extent." He glanced at Keshi, lying on the bed with all his bones shattered, and even his soul tormented to the point of losing consciousness. "What kind of courage does it take for one to come here as bait? I could kill him at any moment¡ªwho among the Su People would make such a sacrifice?" Wang Ze tapped Keshi''s body again! Crack crack crack! Keshi''s body, already shattered, was only kept intact by Wang Ze''s Spiritual Power to prevent complications with his heart. He was skeptical of Lin Long''s conjecture. Lin Long also scrutinized Keshi''s body, with deeply furrowed brows. Indeed, these injuries were real. Wang Ze was merciless with this Su Person, able to obliterate Keshi''s soul with a mere thought. But Lin Long still did not let his guard down. The Su People usually operated with meticulous care. Once they detected something amiss, they would retreat immediately. Lin Long had been dealing with the Su People not just for a day or two, and both sides roughly understood each other''s ways of operation. If this was just bait, then the person undoubtedly came with the determination to die. However, training a Su Person is quite troublesome, and especially one at the God Refining stage, a martial artist so precious to the alliance, they would not let him come to die so easily. Could it really be a coincidence? "Either way, you come with me. We must search that area again; we cannot let any trace of us be leaked!" Lin Long was exceedingly cautious, insisting on having Wang Ze accompany him to investigate the entrance near the 15th District of the Marquis Domain to ensure the appearance of this Su Person was mere chance. Wang Ze could only agree. He said to a man in the laboratory holding a scalpel, "You watch over him for me, don''t let him die. Check his heart''s condition; after I return, I''ll use his heart for a transplant! The day after tomorrow search for another person to deal with the Beast Pill issue." "Yes, my lord," the man in the white coat responded respectfully. Lin Long and Wang Ze quickly departed from the laboratory, heading back to the canyon, towards the teleportation entrance. The laboratory was left with only the man responsible for the transplantation surgery. Xiang Beifei observed the man''s system interface: [Host: Hu Cheng] [S-Rank, Heartbeat System] [Realm: Late Stage of Meridian Opening] This man named Hu Cheng, whose knowledge was related to the beating of the heart, would gain benefits from any living being whose heartbeat he could perceive. He could also use his system abilities to control the heartbeat of others. He could even forcibly stop a person''s heart from beating! ¡ª¡ª Hu Cheng held a throbbing heart in his hands, just freshly removed from a corpse. The person''s blood had been completely drained, beyond any hope of revival. He placed the heart in his hands into a biotic box beside him. This biotic box was used to simulate the heartbeat of the heart, allowing it to be preserved for a month or even longer after removal! At present, the biotic box was densely filled with twenty-seven hearts, all prepared for those named ''Unrestrained'' whose hearts were ravaged by the Beast Pill and rendered unusable. He would assist with the heart transplant. "The heartbeat of a God Refining stage, my favorite sensation." Hu Cheng placed the heart properly and turned his attention to Keshi. His eyes revealed a sickly fanaticism as he appraised Keshi, who was covered in fractures, uncontrollably extending his tongue to lick his lips. Keshi''s chest had already been opened by him, and the red heart inside was beating forcefully. [Current Optional Task: Transplant a God Refining stage heart.] [You have chosen your target: A Su Person.] [Transplant Recipient: Wang Ze.] [Task Completion Reward: 20,000 heartbeat value.] When the doctor helped the patient check the heartbeat to obtain the heartbeat value, the process was too slow, but transplanting a heart for someone else added a lot to his system value! However, through normal channels, the Jiuzhou continent didn''t have so many hearts for transplantation every day, so he chose to join the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company to study desolate beast hearts and was subsequently developed into a member of the Unrestrained organization. Here, he felt as if he had discovered a new world. Unrestrained often needed heart transplants to maintain himself, and this job seemed tailor-made for him. To him, as long as he could gain system value through heart transplants, nothing else mattered as much. "Don''t worry, I''ll take good care of your heart," he said. Hu Cheng revealed a sinister smile, carefully sizing up the heart. Soon, however, his smile abruptly vanished, and he lightly tapped the heart with his finger, letting out a surprised "huh." "This is not a cultivator''s heart, it''s a cloned heart?" Hu Cheng had handled countless hearts, and he could immediately recognize the difference between a martial artist''s heart and an ordinary one. "Correct." Xiang Beifei''s ghostly voice rose from behind him. "Who''s there!" However, before Hu Cheng could react, he felt his body stiffen; he was completely unable to move! Xiang Beifei glanced at the corner where the freshly drained bodies lay and frowned slightly. Those were the pioneers Hu Cheng had just killed; they were lifeless now, but there were still six living people in the corner, and he immediately destroyed the blood-draining devices on them. "You really deserve to die," Xiang Beifei''s eyes flashed with killing intent! "Who are you? What have you done to me? Don''t you know I am the heart research specialist here?" Hu Cheng shouted with a mix of aggression and fear. In the Unrestrained organization, his cultivation was not high, but most in Unrestrained were polite to him as he controlled their source of hearts! "I''ll settle the score with you later." Xiang Beifei ignored Hu Cheng and strode over to Keshi''s side, examining his body. Keshi''s injuries were severe, but his soul was unharmed. He quickly placed his hands on Keshi''s body; the "Return to the Original State" ability flowed out swiftly, acting upon Keshi''s form. "You want to save him?" Seeing Xiang Beifei trying to heal Keshi, Hu Cheng sneered, "Every prisoner brought here is hit with a powerful healing prohibition by a UR-level elder, no one but me can heal their wounds!" His tense expression slightly relaxed; though he didn''t know how this person had infiltrated, considering he held the most advantageous trump card, he now felt confident enough to negotiate. "Healing prohibition? So you capture those pioneers and directly prohibit them from using their healing abilities to prevent them from healing?" Xiang Beifei turned to ask. "Exactly! Only I can determine whether their wounds can heal," Hu Cheng said, gaining confidence and lifting his head slightly, "Let''s strike a deal. You let me go, and I''ll teach you how to break this healing prohibition!" "I see," Xiang Beifei nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, you should understand now, without me, there''s no way you can bring this person back. I don''t know what you''re here for, but I was just doing my job. Let me go, and I''ll save him for you, then pretend I never saw you, how about it?" "Really?" The white glow in Xiang Beifei''s hand became stronger and penetrated Keshi''s body from head to toe. Hu Cheng continued to emphasize, "You still don''t understand what this healing prohibition means, it''s UR-level..." However, before he finished speaking, Keshi''s injuries started healing gradually; broken joints and torn flesh... every single injury was rapidly recovering. In just a moment, Xiang Beifei had forcibly reconstructed Keshi, restoring him to be fully intact! "How is this possible! He... he was under healing prohibition, wasn''t he?" Hu Cheng, stunned to see Keshi who was previously nothing more than a mangled pile of flesh now fully restored, was shocked! The organization, to facilitate more effective heart transplants, had installed a very powerful UR-level healing prohibition system here. Only he was left with the permissions; no one else could heal wounds in this place. Yet Xiang Beifei had managed to bring someone who was battered to the brink of death back to life! That truly horrified him! "Your healing prohibition doesn''t seem all that great," Xiang Beifei lifted his head and looked coldly at Hu Cheng. Chapter 598 444: Sealing Power (4000 words) Chapter returned to normal at six o''clock. Please support the genuine version. "That''s how it is," Xiang Beifei said impassively. "Are you guys okay?" Yu Hongbo asked. "Not too bad," Xiang Beifei glanced back at Tang He, who was from Qingzhou University. Their team''s situation seemed very grim at the moment. When Tang He saw Yu Hongbo and the others, he also showed a horrified expression; he hadn''t expected to encounter people from Yanzhou University, especially since their Qingzhou University''s Hou Chengwu had died at the hands of "Zhu Pengfei"! However, he dared not say much now, as he was just an SR-grade Qi-Controlling Awakener in the later stages, and without any teammates around, he was no match for the people from Yanzhou University. "How long have you been in this withered forest?" Xiang Beifei asked. "We came in last night!" Yu Hongbo said. "Last night? You''ve been here almost a day?" Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. "Yes, we came here last night!" Yu Hongbo no longer harbored thoughts of dealing with Xiang Beifei; instead, he felt a hint of wanting to join forces with him. His team was also in a highly precarious position at the moment. This place was too eerie; they were trapped and couldn''t find a way out. Seeing Xiang Beifei, Yu Hongbo felt a surge of hope. Xiang Beifei was strong; perhaps he had some solutions! "So, you guys are okay?" Xiang Beifei asked. "One of us had an accident," Yu Hongbo said with a heavy tone. Now, only four people were left in their team. "Have you been on this mountain since last night?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Not really, we were walking in the withered forest at first, but then it suddenly got dark, and something went wrong, so we ran up the mountain. We found that those tree people didn''t dare to come up, and we were relieved. We weren''t on this mountain initially; we were on a different one." "Are you that N-grade Awakener, Xiang Beifei?" Chen Baiwen''s face wasn''t looking good as he faced Xiang Beifei, not really wanting to come up since the earlier Hou Chengwu had lost inexplicably, and he hadn''t seen clearly how Hou had lost. If he lost to an N-grade student, his reputation would be almost ruined. However, if he didn''t come up to challenge Xiang Beifei, he would be regarded as a coward, effectively proving that, as an SSR-grade Awakener, he was afraid of an N-grade! That would mean Xiang Beifei had won without a fight. After all, like Hou Chengwu, he had initially scorned Liangzhou University for recruiting N-grade students and was persuaded by other universities not to go to Liangzhou University. Since Chen Baiwen had decided against Liangzhou University, it showed he was a proud SSR; how could he not prove himself? Xiang Beifei just looked calmly at Zhu Xinjue, but a murderous intent flickered in his eyes. He hadn''t killed this guy last time; now that Zhu obviously intended to kill him, he must kill Zhu Xinjue this time! Yet as he spoke, he suddenly felt his knees bend, and with a "snap," he unexpectedly knelt in front of Xiang Beifei! Zhu Xinjue and the others were also stunned! "Hou Chengwu, what are you doing?" Chen Baiwen asked in surprise. Hou Chengwu was also shocked by his own actions! Why had he knelt down? Wasn''t it supposed to make Xiang Beifei kneel? Why had he ended up kneeling instead? Hou Chengwu''s face turned red with anger; he tried to stand up but found he couldn''t no matter what! ¡ª But just then, Hou Chengwu, with sharp eyes, suddenly saw Xiang Beifei''s figure and shouted: "He''s over there!" This time, everyone saw clearly that Xiang Beifei was a real person! The others also saw Xiang Beifei, but due to the flood, they found it hard to move. "Yu Hongbo, you help us keep an eye on these SRs, we few will deal with him!" Hou Chengwu shouted. "Okay!" Yu Hongbo had to take care of his own now, otherwise the SRs would be directly overwhelmed by the flood. Zhu Xinjue''s gaze revealed a trace of viciousness as he produced a huge glass orb in his hand. Between flickers, the glass orb transformed into a phantom light, enveloping the void. "This time I see where you can run!" Zhu Xinjue sneered. This glass orb was a UR-grade space system item that rendered any space teleportation items ineffective. Since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman, Zhu Xinjue was worried Xiang Beifei might escape. Sssoon Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong had surrounded Xiang Beifei, their powerful auras no less immense than the flood, intently staring at Xiang Beifei. "Xiang Beifei, although I know you are strong, with four of us here, I advise you to forfeit," said He Qiutong, unaware of Zhu Xinjue''s plan, her intent similar to Chen Baiwen''s, merely intending to eliminate Xiang Beifei from the competition. Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the four people before him. Four was easier to handle than five. "Right, we don''t want to do anything to you, just bow out nicely," Chen Baiwen said gravely. But nearby, Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue were filled with endless murderous intent. "What are we waiting for? If we want to eliminate him, we need to take him down first!" Hou Chengwu shouted. This time facing Xiang Beifei, he had gained enough confidence, although last time at the arena, he didn''t understand what happened and lost; now, with it being four against one, Xiang Beifei was definitely a dead man in his eyes! Chapter 599 - 444 Feng Locking Power (4000 words)_2 Hou Chengwu gritted his teeth and said, "Today, I want you to pay the price!" That day, as an SSR, he had been stuffed into a trash bin, losing all face. Today, he must kill Xiang Beifei! "Three against two, not too bad, not too terrible," Xiang Beifei said. "Three against two?" Zhu Xinjue sneered, "Have we scared you silly? Can''t you even count the numbers? There are four of us against you alone!" "President Ren is so respected; he even said that names are not important; strength is what matters. A senior who can make such a statement must have a broad mind. How could he care about trivial things like names with me? As President Ren''s proud student, why isn''t your philosophy consistent with his?" Xiang Beifei looked at Hou Chengwu puzzledly and then said, "Haven''t you learned even a bit of his essence?" His words were watertight. He first sarcastically mentioned Ren Jianghai and then immediately elevated Ren Jianghai''s status so high that Ren Jianghai couldn''t be offended by Xiang Beifei''s taunt about names. He then subtly insulted Hou Chengwu. "You..." Hou Chengwu was so infuriated by Xiang Beifei that his face turned red and his ears burned. In mid-air, Li Zimu stood there, surprised at the people below, saying, "They really can''t tell." The flood here emerged from Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm metamorphosis. Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm had reached a level where truth and deception were hard to distinguish. However, Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen were SSRs, ranked higher than him, and their cultivation level was also higher. Logically, they shouldn''t be in such a wretched state. "Of course they can''t tell; none of these people are spiritual System Awakeners," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power was attached to the Poetry Realm created by Li Zimu so even if Li Zimu only had late Qi-Controlling cultivation, the flood he created had the power of the Meridian Opening phase! As for the oppression at the system level, with Xiang Beifei around, the so-called superiority of the SSR system was just for show. He specifically sought Li Zimu''s help to trap this group. But after walking a certain distance, a diverging path suddenly appeared ahead! Xiang Beifei''s shadow emerged at the fork, but again disappeared on this new path. "Which path should we take?" Hou Chengwu asked Chen Baiwen urgently. "Don''t know, no trace," Chen Baiwen shook his head. "Forget it, let''s split up into two groups, that will be faster," Zhu Xinjue said. "Splitting up means dispersing our strength. If we encounter Xiang Beifei, do you really think you stand a chance against him?" Chen Baiwen asked. "Xiang Beifei is clearly being chased by that desolate beast. How could we not have a chance if we encounter him?" Zhu Xinjue said. After a short discussion, they finally decided to go separate ways but all agreed to signal the others upon encountering Xiang Beifei, and if they couldn''t find each other in half an hour, they would regroup here. For mutual trust, they decided to mix members from both sides. Zhu Xinjue went with Yu Hongbo and He Qiutong, while Chen Baiwen went with Hou Chengwu. Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen took three SRs and went left. Chen Baiwen appeared deeply troubled, yet Hou Chengwu still warned, "Don''t forget our agreement." Xiang Beifei realized vaguely and said, "Digesting memories?" A desolate beast, after consuming another desolate beast''s brain, sometimes could retain the eaten creature''s memories; that means whatever the devoured creature had seen and heard could be digested by another. If this green caterpillar was stepped on by Long Guocheng, that means it must have seen Xiang Beifei and the others! Even if the green caterpillar didn''t understand human language, images and scenes would still remain in its mind! So what exactly did they say when they encountered the green caterpillar, and did it remember them? Eating other desolate beasts'' brains to overcome their own deficiencies and expand their own knowledge meant that the more they consumed, the higher the intelligence those creatures would possess! Desolate beasts that are strong but simple-minded are not scary, but those with high intelligence are the most terrifying! It is not yet known what impression of them this green caterpillar, stepped on by Long Guocheng, has left. Li Zimu''s stone cottage was arranged into many rooms, separated by one another, without beds or blankets. Although simple, such considerations were less important in the external wilderness. When Xiang Beifei returned from his shift, Long Guocheng was standing with his arms crossed in front of him, leaning against the door, and said, "Can I ask you a question?" "What?" Xiang Beifei asked. "You''re not an N-level Awakener, are you? You must be at least an SR, right?" "Is that very important to you?" "It would make me feel better," Long Guocheng said reluctantly. If he had lost to an SR like Li Zimu, he wouldn''t have felt too embarrassed, since the opponent''s talent was no less than his. Both being SR, he could win back the loss next time. But losing to an N-level Awakener left him with a persistent discomfort. "That''s your own problem, it has nothing to do with me," Xiang Beifei did not like to explain his system to others. Because he did not have a system at all. "We''re a team! I''ve told you all about my abilities! But we know nothing about yours! Since we are a team, there should be some mutual understanding," Long Guocheng emphasized. "You now admit that you''re part of a team? I thought you always liked to show off," Xiang Beifei said. Long Guocheng huffed but did not argue against this point. He indeed liked to show off; without it, there was no way to gather system points. "If you tell me you''re SR or SSR, I''d accept my defeat wholeheartedly," Long Guocheng stated. "Do you really look down on people whose system rank is lower than yours? What''s wrong with N-level? R-level or S-level? Besides their cultivation improvement, what about their character, morals, personality... are any of these aspects inferior to you? Do you need to despise them? Do you enjoy finding a sense of superiority over those with lower system ranks?" Xiang Beifei said sternly. "I..." Long Guocheng was rendered speechless. He looked down on those who were less talented than himself because, in his view, these people simply had no prospects, especially the lowest N-level Awakeners. He only respected the strong. But his pride was always shattered by Xiang Beifei. He sincerely hoped Xiang Beifei''s system was SR-level, even SSR would be acceptable. Then, being defeated by Xiang Beifei wouldn''t be too devastating, and it would allow him to maintain his cherished principle of pride. But the one thing he couldn''t accept was the fact that Xiang Beifei was an N-level! "I just can''t believe an N-level Awakener can have such potential, their systems are so futile, their achievements are limited throughout their lives, they couldn''t possibly be this powerful," Long Guocheng said through gritted teeth. "Why can''t an N-level Awakener defeat an SR? Shang Tianxiong is also an N-level, how many can surpass him? A capable person can even kill an SSR if they are SR! We all live in this world, we are all human, you are not nobler than anyone. You just started higher, but that doesn''t mean you will always be above others, better to stay humble," Xiang Beifei said. After finishing his words, Xiang Beifei went back to his own partition. "Humble, huh?" Long Guocheng''s face alternated between cloudiness and clarity as he pondered Xiang Beifei''s words. ¡ª¡ª Late at night, around nine o''clock, Ye Changfeng gathered everyone together, holding a schedule and rules for tomorrow''s competition. Elder Luo said, "We need to discuss tomorrow''s situation first, everyone should stay alert." The rules were already clear to everyone, the freshman competition was divided into individual contests and team pioneering. In individual contests, nine schools would compete in a round-robin, facing each other only once, meaning each school would fight eight bouts, making a total of thirty-six matches over two days. When the time came to decide whether the contestants would be in the Meridian Opening phase or the Qi-Controlling phase, it would be determined by the roll of a dice. Chapter 600: 445: Prohibition These powers far exceeded what Xiang Beifei could resist. If his cultivation were higher, perhaps he might be able to withstand them, but this force was much stronger than him. Most crucially, it was not a system ability. People like Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei, even if they used various powerful rule-based forces to oppress Xiang Beifei right in front of him, Xiang Beifei would directly ignore them. But he couldn''t ignore this force! The Eclipse Sword also developed a crack; it was about to give way. The Eclipse Sword was a sword given to Xiang Beifei by Ye Changfeng, serving the purpose of invisibility. Normally, Xiang Beifei would rely on this sword to travel unimpeded across the continent of Jiuzhou, but this time, he had met his match. At this moment, the energy barriers in the canyon began to move as well. The barriers stretched across the entire canyon, resembling vertical curtains of water, covering the cliffs on both sides of the canyon, sweeping back and forth, searching every nook and cranny. Countless Unrestrained flew through the air, and when they passed these watery barriers, they would pass right through, causing only minor ripples, but Xiang Beifei knew very well that if these barriers were to sweep over them, they would undoubtedly be uncovered! "Fall back, follow me!" Xiang Beifei''s complexion darkened as he quickly moved closer to the walls of the canyon. He saw a cave nearby and immediately pushed everyone into the cave, intending to take temporary shelter there. This was a spacious apartment cave. Inside, the layout was expansive. An Unrestrained at the later stages of Meridian Opening was hurriedly preparing to go out for a gathering. Keshi wanted to raise his hand to kill this Unrestrained, but Xiang Beifei stopped him. "Let him go out." Xiang Beifei didn''t kill the man. Unrestrained were very methodical in their actions. If one person was missing, a simple search could lead them here, which would be quite troublesome. Almost the instant the Unrestrained left the cave, the Eclipse Sword shattered, and its invisibility ability disappeared, revealing everyone''s form. "This is really bizarre!" Xiang Beifei cursed under his breath. He had previously roamed the headquarters building of the alliance and took a casual stroll without being discovered, as the place was basically surrounded by various types of system abilities, which he could completely ignore. But here among the Unrestrained, he had actually taken a loss! After entering the cave, he immediately set up layers of simple Spiritual Power barriers about three meters from the entrance as a precaution and then asked everyone to move towards the back of the apartment. The two-bedroom, one-living room apartment was quite warmly furnished, with a presentable balcony at the back. From the balcony, one could see a bright sunshine pouring into the room. But this was just an illusion, in reality, there was just a wall opposite the balcony, a system ability that allowed for any desired scenery to be freely chosen. The Unrestrained''s lives were indeed rather tasteful. "Xiaohei, can your bubbles take them out?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiaohei shook his head. Its bubbles could only carry non-living items. If anything living was stuffed inside, they would burst immediately. At that moment, a third powerful force swept through. While this force was fluctuating, Xiang Beifei already vaguely perceived its function¡ª It could break through any disguise-type system abilities! "Damn it." Xiang Beifei immediately put away the Ronin Sword! He usually relied on the Ronin Sword to disguise himself as a wandering person, and the appearance of Zheng Xian was also a disguise created with the Ronin Sword. If he continued to use this system item, the Ronin Sword might well disintegrate too! When he removed his disguise, Xu Hongcai and the others were startled to see Xiang Beifei! "You... you''re not that, what''s his name..." Xu Hongcai stared at Xiang Beifei in shock, his mind momentarily short-circuiting! "Xiang Beifei!" A girl behind him exclaimed, finishing his sentence. Everyone recognized what Xiang Beifei looked like! "Right! It''s Xiang Beifei! You actually came to save us!" Xu Hongcai was overwhelmed with excitement. Xiang Beifei''s reputation in the alliance was truly illustrious. They were all crystal clear about the incident at Liangzhou University, and they never imagined that the one to save them would be such a legendary figure. "Save the excitement for when we get out." Xiang Beifei pondered the way out. "What do we do now?" Keshi asked in a low voice. Xiang Beifei''s mind raced. Without the help of the Eclipse Sword, his movements were greatly restricted. He could no longer move freely in the canyon, and now he needed to think of other methods. However, as he was leaving, he happened to see that the cave Xiaohei had visited last time was not far from here, a short distance away. The patterns at the entrance of the canyon, when it appeared, were almost the same as the patterns on his own brick, and the patterns inside that cave were also similar. The Unrestrained even used blood to nurture them! Xiang Beifei had a strange hunch. Perhaps the formation in the cave was used to control the exit too! Although he couldn''t be certain, he had no other options now; he had to try the cave. "Keshi, you protect them. Stay here for now, I''m going to check out the situation outside." Xiang Beifei searched in the wardrobe in the room and found a gray outfit to drape over himself, and then put on a hat. Fortunately, the various attires of the Unrestrained outside were due to the need to hide one''s identity, so wearing a hat in the crowd wasn''t conspicuous. Erha also wanted to come along, but it had lost its invisibility ability as well, so Xiang Beifei only allowed it to guard the place. "Ao wu." The Wooden Kirin agreed as it had just received quite a few Beast Pills from there and was munching away happily¡ªit was too lazy to join the commotion as long as it had food. Keshi was slightly surprised to see the Wooden Kirin because it was this creature that had knocked him down last time. "Erha, protect these people well." Xiang Beifei quickly left the cave, feeling the powerful forces outside, his heart growing ever more solemn. However, the Unrestrained flying swiftly through the air didn''t seem to pay any attention to Xiang Beifei, as they were all converging in that direction. When the Unrestrained crossed the Spiritual Power barriers crisscrossing the ravine, the barriers did not impede them, but the air-borne barriers would light up for a moment, seemingly verifying the identity of those passing through. Clearly, they must have some method of verification, perhaps the barriers were able to recognize their own by whether there was a Beast Pill in the heart, and as for those Unrestrained like Hu Cheng who did not have Beast Pills, they must have another way. But regardless of the method, if Xiang Beifei tried to force his way through, the barriers would definitely detect him and might expose him. He had a very strong learning ability and quickly analyzed the distribution of the barriers in the entire ravine. Overall, there were dozens of barriers, moving back and forth, sometimes overlapping each other. Even if he wanted to follow a moving barrier forward, he would encounter another opposing barrier after just a few steps, and it was easy to get caught between and bumped by the barriers. "The barriers don''t scan into the cave, so that makes things easier." Xiang Beifei quickly sketched out a route in his mind. Since the cliffs in the ravine were full of caves, all he needed to do was time the movements of the barriers right and hide in the caves! The cave that Xiaohei discovered was actually less than thirty meters away from him! Swish! As one barrier passed in front of him, Xiang Beifei had already dashed out, following right behind the barrier, but after running three meters, he immediately leaped into the air, diving into another cave, just as a water curtain swept over from the front. "One, two, three, now!" After passing through three successive barriers coming towards him, Xiang Beifei reappeared and continued running forward. Two meters later, he dived into a side cave again, avoiding a probing barrier that was coming from ahead. Thus, stopping and going, Xiang Beifei completely mastered the pattern of the barriers, but a new problem arose¡ªthe entrance to the cave Xiaohei had gone to was covered by a barrier like a water curtain. How would he get past this barrier? "Woof woof?" Xiaohei crouched on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, offering him advice and strategies. "Can we really do it like this?" Xiang Beifei asked in surprise. Xiaohei spread its paws, indicating to take a gamble. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment. After all, he had no other choice now. If he didn''t try, the Unrestrained would eventually conduct a thorough search and find them sooner or later. "Alright." He looked behind and noticed no Unrestrained were flying his way, so he dashed out again. This time he landed in a cave marked with a snowflake symbol and quickly stuck two bricks onto the water curtain barrier! Thud! A strange soft noise followed, and the barrier was immediately covered in golden patterns, with the entire water curtain barrier appearing to suddenly freeze, stopping its flow. He cautiously reached out to touch the water curtain barrier and found, to his surprise, that it hadn''t been triggered! "Great stuff!" Xiang Beifei''s eyes lit up, he didn''t hesitate and immediately passed through the water curtain and flashed into the cave. Once inside, he promptly retrieved the two bricks, and the water curtain barrier resumed normal operation! Those bricks turned out to be very useful; they even worked against Spiritual Power-created barriers¡ªan oddity, indeed! However, at that moment, a deafening sound suddenly filled the entire ravine, like thunder exploding in every corner of the valley. "Someone has infiltrated our base, coming through the entrance of the Tranquil Domain''s seventh zone. It''s highly likely they''re from the Su People! Everyone must be on guard! We must find him, even if it means digging three feet into the ground!" This was not Lin Long''s voice, but... Qin Hongyi''s! Xiang Beifei was very surprised upon hearing this message! Not because of Lin Long, but because of¡ªTranquil Domain? Coming from the entrance of the Tranquil Domain''s seventh zone? Xiang Beifei and his group had entered from the fifteenth zone of the Marquis Domain! This meant that the person who triggered the barriers was not them, but someone else? Who could it be? "This guy has really screwed us over!" Although Xiang Beifei didn''t know who this person was, he still couldn''t help but grumble inwardly! It was obvious that on his rescue mission just before, Xiang Beifei had been very cautious; the lab was full of various system capabilities that couldn''t possibly affect him, but suddenly the entire ravine was on alarm. Initially, he thought he might have been careless somewhere. Now he realized that he was being dragged down by an unknown person. Chapter 601 - 446: Confrontation in the Tunnel (4000 words) Chapter six resumed as normal. Official subscriptions are really important, I am frantically typing, please support me. Kong Daming hastily said, "No need, Uncle Xiang, you should rest, I''ll go." "I''ve rested enough, need to move around a bit. I''m familiar with the place anyway, there''s a lot to do as we''re reopening, and many customers have made reservations, waiting to support your reopening, you''ll be busy, I can go tomorrow," Xiang Qingde insisted, waving his hand. Kong Daming couldn''t argue and had to agree. When Xiang Beifei returned home, he made sure to talk with his grandfather in front of the living room camera, clarifying the reasons for his move, simply stating that he could now make money and didn''t want to live there anymore. For a martial artist at the Meridian Opening stage, making money to support oneself is too simple. The people surveilling their house, as long as they weren''t foolish, would definitely know about Xiang Beifei''s current cultivation realm after a little investigation at the school, so no one would doubt this excuse. With that, the other party should head to the new house. Xiang Beifei wanted to see who would dare to install surveillance under his watch. After saying all this, Xiaohei then blocked the camera again. The grandfather and grandson packed everything together at night, and there truly was a lot of stuff in their own home. "We''ll need to call a car, there''s no elevator, and we''ll carry it down together later," Xiang Qingde contemplated on how to move in a hassle-free way. "I can handle the stuff myself, Grandpa, you don''t need to worry, just rest on the side," Xiang Beifei said. "How can that be? You can''t move so much stuff alone! Grandpa can still work, I''ll help you carry it," Xiang Qingde worried his grandson would wear himself out, after all, moving was a tough job. Xiang Beifei said with both amusement and frustration, "Grandpa, why do I always feel like you''ve forgotten again that I''m a martial artist?" "What about martial artists? Many martial artists still hire people when they move," Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei stamped his foot again, and all the packed boxes wafted up, floating in mid-air. Lighter than a feather. Lighten the weight of the items, then lift them all up with spiritual power. Xiang Qingde watched all this in wonder, "I didn''t even know you had this ability!" Xiang Beifei realized he rarely talked about his abilities with his grandfather. He smiled, set the items down, glanced at the ceiling camera, and said, "Don''t worry, from now on, I''ll handle everything, and Grandpa can rest." Xiang Qingde was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at Xiang Beifei. There was once a time when he was cautiously protecting his grandson, guarding his self-esteem, teaching him the principles of striving upwards, hoping he wouldn''t give up on himself. But ever since awakening the system, his grandson had changed, becoming diligent and cheerful, now even a martial artist at Meridian Opening stage, possessing the ability to protect himself. It took a while for Xiang Qingde to come back to his senses, and then he smiled, "The Awakening System really is a good thing." He suddenly felt old, needing protection from his grandson. That was fine, as it pleased him to see how sensible his grandson was. Moving wasn''t difficult. Ordinary Awakeners often need a moving company and a rented vehicle which costs money if they don''t have a space-oriented system. Xiang Beifei didn''t need any of that, he just had Xiaohei spit bubbles. "Xiaofei is now a big star, we''ll all rely on you in the future!" Kong Daming joked. "Being a star must be tiring, right? I heard it involves shooting various films every day," Lu Zhiwei said curiously. "That won''t do! Xiaofei needs to cultivate," Lu Hong said seriously. Unconsciously, he had started calling Beifei Xiaofei again, in his mind, Xiang Beifei was still a martial artist whose focus should be on cultivation. Chen Xiuqin walked in from outside, laughing, "Not to hide it from you, but these past few days, I can''t even count how many calls I''ve received from agencies. They know I know Xiaofei and keep asking about related commercial activities, offering a lot of money to see if Xiaofei would sign with their company." "What did you say?" Kong Daming asked. "Of course, I said I''d consider it. How can I decide such things? I still need to ask Xiaofei''s opinion," Chen Xiuqin laughed. She hadn''t agreed directly but also hadn''t flat-out refused, always leaving some room for choice for Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then said, "I do need to cultivate and don''t have time to shoot movies or commercials. But when I have time, I can start a column to teach everyone how to kill desolate beasts, so they don''t panic when they face such situations." He needed to use his identity to guide everyone properly. Lu Hong''s eyes brightened, nodding, "Yes, many civilians living in inland cities have a shallow concept of desolate beasts, most lack crisis awareness, your idea is good." Powerful desolate beasts were commonplace for martial artists, but for civilians, encounters were rare, so it was only natural for Xiang Beifei, as a martial artist, to conduct promotional activities for martial artists. "That''s great, I''ll help you promote it. As a celebrity, you need to specialize in one direction, and as a martial artist, you should do it in the way of a martial artist," Chen Xiuqin, also partially involved in the entertainment industry, had met many stars and knew how to handle marketing. As Xiang Beifei''s number one fan mom, Chen Xiuqin was more than happy to help Xiang Beifei. This matter was thus settled. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to do anything; after the next semester started, when he went on missions to the outer wilds, he would casually shoot a couple of videos, a simple task. Chapter 602 - 446: Confrontation in the Passage (4000 words)_2 But speaking of which¡ª "Does she really think she can do whatever she wants with my reputation?" The last person who tried to use Xiang Beifei''s name to make money was already taken care of by him. This time she again thinks of making him the scapegoat without consulting him, which is clearly a deliberate attempt to push him into the limelight. The Alliance''s reason for exposing such a genius is actually very clear. The main reason lies in the fact that Xiang Beifei is a disciple of Elder Luo! Elder Luo and the Alliance are not on good terms; people in the Alliance even dread Elder Luo because they can''t control such a System Awakener who does not heed the Alliance''s commands, and they worry Elder Luo might cultivate his own influence at Liangzhou University. And with Xiang Beifei being such a genius, it poses a even greater threat to them! That''s why they had to take action against Xiang Beifei! A normal person once exposed, finds it hard to stay low-profile, drawing attention wherever he goes. By exposing Xiang Beifei like this, they effectively force him to stand with the Alliance, making him be watched by all of Jiuzhou, thus nearly leaving him no room to oppose the Alliance in secret; his every move is under the scrutiny of the Alliance. From then on, Xiang Beifei will have to comply with however the Alliance decides to arrange things. In the eyes of the Alliance, Xiang Beifei will become a piece that remote-controls Elder Luo, isolating him in a special way, monitoring him, and weakening his influence. But Mu Yiqing won''t really believe she will obediently comply, doing as she imagines, will she? "Being the paragon of an N-level Awakener means I hold the initiative." Xiang Beifei Is his name the way to leave the Withered Forest? A coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei feels very unreal. His father, whom he had not met for a long time and had disappeared, had named him at a time when he was still an infant; how could he be so sure he would encounter Youmeng? Did he just casually decide his son''s name? Can''t you take naming more seriously! This SSR-level System Awakener possesses the ability to set rules; anyone or anything that abides by the rules around her increases her system value, and she also gains system values by using the preset rules. In short, as long as there are rules in a place, she can become stronger. Those who do not follow the rules cannot hide in her presence. Xiang Beifei looked at Mu Yiqing''s system journal, which listed a bunch of issues she dealt with regarding the rules, including one that read: [You have devised the "Jiuzhou policy on the selection of SR talents" plan, which has been approved by Zhu Yiji, the Chief of the Alliance''s Planning Department, published as a rule, currently 2546 people are adhering to this rule, your rule value +2546] The Planning Department of the Jiuzhou Alliance is responsible for establishing and amending the Alliance''s various systems to manage every aspect of the Alliance, planning the development of Jiuzhou. Simply put, as a UR-level, Zhu Yiji is there to set the rules. Xiang Beifei has only now discovered Zhu Yiji''s position within the Alliance. Those who set rules, leading in breaking them too, pulling his own grandson out of prison, that really is miraculous. So say that Mu Yiqing is also one of Zhu Yiji''s people. It remains unknown whether she was involved in the matter where Zhu Xinjue, who was meant to receive the death penalty, changed his identity and was reborn to leave the prison. Xiang Beifei soon saw a system log from September: [You have revised the regulations regarding SR Awakeners applying for parole, the rule currently only applies to one person, your rule value +1] "It seems it''s pretty much confirmed." Xiang Beifei slightly furrowed his brows. Her system, as long as it''s about her own revised rules, can generally add to her rule value based on how many people it constrains. For instance, the last time she participated in revising a regulation regarding the recruitment of students in Jiuzhou, this regulation directly affected five million college entrants in Jiuzhou, her system value instantly increased by 5 million! Logically speaking, Mu Yiqing, having this system, should abide by various rules. However, Xiang Beifei soon thought of another question. What are rules? Rules are originally set by people. Since they are set by people, they can naturally be modified by people. The modified rules are still rules, still conforming to her system''s judgment. Therefore, the higher she stands in the alliance, the easier it is to hold all the rules in her own hands, and then the so-called abiding by the rules of the "Word Spirit Rule System" becomes stronger, which actually amounts to acting on a whim. Otherwise, why would they say SSR-level systems are so powerful? ¡ª¡ª "Our two schools supported each other in the Withered Forest and joint-handedly avoided danger," Xiang Beifei said, then looking at Ren Jianghai, he added, "We also encountered a student from your Qingzhou University on the way, you can just ask him." "Yes, we were nearly done for. It was Xiang Beifei and his group who saved me; afterward, we encountered other school teams and warned them of the danger, but they didn''t trust us. Only the Yongzhou University team followed us." Tang He detailed the events, including how they clashed with Yanzhou University, then how they came across Shi Renmei, saw the Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage, were chased, and rescued by a team from Liangzhou... After listening, Ren Jianghai''s eyebrows were deeply furrowed. But with Tang He stepping forward, he could only let it go. After all, Tang He was a student at Qingzhou University, and Xiang Beifei was justified in both emotions and reasoning "All eleven of you," Xiang Beifei did not continue to ask aloud, but observed Tang He thoughtfully. Tang He was a normal person, of this there was no doubt, as he had a system interface on him and the system was still pulsating rapidly. His "Po Jun Eye System" was a reconnaissance type system, and it could also rapidly identify an opponent''s weaknesses, using them to defeat the opponent. Currently, his system log seemed very normal, something that could not escape Xiang Beifei''s eyes. However, what Xiang Beifei found strange was¡ª This guy, for some reason, seemed to have an almost imperceptible scent of Ghost Whiskers mixed about him! Was it because he had been attacked by the Ghost Whiskers, and hence the scent remained? As these people appeared, the atmosphere immediately became tense. Chen Baiwen, Yu Hongbo, Zhu Xinjue! It was the Yanzhou University team! They hadn''t expected them to also appear here! Zhu Xinjue caught sight of Xiang Beifei in the crowd, and his heart skipped a beat, then a resentful expression appeared in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. Since their cooperation with Qingzhou University had already broken off, they had no way to join forces to deal with Xiang Beifei. Both Yu Hongbo and Chen Baiwen were slightly surprised to see Xiang Beifei. The two couldn''t help but exchange looks! Because just yesterday, they were thinking about joining forces with Qingzhou University to deal with Xiang Beifei, but then they didn''t find Xiang Beifei. Instead, Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University had been killed. They hadn''t expected to meet Xiang Beifei at this place. "Don''t panic! He probably doesn''t know about yesterday''s incident!" Chen Baiwen signaled to Yu Hongbo and the others with a glance, without verbal communication, they all understood each other. Yu Hongbo steadied his nerves and then spoke, "Xiang Beifei, I''ve long heard of your reputation, I am Yu Hongbo, the team leader of Yanzhou University." Chen Baiwen also slightly nodded but didn''t speak. Xiang Beifei thoughtfully looked at the people from Yanzhou University, his gaze sweeping over them then lingering on Zhu Xinjue. After a long moment, he asked, "How come you guys are here?" "After we entered this Withered Forest and realized something was off, we then ran up this mountain. The situation outside is pretty bad. Did you just encounter those bizarre tree people as well?" Yu Hongbo asked. "That''s right." Xiang Beifei responded calmly. "Are you all right?" Yu Hongbo asked. "Not too bad." Xiang Beifei looked at Tang He in the back. Tang He belonged to Qingzhou University, and their team''s situation now seemed quite grim. Chapter 603 - 447: Battle Against the Orifice Transforming Stage! Xiang Beifei had only spoken a single sentence. Yet, this casually spoken sentence had infuriated Wang Ze! He was clearly an expert in the orifice transforming phase, but the fact that he hadn''t taken down a novice in the God Refining phase in short order was already a great disgrace to him. To his surprise, the opponent even remarked, "Somewhat impressive?" He only thought it was somewhat impressive? This was a blatant provocation! "You''ll see something even more impressive soon! Boy, I will smash every bone in your body and then dig out your heart," Wang Ze bellowed, charging forward once again. His speed suddenly surged by several notches! However, just when his hand was about to grab Xiang Beifei, Xiang Beifei dodged without even looking, as if he had already seen through Wang Ze''s attack method. Wang Ze had barely extended his hand when he reacted. Not only that, Xiang Beifei swung his brick again at Wang Ze! Wang Ze, somewhat annoyed, could only dodge the brick and continue to reach out from another direction. Yet, his attack missed Xiang Beifei once again! Swish! Swish! Swish! The two turned into countless shadows, continuously crisscrossing in the narrow corridor! But Wang Ze was becoming increasingly horrified! Because he realized that from initially being able to grab and injure Xiang Beifei, he gradually became unable to touch Xiang Beifei at all, and now, he couldn''t even touch the hem of Xiang Beifei''s clothing! Had the kid gotten stronger? No! His aura was still the same! His cultivation had not improved. Even in Wang Ze''s eyes, Xiang Beifei''s speed was awfully slow; he could easily crush his speed! But that was only in his view. In reality, every time he tried to grab Xiang Beifei''s vital spots, Xiang Beifei seemed to know his movement a second in advance and almost always dodged beforehand! Sometimes, when he couldn''t dodge, Xiang Beifei would just directly use the brick to confront him! However, Wang Ze was very wary of the golden patterns on the brick. He dared not collide with the two bricks lightly and had to withdraw his hand. But by doing so, Xiang Beifei would escape from his grasp again. "How has he become so slippery?" Wang Ze felt more and more suffocated as he fought! What he didn''t know was that Xiang Beifei possessed an extraordinary learning ability. Learn by Analogy! If Xiang Beifei learned the way Wang Ze fought, then by using "Learn by Analogy," he could predict all possible attack angles. In the initial clashes, Xiang Beifei always fell behind Wang Ze''s speed, continuously attacked from various angles, and even sustained severe injuries, almost fatal in several places. However, gradually, he mastered the patterns. Although Wang Ze was very fast, every time he moved, Xiang Beifei already knew how Wang Ze would strike, from which direction, and at which part of his body... almost everything was within Xiang Beifei''s expectation! This was the powerful aspect of "Learn by Analogy"! Swish! Wang Ze, finding that he couldn''t gain any advantage over Xiang Beifei, especially in the narrow corridor with limited space, was extremely enraged! "So good at running, let''s see how you run this time!" Boom! Savage spiritual power instantly filled the corridor like a majestic wave, rolling towards Xiang Beifei. This surge of spiritual power was terrifyingly formidable, booming like it could shatter a hundred-meter-tall mountain with just a slight outpouring! An attack of spiritual power from the orifice transforming phase was definitely not for show! Xiang Beifei rapidly retreated to a corner before swiftly leaping up, clinging to the ceiling, as the tide-like spiritual power reached the corner and failed to turn flexibly, crashing directly into the corridor wall and dispersing! When Wang Ze''s terrifying spiritual power struck the corridor, it seemed not even to peel off a bit of stone skin; the walls of the corridor remained unmoved, and there was hardly a sound before the force was dissolved. The corridor could actually withstand a strike from the orifice transforming phase! But Xiang Beifei wasn''t surprised at all. He had already noticed the peculiarity of the corridor during their encounter. It was not affected by spiritual power and could neutralize it. So, from the beginning, he had planned to rely on the corner of the corridor to cope with Wang Ze''s powerful spiritual power. At this moment, Wang Ze also dashed over, reaching for Xiang Beifei who clung to the ceiling. Xiang Beifei''s fist instantly burst into fierce flames, as he threw a punch forward! Crackle! The flames shone in the air, bursting into a dazzling firelight, illuminating the entire corridor. "You think this level of flame can stop me?" Spiritual power surged from Wang Ze''s body once again, clashing directly with Xiang Beifei''s fist flame, but at that moment, Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power surged in a very strange angle, quickly burning and attaching itself onto the opponent''s spiritual power! The integration between Counterstrike and spiritual power! This ability to fuse two types of power into one had been improved by Xiang Beifei last time at the Archives Building when he was dealing with Elder Luo''s spiritual power probing. The most powerful aspect of it was that it could simulate the characteristics of the opponent''s spiritual power with two completely different forces, making the opponent''s spiritual power treat Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power as one of their own! Once Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power merged into Wang Ze''s spiritual power, it meant he had the chance to disrupt Wang Ze''s spiritual power intensity. Xiang Beifei needed only a slight thought, and Wang Ze''s spiritual power was ignited instantly! "What the hell!" Seeing his own spiritual power suddenly out of control, Wang Ze furrowed his brows and angrily dispersed that energy. At the same time, he saw Xiang Beifei holding two bricks and smashing them towards him! He still dreaded the power of the bricks, immediately darting backwards, but then he suddenly felt something was off, sensing a slight whooshing sound rapidly approaching from behind! Suddenly¡ª Thump! Just like that, Wang Ze was inexplicably struck in the back of his head by two bricks! "He has four bricks?" Wang Ze was utterly shocked! However, he couldn''t turn around because after being struck by the bricks, golden patterns had already firmly spread from the back of his head, and along his neck began spreading to his body! "Damn it!" Wang Ze was terrified out of his wits and immediately sliced through his own neck with his palm! Not only could he save his life by severing an arm, but in a critical moment, he could even sever his head to save himself! But without a head, his spiritual power was greatly affected, and it began to become chaotic. Although he, as a desolate beast capable of using spiritual power, relied on a human body to do so, once the human body encountered problems, it couldn''t organize the spiritual power in an orderly manner anymore. Wang Ze''s headless body slanted to one side, trying to dodge away, but he did not expect that Xiang Beifei had been waiting for him in that direction! Splat! Xiang Beifei grabbed him, piercing through Wang Ze''s chest and pulling out his heart! This time, Wang Ze''s chaotic spiritual power couldn''t stop Xiang Beifei! But even though his heart was pulled out, Wang Ze was not so easily killed. Various black tendrils spread over the heart, entwining around Xiang Beifei''s hand, intending to strangle him and break free. Whoosh! A fierce fist flame immediately flared up from Xiang Beifei''s palm! The fist flame burned, instilling great fear in these black tendrils. Xiang Beifei''s flame, naturally the bane of many desolate beasts, was something he had relied on for victory before, like when he had fought against Shi Renmei''s Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage. This time was no exception! The black tendrils burned, twisting in terror, retracting back into the heart, while Xiang Beifei simply crushed the heart, firmly grasping the Beast Pill with his flames! "Woof! Woof!" Xiaohei proudly rushed over, wielding two bricks, with Wang Ze''s severed head still standing on the bricks, but the expression on his face had already solidified, even turning pallid and dimming. Just a while ago, Xiang Beifei had directly handed the bricks to Xiaohei. As for the bricks Wang Ze saw in his hands¡ª Xiang Beifei tossed the bricks he held, and they rapidly dispersed, transforming into granules of breath soil floating in mid-air. He had simply used breath soil to form two fake bricks, then used spiritual power to simulate the texture on the bricks. Wang Ze was very cautious of the bricks and had not even had the time to contemplate the authenticity of the bricks in Xiang Beifei''s hands when he hurriedly dodged. And throughout all this, Wang Ze had never noticed Xiaohei''s presence. Normally, if Xiaohei had just thrown the bricks, Wang Ze would have been able to react and dodge. Thus, Xiaohei had been lying in wait under Xiang Beifei''s directions, just waiting to catch him off guard. The entire strategy of the battle was within Xiang Beifei''s calculations! ¡ª "This guy is really tough to kill." Xiang Beifei frowned slightly, looking down at the now dismembered body of Wang Ze on the ground, then at the eerily silent white Beast Pill in his hand. This Beast Pill, hosted inside Wang Ze''s body, was clearly different from other Unrestrained. Last time he fought Hua Jiuyue, it wasn''t this difficult, and she had not shown any tendrils; her Beast Pill seemed not to have reached that stage. But Wang Ze''s Beast Pill appeared to have undergone a qualitative change, as if it had awakened, and his own strength had also reached the Orifice Transforming Stage. Could it be that all the Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage Beast Pills implanted in the bodies of the Unrestrained go through some process before they turn out like this? And could the ultimate result of this process be like Wang Ze, who appeared human but still retained the traits of Ghost Whiskers? "Can''t worry about that now! Blood Altar!" Xiang Beifei firmly bound the Beast Pill with Return to the Original State and then quickly turned and ran towards the cave. Chapter 604 - 448: Bloody Hand (4000 words) Chapter resumes normal at five-thirty. Subscribed readers simply refresh to update, there will be no duplicate subscriptions. Please support the official version. Those who are really strapped can use starting tokens to read, the author also earns from these tokens, so please support the author more. But everyone understands that such a situation exists because the N-level system is simply ludicrous, the system tasks issued defy logic, lacking potential. A good system can enable you to apply the knowledge you''ve acquired more adeptly, but with a ridiculous system like the N-level, no matter how much knowledge you''ve acquired from books In other words, academic performance sets one''s basic lower limit, while the level of system talent determines one''s future upper limit. In the system world, high academic scores only mean that you have a deeper understanding of this world than the average person, but it doesn''t mean your future achievements will be higher than others. If a person were likened to a tree, then an Awakened system is like the fertilizer that helps nurture this tree. The fertilizer produced by an N-level system can at most make this tree grow to one meter, but an R-level can make it grow to ten meters, and an S-level can make it grow to a hundred meters! As for SR and SSR levels, needless to say, they are enough to cultivate a person into a towering tree! And the nine elite universities are, as their name implies, geared towards nurturing students with high future potential. "What a pity for such a good sprout, even an R-level system would have been fine," someone couldn''t help but lament. "Yeah! Such a waste." Others echoed in agreement, with pity, sympathy, schadenfreude... all sorts of looks were present, despite knowing that there was still a slim chance for N-level candidates at Liangzhou University. Because that exam, legend has it, is an insurmountable gulf for N-leveled individuals. Who would have thought that scoring 732 points, a school''s top scorer, would face such an awkward situation? Meanwhile, everyone had better prospects for Zhuo Jing. Even though his score was only 581, over a hundred points less than Xiang Beifei, the point was he was S-leveled! With such scores, he''d comfortably enter any of the elite universities and could even select a good major. "Class leader is really powerful! Which of the nine elite universities does class leader plan to choose?" someone asked enviously. "Do you even need to ask? With a total score of 631 points including bonus, he can pick any of the elite universities." "Yeah, an S-level 631 points are much stronger than an N-level 732 points." [You''ve received praise from Kangkang, appreciation value +2] [You''ve received praise from Liu Lan, appreciation value +2] ... Zhuo Jing took the opportunity to harvest a wave of appreciation values again, which made him feel refreshed. Pretending to be modest, he said, "Oh, you all flatter me too much. I''ve already set my goal; as a member of Liangzhou, I plan to stay and apply to Liangzhou University!" In fact, his decision to apply to Liangzhou University was spontaneous, as Xiang Beifei''s usual performance was simply not as good as his, but the college entrance exam score exceeded his, which irked him. He knew Xiang Beifei''s only chance to apply to an elite university was Liangzhou University. So, he would choose Liangzhou University! During the entrance exam, Xiang Beifei was bound to be eliminated by Liangzhou University. But currently, simply choosing which elite university amounted to becoming that university''s pre-confirmed student! 581 points getting into Liangzhou University, 732 points being rejected at the door. The contrast is stark! It made him, the S-level talented student, appear even more brilliant! Many people nodded slightly, appreciating Zhuo Jing''s words. Zhuo Jing glanced sideways arrogantly at Xiang Beifei. So what if you are the school topper? So what if your original score is the highest? My score of 581, it still trumps your future! Still steals your thunder! Still shifts everyone else''s attention from you to me! Jealous, aren''t you? "Haha! Not only did I complete the system task, but I also overshadowed the school topper and collected tons of appreciation values, awesome!" Zhuo Jing hummed a tune to himself. Now, it was time to collect his system reward! He happily looked at the system interface, at the [Double Appreciation Card] and the [Piercing Strike] Cultivation Technique, and then clicked [Claim Reward]. A minute later. "Where''s my system reward?" Zhuo Jing suddenly petrified on the spot! "Damn it, system, you swallowed my reward again!" Zhuo Jing felt a darkness before his eyes, nearly fainting. ¡ª¡ª Although Zhuo Jing was an S-level Awakener, he had only awakened his system two months ago, and his cultivation was still only at the early stage of Qi-Controlling, so these two system rewards were also for early Qi-Controlling stage. Such rewards were something Xiang Beifei wouldn''t even glance at, but he accepted them nonetheless. The reason was simple, joy. For those who had no grudges against him, if a reward was mistakenly taken by Xiaohei, he would return it. To those who treated him well, he''d show respect and try his best to help them. But for those who sought trouble on his turf, those who bullied their way to his face, there was no need to be polite! If he couldn''t use it, he might as well feed it to a dog! Xiaohei, a tiny milk-white puppy, happily swallowed these two items and transformed them into Spiritual Qi Crystals, collecting them. "Damn system! Damn system!" Zhuo Jing almost went mad, still clueless about what had happened, because the last system glitch made him think the system had crashed again today. If not for the crowd, he would have already been cursing at his system. Little did he know, his reward had indeed landed in the paws of a tiny milk puppy. Chapter 605 - 448: Bloody Hand (4000 words)_2 ¡ª¡ª Because of Zhuo Jing''s words, many people no longer envied Xiang Beifei, the top scorer of the school, and their attention gradually shifted to other S-level students, which actually gave Xiang Beifei a sigh of relief. He didn''t enjoy being surrounded by people. The crowd quickly dispersed, and the other school leaders went to congratulate other students, only Principal Li Nanxing stayed. His expectations for Xiang Beifei had not diminished from start to finish. When Li Nanxing mentioned the desolate wastelands beyond the borders, his expression turned serious. The desolate wastelands, lying outside the territory of Jiuzhou, were filled with various dangerous and powerful desolate beasts, ferocious and terrifying. The task of a pioneer was to eradicate the desolate beasts in an area and then expand the territory of Jiuzhou, securing more living space for humans. This was an extremely arduous task because desolate beasts would not be easily eradicated; on the contrary, it was the pioneers who were more likely to be surrounded and killed by the desolate beasts! That was also why the status of a pioneer was so revered; they battled for the expansion of human living space, almost as if they were tying their lives to their belts. In Jiuzhou, if one''s cultivation had not reached the Meridian Opening Realm, they were generally not allowed to go to the desolate wastelands beyond the border, because someone at the Qi-Controlling Realm venturing there was akin to courting death! "I don''t understand what those people at Liangzhou University are thinking; they actually set up such an entrance examination," Li Nanxing said with dissatisfaction. It was as if they were blatantly telling everyone, "N-level Awakeners need not apply." But he was just a high school principal and could not meddle in the affairs of Liangzhou University. No matter how unfair he felt it was, there was nothing he could do. "Of course, you don''t have to worry, as you are not at the Qi-Controlling stage, so the examination they set for you should be in a simulation training ground. Elite universities have simulated training facilities, which means they will..." Li Nanxing said. Xiang Beifei fell into deep thought. Entrance examination, venturing into the desolate wastelands? His parents had gone to the desolate wastelands and never returned. What that place was really like, he had never been there. This world was closely related to the desolate wastelands beyond its borders, yet so far, Xiang Beifei had only seen the tip of the iceberg. The scores of Luhe High School''s college entrance exam came out one after another, with joy for some and sorrow for others. There were those who scored 300, and those who scored 400, with each person wearing a different expression. The highest score at the moment belonged to Shen Yu, who awakened an [S-level Academic God System] and scored 667 points without any bonus points, from class one. And at that time, Kong Xiuwen''s score also came out: [Kong Xiuwen, S-level, Language 101, Mathematics 103, Comprehensive Science 191, Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou 118, Total 513] Kong Xiuwen was overjoyed! "Ah, I scored 500 points!" He desperately tugged at his hair, which he had been diligently collecting and exchanging for system rewards to enhance his intelligence, just to score 500 points. Finally, his efforts had paid off. 513 plus 50 points, 563 points, which was completely no problem for getting into an elite university! "Congratulations," Xiang Beifei said. "Thanks, I didn''t expect to outperform myself!" Kong Xiuwen was very excited, but soon he suppressed his excitement and asked, "How confident are you? Last time you said we would go to Liangzhou University together. I''ve done my part, now it''s your turn! Don''t let me down!" "Let''s wait for the results to come out," Xiang Beifei said. "Son, you did it!" A plump middle-aged man squeezed through the crowd. His substantial figure pushed through the crowd with ease, and he excitedly embraced Kong Xiuwen, almost knocking him over with his round belly. This was Kong Xiuwen''s father, Kong Daming. [Host: Kong Daming] [S-grade, Gluttonous Feast System] [Realm: Early Meridian Opening] Kong Daming ran a food service business, possessing culinary skills that turned something as simple as a head of cabbage into a mouth-watering delicacy. "Dad, have some restraint, some restraint." Kong Xiuwen cradled his belly, which had been hurt from the bumping, but he couldn''t hide his own excitement either, allowing his father''s hefty palm to rub back and forth over his head. "Uncle Kong, hello." Xiang Beifei greeted him politely. "Haha, good, good, Xiaofei, it''s been so long since I''ve seen you." Kong Daming laughed heartily and turned his head to greet Xiang Qingde, "How''s the old master doing?" "Quite well, congratulations, Daming." Xiang Qingde forced a smile. "Haha, thank you, thank you, my Xiuwen has become someone noteworthy. Oh, by the way, has Xiaofei gotten his test results yet?" Kong Daming asked. "Should be pretty soon." The image of that test paper with a score of 43 flashed through Xiang Qingde''s mind, and he let out a silent sigh. "Xiaofei, you''ve got to work hard! You two have been playing together since you were kids and have always been in the same class. I hope you can attend the same university too!" Kong Daming said cheerfully. "I hope so." Xiang Qingde could only respond verbally, his heart sighing yet again. Kong Xiuwen was an S-grade Awakener and could get into a top university with just a 500-point score. But for Xiang Beifei, an N-grade with such poor results... "Haha, that''s fantastic! To celebrate my son getting such good scores, I''m not going to do business tonight. We''re having a celebration banquet just for you. Elder, you must come too!" Kong Daming and Xiang Tianxing used to be classmates. After Xiang Tianxing met with misfortune, he often looked after the grandfather and grandson, always telling them to eat at his restaurant free of charge. However, Xiang Qingde and his grandson seldom went there; though their income was not high, they did not want to freeload. Kong Daming understood this, so he changed his approach and often sent some meat to Xiang Qingde''s home for them to cook themselves. To avoid giving Xiang Qingde a psychological burden, he would symbolically charge a token price, the cost of cabbage. Recently, during Xiang Beifei''s college entrance examination period, Xiang Qingde bought the nutritional ingredients needed to fortify the body from Kong Daming. "Congratulations, congratulations! Well done, Kong Xiuwen, I knew you had potential!" Yang Hua arrived in time, loudly praising Kong Xiuwen. Kong Xiuwen also brought him a teacher''s prestige value of 563, quite a high earning indeed! Kong Xiuwen wasn''t fond of Yang Hua. Before his Awakening System awoke, he and Xiang Beifei were both the subjects of criticism. After his awakening, Yang Hua''s attitude toward him did a complete turnaround. Kong Xiuwen was an outspoken person and didn''t like people like Yang Hua. But Kong Daming wasn''t privy to these details. With a teacher offering congratulations, he naturally responded courteously, "Haha, thank you, Professor Yang, we should be thanking you for your cultivation!" "Not at all, not at all. I''ve always seen Kong Xiuwen as a student brimming with potential, destined to do great things. I''m not surprised in the slightest at his achievement," Yang Hua said with a smile. Kong Xiuwen rolled his eyes all the while. Cultivation my ass! He scored so high entirely because of the help from his system and his own late-night studying efforts, nothing to do with Yang Hua. If he hadn''t awoken an S-grade system, Yang Hua would probably have a different narrative. Such a fair-weather person is probably the best description of him. Yang Hua glanced at Xiang Qingde and his grandson and then said to Kong Daming, "Excellent students should be like Kong Xiuwen, diligent and hardworking, not lacking in ambition. But the company one keeps is also important. The excellent ones should be together with those who are even more successful. I''ve said this to Kong Xiuwen before." Kong Daming, usually busy with his business, didn''t quite understand Yang Hua''s implication and asked, "What do you mean, Professor Yang?" "Nothing much, just speaking my mind. With Kong Xiuwen''s current grades, getting into a top university won''t be a problem. He''ll be able to be with even more successful people in the future. Your son is bound to be successful, congratulations! I need to check the scores of other students as well, so I won''t disturb you and your son''s celebration," Yang Hua said, waving his hand dismissively, not bothering further with Xiang Qingde and Xiang Beifei and ignoring them completely. "Don''t let that guy''s words get to you, you can definitely do it," Kong Xiuwen said, coming over to cheer Xiang Beifei on. Chapter 606 - 449 Rebirth in Desperation In the cave. Keshi remained glued to the entrance, cautiously keeping an eye on the noises outside. After a while, he turned his head, looking at Erha who was sprawled on one side, and inquired, "How should I address you?" Keshi had a very deep impression of Erha; initially when he was unknowingly sent by Zhu Yiji to assassinate Xiang Beifei, whom he mistook for a member of the Unrestrained, he was bewildered by this guy''s fly swatter. Now that Xiang Beifei was not around, he and Erha were in charge of protecting these people; naturally, he wanted to get to know him better for easier communication later. "Aoo-wooo!" Erha lifted his head and said lazily. Keshi couldn''t understand at all what he was howling. However, he knew that this big fellow understood human nature and probably got his meaning. "Can you write down your name based on our script?" Keshi asked. Although Erha couldn''t speak human language, he had no trouble understanding it. He tilted his head in thought, then extended his tail, a sharp blade burst from it, and he began etching his name on the ground. But after writing "Wooden," just as he was about to continue with "Kirin," he suddenly paused! "Kirin" had too many strokes; he had forgotten how to write these two characters! Well, human script wasn''t essential for him; comprehending it was good enough. Erha carelessly drew two crosses after "Wooden," deciding it would suffice for his name. "Wooden XX?" Xu Hongcai squinted at the writing before finally asking. "Aoo-wooo!" ¡ªYou''re the Wooden XX, your whole family is Wooden XX! Erha glared, his tail swelled, whooshing through the air with a threatening sound. If it weren''t for the need to protect these people, he would have slapped down already. "Sorry, sorry," Xu Hongcai hurriedly apologized. Erha''s drawn crosses were not standard, looking just like two tens. Xu Hongcai''s first thought was how odd a name it was. "This...''Wooden,'' can you sense Captain Xiang?" "Aoo-wooo." The Wooden Kirin lazily clapped his tail, appearing quite at ease, not panicked in the least. Keshi couldn''t make heads or tails of what the Wooden Kirin was saying; the language barrier was quite troublesome. "So what''s Mr. Xiang''s situation right now? Will he come back, or will he not? If he''ll come back, nod your head; if he won''t, shake your head?" Keshi asked. Upon hearing this, a fierce light flashed in Erha''s eyes! Its tail swished threateningly, almost curling up a fly swatter to smack Keshi repeatedly! In its view, how could a being of its supreme stature be compared with a desolate beast? Not to mention something as demeaning as nodding or shaking its head¡ªthat''s what dogs did! As noble as it was, every gesture was sacred; to be compared with a dog was an outrageous insult! "Pfft!" It spat at Keshi. Keshi: "..." Xu Hongcai and Keshi exchanged looks, at a loss for words about the odd, blue behemoth. But after all, it was left by Xiang Beifei to protect them, with greater strength than either of them; they couldn''t do much about being spat on, much less if it decided to give them a beating. At that moment, more shouts came from outside; the Unrestrained had already begun investigating the canyon, searching each cave thoroughly with the intent to find the intruders. Those people were getting closer and closer. Xu Hongcai whispered softly, "Mr. Xiang Beifei should be alright, shouldn''t he?" "He''ll be fine," Keshi said. "Captain Xu, what we should worry about now is ourselves. Sitting here, we are just waiting for death," said a nervous young man behind them. This young man, named Cui Shi, was also an S-rank Pioneer, looking very young, probably in his late twenties, his face pale, presumably out of fright. "Mr. Xiang Beifei told us to wait here for him," said Xu Hongcai. "But, but what if he can''t come back? Captain Xu, you must know, even if Mr. Xiang Beifei is formidable, he is no match for the orifice-transforming Unrestrained. What if he''s discovered and then realizes he can''t help us? Then he..." Cui Shi wiped sweat from his brow. "Then I hope he leaves on his own ensuring his safety," Xu Hongcai said firmly. "He doesn''t owe us anything; instead, he''s already saved us once and healed our wounds. Without him, we would be nothing more than dried corpses lying in that laboratory by now." Cui Shi''s face went even paler as he quickly said, "I didn''t mean to doubt that he would abandon us. I mean, he might not make it back in time, and then we must learn to save ourselves. Those Unrestrained are obviously searching for us, we''ll be found sooner or later if we keep hiding here." "Then what do you propose we do? Right now, there are all kinds of powerful prohibitions outside and various Unrestrained who are stronger than us; even invisibility and spatial items are ineffective. What''s the difference between going out there and seeking death?" Xu Hongcai asked. Cui Shi gritted his teeth and deflated after a long moment. He knew Xu Hongcai was right; the current situation was indeed terrible, their strength insufficient to defeat the Unrestrained, getting out was a problem in itself. Actually, you couldn''t wholly blame him; the others all wanted to leave as well. These Pioneers had all walked through the gates of hell, witnessed their companions have their bellies sliced open, hearts removed, and their blood drained while still alive. As they lay waiting just earlier, other than fear, they felt helpless¡ªthe despair had become a shadow that would last their lifetimes. The Pioneers looked at each other with ashen faces. Meanwhile, more noise came from outside the cave, and it was getting closer. "Have you finished checking the desolate beast area?" "Not yet; the desolate beast field is vast and quite special. Squad thirteen is still investigating." "Alright, each of you check the caves thoroughly! Don''t miss anything; you must have four people go inside to inspect the situation and report back at any time!" "Understood!" ... Many whooshing sounds came from the sky as those people had begun to perform a carpet search. Judging by the sound, they were checking the caves not more than ten meters away from them, even those on the opposite cliff walls, which were already visible from the cave entrances. "They''re here, this is bad." Keshi''s heart sank, and he turned around and ordered, "All of you, go to the inner room. If any Unrestrained come in, I''ll hold them off first; you must stay silent." However, no one moved. There weren''t many places to hide in the room because it was just a small apartment, unable to conceal anyone through spatial or Invisibility Abilities. The most powerful of these pioneers was only at the mid-stage of Meridian Opening, Xu Hongcai, and the rest were at the early stages. And most of the Unrestrained were at the late stages of Meridian Opening! So no matter how these people hid, they couldn''t possibly escape the Unrestrained''s Perception. Deep despair had already appeared on every pioneer''s face, and some even trembled uncontrollably. "If I am going to be treated like that again if I''m captured, I''d rather commit suicide first," a girl muttered through clenched teeth. "I really can''t stand such an end for myself, Captain, please kill me and completely destroy my body," said a man with a beard, who looked as if he was on the verge of collapse. "Captain Xu, please kill me too! I would rather have my body rendered to dust by the Captain than suffer that kind of torture." "Yes, Captain!" The people here had already begun to gradually give up hope, preferring not to be laid on the operating table again and have their organs arbitrarily removed by someone as terrifying as Hu Cheng. Xu Hongcai looked at his comrades slipping into despair once more, and despite his resilient nature, he couldn''t help but sigh. He understood these people, and he even knew that this was the worst-case scenario, as well as a more dignified way to die. But if he dealt with this person''s body, who would take care of his own body when he died? Air of despair pervaded deeply, as everyone had given up the will to live. "Ao Wu!" The Wooden Kirin straightened its back and roared mightily at the group. Its formidable presence weighed on these people on the brink of extinction, causing them to involuntarily startle. Until now, they did not understand what this desolate beast was because they had never seen such a beast before. They assumed it was a system guardian left behind by Xiang Beifei, so they dared not ask too many questions. Erha walked over to the wooden table, curled its tail around it, and picked up the table, with green vitality spreading rapidly, infusing the table. Suddenly, the table sprouted branches and bloomed rapidly, and soon, it had arranged a giant screen! "Ao Wu!" Erha unceremoniously scooped up the group of people and tossed them behind the screen, then enclosed them with the screen. "It wants you all to calm down! To kill yourselves without even attempting resistance is simply too cowardly," Keshi, although not understanding the Wooden Kirin''s intention, still commanded. When Erha had finished this, both it and Keshi also flashed behind the screen. Simultaneously, three Unrestrained entered the cave. "There was some noise coming from inside just now," a tall man said as he sniffed the air walking in. "Right, they must be hiding in this place! I can smell humans!" another man stated. They began to approach, and their eyes soon fell on the wooden screen. "There''s a wooden board here!" "It''s behind this! I can hear their heartbeats!" The tall man sneered and approached. "It''s over." Whether it was Cui Shi or Xu Hongcai, or anyone else, as they heard the sound, their hearts plunged into an abyss; everyone clenched their fists, ready to fight to the death, even if they couldn''t win, they would not sit idly by. "Open up!" The tall man threw a fierce punch at the wooden board! Crash! The wooden board shattered into dust on cue! However, there was no one behind it! "Huh? Where are they?" The tall man was visibly taken aback; he had clearly sensed heartbeats there, but behind the screen, there was nothing! "Were we mistaken?" Another Unrestrained was also quite puzzled. He searched around the room again, even reaching out his hand to comb through the entire room, but the scent had mysteriously vanished. "It''s probably those cunning humans'' trick, setting up a beating heart to mislead us deliberately. They are trying to waste our time here to get a chance to escape. We can''t delay any longer!" said one Unrestrained sagely. "Makes sense! Let''s move to the next cave!" The tall Unrestrained waved his hand and turned to leave the cave. Xu Hongcai and the others stood in place, shocked by what they witnessed! They hadn''t disappeared at all! Nor had they set up any trick to delay time. Yet they had mysteriously evaded detection! "Are you all okay?" Xiang Beifei''s voice appeared behind them. Chapter 607 - 450: The True Invader (4000 words) The 5:30 chapter has returned to normal. Subscribers simply need to refresh, and there will be no duplicate subscriptions. Please support the legitimate version. "Does she really think she can act on my name like this?" The last time someone tried to profit from Xiang Beifei''s fame, they were dealt with by him. This time, without consulting him, they are making decisions on his behalf, using him as a figurehead. It''s quite clear that the move is intentional, pushing him into the spotlight. The alliance wants to expose such a genius, and their motives are quite obvious. The main reason is that Xiang Beifei was nurtured by Elder Luo! The relationship between Elder Luo and the alliance isn''t good, and the members of the alliance are even wary of Elder Luo, because they can''t suppress an SR level Awakener who does not heed the alliance''s commands, fearing that Elder Luo is building his own power base within Liangzhou University. With a genius like Xiang Beifei emerging, it poses an even greater threat to them! That''s why they have targeted Xiang Beifei! Ordinarily, once someone is exposed, it becomes difficult to keep a low profile; they''ll attract attention wherever they go. By exposing Xiang Beifei in this manner, they essentially force him to align with the alliance, putting Xiang Beifei under the surveillance of the entire Jiuzhou, which means he can hardly act against the alliance in secret as every move he makes is under their watchful eye. Later on, whatever the alliance plans, Xiang Beifei will have to comply. From the alliance''s perspective, Xiang Beifei could become a piece that restrains Elder Luo in turn, isolating Elder Luo in a unique way, monitoring him, and weakening his influence. But Mu Yiqing mustn''t really believe she will obediently conform and act as she wishes, right? "Being the standard for an N level Awakener means the initiative is in my hands." Xiang Beifei Is his name the way out of the Withered Forest? Coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei feels it''s unreal. His long-lost father, who he had never met, named him at a time when he was just an infant. How could he be so sure he would encounter Youmeng? Did he just casually decide on his son''s name on a whim? Can you please take naming a bit more seriously! This SSR level System Awakener has the ability to set rules. She can increase her system value from any person or event in her vicinity that follows the rules, and she can also increase her system value by handling matters according to the established rules. In short, as long as there are rules in place somewhere, she can grow stronger. And for those who don''t follow the rules, they cannot hide from her. Xiang Beifei looked at Mu Yiqing''s system logs, which listed a wide variety of rule-related matters she dealt with. One of the entries stated: [You have formulated the "Jiuzhou Plan for SR Talent Selection System", which has been approved by the alliance''s planning department head Zhu Yiji, promulgated as a rule, currently followed by 2546 people, your rule value +2546] The planning department of the Jiuzhou Alliance is in charge of establishing and revising the systems for various aspects of the alliance, managing the whole alliance, and planning the development of Jiuzhou. Simply put, UR level Zhu Yiji''s role is to set rules. Xiang Beifei has only now learned about Zhu Yiji''s position within the alliance. The ones who set the rules, spearhead the breaking of rules, pulling their own grandson out of prison, are indeed miraculous. So it seems Mu Yiqing is also one of Zhu Yiji''s people. It''s just not clear if she was involved in the matter where Zhu Xinjue, who was to be sentenced to death, changed his identity to escape prison reborn. Xiang Beifei soon sees a system log from September: [You have revised the regulation regarding SR Awakeners'' bail applications, this rule is currently effective for only one person, your rule value +1] "It seems nearly certain." Xiang Beifei frowned slightly. Her system will add rule value based largely on how many people are bound by the rules she revises. For instance, the last time she participated in revising a regulation regarding the enrollment of students across Jiuzhou, this regulation directly affected five million high school graduates in Jiuzhou, and her system value increased by 5 million! Logically, with such a system, Mu Yiqing should abide by various rules. But Xiang Beifei quickly thought further. What are rules? Rules are merely set by people. Since they''re made by people, they can naturally be modified. Modified rules are still rules and still conform to her system''s judgment. So the higher she climbs within the alliance, the easier it is to hold all the rules in her hands, which means that the Word Spirit Rule System''s supposed rule-following power increases, which is essentially the same as acting at will. Otherwise, why would they say an SSR level system is so powerful? ¡ª¡ª "Our two universities cooperated in the Withered Forest, covering for each other to evade danger," Xiang Beifei said, and then looked at Ren Jianghai, adding, "On our way, we also ran into a student from Qingzhou University, feel free to ask him." "Yes, we nearly fell, but it was Xiang Beifei and his people who saved me. Then we encountered teams from other schools one after another, warning them of danger, but they didn''t trust us. Only the team from Yongzhou University followed us." Tang He recounted in detail how they clashed with Yanzhou University, how they met Shi Renmei, how they saw Ghost Whiskers, how they were chased, and how they were rescued by the Liangzhou team... After listening, Ren Jianghai''s brow was deeply furrowed as well. But with Tang He stepping forward, he had no choice but to desist. After all, Tang He was a student from Qingzhou University, and according to both emotion and reason, Xiang Beifei... Chapter 608 - 450: The Real Invader (4000 words)_2 "All eleven of you," Xiang Beifei didn''t ask out loud again but looked thoughtfully at Tang He. Tang He was a normal person¡ªthere was no mistaking that, for he had a system interface, and the system was still rapidly flickering. His [Po Jun Eye System] was a type of investigative system, capable of quickly identifying an opponent''s weak points and exploiting them to defeat the opponent. The current system log displayed everything as normal, something that couldn''t escape Xiang Beifei''s eyes. But what puzzled Xiang Beifei was¡ª This guy, for some unknown reason, seemed to faintly mix in a trace of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage! Was it because he had encountered an attack from the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, so its essence lingered on him? The atmosphere turned off as soon as these few people showed up. Chen Baiwen, Yu Hongbo, Zhu Xinjue! It was the team from Yanzhou University! Unexpectedly, they had also appeared here! Zhu Xinjue caught sight of Xiang Beifei in the crowd and his heart skipped a beat, then his eyes revealed a resentful expression, but he quickly concealed it. Because currently, their alliance with Qingzhou University had collapsed, and there was no way to join forces against Xiang Beifei. When Yu Hongbo and Chen Baiwen saw Xiang Beifei, they too were slightly startled. The two couldn''t help but exchange glances! Just yesterday, they had been thinking about joining forces with Qingzhou University to deal with Xiang Beifei, but then Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University ended up dead, and they couldn''t find Xiang Beifei. They also hadn''t expected to encounter Xiang Beifei in this place. "Don''t panic! He probably doesn''t know about yesterday''s events!" Chen Baiwen gave a look to Yu Hongbo and the others, and without speaking, they all understood. Yu Hongbo composed himself and said, "Xiang Beifei, I''ve heard a lot about you. I am Yu Hongbo, the captain of the Yanzhou University team." Chen Baiwen also nodded slightly but didn''t say anything. Xiang Beifei looked thoughtfully at the people from Yanzhou University, his gaze sweeping over them and then over to Zhu Xinjue, and after a long while, he said, "How did you end up here?" "After we entered this withered forest, we realized something was amiss, and then we made our way up to this mountain. The situation outside is pretty bad. Did you also encounter those eerie tree-people just now?" Yu Hongbo asked. "That''s right," Xiang Beifei said calmly. "Are you all okay?" Yu Hongbo asked. "Not too bad," Xiang Beifei glanced back at Tang He. Tang He was from Qingzhou University, and their team''s situation looked very dire now. When Tang He saw Yu Hongbo and the others, he too showed a look of alarm. He hadn''t expected to run into people from Yanzhou University; after all, their Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University had died at the hands of "Zhu Pengfei"! But now, he dared not say much. He was just an SR-class Awakener in the late phase of Qi-Controlling, without any teammates around, no match for the people of Yanzhou University. "How long have you been in this withered forest?" Xiang Beifei asked. "We came in last night!" Yu Hongbo replied. "Last night? You''ve been here almost a day?" Xiang Beifei was surprised. "Yes, we came here last night!" Yu Hongbo no longer harbored thoughts of contending with Xiang Beifei; on the contrary, he even had a hint of willingness to act alongside Xiang Beifei. Because their team was currently in a very desperate situation. This place was too eerie; they were trapped and couldn''t find a way out. Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, hope rose in Yu Hongbo''s heart. Xiang Beifei was strong; perhaps he had a way! "Then, are you okay?" Xiang Beifei asked. "One of our people had an accident," Yu Hongbo said gravely. Currently, only four people remained in their team. "You''ve been on this mountain since last night until now?" Xiang Beifei asked. "No, it wasn''t like that at first. We were walking through the withered woods, but then suddenly it got dark, and something felt off, so we ran up the mountain and found those treants didn''t dare to follow. We breathed a sigh of relief. We weren''t on this mountain at first, but on another one." "Are you that N-level Awakener, Xiang Beifei?" Chen Baiwen''s face didn''t look good as he faced Xiang Beifei; actually, he really didn''t want to come up because Hou Chengwu had lost inexplicably earlier, and he hadn''t seen clearly how Hou Chengwu lost. If he were to lose to an N-level student, his reputation would almost be ruined overnight. However, if he didn''t come up to fight Xiang Beifei, he would be even more likely to be seen as a coward, indirectly proving that he, a formidable SSR-level Awakener, was afraid of an N-level! In that case, Xiang Beifei would essentially win without a fight. After all, like Hou Chengwu, he looked down on Liangzhou University for recruiting N-level students and was persuaded by other universities not to go to Liangzhou University. Since Chen Baiwen chose to give up on Liangzhou University initially, it implied he was an SSR-level Awakener with a very high opinion of himself. How could he not prove himself? Xiang Beifei simply watched Zhu Xinjue calmly, but a murderous intent flashed in his eyes. Last time he hadn''t killed this guy, who was obviously coming to kill him; this time, he must kill Zhu Xinjue! However, just as he finished speaking, he felt his knees buckle, and with a "snap", he suddenly knelt down in front of Xiang Beifei! Zhu Xinjue and the others were also stunned! "Hou Chengwu, what are you doing?" Chen Baiwen asked in astonishment. Hou Chengwu himself was shocked by his own action! Why had he knelt down? Hadn''t it been agreed to let Xiang Beifei off the hook? Why was it instead that he himself had knelt down? Hou Chengwu''s face turned beet red with anger, and he tried furiously to stand up, only to find that no matter what, he couldn''t! ¡ª¡ª But just as this happened, Hou Chengwu, with his keen eyes, suddenly spotted Xiang Beifei''s figure and immediately shouted, "He''s over there!" This time everyone saw clearly that Xiang Beifei was a real person! The others also saw Xiang Beifei, but because of the flood, they had a hard time distinguishing themselves. "Yu Hongbo, you take care of our SRs, the rest of us will deal with him!" Hou Chengwu yelled. "Right!" Yu Hongbo had to look after his own, otherwise the SRs would be directly drowned by the flood. A vicious gleam appeared in Zhu Xinjue''s eyes, and a giant glass orb appeared in his hand. With a flicker, the orb turned into a phantom glow that enveloped the void. "This time I''ll see where you all can go!" Zhu Xinjue sneered coldly. The glass orb was a UR-level spatial system item that could render any space-transfeering items ineffective. Since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman, Zhu Xinjue worried that Xiang Beifei might escape. Soon Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong encircled Xiang Beifei, their powerful auras no weaker than the flood, staring intently at Xiang Beifei. "Xiang Beifei, although I know you''re strong, now there are four of us, and I advise you to forfeit," He Qiutong said. He Qiutong wasn''t aware of Zhu Xinjue''s plan; her objective, like Chen Baiwen''s, was simply to get Xiang Beifei out of the game. Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the four people in front of him. Four people were easier to deal with than five. "That''s right, we don''t want to harm you. Bow out on your own to avoid trouble," Chen Baiwen said gravely. But Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue, standing nearby, were filled with endless murderous intent. "What are we waiting for? We need to take him down before talking about him backing out!" Hou Chengwu shouted. This time he faced Xiang Beifei with plenty of confidence. Although he didn''t know what happened that caused his defeat at the arena last time, now it was four against one. No matter how strong Xiang Beifei was, in his eyes, he was definitely a dead man this time! Grinding his teeth, Hou Chengwu said, "Today, I will make you pay!" That day, he, a dignified SSR, had been dumped into a trash can, losing all face. Today, he definitely had to kill Xiang Beifei! Chapter 609 - 451: The Spearhead "Parasitic within the human body?" Zhao Ruizhong''s brows furrowed deeply, "Through those Beast Pills?" "Yes," the mysterious woman nodded again. Zhao Ruizhong''s face grew even paler as he asked, "Is it all because of my research?" "In this world, it is not only humans who possess intelligence; many species'' intelligence is not inferior to humans. This species can parasitize the bodies of the dead and act in some strange ways. Your research just happened to be targeted by such an intelligent existence." "Intelligent desolate beasts!" Zhao Ruizhong''s breathing became somewhat heavy. Being one of Jiuzhou''s most authoritative experts on desolate beasts, he was very familiar with intelligent desolate beasts. "Parasitized in the dead... Is that desolate beast called the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage?" Zhao Ruizhong was startled and whispered in shock. He quickly recalled a paper published last year by Ye Changfeng, a professor at Liangzhou University, which mentioned a type of desolate beast that could parasitize the bodies of deceased martial artists, named Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. "If that''s what you call them, then you are not wrong," the mysterious woman said. He asked in astonishment, "So their purpose has always been..." The mysterious woman paused for a moment and then nodded slightly, "To break through Jiuzhou''s defenses." Zhao Ruizhong felt very heavy inside. "You''ve actually figured it out already, haven''t you?" the mysterious woman said. Zhao Ruizhong sighed softly. Since joining the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company, he had been researching the Beast Pills of desolate beasts for years, hoping to develop a high-tech solution that could help martial artists combat desolate beasts using the power of the Beast Pills. He had thought that Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company was an upright commercial entity, but he had never imagined it was a place controlled by the Unrestrained! It was only when he came in last time with Zheng Xian and saved an Unrestrained person that he discovered they were transplanting Beast Pills into humans. This crossed a line for him. His original intention in researching Beast Pills had always been to help pioneers control desolate beasts to combat other desolate beasts, thus reducing casualties, not to implant Beast Pills into human bodies. He focused on his research daily and rarely concerned himself with company affairs, thinking that the company was merely commercializing his research. When he seriously started investigating, he found that many of the desolate beasts on the market had mutated, like the previously edible Giant Barbarian Ox, which had become toxic. The Giant Barbarian Ox was a well-known food source, and this toxic mutation in the desolate beast was effectively cutting off Jiuzhou''s food supply. After he noticed this issue, he realized the mutation of the Giant Barbarian Ox was greatly related to one of his previous research outcomes! It wasn''t just the Giant Barbarian Ox, various other edible desolate beasts seemed to be gradually mutating, as if someone was intentionally cutting off Jiuzhou''s meat supply and disrupting the normal order of life in Jiuzhou. Zhao Ruizhong never investigated before, but being a researcher at the company, when he did indeed investigate, he unearthed many things. "These desolate beasts were cultivated through my modifications; I must destroy them and prevent them from making the outside desolate territories more dangerous." Zhao Ruizhong glanced at the Ghost Bear that had been killed beside him, gritted his teeth, and stood up again. But he staggered a few steps and almost didn''t catch his balance, nearly falling over. "I can''t attend to your injuries," the mysterious woman said. "It''s okay, I can hold on," Zhao Ruizhong took a deep breath. He himself had dug this hole, and it was his responsibility to fill it back up. At that moment, the mysterious woman suddenly noticed something, looked up at the tree hollow, and exclaimed in surprise, "Hold on, I sense a change in the atmosphere here." "What has changed?" Zhao Ruizhong was alarmed. But the mysterious woman had already walked out of the tree hollow and into the forest, staring at the empty woods. She kept staring at that spot, lost in thought, seemingly puzzled. After a while, she finally said, "I can feel your temperature." "Interesting," Next to the trunk of a tree ahead, a ripple echoed through the air. Xiang Beifei, his hands in his pockets, leaned casually against the tree trunk, watching the two figures in front of him. "Zheng Xian!" Zhao Ruizhong was also very surprised to see Xiang Beifei appear. "Doctor Zhao." Xiang Beifei still decided to interact with Zhao Ruizhong as Zheng Xian, as that identity would save him time, given the many questions he had for Zhao Ruizhong. Seeing Xiang Beifei, Zhao Ruizhong''s eyes showed a guarded expression, "Are you here to capture me?" "That depends on the situation," Xiang Beifei said. "On the situation?" "For example, who is standing beside you, what kind of desolate beast is that?" Xiang Beifei stared at the hooded woman¡ªat least he thought it was a woman, given her silhouette and actions were similar to those of a regular woman. However, there was no system interface above this person''s head! This was not a System Awakener of Jiuzhou! But she could talk, walk, and even had a pleasant voice, which made Xiang Beifei pay close attention. Clearly, it was this individual who had brought Zhao Ruizhong into Tranquil Domain. Zhao Ruizhong furrowed his brows, speaking in a deep voice, "Zheng Xian, you must stop the experiments you are currently conducting, or the consequences will be unimaginable!" "The experiments I''m conducting?" "You have no idea who Lin Long and the others really are!" Zhao Ruizhong exclaimed. "Perhaps I do know?" Xiang Beifei said. "You know?" Zhao Ruizhong paused slightly, then shouted lower, "If you know, then why are you still helping them!" "I have my reasons." Xiang Beifei was unconcerned with Zhao Ruizhong''s words; what he was more interested in was this woman. The aura emanating from her was different from Lin Long''s group; whether it was Lin Long or Qin Hongyi, each of them at least had a system interface. But this individual before him had not a single system interface. She was somewhat like Shi Renmei and Broken Throat, yet she clearly lacked their distinctly prominent aura, definitely not a Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. Then what was she? Xiang Beifei was very curious. At that moment, a disturbance came from the sky, and soon a powerful roar swept through, the white light blooming in the forest, instantly splitting the woods apart! Boom! The furious blast echoed around, the entire forest had been completely leveled! "Doctor Zhao, you made it very hard for me to find you," Qin Hongyi said in a grim tone, appearing above the forest. Swish! Swish! Swish! The commotion here attracted many people, countless Unrestrained rushing through the air towards this place, swiftly surrounding them all! "Zheng Xian, what are you doing here?" Lin Long was also quite surprised when he saw Xiang Beifei. He remembered that according to the schedule reported today, Xiang Beifei should have been at Liangzhou University; he didn''t understand why he would come here. But before Xiang Beifei could speak, Lin Long''s expression darkened and said, "I see, Doctor Zhao, did you deliberately bring Zheng Xian here?" "Oh?" Xiang Beifei slightly raised his eyebrows. Lin Long spoke sternly to Xiang Beifei, "Zheng Xian, you cannot trust anything Doctor Zhao says; he is merely sprouting nonsense out of jealousy of your abilities, to slander the company." He hadn''t discussed related matters with Xiang Beifei yet and was very worried that Zhao Ruizhong''s words had altered Xiang Beifei''s plans, which he then would have to use control measures, something he least wanted to do. Zhao Ruizhong, seeing that Lin Long and Qin Hongyi had arrived, felt his heart sinking even further. He was already injured, and now being cornered by these two, his situation was even more desperate. "Cough! Cough!" Zhao Ruizhong coughed a couple more times, looking increasingly discomforted, as Qin Hongyi''s previous attack had been too severe, and he seemed unable to hold on much longer. At that moment, as if he had made a decision, he lifted his head to look at Xiang Beifei. "Zheng Xian, I''m sorry." Zhao Ruizhong let out a slight sigh, then suddenly his body burst forth with the last of his strength, transforming into a phantom as he rushed towards Xiang Beifei! He knew that he might not be able to leave here today, and he had no time to explain to change Zheng Xian''s mind now that Lin Long and his group had arrived; he could only prepare for the worst. Although Zhao Ruizhong hoped Zheng Xian would turn back from the edge, with Lin Long and Qin Hongyi''s arrival, he realized that even if Zheng Xian acknowledged the severity of the situation and refused to provide his abilities to Unrestrained anymore, it would be futile; they would definitely use force to control Zheng Xian. Zheng Xian was currently the only talent capable of solving the flaws of the Unrestrained Beast Pills. Without Zheng Xian, Unrestrained''s subsequent plans would fall through. Thus, killing Zheng Xian was the only solution Zhao Ruizhong could think of to prevent the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage from harming Jiuzhou! Zhao Ruizhong was very close to Xiang Beifei; he was fighting with the last bit of his strength to attack Xiang Beifei! "You''re seeking death!" At that moment, Qin Hongyi and Lin Long simultaneously coldly shouted and made their move without any prior agreement. Qin Hongyi unleashed a punch that sent out white Spiritual Power fluctuations, roaring through the air and transforming into a majestic surge of qi-energy, faintly carrying the sound of wind and thunder, striking towards Zhao Ruizhong. Meanwhile, a dagger appeared in Lin Long''s hand, flashing a stream of red light; the red light seemed to tear through the void, leaving a red trail in the air, howling as it approached! The two showed no mercy at all, clearly intending to kill Zhao Ruizhong before he could kill Xiang Beifei. Zheng Xian was now crucial to their plans, and they would not allow any mishap with such a person! The air exploded with intense Spiritual Power fluctuations, the combined force of three orifice-transforming experts simultaneously striking was extremely terrifying, with Xiang Beifei caught in the middle of the three, becoming an implicated party. "Are you kidding me?" Xiang Beifei slightly furrowed his brows. How had he suddenly become the focal point of conflict! The surrounding atmosphere was imposing, the powerful Spiritual Power fluctuations turbulent and raging! One was trying to kill him, two were trying to save him; with the three striking, it seemed inappropriate if he didn''t do something himself. Swish! Suddenly, a golden pattern lit up in the air, these patterns appeared out of thin air, quickly spreading around Xiang Beifei, like a massive golden shield, blocking in front of Xiang Beifei! Chapter 610 - 452 Mysterious Woman (4000 words) Chapter updates will return to normal around 6:30. Please support the official version. Subscription is really important to the author, and you can get a subscription with ad coins on the Qidian Chinese app client. Thank you for your support. After making the incision, Gao Zhuo''s heart was still beating. Xiang Beifei was helping to stop the bleeding when Elder Luo uttered a light "Hmm," and said, "Strange, this heart is larger than that of a normal person." "It''s because it''s too large that I''m curious. It looks more like it''s been inflated or as if its potential has been prematurely overdrawn." Xiang Beifei had seen quite a few such hearts before. "That''s the situation, but we need to rely on..." "He Caiwei and Zhu Yiji won''t be causing trouble again in a short time. It''s time to plan our next move." Xiang Beifei currently lacked the ability to kill He Caiwei, but that didn''t matter. It was actually better for him that He Caiwei was alive, for there were still many uniqueness values to harvest! Whatever he exchanged, Xiaohei would take it, no negotiation allowed. If he didn''t exchange, then his system would just be a decoration, something to admire but beyond reach. This feeling of untouchability would make He Caiwei even more frustrated! Order at the school had been restored. Elder Luo took over Liangzhou University with decisive means and legitimate authority, and no one dared to object. After all was dealt with, Xiang Beifei had to consider searching for Zi Hou. However, just at that moment, he suddenly felt something was off. Turning his head, he found that Hua Jiuyue had somehow already stood up! She was still alive! "You really don''t understand the idea of cherishing fragrance and valuing jade." Hua Jiuyue was still laughing fervently and, before Xiang Beifei could react, she had already clutched the golden cage at her waist. Whirr! The golden cage was peculiar and, in an instant, it disappeared with Hua Jiuyue into the void! "Next time, remember to have heart-to-heart talks on both sides!" Hua Jiuyue''s excited voice echoed in his ears, but her figure had vanished completely, leaving no trace of her essence behind. Xiang Beifei stood up with a slight frown. A heart-to-heart on both sides? Could it be that Hua Jiuyue, that person, had more than one heart? "Somewhat unexpected," Xiang Beifei mused. This was something he hadn''t anticipated. Normal people only have one heart, and he hadn''t considered the possibility of someone having two. However, he had to admit that Hua Jiuyue was very cunning. If she couldn''t win a fight, she''d play dead and then use the information discrepancy between her and Xiang Beifei to escape. Xiang Beifei remained calm and did not pursue. That golden cage was unusual¡ªnot an item from the system¡ªand its teleportation capability was even more potent. Unable to find a trace of the other party, he had virtually no chance to pursue. If he encountered her again, he would have to crush her body to examine it first. Xiang Beifei''s brows furrowed slightly. Did that person fear his Spiritual Power flame? As if his flame was her nemesis? What was going on? You see, Xiang Beifei''s Spiritual Power flame didn''t have any particular restraining effect against martial artists. It was a simple and brutal fist flame. If the opponent was weaker than him, they''d be gone with one punch, but if they were on par with him, they could certainly block it. At most, he could burn the opponent''s Spiritual Power through a counter-attack, but there was no absolute restraining effect. Those who feared his fist flame were only desolate beasts! Since last year, Xiang Beifei had encountered every single desolate beast, and he had managed to suppress them with his fist flame, weakening their combat prowess. His Spiritual Power flame was the nemesis of desolate beasts. So, what was the deal with Hua Jiuyue? Actually, before coming here, representatives of the "Idle Faction" at the council meeting had suggested that they join forces to deal with Luo Yunxian! With so many people, if they took action against Luo Yunxian together, they believed they had a chance of winning. However, there were also several members from the "Leisure Faction" who were firmly against this idea. Their reasoning was simple: from what they saw in the video, Luo Yunxian hadn''t even used his full strength when beating Zhu Yiji. If they really fought, even if they could take down Luo Yunxian together, at least some of them would be taken with him! After ending the call, Xiao Sheng was around, which allowed him to be somewhat relieved. As a God-Refining-level expert, Xiao Sheng could handle things if there was any Unrestrained activity. He continued inquiring among some people, including Elder Luo and Ye Changfeng, and even went specifically to ask Sun Heshun, who used to be his father''s immediate superior. Strangely enough, all these people had photos of Xiang Tianxing in various group pictures, but not a single video of Xiang Tianxing! It was as if all videos related to Xiang Tianxing had ceased to exist. That was very weird. "And her?" He then opened his own file in the Jiuzhou archives. There was quite a bit of information about him. When he went there in January, he had shone brightly as a rising star in the newcomer competition. The archive contained a high-definition video of him defeating Hou Chengwu with a single blow. "Xiaohei, can you erase the video footage about me?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiaohei pondered for a moment, touched the video with his little paw, and nodded: "Woof." "Not this kind of data that we''ve copied, but the data in the main archive of Jiuzhou. You know, the one ''God'' guards," Xiang Beifei said. Liangzhou University''s issues were not yet fully resolved, because there were still many matters waiting for him there. How could Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei let go so easily after such a major setback? As UR-level Awakeners, the Alliance would not truly punish them. At most, they would get a warning, an internal sanction, but it would be superficial; in essence, things would remain the same as before. Chapter 611 - 452 Mysterious Woman (4000 words)_2 Xiang Beifei was not about to let them off the hook easily. "Xiaohei, is it ready?" Xiang Beifei inquired. Xiaohei was sitting in front of the computer, his two dog paws clicking away at the keyboard, working on the video on the computer. It was the video from the last meeting, which Xiang Beifei had recorded in its entirety. President Cao Pei, in order to cover up the events of that day and prevent tarnishing his reputation, had already activated the school''s powerful UR-level confidentiality measures, restricting all senior school leaders from leaking information! But Xiang Beifei disregarded his schemes, thinking that attempting such tricks in front of Xiaohei was utterly futile. "Send out the video! We must take down He Caiwei and his people," Xiang Beifei said. "Woof!" Xiaohei promptly clicked to release the video. "Hello, Commander He, I have been ordered to come..." At this moment, a person who looked like a doctor walked over, but stopped in confusion upon seeing someone with a face as swollen as a pig''s. "Eh? Where is Commander He?" he asked, not quite understanding. "Wuu wuu wuu wuu..." He Caiwei, having been beaten, was unable to speak and just grunted angrily at the doctor. "What''s the matter? Why haven''t you healed your injuries?" Zhu Yiji asked, sitting nearby. He Caiwei suppressed the resentment in his heart. Even though he resented Zhu Yiji, he did not dare to speak out since it was Zhu Yiji who had come to rescue him just now. He had not yet fully grasped Zhu Yiji''s intentions and did not understand why Zhu wanted to kill him yet also save him. In fact, Zhu Yiji had never intended to kill He Caiwei; it was all just an accident. "I don''t know, Professor Guo''s attack might contain some bizarre and powerful element that hindered my healing," He Caiwei muttered under his breath. Zhu Yiji furrowed his brow, "He''s only an SR level! How could he have caused injuries that even your system couldn''t heal?" "Everyone who took action today was SR," He Caiwei said through gritted teeth. Upon hearing this, Zhu Yiji''s face also soured. Because the ones who defeated two UR-levels were all SR-level Awakeners! "Today''s fight was very strange. I didn''t expect Luo Yunxian to be so powerful, to completely suppress our systems. How did he manage that?" He Caiwei asked again. "I don''t know." Zhu Yiji also had this question in his mind but had no way of getting an answer. He glanced at He Caiwei and then said, "You look so uncomfortable." "My left hand was broken by you!" He Caiwei finally couldn''t help but growl in a low voice. "It wasn''t intentional. Luo Yunxian must have arrived early and was leading us without being seen," Zhu Yiji said coldly. He Caiwei clenched his teeth, but said no more. The two of them attributed the strange events of the day to Luo Yunxian, but it never occurred to them to consider others present, let alone Xiang Beifei. In their eyes, even if Xiang Beifei had high talent, he was just a God Refining martial artist; how could he possibly interfere with two UR-levels? After a while, Zhu Yiji waved his hand, and a white circle surrounded He Caiwei: About ten minutes later, He Caiwei was unharmed! This was the power of the UR-level Square and Round Rules System! If it were an ordinary Healing System, even an SSR level wouldn''t recover this quickly. He Caiwei got up from the ground and his heart scoffed. But just then, an aura swept through, passing through the meeting room, followed by a ripple appearing in the air. As everyone turned their heads, they saw a beam of light forcefully breaking the seal Elder Luo had set on He Caiwei. The swollen-faced He Caiwei instantly vanished from the meeting room! Zhu Yiji actually returned and, while Elder Luo was beating up Wu Shixuan, he whisked He Caiwei away. "Luo Yunxian, I''ll remember today''s events!" Zhu Yiji''s voice echoed in the air as he threw down a fierce statement, but he had long since fled. As fast as he could be! "Don''t worry, where can you run?" Elder Luo did not pursue. Although he could blast Zhu Yiji to the ground in a face-to-face encounter, killing Zhu Yiji was not so simple. Then he turned to look at Wu Shixuan, who was lying on the ground, and slowly said, "Running errands for others, and they didn''t even think of rescuing you. Don''t you find it a bit sad?" Although Wu Shixuan had been beaten beyond recognition, Elder Luo''s words still reached his mind, and he realized that Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei were only thinking about their own escape and had completely disregarded him, plunging his heart into despair! At this moment, Zhu Yiji, who had been initially blasted to the ground, had already recovered, transforming into a beam of light, angrily reappearing in front of Elder Luo. He furiously shouted at Elder Luo: "Luo Yunxian, you dare..." "It''s not your turn, scram!" Elder Luo turned his head and roared again. Being an Awakener with extremely powerful spiritual power, the sound waves he emitted had turned into an invisible, overwhelming giant palm, striking Zhu Yiji once more! "You dare¡ª" Zhu Yiji, furious, also swung out a palm, attempting to block it. However¡ª Bang! Zhu Yiji couldn''t withstand it at all; his figure was suddenly flung into the air, tossed high, becoming just a small dot, its destination unknown. The others present were stunned once again! "You should learn how to speak to your leader!" The aura on Zhu Yiji''s body condensed into a sharp starlight, silently swirling toward Xiang Beifei! He had to teach Xiang Beifei a lesson! To teach this ignorant man what the consequences of bumping into him were! "Slap yourself!" Zhu Yiji applied the ability of Square and Round Rules beneath Xiang Beifei''s feet! Within this square arena, the rule Zhu Yiji set was to slap oneself in the face! "You should learn how to speak to your leader!" The aura on Zhu Yiji''s body condensed into a sharp starlight, silently swirling toward Xiang Beifei! He had to teach Xiang Beifei a lesson! To teach this ignorant man what the consequences of bumping into him were! "Slap yourself!" Zhu Yiji applied the ability of Square and Round Rules beneath Xiang Beifei''s feet! Within this square arena, the rule Zhu Yiji set was to slap oneself in the face! Zhu Yiji wanted to make it clear to Xiang Beifei who had the authority here! But the corners of Xiang Beifei''s lips curled up in a mocking sneer, "Are you worthy?" Zhu Yiji froze sharply! His Square and Round Rules had failed again! "Then I''ll do it myself!" Repeated failures enraged Zhu Yiji; in an instant, his aura swept up, transforming into an invisible slap, striking directly towards Xiang Beifei''s face! ¡ª "Xiaohei, we need to find an acquaintance to help us and settle a debt while we''re at it," Xiang Beifei said. "Woof?" Xiaohei asked, puzzled. Xiang Beifei stood up, rubbed his fists, and said, "Yang Chengze." Yang Chengze was a team leader at Yanzhou University, and he was part of Minister Zhu Yiji''s team. During the incident where Zhu Xinjue changed his name and identity, Yang Chengze also got involved. Under Zhu Yiji''s instruction, he used his SR-level Subtle Influence to sway some students who suspected Zhu Xinjue was Zhu Pengfei. After Xiang Beifei led his team out of the Withered Forest, Yang Chengze went on to question Xiang Beifei, even trying to pin Zhu Xinjue''s death on him. Unfortunately for him, he still underestimated Xiang Beifei. However, last time Xiang Beifei''s strength wasn''t enough to truly influence Yang Chengze''s thoughts, only able to slightly guide him. But that had changed now. Meanwhile, Xiaohei had already dashed out from under Professor Guo''s feet, stretching out a little paw, and smashed the Square and Round Rules beneath Sun Heshun''s feet! "Minister Zhu! Commander He! You two are going too far!" Initially restrained, Sun Heshun finally broke free and immediately shouted in protest! Zhu Yiji''s expression darkened once again! Had Sun Heshun also broken his Square and Round Rules? However, Zhu Yiji could no longer take action. Given today''s circumstances, he was already on shaky ground, and if he laid a hand on anyone¡ª Chapter 612 - 453: Disparity in Strength "How can this be?" Lin Long appeared shocked and uncertain, unable to understand why he couldn''t summon his strength anymore! Qin Hongyi also realized something was wrong, but he couldn''t figure out what the issue was immediately, so he voiced out, "Zheng Xian, do you really think you alone can take on all of us?" "Not necessarily." Xiang Beifei smiled slightly and then snapped his fingers! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The space around them kept rippling, and countless golden patterns lit up, followed by the appearance of over thirty silhouettes behind Xiang Beifei! It was indeed Eternal Sleep arriving with a squad of people! "Captain, are you all right?" Eternal Sleep had been urgently searching for an entrance in Marquis Domain Area 15, but had no way to enter; however, Xiaohei soon found them and brought them all in. "Eh? Why are there only so many of you?" Xiang Beifei was somewhat puzzled. Eternal Sleep said, "As soon as I got back to the Jiuzhou continent, I sent the message back. Professor Luo should already be on his way here, but I couldn''t delay, so I urgently gathered other Su People from around Yuzhou and came here first." The Su People behind Eternal Sleep, each one was a God Refining stage elite. They were dispersed in every corner of Jiuzhou, secretly carrying out various missions. Eternal Sleep knew how to contact them; worried about a problem here, he had brought a few nearby Su People to help ahead of the others. "So that''s it." Xiang Beifei nodded slightly. Even though there were few in number, thankfully they were all at the God Refining stage. Together with Keshi, who had just arrived, they totaled thirty-two, and their combat power was already quite formidable. "Just this many Su People?" However, when these Su People arrived, Qin Hongyi and Lin Long both sneered! "You''re planning to rely on just thirty Su People to take us on?" Qin Hongyi squinted his eyes at Xiang Beifei as if he was looking at something very amusing. "Isn''t it enough?" Xiang Beifei countered. Lin Long said coldly, "You dared to storm our base with just over thirty Su People; you think too highly of yourself!" He flicked his finger lightly, and a powerful fluctuation surged out, emitting a sharp whistling sound in the air! This sound swiftly blossomed throughout the entire canyon! Swish! Swish! Swish! In an instant, countless lights flashed across the sky. These lights, carrying the whistling sound, trailed behind them shadows as they quickly appeared and stood in midair, each exuding a powerful aura that burst forth! These were all the Unrestrained! In just five seconds, the air filled with innumerable Unrestrained, densely packed, no less than a thousand, distributed in the sky, on the ground, on the cliffsides of the canyon, in the forests of the desolate beast arena, on the slopes of the valley... The countless Unrestrained surrounded Xiang Beifei and the group of Su People completely, leaving no way out. Among the thousand people, seven to eight hundred were at the Meridian Opening stage, over three hundred were at the God Refining stage, and twelve were at the orifice transforming stage! The aura of each Unrestrained was at its peak, intertwining with each other to form a terrifying pressure, akin to an iron wall, sealing the entrance to the entire canyon. In the midst of the thousands of Unrestrained, although there were more at the Meridian Opening stage, which might be considered negligible, their prowess didn''t lie in their cultivation but rather in the terrifying aura emanating from the seven to eight hundred together. This aura linked in a very strange manner, creating a pressure that was by no means easy for those at the God Refining stage to break through! Not to mention there were over three hundred at the God Refining stage! Over three hundred Unrestrained at the God Refining stage faced directly the thirty-two Su People at the same stage! With such a vast array, even Zhao Ruizhong, who was nearby, had never seen anything like it before! He then realized just how terrifying the organization of the Unrestrained was! The fact that they could gather so many powerful experts, such a formidable combat force on the Jiuzhou continent, he could think of none other than the Alliance to find a match. "So strong!" When Eternal Sleep and Keshi, and the other Su People saw the numerous Unrestrained, their hearts also sank! This was clearly a confrontation of disproportionate strength! The number of Unrestrained at the God Refining stage was more than ten times that of the Su People! Especially with twelve high-level experts at the orifice transforming stage on the opposite side! "How are we supposed to fight this?" Many Su People began to feel anxious inside. They were well-trained martial artists; usually, if they were to undertake a mission alone outside, they would immediately retreat if the situation turned unfavorable, to preserve themselves. However, this mission was for Xiang Beifei. Ever since Professor Luo took over the Su Alliance, they had been ordered to prioritize Xiang Beifei above all else when outside. So they could not retreat unless Xiang Beifei gave the word. "How should we fight?" Eternal Sleep asked quietly. "Shall we fight them head-on?" Keshi also inquired. "I can only handle one of those at the orifice transforming stage at most." Zhao Ruizhong was the only genuine orifice transforming stage expert among them, but the problem was that his combat strength relied on desolate beasts, and he actually had no chance against Qin Hongyi. They truly could not see any hope of winning! Everyone waited for Xiang Beifei to issue an order, wanting to know whether he would instruct them to retreat or to start the battle. But when they turned their heads to look, they discovered that Xiang Beifei was still very calm, supporting his chin as if deep in thought. Is he not panicking at all? This was the thought in each Su Person''s mind. Xiang Beifei was just too composed, so composed that it was driving the Su People near madness. You might as well take a stand, right? If we can''t win, retreating first would be good too, wouldn''t it? ¡ª¡ª "Now, do you still dare to be arrogant?" Lin Long sneered coldly, his killing intent apparent as he looked at Xiang Beifei, "You Su People dare to run wild on my turf. Today, I''ll make sure you come but never leave!" "Come but never leave!" All the Unrestrained repeated Lin Long''s words in unison, their voices deafeningly loud, shattering the clouds above, echoing for a long time, their momentum like a rainbow! This display made the thirty-two Su People involuntarily tremble in their hearts. A sheer domination! "Is this all the people you''ve brought? I remember there being more," Xiang Beifei finally spoke. Upon hearing these words, everyone was stunned! Both the Unrestrained and the Su People were looking at Xiang Beifei as if they were looking at a fool. Had he gone mad! Just these people? Wasn''t it enough that thousands had come! Wasn''t it enough that more than three hundred God Refining stage experts came! How could he dare say just these people had come? All the Unrestrained thought the guy before them was simply too arrogant. What right did this Zheng Xian have to speak like this? Lin Long shouted coldly, "What a big talker! Just you and your thirty or so Su People daring to speak like this! Who do you think you are? Professor Luo Yunxian of the Su Alliance? Or the genius Xiang Beifei of Liangzhou University? Even Xiang Beifei wouldn''t dare to cause a ruckus in my presence, and you, a mere captain of the Su People, are so rampant?" Eternal Sleep, Keshi and the others had weird expressions upon hearing this. It turned out Lin Long still didn''t know whom he was facing. Xiang Beifei shook his head slightly, "Whatever. This is fine." The more Lin Long saw Xiang Beifei''s calm demeanor, the more irritated he became. He had to teach Xiang Beifei a lesson and immediately ordered, "Kill them!" "Kill!" "Kill!" "Kill!" All the Unrestrained shouted with passionate roars, as they all erupted with Spiritual Power instantaneously, creating layers of oppressive force in the air which continuously overlapped, like a chunk of the sky was suddenly collapsing, smashing down towards Xiang Beifei and his group! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The few people flying at the forefront jumped into the sky, and in the air, they fiercely ignited beams of light, Spiritual Power surging, charging down towards the thirty-two Su People below! All the Su People''s hearts were lifted with alarm! They knew they couldn''t retreat now, their only option was to meet them head-on in close combat, with no other way out! Every Su person was ready for a fight to the death! "This will be a tough battle, everyone go all out!" Keshi shouted loudly! Everyone raised their Spiritual Power, even Zhao Ruizhong had already summoned several desolate beast''s Beast Pills! However, just at this moment, Xiang Beifei stretched out his hand and snapped his fingers! Snap! The two God Refining stage Unrestrained in the lead, who were full of murderous intent and vowed to tear the Su People to shreds, suddenly froze in mid-air! It was as if they were unable to catch a breath, and both of them clutched their chests abruptly! "Ah!" The two Unrestrained each let out a scream, but the sound didn''t last long as it Abruptly Stopped. Then their bodies stiffened, like birds struck by cardiac arrest in mid-flight, beginning to spiral as they fell from the air! Bang! Bang! The two Unrestrained smashed onto the ground, creating two booming sounds, motionless, evidently having lost all signs of life, dead through and through. "Huh?" Lin Long and Qin Hongyi were both startled, noticing this scene. However, before they could speak¡ª "Ah!" "Ugh!" "How can this be?" One after another, agonizing voices rose continuously as countless Unrestrained, who had just charged into the sky with sky-high fighting spirits, intending to unleash powerful Spiritual Power attacks, suddenly stopped as if jammed. They all wobbled in the air, then one by one started to draw arcs, plummeting downwards! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! As these Unrestrained fell, their bodies were still gleaming with colorful Spiritual Power light. They flew fast and fell just as fast, leaving behind glowing trails as they fell, like meteors shining for the last time in the sky before fading away. Bang! Bang! Bang! Thousands of Unrestrained, who were originally menacing in the sky, with thunderous shouts and full of battle spirit, had barely revved up for ten seconds before they all inexplicably went down! In just a few breaths, of the thousands of Unrestrained, fewer than two hundred could still stand! "What''s going on?" Qin Hongyi and Lin Long were both shocked in an instant! It was not just them. Even Eternal Sleep, Keshi, and the other thirty-two Su People, as well as Zhao Ruizhong, who were preparing to risk their lives, stood there stunned, not knowing where to direct their gathered Spiritual Power. What happened to the hard-fought battle that was promised? Why, before the fight even started, was it... almost over? Chapter 613 - 454: Unrestrained and the Su People (4000 words) Chapter updates returned to normal around 5:30. Subscribers just need to refresh, and you won''t be double charged. Please support the official release, thank you~ Actually, before coming here, representatives from the "Idle Faction" suggested on the parliament that they should join forces and deal with Luo Yunxian! With so many people, if they all made a move against Luo Yunxian, they believed they stood a chance of winning. However, among these people, there were a few from the "Leisure Faction" who firmly opposed this plan, and their reasoning was simple: from the video, it seemed Luo Yunxian hadn''t even used his full strength when beating up Zhu Yiji. Should a real fight break out, even if they could band together and take down Luo Yunxian, at least a few of them would be taken away by Luo Yunxian! After hanging up the phone, now that Xiao Sheng was here, he felt somewhat relieved, for Xiao Sheng was also a master in the God Refining stage and could handle unexpected situations if needed. He continued to ask around, including Elder Luo and Ye Changfeng, and even made a point to ask Sun Heshun, who once had been his father''s direct superior. Yet, strangely, all these people had photos of Xiang Tianxing, various group pictures, but there were absolutely no videos of Xiang Tianxing! It was as if all videos related to Xiang Tianxing no longer existed. This was very odd. "What about her, then?" He opened his own file in the Jiuzhou archives. There was a lot of information about him. When he visited in January, he had already shone brightly there as the rising star of the new student competition, and there were high-definition videos of him knocking down Hou Chengwu in the archives. "Xiaohei, is there a way you can erase videos about me?" Xiang Beifei asked. After a moment''s thought, Xiaohei stretched out his paw and touched the video, then nodded, "Woof woof." "Not these copies of data we have, but the data in the main archives of Jiuzhou, the one ''God'' protects," Xiang Beifei clarified. The situation at Liangzhou University had not been completely resolved yet, as there were still many issues waiting for him. Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei suffered such a big loss; how could they let it go easily? As UR-level Awakeners, the alliance would not truly punish them¡ª at most, they would receive a warning, an internal disciplinary action, but in reality, it was trivial; everything would continue as before. Xiang Beifei was not going to let them off so easily. "Xiaohei, are you done?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiaohei was sitting in front of the computer, with two dog paws clattering on the keyboard, working on the videos inside the computer. This was the video of the incident that had occurred at the last meeting, which Xiang Beifei had recorded in its entirety. President Cao Pei, in order to cover up what happened that day and prevent it from tarnishing his reputation, had already employed powerful UR-level security measures of the university, restricting all high-level university officials from leaking information! But Xiang Beifei ignored his attempts. Trying any trick in front of Xiaohei was simply bring a hatchet to a gunfight. "Send out the video! We must take down He Caiwei and those people," Xiang Beifei instructed. "Woof!" Xiaohei promptly clicked to publish the video. "Hello, Commander He, I am here by orders..." At that moment, a person looking like a doctor came over, but upon seeing such a pitiful figure resembling a swollen pig''s head, he froze in confusion. "Eh? Where is Commander He?" He didn''t quite understand. "Wuu wuu wuu wuu..." He Caiwei, who had been beaten to the point of being unable to speak, expressed his anger at the doctor with muffled sounds. "What''s wrong with you? Why haven''t you recovered from your injuries?" Zhu Yiji asked from the side. Suppressing the rage in his heart, He Caiwei said nothing. Even though he resented Zhu Yiji, he dared not voice it, especially since it was Zhu Yiji who had just come to his rescue, and he still hadn''t completely figured out Zhu Yiji''s intentions, unsure why he wanted to kill him yet saved him. In fact, Zhu Yiji had never intended to kill He Caiwei in the first place; it was all just an accident. "Don''t know, Professor Guo''s attack may contain some kind of powerful and peculiar substance that is hindering my healing," He Caiwei grumbled quietly. Zhu Yiji frowned, "He is just SR-level! How could he cause an injury that even your system can''t heal?" "Everyone who made a move today was SR-level," He Caiwei gritted his teeth and said. Upon hearing this, Zhu Yiji''s expression darkened as well. This was because the two UR-levels who defeated them were both SR-level Awakeners! "Today''s battle was very strange. I never expected Luo Yunxian to be so powerful as to completely counter our systems. How did he do it?" He Caiwei asked again. "Don''t know." Zhu Yiji also had this question in his mind, yet he couldn''t find an answer. He glanced at He Caiwei, then said, "It''s hard to watch you like this." "My left arm was broken by you!" He Caiwei finally couldn''t help but roar quietly. "It wasn''t on purpose. Luo Yunxian must have arrived earlier and led things from the shadows," Zhu Yiji said coldly. He Caiwei clenched his teeth but said nothing more. They both attributed the strange events of the day to Luo Yunxian, without considering anyone else present, and especially not Xiang Beifei. Because in their eyes, even if Xiang Beifei had outstanding talent, he was merely a God Refining martial artist, how could he possibly interfere with their UR-level abilities? After a while, Zhu Yiji waved his hand, and a white circle surrounded He Caiwei: About ten minutes later, He Caiwei was unharmed! This was the power of the UR-level Square and Round Rules system! Chapter 614 - 454: Unrestrained and the Su People (4000 words)_2 Under a normal healing system, even SSR ones wouldn''t recover this fast. He Caiwei struggled to his feet, a cold snort resounding within him. But at that moment, a breath swept through, passing through the conference room, and then a ripple appeared in the air. Everyone turned their heads to see a beam of light forcibly breaking through the seal Elder Luo had placed on He Caiwei. The battered He Caiwei vanished from the conference room in an instant! Zhu Yiji had actually returned, taking advantage of Elder Luo beating Wu Shixuan to escape with He Caiwei. "Luo Yunxian, I have noted today''s events!" Zhu Yiji''s voice echoed through the air, issuing a tough threat, but he was long gone. As fast as could be! "Don''t worry, where can you run to?" Elder Luo did not pursue. Although he could send Zhu Yiji flying with just a glance, killing him wouldn''t be that easy. He then turned to Wu Shixuan who was lying on the ground and slowly said, "Running errands for others, and they didn''t even think of saving you. Don''t you find that sad?" Wu Shixuan, although beaten beyond recognition, heard Elder Luo''s words in his mind and realized that both Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei were only concerned with their own escape, completely disregarding him. He fell into despair! Meanwhile, Zhu Yiji, who had been blasted to the ground, emerged angrily as a beam of light and reappeared in front of Elder Luo, furiously shouting, "Luo Yunxian, how dare you..." "It''s not your turn, scram!" Elder Luo turned and roared again. As an Awakener with immense spiritual power, his shout transformed into an invisible, colossal palm that once again struck Zhu Yiji! "You dare¡ª" Zhu Yiji, furious, also threw a palm, trying to block it. However¡ª Bang! Zhu Yiji couldn''t resist at all; his figure was flung through the air and tossed high, shrinking to a mere dot, with no clue where he was sent flying to. The others present were stunned once more! "You should learn how to speak to a leader!" Zhu Yiji''s aura coalesced into a sharp burst of stardust, silently sweeping towards Xiang Beifei! He had to teach Xiang Beifei a lesson! To teach this ignorant man a lesson, and show him the consequences of clashing with himself! "Slap yourself!" Zhu Yiji applied the Square and Round Rules to the ground beneath Xiang Beifei''s feet! Within this square circle, the rule Zhu Yiji set was to slap one''s own face! "You should learn how to speak to a leader!" Zhu Yiji''s aura coalesced into a sharp burst of stardust, silently sweeping towards Xiang Beifei! He had to teach Xiang Beifei a lesson! To teach this ignorant man a lesson, and show him the consequences of clashing with himself! "Slap yourself!" Zhu Yiji applied the Square and Round Rules to the ground beneath Xiang Beifei''s feet! Within this square circle, the rule Zhu Yiji set was to slap one''s own face! Zhu Yiji intended to show Xiang Beifei who was in charge here! Yet Xiang Beifei''s mouth curled into a smirk of mockery, "Are you worthy?" Zhu Yiji was taken aback! His Square and Round Rules failed again! "Then I''ll do it personally!" The repeated failures infuriated Zhu Yiji, his aura instantly sweeping into an invisible slap rushing towards Xiang Beifei''s face! ¡ª "Xiaohei, we need to find someone familiar to help us out and settle a debt," Xiang Beifei said. "Woof?" Xiaohei asked, puzzled. Xiang Beifei stood up, rubbing his fists, and said, "Yang Chengze." Yang Chengze is a team leader at Yanzhou University, and he belongs to Minister Zhu Yiji. During the case of Zhu Xinjue changing his name and identity, Yang Chengze also got involved. Under Zhu Yiji''s orders, he used his SR-level Subtle Influence to sway some students who suspected that Zhu Xinjue was actually Zhu Pengfei. After Xiang Beifei led his team out of the Withered Woods, Yang Chengze confronted Xiang Beifei, even trying to pin Zhu Xinjue''s death on him. It''s a pity he still underestimated Xiang Beifei. Last time Xiang Beifei''s strength wasn''t enough to genuinely impact Yang Chengze''s thoughts, he could only slightly guide Yang Chengze, but now it was different. However, Xiaohei had already charged out from beside Professor Guo, stretched out his little paw, and shattered the Square and Round Rules beneath Sun Heshun''s feet! "Minister Zhu! Commander He! The two of you have gone too far!" Initially restrained, Sun Heshun finally broke free and immediately shouted to stop them! Zhu Yiji''s expression darkened once again! Sun Heshun had actually broken his own Square and Round Rules? However, Zhu Yiji could no longer take action! The events of today originally put him on shaky ground, once he took action against anyone, it also made He Caiwei realize something. He still had a chance to prove his innocence, having been swept into this matter, but those words were only heard by Zhao Yong from Wu Shixuan''s mouth saying it was his directive, Zhao Yong''s saying so couldn''t directly prove the framing was related to him! The only way to clear his own name right now was to sacrifice the car to protect the commander! That is to say, Wu Shixuan must be kicked out! Directly stating Wu Shixuan was framing him would suffice! A chill flashed in He Caiwei''s eyes! ... The entire conference room had already become tense and confrontational. "All of you, stop it! Don''t be too presumptuous!" Zhu Yiji finally stood up, coldly shouting, "You three, daring to create chaos at the school, do you really not take me seriously anymore?" His gaze, like an eagle''s, stared at Professor Guo and the other two, particularly lingering on Xiang Beifei, as he hadn''t even noticed how Xiang Beifei had appeared in the classroom, which made him very wary! However, at this moment, Zhu Yiji''s aura was like the midday sun! He was still the most powerful person here! He could still suppress these few people! He quickly looked at his system interface¡ª [Detection of Luo Yunxian getting angry, do you want to spend uniqueness value to enhance your own defense?] "Ten million!" However, Luo Yunxian had already raised his hand, When He Caiwei''s aura hit the invisible barrier in front of Professor Guo, it was like it had struck a solid city wall, with strange spiritual power flowing around all sides of this wall, dissolving and converting He Caiwei''s attack, then guiding He Caiwei''s attack back along its original path! Buzz! He Caiwei was once again repelled by Professor Guo''s counterattack! Specifically, he was repelled by his own aura! "How could this be?" He Caiwei stared intently at Professor Guo! He had always known that Professor Guo was strong, but since Professor Guo was only at the mid-stage of orifice transforming, he had never taken the SR-level Professor Guo seriously! But he had overlooked one thing. Professor Guo only had the strength of mid-stage orifice transforming; his means of attack weren''t many, nor were they powerful, but he had the strongest defense in the alliance! This kind of defense was the confidence he had to withstand late-stage orifice transforming martial artists! For him, the strongest defense was counterattack! And He Caiwei, could not shake him at all! "What''s the matter? Fess up!" Zhu Yiji shouted! Zhao Yong slapped his head and said, "Wu Shixuan was muttering to himself at that time, saying Minister Zhu and Commander He both wanted to deal with Luo Yunxian, he had to take care of Professor Guo by Luo Yunxian''s side first, so framing Professor Guo would depend on us providing false evidence! If he handled this affair well, he would receive great approval... Yes! There''s also a person named Minister Zhu, like Commander He, also directed Wu Shixuan to frame Professor Guo!" Zhao Yong blurted out everything! Once he said this, the entire conference room went silent! The more than twenty Liangzhou University leaders present all gasped, chilled to the bone! Minister Zhu? Zhao Yong actually said that Minister Zhu was involved in the matter of framing Professor Guo? It must be noted, Minister Zhu''s "Frankness Without Evasion" ability was Witnessed by All; in this black square, absolutely no one would lie! Chapter 615: 455 The clash between the Su People and the Unrestrained had escalated to a feverish intensity. Numerous severed limbs and whiskers flew about, and the air was thick with blood, the powerful bursts of Spiritual Power illuminating the entire sky. Though the Su People had fewer God Refining stage practitioners, they excelled in each being well-trained, and each possessing powerful systemic abilities. On the other hand, the Unrestrained were essentially Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage, and despite being able to use Spiritual Power, they lacked the corresponding systemic abilities. The area of the melee surged with terrifying waves of energy. However, these God Refining stage practitioners still had to retreat, seeking other places to fight, leaving behind a space here. The atmosphere dispersed by the conflict between four orifice transforming stage and one God Refining stage forcefully expelled those God Refining masters! Zhao Ruizhong also faced one of the orifice transforming Unrestrained! His combat relied entirely on the transformation through the Beast Pills of desolate beasts. Right now, he summoned an unfamiliar desolate beast, unlike any seen before, a creation combined from an Earth Snake, Earth Dragon, Willow Leaf Flying Dagger Sparrow, Heavenly Music Sparrow, Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, Invisible Beast, and Six-Winged Heavenly Lion Beast, plus the Healing Insect... These desolate beasts were initially the transformation samples of desolate beasts demonstrated by the interviewees during Xiang Beifei''s interview. Zhao Ruizhong had gathered all together, then added two more types of Beast Pills from the Wind Chasing Ant and Yellow Bone Spider, and with the help of Xiang Beifei, forced through the resolution of their mutual repulsive forces, perfectly merging them into one. This fused Beast Pill could only be controlled by him, but it could exert extremely terrifying combat power! However, his opponent was not weak either. Black whiskers, sweeping across the sky, charged towards Zhao Ruizhong, clashing with his desolate beast! Boom! Boom! Boom! Violent fluctuations swept out, shredding the entire desolate beast arena. This place was originally the desolate beast arena Zhao Ruizhong aimed to destroy, protected by various powerful prohibitions, but at that moment, those prohibitions had already been controlled by Xiang Beifei. Within a few breaths, the whole desolate beast arena had been leveled, and all the desolate beasts had no chance of escape. Yet Zhao Ruizhong could only just manage to contend with one of the orifice transforming Unrestrained, while the remaining two surrounded Xiang Beifei! "It''s lucky I haven''t yet decided to come to you for a heart transplant. Today I must kill you!" Fan Fang, full of resentment, was an old woman leaning on a cane, her face wrinkled like sludge in a water channel, seemingly stamped over, the wrinkles resembling shoe prints. But the aura she emitted was no less fierce than that of younger people. In fact, for her, the old woman was merely a shell to provide protection since her true essence was a desolate beast. "Die!" Hu Yuanhua also twisted his face in anger, his body suddenly bursting out with powerful black whiskers, which whistled in the air, each emitting a violent aura. His whiskers intermingled with those of Fan Fang, the power of two orifice transforming stages bearing down immensely, nearly covering all of Xiang Beifei''s possible escape routes completely. This oppressive force was exceedingly formidable. If it had been an ordinary God Refining stage fighter, they might have been immobilized by the mere presence of this force, let alone counterattacking. Whiz! Hu Yuanhua charged forward, a sinister black blade appearing in his hand. The material of the black blade was unknown. He violently swung it forward, unleashing a terrifying wave of Spiritual Power towards Xiang Beifei. The glow brought about by the black blade seemed to block space, instantaneously spreading above Xiang Beifei''s head, violently slashing down! But Xiang Beifei showed no panic. Calmly watching the approaching black blade, he instantly stirred up a golden formation pattern under his feet, enveloping him and directly causing him to disappear from the spot! Boom! Hu Yuanhua''s black blade hit nothing but air, its terrifying force directly carving a deep trench in the ground. However, before he could react, Xiang Beifei had already reappeared behind him. The breath soil in his hands instantly condensed into a long sword, its blade alight with flames, carrying a searing aura as it chopped towards Hu Yuanhua''s body! Hu Yuanhua''s face showed slight surprise. He clearly hadn''t realized that Xiang Beifei possessed the ability to move through space here, knowing that the surrounding canyon had been enveloped in prohibitions, which should have made such instant movement impossible. But as a master of orifice transforming stage, his reaction was swift. As soon as Xiang Beifei materialized, he responded, the skin on the back of his neck splitting open, a thick black whisker shooting straight towards Xiang Beifei like a spike! Xiang Beifei also charged forward without fear, directly confronting the black whisker. "Seeking death!" Hu Yuanhua sneered as he saw Xiang Beifei daring to face his whisker head-on, the black whisker immediately bursting forth with layers of sharp Scale Armor, sharp enough to cleave through any Spiritual Power shield! But just as his black whisker was about to strike Xiang Beifei, a golden formation pattern barrier swiftly appeared in front of Xiang Beifei. Though he didn''t have the tile in hand, Xiaohei was still controlling the blood altar! Hu Yuanhua''s black whisker boomed against the golden formation pattern barrier. The densely packed patterns immediately surged, spreading directly along the black whisker upwards! "Damn it!" Hu Yuanhua quickly realized what was happening and cut off his whisker at once, distancing himself from the formation pattern barrier. But at the same time, Fan Fang had already silently leaped behind Xiang Beifei. She couldn''t teleport, but her speed was comparable to instant teleportation, taking advantage of Xiang Beifei''s focus on Hu Yuanhua, she struck a palm towards Xiang Beifei''s back! Boom! The palm strike was both fast and fierce, cutting off Xiang Beifei''s path of retreat, so fast that even an orifice transforming stage couldn''t dodge, and even surpassed the speed that Xiaohei could control with the formation pattern barrier. However, Xiang Beifei immediately shone with a golden light, swiftly dodged the sealing force from Fan Fang''s attack, and once again vanished before anyone''s eyes! Fan Fang realized she had clapped in vain and couldn''t help but feel anger, staring intently at Xiang Beifei who had retreated several dozen meters away. "He has taken control of the Blood Altar! That damned power!" Hu Yuanhua appeared beside Fan Fang, speaking with a serious expression. "It''s not unsolvable." Fan Fang whispered fiercely, "The power of his Blood Altar doesn''t fully and promptly block our attacks!" "So, as long as we strike fast enough, the defense of the Blood Altar can''t keep up?" "Exactly!" "Got it, let''s attack separately!" After all, Hu Yuanhua and Fan Fang were masters in the Orifice Transforming stage. They not only had human memories but also possessed rich combat experience from desolate beasts. They almost immediately understood how to counter the weird force of the Blood Altar as soon as the fight began. Shoo! Shoo! The two quickly split up, surging from different directions with strong fluctuations of Spiritual Power, launching synchronized attacks on Xiang Beifei! Their speed was so fast that Xiang Beifei had barely reappeared when their attacks already reached him instantaneously. Xiang Beifei calmly watched the two opponents, showing no carelessness. This wasn''t like in the corridors with limited space, where the corridors could also absorb the Spiritual Power of Orifice Transforming stage, placing great constraints on Wang Ze and creating an opportunity for Xiang Beifei. But now, the battleground was open. Hu Yuanhua and Fan Fang attacked without any hesitation, their combined strength was tremendously greater than what he faced against Wang Ze in the corridor! Boom! Boom! Three figures dashed through the air, appearing and disappearing intermittently, reaching a tremendous speed! No matter how Xiang Beifei reappeared, the terrifying fluctuations almost enveloped him in an instant. If his golden array patterns managed to block one person''s attack, then he had to deal with the second attacker on his own. For a moment, countless streaks of golden light flashed through the air, the powerful glow even opening up the fighting space of others. Neither the Su People nor Unrestrained dared to directly face the onslaught of these three fighters. Boom! When Xiang Beifei reappeared, Hu Yuanhua was already waiting in front of him, punching forward! He had to disappear again! "I thought you were so formidable, yet it turns out you''re just a God Refining stage martial artist, how dare you so brazenly face the two of us?" Hu Yuanhua sneered as he saw Xiang Beifei flee once more. Although Xiang Beifei''s abilities were somewhat strange, since he was only in the God Refining stage, their speed could absolutely take the upper hand! "Even if you rely on the Blood Altar, so what? Without real strength, aren''t you still getting beaten up?" Fan Fang also sneered repeatedly before slapping another palm towards Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei didn''t respond, immediately dodging the palm while sizing up the two in front of him. The fighting style of these people was very similar to Wang Ze, probably because they all were Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage, so Xiang Beifei didn''t need to be as passive as he was when facing Wang Ze. His "Learn by Analogy" only needed to learn how to deal with one Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage and then he would know how to handle the others; thus, the battle tactics learned from Wang Ze could be directly applied to these two and even adapted, quickly letting him discover how to fight two against one! Shoo! He shifted again, instantly disappearing from the spot! When he reappeared, he was already behind Fan Fang, who immediately turned around and slashed out a terrifying wave of Spiritual Power towards him, but the golden array patterns formed barriers that blocked Fan Fang''s attack. However, as Xiang Beifei appeared, Hu Yuanhua had already closed in, his black tendrils slamming down toward him! But at that moment, Xiang Beifei flung out a strange column in his hand! This column wasn''t large, only as thick as an arm, but when it materialized, it precisely appeared in front of Hu Yuanhua. It seemed as though something flashed in front of Hu Yuanhua, momentarily startling him, causing him to hesitate and not advance another step! Recoil in fear! This ability was actually not very useful against an Orifice Transforming stage fighter like Hu Yuanhua since their cultivation level and realm could neutralize this ability''s constriction, at most suppressing him for only a moment. Hu Yuanhua also quickly came to his senses, swearing under his breath, and blasted away the column. But he still hesitated for a second. For Xiang Beifei however, a single second was all he needed! Chapter 616 456: Stand Aside! (4000 words) Chapter four resumes at four thirty. Already subscribed, refresh to update, no repeat subscription needed. Liangzhou University is no longer purely its own; for instance, the person managing the Martial Arts College from the literary Dao is someone sent by the alliance, all keeping an eye on Xiang Beifei. His own strength had increased fast enough, using the Awakening System for half a year, he had reached the early stages of Meridian Opening, and in less than a year, he had reached the late stages of Meridian Opening, far exceeding the ordinary SSR! This terrifying speed of cultivation couldn''t even be achieved by UR Awakeners! If those people knew how fast his cultivation speed was, they would probably stop at nothing to cause him trouble. Therefore, Xiang Beifei must keep it a secret until he breaks through to the God Refining stage, only then will he truly have the ability to protect himself, not fearing people like He Caiwei¡ª And he could also unexpectedly teach those lofty SSRs and URs from the alliance a lesson! He had already spread this news. A while ago, he even purposefully displayed his mid-Meridian Opening strength in front of many students, this way, he could reassure He Caiwei. Now, He Caiwei would definitely think it was Elder Luo who had killed those three people, and he wouldn''t dare to act rashly. He Caiwei and others focusing their attention on Elder Luo, would instead not pay attention to Xiang Beifei, who only possessed mid-Meridian Opening powers. This way, Xiang Beifei could secretly continue to grow stronger. When he had sufficient cultivation, he would then be able to burst out and join the group fights. "So that''s how it is." Professor Guo could still accept this level of strength, but was obviously somewhat disinterested; he really wished that Xiang Beifei''s cultivation had reached the late Meridian Opening stage. "Then why did you ask about the soul matters?" Professor Guo asked further. A powerful aura condensed, forming an intense sharpness that silently fell on Ma Kainian. Ma Kainian shivered inside when he saw Xiang Beifei; he was intimidated by Xiang Beifei''s fearsome aura. Xiang Beifei was rumored to be able to kill late Meridian Opening stage One-Armed Crabs with one punch; his presence here was no joke. Ma Kainian steadied his mind, cursing inwardly. He was an official from the alliance after all, this kid, no matter how famous, was just a commoner with no power or influence. If anyone should be afraid, it should be him! "Xiang Beifei, a big shot indeed." Ma Kainian said sarcastically. Xiang Beifei remained silent, giving a cold glance before walking towards Kong Daming and asking, "I just saw a message on my phone. What happened to my grandfather?" "I don''t know, he seemed unwell just now, so I helped him upstairs to rest; he''s upstairs now." Kong Daming said. "Got it, I''m going up to see him." Without another word, Xiang Beifei headed for the stairs. Ma Kainian, seeing himself being ignored, was quite irritated! "Humph! Up to this moment not even a simple courtesy..." "Get lost!" Xiang Beifei simply said. "Yes." Ma Kainian''s mind went blank, then without realizing it, he actually started rolling on the ground. "Huh?" Kong Daming and Zhang Xiang watched in shock as Ma Kainian rolled away on the ground; they were completely stunned for a moment. Ma Kainian actually... just rolled away like that? This turn of events was completely unexpected for them. "Why do we have to patrol the archives!? Who would bother coming here to steal stuff from the Record Bureau when idle? I''d say, even if we don''t come for a year, it probably wouldn''t matter." Zhou Guan said lazily, hands clasped behind his head, following Sun Zhong. Sun Zhong went up to the third floor and patrolled along a row of rooms. [You patrolled the N-level Talent Review Department, patrol value +2] [You patrolled the N-level Talent Dispatch Department, patrol value +2] ... Sun Zhong made a thorough round in the empty room, pressed a button on the wall to ensure the alarm was working, then left the room. [You patrolled the Main Archive entrance, patrol value +5] At this point, Zheng Xing thought of something urgently, took out his phone to video call his son, then asked, "Son, you said you''ve seen Xiang Beifei before; take a look, is this person Xiang Beifei?" During the freshman competition, even though students from the elite schools hadn''t been present, it had been live broadcast, and anyone who wasn''t blind could recognize him. Zheng Xing''s son, although a student at Jizhou University, had also seen Xiang Beifei. The moment he saw Xiang Beifei, he immediately excitedly said, "It''s him! That''s him! The genius who stepped on the Qingzhou University SSR! Dad, you actually met him? My god!" That was a legendary genius indeed! "You really are that Xiang Beifei!" Zheng Xing was also startled. His son had mentioned the freshman competition before the holidays, and even then he had been amazed by Xiang Beifei; he never expected to encounter such a genius today! Shortly after, he quickly regained his composure and excitedly said, "It is Xiang Beifei, you''re right. My son is from Jizhou University and saw him last time!" Xiang Beifei momentarily set aside this matter and asked, "By the way, Uncle Kong, do you have any houses for rent nearby? We''re thinking of moving over." "A house? Yes, there''s one. You should have moved here earlier. The old man always talks about saving money for you to take on missions and such. How come you suddenly changed your mind?" Kong Daming asked. "Xiaofei has grown up, and the house is too shabby; he won''t find a wife." Xiang Qingde said seriously. "Hahaha, that''s true." Kong Daming nodded. But Lu Hong disagreed, "How so! If you really like someone, who cares about the house?" Chapter 617 456: Stand Aside! (4000 words)_2 "We need to live in a better place; the old house was a bit too dark," Kong Daming said. "Leave this to me. I remember a family on my floor moved out recently, just two doors down from me, diagonally opposite, which would be convenient for looking out for each other if you move in." "When is Uncle Kong''s restaurant planning to open?" Xiang Beifei inquired further. The appearance of the One-Armed Crab, a desolate beast, hadn''t been fully investigated yet, and Xiang Beifei''s main suspect was still at large. Xiao Sheng! The imposter who masqueraded as an N-level clerk, an SR¡ªbefore the desolate beast appeared that day, had disappeared without a trace. Xiang Beifei wanted to see if Xiao Sheng would return to work. "The day after tomorrow! The staff have been asking about it too. Speaking of which, I need to contact those employees; we''ve been closed for so long," Kong Daming said. "Then I''ll go to the wholesale market tomorrow. We''ve run out of ingredients, so I need to renegotiate with them," Xiang Qingde said. Kong Daming hurriedly said, "Don''t bother, Uncle Xiang, you should rest. I can handle it." "We''ve been resting for so long; it''s good to move around a bit. I''m familiar with that place anyway. With the reopening, there''s a lot of work to be done in the restaurant, and many customers have made reservations, waiting for us to open again. It''ll be busy for you. I can go tomorrow." Xiang Qingde waved his hand and insisted. Kong Daming couldn''t argue with that and had to agree. When Xiang Beifei returned home, he made a point of talking to his grandfather in front of the living room camera and clarified his reasons for moving out, saying directly that he was now capable of making money and didn''t want to live there anymore. For a martial artist in the Meridian Opening phase, making enough money to support themselves was far from difficult. The person monitoring his family, as long as they weren''t foolish, would certainly find out Xiang Beifei''s current Cultivation Realm if they inquired at the school, and no one would doubt this excuse. Thus, the person should move on to the new house. Xiang Beifei was curious to see who would dare to secretly install surveillance under his watch. After saying all this, Xiaohei proceeded to block the camera again. The grandfather and grandson packed up their belongings together that evening, and true enough, they had quite a lot of stuff. "We need to call for a vehicle; there''s no elevator, and later we can carry everything down together," Xiang Qingde considered the most convenient way to move. "I can handle the stuff by myself, Grandpa. You don''t need to worry too much; just rest," Xiang Beifei said. "How can I let you handle it alone? You can''t move all this stuff by yourself! I''m still capable of working; I''ll help you carry it," Xiang Qingde was concerned about his grandson getting exhausted, knowing that moving houses was indeed hard work. Xiang Beifei was both amused and exasperated. "Grandpa, why do I always feel like you''ve forgotten that I''m a martial artist?" "What does being a martial artist have to do with it? Many martial artists have to hire movers when they move, don''t they?" Xiang Qingde responded. Xiang Beifei stomped his foot again, and all the packed boxes began to float up into mid-air. Lighter than a feather. It was a matter of lightening the weight of the objects and then using Spiritual Power to lift them. Xiang Qingde watched in amazement: "I had no idea you had this ability!" Xiang Beifei realized that he had rarely discussed his abilities with his grandfather. He smiled, set everything back down, then glanced up at the ceiling camera and said, "Rest assured, Grandpa. I''ll handle everything from now on; you just take it easy." Xiang Qingde paused and gazed at Xiang Beifei, lost in thought. There was a time when he was always cautiously protecting his grandson, guarding his self-esteem, encouraging him to be positive, and hoping he wouldn''t give up on himself. But ever since his grandson had awakened to the system, Xiang Beifei had changed. He had become more diligent and cheerful, and now, as a martial artist in the Meridian Opening phase, he possessed the ability to protect himself. It wasn''t until after a while that Xiang Qingde came back to his senses and smiled: "The Awakening System truly is a blessing." It was then that he suddenly felt old, realizing that he needed his grandson to protect HIM now. This is good, seeing my grandson so sensible makes me very happy. Moving house isn''t difficult. Ordinary N-level Awakeners who move, if they don''t have the appropriate space-related Systems, need to hire moving companies, rent a truck, and spend a considerable amount of money. Xiang Beifei doesn''t need to, just let Xiaohei blow bubbles. "Xiaofei is a big celebrity now; we''ll all be relying on you in the future!" Kong Daming joked. "Isn''t being a celebrity very tiring? I''ve heard you have to shoot various films every day," Lu Zhiwei said curiously. "That won''t do! Beifei needs to train," Lu Hong said seriously. Without realizing it, he had already started referring to Beifei as Xiaofei. In his view, Xiang Beifei was still a martial artist, who should prioritize training. Chen Xiuqin walked in from outside and laughed, "I won''t lie to you, these past few days I''ve received so many calls from talent agencies. They know I''m acquainted with Xiaofei, constantly inquiring about related commercial activities, offering a lot of money to see if Xiaofei would be willing to sign with their company." "What did you say?" Kong Daming asked. "Of course, I said we would consider it. How could I decide on such a matter? We still need to ask Xiaofei''s opinion," Chen Xiuqin laughed. She hadn''t agreed to anyone, but she hadn''t completely refused either. After all, she had to leave Xiang Beifei some room for choice. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment and said, "I really need to train and don''t have time to shoot movies or commercials. However, when I have time, I can start a column specially teaching everyone how to kill desolate beasts, so they won''t be in a panic when they encounter such situations." He needed to use this identity to properly guide everyone. Lu Hong''s eyes lit up, and he nodded, "Right, many civilians living in inland cities have too superficial a concept of desolate beasts, and most lack a sense of crisis. Your idea is good." Mighty desolate beasts were nothing new to martial artists, but for civilians, encounters were still rare. It was only natural for Xiang Beifei, a martial artist, to engage in promotional activities for martial artists. "That would be great, I''ll help you promote it. As a celebrity, one inevitably needs to specialize in a direction. You''re a martial artist, so you have to do it in the way of a martial artist," she added. Chen Xiuqin was also somewhat of an entertainment industry worker, having dealt with many celebrities. She knew very well how to handle marketing. As Xiang Beifei''s number one ''mom fan,'' Chen Xiuqin was very willing to help Xiang Beifei. So the matter was settled. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to do anything; when the next semester began, he would simply shoot a few videos while on missions in the outer desolate lands. It was a simple task. But speaking of which¡ª "Does she really think she can manipulate my fame as she pleases?" The last person who wanted to exploit Xiang Beifei''s fame for profit had already been dealt with by him. This time, thinking of making decisions without consulting him and pushing him to the forefront was clearly a deliberate move to expose him. The reason the Alliance wanted such a genius exposed was quite obvious. The main reason was that Xiang Beifei was a disciple of Elder Luo! Elder Luo and the Alliance didn''t have a good relationship, and the people from the Alliance were even wary of Elder Luo, because they couldn''t suppress such a noncompliant SR-level Awakener. They were concerned about Elder Luo cultivating his influence at Liangzhou University. With a genius like Xiang Beifei emerging, it brought them immense threat! So they were intending to target Xiang Beifei! Once a normal person is exposed, it becomes difficult to remain low-key. Wherever one goes, attention follows. By exposing Xiang Beifei in this manner, they were forcibly aligning him with the Alliance, placing him under the surveillance of the entire Jiuzhou, which nearly eliminated his ability to surreptitiously oppose the Alliance. His every move would be under their watch. Later on, whatever arrangement the Alliance had, Xiang Beifei would have to comply. In the eyes of the Alliance, Xiang Beifei would become a piece that could, in turn, constrain Elder Luo. They aimed to isolate Elder Luo, keep an eye on him, and weaken his influence in a special way. But Mu Yiqing wouldn''t really think I''d obediently conform and act according to her plans, would she? Chapter 618 618: 457 Chapter Knock Knock "It''s, it''s Professor Luo!" Zhao Ruizhong recognized Elder Luo at a glance and was astonished to see him here! When Elder Luo was still the commander of the Alliance Beast Tide Defense Department in Jiuzhou, Zhao Ruizhong had worked under his command and had even been permitted by Elder Luo to research Beast Pills. After a series of events, he hadn''t been in touch with Professor Luo for a long time and was quite excited to see him here! This was, after all, a significant figure in Jiuzhou today! Elder Luo also noticed this side, turned his body, forcibly broke through the canyon''s restrictive seal, and instantly teleported to Xiang Beifei and the others'' side. "Zhao Ruizhong?" Elder Luo recognized Zhao Ruizhong. Although it had been several years, he still remembered him, just unsure why he was also here. "Professor Luo, it''s me!" Zhao Ruizhong quickly nodded in response. The person he admired the most in his life was none other than someone with true character like Professor Luo! "What are you doing here?" "I..." Zhao Ruizhong was at a loss for words, thinking about his complicated relationship with the Unrestrained, his expression suddenly hardened. In a way, he was an accomplice of the Unrestrained, and now, Professor Luo was a minister of the Su Alliance! He didn''t know how to explain his actions. "It''s a long story, we''ll explain when we get back," Xiang Beifei waved his hand. Zhao Ruizhong indeed had done wrong, but he was also a manipulated person, quite reasonable, and upon realizing his major mistake, he desperately tried to make amends. Presumably, Zhao Ruizhong wouldn''t avoid his responsibilities later and would cooperate with the Su Alliance to handle the Unrestrained Affairs. Only then did Elder Luo turn to Xiang Beifei, who he knew was disguised as Zheng Xian, so he recognized Xiang Beifei at a glance. "You rascal, as soon as I heard you went alone to the Unrestrained Base, I hurried over with a large troop to back you up. Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Elder Luo asked. "All''s well, I''m fit as a fiddle," Xiang Beifei replied. "That''s good." Elder Luo suspiciously scanned the surroundings, "Eternal Sleep mentioned you found the Unrestrained Base? Are you sure this is the place?" He had been searching for a while but hadn''t found the entrance to Unrestrained''s headquarters, nor had he located the main base. Just now, it was Xiaohei who had opened a projection gate for him. Being new here, he wasn''t certain if this really was Unrestrained''s base. The ground near the large canyon was densely littered with a huge pile of people, stacked like a mountain. If this was Unrestrained''s den, how come everyone was obliterated? Was Unrestrained such a weak force? "Otherwise what?" Xiang Beifei spread his hands. "Why are there no Heavenly Connection realm experts?" Elder Luo then asked. He had been worried about Heavenly Connection realm experts guarding Unrestrained''s base. Worried that his own, Little White Crane and others, would be at a disadvantage, he had rushed over here non-stop. Arriving here, he found everyone laid flat. Logically, Unrestrained''s people were all very powerful, but how come they had all collapsed? This didn''t seem very Unrestrained at all! "It seems they were cautious and didn''t come here, only those at the orifice transforming stage," Xiang Beifei said. "Then what about the orifice transforming stage Unrestrained?" "I finished them off!" Xiang Beifei pointed at Qin Hongwu and others, who were still lying on the ground, barely alive. Their Beast Pills were enveloped in the aura of "Return to the Original State," any slight movement might obliterate them, which is why they hadn''t been able to move. "Eh?" Elder Luo looked surprised as he scrutinized the few people on the ground, then stared at Xiang Beifei, "You finished them off?" Using his spiritual power, Xiang Beifei surreptitiously conveyed his voice to Elder Luo, so that no one else could hear, kindly reminding him, "Should you be that surprised? After all, I am your disciple. There are outsiders present, be confident, don''t act inexperienced." Thump! Elder Luo raised his hand and gave Xiang Beifei a thump on the forehead! "Ow!" Xiang Beifei, covering his head in pain, found his Ronin Sword disguise disrupted by Elder Luo''s knock. "Always so cheeky! How could you take action in such a big matter without waiting for me? There was no Heavenly Connection realm this time, but what if there had been? What if a powerful one had caught you and cooked you? Where would I find you then?" Elder Luo said irritably. Still feeling unsatisfied, he again raised his hand and knocked on Xiang Beifei''s forehead. Thump! The sound was crisp and satisfying. "Stop knocking! Stop knocking!" Xiang Beifei''s head buzzed with pain. No matter how thick his skin or how many tricks up his sleeve, he couldn''t withstand this old man''s random knocks. A Heavenly Connection realm expert who ignored all restrictions here, including the blood altar seal, there was no way for Xiang Beifei to dodge Elder Luo''s knocks. "If there were Heavenly Connection realm experts, I certainly would have waited, Dad!" He wasn''t rash in his actions; how could he strike a rock with an egg? He only took action after the blood altar confirmed the situation of the entire canyon base. "Still talking back! There''s no Heavenly Connection realm here, but do you think others wouldn''t have received the message and raced over? Now that I''m here, he probably dares not show up. But if he had arrived before me, who would have protected you? You never think of the consequences when you act!" Elder Luo again raised his hand and delivered a hard smack! Thump! Xiang Beifei was nearly knocked senseless. Please, even if you don''t praise me, don''t be so heavy-handed! I may not be able to fight back, but I can run! The blood altar''s projection formation provided countless portals, after all! "I haven''t knocked like this in a long time; my hands are out of practice." Elder Luo pinched his own fingers, which made a creaking noise. Xiang Beifei: "..." He had been knocked around so much that he lost all his temper. Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, who had just been incredibly powerful and nonchalantly defeated all the Unrestrained, getting his head knocked a few times like a wooden fish by Elder Luo, those of Eternal Sleep couldn''t help but swallow their saliva! In their eyes, this young man, Xiang Beifei, was simply too monstrous! Whether it was the history he had created in the past or the feats he had just accomplished alone that many couldn''t achieve in their lifetime by subduing more than ten orifice transforming stage Unrestrained, they couldn''t help but feel ¡ª no one could handle this guy anymore! However, with a simple raise of his hand, Elder Luo had subdued him! Indeed, the older ginger was the spicier! Only a master could control his disciple so thoroughly. This was a true boss! The thirty-two Su People who had just gone through a fierce battle couldn''t help but feel deeply moved, as Luo Yunxian''s reputation in the entire Alliance was well deserved. "But you did pretty well, those who need to be knocked should be knocked, and those who deserve praise should be praised." Elder Luo was quite satisfied with Xiang Beifei, though this young man always acted unconventionally, he had never disappointed him. He was mostly worried that the boy acted too recklessly, and might get into trouble when he wasn''t around. After a while, Elder Luo asked again, "You managed to handle those orifice transforming stage Unrestrained, so does that mean your cultivation has reached the late God Refining stage?" The Su People looked at each other once again. Listen to this! Is this even human talk? Reaching the late God Refining stage means being able to handle the orifice transforming stage? Are your late God Refining stage and our understanding of it even the same concept? "Yes, I reached it a couple of days ago." Xiang Beifei nodded. "I see! That''s a bit slow, I have higher expectations of you," Elder Luo said with an utterly calm expression. But inside, he was already ranting! ¡ªYou rascal, how exactly are you cultivating! From entering the God Refining stage to the late God Refining stage, how did you manage it in less than half a year! UR-level Awakeners take several years, okay! Isn''t it said that the higher the realm, the slower the strength increases? Why does it seem faster for you in the God Refining stage than in the Meridian Opening stage, is there something wrong with your head... Elder Luo had countless words stuck in his throat, feeling uneasy until he spoke them out. However, he maintained a robust facade! The boy was right; he was the master. He couldn''t afford to lose face by acting inexperienced. "I will strive to break through to the orifice transforming stage this year!" Xiang Beifei said earnestly. Elder Luo''s eyelid twitched. This year? I remember you started cultivating quite recently with the Awakening System, right? You''re telling me you want to break through to the orifice transforming stage this year!!! You... you... you... Elder Luo felt like he was suffocating and could barely breathe. But now he didn''t even want to question it anymore, because he felt... felt that if this kid had something wrong with him and was acting impulsively again, it might actually be possible. "It seems that knocking some sense into you quite often is very effective. Should I knock you again?" Elder Luo cracked his knuckles again, asking meaningfully. Xiang Beifei involuntarily took a step back, widening his eyes, "The knocking... is it the knocking you mean?" "Isn''t it?" Xiang Beifei: "..." As the master and disciple were discussing knocking on the head, Zhao Ruizhong was utterly shocked when he saw Xiang Beifei''s true face! "Zheng Xian, you... you are Xiang Beifei?" Zhao Ruizhong looked at Xiang Beifei in disbelief. Just now, Xiang Beifei had been knocked silly, and the disguise from the Ronin Sword had been broken, revealing his true face. Now that everyone knew what Xiang Beifei looked like, Zhao Ruizhong recognized him immediately! "Oh, right, I was just about to say that," Xiang Beifei said, rubbing his dizzy head. "Xiang Beifei!" Zhao Ruizhong gasped! This young man was now a very famous figure throughout Jiuzhou and a creator of numerous legendary deeds, but he had never expected this guy to disguise himself as the minor S-stage Meridian Opening Zheng Xian and come to his laboratory! He had been discussing Beast Pill theories and Erha''s Hyperspace Variable with Xiang Beifei recently, yet he had no idea who he was actually dealing with! "Then... then you... my god, I was so confused, I almost killed you just now." Zhao Ruizhong thought of this and broke out in a cold sweat! He had been exploited by the Unrestrained and had almost accidentally killed Xiang Beifei! If it weren''t for Xiang Beifei''s strong capabilities, he would have become a sinner for the ages! "It doesn''t matter. There are plenty who want to kill me, one more or one less of you doesn''t make a difference," Xiang Beifei wasn''t too bothered by this. Zhao Ruizhong: "..." Is it really the same thing? He secretly sweated and couldn''t understand how Xiang Beifei could mention such a matter so nonchalantly. Chapter 619 458: The Purpose of Qin Hongyi (4000 words) Chapter resumed normal updates at 5:30 P.M. Subscribers can refresh after 5:30 P.M without being resubscribed. "What''s going on? Tell the truth!" Zhu Yiji barked! Zhao Yong slapped his forehead and said, "Wu Shixuan was talking to himself at the time. He said that both Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei wanted to deal with Luo Yunxian, and he needed to deal with Professor Guo first. That means we would have to provide false testimony to frame Professor Guo! If he does this well, he should receive ample praise... Right! There''s also someone called Zhu Yiji, just like He Caiwei, who instructed Wu Shixuan to frame Professor Guo!" Zhao Yong blurted out everything in one breath! As soon as this statement was released, the entire conference room went silent! The leaders of Liangzhou University, numbering more than twenty, all gasped, feeling a chill! Zhu Yiji? Zhao Yong actually said Zhu Yiji was also involved in the plot against Professor Guo? Everyone knows the "Frankness Without Evasion" ability of Zhu Yiji is witnessed by all, and inside this black square, absolutely no one would lie! That means what Zhao Yong just said is one hundred percent ¡ª the truth! Zhu Yiji let Zhao Yong reveal that Zhu Yiji was also one of the culprits? "Mr. Ye, how is your mental defense? Are you able to block the influence of the UR Awakening System like Elder Luo?" Xiang Beifei asked. Many higher-level System Awakeners can use their systems to manipulate lower-level ones, and Ye Changfeng''s strength and talent are only considered slightly above average in the Alliance, but not by a wide margin. "Barely, many people in the Alliance have issues with Elder Luo and they want to use me to probe his secrets, so I specifically followed him to train my spiritual power. While I may not have reached his level, I can at least protect myself," responded Ye Changfeng. Ye Changfeng''s spiritual power is incredibly strong; after all, he is Elder Luo''s direct disciple. Compared to Xiang Beifei, talent does not seem to matter much, but in reality, he far surpasses other SRs. Many in the Alliance are envious of Elder Luo and naturally schemed to target Ye Changfeng. Those coercive truths telling and fact obfuscating system abilities all fall under mental manipulation, so his intense training in mental defense was precisely to prevent such incidents. Having confirmed this, Xiang Beifei then said, "This matter actually has something to do with me." He eventually explained the whole course of the matter, except he omitted details about Xiao Sheng and his grandfather, as well as that mountain. Ye Changfeng was extremely shocked after hearing it all! "Such a serious issue, why didn''t you speak up earlier? Why didn''t you inform us beforehand? If you didn''t tell me, at the very least you should have told Elder Luo," Ye Changfeng appeared very angry, even a little afraid. Xiang Beifei had spoken lightly, but Ye Changfeng could imagine the severity of the situation at that time. "What do you think Elder Luo would have done if I told him?" Xiang Beifei asked. Ye Changfeng was slightly taken aback before he finally realized the implications. "I was too impulsive." He was quite familiar with Elder Luo''s temperament; the overprotective old man would have charged at He Caiwei without a second thought. However, the problem is, if He Caiwei dared to do it, he would have taken precautions; he would have cleaned his hands off the affair completely. By then, it would be Elder Luo who would be at fault. Considering Elder Luo was already facing exclusion from the Alliance, it would be unwise to confront someone without evidence. Ye Changfeng furrowed his brows, weighing the pros and cons of the entire situation before sternly saying, "No matter what, you must not admit to committing murder, understand?" "I know." Awakeners of SR level, starting from the Meridian Opening phase and progressing to the God Refining phase where they consolidate their souls, would need at least three to five years, if not longer. SSR Awakeners also need about two to four years to reach the God Refining phase. URs are the fastest; generally, it takes about one to two years to step into the God Refining phase without a problem. The videos that couldn''t be deleted were the work of its machinations; there are various powerful network-technology Awakeners in the Alliance, yet when faced with the video settings Xiaohei established, they were rendered powerless! No matter how they used system items, they still could not delete the relevant videos. At this time, a languid voice came from a corner, "How else should one speak? The Martial Arts College always speaks with fists; how about you two have a fight?" Wei Tong turned his head to look and then realized that Elder Luo had been sitting there without them noticing; his face quickly changed. Fight? What a joke! Although he was an SSR, he couldn''t block even one punch from Ye Changfeng. An Xiyu at his side realized something and spoke out, "Have you reached the late stage of Meridian Opening?" Professor Guo also reacted, looking at Xiang Beifei in astonishment. He knew Xiang Beifei was talented, but normally by now, he should at most be at the mid-stage of Meridian Opening. How could he suddenly have achieved this level? After contemplating for a moment, Xiang Beifei shook his head: "Not yet." "So, what is your cultivation level?" Professor Guo asked cautiously. "Mid-stage of Meridian Opening," Xiang Beifei replied. It wasn''t that he didn''t trust Professor Guo; in fact, he was concerned about An Xiyu. An Xiyu followed his advice from last term and opted to develop in the direction of the Alliance, now interning there. The Alliance had been watching him, searching for his information, so it would certainly spare no effort to find a breakthrough from those around him, and clearly, An Xiyu was one of them. Of course, Xiang Beifei believed that given her character, An Xiyu would not betray him of her own accord, but after all, she''s just an SR at the late stage of Meridian Opening. If any SSR like Mu Yiqing at the late stage of God Refining were to approach her, it would be easy to subtly extract information from An Xiyu, even if Liangzhou University had many confidentiality measures in place for students. Chapter 620 - 458: The Purpose of Qin Hongyi (4000 words) _2 Liangzhou University is no longer purely its own, for example, the person managing the Martial Arts College from the literary Dao faction is someone sent by the alliance, all watching Xiang Beifei closely. My strength has already improved fast enough, with the Awakening System, I''ve reached the early stages of Meridian Opening in just half a year, and in less than a year, I''ve reached the late stages of Meridian Opening, far surpassing the ordinary SSR! Such a terrifying rate of cultivation, even UR Awakeners can''t match it! If those people were to find out that my cultivation speed is this fast, they would probably stop at nothing to trouble me. Therefore, Xiang Beifei must keep it hidden, waiting until he breaks through to the God Refining phase, only then will he truly have the ability to protect himself and not fear people like He Caiwei¡ª and even have the element of surprise to teach those lofty SSRs and URs from the alliance a lesson! I had already spread this message, and in the previous period, I had deliberately displayed my mid-stage Meridian Opening strength in front of many students so that He Caiwei could rest assured. Now He Caiwei will definitely think that it was Elder Luo who struck down those three people, so he will not dare to act rashly. He Caiwei and the others focusing their attention on Elder Luo will instead not pay attention to Xiang Beifei, whose cultivation is only at the mid-stage of Meridian Opening. That way, Xiang Beifei can quietly develop. Once he has the cultivation, he can then burst out and join the group fights. "So that''s how it is." Such strength, Professor Guo could still accept, but he seemed clearly somewhat disinterested; he really wished that Xiang Beifei''s cultivation was at the late stage of Meridian Opening. "Then why did you ask about the matters of the soul?" Professor Guo asked again. A powerful aura condensed about him into a razor-sharp edge, silently landing on Ma Kainian. When Ma Kainian saw Xiang Beifei, a shiver went through his heart, frightened by Xiang Beifei''s terrible aura. Xiang Beifei was rumored to be the man who could kill a late-stage Meridian Opening One-Armed Crab with one punch, and his presence here was no joking matter. Ma Kainian steeled himself and cursed silently; after all, he was an official of the alliance, and this kid, no matter how famous, was just a commoner, without power or influence. If anyone should be afraid, it should be him! "Xiang Beifei, such a big shot," Ma Kainian said with a mocking tone. Xiang Beifei did not speak, merely glanced over indifferently, then walked towards Kong Daming and asked, "I just saw the phone message, how''s my grandfather?" "I don''t know, he seemed to be feeling unwell a while ago, so I helped him upstairs to rest. He''s upstairs now," Kong Daming said. "Understood, I''ll go up and see him." Without another word, Xiang Beifei headed for the stairs. However, Ma Kainian, seeing himself ignored, was quite irritated! "Hmph! Not even the slightest courtesy¡ª" "Roll!" Xiang Beifei said directly. "Yes." Ma Kainian''s head buzzed, and involuntarily, he lay down and actually rolled away from the scene. "Ah?" Kong Daming and Zhang Xiang both stared in shock as Ma Kainian rolled away on the ground, completely flabbergasted for a moment. Could it be that Ma Kainian actually... just rolled away like that? Such an unexpected turn of events had taken them by surprise. "Why bother patrolling the archive room, eh! Who has nothing better to do than to steal from the archives? If you ask me, it wouldn''t matter if we didn''t come for a whole year," Zhou Guan said lazily, cradling his head in his hands as he followed behind Sun Zhong. He wasn''t particularly interested in this job and kept grumbling all the way. After reaching the third floor, Sun Zhong patrolled past each room along the corridor. [You patrolled the N-level talent review department, patrol value +2] [You patrolled the N-level talent dispatch department, patrol value +2] ... Sun Zhong took two laps around the empty room with emphasis, then pressed a button on the wall to check the alarm system before leaving the room. [You patrolled the entrance to the main archives, patrol value +5] But at this moment, Zheng Xing thought of something, hurriedly took out his phone to video call his son, and then asked, "Son, you said last time that you''ve seen Xiang Beifei, is this person Xiang Beifei?" During the freshman competition, although students from the elite schools did not attend, the event was broadcast live, so anyone who wasn''t blind could recognize him. Zheng Xing''s son, although he was from Jizhou University, had also seen Xiang Beifei. The moment he saw Xiang Beifei, he became excited and said, "It''s him! It''s really him! The genius who trampled the SSR from Qingzhou University under his feet! Dad, you actually met him? Oh my God!" That was the legendary genius! "You really are that Xiang Beifei!" Zheng Xing was also stunned. His son had mentioned the freshman competition before going home on vacation; he had been very impressed by Xiang Beifei then. He never expected that he would bump into such a great genius today. A moment later, he quickly regained his composure and said excitedly, "It''s really Xiang Beifei! My son is from Jizhou University and he saw him before!" Xiang Beifei temporarily put aside the matter and asked, "Right, Uncle Kong, are there any houses for rent nearby? We''re thinking of moving over." "A house? Yes, there are. You should have moved over a long time ago. The old man has always been saying he wants to save money for you to do missions and such. Why the sudden change of mind?" Kong Daming asked. "Xiaofei is growing up, and the house is too shabby; it might be difficult to find a wife," Xiang Qingde said seriously. "Hahaha, that''s true," Kong Daming nodded in agreement. But Lu Hong disagreed, "That''s not true at all! If you really like someone, you wouldn''t fuss about the house." "Still, it''s better to live in a nice place. The old house was too dark," Kong Daming said, "Leave this to me, I remember one of the families on my floor moved out recently, just two doors down from me, diagonally opposite. Moving over would be good, easier to look after each other." "So when is Uncle Kong''s restaurant planning to open?" Xiang Beifei asked again. How the desolate beast like the One-Armed Crab appeared was still unclear, and the suspect Xiang Beifei currently had in mind had not yet been identified. Xiao Sheng! The SR disguised as an N-level clerk had run off somewhere right before the desolate beast appeared, and Xiang Beifei wanted to see if Xiao Sheng would come back to work. "The day after tomorrow, I guess! The staff have been asking too, speaking of which, I need to contact them since we''ve been closed for so long," Kong Daming said. "I''ll go to the wholesale market tomorrow. We''ve had a break in supply and I need to negotiate with them again," Xiang Qingde added. Kong Daming quickly replied, "No need, Uncle Xiang, you rest. I will take care of it." "We''ve been resting for so long, it''s good to move a bit. Anyway, I''m familiar with the place. With the reopening of the restaurant, there''s a lot to do. Many customers have made reservations, waiting for us to open so they can support us. I can manage the trip tomorrow," Xiang Qingde waved his hand, insisting. Kong Daming couldn''t talk him out of it and could only agree. When Xiang Beifei got back home, he made a point to talk to his grandfather in front of the living room camera, clearly explaining the reason for moving out, saying directly that he now knew how to make money and preferred not to live here anymore. For a martial artist in the Meridian Opening phase, making enough money to support himself was all too easy. The people monitoring their home, as long as they weren''t foolish, would definitely understand Xiang Beifei''s current cultivation realm after a bit of inquiries at the school; this excuse wouldn''t raise any suspicions. In this way, the other party should move on to the new house. Xiang Beifei wanted to see who would dare to install surveillance under his watch. After discussing these matters, Xiaohei went ahead and blocked the camera again. The grandfather and grandson packed up together that night and found out that they actually had quite a lot of belongings. "We''ll have to call a vehicle. There''s no elevator, so we''ll carry everything down together later," Xiang Qingde pondered over how to move more efficiently. "I can handle the stuff by myself; Grandpa doesn''t have to worry too much. You can just rest," Xiang Beifei said. "How can that be? You can''t move all these things alone! I can still handle work; I''ll help you carry them," he insisted. Chapter 621 - 459 Convergence Qin Hongyi had no intention of repentance; he didn''t believe he had done anything wrong. His thoughts had already gone to an extreme, and it was unclear whether it was due to the profound influence of the desolate beasts, or his extreme disappointment in the alliance. Qin Hongyi was beyond the point of no return. Elder Luo did not bother to argue with him any longer. He simply waved his hand towards the Su People behind him, "Yue, keep an eye on him, and make sure he stays alive!" "Yes." Soon, an elder in black clothes came over. With a wave of his hand, a strange black light fell upon Qin Hongyi, immediately stiffening his body so much that he couldn''t move at all. Then, Elder Yue took away the other surviving Unrestrained ones. If the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage had really spread beast eggs all over the Jiuzhou continent, they needed to extract pertinent information from these people. "You others, search this place thoroughly, don''t miss any spot! It would be best to find all the research on the beast eggs," Elder Luo instructed the remaining Su People. "Yes." Thousands of Su People immediately took the command and quickly turned into streaks of light, heading towards the canyon. Zhao Ruizhong also requested to assist in the investigation. Since most of his research had been stolen, he now wanted to do his best to make amends. This was the base of the Unrestrained, and if they were doing any research on desolate beasts, it was almost certainly built upon his research findings; he could assist with the investigation and evidence gathering. Soon, only Xiang Beifei and Elder Luo remained. Elder Luo flew up to the cliff of the grand canyon and sat on the edge of the precipice, looking out over this peculiar place. Even now, he did not know where exactly this place was in the outer domains of the desolate wilderness, as they had come by projection; only Xiang Beifei knew the exact location. But at this moment, Elder Luo had no desire to concern himself with that. Xiang Beifei sat beside him, silent. It was a while before Elder Luo spoke, "You haven''t said a word." During the interrogation of Qin Hongyi, Xiang Beifei hadn''t interjected at all. "I don''t know what to say," Xiang Beifei said. "How do you view his words?" Elder Luo asked. Xiang Beifei paused for a moment before saying, "At least Qin Hongyi was a responsible and committed person before he ended up on this path." When the beast tide broke out, Qin Hongyi could have relied on the strong city walls to hold off the desolate beasts, yet, because SSR''s Liusheng Dong wanted to capture one of the beasts for a system quest, he forced Qin Hongyi to leave the walls to lure the beasts. Xiao Sheng had mentioned that the situation was dangerous at that time. He had planned to cover their retreat, but Qin Hongyi, wanting to protect his men, pushed Xiao Sheng away with a palm strike and chose to stay behind to hold off the beasts, only to be overwhelmed by them. Qin Hongyi, like countless other pioneers, had wanted to use his power to protect the borders and those around him. He fulfilled his duties faithfully to his men, willing to sacrifice himself to save Xiao Sheng and the rest. But perhaps it was at the moment he was engulfed by the desolate beasts¡ªor the moment he was rescued by Ghostly Visage¡ªthat he began to doubt his responsibilities and completely lost hope in the alliance. Now, he had become extreme and crazed, assisting Ghostly Visage in spreading desolate beast eggs across all Jiuzhou, all because of his dissatisfaction with the alliance leadership. One could say that it was the system of the alliance that had driven Qin Hongyi to this point. "He is right; killing a Liusheng Dong is far from enough." Elder Luo sighed softly. Killing SSR''s Liusheng Dong would not change anything. There are far too many like him within the alliance. After a long pause, Elder Luo, looking somewhat weary, asked, "Do you also think I have become weak?" Before, he acted without any regards, correcting whatever he disliked, even daring to kill SSRs in front of those high-level officials. He had offended countless people, but was never afraid of anything. Yet now, he did not even wish to kill someone as insignificant as Qin Hongyi. It seemed as though the years had worn down his sharpness; he had not killed He Caiwei, not Zhu Yiji, not Wu Shixuan, not Wei Tong. Even though, to him, these people all had reasons to die. But he tried his best to control himself. Something had changed; he no longer wished to kill. Xiang Beifei was silent. It was just like what Ye Changfeng had mentioned to him before: Elder Luo had changed, becoming someone who didn''t need Ye Changfeng to busily help clean up after him, nor to stressfully manage the messes the old man had left behind. In Ye Changfeng''s eyes, the mischievous elder seemed¡ªto have grown up, in a way. It was a very strange process. Clearly, they were the juniors. "Not killing does not equate to weakness," Xiang Beifei said. "There''s no necessary connection between the two; Elder Luo should not blame himself." "Do you think so?" "It wasn''t Elder Luo who did wrong," Xiang Beifei said. It didn''t matter to Xiang Beifei whether Elder Luo killed those people or not. Alive, they were as good as useless. They had been listed by Xiaohei for express delivery, never able to receive any system rewards for the rest of their lives, which would make their existence worse than death. "Perhaps," Elder Luo said, looking at Xiang Beifei. This silly disciple, every time I see him he seems like he never grows up, acts recklessly, and could be knocked around, thrown into the river to drown, yet he would not get angry. However, often times, this child seems to see through everything clearer than anyone else. Elder Luo seemed to want to say something, but he hesitated. After a long while, he sighed lightly, "I''ll go have a look around nearby to determine where we are." Elder Luo stood up and left, his figure disappearing into the canyon. Xiang Beifei stood on the cliff, facing the piercing wind, lost in his thoughts. "He is not weak." A vigorous voice came from behind him. Xiang Beifei turned his head, looking at the person. It was the Yue whom Elder Luo had earlier tasked Qin Hongyi with. [Host: Yue Xingdao] [SR level, Autonomous System] [Realm: Orifice Transforming - Initial Phase] This was a system that enabled one to grow stronger through self-discipline; Yue always regulated his deeds with a set of principles, and acted in accordance with the rules he had set for himself. Gaining strength through self-discipline meant that he had a routine for everything he did daily, how he did it, and the time he slept and woke up. "Greetings, Senior," Xiang Beifei said. "My name is Yue Xingdao, you can just call me Yue." Yue was quite old, appearing to be around sixty or seventy but still energetic. Xiang Beifei had heard about this man from Elder Luo, a few years ago, Yue had been a subordinate of Elder Luo, always following him. When Elder Luo retired from the alliance, he too did not want to continue with the alliance and retired from the Beast Tide Defense Department, opening a bookstore and becoming a small bookstore owner. But when Elder Luo returned to the scene, needing to reorganize the Su Alliance, he conducted a major purge, firing many of the incompetent SRs and SSRs from Zhu Yiji''s tenure, keeping only the real elites while also inviting Yue to help. Yue had always been a loyal follower of Elder Luo, so he happily accepted the invitation and helped Elder Luo manage the Su People of the Su Alliance, now he was the second in command of the Su Alliance. "Minister Luo has never been a weak person, it''s just that he has changed a lot, and I think it''s mostly because of you," Yue said. "Me?" "Didn''t you see that even when Professor Guo was slandered, Minister Luo held back from killing anyone? If it was five years ago, Zhu Yiji, He Caiwei, Wu Shixuan, and Wei Tong would have definitely been long dead." Yue continued. Xiang Beifei nodded slightly. He didn''t doubt this in the least. "He chose to hold back." Yue continued, "If he had killed those people, to him it wouldn''t have mattered much, as there are not many who could trouble him, but countless high-ranking members of the alliance would have targeted you, both openly and covertly." Xiang Beifei''s gaze flickered slightly. "Minister Luo once told me that he saw the hope for changing the alliance in you; you have various rare abilities and a talent unlike others. Both your temperament and disposition match well with his. In his eyes, you are the future of the alliance. That''s why he curbed his temperament, refrained from killing people, because he doesn''t want you to become a target for too many people before you grow up, and he doesn''t want to jeopardize your future because of any repercussions from his actions." Yue spoke slowly. "So that''s the case." Xiang Beifei pursed his lips. Elder Luo couldn''t possibly protect Xiang Beifei all the time. If he had killed those people, many in the alliance would have become vigilant, and to prevent themselves from being the next victims, they would surely band together to resist Elder Luo. Given Xiang Beifei''s outstanding status as Elder Luo''s disciple, how could those traditionalists in the alliance allow another Luo Yunxian to emerge? Various assassinations would target Xiang Beifei. Therefore, Elder Luo chose to hold back his sharp edge. For the sake of Xiang Beifei, he refrained from killing on a whim. "I''ve been following him in the battles against the beast tides for half a lifetime, I understand what kind of person he used to be. He is someone who dares to act and stand up for his actions, straightforward in nature. As long as it''s right, he would do it and never worry about the consequences. But your emergence has changed him a lot." Yue chuckled, yet couldn''t resist taking another look at Xiang Beifei. Although he was well aware of the young man''s various qualities, this was the first time he met Xiang Beifei face-to-face. He was curious about the kind of youth that could make an old stubborn person temper his edge. "He doesn''t need to do this for me," Xiang Beifei said. As an Awakener of the system, even UR-level figures like Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei had been miserably dealt with by him, and he was merciless when performing tasks for others. But Elder Luo was unaware of this, he always worried about Xiang Beifei getting into trouble, and upon learning that Xiang Beifei had ventured alone into Unrestrained''s lair, he had rushed over with his forces, almost mobilizing everyone. "He is willing to place his hope in you," Yue said with a smile, "Jiuzhou has always been his hope." Xiang Beifei recalled the conversation he had with Elder Luo on the roadside after leaving the Archives Building. Elder Luo had always been searching for a way to change things, but he just hadn''t found it yet. But he hoped Xiang Beifei could find it. "I know what I must do, thank you, Elder Yue," Xiang Beifei said politely. He didn''t judge the rights and wrongs of Qin Hongyi''s actions, but he had to protect Jiuzhou, as that was where his friends and family were, and he couldn''t allow the desolate beasts to destroy that place. Chapter 622 - 460 Going to Zi Hou (4000 words) For those already subscribed, just refresh and there won''t be another subscription. I suggest everyone to use the QiDian mobile app to watch advertisement videos to earn QiDian coins for a subscription, which is free, but the author still gets income. You can collect quite a few coins per day, which are enough for a subscription. The Shadow Deficient Grey Ape let out a painful roar! Its body was still in the air, but when it turned its head, it saw that its right arm had a bloody, gaping wound! The Shadow Deficient Grey Ape was immediately shocked! From its perspective, it should have been the one initiating the attack, but somehow the tables had turned; it seemed as if the Earth Dragon had anticipated its assault and had immediately counterattacked! But soon, a light shone on the body of the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, and a Healing Insect burrowed into the stump of its arm, stopping the bleeding at the wound. However, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape was infuriated by the Earth Dragon; now that its strength had been greatly enhanced, it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say it was one of the most powerful desolate beasts in the later stages of Meridian Opening, yet it had its arm severed by a mere Earth Dragon. How could it stand for that! Whoosh! A silvery light shone on the body of the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape, and it disappeared into thin air with invisibility! As long as it was invisible, it wouldn''t leave any shadow on the ground! However, just as the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape had turned invisible, a sandstorm whipped up from all directions for some unknown reason! Being invisible didn''t mean that it could hide its entire body. The Earth Dragon''s sense of smell was incredibly sharp, and with the added spatial control ability of the Earth Dragon, it could even sense the fluctuations in the space. At this moment, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape didn''t have time to think as its strong combat instincts enabled it to swiftly disappear from the spot with the help of sound waves, dodging the gaping maw! It let out another roar, unleashing sound waves, this time at a much closer range. It could move at a higher speed and teleport behind the Earth Dragon, using its sharp, blade-like legs to sever the tongue! What surprised him the most was that one of the beast pills was white, seemed unremarkable on the outside, yet Xiang Beifei was too familiar with it! It was the very Beast Pill that he had been investigating lately! From the One-Armed Crab, the old woman, Hua Jiuyue, and the heart Gao Zhuo were dissected, that Beast Pill! "Indeed," Xiang Beifei was convinced in his heart. There were many among the 1200 types of beast pills with a similar color, shape or even size to this white one, but the aura emanating from the beast pills of different desolate beasts was distinct; other white beast pills could be differentiated. If one was unfamiliar with it, they wouldn''t know what it was; they might at most treat it as a Qi-Controlling stage beast pill and would not attempt to utilize it further. "It seems I only have the choice to try this beast pill," He had come here to investigate the relationship between the Beast Pills and Unrestrained. Now that he was outclassed in every aspect compared to the other three candidates, to secure the position, he had to prove that he had abilities surpassing the others. "Speaking of which, there''s still Xu Yang," Xiang Beifei finally remembered his Desolate Beast Dissection class teacher. Xu Yang was no simple man; being a teacher at school, keeping a low profile, Xiang Beifei hadn''t had the chance to approach him. This man was also an employee of Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company, working there for quite some time before becoming a teacher at the school, and he had even probed Xiang Beifei. But this time, he decided not to act rashly, as Xu Yang had been acting very normal up until now. If he was Unrestrained, he must have his own way of keeping secrets. "So it''s like this? Come on, let''s dissect him," Elder Luo did not hesitate at all and immediately carried Gao Zhuo to the school''s Desolate Beast Dissection Room. This classroom was originally designed for dissecting various desolate beasts and was fully equipped with all kinds of dissection tools. Of course, this was probably the first time it was used to dissect a living person. [Surgical Knife Control Ability: 9999] [Medical Mastery: 9999] Elder Luo quickly applied his knowledge of dissection into his skill points. "If we take the heart out, we''ll need to use an extracorporeal circulation machine and a series of other devices to keep him alive for a while. But what if the heart breaks down and he dies? How do we handle that?" Xiang Beifei asked. Putting on a surgical mask, Elder Luo picked up the glaringly bright surgical knife and said, "I will simply create a small incision, quickly. Do you have healing abilities? After I extract it, just heal it promptly." "Well, yes, I can, but what if there''s a problem with the heart due to the missing Beast Pill?" Xiang Beifei said. Without hesitation, Elder Luo said, "Then we''ll take the pig''s heart being cultured over there and transplant it." Thoracotomy, chest expansion... Elder Luo skillfully sliced open Gao Zhuo. With his ability, he didn''t even bother to take an x-ray or MRI, relying solely on his skill points to prepare everything for the surgery, himself being enough for the job. In this, Xiang Beifei felt inferior, acknowledging that Elder Luo truly was powerful. After the incision was made, Gao Zhuo''s heart continued to beat inside his chest. Xiang Beifei was assisting with blood control while Elder Luo suddenly exclaimed, "That''s strange, this heart is bigger than that of a normal person." "It''s exactly because it''s too big that I''m curious. It looks like it''s swollen, or rather, its potential has been overdrawn in advance." Xiang Beifei had already seen many such hearts. "That''s the case, but we need to rely on "In the short term, He Caiwei and Zhu Yiji probably won''t cause trouble. Now to move on to the next step." Xiang Beifei currently did not have the power to kill He Caiwei, but that was not a problem; He Caiwei being alive was actually better for him as there were still lots of uniqueness values to harvest! Chapter 623 - 460 Heading to Zi Hou (4000 words)_2 Whatever he exchanged, Xiaohei would take without any negotiation. If he didn''t exchange anything, then his system was just for show, sitting there to be admired, which would make He Caiwei even more infuriated! The order at the school had returned to normal. Elder Luo had taken over Liangzhou University with decisive measures, rightfully and unchallenged. After all matters were settled, Xiang Beifei needed to consider searching for Zi Hou. However, just then, he suddenly sensed something was off, turned his head, and realized that Hua Jiuyue had stood up without him noticing! She was still alive! "You really don''t know how to pity fragrant and cherish jade." Hua Jiuyue was still laughing maniacally. Before Xiang Beifei could react, she had already grabbed the golden cage at her waist. Buzz! The golden cage was very bizarre, and in an instant, it disappeared into the void with Hua Jiuyue! "Next time, remember to have a heart-to-heart talk on both sides!" Hua Jiuyue''s excited voice echoed in his ears, but her figure had already vanished, leaving no trace behind. Xiang Beifei stood up, frowning slightly. Have a heart-to-heart talk on both sides? Could it be that Hua Jiuyue, this person, had more than one heart? "That''s somewhat unexpected." Xiang Beifei hadn''t anticipated this point. Normally, people only have one heart. He hadn''t considered the possibility of someone having two hearts before. But he had to admit, Hua Jiuyue was very cunning. If she couldn''t win, she would feign death, then use the informational disparity between her and Xiang Beifei to escape. Xiang Beifei was very calm and did not pursue. That golden cage was extraordinary and not a system item. Moreover, its teleportation capability was much more powerful. Unable to detect her aura anymore, it was essentially impossible to catch up. If he encountered her again, he would have to crush her body to check. Xiang Beifei frowned slightly. This person, wary of his spiritual power flame? As if his flame was her nemesis? What was going on? You should know, Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power flame actually didn''t have any special suppressive effect on martial artists. It was just a simple and crude fist flame. If the opponent was weaker than him, one punch would be enough, but if their strength was comparable, they could definitely resist. At most, it was through the ability of counterattack that could ignite the opponent''s spiritual power, but there was no absolute suppression effect. Those who could fear his fist flame were only desolate beasts! Since last year, every desolate beast Xiang Beifei encountered could have its combat power reduced by his fist flame''s suppression; his spiritual power flame was indeed the bane of desolate beasts. So, what was with Hua Jiuyue? Actually, before arriving, a representative from the "Idle Faction" had proposed at the parliament to join forces to deal with Luo Yunxian! With so many people, if they took action against Luo Yunxian together, they believed they had a chance of success. However, several members of the "Leisure Faction" strongly opposed this plan, with a simple reason: from the video, it appeared that Luo Yunxian hadn''t even exerted his full strength when beating Zhu Yiji, and if a real fight broke out, even if they could subdue Luo Yunxian, he would likely take a few of them with him! After hanging up the phone, now that Xiao Sheng was there, he could feel somewhat relieved, because Xiao Sheng was also a master in the God Refining stage, who could handle some trouble if it arose. He continued to make inquiries, including Elder Luo and Ye Changfeng, and even specifically asked Sun Heshun, who had once been his father''s direct superior. Strangely, these people all had photos of Xiang Tianxing, various group photos, but uniquely, there were no videos of Xiang Tianxing! It was as if all videos related to Xiang Tianxing no longer existed. This was very bizarre indeed. "So what about her?" He then opened his own file in the Jiuzhou archives, where there was no shortage of information on him. When he had gone there in January, he had already shone as a star of the freshmen competition, with high-definition videos of him knocking down Hou Chengwu. "Xiaohei, do you have a way to erase the video footage about me?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiaohei pondered for a moment, stretched out his small paw to touch the video, and nodded, "Woof, woof." "Not the kind of data we copied but the archive from the Jiuzhou''s main archive, the one guarded by ''God''," Xiang Beifei said. The matter of Liangzhou University had not been completely resolved yet because there were still many issues waiting for him. Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei had taken such a big loss, how could they possibly give up easily? As UR-level Awakeners, the alliance would not really punish them; at most, they would issue a warning or an internal disciplinary action, but in fact, it wouldn''t really affect them; they would carry on as usual. Xiang Beifei was not so easily going to let them off the hook. "Xiaohei, are you done?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiaohei was sitting in front of the computer, his two dog paws tapping away at the keyboard, working on the video on the computer. That was the video from the last meeting room incident, which Xiang Beifei had recorded entirely. President Cao Pei, in order to cover up the events of that day and prevent such matters from tarnishing his reputation, had already used the school''s powerful UR-level confidentiality measures to restrict all the school''s senior leaders from leaking any information! But Xiang Bei Fei disregarded his maneuvers; attempting such tactics in front of Xiaohei was simply like bringing an axe to the class door¡ªa totally futile effort. "Send out the video! We must bring down He Caiwei and his people," Xiang Beifei said. "Woof!" Xiaohei promptly clicked to release the video. "Hello, Commander He, I am here by orders..." At that moment, a person looking like a doctor walked over, but upon seeing such a pig-headed figure before him, he also paused in confusion. "Huh? Where is Commander He?" he asked, not quite understanding. "Wuuu wuuu wuuu..." He Caiwei, having been beaten up, was unable to speak and just angrily groaned at the doctor. "What''s the matter with you? Why aren''t you recovering from your injuries?" Zhu Yiji sat nearby and asked. He Caiwei swallowed down the anger in his heart. Even though he harbored resentment towards Zhu Yiji, he dared not speak out since Zhu Yiji had just come to his rescue, and he still hadn''t fully fathomed Zhu Yiji''s intentions, unsure why he wanted to kill him yet saved him. In fact, Zhu Yiji never intended to kill He Caiwei; it was all just an accident. "I don''t know. Professor Guo''s attack might have contained some strange, powerful element that obstructed my healing," He Caiwei whispered a curse. Zhu Yiji frowned and said, "He is only SR-level! How could he cause injuries that even your system cannot heal?" "Those who took action today were all SR," He Caiwei said through clenched teeth. Upon hearing this, Zhu Yiji''s face also looked unpleasant. Because those who defeated them, two UR-level Awakeners, were both SR-level Awakeners! "Today''s battle was very strange. I didn''t expect Luo Yunxian to become so powerful to completely curb our systems. How did he manage that?" He Caiwei asked again. "I don''t know." Zhu Yiji also had this question in his mind, but he had no way of getting an answer. He glanced at He Caiwei then said, "It''s hard to look at you like this." "My left hand was broken by you!" He Caiwei finally couldn''t help but roar quietly. "I didn''t do it on purpose; surely Luo Yunxian had arrived much earlier, guiding us covertly," Zhu Yiji said coldly. He Caiwei gritted his teeth but said nothing more. They both blamed the day''s bizarre events on Luo Yunxian but never thought about the other people present, and they certainly never considered Xiang Beifei. Because in their eyes, even if Xiang Beifei had high talent, he was just a God Refining period martial artist, how could he possibly interfere with two UR-level individuals? After a while, Zhu Yiji waved his hand, and a white circle surrounded He Caiwei: About ten minutes later, He Caiwei was unharmed! This was the strength of the UR-level Square and Round Rules system! Compared to ordinary healing systems, even SSR-level ones could not recover so quickly. Chapter 624 - 461: The Person on the Snow Mountain Xiang Beifei also paused slightly upon seeing these three people. These three stood in the snow, their bodies stiff, not moving at all. Xiang Beifei initially thought they were alive, but soon realized that they probably were not. Because there was no system interface, and they emitted none of the vitality typical of living beings. "They seem to be frozen," Elder Luo said in a low voice. The two of them swiftly approached and stood beside the three, closely examining them. The trio wore black long sleeves, a style from at least a decade ago. From their posture, it appeared as though they were walking normally one second and then suddenly frozen the next, with one man''s foot even suspended in mid-air, never coming down, only one foot on the ground, maintaining that pose as stably as a sculpture of a horse treading a flying swallow. Xiang Beifei even thought about poking the man with a finger to see if he could knock him over. Then he actually tried it, and the man did not fall. The three were as if frozen in place¡ªstrictly speaking, they weren''t even properly considered frozen. Because if frozen to death in the snow, the entire body would be stiff, the skin would turn frost-reddened, even purplish. However, the three people before them bore no signs of frostbite; they just stood there, their skin smooth and lifelike, as if they were alive. "They don''t appear to have died from freezing, but it''s strange that the bodies haven''t changed despite such low temperatures," Elder Luo said. "But their body temperature is terrifyingly low." Xiang Beifei felt it with his Spiritual Power, and the temperature had to be at least minus seventy or eighty degrees. A normal person under these temperatures would turn into an ice stick, and even a martial artist would not survive without using Spiritual Power to maintain their body temperature. Elder Luo carefully examined the three people, and the more he investigated, the more surprised he became, "I don''t feel like they were frozen." "It feels more like they were fixed in place." Xiang Beifei involuntarily thought of his two bricks. If people were fixed with the bricks, the situation would look much the same, but the problem was that being fixed by the bricks came with various golden patterns, like array patterns, whereas these three were purely fixed into the icy and snowy landscape. In this place, snowflakes continued to drift, but none landed on them, as if the snowflakes consciously avoided them. Xiang Beifei looked up the slope and spotted several more figures. "There are more people up there." He quickly flew over and landed beside these individuals. Here stood four more people, two men and two women, all facing different directions, their expressions panicked, all flailing as if to dodge something. One of them was rolling forward, another was propped up on the ground, and the remaining two were leaning forward while looking back. If one were to analyze specifically, these four must have been together, and then suddenly something appeared among them, and to avoid it, they moved in different directions, but they were fixed in place before they could completely escape! "This is truly bizarre." Xiang Beifei found the pose of one of the frozen people particularly strange; his palms had just touched the ground, and his feet were still in the air, presenting a tumbling posture. From this angle, it seemed impossible for his center of gravity to support his body in that position. If a martial artist might manage it with their supernatural abilities, but this person showed no signs of life, clearly dead, merely a corpse. That such a corpse could maintain such an abnormal pose was indeed rare. "There are more people above." Elder Luo and the others continued up the snowy mountain, and as they ascended, they encountered many people in various poses, hiding behind rocks or behind frozen stone columns, even gripping now-gone weapons in their hands, ready to strike forward. They probably had gripped a knife or long sword, pulled out of the system, but because items from the system gradually turned into Spiritual Power and vanished over time, their hands remained in a clenched position. "This person is wearing clothes from over a hundred and twenty years ago. Back then, these types of buttons were popular as they could defend against poison gas attacks," Elder Luo said, looking at one of them. "You remember that clearly?" "Because it was invented by a student I once taught." "Eh? A student from over a hundred and twenty years ago, Elder Luo must be at least a hundred and forty years old?" Xiang Beifei was quite surprised, as he still didn''t know from which era Elder Luo was. He hadn''t found any information on Elder Luo even during his last visit to the Archives Building. Elder Luo glanced at Xiang Beifei and said, "Is that all you can see?" Could it be that Elder Luo was even older? Xiang Beifei spread his hands. "Speaking of which, do you think these people were Unrestrained?" Elder Luo asked. "I don''t know." "Then we''ll have to confirm by extracting the heart." A cold glint swiftly flashed in Elder Luo''s hand as he slashed towards the heart of a man in front of him¡ª Splat! A small cut instantly appeared in the man''s heart area, but Elder Luo suddenly lightened his touch. Xiang Beifei also noticed something was wrong! They did not find a Beast Pill in the man''s heart, but beneath the skin they had cut, there was no blood! It was as if the blood in their bodies had vanished, and in their veins, replacing it, flowed streams of cold qi! This cold qi was precisely what had attacked Xiang Beifei and the others in the canyon; the cold qi seemed to have a life of its own as it flowed within these people''s bodies, maintaining their blood vessels and their physical form. When Elder Luo cut their skin open, the chill burst out as though they were bleeding, and it immediately lunged at Elder Luo. But Elder Luo flicked his fingers, and those chills were deflected away. "There is something very wrong with these people," Xiang Beifei said. This scene was indeed eerie. He saw wounds that didn''t bleed but emitted chill, something Xiang Beifei had never encountered before. "I didn''t find the Beast Pill," Elder Luo said. Upon confirming that there was no Beast Pill inside the man''s heart, he withdrew his Spiritual Power. At that moment, the man''s wound emitted a burst of chill again, which covered the wound and healed it. "If there''s no Beast Pill in the heart, it means that he is not Unrestrained, so who are they after all?" Elder Luo looked over the few people he could see, deep in thought. There were no plants on the mountain, but he did see many ice spires sticking slantwise into the snow. After walking a bit further, however, he discovered a strange ice tree. This tree was quite magical. It wasn''t a green plant but was composed purely of ice crystals. Yet, the tree leaves, branches, and the veins in various parts looked just like those of a real plant, as if it was a piece of ice sculpture art. "Are these plants, man-made sculptures?" Xiang Beifei exclaimed. Not only did he see the ice tree in the snow, but also other thorn-like ice sculptures. These thorn bushes grew there, and each tiny spike was distinctly visible. Looking around, it seemed all the plants he could see were made of ice crystals. "Something is odd, let me check," Elder Luo said. Suddenly, a powerful aura burst from Elder Luo''s body, quickly spreading over the entire snowy mountain. This was his Orifice Perception, using his powerful Perception to search every corner of the snowy mountain. The vastness of the mountain did not hinder his probing. Soon he suddenly discovered something, and said, "This way." He grabbed Xiang Beifei and quickly headed up the mountain. As they flashed past, they could see countless people, all standing in various postures in different corners of the snowy mountain. By the time they stopped, they had already reached the top of the mountain! And on the mountain, there stood a huge red tree! The tree looked like a Bodhi tree, not more than three or four meters tall, but every branch, every leaf was vividly red, almost dripping blood. Inside the trunk, red liquid was faintly flowing. But Xiang Beifei quickly understood what that red liquid was. Blood! The appearance of this tree seemed no different from other ice crystal trees, as if it was carved from ice blocks. However, while the other trees and plants of the mountain were made of transparent ice crystals, this particular tree seemed to have absorbed blood. Xiang Beifei realized something. "A blood altar!" Xiang Beifei whispered. "Blood altar?" Elder Luo frowned. "Yes, there is a huge blood altar beneath this snowy mountain." Xiang Beifei provided a brief explanation. In fact, others also wanted to investigate the blood altar just now, but Xiang Beifei didn''t let them go because Xiaohei was still there. "So the Unrestrained hunt the pioneers, and then bring their blood here?" Elder Luo said gravely. "It should be like that. The people we encountered along the way, their blood was probably drawn to this tree." Xiang Beifei''s gaze fell on several people next to the Bodhi tree; they seemed somewhat familiar. Then he remembered something and took out the information Zhao Ruizhong had collected earlier. Since last December, there had been frequent shakes, and a chill would subsequently freeze an Unrestrained into ice shards; pictures of these people were available. Xiang Beifei compared them and felt very surprised! "How could those Unrestrained attacked by the chill have ended up here?" Among the more than ten people present, eight faces were exactly the same as shown in the information! "I remember you said that those attacked by the chill would turn into ice shards?" Elder Luo asked. "I thought so." Xiang Beifei furrowed his brow. "Could it be that these people, after being frozen into ice shards, didn''t disappear but instead reassembled here?" Xiang Beifei exclaimed. "So does that mean the chill erupts every month to freeze people into ice shards and bring them here, and then extract their blood for this ice tree?" Elder Luo said. The situation was so strange, even Elder Luo, who was experienced and knowledgeable, had never heard of such a thing before. Or perhaps, the people on Zi Hou also belonged to a strange race? Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but recall the withered forest near Mao Hou from before. Every tree in that withered forest could transform into a mobile Youmeng! Chapter 625 - 462: Blood Transfusion (4000 words) It regained normality around 5:30. The subscribed chapters will be refreshed, so there will be no repeated subscriptions. A good system allows you to apply the knowledge you have mastered in a more skilled manner. If you have an unreasonable system like an N-level, no matter how much knowledge you gain from books, it will be very difficult to complete the system tasks and achieve the goal of learning for practical use. In other words, academic performance determines one''s basic lower limit, while the level of system talent determines one''s future upper limit. In the world of systems, having high academic performance only means you have a deeper understanding of the world than the average person, but it doesn''t represent higher future achievements compared to others. If you compare a person to a tree, then the awakened system is like the fertilizer that helps to nurture the tree. An N-level system can at most allow this tree to grow to one meter, but an R-level can make it grow to ten meters, and an S-level can enable it to reach a hundred meters! As for the SR and SSR levels, needless to say, they can cultivate a person into a towering tree! And the nine elite universities, as the name suggests, are meant to train elite students with high future potential. "It''s a pity for such a good seedling, even an R-level system would have been fine," someone couldn''t help but sigh. "Yes! Such a waste," others echoed, expressing sympathy, regret, and schadenfreude... all sorts of glances were cast, and even though there was still a slim hope for N-level candidates at Liangzhou University, that hope was faint. Because that examination, it is said, is an insurmountable gulf for N-levels. Who would have thought that the school''s top scorer with 732 points would face such an awkward situation? At the same time, everyone''s outlook on Zhuo Jing had become more optimistic. Even though his score was only 581, more than a hundred points less than Xiang Beifei, the problem is that he''s S-level! With such a score, he could easily enter one of the nine elite universities and choose a good major. "The class president is still impressive! Which of the nine elite universities are you planning to choose?" someone enviously asked. "Do you even have to ask? With his additional 631 points, he can pick any from the nine elite universities," someone replied. "Yeah, S-level with 631 points is way better than N-level with 732 points," another agreed. [You have received praise from Kangkang, appreciation value +2] [You have received praise from Liu Lan, appreciation value +2] ... Seizing the opportunity, Zhuo Jing harvested another wave of appreciation value and immediately felt refreshed. He feigned modesty and said, "Oh, you flatter me. I''ve already set my goal. As a part of Liangzhou, I plan to stay here and apply to Liangzhou University!" In fact, his decision to apply to Liangzhou University was a spur-of-the-moment thing; Xiang Beifei usually didn''t perform as well as him, but now had surpassed him in the college entrance examination, which really annoyed him. He knew that Xiang Beifei''s only chance to apply to an elite university was Liangzhou University. So, he chose Liangzhou University! During the entrance examination, Xiang Beifei was destined to be rejected by Liangzhou University. But with his current situation, he was a prospective student of whichever elite university he chose! 581 points got him into Liangzhou University, while 732 points got rejected. What a stark contrast! As such, his status as a high-caliber S-level student shone even brighter! Many nodded in approval of Zhuo Jing''s words. Zhuo Jing glanced arrogantly at Xiang Beifei. So what if you''re the top scorer? So what if you were first in raw scores? My 581 points will still obliterate your future! They will still steal your limelight! They will still shift everyone''s attention from you to me! Jealous, aren''t you? "Haha! Not only did I complete the system task, but I also overshadowed the top scorer and harvested a lot of appreciation value. Awesome!" Zhuo Jing hummed happily to himself. Now, it was time to claim the system rewards! He happily looked at the system interface, eyed the [Double Appreciation Card] and the [Piercing Strike] cultivation technique, then clicked on [Claim Reward]. One minute later. "Where''s my system reward?" Zhuo Jing suddenly petrified on the spot! "Dammit, system, you swallowed my reward again!" Zhuo Jing felt darkness close in and nearly passed out. ---- Although Zhuo Jing was an S-level Awakener, he had only awakened his system for two months and his cultivation was still only at the initial stages of Qi-Controlling, so the two system rewards were also for the initial stages of Qi-Controlling. Such rewards, Xiang Beifei wouldn''t even consider, but he happily accepted them anyway. The reason was simple: delight. For those who had no grudges against him and whose rewards were mistakenly taken by Xiaohei, he would return them. For those who treated him well, he would respect them and do his best to help. But for those who sought trouble, who bullied their way onto his face, there was no need to be polite! If he couldn''t use them, he might as well feed them to a dog! Xiaohei, a little milk-colored dog, joyously swallowed the two items, transforming them into a Spiritual Qi Crystal and began collecting them. "Dammit, system! Dammit, system!" Zhuo Jing was nearly driven mad, still unaware of what had actually happened, as the system had glitched before, so he thought it crashed again today. If there weren''t so many people around, he would have already started cursing at his system. Little did he know that his rewards had indeed fallen into the paws of a little milk dog. ---- Due to Zhuo Jing''s words, many stopped envying Xiang Beifei, the top scorer, and gradually shifted their attention to other S-level students, which actually relieved Xiang Beifei. Chapter 626 - 462: Blood Transfusion (4000 words)_2 He didn''t like being surrounded by people. The crowd dispersed quickly, and other school leaders went to congratulate other students, leaving only Principal Li Nanxing, whose expectations for Xiang Beifei had never diminished from beginning to end. When mentioning the wilderness beyond the domain, Li Nanxing''s expression became grave. Outside the boundaries of Jiuzhou, that place was filled with various kinds of dangerous and powerful desolate beasts, ferocious and terrifying. The task of the pioneers was to eliminate the desolate beasts in an area and then expand the territory of Jiuzhou, securing more living space for humanity. It was a daunting task, as desolate beasts were not easily annihilated; on the contrary, it was more common for the pioneers to be surrounded and killed by the beasts! This was also the reason why the profession of pioneer held such a revered status¡ªthey fought for human survival space, almost tying their own lives to their waistbands. In Jiuzhou, if one''s cultivation had not reached the Meridian Opening Realm, they were generally not allowed to enter the wilderness beyond the domain, because those in the Qi-Controlling Realm going to the wilderness were no different from courting death! "I don''t understand what those people at Liangzhou University are thinking, they actually set up such an entrance examination." Li Nanxing spoke discontentedly, clearly voicing his opinion that it amounted to hanging a sign saying "N-level Awakeners need not apply" for everyone to see. But he was just a high school principal and couldn''t influence the affairs of Liangzhou University. No matter how unfair it felt, there was nothing he could do about it. "Of course, you don''t need to worry, you''re not yet in the Qi-Controlling Phase, so the test they''ve set for you should be in the simulated training ground. Elite universities have simulated training facilities, that is, they will be..." Li Nanxing said. Xiang Beifei fell into thought. The entrance examination, was it to enter the wilderness beyond the domain? His parents had gone to the wilderness beyond the domain and never returned. He had never been to that place and wondered just what it was like. This world was intimately connected with the wilderness beyond the domain, yet what Xiang Beifei had experienced so far was still just the tip of the iceberg. The results for the Luhe High School college entrance exam came out one by one, some happy, some sorrowful, with scores of 300, and scores of 400; every person''s expression was unique. The current top scorer, named Shen Yu, had awakened the [S-level Academic God System] and scored 667 points without extra points, from class one. At this time, Kong Xiuwen''s score was also released: [Kong Xiuwen, S-level, Language 101, Mathematics 103, Comprehensive 191, An Introduction to Defense of Jiuzhou 118, Total 513] Kong Xiuwen was overjoyed! "Ah, I scored 500 points!" He desperately grasped his own hair. To reach a score of 500 points, he had put in every effort, exchanging all the fallen hair he had collected for system rewards that increased intelligence, and finally, it paid off. 513 plus 50 extra points amounted to 563 points; there was no problem getting into an elite university with such a score! "Congratulations," Xiang Beifei said. "Thanks, I didn''t expect to perform so well!" Kong Xiuwen was extremely excited, but soon suppressed his enthusiasm and inquired, "How confident are you? You were the one who said we should go to Liangzhou University together, and I''ve made it. I''m just waiting for you now! Don''t let me down!" "Let''s wait for the results to come out," Xiang Beifei said. "Son, you did it!" A portly middle-aged man squeezed through the crowd. He had a sturdy build that pushed aside the throng, and he excitedly embraced Kong Xiuwen, nearly knocking him over with his round belly. This was Kong Xiuwen''s father, Kong Daming. [Host: Kong Daming] [S-level, Gluttonous Feast System] [Realm: Early Meridian Opening] Kong Daming was in the restaurant business, his culinary skills so divine that even a simple napa cabbage could make one drool with desire. "Dad, show some restraint, some restraint," Kong Xiuwen, clutching his stomach in pain from being bumped, found it hard to hide his own excitement as he let his father''s hefty palm rub back and forth over his head. "Uncle Kong, hello." Xiang Beifei greeted him politely. "Ha ha, good, good, Xiaofei, it''s been a long time since I''ve seen you," Kong Daming laughed heartily, then turned to greet Xiang Qingde, "How''s the old master holding up?" "Not bad at all, congratulations, Daming," Xiang Qingde squeezed out a smile. "Ha ha, thanks, thanks. My Xiuwen has made something of himself now. By the way, have Xiaofei''s test results come out yet?" Kong Daming asked. "They should be out soon." A vision of the test paper with a score of 43 flashed through Xiang Qingde''s mind, and he silently sighed. "Xiaofei, you''ve got to push harder! The two of you have been playing together since you were little and have always been in the same class. I hope you can go to university together too!" Kong Daming said cheerfully. "Let''s hope so." Xiang Qingde could only say as much, his heart sighing again. Kong Xiuwen was an S-rank Awakener, and he could get into an elite university with just a score of 500. But Xiang Beifei was ranked N, and his grades were so poor... "Ha ha, that''s great! To celebrate my son scoring such good marks, I won''t do business tonight. Instead, I''ll have a celebration banquet just for you guys. Old master, you should join us too!" Kong Daming used to be classmates with Xiang Tianxing, and after Tianxing''s accident, he often looked after the grandfather and grandson, always telling them to eat at his restaurant free of charge. It''s just that Xiang Qingde and his grandson seldom went there. Although their income wasn''t high, they did not want to live off others. Kong Daming understood this, so he found another way to help, often delivering meat to Xiang Qingde''s home for them to cook. So as not to make Xiang Qingde feel burdened, he only symbolically charged them the price of cabbage. Recently during Beifei''s high school exams, the ingredients for fortifying the body were all bought from Daming. "Congratulations! Well done, Kong Xiuwen. I always said you were promising!" Yang Hua showed up just in time, loudly praising Kong Xiuwen. Kong Xiuwen had also brought him a teacher''s prestige value of 563, which was a significant sum! Kong Xiuwen wasn''t particularly warm toward Yang Hua. Before he awakened to his system, he and Xiang Beifei were both the subjects of criticism. Then, after he awakened his S-rank system, Yang Hua''s attitude toward him changed dramatically. Kong Xiuwen, a straightforward person, didn''t like this kind of person. But Kong Daming wasn''t aware of these issues and, with a teacher giving his congratulations, naturally said, "Ha ha, thank you, Professor Yang. It''s all thanks to Professor Yang''s nurturing!" "It''s nothing, it''s nothing. I always knew that Kong Xiuwen was a student full of potential, bound to achieve great things. I''m not the least bit surprised by his success," Yang Hua laughed. Kong Xiuwen rolled his eyes the whole time. Nurturing my ass! The reason he scored so high was entirely down to the help of his system and his own late-night hard work, nothing to do with Yang Hua whatsoever. If he hadn''t awakened to an S-rank system, Yang Hua would probably have a completely different spiel. ""Weathercock" is probably the best description for such people." Yang Hua glanced at Xiang Qingde and his grandson, then said to Kong Daming, "An excellent student should be like Kong Xiuwen, diligent and hardworking, not complacent. However, it''s very important who you associate with. Excellent people should be together with even more excellent people. I''ve told Xiuwen this before." Kong Daming, usually busy with his business, didn''t quite understand Yang Hua''s implication and asked, "What do you mean by that, Professor Yang?" "Nothing much, just speaking my mind. With Kong Xiuwen''s current results, there''s no problem getting into an elite university. He will be able to mix with even more outstanding people in the future. Your son definitely has a bright future ahead of him. Congratulations! I need to check other students'' results as well, so I won''t disturb your father-son celebration any longer." Yang Hua waved his hand, too lazy to pay any more attention to Xiang Qingde and Xiang Beifei, blatantly ignoring them. "Don''t take what that guy said to heart. You can definitely do it," Kong Xiuwen came over to cheer Xiang Beifei up. But truth be told, Kong Xiuwen wasn''t sure himself. It wasn''t difficult for him to get into an elite university, but it was a significant challenge for Xiang Beifei. Up till now, he still didn''t know how much Beifei had improved. Xiang Beifei didn''t offer much explanation, but Xiang Qingde felt increasingly uncomfortable after hearing Yang Hua''s words. Chapter 627 - 463 The Range of Devouring "Why is the snowy mountain trembling?" Elder Luo inquired. "I''m not sure." Xiang Beifei couldn''t be certain either, but he clearly remembered that there was a section of black wood on Mao Hou that seemed to be the bane of Mu Youmeng, but after it was devoured by Erha, the animosity of the Mu Youmeng towards Xiang Beifei decreased, and they even planned to communicate with him. However, at that time, Mao Hou also trembled, and then all the Mu Youmeng turned back into trees. Perhaps there are some latent connections between these Hou. Xiang Beifei and Elder Luo investigated the snowy mountain thoroughly, but still could not find more clues about the matter. They had even thought about draining the blood of the blood tree, but considering that these ice people could not be reassembled once shattered, they decided not to continue this experiment. "Tianxing said if we want to follow his steps, we need some element from the Hou as a guide, exactly what should we take?" Elder Luo asked. Xiang Beifei looked at the fierce wind swirling in the sky and said, "It should be these cold airs, the cold air of Zi Hou, the mud of Chou Hou, and the stream water of Mao Hou. They all can devour spiritual power." "But the cold air devours, and this stuff is hard to carry," Elder Luo said. No matter using what system items, they are all transformed from spiritual power and will be devoured, and even Elder Luo is no exception. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment and asked, "Since items created from spiritual power are corroded, what about non-spiritual power objects?" "Like what?" "For instance, a purely handmade clay pot, or carving a piece of wood to hold water. Last time at Mao Hou, that''s how we held the stream water." "But the stream water you carried then lost its devouring ability afterward. Are you sure such water is useful?" Elder Luo was not vague. Last time Xiang Beifei and his group, to prove what they had seen and heard, took out the stream water to show everyone, but the water had lost its devouring ability and turned into the most ordinary thing. Xiang Beifei thought about it and then asked Xiaohei in his mind, "Could you bring out the stream water from last time and see if it still has the devouring power?" Xiaohei was still controlling the blood altar with two bricks deep under the snowy mountain, which also belonged to the coverage of the snowy mountain. Last time Xiaohei used its bubbles to hold some stream water, and although the water lost its effect after leaving Mao Hou, it had been keeping the water and had not discarded it. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei tried with a system item, and replied in surprise. "So this works!" Xiang Beifei exclaimed. "What works?" Elder Luo asked. "The stream water we took last time lost its devouring ability after leaving Mao Hou, but once we arrived at Zi Hou, the water regained its devouring ability!" Xiang Beifei explained. "So these cold airs, stream water, mud, and such, only have devouring power when they are within these Hou?" Elder Luo asked. "Yes! That also explains why the stream water became ineffective when we wanted to study it last time because we had left the range of Mao Hou!" Xiang Beifei replied. "This is indeed very peculiar," Elder Luo remarked thoughtfully. "Anyway, what we need to collect should be the cold air." Xiang Beifei turned to the cold air swirling in the sky, interweaving into a hurricane, and using breath soil, he pursued and intercepted it, wrapping one of the streams of cold air into a small water pouch. The cold air tried to break through the breath soil pouch, but failed. "Then I''ll also go find a bottle to try," Elder Luo said. Elder Luo didn''t have a container around him to hold the item, and nothing exchanged with system points would suffice. Anyway, the item wouldn''t run away, so there was no urgent rush. They found no further leads and left the snowy mountain. Now, Elder Luo needed to consider an important matter¡ªwhere exactly were the Unrestrained study''s beast eggs deployed? ¡ª Xiang Beifei let Xiaohei retrieve the two bricks, and then left Zi Hou, returning to Jiuzhou. It was already the next day''s noon. Elder Luo hurried back to the alliance, preparing to inform other members of the alliance and then to shut down the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company. Xiang Beifei now had the cold air from Zi Hou, and the next step was to get some earth from Chou Hou, then to locate the position of Yin Hou. But he first returned to Liangzhou University, planning to clear the remaining Unrestrained operatives. Unrestrained was not merely made up of those who had transplanted beast pills; there were also those who hadn''t transplanted beast pills but were powerful, such as Xu Yang, and the Dai siblings! These martial artists, who were human but chose to abet tyranny, needed to be dealt with. However, when Xiang Beifei returned to Liangzhou University, the Dai siblings were nowhere to be found! "They ran quite fast." Xiang Beifei was not surprised; such a major incident had occurred in the Unrestrained stronghold, and they could not have been uninformed. They probably realized something was wrong as soon as they discovered the stronghold had been eliminated and immediately abandoned their monitoring task. He went to find Ye Changfeng to inquire if he had noticed where Xu Yang had gone. Just now, he had also asked Xiaohei to refine a Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage beast pill into a spiritual power crystal to give to Ye Changfeng. Ye Changfeng was currently in the late stages of God Refining because Xiang Beifei was planning to leave Jiuzhou for the outer desolate realm soon, and he needed to help Ye Changfeng reach the orifice transforming stage as quickly as possible, ensuring Ye Changfeng could intimidate others. At that moment, Ye Changfeng had just come out of his office. Seeing Xiang Beifei, his spirits lifted, and he asked, "Is the matter resolved?" "It sort of is," Xiang Beifei responded. "Did you find the stronghold of the Unrestrained?" Ye Changfeng asked. "Yes, I''ve left it to Elder Luo to handle," Xiang Beifei nodded, "By the way, where is Xu Yang, Mr. Xu? Mr. Ye, did you notice him?" "He''s teaching; he took advanced students to the outer desolate realm this summer to search for desolate beasts," Ye Changfeng said. "Then it seems he won''t be coming back," Xiang Beifei muttered to himself. "He will come back, don''t worry. No matter where he runs, he can''t escape my tracking. Did you really think I would lose track of someone that easily?" Ye Changfeng smiled calmly. Xiang Beifei''s eyes lit up: "So where is he now?" "Let''s not rush that," Ye Changfeng said, twisting his wrist and observing Xiang Beifei closely before slowly adding, "Do you still remember what you said to me when you left yesterday?" Xiang Beifei paused and then reluctantly said, "Do I really have to answer that now?" "Enough talk!" Ye Changfeng waved his hand, and a long sword had already appeared in his hand. He stood there, the sword in his hand like a pool of autumn water, emitting bursts of chilling brilliance. His figure was ethereal and transcendent, truly like a dust-free, elegant Sword Immortal. "Draw your sword!" Ye Changfeng pointed his sword directly at Xiang Beifei! "Mr. Ye, why are you so insistent on sparring with me?" Xiang Beifei scratched his head and asked. ¡ªPretending to be ignorant! A little later, and you wouldn''t be able to defeat you. Ye Changfeng knew about Xiang Beifei''s talent. He had reached the God Refining stage within a year. Who knew if next month he might directly rush to the Orifice Transforming stage? Better take the chance to defeat him while I still can, and give him a good thrashing first! "I had a sudden insight, and upon calculating, I found that you are the only one I can discuss the sword over wine with!" Ye Changfeng said seriously. "Mr. Ye''s swordsmanship is unparalleled in this world, I''m truly no match." Xiang Beifei took out his Ronin Sword very perfunctorily, gave it a swing, considering that he still had to respect his senior''s ego. He might as well admit defeat¡ªit didn''t matter to him whether he saved face or not. But just then, Ye Changfeng''s phone rang. He placed his sword horizontally, saying, "Hold on, I''m taking a call, it''s from Elder Luo." He had to take Elder Luo''s call, then walked to the side to listen earnestly to the call. His expression was initially spirited during the call. Then it became stupefied. It solidified next! Then incredulous? Finally, his eyes widened! ... Whoosh! After hanging up the call, Ye Changfeng abruptly turned his head, staring at Xiang Beifei in shock! "You... you... you killed an Unrestrained at the Orifice Transforming stage?" Ye Changfeng asked in disbelief. "Oh, you mean that, just luck," Xiang Beifei said. Ye Changfeng: "..." Damn! How can I even compare swords now! What the heck! Ye Changfeng, annoyed, sheathed his sword and glared fiercely at Xiang Beifei, "You''ve beaten someone at the Orifice Transforming stage and you''re admitting defeat to me? Admit defeat to a cactus! Why didn''t you say earlier that you alone wiped out a lair with thirteen Orifice Transforming stage Unrestraineds?" "There wasn''t time to speak," Xiang Beifei said helplessly, spreading his hands. "Sigh! It seems I was too slow after all, there''s nothing I can do about you now." Ye Changfeng felt pained. Yet he was genuinely astounded. Elder Luo had just briefed him on the situation, and he was surprised that Xiang Beifei had such formidable strength, eradicating a lair with about a dozen Orifice Transforming stage Unrestraineds just after reaching the late stage of God Refining? How on Jiuzhou did this little monster manage that? Ye Changfeng''s mind was troubled for a long time, but he quickly collected himself, straightened his sleeves, and said, "Elder Luo asked me to help out with the Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company at the alliance, so I need to head over there. Here, take this Tracing Sword and find Xu Yang, I''ve marked him, you will be able to locate him." He flung a short sword to Xiang Beifei. "Oh right, Mr. Ye, my Eclipse Sword just got damaged." "Take it! All yours! Just take it!" Ye Changfeng, full of resentment, flicked another Eclipse Sword over with his finger. As frustrated as he was, he still had to spoil his junior. "Thank you, Mr. Ye, take this," Xiang Beifei tossed over a white spiritual power crystal. "What''s this?" Ye Changfeng looked at the spiritual power crystal in surprise. "A Beast Pill from an early-stage Orifice Transforming desolate beast!" Xiang Beifei explained, "I refined it into a spiritual power crystal. The spiritual power it contains is very pure and can be absorbed directly, enough to quickly nourish your soul and let you step into the Orifice Transforming stage sooner." "An early-stage Orifice Transforming spiritual power crystal?" Ye Changfeng exclaimed. He well knew the value of such a thing. An early-stage Orifice Transforming spiritual power crystal was equivalent to an Opening Orifice Pill; it would take him years of completing system tasks! Ye Changfeng felt the immense spiritual power fluctuations, profoundly shocked. This item was indeed a million times more precious than the swords he had given! But he suppressed the excitement in his heart, and threw it back to Xiang Beifei, "Why aren''t you urgently using it to nourish your own soul? Why give it to me?" "I don''t lack these things, I still have plenty. Mr. Ye must quickly cultivate to the Orifice Transforming stage, only then can you help Elder Luo." Xiang Beifei stuffed the spiritual power crystal into Ye Changfeng''s hand, smiled slightly, "Now we are on the same starting line, if Mr. Ye still thinks about treating me, there''s still a chance. I''m off to find Xu Yang now." Without waiting for Ye Changfeng to respond, he took a step and disappeared into the campus. "Is there still a chance?" Ye Changfeng smiled bitterly. Forget it, no more comparing with this kid, it just adds to my own frustration. Chapter 628 - 464: Void Devouring Insect (4000 words) Chapter updates will resume normal at six o''clock. Those who are subscribed will not resubscribe; simply refresh the chapter, and please continue to support the genuine version. You may subscribe using advertisement coins. Thank you, everyone. As these few individuals appeared, the atmosphere suddenly became tense. Chen Baiwen, Yu Hongbo, Zhu Xinjue! It was the team from Yanzhou University! Who would have thought that they would also show up here? Zhu Xinjue''s eyes immediately found Xiang Beifei in the crowd; his heart missed a beat, and then a resentful expression flashed across his face, but he quickly concealed this resentment. Because their current alliance with Qingzhou University had fallen apart, there was no way to join forces against Xiang Beifei. When Yu Hongbo and Chen Baiwen saw Xiang Beifei, they were also slightly shocked! The two exchanged a glance involuntarily! Just yesterday, they had thought about joining forces with Qingzhou University to deal with Xiang Beifei, but they hadn''t found him. Instead, Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University ended up dead. They hadn''t expected to encounter Xiang Beifei in this place either. "Don''t panic! He probably doesn''t know about yesterday''s incident!" Chen Baiwen made a gesture to Yu Hongbo and the others, and without speaking, they all understood each other''s meaning. Yu Hongbo composed himself and said, "Xiang Beifei, I''ve long admired your name. I am Yu Hongbo, captain of the Yanzhou University team." Chen Baiwen also nodded slightly but did not speak. Xiang Beifei regarded the people from Yanzhou University thoughtfully, his gaze sweeping over them before resting briefly on Zhu Xinjue, and then after a long moment, he said, "What brings you here?" "After we entered these withered woods, we realized something was wrong, so we ran up this mountain. The situation outside is pretty bad; did you also encounter those strange tree creatures just now?" Yu Hongbo asked. "That''s right." Xiang Beifei replied without revealing anything. "Are you all okay?" Yu Hongbo inquired. "Not too bad." Xiang Beifei glanced back at Tang He. Tang He was from Qingzhou University, and the situation of their team now seemed quite bleak. When Tang He saw Yu Hongbo and the others, he too showed an expression of shock; he hadn''t expected to run into the people from Yanzhou University there. Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University had died at the hands of "Zhu Pengfei"! However, he didn''t dare to say much now. Being merely a late-stage Qi-Controlling SR-level Awakener, without any teammates around, he was no match for these people from Yanzhou University. "How long have you been in these withered woods?" Xiang Beifei asked. "We came in last night!" Yu Hongbo replied. "Last night? Have you been here for nearly a day?" Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. "Yes, we have been here since last night!" Now, Yu Hongbo no longer had the intention to deal with Xiang Beifei. On the contrary, there was a hint of wanting to act together with Xiang Beifei. Because their team was also in a very difficult situation. This place was too peculiar; they were trapped and couldn''t find a way out. Seeing Xiang Beifei, Yu Hongbo still felt a glimmer of hope. Xiang Beifei was strong, maybe he had a way out! "So, are you all right?" Xiang Beifei asked. "One of us had an accident." Yu Hongbo said with a heavy tone. Currently, only four members were left in their team. "Have you been on this mountain since last night until now?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "Not exactly, at first, we were walking through the withered woods, but then suddenly, it got dark, and the situation seemed wrong, so we ran to the mountain. We noticed that the tree creatures dared not follow us up, which gave us some relief. We weren''t initially on this mountain but another one." "So, you are that N-level Awakener, Xiang Beifei?" Chen Baiwen''s expression was not pleasant when facing Xiang Beifei; he actually didn''t want to come up here. Given the previous situation, Hou Chengwu''s loss was inexplicable; he hadn''t even seen clearly how Hou Chengwu had lost. If he were to lose to an N-level student, that would almost certainly ruin his reputation. However, if he did not come up to face Xiang Beifei, it would make him seem even more like a coward, tantamount to indirectly proving that he, an eminent SSR-level Awakener, was afraid of an N-level! That meant Xiang Beifei would practically win without fighting. After all, like Hou Chengwu, he had scorned Liangzhou University for recruiting N-level students and was persuaded by other universities not to go to Liangzhou. Having chosen to forego Liangzhou University, Chen Baiwen was an SSR with high self-esteem; how could he not prove himself? Xiang Beifei just looked calmly at Zhu Xinjue, but a murderous intent appeared in the depths of his eyes. He had not killed this man last time. Faced with a clear intent to kill him, he must kill Zhu Xinjue this time! However, just as he finished speaking, he suddenly felt his knees buckle; with a "snap," he unexpectedly knelt in front of Xiang Beifei! Zhu Xinjue and the others were also stunned! "Hou Chengwu, what are you doing?" Chen Baiwen asked in astonishment. Hou Chengwu was shocked by his own actions as well! Why had he knelt down? Wasn''t it agreed that Xiang Beifei would be the one thrown off? Why had he knelt down instead? Hou Chengwu''s face turned beet-red as he tried angrily to stand up but found that no matter what, he couldn''t do it! ¡ª But just then, Hou Chengwu, with his keen eyes, suddenly saw Xiang Beifei''s figure and loudly exclaimed, "There he is!" This time everyone saw clearly; Xiang Beifei was indeed a real person! Chapter 629 - 464: Void Devouring Insect (4000 words)_2 Other people also saw Xiang Beifei, but because of the flood, they found it difficult to disentangle themselves. "Yu Hongbo, you keep an eye on these SRs, we will go deal with him!" Hou Chengwu shouted. "Okay!" Yu Hongbo had to take care of his own subordinates, otherwise the SRs would be directly submerged by the flood. A trace of ruthlessness appeared in Zhu Xinjue''s eyes, and a giant glass sphere appeared in his hand. With a flicker, the glass sphere transformed into an illusory light, enveloping this expanse of void. "This time I''d like to see where you can run!" Zhu Xinjue sneered. The glass sphere was a UR-level spatial system item that could render any form of spatial teleportation useless. Since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman, Zhu Xinjue was worried that Xiang Beifei would escape. Soon, Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong had Xiang Beifei completely surrounded, their powerful auras no weaker than the flood, fixing their gaze tightly on Xiang Beifei. "Xiang Beifei, although I know you are strong, now that there are four of us, I still advise you to forfeit," He Qiutong said. He Qiutong was not aware of Zhu Xinjue''s plan; her goal, like Chen Baiwen''s, was just to eliminate Xiang Beifei from the competition. Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the four people before him. Four people, easier to handle than five. "That''s right, we don''t want to harm you. You just quietly drop out, to avoid any trouble," Chen Baiwen said gravely. However, Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue beside him were filled with limitless killing intent. "What are we waiting for? We need to take him down before we talk about eliminating him!" Hou Chengwu exclaimed. This time, facing Xiang Beifei, he already had enough confidence. Although he didn''t know what happened last time in the arena and ended up losing, now it was four against one. No matter how powerful Xiang Beifei was, in Hou Chengwu''s eyes, he was definitely a dead man! Grinding his teeth, Hou Chengwu said, "Today, I want you to pay the price!" That day, he, a proud SSR, was shoved into a trash bin, losing all face. Today, he had to kill Xiang Beifei! "Three against two, not too bad, not too terrible," Xiang Beifei stated. "Three against two?" Zhu Xinjue scoffed, "Have we scared you silly? Can''t you even count the numbers right? There are four of us here against you alone!" "President Ren is so venerable and highly esteemed, he has said, ''Names don''t matter, strength does.'' A senior who can say such things must have an open mind; how could he fuss over such trifles as names with me? As President Ren''s proud student, why are your principles in dealing with people inconsistent with his?" Xiang Beifei asked, appearing puzzled as he gazed at Hou Chengwu, and then added, "Haven''t you even learned the slightest of his skills?" His words were watertight, first mockingly insinuating something about Ren Jianghai, then immediately elevating Ren Jianghai to a high position, preventing Ren Jianghai from lashing out over Xiang Beifei''s teasing about names, and subtly damaging Hou Chengwu''s reputation in the process. "You..." Hou Chengwu was so enraged by Xiang Beifei that his face turned red. In mid-air, Li Zimu stood there, looking down at the people below in astonishment, and said, "They actually can''t tell." The flood here was the transformation of Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm. Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm had now reached a state indistinguishable between reality and illusion, but Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen were SSRs, one system level above him, and more advanced in their cultivation. Logically, they should not have been in such a sorry state. "Of course, they can''t tell. Not one of them is a System Awakener of the spiritual type," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power was attached to the flood created by Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm, so even if Li Zimu had only late-stage Qi-Controlling powers, the flood he created carried the power of the Meridian Opening stage! As for the suppression due to system levels, with Xiang Beifei present, the so-called SSR system superiority was just a fac?ade. He had specifically sought Li Zimu''s help to trap this group of people. But after walking a distance, a fork suddenly appeared in the road! Xiang Beifei''s shadow reappeared at the edge of the fork, but then disappeared again on the path. "Which way should we go?" an anxious Hou Chengwu asked Chen Baiwen. "I don''t know, there''s no trace," Chen Baiwen shook his head. "Let''s split up into two groups, that way we''ll be faster," Zhu Xinjue said. "Splitting forces just means dispersing our strength. If we run into Xiang Beifei, do you really think we stand a chance against him?" Chen Baiwen asked. "Xiang Beifei is clearly being hunted by that desolate beast. If we run into him, how could we not have a chance?" Zhu Xinjue replied. After discussing for a moment, everyone finally decided to split up but agreed to send a signal to the others if they encountered Xiang Beifei and, if they could not find anyone after half an hour, to regroup here. To ensure mutual trust, they mixed the members of both sides. Zhu Xinjue went with Yu Hongbo and He Qiutong on one route, while Chen Baiwen went with Hou Chengwu on another. Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen, leading three SRs, took the left path. Chen Baiwen seemed preoccupied with heavy thoughts, but Hou Chengwu still warned, "Don''t forget our agreement." Xiang Beifei vaguely realized something and said, "Digesting memories?" A desolate beast that eats the brains of other desolate beasts can sometimes absorb the memories of the consummed beast. This means that whatever the eaten beast saw and heard can be digested by another. If this green-haired worm was stepped on by Long Guocheng, then it means the worm saw Xiang Beifei and his people! Even if the green-haired worm couldn''t understand human speech, the images and scenes would still be left in its mind! What exactly did they say when they encountered the green-haired worm? Was it recorded by the worm? Eating the brains of other desolate beasts to make up for their own deficiencies and expand their knowledge, the more they consume, the higher the intelligence these desolate beasts will inevitably possess! A desolate beast that is strong but simple-minded isn''t scary. The truly terrifying ones are those with high intelligence! At present, they just don''t know what impression about them has been left by the green-haired worm that was stepped on by Long Guocheng. Li Zimu''s stone house had many rooms piled up; everyone was separated by one room. There was no bed or blanket. Although it was crude, it wasn''t such a concern in the wilderness beyond the realm. When Xiang Beifei was returning from his shift, Long Guocheng was leaning against the door with his arms crossed over his chest and asked, "Can I ask you a question?" "What is it?" Xiang Beifei said. "You aren''t an N-level Awakener, are you? You''re at least SR, right?" "Is that very important to you?" "It would make me feel better," Long Guocheng said reluctantly. If he lost to an SR like Li Zimu, he wouldn''t feel too disgraced because the other''s talent was not inferior to his. They were both SRs; if he lost, he could just win back next time. But losing to an N-level Awakener made him feel like there was always a lump in his throat. "That''s your own problem, nothing to do with me," Xiang Beifei didn''t like to explain his system to others. Because he simply had no system. "We are a team! I''ve told you my abilities! But we know nothing about yours! As a team, we should understand each other," Long Guocheng emphasized. "Now you admit you''re part of a team? I thought you liked to show off," Xiang Beifei said. Long Guocheng huffed but didn''t refute this point. He did like to show off. If he didn''t, he wouldn''t be able to collect system points. "If you tell me you are SR or SSR, then I could accept my defeat with conviction," Long Guocheng said. "Do you look down on those with lower system ranks that much? What''s wrong with N-level? Or R-level? Or even S-level? Besides their cultivation level improving, in terms of character, morality, or behavior... in what way are they inferior to you that you need to despise them? Do you enjoy finding a sense of superiority over those with lower systems?" Xiang Beifei said sternly. "I..." Long Guocheng was at a loss for words. He looked down on those who had less talent than him, because in his eyes, these people were hopeless, especially the bottom-tier N-level Awakeners. He only respected the strong. Chapter 630 - 465: The Broken Tower The downtown area was thriving and located inland, so the buildings were relatively tall, with about forty stories each. The building in front of them had been contorted into a bizarre shape, and by the thirteenth floor, it looked as if there had been a fault line, and it was already beginning to lean, with the entire building starting to tilt to one side. Many people on the street were screaming; some were running into the building, trying to rescue others, while some were running out in a panic. Numerous martial artists had hurried over and sealed off the building. "Don''t get close! There''s a problem with the space here!" a city guardian shouted loudly, maintaining order at the scene and preventing martial artists who wanted to enter the building to save others. "My wife is still inside, I must save her!" a burly man with a beard cried out in desperation. "Many spaces in this building have already been destroyed. The elevators, stairs, and transport floors are all blocked. We are arranging for flying martial artists to conduct the rescue. Please don''t panic and don''t cause us any trouble!" another man yelled. However, the building was too tall, and with many windows also skewed, their spatial abilities had shattered; martial artists in both the Qi-Controlling and Meridian Opening stages were helpless. It''s not the fault of these city guard members, as such "System Snail Dwellings" meant for secure living had various requirements, with a very high protective coefficient. Some places even had SR-level system protections. These guards were powerless against such things and could only wait for higher-level individuals to rescue them. "I just saw with my own eyes that my neighbor¡ªhe...he was cut in half by a sudden black fissure that appeared. It''s too..." a woman seemed dazed and frightened, her speech stammered, that dreadful image had left her with a deep trauma. "I just ran towards the transport elevator but it was full. The door hadn''t completely closed when I saw... I saw that the middle of the elevator looked as if half a meter had been neatly sliced away by something out of thin air, but it wasn''t just the elevator that was cut, there were also...there were also people crammed inside..." Another girl couldn''t stop crying, unable to continue her story. Whether missing the elevator was luck or not, she eventually found an undamaged window to jump from, caught by a martial artist below. "This Snail Dwelling building housed over five thousand people! How could such a building, which even those in the God Refining stage couldn''t destroy, collapse like this?" "Void Devouring Insects, I just saw a bunch of black bugs crawling by!" ... While many were still discussing in a panic, countless flying martial artists were searching for room entrances in the air, attempting to rescue everyone they could from the windows. However, with the spatial abilities collapsed, some windows were problematic; there was simply no way to enter. Trying to break the walls with brute force was even more out of the question. Not to mention whether their strength could break through the wall made of special materials, with the building ready to collapse at any moment, any vibration could cause the spatial system to fail even more severely, trapping even more people inside. At that moment, the building emitted a cracking noise. The thirteenth floor had suffered the most damage and had begun to lean outward, toppling towards another building! More screams emitted from within, and the onlookers below were likewise frozen with fear. "Run! Run! The building is collapsing!" someone roared. People on the streets fled in every direction, fearing being hit by the teetering building. The people inside felt despair, trapped in corners as the building leaned more, with increasing spatial fissures. In the nearby void, black cracks began to appear, and anyone touched by these fissures was instantly shredded. "No way to save them, retreat! Retreat!" A Law Enforcer helplessly directed his rescue squad to withdraw from the building''s vicinity; even for those in the air, there was nothing they could do. Those who could jump out of windows had done so; for those who couldn''t, they were powerless to help. Boom! The thirteenth floor of the building finally snapped under pressure, sending innumerable chunks of plaster and glass cascading down. The upper half of the building collapsed thunderously, crashing down with tremendous force onto the residential building on the other side! But just then, a golden array pattern surged rapidly, spreading like a spider web across the entire building. The building that was about to fall was suddenly frozen in midair, the collapse forcibly halted in its tracks. The fractured building was now at an eerie near-ninety-degree angle but did not fall. "It actually stopped?" many exclaimed in surprise, eager to understand who possessed such strength to forcibly stop a building''s collapse. But no one saw that, atop the roof, a person was solemnly holding the entire building in place. "So much effort for such a wide range of golden bricks," Xiang Beifei furrowed his brows. Whenever he placed two bricks together previously, the array would unfurl on its own. In reality, every time he used it, it relied on the bricks themselves to complete the task, even eradicating Unrestrained relied on the power of the blood altar, he had hardly spent any Spiritual Power. But this time, when he tried to stabilize a building, the two bricks seemed to lack strength and directly drew Spiritual Power from Xiang Beifei. This was the first time it had happened. "Xiaohei, you hold it up first, I''m going inside to see if I can fix this building." "Woof woof!" Xiaohei indicated no problem while pressing on the bricks. Xiang Beifei took a swift step and disappeared into the void, reappearing in a room on the thirteenth floor. In the room was a small boy, curled up in the corner in terror, his body covered with golden lines. Beside him, a middle-aged man held him tightly, his own foot severed by spatial rifts, blood still flowing, his body pinned by a slab of stone, his face contorted in pain, yet he held his child close. Looking up, Xiang Beifei saw a Void Devouring Insect poking its head out of a crack in the wall. These insects could chew through space and destroy space-related items, but they couldn''t get past the bricks. "This thing is really eerie; a desolate beast at the Meridian Opening stage can actually tear apart the spatial constraints set by a God Refining stage." Xiang Beifei tried his luck, hoping to see if he could restore the building using the power of "Return to the Original State," but after two attempts he gave up. Because the amount of Spiritual Power required by Return to the Original State was really too high, and most of his Spiritual Power had already been drained away by a slab, if he were to repair such a large area, he might be squeezed dry and still fall short. Even with the sustained energy from sunflower seeds, it would be too time-consuming. "Forget it, let''s rescue the people first." Xiang Beifei first killed the Void Devouring Insects, then pulled the two people out, stopped the bleeding from the severed leg of the middle-aged man, then tossed the pair out of the window. The pattern still clung to their bodies, binding them in the air like a silk thread. He swiftly traversed every corner of the building, rescuing those who were trapped, but for some who had already met their end, dismembered by the spatial cracks, he could only sigh silently and do his best to restore their bodies to their original state¡ªas for their lives, Return to the Original State couldn''t save them. ... By the building''s windows, countless people were intermittently flashing into view, still bound in mid-air by the golden patterns. Soon, the onlookers realized this strange phenomenon and found it incredible. Some well-intentioned people wanted to lend a hand, but as soon as they touched the golden patterns, they themselves were instantly bound, unable to move. "Don''t touch it!" Xiang Beifei''s voice carried over. Now everyone dared not attempt any rescue. "What kind of ability is this? So impressive! But if we can''t touch it, how can we rescue them?" "The voice we just heard, why does it sound so familiar?" "Could it be one of those high-level SSR and UR Awakeners from the Alliance?" "Right, right, right, with such ability, they must be UR level, I guess!" "They finally came. I thought the Alliance''s UR Awakeners were too Lofty to care whether we live or die. They''ve actually lent a hand in time this time." Many people believed that only those with high-level system powers could confine such a large building, and hence, only those UR level Awakeners could possibly help rescue the people. The people below wanted to help but couldn''t find a way to do so, though they all craned their necks, eager to see which UR level Awakener was so swift today. However, what they didn''t know was that the person inside the building wasn''t a high-level Awakener from the Alliance at all. Xiang Beifei had rolled all the people out of the building and solidified them in mid-air; once he was sure no one was left, he had to consider how to deal with the broken building. "I have the ability to create a system space; I can temporarily store the severed building inside it." At this point, Xu Yang also arrived, and he added, "However, the prerequisite is that there must be no Void Devouring Insects inside the building; otherwise, my system space will also be destroyed, and the building will fall out again." "Go ahead, just do it." Xiang Beifei had already killed all the Void Devouring Insects. He immediately had Xiaohei retract the patterns. Swish! The people in the air began to fall immediately, but Xiang Beifei shouted in a low voice, "Erha!" The Wooden Kirin reluctantly controlled the plants beneath it, growing rapidly, its vines wrapping around all the people like tentacles. Meanwhile, a mirror appeared in Xu Yang''s hands, a very powerful item, which was not merely S level. In Xiang Beifei''s knowledge, this mirror was at least an SSR level system item. He hadn''t expected Xu Yang to have such a thing. But at the moment he didn''t ask much because the mirror quickly enlarged, becoming like a lake''s surface, spanning hundreds of meters. The broken building struck the mirror surface, rippling gently, yet it didn''t hit the nearby buildings but instead sank into the void like it was sinking into a lake and disappeared. And Xiang Beifei had already flashed into Xu Yang''s system space, in order to ensure that there were no remaining Void Devouring Insects inside the fractured building, so he shattered the building with a palm in the needed mirror space, reducing the entire building to dust in an instant! "Wrecking is easier than rescuing people, after all." Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but curl his lips, as at least the act of crushing the building with a palm didn''t require too much concern. Chapter 631 - 466 Elder Qiu (4000 Words) Chapter will return to normal at four-thirty. ¡ª¡ª Lu Hong''s eyes lit up, and he nodded, "That''s right, many civilians, because of living in inland cities, have a superficial concept of desolate beasts. Most people lack a sense of crisis, so your idea is good." Powerful desolate beasts are commonplace for martial artists, but they are still rare encounters for civilians. As a martial artist, it was only natural for Xiang Beifei to engage in promotional activities for martial artists. "That would be great, I''ll help you with the publicity. As a celebrity, one should always specialize in one area, and since you are a martial artist, you should do it in the way of a martial artist," he said. Chen Xiuqin was also considered half a member of the entertainment industry. She was well versed in marketing, having dealt with many stars in her day-to-day work. As Xiang Beifei''s number one "mom fan," Chen Xiuqin was more than happy to help Xiang Beifei. The matter was settled just like that. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to do anything; he just had to shoot a few videos casually when he went on missions in the outland wilderness after school started next semester. It was a simple task. But speaking of which¡ª "Does she really think she can do whatever she wants with my fame?" The last time someone tried to use Xiang Beifei''s fame to make money, he had taken care of them. This time they were thinking of making him a figurehead without consulting him, clearly intending to push him into the limelight deliberately. The reason the Alliance wanted such a genius to be exposed was quite obvious. The main reason was that Xiang Beifei was trained by Elder Luo! Elder Luo''s relationship with the Alliance was not good, and the people in the Alliance even feared Elder Luo because they could not suppress an SR-level Awakener who did not obey the Alliance''s orders. They were worried that Elder Luo would cultivate his own power at Liangzhou University. The emergence of a genius like Xiang Beifei posed an even greater threat to them! That''s why they wanted to take action against Xiang Beifei! Normally, once someone is exposed, it''s hard to go under the radar again. Everywhere they go, they attract attention. By exposing Xiang Beifei like this, they were effectively forcing Xiang Beifei to stand with the Alliance, letting him be watched by the whole Jiuzhou, and in this way, Xiang Beifei could hardly act in secret against the Alliance. Every move he made was under their watchful eye. Later on, whatever arrangements the Alliance made, Xiang Beifei would have to comply. In the view of the Alliance, Xiang Beifei would become a piece to counter Elder Luo, isolating Elder Luo in a special way, monitoring Elder Luo, and diminishing Elder Luo''s influence. But Mu Yiqing couldn''t really think that he would obediently follow her plan, could she? "Being the standard for N-level Awakeners means that the initiative is in my hands," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei Was his name the way out of the Withering Woods? Coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei felt unreality wash over him. His father, whom he had not seen since his disappearance, had named him at a time when he should have been just a baby. How could he be so sure that he would encounter Youmeng? Did he really just offhandedly decide on his son''s name? Could he take naming a bit more seriously! This SSR-level System Awakener had the power to establish rules. Anyone or anything around her that followed the rules would increase her system value, and she could also gain system value by dealing with matters according to the established rules. In short, as long as there were rules in a place, she could become stronger. If someone did not follow the rules, they could not hide from her. Xiang Beifei looked at Mu Yiqing''s system log, which listed a lot of things she dealt with regarding rules, including one entry: [You have formulated the "Jiuzhou SR Talent Employment Planning System" proposal, which has been approved by the Alliance Planning Minister Zhu Yiji and issued as a rule. Currently, 2,546 people abide by this rule, and your rule value +2,546] The Planning Department of the Jiuzhou Alliance is responsible for establishing and revising the systems of all aspects of the Alliance, managing every aspect of the Alliance, and planning the development of Jiuzhou. Simply put, Zhu Yiji as a UR-level individual is in charge of setting rules. Only now did Xiang Beifei understand Zhu Yiji''s position within the Alliance. The one who sets the rules, leading by breaking the rules and getting his grandson out of prison, is truly miraculous. It seems that Mu Yiqing also belongs to Zhu Yiji''s camp. It just remains to be seen whether she was involved in the affair of Zhu Xinjue, who should have been sentenced to death, being reinvented and released from prison. Xiang Beifei soon saw a system log from September: [You have revised the SR Awakener Bail Application Regulations, and this rule currently applies to only one person, your rule value +1] "Looks like there''s hardly any doubt now," Xiang Beifei frowned slightly. Her system, for any rule she revised herself, would add as much rule value as the number of people it could bind. For example, she once participated in revising a system regarding the employment of Jiuzhou students. This system directly affected five million college entrance examination candidates in Jiuzhou, and her system value instantly increased by 5 million! Logically, Mu Yiqing with this system should abide by various rules. But Xiang Beifei quickly thought again. What are rules? Rules are set by humans in the first place. Since they are set by humans, naturally, they can be modified by humans. The revised rules remain rules, still meeting her system''s criteria. So as long as she holds a high position in the Alliance, it would be easier for her to control all rules, which means that the Word Spirit Rule System''s so-called rule abidance to become stronger equates to doing whatever she pleases. Chapter 632 - 466 Elder Qiu (4000 Words)_2 "Otherwise, why would they say that an SSR-level system is so powerful? ¡ª¡ª "Our two schools looked out for each other in the Withered Forest, joining hands to avoid danger," Xiang Beifei said, then looked at Ren Jianghai, adding, "We also ran into a student from your Qingzhou University on our way, you can ask him." "Yes, we nearly failed, but Xiang Beifei and his team saved me. Later, we encountered teams from other schools and warned them of dangers, but they didn''t trust us. Only the Yongzhou University team followed us." Tang He detailed the events, including how they conflicted with Yanzhou University, then how they met Shi Renmei, saw the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, were chased, and were saved by the Liangzhou team... After listening, Ren Jianghai''s brows were deeply furrowed. But with Tang He stepping forward, he had no choice but to let it go. After all, Tang He was a student from Qingzhou University, and Xiang Beifei was in every way supposed "All eleven of you, " Xiang Beifei didn''t ask further, just looked thoughtfully at Tang He. Tang He was a normal person, which was certain, as he had a system interface that was still pulsing rapidly on his body. His "Po Jun Eye System" was a reconnaissance type of system, and it could also quickly identify opponents'' weaknesses, using them to defeat the opponents. Currently, his system log appeared quite normal, and Xiang Beifei''s sharp eyes could not be deceived. However, what Xiang Beifei found strange was¡ª This guy, for some reason, seemed to be faintly mixed with a trace of the aura belonging to Ghost Whiskers! Was it because he had encountered an attack by the Ghost Whiskers and hence retained some of these auras? As soon as these people appeared, the atmosphere instantly seemed off. Chen Baiwen, Yu Hongbo, Zhu Xinjue! It was the Yanzhou University team! Unexpectedly, they also turned up here! At a glance, Zhu Xinjue saw Xiang Beifei among the crowd, his heart skipped a beat, then a resentful expression surfaced in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. Because their alliance with Qingzhou University had already broken, they had no way to unite against Xiang Beifei. When Yu Hongbo and Chen Baiwen saw Xiang Beifei, they too were slightly shocked! The two men couldn''t help but exchange glances! Just yesterday, they were considering teaming up with Qingzhou University against Xiang Beifei, but later they couldn''t find Xiang Beifei. Instead, Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University had died. They hadn''t expected to encounter Xiang Beifei in this place. "Don''t panic! He probably doesn''t know about yesterday''s events!" Chen Baiwen signaled the others with his eyes, no need for verbal communication, they all understood each other. Yu Hongbo steadied himself and then said, "Xiang Beifei, I''ve long heard of your great name. I am Yu Hongbo, the captain of the Yanzhou University team." Chen Baiwen also nodded slightly, but didn''t speak. Xiang Beifei gazed thoughtfully at the people from Yanzhou University, his eyes sweeping over these individuals, he then glanced at Zhu Xinjue and after a long pause said, "How did you all end up here?" "After we entered this Withered Forest, we realized something was off, so we ran up this mountain. The situation outside is very bad. Did you just encounter those strange tree people too?" Yu Hongbo asked. "That''s correct." Xiang Beifei said impassively. "Are you all okay?" Yu Hongbo asked. "Not too bad." Xiang Beifei glanced at Tang He behind him; Tang He was from Qingzhou University, and their team''s situation seemed quite dire now. When Tang He saw Yu Hongbo and the others, he also showed a shocked expression. He hadn''t expected to meet people from Yanzhou University, especially considering Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University had died at the hands of "Zhu Pengfei "! But he didn''t dare say much now; he was just a late-stage Qi-Controlling SR-level Awakener, with no other teammates around, definitely not a match for these people from Yanzhou University. "How long have you been in this Withered Forest?" Xiang Beifei asked. "We entered last night!" Yu Hongbo said. "Last night? Have you been here almost a day now?" Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. "Yes, we came here last night!" Yu Hongbo no longer harbored the idea of dealing with Xiang Beifei; instead, he felt a slight urge to act alongside him. Because their team was currently in a very dire situation. This place was too eerie, and they were trapped, unable to find a way out. Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, hope rose in Yu Hongbo''s heart. Xiang Beifei was strong¡ªperhaps he had some solution! "So, you guys are okay?" Xiang Beifei asked. "One of us had an accident." Yu Hongbo said in a grave tone. Now only four of them remained in their team. "Have you been on this mountain since last night?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Not really, we were initially walking in the Withered Forest, but then it suddenly became dark, and something felt off, so we ran up the mountain. We realized that those Tree Men didn''t dare to come up, and we breathed a sigh of relief. We weren''t initially on this mountain but on another one." "Are you that N-level Awakener Xiang Beifei?" Chen Baiwen, facing Xiang Beifei, had a displeased expression. He didn''t really want to come up because Hou Chengwu had lost inexplicably earlier; he hadn''t seen clearly how Hou Chengwu had lost. If he were to lose to an N-level student, his reputation would almost be ruined. However, if he didn''t face Xiang Beifei in battle, others would consider him a coward, indirectly proving that he, a venerable SSR-level Awakener, was afraid of an N-level! That meant Xiang Beifei essentially won without fighting. Indeed, like Hou Chengwu, he initially looked down on Liangzhou University for recruiting N-level students and was persuaded by other universities not to go to Liangzhou University. Chen Baiwen, having chosen to reject Liangzhou University initially, proved he was a haughty SSR-level; how could he not prove himself? Xiang Beifei simply looked at Zhu Xinjue calmly, but a murderous intent surfaced in his eyes. Last time, he hadn''t killed this person, but facing what was clearly an intent to kill him, he must kill Zhu Xinjue this time! However, as soon as he spoke, he felt his knees bend, and "snap," he suddenly knelt before Xiang Beifei! Zhu Xinjue and others were also stunned! "Hou Chengwu, what are you doing?" Chen Baiwen asked in astonishment. Hou Chengwu was shocked by his own actions as well! Why did he kneel? Wasn''t it agreed to let Xiang Beifei off the hook? Why was it him who knelt instead? Hou Chengwu''s face turned beet red, and he angrily tried to stand up but found that no matter what, he just couldn''t stand up! ¡ª But just then, Hou Chengwu, with sharp eyes, suddenly spotted Xiang Beifei''s figure and immediately yelled, "He''s over there!" This time everyone saw clearly, Xiang Beifei was a real person! Others also saw Xiang Beifei, but because of the flood, they had a hard time freeing themselves. "Yu Hongbo, you help us watch these SR; the few of us will deal with him!" Hou Chengwu shouted. "Alright!" Yu Hongbo had to take care of his subordinates, otherwise the SR would be directly submerged by the flood. Zhu Xinjue''s eyes showed a hint of ruthlessness; a large glass sphere appeared in his hand, and between flickers, it transformed into an illusory light, enveloping this void. "This time I''ll see where you can go!" Zhu Xinjue sneered. The glass sphere was an UR-level spatial system item, capable of rendering any space-transporting item ineffective. Since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman, Zhu Xinjue was worried Xiang Beifei might escape. Soon, Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong had Xiang Beifei completely surrounded, their powerful presences almost as formidable as the flood, staring intently at Xiang Beifei. "Xiang Beifei, even though I know you are strong, now that there are four of us, I still advise you to forfeit." He Qiutong wasn''t aware of Zhu Xinjue''s plan; her aim, like Chen Baiwen''s, was merely to force Xiang Beifei out of the contest. Chapter 633 - 467 The True Unrestrained! Lady Qiu, despite her extreme loathing for Xiang Beifei, dared not do anything to him. There were countless civilians around; it was impossible to suppress them all at once. As a UR-level executive, she naturally had to consider her reputation. But most importantly, she feared Luo Yunxian. Xiang Beifei couldn''t be bothered with Lady Qiu and simply explained the pros and cons of the situation to the civilians. "Alright, Mr. Xiang Beifei, we''ll listen to you!" "Yes! You saved us all, we''ll follow your lead! Whatever you say, we''ll do!" Many people believed in Xiang Beifei without a doubt, after all, it was Xiang Beifei who had saved them, not Lady Qiu. Xiang Beifei''s influence was now very strong, his words reaching deeper into people''s hearts than Lady Qiu''s ever could! With a dark expression, Lady Qiu just snorted coldly, turned around, and left, not wanting to stay any longer. ¡ª¡ª Soon, the nearby buildings had all been checked, but the deep underground hadn''t been completely investigated yet, so before ensuring safety, the System Snail Dwelling could no longer be inhabited. As for where those homeless residents would be relocated and how they would be compensated afterwards, it was up to the alliance to handle, something unrelated to Xiang Beifei. If the alliance couldn''t even manage such matters, then it had no reason to exist. Xiang Beifei helped those with relatively serious injuries recover, and then, amid a chorus of grateful voices, he and Xu Yang left together. In a park, Xiang Beifei stopped by a stone table and sat down on a resting stone bench. "Sit," Xiang Beifei indicated. Xu Yang, unreserved, sat down on the stone bench opposite Xiang Beifei. "Now you can explain," said Xiang Beifei. "What do you want to know?" Xu Yang asked. "Anything," Xiang Beifei stared at Xu Yang, "like why, when I had just awakened my system, you controlled a mutant dog to test my cultivation?" Xu Yang''s face froze slightly, then he said, "When did you know that mutant dog was mine? I remember not showing you that kind of mutant dog during your lessons." He was also a very cautious person, having remained undetected at Liangzhou University as a member of the Unrestrained, which said it all. During his lessons with Xiang Beifei, he hid himself very well, trying not to arouse Xiang Beifei''s suspicion. "What do you think?" Xiang Beifei retorted. Xu Yang was taken aback, then suddenly understood, "You recognized me in the first desolate beast anatomy class?" Xiang Beifei did not answer, but continued to look at him calmly. Xu Yang touched his forehead, saying bitterly, "No wonder during the first anatomy class, your words, your questions were so sharp. I should have realized earlier." During the first class, Xu Yang had planned to let Xiang Beifei share how he had killed the Triangular Thunder Krait, but Xiang Beifei directly led the discussion to probe Xu Yang''s abilities, leaving Xu Yang somewhat flustered. But at that time, Xu Yang simply assumed it was just Xiang Beifei''s character, and never thought that a student who had just awakened his system as an N-level could recognize him. "You knew who I was since the start of school last year, yet you were able to wait for a year, quite patient indeed," Xu Yang couldn''t help but say. "You''ve been patient enough, hiding out at the school for so many years," Xiang Beifei replied. Stumped, Xu Yang didn''t know what to say for a moment and could only manage a dry laugh. After a while, he finally said, "I know you''re suspicious of my identity, but the real Unrestrained and what you understand about the Unrestrained are different." When he spoke the word "Unrestrained," his expression became much more solemn. "The Unrestrained Organization has existed since ancient times; not long after the alliance was established, our organization was also formed. The existence of this organization is to overthrow the alliance''s system where ''system rank determines everything''." Xu Yang was forthright. The Unrestrained was indeed set up to oppose the alliance. It was a fact, with no need for denial. "Initially, the alliance was established to unite all humans to fight against the desolate beasts. However, the alliance gradually adopted the principle of ''solely system rank matters'', allowing people with high-level systems to receive preferential treatment and attain high status regardless of their talent or virtue. Many who were unworthy held positions of power, able to oppress the civilians." "Judging talents based on system rank, a person''s fate is sealed from the age of eighteen when their system awakens. No matter how hard they work in the future, once they''re branded with the N, R, or even S rank, they are doomed to obey the orders of high-level Awakeners!" "System rank decides our status in Jiuzhou, which means our empowering systems serve as shackles, binding each one of us. Low-level Awakeners face discrimination in every aspect, be it finding jobs or living life, subdued by those with high-rank systems." Xu Yang''s tone was also quite indignant. Even as an S-class, one receives preferential treatment in college entrance exams and employment, but when faced with higher-level Awakeners, one still has to bow down reluctantly. But where there''s oppression, there''s resistance! "Many lower-level Awakeners are not content with their destinies being decided by the system at the age of eighteen. They long for more choice, to break free from the shackles the system''s ranking has placed on them, to truly shape their own destinies by themselves, and not be oppressed by the system''s ranking for a lifetime!" "Unrestrained, unfettered. What you understand as Unrestrained is being free from the Alliance''s restraints, wanting to stand apart from the Alliance¡ªbut real Unrestrained means being free from the system''s restraints, wanting to be a free human being!" Xu Yang paused for a moment, a spark seeming to light up in his eyes, "That''s the origin of Unrestrained!" His voice was filled with an indescribable resolve, his creed, as well as the goal he was still trying to achieve to this day. Although this goal seemed very faint, he still harbored zeal, defied convention, and sought for that glimmer of hope in the darkness. ... ... "However, it seems your situation in Unrestrained isn''t very optimistic now," Xiang Beifei commented. "Unrestrained has nothing to do with those desolate beasts; even if we want to overthrow the system-centric regime of the Alliance, we always remember that we are human and wouldn''t do anything that would destroy humanity," Xu Yang explained. "You want to overthrow the Alliance, but were you overthrown by Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage first?" Xiang Beifei raised an eyebrow. Xu Yang''s expression showed a bit of embarrassment. "It''s a tragedy; our organization encountered an unexpected incident," Xu Yang sighed. "You must have heard about Jialuoluo, right?" The legendary supreme hacker, an UR-level Supreme Awakener, who could completely control all of Jiuzhou''s technology with his hacking skills. Any electrical device that could be powered on could be controlled by him. He was a person who gave the Alliance a massive headache! However, according to the rumors outside, Jialuoluo was later defeated by the Alliance''s super AI "God." But it''s not completely fair to say that Jialuoluo was unjustly defeated; after all, behind "God," this AI, were many UR-level Awakeners. Jialuoluo was essentially defeated by over a dozen UR-level Awakeners of the same realm. "And then?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Thirteen years ago, Jialuoluo was the leader of the Unrestrained Organization. Actually, what the Alliance presented as a noble battle between hackers wasn''t so mystical. At that time, he simply chose to do something, but it was precisely that thing that led to his disappearance." "What thing?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "Back then, my rank wasn''t high enough to know what it was," Xu Yang shook his head. "That matter was very important to him, so he went for it, breaking into the Archives Building and confronting the so-called AI. What exactly happened, no one knows, but it was certainly not some ultimate showdown of hackers as the Alliance embellished. That so-called AI ''God'' couldn''t possibly defeat him." "You are not him; how can you be so sure of that?" "Because his system ability was specially designed to counter any technology; AI was practically mentally disabled in front of him. The battle, in fact, was quite a mess for ''God.'' The reason is simple: all the data ''God'' was guarding was transmitted out. I still have all the backup data of the Alliance here, and we''re well acquainted with many of the Alliance''s top echelons." Xu Yang was quite proud when mentioning this. This notion Xiang Beifei could agree with because if that artificial intelligence blockhead God had been victorious, it wouldn''t have lost those data. "But after Jialuoluo was gone, he never came back. This left our organization headless, forcing us to lie low temporarily. The Alliance seized this opportunity to save face by claiming ''God'' had defeated Jialuoluo. After all, history is written by those in power; whatever they say is right," Xu Yang said. "What the world knows about Unrestrained seems to be that we''ll stoop to any evil for our goals, murder, arson, and such, but in fact, that''s not the case. Our organization has strict rules; we''re just people who don''t want to be bound by the system''s ranking, hence the name ''Unrestrained.'' It doesn''t mean we''re going to kill and set fires; that would be totally meaningless," Xu Yang said calmly. "With Jialuoluo''s disappearance, didn''t you consider finding a replacement? Does your organization only have one UR-level Awakener? Is that not a bit pathetic?" Xiang Beifei questioned. "If you were a UR-level System Awakener, would you give up your Lofty system ranking and join an organization dedicated to overthrowing that very system ranking?" Xu Yang retorted. TThose who could become UR-level System Awakeners were the highest echelons of society, commanding wind and rain at will. Not everyone was like Jialuoluo, willing to forsake their UR-level status for the sake of being a free person. "So there are no other UR-levels?" "No UR doesn''t mean we don''t have Heavenly Connection realm experts. We had two Heavenly Connection experts at that time. But the problem is that in Jialuoluo''s last order, he didn''t instruct one of these two to become the leader. Instead, he directed us to find someone else as our new leader¡ªa surprise for us, since that person wasn''t even a member of Unrestrained, just an outsider." Xu Yang still found this matter puzzling. Xiang Beifei slightly frowned. "Who is that person?" "Xiang Tianxing." Chapter 634 - 468: A Fate-Plagued Organization "You''re very surprised, aren''t you?" Xu Yang sized up Xiang Beifei''s expression. "Why be surprised?" Xiang Beifei countered. Xu Yang was taken aback, "I thought..." "That''s just what you thought." Xiang Beifei replied calmly. "This..." Xu Yang didn''t know what to say. Normal people, upon hearing such news, would definitely not be able to remain so composed, especially since it concerned their own father, their expressions would have changed at least a little. However, Xiang Beifei''s expression was undisturbed, Xu Yang couldn''t tell at all what he was thinking. "I can''t see through you," Xu Yang said with a wry smile. Xiang Beifei neither agreed nor disagreed. So far, as long as he hasn''t met Comrade Xiang Tianxing, then anything regarding him could be approached with calm. "What happened after that?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Although I don''t know why Jialuoluo chose your father to be our Unrestrained leader, we all decided to respect his will and look for your father," "And the two Heavenly Connection Realm individuals had no objections to this decision? They wouldn''t come forward to lead and are willing to request an outsider?" "Everyone in our organization came together for a common goal, as long as it can realize the vision of Unrestrained, the two seniors will abide by it! If they coveted the leader''s position and fought over it after Jialuoluo''s death, then why wouldn''t they just directly join the alliance? With their strength, what position couldn''t they obtain in the alliance? Would they need to compromise within Unrestrained? What could Unrestrained offer that the alliance could not?" Xu Yang spoke very seriously. He had to emphasize what "Unrestrained" meant! It is a spirit and belief! Not for power and position! Xiang Beifei watched Xu Yang thoughtfully, his attitude clearly not feigned - Xu Yang was firmly committed to the ideal of Unrestrained. Xiang Beifei gained a new understanding of the organization "Unrestrained." If the two Heavenly Connection Realm experts had given up the alliance to achieve the goal of "Unrestrained," then the mundane pursuit of power and status was indeed to them as insignificant as clouds. The mindset of such individuals was beyond the grasp of ordinary people. Many couldn''t even begin to fathom why individuals with such powerful abilities would willingly serve others. They could command the wind and summon the rain without obedience to anyone, yet they abandoned such power and position to engage in thankless tasks. But perhaps this distinction was precisely what set them apart from ordinary people. What they sought was the true essence of Unrestrained! "Both Heavenly Connection Realm masters are profoundly righteous; for the sake of Unrestrained, they could lower themselves to request your father''s presence. Even though they didn''t understand why Jialuoluo chose your father, they agreed to the plan, and so we found your father." "He refused?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "You knew?" "Isn''t it obvious?" Xiang Beifei said. Xu Yang appeared quite helpless. "Yes, your father refused," he nodded, "He is a very special System Awakener, clearly an SR talent, but capable of beating SSRs, even URs. Actually, we weren''t surprised by that, since he, like you, were students of Professor Luo." Elder Luo, a legendary SR in the alliance, undoubtedly overwhelming URs without question! Therefore, during the university freshman competition, when Xiang Tianxing and Xiang Beifei, father and son, were overwhelming various SSRs, nobody questioned it. Because there was Elder Luo setting the example above them. "Your father''s refusal made it difficult for us because Jialuoluo designated him, so we had to recognize him as our leader. But since he did not agree, we couldn''t forcibly make him join Unrestrained. He was a Pioneer of the alliance back then, and that left us at an impasse," Xu Yang said. The organization Unrestrained always had principles and goals; once a leader was designated, they wouldn''t change their stance. "Later we could only keep an eye on your father. Even though he didn''t agree, we still regarded him as our leader in our hearts. At that time, your father''s strength wasn''t high, only at God Refining stage, that''s how it was recorded, I remember. Senior Helian and Senior Mu, in order to ensure his safety, were even willing to secretly act as his bodyguards¡ªSenior Helian and Senior Mu were the two Heavenly Connection Realm masters, both SSRs." Xu Yang explained a bit before continuing, "But your father''s abilities were very peculiar; Senior Helian and Senior Mu would often inexplicably lose track of him. Keep in mind they were two masters of the Heavenly Connection Realm! Yet they were constantly outmaneuvered by your father. It was then that we understood that Lord Jialuoluo''s choice was indeed correct! Your father is truly extraordinary." At this point, Xu Yang looked Xiang Beifei up and down again, saying, "I''m beginning to feel that you''re no simple character either." Xiang Beifei still showed little reaction. Yet he was also contemplating the affairs of Comrade Xiang Tianxing. Because if it were Xiang Beifei, he too had the ability to shake off those Heavenly Connection Realm masters. But he had his own capabilities. What were Xiang Tianxing''s abilities? Xu Yang didn''t know what Xiang Beifei was thinking, and he continued: "About seven years ago, your father suddenly came to us on his own initiative, which excited us. It was the first time he had come to our base. However, your father only consented to meet with Senior Helian and Senior Mu at the time, the two seniors were also delighted¡ª" "The two seniors went to meet your father asserting themselves as subordinates, lowering their status, just hoping that your father would take over the position. We''re not clear on what exactly was discussed at that meeting, as it was only the three of them present, but regrettably¡ªyour father did not accept the role. After he left, the seniors looked quite grave and told us nothing. All we knew was that a week later, they entrusted the management of Unrestrained to others and then left Jiuzhou Mainland, heading to the Outer Domain wilderness." Chapter 635 - 468: A Fate-Plagued Organization_2 "What did they go to the Domain Outside Wilderness for?" Xiang Beifei inquired. Xu Yang shook his head, "That''s not something I have access to. I only know that Senior Helian and Senior Mu said they had something to do, and that was all. However, after both seniors went to the Domain Outside Wilderness, they never returned." Xu Yang sighed softly. This matter had a significant impact on their organization. "Originally, our discipline within the Unrestrained Organization was strict, and even though the seniors were not present, we were still operating in an orderly fashion. However, seven years ago, the beast tide erupted. The Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage for some reason infiltrated our base; they were very strange and extremely powerful, and they took control of the people who were left to guard our base," Xu Yang said. Xu Yang''s expression turned instantly somber as he recalled the beast tide from seven years ago. "When the beast tide erupted, facing a life-and-death situation, the Unrestrained chose to put aside their grievances and join the alliance''s guardians to fight the beast tide together. After we repelled the beast tide, the remaining members returned to the base, but unexpectedly, the base had issues. Everyone was unprepared, and those strange desolate beasts were also very good at hiding. Slowly they began to strike at us. Many of us didn''t realize it until it was too late..." Xu Yang sighed. That beast tide was a devastating blow to the Unrestrained Organization! Without powerful beings of Heavenly Connection realm to lead, and with the Ghost Whiskers being particularly cunning and cautious, never showing even a hint of vulnerability, they gradually devoured the scattered members of the Unrestrained all across Jiuzhou. Two years later, this Unrestrained had directly become that Unrestrained. "There are not many of us Unrestrained left, and up to now, we''ve basically become a scatter of sand, lacking the appeal to recruit new members. The survivors could only seek help from your father, and fortunately, your father provided us with a temporary shelter. Although he still did not agree to become our leader, he has taken good care of us; but the good times did not last¡ª" Xu Yang took a deep sigh, "Your father disappeared from Jiuzhou for reasons unknown, heading to the Domain Outside Wilderness, and then he never came back. We remaining Unrestrained, once again plunged into despair." It''s as if fate was playing cruel tricks on them; the Unrestrained Organization was beset with misfortune. The previous leader Jialuoluo vanished all of a sudden, leaving mysterious instructions to find a new leader. However, the new leader turned out to be an outsider who was unwilling to get involved in such matters, leaving the Unrestrained without a head. Then, for some unknown reason, two seniors of the Heavenly Connection realm also left the Jiuzhou continent for the Domain Outside Wilderness, and shortly after, they never came back, and the pillars of the organization were gone. Following that, the beast tide erupted, and the Unrestrained members were "Switching the Beams with Pillars" by the Ghostly Visage, almost completely wiped out. Just when the new leader decided to take them in, it wasn''t long before the new leader also went to the Domain Outside Wilderness and then disappeared! The remaining Unrestrained were completely bewildered! They had lost their leader, lost their pillars, and had no idea what to do next! To say they were Unrestrained, yet their base had changed hands. To say they were not Unrestrained, and yet they were the true Unrestrained! "Did someone in your organization awaken the Unlucky System? How come all the unlucky things happened to you?" Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but say. Truth be told, if someone had awakened a system that turned misfortune into strength, causing trouble within the organization, it would make sense. Xu Yang gave a wry smile, unsure of how to answer this question. "So now, we only have you," he said, looking hopefully at Xiang Beifei. "Me?" Xiang Beifei raised an eyebrow again. "Regardless of whether your father acknowledges it or not, we all regard him as our leader, but now that he has disappeared, we the survivors need to consider finding another leader. After thinking it over, the only person we could turn to is the leader''s son. We have been hesitant because Lord Jialuoluo did not leave any instructions, but your performance has made us realize that you share many similarities with your father. Everyone agrees that after you graduate from college, we would like you to be our leader," said Xu Yang. Xu Yang was not joking. "Then you are going to be disappointed," Xiang Beifei said. Xu Yang urgently said, "We can unconditionally obey any order." "It''s not about that, but I won''t be this leader; it''s for your own good," Xiang Beifei did not elaborate. In fact, the next step¡ªhe would also be going to the Domain Outside Wilderness. If he really became their leader, it would only make them happy for a couple of days, and then they would be confused all over again. That was like rubbing salt into someone''s wound. It wasn''t very kind. Xu Yang looked very disappointed. "How many people are left in your organization now?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "Including me, a total of fourteen." "Fourteen?" That was indeed a sorrowful number. The once formidable Unrestrained, which could rival the alliance, was now reduced to a mere fourteen struggling to survive. An organization of such scale, even if it wanted to recruit new members now, it would be futile. With fourteen members, not a single one at the Heavenly Connection realm, and without any hope in sight, regardless of their beliefs. "And the siblings, Dai Ping and Dai Lan, are they counted too?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Yes, they are a few of our organization''s highly-skilled God Refining experts, also at the SR level. They''ve always been under cover on the side of the desolate beasts, monitoring their every move, and collecting information on these ghostly things. But as soon as they heard that our stronghold was destroyed, they went to investigate," Xu Yang said. Unrestrained within Unrestrained, acting as undercover operatives. This was indeed a novelty. "If they were undercover, why hadn''t they mentioned anything as big as the beast eggs?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Actually, they have been trying to stop the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage all this time," Xu Yang said, "From what I know, when the Ghostly Visage began deploying the beast eggs, they started to sabotage them. As far as I know, they destroyed a total of three hundred ninety-four locations." "Four hundred and one now." At that moment, a tall woman wrapped in an overcoat walked out from under the camphor tree at one end of the park. Xiang Beifei looked up indifferently at this person. It was Dai Lan. "Xu Yang told us you were here," Dai Lan said with a beaming smile, "My brother and I came together." "I came alone." Dai Ping responded coldly, walking over from the other side. He hadn''t walked with Dai Lan, but instead made a point of coming from a different direction. Dai Lan cast a resentful glance at her older brother. The siblings, one with the "Lone Ranger System," and the other with the "In Pairs System." The sister liked to cling to her brother, but the brother always preferred to be a lone wolf with an aloof air. "Have you dealt with it?" Xu Yang asked. "So far, it''s just a drop in the bucket. Lin Long deployed the beast eggs, not only sending us but also hundreds of their other accomplices. The number of beast eggs we could destroy was limited," Dai Ping said solemnly. "After all, it''s the entirety of Jiuzhou; we''ve done our best," Dai Lan spread her hands. "So, he knows everything?" Dai Ping asked Xu Yang. "Yes, I''ve told him everything that needs to be said," Xu Yang nodded. "Then¡ª" Dai Ping looked at Xiang Beifei. "No ideas," Xiang Beifei stated. Dai Ping fell silent. They had been looking for a true leader, and now it seemed this leader was like a hot potato; no one wanted to take up the role. And on their own, they couldn''t see where hope lay, as none of them had the ability to lead, which left them feeling very lost. "But you have the ability to single-handedly storm into the Unrestrained Organization and kill all the Ghostly Visage! Something no one else can do! If that doesn''t qualify you to be our leader, we don''t know who else could possibly be qualified!" Dai Lan stepped forward, looking at Xiang Beifei with a mix of shamelessness and persistence, "We don''t want to wander anymore. Whether you have plans or not; you are our leader! We''re sticking with you! I''m even willing to offer myself to you if necessary!" Chapter 636 - 469: The Unrestrained with No Home (4000 words) Chapter five has returned to normal. Those who have subscribed, refresh the chapter to see the update; you will not be charged again. But just then, Hou Chengwu, with his sharp eyes, suddenly saw Xiang Beifei''s figure and immediately shouted, "He''s over there!" This time everyone saw clearly, Xiang Beifei was a real person! The others also saw Xiang Beifei, but because of the flood, it was difficult for them to move freely. "Yu Hongbo, take care of these SRs for us, we''ll go deal with him!" Hou Chengwu shouted. "Okay!" Yu Hongbo had to take care of his subordinates, otherwise the SR would be directly submerged by the flood. Zhu Xinjue''s eyes showed a hint of cruelty as a giant glass orb appeared in his hand. The orb flickered, turning into an ethereal glow that enveloped this void. "This time I want to see where you can go!" Zhu Xinjue sneered. The glass orb was a UR-level spatial system item that could render any teleportation-related items ineffective. Since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman, Zhu Xinjue was worried that Xiang Beifei might escape. Soon Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong had Xiang Beifei completely surrounded. Their powerful presence was not inferior to the flood, as they stared intently at Xiang Beifei. "Xiang Beifei, although I know you''re strong, now that there are four of us, I still advise you to forfeit." He Qiutong was unaware of Zhu Xinjue''s plan; her goal, like Chen Baiwen''s, was merely to get Xiang Beifei eliminated. Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the four people in front of him. Four people, easier to deal with than five. Anyway, fight first, hit as intended. "Right, we don''t want to do anything to you. Just drop out quietly to avoid any trouble," Chen Baiwen said gravely. However, Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue were filled with boundless killing intent. "What are we waiting for? If we want him eliminated, we need to take him down first!" Hou Chengwu exclaimed. This time, facing Xiang Beifei, he felt confident enough since the last time at the arena, he wasn''t sure why he had lost, but now it was four against one; no matter how strong Xiang Beifei was, Hou Chengwu viewed him as a dead man this time! Hou Chengwu gritted his teeth and said, "Today, you''re going to pay the price!" That day, as an SSR, he had been stuffed in a trash bin, losing all his dignity. Today, he must kill Xiang Beifei! "Three against two, not too bad, could be worse," Xiang Beifei said. "Three against two?" Zhu Xinjue scoffed, "Have we scared you silly? Can''t even count now? It''s four of us against you!" "President Ren is so esteemed, he has said that names are not important, strength is what matters. A senior who can say such things must be open-hearted, why would he care about names with me? You, as President Ren''s proud disciple, why do your principles differ from his?" Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei looked puzzled at Hou Chengwu and continued, "Haven''t you learned even a bit from him?" His remarks were seamless, first sarcastically mentioning Ren Jianghai, then immediately elevating Ren Jianghai to a high position, preventing Ren Jianghai from reacting to Xiang Beifei''s jest about names, and subtly demeaned Hou Chengwu right after. "You..." Hou Chengwu was so enraged by Xiang Beifei that his face turned red and his ears burned. In midair, Li Zimu stood there, surprised at the people below, and said, "They actually can''t tell." The flood here was a transformation of Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm. Li Zimu''s current Poetry Realm could reach a level where fake and real were indistinguishable, but Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen, being SSR, were a system level higher than him and technically should not be so flustered. "Of course they can''t tell; none of these people are spiritual System Awakeners," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power was attached to the Poetry Realm created by Li Zimu, hence even though Li Zimu was only in the later stages of Qi-Controlling, the flood he created had the power of the Meridian Opening stage! As for the suppression by system level, with Xiang Beifei present, the so-called superiority of the SSR system was just a decoration. He had specifically asked Li Zimu for help to trap these people But as they walked along, suddenly a fork in the road appeared! Xiang Beifei''s shadow reappeared at the fork, but then disappeared again on this path. "Which way should we go?" Hou Chengwu asked Chen Baiwen urgently. "Don''t know, no traces," Chen Baiwen shook his head. "Forget it, let''s split up, it will be faster," Zhu Xinjue said. "Splitting up will just mean spreading our strength thinner. If we encounter Xiang Beifei, do you really think we stand a chance?" Chen Baiwen asked. "Xiang Beifei is clearly being pursued by that desolate beast; how could we not have a chance if we encounter him?" Zhu Xinjue said. After discussing for a moment, they finally decided to separate, but all agreed to signal the others upon encountering Xiang Beifei. If they couldn''t find anyone in half an hour, they would regroup here. To ensure mutual trust, they mixed people from both sides. Zhu Xinjue and Yu Hongbo, He Qiutong took one path, while Chen Baiwen and Hou Chengwu took another. Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen, with three SRs, took the left path, and while Chen Baiwen seemed preoccupied, Hou Chengwu still warned, "Don''t forget our agreement." Xiang Beifei, having somewhat understood, said, "Digesting memories?" Chapter 637 - 469: Homeless Unrestrained (4000 words)_2 Desolate beasts that consume the brains of other desolate beasts sometimes can acquire the memories of those they''ve eaten, meaning the experiences and sights of the devoured beast could be digested by another. If this green caterpillar was squashed by Long Guocheng, then it implies that the green caterpillar saw Xiang Beifei and his people! Even if the green caterpillar couldn''t understand human language, the images and scenes would still remain in its mind! What exactly did they say when they encountered the green caterpillar? Could it have remembered? Eating the brains of other desolate beasts to compensate for their own deficiencies and broaden their knowledge, these kinds of beasts would inevitably grow more intelligent the more they ate! Desolate beasts that are strong but simple-minded are not frightening; it''s the intelligent ones that are truly terrifying! For now, it''s uncertain what kind of impression of these people the green caterpillar, stepped on by Long Guocheng, actually left behind. Li Zimu''s stone huts were stacked up, providing individual rooms for everyone. There were no beds, no blankets¡ªalthough crude, such niceties were not expected in the desolate wilds outside civilization. When Xiang Beifei returned from his duty, Long Guocheng was leaning against the door with his arms crossed, saying, "Can I ask you a question?" "What?" Xiang Beifei responded. "You''re not an N-tier Awakener, are you? You are at least SR, right?" "Is that important to you?" "It would make me feel better," Long Guocheng reluctantly admitted. If he lost to an SR like Li Zimu, he wouldn''t feel too humiliated, as his talent was not inferior to his own. Both of them were SR; he could win back the loss next time. But losing to an N-tier Awakener left a lump in his heart. "That''s your own problem, not related to me," Xiang Beifei didn''t like explaining his abilities to others. Because he didn''t have a system to begin with. "We''re a team! I''ve told you about my abilities! But we don''t know anything about yours! Since we are a team, there should be mutual understanding," Long Guocheng emphasized. "Now you admit we''re a team? I thought you always liked showing off," Xiang Beifei said. Long Guocheng huffed but didn''t refute that point. He did like to show off; without it, he couldn''t collect system points. "If you tell me you are SR or even SSR, then I would be totally convinced by my loss," Long Guocheng stated. "Do you look down on people with a lower system rank than yourself that much? What''s wrong with being N-tier? Or R-tier? What about S-tier? Aside from their cultivation progress, in what aspects are they inferior to you? Their character, morality, behavior... Do they deserve your disdain? Do you just like to find a sense of superiority over those with lower tiers?" Xiang Beifei spoke sternly. "I..." Long Guocheng was left speechless by the retort. He looked down on people with less talent than himself because he believed they''d never amount to much, especially the lower-tier N-tier Awakeners. He would only respect the strong. And yet, his pride would always be crushed when faced with Xiang Beifei. He hoped deep down that Xiang Beifei''s system was at least SR-tier, or even SSR. That way, he could accept his defeat without feeling too undermined, maintaining the proud principles he revered. But the one thing he absolutely could not accept was the fact that Xiang Beifei could be N-tier! "I just can''t believe an N-tier Awakener has so much potential. Their systems are so flawed; they''ll achieve so little in their lives, that strength is impossible," Long Guocheng gritted his teeth. "Why can''t an N-tier Awakener beat an SR? Shang Tianxiong is also an N-tier Awakener; how many can surpass him? Those with real strength can kill SSRs even being SR-tier! Everyone is living in this world, all human; you are no more noble than anyone else. You just had a higher starting point, it doesn''t mean you''ll be above others in the future. You should stay humble," Xiang Beifei advised. Xiang Beifei, having said this, went straight back to his own compartment. "Modest?" Long Guocheng''s face was a mix of light and shadow as he pondered Xiang Beifei''s words. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Around nine o''clock at night, Ye Changfeng gathered everyone together as he had obtained the schedule and rules for tomorrow''s competition. Elder Luo said, "We need to discuss tomorrow''s situation first. Everyone should be on high alert." The rules were already clear to everyone: the freshman competition was divided into individual matches and team pioneering. For the individual matches, nine schools would compete in a round-robin, facing off against each other only once, meaning each school would fight eight matches - thirty-six in total, spread over two days. It would be decided by the roll of a dice whether the Meridian Opening stage or the Qi-Controlling stage contestants would participate. "Tomorrow''s schedule, the first match, Jizhou University against Yanzhou University. Our match is not the first, which is good. We can observe the strength of other schools first. However, the second match is Qingzhou University against Liangzhou University." Ye Changfeng distributed the flyers to everyone; they all looked at the schedule with grave expressions. "Yuchi Shen, you tell them about the current strength situation of each school this year," Elder Luo said. Yuchi Shen glanced at Xiang Beifei emotionlessly, then began the briefing. "But as the rules stipulate, a person can compete in no more than two matches, so we''ll need to analyze the situation with other teachers and then decide how to allocate which of you five will enter the matches and against whom," Yuchi said. This was like a game of competing horses, but not quite the same. During those races, there were three rounds to show one''s prowess, while here, schools only had one round against each other, which was mostly luck-based. Generally, you''d hope that other schools first deal with the strong students from another school, using up their two turns, so that when it was your turn, they''d have to send weaker students. Take Qingzhou University and Liangzhou University, for instance. Qingzhou University had two SSRs this year, each needing to compete in two matches, meaning their two SSRs could fight at most four matches in total. Thus, Ye Changfeng hoped that Qingzhou University would use all four opportunities of the two SSRs against the other seven schools, so by the time it was their turn, those chances were gone and they''d have to face SR-level students instead, increasing their chance of winning. However, all the schools were elites, and the teachers leading them certainly understood this principle. Therefore, the allocation of students for the matches amounted to psychological warfare. Until they competed, no one could be sure if the opponent would send their strongest or weakest. "As you should be aware, our school does not have any SSRs this year, which means we''re at a disadvantage compared to other schools. In individual matches, it will be hard for you to gain the upper hand," Yuchi Shen fixed his gaze on Xiang Beifei. "Aside from Qingzhou University, Yanzhou University, and Jizhou University, the other schools also only have one SSR, which is just one person at the Meridian Opening stage. We don''t need to worry too much, after all, we have classmate Xiang Beifei," Xi Keyao timidly interjected. "The situation is not that simple," Elder Luo said, "For individual matches, there are only eight to play, one point per match. The total score is very important. But have you considered that other schools will definitely try to secure an easy point for a higher total? And that easy point is almost necessarily taken from whom?" Long Guocheng and the others realized the implication: "From us at Liangzhou University?" The other eight schools shared a common understanding that Liangzhou University didn''t have any SSRs this year, meaning no students at the Meridian Opening stage. Therefore, to secure an assured point, they would definitely send an SSR at the Meridian Opening stage to face Liangzhou University! Because if their SSR faced a school''s SSR, both at the Meridian Opening stage, it would inevitably result in a loss for one. If by chance they lost, it would not be worth it. But all schools assumed that every student from Liangzhou University was only at the latter stages of Qi-Controlling, so sending a Meridian Opening stage SSR to face a Liangzhou University that had only Qi-Controlling students was almost a guaranteed victory. Everyone wanted to pick the lowest hanging fruit, to grab an easy point first! "Yes, which means our opponent in each match might be an Meridian Opening stage SSR!" Elder Luo said meaningfully. Chapter 638 - 470 Meeting The region of Jiuzhou is extremely vast; many people live in big cities, but many also live in the countryside, farming the land, raising poultry, and enjoying a slower pace of life. In a mountain range shrouded in white mist, at the indistinct foot of the mountains lay a tranquil village. The houses were low, flat-roofed structures, looking dilapidated and outdated. Most villagers here were low-level Awakeners, making a living by farming: they toiled from sunrise to sunset. In the highly technologically advanced Jiuzhou, such simple and primitive villages indeed remained a rarity. But in fact, it was all due to the system. The farmer-type systems that the villagers had awakened to determined that they needed to live in such places. A man wearing a straw hat hurried along a small rural path, greeting villagers from time to time. "Uncle Zhang, off to the fields again?" "Yes, the crops are doing well this year." Old Zhang, who had aged, led an ox while holding a smoking pipe in his mouth, responding with a smile. His awakened system was the "N-Level King of Peanuts System." To strengthen his system, he needed to plant peanuts, so he lived in the countryside. But after a lifetime of planting peanuts, he had only reached the mid-phase of Qi-Controlling prowess. "Then you must be busy." The straw-hatted man waved his hand and then headed towards a small brick and tile house. "Knock! Knock! Knock!" He knocked thrice on the door, waited two seconds, then knocked four more times. "Where have you been?" "Clearing the fields of pests!" "Why did it take you so long to come back?" "I went seven miles to the north!" The man in the straw hat replied. The door creaked open. The straw-hatted man looked around to make sure no one was paying attention before he hurried in. The room inside was dim. Six people were there; he was the seventh. Upon his entrance, everyone merely glanced at him, nodded slightly, and quickly turned their attention back to the television set in the room. The TV was broadcasting news about a building in Liangzhou''s East Prefecture that had been destroyed down to its waist by the Void Devouring Insect yesterday. "Regarding the rumors of desolate beasts appearing in Jiuzhou, there is much speculation. An Elder of UR-level from the alliance refuted these rumors, and we have interviewed Elder Qiu, a UR-level leader who was the first to arrive at the scene yesterday, providing aid to disaster victims and preventing further calamity." The scene switched to show Lady Qiu''s crumpled old face, as if it were mashed mud. "The quarantine department of Jiuzhou has always been dedicated and responsible! They strictly inspect any martial artist entering Jiuzhou, so the idea of desolate beasts invading Jiuzhou is utterly baseless! Everyone, please do not worry; Jiuzhou is very safe! I too am deeply saddened by today''s tragedy. However, according to our preliminary investigation, it was caused by a martial artist who can control desolate beasts, sealed the Beast Pill of a Void Devouring Beast, and did it deliberately. We are currently arresting the suspect. Please, do not believe or spread rumors." Lady Qiu, before the camera, presented herself with utmost solemnity, just like a diligent and responsible leader of the alliance, articulating her message perfectly. The news on TV glossed over the incident where Xiang Beifei saved people, not mentioning a word about it, and no footage of Xiang Beifei was broadcast either. This report acted as if Xiang Beifei didn''t exist, attributing all merit for saving the entire building to the alliance, as if it was their members who heroically appeared on the scene immediately after the tragedy, saved everyone, and quelled the incident. ¡ª¡ª "Nonsense!" Seeing the news, the man in the straw hat angrily removed his hat and threw it onto the table! He was a middle-aged man with a round face, looking quite amiable with a sweaty face, seemingly after a long journey. "This old hag is spouting nonsense; she didn''t speak a single truth. How dare she deceive and confuse the masses like this?" the straw-hatted man said furiously. "She''s a UR-level high-ranking leader of the alliance. Do you expect her to come out and tell everyone that our land has been invaded by desolate beasts?" A woman in the corner coldly responded. "But not warning the public will lead to significant casualties! Just now, I went to a food processing plant and eliminated a batch of beast eggs. We are the ones dealing with these matters; what exactly has the alliance done?" "The alliance won''t believe our words. They even failed to mention Young Master Xiang saving people." Another man spoke up. The straw-hatted man wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked urgently, "Speaking of Young Master Xiang, have you seen him?" "We have," a muffled voice from the corner said. The straw-hatted man perked up, asking eagerly, "What did he say?" "He doesn''t want to be our leader." "He doesn''t want to?" The straw-hatted man paused, slightly startled, "But¡ªXu Yang, didn''t you explain it to him properly?" "I explained it all." A bitter voice came from the shadows in the corner where Xu Yang sat. The straw-hatted man looked anxious, saying, "Aren''t you his teacher? Doesn''t he care at all about your feelings?" "He knows more than I do. I can''t be his teacher. When I give him classes, I feel the pressure," Xu Yang said. Everyone in the room was a true Unrestrained individual. This was their meeting place because the big cities were full of various surveillance and advanced technology. Meeting in the city could easily get them noticed by alliance members, so they usually congregated in this rural village, where the villagers had weaker system levels, making it relatively safe. "Did you really explain everything to him clearly? Could you have forgotten to mention his father''s matter to him? His father had taken us in before, he was aware of our existence, by all accounts..." "Tang, face the reality, he rejected us!" Dai Ping said in a heavy tone. "How could he reject us? His father was our leader, he''s so talented, inheriting all of his father''s fine qualities. He''s clearly a responsible kid¡ªhe could stand up to the president of the elite college for Professor Guo, he could save those people when the One-Armed Crab attacked the city, he could go alone and kill all the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage; why can''t he accept us?" Tang asked, his emotions running high. "Tang, calm down." "How can I be calm! We''ve been waiting all these years for him to grow up, to lead us. We''ve waited so many years, from his father to him. I thought he was our faith, but why has it come to this..." Tang clenched his fists, and even the light in his eyes seemed to dissipate as he asked in a daze. "We will still go searching for hope." "Tell me, where do we look? Without a clear leader, we have no direction at all! We are bound to face extinction sooner or later. Everything we have done will be in vain. What''s the point of persisting? Might as well just embrace the final Unrestrained." Tang said, his heart like ashes as he sat down on a chair. No one in the room said a word, a deadly stillness spreading among them. Everyone understood what "embrace the final Unrestrained" meant. Up to now, the only way to escape the system was when one''s life reached its end. Unless absolutely necessary, they would not choose this path, for it was impractical. But with the current Unrestrained situation, every one of them might be forced into it. Everyone in the room felt deeply powerless. In a world where the system hierarchy was deeply ingrained, without a clear direction, it was too hard for them to bring about change with their abilities. Just then¡ª Thud! Thud! Thud! The door outside the room suddenly made a sound. Dai Ping lifted his head and asked cautiously: "Where did you go?" "Weeding out the pests!" "Why did it take so long for you to come back?" "I walked eight miles north!" Everyone looked at each other in confusion. "Why would Ma Le come here? Isn''t he at the power plant in Qingzhou looking for the eggs of the Electricity Swallowing Beast?" Dai Ping asked in a low voice. They all had a special code for their meetings; "weeding out the pests" referred to seeking the beast eggs in Jiuzhou, and each person would be assigned a temporary number, the number indicating the miles traveled. As for "north," it was because the person they were waiting for was named Xiang Beifei. "I don''t know, he said he wouldn''t be attending today''s gathering," Xu Yang said. Dai Ping cautiously walked towards the door, intending to observe the person outside through the surveillance camera. However, just then, a terrifying wave swept through the entire house! "Not good, back off!" Dai Ping shouted in a low voice! Boom! The whole house trembled slightly, as if hit by a fearsome attack, the walls cracking. The glowing array on the wall started to show signs of collapse! "This is someone from the orifice transforming stage!" Dai Ping''s face turned pale! Their house could withstand extremely powerful attacks; even those in the later stages of God Refining might not be able to shatter it. Only a master of the orifice transforming stage could smash the house with a single blow! The others also stood up, filled with shock and uncertainty. "How could someone from the orifice transforming stage come here?" "I don''t know!" "Quick! Use the Teleportation Array to leave! I''ll stay behind to hold them off," Dai Ping shouted urgently. "I will stay with you," said Dai Lan in a rush. "Your presence will only hinder me! Protect the others!" Dai Ping''s awakened ability was that of the Lone Ranger System; his combat prowess would be stronger when he was alone. Dai Lan bit her lip, knowing that if she stayed, as long as there was an even number of them, their combat power would also be enhanced. However, she was also aware that her fighting ability was no match for Dai Ping''s. Just as she was about to lead the others out through the Teleportation Array, she discovered that the array had unexpectedly failed! "They''ve sealed the space!" Xu Yang shouted! Boom! The entire tile-roofed house was leveled! "So the chief culprit who used the Void Devouring Insects to destroy the building has been hiding here all along! Now, I can catch you all in one swoop!" A loud laugh quickly followed, and a middle-aged man stood suspended in mid-air. He radiated a powerful aura, pressuring the entire village. The terrifying fluctuations, like mighty tidal waves, made Dai Ping and the others tremble with fear! "It''s someone from the Alliance!" "How did he find this place?" Xu Yang and the others were equally astonished! Chapter 639 - 471: Scapegoating (4000 words) Subscribed users just need to refresh, and they won''t subscribe again. Xiang Beifei temporarily put that matter aside and asked, "By the way, Uncle Kong, are there any houses for rent around your place? We are thinking of moving there." "A house? Sure, you should have moved here a long time ago. The old man has always been talking about saving money for your missions and whatnot. Why the sudden change of mind?" Kong Daming asked. "Xiaofei has grown up, the house is too shabby, he might not be able to find a wife," Xiang Qingde said seriously. "Hahaha, that''s true," Kong Daming nodded. But Lu Hong disagreed, "Not at all! If you truly love someone, why would you care about the house?" "Still, it''s better to live in a nicer place. The old house was a bit too dark," Kong Daming said. "Leave it to me, I remember there is a family on my floor who just moved out, just two doors down from my place, diagonally opposite. It would be good to move over, easier to look after each other." "When are you planning to open the restaurant, Uncle Kong?" Xiang Beifei asked again. How the One-Armed Crab, a desolate beast, appeared hasn''t been fully investigated yet, and Xiang Beifei currently suspects a person who still hasn''t been located. Xiao Sheng! The guy who pretended to be an N-level shop assistant, the SR, who disappeared somewhere before the desolate beast showed up. He wanted to see if Xiao Sheng would come back to work. "Day after tomorrow! The employees have been asking about it too. Speaking of which, I need to contact those employees; we''ve been closed for so long," Kong Daming said. "Then I''ll go to the wholesale market tomorrow, the supply of ingredients has been cut off, need to renegotiate with them," Xiang Qingde said. Kong Daming quickly said, "No need, Uncle Xiang, you rest, I''ll go." "We''ve been resting for so long already, I need to get moving. I''m familiar with that place anyway. Reopening business, there''s a lot of work in the store, many customers have made reservations, waiting for you to open, you''ll be busy. I can go tomorrow," Xiang Qingde insisted, waving his hand. Kong Daming couldn''t argue with that and had to agree. When Xiang Beifei got back home, he even made a point of talking to his grandfather in front of the living room camera, explaining clearly why he was moving out, simply stating that he now could make money and no longer wanted to live there. For a martial artist who had completed Meridian Opening, earning enough to support himself was too easy. Those monitoring his family, as long as they weren''t foolish, would surely understand Xiang Beifei''s current Cultivation Realm after a trip to the school; no one would doubt this excuse. With that, the other party should now move to the new house. Xiang Beifei wanted to see who would dare to secretly install surveillance under his watch. After saying this, Xiaohei blocked the camera again. The grandfather and grandson packed up their belongings together at night, and truth be told, they had quite a lot of stuff. "We''ll need to call a car, there''s no elevator, so we''ll carry it down together later," Xiang Qingde pondered how to move more efficiently. "I can handle the stuff myself, Grandpa doesn''t need to worry too much, just rest," Xiang Beifei said. "How can that be? You can''t move so much stuff by yourself! Grandpa can still do some work, I''ll help you carry it," Xiang Qingde worried that his grandson would tire himself out, as moving was indeed hard labor. Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but laugh and cry, "Grandpa, why do I always feel like you''ve forgotten again that I''m a martial artist?" "What about being a martial artist? Many martial artists still need to hire people when they move," Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei stamped his foot again, and all the packed boxes began to float, hovering in mid-air. Lighter than a feather. He made the objects lighter, then used his Spiritual Power to lift them all up. Xiang Qingde watched in amazement: "I had no idea you had this ability!" Xiang Beifei realized he rarely talked about his abilities with his grandfather. He smiled, put everything down, then glanced at the ceiling camera and said, "Don''t worry, from now on I''ll handle everything, Grandpa, you just rest." Xiang Qingde was stunned for a moment, gazing at Xiang Beifei in a daze. Once upon a time, he was always carefully protecting his grandson, guarding his self-esteem, telling him to stay positive and hopeful, hoping he would never give up on himself. But since the Awakening System was activated, his grandson had changed, becoming diligent and cheerful, and now as a martial artist in the Meridian Opening phase, he had the ability to protect himself. Xiang Qingde took a while to come back to his senses, then smiled: "The Awakening System truly is a good thing." He suddenly felt old, needing his grandson''s protection. That was fine, too; seeing his grandson so sensible made him happy. Moving wasn''t challenging, for ordinary N-level Awakeners without a corresponding space system, they had to hire moving companies, rent a vehicle, and spend a considerable amount. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to; having Xiaohei spit bubbles was enough. "Xiaofei is a big star now, in the future, we''ll all depend on you!" Kong Daming joked. "Isn''t being a star very tiring? I heard they have to shoot different films every day," Lu Zhiwei said curiously. "That won''t do! Xiaofei needs to focus on his cultivation," Lu Hong said seriously. He unconsciously started referring to Beifei as Xiaofei, still perceiving Xiang Beifei primarily as a martial artist who should prioritize his cultivation. Chen Xiuqin walked in from outside, smiling, "Not to hide it from you, these past few days I''ve received so many calls from management companies, they know I''m acquainted with Xiaofei, and they keep asking about his willingness to sign with their companies for various lucrative commercial activities." Chapter 640 - 471: Scapegoating (4000 words) _2 "What are you saying?" Kong Daming inquired. "I''d say I''d consider it, of course. How could I decide such a thing on my own? I still need to ask Xiaofei''s opinion," Chen Xiuqin said with a smile. She hadn''t agreed to it, nor had she completely refused; she had to leave Xiang Beifei some room to choose. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment before saying, "I indeed need to train, no time for shooting movies and commercials. But when I have time, I can start a column specifically to teach everyone how to kill desolate beasts, so they won''t panic when they encounter such situations." He needed to use this identity to properly guide everyone. Lu Hong''s eyes brightened, and he nodded, "Right, many civilians living in inland cities have a very shallow concept of desolate beasts, and most lack a sense of crisis. Your idea is good." Powerful desolate beasts are commonplace for martial artists, but for civilians, encounters are rare; thus, it was natural for Xiang Beifei, as a martial artist, to engage in promotional actives for martial arts. "That''s excellent. I''ll help you promote it. Being a celebrity, you always need to specialize in a direction; since you''re a martial artist, you must do it the martial artist''s way." Chen Xiuqin, also part of the entertainment industry, frequently interacted with celebrities and knew exactly how to handle marketing. As Xiang Beifei''s number one ''mom fan,'' she was more than willing to assist Xiang Beifei. With that settled, Xiang Beifei didn''t need to do much. After the next semester began, he would casually shoot a few videos while on assignments in the wild desolate areas¡ªa simple task. But then again¡ª "Does she really think she can manipulate my fame however she pleases?" The last person who tried to exploit Xiang Beifei''s fame for profit had been dealt with by him. This time, they thought of making him the scapegoat without consulting him, clearly intending to push him onto the stage deliberately. The reason the alliance wanted such a genius exposed was quite clear. The main reason was that Xiang Beifei was trained by Elder Luo! Elder Luo didn''t have a good relationship with the alliance. People at the alliance were even wary of Elder Luo, as they couldn''t suppress such a non-compliant SR-level Awakener. They worried that Elder Luo might cultivate his own influences at Liangzhou University. The emergence of a genius like Xiang Beifei posed an even greater threat to them! That''s why they wanted to strike at Xiang Beifei! A normal person, once exposed, finds it hard to maintain a low profile, attracting attention wherever they go. By exposing Xiang Beifei this way, they were forcibly aligning him with the alliance, ensuring that every move he made was monitored by everyone in Jiuzhou. This essentially prevented Xiang Beifei from acting against the alliance in secret. The alliance would dictate how Xiang Beifei had to cooperate with them moving forward. In the eyes of the alliance, Xiang Beifei would become a chess piece to counter Elder Luo, isolating and monitoring Elder Luo in a unique way to weaken his influence. But Mu Yiqing wouldn''t really think he''d comply obediently, acting just as she wished, would she? "Becoming the benchmark for N-level Awakeners means the initiative is in my hands," Xiang Beifei Is his name, the way out of the withered forest? A coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei felt very surreal. His long-missing father, who had never met him, named him at a time when he was still just a baby. How could he be so sure he would encounter Youmeng? Was the name decided offhandedly? Could he take naming a bit more seriously! This SSR-level System Awakener had the ability to formulate rules. Anyone or anything around her that adhered to the rules would increase her system value, and by conducting affairs according to the established rules, she could also increase her system value. Simply put, as long as there are rules somewhere, she could grow stronger. Those who don''t follow the rules cannot hide in her presence. Xiang Beifei looked at Mu Yiqing''s system log, which listed a lot of issues she dealt with regarding rules, including one that read: [You formulated the "Jiuzhou System for the Selection of SR-level Talent" plan, which has been approved by the Chief Planner of the Alliance, Zhu Yiji, published as a rule. Currently, 2546 people comply with this rule, your rule value +2546] The planning department of the Jiuzhou Alliance is responsible for formulating and amending the systems for various aspects of the alliance, used to manage every aspect of the alliance and plan the development of Jiuzhou. Simply put, Zhu Yiji, being a UR-level System Awakener, was there to set the rules. Xiang Beifei had only just discovered Zhu Yiji''s position within the alliance. Setting rules, leading the way in breaking them, having his own grandson fished out of prison¡ªtruly miraculous. Thus, it seemed Mu Yiqing also belonged to Zhu Yiji. It was unknown whether she participated in the affair, which should have led to Zhu Xinjue''s death sentence, that allowed him to change his appearance, be reborn, and leave the prison. Xiang Beifei soon saw a system log entry from September: [You revised the regulations concerning SR Awakeners'' applications for bail, and this rule currently applies only to one person; your rule value has increased by +1] "It looks like there''s hardly any escape," Xiang Beifei muttered, knitting his brows slightly. Her system, any rule revised by her could bind as many people as it could, basically adding as much to her rule value. For instance, last time she participated in revising a system regarding Jiuzhou students'' recruitment, which directly affected five million college entrance exam students in Jiuzhou, and her system value jumped by 5 million! Logically, if Mu Yiqing had this system, she should adhere to various rules. But Xiang Beifei soon thought differently. What are rules? Rules are merely set by people. Since they are set by people, they can naturally be modified by people. The modified rules are still rules, and they still meet her system''s criteria. Therefore, the higher she stands in the alliance, the easier it is to have control over the rules, making the [Word Spirit Rule System] of handling matters according to rules more potent; in fact, it amounts to acting as one wishes. Otherwise, why would an SSR-level system be so powerful? ¡ª "Our two schools were looking out for each other in the withered forest, joining hands to dodge the danger," Xiang Beifei said, looking at Ren Jianghai, added, "On our way, we even encountered a student from your Qingzhou University; you can ask him yourself." "Yes, we almost got planted there, it was Xiang Beifei and his people who saved me, and later we continuously encountered other school teams, warning them there was danger, but they didn''t trust us, only the Yongzhou University team followed us," said Tang He, detailing the events, including how they conflicted with Yanzhou University, then how they encountered Shi Renmei, saw Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, were chased, and were rescued by the Liangzhou team... Ren Jianghai listened, his eyebrows also deeply furrowed. But with Tang He standing up, he could only let it go. After all, Tang He was a student from Qingzhou University, and it made sense for Xiang Beifei both emotionally and reasonably "All eleven of you," Xiang Beifei didn''t make another inquiry, but looked at Tang He as if lost in thought. Tang He was a normal person; there was no mistake about that since he had a system interface, with the system still rapidly updating. His [Po Jun Eye System] was a type of reconnaissance system, and it could also quickly identify opponents'' weaknesses and defeat them through those weaknesses. Currently, his system logs all displayed normally, something that could not be hidden from Xiang Beifei''s eyes. However, what Xiang Beifei found odd was¡ª This guy, for some reason, seemed to carry a faint scent of Ghost Whiskers! Was it because he had encountered an attack by the Ghost Whiskers and thus retained some of that scent? The atmosphere turned strange as soon as these people appeared. Chen Baiwen, Yu Hongbo, Zhu Xinjue! It was the team from Yanzhou University! Unexpectedly, they also showed up here! At first glance, Zhu Xinjue saw Xiang Beifei in the crowd, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, then his eyes briefly showed a resentful expression, but he quickly concealed it. Chapter 641 - 472: 1 Qiankun Value! Pang Siyi''s Square Inch Universe System was not only effective on objects but also on people. As soon as he crossed hands with Xiang Beifei, his SSR system intelligently measured the volume of Xiang Beifei, converted his volume into Qiankun value, and factored it in! "Quite capable, I didn''t even know Unrestrained had someone like you." Pang Siyi surveyed Xiang Beifei, failing to recognize him. Xiang Beifei had not shown his true face. "You are... you..." Xu Yang, astounded, stared at Xiang Beifei, for he too failed to recognize him, but he recognized those golden patterns! Could it be... Could it be... Xu Yang was beyond excited; he wanted to shout out an inquiry, but forcibly held back. The others, upon seeing a mysterious man suddenly appear to save them, were also quite surprised as they did not recognize him! However, at this point, several of them were also suffering injuries to their eyes and were even gasping for breath, unable to worry about anything else. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei scanned the lifeless village. Everyone in the village had been killed by Pang Siyi using his system abilities, including every chicken, duck, and goose, leaving no survivors. Pang Siyi''s actions were thorough. He employed spatial rifts to assassinate! Just like those who died in the spatial rifts when the Void Devouring Insects destroyed the building. Xiang Beifei looked at Pang Siyi''s system interface, observing the flickering system values, and he understood why Pang Siyi had done this. Pang Siyi intended to pin the blame on the Unrestrained, telling the civilians of Jiuzhou that this was the Unrestrained''s method of killing, unrelated to the Void Devouring Insects. Only by doing so could everyone continue to live in the "System Snail Dwelling". Only by doing so could he continue to exploit everyone living in the "System Snail Dwelling". Xiang Beifei remained silent. His fists burst into scorching flames! "What, you want to avenge them?" Pang Siyi, seeing the flames blazing on Xiang Beifei''s body, asked disdainfully. Swish! Xiang Beifei''s figure had already turned into a phantom, his Explosive Fist Flame surged, charging directly toward Pang Siyi''s forehead, responding with action! "Is that all the speed you have?" Pang Siyi sneered. In the realm of God Refining, almost no martial artist could surpass Xiang Beifei''s speed, but in Pang Siyi''s eyes, it was still a beat slower! The orifice transforming stage and the late stage of God Refining are two different concepts! He scoffed, and the Square Inch Universe System already started circulating swiftly! Hum! Hum! Hum! The space around Xiang Beifei suddenly twisted, forming several black spatial rifts. These rifts appeared in tricky positions, nearly surrounding every joint on Xiang Beifei''s body. If Xiang Beifei moved slightly, those black spatial rifts would devour him! Square Inch Universe! One square inch is an entire universe! Pang Siyi could slice space, making each square inch of space a small universe world. He could completely draw a person into his Square Inch Universe or only allow someone''s arm or leg to enter, then forcibly close it off! Thus, part of the person''s body would be severed into two worlds, achieving the purpose of cutting! That''s the immense destructive power of spatial rifts! "First see if you can break through my Square Inch Universe!" Pang Siyi scoffed coldly. However, Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the spatial rifts blocking his body, his advancing figure didn''t slow down, still rushing toward Pang Siyi! "Seeking death!" Pang Siyi, seeing Xiang Beifei having no intention of slowing down, smirked, already foreseeing Xiang Beifei getting completely diced by the spatial rifts and brutally shredded by him! Swish! Swish! Xiang Beifei''s body had already entered into the black spatial rifts, Pang Siyi sneered, shouting, "Die!" He instantly closed the spatial rifts! However, the next moment, Pang Siyi''s face immediately froze. The scene he imagined where Xiang Beifei was cut to pieces didn''t occur; Xiang Beifei, like nothing happened, had his arm that had just entered the spatial rift in one moment, stretching out from it in the next. "How could this be?" Pang Siyi exclaimed in surprise! Xiang Beifei had disregarded his system''s spatial rifts! However, there was no time for him to think more, because Xiang Beifei''s figure was already near, his explosive flames roaring toward him instantly! "Damn it!" Pang Siyi, being at the stage of orifice transforming, reacted quickly. Though his system''s spatial rifts could not hinder Xiang Beifei, he immediately surged up powerful Spiritual Power, targeting Xiang Beifei''s fist! However, at that moment, he suddenly felt something amiss, because he faintly sensed a slight whooshing sound behind him, which came very abruptly. His keen senses directed Spiritual Power also toward his back. Yet two bricks infused with golden patterns appeared out of nowhere, disregarding Pang Siyi''s Spiritual Power and kept advancing! Pang Siyi''s brow furrowed, realizing that these bricks were unusual. Black spatial rifts reappeared, ready to devour those bricks using spatial rifts. Yet the bricks still disregarded his spatial rifts! "Damn it, what the hell!" Pang Siyi found that neither Spiritual Power nor the spatial rift could block those two turnings, so he swung his left hand to grab the brick! Whir! Just as he grabbed the brick with his left hand, the golden patterns on the brick immediately started to spread upward along his fingers, and Pang Siyi''s face changed color instantly! He discovered that his fingers couldn''t move at all! This brick was eerie! Without a second thought, he severed his own fingers, stopping the spread of the golden patterns! However, in the moment Pang Siyi was distracted, Xiang Beifei''s fist had already come flying, striking Pang Siyi right on the forehead! Bang! His fist was so powerful that it nearly cracked Pang Siyi''s entire skull! "You little beast!" Pang Siyi quickly recovered, his figure instantly vanished from the spot, breaking through the void, and moving fifty meters away! "How can this guy be so powerful?" Pang Siyi was secretly shocked! His body was protected by Spiritual Power, which normally would be solid as a rock enough for a God Refining late stage martial artist, enough to withstand the late stage of God Refining power, but somehow he could not dissipate this man''s force! Not only that, but the opponent''s immense strength was even negating the Spiritual Power that he was sending flying toward him! Swish! Swish! Swish! But Xiang Beifei didn''t give Pang Siyi a chance to think, as he swung his fists again and charged towards Pang Siyi! Swoosh! Swoosh! Their figures rapidly crisscrossed in the air, clashing no less than a dozen times in an instant! Bang! Pang Siyi cried out in pain as his ribs were smashed by Xiang Beifei''s punch! "Damn it! This kid is too much trouble!" While the damage was minor for Pang Siyi, the fight was becoming increasingly frustrating for him; he had to constantly be wary of the bricks that mysteriously shot out from different directions, all the while dealing with Xiang Beifei''s whirlwind-like barrage of punches. Under normal circumstances, Xiang Beifei wouldn''t have been able to touch Pang Siyi at all, as Pang Siyi was much faster! But every time, Xiang Beifei used the cover of the bricks to contend with him! The bricks appeared from extremely tricky positions, and after suffering once, Pang Siyi dared not underestimate them anymore, so he had to dodge the bricks, but every time he dodged, his body had to change position, and Xiang Beifei always seemed to predict his dodging spot and then punched him squarely! In just a few seconds, Pang Siyi was covered with bruises! [Detecting the host''s body has thirteen bone fractures, would you like to repair the body?] "Repair!" Pang Siyi growled annoyed. [1000 Qiankun values spent to exchange for a Revitalizing Pill!] Pang Siyi was pondering when his body had already recovered. However, when he looked down, he discovered that his body hadn''t healed at all; the Revitalizing Pill was ineffective! "How is this possible? The injury isn''t severe, so why can''t it be healed?" Pang Siyi couldn''t understand where his Revitalizing Pill had gone, but at that moment, Xiang Beifei came charging again, landing a punch on his arm, the powerful rebound force tumbling and directly cracking the bones in his arm! "You little beast, I''ll show you! Spend 10,000 Qiankun values to exchange for a restoration pill!" Pang Siyi commanded his system silently. [10,000 Qiankun values spent to exchange for a Restoration Pill!] Bang! Yet Pang Siyi took another solid punch from Xiang Beifei! His Restoration Pill was still ineffective! "Damn it! What''s going on! Why can''t this injury be healed?" Pang Siyi roared at his system. [System evaluation in progress...] [The Restoration Pill has been issued and applied to the host!] "Applied my ass!" Pang Siyi was incredibly annoyed; he had used the Restoration Pill and Revitalizing Pill before and knew their effects better than anyone, yet somehow his injuries showed no signs of healing. He couldn''t figure out why, but soon, Xiang Beifei hurled another punch! "Exchange for a powerful armor!" After taking another punch from Xiang Beifei, Pang Siyi decided to rely on his system''s defense to combat Xiang Beifei! [100,000 Qiankun values spent to exchange for protective armor] Bang! Pang Siyi was once again struck by Xiang Beifei''s punch in his face! He still couldn''t perceive any trace of the protective armor; for some reason, the items he exchanged for once again vanished without a trace! Pang Siyi still didn''t understand what was happening, but in fact, everything was due to when he first engaged with Xiang Beifei, his estimate of Xiang Beifei''s body volume had added 1 Qiankun value to himself! And it was this 1 Qiankun value that caused his Square Inch Universe System to completely malfunction in front of Xiang Beifei! Chapter 642 - 473: Spatial Rift (4000 words) Chapter resumed normal updates at five-thirty. Subscribers can refresh directly without resubscribing. "Xiaohei, we need to find an acquaintance to help us and also collect a debt," Xiang Beifei said. "Woof?" Xiaohei asked, puzzled. Xiang Beifei stood up, rubbed his fists, and said, "Yang Chengze." Yang Chengze was a team leader at Yanzhou University, and he was one of Minister Zhu Yiji''s men. During the incident where Zhu Xinjue changed his name and identity, Yang Chengze was also involved. Under the instruction of Zhu Yiji, he used his SR-level Subtle Influence to sway some who suspected that Zhu Xinjue was actually Zhu Pengfei. After Xiang Beifei led his team out of the Withered Forest, Yang Chengze went to question him and even tried to pin Zhu Xinjue''s death on Xiang Beifei. Unfortunately, he still underestimated Xiang Beifei. But last time, Xiang Beifei wasn''t strong enough to truly influence Yang Chengze''s thoughts. He could only guide him to some extent, but now things were different. However, But Xiaohei had already dashed out from under Professor Guo''s feet, extending his little claw and shattering the Square and Round Rules under Sun Heshun''s feet! "Minister Zhu! Commander He! You two are going too far!" Sun Heshun initially was restrained, but as soon as he broke free, he immediately called out to stop them! Zhu Yiji''s expression darkened once more! Sun Heshun had also broken through his own Square and Round Rules? But Zhu Yiji could no longer take action! Today''s events simply didn''t leave him in a position to stand on solid ground. Once he acted against anyone, Yet it also made He Caiwei realise something. He still had a chance to prove his innocence, he had been dragged into this affair, but those words were only heard by Zhao Yong from Wu Shixuan''s mouth claiming he was the instigator. Even if Zhao Yong said so, it couldn''t directly prove that the act of framing him was related to him! The only way for him to clear himself of this situation now was to sacrifice the car to save his bishop! Meaning Wu Shixuan had to be kicked out! He could just say Wu Shixuan was framing him! A hint of coldness flashed in He Caiwei''s eyes! ... The entire meeting room had become tense and confrontational. "Everyone stop! Don''t be too presumptuous!" Minister Zhu Yiji finally stood up and said coldly, "You three, daring to cause chaos at the school, do you really not take me seriously?" His gaze was like an eagle''s, fixed on the three of them, especially lingering on Xiang Beifei. Even he hadn''t noticed how Xiang Beifei had appeared in the classroom, which made him feel apprehensive! But at this moment, Zhu Yiji''s aura was like the sun at its zenith! He was still the most powerful person here! He could still suppress these few people! He swiftly looked toward his system interface¡ª [Detection: Luo Yunxian is furious. Would you like to spend uniqueness value to strengthen your defense?] "Ten million!" But Luo Yunxian had already raised his hand, When He Caiwei''s momentum hit the invisible barrier in front of Professor Guo, it was like smashing into a solid wall. This wall was surrounded on all sides by strange Spiritual Power, which dissipated and transformed all of He Caiwei''s attacks, and then redirected them, following the same path, back against him! Hum! He Caiwei was once again repelled by Professor Guo''s counterattack! To be precise, he was repelled by his own momentum! "How could this be?" He Caiwei stared intently at Professor Guo! Before, he only knew that Professor Guo was strong, but because Professor Guo was only in the middle stage of orifice transforming, he never took the SR-level Professor Guo seriously! But he neglected one thing. Professor Guo, being in the middle stage of orifice transforming, might not have many attacking methods or great attacking power, but he has the strongest defense in the Alliance! This defense was his confidence to withstand the late stages of orifice transforming martial artists with his mid-stage power! For him, the strongest defense was a counterattack! And He Caiwei simply could not shake him! "What''s going on? Tell the truth!" Zhu Yiji demanded. Zhao Yong slapped his forehead and said, "Wu Shixuan was mumbling to himself at the time. He said that Minister Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei both wanted to deal with Luo Yunxian, and that he would handle Professor Guo who was close to Luo Yunxian first. We would have to bear false witness to frame Professor Guo! If he did a good job, he would be greatly rewarded... Yes! There was also someone named Zhu Yiji, just like He Caiwei, who instructed Wu Shixuan to frame Professor Guo!" Zhao Yong blurted out everything at once! As his words came out, the entire meeting room fell silent! The more than twenty leaders of Liangzhou University present all sucked in a breath of cold air! Zhu Yiji? Zhao Yong actually said that Zhu Yiji also took part in framing Professor Guo? You should know that Zhu Yiji''s ability for "Frankness Without Evasion" was Witnessed by All. Inside this black square, absolutely no one would lie! That means what Zhao Yong was saying right now was one hundred percent ¡ª truth! Zhu Yiji had Zhao Yong speak out that Zhu Yiji was also a culprit? "Mr. Ye, how about your spiritual defense? Can you block the influence of the UR Awakener System like Elder Luo?" Xiang Beifei asked. Many high-level System Awakeners can control lower-level systems with their own. Ye Changfeng''s strength and talent were only slightly above average in the Alliance, but not by much. "Barely, many in the Alliance have issues with Elder Luo and have tried to probe his secrets through me, so I specifically followed Elder Luo to strengthen my spiritual power. I may not reach his level, but at least I can protect myself," Ye Changfeng replied. Ye Changfeng''s spiritual power was very strong. After all, he was also Elder Luo''s Direct Disciple. His talent compared to Xiang Beifei might seem insignificant, but in reality, he was far superior to other SRs. Chapter 643 - 473: Spatial Rift (4000 words)_2 Many in the alliance were eyeing Elder Luo with envy, and naturally, they would concoct schemes to undermine Ye Changfeng. Capabilities like forcing the truth or muddling facts, which all fall under the category of spiritual manipulation, were the very reasons he trained so intensely in spiritual defense¡ªto thwart such incidents from happening. Only after ascertaining this did Xiang Beifei speak, "Actually, this matter has to do with me." In the end, he laid out the whole story, omitting only the parts about Xiao Sheng, his grandfather, and that mountain. After hearing everything, Ye Changfeng was extremely shocked! "Such a big issue, why are you only mentioning it now? Why didn''t you tell us earlier? If you didn''t want to tell me, you should at least have informed Elder Luo," Ye Changfeng appeared quite angry, and even a bit frightened. Although Xiang Beifei''s account sounded nonchalant, Ye Changfeng could easily imagine how perilous the actual situation was at that time. "What do you think Elder Luo would do if I told him?" Xiang Beifei asked. Ye Changfeng was momentarily taken aback before he finally realized the situation. "I was too hasty." He knew Elder Luo well, a protective old man who would confront He Caiwei without a second thought. However, if He Caiwei dared to act as he did, he would naturally have his contingency plans, and he''d manage to wash his hands clean of the whole affair. Then it would be Elder Luo who would be at a disadvantage. Elder Luo was already marginalized by the alliance, and confronting someone without evidence was far from wise. Furrowed brows, Ye Changfeng weighed the pros and cons of the situation before saying sternly, "No matter what, you must never admit to killing anyone, understand?" "I understand." SR Awakeners, from the beginning of Meridian Opening to the refinement of the soul at the God Refining stage, would need at least three to five years, if not longer. SSR Awakeners also needed about two to four years to reach the God Refining stage. URs were the fastest, typically taking about one to two years to step into the God Refining stage without any problem. The videos that couldn''t be deleted were all manipulated by it. The alliance had various formidable network technology Awakeners, yet faced with the footage set up by Xiaohei, they could do nothing! No matter how they employed system items, they couldn''t erase the related videos. At that moment, Elder Luo''s lazy voice came from the corner, "Otherwise, how should we converse? At the Martial Arts College, we speak with our fists. Why don''t you two have a fight?" Wei Tong turned his head and realized that somehow Elder Luo was sitting there. His face quickly changed. Fight? Are you joking? Although he was an SSR, he couldn''t withstand a single punch from Ye Changfeng. An Xiyu, who was at one side, realized something and spoke up, "You''ve reached the later stages of Meridian Opening?" Professor Guo also came to his senses and looked at Xiang Beifei in astonishment. He knew that Xiang Beifei was gifted, but by all accounts, he should be at most at the mid-stage of Meridian Opening by now. How could he have advanced to such a level so suddenly? After pondering for a moment, Xiang Beifei shook his head: "Not yet." "So your level of cultivation is?" Professor Guo asked tentatively. "Mid-stage of Meridian Opening," Xiang Beifei replied. It wasn''t that he didn''t trust Professor Guo; frankly, he was worried about An Xiyu. Last semester, An Xiyu followed his advice and chose to develop within the alliance, currently interning there. The alliance had been monitoring him all along, searching for his information, so they would certainly leave no stone unturned in finding a breakthrough from the people around him, and obviously, An Xiyu was one of them. Of course, Xiang Beifei trusted that An Xiyu, with her character, wouldn''t actively betray him, but after all, she was just an SR in the later stages of Meridian Opening. Should an SSR like Mu Yiqing who was in the later stages of God Refining appear, it would be easy for them to silently extract information from An Xiyu''s mouth, despite Liangzhou University''s various confidentiality measures for students. Liangzhou University was no longer strictly its own entity¡ªfor example, the person in charge of the Martial Arts College from the literary Dao was someone sent by the alliance, all keeping an eye on Xiang Beifei. His own progress in cultivation had already been fast enough, reaching the initial stages of Meridian Opening in half a year with the help of the Awakening System and not even a year to reach the later stages of Meridian Opening, outstripping normal SSRs by a vast margin! This terrifying speed of cultivation could not even be achieved by UR Awakeners! If those people knew how quickly he was improving, they''d likely stop at nothing to cause him trouble. Therefore, Xiang Beifei had to keep it hidden until he broke through to the God Refining stage. It was only then that he would truly have the ability to protect himself, no longer fearing people like He Caiwei¡ª And they could even unexpectedly teach a lesson to those Lofty SSR and UR officials of the alliance! He had already spread this news, and not long ago, he specifically exhibited his mid-stage Meridian Opening strength in front of many students, so as to put He Caiwei at ease. Now He Caiwei would definitely think that it was Elder Luo who had killed those three people back then and wouldn''t dare to act rashly. With He Caiwei and the others focusing on Elder Luo, they wouldn''t pay attention to Xiang Beifei, whose cultivation was only at the mid-stage of Meridian Opening. In this way, Xiang Beifei could quietly grow stronger. Once he attained a certain level of cultivation, he would burst out and participate in group fights. "So that''s how it is." Professor Guo could accept this level of strength, but he was obviously a bit disinterested; he really hoped that Xiang Beifei''s cultivation was at the late-stage of Meridian Opening. "Then why did you ask about the matters of the soul?" Professor Guo asked again. A powerful aura condensed around him into a sharp and penetrating force, quietly landing on Ma Kainian. When Ma Kainian saw Xiang Beifei, he shivered in his heart, frightened by the terrifying aura of Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei was rumored to be able to kill a late-stage Meridian Opening One-Armed Crab with a single punch; his presence here was certainly not for fun. Ma Kainian steadied his nerves and cursed quietly; after all, he was an official of the alliance, and this youngster, no matter how famous, was still just an ordinary citizen without power or influence. It should be him who was afraid! "Xiang Beifei, quite the big shot, huh?" Ma Kainian said with a mocking tone. Xiang Beifei didn''t say anything, glanced at him indifferently, and then walked towards Kong Daming, asking, "I saw the phone message just now; what happened to my grandfather?" "I don''t know. He seemed a bit uneasy just now, so I helped him upstairs to rest, and he''s upstairs now," Kong Daming said. "Got it, I''ll go up and see him." Xiang Beifei, without another word, headed for the stairs. However, Ma Kainian, seeing that he had been ignored, was quite annoyed! "Hmph! Not even basic etiquette at this point..." "Scram!" Xiang Beifei said directly. "Yes." Ma Kainian''s mind went blank, and then, involuntarily, he lay down and actually rolled away from the scene. "Ah?" Kong Daming and Zhang Xiang watched Ma Kainian roll away on the ground, shocked and completely stunned for a moment. Ma Kainian actually... just rolled away like that? This turn of events caught them both off guard. "Why do we have to patrol the archive department! Who would have nothing better to do than to come steal from the archives? If you ask me, it wouldn''t even matter if we didn''t come here for a year," Zhou Guan said lazily, holding the back of his head while following Sun Zhong. He wasn''t very interested in this job and kept grumbling along the way. Sun Zhong walked to the third floor and patrolled past a line of rooms. [You patrolled the N-level Talent Review Department, patrol points +2] [You patrolled the N-level Talent Dispatch Department, patrol points +2] ... Sun Zhong made two rounds in the empty room, pressed a button on the wall to confirm the alarm was working correctly, and then left the room. [You patrolled the entrance to the General Archives, patrol points +5] But just then, Zheng Xing had a thought, hurriedly took out his phone to video call his son, and then asked, "Son, you said you saw Xiang Beifei last time, is this person Xiang Beifei?" During the freshmen competition, although the students from elite schools had not been present, the event had been broadcast live, so anyone with eyes could recognize him. Although Zheng Xing''s son was from Ji Chapter 644 - 474: Rebirth in Desperation Pang Siyi was completely stunned! He had actually lost! An orifice transforming martial artist, defeated by a stranger whose cultivation level was clearly only at the late stage of God Refining! Who on earth was this person? How could there be someone so powerful in the Unrestrained? How was he able to control the spatial rifts he himself had created? Most importantly, why couldn''t his wounds heal until now! ... As Pang Siyi lay under Xiang Beifei''s foot, countless questions tormented him, filling him with frustration and anger. He just couldn''t comprehend how Xiang Beifei had managed to do this! He was the only one who should be able to control the spatial rifts he created, yet in the end they had become channels for Xiang Beifei to use against him! This almost made him explode with rage! He could create various spatial rifts in different Qiankun worlds and then establish channels between these worlds. Since Pang Siyi had mastered this ability early on, Xiang Beifei indeed had no way of controlling these channels at first; at most, he could only rely on his ability to suppress the system, allowing him to ignore these channels and not be swallowed by them. But what Pang Siyi should not have done was to absorb Xiang Beifei''s breath soil! Once Xiang Beifei''s breath soil entered into his Qiankun world, it acted like a guiding light, quickly figuring out the spatial passages of each Qiankun world, and then assisting Xiang Beifei in finding a route for a counter-attack! It was the markings of the breath soil that allowed Xiang Beifei to understand where each spatial rift created by Pang Siyi would lead, so he could use these rifts to strike Pang Siyi from a distance! At this moment, Pang Siyi, pinned to the ground by Xiang Beifei, didn''t even have a chance to struggle! "You little rascal! Today is just my bad luck, but remember this! Don''t let me have the chance to encounter you again!" Although Pang Siyi was pinned down, he could still speak. However, his spiritual power could not disperse this force, so he planned to abandon his body and escape as an Orifice Soul. Reaching the God Refining and orifice transforming stages is a relatively special realm. When martial artists reach this realm, it''s like having two lives. If the body is destroyed, they still have the soul or Orifice Soul. As long as the soul is intact, they can be reborn using special methods! Pang Siyi decided to use the method of shedding the shell, abandoning his body! His gaze turned fierce as he immediately circulated his spiritual power, separating his Orifice Soul from his body! Then the next step was to drill out of the body from some opening. With his orifice transforming strength, if he wanted to escape, Xiang Beifei wouldn''t be able to stop him! But soon, his expression turned to panic! Because although his Orifice Soul was clearly separated from his body, he couldn''t escape from it. His body was like a sealed container, which was firmly trapping his Orifice Soul inside! "How is this possible!" What the hell was this golden array pattern, and why was it so powerful? Pang Siyi was terrified beyond measure! Xiang Beifei looked at Pang Siyi with a cold gaze. His brick was not yet able to pin down the divine soul and Orifice Soul, which is why Pang Siyi could still speak despite being pinned down. But once the brick pinned down the body, it was akin to sealing the body, a type of restraint the divine soul and Orifice Soul couldn''t possibly break! Shua! A white light appeared on Xiang Beifei''s hand, and this light quickly burrowed into every orifice of Pang Siyi''s body! Revert to Simplicity! The speed of Revert to Simplicity was quite slow, and Xiang Beifei rarely used it in battle because, although its destructive power was great, it was easily avoidable due to its sluggish pace. However, now that Pang Siyi had been pinned by the brick, Revert to Simplicity no longer had any restraints! The breath of this energy immediately invaded Pang Siyi''s body, aiming for his Orifice Soul! "Damn it! What is this?" Pang Siyi attempted to disperse this energy, but as soon as his Orifice Soul touched the aura of Revert to Simplicity, it started to show signs of instability. The Orifice Soul he had painstakingly condensed began to collapse! Pang Siyi began to panic. If his Orifice Soul was destroyed by this force, then he would be finished! "Quick! Quick! Find a way to clear this stuff out!" Pang Siyi shouted in his mind to the system. [Host''s Orifice Soul is detected to be under severe threat. Would you like to spend 10 million Qiankun value to exchange for a Nine Dragons Protector Armor?] "Yes! Exchange it for me!" Pang Siyi did not hesitate, for cultivating an Orifice Soul was extremely difficult. Once an Orifice Soul is compromised, it would be a fatal blow to him! [Nine Dragons Protector Armor has been exchanged! Remaining Qiankun value: 60245125] Pang Siyi watched his Orifice Soul anxiously, waiting to be enveloped in the Nine Dragons Protector Armor to withstand the breath of "Revert to Simplicity"! However, after waiting for a long time, he realized that nothing had appeared on his body. Revert to Simplicity had already begun to engulf his Orifice Soul''s mind, moving towards engulfing his consciousness! "Don''t... Ah! Stop!" Pang Siyi screamed in terror. [Host''s Orifice Soul is still under severe threat. Would you like to spend 20 million Qiankun value to exchange for a Myriad Laws Divine Aperture Talisman?] "Exchange! You must find a way to preserve my Orifice Soul!" Pang Siyi bellowed in his mind. [20 million Qiankun value spent to exchange for a Myriad Laws Divine Aperture Talisman. Remaining Qiankun value: 40245125] "Ah!" Yet Pang Siyi still let out a heart-wrenching scream! Because the Myriad Laws Divine Aperture Talisman had no idea where it went! His divine aperture was still being devoured by Xiang Beifei! Damn it! "Quick! Help me calculate if there''s anything that can assist me in escaping this trap! Exchange whatever it takes at all costs!" Pang Siyi roared painfully in his mind. His Orifice Soul was injured, which caused excruciating, heart-wrenching pain. Pang Siyi was so twisted with agony that he even forgot to ponder why all those system items had become ineffective. He simply assumed that Xiang Beifei''s tactics were too bizarre and the protective measures were useless. He had to continue increasing his system value to bolster his own defenses! [Does the host wish to spend all current system values to use "Rebirth in Desperation"? The host''s Orifice Soul has already separated from the body and is trapped within. A piece of flesh can be evaporated from within the current body to create a vacuum and form a spatial passage for escape.] Rebirth in Desperation! The ultimate life-saving measure of the Square Inch Universe System! When in dire straits, one can spend all Qiankun values in one go to create a powerful escape portal. The more Qiankun values are spent, the greater the likelihood of escape! But the downside of this ability is¡ªit consumes all Qiankun values! Meaning that after successfully escaping, Pang Siyi''s Qiankun value would drop to zero, and he would have to start collecting from scratch again! "Yes! Yes! As long as I can get out! All of it!" Pang Siyi shouted eagerly. Because the aura of "Return to the Original State" had already interfered with his consciousness! He couldn''t care less at that point, where there''s life, there''s hope! [40245125 Qiankun values spent to cast "Rebirth in Desperation," evaluating the current success rate of escape based on the opponent''s strength, the power of the host''s Orifice Soul, and the physical condition...] [Escape Success Rate: 100%] One hundred percent! Pang Siyi''s already pain-clouded consciousness suddenly perked up! So his ultimate trump card could guarantee a hundred percent escape chance! What was he waiting for then? "Hurry!" He became excited. This was just a loss of Qiankun values; it had no impact on his cultivation level. As long as he lived, with his SSR-level system combined with his position in the Alliance, making a comeback would only take a few years! As long as he escaped, he would definitely come back to seek revenge! Whoosh! A light instantly lit up inside Pang Siyi''s body, carving out a piece of flesh to make space. Then, the light began to rapidly evolve, and the escape corridor was about to open... However¡ª Buzz! The light suddenly went out and vanished without a trace! Pang Siyi was stunned! What happened to the promised hundred percent escape? Why did the escape portal disappear? What happened to his guaranteed Rebirth in Desperation with a hundred percent success rate! ... Pang Siyi looked at his system interface in shock and rage: [Current Qiankun Value: 0] He didn''t understand. Hadn''t he just been assessed with a hundred percent chance of escape? Why, after spending all his Qiankun values, was he still trapped in this wretched body? "Why? Why! Are you messing with me? Why did this happen!" Pang Siyi nearly lost his mind! He was no longer communicating with the system in his mind; instead, he was outright shouting! "Because you deserve to die." Xiang Beifei, who had been silent the whole time, finally spoke slowly. Pang Siyi fell into despair, shouting as if he had gone mad: "You can''t kill me! I''m... I''m the chief of the Qingzhou Border Quarantine Department! Every SSR in the Alliance is protected by the Alliance. They will know if something happens and mark the murderer with a mark made by UR-level powerhouses of the Heavenly Connection realm. If you dare to kill me, the Alliance will hunt you down to the ends of the earth!" "You''ve killed an entire village of villagers," Xiang Beifei said slowly. "So what! They''re just N-level Awakeners; a few more or less doesn''t make any difference! I am an SSR in the Alliance! My life is much more valuable than theirs. If you think you''re avenging them by killing me, then you''re digging your own grave!" Pang Siyi roared. "You''re right, I should go dig some graves." Xiang Beifei looked towards the distant village and, after a moment of silence, said, "To bury all the leaders in the Alliance like you who have lost their humanity." "You..." Pang Siyi looked at Xiang Beifei in shock. He had intended to mock Xiang Beifei for dreaming, but for some reason, he suddenly felt a shock in his heart! Xiang Beifei''s aura and cultivation weren''t strong, but it made him feel a spiritual tremor! Xiang Beifei waved his hand! "Ahh¡ª" Pang Siyi''s Orifice Soul was gnawed away bit by bit by the Revert to Simplicity, erasing his consciousness completely! Xiaohei opened its mouth and directly refined Pang Siyi''s Orifice Soul into the purest spiritual power crystal! Chapter 645 - 475: Evil-accumulating System (4000 words) Chapter updates will resume to normal at 5:30 PM. Subscribed readers can refresh the chapter, and there won''t be a duplicate subscription. "I just don''t believe N-level Awakeners have that much potential. Their systems are so useless, they can only achieve so little in a lifetime. It''s impossible for them to have such strength," Long Guocheng gritted his teeth and said. "Why can''t N-level Awakeners defeat SRs? Shang Tianxiong is also an N-level Awakener; how many can surpass him? Those with strength can even kill SSRs with an SR rating! Everyone is surviving in this world, all just humans; you aren''t nobler than anyone. You''re just starting from a higher point than others, that doesn''t mean your future will be better than theirs. Be more humble," Xiang Beifei said, and then he went back to his compartment. "Be humble?" Long Guocheng''s expression alternated between cloudy and clear as he pondered Xiang Beifei''s words. ¡ª¡ª ¡ª¡ª Around nine o''clock in the evening, Ye Changfeng gathered everyone together as he had obtained the schedule and rules for tomorrow''s competition. Elder Luo said, "We need to discuss tomorrow''s situation first; everyone has to be more vigilant." The rules were clear to everyone: the new student trials consisted of individual matches and team pioneering. In individual matches, the nine schools would compete in a round-robin format, facing each other only once, meaning each school would fight eight battles, amounting to thirty-six matches in total, to be carried out over two days. It would be decided by a dice roll whether the participants were in the Meridian Opening or the Qi-Controlling stage. "For tomorrow''s schedule, the first match is Jizhou University against Yanzhou University. Our match isn''t first, which is good. We can observe the strengths of the other schools first. However, the second match is between Qingzhou University and Liangzhou University," Ye Changfeng said as he handed out a flyer to everyone, who studied the schedule with solemn expressions. "Yuchi Shen, talk to them about the current strength of each school this year," Elder Luo instructed. Yuchi Shen glanced at Xiang Beifei expressionlessly before beginning his introduction. "There''s a rule that no one can participate in more than two matches. So, we''ll need to analyze the situation with the other teachers and then decide how to allocate the five of you for the order of matches and opponents," he said. This was like racing horses arranged by Tian Ji, but not quite the same. In Tian Ji''s horse racing, there were three matches with room to perform. However, since each school only faced another in one match, it was basically random. Generally, schools hope that other schools will first deal with the powerful students from other schools, using up their two quotas, so that when they face them, they''d only have weaker students left to send out. For example, with Qingzhou University and Liangzhou University, Qingzhou University has two SSRs this year, both of whom can only participate in two matches each, meaning at most, these two SSRs can only fight in four matches. Therefore, Ye Changfeng hoped that Qingzhou University would use all four opportunities these SSRs had to fight against the other seven schools, so by the time they faced his own school, their quotas would be used up, leaving only the SRs to fight, which would increase their chances of winning. However, all schools are elite institutions, and the teachers leading them certainly understand this principle, so the allocation of participants will become a psychological game. Before entering the arena, no one can know whether the other side will send out their strong or weak participants. "You should also be aware, our school doesn''t have any SSRs this year, meaning our strength is weaker than other schools. It''s going to be hard for you to gain an advantage in the individual matches," Yuchi Shen said, fixing his gaze on Xiang Beifei. "Aside from Qingzhou University, Yanzhou University, and Jizhou University, the other schools also have only one SSR, which is just one person in the Meridian Opening stage. We don''t need to worry too much; at least we have student Xiang Beifei," Xi Keyao said timidly from the side. "The situation isn''t that simple," Elder Luo spoke, "In individual matches, there are only eight battles, each worth one point, so the total points are very important. But have you considered, for the sake of higher overall points, the other schools will definitely find a way to secure that one point? And whose victory is almost guaranteed for getting that one point?" Long Guocheng and the others realized: "From Liangzhou University?" The other eight schools all had a common understanding that Liangzhou University didn''t have any SSRs this year, meaning they had no students in the Meridian Opening stage. So, to grab a guaranteed point, they would definitely send an SSR in the Meridian Opening stage against Liangzhou University, which was almost a sure win. People always go for the low-hanging fruit, aiming to squeeze an easy point first! "Exactly, our opponents in each match might all be SSRs in the Meridian Opening stage!" Elder Luo said with profound implications. "This..." Everyone''s expression grew heavier. "Alright, as for how to allocate our participants and how to break through this deadlock, you five need to discuss it among yourselves," said Elder Luo. "Seriously, why do they have to make a simple new student trial so complex?" Ma Ziqian mumbled to himself. For martial artists like them, the most straightforward approach would be to have a head-on clash, the simplest solution. "Because this is also a tactic," Elder Luo said, "Facing an opponent with uneven strength, how to arrange your players to break through the deadlock and gain more victories is a type of command strategy. The elite schools'' trials aren''t just about martial strength; they also test the ability to adapt to different situations on the fly. Figuring out how to most effectively use limited personnel is a test for the team leaders as well as the new students. Developing this kind of thinking can also be applied to battles against beast tides in the future." Chapter 646 - 475: Evil-accumulating System (4000 words)_2 Elite Martial Arts Colleges at universities are primarily dedicated to training pioneers and guardians, which means their fundamental curriculum revolves around combat. When facing a beast tide, the strength of desolate beasts is unequal, so each school must teach students how to utilize effective manpower to maximize combat power. This new student competition seems very unfair at first glance, with Meridian Opening students potentially facing off against those in the Qi-Controlling phase, resulting in a one-sided trend that doesn''t truly reflect the freshmen''s abilities. However, the reality is, when facing desolate beasts, there is never any talk of fairness! In battles with desolate beasts, their strength is often a bit more overwhelming. Therefore, how to achieve victory and score the most points is actually a test of the tactical coordination abilities of the various universities. Which battles to give up on, which to commit all resources to, who to dispatch against different opponents, learning to choose wisely, engaging in psychological gamesmanship with each other - it''s not only a contest of courage but also of strategy. Although Elder Luo usually seems bored to death and far from serious, he once served as the grand commander of the Jiuzhou Alliance''s resistance against the beast tide, with a formidable strategic vision for commanding battles. He couldn''t be clearer about the original intention behind this type of competition among the nine elite schools. In other words, Elder Luo has an idea of how to break through this situation, but he didn''t spell it out; he wanted Xiang Beifei and his team to think for themselves first, as this is also a form of training. If their ideas don''t work out, then Elder Luo would provide further guidance. ¡ª¡ª Hearing Elder Luo''s words, no one had any more grounds to complain. Ye Changfeng and Yuchi Shen also sat to the side, staying silent and watching the five members led by Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei and the others remained quiet. After a long while, Long Guocheng was the first to speak, "Tomorrow''s competition, our first match is the second round, against Qingzhou University. We don''t know who they will send to face us." Xiang Beifei said, "The person Qingzhou University sends over tomorrow will definitely be Hou Chengwu, no surprises there." Long Guocheng asked, "Are you so sure? Qingzhou University has two SSRs, one UR, and two SRs, and they still haven''t confirmed their selections." Xiang Beifei said, "It will be Hou Chengwu! He initially refused Liangzhou University and switched to Qingzhou University. He must prove to others that not choosing Liangzhou University was the right decision, and he will prove it by personally defeating us." "That makes sense," Li Zimu nodded thoughtfully, "I suppose after you refuted him today, he would want to take revenge." "Xiang Beifei, are you capable of defeating Hou Chengwu?" Xi Keyao asked. Xiang Beifei was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly. The expressions on Long Guocheng and the others improved a little, as they all recognized Xiang Beifei''s strength by now. This fellow might not be an SSR, but his strength was ridiculously strong. With him around, even if Liangzhou University might not be as overtly strong as those top three schools, they were still on par with the other universities. "But if the other schools all send SSRs to face us, we are almost certain to lose. Xiang Beifei can only enter the field twice, meaning at most he can score two points, but we four are most likely to lose," Ma Ziqian said. "Unless we figure out a way to prevent them from all using SSRs against us," Li Zimu said. "They all think we''re easy targets now, how can we change their minds?" Long Guocheng asked. "It''s simple. We must let them know we aren''t that weak," Xiang Beifei said. Li Zimu caught on and said, "I get it now, we have to show them that our school also has a Meridian Opening phase student. That way, they won''t all send Meridian Opening students against us. This means, Xiang Beifei, you must enter the field tomorrow against Qingzhou University." A person can appear on the stage at most twice, thus after Xiang Beifei''s first move, as long as he slightly reveals his power, it would be enough to intimidate people from other schools and make them wary. Realizing that the ''persimmon'' of Liangzhou University might not be so easy to squeeze! Because if the SSR they send out encounters Xiang Beifei, the tough opponent, and loses, it would be a significant loss. Therefore, the other schools would not recklessly send their SSRs to challenge Liangzhou University. This ability is very unique; any creature or person with sins can be targeted by it, and a ''covering door'' will automatically form in the mind. Even if this ''covering door'' is not originally the opponent''s weakness. Take, for example, the Triangular Thunder Krait, whose original weakness is in its eyes, but if Yuchi Shen uses the "Seven Deadly Sins Kill," he can forcibly shift this weakness to somewhere else, such as transferring the ''covering door'' to the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait. Then, as long as Yuchi Shen hits the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait, it will surely die! "This ability is amazing, forcibly changing the opponent''s weakness?" Xiang Beifei was quite impressed. "Yes, I heard that originally two SSR Awakeners were going to come to our Liangzhou University, but because Liangzhou University admitted an N-level, those two SSRs looked down on our university and went to other elite schools instead." "Wouldn''t the school be furious? Losing two SSRs over an N-level student?" "Exactly! That N-level Awakener really knows how to stir trouble." Just then, Xiang Beifei let out a startled exclamation because he noticed that a figure had suddenly appeared behind the baby! This figure seemed to have teleported there, holding a sword in hand and exuding a powerful aura, ignoring all the tendrils! It was Ye Changfeng! Ye Changfeng frowned as he looked at the baby, and then he swung his sword at the baby! The baby seemed to react, but before it could turn around, Ye Changfeng''s sword had already cut it in two! However, the baby did not dissipate; after it was split, countless tendrils sprang out of its body and merged into the surrounding tendrils. "To death with you!" Ye Changfeng gripped his longsword and struck out another sword blow forward! This sword was like a bolt of lightning, carrying a terrifying force. The chilling Sword Qi stretched for hundreds of meters, creating a crack through the sky of tendrils! As the tendrils were split apart, they tried to reassemble, but soon, countless bursts of Sword Qi exploded among them¡ª Boom! Boom! Boom! All the tendrils failed to escape under Ye Changfeng''s sword and were utterly destroyed! The sliced tendrils were shredded by the Sword Qi, and the remaining tendrils, now fearful, began to retreat toward the ground and quickly disappeared from sight. "You all wait here, don''t run around!" Ye Changfeng flung his sword, and the Longyuan Sword hovered above their heads, as if to protect them. Meanwhile, another sword appeared in his hand, and with a step, his figure flickered and vanished into thin air. "Thank goodness Mr. Ye came." Fan Kai sighed in relief, knowing that if Mr. Ye had not arrived in time, they might have been doomed on this venture. But Sun Yushan didn''t quite understand and asked, "What kind of desolate beast is this? Why have we never seen it before?" The two of them had also trained in the Cultivated Domain for three years, and they were fairly familiar with the types of desolate beasts there. Some desolate beasts, although powerful, had never been as troublesome as this time. They hadn''t expected that today they would nearly lose their lives. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment and then turned to Xiaohei, "Xiaohei, you should be able to lead him out of this space, right?" Xiaohei nodded; this was a space created by the System, and no power of the System could trap Xiaohei. It could leave the System''s constraints at will. Chapter 647 - 476 The True Unrestrained "Old master, there''s no need for this." Xiang Beifei leapt down from the tree and immediately helped Chang Furong to his feet. He respected Chang Furong from the bottom of his heart, even though he was only an early-stage martial artist who had just opened his meridians. Throughout Jiuzhou, if a person awakened to an SSR-grade, it was an instant rise to fame! Regardless of the type of system the person had, as long as they carried the SSR-grade label, they could definitely enter the high ranks of the league and become a member of it! If Chang Furong could truly overcome the mental barriers and act according to the system''s tasks, becoming an Evil-accumulating martial artist, killing those who needed to be killed, assaulting women when dictated by tasks... With the protection of his SSR-grade status, Chang Furong could easily commit these heinous acts without hindrance. Seventy years would be enough for such a person to become one of the strongest masters in the league. But he refused! Even though his awakening was the SSR-grade system that everyone envied and desired, even though this system could grant him a supreme status...he still refused to commit evil acts to complete his system''s tasks! This was a man of conscience and principles. Xiang Beifei sighed silently. If the "SSR-grade Evil-accumulating System" had awakened in Zhu Xinjue, Liusheng Dong, or Pang Siyi, whom Xiang Beifei had just slain, with their selfish and inhumane natures, they wouldn''t have hesitated at all and would definitely have carried out evil deeds as dictated by the system. Killing and arson would not have made them blink an eye. These people didn''t need to awaken the "Evil-accumulating System"; they were already brimming with evil. Yet the person who had awakened the "Evil-accumulating System" was always striving to be a good man. To Xiang Beifei, this was deeply ironic. How many people abandoned their principles just to complete their system''s tasks! There were very few like Chang Furong who managed to maintain their principles. The league''s "obey the system at all costs" policy was fundamentally flawed. ¡ª¡ª "Young Master Xiang..." Chang Furong looked at Xiang Beifei with respect and pleading in his eyes. "My name is Xiang Beifei, old master can just call me by my name," Xiang Beifei said. "But you..." "I am just a junior, no need for these formalities," Xiang Beifei replied. Chang Furong paused. After a long moment, he nodded silently. He knew the character of this young man; they had always been waiting for their leader, watching their leader grow step by step. How could they not understand what kind of person their leader was in everyday life? "We really have no way out," Chang Furong said painfully, "I just hope to see where the Unrestrained path lies before I die, and I also hope to give myself a chance to choose again." He had lived for so many years and had never given up his beliefs. Seeking the Unrestrained path was not only for himself but also to allow more people like him to live with more choices, instead of becoming puppets of the system against their nature. "We need a leader," Xu Yang said. Tang and the others also looked at Xiang Beifei with great hope; these people, like Chang Furong, had their own pasts, tied down by the system, deeply hating the harm it brought them. They might not have reached the point where they could abandon their own SSR systems like Chang Furong, but they also deeply rejected the system. "It''s not that I am unwilling," Xiang Beifei was silent for a moment before saying, "Even if I agree to help you, one day I will leave Jiuzhou for the foreign wilderness, and then you will still lose a leader." Chang Furong and others were slightly startled. "Why?" Chang Furong asked urgently. "Do you still not understand?" Xiang Beifei looked into their faces, at their varied system interfaces, and slowly said, "It''s impossible to find Unrestrained in Jiuzhou." Everyone looked at Xiang Beifei in astonishment. "But everyone here has a system..." "It is precisely because everyone here has a system that you cannot escape the bonds of the system," Xiang Beifei said. A place bound by systems is almost impossible to break free from the systems. Since Xiang Beifei didn''t belong here, he had no system. Xu Yang fell silent. They vaguely understood what Xiang Beifei meant. The two seniors from the Unrestrained with the Heavenly Connection realm had left Jiuzhou to go to the Wilderness beyond, their leader in their hearts, Xiang Tianxing, had also left Jiuzhou to explore that path in the Wilderness beyond... This was by no means a coincidence; perhaps they were indeed seeking that path in the Wilderness beyond. If Xiang Beifei were to search for the Unrestrained path, he would definitely leave Jiuzhou as well. "But you already have an answer in mind, don''t you?" In those aged eyes full of hope, Chang Furong held a steadfast belief that had never wavered. He still believed that this young man, who could create countless miracles, was the benchmark of leading the Unrestrained, capable of leading them all to achieve Unrestrained. Xiang Beifei pursed his lips. He didn''t know how to respond to the old man''s words. If there was an answer, he himself, without a system, was already an answer. But he had no way to clearly explain how that answer came to be. After a long silence, Xiang Beifei finally spoke, "I will help you find the answer." If possible, he would help the old man break free from the "SSR-level Evil-accumulating System", allowing him to become his true self. "Thank you! Thank you! I will follow all your orders." Chang Furong bowed deeply to Xiang Beifei. He knew Xiang Beifei had accepted their request, saving them from aimlessly wandering further. With Xiang Beifei''s current capabilities to settle them, it was already a great comfort to them. "No need." Xiang Beifei steadied him. He then turned to look at Pang Siyi, who had been refined by Xiaohei into a spiritual power crystal. His heart remained silent. High-level systems had grown accustomed to strengthening themselves by exploiting those of lower levels, with many even treating these lower-level individuals as livestock that could be slaughtered at will. For the sake of system tasks, they could annihilate their humanity. If anything touched their interests or affected their system tasks, exterminating those innocent lower-level Awakeners didn''t seem like a big deal. Lower-level Awakeners had no voice in this world. Thus, this world has seen a group of people pursuing Unrestrained. They dared to resist the system''s arrangements, hoping to break the shackles of system hierarchy and the oppression of higher levels over lower levels, they were constantly searching for the path of "Unrestrained," the spirit of "Unrestrained." Xiang Beifei didn''t even know why he should save them, nor why he had agreed to help them. But he had realized something over these two days. The true Unrestrained was not the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. It was not Chang Furong, Xu Yang, Old Tang, and others either. It was he who had no system, who was truly "Unrestrained"! Chapter 648 - 477: The Way Information was Leaked (4000 words) Chapter Six has returned to normal. Those who have subscribed can refresh to see the update; you won''t be resubscribed. Tens of thousands of Beast Pills were constantly bouncing around in the valley, leaving almost no room to pass through¡ªit was simply impossible to rush past them! Xiang Beifei possessed the ability "Learn by Analogy." His learning capacity was tremendous, and in almost an instant, he discerned the pattern of these Beast Pills. When the Beast Pills hit the valley''s stone walls, they would not react but would be bounced away instead. That is to say, the stones in the valley were also marked by them. To verify his conjecture, he broke off a piece of stone from the mouth of a cave and threw it out. Sure enough, a Beast Pill that struck the stone was immediately deflected. A light shone in Xiang Beifei''s eyes. He quickly scraped off countless small stones from the valley walls, then coated the underside of his coat with breath soil and dashed out swiftly! Very soon, seventy to eighty Beast Pills charged toward Xiang Beifei. However, with breath soil covering him and constantly shifting, when a Beast Pill was about to hit him, the stones would be grabbed by the breath soil, blocking and deflecting the Beast Pills! Indeed, it didn''t trigger any prohibitions! Xiang Beifei breathed a sigh of relief, quickly ran along the wall, and soon arrived at the cave where Xiaohei was. However, this cave also had a Spiritual Power prohibition, which was a kind of ripple-like formation. The strangest thing was that when Xiang Beifei walked into the cave, he vaguely felt as if his brick had established some connection with something! The black tentacles were very much like the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage! Because it was only a fleeting glance, Xiang Beifei could not be completely certain, and at that time, he had thoroughly examined the Beast Pill. However, the white unknown No. 5 Beast Pill concealed its essence extremely well. Xiang Beifei had encountered this kind of Beast Pill several times before but never sensed the familiar presence of Ghost Whiskers. So he couldn''t draw any conclusions directly at the moment. However, there was one thing that Xiang Beifei found very strange. He had fought with Ghostly Visage many times, and atop Mao Hou in the Withered Forest, Xiaohei had taken the plunge with a small handgun and dealt with countless Ghostly Visage. However, after he eliminated these peculiar desolate beasts, he never saw a single Beast Pill! They never left any Beast Pills behind, which was something Xiang Beifei had never understood. "How could it not be scanned?" asked Liang Hao. However, the deconstructor had no effect on the jade slip; it couldn''t analyze the specific process. Liang Hao checked the manufacturer of the deconstructor and said, "It shouldn''t be, this is a deconstructor made by an SR-level Formation master. It should be more than capable of deconstructing an array etched by an S-level Awakener." "If the formation pattern is too complex and the change frequency too fast, it''s normal to not be able to analyze it. I guess it must be related to the variables after his Erha''s overtime!" Woo¡ª The Shadow Deficient Grey Ape let out a pained roar! Its body was still in the air, but when it turned its head, it saw a bloody wound on its right arm! The Shadow Deficient Grey Ape was instantly startled! As far as it was concerned, it was supposed to be the one attacking, yet somehow the situation reversed; the Earth Dragon seemed to have anticipated its attack from this direction and managed to switch from defense to offense instantly! But quickly, a glow lit up on the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape''s body. A Healing Insect burrowed into its severed arm''s wound, stemming the blood flow. However, the Earth Dragon''s action enraged the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape. Now greatly enhanced in strength, it would not be an exaggeration to say it was one of the strongest desolate beasts in the later stages of Meridian Opening, yet it had its arm severed by a mere Earth Dragon¡ªhow could it tolerate this! Swish! A silvery light shone on the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape''s body, and it turned invisible, disappearing into thin air! Once invisible, there would be no shadow left on the ground! However, no sooner had the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape turned invisible than a sandstorm whipped up from all directions for some reason! Being invisible only meant it could conceal itself, not that it could make its body disappear. The Earth Dragon''s sense of smell was extremely keen, and combined with its spatial abilities from the Earth Dragon, it could even sense the fluctuations of space. At this moment, the Shadow Deficient Grey Ape had no time to think, its powerful combat instincts let it quickly ride a sound wave to disappear from the spot, avoiding the gaping maw! It roared again, and a sonic wave swept out. This time the distance was much closer; it could move behind the Earth Dragon at an even greater speed, using its sharp, knife-like legs to sever the bothersome tongue! It could perfectly control the warping of space around itself, But even so, he discovered that there were three Beast Pills whose names he could not call out! What surprised him most was one particular Beast Pill, which was white and appeared plain and unremarkable, yet Xiang Beifei was all too familiar with it! It was precisely the Beast Pill he had been investigating recently! The one he had extracted from the One-Armed Crab, the old woman, Hua Jiu Yue, and Gao Zhuo''s hearts! "Indeed." Xiang Beifei was now certain in his heart. Amongst the 1200 types of Beast Pills resembling this plain white one in color, shape, and even size, there were quite a few, but Beast Pills from different desolate beasts exude different energies. Other white Beast Pills could be distinguished, but if one was not familiar with this one, they would have no way of knowing what it was. At most, they would treat it as a common Qi-Controlling period Beast Pill and wouldn''t think to try and do anything with it. Chapter 649 - 477: The Method of Leaking Secrets (4000 words) "It seems I can only try this Beast Pill." He had come here specifically to investigate the connection between the Beast Pill and the Unrestrained. Now that he was disadvantaged compared to the other three, to secure this position, he had to prove he possessed abilities surpassing the other three. "Speaking of which, there''s also Xu Yang." Xiang Beifei finally remembered his teacher from the desolate beast dissection class. Xu Yang was not a simple man. He had been keeping a low profile as a schoolteacher, so inconspicuous that Xiang Beifei hadn''t had the chance to approach him. Initially, this man was also an employee at Wufu Desolate Beast Research Company, had worked there for a long time, and then came to teach at the school, even probing Xiang Beifei once. But this time he decided not to startle the snake in the grass. So far, Xu Yang had acted very normally. If he were Unrestrained, he surely had his own means of keeping secrets. "Is that so? Go, dissect him." Elder Luo didn''t hesitate at all and immediately took Gao Zhuo to the school''s desolate beast dissection room. This classroom was originally designed for dissecting various desolate beasts, complete with all kinds of dissection tools; of course, this was probably the first time it was used to dissect a living human. [Scalpel control ability: 9999] [Medical mastery: 9999] Elder Luo swiftly applied all his knowledge about dissection to the system upgrade. "If the heart is removed, we''ll need to use an extracorporeal circulation machine and a series of equipment to keep him alive for a while, but what if the heart is damaged and he can''t survive?" Xiang Beifei inquired. Elder Luo put on a mask, picked up a gleaming scalpel, and said, "I''ll just make a small incision, quickly. Do you have healing abilities? Just heal it quickly after I remove it." "That I can do, but what if there''s an issue with the heart after the Beast Pill is gone?" Xiang Beifei said. Elder Luo, without a moment''s thought, responded, "Then we''ll transplant the cultivated pig heart from over there." Opening the chest, expanding the chest... Elder Luo skillfully cut open Gao Zhuo. With his capabilities, he didn''t even bother with an X-ray or MRI, doing all the preoperative preparations on his own, a one-man job. In this regard, even Xiang Beifei felt inferior, admitting how powerful Elder Luo truly was. After the incision, Gao Zhuo''s heart was still beating. As Xiang Beifei helped to stop the bleeding, Elder Luo exclaimed softly, "Strange, this heart is bigger than normal." "It''s precisely because it''s too big that I''m curious. It looks more like it''s been expanded, or rather, its potential has been overdrafted ahead of time." Xiang Beifei had already seen plenty of such hearts. "That''s the case, but we need to rely on "For a short period, He Caiwei and Zhu Yiji shouldn''t cause trouble. It''s time for the next step." Xiang Beifei didn''t have the power to kill He Caiwei yet, but that wasn''t a problem. It was actually better for him that He Caiwei remained alive, as there were still a lot of uniqueness values to be harvested! Whatever he exchanged for, Xiaohei took away without negotiation. If he didn''t exchange, then his system was nothing but a decoration, only there for admiration, an unreachable tantalization that would make He Caiwei even more frustrated! The order at the school was restored, and Elder Luo took over Liangzhou University with swift and decisive measures, legitimately leaving no one daring to object. After everything was settled, Xiang Beifei then had to consider finding Zi Hou. However, at that moment, he suddenly sensed something was off, turned his head, and discovered that, unbeknownst to him, Hua Jiuyue had already stood up! She was still alive! "You really don''t know how to be tender towards women." Hua Jiuyue was still laughing maniacally. Without giving Xiang Beifei time to react, she had already clutched the golden cage at her waist. Hum! The golden cage was very strange, instantly transporting Hua Jiuyue away into thin air! "Next time remember to talk about both sides when having a heart-to-heart chat!" The excited voice of Hua Jiuyue echoed in his ears, but her figure had already disappeared, leaving no trace behind. Xiang Beifei stood up, frowning slightly. Talk about both sides in a heart-to-heart chat? Could it be, Hua Jiuyue, this person, had more than one heart? "That''s unexpected." This was something Xiang Beifei had not anticipated. Normal people have only one heart, and he hadn''t considered the possibility of someone having two. But he had to admit that the woman, Hua Jiuyue, was very cunning, feigning death when she couldn''t win and then using the information gap between her and Xiang Beifei to escape. Xiang Beifei remained calm and did not pursue. The golden cage was extraordinary, not a system item, and its transmission ability was even more powerful, making it impossible to sense her presence anymore, let alone catch up. If he encountered her again, he would have to crush her body to check for certain. Xiang Beifei furrowed his brows slightly. Was she wary of his spiritual power flame? As if his flame was her nemesis? What was going on? It was known that Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power flame didn''t have any special restraining effect on martial artists; it was a simple and brute fist flame. If the opponent was weaker, they would be gone with one punch, but if they were of equal strength, they could definitely block it. At most, he could use the ability to turn the tables by igniting the opponent''s spiritual power, but there was no absolute restraining effect. The only things that could fear his fist flame were desolate beasts! Since last year, every desolate beast Xiang Beifei encountered was subdued by his fist flame''s pressure, weakening their combat power; his spiritual power flame was the bane of desolate beasts. So what was the deal with Hua Jiuyue? Actually, before coming here, the representatives of the "Idle Faction" on the assembly had proposed to join forces to deal with Luo Yunxian! With so many people, taking down Luo Yunxian together seemed feasible in their view. However, among them, several members of the "Leisure Faction" firmly opposed this plan, with a simple reason: based on the video, Luo Yunxian didn''t even give his all when beating Zhu Yiji. If there was a real fight, even if they could take Luo Yunxian down together, at least a few of them would be dismembered by Luo Yunxian! After hanging up the phone, now with Xiao Sheng by his side, he could relax a bit, as Xiao Sheng was also a God Refining phase expert. If there were any unforeseen events, he could handle them. He continued to inquire some people, including Elder Luo and Ye Changfeng, and even specifically asked Sun Heshun who used to be his father''s direct boss. However, strangely enough, these people all had photos of Xiang Tianxing, various group pictures, but there were no videos of Xiang Tianxing! It was as though all videos related to Xiang Tianxing no longer existed. This was very mysterious. "How about her?" He then opened his own file in the Jiuzhou archive. There was no shortage of information about him. When he had gone there in January, he was already shining brightly as the rising star of the new students'' competition, and the high-definition video of him subduing Hou Chengwu was in the archive. "Xiaohei, can you erase the video images about me?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiaohei pondered for a moment, touched the video with its little paw, and nodded: "Woof woof." "Not this kind of data that we''ve copied, but the data from the main archive room of Jiuzhou, the one guarded by ''God''," Xiang Beifei clarified. The matter at Liangzhou University still had not been completely resolved, as there were many other things waiting for him. Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei had suffered such a loss; it was unlikely they would let it go easily. As UR-level Awakeners, the alliance would not truly punish them, at most issuing a warning or internal disciplinary action, but it would be insignificant; things would remain the same. Xiang Beifei was not about to let them off so easily. "Xiaohei, have you finished?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiaohei was seated in front of the computer, tapping wildly on the keyboard with its two paws, working on the video in the computer. That was the video from the last meeting room incident Xiang Beifei had recorded. To cover up what had happened that day and to prevent it from affecting his reputation, Cao Pei, the principal, had used the school''s powerful UR-level confidentiality measures to restrict all the senior leaders of the school from revealing the information! But Xiang Beifei had ignored his methods, Chapter 650 478: The Girl Constellation and the Void Constellation (4000 words) Chapter update around 6:30 p.m. If you have subscribed, refresh the chapter to avoid duplicate subscriptions. A powerful aura condensed into a sharp energy on his body, falling silently onto Ma Kainian. Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, Ma Kainian''s heart trembled, intimidated by Xiang Beifei''s terrifying presence. Xiang Beifei was rumored to be capable of killing a Meridian Opening late-stage One-Armed Crab with a single punch. His presence here was no joking matter. Ma Kainian steadied himself, cursing inwardly. He was, after all, an official of the alliance. No matter how famous this kid was, he was just a civilian, without power or influence. It should be him who was afraid! "Xiang Beifei, such an important figure," Ma Kainian said with a sarcastic tone. Xiang Beifei didn''t speak, merely glanced indifferently, and then walked towards Kong Daming, asking, "I saw the phone message just now. What happened to my grandfather?" "I don''t know; he seemed to be feeling unwell just now, so I helped him upstairs to rest. He''s up there now," Kong Daming said. "Got it. I''ll go up and see him." Xiang Beifei, without another word, headed for the stairs. However, Ma Kainian was irked to see himself being ignored. "Hmph! Not even basic manners..." "Scram!" Xiang Beifei said directly. "Yes." Ma Kainian''s brain zapped, then, as if he couldn''t help himself, he lay down and really rolled out from the scene. "Huh?" Kong Daming and Zhang Xiang watched in shock as Ma Kainian rolled away, both completely stunned for a moment. Ma Kainian actually... rolled away just like that? The sudden turn of events caught them off guard. "Why bother patrolling the archive room? Who has nothing better to do than to sneak into the archives to steal things? Honestly, we could probably skip a whole year, and it wouldn''t matter," Zhou Guan said, lounging and resting his head on his arms as he followed Sun Zhong. He wasn''t too interested in the job, and grumbled all the way. After reaching the third floor, Sun Zhong patrolled down the line of rooms. [You''ve patrolled the N-level Talent Review Department, patrol points +2] [You''ve patrolled the N-level Talent Dispatch Department, patrol points +2] ... Sun Zhong made an extra round in the empty room, then pressed a button on the wall to make sure the alarm was functioning before leaving the room. [You''ve patrolled the main archive room entrance, patrol points +5] Just then, Zheng Xing thought of something, quickly took out his phone to video call his son, and then asked, "Son, you said you''ve seen Xiang Beifei before, look at this person, is this Xiang Beifei?" During the initial competition for new students, although students from major elite schools had not been present, the event had been broadcast live; anyone with sight could recognize him. Although Zheng Xing''s son was from Jizhou University, he had seen Xiang Beifei as well, and the instant he saw Xiang Beifei, he excitedly said, "It''s him! That''s him! The genius who trampled the SSR from Qingzhou University underfoot! Dad, you actually met him? Oh my god!" That was the legendary genius! "You are really that Xiang Beifei!" Zheng Xing was also stunned. His son, who had returned home for the holidays, had also mentioned the freshman competition before, and he had been very impressed with Xiang Beifei. Little did he expect to encounter such a great genius today by chance! A moment later, he quickly recovered, excitedly saying, "He is indeed Xiang Beifei, my son is at Jizhou University, and he saw him the last time!" Xiang Beifei temporarily put that matter aside and asked, "By the way, Uncle Kong, is there a house for rent nearby? We are thinking of moving over." "A house? Yes, there is. You should have moved here sooner. The old master has always been talking about saving up money for you to do missions and whatnot. Why the sudden change of mind?" Kong Daming inquired. "Xiaofei has grown up; the house is too shabby, he''ll struggle to find a wife," Xiang Qingde said soberly. "Hahaha, that''s true," Kong Daming nodded. But Lu Hong disagreed, "Not at all! If there''s true affection, who would care about the house?" "Still, we should live in a nicer place. The old house was a bit too dark," Kong Daming said, "Leave this to me. I remember there was a family who moved out on my floor, just two door numbers away from my place, diagonally opposite. Moving here would be good; we''d be able to look after each other better." "So when is Uncle Kong''s restaurant planning to reopen?" Xiang Beifei inquired further. How the desolate beast One-Armed Crab appeared was still under investigation, and a person Xiang Beifei currently suspected had not yet been identified. Xiao Sheng! The faux N-level store clerk who was actually an SR; the day the desolate beast appeared, who knows where he had run off to? Xiang Beifei wanted to see if Xiao Sheng would return to work. "The day after tomorrow, I suppose! The employees have been asking as well," Kong Daming said. "Speaking of which, I need to contact those employees; it''s been closed for so long." "Then I''ll go to the wholesale market tomorrow. We''ve been out of ingredients, and I need to renegotiate with them," Xiang Qingde said. Kong Daming quickly responded, "No need, Uncle Xiang, you rest. I''ll go. It''s best." "We''ve rested for so long; it''s good to get active. I''m familiar with that place anyway. There''s a lot to do for the reopening. Many guests have made reservations, waiting to support us once we reopen. You''ll be busy then; I can go tomorrow," Xiang Qingde insisted, waving his hand. Kong Daming couldn''t argue further and had to agree. When Xiang Beifei got home, he made a point to talk in front of the living room security camera with his grandfather to clarify the reasons for moving. He said directly that he was now capable of earning money and didn''t want to stay in their old place anymore. Chapter 651 478: The Girl Constellation and the Void Constellation (4000 words)_2 The martial artist in the Meridian Opening stage made earning a living for himself quite simple. People monitoring his family, as long as they weren''t foolish, would surely know Xiang Beifei''s current cultivation realm after making inquiries at the school, so no one would suspect this excuse. With that, the other party should have moved to the new house by now. Xiang Beifei wanted to see who would dare to install surveillance under his watch. Having said that, Xiaohei went ahead and blocked the camera again. The grandfather and grandson packed everything together in the evening, and truth be told, they had quite a lot of stuff at home. "We should call for a truck, no elevator, we''ll carry things down together later," Xiang Qingde pondered how to make moving easier. "I can handle the stuff myself, Grandpa doesn''t need to worry, just rest," Xiang Beifei said. "How can that be? How can you move so much by yourself! Grandpa can still handle it, I''ll help you carry," Xiang Qingde worried that his grandson would exhaust himself, as moving was indeed hard labor. Xiang Beifei found it both funny and frustrating, "Grandpa, why do I always feel you forget again that I''m a martial artist?" "So what if you''re a martial artist? Many martial artists still hire people for moving," Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei stomped his foot again, and all the packed boxes floated up, hovering mid-air. Lighter than a feather. He reduced the weight of the objects and then used his Spiritual Power to pull them up. Xiang Qingde watched all this in amazement. "I had no idea you had this ability!" Xiang Beifei realized he rarely talked about his abilities with his grandfather. He smiled, set everything down, and then glanced at the ceiling camera again, saying, "Don''t worry, I''ll handle everything from now on, Grandpa just needs to rest." Xiang Qingde was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at Xiang Beifei. Once upon a time, he was always carefully protecting his grandson, guarding his self-esteem, telling him to be positive, hoping he wouldn''t give up on himself. But since awakening his system, the grandson seemed like a different person, becoming diligent and cheerful, now a martial artist in the Meridian Opening stage with the ability to protect himself. It took a while for Xiang Qingde to snap back to reality. He smiled and said, "The Awakening System is indeed a good thing." It was then he suddenly felt his age and realized he needed his grandson''s protection. This was good too, seeing his grandson so sensible made him happy. Moving wasn''t hard, ordinary N-level Awakeners who didn''t have a corresponding space system would have to hire moving companies, rent trucks, and spend a good amount of money. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to; Xiaohei could create bubbles for that. "Xiaofei is a big star now, in the future, we''ll all depend on you!" Kong Daming joked. "Is being a star tiring? I heard you have to shoot various films every day," Lu Zhiwei said curiously. "That''s not possible! Xiaofei needs to cultivate," Lu Hong stated seriously. Unknowingly, he had already switched from calling him Beifei to Xiaofei in his mind, still perceiving Xiang Beifei primarily as a martial artist who should focus on cultivating. Chen Xiuqin walked in from outside, laughing, "I won''t lie, these past few days, I''ve received countless calls from talent agencies. They know I know Xiaofei, and they keep asking about business activities, offering lots of money to see if Xiaofei would sign with their company." "What did you say?" Kong Daming asked. "Of course, I said I''d consider it. How could I decide on such a thing myself? I still need to ask Xiaofei''s opinion," Chen Xiuqin chuckled. She hadn''t agreed to anything outright, but also hadn''t definitively refused, always keeping an option open for Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei thought for a moment and said, "I really need to cultivate, so I don''t have time for movies or commercials. But when I have time, I could start a column specifically teaching everyone how to kill desolate beasts so that people won''t panic when they encounter such situations." He needed to leverage this identity to properly guide everyone. Lu Hong''s eyes brightened, nodding, "Yes, many civilians living in inland cities have a shallow understanding of desolate beasts; most lack a sense of crisis. Your idea is good." Powerful desolate beasts were common sights for martial artists, but civilians rarely encountered them. Xiang Beifei, being a martial artist, promoting a martial artist''s activities was only natural. "That''s excellent! I''ll help you promote it. As a public figure, it''s essential to specialize in one area, and since you''re a martial artist, you must proceed in that way," Chen Xiuqin stated. Being somewhat of an entertainment industry worker, she was well experienced with how marketing should be done. As Xiang Beifei''s number one fan, Chen Xiuqin was more than willing to help him. This matter was settled, and Xiang Beifei didn''t need to do anything. After school started next semester, when he went to do tasks in the outer domain wilderness, he could just casually shoot a few videos. It was a simple matter. But speaking of which¡ª "Does she really think she can manipulate my reputation at will?" The last person who tried to capitalize on Xiang Beifei''s fame had been dealt with by him. This time, without consulting him, they decided on their own to make him the figurehead, clearly intending to push him into the spotlight. The reason the alliance wanted to expose such a talent was quite obvious. The main reason was that Xiang Beifei was mentored by Elder Luo! Elder Luo and the alliance weren''t on good terms. The people in the alliance were even apprehensive of Elder Luo, as they couldn''t suppress such an SR-level Awakener who wouldn''t obey the alliance''s orders. They were worried about Elder Luo cultivating his own power base at Liangzhou University. With the emergence of a talent like Xiang Beifei, it brought them even greater threats! Therefore, they chose to target Xiang Beifei! Once exposed, it''s hard for anyone to remain low-profile; wherever they go, they will attract attention. By exposing Xiang Beifei in such a manner, they were forcibly aligning him with the alliance, letting him be monitored by everyone in Jiuzhou. This way, Xiang Beifei had almost no way to covertly oppose the alliance; every move he made was under the watch of the alliance. Later on, whatever arrangements the alliance made, Xiang Beifei would have to comply. In the eyes of the alliance, Xiang Beifei would become a pawn to restrain Elder Luo, isolating Elder Luo in a special way, monitoring him, and weakening his influence. But Mu Yiqing wouldn''t really think that he would obediently comply and act according to her ideas, would she? "To become a benchmark for N-level Awakeners means that the initiative is in my hands now." Xiang Beifei His name, was it the way out of the withered forest? Coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei felt very unreal. His long-lost father, who had never met him, named him when he was still an infant. How could he be so sure he would encounter Youmeng? Did he just casually settle on his son''s name? Can he take naming a bit more seriously! This SSR-level System Awakener had the ability to set rules. Disciplined individuals or matters around her would increase her rule value, and she could also increase her rule value by acting according to the established rules. In essence, as long as there were rules in a place, she could become stronger. Those who didn''t follow the rules had nowhere to hide in front of her. Xiang Beifei was looking at Mu Yiqing''s system log, which listed a bunch of issues about her handling of rules, one of which read: [You devised the "Jiuzhou scheme on SR talent selection," which has been approved by Zhu Yiji, the Chief of the Alliance Planning, and published as a rule; currently, 2546 people comply with this rule, your rule value +2546] The planning department of the Jiuzhou alliance was responsible for devising and revising the systems to manage all aspects of the alliance, planning the development of Jiuzhou. Simply put, UR-level Zhu Yiji was there to set the rules. Xiang Beifei had only just learned of Zhu Yiji''s position within the alliance. Those who set the rules, lead in breaking them, Chapter 652 479 Awakening "If used properly, during battle, it could definitely dodge many attacks," Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but think. As long as his spiritual power touched the opponent, it was very easy to influence them, causing them to misjudge his direction. If they couldn''t correct it in time, it would be nearly impossible for them to hit Xiang Beifei. Of course, all of this was predicated on the assumption that his spiritual power had come into contact with them. If the opponent''s strength were higher, they could easily break free. But even just one second of influence would allow Xiang Beifei to do a lot of things. This ability should be the one "Respected as a Criterion." Respected as a Criterion, treating a certain doctrine or conduct as one''s standard. Here, Erha was forced to take Xiang Beifei''s standards as its own, to hit Xiang Beifei it had to follow his rules, otherwise, it would never land a blow on him. "Can this ability be further developed?" Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but continue to ponder. Respected as a Criterion, taking himself as the standard; could he also set other standards? For instance, making others follow the standards he had set? Because the Spirit Gathering Book didn''t provide much detail about this ability, Xiang Beifei had to explore on his own. The Wooden Kirin wasn''t a human, so he planned to find a powerful person to test it. Why not see if Ye Changfeng is available some day? The first person that popped into Xiang Beifei''s mind was the enthusiastic Mr. Ye. After all, whenever he usually wanted to verify his abilities or ascertain his cultivation level, he was accustomed to seeking out Ye Changfeng. However, Ye Changfeng was currently busy helping Elder Luo handle the beast eggs; Xiang Beifei temporarily shelved his exploration of this power. In any case, he had to first increase his cultivation to the orifice transforming stage. Once he reached the orifice transforming stage, Xiang Beifei was prepared to venture into the extraterritorial desolate lands! To accelerate this process, Xiang Beifei had already used the spiritual power crystals of the orifice transforming stage to nourish his soul. His cultivation had been constant; the cultivation of his soul was even faster than Meridian Opening. Meridian Opening was fundamental; it involved creating pathways through meridians in various parts of the body. Once the foundation was solid, the soul could directly use the spiritual power crystals. Xiang Beifei''s soul nourishment was extremely luxurious; he used the spiritual power crystals of the orifice transforming stage, which led to a rapid warming of his soul. Now, his soul was no longer just a transparent mass, but rather looked incredibly solid. Squeeze it and it was quite elastic. Next, he considered the issue of orifice transforming. He didn''t have a system, so he couldn''t seek advice on how to transform orifices, but he had already thoroughly consulted Elder Luo previously. Orifice transforming, to put it simply, was to open orifices in the soul. The soul at the God Refining stage could not fully leave the body without becoming very vulnerable. However, once orifices were opened in the soul, it underwent a qualitative change and became an Orifice Soul. An Orifice Soul could still possess great combat strength even after leaving the body, making the body an expendable shell. It didn''t matter much if the body was injured, as long as the Orifice Soul remained intact. Of course, comparing him to orifice transforming masters like Qin Hongyi was inappropriate; strictly speaking, the cultivation methods of desolate beasts and humans were different, and with Qin Hongyi being half-human, half-beast, it was even more complex. The soul was originally a type of spiritual body. To be able to carry a person''s consciousness, it needed to open orifices. Humans have seven orifices; for eating, listening, seeing, and breathing. Opening orifices in the eyes connects to the liver, in the ears connects to the heart; in the mouth connects to the spleen; in the nose connects to the lungs; and in the lower orifices connects to the kidneys. This process seems simple but is actually very difficult! Even ordinary SSR-ranked Awakeners, having reached the advanced stages of God Refining, would have to put forth much effort to open their orifices! To open one orifice in one year was considered extremely fast. Seven orifices, seven years, was the norm. If SSR-ranked Awakeners struggled so, not to mention SR-ranked or other S-ranked ones. Being able to reach the orifice transforming stage before the age of forty was a mark of a genius! This process also required consuming a lot of spiritual power crystals; overall, it''s incredibly difficult! "One orifice in one year, this process does seem a bit challenging," Xiang Beifei mused, but he didn''t dwell on it for long. Following the guidance of Elder Luo, he started to work on opening orifices in his soul. He only hoped the speed of his orifice opening could be a little faster. ---- While Xiang Beifei was cultivating, Chang Furong and that Unrestrained lot had already collaborated with the Su People. This was a very strange occurrence; the Su People and the Unrestrained had always been mortal enemies. The Su Alliance was established to pursue the Unrestrained, and they had never imagined that one day these two completely different forces would come together. However, the collaboration between the two sides was quite in sync, and they achieved significant results. Chang Furong had a set of breeding data for the Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage''s beast eggs; he knew a lot about desolate beasts because he had long seen through the plans of the Ghostly Visage. Hence, he had been analyzing which type of desolate beast is most suitable to be hatched in which location. The Water-absorbing Rainbow Beast, capable of severing water supplies, is most likely to be found in the water treatment plants. Such desolate beasts could enter thousands of households through the water pipes, and once they attack people, they have enough power to drain all the water from one''s body! The Meng Huai, which can kill people in their dreams, is most likely to appear in urban residential centers. Once the night falls silent, and residents fall into deep sleep, encountering a Meng Huai could mean that those without cultivation might never wake up again. The Ruolai, capable of killing through sound waves, is most likely to be found at stadiums where concerts are frequently held. When those so-called pop stars open their mouths, and the sound waves roll in, Ruolai could instantly wipe out all the audience. ... By utilizing the characteristics of desolate beasts, Chang Furong searched for the most suitable places in Jiuzhou for their eggs to hatch. Some locations'' beast eggs had already been cleared by them, but Jiuzhou is too vast. Nine states with all kinds of situations, just relying on a few of them is far from enough. This undoubtedly saved Elder Luo a lot of energy. He had Ye Changfeng assist Chang Furong in determining the locations, then arranged for the Su People to conduct inspections. With the Su People''s involvement, the whole process would be expedited. In the woods of Liangzhou University, Elder Luo, Professor Guo, and Ye Changfeng were discussing the current situation. "Those people in the Alliance are still not admitting the fact that beast eggs have invaded. If we don''t inform the public and remind everyone, the consequences will be severe," said Ye Changfeng. "These people have really become too complacent now, refusing to believe even the evidence presented before them," Professor Guo was very angry about the attitude of those higher-ups in the Alliance. Not everyone can accept the fact of desolate beasts invading Jiuzhou. Especially for those usually Lofty Alliance leaders, it''s even more unacceptable. Because Jiuzhou is like a strong barrier, keeping all dangers outside. As long as the Jiuzhou continent is free from the ravaging of desolate beasts, these high-level System Awakeners can live worry-free, enjoying privileges and the conveniences brought about by high-level Awakeners. Those SSR and UR level Awakeners must all hold high positions. If there''s anything to be done, they only need to order lower-level Awakeners to take action. Jiuzhou''s borders don''t need their personal protection, nor do they need to explore the desolate wilderness beyond the borders and reclaim land stolen by desolate beasts, or survey the geography of the external wilderness, hunt desolate beasts for energy supply to ensure Jiuzhou''s stable life... etc. None of this requires the SSR and UR level Awakeners to take action, naturally there are those at the bottom to do it for them! These SSR and UR level Awakeners, on a daily basis, just by relying on their system status, can practically call the wind and summon the rain in Jiuzhou. Even an SSR level literary Dao adept who doesn''t know the first thing about desolate beasts could manage a bunch of Martial Daoists who need to fight against desolate beasts. Jiuzhou is like the backyard of these high-level System Awakeners. Therefore, these high-level leaders who are warming their seats need Jiuzhou to be stable. And once Jiuzhou is invaded by desolate beasts, it means that the whole of Jiuzhou''s life will fall into chaos. The various desolate beasts all have very strange abilities, which ordinary citizens who are low-level Awakeners cannot possibly resist. Many martial artists focus their energy on the external wilderness. Thus, dealing with the internal issues falls to these high-level individuals. But most SSR level high-level Awakeners¡ªlike the former Dean of Martial Arts College of Liangzhou University, SSR level literary Dao adept Wei Tong¡ªdon''t even know what desolate beasts look like, let alone how to deal with them! If Jiuzhou is attacked by desolate beasts, those high-level Awakeners accustomed to luxury will immediately show their true colors, become disorganized, and most of the incapable high-level Awakeners will be utterly ineffective, leaving more Jiuzhou citizens to realize what kind of good-for-nothing leaders they have been under! So every high-level Awakener in the Alliance cannot accept the idea of desolate beasts attacking from within Jiuzhou. They refuse to believe the news brought by Elder Luo. ¡ª¡ª "Up to now, there have just been two incidents of desolate beasts causing trouble, which is not convincing enough," said Elder Luo. He spoke calmly, but Ye Changfeng could feel the anger in Elder Luo''s tone. The meeting on the Alliance side did not go smoothly. Because there have only been two hatching incidents of desolate beasts attacking Jiuzhou so far. The One-Armed Crab and the Void Devouring Insect¡ªthose in the Alliance treated these two incidents as accidents, simply saying that Unrestrained was purposely causing chaos, and that it was more important to deal with the remaining Unrestrained. And chasing down Unrestrained is the Su Alliance''s task. So they shift the blame towards Elder Luo, not taking any responsibility themselves, nor cooperating. This angered Elder Luo. It was clear that Elder Luo had a fight with that group of straw bags! But Elder Luo was also without options. As long as the high-and-mighty straw bags do not believe, even if Elder Luo resorts to force to compel them to investigate, those good-for-nothings will not do it wholeheartedly! Only the Pioneering Department and the Beast Tide Defense Department supported Elder Luo; other departments were just passing the buck. But powers in the Alliance''s departments are intricate and intertwined, with nearly every Heavenly Connection realm expert having their own people embedded into other departments as their eyes and ears. So even as the heads of the Pioneering Department, Sun Heshun, and the Beast Tide Defense Department, Professor Guo, stand with Elder Luo, it''s difficult to carry out the operation to clear the beast eggs. When they issue orders, the subordinates still do the bare minimum, not bothering to search earnestly, just claiming they found nothing. As long as there isn''t a third or fourth large-scale hatching of desolate beasts attacking the cities, these people won''t take it seriously. Chapter 653 - 480 Orifice Perception (4000 words) Chapter will return to normal at 6:30. If you''ve subscribed, simply refresh the chapter, you won''t be resubscribed. His name, is it the way to leave the Withered Forest? A coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei felt it was very unreal. His father, who had been missing for a long time and whom he had never met, named him when he was still an infant; how could he be so certain that he would encounter Youmeng? Did he just casually decide on his son''s name? Can you take naming a bit more seriously! This SSR-grade System Awakener possesses the ability to make rules; any person or matter around her that adheres to the rules increases her system value, and she also adds to her system value by dealing with things according to established rules. In short, as long as there are rules in place, she gets stronger. If someone does not obey the rules in her presence, they have no place to hide. Xiang Beifei was reading Mu Yiqing''s system log, which listed a bunch of things she had dealt with concerning rules, and among them was: [You have formulated the "Jiuzhou SR Talent Selection and Planning System"; the plan has been approved by the Union Planning Minister, Zhu Yiji, and enacted as a rule. Currently, 2,546 people are abiding by this rule, your rule value +2546] The planning department of the Jiuzhou alliance is responsible for creating and revising the systems of the alliance to manage all aspects and plan the development of Jiuzhou. In simple terms, as a UR-grade individual, Zhu Yiji is there to set the rules. Only now did Xiang Beifei realize Zhu Yiji''s position in the alliance. Those who set the rules, leading the way in breaking them, and fishing their own grandchildren out of jail¡ªit really is something. With that in mind, Mu Yiqing must also be one of Zhu Yiji''s people. It''s just unclear whether she participated in the scheme to have Zhu Xinjue leave jail with a changed appearance, supposedly sentenced to death. Xiang Beifei soon noticed a system log entry from September: [You have revised the regulations for SR Awakeners'' bail applications; this rule currently applies to only one person, your rule value +1] "Looks like there''s no escape," Xiang Beifei slightly frowned. Her system, for any rule she revises, will essentially add to her rule value for as many people as are bound by it. For example, she had a hand in revising a rule regarding the recruitment of students in Jiuzhou; this system directly affected five million college entrance examinees in Jiuzhou, and her system value instantly increased by 5 million! Logically, Mu Yiqing with this system should be adhering to all sorts of rules. But Xiang Beifei quickly thought of another point. What is a rule? A rule is simply something set by people. Since it''s set by people, it can naturally be modified by people. Rules that have been modified are still rules and still meet her system''s criteria. So, as long as she holds a high position within the alliance, she can control the rules herself; so-called adherence to rules for her [Word Spirit Rule System] to grow stronger essentially becomes acting at will. Otherwise, why would an SSR-grade system be so powerful? ¡ª¡ª "Our two schools supported each other in the Withered Forest and jointly avoided the danger," Xiang Beifei said before turning to Ren Jianghai and adding, "On the way, we also encountered a student from Qingzhou University; feel free to ask him." "Yes, we almost got wiped out, but it was Xiang Beifei and his team that saved me. Later, we encountered teams from other schools, warning them of the danger, but they did not trust us. Only the team from Yongzhou University followed," Tang He recounted the events in detail, including how they had a conflict with Yanzhou University, how they met Shi Renmei, saw the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, were pursued, and were saved by the Liangzhou team... After listening, Ren Jianghai''s brows deeply furrowed. But with Tang He stepping forward, he could only let it be. After all, Tang He is a student from Qingzhou University, so it was both reasonable and appropriate for Xiang Beifei to "All eleven of you," Xiang Beifei did not ask further; he just looked at Tang He thoughtfully. Tang He is a normal person, Xiang Beifei would not be mistaken on this point, because Tang He had a system interface that was rapidly changing. His [Po Jun Eye System] is a reconnaissance type of system, and it can also quickly spot the opponent''s weakness and crush the opponent by targeting it. His system log currently displays everything as normal, a fact that does not escape Xiang Beifei''s eyes. But what made Xiang Beifei curious was¡ª This guy, for some reason, seemed to bear a faint trace of the Ghostly Visage''s aura! Was it because he had been attacked by the Ghostly Visage that there was some remnant of its presence? As soon as several people appeared, the atmosphere suddenly felt wrong. Chen Baiwen, Yu Hongbo, Zhu Xinjue! It was the team from Yanzhou University! Unexpectedly, they also emerged here! Zhu Xinjue spotted Xiang Beifei among the crowd and his heart skipped a beat, then hatred flashed through his eyes, but he quickly reined it in. For the time being, their alliance with Qingzhou University had shattered, leaving them no way to join forces against Xiang Beifei. When Yu Hongbo and Chen Baiwen saw Xiang Beifei, they were also slightly taken aback! The two couldn''t help but exchange looks! Because just yesterday, they were thinking of joining forces with Qingzhou University to deal with Xiang Beifei, but then they couldn''t find him and instead Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University died. They had not expected to encounter Xiang Beifei in this place. "Don''t panic! He probably doesn''t know about yesterday''s incident!" Chapter 654 - 480: Orifice Perception (4000 words)_2 Chen Baiwen exchanged a look with Yu Hongbo and the others; without needing to speak, they understood each other. Yu Hongbo composed himself and then said, "Xiang Beifei, I''ve long admired your reputation. I am Yu Hongbo, the team leader from Yanzhou University." Chen Baiwen also nodded slightly but remained silent. Xiang Beifei, appearing thoughtful, gazed at the people from Yanzhou University. His eyes swept over them, then he glanced at Zhu Xinjue and after a moment said, "Why are you here?" "After we entered this withered forest, we realized something was wrong and then ran up to this mountain. The situation outside is terrible. Did you also encounter those strange tree people just now?" Yu Hongbo asked. "That''s right," Xiang Beifei said, not revealing any emotion. "Are you all alright?" Yu Hongbo asked. "Not too bad," Xiang Beifei glanced at Tang He behind him. Tang He was from Qingzhou University, and their team''s situation seemed very dire. When Tang He saw Yu Hongbo and the others, he too showed a look of shock; he hadn''t expected to encounter people from Yanzhou University, especially given that their Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University had died at the hands of "Zhu Pengfei"! However, he dared not say much now, being only a late-stage Qi-Controlling SR-level Awakener, without any teammates nearby, he was no match for these people from Yanzhou University. "How long have you been in this withered forest?" Xiang Beifei asked. "We came here last night!" Yu Hongbo said. "Last night? You''ve been here nearly a day?" Xiang Beifei seemed surprised. "Yes, we''ve been here since last night!" Yu Hongbo no longer harbored any intention of confronting Xiang Beifei. Instead, he even felt a slight desire to join forces with Xiang Beifei. Because their team was also in a very difficult position. This place was indeed too strange; they were trapped, unable to find a way out. Seeing Xiang Beifei, a hope rose in Yu Hongbo''s heart. Xiang Beifei was very strong; perhaps he had some way out! "So you''re all okay?" Xiang Beifei asked. "We had one casualty," Yu Hongbo said with a heavy tone. Only four members remained in their team. "Have you been on this mountain since last night till now?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Not exactly. At first, we were walking in the withered forest, but then suddenly it got dark, and things didn''t seem right, so we ran up to the mountain, realizing that those tree people wouldn''t dare to come up, which gave us a breather. We weren''t initially on this mountain; it was another one." "So you are that N-level Awakener, Xiang Beifei?" Chen Baiwen''s expression was not good as he faced Xiang Beifei. He hadn''t really wanted to come up because the earlier Hou Chengwu had lost inexplicably, and he hadn''t even seen how Hou Chengwu lost. If he too were to lose to an N-level student, his reputation could be utterly destroyed. However, if he did not come forward to challenge Xiang Beifei, he would be even more ridiculed as a coward, proving indirectly that he, a lofty SSR-level Awakener, was afraid of an N-level! Xiang Beifei essentially would win without fighting. After all, like Hou Chengwu, he dismissed the idea of joining Liangzhou University for recruiting N-level students, and was convinced by other universities not to go to Liangzhou University. Having chosen to forsake Liangzhou University initially, Chen Baiwen, an arrogant SSR, needed to prove himself). Xiang Beifei just looked at Zhu Xinjue calmly, but a murderous intent appeared in his eyes. He had not killed this person the last time and clearly intended to kill him now, so he must kill Zhu Xinjue this time! However, just as he spoke, he felt his knees bend, and with a "snap," he suddenly knelt before Xiang Beifei! Zhu Xinjue and the others were also startled! "Hou Chengwu, what are you doing?" Chen Baiwen asked in surprise. Hou Chengwu was shocked by his own actions! Why am I kneeling? Wasn''t it agreed to take Xiang Beifei out of the tracks? Why am I the one kneeling instead? Hou Chengwu''s face turned bright red with anger as he tried to stand up but found that no matter what, he couldn''t stand up! ¡ª¡ª But just then, with sharp eyes, Hou Chengwu suddenly saw Xiang Beifei''s figure and immediately shouted, "There he is!" This time everyone saw clearly that Xiang Beifei was indeed a real person! Others also saw Xiang Beifei, but because of the flood, they found it hard to disengage. "Yu Hongbo, you help us watch these SRs, we''ll go deal with him!" shouted Hou Chengwu. "Okay!" Yu Hongbo had to take care of his own men, otherwise the SRs would be directly drowned by the flood. Zhu Xinjue''s eyes revealed a streak of ruthlessness, and a huge glass ball appeared in his hand. The flickering glass ball transformed into a phantom ray of light, enveloping the void. "This time I want to see where you can go!" Zhu Xinjue sneered. This glass ball was a UR-class spatial system item that could make any teleportation irrelevant. Since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman, Zhu Xinjue was worried that Xiang Beifei would escape. Soon, Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong surrounded Xiang Beifei, their strong presence no less formidable than the flood, staring intently at Xiang Beifei. "Xiang Beifei, although I know you are strong, now that there are four of us, I advise you to forfeit," He Qiutong said, unclear of Zhu Xinjue''s plan and wanting, like Chen Baiwen, merely to eliminate Xiang Beifei from the contest. Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the four people before him. Four, easier to handle than five. "Right, we don''t want to harm you, just exit the battle to avoid trouble," Chen Baiwen said gravely. However, Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue were filled with endless murderous intent. "What are we waiting for? To eliminate him, we need to take him down first!" Hou Chengwu exclaimed. He was confident enough this time facing Xiang Beifei; although he didn''t understand how he had lost during the last match in the arena, with four against one this time, Xiang Beifei was certainly a dead man in his eyes! Hou Chengwu gritted his teeth and said, "Today, I will make you pay the price!" That day, being an SSR and thrown into a trash can, he lost face immensely; today, he must kill Xiang Beifei! "Three against two, still manageable, not too bad," Xiang Beifei said. "Three against two?" Zhu Xinjue scoffed, "Have we scared you silly? Can''t you even count anymore? Right now, it''s four of us against just you!" "President Ren is so reputable and esteemed. He even said, ''names aren''t important, strength is.'' A senior who can say such words must be very open-minded; how could he fuss over small matters like names with me? As President Ren''s proud student, why don''t your ideals align with his?" Xiang Beifei looked confused at Hou Chengwu and added, "Haven''t you even learned the basics from him?" His words were impeccably ironic, first giving Ren Jianghai a jab, then immediately elevating Ren Jianghai to a high status such that Ren Jianghai couldn''t rage over Xiang Beifei''s teasing about names, At the same time subtly undermining Hou Chengwu. "You..." Hou Chengwu was so infuriated by Xiang Beifei that his face turned red and his ears steamed. In mid-air, Li Zimu stood there, surprised, watching the people below and said, "They actually can''t tell." The flood here was transformed from Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm, and Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm had now reached a realm where it was hard to distinguish truth from illusion, but Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen were SSRs, a system level higher than him, and their cultivation was also higher, so theoretically, they shouldn''t be so embarrassed. "Of course they can''t tell, none of these people are System Awakeners of the spiritual type," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power was attached to the flood created by Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm, so even though Li Zimu only had a late-stage Qi-Controlling cultivation, the flood he created still had the power of the Meridian Opening stage! Chapter 655 - 481 Different Orifice Perception "Eh?" Xiang Beifei looked in surprise at Elder Luo''s system interface. As a person who was two realms more advanced than him, he couldn''t see their system interface. At most, he could only see the system information of someone one major realm stronger than himself. Therefore, with his God Refining realm, he was unable to see the system interface of someone in the Heavenly Connection realm. But after Elder Luo''s cultivation level suddenly soared to the "late Heavenly Connection stage," the fact that he could see Elder Luo''s system display meant that he had stepped into the Orifice Transforming stage! What? He had actually reached the Orifice Transforming stage? This left Xiang Beifei completely dumbfounded! Was he an expert of the Orifice Transforming stage now? When did this happen? Why was there not even a slight sign? Wasn''t it agreed that only after fully opening all seven orifices could one formally enter the Orifice Transforming stage? Then why had he only opened two orifices, but already transformed his orifices? Was he cultivating a false orifice-opening technique? ... Xiang Beifei himself was utterly confused. Without a system display, he didn''t even know his own cultivation level; he always had to rely on others to determine it. But this time, he confused himself as well. He was certain he had only opened two orifices. However, his power had increased a lot. If he were to encounter someone like Pang Siyi again, he definitely wouldn''t suffer a loss. However, his power was quite strange and couldn''t be taken as a standard for measuring cultivation levels, as he had managed to kill someone in the early Orifice Transforming stage while he was still in the late God Refining phase. So did he really qualify as being in the Orifice Transforming stage? Now he was stumped. Maybe he should spar with Mr. Ye to determine his strength? Uh... Mr. Ye could no longer beat him. ¡ª¡ª Elder Luo also found this strange. He had already reset all the system points once. [Perception Ability: 99999] This level of perception ability was sufficient to clearly discern all activities within a thousand-mile range, down to the tiny movements of a fly rubbing its hands together. Yet, despite this, he couldn''t detect any change in Xiang Beifei. "Did you really open two orifices?" Elder Luo asked doubtfully. His perception ability was already at the limit he could reach, and enhancing it any further would exceed his load capacity. Though he could add points at will, every ability had a maximum value. Exceeding it could easily cause backlash against himself. "Maybe?" Xiang Beifei was uncertain. His method of advancing in cultivation was strange indeed, and practically no one in Jiuzhou cultivated on their own without system help like him, so there was no reference standard, and even now, he couldn''t be sure. "Then do you know which two orifices you''ve opened?" Elder Luo asked. "My system didn''t give any hints! It wants me to figure it out myself." Xiang Beifei replied. "How can you be so silly!" Elder Luo exclaimed, eyes wide. The kid was usually very shrewd, so why did he act like a fool every time it came to the issue of realms? If not for knowing that this kid was peculiar, Elder Luo might even think he was being played with. "Come, let me explain." Elder Luo snapped his fingers, and the scenery around them instantly transformed. In front of them, a phantasmal image of Xiang Beifei quickly condensed. This was an illusion created by his spiritual power. "Close your eyes and carefully sense your spirit in your mind. There are a total of seven orifices. Which orifice you have opened will be displayed, like if you opened the eye orifice, here would usually light up." Elder Luo tapped on the eyes of the Xiang Beifei phantasm in front of him twice, and his eyes emitted a golden light. "If it''s an ear orifice, mouth orifice, heart orifice, and so on, light will also appear accordingly. Eventually, when the body orifice is opened, the body will undergo a qualitative change, outlining your spirit with a golden edge! You know, like drawing and tracing. It''s about like that, the spirit looks as if it''s framed, gleaming!" Elder Luo explained in the most straightforward language. "Eh, is that so?" Xiang Beifei pondered internally since he had seen his spirit after opening the orifices, and it didn''t quite match Elder Luo''s description. He slightly closed his eyes and carefully felt the orifice perception on his spirit. In his mind, he could sense a spirit identical to his own physique sitting cross-legged. According to Elder Luo''s description, a normal spirit, if all seven orifices were completely opened, would see all the orifices on the spirit gleaming during perception. However, his spirit had no light in the eyes, mouth, or nose, and nothing at the heart either, only two strange spots of white and black light slowly rotating at his chest. These two points of black and white light resembled the Yin and Yang fishes of the grand ultimate, revolving around each other, maintaining a balanced state for the body. This was like his two orifices. Beyond that, he couldn''t locate a third orifice, nor did he know how to proceed to the next orifice-opening. "Did you perceive it?" Elder Luo asked. "I suppose?" "But I didn''t feel your orifice perception; are you using it to protect yourself?" Elder Luo asked. Xiang Beifei shook his head; he hadn''t done anything. "Then try to deploy your orifice perception; if there''s a change, I might be able to determine which two orifices you''ve opened," Elder Luo said. "I''ll give it a try." Xiang Beifei was still uncertain about his Orifice Perception, but when he attempted to use his Spiritual Power to communicate with the black and white Orifice Perception, the rotations of the two Orifices slightly quickened. However, just as he was doing this, Elder Luo and Professor Guo suddenly couldn''t help but frown! Because Xiang Beifei was clearly sitting right there, they could see with their own eyes that he was still cracking sunflower seeds, but somehow, they could no longer perceive his presence! It was as if there was no one sitting where Xiang Beifei was, this kid was like a background, completely unnoticeable. It is known that martial artists have very strong Perception, especially Elder Luo and Professor Guo. It was impossible for them not to notice someone sitting right in front of them. But Xiang Beifei was precisely such an exception! "This..." Elder Luo and Professor Guo looked at each other, unable to help themselves from poking Xiang Beifei''s arm. They could touch him! But they still could not perceive him! "What strong Orifice Perception!" Elder Luo and Professor Guo both exclaimed softly. This capability to protect one''s own Orifice Perception was extremely powerful, even Professor Guo couldn''t achieve this, and Elder Luo had only reached this level after reaching the Heavenly Connection realm using his spiritual power. Xiang Beifei could actually do it now? No wonder they hadn''t noticed how Xiang Beifei arrived earlier; it turned out to be this way! "You opened two orifices, how can you have such strong Orifice Perception?" Professor Guo asked in astonishment. "I don''t know." Xiang Beifei shrugged. "Go hit Guo with a punch! Let''s see what your cultivation level really is now!" Elder Luo urged. "Come on, give it your all." Professor Guo stretched out a fist. Xiang Beifei did not hesitate, his hands forming a powerful fist intent. Without another word, he smashed it directly towards Professor Guo''s fist! Boom! Xiang Beifei''s fist, enveloped in flames, struck Professor Guo''s fist, the terrifying power exploding instantly like a fierce tsunami, the aftershocks rumbling outward. But Professor Guo''s fist remained immovable, his defensive power extremely strong, Xiang Beifei''s attack was still not enough to shake him. At that moment, a strong force of backlash spread from Professor Guo''s fist, beginning to roll towards Xiang Beifei''s Spiritual Power, intending to send Xiang Beifei''s force back at him. However, Xiang Beifei also immediately surged with a force of backlash, ready for a head-on collision with Professor Guo! He had to test his current strength to see what level he was at now! Buzz! Xiang Beifei drove the two Orifice Perceptions within his body, and as the two Orifices rotated, the blazing flames on his fist suddenly changed, turning from a bright red to a bizarre black and white flame! The black fist flame and the white fist flame intertwined, wrapping around Xiang Beifei''s fist. Just then, Professor Guo''s force of backlash was also sweeping over, about to devour Xiang Beifei''s Spiritual Power. However, Professor Guo quickly became stunned when he discovered that Xiang Beifei''s Spiritual Power had become extremely strange, and he couldn''t devour it at all, let alone send Xiang Beifei''s force back! "How could this be?" Professor Guo was shocked, his force of backlash actually falling short! If this continued, he couldn''t bear it! He immediately diverted Xiang Beifei''s force towards his left hand and then slapped it towards the lakeside behind him! Boom! The violent Spiritual Power instantly evaporated the water in the lake! However, the palm wind was still not enough, still needing to blast out across the campus. Elder Luo was also quite astonished, but he quickly regained his composure, his spiritual power tumbling as he caught Professor Guo''s palm wind, then forcibly suppressed and dissolved it! Their clash''s aftermath thus did not affect the entirety of Liangzhou University. "Professor Guo is amazing; I still can''t budge him." Xiang Beifei withdrew his hand, somewhat helplessly stated. This punch was his all-out effort, but it seemed he still couldn''t break through Professor Guo''s defense. Professor Guo was even sitting down, not standing up. Professor Guo: "..." Yet, Professor Guo was immensely shaken inside! Although both were forces of backlash, they nearly canceled each other''s force, and theoretically speaking, his power should be stronger and sufficient to surpass Xiang Beifei, but unexpectedly, he couldn''t send Xiang Beifei''s force back! "This strength is only present in the early stages of Orifice Transforming, you, you... you are already in the Orifice Transforming stage!" Professor Guo hesitantly asked. "It seems I probably am." Xiang Beifei could tentatively confirm. After all, with visibility of Elder Luo''s cultivation level and after Professor Guo''s recognition as a strong practitioner, he should undoubtedly now be in the Orifice Transforming stage. It was just these solitary two Orifice Perceptions that kept him puzzled. "Hiss!" Elder Luo and Professor Guo both involuntarily drew in a breath of cold air! "You, you''ve actually reached the Orifice Transforming stage!" Elder Luo asked in disbelief. Even though he always told himself not to appear inexperienced, Elder Luo found it impossible to maintain composure this time! This kid, he was too frightening! He had been cultivating for a year, progressing directly from the Qi-Controlling stage to the Orifice Transforming stage! Chapter 656 - 482: Congji Abyss and Mustard Seed in Palm Chapter resumed normal updates at 5:30 AM. For subscribed chapters, refresh to update; there won''t be duplicate subscriptions. Zhou Guan slouched lazily, hands cradling the back of his head, as he followed behind Sun Zhong. He wasn''t particularly interested in this job and kept muttering all the way. After reaching the third floor, Sun Zhong patrolled down the line of rooms. [You have patrolled the N-level Talent Review Department, patrol points +2] [You have patrolled the N-level Talent Dispatch Department, patrol points +2] ... Sun Zhong took extra time to circle twice in this empty room and pressed a button on the wall to confirm the alarm was working correctly before he left the room. [You have patrolled the Main Archive Room entrance, patrol points +5] Just then, Zheng Xing thought of something and quickly took out his phone to video call his son, then he asked, "Son, you said you''ve seen Xiang Beifei before, take a look. Is this person Xiang Beifei?" Although the students from the elite schools weren''t present at the freshman competition back then, it was broadcast live, and anyone with eyes could recognize him. Zheng Xing''s son, though from Jizhou University, had seen Xiang Beifei before. The moment he saw Xiang Beifei, he exclaimed excitedly, "It''s him! It''s really him! The genius who stepped on that SSR from Qingzhou University! Dad, you actually met him? My gosh!" That was the legendary genius! "So you really are that Xiang Beifei!" Zheng Xing was also stunned. His son had mentioned the freshman competition to him before the holiday, and at that time, he was highly impressed by Xiang Beifei. Little did he think that today he would coincidentally meet such a grand talent! A moment later, he quickly regained his composure, excitedly saying, "It''s definitely Xiang Beifei; my son is from Jizhou University, and he has seen him before!" Xiang Beifei put the matter aside for the time being and asked, "By the way, Uncle Kong, are there any houses for rent nearby? We''re thinking of moving over there to live." "House? Sure, you should''ve moved over here long ago. The old man has always been talking about saving money for you to take on tasks and whatnot. Why the sudden change of mind?" Kong Daming asked. "Xiaofei is growing up. If the house is shabby, he won''t be able to find a wife," Xiang Qingde said seriously. "Hahaha, that''s true," Kong Daming nodded in agreement. But Lu Hong disagreed, "How could that be! If she really likes him, she wouldn''t care about the house." "Still, it''s better to live in a nice place. The old house is too dark," Kong Daming said. "Leave it to me, I remember a family on my floor just moved out, just two door numbers away from my place, directly across the diagonal, so moving over here would be better, easier to look after each other." "So when is Uncle Kong''s restaurant opening?" Xiang Beifei asked again. How the desolate beast One-Armed Crab appeared remained unclear, and the person Xiang Beifei currently suspected had not yet been found. Xiao Sheng! The fake SR-level staff member, who before the desolate beast appeared, ran off somewhere unknown. He wanted to see if Xiao Sheng would come back to work. "The day after tomorrow! The staff has been asking about it too. Speaking of which, I need to contact those employees since we''ve been closed for so long," Kong Daming said. "Then tomorrow, I''ll go to the wholesale market. We''ve had no supplies for a while; I need to negotiate with them again," Xiang Qingde added. Kong Daming quickly said, "No need, Uncle Xiang, you rest. I can handle it." "We''ve been idle for so long; it''s good to get moving. I''m familiar with that place anyway, and there''s a lot to do for reopening the restaurant; many customers have made reservations and are waiting to support the reopening. You''ll be busy, so I''ll handle it tomorrow," Xiang Qingde insisted, waving his hand. Unable to persuade him, Kong Daming could only agree. When Xiang Beifei got home, he made a point of talking to his grandfather in front of the living room camera, explaining why he wanted to move, plainly saying that he now knew how to make money and didn''t want to live here anymore. For a martial artist at the Meridian Opening stage, earning a living was extremely easy. Those surveilling their home, as long as they weren''t foolish, would ascertain Xiang Beifei''s current Cultivation Realm after a simple inquiry at the school; nobody would doubt such an excuse. That way, whoever was watching would likely relocate to the new home. Xiang Beifei was curious to see who would try to install surveillance under his watch. After discussing this, Xiaohei proceeded to block the camera again. The grandfather-grandson duo spent the evening packing up; it turned out they had quite a lot of belongings. "We''ll have to call for a vehicle, since there''s no elevator, and we''ll carry everything down together," Xiang Qingde pondered over the most convenient way to move. "I can handle the stuff myself, Grandpa doesn''t need to worry, just rest," Xiang Beifei suggested. "How could that be? How could you move so many things alone! I''m still capable of working and can help you carry them," Xiang Qingde said, worried his grandson would overexert himself¡ªas moving was backbreaking work. Amused, Xiang Beifei replied, "Grandpa, why do I always feel like you''ve forgotten again that I''m a martial artist?" "What''s wrong with martial artists? Many martial artists have to hire people when they move, don''t they?" Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei stomped his foot again, and all the packed boxes began to float, hovering in mid-air. Lighter than a feather. He made the objects weightless and then used his Spiritual Power to lift them all up. Xiang Qingde watched in amazement, "I didn''t even know you had this ability!" Xiang Beifei realized he had rarely mentioned his own abilities to his grandfather. He smiled, set the objects down, then glanced at the camera on the ceiling and said, "Don''t worry, from now on I''ll handle everything. Grandpa, just take it easy." Xiang Qingde was stunned for a moment, gazing at Xiang Beifei in a daze. Once upon a time, he had been so careful to protect his grandson, to protect his self-esteem, telling him to be positive and hopeful, wishing he wouldn''t give up on himself. But since the Awakening System, his grandson had become a different person, diligent, cheerful, and now a martial artist in the Meridian Opening phase with the ability to protect himself. It took a while for Xiang Qingde to come back to his senses, and he smiled, "The Awakening System really is a good thing." Only then did he suddenly feel old, in need of protection from his grandson. That was fine, too. He was happy to see his grandchild so sensible. Moving wasn''t difficult; for ordinary Awakeners of level N moving without a suitable space-related system, they had to hire moving companies, rent a vehicle, and spend a sum of money. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to, just have Xiaohei blow bubbles to do it. "Xiaofei is now a big star, in the future, we''ll all rely on you!" Kong Daming joked. "Isn''t being a star very tiring? I''ve heard they have to go and shoot all sorts of films every day," Lu Zhiwei said curiously. "That won''t do! Xiaofei has to cultivate," Lu Hong said seriously. Without realizing it, he had changed from calling Beifei ''Xiao Xiang'' to ''Xiaofei,'' in his mind, Xiang Beifei was still a martial artist and should prioritize cultivation. Chen Xiuqin walked in from outside and laughed, "I won''t lie to you, these past few days I''ve received so many calls from talent agencies. They know I know Xiaofei and keep asking about related commercial activities, offering lots of money for Xiaofei to sign with their companies." "What did you say?" Kong Daming asked. "Of course, I said we would consider it. How could I decide on such a thing? We still need to ask Xiaofei''s opinion," Chen Xiuqin said with a laugh. She didn''t agree outright but also didn''t reject the offers completely, leaving a choice for Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment and said, "I do need to cultivate and don''t have time for movies and commercials. But if I have time, I could start a column specifically to teach everyone how to kill desolate beasts, so that people wouldn''t panic when facing such situations." He needed to use this identity to properly guide everyone. Lu Hong''s eyes lit up and he nodded, "Right, many civilians who live in the inland cities have a shallow concept of desolate beasts, most lack a sense of crisis. Your idea is good." Strong desolate beasts were common for martial artists, but for civilians, encounters were still rare. Xiang Beifei, being a martial artist, naturally should engage in promotional activities as one. "That''s great, then I''ll help you promote. As a celebrity, you need to have a specialty, and as a martial artist, you should promote yourself in the way of a martial artist," Chen Xiuqin said, who worked partially in the entertainment industry and was familiar with a lot of stars. She knew exactly how to do marketing. As Xiang Beifei''s number one mom fan, she was more than willing to help him. That was settled, then. Xiang Beifei didn''t have to do anything. When the next semester started, and he went on missions to the outer realms, he could simply shoot a few videos, an easy task. But on second thought¡ª "Does she really think she can do as she pleases with my fame like this? The ones who tried to profit off Xiang Beifei''s fame last time had already been dealt with by him. This time, they thought of using him as a figurehead without consulting him, clearly intent on pushing him into the spotlight. The alliance''s reason for wanting such a prodigy to be exposed was quite clear. The main reason was that Xiang Beifei was brought up by Elder Luo! Elder Luo was not on good terms with the alliance; the people from the alliance even feared him, because they couldn''t suppress such an SR-level Awakener who would not obey their commands, worried that Elder Luo would cultivate his own power in Liangzhou University. With the emergence of a prodigy like Xiang Beifei, it brought a great threat to them! So, they had to act against Xiang Beifei! Normally, once someone is exposed, it''s hard for them to go back to being low-profile¡ªwherever they go, they attract attention. By exposing Xiang Beifei like this, they were forcing him to stand by the alliance''s side, making him subject to surveillance by everyone in Jiuzhou. In this way, Xiang Beifei would hardly be able to oppose the alliance in secret; his every move would be under their watch. Later, whatever the alliance planned, Xiang Beifei would have to cooperate. To the alliance, Xiang Beifei would become a piece that could contain Elder Luo, in a special way to isolate him, monitor him, and weaken his influence. Chapter 657 - 483: Deduction "Forget it, I''ll go find Grandpa." Xiang Beifei put away the video, then walked out and soon found his grandfather wandering around the kitchen, supervising the work. "Eh? Xiaofei, you''re back?" Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, Xiang Qingde immediately showed a happy smile, walked over, pinched Xiang Beifei''s arm, and said, "You''ve gotten thinner again, you need to eat more." "Okay." Xiang Beifei nodded. In the eyes of the elderly, his grandson seemed to have lost weight every time they met. The people washing vegetables in the kitchen were also thrilled to see Xiang Beifei, all greeting him enthusiastically. "Hello." Xiang Beifei politely greeted these people. The people here were very familiar with him, everyone was proud to work under the arrangements of Xiang Qingde, after all, he was the grandfather of a national figure! Xiang Qingde took Xiang Beifei out of the kitchen, and while they were walking, he asked, "Xiaofei, are you eating here today?" "Okay." Xiang Beifei nodded in agreement, but his gaze fell again on his grandfather''s system interface. It was still a snowy screen. Strikingly conspicuous. Xiang Qingde didn''t know what Xiang Beifei was looking at and cheerfully said, "Then I''ll go and stir-fry a couple of dishes later." "There''s no need for that much trouble, just something simple will do, Grandpa. Let''s go for a walk outside instead, give ourselves a break," Xiang Beifei suggested. He was about to venture to the outer wilderness next, and if he went searching for Comrade Xiang Tianxing, he didn''t know when he would return, so he wanted to spend more time with his grandfather. "Okay then." In the past, Xiang Qingde would work from dawn till dusk selling vegetables, saving money for Xiang Beifei to perform system tasks; even though he no longer worried about money, he seldom went out as he was probably too used to being busy to settle down. In the park, there were many people taking walks back and forth. Xiang Beifei slightly disguised himself to avoid causing any unnecessary sensation. The grandfather and grandson leisurely walked in the park, chatting happily along the way. Xiang Qingde was quite talkative; working in the store, he often chatted with people there and encountered many interesting things. For example, recently a man''s child awakened an SSR-level system, and as a father, he was overbearingly proud, feeling as if he had ascended to the heavens in one step. There was an N-level waiter at work who accidentally touched this man''s clothes and was immediately grabbed and accused by the man of deliberately soiling them because waiters are lowly. At that moment, the waiter was terrified and quickly called Kong Daming, but Kong Daming couldn''t smooth things over, so he had to ask Xiang Qingde to intervene. Once the man saw Xiang Qingde, he immediately panicked, and his arrogance was extinguished, apologizing with a sheepish grin. "Boasting because he awakened an SSR system? My grandson awakened an N-level system, have I ever boasted?" Xiang Qingde said proudly, hands behind his back, head held high. Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but laugh silently. In his grandfather''s eyes, an N-level Awakener was even more impressive than an SSR-level one. "Haha! Thanks to you, my words now carry more weight than those of SSRs! They know you''ve beaten up countless SSRs, so they don''t dare to be presumptuous in front of me." Now wherever Xiang Qingde went, he was praised. After all, he had raised a prodigal grandson; parents of SSR-level Awakeners wouldn''t dare confront Xiang Qingde unless their children were as formidable as Xiang Beifei. The grandfather and grandson sat down in a pavilion in the park. The summer cicadas softly sung from the willow branches, the breeze gently rippling the lake''s water, presenting a beautiful scenery. It being the weekend, many people were strolling around. "Grandpa, have you ever heard of the Congji Abyss?" Xiang Beifei asked. "The Congji Abyss?" Xiang Qingde pondered for a moment and replied, "I seem to have a faint recollection, saw it somewhere last time... Why do you suddenly ask about this?" "Just curious, I can''t think of anyone else to ask about it." "Strange, I''ve heard of it too, it rings a bell." Xiang Qingde thought for a moment, "My mind conjures up many people." "Many people?" "A bunch of vague figures all in white, not very clear in my memory, they seemed to be searching for something," said Xiang Qingde. "Why would Grandpa have such an impression?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Not sure, probably just dreams... I''m getting old, memories are a bit jumbled, sometimes I even dream about people covered in tentacles running around," Xiang Qingde laughed. Xiang Beifei was slightly taken aback. "Grandpa has never mentioned these to me before." "Is that important?" "Hard to say, what else has Grandpa dreamt about?" "People that scatter with a single touch, people bursting into flames, a tall stone tower, a sonorous stone bell, several mountains pierced by chains, a stone statue torn apart in the sky... I can''t be sure, just flashes of scenes, unable to connect them," Xiang Qingde explained as he rubbed his forehead. Xiang Beifei was puzzled, "What are all these things?" "I don''t know either, dreams are hard to explain accurately, but I remember the sound of that stone bell quite well, I heard it dong, dong, dong, I remember the melody because I usually like to hum it; perhaps it''s a case of daydreams becoming night dreams," hummed Xiang Qingde in the tune he often sang while cooking or sweeping." Xiang Beifei pondered slightly, opened his notebook, and recorded what his grandfather had said. "Are you recording what I said again?" Xiang Qingde asked. "Yes, when I have time in the future, I''ll write a biography for Grandpa," Xiang Beifei said offhandedly. "Haha, Grandpa isn''t that important a figure, who would read it?" Xiang Qingde laughed. "How could there not be? A senior who raised an N-level genius, wouldn''t everyone be curious? I could title it, ''How is an N-level Genius Made?'', ''Xiang Qingde Tells You How to Raise an N-level Genius Grandson'', ''The Senior Behind the Popular Choice''... All definite selling points." Xiang Beifei organized the information he had just mentioned and copied it into Comrade Xiang Tianxing''s pioneer stone. Xiang Qingde chuckled, "That''s true, many people come to me for advice, asking how to raise their N-level children to be as outstanding as you! Haha, I always say it''s like raising piglets, just keep up with their nutrition, and they don''t believe it." Xiang Beifei: "..." The grandfather and grandson idly chatted as they continued their walk in the park, but just as they reached a fork in the road, a figure suddenly ran over in a hurry, standing at the junction looking around anxiously. Xiang Beifei was surprised to find it was Lu Zhiwei. "Hey, what are you doing?" Xiang Beifei tapped Lu Zhiwei on the shoulder. Lu Zhiwei immediately jumped back a big step, her fist already clenched, and turned around warily. Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, she exclaimed happily, "Oh, Beifei, it''s you! Long time no see!" Seeing Xiang Qingde, she quickly said, "Hello, Grandpa Xiang!" "Xiao Wei has become quite the beauty!" Xiang Qingde laughed. "Grandpa Xiang flatters me," Lu Zhiwei said with a giggly smile. "What''s wrong? You seem startled," Xiang Beifei asked. "I was chasing a criminal!" Lu Zhiwei said, rubbing her fists. She had now reached the Meridian Opening stage as a martial artist, thanks to Xiang Beifei, who had forcefully refined a Beast Pill from the God Refining stage into pure Spiritual Power, aiding her in successfully opening her meridians. Recently, Lu Zhiwei had started her internship at the city''s guard team, working under her dad. This girl, wild by nature, loved to fight, and was totally enthusiastic about such tasks. "And then?" Xiang Beifei asked. "That''s when I lost the criminal..." Lu Zhiwei said dejectedly, hands on her hips, "That thief, so infuriating, he has a cloning skill, now I don''t know which way he went." Xiang Beifei stroked his chin, looking at Lu Zhiwei''s system interface: [Current Deduction Accuracy: 9%] Well, isn''t that something, down from 11% to 9% over the past year. Touching. "Aren''t you good at deducing? Use your deductive skills to see which direction the thief could have run," Xiang Beifei said. "But my deductive skills are terrible!" Lu Zhiwei sighed, a hurdle she could never get over. For her, deducing was too exhausting, nothing beat the directness of drawing weapons or throwing punches. "Don''t worry, I''m here. You deduce, and I''ll give you pointers," Xiang Beifei said. Lu Zhiwei''s eyes lit up, and she nodded, "Okay!" In her eyes, Xiang Beifei was a super deduction master. Even before he had gone to university, he had helped the guard squad solve major cases, which had made Lu Zhiwei incredibly envious back then. Just thinking about getting pointers from Xiang Beifei filled Lu Zhiwei with confidence. She started to crouch and inspect the scene''s footprints at the fork: "The weeds in the cracks of the ground tiles have just been broken, the traces are still fresh, at least four people stepped over here, analyzing the direction of the footprints, they should belong to a two-meter-tall man. The footprints overlap, the grass here is blown away, it seems like someone in a hurry tore through here. According to my deductive logic, this means ¡ª he ran to the left! Should I go left to chase?" Lu Zhiwei asked, her hands on her hips, bubbling with excitement. "No, you should go right," Xiang Beifei said very surely. "Why?" "I''ll explain after you catch the criminal." "Okay!" Lu Zhiwei quickly ran toward the right fork. About ten minutes later, Lu Zhiwei returned, dragging a short man about one meter and fifty centimeters tall. This man had awakened the [R-class Clone System], currently capable of producing two clones, but unfortunately, he was using his abilities for petty theft. Now he was beaten black and blue by Lu Zhiwei, looking quite pitiful. Lu Zhiwei excitedly waved over, saying, "Wow, Beifei! Your deductive skills are still so amazing! I chased to the right as you said, and actually caught him! Tell me quick, how did you deduce he would run right?" Xiang Beifei spread his hands and said, "By eliminating the wrong answer, what''s left must be the right one." "Huh? What do you mean?" Lu Zhiwei didn''t quite understand. "Because you deduced that the criminal ran to the left, that means he definitely ran to the right!" Xiang Beifei said seriously, "Your deduction had to be wrong! I thought you knew that." "..." Lu Zhiwei turned to stone on the spot! Chapter 658 - 484 The Power of the Respected Criterion (4000 words) The chapter resumed normal updates at 5:15. Subscribed readers can refresh the page and will not be re-subscribed. Upon hearing what Elder Luo said, everyone had no choice but to stop complaining. Ye Changfeng and Yuchi Shen sat quietly to one side, not speaking anymore, watching Xiang Beifei and his group. Xiang Beifei and his friends remained silent. After a long while, Long Guocheng was the first to speak, "Tomorrow''s competition, our first match is the second round, against Qingzhou University. We don''t know who they will send to face us." Xiang Beifei said, "The person Qingzhou University sends out tomorrow will definitely be Hou Chengwu, no doubt about it." Long Guocheng asked, "Are you so sure? Qingzhou University has two SSRs, one UR, plus two SRs, and they haven''t confirmed their roster yet." Xiang Beifei said, "It''ll definitely be Hou Chengwu! After all, he rejected Liangzhou University and chose Qingzhou University. He must prove to others that not choosing Liangzhou University was the right decision, and the way to prove it is to defeat us personally." "That''s true," Li Zimu said thoughtfully, nodding, "I think he was humiliated by you today, he would want revenge." "Xiang Beifei, do you have the ability to defeat Hou Chengwu?" Xi Keyao asked. Xiang Beifei was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly. The expressions of Long Guocheng and the others improved slightly, they all recognized Xiang Beifei''s ability and knew how formidable he was. Although this guy is not an SSR, his strength is outrageously strong. With him around, even if Liangzhou University couldn''t match the overt strength of those three universities, it was enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with other schools. "But if the other schools all send SSRs against us, we are almost certain to lose, Xiang Beifei can only play twice, meaning at most he can win two points, but the four of us are likely to lose," Ma Ziqian said. "Unless we find a way to prevent them from using their SSRs against us," Li Zimu said. "Now they all think we''re easy targets, how can we change their minds?" Long Guocheng asked. "It''s simple, we must let them know we''re not that weak," Xiang Beifei said. Li Zimu caught on and said, "I see, our school also needs to have someone who has undergone Meridian Opening. That way they won''t send all Meridian Opening players against us. That means tomorrow, against Qingzhou University, you must play, Xiang Beifei." A person can play a maximum of two times, so after Xiang Beifei makes his first move, just revealing a bit of his strength is enough to deter people from other schools, making them wary. Understanding that Liangzhou University wasn''t a persimmon that they could necessarily crush! Because if they send out an SSR and happen to meet the tough opponent Xiang Beifei and lose, other schools won''t simply send their SSRs to seek out Liangzhou University. This ability is quite unique; anyone with sins, whether desolate beasts or humans, can be targeted by it, and a strike gate automatically forms in the mind. Even if the strike gate is not the opponent''s original weakness. It''s like the Triangular Thunder Krait, whose original weakness is in the eyes, but if Yuchi Shen uses his "Seven Deadly Sins Kill," he can forcibly twist that weak point to concentrate elsewhere, like shifting the gate to the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait. Then, as long as Yuchi Shen hits the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait, it will surely die! "That ability is amazing, forcibly changing the opponent''s weakness?" Xiang Beifei was quite impressed. "Yes, I heard that originally there were two SSR Awakeners who were supposed to come to our Liangzhou University, but because Liangzhou University admitted an N-grade, those two SSRs looked down on our university and went to other elite schools instead," said Long Guocheng. "Didn''t that make the university furious? To lose two SSRs over one N-grade student?" "Exactly! That N-grade Awakener really knows how to cause trouble." Just then, Xiang Beifei exclaimed in surprise because he noticed that a figure had suddenly appeared behind the baby! That figure had almost teleported there, holding a sword in hand and exuding a powerful aura, unaffected by those tentacles! It was Ye Changfeng! Ye Changfeng frowned as he looked at the infant and then slashed out with his sword at the baby! The baby seemed to realize what was happening, but before it could turn around, Ye Changfeng''s sword had already split the baby in two! However, the baby didn''t dissipate. After being split, countless tentacles sprang out from its body, merging into the tentacles around it. "Seeking death!" Ye Changfeng gripped his long sword and slashed forward once more! This slash was like a bolt of lightning, mixed with a terrible might, and the cold Sword Qi stretched hundreds of meters, actually splitting a rift in the tentacles-filled sky! The tentacles were slashed apart, still trying to coalesce together, but soon enough sword Qi explosions burst among them¡ª Boom! Boom! Boom! All the tentacles failed to escape under Ye Changfeng''s sword and were destroyed throughout the city! The tentacles were shredded by the Sword Qi, and the remaining ones shrank back towards the ground in fear, quickly vanishing from sight. "Stay here and don''t run around!" Ye Changfeng tossed his sword up, and the Longyuan Sword hovered overhead, as if protecting them, while another sword appeared in his hand. With one step, space flickered, and he vanished into thin air. Chapter 659 - 484: The Power of the Respected Criterion (4000 words) _2 "Thank goodness Mr. Ye came," Fan Kai breathed a sigh of relief, if Mr. Ye hadn''t arrived in time, they probably would have been done for on this trip. But Sun Yushan didn''t quite understand and asked, "What kind of desolate beast is this thing? How come we''ve never seen it before?" The two had trained in this Cultivated Domain for three years and were roughly aware of the types of desolate beasts present. While some were powerful, none had ever been as troublesome as this time; they hadn''t expected to almost lose their lives today. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then turned to Xiaohei and said, "Xiaohei, you should be able to take him out of this space, right?" Xiaohei nodded. This was a space created by the system, and no power of the system could trap Xiaohei; it could leave the system''s constraints at will. "Then take him out of this space first, just let him stay in the forest," said Xiang Beifei. Nobody knew what dangers lay on this isolated island, but whatever had injured Liu Gui to this extent meant it was no longer safe to leave him here; it would be better to drop him into the forest outside. Xiaohei jumped on Liu Gui''s body, and with a little stomp of its paws, Liu Gui''s body began to look strange. Xiang Beifei could still see him, but he could also see the forest floor outside the space. "That should do it, Xiao Ma and the others might come looking in the forest, we need to continue looking for the others," Xiang Beifei mentioned. Liu Gui''s current condition should prevent him from being harmed by any desolate beasts on the island. Xiang Beifei needed to find Lu Zhiwei and He Yun quickly; according to their earlier descriptions, this forest was very unsafe and could kill them. Xiang Beifei continued to leap forward, and after about five minutes, a frantic sound suddenly came from the woods, followed by a The people from the school who could provide him with useful system rewards were only the teachers; even the S-grade students were still only at the early stages of Qi-Controlling, and their task rewards were not useful. He had inadvertently taken part in many teachers'' tasks; these individuals became teachers due to their own system choices and often carried out tasks on their students. But system rewards didn''t come overnight; one had to wait for the other party to complete their task to receive the reward. Some people''s tasks took a long time to complete, a few days at the least, and several months at most, so even if one took part in a task, the reward wouldn''t come quickly. However, Xiang Beifei had his principles. Some teachers and students had been quite good to him, struggling to complete tasks to improve themselves; it would be unfair if they lost their reward, so he wouldn''t target those people. As long as they didn''t rub him the wrong way, everyone could get along harmoniously. During the two-day weekend, Xiang Qingde went to the vegetable market while Xiang Beifei stayed home, continuing to practice the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula, and finally broke through to the mid-stage of Qi-Controlling. He found that his pace of improving strength was faster than that of those S-grade Awakeners. Even Zhou Jing and Liu Qianrou were still in the early stages of Qi-Controlling, and many of the R and N grade students hadn''t even reached the threshold of Qi-Controlling yet. Everyone had a system and relied on completing tasks to improve their strength. Of course, some systems provided their hosts with various cultivation techniques, mainly to enhance physical fitness, which required personal cultivation. Clearly, the rate of advancement was different. "So you''re the N-grade freshman who plans to get into Liangzhou University using public opinion pressure?" a voice questioned. "Heard your academic grades are quite high! But do you think our elite university is a place just anyone with good grades can join?" another boy sneered. "Come on, let sister take care of you and teach you how the word ''elite'' is written," a girl in revealing clothes stretched and dug out her ear with her little finger. "Hey, Yu Xiaoyao, we were here first. We''re here to establish authority over the freshmen, so your Flowery Moon Snowy Club can wait in line," a tall boy shouted. The girl known as Yu Xiaoyao let out a string of silvery laughter, saying, "What''s wrong, did you guys from the Mount Tai Club feel sore about losing to us last time and now you''re looking to regain face from an N-grade Awakener? Is this the best you can do?" "What do you mean! We were just going easy on you girls last time, can''t you tell?" the tall boy retorted. "Hehe, that''s quite interesting! Ding Ming, since you guys like to yield so much, why not do it again!" Yu Xiaoyao giggled, twisting her slim waist. "We''re all teaching a lesson to some ignorant kid on behalf of our school, why fight over it?" someone spoke up. Lu Zhiwei frowned and stepped in front of Xiang Beifei, shouting, "Hey, are you done yet? He''s under my protection. Whoever dares to touch him, just try it!" At her shout, Yu Xiaoyao and the others all stopped to look at Lu Zhiwei. "Lu Zhiwei, does your detective society also want to meddle in these troubled waters?" Yu Xiaoyao watched Lu Zhiwei cautiously. She still had to be somewhat wary of Lu Zhiwei, after all, Lu Zhiwei wasn''t an easy person to provoke. The tall boy, Ding Ming, sneered at Lu Zhiwei, "Lu Zhiwei, are you saying your detective society plans to shelter this trash that''s tarnishing the reputation of Liangzhou University?" "Don''t pin such a big hat on us." At this moment, a buzz-cut boy stepped out from the crowd and responded, then turned his face, frowning at Lu Zhiwei, saying, "Lu Zhiwei, what are you doing? Why are you with an N-level? Don''t ruin the reputation of our detective society!" Lu Zhiwei said angrily, "Are you guys idiots? How has Xiang Beifei tarnished the reputation of Liangzhou University? The news has said that it was Yu Lei who staged the whole thing by himself, and here you are, living in your own notions, deliberately rejecting the truth, aren''t you?" "Anyone can speak in the news, but I won''t let an N-level person set foot in our Liang University. He doesn''t deserve it!" "Right! This is a gathering place for elites, not a trash disposal center!" "N-level people, get out of Liang University!" "N-level people, get out of Liang University!" Many people began to shout, although nearby, a few students did not join in. They were just watching from the side. Not all elitist students were aggressive; some were pretty rational. However, looking at the scene, there were too many people hostile towards Xiang Beifei. Even if rational individuals spoke up, they might inadvertently become targets for attack. Lu Zhiwei was very angry. Someone from their detective society was looking for her to tell her not to cause trouble, but Lu Zhiwei was not someone who shied away from trouble. She was fervently arguing her point with the other party. "Lu Zhiwei, if you keep defending this N-level person, our detective society will have to draw a clear line with you!" the buzz-cut boy said. "Draw the line, then! You think I care?" Lu Zhiwei rubbed her fists angrily and declared, "Come on, I''ll put it here today. If anyone dares to touch a single hair on him, they''ll have to answer to my fists." "Lu Zhiwei, if you''re so eager to fight, why don''t I have a go with you?" a boy stepped forward, looking at Lu Zhiwei. This boy was also an advanced Qi-Controlling expert! Lu Zhiwei watched him warily; this person was clearly not easy to provoke, but she did not back down. However, Zhuo Jing''s expression wasn''t looking good. Now, Xiang Beifei had become the focus, and his fortuitous score of 581 no longer attracted others'' praise. He had to actively seek it. "What''s the use of scoring high? Act as if you can go to an elite university!" Zhuo Jing jealously spat in his heart. Of the nine elite universities, only Liangzhou University accepted N-level Awakeners. But even for Liangzhou University, facing N-level students, they needed to set thresholds and wouldn''t easily allow them to pass. And Zhuo Jing, with his scores, would easily make it to an elite university! Zhuo Jing looked at his system panel. His appreciation value had reached 5129, enough to exchange for the Piercing Strike Cultivation Technique. Another task required a score of 550 points, collecting 2000 likes to exchange for a double appreciation card, which he had also completed. But he was not in a hurry to exchange. Now was not the time to exchange for Cultivation Techniques, Chapter 660 - 485: Bloodless Reshuffle At this moment, Qiu Junyou''s mind was entirely focused on how to cooperate with Elder Luo to protect the safety of Jiuzhou. He was even too preoccupied to care for his own potted plants, determined to perform his job well. Protecting the safety of Jiuzhou, supporting Elder Luo''s stance, and opposing Lady Qiu had indeed become his current priorities! There was no time to delay! "Work hard," Xiang Beifei patted Qiu Junyou''s shoulder. "Yes!" Qiu Junyou''s attitude towards his work had undergone a complete 180-degree change. Xiang Beifei didn''t say much else. Controlling others was not Xiang Beifei''s intention, and he didn''t like using this method. Puppet-like governance was meaningless. But extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. If he needed to make everyone in the alliance cooperate with the Su Alliance''s actions to handle the beast eggs and protect Jiuzhou, then this was currently the best method. The alliance''s departments themselves were very problematic. The system of favoring higher ranks allowed all kinds of incompetents to flourish within the alliance, and with someone like Lady Qiu involved, internal strife within the alliance was severe. Elder Luo had long been reluctant to change the alliance because it was too troublesome to change. Only direct iron-fisted suppression might effect change, but such methods could easily allow desolate beasts to take advantage of the situation. But Xiang Beifei was different. He didn''t need to worry about the suppression by higher ranks over lower ones nor worry about his abilities being countered by someone like Lady Qiu; his "Respected as a Criterion" could completely alter the thoughts of people like Qiu Junyou. As for Lady Qiu, his "Respected as a Criterion" likely still couldn''t affect her, but Xiang Beifei didn''t need to bother with her. The reason Lady Qiu was confident was that she had garnered a large number of people who were fiercely loyal to her. These people either revered her UR system, sought power and status from her, or were controlled by her system abilities. However, Xiang Beifei''s "Respected as a Criterion" was superior to Lady Qiu''s systems! He just needed to turn all of Lady Qiu''s subordinates! Once that was done, no matter how powerful Lady Qiu was, she would just be a commander without troops! Without anyone to command, what waves could she still make? When Lady Qiu realized that the subordinates who used to obey her suddenly turned against her, she would probably go mad with rage! "It seems I need to make a trip to every important department." Xiang Beifei stretched lazily. For his mentor back home, he just had to run these errands. Jiuzhou was too vast, and it was unrealistic to control everyone, but he could control the leaders of all departments within the alliance, making them honor Elder Luo''s commands and defect to his side. As for the others¡ª "You two know what to do, right?" Xiang Beifei called out to the people outside the door. Two people quickly entered from outside. It was none other than Wu Wen and Yang Chengze! Wu Wen was from the Archives Building, an Awakener of the S-rank Persuasion System, who had always worked in the archives department dealing with the unemployed. He used to persuade lower-rank Awakeners to take jobs they didn''t want, but later, Xiang Beifei directly reversed the persuasion on him. Yang Chengze, a teacher at Qingzhou University, had awakened with the SR-rank Subliminal Influence System, which could implant his thoughts into others'' minds, altering their cognition. Initially, he was the one who helped Zhu Xinjue completely make over. "Yes, boss, we understand," Wu Wen and Yang Chengze both responded respectfully. "The employees in the alliance, those below S-rank, Wu Wen, you handle them. SR-rank, Yang Chengze, you handle them. Make sure to tell them to oppose every person on this list, firmly support Professor Luo, obey Professor Luo''s orders, do their jobs, and protect the entire Jiuzhou." Xiang Beifei handed a list to Wu Wen and Yang Chengze. On it were Lady Qiu and some other UR-ranked masters who specifically aimed to eliminate Elder Luo. Xiang Beifei still didn''t have the capability to eliminate these people, so he had to settle for making these people mere commanders without troops! "Understood!" Wu Wen and Yang Chengze quickly left. Yang Chengze was responsible for handling part of the alliance''s SR-rank and all S-rank employees, while Wu Wen was in charge of some S-ranks and all R and N-rank employees. As for Xiang Beifei, he would handle those SSR-rank and UR-rank employees who hadn''t reached Heavenly Connection, making all of them align with Elder Luo! Now, with desolate beasts hungrily eyeing the situation, the alliance also needed a proper transformation! Unbeknownst to everyone, a silent storm had already swept through the entire alliance. The alliance was quietly changing! ¡ª¡ª A week later. Chang Furong was still researching the matters concerning desolate beasts, and he had recently discovered that the most likely gathering place for the Marsh Black Monster''s eggs was at the wastewater treatment plant. "The wastewater treatment plant is again under the management of the Alliance Development Department. What a hassle." Lately, Chang Furong had been dealing with these issues and understood how significant the obstacles the Su Alliance faced in handling this matter were. The Alliance Development Department was simply uncooperative; investigating a place could be delayed for a long time. He had no choice but to consult Elder Luo. "The people in the Alliance Development Department, this department really needs a thorough overhaul!" Elder Luo was extremely annoyed inside. This department was supposed to protect the safety of Jiuzhou, yet it was extremely negligent in such a critical matter, which made him very angry. It was clear without thinking that Lady Qiu and her cohort were the ones thwarting them behind the scenes; the old witch roamed around casting spells every day. It was bad enough that she did not cooperate with handling the beast eggs, but she even sabotaged their efforts secretly! "Let''s go, I''ll go myself," Elder Luo said. He immediately took the Su People with him to the wastewater treatment plant. By this time, Lady Qiu had quickly gotten word of it and stealthily made her way over. She had been having a pleasant time lately. Whenever she saw Luo Yunxian heading somewhere to deal with beast eggs but achieving minimal effect, she found it very gratifying. "Luo Yunxian, oh Luo Yunxian, although you are powerful in combat, when it comes to power struggle, you are still too green to wrestle with me!" Lady Qiu stood on the second floor of a building, looking at the distant Luo Yunxian and sneering repeatedly. Over the years, she had firmly controlled nearly two-thirds of the top level of the alliance. These senior Awakeners, each of them looked up to her as their leader, daring not to disobey. The remaining one-third included some who were from Liu Laosan''s faction. Although there was competition among them and Liu Laosan was also of the Idle Faction, perhaps the two did not get along in other aspects, but when it came to dealing with Luo Yunxian, Liu Laosan and he definitely stood together. "Junyou, now you should understand how to deal with this matter, right?" Lady Qiu stood with her hands behind her back, looking at Luo Yunxian and a group of Su Alliance members getting ready to dig into the wastewater. A group of Su People were surrounding the wastewater treatment plant, surveying the terrain, and they were about to find a person in charge to assist them. "Understood," Qiu Junyou stood behind, nodding seriously. "Very good, you don''t need to go down there yourselves, just let them handle it. They will have to drain the wastewater to search for the beast eggs. Just say the wastewater is blocked, and you don''t have the capability to dive, let them dig through the wastewater themselves! Also, you must tell him not to use Spiritual Power to evaporate the wastewater, or it will damage the equipment," Lady Qiu instructed. She planned to let Qiu Junyou subtly sabotage Luo Yunxian''s efforts. Agreeing outwardly, but without actually taking action, would allow all the work to fall on Luo Yunxian and his team, while the others simply watched the show. "Understood." Qiu Junyou nodded slightly, then left to go towards the Su People. The Su People were frowning at the wastewater pool; the pool was very deep, a massively large wastewater pool. Here, the wastewater was not simply evaporated or dumped into the external desolate wilderness. The resources in Jiuzhou were limited, and the domestic wastewater also contained many recyclable materials. If directly dumped into the external wilds, many resources would be wasted. Therefore, they needed to purify the useful materials in the wastewater for reuse. The wastewater treatment plant was also one of the sustainable energy sources of Jiuzhou, which could not be taken lightly; it was strictly forbidden to destroy it directly using Spiritual Power. "I feel this matter might also be difficult to handle; they probably won''t cooperate with shutting off the wastewater, let alone let us destroy it directly. We might only get their cooperation once we confirm there are beast eggs inside," Chang Furong said. Since it was only a guess that there were beast eggs inside and not a confirmed fact, using harsh measures to destroy it would cause significant losses if they did not find anything. The Su Alliance''s inspection efforts met obstacles at just such a point. Without complete certainty, they had to follow each department''s regulations, otherwise, using harsh measures resulting in large losses would lead to condemnation from the alliance. That was also where Lady Qiu and her cohorts could trip them. Once the Su Alliance destroyed something but failed to find beast eggs, she could exploit the situation to incite others to condemn the Su Alliance, thereby discrediting Luo Yunxian. Elder Luo looked at the dark wastewater pool and said, "Go find their person in charge and ask." "I''m here, I''m here! I''ve seen Minister Luo!" Qiu Junyou came running over, a smile all over his face. Elder Luo''s face darkened upon seeing Qiu Junyou. "Not this guy again!" How could he not know who Qiu Junyou was? This guy was Lady Qiu''s grandnephew, who often took advantage of Lady Qiu''s status to lord it over others in the alliance, and as the person in charge of the Alliance Development Department, he was often the least responsible. "Why are you here?" Elder Luo grunted. Qiu Junyou wiped his sweat and said with a face full of awe, "I learned that you were coming here to search for beast eggs, so I specifically rushed over. Minister Luo, please state whatever you need, and I will make sure they comply!" Elder Luo narrowed his eyes. How could he believe a word Qiu Junyou said? In the distance, Lady Qiu chuckled to herself and muttered, "Excellent, outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, smiling on the surface but harboring a knife¡ªJunyou, this lad, really understands my mind well!" First pretend to agree, then unexpectedly strike them down. If Luo Yunxian created difficulties, she would appear immediately. By then, she would be able to stand on a moral high ground and point the finger. In front of so many people, she would surely make Luo Yunxian lose face. Chapter 661: 486 Chapter: Surprise (4000 words) Chapter five has returned to normal. Subscribed readers can simply refresh the chapter; you will not be resubscribed. A little after nine o''clock in the evening, Ye Changfeng gathered everyone together, having received the schedule and rules for the following day''s competition. Elder Luo said, "We need to discuss tomorrow''s situation first, and everyone should be on high alert." The rules were actually clear to everyone; the competition for the new students was divided into individual and group pioneering challenges. In the individual competition, nine universities would compete in a round-robin format, with each one facing the others only once, meaning each university would fight eight matches in total, for a grand total of thirty-six matches to be held over two days. At that time, the decision of whether a Meridian Opening or Qi-Controlling participant would compete was to be made by throwing dice. "Tomorrow''s schedule starts with Jizhou University against Yanzhou University for the first match. Our match isn''t first, which is good, as everyone can observe the strength of the other schools first. However, the second match will be Qingzhou University against Liangzhou University," Ye Changfeng said. Ye Changfeng handed out a flyer to everyone, who all looked at the schedule with a solemn expression. "Yuchi Shen, please discuss the current strength of each school this year," Elder Luo directed. Yuchi Shen glanced coldly at Xiang Beifei and then began to speak. "However, there''s a rule that a person can only enter a maximum of two matches, so when the time comes, I and the other teachers will need to analyze the situation, then decide how to allocate which of you five will compete and in what order against which opponents," Yuchi Shen explained. This was similar to Tian Ji''s horse racing but also quite different. Because during Tian Ji''s horse racing, they competed in three matches, allowing for strategic play, whereas there would only be one match between two schools here, which was basically random. So the general hope was that other schools would face the strong students of other schools first, using up their two allotted opportunities before facing us, and then they would only be able to use their weaker students against us. Take for example Qingzhou University and Liangzhou University: Qingzhou University has two SSRs this year, and each person has to fight two matches, which means the two SSRs can at most fight in four matches. Then Ye Changfeng hoped that Qingzhou University would use these four opportunities for the two SSRs against the other seven schools, so that by the time they faced us, they would have used up their quota and could only send SR-ranked students, thus increasing our chances of winning. However, since all the academies involved were elite institutions, it was certain that the teachers leading the teams understood this logic. Therefore, when the time came to assign participants for the matches, it would become a game of psychological warfare. Until they actually competed, no one could know whether the opponents would send in strong or weak players. "You should be aware by now that our school doesn''t have any SSRs this year, which means we''re at a disadvantage compared to other schools; in individual matches, it will be difficult for you to gain an upper hand," Yuchi Shen said, his gaze fixed on Xiang Beifei. "Apart from Qingzhou University, Yanzhou University, and Jizhou University, the other schools only have one SSR, which is just one Meridian Opening stage student. We shouldn''t worry too much; after all, we have student Xiang Beifei," Xi Keyao interjected timidly. "The situation isn''t that simple," Elder Luo said. "In individual matches, there are only eight games, and each game earns one point, so the total score is very important. But have you considered that the other schools, to achieve a higher total score, will definitely try to secure this one point at all costs, and that one point could almost be guaranteed against whom?" Long Guocheng and the others grasped the implication: "Against us, Liangzhou University?" Now the other eight schools all shared a common understanding that Liangzhou University didn''t have any SSRs this year, meaning no Meridian Opening stage students. Therefore, to secure that essential point, they would definitely send their Meridian Opening SSRs to face Liangzhou University! Because if an SSR were to face another SSR from different schools, and both participants were in the Meridian Opening stage, one was bound to lose. If they ended up losing, it would not be worth it. But now, assuming all of Liangzhou University''s students were only in the late Qi-Controlling stage, sending a Meridian Opening SSR to face Liangzhou University would almost guarantee victory. Everyone wanted to pick on the perceived weaklings to get an easy point first! "Yes, which means each of our opponents in the matches may be Meridian Opening SSRs!" Elder Luo said meaningfully. "This..." Everyone''s expressions turned grave. Elder Luo continued, "Alright, next, you five need to discuss how to allocate your players for the matches and how to break this deadlock." "Really, why do they have to make a simple new student competition so complicated?" Ma Ziqian grumbled on the side. To the martial artists, the most straightforward method was to go head-to-head in a tough fight, which would be the most hassle-free. "Because it''s also a tactic," Elder Luo explained. "Against unevenly matched opponents, how to arrange your players to break the deadlock and win more matches is a type of strategic command. Elite universities'' competitions are not just about martial power but also all sorts of adaptability to changes, applying limited manpower most effectively. It challenges the lead teacher and tests new students as well. Cultivating this kind of thinking can also be applied to combat against desolate beast tides in the future." The Martial Arts Colleges of elite universities are centered around training pioneers and protectors, with the fundamental thinking geared towards combat. When facing desolate beast tides, the strengths of the desolate beasts are not equal, so schools train students to use their manpower effectively to maximize their combat power. This new student competition rules might seem unfair at first glance, as a Meridian Opening stage may face a Qi-Controlling stage, and the fight could be overwhelmingly one-sided, not truly reflecting the new students'' actual strength. Chapter 662 - 486: Surprise (4000 words)_2 However, the reality was, when facing a desolate beast, there was never any fairness to speak of! In battles with desolate beasts, more often than not, the beasts were a bit more powerful. Thus, winning and gaining the most points actually tested the strategic coordination capabilities of the universities. Which battles to give up on, which to commit to fully, who to send against different opponents, learning when to make sacrifices, engaging in psychological warfare¡ªnot only was it a test of courage, but also intelligence. Although Elder Luo was often idle to the point of restlessness and not very serious, he had once been the commander-in-chief in Jiuzhou Alliance''s battle against the beast tide, and his strategic vision in commanding battles was extremely formidable. He was very clear about the original intention behind this sort of competition among the nine elite schools. That is to say, Elder Luo had a plan on how to break through this situation, but he hadn''t spelled it out, wanting Xiang Beifei and his team to think it through first. This was also a form of training. If their ideas didn''t work, then Elder Luo would provide guidance. ¡ª¡ª Hearing Elder Luo say this, no one could complain any longer. Ye Changfeng and Yuchi Shen also sat aside, no longer speaking, but instead watching the five members led by Xiang Beifei. They all remained silent. After a while, Long Guocheng was the first to speak, "Tomorrow''s competition, our first match is in the second round, against Qingzhou University. Facing Qingzhou University, we don''t know who they will send against us." Xiang Beifei said, "Tomorrow, the person Qingzhou University sends out will definitely be this Hou Chengwu, without any surprise." Long Guocheng asked, "Are you that certain? Qingzhou University has two SSRs and one UR, plus two SRs, and they haven''t decided on a person yet." Xiang Beifei said, "It will be Hou Chengwu! He had initially refused us at Liangzhou University and instead chose Qingzhou University. He must prove to everyone that not choosing Liangzhou University was the right decision, and his way of proving this is to come and defeat us personally." "That makes sense," Li Zimu nodded thoughtfully, "I think he was offended by you today, and he would want to get revenge." "Xiang Beifei, do you have the ability to defeat Hou Chengwu?" Xi Keyao asked. Xiang Beifei was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly. The faces of Long Guocheng and the others slightly improved; they now recognized Xiang Beifei and were aware of his prowess. Although this guy wasn''t an SSR, his strength was absurdly strong. With him around, even if Liangzhou University couldn''t match the overt strength of those three universities, it was still enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the other schools. "But if the other schools all send SSRs against us, we are almost guaranteed to lose. Xiang Beifei can only participate twice, meaning he can only score twice at best, but the four of us will almost certainly lose," Ma Ziqian said. "Unless we figure out a way to prevent them from all sending their SSRs against us," Li Zimu said. "They now all think we''re easy targets, so how can we change their minds?" Long Guocheng asked. "It''s simple, we must let them know that we are not that weak," Xiang Beifei said. Li Zimu caught on, saying, "I get it, there has to be a Meridian Opening period in our school, so they won''t just send Meridian Opening students against us. That means tomorrow against Qingzhou University, Xiang Beifei, you must go." A person could participate a maximum of two times, so Xiang Beifei, after going once, just needed to show a bit of his strength, enough to intimidate the people from the other schools and make them wary. Understanding that the Liangzhou University ''persimmon'' might not be so easily squashed! Because if the SSRs they send out were to encounter the formidable opponent Xiang Beifei and lose, it would be a huge loss, so the other schools wouldn''t just recklessly send SSRs to challenge Liangzhou University. This ability was very peculiar; any being with sins, whether a desolate beast or a human, could be targeted by him, and then a figurative door would automatically form in his mind. Even if this door was not originally a weakness of the opponent. Just like the Triangular Thunder Krait, a desolate beast, whose original weakness was its eyes, but if Yuchi Shen performed the "Seven Deadly Sins Kill," Yuchi Shen could forcibly shift that weakness to another spot, such as moving the vital point to the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait. Then, if Yuchi Shen struck the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait, the beast would surely die! "This ability is incredible, forcibly changing an opponent''s weak spot?" Xiang Beifei was quite "Right, I heard that originally two SSR Awakeners were supposed to come to our Liangzhou University, but since Liangzhou University admitted an N-level, those two SSRs looked down on our Liangzhou University and went to other elite schools." "Wouldn''t that school be furious? Losing two SSRs over an N-level student?" "Exactly! This N-level Awakener really causes trouble." Just then, Xiang Beifei exclaimed in surprise because he noticed a figure suddenly appearing behind the baby! This figure almost teleported there, holding a sword, exuding a powerful aura, ignoring the tentacles! It was Ye Changfeng! Ye Changfeng frowned as he looked at the baby, then slashed at the baby with his sword! The baby seemed to react, but before it could turn around, Ye Changfeng''s sword had already cut the baby in half! However, the baby didn''t dissipate. After being split, countless tentacles burst out of its body, merging into the surrounding tentacles. "Seeking death!" Ye Changfeng gripped his sword and slashed forward again! This slash was like lightning, mixed with a terrifying force. The fierce Sword Qi extended hundreds of meters, actually splitting the sky full of tentacles with a crack! After the tentacles were split, they tried to merge again, but soon, countless Sword Qis exploded between them¡ª Boom! Boom! Boom! All the tentacles failed to escape under Ye Changfeng''s slash and were utterly destroyed throughout the city! The tentacles were shredded by the Sword Qi, and the remaining tentacles began shrinking in fear towards the ground, quickly disappearing from sight. "Stay here, don''t wander off!" Ye Changfeng threw his sword up, and the Longyuan Sword hung above the three of them as if protecting them, while another sword appeared in his hand. With a step, he flickered through space and disappeared into thin air. "Luckily, Mr. Ye arrived." Fan Kai breathed a sigh of relief, as without Mr. Ye''s timely arrival, they might have truly been doomed. But Sun Yushan didn''t quite understand, saying, "What kind of desolate beast is this, anyway? How come we''ve never seen it before?" They had trained in the Cultivated Domain for three years, and they knew roughly what types of desolate beasts existed there. Some desolate beasts were powerful, but none had ever been as troublesome as this one, and today they almost left their lives here. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then turned to Xiaohei and said, "Xiaohei, you should be able to take him out of this space, right?" Xiaohei nodded. This was a system-created space, and no power of the system could trap Xiaohei. It could leave the system''s confines whenever it wished. "Then first take him out of this space, let him stay in the forest," Xiang Beifei said. This isolated island might harbor other dangers, but if it injured Liu Gui to this extent, keeping him here would be unsafe. They had better drop him off in the forest outside. Xiaohei jumped onto Liu Gui, and with a little stomp on his body, Liu Gui''s body started to appear strange. Xiang Beifei could still see him, but he could also see the forest floor outside the space. "That should do it. Xiao Ma and the others might come to look for him in the forest; we need to continue searching for others." Liu Gui''s current condition should prevent him from being harmed by any desolate beast on this island. Xiang Beifei needed to hurry and find Lu Zhiwei and He Yun. Chapter 663 - 487 Check-in System [Host: Qiu Shengmei] [UR-level, Check-in System] [Realm: Mid-Heavenly Connection] This is an incredibly powerful system. As long as you reach a place, you can check in, and during the check-in, a random reward is obtained. These rewards could be a Cultivation Technique, some kind of pill, a weapon, a magical treasure, or even high-tech stuff... all sorts of bizarre items. [You checked in at the Alliance Building and obtained 5 Great Restorative Pills, check-in value +67] [You checked in at the basketball court and obtained the Square Dance King ability, check-in value +192] [You checked in on the balcony and obtained a Divinely Assisted Space, check-in value +250] [You checked in at the toilet and obtained 5 laxatives, check-in value +38] ... A place can be checked into once a day, with a daily limit of one hundred times. Besides being able to check in in reality, she could also travel to famous locations in novel worlds to check in. [You transformed into a floor-sweeping nun in the "Water Moon Nunnery Legend" novel and checked in at the Guanyin Hall, obtaining the Thousand-Handed Guanyin, check-in value +50] [You transformed into a palace maid in the "Invincible East" novel and checked in at the Cold Palace, obtaining the Sunflower Manual, check-in value +51] Lady Qiu had checked into many novel worlds already, like "Checking in at the Daoist Temple''s Library as an Apprentice," "Checking in at the Great Qin Cold Palace as a Queen Consort," "Checking in at the Li Family Mansion as a Servant," "Checking in at the Public Toilet as a Cleaning Worker"... So many highlights! The names alone are quite enticing! Lady Qiu could not only directly obtain rewards from her check-ins but also collected various check-in values under different circumstances, which she could then use to exchange for items in the system mall. Besides that, the Check-in System sometimes even allowed her to randomly acquire other people''s abilities during the check-ins. [You checked in at the SSR-level office of Sun Heshun, obtaining 151 points of Sun Heshun''s cultivation, check-in value +151] "This system is really awesome." Xiang Beifei frowned when he saw Sun Heshun. Sun Heshun was the head of the Alliance Pioneer Department, a department Xiang Beifei was very familiar with, having helped him and Elder Luo many times. In the Alliance, he was one of the representatives of the Leisure Faction, definitely a thorn in Lady Qiu''s side. Little did he expect that Lady Qiu had plundered his cultivation. However, he discovered that this plundering was random; sometimes it resulted in plundering, and other times it gave random rewards, making it unpredictable. Xiang Beifei had previously seen Lady Qiu''s Check-in System, but at that time his cultivation was not sufficient to see the specific abilities of this system. But now, he could clearly understand this ability. ¡ª¡ª When Lady Qiu saw Xiang Beifei, her heart suddenly jolted! She didn''t know when Xiang Beifei had appeared there! "It''s you!" Lady Qiu''s expression darkened! A hint of killing intent flashed in her eyes! She had wanted to eliminate Xiang Beifei for a long time. After all, this young man''s talent was terribly high, outrageously so, and given time, he could very possibly become the next Luo Yunxian. Lady Qiu would not allow Xiang Beifei to grow stronger. But lately, Xiang Beifei had been consistently practicing and rarely showed his face. When he did appear, it was usually with Luo Yunxian, giving Lady Qiu no chance to strike. She had not expected this youngster to actually come looking for her alone! "Tired of living, dare to seek me out alone," Lady Qiu said coldly. "Are you sure?" Xiang Beifei gestured towards the furiously looming figure of Elder Luo not far away. Lady Qiu''s demeanor fluctuated. "I can directly obliterate you from this distance. Can he stop me?" Lady Qiu sneered. "You can give it a try," Xiang Beifei said calmly. Lady Qiu sneered as she shot a glance at Luo Yunxian, suddenly having a thought, "Then you are mistaken, I really dare to!" Whoom! Lady Qiu instantly waved her hand, transporting Xiang Beifei into a system space! When they appeared again, they were in a magnificently gleaming Water Moon Nunnery, but the atmosphere inside the temple was terribly bleak; corpses lay everywhere on the ground. Xiang Beifei thoroughly examined the system interface: [Current System Space: "Water Moon Nunnery Check-in for Ten Years, Unrivaled" novel world] [Novel World Introduction¡ªTransformed into a novice nun at Water Moon Nunnery, starting with the Thousand-Handed Guanyin from a check-in at the Quiet Meditation Hall. Intending to quietly become stronger with check-ins. Yet a decade later, a battle between good and evil ensued; the righteous path fell into disarray, and the Demon Sect wreaked havoc across the land, slaughtering the innocent on their way to attack Water Moon Nunnery, advancing all the way to the Quiet Meditation Hall. You, sweeping at the entrance of the Quiet Meditation Hall, looked up and stretched, ready to show off!] This is the current situation within the system space. And the scenario to which Lady Qiu had brought Xiang Beifei was right amidst the great battle between good and evil! At this moment, the Demonic Qi outside the Quiet Meditation Hall was overwhelming. Numerous ferocious demons, each with eccentric hairstyles and carrying Soul Summoning Banners and ghost-faced sabres, completely surrounded the Water Moon Nunnery! The ground was already littered with countless corpses, and the neighboring Shaolin Temple had become ruins. Water Moon Nunnery was the last sanctuary, yet it was perilously close to destruction. Xiang Beifei pondered thoughtfully as he read the brief, "Invincible Overlord, this name at first listen¡ªhas a real vintage feel to it." "In my Divinely Assisted Space, that is not for you to decide!" Lady Qiu waved her hand! The Invincible East, who was attacking the Water Moon Nunnery, suddenly turned his head with a chilling aura, directing his gaze uniformly towards Xiang Beifei! "Now that the righteous have been nearly slaughtered, are you the last hope of the righteous? Is it you who wants to stop me from destroying the Water Moon Nunnery?" Invincible East looked at Xiang Beifei with disdain. "Eh? Are you talking about me?" Xiang Beifei asked in confusion. "Boy, you indeed have great courage! Daring to stand against me at this time! But if you think you can vanquish demons and defend the path, and protect the Water Moon Nunnery, let''s see if you have the capability!" Invincible East sneered. "Oh, you want to enter the Water Moon Nunnery, this way please." Xiang Beifei stepped aside. The people here were not real anyway; it did not matter if they died. Invincible East was stunned! What was happening, why was there such a cowardly righteous person? This wasn''t how it was supposed to play out in the novel! Righteous people were supposed to defend the last sanctuary of the martial world to their death, staining the heavens with their blood! Xiang Beifei''s refusal had unexpectedly disrupted Invincible East''s plans! You should play by the rules at least! Otherwise, I can''t bluster as planned in front of my subordinates¡ªit''s really embarrassing! Invincible East was a character from the novel within the system space, and this was Lady Qiu''s controlled system world; he had to follow the script. Xiang Beifei''s response was not anticipated, and he could only rage, "Boy, have you made up your mind to oppose me today?" Are you crazy? I even stepped aside for you, yet you still oppose me? Xiang Beifei shrugged his shoulders. But explaining things to characters from the novel was pointless. Whoom! Invincible East''s Soul Summoning Banner swung fiercely, and a towering Demonic Qi erupted, enveloping the sky with a gray glow like dark curtains, the terrifying aura seeming almost to split the heavens! The aura emanating from Invincible East was extremely terrifying, clearly possessing the strength of the Heavenly Connection stage! "Strange, isn''t this supposed to be a low-level martial arts world? Aren''t low-level worlds all about martial artists fighting with punches and kicks? How did it change setting just like that?" Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but complain. In the world of martial arts, at most emitting some true Qi and smashing a stone with a palm would be considered impressive, but this terrifying aura of Invincible East was enough to annihilate mountains within a thousand miles, let alone a small Water Moon Nunnery. Invincible East possessed the might to destroy heavens and obliterate the earth, descending upon the martial arts world, so was he not playing seriously? Lady Qiu watched Xiang Beifei with a cold smirk. This was her Divinely Assisted Space, she could change it however she liked! Now that Luo Yunxian was preparing to investigate her, how could she just sit idly by! Lady Qiu was fully aware that Xiang Beifei was what Luo Yunxian valued the most amongst his disciples. As long as she captured Xiang Beifei as a hostage, she would be able to threaten Luo Yunxian, negotiate from a position of strength, and even force Luo Yunxian into submission. However, she also knew that Xiang Beifei had many tricks up his sleeve, and Luo Yunxian would certainly have many protective measures placed on his disciple. Lady Qiu worried that she would not be able to capture Xiang Beifei easily, so she needed Invincible East first to exhaust the tricks Luo Yunxian left on Xiang Beifei, then she would take action personally! In her space, fighting with characters from the system and fighting with real people was not the same. Xiang Beifei fighting with characters from the system world meant participating in the plot of the system novel, becoming part of the novel''s plot, like undertaking system tasks; how he used his tricks was all contained within the novel, unnoticed by anyone from the outside. But if Lady Qiu directly attacked Xiang Beifei, and if she did not succeed immediately, given Luo Yunxian''s understanding of her, Luo Yunxian would definitely know instantly and quickly make his way over! Luo Yunxian''s spiritual power was more than enough to see through this space and shatter it! "Boy, go join those righteous people in death!" Invincible East roared, launching an incredibly terrifying palm strike at Xiang Beifei! This palm carried overwhelming might, the surging pressure of the Heavenly Connection realm locked onto Xiang Beifei, blocking all escape in every direction; there was absolutely nowhere for Xiang Beifei to retreat! Lady Qiu also squinted her eyes, she was just waiting for Xiang Beifei to pull out Luo Yunxian''s protective measures to counter Invincible East, and then she would capture Xiang Beifei in a lightning-fast move! Xiang Beifei looked up at the terrifying demon palm of Invincible East and raised an eyebrow. Honestly speaking, this palm was indeed formidable, a genuine power of the Heavenly Connection stage! Although he had reached the orifice transforming stage, it was unrealistic to directly confront a martial artist of the Heavenly Connection stage and bridge such a vast realm gap. However, he was not panicked at all, not even bothering to lift his eyelids, standing there, not even dodging, as if he had given up on resisting. "Die for me!" The demon palm of Invincible East suddenly struck Xiang Beifei! Boom! Demonic Qi surged wildly, turning the area within three hundred miles, centered on where Xiang Beifei stood, into ashes, and the pitiful Water Moon Nunnery was also annihilated, razed to the ground. In order to eliminate Xiang Beifei, Invincible East was no longer following the script of this system world. Chapter 664 - 488: The Dominator of This World! Chapter five has resumed normal updates. Subscribers only need to refresh the chapter, no need to subscribe again. "So what do you say?" Kong Daming asked. "Of course, I''d say I''ll consider it. How could I decide on such a matter by myself? I still need to consult Xiaofei''s opinion," Chen Xiuqin said with a smile. She didn''t agree outright, but she didn''t completely reject the idea either, leaving some room for Xiang Beifei to choose. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment and said, "I indeed need to cultivate and don''t have time for filming movies or commercials. However, when I have time, I can start a column specifically to teach everyone how to kill desolate beasts, so that people won''t panic when they encounter such a situation." He needed to use this identity to guide everyone properly. Lu Hong''s eyes brightened, and he nodded, "Right, many civilians living in the inland cities have a shallow concept of desolate beasts, and most of them lack a sense of crisis. Your idea is good." Powerful desolate beasts are commonplace for martial artists, but for civilians, they are still rare encounters. As a martial artist, it is only natural for Xiang Beifei to carry out activities promoting martial arts. "Well, that''s great. I''ll help you promote it. Being a celebrity, one always needs to specialize in a direction. As a martial artist, you must do it in a way that suits martial artists," Elder Luo said. Chen Xiuqin, being half an entertainment industry professional, often dealt with celebrities and understood very well how marketing should be done. As Xiang Beifei''s number one mom fan, Chen Xiuqin was very willing to help Xiang Beifei. So it was settled, and Xiang Beifei wouldn''t need to do much. Once the next semester started and he went on missions to the outer domains'' desolate wilderness, he would simply record a few videos. It was a simple matter. But then again¡ª "Does she really think she can do whatever she wants with my fame like this?" Those who tried to profit using Xiang Beifei''s fame last time had already been dealt with by him. This time, they intended to make him the scapegoat without consulting him, clearly pushing him into the spotlight on purpose. The reason the Alliance wanted to expose a genius like him was actually very clear. The main reason was, after all, Xiang Beifei was brought up by Elder Luo! Elder Luo and the Alliance were not on good terms, and the people from the Alliance were even wary of Elder Luo, because they couldn''t suppress such a non-compliant SR-level Awakener and were concerned that Elder Luo might cultivate his own forces at Liangzhou University. And with a genius like Xiang Beifei emerging, it brought them even greater threats! That''s why they had to move against Xiang Beifei! A normal person would find it difficult to keep a low profile once exposed, attracting attention wherever they go. By exposing Xiang Beifei in such a manner, they were forcibly putting him in line with the Alliance. Being watched by the whole of Jiuzhou, Xiang Beifei would hardly be able to oppose the Alliance in secret, as his every action would be under the Alliance''s scrutiny. Whatever arrangement the Alliance makes later, Xiang Beifei will have to comply. In the eyes of the Alliance, Xiang Beifei would become a chess piece to counteract Elder Luo, isolating and monitoring Elder Luo in a special way, reducing Elder Luo''s influence. But Mu Yiqing wouldn''t seriously think he would comply obediently and act according to her thoughts, would she? "Becoming the standard for N-level Awakeners means the initiative is in my hands," Xiang Beifei thought. Xiang Beifei, Is his name the way out of the Withered Forest? Coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei felt very unreal. His long-lost father, who had never met him, named him when he was just an infant. How could he be so certain that he would encounter Youmeng? Did he just casually decide on his son''s name just like that? Can you take naming more seriously! This SSR-level System Awakener has the ability to set rules. Anyone or anything in her vicinity that follows the rules increases her system value, and she also gains system value by acting in accordance with the established rules. In short, as long as a place has rules, she can become stronger. The rule-breakers, in her presence, have nowhere to hide. Xiang Beifei was looking at Mu Yiqing''s system log, which listed a large number of rule-related matters she dealt with. One entry read: [You have drafted the "Jiuzhou Plan for SR Talents Selection System" proposal, which has been approved by the Alliance Planning Director Zhu Yiji, becoming an official rule. Currently, 2546 people are following this rule, and your rule value is increased by +2546] The Planning Department of the Jiuzhou Alliance is responsible for establishing and amending the systems that manage all aspects of the Alliance, shaping the development of Jiuzhou. To put it simply, as a UR-level individual, Zhu Yiji''s job is to define rules. Xiang Beifei only now learned Zhu Yiji''s position within the Alliance. The rule setter, leading by breaking the rules, has fished his grandson out of prison in a curious way. Thus, it seems that Mu Yiqing is also one of Zhu Yiji''s people. It''s unclear whether she was involved in the matter of Zhu Xinjue, who should have been sentenced to death, changing his identity and being inconspicuously released from prison. Xiang Beifei soon noticed a system log from September: [You amended the regulations for SR Awakeners applying for bail, which currently affects only one individual, increasing your rule value by +1] "It seems quite certain," Xiang Beifei muttered as he furrowed his brow. Her system, for any rule she had revised, would roughly increase her rule value by the number of people it constrained. For example, last time she was involved in revising a system regarding the recruitment of students across Jiuzhou, which directly affected five million college entrance examinees, and her system value increased by 5 million! In theory, with such a system, Mu Yiqing should be adhering to various rules. However, Xiang Beifei soon thought again. What are rules? Rules are originally set by people. Since they are set by people, they can naturally be changed by people. The altered rules still remain rules, still conforming to her system''s judgment. So, the higher she stands in the alliance, the more easily she can hold all the rules in her own hands, which means that the "Word Spirit Rule System"''s supposed adherence to rules becomes powerful¡ªessentially equating to acting as one pleases. Otherwise, how could one say that an SSR-level system is so powerful? ¡ª¡ª "Our two schools have been looking out for each other in the Withered Forest, joining hands to avoid danger," Xiang Beifei said, and then looked at Ren Jianghai, adding, "On our way here, we even encountered a student from Qingzhou University, feel free to ask him." "Yes, we almost got done in, but it was Xiang Beifei and his team that saved me. Later, we encountered other school teams and warned them about the danger, but they didn''t trust us. Only the team from Yongzhou University followed us." Tang He recounted the events in detail, including how they clashed with Yanzhou University, how they encountered Shi Renmei, how they saw the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, how they were chased, and how the Liangzhou team provided medical assistance... After listening, Ren Jianghai also furrowed his brows deeply. But with Tang He stepping out, he could only give up. After all, Tang He was a student at Qingzhou University, and Xiang Beifei had both moral and rational¡ª "All eleven of you," Xiang Beifei did not continue to inquire, merely gazed thoughtfully at Tang He. Tang He was a normal person; this wouldn''t be mistaken because he had a system interface, and the system''s functions were rapidly jittering. His "Po Jun Eye System" was a type of reconnaissance system, and it could also quickly identify the opponent''s weaknesses to defeat them through these vulnerabilities. The current system log was showing everything as normal, a detail that did not escape Xiang Beifei''s notice. However, what Xiang Beifei found odd was¡ª This guy, for some reason, seemed to have a faint trace of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage about him! Was it because he had encountered an attack by Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage that these traces remained? As soon as several people appeared, the atmosphere suddenly felt amiss. Chen Baiwen, Yu Hongbo, Zhu Xinjue! It was the team from Yanzhou University! It hadn''t been expected that they would appear here! Zhu Xinjue caught sight of Xiang Beifei amidst the crowd and his heart skipped a beat. Then his eyes revealed a resentful expression, but he quickly concealed this hint of resentment. Because currently their alliance with Qingzhou University had broken down, and they had no way to join forces to deal with Xiang Beifei. When Yu Hongbo and Chen Baiwen saw Xiang Beifei, they were also slightly taken aback. They couldn''t help but exchange glances! Just yesterday, they were thinking of joining hands with Qingzhou University to deal with Xiang Beifei. Instead, they didn''t find Xiang Beifei, but Hou Chengwu from Qingzhou University ended up dead. They also hadn''t expected to run into Xiang Beifei in this place. "Don''t panic! He probably doesn''t know about yesterday''s incident!" Chen Baiwen gave Yu Hongbo and the others a look, and without verbal communication, they all understood each other. Yu Hongbo composed himself and then said, "Xiang Beifei, I''ve long admired your reputation. I am Yu Hongbo, captain of the Yanzhou University team." Chen Baiwen also nodded slightly but did not speak. Xiang Beifei looked thoughtfully at the people from Yanzhou University. His gaze swept over them, and after glancing at Zhu Xinjue, he finally said, "What brings you here?" "After we entered this Withered Forest, we realized something was wrong. Then we ran up this mountain. The situation outside is terrible. Did you guys just run into those strange tree-people too?" Yu Hongbo asked. "Indeed," Xiang Beifei said evenly. "Are you guys alright?" Yu Hongbo inquired. "Not too bad," Xiang Beifei glanced back at Tang He. Given that Tang He was from Qingzhou University, their team''s situation seemed very grim at the moment. When Tang He saw Yu Hongbo and the others, he also showed a look of shock. He hadn''t expected to encounter anyone from Yanzhou University. After all, Hou Chengwu from their Qingzhou University had died at the hands of "Zhu Pengfei"! But he didn''t dare say much now. As an Awakener at the later stages of Qi-Controlling with an SR-level system, and without any teammates by his side, he was no match for people from Yanzhou University. "How long have you been in this Withered Forest?" Xiang Beifei asked. "We''ve been here since last night!" Yu Hongbo replied. "Since last night? You''ve been here almost a day?" Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. "Yes, we came here last night!" Yu Hongbo now had no intention of dealing with Xiang Beifei and instead appeared to have a faint desire to act alongside Xiang Beifei. Given their team''s current desperate situation... This place was truly too strange, and they felt trapped, unable to find their way out. When they saw Xiang Beifei, a glimmer of hope rose in Yu Hongbo''s heart. Xiang Beifei was strong; perhaps he had a way! "So, you''re all safe?" Xiang Beifei asked. "One of us ran into trouble," Yu Hongbo said heavily. Currently, only four people remained in their team. Chapter 665: Chaos Across the World Boom! Boom! Boom! Dust billowed, demonic Qi filled the air, and a bloody aura spread throughout the entire sky. The clash between the two most powerful masters in the world had riddled the ground with countless holes. Lady Qiu, even though she couldn''t control the will of the Resist Heaven Demon Lord, the power of the Resist Heaven Demon Lord was ultimately given by her, and her cultivation level was one small realm higher. She knew better than anyone how to deal with the Resist Heaven Demon Lord. After being accidentally blasted away the first time, Lady Qiu had already regained the upper hand. Angrily, she shouted and with a palm strike, disabled the Resist Heaven Demon Lord! Thump! Thump! Thump! The Resist Heaven Demon Lord was directly bombed to the ground, creating a deep pit upon impact! However, at this moment, Lady Qiu felt no joy in subduing her opponent. She was almost driven mad! What sense of achievement was there in defeating a demon lord who was originally her puppet? She was completely filled with rage! Especially when, after flinging the Resist Heaven Demon Lord aside and turning to strike at Xiang Beifei, she found that Xiang Beifei was actually cracking sunflower seeds and watching the show, which infuriated her to the point of explosion! This little rascal! So utterly outrageous! The Resist Heaven Demon Lord was covered in blood, his left arm severed at the shoulder, his body even had several gaping wounds, and he could barely gather his demonic Qi. At this time, the Soul Summoning Banner was also broken and fell not far from Xiang Beifei. "Master save me, I... I can''t beat this old witch!" The Resist Heaven Demon Lord spat out a mouthful of black blood, and pitifully sought help from Xiang Beifei. "You did not try your hardest," Xiang Beifei spit out the shell of a sunflower seed, and said indifferently. The way he spoke made him seem like a hermit, elusive and unfathomable. "I... but I..." The Resist Heaven Demon Lord was startled by a thought. "Don''t you still have one last move, ''Chaos of the Demon World'', right?" Xiang Beifei asked. This ridiculous Demon Lord''s abilities were all written in Lady Qiu''s system interface. Chaos of the Demon World, the ultimate skill of the Resist Heaven Demon Lord! Gathering all demonic Qi into one, embodying the demon, evil must conquer good! Once performed, his strength would forcibly escalate a level, but the final result was almost certainly death. Only when left with no other choice would he use it, taking his enemies down with him. The Resist Heaven Demon Lord gritted his teeth, still hesitating. "Without destruction, there is no establishment. Like a butterfly breaking free from a cocoon, only by learning to let go of everything can you achieve the supreme path of the Demon Dao. Your natural talent is excellent, a genius within the Demon Dao, but what you lack is the resolve to break before establishing. If you do not push open that door, you will never be able to attain the Dao," Xiang Beifei''s voice once again echoed in the Resist Heaven Demon Lord''s ears. His words were like an ancient bell, enlightening the Resist Heaven Demon Lord like a revelation! "The words of the Master are so profound; he is guiding me to attain the Dao! Without destruction, there is no establishment! I see! I see!" The Resist Heaven Demon Lord felt as if he had an epiphany! Yes! The Master must be teaching me how to attain the Dao! The righteous path is also a Dao, and the Demon Dao is also a Dao. As long as one can attain the Dao, what difference does it make between righteousness and evil? The Master could easily kill this old witch, but he didn''t act and chose to crack sunflower seeds instead, indicating he is testing me! The Master must believe that I have the capability to succeed in attaining the Dao, so he wants to guide me, help me break from the cocoon into a butterfly. How could I let down his intentions? Thinking this, the Resist Heaven Demon Lord felt immense gratitude towards Xiang Beifei! He firmly believed, with the Master here, he would definitely break and then establish! "Old witch, your Demon Lord is here, today I shall use you as a stepping stone to attain my Dao!" The Resist Heaven Demon Lord roared fiercely, and the once waning demonic Qi surged towards the sky, shadows ominous and blood permeating, thunderously stirring as the entire sky seemed to be engulfed by his demonic Qi! Although his Soul Summoning Banner was broken, the remaining pieces of the banner revealed large green skulls, and a black demonic claw emerged from the mouths of the skulls, gathering and causing enormous change between heaven and earth, surrounded by countless tortured souls. "Chaos of the Demon World!" The aura of the Resist Heaven Demon Lord instantly surged a level, nearly reaching Lady Qiu''s realm! Lady Qiu''s face drastically changed! "Damn, this idiot!" As the owner of this system world, how could she not know what the Resist Heaven Demon Lord''s final ace was? If it were any other time, no matter how much the Resist Heaven Demon Lord struggled, he would not pose a threat to her, but now Lady Qiu was truly frightened! Chaos of the Demon World was a devastating move that meant mutual destruction! "Resist Heaven, are you stupid! To actually listen to a brat''s words!" Lady Qiu shouted furiously. "Old witch, stop your nonsense, you have offended the Master, quickly meet your demise!" The Resist Heaven Demon Lord, in order to attain the Demon Dao, roared loudly, his body''s every corner turned into swirling demonic Qi, spreading across the entire sky, and then suddenly enveloped Lady Qiu! Boom! Boom! Boom! The entire system space trembled, the terrifying demonic Qi tore the ground apart, mountains collapsed, everything in disarray, black light rampantly sweeping across, completely swallowing Lady Qiu! "Impressive!" Xiang Beifei exclaimed in admiration, and then cracked another sunflower seed. ... The aftermath of the explosion lasted a full five minutes! Peace had finally been restored to the world, the Demon Lord was gone, having relied on self-destruction to create a terrifying commotion. Self-destruction at the Heavenly Connection realm is extremely fearsome; if it were to occur in reality, it would obliterate an entire major city! The black Qi dissipated, revealing Lady Qiu''s figure. At this moment, she looked extremely ragged, her clothes blasted to shreds, and even the sparse remnants of her hair were standing on end from the explosion. There wasn''t a single piece of her body unscathed. Her face was so dark that it seemed to drip water! The self-destruction of the Demon Lord wasn''t enough to kill her, but it had caused her a great deal of trouble! The last time she had been this disheveled was when Luo Yunxian captured her and dunked her in the pig cage; she never imagined she''d end up in such a state at the hands of Xiang Beifei! She simply could not forgive these two disciples! "What on earth did you do!" Lady Qiu glared resentfully at Xiang Beifei, who was cracking sunflower seeds. The Demon Lord had self-destructed, but for Lady Qiu, he wasn''t completely dead because this was a character in the system space. If Lady Qiu wished, she could revive him with just a thought. However, now she would rather die than let this fool appear again, at least not until she figured out how Xiang Beifei could control her system characters. She wouldn''t revive this idiot to trouble herself! "Why don''t you let the Demon Lord come out again? I think he could do even better," Xiang Beifei said. "You''re courting death!" Lady Qiu growled furiously! She was murderously intent and was preparing to personally make a move on Xiang Beifei! But suddenly, a mysterious fluctuation surged around Xiang Beifei, instantly swept over and surrounded Lady Qiu! The entire world seemed to have flipped upside down. The gravity around Lady Qiu changed bizarrely. She couldn''t figure out which way was up or down and almost crashed into the sky. However, Lady Qiu was, after all, a powerhouse at the Heavenly Connection realm and quickly stabilized herself. She then stared intently at Xiang Beifei, surveying the inverted surroundings: "Is this the trump card Luo Yunxian gave you?" "Of course, in my master''s Luo Clan space, if you want to kill me, just try," Xiang Beifei said calmly. Lady Qiu squinted her eyes and quickly searched within this space. This environment was strange and eerie. Since Xiang Beifei mentioned it was a protection provided by Luo Yunxian, Lady Qiu didn''t dare to act carelessly and didn''t make a move immediately! At that moment, a line of text appeared on her system interface: [Do you wish to check in at the detected Luo Clan space?] [Note: There are only the host and Xiang Beifei in this space; you can check in to gain a system reward to suppress your opponent!] Lady Qiu saw the system task prompt on her interface, a trace of playfulness appearing on her somber face. "You naive boy, you actually dare to bring a martial artist stronger than you into your space! You''re too naive!" Lady Qiu scoffed, then commanded the system in her mind: "Check in!" [Check-in at Luo Clan space successful!] [Check-in reward: You have plundered 2 points of speed from Xiang Beifei!] [Check-in reward: Nine Curves Soul Subduing Bell, check-in value +126] [The bell''s sound can shake the mind of the opponent, causing them to lose their soul for ten minutes! Since the check-in location only includes the host and Xiang Beifei, the suppression effect on Xiang Beifei is one hundred percent! The opponent cannot resist!] The Nine Curves Soul Subduing Bell! Lady Qiu''s eyes lit up! Since the check-in occurred at a location created by Xiang Beifei, the system reward specifically suppressed Xiang Beifei with a Divine Artifact. While she was initially cautious of the Luo Clan space that Xiang Beifei had, her system obviously had the upper hand, specifically targeting Xiang Beifei and achieving a hundred percent suppression. This meant that here, Luo Yunxian''s space couldn''t protect Xiang Beifei either! As for the 2 points of speed plundered from Xiang Beifei, she hardly cared; they were insignificant to her! "Let me ring a bell for you!" Lady Qiu gave a sinister smile, a golden bell already appearing in her hand. She flicked a finger lightly against the rim of the bell! Ding! The sound of the bell rolled out, the golden sound waves seemingly twisting the space in the air. Wave after wave rolled towards Xiang Beifei! But Xiang Beifei just watched the bell calmly as the rolling sound waves passed right through him. Lady Qiu''s expression faltered slightly, her gaze uncertain as she looked at Xiang Beifei. Wasn''t he supposed to be utterly disoriented? But it seemed like nothing had affected him at all! What happened to the promised hundred percent suppression? "You actually plundered 2 points of speed from me? Well, don''t mind if I do," Xiang Beifei turned to look at Xiaohei on his shoulder, who grinned mischievously. No one could take anything from him without Xiaohei''s consent! And while Lady Qiu had merely plundered 2 points of speed, adding those points to herself made the nature of the act very different! Chapter 666 - 490 Speed Chapter updates will resume normally at 5:30. Subscribed readers simply need to refresh to see the latest, without resubscribing. "Then why did you inquire about matters of spiritual souls?" Professor Guo asked again. A powerful aura emanated from him, condensing into a sharp, fierce pressure that silently landed on Ma Kainian. Ma Kainian trembled in his heart when he saw Xiang Beifei, startled by the terrifying presence exuding from Xiang. Xiang Beifei was the man rumored to have killed a One-Armed Crab in the later stages of Meridian Opening with a single punch. His presence here was no joke. Collecting his wits, Ma Kainian cursed internally. After all, he was an official of the alliance; no matter how famous this kid was, he was just a civilian, powerless and without influence. If anyone should be scared, it should be him! "Xiang Beifei, quite the big shot," Ma Kainian said with a sneer. Xiang Beifei didn''t speak, merely glancing indifferently before walking over to Kong Daming and asking, "I saw the phone message just now. What''s wrong with my grandfather?" "I''m not sure; he seemed unwell just now, so I helped him upstairs to rest. He''s up there," Kong Daming replied. "Got it, I''ll go up and check on him." Without another word, Xiang Beifei headed for the staircase. However, Ma Kainian, feeling ignored, was quite annoyed! "Humph! Not even a basic courtesy..." "Roll!" Xiang Beifei simply commanded. "Yes." Ma Kainian''s mind went blank, and before he knew it, he lay down and actually rolled out of the room. "What?" Kong Daming and Zhang Xiang watched in shock as Ma Kainian rolled away on the ground, completely stupefied. Ma Kainian actually... just rolled away like that? This turn of events was totally unexpected. "Why do we need to patrol the archive room? Who would do something as pointless as stealing from the archives? If you ask me, it probably wouldn''t matter even if we didn''t come here for a year." Zhou Guan leaned back, hands behind his head, following Sun Zhong. He wasn''t very interested in this job and kept muttering complaints along the way. Having reached the third floor, Sun Zhong patrolled past a line of rooms. [You have patrolled the N-level Talent Review Department, patrol value +2] [You have patrolled the N-level Talent Dispatch Department, patrol value +2] ... After circling the empty room a few times, Sun Zhong pressed a button on the wall to ensure the alarm was working correctly before leaving the room. [You have patrolled the Main Archive Entrance, patrol value +5] But just then, Zheng Xing thought of something, hastily took out his phone to video call his son, and then asked, "Son, you mentioned you had seen Xiang Beifei before. Take a look, is this person Xiang Beifei?" During the initial talent competition, students from elite schools, although not present, had watched the live broadcast. Anyone with eyesight could recognize him. Zheng Xing''s son, although from Jizhou University, had seen Xiang Beifei. Upon seeing him, he excitedly exclaimed, "It''s him! That''s him! The genius who trampled the SSR from Qingzhou University under his feet! Dad, you actually met him? Oh my God!" That was the legendary genius! "You really are that Xiang Beifei!" Zheng Xing was also stunned. His son had also told him about the freshmen competition before the holiday period, and he was quite amazed by Xiang Beifei. He never imagined he would run into such a great talent so coincidentally today! After a moment, he quickly came to his senses, excitedly stating, "He is Xiang Beifei, no doubt about it. My son is from Jizhou University and has seen him before!" Xiang Beifei put the matter aside for the moment and asked, "By the way, Uncle Kong, are there any houses for rent nearby? We''re thinking of moving over." "A house? Yes, there is. You should''ve moved here long ago. The old man always talked about saving money for quests and stuff. What made you change your mind suddenly?" Kong Daming inquired. "Xiaofei is growing up. A shabby house might prevent him from finding a wife," Xiang Qingde stated solemnly. "Hahaha, that''s true," Kong Daming nodded. But Lu Hong disagreed, "How could that be! If she truly likes him, she wouldn''t care about the house." "Still, it''s good to live in a nice place; the old house was a bit too dim," Kong Daming remarked. "Leave it to me, I remember a family moved out from my floor, just two doors down from my place, diagonally opposite. Moving in would be convenient for looking after each other." "By the way Uncle Kong, when is your restaurant planning to open?" Xiang Beifei asked. The appearance of a desolate beast like the One-Armed Crab was still a mystery, and Xiang Beifei suspected someone who had yet to be found. Xiao Sheng! The SR who had disguised himself as an N-level staff member had disappeared somewhere before the desolate beast appeared that day, and he wanted to see if Xiao Sheng would return to work. "The day after tomorrow! The employees have been asking about it as well. Speaking of which, I should contact them, we''ve been closed for so long." Kong Daming said. "Then I''ll go to the wholesale market tomorrow, our supply of ingredients has been cut off, I have to renegotiate with them," Xiang Qingde said. Kong Daming hurriedly said, "No need, Uncle Xiang, you should rest, I''ll take care of it." "We''ve been idle for so long already, it''s good to get moving. I''m familiar with that place anyway, and there''s still a lot to do for the reopening. Many customers have made reservations, waiting to support us when we reopen. You''ll be busy then, I can go tomorrow," Xiang Qingde waved his hand, insisting. Kong Daming couldn''t argue anymore and had to agree. When Xiang Beifei returned home, he made a point of talking to his grandfather in front of the living room camera, clearly explaining his reason for moving out, directly stating that he could make money now and didn''t want to live there anymore. An Awakener in the Meridian Opening phase can easily make enough money to support himself. Those who were surveilling their house would, unless they were fools, know Xiang Beifei''s current Cultivation Realm after making inquiries at the school, so nobody would doubt this excuse. That way, they should start watching his new home. Xiang Beifei was curious to see who would try to install surveillance under his nose. After saying all this, Xiaohei then blocked the camera again. The grandfather and grandson packed up together that evening, and really, they had quite a lot of stuff in their home. "We''ll need to call a car. There''s no elevator, we can carry it down together when the time comes," Xiang Qingde was contemplating the most convenient way to move. "I can handle the stuff myself, Grandpa doesn''t need to worry too much, just rest on the side," Xiang Beifei said. "How can that be possible? How can you move so much stuff by yourself? Grandpa can still do work, I''ll help you carry it." Xiang Qingde was worried that his grandson would wear himself out, after all, moving was a tiring task. Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but laugh wryly, "Grandpa, why do I always feel like you''ve forgotten that I''m a martial artist?" "So what if you''re a martial artist? A lot of martial artists also hire people when they move," Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei stamped his foot again, and all the packed boxes started to float up, hovering in mid-air. Light as a feather. To lighten the weight of the objects and then use Spiritual Power to pull them all up. Xiang Qingde looked on in amazement at the feat, "I didn''t know you had this ability!" Xiang Beifei also realized that he rarely discussed his abilities with his grandfather; he smiled, put everything down, then glanced at the camera on the ceiling and said, "Don''t worry, from now on, I''ll handle everything. You just need to rest, Grandpa." Xiang Qingde was momentarily stunned and looked at Xiang Beifei in a daze. There was a time when he was always carefully protecting his grandson, safeguarding his self-esteem, telling him to be positive and hopeful, and hoping he wouldn''t give up on himself. But ever since the Awakening System, his grandson had changed, becoming diligent and cheerful, now an Awakener in the Meridian Opening phase with the ability to protect himself. It took a while for Xiang Qingde to come back to his senses, then he smiled, "The Awakening System really is a good thing." Suddenly he felt old, needing protection from his grandson. That was good too, with the grandson being so sensible, it made him happy to watch. Moving wasn''t a difficult task. If ordinary N-level Awakeners were to move, and they didn''t have the corresponding space-system, would have to hire a moving company, rent a vehicle, and spend a sum of money. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to do that, just having Xiaohei spit bubbles was enough. "Xiaofei is now a big star, we''ll all rely on you in the future!" Kong Daming joked. "Isn''t being a star very tiring? I heard you have to shoot all kinds of films every day," Lu Zhiwei asked curiously. "That won''t do! Xiaofei needs to practice cultivation," Lu Hong said seriously. Unconsciously, he had started calling Beifei ''Xiaofei''. In his mind, Xiang Beifei was still a martial artist, and rightly so, cultivation should come first. Chen Xiuqin came in from outside and laughed, "Not to hide it from you, these last few days I don''t know how many talent agencies have called me. They all know I''m acquainted with Xiaofei, and they constantly inquire about related commercial activities, offering various large amounts of money asking if Xiaofei is willing to sign with their companies." "So what did you say?" Kong Daming asked. "Of course, I said we''d consider it. How can I make such decisions? We still need to ask Xiaofei''s opinion," Chen Xiuqin smiled. She hadn''t agreed to any offers, neither had she completely refused, still leaving a choice open for Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then said, "I do need to cultivate, I don''t have time for filming or commercials. However, when I have time, I can start a column to teach everyone how to kill desolate beasts, so as not to let people panic in such situations." He needed to use this identity to properly guide everyone. Lu Hong''s eyes lit up and he nodded, "Right, many civilians, living in inland cities, have too superficial a concept of desolate beasts. Most of them lack a sense of crisis. Your idea is good." For powerful desolate beasts, martial artists might be used to them, but for civilians, they were still a rare encounter. As a martial artist, it was naturally Xiang Beifei''s duty to advertise for martial arts. "That''s great, I''ll help promote you. As a celebrity, you always need to specialize in something. You''re a martial artist, so you should do it the martial artist''s way," Chen Xiuqin said. As someone who worked in the entertainment industry and was familiar with many stars, she knew very well how to market. As Xiang Beifei''s number one mom-fan, Chen Xiuqin was more than happy to help him. This matter was thus settled, and Xiang Beifei didn''t have to do much. Once the next semester started and he went on missions in the outer domains, just casually filming a few videos would be a simple task. But speaking of which¡ª "Does she really think she can manipulate my reputation at will like this?" The person who last tried to use Xiang Beifei''s fame to make money had already been dealt with by him. This time, thinking of using him as a pawn without consulting him, was clearly an intentional move to push him into the spotlight. Chapter 667 - 491 Change the Alliance When the brick hit Lady Qiu, golden patterns rapidly spread from the brick and soon began to extend over her body. Lady Qiu couldn''t dodge at all, and in no time, she was enveloped in a layer of golden patterns, like a golden woven bag tightly wrapping her from head to toe. "What a wicked brick!" Lady Qiu was greatly startled! Her speed was already severely restricted, and now she was also bound by the brick. The most bizarre part was that the brick completely ignored the existence of her spiritual power. No amount of spiritual power in her body could fend it off this time! [The system has detected the host trapped within Xiang Beifei''s golden pattern. Would you like to check in within this pattern?] A prompt like this quickly popped up on Lady Qiu''s system interface. A conscientious system, checking in at all times! "Check in!" Lady Qiu said subconsciously. [Check-in reward: As-You-Wish Golden Bell Cover, check-in value +95] This system is really something. Xiang Beifei was quite impressed. Check in wherever you go, and always get something good with each check-in. You can check in a hundred times a day, and although some rewards are rather ordinary, most of them are incredibly impressive! With such a system, it was impossible for Lady Qiu not to grow stronger. However¡ª Xiaohei, perched on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, let out a doggy chuckle as it had already grabbed the "As-You-Wish Golden Bell Cover" reward intended for Lady Qiu! As long as Lady Qiu dared to check in where Xiang Beifei was, her check-in system would be directly nullified! Xiang Beifei was the expert at dealing with such ostentatious systems! "No good! I must find a way to leave this place!" Lady Qiu made a prompt decision and looked at her system interface to find something she could exchange from the system! Five million check-in points for a Thousand-Mile Talisman, you''re the one! Thereafter¡ª "Why did it fail!" Lady Qiu was horrified! Just like He Caiwei, Zhu Yiji, and all other System Awakeners who had been dealt with by Xiang Beifei, Lady Qiu, after having exchanged a system item, fell into doubt about herself, now that she was trapped in the golden pattern! Then she refused to believe it! She kept trying to exchange! She continued to disappear! And thus, she entered a vicious cycle. Xiaohei, already sharpening its claws, was doggy laughing, overwhelmed by the deliveries it was collecting! ¡ª "She can get great rewards every day, so why don''t I capture her and take her around Jiuzhou for a stroll? Whenever she checks in for something, I''ll just take it away?" Xiang Beifei stroked his chin, thinking about how to maximize the "Check-in System." Wherever Xiang Beifei was present, Lady Qiu''s check-in rewards would be nullified! Although most of these rewards were no longer of much use to the current Xiang Beifei, the thing was, he could refine these into spiritual power crystals and give them away! There were still many who could make use of these items he didn''t need. There were so many in Jiuzhou who had helped him, and now there was a group of people pursuing unrestrained lives, like Xu Yang, and especially Chang Furong, who had awakened the [SSR-level Evil-accumulating System] but whose cultivation was only at the Meridian Opening stage. If he couldn''t cultivate in the normal way, Xiang Beifei could find him a Cultivation Technique and pile on with spiritual power crystals. Whether it was Xiao Sheng or Xu Yang and the others, he would need them in the future. "Let''s go! Begin our check-in journey." Xiang Beifei waved his hand and kidnapped Lady Qiu, who was trapped by the brick! ¡ª Qiu Junyou confessed all of Lady Qiu''s crimes. Elder Luo was originally furious and ready to confront Lady Qiu, but to his surprise, he found he could not find Lady Qiu anywhere. He went to every place in the Alliance but could not find a trace of Lady Qiu. He even asked everyone, but no one had seen Lady Qiu. "Could she have caught wind of this and fled in fear?" Elder Luo frowned and then snorted coldly, "She sure ran away quickly!" However, over the next month, he was surprised to discover that the entire Alliance seemed to be undergoing subtle changes. He couldn''t specify what was changing, but it felt as if a positive and uplifted spirit was quietly spreading. The Su Alliance searches for beast eggs were becoming increasingly smooth. Everywhere they went, the workers of the Alliance greeted and cooperated with them enthusiastically! They were even overly enthusiastic! Especially when Elder Luo personally made an appearance, the workers treated him like a deity, revering him, and unconditionally completing any task he assigned. These Alliance workers, who used to only know about fishing and sunning their nets, were as if they had received a new age education. They had repented and finally embraced the mission to protect the civilians. Each of them was actively fulfilling their duties. And those high-ranking SSR leaders had begun to devise a series of evaluations, whereby those who underperformed would be demoted, allowing the capable to rise in rank. Those who were demoted did not dare to complain; even the newly joined SSR members no longer dared to be arrogant in the Alliance. Because they already knew that there was a person named Luo Yunxian in the Alliance, someone you did not want to mess with. ... The woods of Liangzhou University. As Elder Luo chewed on sunflower seeds, the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. The transformation of the Alliance in the past two months baffled him. He left the Alliance initially because its system was overly decadent and hopeless, so he was always seeking a way to change the fate of the Alliance. He had believed that the road was long and arduous, and feared it would take a great deal of time to traverse, but inexplicably, recently, the entire mood within the Alliance had shifted, beginning to evolve in the direction he had hoped for. He glanced at Xiang Beifei, who was cracking seeds beside him, his eyes filled with suspicion. "What''s wrong? Why do you keep staring at me?" Xiang Beifei asked. "The recent operation to deal with beast eggs has been going smoothly, and every department within the Alliance has been cooperating with our Su Alliance work," Elder Luo said. "Really? They are no longer opposing you?" Xiang Beifei feigned surprise. "Not only are they not opposing, but they are also very cooperative with our work. With their cooperation, we have dealt with six hundred beast egg sites already," Elder Luo continued to stare at Xiang Beifei. "Amazing! The Su Alliance works really efficiently; your leadership is commendable!" Xiang Beifei exclaimed. Elder Luo narrowed his eyes and completely ignored Xiang Beifei''s flattery. "Lady Qiu has disappeared," Elder Luo continued. "She''s done too many bad things. Qiu Junyou has turned her in. Perhaps she feared you would slaughter her and has found a place to hide," Xiang Beifei said. "It''s not just Lady Qiu. Even Liu Laosan and Di He from the Council of Elders, that bunch who daydream about banding together to deal with me, have suddenly been abandoned by all. All their subordinates betrayed them, and disclosed all of their past crimes and the people they''ve killed. Now I''ve thrown them into the Alliance Prison," Elder Luo said. The entire Alliance''s upper echelons had been swept clean recently. As long as there was evidence, Elder Luo showed no mercy; those UR-level Heavenly Connection realm elders simply weren''t his match. "Abandoned by their followers? That is indeed strange." Xiang Beifei stroked his chin, pondering seriously. He said, "Logically, their subordinates shouldn''t be able to betray them. These are all UR-level big shots with well-crafted methods of manipulation; how could they have been betrayed by their subordinates? This matter needs a thorough investigation!" Elder Luo kept his eyes on Xiang Beifei, then hesitated once more. Strange, this brat talks as if he knows nothing. Could it be that my suspicions are wrong, and he is unrelated to this matter? "How do you see this situation?" Elder Luo asked. "I find it very odd, but regardless of who is responsible, at least the changes in the Alliance are for the better," Xiang Beifei said. Elder Luo continued to scrutinize Xiang Beifei, the suspicion in his eyes growing stronger. "You know, just yesterday, there was a sudden meeting within the Alliance to elect a Supreme Commander for the Alliance, someone to lead the entire Alliance. Every SSR and UR level executive participated." "Supreme Commander?" "Yes, the position of Supreme Commander has been vacant for a long time, almost twenty years without mention. For major issues, it has always been the Council of Elders to deliberate, fundamentally not allowing one person to hold too much power," Elder Luo said. The Alliance''s high-level powers were intricate and interwoven. The nine elite universities each sent their own cultivated students into the Alliance. There were many UR-level Awakeners in the Alliance, each proud and arrogant with considerable strength; they didn''t yield to one another, making it improbable for them to consent to having someone from one specific side leading everyone. "So what then?" "They chose me." "Chose you?" "Not a single person objected," Elder Luo said indifferently. "That''s what everyone wished for?" Xiang Beifei said. Elder Luo spat the shell of the sunflower seed from his mouth, then said, "I know all too well the past climate of the Alliance, where the UR system and its hierarchy reign supreme. Whether or not I''m the candidate of unanimous hope, even I, an SR-level individual, have my own sense of it." "Maybe everyone has seen your leadership in dealing with those beast eggs lately, recognized your capabilities, and understood that Jiuzhou cannot do without you, which is why they chose you?" "That''s where the issue lies. Do you know who brought up this proposal?" "Who?" "Ren Jianghai!" Elder Luo said slowly. Ren Jianghai, a professor at Qingzhou University with cultivation at the orifice transforming stage. But the problem is that the students he taught have consistently outperformed those from Liangzhou University, often acting insolently before Elder Luo, making him an individual that Elder Luo finds particularly disagreeable. "Suddenly, his attitude towards me became very respectful, he listed all my strengths and formally apologized, expressing his hope that I would take on the role of Supreme Commander." "Isn''t that a good thing?" "This is not good!" Elder Luo simply stated, "Everyone in the Alliance has changed, as if an enigmatic force is working behind the scenes, manipulating everyone, all pushing for me to become their highest leader. If I accept, what have I become? A puppet?" Xiang Beifei''s mouth fell open, not having anticipated Elder Luo''s line of thought. "Such changes in the Alliance are extremely dangerous for Jiuzhou as they would concentrate all power in my hands! Any command I issue could sway the development of the Alliance. Yet I''m unaware of where this manipulating force comes from! All these subtle changes are happening right under my nose, but I can''t find the source, indicating that this force surpasses my range of abilities. If I accept the Alliance, the next moment that force may come for me, turning to manipulate me! Clearly, it has the ability to change the minds of so many high-level Awakeners, achieving what I cannot do, meaning I cannot possibly contend with it. Once I am controlled by that force, the whole of Jiuzhou would be under its control!" A gleam of sharp light flashed in Elder Luo''s eyes: "Therefore, I must first find out what this force is, why it has such immense power!" Chapter 668 - 492 Teacher and Disciple (4000 words) Chapter resumed as normal at 6:30 pm. Subscribed devices just need a refresh; subscription will not duplicate. A powerful aura condensed into a sharp qi on Xiang Beifei''s body, landing silently on Ma Kainian. When Ma Kainian saw Xiang Beifei, his heart trembled, frightened by the dreadful aura emanating from him. Xiang Beifei was rumored to be capable of killing a Meridian Opening stage One-Armed Crab with a single punch, and his appearance here was no mere jest. Ma Kainian steadied his mind and cursed silently, "After all, I am an officer of the alliance. Even if this kid is famous, he''s still just a civilian without power or status, he should be the one afraid, not me!" "Xiang Beifei, such a big shot," Ma Kainian said sarcastically. Xiang Beifei said nothing, gave a dismissive glance, and then walked towards Kong Daming, asking, "I just saw the voicemail, how is my grandfather?" "I don''t know. He seemed unwell a moment ago, so I helped him upstairs to rest. He''s upstairs now," Kong Daming replied. "Understood, I''ll go see him." Without another word, Xiang Beifei headed for the stairs. Seeing that he was being ignored, Ma Kainian was quite annoyed. "Hmph! Even basic courtesy is absent now..." "Scram!" Xiang Beifei said bluntly. "Yes." Ma Kainian''s mind went blank, and then, almost involuntarily, he lay down and indeed rolled away from the scene. "What?" Kong Daming and Zhang Xiang were shocked as they watched Ma Kainian rolling away on the ground, completely stunned at the moment. Ma Kainian actually... just rolled away like that? This turn of events was completely unexpected. "Why patrol the archives, anyway? Who''s going to break into the archives for fun? If you ask me, even if we didn''t check for a year, it probably wouldn''t matter." Zhou Guan lazily placed his hands behind his head, following behind Sun Zhong. He wasn''t very interested in this job, muttering all the way. Sun Zhong walked to the third floor and patrolled along a row of rooms. [You patrolled the N-level Talent Review Department, Patrol Points +2] [You patrolled the N-level Talent Dispatch Department, Patrol Points +2] ... Sun Zhong circled twice in each empty room and then pressed a button on the wall to ensure the alarm system was functioning before exiting the room. [You patrolled the main archive entrance, Patrol Points +5] Just then, Zheng Xing had a thought, quickly pulled out his phone to video call his son, and then asked, "Son, you said you''ve seen ''Xiang Beifei before. Is this person Xiang Beifei?" During the initial freshmen competition, although students from the elite schools were not physically present, there was live broadcasting available, and anyone with eyes could recognize him. Although Zheng Xing''s son attended Jizhou University, he had also seen Xiang Beifei. The moment he saw Xiang Beifei, he excitedly exclaimed, "Yes, that''s him! The genius who trampled the SSR from Qingzhou University underfoot! Dad, you actually met him? My God!" That was the legendary genius! "You really are that Xiang Beifei!" Zheng Xing was also stunned. His son had mentioned the freshman competition to him before the holiday, and at the time, he had been quite impressed with Xiang Beifei. Never did he imagine that he would so coincidentally encounter such a great genius today! After a moment, he quickly collected himself and excitedly said, "He is Xiang Beifei, no doubt. My son from Jizhou University has seen him!" Xiang Beifei set this matter aside for now, asking, "By the way, Uncle Kong, are there any houses for rent nearby? We''re thinking of moving over." "A house? Yes, there are. You should have moved over here a long time ago. The old man has always talked about saving money for your missions or something. Why the sudden change of mind now?" Kong Daming asked. "Xiaofei has grown up, the house is too shabby; he won''t find a wife," Xiang Qingde said seriously. "Hahaha, that''s true," Kong Daming nodded. But Lu Hong disagreed, "How could that be! If you truly like someone, would you really care about the house?" "Still, it''s better to live in a nice place. The old house was a bit too dark," Kong Daming said, "Leave this to me; I remember the family that moved out from my floor, just two doors away from mine, right across. Moving over would be good too, easier to look after each other." "When are you planning to open Uncle Kong''s restaurant?" Xiang Beifei then asked How exactly the One-Armed Crab desolate beast appeared was still under investigation. Currently, Xiang Beifei suspected someone who had not yet come to light. Xiao Sheng! The man who had disguised as an SR-level clerk. That day, before the desolate beast appeared, he had gone somewhere unknown, and Xiang Beifei wanted to see if Xiao Sheng would return to work. "The day after tomorrow! The staff has been asking too, come to speak of it, I need to get in touch with those staff members; we''ve been closed for so long," Kong Daming said. "Then I''ll go to the wholesale market tomorrow since our food supply was cut off; we need to renegotiate with them," Xiang Qingde said. Kong Daming hurriedly said, "No need, Uncle Xiang, you rest; I''ll handle it." "It''s been such a long break; I need some activity. I know that place well, and with the reopening, there''s a lot of work in the restaurant. Many customers have made reservations waiting for your opening; you''ll be busy. I''ll go tomorrow," Xiang Qingde insisted, waving his hand. Unable to persuade him, Kong Daming could only agree. When Xiang Beifei returned home, he even specifically chatted with his grandfather in front of the living room camera, explaining why he wanted to move, plainly stating that he was now earning money and didn''t want to live there anymore. Chapter 669 - 492: Master and Disciple (4000 words)_2 Martial artists in the Meridian Opening phase, earning money to support themselves couldn''t be too simple. The people watching his family, as long as they weren''t foolish and made inquiries at the school, would definitely also be aware of Xiang Beifei''s current Cultivation Realm; no one would doubt this excuse. Thus, the other party should have found the new house by now. Xiang Beifei wanted to see who would sneak in and install surveillance under his watch. Having said that, Xiaohei then blocked the camera again. The grandfather and grandson packed up everything together that night, and truly, there was quite a lot of stuff in their own home. "We need to call a vehicle, there''s no elevator, later we''ll carry it down together." Xiang Qingde was pondering how to make moving easier. "I can handle the stuff myself, Grandpa doesn''t need to worry, just rest on the side." Xiang Beifei said. "How can that be? You can''t possibly move so much stuff alone! Grandpa can still work, I''ll help you carry it." Xiang Qingde was worried his grandson would exhaust himself, as moving was indeed hard labor. Xiang Beifei was both amused and frustrated, "Grandpa, why do I always feel like you''ve forgotten again that I''m a martial artist?" "So what if you''re a martial artist? Many martial artists still need to hire help when they move, right?" Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei stomped his foot again, and all the packed boxes floated up, hovering in mid-air. Lighter than a feather. He made the objects lighter and then used his Spiritual Power to pull them up. Xiang Qingde watched in amazement: "I had no idea you had this ability!" Xiang Beifei also realized he rarely talked to his grandpa about his abilities. He smiled, put all the items down, then glanced at the ceiling camera and said, "Don''t worry, from now on, I''ll handle everything, Grandpa can just rest." Xiang Qingde was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at Xiang Beifei. There was a time when he carefully protected his grandson, safeguarded his self-esteem, told him to be positive, and hoped he would not give up on himself. But ever since the awakening of the system, his grandson had changed, becoming diligent and cheerful, and now he was a martial artist in the Meridian Opening phase, possessing the ability to protect himself. It took a while for Xiang Qingde to come back to his senses, then he smiled: "The Awakening System really is a good thing." He suddenly felt old and in need of his grandson''s protection. That was fine, too, as his grandson was so sensible, it made him happy to watch. Moving wasn''t difficult, normal N-level Awakeners, if they don''t have the appropriate space-related systems, needed to hire a moving company, rent a vehicle, and spend a sum of money. Xiang Beifei didn''t need to; Xiaohei could just spit bubbles. "Xiaofei is now a big star, in the future, we''ll all rely on you!" Kong Daming joked. "Is being a star very tiring? I''ve heard you need to go shoot various films every day." Lu Zhiwei said curiously. "That won''t do! Xiaofei needs to cultivate." Lu Hong said seriously. He had unconsciously changed his address from Beifei to Xiaofei, in his mind, Xiang Beifei was still a martial artist and should primarily focus on cultivation. Chen Xiuqin came in from outside, smiling, "You wouldn''t believe how many calls I''ve received from talent agencies these past few days. They know I''m acquainted with Xiaofei and keep asking about related business activities, offering a lot of money to see if Xiaofei would sign with their companies." "What did you say?" Kong Daming asked. "Of course, I said we''d consider it. How could I decide on such a matter? We need to ask Xiaofei''s opinion." Chen Xiuqin laughed. She hadn''t agreed outright, but she hadn''t completely refused either, always keeping a margin for Xiang Beifei to choose. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then said, "I really need to cultivate, I don''t have time to shoot films or advertisements. However, when I have time, I could set up a column to teach everyone how to kill desolate beasts so they won''t panic when they face such situations." He needed to use this identity to guide everyone properly. Lu Hong''s eyes lit up, and he nodded, "Right, many civilians who live in inland cities have a very shallow concept of desolate beasts and lack a sense of crisis. Your idea is great." Powerful desolate beasts were commonplace for martial artists, but for civilians, they were rare encounters. Xiang Beifei, as a martial artist, running promotional activities was only natural. "Now that''s a great idea, I will help you promote it. As a celebrity, you should focus on one thing, you are a martial artist, so you should proceed in that way." Chen Xiuqin was almost part of the entertainment industry, she was in contact with many stars and understood marketing well. As Xiang Beifei''s number one fan, Chen Xiuqin was more than willing to help Xiang Beifei. That was settled, Xiang Beifei didn''t need to do anything except, when school resumed next semester and he went on missions to the outer realms, to casually shoot a few videos¡ªa simple task. But then again¡ª "Does she really think she can leverage my reputation so presumptuously?" The last person who tried to use Xiang Beifei''s fame to make money had been dealt with by him. This time, again without consulting him, they made the decision on their own to let him lead the way, clearly intending to thrust him into the spotlight. The alliance''s motive for wanting to expose such a genius was obvious. The main reason was that Xiang Beifei was trained by Elder Luo! Elder Luo didn''t have a good relationship with the alliance. The members of the alliance even dreaded Elder Luo because they couldn''t suppress an SR-level Awakener who wouldn''t follow their commands and feared Elder Luo might build his own power at Liangzhou University. And with the emergence of a genius like Xiang Beifei, the threat to them had greatly increased! Therefore, they wanted to target Xiang Beifei! A normal person, once exposed, would find it hard to keep a low profile, attracting attention wherever he went. By exposing Xiang Beifei, they were forcibly making him align with the alliance, letting everyone in Jiuzhou monitor him; this way, Xiang Beifei would hardly be able to oppose the alliance secretly, his every move under their watch. Later on, however the alliance planned things, Xiang Beifei would have to comply. In the eyes of the alliance, Xiang Beifei would become a piece to control Elder Luo in reverse, isolating Elder Luo in a unique way, monitoring him, and reducing his influence. But did Mu Yiqing really believe he would obediently follow, acting as she wished? "Being the standard for an N-level Awakener means that the initiative is in my hands now." Xiang Beifei Was his name the way out of the withered forest? A coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei felt very surreal. His father, whom he had not met for a long time, had named him while he was still just a baby. How could he be so sure he would encounter Youmeng? Did he just casually decide on his son''s name? Could you please take naming seriously! This SSR-level system Awakener had the ability to set rules. Anyone or anything that adhered to rules within her vicinity would increase her system value, and by acting according to the established rules, she could also increase her system value. In short, as long as there were rules in place, she could grow stronger. Those who did not follow the rules would have nowhere to hide before her. Xiang Beifei reviewed Mu Yiqing''s system log, which listed a slew of her dealings with rules, including an entry that read: [You formulated the "Jiuzhou Plan for SR Talent Utilization," approved by the alliance''s Planning Minister Zhu Yiji, released as a rule, currently adhered to by 2546 people, your rule value +2546] The planning department of the Jiuzhou Alliance was responsible for developing and amending the systems of the alliance to manage all aspects of it and plan the development of Jiuzhou. Simply put, as a UR-level, Zhu Yiji was the rule setter. Xiang Beifei had just learned of Zhu Yiji''s position within the alliance. Someone who sets rules, breaks them by rescuing his own grandson from prison¡ªtruly marvelous. Chapter 670 - 493 Confirming the Direction Xiang Beifei could not find any ground for excuse. But he didn''t need to make excuses anymore. Elder Luo would not harm him; there was no harm in being known. "What is the reason?" Elder Luo asked. "I am also searching," Xiang Beifei replied. "Just like him, I think he might also be searching." Elder Luo slightly nodded, then added, "Regardless, I still need to thank you." "Thank me?" "I think you could also control my system, couldn''t you?" Elder Luo asked. Xiang Beifei was silent for a long while. Then he nodded. This old man busied himself with various boring leisure activities every day, often including teasing Xiang Beifei as part of them. If Xiang Beifei wished, he could forcibly reset Elder Luo''s system. "But you never did." "I won''t touch anyone who has been kind to me," Xiang Beifei shook his head. He now had the ability to control the entire Jiuzhou, but he simply chose not to do so. "It''s fortunate that a man like you, whose thoughts have not gone to extremes, has always been able to see himself clearly. If you had gone to extremes, I fear I would have been powerless," Elder Luo said with some emotion. He knew that each time he managed to hit Xiang Beifei''s forehead, it was because Xiang Beifei was sparing his feelings and not dodging. "Perhaps it''s because I have an optimistic grandfather and a righteous and principled master," Xiang Beifei said, propping his chin. Elder Luo was stunned for a moment, then smiled with relief. Whether power is good or bad depends on the person. Role models and the educational environment have great influences on a person. Xiang Beifei dared not say his views were utterly correct, but he at least maintained the most basic principles. "So Lady Qiu, she was dealt with by you?" "There always needs to be someone to take on the role of headsman, and I don''t mind taking on that role," Xiang Beifei said. Lady Qiu had already died because she was a Heavenly Connection realm powerhouse; Xiang Beifei had to keep her confined with a brick tile. But he was about to leave Jiuzhou and could not take her with him, so he decided to resolve the matter. Such a person left alive would bring no benefit to Jiuzhou, only disaster. "I really underestimated you," Elder Luo remarked. In order to protect his disciple, he had tempered his temper a lot, worrying that if he went too far, he might provoke the alliance and they might secretly harm Xiang Beifei. However, Xiang Beifei''s capabilities had completely exceeded his expectations. He casually dealt with someone like Lady Qiu. Elder Luo continued cracking sunflower seeds, and after a long time, slowly spoke: "I will take care of your grandfather, but you have to promise me one thing." "What?" "After finding the answer, come back alive," Elder Luo said calmly. Xiang Beifei smiled knowingly. "I will try." He also did not know what exactly was in the outer desolate lands. But the answer was definitely there. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei did not mention his departure to anyone, except for Elder Luo, no one knew, not even his grandfather, because he feared worrying him, Xiang Beifei simply said that he was going into a long period of seclusion for cultivation. Standing on the border wall, looking into the vast outer desolate lands, Xiang Beifei''s mood was surprisingly peaceful. Although he had been there many times before, this time felt distinctly different. The tall city wall beneath his feet was majestic and resplendent, flickering with powerful formation runes that blocked the desolate beasts of the outer domain from entering. Inside was a world entirely different from the outside. The outside was perilous and filled with the unknown. He needed to understand what exactly Xiang Tianxing and his wife had gone off to do. And why, in that moment, had Xiang Tianxing asked him if he had the Awakening System? The answers lay within that vast expanse. Xiang Beifei took a deep breath and leaped off the city wall, heading towards the Unrestrained Base. He knew where Zi Hou and Chou Hou were located, but the exact location of Yin Hou was still unknown to him. However, he felt sure that the direction should be upon Chou Hou, which might have the answers to guide him to the next location. Of course, in reality¡ª Xiang Beifei was well aware of how to find Yin Hou; from the moment he stood at Zi Hou, he had a vague understanding of where each location would be. Xiang Beifei! The method to find the locations was written in his name. But he had compared the positional distance between Zi Hou and Chou Hou before, and if Jiuzhou''s directions were to be referenced, Chou Hou was not north of Zi Hou but rather to the east. The directions in the outer domain wasteland are extremely inaccurate, easily misleading human sense of direction; in the outer domain, one cannot judge by the normal east-west-north-south of Jiuzhou, a fact well-understood by all martial artists. Since the "Hou" were in the outer domain wasteland, Xiang Beifei believed that to determine the direction, one must confirm the method of recognizing Zi Hou and Chou Hou. The reference point for defenses should be the "Hou," not Jiuzhou. Otherwise, if he followed what he believed to be north, he might end up being diverted towards the east, west, or south along the way. Upon returning to Zi Hou, Xiang Beifei did not choose to go to the snowy mountains but rather planned to check the blood altar, feeling intuitively that this altar was special. In the Unrestrained Base, twenty Su People took turns guarding, and tight protective measures were in place, various formations guarding the area¡ªsome personally set by Elder Luo, and others left by Xiang Beifei, specifically to prevent Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage from making a comeback and storming this place again. As soon as Xiang Beifei appeared at the canyon, a voice immediately called out, "Who is it?" Three figures instantly appeared in the canyon. "It''s me," Xiang Beifei said. "Mr. Xiang Beifei, it''s you!" The three Su People relaxed and quickly bowed in greeting. Although Xiang Beifei did not hold an official position in the alliance, being a disciple of Elder Luo, his status was quite high in the eyes of these Su People. "Everything normal?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Nothing unusual," one of the Su People hesitated, then taking a detector, said, "For safety reasons, we need to check you." Everyone entering here had to be inspected, to prevent someone occupied by Ghost Whiskers masquerading as a martial artist from sneaking in¡ªit was, after all, not impossible for someone to disguise themselves as Xiang Beifei using system abilities. "Okay." The detector, designed and manufactured by Xiang Beifei himself, was researched based on the Beast Pill of Ghost Whiskers; a simple scan over the heart, and if a Beast Pill was present, it could be easily detected. After the Su Person scanned over Xiang Beifei''s heart with the detector and confirmed he was alive, he deactivated the control and said, "Sorry for the disturbance." "Carry on," Xiang Beifei replied. Xiang Beifei walked towards the cave and soon entered the blood altar through it. The blood in the blood altar was slightly flowing; it was supplied with beast blood, it seemed like the Su People had just replenished it. When Xiang Beifei approached the blood altar, the blood in the pool surged out, morphing into hands that reached towards him, but they were promptly flattened upon touching him. He pressed the brick into the slot, instantly mastering the entire formation of the Unrestrained, and using the formation, he scanned the snowy mountain area to ensure no abnormalities had occurred before he began to ponder his own matters. "How to determine the direction?" he mused. Soon, he spontaneously recalled the words of Comrade Xiang Tianxing. His irresponsible father, although he had disappeared without a trace, had at least told him in the Pioneer Stone how to find the directions of the "Hou," which was why he had come searching for Zi Hou. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment and thoughtfully said, "Maybe it''s like this?" He roughly knew what to do now. Chapter 671 - 494: Determining Direction Chapter updates resumed normal at 5:30 PM. Subscribers can refresh to update; you won''t be double-subscribed. Xiang Beifei temporarily set aside the matter and inquired, "By the way, Uncle Kong, are there any houses for rent near your place? We''re thinking of moving over." "A house? Sure, you should''ve moved over long ago. The old man always mentioned saving money for you to run errands and such. Why the sudden change of mind?" Kong Daming asked. "Xiaofei is growing up, and the house is too shabby. He might not be able to find a wife," Xiang Qingde said seriously. "Hahaha, that''s true," Kong Daming nodded. But Lu Hong disagreed, "That can''t be it! If they really like each other, who would mind the house?" "Still, it''s better to live in a nice place. The old house was a bit too dark," said Kong Daming, "Leave it to me. I remember there''s a family on my floor that moved out, just two doors down from mine, diagonally across, and it''ll be convenient to look after each other if you move over." "Then, when are you planning to reopen the restaurant, Uncle Kong?" Xiang Beifei asked again. How such a desolate beast like the One-Armed Crab had appeared was still unclear; Xiang Beifei suspected someone but hadn''t made any progress yet. Xiao Sheng! The phony SR who pretended to be an N-level clerk had disappeared somewhere before the desolate beast appeared that day, and he wanted to see if Xiao Sheng would return to work. "The day after tomorrow! The staff have been asking about it too. Now that you mention it, I need to get in touch with them; it''s been a long time since we closed down," Kong Daming said. "Then I will go to the wholesale market tomorrow. We''ve run out of ingredients; I need to negotiate with them again," said Xiang Qingde. Kong Daming hurriedly said, "No need for you to go, Uncle Xiang, please rest. I''ll handle it." "We''ve been idling for so long, I need to move around a bit. I''m familiar with that place anyway. With the reopening, there''s a lot to do in the restaurant. Many customers have made reservations, waiting for us to open so they can support us. You''ll be busy; I can go tomorrow," Xiang Qingde said, waving his hand insistently. Kong Daming couldn''t argue and had to agree. When Xiang Beifei returned home, he made a point of talking to his grandfather in front of the living room camera, explaining clearly the reason for moving out by directly saying that he could now make money and didn''t want to live there anymore. For a martial artist at the Meridian Opening stage, earning enough money to support oneself was not difficult at all. Anyone monitoring their home, as long as they weren''t foolish and took a trip to inquire at the school, would surely understand Xiang Beifei''s current Cultivation Realm; no one would doubt such an excuse. In this way, they would likely move their surveillance to the new home. Xiang Beifei was curious to see who would try to sneakily install cameras under his watch. After saying this, Xiaohei then shielded the camera again. The grandson and grandfather packed their belongings together that night, and really, there was quite a lot of their own things. "We need to call for a truck. There''s no elevator, so we''ll lift it down together when the time comes," Xiang Qingde was considering how to move in a more convenient way. "I can handle the stuff by myself, Grandpa shouldn''t worry too much. Just take a rest," Beifei said. "How can that be? You can''t possibly move all these things by yourself! Grandpa can still work; I''ll help you carry them," Xiang Qingde said, worried that his grandson would exhaust himself, as moving was a physically demanding task. Beifei couldn''t help but laugh and cry, "Grandpa, why do I always feel like you forget that I''m a martial artist?" "So what if you''re a martial artist? Many martial artists still need to hire someone when they move," Xiang Qingde retorted. Beifei stomped his foot again, and all the packed boxes started to float, suspending in mid-air. Lighter than a feather. He lightened the mass of the objects, then used his Spiritual Power to drag them up. Xiang Qingde watched in amazement, "I had no idea you had this ability!" Beifei realized he rarely talked to his grandfather about his capabilities. He smiled, lowered the objects, then glanced at the ceiling camera and said, "Don''t worry, from now on, I''ll handle everything. Grandpa can just take it easy." Xiang Qingde was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at Beifei. There was a time when he always cautiously protected his grandson, safeguarding his self-esteem, teaching him the principles of positive living, hoping he wouldn''t give up on himself. But ever since the Awakening System, his grandson seemed to have changed, becoming diligent and cheerful. Now, as a martial artist at the Meridian Opening stage, he had the capacity to protect himself. It took Xiang Qingde a while to come back to his senses before he began to smile, "The Awakening System really has been a blessing." He suddenly felt the onset of his age and the need to be protected by his grandson. That was also good. Seeing his grandson so sensible made him happy. Moving was not a difficult task. Ordinary N-level Awakeners, without the corresponding space-type system, would need to hire a moving company and rent a vehicle, incurring a certain expense. Beifei didn''t need that; he simply had Xiaohei blow bubbles to do it. "Beifei is like a big star now; we''re all going to rely on you in the future!" Kong Daming joked. "Isn''t being a star very tiring? I heard you have to shoot all sorts of films every day," Lu Zhiwei said curiously. "That won''t do! Beifei has to cultivate," Lu Hong said sternly. Unknowingly, he had changed from calling him Little Xiang to Beifei, and in his mind, Xiang Beifei was still a martial artist, who should prioritize cultivation. Chen Xiuqin walked in from outside and laughed, "I won''t hide it from you, these past few days I''ve received countless calls from talent agencies. They know I''m acquainted with Xiaofei, and they keep asking about potential commercial engagements, offering big money to see if Xiaofei would be willing to sign with their companies." "What did you tell them?" Kong Daming asked. "I told them I''d consider it, of course. How could I decide such a thing? I''d have to ask Xiaofei''s opinion," Chen Xiuqin said with a smile. She hadn''t committed to anyone, but she hadn''t outright refused either, always leaving Xiang Beifei with the option to choose. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then said, "I truly need to focus on my cultivation and don''t have time for filming movies or commercials. However, when I have time, I can start a column specifically to teach everyone how to kill desolate beasts, so they won''t panic when they encounter such situations." He needed to utilize this identity to properly guide everyone. Lu Hong''s eyes lit up, and he nodded, "Right, many civilians living in inland cities have a shallow understanding of desolate beasts, and most lack a sense of crisis. Your idea is good." For a martial artist like Xiang Beifei, who was accustomed to facing powerful desolate beasts, it was only natural for him to engage in promotional activities for martial artists. "That''s great, I''ll help you promote it. As a celebrity, one must specialize in a direction, and as a martial artist, you should promote yourself in that way." Chen Xiuqin, who was also half involved in the entertainment industry, knew well how to do marketing from her frequent interactions with stars. Being Xiang Beifei''s number one mom fan, Chen Xiuqin was very willing to help Xiang Beifei. And so it was settled. Xiang Beifei wouldn''t need to do much, just casually shoot a few videos while doing missions in the outer realms once the next semester began, a simple matter. But on the other hand¡ª "Does she truly think she can do whatever she wants with my reputation?" Those who had wanted to capitalize on Xiang Beifei''s fame for profit last time had already been dealt with by him. This time, someone was again planning to use him as a figurehead without consulting him, clearly trying to shove him to the forefront on purpose. The reason the Alliance wanted such a talent as him to be exposed was quite obvious. The main reason was that Xiang Beifei was brought up by Elder Luo! The relationship between Elder Luo and the Alliance wasn''t good, with the Alliance even wary of him, as they couldn''t suppress such an SR-level Awakener who didn''t follow the Alliance''s orders. They were worried Elder Luo would cultivate his own power at Liangzhou University. The emergence of a genius like Xiang Beifei had brought them a great threat! So they had to make a move against Xiang Beifei! Ordinary people, once exposed, find it hard to keep a low profile, and wherever they go, they draw attention. By exposing Xiang Beifei in this manner, the Alliance was basically forcing him to align with them, putting him under the watchful eyes of all of Jiuzhou, which nearly eliminated any chance for him to act against the Alliance in secret. His every action would be under the Alliance''s surveillance. Later, whatever arrangements the Alliance made, Xiang Beifei would have to comply. In the eyes of the Alliance, Xiang Beifei would become a pawn to restrain Elder Luo, isolating him in a special way, monitoring him, and reducing his influence. But did Mu Yiqing truly believe that he would comply obediently and act as she wished? "Becoming the benchmark for N-level Awakeners means that the initiative is in my hands." Xiang Beifei His name, is it the way out of the withered forest? Coincidence? Or... Xiang Beifei felt it was very surreal. His long-lost father, who he had never met, had named him at a time when he was just an infant, so how was he so sure that he would encounter Youmeng? Did he just casually decide on his son''s name on a whim? Could he take the naming a little more seriously! This SSR-level System Awakener had the ability to set rules, and any person or thing around her that followed the rules would increase her system value, and acting according to established rules also increased her system value. In short, as long as there were rules somewhere, she could become stronger. Those who broke the rules would have nowhere to hide in her presence. Xiang Beifei looked at Mu Yiqing''s system log, which listed a multitude of her rule-related actions, and one entry read: [You have devised the "Jiuzhou Plan for SR Talent Utilization," which after approval by Alliance Planning Minister Zhu Yiji, became an official rule. Currently, there are 2546 people abiding by this rule, and your rule value has increased by +2546] The planning department of the Jiuzhou Alliance is responsible for formulating and revising the systems to manage all aspects of the Alliance and plan the development of Jiuzhou. Simply put, as a UR-level individual, Zhu Yiji''s role is to set rules. Now, Xiang Beifei was aware of Zhu Yiji''s position in the Alliance. The one who sets the rules, leading the way in breaking them, and extracting his own grandson from prison, is indeed magical. Chapter 672: 495 Digging Holes Xiang Beifei was already familiar with the method to locate. Just grab a handful of soil from Chou Hou, find a blood altar, and do it again. But the question was, was there a blood altar on Chou Hou? The plants on Chou Hou were thriving, and various strange insects were buzzing around. Many of these insects posed a threat to humans, and upon seeing Xiang Beifei, they were even eagerly preparing to charge over and bite him. "Ao wu! Ao wu!" The Wooden Kirin was shaking its tail next to him, swatting those creatures away with its tail like a fly swatter. Standing atop Chou Hou''s peak, Xiang Beifei crouched to grab a handful of mud. The mud was moist and would devour his Spiritual Power, still the same old story, and the plants could grow in this soil. He flew up high and tried to slap down with a palm strike again! Hum! The mountain remained unscathed. Xiang Beifei, now with the strength of the orifice transforming stage, could destroy a mountain over a thousand meters high with a single palm strike. However, when his palm wind landed on Chou Hou, it was as if he just brushed a gust of wind across the plants¡ªthey barely moved, and nothing happened. "Why could Grandfather shatter this mountain?" Xiang Beifei landed back on the mountain, completely puzzled. The video of Grandfather shattering the Hou was recorded by Xiao Sheng, Xiang Beifei had watched it several times. Grandfather simply struck with a palm, no fancy tricks, and then the mountain crumbled. But Xiang Beifei, even at the stage of orifice transforming, was completely unable to break it. "Wang wang?" Xiaohei asked. "Are we going to dig into the mountain? That''s a job that requires physical strength!" said Xiang Beifei. If there was a blood altar under Zi Hou, perhaps there might also be one beneath Chou Hou. However, there was at least a passage on the side of Zi Hou, and it was unknown who had dug it out, whereas he didn''t know where the entrance to the blood altar was on this side. Digging into a mountain was indeed a physically demanding task, because Spiritual Power couldn''t be used here. If they wanted to dig out a tunnel, they would have to find another way. Unfortunately, Grandfather did not come to smash the mountain today; otherwise, they could avoid a lot of trouble. Xiang Beifei only knew that the first time he arrived at a Hou, Grandfather would shatter the mountain. If he visited the same Hou repeatedly, Grandfather wouldn''t come to smash it again. Xiang Beifei had already verified this. Over the past two months, he had made numerous trips to the snowy mountains and here, but Xiao Sheng hadn''t seen any anomalies from Grandfather. "Erha, it''s time to work!" Xiang Beifei shouted. "Ao wu ao wu!" "Spiritual power crystal!" "Ao ao ao ao!" The Wooden Kirin immediately became full of energy, swinging its tail happily and starting to shovel dirt from the base of the mountain. It made its tail very sharp, and with one scoop, it was like an excavator, shoveling out a large pile of dirt. Erha also couldn''t shatter Chou Hou, but that didn''t stop it from exerting effort to dig tunnels. The soil here could be excavated, and without using Spiritual Power, the soil was no different from ordinary mounds. However, no sooner had they dug out a pile of dirt than it began to stir again, with the soil slowly moving to fill itself back in. This mountain, often shattered by Grandfather, had a very strange regenerative ability, and would slowly and automatically restore itself, which Xiang Beifei had to stop. Fortunately, the breath soil Xiang Beifei had been cultivating was becoming more and more abundant. If fully deployed, it was enough to match half a large mountain. The breath soil itself was a special substance, unaffected by the mountain''s devouring properties. He used the breath soil to tightly bind the excavated dirt and then condensed the breath soil into a wall of sand, attaching it to the tunnel wall. The solidity of the breath soil bolstered the stability of the tunnel. "Strange." Xiang Beifei suddenly thought of the passageway in Zi Hou. The stone walls of the Zi Hou passageway were also special, impervious to Spiritual Power, and it was unknown who had built it; the material of those stones was peculiar too. Had the first person who built that tunnel done it this way? But he didn''t continue to ponder. It was better to take care of the matter at hand first, rather than be buried by the soil after digging through to the passage. The three comrades divided the work and cooperated: Erha was in charge of shoveling dirt, Xiang Beifei of stabilization, and Xiaohei of cheering them on. They pushed forward toward the base of the mountain, referencing the location of Zi Hou''s tunnel, and Xiang Beifei dug approximately one hundred meters from the base of the mountain into the ground. With Erha, the diligent, strong, and tireless good child, digging one hundred meters without rest was highly efficient. But Erha soon stopped because there was a stone wall in front blocking the way, which it desperately tried to dig through but couldn''t budge. "This should be the cave of the blood altar," Xiang Beifei surmised. After wrapping the tunnel walls with breath soil, Xiang Beifei approached the stone wall and lightly tapped it, then fired a blast of Spiritual Power. But as soon as the Spiritual Power touched the stone wall, it was repelled by the stone wall. The stone wall here was made of the same material as in the Unrestrained Base''s passageway, resisting Spiritual Power. "Erha, dig around it! See if we can find an entrance," he instructed. Xiang Beifei tossed a spiritual power crystal from the God Refining stage to the Wooden Kirin, and the Wooden Kirin ''Ao wu, ao wu'' vigorously resumed its work, even humming an unpleasant tune with joy. The happiness of a hardworking child is just that simple. The Wooden Kirin, following Xiang Beifei''s instructions, dug around next to the stone wall; after another half an hour, it had finally exposed all the soil on the exterior of the mountain cave''s stone wall. The whole cave was spherical, yet, strangely, Xiang Beifei couldn''t find an entrance! Even the ground was flat, without any connection to the outside world. "Strange, how do we get in?" Xiang Beifei was quite astonished. He began to feel around the stone walls of the giant sphere, to see if he could find an entrance. But just then, he felt that something was off and swiftly looked behind him! Darkness lay behind him, the space empty, with only the breath soil''s sand slowly flowing, firmly holding up the stirring soil above with its own powerful cohesion, preventing the passageway from collapsing under the pressure of the soil. "Woof?" Xiaohei inquired. "Just now, I felt someone watching us from behind," Xiang Beifei whispered. His spiritual power rapidly spread out, searching within the empty sandy walls, but there was no one there. Xiang Beifei even lit up with a glow of spiritual power, but he found nothing. A delusion? Xiang Beifei frowned, not liking to attribute things to delusion, as someone with his level of perception rarely experienced such a thing. Then why? While Xiang Beifei was pondering, suddenly, a loud noise reverberated from all around, rumbling as if a massive earthquake had occurred. Terrifying waves of force kept assaulting the sand wall consolidated by the breath soil. The sandy wall trembled violently, on the verge of caving in from the pressure. "What the hell?" Xiang Beifei was quite surprised by this development; he hadn''t expected such an event because, by his estimates, even the weight of the entire mountain should have been held back¡ªthe solidity of the breath soil was guaranteed. Boom! Another boom rang out, the breath soil caved again, and cracks started to appear! The soil that had been blocked by the breath soil began to work its way down through the cracks, alive-like, seeking to rewrap the altar-like stone wall. Xiang Beifei quickly spread the breath soil again, covering up the crack. However, even more violent tremors came from above¡ªit felt like a colossal force smashing down, causing other areas of the breath soil wall to also crack. This immense power made Xiang Beifei increasingly bewildered. "Could it be a mountain collapse?" The thought popped into Xiang Beifei''s mind. But then he paused again! Wait! The mountain has collapsed! This mountain was not one easily shattered by just anyone; at least Xiang Beifei couldn''t shatter it. There was only one person who could do this. As Xiang Beifei thought this, preparing to go out and see for himself, he turned around and bumped into a silhouette. He was extremely surprised because he hadn''t sensed how this person had arrived behind him. It was as if they had appeared out of nowhere; he even bumped his face directly into them. Swish! Just as Xiang Beifei was planning to retreat, a hand reached out towards his neck at an unbelievably fast speed, grabbing and lifting him up in the blink of an eye! At this point, Xiang Beifei could see the person in front of him clearly; it was indeed his grandfather! However, something was very off about Xiang Qingde right now. His eyes were emitting a strange golden glow, solemn and majestic, as if he were a terrifying deity. Those eyes seemed to have the power to penetrate one''s heart, piercing straight into Xiang Beifei''s mind. "Grandfather! It''s me!" Xiang Beifei shouted, quite alarmed, seeing his grandfather in such a state for the first time. His aura was immensely imposing, his grip extremely tight like unbreakable steel pincers, almost choking Xiang Beifei. Despite that, Xiang Qingde remained unmoved as if he paid no heed to whatever Xiang Beifei was saying, still gripping Xiang Beifei''s neck tighter and even directly shackling Xiang Beifei''s Orifice Soul! "Woof, woof!" Seeing this, Xiaohei quickly pulled out two board bricks, clapped them together to emit a humming sound, and while Xiang Qingde was distracted, struck Xiang Qingde''s arm with them, hoping to immobilize him with the golden patterns and enable Xiang Beifei to break free. But the golden patterns wrapped around Xiang Qingde did not spread; the previously infallible board bricks failed for the first time. Just as the board bricks had no effect on Xiang Beifei, they were ineffective against Xiang Qingde as well! Xiaohei smacked its forehead in realization; one of the board bricks came from Xiang Qingde, so how could they possibly work against him? But at that moment, there was nothing more it could do except to plant itself on Xiang Qingde''s arm, pulling and tugging, attempting to rescue Xiang Beifei. "Grandfather, Xiang Beifei! Xiang Beifei! I am Xiang Beifei!" Xiang Beifei once again exclaimed strenuously. It seemed that hearing the name ''Xiang Beifei'' caused Xiang Qingde''s grip to pause slightly, and the aura around him dispersed a little. Xiang Beifei seized the opportunity to wriggle free from his grandfather''s grasp, quickly back-pedaled a couple of steps, rubbing his neck, and frowned as he looked at his grandfather. Xiang Qingde''s eyes continued to shine golden, fixating on Xiang Beifei without shifting away, making Xiang Beifei feel extremely uncomfortable under the scrutiny of those eerie eyes. Chapter 673 - 496: Keep Going Chapter updates will return to normal at 5:30. Subscribed readers can refresh the chapter, and you will not be resubscribed. However, this also made He Caiwei realize something. He still had a chance to prove his innocence; he was embroiled in this affair, but those words were only heard by Zhao Yong from Wu Shixuan''s mouth saying it was his instruction, Zhao Yong, even saying so, couldn''t directly prove that the framing had anything to do with him! The only way to clear his name now was to sacrifice the car to save the general! That is to say, Wu Shixuan must be kicked out! All he had to do was directly say that Wu Shixuan was framing him! A hint of coldness flashed in He Caiwei''s eyes! ... The entire conference room had already become as tense as drawn swords and arrows at the ready. "Everyone, stop! Don''t be too presumptuous!" Zhu Yiji finally stood up and shouted sternly, "You three, how dare you cause trouble in the school. Do you really not take me seriously?" His gaze was like that of an eagle, watching the trio of Professor Guo, especially lingering on Xiang Beifei. Even he hadn''t noticed how Xiang Beifei had appeared in the classroom, which made him very wary! However, at that moment, Zhu Yiji''s aura was as lofty as the sun at high noon! He was still the strongest person here! Still able to suppress those few! He quickly glanced at his system interface¡ª [Detection: Luo Yunxian has become enraged. Do you want to spend uniqueness value to enhance your defense?] "Ten million!" However, Luo Yunxian had already raised his hand, When He Caiwei''s momentum hit the invisible barrier in front of Professor Guo, it was like slamming into a rigid wall. The wall was imbued with a bizarre Spiritual Power from all directions, completely dissolving and transforming He Caiwei''s attack before redirecting it back along the same path, striking He Caiwei in turn! Buzz! He Caiwei was once again repelled by Professor Guo''s returning strike! To put it precisely, he was repelled by his own momentum! "How is this possible?" He Caiwei stared intently at Professor Guo! In the past, he only knew that Professor Guo was strong, but since Professor Guo was only at an intermediate stage of orifice transforming, he never took the SR-level Professor Guo seriously! But he had overlooked one thing. Professor Guo only had the strength of an intermediate orifice transformer. He didn''t have many offensive means, and his attacking power wasn''t great, but he did have the strongest defense in the alliance! This defense allowed him to withstand later-stage Martial Daoists with just his intermediate stage strength! For him, the strongest defense was a counterattack! And He Caiwei couldn''t shake him at all! "What''s going on? Tell me the truth!" Zhu Yiji shouted! Zhao Yong slapped his forehead and said, "Wu Shixuan was muttering to himself. He said that both Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei wanted to deal with Luo Yunxian. He needed to handle Professor Guo, who was beside Luo Yunxian first. So, we were tasked to bear false witness to frame Professor Guo. If he does this well, he should be greatly rewarded... Yes! There''s also someone named Zhu Yiji, just like He Caiwei, who directed Wu Shixuan to frame Professor Guo!" Zhao Yong blurted it all out in one breath! The moment his words came out, the whole conference room fell silent! The more than twenty leaders of Liangzhou University present were all sucking in the cold air, chilled to the core! Zhu Yiji? Zhao Yong was actually saying that Zhu Yiji was also involved in framing Professor Guo? It is well known that Zhu Yiji''s "Frankness Without Evasion" ability is Witnessed by All. In this black square, absolutely no one would lie! That means¡ªwhat Zhao Yong is saying right now is one hundred percent¡ªthe truth! Zhu Yiji made Zhao Yong say that Zhu Yiji is also a culprit? "Mr. Ye, how is your spiritual defense? Can you block the influence of the UR Awakener''s System like Elder Luo?" Xiang Beifei asked. Many high-level System Awakeners can use their own systems to control those of lower level. Ye Changfeng''s strength and talent were only above average in the alliance, but not by much. "I can barely manage. Many in the alliance hold grievances against Elder Luo and want to probe his secrets through me, so I''ve specifically trained my spiritual power with Elder Luo. It might not reach his level, but at least I can protect myself." Ye Changfeng''s spiritual power was very strong; after all, he was Elder Luo''s Direct Disciple. Compared to Xiang Beifei, his talent may not seem like much, but in reality, he far surpassed other SRs. With Elder Luo being eyed covetously by many in the alliance, they naturally tried all sorts of methods to attack through Ye Changfeng. Those powers that coerce the truth, muddle facts, and others alike fall under the type of spiritual manipulation. Thus, his training in spiritual defense was extremely intense, precisely to prevent such occurrences. Once Xiang Beifei confirmed this, he then said, "This whole affair actually involves me." Eventually, he spelled out the entire course of the matter, only leaving out the details about Xiao Sheng, Grandpa, and that mountain. After listening, Ye Changfeng was extremely shocked! "This is a major issue, why are you only mentioning it now? Why didn''t you tell us earlier? If you don''t tell me, you should at least inform Elder Luo." Ye Changfeng looked very angry, and there was even a hint of fear in his tone. Although Xiang Beifei spoke lightly of it, Ye Changfeng could imagine what the situation must have been like at the time; the whole matter "What does Mr. Ye think Elder Luo would do if I told him?" Xiang Beifei asked. Ye Changfeng was taken aback for a moment before he finally came to a realization. "I was too hasty." He knew Elder Luo''s temperament well; the old man who was protective of his own would not hesitate to confront He Caiwei. However, the problem was that if He Caiwei dared to act in such a way, he certainly would have his contingencies in place, and the whole matter would be cleanly attributed to someone else. At that point, it would instead be Elder Luo who appeared to be at fault. Elder Luo was already being marginalized by the alliance. It would be unwise to confront someone without evidence. Ye Changfeng furrowed his brows as he considered the pros and cons of the whole matter, then said sternly, "Regardless, you must not admit to having killed anyone, understand?" "I know." Awakeners at the SR level, from the time they enter the Meridian Opening phase and begin to forge their meridians, to the moment they coalesce their spirit souls and step into the God Refining phase, must spend at least three to five years, and sometimes even longer. SSR Awakeners also need about two to four years to reach the God Refining phase. UR is the fastest, generally taking about one to two years without any problem to step into the God Refining phase. The video that couldn''t be deleted was all due to its interference; the alliance had various powerful network technology Awakeners. However, faced with the video set by Xiaohei, it turned into a dud! No matter how they used system items, they couldn''t eliminate the related video. At this time, a lazy voice came from a corner, "Otherwise, how should we talk? The Martial Arts College speaks with fists, why not have you two fight it out?" Wei Tong turned his head to look and realized that Elder Luo had been sitting there for who knows how long; his face quickly changed expression. Fight? What a joke! Although he was an SSR, he couldn''t withstand a single punch from Ye Changfeng. An Xiyu, on the side, realized something and spoke up, "Have you reached the late stage of Meridian Opening?" Professor Guo also reacted, looking at Xiang Beifei in astonishment. He knew that Xiang Beifei had great talent, but normally, he should have, at most, the strength of the mid-stage of Meridian Opening. How could he have suddenly reached this level? Xiang Beifei contemplated for a moment, then shook his head, "Not yet." "So then, what is your cultivation level?" Professor Guo asked cautiously. "Mid-stage of Meridian Opening," Xiang Beifei replied. It wasn''t that he didn''t trust Professor Guo; truth be told, he was worried about An Xiyu. Last semester, An Xiyu followed his suggestion and chose to develop in the direction of the alliance, and now she was interning within the alliance. The alliance had been keeping an eye on him and searching for his information, so they would certainly spare no effort to find a breakthrough from the people around him, and An Xiyu was clearly one of them. Of course, with An Xiyu''s character, Xiang Beifei believed she would not actively betray him, but after all, she was just an SR at the late stage of Meridian Opening. Just any SSR like Mu Yiqing in the late stage of God Refining could easily and silently extract information from An Xiyu, even if Liangzhou University had many confidentiality measures for its students. Liangzhou University was no longer purely its own; for example, the literary Daoist managing the Martial Arts College was someone sent by the alliance, all watching Xiang Beifei. His own strength had improved fast enough. With the Awakening System, within half a year, he was already at the early stage of Meridian Opening, and in less than a year, he had reached the late stage, far surpassing ordinary SSRs! This terrifying speed of cultivation was even beyond what UR Awakeners could achieve! If those people knew his cultivation was improving so quickly, they would probably come after him recklessly. Therefore, Xiang Beifei had to keep it a secret until he broke through to the God Refining phase. Only then would he truly have the ability to protect himself and not fear people like He Caiwei¡ª Moreover, he could also catch the alliance''s lofty SSRs and URs off guard, teaching them a lesson! He had already spread the news, and during a recent period, he even deliberately displayed his mid-stage Meridian Opening strength in front of many students, thus putting He Caiwei at ease. Now, He Caiwei would definitely believe that it was Elder Luo who had killed those three individuals at the time, so he wouldn''t dare act rashly. He Caiwei and the others would focus their attention on Elder Luo, which would divert their attention from Xiang Beifei, whose cultivation was only at the mid-stage of Meridian Opening. That way, Xiang Beifei could quietly grow stronger. Once he had sufficient cultivation level, he could then break out and fight as a group. "So that''s how it is." Professor Guo could accept strength of this level, but he was apparently somewhat listless; he really had hoped that Xiang Beifei was in the late stage of Meridian Opening. "Then why did you inquire about the soul?" Professor Guo asked again. A strong aura condensed into a sharp qi, quietly landing on Ma Kainian''s body. When Ma Kainian saw Xiang Beifei, he shivered inwardly, terrified by the formidable aura of Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei was rumored to be capable of killing a late-stage Meridian Opening One-Armed Crab with a single punch; his presence here was not for jokes. Ma Kainian steadied himself and cursed inwardly; after all, he was an official of the alliance. No matter how famous this kid was, he was just a civilian, without power or influence. If anyone should be afraid, it should be him! "Xiang Beifei, quite the big shot," Ma Kainian said with sarcasm in his voice. Xiang Beifei did not reply, simply giving him an indifferent glance. Chapter 674 - 497: Compass Xiang Beifei stood in a forest, with grotesque rocks on the ground and lush trees growing all around. These trees were tremendously tall, reaching hundreds of meters high, making it impossible to see their tops when he looked up. He did not know where he was, but it definitely was not Chou Hou, because logically, Chou Hou should have been shattered and not recovered this quickly; it would not have grown here so soon. The surroundings were a dripping green with plants intermingling wildly, growing very vigorously. Only the patch of grass where Xiang Beifei stood at the entrance of the cave looked withered, with yellowed, gray leaves drooping to the ground, seemingly affected by the altar of blood inside the cave. The cave entrance extended from underground, with a steep incline. Xiang Beifei hadn''t noticed it when he ran out, but now he saw that water was flowing along the ground toward the entrance, seemingly heading for that altar of blood. At the moment, the cave entrance was covered by withered vines. Xiang Beifei parted these withered vines and stepped onto another rock at the entrance. There was no path ahead, probably because the area was seldom visited, and the weeds here grew as tall as his waist, very unruly. "So, what could be swallowing Spiritual Power here?" Xiang Beifei pondered. He still did not know which Hou this place was, but it was likely Yin Hou. If his grandfather had told him to go down, he should also understand what the method of proceeding was. So, he needed to search this mountain for something that could swallow Spiritual Power. Xiang Beifei leaped towards the waist-high weeds. Flying around here was pointless; he had to search thoroughly. However, just as he landed on the grass, the lush weeds suddenly withered as if they had met the god of plague, deteriorating rapidly! In the blink of an eye, the weeds within two meters of where Xiang Beifei stood had all died! Xiang Beifei was stunned too. The situation was very unusual since the surrounding trees were growing very lushly, only the spot he was standing on had withered, creating a stark contrast. He immediately stood up and leaped onto the big tree in front of him, landing on a branch two meters high. The birch tree had been very lush, but when Xiang Beifei stepped on it, the sturdy trunk suddenly shriveled, turning dry, and even the branches drooped, with the leaves curling up. Xiang Beifei looked back at where he had been standing and was surprised to find the previously dead grass was slowly regaining life. The patch of grass became lush again, as if nothing had happened. "Ao wu ao wu?" Erha scratched Xiang Beifei''s ears with its tail in bewilderment. "How could I possibly be a human herbicide! What are you even thinking?" Xiang Beifei squatted on the branch, pondering the situation, but he hadn''t stood long when there was a "crack" sound. The branch under his foot broke, over-dried, turning into rotten wood. He paused, hovering in midair, but the branch had already fallen to the ground, shattering into fragments as if it had been corroding for hundreds of years. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei was quite smart, recognizing the place at once. "That''s right," Xiang Beifei frowned. "This isn''t Yin Hou; it''s Mao Hou!" He realized then that when he had come out of the cave, the withering of the surrounding plants was not due to the cave but because of him. The scenery in Mao Hou was very strange. In the withered forest at the foot of the mountain, trees would rejuvenate as people passed by, becoming vibrant with life, and would wither again once people left. But it was just the opposite for the trees above Mao Hou. Vibrant trees would wither as people passed by and rejuvenate when they left, completely the opposite of the withered forest below. To verify this, Xiang Beifei immediately flew upwards. It took him a hundred meters before he left the forest and reached midair, where the fog was dense, but looking down, he could see a mountain peak. It indeed was Mao Hou! The mountain of Mao Hou was very high, probably several thousand meters, with a summit spread like a volcanic crater. During their last visit, they had also tried to climb to the summit here. The stream water flowed from the foot of the mountain upwards, continuously pouring into the crater. When Xiang Beifei had come here before, he had not seen what was inside the volcanic crater because they had encountered terrifying forces as soon as they reached the summit, which had blown them away, leaving no chance to get closer. Now he realized that the top of Mao Hou mountain was the teleportation entrance of the altar of blood, and those streams seemed to flow from the foot of the mountain up to the crater before flowing into the altar. The trees hundreds of meters tall that he had just seen were all growing in the volcanic crater. "Ao wu?" Erha also recognized the place; last time in the crater, a segment of blackwood had provoked it, and it was Erha, that naive one, who had suddenly slapped it out from the Spirit Gathering Book, dragging that force out from the summit and extinguishing it. The power here had now vanished, with no sense of oppression, almost unrecognizable to it. In fact, even if that power was still present, it would not matter to Xiang Beifei. During his last visit here, he was only at the Meridian Opening stage, and the blackwood had the power of God Refining. Now, he was at the Orifice Transforming stage, able to extinguish the blackwood with just a breath. But this information was not particularly good news to Xiang Beifei. "Grandpa sent me to Mao Hou?" Xiang Beifei was very surprised. Although he did not know how his grandfather managed it, it was clear that jumping straight from Chou Hou to Mao Hou without going through Yin Hou wasn''t good news. Because Xiang Tianxing had said that to continue the journey, one must visit each Hou in order, obtain some things from the Hou, and then one could proceed smoothly. Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai. Xiang Beifei had obtained the chilly air from Zi Hou, the soil from Chou Hou, and next should have been Yin Hou. However, he had never seen what Yin Hou looked like, and even didn''t know what was on it; his grandfather had skipped Yin Hou and sent him directly to Mao Hou. Although this saved quite some trouble, as comrade Xiang Tianxing said, would there be difficulties in continuing without something from Yin Hou? "Do I need to go back and look for Yin Hou?" Xiang Beifei looked around and discovered a clump of soil near him. This clump of soil, no bigger than a thumb, was slowly rotating. Xiang Beifei poked the soil with his finger, and it quickly turned into a small cone. The sharp end of the cone rotated twice and then pointed in one direction. Xiang Beifei wasn''t sure what this direction was, but clearly, the soil was left by his grandfather, meaning it came from Chou Hou. Following this soil''s direction could lead him to Yin Hou. Xiang Beifei thought about going to find Yin Hou; he just needed to follow the direction indicated by this clump of soil. But soon, he became thoughtful again, feeling that things might not be so simple. Normally speaking, if one were to search for a Hou, Grandpa would surely know more about these Hous than comrade Xiang Tianxing! After all, comrade Xiang Tianxing had no understanding of Grandpa''s matters. Xiang Tianxing didn''t even know why his own father had amnesia; he just noticed his father''s odd behavior and then went to look for some answers. From the current situation, Grandpa possessed more accurate information than comrade Xiang Tianxing, since Grandpa could control the Hous and even directly transported Xiang Beifei here. This fact alone demonstrated that Grandpa was more formidable than comrade Xiang Tianxing. "Since Grandpa directly brought me to Mao Hou, there must be a reason for it." Xiang Beifei stroked his chin, contemplating the current situation. If Grandpa really agreed with Xiang Beifei continuing the search for answers, logically he would have transported Xiang Beifei directly to Chen Hou, Si Hou, or even further Hous to save him a lot of trouble. But he didn''t do that; he just sent him to Mao Hou and left. Mao Hou, precisely the place Xiang Beifei had visited before, and he also carried water from Mao Hou on him. Was it because Xiang Beifei hadn''t obtained the token from Chen Hou, so he couldn''t be transported to Chen Hou? "Xiaohei, bring out the stream water you saved last time for me to see," Xiang Beifei said. Xiaohei immediately wagged his tail, spat out several bubbles, and pushed a cluster of bubbles towards Xiang Beifei. Upon closer inspection, Xiang Beifei found that the water inside the bubbles had already gathered together, forming a small whirlpool. He poked the cluster of water, and it started turning, forming a shape resembling a small tadpole and pointing in one direction. The direction it pointed was different from Chou Hou''s soil cone and Zi Hou''s air spiral. Zi Hou''s air spiral''s tail tip pointed towards Chou Hou, Chou Hou''s soil cone pointed towards Yin Hou. Clearly, this water served as the compass for Mao Hou and thus should point towards the next Chen Hou. "Grandpa has arranged the compasses for Mao Hou and Chou Hou for me, but he didn''t tell me to look for Yin Hou, which doesn''t quite add up." Xiang Beifei analyzed Grandpa''s handling logic¡ªhe knew the Hous so well, he surely wouldn''t have let Xiang Beifei miss the token from Yin Hou. "If it''s said that one needs to get one specific item from each Hou, could it be because¡ªhe discovered that not only do I have the stream water from Mao Hou on me, but I have also obtained and transformed something from Yin Hou without realizing it?" Xiang Beifei speculated inwardly. "But where would I have gotten something from Yin Hou?" Xiang Beifei carefully examined every item on him; he indeed had many system items, but these were from other people and had no connection to Yin Hou. And since Xiang Beifei had never been to Yin Hou, when had he obtained something from there? Xiang Beifei checked all his belongings again, but still found nothing related to Yin Hou. Could his speculation be wrong? Xiang Beifei was puzzled; at this moment, Xiaohei suddenly barked twice, sensing something wrong at the foot of the mountain. Chapter 675 - 498: Youmengs Ordeal Chapter updates will resume at 5:30 pm as usual. Subscribed readers can refresh the chapters to update without subscribing again. "The situation is not as simple," Elder Luo said. "In the individual competition, there are only eight rounds, with one round equalling one point; therefore, total points are very significant. But have you ever considered that other schools, to get a higher total score, will definitely devise a way to secure that one point? And that this one point is almost a guaranteed win against whom?" Long Guocheng and the others understood: "Against our Liangzhou University?" Now, all the other eight universities have a common understanding that Liangzhou University does not have any SSR students this year, meaning no students in the Meridian Opening phase. Therefore, to secure that guaranteed point, they will definitely send an SSR in the Meridian Opening phase against Liangzhou University! Because if an SSR is sent against other schools, sometimes they will encounter an opponent who is also an SSR, and both in the Meridian Opening phase, inevitably one will lose. If it happens to be their own side that loses, then it''s not worth it. But now that other schools believe that all Liangzhou University students are only in the late stages of Qi-Controlling, sending an SSR in the Meridian Opening phase to face only Qi-Controlling phase students from Liangzhou University is almost certain to be a victory. Everyone wants to pick the soft persimmons first and get that one point! "Exactly, which means that our opponent in each match could potentially be an SSR in the Meridian Opening phase!" Elder Luo said meaningfully. "This..." The expressions on everyone''s faces turned solemn. Elder Luo said: "Alright, as for how to allocate players for the upcoming matches and how to break through this situation, you five need to discuss it on your own." "Really, why do they have to make a simple competition for freshmen so complicated?" Ma Ziqian grumbled to the side. To them, martial artists, the most straightforward method would be to rush in and have a tough fight, which would be the easiest. "Because that''s also a tactic." Elder Luo said: "Facing opponents with an unbalanced strength, how to arrange your players to break the deadlock and secure more victories is a type of commanding strategy. The competitions in elite universities are not only about martial strength but also about the ability to adapt to various situations on the fly, how to optimize limited personnel most effectively; it tests both the team leaders and the newcomers. Cultivating this mindset can also be applied when facing beast tides in the future." The Martial Arts Colleges of elite universities are all about cultivating pioneers and defenders; that is to say, their fundamental thinking revolves around combat. In the face of beast tides, desolate beasts vary in strength, which is why schools train their students on how to maximize combat effectiveness with efficient manpower. This freshman competition may seem unfair, with Meridian Opening phase students going up against Qi-Controlling phase students, which could make the battles seem one-sided, not truly reflecting the freshmen''s actual strength. But the truth is, there''s never been any fairness when facing desolate beasts! In battles against desolate beasts, their strength is often greater. So how to win and gain the most points is actually a test of the tactical coordination abilities of the universities. Which battle to give up on, which to go all out in, whom to send against different opponents, learning to choose and refuse, playing psychological games with one another; it''s not just about bravery, but also about wit. Although Elder Luo usually appears to have nothing to do and acts unreliably, he has served as the commander-in-chief in confronting the beast tides for the Jiuzhou Alliance, and his strategic outlook is formidable. He is very clear about the original intention behind these elite universities'' competitions. That is to say, Elder Luo has an idea of how to break through this situation, but he didn''t state it explicitly. Instead, he wanted Xiang Beifei and his team to think for themselves first. This is also a form of training. If their ideas don''t work, then Elder Luo will provide guidance. ¡ª¡ª Having heard what Elder Luo said, no one else could complain. Ye Changfeng and Yuchi Shen also sat to the side without speaking further, watching the five members led by Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei and the others fell into silence. After a long pause, Long Guocheng was the first to speak, "For tomorrow''s competition, our first match is in the second round, against Qingzhou University. Facing Qingzhou University, we don''t know who they will send to face us." Xiang Beifei said, "The person Qingzhou University sends tomorrow will definitely be this Hou Chengwu, without any surprises." Long Guocheng asked, "Are you so certain? Qingzhou University has two SSRs, a UR, and two SRs, and they haven''t decided on the candidates yet." Xiang Beifei said, "It will definitely be Hou Chengwu! He initially rejected Liangzhou University and opted for Qingzhou University instead. He must prove to others that not choosing Liangzhou University was the right decision, and his way of proving it is to come and defeat us personally." "That does make sense," Li Zimu nodded thoughtfully. "Considering how you refuted him today and injured his pride, he would surely seek revenge." "Xiang Beifei, do you have the ability to defeat Hou Chengwu?" Xi Keyao asked. Xiang Beifei fell silent for a moment, then slightly nodded. Long Guocheng and the others looked slightly better, now that they all recognized Xiang Beifei and were aware of his formidable abilities. Although he was not an SSR, his strength was incredibly powerful. With him there, even if Liangzhou University couldn''t compete with those three universities known for their overt strength, they could still stand shoulder to shoulder with the other schools. "But if the other schools all send SSRs to deal with us, we are almost certain to be defeated. Xiang Beifei can only play twice, which means at most he can earn us two points, but the four of us will almost certainly lose," Ma Ziqian said. "Unless we figure out a way to prevent them from all using SSRs against us," Li Zimu said. "Now they all think we''re easy pickings, so how can we make them change their minds?" Long Guocheng asked. "It''s simple, we must let them know that we are not that weak," Xiang Beifei said. Li Zimu caught on and said, "I get it. We have to show that our school also has a Meridian Opening phase student so they won''t all send Meridian Opening opponents against us. That means tomorrow, against Qingzhou University, Xiang Beifei, you must participate." Since one person can only play twice at most, after Xiang Beifei''s first move, as long as he shows a little of his strength, that should be enough to deter the people from the other schools and make them wary. Understanding that the ''persimmon'' of Liangzhou University might not be so easy to squish! Because if they send an SSR who ends up facing the tough opponent that is Xiang Beifei and loses, it would be a significant loss for them, and thus other schools will not rashly send SSRs after Liangzhou University. This ability was very peculiar, it could target anyone committing a sin, whether beast or human, and would then automatically form a target gate in the mind. Even if this target gate was not originally the opponent''s weakness. Just like with desolate beasts such as the Triangular Thunder Krait, whose weakness was originally its eyes¡ªbut if Yuchi Shen used the "Seven Deadly Sins Kill," he could forcibly shift this weakness to another place, like moving the target gate to the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait. Then, if Yuchi Shen struck the tail of the Triangular Thunder Krait, the beast was doomed to die! "This ability is really powerful, forcibly changing an opponent''s weakness?" Xiang Beifei said, quite impressed. "Right, I heard that originally two SSR Awakeners were going to come to Liangzhou University, but when Liangzhou University admitted an N-level, those two SSRs looked down on Liangzhou University and went to other elite schools," someone said. "Wouldn''t that drive the school crazy? Losing two SSRs because of one N-level student?" "Exactly! That N-level Awakener really is a troublemaker," they noted. Just then, Xiang Beifei exclaimed in surprise, as he noticed a figure suddenly appeared behind the infant! The figure seemed to have teleported there, holding a sword with an imposing aura, ignoring the tentacles! It was Ye Changfeng! Ye Changfeng frowned at the baby, then sliced at the baby with his sword! The baby seemed to react, but before it could turn around, Ye Changfeng''s sword had already cleaved it in two! However, the baby did not dissipate. After being split, countless tentacles sprouted from its body and merged into the surrounding tentacles. "You''re courting death!" Ye Changfeng gripped his long sword and swung it forward once more! This time his swing was like a bolt of lightning, carrying the terrifying force of a thousand jun, and the fierce Sword Qi cut through the air for hundreds of meters, actually splitting through the mass of tentacles, creating a rift! The tentacles that were cut apart tried to regroup, but countless Sword Qi bursts exploded among them¡ª Boom! Boom! Boom! All the tentacles failed to escape under Ye Changfeng''s sword and were utterly annihilated! The remaining tentacles, terrified, began retreating towards the ground and quickly disappeared from sight. "You all wait here, don''t run around!" Ye Changfeng flung his sword upwards, and the Longyuan Sword hovered above their heads as if protecting them, while he himself wielded another sword. With a single step, he flickered through space and vanished into thin air. "Thank goodness Mr. Ye arrived," Fan Kai breathed a sigh of relief. If Mr. Ye hadn''t arrived in time, they feared this journey would have been their last. But Sun Yushan didn''t quite understand, saying, "What kind of desolate beast is this anyway? How come we''ve never seen it before?" The two of them had trained in this Cultivated Domain for three years and were roughly aware of the types of desolate beasts there. Some beasts were powerful, but never had they been as troublesome as this time, nearly losing their lives today. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then turned to Xiaohei and asked, "Xiaohei, you should be able to take him out of this space, right?" Xiaohei nodded, this space was created by the system, and Xiaohei could not be confined by any ability of the system; if it wished, it could simply leave the system''s constraints. "Then take him out of this space first, and let him stay in the woods," Xiang Beifei said. This isolated island might harbor unknown dangers, but it would suffice to have Liu Gui restored to¡ª Chapter 676 - 499 Broken Throat Among these three people, the third Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage was a one-eyed man. His left eye was replaced by a large hole, and one could vaguely see his brain through the left eye socket, but the rest of him appeared quite normal. "There was some disturbance at the Blood Altar just now," Broken Arm said, gazing towards the summit. "But?" Broken Throat''s words were always very simple because if he spoke too much, blood would start flowing from his throat. "I also find it odd. It''s as if the Blood Altar suddenly became activated," the one-eyed man said. "You, me," Broken Throat said simply. "Yes." Though Broken Throat''s words were simple, the one-eyed man and Broken Arm understood him perfectly, and they quickly leaped up, flying towards the summit¡ªpresumably to the Blood Altar in Marquis Domain to check the situation. Broken Throat, however, remained in place, his gaze sweeping into the distance. His powerful Orifice Perception manifested, searching the entire Withered Forest. "Three in the Orifice Transforming phase." Xiang Beifei frowned slightly. Dealing with these three wasn''t too difficult for him in his current state¡ªhe probably had a seventy percent chance of winning even if he took on all three of them. But he didn''t rashly reveal himself, because this place was no longer as simple as the third dangerous area, Tranquil Domain! In last year''s Newcomer''s Contest, Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage lured the participants of the team trials taking place in the second dangerous area, Marquis Domain, to the Withered Forest using blood altar projections. When union members arrived, they were in the third-ranked dangerous area, Tranquil Domain, but the Withered Forest had vanished. From Xiang Tianxing''s pioneering stone, one could infer that the Withered Forest was actually from the fourth-ranked dangerous area, Marquis Domain! That is to say, this place had now become a very strange area, no longer under the control of Jiuzhou humans, but rather the territory of desolate beasts. Now, three Ghostly Visages appeared here again, one of them being the familiar Broken Throat. It was clear they had been monitoring the Withered Forest all along. Most importantly, he had just perceived a sense of Orifice Perception that was even more powerful than these three¡ªa source he did not know, which made him quite wary! Broken Throat, standing on the cliff, was deep in thought. Suddenly, numerous black tendrils erupted from his body. These tendrils spread quickly, extending into every corner of the Withered Forest. The black tendrils swept over every broken branch, stone, and root like a tide of insects, seemingly intending to search the area thoroughly once more. Soon, the tendrils were approaching the location where Xiang Beifei was hiding. He furrowed his brow slightly; a direct departure was impossible since the space here had been sealed off as soon as the three Ghostly Visages appeared. Mere invisibility was useless when his physical body could easily be touched by the tendrils. He signaled to Erha, who immediately clawed at his hoof, causing the nearby tree to split open and envelop them, then sealed back up. The black tendrils quickly passed over the bark of the withered tree where they were hiding, like a tide, but failed to find them inside. The rustling sound from outside, similar to a swarm of locusts passing by, was quite uncomfortable. "Woof!" Xiaohei was ready to rush out with a brick to give the offender a beating, but Xiang Beifei shook his head slightly. It wouldn''t be wise to do so. Although enclosed within tree bark, Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power perception was still intact. He could clearly sense the entire Withered Forest being covered by Broken Throat''s tendrils, which surprised him. Although the Withered Forest was not that large, it was at least ten thousand times larger than the City of the Old Days, Jingsu, where he had been last time. Broken Throat was alone, yet the tendrils he spread out could cover so wide an area. Xiang Beifei found that he had underestimated his opponent. Broken Throat and those like Lin Long from Ghostly Visage were different. Lin Long and others, to blend into Jiuzhou, had fused their hearts with Beast Pills and were greatly restricted. But Broken Throat''s parasitic method was boundless, and the means at his disposal were certainly more abundant than Lin Long''s. Such a species with wisdom was not to be underestimated. The black tendrils had almost searched through all the withered trees. Broken Throat found no anomalies, but he obviously wasn''t giving up and began to gather all the branches. Crack! Crack! The branches were being compressed by the tentacles of Broken Throat, shattered once more as if to ensure that not a single creature in the entire withered forest escaped its destruction, even though the trees had already been wrecked. Those tentacles also coiled around the tree trunk where Xiang Beifei had been hiding, beginning to squeeze it. This time, even Erha was out of options because if it tried to control the trees to make them harder, the anomaly would surely be detected, and it would be better to just burst out and fight them head-on. Xiang Beifei had no intention of fighting here. A faint white glow immediately lit up on his body, the power of "Stand Aside" was already affecting him and Erha! Stand Aside could forcibly prevent a third party from participating in the battle between Xiang Beifei and another target! And Xiang Beifei''s opponent was naturally set to be Erha, thus treating Broken Throat as the third party! Being affected by Stand Aside, Broken Throat was unable to touch Xiang Beifei and Erha. The black tentacles passed through Xiang Beifei''s body without catching him. Crack! The section of the withered tree that he had been dodging was once again ground to dust by the black tentacles. "Luckily, this guy is not too powerful, unable to break through Stand Aside." Xiang Beifei let out a sigh of relief. Last time, when he was in the God Refining stage, he had faced two Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage in the orifice transforming stage alone, using Stand Aside. However, Stand Aside was easily neutralized by the opponents, but now that he was in the orifice transforming stage, Broken Throat could not detect him at all. After another rampage of the black tentacles through the withered forest without discovering anything suspicious, it took a long while before Broken Throat retracted all of the black tentacles. At this moment, the two men, Severed Hand and One-Eyed, who had gone to check the blood altar, had also come down from the mountaintop and landed beside Broken Throat. "We didn''t find anything." One-Eyed said. "Im, possible." Broken Throat frowned deeply. "Could it be Youmeng struggling to survive?" Severed Hand asked. "No." Broken Throat said flatly. "That''s right, Youmeng would turn back into a tree as soon as he approaches this mountain. They can''t get near the blood altar." One-Eyed said. "If it''s not Youmeng, could it be another member of the Beast Race?" Severed Hand asked. Broken Throat did not speak further; he slowly lifted his head, took another look over the entire withered forest, then waved his hand and disappeared from the spot. Severed Hand and One-Eyed exchanged glances and immediately followed. --- Xiang Beifei was still standing in the same place, motionless. About half an hour later, he leaped out, carrying the sapling and crossed outward. As he reached the edge of the withered forest, he found that the space here was still sealed. The withered forest seemed to be shrouded by an invisible boundary. This was not a system space lockdown. Xiang Beifei couldn''t just pass through it directly. But this time, he wasn''t stumped. Xiaohei quickly slapped a brick onto the empty seal in space, and immediately golden patterns rippled out, fixing the forbidden seal in place. Then he climbed over the boundary and left the range of the withered forest. However, he hadn''t walked two steps when suddenly, a terrifying aura pressed down on him. This aura was extremely powerful, and it was the fourth perception that had not yet revealed itself. Boom! The spot where Xiang Beifei stood was directly hit by a thick black tentacle, creating a huge deep pit! Chapter 677 - 500: Doppelganger Chapter five has returned to normal. Subscribed readers can refresh the page without being charged again. Xiang Beifei didn''t ask any further questions, merely regarding Tang He thoughtfully. Tang He was an ordinary person, there was no mistaking that, as he had a system interface which was still rapidly updating. His "Po Jun Eye System" was a scouting type, capable of swiftly identifying an opponent''s weaknesses and defeating them through those vulnerabilities. Everything displayed in his system log seemed normal; Xiang Beifei''s sharp eyes could not be deceived. However, what struck Xiang Beifei as odd was¡ª This guy, for some unknown reason, carried a faint trace of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage''s essence! Was it because he had encountered an attack from the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, resulting in some residual essence? The moment several individuals appeared, the atmosphere suddenly turned sour. Chen Baiwen, Yu Hongbo, Zhu Xinjue! The college team from Yanzhou University! Unexpectedly, they had also shown up here! Zhu Xinjue caught sight of Xiang Beifei among the crowd and felt his heart skip a beat, resentment flickering in his eyes, but he quickly reined it in. Because their alliance with Qingzhou University had already broken down, they had no means to join forces against Xiang Beifei. Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, Yu Hongbo and Chen Baiwen were also momentarily surprised. They couldn''t help but exchange glances! Just yesterday, they were considering joining forces with Qingzhou University to deal with Xiang Beifei, but they couldn''t find him. Instead, Hou Chengwu of Qingzhou University ended up dead. They hadn''t expected to encounter Xiang Beifei in this place. "Don''t panic! He probably doesn''t know about yesterday''s incident!" Chen Baiwen signaled Yu Hongbo and the others with a glance, and without speaking, they all understood each other. Yu Hongbo steadied himself and said, "Xiang Beifei, I''ve long admired your reputation. I am Yu Hongbo, captain of the Yanzhou University team." Chen Baiwen nodded slightly but did not speak. Xiang Beifei looked at the people from Yanzhou University thoughtfully, his gaze sweeping over them, then lingered on Zhu Xinjue before saying after a long pause, "How did you all end up here?" "After we entered this withered forest, we realized something was off. Then we ran up to this mountain. The situation outside is very bad. Did you also encounter those strange tree people just now?" Yu Hongbo asked. "That''s right," Xiang Beifei said, his voice betraying nothing. "Are you all alright?" Yu Hongbo inquired. "Not too bad," Xiang Beifei glanced back at Tang He. Tang He was from Qingzhou University, and their team now seemed to be in a very difficult situation. Tang He also exhibited a shocked expression upon seeing Yu Hongbo and the others. He hadn''t anticipated encountering people from Yanzhou University, especially since Hou Chengwu from his university had died at "Zhu Pengfei''s" hands! He didn''t dare to say much now. Being only a late-stage Qi-Controlling SR rank Awakener without any teammates around, he was hardly a match for these people from Yanzhou University. "How long have you been in this withered forest?" Xiang Beifei asked. "We entered last night!" Yu Hongbo answered. "Last night? You''ve been here for almost a day?" Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. "Yes, we came here yesterday evening." Yu Hongbo now had no intention of challenging Xiang Beifei. On the contrary, he harbored a hint of wishing to act alongside Xiang Beifei. Because their team was also in an extremely difficult situation. This place was simply too eerie, and they were trapped, unable to find a way out. Upon seeing Xiang Beifei, Yu Hongbo felt a glimmer of hope arise within him. Xiang Beifei was very strong; perhaps he had some way out! "So, you''re all unharmed?" Xiang Beifei asked. "We had one casualty," Yu Hongbo said with a grave tone. Now only four of them remained in their team. "Have you been on this mountain since last night?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "Not exactly. Initially, we walked through the withered forest, but then it suddenly got dark, and things seemed off, so we ran up the mountain. We realized those tree people didn''t dare to follow, so we breathed a sigh of relief. We weren''t on this mountain at the start but on another one." "You are that N-grade Awakener, Xiang Beifei?" Chen Baiwen''s expression was uneasy facing Xiang Beifei. He actually didn''t want to come forward because Hou Chengwu had lost inexplicably before him, and he hadn''t seen how Hou Chengwu had been defeated. If he lost to an N-grade student, his reputation would nearly be ruined. Yet, if he didn''t come forward to challenge Xiang Beifei, he would be seen as a coward, indirectly proving that he, a distinguished SSR grade Awakener, was afraid of an N-grade! That would mean Xiang Beifei had won without a fight. After all, like Hou Chengwu, he had scorned Liangzhou University for accepting N-grade students and had been persuaded by other universities not to go to Liangzhou University. Having chosen to give up on Liangzhou University, Chen Baiwen, a proud SSR himself, had to prove his worth, didn''t he? Xiang Beifei was only calmly watching Zhu Xinjue, but a murderous intent appeared in his eyes. Last time he had not killed this guy, who obviously planned to kill him, so now he must kill Zhu Xinjue! However, as soon as he spoke, he felt his knees bend, and with a "snap," he suddenly knelt before Xiang Beifei! Zhu Xinjue and the others were also stunned! "Hou Chengwu, what are you doing?" Chen Baiwen asked in surprise. Hou Chengwu was also shocked by his own actions! How did he kneel down? Wasn''t the plan to make Xiang Beifei step off track? Why did he end up kneeling instead? Hou Chengwu''s face turned beet red, and he angrily tried to stand up, only to find that no matter what, he could not get up! ¡ª¡ª But just then, Hou Chengwu, with sharp eyes, suddenly spotted Xiang Beifei''s figure and shouted, "He''s over there!" This time everyone saw clearly, Xiang Beifei was a real person! The others also saw Xiang Beifei, but due to the flood, it was hard for them to separate themselves. "Yu Hongbo, you help us keep an eye on these SR, the few of us will deal with him!" Hou Chengwu yelled. "Alright!" Yu Hongbo had to take care of his own people, otherwise the SR would be directly submerged by the flood. A ruthless look flashed in Zhu Xinjue''s eyes, and a giant glass sphere appeared in his hand. Between flashes, the sphere turned into an illusory light, shrouding this void. "Let''s see where you can go this time!" Zhu Xinjue sneered. The glass sphere was a UR-level spatial system item, capable of rendering any spatial teleportation useless. Since everyone had a Forfeit Talisman, Zhu Xinjue was worried that Xiang Beifei would escape. Soon, Hou Chengwu, Zhu Xinjue, Chen Baiwen, and He Qiutong had Xiang Beifei surrounded. Their strong aura was no less intimidating than the flood, as they stared tightly at Xiang Beifei. "Xiang Beifei, although I know you''re strong, now there are four of us. I advise you to forfeit," advised He Qiutong. He Qiutong was unaware of Zhu Xinjue''s plan; her goal was the same as Chen Baiwen''s, they just wanted Xiang Beifei out of the game. Xiang Beifei looked indifferently at the four people in front of him. Four people, easier to deal with than five. "That''s right, we don''t want to harm you, just walk away on your own, to avoid any trouble," Chen Baiwen said gravely. However, Hou Chengwu and Zhu Xinjue were filled with endless killing intent. "What are we waiting for? To get him out, we need to take him down first!" Hou Chengwu shouted. This time he felt confident enough to face Xiang Beifei. Although he didn''t know what went wrong during the spar last time, but now it was four against one. No matter how powerful Xiang Beifei was, in his eyes, he was definitely a dead man! Hou Chengwu said through clenched teeth, "Today, I''ll make you pay the price!" That day, he, a grand SSR, was stuffed into a trash bin, utterly losing face. Today, he had to kill Xiang Beifei! "Three against two, not too bad, could be worse," Xiang Beifei said. "Three against two?" Zhu Xinjue scoffed, "Have we scared you silly? Can''t you even count properly? It''s four of us against you alone!" "President Ren is so respected and esteemed, he said that the name is not important, the strength is what matters. A senior who can say such a thing must have a broad mind, he wouldn''t bother with trivial matters like names with me, right? As President Ren''s proud student, why is your way of handling things inconsistent with his ideals?" Xiang Beifei looked at Hou Chengwu with puzzlement and added, "Haven''t you even learned the basics from him?" His words were impeccably phrased, first mocking Ren Jianghai, then immediately elevating Ren Jianghai to a high status to prevent him from taking issue with Xiang Beifei''s mockery about names, and subtly disparaging Hou Chengwu in the process. "You..." Hou Chengwu was so enraged by Xiang Beifei that he turned crimson. In mid-air, Li Zimu stood there, watching the people below in astonishment and said, "They actually can''t tell the difference." The flood here was an illusion created from Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm. Li Zimu''s Poetry Realm had reached a level where it was truly indistinguishable from reality. However, given that Hou Chengwu and Chen Baiwen were both SSR, one system level higher and more advanced in cultivation than him, they theoretically should not have been so embarrassed. "Of course they can''t tell, not a single one of them is a spiritual power System Awakener," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power was attached to the illusion created by Li Zimu, so even with his late-stage Qi-Controlling cultivation, his flood had the power of the Meridian Opening stage! As for the suppression by system level, with Xiang Beifei present, the supposed superiority of the SSR system was just a decoration. He had specifically sought Li Zimu''s help to trap this group of people. But after walking a distance, a fork in the road suddenly appeared! Xiang Beifei''s figure once again appeared at the fork, but then disappeared again on that path. "Which way should we go?" Hou Chengwu asked Chen Baiwen frantically. Chapter 678 - 501 Youmong The Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage were highly intelligent, certainly not inferior to humans, given the capabilities and execution strength they had shown. Unbelievably strong. In order to capture the elite students, they had gone to great lengths to lead the freshmen participating in the newcomer trials into the Withering Forest, and then it was like hunting there, dealing with these students under the watchful eyes of many experts from the alliance. In order to infiltrate Jiuzhou, they had even gone so far as to dig out their own Beast Pills and mix them with human hearts, a method that greatly limited their strength. Yet, they still continued to deploy their plans with efforts and maintained strict secrecy, silently blending into Jiuzhou for many years without being discovered. Whether it was Lin Long or Broken Throat, their vigilance was extremely high. To tell the truth, dealing with a cautious Ghostly Visage like Lin Long wouldn''t have been easy if not for Xiang Beifei''s unique abilities. Nonetheless, he had managed to gain Lin Long''s trust after spending two months undercover. Xiang Beifei''s discernment was indeed powerful, giving him an edge in this regard. Someone like Broken Throat, if near Jiuzhou, Xiang Beifei surely would have tried to kill, but now he was in the Domain of Requirement, not on human territory. The Domain of Requirement was the fourth dangerous area of the Outer Wilderness, barely touched by humans. With no reinforcements and Elder Luo unable to come to his aid if something happened, Xiang Beifei chose to hide himself first until he had a clearer understanding of the area. ... Xiang Beifei had already left the territory of the Withering Forest and, guided by the waters of Mao Hou Creek, began to head towards the direction of Chen Hou. As for whether Mao Hou would be occupied by the Ghostly Visage again, he could not manage that. He couldn''t always guard Mao Hou. Xiang Beifei had flown wildly towards the north for seven days. With his speed, flying for seven days had still not brought him to Chen Hou, leaving him unsure of just how far Chen Hou was from there. Considering his flying speed, seven days would have been enough to fly several hundred round trips across the continent of Jiuzhou. Constantly flying at full power also consumed his Spiritual Power. Seeing a cliff ahead, Xiang Beifei landed on its edge, making sure there were no desolate beasts around before he stopped to rest. "This endless expanse, who knows what lies ahead." Gazing into the vast land ahead, Xiang Beifei couldn''t help feeling somewhat emotional. He had come directly from Chou Hou to Mao Hou in the Domain of Requirement, bypassing the Tranquil Domain entirely. His journey had been like feeling his way across the river by groping for stones, as even the historical records of Jiuzhou did not have detailed accounts of such places. Sometimes he encountered God Refining period desolate beasts along the way. If they didn''t trouble him, he didn''t bother with them, but if any blind ones attacked him, he let Erha handle them. Erha was a diligent and capable fighter, loving nothing more than a good fight ¨C after all, victory meant food. Just earlier, an imposing Earthbound Bear had burrowed out of the ground, attempting to swallow Erha whole, but was immediately stomped to death by Erha, who then harvested its Beast Pill. "Don''t stir up trouble next time," Xiang Beifei flicked Wooden Kirin''s head. "Woof! Woof!" Erha lay beside Xiang Beifei, not particularly concerned about the earlier incident, contentedly rolling over. Having just eaten a Beast Pill and with the rare appearance of the sun, it was a good time to sunbathe and aid digestion. "This little sapling hasn''t withered, how odd." Xiang Beifei took out Youmong and placed it in the sunlight. He wasn''t sure if the sunlight here was useful for Youmong since Xiang Beifei lacked experience in nurturing such creatures. For convenience in carrying, Youmong had always been planted in the breath soil. The breath soil Xiang Beifei owned was different from normal soil, which contains various trace elements essential for plant growth, but his breath soil was just pure sand, extremely clean. Such soil would definitely not support the growth of normal plants, but considering Youmong seemed like a type of desolate beast, and such conscious plants usually liked Spiritual Power, he decided to give a bit of his own Spiritual Power to it. Xiang Beifei placed Youmong on a rock, lay down beside it, comfortably stretched, and thought for a moment before injecting some Spiritual Power into the breath soil. He had been nurturing Youmong with his Spiritual Power for the past seven days, during which Youmong''s injuries had significantly improved and it had sprouted two tender green shoots, indicating effectiveness. Xiang Beifei decided to take a short nap, setting up a protective formation nearby before closing his eyes slightly. Even he needed a rest after continuous travel. Xiaohei also squatted beside him, wagging its tail as it slept. But then, Youmong''s leaves suddenly quivered twice. The new shoot on top gently turned, tilting towards Xiang Beifei''s side, and soon two small cracks appeared on the full small branches beneath the top shoot. The cracks slightly opened, revealing a pair of timid black eyes, the size of green beans, with vague facial features including a small nose and mouth appearing beneath. Youmong blinked its eyes twice and then moved its two side branches, which bore leaves like small hands, quietly lowering them slightly. Seeing that Xiang Beifei seemed to be asleep, Youmong propped itself with its side branches on the breath soil and pulled its slender roots out, the roots at its feet splitting into two little feet. It then sneaked another glance at Xiang Beifei, and seeing that he was still asleep, turned around stealthily, stretching its small hands and tiptoeing to the edge of the rock, and jumped down. It clearly intended to land on a rock half a meter below, but perhaps it was still too tender, and stumbling with its footing, it fell with a "clap" to the edge of the rock. Panicking, it stretched its side branches, desperately clutching at the edge, dangling there. Youmong hurriedly tried to pull itself up onto the rock with its little feet. After struggling for a while, its side branches slipped and a trace of panic appeared in its eyes before it fell off the cliff. It hadn''t even hit the ground yet but its vital essence seemed to drain away as if withering right then, and soon it turned into a piece of withered small tree trunk. "Where do you think you can go looking like that?" Xiang Beifei lazily opened his eyes, waved his hand, and, with a sweep of his Spiritual Power, directly rolled Xiaohei over to him and caught him in his hand. The moment Xiaohei got close to Xiang Beifei, his vitality began to recover, as if recharged with energy and bursting with life again. Xiaohei looked at Xiang Beifei in panic and kept retreating, ran out from Xiang Beifei''s palm, and jumped into the crevice underneath, desperately trying to squeeze in, but the crevice was too narrow, and he couldn''t fit through. "Once you leave my side, you wither, so where can you run?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiaohei called out to Xiang Beifei in a milky voice, "Youmeng!" This call sounded very cute, perhaps similar to a kitten''s. "If I wanted to hurt you, you would have been gone already," Xiang Beifei spread his hands. After a moment, he felt curious again. "Youmeng!" Xiaohei called out softly again, his eyes still full of fear when looking at Xiang Beifei. "Alright, we need to learn some Youmeng language," Xiang Beifei said. However, Xiaohei still harbored deep fear towards Xiang Beifei, tightly closed his eyes, his little feet scrabbling in the stone crevice, and quickly burrowed into the soil of the crevice, transforming back into a small sapling, stubbornly refusing to cooperate with Xiang Beifei. "Woof?" Xiaohei asked. "It probably thinks I''m an accomplice to the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage," Xiang Beifei explained. Clearly, the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage that massacred the Youmeng resided inside people''s bodies, using human appearances to operate. Thus, seeing Xiang Beifei, it subconsciously deemed Xiang Beifei as the murderer of its kin. Xiaohei was so young, obviously just born, and probably couldn''t even tell the difference between the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage and people. Xiang Beifei didn''t mind, he had rested enough, then he stood up and said to Xiaohei, "I''m leaving, do you want to come with me?" Xiaohei was unmoved, still standing on the cliff. Xiang Beifei moved his feet and took a small step forward, about two meters away. At that moment, one of Xiaohei''s side buds began to yellow. Whoosh! Xiaohei moved the side bud toward Xiang Beifei, and the withered leaves turned green again. Xiang Beifei took another step forward. The vitality on Xiaohei''s body started to ebb, he slowly bent down, stood for a moment, but finally couldn''t stand it anymore, stealthily pulled out his little feet, moved a little towards Xiang Beifei, and then burrowed back into the soil, finally straightening his back again. Xiang Beifei chuckled wryly. This little guy looked quite stubborn. Xiang Beifei was in no hurry, slowly moved another step, maintaining a distance that would make Xiaohei wither, and Xiaohei couldn''t bear it anymore, pulled his feet out of the soil, and rushed towards Xiang Beifei again. But this time, before he could take root, Xiang Beifei moved forward again. Xiaohei could only follow clumsily once more, but his walk was awkward. He stumbled every three steps and almost turned into a muggle. "You can jump over here." Xiang Beifei rolled the breath soil over to Xiaohei''s feet. Xiaohei held his head high, looked away with a very ''I''d rather wither and exhaust myself leaping off this cliff than compromise'' attitude. But the breath soil exuded a strong Spiritual Power, temptingly fragrant, attracting him. He held his head high, still refusing to look at Xiang Beifei, quite temperamental! However, his body betrayed him, his little feet couldn''t help but probe into the breath soil. "Youmeng!" Xiaohei rooted in the richly Spiritual Power infused breath soil, finding it so comfortable that he couldn''t help but moan out loud. However, he quickly realized something and hurriedly covered his own mouth with his two side buds! "Silly buns." Xiang Beifei smiled slightly and after a while, touched his chin and mused, "Strange, aren''t you supposed to turn human only at night? Isn''t it still daytime now?" He grew more and more curious about Xiaohei. Chapter 679 - 502: The Behemoth Youmeng rarely transformed into a human. Initially, in the Withering Forest when Xiang Beifei and his people approached, they did not let them take on a human form. It was only when the night fell that they began to change. But now, basking in this warm sunlight, with light so abundant, it didn''t look like night. Could it be that these Youmeng kept to their own biological clocks? It''s known that in many places of the outer domain wilderness, the distinction between day and night is clear. If the Youmeng''s transformations between human and tree followed their own routines, that wouldn''t be strange at all. Thinking this, Xiang Beifei took the young Youmeng and left the cliff, continuing on their journey. The little Youmong still seemed distrustful of Xiang Beifei. So, Xiang Beifei entrusted it to Xiaohei and Erha. Erha was carefree and did not reject the young Youmong, occasionally nudging it with his tail and pulling faces. Actually, Erha was simple-minded and amiable to everyone; as long as no offense was given, it was easy to get along with. Xiaohei, on the other hand, was very enthusiastic, communicating with the young Youmong with its bark-language. It was unclear if the little Youmong understood, as it normally wouldn''t be able to see Xiaohei. But when it came to visibility, it was all about whether Xiaohei wished to be seen or not. In Xiaohei''s presence, the little Youmong didn''t seem as afraid. Perhaps it was because Xiaohei didn''t look like the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, at least not having a human''s visage, and even curiously emitted a few sounds. An "Woof woof" from Xiaohei would prompt a reply of "You you" from the little Youmong. Although incomprehensible, it was a good start. When with Xiaohei and Erha, the young Youmong''s guard was much lower. It would also sneak glances at Xiang Beifei when he wasn''t paying attention, its small eyes filled with confusion. In its mind, Xiang Beifei closely resembled those who had violated its species. It wondered why he would rescue it, moreover using soil rich with Spiritual Power. It had a deep animosity towards Xiang Beifei and his race! But the soil was really comfortable! However, as soon as Xiang Beifei turned to look at it, it immediately rustled its leaves, shut its eyes, and stood still, pretending to be a tree. "Another dummy." Xiang Beifei considered naming it "Er-san," or "Third Fool." He continued on his way. By his own time, it had only been twenty-four hours, but he had experienced countless days and nights in the outer domain wilderness. Often, three minutes of walking would bring daylight, five minutes would lead to night. Soon, he found that his guess was probably wrong. The little Youmong still occasionally opened its eyes to respond to Xiaohei. It seemed to have no intention of being a tree by day and human by night. How strange. ---- The outer domain wilderness was truly immense. Xiang Beifei could not yet confirm if he was still in Yuyu. There were no pioneering points carved out by trailblazers here, no sense of safety. Xiang Beifei had now come to a plain. The plain was barren, with vegetation growing low, mostly shrubs here and there, with all the rest being various mud and stones. These clods and stones were odd, as if they had only recently been overturned by something. Many patches of soil were still moist, as if a great turmoil had just taken place, or as though someone had been digging the ground, turning it over. "Awoo." Erha sniffed around on the ground, eyeing the strange plants curiously. The only plant here was Tiger Thorn, but Tiger Thorn is not a domineering kind of vegetation. It doesn''t suppress other plants but tends to coexist with many. "The plants don''t grow much here; it seems only Tiger Thorn can survive. There must be something wrong over there," Xiang Beifei said. He approached a Tiger Thorn and pulled it from the ground. Its roots ran deep, about ten meters into the soil. He tossed the Tiger Thorn aside, and its roots quickly burrowed back into the earth, standing upright once more. Tiger Thorn was a type of vegetation with incredible vitality. As long as one of its rhizomes remained, it could grow back. "Was there a battle here recently?" Xiang Beifei examined the soil on the ground and looked for traces of other desolate beasts but found nothing. The compass of the Divining Stream still pointed ahead, indicating that to reach Chen Hou, he needed to cross this plain. Without much hesitation, he flew onwards. Looking out, the vast plain stretched endlessly. After about ten minutes of flying, there was a sudden "boom" from the ground, a thunderous explosion. Xiang Beifei stopped immediately, watching the ground warily. But the mud started churning, like ocean waves, the only difference being waves of soil. Splash! It was as if something had shaken the earth, creating layers of waves, lifting countless rocks, with the soil appearing newly turned. "What''s this?" Xiang Beifei watched the rolling soil with surprise. The waves moved rapidly away and soon only the disarrayed ground remained. This wave''s nature was unknown, but it was immensely destructive and accompanied by a terrifying howling noise, a continuous rumble. "Woof?" asked Xiaohei. "Not sure, but at least now we know why there are no other plants here," said Xiang Beifei. Chapter 680 - 502: Behemoth_2 On this plain, the ground was like a sea, suddenly churning, flinging mud in all directions. No plants could survive under such conditions. It was no wonder that only the tenacious Tiger Thorn could thrive here. That was the reason. "Roar!" At that moment, a deafening sound came from the distance, like some desolate beast roaring. The sound directly struck the soul, causing ears to buzz while the ground once again heaved up a massive wave of earth from beneath their feet! "You You You!" Youmong cried out in fright as if terrified by the sound, covering his ears as if overwhelmed by the terrifying surge. "Don''t worry." Xiang Beifei swept out his spiritual power, instantly blocking out the surrounding noises. Youmong glanced timidly at Xiang Beifei, pouting and looking somewhat unappreciative before squeezing towards Xiaohei, then stealing another glance at Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei searched the surroundings. After the wave of sound had passed, all was calm as if nothing had emerged or attacked them, which he found strange. "There''s something eerie about this place." Xiang Beifei didn''t stop, continuing to fly in the direction pointed by the stream''s compass, flying for about ten minutes. At that time, two huge pillars suddenly appeared ahead. The pillars were gray, a hundred meters tall and several meters thick, wrapped in a layer of stone skin with moss growing on it, and there seemed to be small holes in the pillars. From one pillar, strands of red mist billowed out, resembling some kind of poisonous gas, somewhat eerie. Upon seeing these tall stone pillars, Xiang Beifei inexplicably felt a strange sensation stir within him. "Awoo!" The Wooden Kirin, curious, flew towards the two pillars, peeking into a large hole in the pillar, but discovered nothing unusual. "Erha, don''t cause trouble, let''s keep moving," Xiang Beifei said. Adhering to the principle of avoiding trouble whenever unnecessary, he wouldn''t linger unless needed, but Erha suddenly discovered something, gesturing with its hoof towards Xiang Beifei, pointing at marks on the pillar. Frowning, Xiang Beifei flew over and approached the pillars. In the earth beneath the pillar, Xiang Beifei soon saw a strange plastic artifact, originally made from extremely tough material, which even masters of the Orifice Transforming stage found hard to damage. "Isn''t this a manufacturing process unique to Jiuzhou?" Xiang Beifei quickly recognized the plastic item because it had the Jiuzhou factory''s serial number on it. He had left Jiuzhou, not knowing how far, and had arrived at the Frontier, without even knowing whether he was still in the Frontier; fundamentally, barely anyone ventured here. To see a plastic artifact made by the people of Jiuzhou here was quite a surprise for Xiang Beifei. He picked up the damaged object, which was actually shattered as if crushed by some immense force. Instantly, Xiang Beifei used "Return to the Original State" to repair it, quickly restoring the fragmented plastic artifact into a red bead, the size of a thumb, while a strange aura emanated from it. Upon sensing this fluctuation, he suddenly startled. The fluctuation felt incredibly familiar! But for the moment, he couldn''t recall where it was from; just as he was about to investigate more carefully, the nearby pillar suddenly let out a huge roar, bending down and sweeping toward them! "What the hell is that!" Xiang Beifei suddenly came to his senses, lifted his head, and found Erha poking its large tail into a small hole in the pillar, while Xiaohei and Youmong were squatting on Erha''s head, curiously peeking into the hollow of the pillar but were also startled by the sudden movement of the pillar. "Erha, what are you doing!" Xiang Beifei quickly rolled over, then leaped to the side, dodging the pillar''s attack, while Erha also jumped back in fright. "Awoo! Awoow awoo!" Erha indicated that it just wanted to see what was inside the pillar, but at that moment, the entire plain was suddenly covered with sand and soil, as if a terrifying giant beast was gradually awakening and began to surge from the ground. Bang! Bang! Bang! The ground''s soil exploded into countless holes, a powerful aura swept out from each hole, the sound deafening. At the same time, an extremely terrifying oppressive force descended from the sky! "Come back quickly!" Xiang Beifei shouted. Erha, followed by Xiaohei and Youmong, quickly ran toward Xiang Beifei. They had just reached him when the ground bulged enormously, as if the entire area within hundreds of miles had suddenly overturned. The ground seemed to turn into the sky, and the sky became the ground, with stones everywhere, pressing down on them. Xiang Beifei was also greatly startled! He saw an extremely shocking scene: a nearly kilometer-tall giant claw stretched out from the ground, slammed onto the ground, and the entire ground seemed about to shatter, unable to withstand its powerful impact and breaking further. But this was just one giant claw; a mile away, a hill seemed to rise up. Xiang Beifei thought it was a geological change, that the soil had formed a hill, but he soon realized he was wrong; it wasn''t a hill at all but a huge head! This head was terrifyingly large, the whole head perhaps thousands of meters tall, its top covered with broken stones. As it poked its head out, it also shook off the soil on its head, and suddenly, the entire land seemed to endure a mud-rock deluge. Only then did Xiang Beifei clearly see the giant beast with the thousand-meter-tall head in front of him. The beast''s face revealed a massive eye, hundreds of meters in length, deep brown in color, sweeping through the soil, seemingly filled with anger, searching for who had disturbed its beautiful dream. "What exactly have you done? How did you provoke such a terrifying creature?" Xiang Beifei asked incredulously. Erha and Xiaohei scratched their heads, indicating they didn''t know either. They just wanted to see what was inside the pillar. Who could have imagined it wasn''t a pillar at all, but seemed like some part of the giant desolate beast''s body. At that moment, the terrifying large eye suddenly turned toward Xiang Beifei! Roar! An angry roar emitted from the ugly vast head, and a tremendous oppressive force thundered toward Xiang Beifei! Xiang Beifei gasped! The tremendous momentum bursting from this colossal beast likely had the Presence of Heavenly Connection! To think it was a Heavenly Connection realm desolate beast! Youmong "you you" shrieked, also terrified by the sudden appearance of the giant desolate beast. It was initially on Xiaohei''s back, but the surge of momentum caused it to lose balance and drop onto Xiang Beifei''s shoulder. It immediately didn''t care about anything else and burrowed into Xiang Beifei''s clothes, clutching tightly onto Xiang Beifei''s shirt from within his chest pocket. Without any hesitation, Xiang Beifei turned and ran! If it were a Heavenly Connection realm martial artist, Xiang Beifei was certainly capable of grappling with them, making them struggle to look after themselves, but the problem was that this was a terrifying desolate beast! Xiang Beifei also had his own methods for dealing with desolate beasts, knowing their weaknesses as long as he recognized the beast. However, he had never seen this particular desolate beast before. Not to mention, he had never seen anything so huge; just its head alone was thousands of meters tall. What in the world was this extraterritorial desolate land, and did this creature need to be so capriciously massive! Boom! Boom! Boom! All around, stones were flying everywhere. These stones also possessed extremely potent sealing abilities, effectively locking down the entire wilderness. Waves of terrifying auras bombarded from all directions toward Xiang Beifei! Chapter 681 - 502: The Big Guy Xiang Beifei fled hastily, covering a kilometer in a mere instant, yet he still underestimated the colossal creature. The behemoth continued to crawl out from the earth, with one head alone spanning a kilometer, and its other body parts buried underground were unimaginably more terrifying! As the giant beast emerged, the entire plain was shrouded in darkness, with sand and rocks flying everywhere, as if the world was pouring down soil without end, a sight that filled onlookers with alarm. Boom! Countless tentacles rose from the ground, and almost in an instant, they swung towards Xiang Beifei. Each tentacle was hundreds of meters long, a yellowish-brown color, and exuded a strange odor. When these tentacles surged towards Xiang Beifei, he did not hesitate to counter. With a backhand slap, two bricks "buzzed" together, and golden array patterns swept toward the yellowish-brown tentacles. The array patterns swirled onward, piercing through the creature''s body. The writhing tentacles were quickly immobilized, but Xiang Beifei had still greatly underestimated the desolate beast. Though only one tentacle was blocked by the golden array, the problem was that the tentacle was simply too large, and there were too many of them¡ªtens of thousands at least. Each one was hundreds of meters long, and it took Xiang Beifei a long time to immobilize just one. While he was waiting for his golden array to spread, other tentacles swept towards him. But soon Xiang Beifei realized that these were not tentacles at all, but hair! The yellowish-brown tentacles were the fur of the colossal creature! "Damn it all." Xiang Beifei could not help but exclaim in amazement; a single strand of hair from this thing was hundreds of meters tall. How on earth did this creature grow to such a size! But at that moment he could ill afford to ponder, for other strands of hair had already swept over. The hair was extremely disordered, but their overwhelming numbers meant Xiang Beifei would likely be flattened before he could use his bricks to fully immobilize the desolate beast. All he could do was retract his bricks and dart away. This was the first time Xiang Beifei had been at a disadvantage when using his bricks. It wasn''t that the bricks were ineffective against the beast; rather, the creature was just too massive. He estimated it might take half an hour of stationary hammering with the bricks to see if the giant desolate beast could be completely immobilized. But how could such a creature simply sit there and let Xiang Beifei hammer away at it! Boom! Boom! Boom! Powerful surges rampaged in all directions, sweeping back and forth, directly aiming for Xiang Beifei''s face. A white light immediately flashed over his body! Respected as a Criterion! With his body as the center, gravity within a ten-meter radius was reversed. As the desolate beast''s thick hair was about to hit him, it was forcefully diverted by the criterion he had established and veered away, missing him completely. However, before he could even catch his breath, a tremendous pressure bore down on him, and with a whoosh, the domain he had created with "Respected as a Criterion" was shattered! The power of "Respected as a Criterion" did have its limits. Against someone of the same realm, they could easily be influenced by it, but if their strength surpassed his, they could completely break his criterion. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Countless hairs, as if freshly combed, whipped towards him again from every direction. Xiang Beifei was caught off guard by one of the hairs, feeling as if he had been struck by a massive steel plate, leaving him completely stunned. Various lights began to shine once more on Xiang Beifei''s body. Stand Aside! Abruptly Stop! Light as a Feather! ... In his struggle to deal with the mammoth being, he truly exhibited an array of skills. However, many of his abilities were only partially effective against the massive monster''s body. The beast''s advantage lay in its enormous size; while Xiang Beifei could restrict some of its hair with his powers, another part of its body, a huge tongue, would extend and lick him, making it utterly unpredictable. "This creature is really tough to deal with!" Xiang Beifei had to admit that he had met his match this time. If the desolate beast had been even slightly smaller, he wouldn''t be fighting so awkwardly. Unfortunately, its large size was a distinct advantage¡ªit could sustain all of Xiang Beifei''s abilities and only lose the equivalent of a single sweat hair. Xiang Beifei was exasperated. Engaging with this Heavenly Connection realm desolate beast any longer was pointless; he needed to leave this vast plain immediately. He tried multiple times to push forward but failed each time, as the oppression grew stronger the farther he tried to go. He couldn''t even cross space to advance. Left with no choice, Xiang Beifei turned around and quickly began to retreat, heading back in the direction he had come. Despite its size, the creature was still a beat slower than Xiang Beifei, who finally managed to withdraw from the great plain. ¡ª¡ª Standing outside the plain, Xiang Beifei''s expression was very grave. The vast plain seemed to be enveloped in a strong domain. Whether trying to cross through space or fly over from high above, one would face immense hindrances, with no way to advance at all. The only solution seemed to be to take a detour. However, the distance of the detour was unknown, as the terrain of that region appeared to be boundless, with nobody knowing how much area it actually covered. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei expressed his amazement, saying that when they had just been on top of that huge body, it was like fleas on a tiger¡ªthe tiger had gotten angry and chased them as they ran. Xiang Beifei glared at Xiaohei without amusement. Chapter 682 - 502: Big Guy_2 "It''s all your doing, isn''t it? Did you just poke someone in a sensitive spot? Erha, why did you stick your tail in there?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Woof." Erha said it just wanted to see how deep the hole was, but somehow it had angered the other party. "Stop messing around!" Xiang Beifei touched his forehead and had no choice but to find a mountainside nearby. He drilled a hole in the mountainside and sat down temporarily in the shallow hole. The recent scuffle with that bulky creature had drained much of his strength, so he needed to rest for a moment. Youmong timidly poked its head out from the pocket on Xiang Beifei''s chest, still looking a bit traumatized. However, it clearly looked at Xiang Beifei with a hint of admiration, probably impressed by his abilities just now. "You-you!" Youmong whispered softly. "I don''t understand." Xiang Beifei spread his hands. Youmong blinked, hesitated, and then called out again. "You better go and learn the language from Xiaohei!" Xiang Beifei paid no attention to Youmong and instead took out the red bead he had obtained from the soil earlier, examining it closely. This red bead wasn''t a system item but resembled the material of a pioneering stone, emitting a familiar aura. he just didn''t know what this red bead was used for. After studying it for a long time, Xiang Beifei still could not figure out the meaning of the red bead, but he didn''t dwell on it and simply stored the bead away. "Speaking of which, what exactly is that bulky creature?" The databases of Jiuzhou had no detailed records, and he still did not know what that desolate beast was called. However, he had taken a photo of the desolate beast and decided to name it "Earthbeast" for now. If he could return to Jiuzhou, he would make it a reference. Xiang Beifei sat meditating in the cave all night. Even in the Great Desolate Realm, he did not forget to train earnestly during his rest. Training helped solidify his Orifice Soul. Now, Youmong seemed less resistant to Xiang Beifei and was starting to communicate with Xiaohei. Xiaohei had managed to make Youmong slightly lower its guard, and it was currently learning the Youmong language. Xiaohei was very clever. Although it did not speak Youmong, it could still learn. When it had encountered the Wooden Kirin, it had learned the Kirin language between "Woof" and "Bark." Erha also learned how to bark for a long time, but it naturally understood human language, so it saved the trouble. Anyway, each of them spoke their own language, and they could understand each other just fine. Xiang Beifei was now waiting for Xiaohei to understand Youmong so that it could translate it into "Bark" for Xiang Beifei. This process was a bit complicated, likely involving "Youmong" to "Bark" then to "Human Speech." Xiang Beifei admired himself for being able to deal with these abnormal little fellows. Xiang Beifei did not try to cross the plain but started moving along the edge of the plain to avoid agitating the Earthbeast again. With the help of a compass, even if Xiang Beifei took a detour, the issue wasn''t too significant. He just had to continue adjusting his direction intermittently. It took him about three days to finally bypass the great plain, and the direction on the compass finally normalized, which was a relief. However, he had not flown far when he encountered a huge lake ahead. The lake was vast, stretching as far as the eye could see. The compass always pointed toward the distant horizon, indicating he had to cross the lake. The more he walked forward, the more one thing baffled Xiang Beifei. The Great Desolate Realm was simply too vast. Just the plain where the Earthbeast had been almost matched half of Jiuzhou''s territory. Compared to the vast expanse of the great plain, the mainland of Jiuzhou, covering millions of square kilometers, was practically a mini-island. If the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage wanted to expand its territory, it could easily capture other races for confrontation. Why did it have to invade Jiuzhou? Was this Great Desolate Realm not sufficient for their amusements? Xiang Beifei sat on a small boat formed from breath soil, beginning to cross the lake. Flying and traversing space were also very consuming of Spiritual Power. In such a place, he would paddle if he could, to save some energy. The small boat was just big enough for Xiang Beifei alone. Though made of sand and soil, it was incredibly fast. Xiang Beifei used a Beast Pill as a power source to propel the earth boat, allowing him to save his Spiritual Power. He also used a Beast Pill from an Invisible Beast to cloak the small boat, avoiding any unwanted encounters with desolate beasts. The journey was lonely, but thankfully, Xiaohei and Erha were there to chat and relieve the boredom. Fortunately, Xiaohei had finally clarified what Youmong had said, and during the exchanges between Xiaohei and Youmong, an unexpected discovery had struck Xiang Beifei. "Youmong understands what I''m saying?" Xiang Beifei was quite taken aback. Xiaohei nodded, explaining that Youmong was born knowing what Xiang Beifei was saying. It didn''t understand Xiaohei''s language, but curiously, it understood Xiang Beifei''s words without knowing why. However, because Xiang Beifei looked just like those people, it was always afraid that black tentacles would suddenly spring from Xiang Beifei''s body, which made it very resistant to him. "Strange, Erha can understand human speech, you can understand human speech, Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage can understand human speech, and even the newly born Youmong can understand human speech... Can everyone in the world understand human speech?" Why was it that all intelligent species seemed to understand human speech, but them, being humans, couldn''t understand other species'' languages? Suddenly, Xiang Beifei recalled Shen Tongtong, whom he had rescued from the clutches of Huajiuyue in the Great Desolate Realm. Shen Tongtong had awakened the SR-level Beast Language System, capable of learning the languages of various desolate beasts. It seemed that the Ghostly Visage had targeted her precisely because of this ability. Were these events related in some way? "Since you understand my speech, then you should know that those desolate beasts, called Ghostly Visage, and I am human. We belong to different species. They specialize in killing our people and then use our images to slaughter your tribesmen." Xiang Beifei explained to Youmong. Youmong blinked, probably recalling the strength Xiang Beifei displayed the day before, and its wariness towards him seemed to lessen. "Don''t worry, no black tentacles are going to sprout from my body." Xiang Beifei shrugged. Youmong moved closer to Xiaohei. Although less wary, it still hadn''t completely trusted him. "Do I look like a bad guy?" Xiang Beifei asked. Youmong hesitated and then nodded. Erha laughed uproariously beside him, mocking Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei was at a loss. This little fellow was probably just a newborn whelp, with a too simplistic understanding of good and evil. The trauma inflicted by the Ghostly Visage, which had slaughtered its tribespeople, made its caution understandable. "Xiaohei, ask it why the Ghostly Visage targeted the Youmong species." Xiang Beifei said. "Woof! Woof woof!" Xiaohei had already asked, and Youmong didn''t know. It had just been born, rooted at its father''s feet, when inexplicably, the Ghostly Visage attacked. In its dying moments, its father used his enormous tree roots to wrap around Youmong, shoving it into the soil for cover, saving it from disaster. This incident had happened about five days before Xiang Beifei arrived here. "That''s really strange." Xiang Beifei pondered. But at that moment, Xiaohei suddenly sniffed the air alertly and barked forward. Xiang Beifei furrowed his brows and looked ahead. They had been sailing all along, and while the lake surface was usually calm, occasionally some desolate beasts would surface to bask in the sun. Xiang Beifei hadn''t disturbed them, allowing the little boat to automatically avoid them, but now a pungent smell of blood wafted from ahead. Suddenly, Xiang Beifei saw a huge pile of shredded flesh drifting by in front of him. The pile of flesh was white, as if it had been soaked in water for a long time and was nearly putrid. It was unclear what desolate beast it came from, some of its skin still bore steel-like barbs. "Is there a fight between desolate beasts ahead?" Xiang Beifei frowned, having witnessed fierce battles between formidable desolate beasts during his journey across the Great Desolate Realm, becoming accustomed to the sight of these creatures fighting almost daily. Chapter 683 - 503: Rocks on the Lake Surface (4000 words) The closer I walked to the front, the more chunks of blood floated on the lake''s surface, resembling a massive desolate beast torn asunder by something; it looked particularly shocking. But strangely, there was no blood. The stuff floating on the lake''s surface did not stain the water with blood, and I didn''t know whether it was because it had floated for too long and the lake water had diluted the blood or for some other reason; however, Xiang Beifei could always catch faint whiffs of a bloody scent. He reached out from the small boat and grabbed a piece of flesh, but as soon as the flesh left the water, dark purple fresh blood seeped from the originally pale flesh. It quickly covered the entire piece of flesh and started dripping down to the lake''s surface. The purple blood floated on the lake, showing no sign of dissolving. Logically, a drop of blood falling into the water should dilute in it, but the blood of this desolate beast maintained the state of oil droplets upon contact with the water, showing no signs of dissipating. "Eh?" Xiang Beifei felt it was odd and returned the piece of flesh back into the lake. As the flesh entered the water, the purple blood began rapidly retracting, pulling back into the white flesh as if forcibly stuffed back in, and even the purple droplets that had just fallen on the lake''s surface were pushed by the gentle ripples of the lake back into the flesh. This greatly surprised Xiang Beifei. Was it a problem with the dismembered flesh of the desolate beast, or the lake water? "Heh¡ªback off!" Seeing this, Erha stuck out its neck and spat a glob of saliva toward the lake. The saliva it spat out still floated on the lake''s surface, like small droplets, showing no sign of dissolving. It seemed the problem was with the lake water, perhaps preventing the flesh here from bleeding. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei, its eyes whirling, told Erha, "Try using Xiao Xiang''s water spray." Erha nodded foolishly, ran to the stern, lifted a leg, and then "whoosh" peed an arc that fell onto the lake''s surface. The pee fell on the lake''s surface and still did not dissipate, but floated on the water''s surface like oil, congregating together. "Strange, does this lake water also have this ability?" Xiang Beifei pondered briefly and then cut a wound on his fingertip, squeezing out a drop of blood into the water. Plop! The blood bobbed on the lake''s surface, like a blood-colored bean, not blending into the lake water. He dipped his fingertip on the water''s surface, and the blood floating on it involuntarily moved toward the gap in his fingertip, as if a mysterious force was pushing the droplet. Then "whoosh," the droplet was squeezed into his wound. He lifted his finger out of the water, and the droplet flowed out again. It seemed as if the lake did not like foreign objects polluting it; any dropped blood had to be returned. "Truly is a bizarre lake." Xiang Beifei decided to continue moving forward to see what was happening. He had the small boat speed up further, with chunks of flesh continuously appearing ahead but getting pushed to the back by him. At this moment, Xiaohei stood at the stern, suddenly patted the Wooden Kirin''s head, and then pointed at the stern, quite astonished! Xiang Beifei and Erha turned to look simultaneously and were stunned for a moment. Their small boat was already moving quite fast, yet behind them, a swiftly moving shadow tirelessly followed. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Erha''s pee from earlier! Not just that, but also the saliva Erha had spat out. After Xiang Beifei stopped the boat, those things also rapidly halted behind them, floating on the water''s surface at the boat''s stern. Xiaohei exclaimed in surprise, "Erha, your pee is chasing you!" "Ao?" Erha extended its lengthy tail, scratching its head foolishly, not quite understanding. Xiaohei guessed seriously, "They probably want to return to your body." Erha''s eyes widened in shock! Xiaohei reasoned, "Considering what just happened, if you fall into the water, I think they will crawl back inside. As for where they will enter, probably wherever they came out from!" "Whine???" Suddenly, Erha clenched its mouth tightly, clamped its legs together, and blocked a certain spot with its tail, its eyes nearly bulging out! It looked frightened, hurriedly nudging Xiang Beifei with its head, signaling him to quickly start the boat and leave this place! Xiang Beifei watched the silly, scared creature, then sped up the small boat. After traveling another two kilometers, he glanced back and saw Erha''s belongings still earnestly trailing behind, seemingly harboring an inextricable affection for Erha. Erha''s entire face turned dark! "Aowu aowu aowu!" Erha urged Xiang Beifei to quickly find a solution, as it didn''t want to experience the scenario Xiaohei had pictured. "Now you know not to urinate just anywhere, right? When we''re out, we must have a sense of public duty," Xiang Beifei said. Xiang Beifei unleashed a burst of Spiritual Power, trying to directly destroy Erha''s belongings, but as soon as his Spiritual Power touched the water, a strange force in the lake water swirled away, and his force struck the surface, kicking up waves. Quickly, the pile of stuff gathered again! "Why can''t it be destroyed?" Xiang Beifei was very surprised; the lake water here seemed ever more astonishing. Erha looked agitated, insisting Xiang Beifei find a solution. "Are you stupid? Can''t you fly? As long as you don''t fall into the water, isn''t that fine?" Xiang Beifei said. Chapter 684 - 503: Rocks on the Lake Surface (4000 words)_2 Erha solemnly stroked his chin and nodded slightly, "This is a good idea." Xiang Beifei ignored this simpleton and continued forward. The lake was as eerie as the vast plain they had just crossed, and it was best to leave this place quickly. The lake was incredibly expansive, boundless. Had the lake surface not been so calm, without a single wave, Xiang Beifei might have thought he was crossing a great sea. About thirty kilometers ahead, a rock appeared on the lake surface, much like a reef in the sea. This reef showed only its top, about one meter high, and was square-shaped, though its edges were not particularly regular. It was probably only big enough for two or three people to stand on. The surface of the rock was quite flat, as if cut by a knife. Xiang Beifei stopped about thirty meters from the rock, watching it from a distance, not daring to approach rashly. Learning from the lesson of the recent encounter with the giant earth beast, Xiang Beifei was now wiser. A rock suddenly appearing on this endless lake surface was certainly strange. He carefully extended his spiritual power toward it, searching for anything unusual about the rock, but it seemed to be just a normal stone, nothing special about it. Xiang Beifei moved closer again. At this moment, he suddenly heard a whooshing sound, followed by turbulent waves erupting from the distant lake surface as countless black tentacles burst forth from the lake bed. The black tentacles converged in the air, interweaving with each other, then started to retract. In just a moment, a blood-stained man appeared in the air. This man had a bloody, gaping hole right through the middle of his head, piercing his brain. Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage! When Youmong saw the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, it suddenly grabbed Xiang Beifei''s clothes, its expression turning panicked. After a long moment, it seemed to realize something and looked at Xiang Beifei, hesitating whether to let go. "I told you, I''m not like those creatures. I am of the Human Race, they are of the Parasitic Race. They killed my kind and then took their forms to appear," Xiang Beifei reassured. Youmong thought for a long time. Considering Xiang Beifei''s prowess, it clearly trusted him more. "What''s with these guys? Why won''t they leave us alone?" Xiang Beifei kept his small boat very concealed. Although it was invisible, he still moved a bit further back, wanting to see why these creatures appeared here again, what they were doing underwater just now. The man with the brain hole floated in midair, surveying the entire lake surface. After a while, the lake surface produced another splashing sound, and countless more black tentacles surged up, forming seven or eight people in the air. These were both men and women, all unmistakably in the guise of pioneers. Seeing so many scarred Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visages made Youmong even more panicked. It clung to Xiang Beifei''s clothing, its little eyes peering out, fearfully watching these Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visages. "Still haven''t found it?" Brain Hole asked. "Yes, still not found. The lake water here is very strange," one of the Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage with only half a head left replied. Brain Hole pondered for a long time before he spoke gravely, "Go check there again." "But that place..." a long-haired woman with a face as purple as if poisoned hesitated. The others also glanced at each other, a look of apprehension in their eyes, seemingly reluctant to go. "We must go!" Brain Hole stated emphatically. "Yes," all the Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visages could only respond. Brain Hole turned and walked toward the reef on the water surface. He stood on the rock, with his back to Xiang Beifei, then walked forward, quickly appearing to sink suddenly, gradually disappearing on the lake surface. The other Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visages also followed Brain Hole, gradually disappearing beyond the other side of the rock. "What are these guys looking for?" Xiang Beifei stood on the small boat for a moment, then, worried that the ripples from the boat might attract attention, he retracted the boat made from breath soil, and flew directly over to the rock. Once he landed on the rock, he discovered steps descending on the other side, leading downward step by step into the water. It seemed that the group of Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visages had used these steps to walk into the water. "Strange, why do they have to go through here to enter the lake? Can''t they just walk in from somewhere else?" Xiang Beifei wanted to see what was unusual about this stone, so he decided to dive into the water himself to check. But the Wooden Kirin, having shrunk in size, was perched on his shoulder, and Erha was right at his feet. "Erha, quickly take that pee back; it looks disgusting," Xiang Beifei said. "Ow ow ow!" Erha protested, he would never let such a thing happen! "Then go stay over there." Xiang Beifei extended his finger, flicked Erha''s head, and sent it flying out; the liquid under Xiang Beifei''s feet immediately sputtered towards where Erha had gone. Erha stopped in mid-air, looked down at the fluid it had created, and flew a few meters to the left, unswervingly, the liquid followed. It then flew to the right, and the stuff still merrily tagged along, sticking to Erha like a stubborn plaster! Xiang Beifei moved a few steps to the side, covered his body with spiritual power, then sank into the lake water. The lake water was isolated from him by his spiritual power and did not stain his body. Perhaps because there was ample light here, the underwater visibility was clear. However, bizarrely, there seemed to be no bottom to the stone from underneath the water surface¡ªit was as if the stone was floating. Xiang Beifei resurfaced, then looked again at the stone. He realized there was something very peculiar about this place and decided to check under the lake, but it could only be done via the stairs he''d used before. "Should I go check it out?" Honestly, Xiang Beifei didn''t feel like confronting the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage right now since this place was the wilderness outside of his domain. Besides, the Ghost Whiskers might have a trick up their sleeves. If there was a Heavenly Connection realm priest around, he could likely be at a disadvantage. "Forget it, I should head to Chen Hou instead," he thought. Xiang Beifei decided to not bother with these matters and hurriedly find the Hou as a priority. However, just after he had flown past the stone on the lake surface, the compass on Mao Hou suddenly reversed direction, pointing backward. "Hmm?" Xiang Beifei was quite amazed! Why did the compass point back all of a sudden? He flew back a few steps and landed on the rock; then, the water compass suddenly changed back to water. Wait, this place is Chen Hou? Xiang Beifei left the rock and circled it a few times, discovering that no matter which direction he went, the compass always pointed toward this rock. Xiaohei barked in confusion, "Isn''t Chen Hou supposed to be a mountain?" "I don''t know," Xiang Beifei responded. That was precisely what Xiang Beifei wanted to know as well. Apart from Yin Hou, which he had never visited, the other three Hou he had encountered¡ªZi Hou, Chou Hou, and Mao Hou¡ªhad all appeared in the form of mountains. Only here was the Hou just a rock, and moreover, a rock floating on the lake surface. Could it be that this rock was the mountaintop, and the entire mountain was actually buried under the lake? But he hadn''t seen any sign of a mountain under the lake earlier either, which also seemed hard to explain. "Wherever the Hou appears, there are traces of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. It seems that these creatures are also looking for the Hou," he thought. But what was the purpose of the Ghostly Visage searching for the Hou? Xiang Beifei didn''t even know what he was searching for; he was just trying to find Xiang Tianxing and his wife. But clearly, like the couple, the Ghostly Visage had some purpose in coming here. However, it was obvious they had found quite a few Hou already. Xiang Beifei landed directly on the rock, preparing to dive into the water. If this was indeed Chen Hou, he had to find the blood altar there and create a compass. Splash! Xiang Beifei cautiously stepped towards the steps behind the rock, stepping onto the first stair in the water. Chapter 685 - 504: The Flagstone Path As Xiang Beifei''s feet touched the water, it seemed as though it slickly moved aside, not wetting his body. He pondered for a bit, then withdrew his spiritual power, and found that his clothes were actually still dry. "Erha, are you coming or not?" Xiang Beifei looked up and asked. Erha looked down at the liquid beneath its feet and shook its head frantically, scared that the fluid would be forced back into its body, which was definitely not a pleasant experience. "Woof, woof!" Xiaohei mocked Erha for being a scaredy-cat. "Then you wait here and keep watch for me, alert me immediately if there''s any situation," Xiang Beifei said. Erha, too, was a creature from the Spirit Gathering Book and could communicate with Xiang Beifei telepathically. After leaving Erha on the outside, Xiang Beifei continued downwards. The steps that were just now invisible at the bottom of the lake became increasingly numerous, layer by layer, as if they appeared in tandem with his descent. These steps weren''t connected to each other; they were individual slabs about half a meter in length, floating in the middle of the lake water as though held up by some mysterious force, arranging themselves into a path leading into the abyss. He descended deeply, counting roughly over two thousand steps. By an estimate of twenty centimeters per step, he was now four to five hundred meters below the lake''s surface. The light from above the lake could no longer penetrate down here, and visibility was getting weaker. The stone steps beneath his feet seemed to be covered in moss, slippery and emanating a faint green glow, barely outlining the edges of the steps. Whoosh! At that moment, several dark shadows darted around the steps in the water! Xiang Beifei was on high alert, looking to his left. However, those shadows quickly vanished into the pitch-black water, and he saw nothing! "Is it the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage?" He stood in place and observed for a while, but still could not make out what had just flashed by in the darkness; if it was Ghost Whiskers, he didn''t understand why they suddenly left the steps. Xiang Beifei intended to chase after them for a clearer look, but as soon as he left the steps by about a meter, the steps beneath him flickered as if they were about to disappear. With his strong perception, he was certain it was not the disappearance of light, but the disappearance of presence! He frowned and quickly stepped back onto the steps, which then wobbled into visibility again. He had a premonition that if he strayed too far from these steps, he would likely lose the path entirely. Xiang Beifei did not concern himself with the shadow in the water, instead continuing downward. After descending for a minute more, the steps on the ground suddenly smoothed out, and then he found himself on a bridge! Strictly speaking, it didn''t resemble a stone bridge, but more a stone pathway floating in the water, similar to how the stone slabs that formed the steps extended out flatly in the water to become a pathway spanning across the lake. Xiang Beifei stood at the edge of the stone pathway and looked down, still unable to see the lakebed, only the dark abyss. He then looked ahead and it seemed like there was a mountain, possibly situated at the lake''s bottom. The dim light, coupled with severe visibility obstruction, prevented even Xiang Beifei from discerning anything about the mountain. But the stone pathway under his feet continued to piece together toward that mountain, whose contours were vaguely discernible, occasionally seeming to have something stretch out from it before quickly retracting, as if desolate beasts were clinging to it, which was extremely strange. Xiang Beifei observed the mountain for a long while and then shifted his gaze forward, soon spotting eight Ghostly Visages on the stone pathway ahead, heading toward that mountain. They treaded very cautiously, but as soon as Xiang Beifei caught sight of them, they vanished into the darkness. Xiang Beifei used his spiritual power to disguise himself and then hurried forward, wanting to see what these fellows were up to. The closer he got to this pitch-dark mountain, the stronger the water pressure and current seemed to be, a sense of oppression enveloping the area. He couldn''t see the lake''s surface when looking up, nor the lakebed when looking down, surrounded by flowing water that felt suffocating. Approaching the mountain, Xiang Beifei realized it was a coral reef, which was odd in a freshwater lake because the darkness made it hard to see far. He didn''t light any lamps, worried about attracting the attention of both the Ghostly Visages and something else at the bottom of the lake. At that moment, he recalled Long Guocheng''s "Witnessed by All." This ability of Long Guocheng''s allowed him to see clearly in darkness and emit a light visible only to himself, aiding his illumination, invisible to others without permission. Xiang Beifei searched his inventory for a moment and only found a small piece of candle, which was a "Witnessed to All Candle" provided by Long Guocheng as a spare for each member of their team during an expedition in the wilderness beyond the domain last year. It was just unfortunate that if the system items were not used for a long time, their spiritual power would gradually dissipate. The piece of candle, having been stored for a year, looked somewhat worn and was nearly ineffective. Xiang Beifei pinched the candle, and the essence of Revert to Simplicity acted on it, the candle rapidly returning to its original state. He then infused it with his own spiritual power, enabling its use. The candlelight flared to life, but Xiang Beifei quickly realized that something in the water was suppressing the light from the candle, so much so that its glow couldn''t reach two meters away. Chapter 686 - 504 Stone Slab Road_2 "This place is really sinister." Xiang Beifei looked at the candle in his hand, which was on the verge of flickering out, yet he continued to walk forward with it, as it was better than nothing. He proceeded along the stone-paved road and saw a cave ahead. The cave was very dark, and from within, indistinct sounds reached him. The sounds were ethereal; whenever he tried to listen carefully, it seemed as though he heard nothing, but when Xiang Beifei was about to dismiss them, the sounds appropriately resurfaced. However, just as he was about to enter the cave, Xiang Beifei suddenly felt something and sharply turned to look behind him. There was nothing behind him, still engulfed in darkness, with only a faint blue glow emitted from the stone path. "Strange." Xiang Beifei frowned slightly, then entered the cave and disappeared into its darkness. The instant he entered the cave, a pair of dark purple eyes appeared in the darkness behind him, standing out starkly as they stared in the direction Xiang Beifei had gone. Whoosh! The shadow vanished in a flash. --- Xiang Beifei proceeded along the pitch-dark cave, no longer able to see the Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage ahead, but he could see black aquatic plants covering the cave''s ceiling. As Xiang Beifei drew near, the plants gently floated and turned in the water towards him, eerily facing him. Once Xiang Beifei had passed, they also turned to follow his direction, very bizarrely. Xiang Beifei didn''t linger and quickly walked towards the cave''s exit. What confronted him was a very peculiar structure, resembling a tall palace, at least a hundred meters high. This palace stood in the water, its contours vaguely visible and constructed from individual stone slabs. But these stone slabs were not closely fitted together; every corner still had a slight gap through which some fish were seen swimming. Xiang Beifei did not see the shadow of the Ghost Whiskers, which probably had entered the palace. He immediately hurried into the palace. But at that moment, a chaotic scream suddenly echoed from ahead. The sound was particularly harrowing, so clear as it reverberated across the lake. Xiang Beifei''s brow furrowed slightly. He immediately ran along the stone path into the palace, but as soon as he stepped in, the screams Abruptly Stop, followed by a series of strange whispers, as if someone sighed in his ear. It was chilling. When he entered the palace, instead of a grand hall, he saw a labyrinth of twisted paths leading in different directions. There was no telling which direction the Ghostly Visage had gone. Xiang Beifei randomly chose one of the paths and ran forward. After taking a couple of turns, he suddenly heard voices in the darkness. "Quick! Where''s the Piercing Stone?" A voice mixed with shock and anger came from the darkness, which Xiang Beifei recognized. It was from ''Brain Hole.'' "I don''t know¡ªsomething attacked us!" came another voice, that of a woman. "Don''t panic, everyone gather over here." Rustling noises converged ahead as ''Brain Hole'' summoned his subordinates, sounding very furious. They seemed to have separated. At that moment, Xiang Beifei suddenly saw a severed tentacle at the corner up ahead. He dashed to the tentacle and upon closer inspection, he realized it belonged to Ghostly Visage, apparently having been freshly cut, with purple blood still oozing from it. "Purple blood?" Xiang Beifei didn''t remember the blood of the Ghostly Visage being purple. He shone his candle on it and soon found that what appeared to be purple blood were, in fact, weird purple bugs¡ªgloppy like mucus, sticking together. If not observed closely, they could be mistaken for a liquid. These purple bugs were gnawing at the black tentacle, but as soon the black was consumed, the purple bugs suddenly turned and uniformly eyed Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei was slightly taken aback; these bizarre bugs could actually see him! Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! More and more purple bugs approached from out of the darkness, as if they were all looking at the candle in Xiang Beifei''s hand. Then, suddenly, all of the purple bugs uniformly dissolved into the water, disappearing from sight. "Can they see the light of ''Witnessed by All''?" Xiang Beifei realized something was very wrong with the bugs here. Though ''Witnessed by All'' was supposed to be visible only to the candlebearer, it wouldn''t be surprising if some desolate beasts from the outer realms could sense the system''s fluctuations. He did not continue using the candle but snuffed it out and was about to choose a different path when he suddenly stepped on something. Looking down, he found a blood-drenched human skull with half its face eaten away. The eyes of the skull bulged, staring fixedly at him. Xiang Beifei was startled by the skull. He hadn''t sensed it when he walked past it earlier! Xiang Beifei was about to kick the head flying, but quickly realized that the head looked familiar. He remembered that one of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage had looked just like this, which meant that it was one of their parasitic bodies! As Xiang Beifei squatted down, the purple bugs covering the head abruptly vanished. He picked up the head and found that the body of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage was gone. Glancing to the side, he saw a severed arm and a half-body, also covered with purple bugs. Looking further ahead, he saw some black tendrils twitching on the ground, seemingly at their last gasp. "What here could harm a Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage?" Xiang Beifei was quite surprised, but then he suddenly thought of the cold air of Zi Hou and the stream water of Mao Hou, which were the bane of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. Since this was Chen Hou, did that mean that this place also contained such a thing? Was it these purple bugs? He had intended to use the breath soil to catch one of the purple bugs, but hadn''t expected them to disappear too quickly, not giving him a chance. "Piercing Stone, did I just hear you cry out in pain?" Xiang Beifei was still pondering when a voice suddenly came from behind him. This voice made Xiang Beifei startle again. Because he was still disguised with his spiritual power, how could the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage see him? But when he checked carefully, he realized his spiritual disguise had vanished without him knowing when. Strange! Xiang Beifei grew cautious. Was it a problem with this palace? However, he quickly calmed down and spoke up, "I ran into some trouble just now and got attacked by something." Xiang Beifei turned around, placing the head behind his back. Because it was dark here, no one could see anyone, and their vision was severely suppressed. They could only faintly make out a figure. "That''s good, Lord Kui was calling us just now. We need to hurry over," said the person, walking forward two steps. Xiang Beifei frowned and inquired, "Didn''t you hear something strange in my voice?" "Did I? I''m not very clear. The holy relic of Fubei can harm us and has suppressed all our senses. It''s good enough that I can hear you speak. Why do you ask?" the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage asked. "No reason, my throat was torn to shreds earlier, and I found I couldn''t heal it. There''s something creepy in the darkness," Xiang Beifei said, moving the head behind him again. "You were attacked by the holy relic of Fubei?" asked the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. "Yeah, barely got away with my life." Xiang Beifei saw that the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage had come within about a meter of him, but he seemed not to realize that he wasn''t one of them. "I can''t even smell you from this close," Xiang Beifei tested. "Isn''t that normal? I can''t even see you here; I can just barely make out a blurry shape to distinguish you. It''s too oppressive," the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage complained bitterly. After the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage got to about a meter away, Xiang Beifei could see clearly that he was a pioneer with a huge wound on his side, as if it had been punctured by the claw of a desolate beast, likely the cause of the pioneer''s death. Xiang Beifei, accustomed to naming them after their injuries, named this one Lei Chadao. "Can''t you see me clearly?" Xiang Beifei was surprised because, being so close, he could still see the other guy clearly, his face in plain view. "Isn''t that a stupid question? Can you see me clearly?" Lei Chadao retorted. "Uh, no, it''s too weird here." But Xiang Beifei quickly realized something. The Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage was actually suppressed here, unable to recognize him! This was his chance! Chapter 687 - 505: Puppet Child Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage couldn''t see Xiang Beifei even from such a short distance, so he could try impersonating this "Piercing Stone"; maybe he could find out what this group was up to. Xiang Beifei followed behind Lei Chadao, walking out of the passage and heading towards another. "Even someone as powerful as Lord Kui was restrained?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "All the same, why do you feel strange? Haven''t we discussed these things?" Lei Chadao asked. "I just feel it''s alarming that someone as powerful as him was also restrained," Xiang Beifei said. "Restrained means restrained, it''s the same for anyone. Let''s hurry up and not keep him waiting too long," Lei Chadao turned and headed outside. "Okay." Xiang Beifei followed Lei Chadao quietly, observing his surroundings. The place was indeed peculiar; the passage was enclosed by stone slabs, which were not sealed and had gaps between them. If the light was a bit brighter, one might have been able to see the other side of the walls clearly. They soon turned a corner and saw Brain Hole and the others ahead. "What happened?" Brain Hole asked darkly. "We were attacked, something attacked me," Xiang Beifei said. "Are you all right?" Brain Hole asked again. Xiang Beifei was relieved to find that Brain Hole indeed hadn''t recognized him. "I ran out, but that purple bug almost dragged me away," Xiang Beifei said. "You were attacked by the holy relic of Fubei?" Brain Hole asked. "Yes." Xiang Beifei wasn''t clear on what exactly the holy relic of Fubei was, but he guessed that this was what Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage called the thing on top that devoured Spiritual Power. These things were lethal to them. "You''re lucky to have escaped," another woman with a blue face said. "Yes." Xiang Beifei decided it was best to speak less to avoid slipping up. "Stick close, and don''t get separated again," Brain Hole didn''t ask any further and continued walking ahead. Xiang Beifei walked at the very end, right beside Lei Chadao. He really wanted to ask these people what they were looking for but restrained himself. Probably because of the attack on Piercing Stone, every Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage became vigilant, their attention fixed on their surroundings, not even noticing an uninvited guest in their midst. They soon reached a fork in the road; the stone path here turned into steps, branching off in different directions. "Lord Kui, which way should we go?" Half Head asked. Brain Hole stood pondering which road to take but at that moment, Xiang Beifei suddenly heard a strange sound, like someone sighing heavily. He looked in the direction of the sound and paused. About five or six meters in front of the left staircase, there clearly stood a blurred figure. Although he couldn''t see the person''s specific features, those purple eyes were shining brightly in the darkness! What is this guy? Xiang Beifei watched the figure cautiously, glancing back at Brain Hole and the others, but this group of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage seemed like blind men with open eyes, unable to see such an obvious person! Even if this group had poor eyesight, the shining purple glow of those eyes was as conspicuous as guiding lights. Could they really not see them? Xiang Beifei quickly realized that the suppression here was very noticeable on the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, no wonder they were reluctant to come down when they were on the lake surface earlier. The creature with the big purple eyes seemed to know that these people couldn''t see it, which is why it fearlessly stood so close. "Left," Brain Hole made the decision. At that moment, the purple shadow leaped upward, disappearing into the darkness. Xiang Beifei had no way to warn these Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, because he couldn''t explain why he could see them. Besides, he didn''t want to alert them; the life or death of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage didn''t matter to him. Here, he only needed to ensure his own survival and find the blood altar. They began ascending the stairs on the left, and after climbing twenty-one steps, they arrived inside a spacious secret chamber. Though it was called a secret chamber, it wasn''t exactly one. The chamber, including its walls and ceilings, were made of stone slabs everywhere there were gaps. Xiang Beifei had just entered this chamber when he suddenly found many pairs of purple eyes staring at them through the gaps between the stone slabs! Even Xiang Beifei felt chills now. What kind of place was this? Why were there so many purple eyes in the cracks between the stones? Most importantly, the group of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage still hadn''t noticed anything unusual! "It seems everything here is normal," Lei Chadao said. Normal, my ass! Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but curse inwardly. However, the other Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage also breathed a sigh of relief. Brain Hole said, "Hurry and find the Puppet Child." Puppet Child? Xiang Beifei was puzzled. Was this their purpose for coming here? But what is the Puppet Child? While keeping an eye on those purple eyes, he pondered, but the other Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage had already started feeling around. They began searching cautiously in this secret chamber. As they moved, those several pairs of eyes immediately disappeared, fading into the darkness. Xiang Beifei also pretended to search, although he didn''t truly know what he was looking for, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do¡ªhe still had to put on a show. Xiang Beifei slowly approached the walls with gaps, cautious of the eerie purple eyes. He was worried that something might drag him away in the darkness, but he soon discovered that these stone slabs were covered with murals. The murals were carved with some sharp blades, cut deep into the stone. The depicted scene was a high mountain adorned with many desolate beasts. Since there were cracks between the stones, the murals weren''t continuous. As he moved forward, the first things he saw were various desolate beasts, most of which he recognized, but some he had never seen before. "Where exactly could this Puppet Child be?" Xiang Beifei approached Lei Chadao and asked casually. "I don''t know either, if we can''t find the Puppet Child here soon, we''ll face severe punishment when we return," Lei Chadao said fearfully. "But in such a dark place with our senses so heavily suppressed, how can we find the Puppet Child? We can''t even see clearly what the Puppet Child looks like," Xiang Beifei said. "Don''t worry, this Puppet Child is something that the Demon God placed here long ago specifically to restrain them. It will resonate with us." "Them?" Xiang Beifei asked, puzzled. "Yes, they resisted the Puppet Child, but were still wiped out. However, the Puppet Child seems to have been hidden somewhere. This is the most troublesome part for us. They were annihilated, yet still left us with troubles," Lei Chadao explained. Chapter 688 - 506: The Moving Slab "Why did they have to be exterminated?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "Are you joking? The very existence of their entire species was to nurture the Puppet Child. When the time was ripe, if not harvested, then why keep them?" Lei Chadao retorted. Xiang Beifei frowned deeply, then turned his head to look at Youmong, who had been hiding in his chest all along. Youmong was always filled with dread towards the Brain Hole people and hadn''t moved for a long while. "So, was Lord Zhe also going to do this?" Xiang Beifei thought of Broken Throat. "Yes, exactly the same. The existence of those Youmeng was also for nurturing the Puppet Child, but it seems like there was a problem with the Puppet Child over at Lord Zhe''s side. Speaking of which, don''t you already know all this? Why are you still asking me?" Lei Chadao said. "Strange," Xiang Beifei remarked. Broken Throat and his Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage had exterminated the Youmeng, whereas Brain Hole was leading this group of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage here to search for the unknown species'' Puppet Child. What did this Puppet Child mean to the "Demon God" in the mouths of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage? At this moment, another Ghostly Visage approached Xiang Beifei, speaking incoherently, "I don''t want to die, I don''t want to die, I¡ªdon''t want! To die!" Xiang Beifei: "..." You fool, can''t you speak human language properly? Xiang Beifei had always been puzzled why some Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage could speak human language completely when parasitizing a person, while others could only repeat what a person said before death. He didn''t know whether it was because of a mismatch with the body or a lack of intelligence that prevented them from acquiring their host''s linguistic abilities. Most importantly, Xiang Beifei couldn''t understand a word these people said! Strictly speaking, what they were saying was human language, but because they couldn''t speak completely, they used the intonation of human speech to express their own language, much like Youmong''s daily pronunciation of the words "You" and "Youmeng." If he didn''t grasp their intonation, Xiang Beifei wouldn''t be able to understand them. This "I don''t want to die" seemed to consider Xiang Beifei a comrade and clearly intended to say something to Xiang Beifei, which caused him quite a headache. Xiang Beifei was pondering how to respond to this "I don''t want to die," but just then, a scream suddenly came from the opposite side, "Ah..." This "Ah" attracted all the attention of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, and he wondered if it was another Ghostly Visage''s way of speaking. However, at that moment, he suddenly glimpsed many purple lights flashing beneath the floor, converging under the feet of the "Ah." Soon after, the floor slabs cracked open, and the "Ah" disappeared into the darkness! "Le Tou!" Lei Chadao''s face changed color; he quickly ran towards the place where Le Tou had made the sound. However, by the time they arrived at Le Tou''s position, Le Tou had already vanished. "What happened? How could Le Tou have disappeared?" Brain Hole asked in a deep voice. "I don''t know, I never saw where he was standing," the blue-faced woman said. Everyone had been spreading out to look for the so-called Puppet Child, and no one was paying attention to anyone else. This group of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage couldn''t see the purple eyes in the dark and had no idea that danger was right beside them. Xiang Beifei didn''t offer a warning; he needed to observe quietly and just ensure his own safety. Brain Hole inquired from the others, "Have you found anything?" Everyone shook their heads. "Keep looking!" Brain Hole commanded. Everyone quickly dispersed, beginning to search the room. Xiang Beifei took a few steps, then suddenly heard several faint sounds. Turning his head, he saw that the stone slabs near the entrance had started to float up, covering the original entrance like pieces of a puzzle. The entrance had disappeared! Xiang Beifei immediately ran over and pushed against the stone slabs that were blocking the entrance, only to find that they wouldn''t budge. He looked through the cracks of the stone slabs toward the stairway he had come through, but the stairway had vanished. The stone slabs that had formed the stairs were now moving, rearranging like building blocks into a different pattern, weaving into each other, and soon all he could see was a wall. "These moving stone slabs, are they being controlled?" Xiang Beifei frowned deeply as he looked around the dark room. It wasn''t a sealed room, yet it was eerie in every corner. It seemed like a grand palace constructed from mechanical stone slabs, for since the stone slabs could move, they could form a secret passage or a hidden chamber at any moment. Shasha! Shasha! Shasha! The soft sounds of friction rose, and Xiang Beifei squatted down to look into the cracks of the stone slabs down below. He quickly saw Le Tou''s body underneath the slabs, apparently being dragged by something. Le Tou was still moving, his mouth wide open, as if trying to call for help, but his mouth was stuffed with purple light, rendering him silent. At that moment, the stone slabs below moved again, quickly blocking the view of him. "There''s an exit here, I don''t know if Le Tou went this way," said the blue-faced woman on the other side. Everyone immediately ran toward her, and upon entering the passage, Brain Hole spoke in a low voice, "Stay alert, something''s not right here." They continued along the passage, and in the darkness, no one could see what lay ahead. They hadn''t run far when the stone slabs on the ground began to drift again, quickly separating them from each other. "The stone slabs here move! Get closer!" Brain Hole shouted, his quick reflexes allowing him to jump onto the same slab as Xiang Beifei, standing together. The blue-faced woman tried to jump over too but was sent flying by the moving stone slabs. The blue-faced woman fell onto another stone slab three meters away, grabbing onto it, flipping up and landing on it. But before she could steady herself¡ª Swish! Swish! Several streaks of purple cold light flashed before her, piercing right through the blue-faced woman''s body! The blue-faced woman''s eyes widened in shock. Her body twitched slightly as if trying to resist, but the moment she moved, her head rolled off, and her thighs were severed. Her body was sliced into seven or eight pieces. The weirdest part was that the black tentacles inside of her couldn''t even extend before she lost all signs of life! Everything happened so suddenly that nobody, except Xiang Beifei, saw it. Even Brain Hole, who was standing beside Xiang Beifei, didn''t notice as he kept calling for the other Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage to quickly regroup. But in the blink of an eye, all of the Ghost Mustaches had been scattered. There were just various moving stone slabs in the air, as if all the passages and walls had disassembled and started to dance chaotically. "Damn! The holy relic of Fubei here is beyond our expectations, we need to leave," Brain Hole said gravely. At that moment, several more streaks of purple cold light flashed towards them through the air, aiming at Brain Hole and Xiang Beifei. Brain Hole, quicker than anyone else, leaped into the air, landing precisely on the stone slab where Lei Chadao was. Xiang Beifei also ducked, avoiding the purple cold light, and then jumped to another side. But Lei Chadao wasn''t so lucky. He screamed as the purple light split him vertically down the forehead, cleaving him in two. "Damn! Everyone, come here." Black tentacles surged from Brain Hole''s body, curling toward Xiang Beifei, attempting to pull him over. However, as soon as his tentacles touched Xiang Beifei, he suddenly recoiled in shock, bellowing, "You''re not Piercing Stone, who are you!" Chapter 689 507: Red Tentacles The 5:30 chapter has returned to normal. Subscribed users simply refresh to update. There will be no repeated subscriptions. Zhu Yiji furrowed his brows, "He''s just SR level! How is it possible that he caused a situation even your system can''t heal?" "Everyone who took action today is SR." He Caiwei said through gritted teeth. Upon hearing this, Zhu Yiji''s expression also turned ugly. Because the two UR levels who were defeated were both Awakeners of the SR grade! "Today''s battle was very strange, I didn''t expect Luo Yunxian to be so powerful that he could completely counter our system. How did he do it?" He Caiwei asked again. "I don''t know." Zhu Yiji also had this question in his mind, but he had no way of finding an answer. He glanced at He Caiwei and then said, "Looking at you like this makes me uncomfortable." "It was you who broke my left hand!" He Caiwei finally couldn''t help but roar in a low voice. "I didn''t do it on purpose, Luo Yunxian must have been here early, guiding from the shadows." Zhu Yiji said coldly. He Caiwei clenched his teeth, but said nothing more. Both of them blamed the day''s odd events on Luo Yunxian, but never considered the others present, and least of all Xiang Beifei. Because in their eyes, even if Xiang Beifei had high talent, he was just a martial artist in the God Refining period. How could he possibly interfere with two URs? After a while, Zhu Yiji waved his hand, and a white circle surrounded He Caiwei: About ten minutes later, He Caiwei was unharmed! This was the formidable ability of a UR level Square and Round Rules system! If it had been a common Healing System, even if SSR, it would not have recovered this quickly. He Caiwei got up from the ground, snorting coldly inside. But just then, a breath swept through, passing the meeting room, followed by a ripple appearing in the air. Everyone turned their heads to see a ray of light forcefully breaking the seal Elder Luo had placed on He Caiwei. The battered He Caiwei instantly vanished from the conference room! Zhu Yiji actually returned and took advantage of the moment Elder Luo was assaulting Wu Shixuan to kidnap He Caiwei. "Luo Yunxian, I''ll remember what happened today!" Zhu Yiji''s voice echoed in the air, issuing a harsh threat, but he had already run off without a trace. As fast as can be! "Don''t worry, where can you run?" Elder Luo didn''t bother to chase; although he could blast Zhu Yiji underground in an encounter, killing him wouldn''t be so simple. Then he looked at Wu Shixuan lying on the ground and slowly said, "Running errands for others, and they didn''t even think about saving you. Don''t you find it a bit sad?" Although Wu Shixuan had been beaten beyond recognition, Elder Luo''s voice still reached his mind. He only then realized that Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei were only concerned with their own escape, not bothering about him at all, which plunged him into despair! And at that moment, Zhu Yiji, who had been blasted to the ground, had already come out, turned into a beam of light in a fit of rage, reappeared in front of Elder Luo, and roared angrily at him, "Luo Yunxian, you dare..." "It''s not your turn, get lost!" Elder Luo turned his head and roared again. As an Awakener with extremely powerful spiritual power, his voice had already transformed into an invisible, overwhelming giant palm that slapped towards Zhu Yiji again! "You dare¡ª¡ª" Zhu Yiji was furious and swung a palm to resist. However¡ª¡ª Bang! Zhu Yiji couldn''t resist at all, his figure was thrown into the air, sent flying high, reduced to a mere speck, not knowing where he had been slapped away to. The other people present were once again stunned! "You should learn how to speak to a leader!" Zhu Yiji''s aura condensed into a sharp star light, silently sweeping towards Xiang Beifei! He had to teach Xiang Beifei a lesson! To teach this ignorant man what the consequences of offending him were! "Slap yourself in the face!" Zhu Yiji applied the power of the Square and Round Rules to the ground beneath Xiang Beifei''s feet! Within this square, the rule Zhu Yiji set was to slap one''s own face! "You should learn how to speak to a leader!" Zhu Yiji''s aura condensed into a sharp star light, silently sweeping towards Xiang Beifei! He had to teach Xiang Beifei a lesson! To teach this ignorant man what the consequences of offending him were! "Slap yourself in the face!" Zhu Yiji applied the power of the Square and Round Rules to the ground beneath Xiang Beifei''s feet! Within this square, the rule Zhu Yiji set was to slap one''s own face! Zhu Yiji wanted to make it clear to Xiang Beifei who was in charge here! But Xiang Beifei''s lips curled into a mocking smile, "Are you worthy?" Zhu Yiji froze abruptly! His Square and Round Rules had failed again! "Then I''ll do it myself!" Repeated failures drove Zhu Yiji into a fury, his aura instantly sweeping up into an invisible palm, flying toward Xiang Beifei''s face! ¡ª¡ª "Xiaohei, we need to find someone we know to help us, and by the way, collect a debt," Xiang Beifei said. "Woof?" Xiaohei asked in confusion. Xiang Beifei stood up, rubbed his fists together, and said, "Yang Chengze." Yang Chengze was a team leader at Yanzhou University. He belonged to Zhu Yiji from the Soothing Alliance Department. During the event of Zhu Xinjue changing his name and identity, Yang Chengze also got involved. Under Zhu Yiji''s direction, he used his Subtle Influence ability of SR level to sway some students who suspected Zhu Xinjue was actually Zhu Pengfei. After Xiang Beifei led his team out of the Withered Forest, Yang Chengze chased after him to confront him and even tried to pin Zhu Xinjue''s death on Xiang Beifei. Unfortunately for him, he underestimated Xiang Beifei. However, the last time Xiang Beifei''s power wasn''t enough to truly influence Yang Chengze''s thoughts. He could only slightly guide him, but now things are different. But Xiaohei had already rushed out from beside Professor Guo''s feet, extending his little paw, shattering the Square and Round Rules under Sun Heshun''s feet! "Minister Zhu! Commander He! You two are going too far!" Initially restrained, Sun Heshun finally broke free and immediately cried out to stop them! Zhu Yiji''s expression once again darkened! Sun Heshun had also broken through his Square and Round Rules? But Zhu Yiji could no longer take action! The events of that day didn''t give him the moral high ground, and once he laid hands on anyone, it also made He Caiwei realize something. He still had a chance to prove his innocence. He had been dragged into this affair, but those words had only been heard by Zhao Yong coming from the mouth of Wu Shixuan saying they were under his command. Even if Zhao Yong said so, it couldn''t directly prove that the framing was related to him! Right now, the only way for him to clear himself was to sacrifice the pawn to save the chariot! Which meant that Wu Shixuan must be kicked away! All he had to say was that Wu Shixuan was framing him! A hint of coldness appeared in He Caiwei''s eyes! ... The entire conference room had become tense and confrontational. "All of you, stop it! Don''t get too carried away!" Zhu Yiji finally stood up and coldly shouted, "You three, dare to cause chaos at the school, do you really not see me in your eyes?" His gaze was like that of an eagle as he stared down the three of them, especially lingering on Xiang Beifei, because he had not even noticed how Xiang Beifei had appeared in the classroom. This made him wary! However, at that moment, Zhu Yiji''s aura was soaring! He was still the most powerful person here! He could still suppress these few people! He quickly checked his system interface¡ª [Detected that Luo Yunxian is enraged. Would you like to spend uniqueness value to enhance your own defense?] "Ten million!" But Luo Yunxian had already raised his hand, When He Caiwei''s momentum hit the invisible barrier in front of Professor Guo, it was as if it had struck a tough city wall. The city wall emitted a strange Spiritual Power from all directions, dissolving and transforming He Caiwei''s attack and then directing it back the way it came, striking back at He Caiwei! Whoom! He Caiwei was once again repelled by Professor Guo''s counterattack! To be precise, he was repelled by his own momentum! "How could this happen?" He Caiwei stared hard at Professor Guo! In the past, he only knew Professor Guo was strong, but because Professor Guo was only in the mid-stage of orifice transforming, he had never taken Professor Guo, who was of SR level, seriously! But he had overlooked one thing. Professor Guo, with mid-stage orifice transforming power, might have limited offensive means and power, but he had the strongest defense in the Alliance! This defense was the backbone that allowed him to withstand the attacks of late-stage orifice transforming martial artists! For him, the strongest defense was a counterattack! And He Caiwei could not shake him! "What''s going on? Spill it!" Zhu Yiji shouted! Zhao Yong slapped his forehead and said, "Wu Shixuan was talking to himself. He said that Zhu Yiji and He Caiwei both wanted to deal with Luo Yunxian. He needed to take care of Professor Guo, who is close to Luo Yunxian first. So, framing Professor Guo would depend on us to provide false testimony. If he does well, he would be greatly rewarded... Yes! There was someone else named Zhu Yiji, just like He Caiwei, who directed Wu Shixuan to frame Professor Guo!" Zhao Yong blurted it all out in a rush! With his revelation, the entire conference room fell silent! The more than twenty leaders of Liangzhou University all gasped, chilled to the bone! Zhu Yiji? Zhao Yong was actually saying that Zhu Yiji was also involved in framing Professor Guo? Keep in mind, Zhu Yiji''s "Frankness Without Evasion" ability was Witnessed by All. Inside this black rectangle, absolutely no one could lie! That meant Zhao Yong''s current words were one hundred percent¡ªtrue! Zhu Yiji had made Zhao Yong say that Zhu Yiji was also a murderer? "Mr. Ye, how about your spiritual defense? Can you block the influence of UR Awakener systems like Elder Luo?" Xiang Beifei asked. Many high-level System Awakeners could manipulate lower-level systems with their own systems. Ye Changfeng''s strength and talent were only considered above average in the Alliance, so his advantage wasn''t great. "Barely, many in the Alliance have issues with Elder Luo and want to probe his secrets through me, so I''ve been forging my defenses with Elder Luo" Chapter 690 508 The Stone Man Xiang Beifei was able to see the Blood Altar because there was a purple light in the middle of the altar, emitting an extremely intense radiance that was highly penetrating, illuminating the patterns on the cave walls of the Blood Altar. Bang! Bang! Bang! Behind Xiang Beifei, more stone slabs began to form walls, attempting to seal the passage, while in front of him pairs of purple eyes rushed towards him. "I really don''t want to fight you." Xiang Beifei was quite calm, considering these beings were the so-called Chen Hou''s holy relic of Fubei, which meant they were the same as the waters and cold qi soil from other Hous¡ªhe already knew how to deal with them! Whoosh! The breath soil rapidly transformed and created barriers in front of him. The purple eyes that could devour Spiritual Power, strong enough to kill the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, hit the breath soil and were completely blocked by it. Not only that, but after the breath soil was indented by the impact, it wrapped around these beings, and Xiang Beifei could see clearly what they really were. He originally thought they were eyes, but once covered by Xiang Beifei''s breath soil, the light on them was extinguished, turning into dim pebbles. The pebbles quickly turned into powder and disappeared. Just now, they had been drained of much power by the red tentacles, and now, facing Xiang Beifei, they were drained once again. The being controlling the purple eyes seemed to have realized something was wrong and stopped attacking Xiang Beifei. Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! The purple eyes from all around converged on a cluster of light and shadow in front of him. The small eyes quickly transformed into large ones. Those large purple eyes were made from countless small pebbles, forming two fist-sized boulders that looked eerie. Soon, countless small stones flew from all directions, gradually forming a head, limbs, and a body. In the blink of an eye, a figure resembling a stone creature appeared before him. "Youmeng!" The stone creature let out a low, angry roar from its mouth, then raised its massive fist and swung it at Xiang Beifei! "Eh?" Xiang Beifei was quite surprised. Because the language of this stone creature was also "Youmeng"? Whoa! Whoa! But the stone creature didn''t give Xiang Beifei a chance to speak. Its massive fist, with powerful momentum, swung toward Xiang Beifei''s forehead. Xiang Beifei tilted his head and clenched his right fist, swinging it out as well! Boom! His fist hit the stone creature''s fist, but the creature''s body shone with a purple glow. This light moved rapidly and devoured the Spiritual Power that had just condensed on Xiang Beifei''s fist! Good grief! This stone creature actually had the ability to devour Spiritual Power! The Spiritual Power on Xiang Beifei''s fist was devoured, halving its might, and a huge shock hit his fist. With a crack, his bones fractured. Zoom! Xiang Beifei immediately withdrew his hand, dodging the punch, and stepped back several paces to the stone wall sealing the passage. A burning pain came from his arm, he had been caught off guard and suffered a loss. The aura of Return to the Original State instantly enveloped his arm, healing the damage on his fist. Thud! Thud! Thud! Having the upper hand, the stone creature didn''t hesitate. It rushed down the passage toward Xiang Beifei, footsteps booming heavily and powerfully. Whoosh! It swung its second punch! Purple light enveloped the stone creature''s massive fist, thundering forward. Xiang Beifei was cornered with nowhere to retreat. However, Xiang Beifei was not at all panicked. Breath soil rapidly covered his fist like a hard earthen armor. With another clenched fist, he gathered his own punch once again! Boom! Two terrifying streams of fist wind whistled through the air and collided with explosive force. This time Xiang Beifei''s fist was much tougher. Despite the stone creature''s fist devouring Spiritual Power, with the protection of breath soil, Xiang Beifei''s Spiritual Power erupted from within the breath soil, unleashing its full force! Bang! The muscular stone creature couldn''t withstand Xiang Beifei''s fist and staggered back many steps. "Meng!" The stone creature seemed to be enraged and swung its fists again, rushing at Xiang Beifei, but Xiang Beifei swung another punch faster. His fist roared through the air and struck the stone creature''s chin, sending it flying back against the passage, creating a dull sound! "Don''t make this difficult; it''s better for both of us." Xiang Beifei clenched his fist again. The stone creature was very powerful, already at the level of orifice transforming, yet it was no match for Xiang Beifei. The stone creature stood up, seemingly wanting to resist, but Xiang Beifei flashed past, slamming two bricks onto its head! Hum! Golden patterns instantly immobilized the stone creature. Its pair of huge purple eyes clearly filled with astonishment. "You You You!" Youmong suddenly poked its head out of Xiang Beifei''s body and called out to him anxiously a couple of times. "What''s the matter?" Xiang Beifei had not yet learned the language of Youmeng, and it was only yesterday that Xiaohei had barely understood it. He had intended to use Xiaohei''s translation to learn today, but somehow he had ended up here. Youmong pointed at the stone person and then at itself, "You You You!" Xiaohei immediately translated on the side, "Woof woof woof!" Xiang Beifei suddenly realized, "Oh!" Youmong nodded, "Youmeng!" Xiaohei translated in sync, "Woof woof!" Xiang Beifei, grasping the situation, said, "Don''t worry, I won''t hurt him. Go ahead and talk to him if you want; I would also like to know what this guy is up to." Xiang Beifei looked at the stone person who was restrained and pondered for a moment before he collected the two board bricks. Once the stone person was able to move again, it lit up with a purple glow and was about to charge at Xiang Beifei again. However, Youmong stood on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder and said to the stone person, "You You You!" The stone person seemed to have noticed Youmong on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, stopping in its tracks, looking at Youmong with astonishment and indignation, while giving Xiang Beifei an angry glare. Youmong gestured enthusiastically at the stone person, "Youmeng Youmeng Youmeng You!" The anger in the stone person''s eyes subsided by half as it thumped its chest, "Youmeng!" Xiaohei immediately translated, "Woof woof woof!" Xiang Beifei, stroking his chin, said, "I see." ... If anyone could see all this, they would definitely be stunned by the bizarre scene before them: a stone person, a tree person, a little white dog, and a human talking in different languages¡ªand they seemed to be having a serious conversation. Boom! Boom! They were still chatting, but behind them, there were Brain Holes still trying to pry the board bricks with red tentacles, the loud booming noises interrupting the conversation. The stone person looked very angry. It once again condensed a purple fist and was about to rush over to stop the Brain Holes from getting here, but Xiang Beifei stepped past them and walked toward the cave. The stone person sensed something was wrong, immediately turned around, and blocked Xiang Beifei''s way to the mouth of the blood altar cave, watching him fiercely, "Youmeng!" "Are you trying to stop me, or him?" Xiang Beifei asked. The stone person hesitated; it clearly didn''t want the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage to enter the cave, but it also did not fully trust Xiang Beifei. Boom! The stone slabs behind were being increasingly damaged, and it looked like they wouldn''t hold for much longer. "I can deal with them," Xiang Beifei said confidently, knocking the two board bricks he held in his hand. Youmong on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder pointed at him and whispered to the stone person, "You You You." The stone person looked at the board bricks in Xiang Beifei''s hand, which were flashing with golden inscriptions, hesitated for a moment, and then reluctantly stepped aside. Xiang Beifei immediately entered the blood altar, which was quiet at the moment and did not flow with blood as it did in Zi Hou. It was likely there was no blood available to supply the blood altar here since they were still underwater. The lake was strange; blood simply could not blend into the water, let alone slaughtering other desolate beasts. However, blood was only for ensuring some of the blood altar''s abilities could function normally; the main thing was that it could be controlled with the board bricks. Xiang Beifei leapt to the center of the blood altar and inserted the board bricks, then gave a slight twist! Hum! The golden patterns immediately began to flow, spreading out and illuminating the entire cave. Shortly after, the cave walls lit up with lines of golden inscriptions, centering on the blood altar, and everything within a hundred miles became clearly visible. This also included the Brain Holes that were breaking through the wall. ¡ª¡ª The Brain Holes were still very cautious, keeping the remaining Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage close by, wary of being attacked again by an unknown entity. The situation here had clearly exceeded their expectations; under normal circumstances, they should not have encountered this situation on their trip here. "Everyone, be on high alert. If I''m not mistaken, that was very likely the Human Race!" the Brain Hole said in a deep voice. The other Ghost Whiskers of Remnants Visage were quite surprised, and one of them asked incredulously, "How could the Human Race come here, all the way from Jiuzhou?" "This is not something we need to discuss. The local Puppet Child is clearly out of control, suppressing our Perception too much. We must take the Puppet Child into our own hands before anything else," one of them said. The figure of Brain Hole vibrated, and its red tentacles rolled again, lifting the board bricks at the front, parting that wall of board bricks as well. Other Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage had already extended their tentacles. In fact, extending their tentacles was unnecessary for them, and even harmful; if the tendrils reached out too far in this place, they wouldn''t feel anything if they touched something, which is why they had been keeping their tentacles in until now. But now, the purpose of the tentacles was to serve as indicators. Swish! Only one slab of stone remained, and the Brain Hole could now see the entrance. It snorted coldly and extended its red tentacles into the crack in the stone slab again. Just at that moment, all the stone slabs around suddenly lit up with golden inscriptions, instantly surrounding them all! Chapter 691 509 Trapping Turtles in a Jar Everywhere around, square stone slabs were originally floating in the air, being manipulated into various shapes, but now they were almost entirely disassembled by the red tentacles of Brain Hole, leaving everything in disarray. When these stone slabs were all covered with golden patterns, it also put everyone at Brain Hole on high alert. Buzz! Buzz! The stone slab under the feet of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage lit up with golden patterns too, and before they could react, the golden patterns had already wrapped around their feet, starting to spread upward. The three Ghost Mustaches were caught off guard and were promptly immobilized by the golden lines! The change came too suddenly, leaving them extremely startled, but Brain Hole''s reaction was much quicker; he instantly dodged the golden patterns in the air, and while looking around in shock and anger, his red tentacles immediately moved to entangle the other Ghost Mustaches. The golden patterns also climbed onto the red tentacles, which emitted a powerful presence to counteract the patterns. However, at first the red tentacles managed to cope for a few seconds, but after about ten seconds, the golden patterns began to spread over them too, and it was vaguely clear that they were struggling to resist. Brain Hole''s expression changed slightly, the red tentacles were just an appendage, and although powerful, their strength was limited. Just now, a substantial amount of their strength was consumed dealing with those stone slabs, and he couldn''t fathom where such a powerful force had emerged from, as the red tentacles were clearly becoming exhausted. "It was that person!" Brain Hole instantly thought of the person who had just infiltrated their group, feeling quite annoyed. He also recognized that the golden patterns came from a familiar source, as Xiang Beifei had just used a brick against him, and now seeing all the stone slabs here displaying golden patterns, it was clear the current turmoil was definitely related to Xiang Beifei. But Brain Hole found it difficult to rescue his comrades, as a strong suppressive force still pressed down on him, making him very uncomfortable. The influence of Puppet Child was still affecting them. He cursed inwardly and glanced at his subordinates, who had already been immobilized, and without a second word, he turned and leaped away, trying to escape. Fighting here was too disadvantageous for him; he had to get out of the range of Puppet Child''s influence. But Beifei would not give him the chance! The stone slabs in the air rotated rapidly, quickly forming a wall that blocked Brain Hole''s escape route. The wall was covered in golden patterns; Brain Hole dodged to the right, but another wall appeared there too. He continued to run to the left, but a wall with gleaming golden patterns was already waiting for him there... Brain Hole gasped for air as a wall adorned with golden patterns appeared on all six sides¡ªfront, back, above, below, left, right¡ªand suddenly began to close in on him. He immediately used the red tentacle to resist the one in front, but he could do nothing about the walls closing in from the other five directions. Thump... Thump... Thump... With several muffled sounds, Brain Hole was directly surrounded by a cubic structure of stone slabs, trapped like a turtle in a jar. This enraged Brain Hole, as he tried to pry open the cracks between the stone slabs with his red tentacles, but the tentacle''s strength was being constantly worn down by the golden patterns on the stone, growing weaker and weaker, quickly becoming covered with golden patterns. "Damn it!" Brain Hole began to panic, having come here initially to handle the out-of-control Puppet Child with just the red tentacles. But it hadn''t occurred to him that the Human Race would interfere with this matter! He truly couldn''t understand why such a formidable person from the Human Race would appear here, since the Human Race had always been confined to a corner in Jiuzhou, their territory limited by desolate beasts and unable to expand. But no matter how much he thought, it was to no avail. The surrounding stone slabs were like a coffin, trapping him tightly; he was now like a turtle in a jar, powerless to do anything about it. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei instantly appeared above the stone slabs, peering down at Brain Hole through the gaps. Brain Hole lifted his head to look at Xiang Beifei upon hearing the noise. Despite still not being able to see Xiang Beifei''s face clearly, he couldn''t think of anyone else but the person from before. "You lowly Human Race, actually interfering with our actions! You have no idea what the consequences are for offending our holy race!" Brain Hole said with indignation. "Idiot." Xiang Beifei simply replied. "You¡ª" Brain Hole choked on his words, growing even more furious. In his eyes, the Human Race, like other lowly species, was easily conquered except for their naturally superior physique; otherwise, they wouldn''t have been chosen as their hosts. "I take it you won''t fess up easily while I interrogate you, so I need to think about what to do," Xiang Beifei said as he stroked his chin. "Ignorant human, you think you can extract secrets from me? Keep dreaming! The only purpose your race serves is to provide us with vessels to inhabit! If you dare lay a hand on us, our people will surely annihilate yours!" Brain Hole looked down on the Human Race from the bottom of his heart. They had already learned about the capabilities of the Human Race and had almost fully grasped their social structure. Most humans simply lacked the ability to navigate the outer desolate wilderness. This man before him might be an anomaly, but he was unlikely to cause any waves. "Fine then." With a flick of his finger, Xiang Beifei wrapped a clump of soil from Chou Hou with breath soil, mixing them together. The breath soil transformed into a sword, and he thrust it toward Brain Hole! Hearing the sound, Brain Hole tried to dodge, but the stone tiles enclosed him, leaving him no room to fight back. All he could do was emit red tentacles from the opening in his head, attempting to block Xiang Beifei. Thwack! The breath soil sword, mingled with the soil from Chou Hou, directly pierced through Brain Hole''s red tentacles and into his shoulder as well! "Ah!" Brain Hole let out a shrill and agonized scream. He looked at the sword in alarm and anger, as the blade possessed a terrifying devouring and corrosive capability. It had not only pierced through the red tentacles but also entered his body, causing him to feel a pain in his soul! "You... you... how could you..." Brain Hole stared at Xiang Beifei in shock and fear. Such an object that could wound their kind was known in their terms as a holy relic of Fubei, and he had not expected that Xiang Beifei would use it as a weapon against them! The soil from Chou Hou, much like the waters of Mao Hou, had the ability to devour Spiritual Power. This effect only occurred in the Hou places, and it was capable of restraining the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, even causing lethal damage to these substances! Xiang Beifei mixed this soil with breath soil, and employing the strong malleability of the breath soil, he fashioned it into a formidable weapon! "I don''t know what the consequences are for offending your kind, but I do know what the consequences are for offending me," Xiang Beifei said calmly as he pulled out the breath soil sword and thrust it down once more! Thwack! "Ah..." The heart-wrenching screams of Brain Hole continued without end. Chapter 692 - 510: Annihilation "Lowly Human Race, you dare offend our holy race, I will make sure you..." "Puchi!" "Ah..." Brain Hole''s body developed one blood hole after another, corroded by the soil, making them irreparable once pierced. He had never imagined that he would suffer such immense torture, and that this pain would come from the hands of a lowly human! ... In just a moment, Brain Hole was left gasping for breath, his arrogant aura completely snuffed out, lying on the ground like a dead dog, unable to utter any more threats. His red tentacles were pierced like a wasp''s nest, apparently ruined. Xiang Beifei moved the stone slab and stepped on Brain Hole''s red tentacles, severing them outright. Trembling all over, Brain Hole looked at Xiang Beifei. Aside from pain, his eyes were filled with terror towards Xiang Beifei; he realized he had greatly underestimated the man before him. Gazing at Brain Hole, Xiang Beifei, wiping his breath soil sword, calmly said, "For the bodies you parasitize, you''ve slaughtered so many of our people. Each time I see one of you from now on, I will kill one. You''d better pray I don''t find your lair." Brain Hole froze! Arrogant! He had never thought that the humans they used as parasitic hosts would dare to utter such arrogant words. To him, this was like defying the heavens, unforgivable! "You... you... you ant, dare to..." Puchi! Another sword plunged in! Brain Hole cried out miserably once again, utterly unable to resist. The pain clouded his consciousness; he knew he could no longer use this body. With that, he transformed into black tentacles that rapidly shot out from the holes in the head of the corpse. But Xiang Beifei immediately encircled this mass of black tentacles with the stone slab! He then pierced the tentacles again with his breath soil sword. The tentacles rapidly retracted, quickly tangling together, and in the blink of an eye, they transformed into a white Beast Pill. The white Beast Pill still had an aura swirling around it, but it appeared very weak. Strange. How did it suddenly turn into a Beast Pill? Xiang Beifei looked again at the other Beast Pills, pondered for a moment, then carried his sword toward the remaining three Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, all bound by a web-like pattern of golden lines, unable to move. "I don''t want to die!" One of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage roared furiously at Xiang Beifei; until now, he could only repeat this same sentence because it was the last phrase spoken by the pioneer he had parasitized before being brutally killed. But what this guy was trying to express at this moment wasn''t very clear. "I know you don''t want to die." Xiang Beifei, not understanding him, didn''t care anymore; his breath soil sword plunged directly forward! Puchi! Puchi! Puchi! He mercilessly turned the guy ice cold through and through. "I don''t want to die¡ª¡ª" The Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage let out a series of miserable screams. After being stabbed several times by Xiang Beifei, it could no longer bear it and spread out from the body shell, shrinking back into a white Beast Pill. Xiang Beifei then poked the remaining two Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage a few times. He kept his force at a suitable degree, not killing them immediately, but forcing these guys to detach from the parasitic shells. Soon, four white Beast Pills appeared around Xiang Beifei! "So that''s how it is." In the past, Xiang Beifei did not quite understand why he had not seen any Beast Pills when he killed the Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage, which were like Shi Renmei in the Withered Forest. It was only now that he realized that the true form of these guys is that of a Beast Pill. During the event at Mao Hou, the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage didn''t have time to shrink back and was eliminated by the stream water, while Xiaohei at the time relied on a breath soil handgun, drenching those creatures completely with one shot. But this time, Xiang Beifei did not kill them immediately. He only forced them out of the parasitic shells, and the Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage reverted to Beast Pills themselves. Xiang Beifei guessed this was probably a self-protective dormant state that the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage adopts in a crisis, or it might be a form of camouflage. These Beast Pills themselves must lack the ability to move and need a host for activity. This type of species is very cunning and also very hard to kill. You see, in the external wildlands, most desolate beasts would directly devour a Beast Pill upon seeing one, to enhance their own strength. The Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage camouflaging itself as a Beast Pill could directly shrink back into one, and if swallowed by any desolate beast, it could then parasitize easily, finding a host quickly. But now things were much simpler. "Xiaohei." "Woof woof!" Xiaohei Erha swallowed all four white Beast Pills at once, chewing them and refining them into spiritual power crystals. One at orifice transforming beginner stage, three at God Refining later stage. A rich harvest! As for that red tentacle, its strength had gradually depleted and it started dissipating, soon turning into flying ash. Xiang Beifei then searched for the Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage that had just been dealt with by the stone man, but unfortunately, these Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage were truly dead. The purple cold light emitted by the stone man was very strong, which was also the holy relic of Chen Hou, fatal to the Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage. The stone man carefully walked over and stopped in mid-air not far away, looking at Xiang Beifei with surprise. He could no longer control the surrounding stone slabs because of the golden patterns, and he even could not touch them. Xiang Beifei collected these parasitized carcasses, asking Xiaohei to keep them. Then, he stretched out his finger and poked Youmeng''s head, saying, "Come on, I need to learn your language so we can communicate better." Youmeng timidly nodded its head. Now, it also understood the difference between Xiang Beifei and the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. After Xiang Beifei extinguished the Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage, it realized Xiang Beifei was trustworthy. With Youmeng willing to cooperate, learning the language was much simpler for Xiang Beifei. He only needed to ask a few "really handsome", "elegantly charming", "graceful as a pine", "thick-skinned" and some other basic vocabulary, then let Youmeng translate in its tone of voice. Then Xiang Beifei could "Learn by Analogy", and that would be basically it. About an hour later, Xiang Beifei finally mastered the language. "Now you can tell me about the Puppet Child," Xiang Beifei said. "Youmeng!" The stone man emitted a very dull sound. He looked at Xiang Beifei with some hesitation, particularly focusing on his breath soil sword. That sword looked very peculiar to him, and he even wondered why Xiang Beifei possessed such a powerful sword. But in fact, Xiang Beifei''s breath soil sword was really quite simple. As for the mud of Chou Hou, it could only be used within the range of the mound, and if outside, dealing with the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage wouldn''t be so simple. "The Puppet Child is on you, isn''t it?" Xiang Beifei asked. Chapter 693 - 511: The Past of the Stone Race The Stone Person was silent for a long time, and then pointed at his own purple eyes. "Are your eyes ''Puppet Children''?" The Stone Person nodded his head, then shook it. Yes, but also no. Using the angry Youmeng language, the Stone Person recounted his ordeal, and this time there was no need for Xiaohei to interpret. Xiang Beifei could now understand. The Stone Race is born from the stones and has lived for generations near Chen Hou, always guarding it; he possesses it as well. In Youmeng language, the Stone Person in front of him is called "Zhang Yu," the current Clan Leader of the Stone Race. For the Stone Race, their destiny is as if bound to this place, and the teachings passed down through generations in the clan obligate them to guard the Life Essence Stone of Chen Hou. It is said the Life Essence Stone granted life to the Stone Race. They can only move about during the day. During the day, they can take the form of Stone People, but once night falls, they crumble into piles of stones¡ªthis is similar to the situation with Mu Youmeng in the Withering Forest. They were originally unharmed; however, two years ago, uninvited guests suddenly arrived. The Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage found this place and shattered their peace. Quietly, the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage infiltrated Chen Hou, and after tampering with the Life Essence Stone, chaos ensued. All the Stone People became extremely weak. Following that, the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage began to slaughter the Stone People massively, attempting to snatch the Life Essence Stone. Zhang Yu, who was the Clan Leader of that generation, fought desperately against those invading Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, retreating to the Blood Altar. He had no choice but to consume the Life Essence Stone with the aid of the Blood Altar, and his power skyrocketed. The battle was incredibly brutal, and the Stone Race was nearly wiped out. But at the very least, he killed all of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, preserving the last spark of the Stone Race, until recently, when he once again detected the traces of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage and clashed with them. Unfortunately, this time the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage was well-prepared, and their red tentacles were much more formidable than he had imagined. ---- "So today''s attackers are the second wave of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage?" Xiang Beifei inquired. Zhang Yu nodded angrily. He harbored immense hatred for the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. At the time of the invasion, the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage had attacked in human form, which was why he instinctively regarded Xiang Beifei as one of them upon seeing him. "Did the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage really wait two years before sending the second wave?" Xiang Beifei found it strange. Logically, after the initial failure of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage to annihilate the Stone Race, they should have quickly dispatched more forces to launch a second attack. Yet, Brain Hole and his group had only just arrived recently. Could it be that they got lost? The Hou are indeed extremely mysterious; the domain beyond the wild is boundless, with no way to distinguish directions. Without specific guidance, even if Xiang Beifei managed to reach Chen Hou for the first time, he would find it impossible to find it a second time. Could it be the same with the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage? According to Xiang Beifei''s speculation, the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage must have divided into many small teams, each searching for a Hou and then looking for the so-called Puppet Children. For instance, the team led by Lin Long had found Zi Hou, while the team led by Broken Throat and Shi Renmei probably found Mao Hou in the Withering Forest. Another team of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage likely found Chen Hou here several years ago, but they were unlucky and got killed by the Stone Race. Hence, a second team led by "Brain Hole" was sent to find Chen Hou. However, Brain Hole encountered Xiang Beifei this time and was killed again. "I remember your kind can''t get close to Hou, but how were you able to manage it?" Xiang Beifei asked. Last time during the Newcomer Contest, when Mu Youmeng chased after Xiang Beifei and his group, he burst into the mountain at Mao Hou and instantly turned into a tree, fundamentally unable to move on Mao Hou, which was like a forbidden area for them. But Zhang Yu managed to do it. Since both Little Youmong and the Stone Race speak Youmeng language and have similar habits, their weaknesses should also be alike. Zhang Yu fell silent for a moment, then expressed in Youmeng language that someone had helped them. "Someone helped you?" Xiang Beifei was quite surprised, "Who?" Zhang Yu seemed to ponder how to explain, and after a long while, he started speaking in a very awkward voice, "Close together coming from afar''s tear cloth." When he spoke, it was very uncomfortable, as if his tongue had tied itself in a knot and he couldn''t pronounce the lingual sounds at all. "Huh? You can speak¡ªhuman language?" Xiang Beifei was also momentarily stunned by the imperfect pronunciation. Zhang Yu nodded slightly. He was naturally able to understand human speech and could certainly speak a little, but he was not used to the accent, which made it very awkward to pronounce. The person who had helped him had explained their origin, and since he couldn''t express that place in Youmeng language, he used Xiang Beifei''s words to explain. "Say it again, your pronunciation is very imprecise," Xiang Beifei said. Zhang Yu repeated it with the cumbersome accent. After analyzing for a while, Xiang Beifei finally understood the substandard human speech and exclaimed in surprise, "An envoy from the Extremity Abyss? Are you saying that an envoy from the Extremity Abyss helped you?" Zhang Yu nodded again. The Extremity Abyss! Xiang Beifei was extremely surprised! He couldn''t help but recall the mysterious woman who had originally helped Zhao Ruizhong gain access to the Unrestrained Base; when that mysterious woman saw Xiang Beifei, she suddenly sniffed him and said that he seemed like the warm fire from the Extremity Abyss, bringing comfort. Most importantly, last time his grandfather''s system interface also displayed a strange line of text: "[...Descendants from the Extremity Abyss, pursuing the Mustard Seed in Palm...]" "Was it a woman?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Yes," Zhang Yu replied in Youmeng language. This made Xiang Beifei even more puzzled. The mysterious woman, was she aiding these races? Zhang Yu indicated that originally their race could not have defeated the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, but the envoy from the Extremity Abyss arrived just in time and taught them how to approach the hou and how to devour the life source stones to counterattack the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. Without her, even Zhang Yu would have been in trouble long ago. "This place wasn''t like this before." Zhang Yu pointed at the great lake and continued to explain in Youmeng language. He stated that this area used to be a stone forest filled with rocks, and the entire region where they lived was all stone, but the mysterious woman used a special method to cut the earth, creating a huge abyss, filled it with water, and allowed them to live at the bottom of the lake. Under the water, with the existence of blood altars and the power of life source stones, they could shield themselves from the Ghostly Visage''s Perception, greatly limiting the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. That way, if the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage were to come again, they would have a certain ability to resist. Indeed, the method of the mysterious woman proved effective, and she had laid out specialized defense measures for the Stone Race. Here, the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage couldn''t even distinguish whether Xiang Beifei standing beside them was a friend or foe, and Xiang Beifei could blend in with just a few words. Chapter 694 - 513: Too Friendly, Inviting Trouble However, what surprised Xiang Beifei the most was this lake. "Such a vast lake, it was actually she who sank into it?" The boundless expanse of the lake was endless. When Xiang Beifei ran here, he could not see the end of it at a glance, and after flying for a long time, he still had not seen where the shore was. In the end, he could only travel by boat to conserve his Spiritual Power. He did not know the exact area, but it was definitely more than a thousand miles. Could the mysterious woman actually transform such a vast land into an abyss? By what means did she accomplish this? Xiang Beifei grew even more curious about this woman. Strictly speaking, slicing through an entire piece of the earth was not really that difficult. For instance, just two days ago, Xiang Beifei encountered a massive creature. That behemoth could change the sky with a flip of its hand, and the slightest movement might cause the earth to collapse. Creating a heaven-collapsing, earth-shattering event was not a difficult task for that massive being. However, the fact that the mysterious woman could create such a large lake was absolutely no simple feat. "Have your remaining clanspeople always lived under this water?" Xiang Beifei asked. Upon hearing this, Zhang Yu stared at Xiang Beifei with a wary face. Xiang Beifei waved his hand and said, "Don''t worry, I''m not interested in your clanspeople. Right now, I only need one thing from you, a small piece of stone that can devour Spiritual Power on your body. I need it to guide the way, and then I will leave." Zhang Yu frowned in thought. Xiang Beifei studied him with interest. Zhang Yu was essentially a stone person, so logically, every part of his body should be hard and rigid, but when he frowned, his stony face actually wrinkled together too. Zhang Yu asked in the Youmeng language, "Do you have the same goal as them?" "Who?" "A few years ago, two members of the Human Race came here. They explained their purpose to us. We normally refuse any foreign species, but seeing their friendly attitude, we accepted their request." Xiang Beifei''s eyes brightened at this. These two members of the Human Race sounded very familiar; without even thinking, he knew it had to be Xiang Tianxing and his wife. They would certainly have followed the order of Si Hou as they made their descent. Being identified as friendly individuals meant he was practically a relative. Xiang Beifei immediately said, "Actually, those two are my..." However, Zhang Yu''s face suddenly showed a hint of anger as he said in Youmeng, filled with fury, "It''s all because of those two! They made us believe that races like yours were friendly, so when that group of Ghostly Visage came here, we also mistook them for being friendly, had no defenses, let them take advantage of us, and that led to the annihilation of our clan!" Zhang Yu was extremely enraged! "Ah this..." Xiang Beifei was stunned for a moment. Could this also be blamed on Xiang Tianxing and his wife? Since when was being too friendly a mistake? "Do you know them?" Zhang Yu asked again in the Youmeng language. "No, I don''t!" Xiang Beifei shook his head firmly. After all, Zhang Yu had not mentioned the names of those two people, so he might as well pretend they were unknown passersby A and B. He just wanted a small stone, so there was no point in stubbornly claiming kinship and inviting misunderstandings. Xiaohei couldn''t help but burst into hearty laughter. "Actually, this matter normally has nothing to do with our Human Race, and of course, it''s unrelated to those two people, since our Human Race has never thought about annihilating your kind. Besides, the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage murdered our people and then disguised themselves as us to commit more crimes. We of the Human Race also loathe them deeply. It''s all because the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage is too cunning; you shouldn''t blame those two individuals." Xiang Beifei still needed to clear the name of the Human Race, even though there were all sorts of internal conflicts and messes within the race, they still needed to present a united front against their enemies. Zhang Yu clenched his teeth and continued to speak in the low tones of the Youmeng language, "I understand this principle. We rarely interact with foreign races and never actively provoke other clans. Those two from the Human Race didn''t have any malicious intent, which caused us to let our guard down. Later, when we saw the injured Ghostly Visage, thinking him to be one of the friendly Humans, we went to save them, only to invite disaster upon ourselves." "So that''s how it was..." Xiang Beifei didn''t know how to explain. It was probably because the Stone Race lived in such an isolated place, seldom dealing with other races, which made them overly simple in character. Or perhaps the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage was too cunning. The people they parasitized were all in a state of death, indeed looking as if they had suffered grave injuries. The Stone People, upon encountering friendly folks, were willing to rescue them. "Next time, learn to discern right from wrong. There are many races that are very strange; don''t easily trust any outsiders," Xiang Beifei said. "I''m doing exactly that now," Zhang Yu said, looking vigilantly at Xiang Beifei. "Can''t we unite against a common enemy!" Xiang Beifei said, feeling helpless. Zhang Yu fell silent for a moment before blinking his purple eyes. A small purple pebble flew out of his eyes. He took it and handed it over to Xiang Beifei, saying in Youmeng, "Regardless, thank you for your help! Please leave this place as soon as you can!" Xiang Beifei was relieved to receive the pebble, glad that he didn''t have to resort to violence. He immediately turned and headed towards the Blood Altar. The Blood Altar flickered again with golden patterns that gathered around to form the figures of the twenty-eight mansions. The small stone spun and elongated, transforming into a sharp pointer. Xiang Beifei knew now in which direction Si Hou was. ¡ª¡ª Zhang Yu watched Xiang Beifei all the way, not revealing to Xiang Beifei where his people lived, probably wiser for the experience, still not fully trusting him. In fact, Xiang Beifei already knew when controlling the Blood Altar that their race, now numbering just over a hundred, were all hiding in the depths of the lake, appearing very frightened. After obtaining the compass stone, Xiang Beifei made his way to the surface of the lake, with Zhang Yu following closely. Xiang Beifei left the water and stood on the surface, but Zhang Yu did not follow. He simply floated below the surface, watching him. Erha flew towards Xiang Beifei upon seeing him, but Xiang Beifei nonchalantly swatted it away with a slap. "Watch your step!" Xiang Beifei said irritably. "Woof woof!" Erha seemed very aggrieved. The urine it had just sprayed was still trailing underneath, relentlessly chasing after it. Xiang Beifei turned to Zhang Yu and said, "The Ghost Whiskers will definitely come back, maybe in a few months, or maybe a year, it''s hard to say. I suggest you rethink your defense strategy and consider setting up some defenses above the lake surface as well." "We can''t leave this area, now we can''t even leave the water, we can only wait for them to come in. The Envoy used the water to protect us, but in reality, it''s like we''re trapped." "What happens if you leave the water?" "This happens." Zhang Yu slowly stretched out his hand below the surface of the water, raising it above the water level. Xiang Beifei watched Zhang Yu''s hand curiously, wondering what would happen to it. Chapter 695 - 514: Deities and Stone Tower Ten seconds passed. Zhang Yu''s hand remained unharmed. "Has anything changed?" Xiang Beifei asked curiously. Zhang Yu was also slightly startled! "Strange? As soon as we leave the water, our bodies disintegrate and can only reassemble at the bottom of the water." Zhang Yu said incredulously. After a moment, he suddenly thought of something and looked at the little Youmeng on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, surprised, "Right, why can he leave that area?" "He can''t leave?" Xiang Beifei turned his head and glanced at little Youmeng, who also scratched his head in confusion. "We can''t leave, we can''t go too far from the fortress, especially here. After the lake fills up, we can''t even stick our heads or arms out of the water, but why¡ª¡ª" Zhang Yu carefully surfaced from the water; his entire body stepped out onto a large rock and was utterly shocked. "I can leave the bottom of the water?" Zhang Yu murmured to himself. Xiang Beifei thought of something and stepped back a few steps. While Zhang Yu was still in awe, Xiang Beifei moved away a little farther. Zhang Yu gasped, and immediately his body''s joints cracked open, crumbling into a pile of stones. His entire skull also thudded down onto the rock. "What happened?" Only Zhang Yu''s skull could talk now, his body had already rolled away into the water and splashed out of sight, also utterly astonished. Xiang Beifei hesitated for a moment, then walked a few steps closer to Zhang Yu. Suddenly Zhang Yu perceived something, and his body parts quickly rolled back towards his skull, quickly reassembling into a stone figure. "So it really is like this," Xiang Beifei muttered. "You You You!" little Youmeng said from his shoulder, pointing at Xiang Beifei and speaking to Zhang Yu. "It''s you!" Zhang Yu looked at Xiang Beifei in disbelief, "You can break our curse!" "Curse?" Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised. Zhang Yu suddenly became very excited, and impatiently explained in Youmeng language, "Our clan has been plagued by a curse across generations. All our people can only live in this place, depending only on this place to survive. This is the curse our race carries. The moment we leave a certain range, we crumble just like that." Zhang Yu looked at Xiang Beifei, astounded, "But we have always had a belief passed down that only a free deity will help us break free from the shackles of fate. Are... Are you a deity?" "I wish I were." Xiang Beifei shrugged his shoulders. "Then why do I gain freedom when I''m near you? Why can it leave its dwelling place? If you are not some deity, why can you help me break free from the shackles?" Zhang Yu asked urgently. "That''s a good question." Xiang Beifei stroked his chin and looked again at little Youmeng on his shoulder. When little Youmeng first followed him, the same situation occurred. If he went too far away, he would wither. He thought it was a characteristic of Youmeng, but soon he realized he had overlooked a fact; because the Youmeng in the withering forest could only transform into a human during the night. However, when Little Youmong was with him, he always appeared in the form of a little tree person and could change back to a tree whenever he wanted, without many restrictions. This was rather strange. Zhang Yu still insisted on regarding Xiang Beifei as a deity: "You are definitely the deity spoken of in legends; there can be no mistake!" His eyes sparkled brilliantly as he recalled the methods Xiang Beifei had just employed to subdue him, even with his possession of a life origin stone, and how he had efficiently handled the formidable Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, essentially saving their race. Now, he could also free him from the bounded territory. How could such a person not be a deity? "Being this deity doesn''t even get me a salary," Xiang Beifei complained. Xiang Beifei shook his head and after a long moment added, "I''d better protect you all first. I can help inscribe some defensive patterns for you to foster some self-defensive capabilities; it is best to establish some true defenses. The Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage will definitely not rest easily. You all should ensure you survive first and foremost." "We will follow all commands from the great deity," Zhang Yu said, filled with reverence and respect towards Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei was indifferent; he decided to apply some defensive abilities from Jiuzhou here, combined with the restriction of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage by the life origin stone, to enhance the self-defense capabilities of the Stone Race. He spent an entire day fortifying the key areas of the Stone Race''s territory before leaving the great lake and flying towards Si Hou to continue his journey. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei flew north for a whole month and still had not reached Si Hou. The journey was far longer than he had anticipated! At this moment, heavy rain started pouring down from the sky, drenching everything as if a curtain of water enveloped the world, with a vast expanse of water in the distance and the sound of raindrops hitting the leaves rustling loudly. Xiang Beifei stopped in a forest, planning to wait for the rain to stop before moving on. The forest was lush and verdant, with trees growing wildly tall¡ªeach at least a hundred meters high, some so wide that even ten people together might not be able to encircle them. The overlapping leaves in the forest were as large as pot lids, with various birds and snakes taking shelter from the rain beneath them. Xiang Beifei decided to use the breath soil to construct a small earthen house to rest, and to avoid building it too low and attracting the trouble of any reckless desolate beasts, he specifically chose a large tree about seven or eight meters in diameter. He attached the breath soil to the branches of this tree, about thirty meters high, creating something akin to a treehouse. The earthen house was sealed tightly, impervious to the raging rain outside. Within the breath soil hut, it remained warm and fresh. He even deliberately covered the exterior of the breath soil with golden-patterned bricks to prevent any desolate beasts from causing trouble. After settling everything, Xiang Beifei sat down cross-legged. With a thought, a stone tower appeared in his hands. "Speaking of which, what exactly is this thing for?" Xiang Beifei pondered, examining the stone tower in his hands. This was a newly unlocked power from the Wei Constellation. a capability from the twelfth constellation. It had cost him three early-stage spiritual power crystals. [Wei Constellation: Stone Tower] The Spirit Gathering Book still offered a very simplistic introduction, infuriatingly simple! By now, the later constellations had increasingly frustrated Xiang Beifei, unlike the previous ones which provided very concrete abilities that greatly assisted him. Like the previous stele, he had no clue what purpose this stone tower served. The tower had nine levels and was hollow inside; even the craftsmanship was quite rough, lacking any specific engravings. However, inside the tower flickered bunches of faint flames, each flame no bigger than a thumb, floating in the center of each level. They appeared extremely feeble, as if they could extinguish at any moment. Nevertheless, flames were present from the second to the eighth level, notably absent only on the first and ninth levels, as if the flames in those two levels had extinguished. Chapter 696 515 Cultivating Orifice Perception Xiang Beifei couldn''t fathom the abilities of the tower. He tried channeling his spiritual power into the stone tower, but it showed no response. Xiang even dripped his own blood onto it, hoping for a blood recognition ritual, but unfortunately, the tower still did not cooperate. "Could it be that this stone tower lost two layers of flame, and that''s why there''s no reaction?" Now, that was the only guess he could muster. If that was the case, he was also unclear about where to search for these twin clumps of flame to replenish it. Xiang Beifei had been studying this stone tower for many days and realized there was still no way to unveil its secrets. He had no choice but to give up and turned his attention to the next constellation. Chamber Constellation. The Chamber Constellation needed nine mid-stage orifice transformation seals to be unlocked, which was not a big issue. Lady Qiu and Zhu Yiji had sent him a significant number of system items. What Xiang Beifei was currently unclear about was whether his power had reached the middle phase of orifice transformation. His power had always been a mystery since his path differed from everyone else''s, and even he was unsure of his exact realm. If his cultivation was insufficient, then attempting to unseal the constellation would be out of his control. However, he decided to unravel it step by step, just as he did when initially unlocking Erha''s seals. Xiang Beifei first unlocked one of Chamber Constellation''s seals. As one seal was unlocked, no aura leaked out. "Seems not too dangerous," he remarked. Xiang Beifei then proceeded to unlock the second seal! But the Chamber Constellation remained serene as ever. Odd, was this seal particularly tame? However, Xiang Beifei did not let his guard down. How could something sealed in the Spirit Gathering Book be tame at all? He remained cautious, unlocking it layer by layer slowly. After continuously unlocking seven seals, there was still no aura dispersing from within the Chamber Constellation, which puzzled Xiang Beifei even more. However, after a moment of contemplation, he stopped. "Forget it, I won''t undo the last two seals." Xiang Beifei planned to close the Spirit Gathering Book. However, just as he was doing so, a violent fluctuation suddenly emanated from the Chamber Constellation in the Spirit Gathering Book. A surge of black aura swept up, violently charging towards Xiang Beifei! "Good grief! I knew it!" Xiang Beifei calmly closed the Spirit Gathering Book! The furious aura of the Chamber Constellation vanished in an instant, and tranquility returned to the woods. A moment later, he leisurely reopened the Spirit Gathering Book. "You''re craftier than Erha, that''s for sure." Xiang Beifei stretched lazily and glanced at Erha, who was lying in a corner, yawning. Initially, Erha was restless and eager to break free, wearing its ferocity on its surface. However, the entity from the Chamber Constellation was much shrewder. It feigned weakness, aiming to catch Xiang Beifei off guard and strike him with a sudden cold arrow. This fellow was obviously much more intelligent than that simpleton Erha. Unfortunately, Xiang Beifei was highly vigilant and didn''t give Chamber Constellation any chance. Chamber Constellation fell silent for a moment before violently releasing a surge of black aura. This aura was very powerful, almost on par with Xiang Beifei''s current strength. It transformed into a corrosive breath and struck at Xiang Beifei once again. Crack! Xiang Beifei closed the Spirit Gathering Book again. With two more seals in place, Xiang Beifei thoroughly suppressed it. "Really dishonest." Xiang Beifei no longer paid attention to Chamber Constellation, and with seven seals unlocked, its aura was almost equal to his own. If he completely removed the seals, Xiang Beifei would likely be at a disadvantage. He decided to let it stay put for a while longer. "It seems I still need to grow stronger." Xiang Beifei sat down in the breath soil hut and began to cultivate. He had always kept up with his cultivation, even now, while he was in a perilously foreign wilderness, it did not affect his cultivation at all. However, Xiang Beifei''s Orifice Perception was different from ordinary people; he had no reference to follow for his cultivation, and currently, he didn''t even know what realm he had reached. Xiang Beifei closed his eyes and carefully sensed the Orifice Soul. The Orifice Soul now appeared much more solidified, but his Orifice Perception was quite different from ordinary people. While others could open seven orifices, he bizarrely had only managed to open two, one black and one white. For now, this situation could only be attributed to his cultivation of the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula. As for how these two black and white orifices would evolve next, Xiang Beifei was unsure; all he could do currently was to slowly sense and cultivate. God Refining was about cultivating the spiritual soul, and orifice transforming was about opening an orifice in the spiritual soul, turning it into an Orifice Soul. All System Awakeners needed to open seven orifices: eyes, nose, ears, mouth, heart, spirit, and body. Only by opening all seven orifices could one officially enter the orifice transforming phase. If they were lucky, they could gain extra abilities during the process of opening their orifices. For example, their eyes might gain new abilities to see others'' meridians and spiritual essence, or their ears might hear sounds from thousands of miles away... Xiang Beifei only had two orifices, but he already possessed the strength of the orifice transforming phase. Not only that, if he encountered someone with weak mental defenses, he could even hear their thoughts. Currently, when he calmed his mind and used his Orifice Perception, he could sense every subtle sound within a radius of fifty miles. Moreover, his Orifice Perception was very unique; if he applied it to his body, whether it was a desolate beast or a person, they could not detect his presence, even if he stood right beside them. Xiang Beifei''s Orifice Soul had only two orifices. He didn''t need to open more orifices, but at the stage of orifice transforming, nurturing the Orifice Soul seemed to require more than just filling it with spiritual power crystals; he needed to comprehend it on his own. Since no one was like him, the experiences of Elder Luo and Professor Guo were ineffective for Xiang Beifei, so he could only explore on his own. ... Xiang Beifei extended his Orifice Perception to fifty miles away. Within that range, all he could hear was the sound of torrential rain beating on trees, but he was honing his Orifice Perception. In the torrential rain, which severely tested his discernment as the sound of the rain almost drowned out all other sounds, he still managed to identify some subtle sounds and, using his Orifice Perception, visualized the rainy scene in his mind, vaguely perceiving the external environment. Thirty miles away, a ten-meter-tall giant frog was munching on its prey. It had just caught a mid-God Refining phase python snake, crunching loudly. Eleven miles away from the giant frog, a terrifying flood dragon was fighting an eight-armed black ape. The flood dragon had just sprouted two horns on its head and looked extremely enraged. Then Xiang Beifei heard two faint voices not far from where the flood dragon was battling. "When the flood dragon and the black ape are both wounded, we''ll make our move and slay the dragon," one voice said. "This flood dragon has the bloodline of the Divine Dragon Clan. It has reached the transforming dragon phase. It''s very powerful; we can''t take it lightly," another added. Chapter 697 516: The Sacred Male and Female (Two Chapters Combined) Xiang Beifei was somewhat astonished! It had been almost two months since he left Jiuzhou. During these two months, he had constantly been running through the desolate wilderness beyond the domains, without seeing a single living person. The last time he heard human speech was the not-so-standard "Messenger from the Extremity Abyss" spoken by the stone man Zhang Yu, and then it was the Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage, disguised as humans. After leaving Chen Hou, he hadn''t spoken to anyone for an entire month, and he didn''t expect to hear human speech here again. "Is it the Ghostly Visage?" The first thought that flashed through Xiang Beifei''s mind was them, because he didn''t know of any other race in the desolate wilderness beyond the domains that could speak the Human Race language so standardly. He quickly extended his Orifice Perception towards the two people who were talking. The source of the voice was on top of a giant tree 100 meters tall to the left of the Flood Dragon, where two blurry figures stood. These two, a man and a woman, were shaped just like humans, but what was magical was that they each had a pair of wings on their backs. This did not resemble the Ghostly Visage. Xiang Beifei was quite surprised when he perceived this. Winged humans? And they spoke the Human Race language? Bird people? But because the rain was pouring down so heavily, and there was something strange about the rain here that greatly affected Xiang Beifei''s Orifice Perception, he couldn''t see their faces clearly, only a vague impression. "We need to make it quick and decisive, we can''t let others see our appearance," said the woman. "No worries, the opportunity will come soon. The Flood Dragon is a member of the Dragon Clan, and this Flood Dragon must have awakened its dragon pearl. Getting hold of it would be a tremendous help to us," the man spoke again. "Got it." Then the two fell silent again. They squatted there, always keeping an eye on the distant Flood Dragon. Xiang Beifei wasn''t in a hurry. He continued to observe the two figures in the distance while also tempering his own Orifice Perception. ¡ª¡ª While Xiang Beifei was cultivating, the other three were utterly bored. Erha lay reluctantly in a corner with a golden patterned array outside the earthen house; it didn''t like this thing. However, Xiang Beifei had just given it an orifice-transforming phase spiritual power crystal, and it was busily digesting it with its belly filled. Its strength had already reached the peak of late God Refining phase, but to reach the orifice-transforming phase, it would still need a lot of spiritual power crystals. It wasn''t something that could be achieved by simply piling them up; it also had to cultivate. Or rather, digest? Xiang Beifei wasn''t very clear about it because Erha didn''t seem like it knew how to cultivate the Orifice Soul. Even Erha probably didn''t know when it would step into the orifice-transforming phase. It just played it by ear. Xiaohei was lying by the window, tail up, as if taking a little nap, looking rather comfortable. It usually didn''t need to cultivate, its combat power wasn''t high, but it was clever and tricky. With its advantage in invisibility and wielding a brick, it was an expert in sneak attacks. Youmong sat by the window, sticking out its little feet to catch rainwater. Being half-human and half-plant, it also needed water to sustain itself. But soon it became picky; it withdrew its roots, as the rainwater here didn''t seem suitable for its growth. It turned its head, looking at Xiang Beifei, who was cultivating. At this moment, Xiang Beifei was enveloped in a mysterious aura of Yin and Yang; a faint black and white spiritual power intertwined with each other, producing an alluring scent. Youmong liked Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power very much. Being nourished by Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power, it had grown quite a bit recently, reaching a height of one chi and four cun, and it could now touch Xiang Beifei''s knee when it jumped. Seeing the spiritual power emanating from Xiang Beifei''s body, it couldn''t resist any longer. However, it always felt there was something strange about Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power today, as though it had turned into black and white. But it didn''t think too much of it, because normally, when it absorbed some of Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power, he didn''t mind. So, it carefully moved closer to where Xiang Beifei was cultivating and then nestled beside the edge of Xiang Beifei''s cultivating spiritual power, swallowing the excess spiritual power that Xiang Beifei exuded, its eyes full of happiness. However, it soon realized something was wrong because Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power seemed to be unbalanced. It had only consumed a bit of the white spiritual power when its body suddenly began to feel uncomfortable, starting to convulse. "You You You!" Youmong clutched its body as white light surged rapidly, causing its body to swell as if it was about to burst. Just then, a strand of black aura wrapped around Youmong''s body, merging with the white light and neutralizing the white spiritual power, calming Youmong''s convulsing body. "You!" Youmong climbed up from the ground, looking at Xiang Beifei uncertainly. "When I''m cultivating, don''t absorb the spiritual power I''m splitting. It''s very dangerous." Xiang Beifei opened his eyes and patted Youmong''s head, chuckling wryly. He then gave Youmong a strand of his complete spiritual power to absorb. After a while, he found it strange that ever since he had Orifice Perception, his spiritual power had taken on two entirely different forms, and he didn''t know why. He could only guess it was related to Orifice Perception, but the more he cultivated these two perceptions, the more sensitive his own Perception became. "Let''s go, we''ve got to take a look at those two birdpeople." Xiang Beifei stood up and called out to Xiaohei and Erha. He stepped out of the breath soil cottage, and at this time, the outer walls of the cottage were overgrown with various insects and desolate beasts. These creatures seemed eager to approach, having seen an earthen house on the tree in the rain, whether to seek shelter from the rain or to launch an attack. However, Xiang Beifei had set up a golden pattern on the cottage with two bricks, which would paralyze them as soon as they hopped onto the cottage. Therefore, the outside was full of various petrified insects and serpents. Chapter 698 - 516: The Sacred Male and Female (Two Chapters Combined) _2 Xiang Beifei didn''t mind either; he packed up the breath soil and then his figure vanished in the rain, quickly heading toward the direction of the battle. ¡ª¡ª The Flood Dragon and the eight-armed Black Ape were locked in a fierce fight, the giant Flood Dragon''s body spanned dozens of feet in length, its two dragon horns were just beginning to emerge, not particularly formidable yet, but it could still control the wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. In the area where it fought, the rain fell exceptionally violently, enough to flood the entire forest. And the eight-armed Black Ape was also very powerful, standing over thirty meters tall. Its nimble eight arms could lightly tap the rainwater and propel itself a great distance, leaping behind the Flood Dragon, and then it would bombard the Flood Dragon with a frenzy of punches. Eight millstone-sized fists pounded on the Flood Dragon''s body; around its fists, the space itself seemed to twist and turn as if each was a space-shattering machine. The Flood Dragon''s scales were extremely tough, but the violent force brought up by the ape''s punch wind still shredded them! In the face of such absolute power, many of the fancy system abilities of the Human Race warriors would likely not stand a chance, and even the spaces created by the system would be instantly torn apart! Boom! Boom! Boom! The terrifying fluctuations spread out, but the Flood Dragon had the ability to stir wind and waves and vanished in the water with just a blink of an eye. Then its thick tail swept across the Black Ape, flinging it far away. Crack! The thunder in the sky roared loudly, blue lightning bolts as thick as buckets chopped wildly at the Black Ape. Each bolt of lightning made the air heat up dramatically, as if it was about to shatter the very void. Struck by lightning, the Black Ape let out a pained roar, its fur standing on end, and it kept being pushed back several hundred feet in the water with continuous thuds. However, the ferocity of the lightning continued unabated, smashing down directly from hundreds of meters in the sky towards the Black Ape. The Black Ape kept roaring in anger. Although its body was lacerated, revealing flesh and bone, it was truly fierce. After flipping over, it stood up again, ignoring its wounds, and continued to charge forward. But the Flood Dragon was no easy target either; it violently bared its fangs, biting down on one of the Black Ape''s arms and brutally tearing it off. Fresh blood sprayed forth, staining the rainwater below a bright red, a particularly shocking sight. With a painful howl, the Black Ape''s remaining seven arms grabbed onto the Black Flood Dragon, ripping open a deep wound that revealed bone on the Flood Dragon''s body. Both desolate beasts were at the late stage of orifice transforming, such formidable beasts could cause natural phenomena with a mere movement. At their level, all kinds of fancy abilities were merely supplementary; the pure strength of their bodies was the key to breaking all techniques. Both desolate beasts fought with their most primal instincts, and no other desolate beast dared approach within ten miles. Even those who tried would be overwhelmed by the waves created by the Flood Dragon, and the aura here was truly terrifying. "These are both late-stage orifice transforming desolate beasts; could I have entered the Wild Domain?" Perched atop a large tree, Xiang Beifei watched the battle unfold before him, deep in thought. The records of the Wild Domain and the Human Domain in Jiuzhou were scarce, only acknowledging the existence of such a place. No one could clearly say where the boundary lay. Indeed, some warriors of the past had ventured into the Human Domain, but few ever set foot in the Wild Domain, probably because the pioneers found the desolate beasts deeper inside too formidable to progress any further, so they simply designated the area beyond as the Wild Domain. Thus, the boundary between the Wild Domain and the Human Domain was difficult to determine. Xiang Beifei redirected his Orifice Perception toward another large tree, where he could vaguely make out two winged individuals. These two had remained hidden, their attention focused on the battle between the Flood Dragon and the Black Ape ahead, not noticing Xiang Beifei behind them. Of course, given their level of Perception, they probably wouldn''t notice either; otherwise, Xiang Beifei wouldn''t have been able to overhear their conversation. As he drew closer, Xiang Beifei finally made out the features of the two individuals. These two were emitting a sanctified white glow from head to toe, seemingly shimmering with a faint radiance; their wings were pure as snow, flawless. They were dressed in white garments, arranged with meticulous care. The male had short white hair and was effortlessly graceful, while the female''s long hair cascaded behind her like a waterfall, her features delicate, handsome and pretty. If not for their wings, these two could be said to be exceptionally perfect men and women. By Jiuzhou continent''s standards of beauty, they already had the looks of outstanding figures. Coupled with those immaculate white wings, their beauty was indescribable. There were no flaws to be found in their appearance; they were like works of art created by nature, making everything around them pale in comparison. Even Xiang Beifei had to admit that they were the most charismatic pair he had ever seen. "Winged beings, speaking the language of humans, without a system, what exactly are they?" Xiang Beifei pondered. Just as he wondered whether or not to go out and ask for the full story, the battle between the Flood Dragon and the eight-armed Black Flood Dragon had escalated. The Black Flood Dragon had already lost four arms to the Flood Dragon, but the Flood Dragon was covered in wounds, even its abdomen pierced through, its vitality greatly diminished. Their clash had long since destroyed the forests in the entire area, with floods rampant, the earth quaking, and any craters formed in the ground quickly filled in. At that moment, the Black Flood Dragon charged again, its remaining four arms moving in a blur of afterimages, the sound of wind and thunder incessant, all of its strikes landed on the Flood Dragon''s body, each hit explosive, swift and decisive, The Flood Dragon let out an angry roar, lashing out with its sharp claws at the Black Ape. A deep gash that reached the bone appeared on the ape''s chest, but from its sturdy arms emanated a red glow, grabbing onto one of the Flood Dragon''s freshly sprouted but invisible horns, and with a fierce cleave, one of the dragon''s horns snapped right off! However, the Flood Dragon seized the opportunity, its tail surged across with a "crack" sound, and the Black Ape''s head was sent flying, tumbling into the sea. The colossal headless corpse stood in place, with vast quantities of bright red blood spurting from its neck like a surging blood fountain, dying the water''s surface red for dozens of miles, a harrowing sight. After swaying for a few moments, the headless ape body fell with a crash into the floodwaters, causing massive waves akin to a tidal surge, half-submerged by the flood. The Flood Dragon had defeated the eight-armed Black Ape, but it was a Pyrrhic victory. Its own vital energy was halved, appearing on the brink of death. One of its newly grown horns was broken, its tail severed, scales nearly all stripped, blood ceaselessly flowing, evidently lacking the strength to fight any longer. And at that moment, the two winged beings, who had been waiting to reap the benefits of a fisherman, finally decided to make their move. They exchanged glances, their sanctified glow reigniting as if celestials descended to exorcise demons, pure to the extreme! Both the man and the woman held a long sword, the blades emitting a white gleam, the most pure and holy swords in the world. Their immaculate wings fluttered, and they soared into the sky, leaving behind a divine glow in the air as they moved. The pair alighted above the Flood Dragon, looking down like deities descending from heaven upon the battered creature below. The Flood Dragon clearly sensed something amiss; it had not expected that right after dispatching one invader, two more had arrived. It let out a deep growl at them, its eyes filled with hostility! The holy woman pointed her sacred sword at the Flood Dragon and said, "Black Flood Dragon, for your own selfish desires, you caused floods, destroyed the forest, and harmed countless lives, having committed grave sins." As she spoke, the sword in her hand emanated an aura that doubled in tumultuous power. The man drew his divine sword as well, aiming it at the Flood Dragon, "Your nature is savage, your killings too numerous and your sins too deep. To prevent you from further endangering all sentient beings in this region, we''ve come to cleanse your violent nature and purify your soul." After saying this, the strength of his presence surpassed even before! "May the Divine Lord forgive your transgressions after your death, and may you return to the embrace of the Divine Lord soon." Both spoke in unison, their voices resonating all around, like ethereal music, lofty and melodious, filled with light and hope, while the glow of their sword blades became increasingly sanctified and powerful. Chapter 699 - 517: Holiness and Ugliness (Two Chapters Combined) These two characters spoke with such conviction that even Xiang Beifei was taken aback. Wait, were these two fellows here to administer justice on behalf of Tianxing? Were they here to avenge the desolate beasts that suffered because of the destruction of this forest? With such a holy and radiant image, with such an imposing and righteous pronouncement, every word that popped out of their mouths seemed like it carried the sanctity of justice, coming into the world exclusively for the sake of righteousness. If Xiang Beifei hadn''t known that they had just been standing by, doing nothing, he would have almost believed in these two birds'' nonsense! You, Erha, if you truly wanted to administer justice on behalf of Tianxing and cleanse someone''s spiritual power, why did you just watch the show earlier without intervening? Wait until everyone is injured and then come out to deliver pretty speeches? Can you be any more hypocritical? But Xiang Beifei soon noticed something unusual, because after the two of them made their statements, the white sacred swords in their hands grew increasingly brilliant, as if the words were like a spell, activating the spiritual power. The might of the two sacred swords grew stronger. "So the righteous declaration just now was¡ªthe Seal Unlocking Spell of the sacred sword?" While Xiang Beifei was still puzzled, the two holy men and women had already made their move against the Flood Dragon! Hum! A holy white glow surged out from their sacred swords, like a pillar of light sent down by the heavens, falling upon the Flood Dragon. The Flood Dragon''s eyes were cold as it watched the glow falling towards it. Roar! The Flood Dragon let out a roar, and a grey light began to shine from every corner of its body, quickly converging together like a cloud of grey surging upward, blocking the white pillar of light. The dark grey light collided with the holy white light, and a violent fluctuation instantly rippled through the air, spreading out and evaporating the floodwaters! The Flood Dragon arched its massive body, and floodwaters surged around it. From the cloud of grey that it had just expelled, thunder rumbled, followed by a crackling sound as lightning shot from the cloud, blasting fiercely towards the two. This lightning was peculiar, for normal lightning strikes from the sky downward, yet this one was cleaving from the clouds up into the sky, but that did not lessen its power. If struck by this bolt of lightning, even martial artists in the early stages of orifice transforming would be in trouble! Hum! The explosive lightning hurtled towards the two winged bird people, but they were clearly prepared. The sacred swords in their hands crossed paths, and a strong sword energy cleaved out, striking the lightning. Boom! Boom! Boom! The sword energy and lightning collided fiercely, sweeping out terrifying waves. The Flood Dragon was caught off guard and was sent flying, while the figures of the two were pushed hundreds of meters back. "I didn''t expect it to be this strong despite being so severely injured!" the long-haired woman exclaimed in a low voice. "We can''t hold back now!" the man shouted. The two exchanged a glance, immediately understanding each other''s intentions, and then their figures suddenly charged out. An ear-piercing sound emanated from their throats! Screech¡ª This sound was extremely unpleasant, like fingernails scraping on glass, causing people''s eardrums to hurt. Meanwhile, the figures who were once holy, suddenly shed all their feathers, resembling a plucked roast chicken, with large lumps of flesh and yellow spots bulging on their skin. Even their beautiful and handsome faces were disfigured. Their eyes elongated with a sharp keratin layer at the corners, and two sharp fangs protruded from their mouths. Their ears shriveled and pressed against their faces, and their hair bristled like that of a hedgehog, glistening with cold light. Especially on their backs, the wings were covered in lumps, turning yellow and greasy like chicken wings fried in flour. If you sprinkled bread crumbs and cumin on them, even the neighbor''s Erha would cry out of craving. Xiang Beifei was also completely taken aback by the huge disparity! They were just as pure as angels before, and in a blink of an eye, they turned into an ugly, lump-covered chicken? What exactly were these two winged fellows? But after the bird people transformed into lump-covered chickens, the sinister aura emanating from them grew even stronger, as if a terrifyingly evil force was bursting forth, and a rotten smell began pervading the surroundings. Soon, these two ugly, meat-winged monsters almost reached the later stages of orifice transforming! Boom! This time, the Flood Dragon was unable to withstand the powerful force and was blasted away. The man even wielded his sacred sword to sever the Flood Dragon''s tail! The Flood Dragon howled in agony and a mix of horror and anger. These two bird people were very powerful, probably only its peak condition could have withstood them. But having just fought with the eight-armed black ape, the Flood Dragon was definitely not a match for them now. The Flood Dragon, having developed a high level of intelligence by this point, knew it couldn''t win and immediately turned and dove into the water, planning to escape. "Your soul has not yet been forgiven; don''t think about escaping!" The two ugly meat-winged monsters relentlessly pursued the Flood Dragon, exhaling a breath of black fog from their mouths. The roaring fog tainted the surface of the water, and the floodwater, originally stained red by the blood of the eight-armed black ape, turned pitch black and began bubbling. The Flood Dragon, hiding beneath the surface, suddenly sprang out from the red water, continuing its escape. And the direction it was heading was towards Xiang Beifei''s left. The meat-winged monsters moved swiftly, instantly catching up with the injured Flood Dragon, ready to capture it. Chapter 700 - 517: Holiness and Ugliness (Two Chapters Combined)_2 "Are we not going to intervene?" Xiang Beifei pondered. Such a fight seemed unrelated to him. Even if those two ugly creatures wanted to do something, that was their business. After all, both possessed the strength of the orifice transforming phase, so any confrontation would require quite an effort. But at this moment, Erha suddenly growled uneasily, and a green breath burst forth from its body! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! In an instant, green wooden trunks emerged throughout the floodwaters. These trunks rapidly grew into towering trees, sealing off the two creatures behind the Flood Dragon. "Erha, what are you doing?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Awoo awoo," Erha said anxiously. "It''s becoming a dragon, what''s that got to do with you?" Xiang Beifei didn''t understand. "Awoo!" At this time, other Flood Dragons, as if realizing something, also emitted a deep growl. Xiang Beifei then understood and, feeling puzzled, communicated with Erha. "Eh, do Flood Dragons also speak ''awoo'' language? You guys don''t happen to be relatives, do you?" Xiang Beifei exclaimed in surprise. "Awoo awoo!" Erha eagerly hoped Xiang Beifei would help, saying that the fellow looked like a little brother. "You''re not as powerful as it, and still little brother!" Xiang Beifei curled his lip and hesitated for a while but still decided to make a move. "Fine, have it fly this way," Xiang Beifei said. "Awoo!" Erha roared softly, signaling its location to the Flood Dragon. The Flood Dragon didn''t understand where the voice was coming from, but because the language was similar and it was an urgent moment, it made a split-second decision to head towards Xiang Beifei. It wasn''t long before it saw Xiang Beifei. Upon realizing that Xiang Beifei was a human, it was taken aback, its form hesitated, and hostility appeared in its eyes. But then it saw the Wooden Kirin, which had shrunk and was standing on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, and let out a low roar again. "Go that way, I''ll cover you," Xiang Beifei watched the Flood Dragon calmly. "Awoo." Erha wagged its tail, urging it to run quickly. In the wild eyes of the Flood Dragon, a peculiar light appeared. It glanced at Erha in astonishment, nodded slightly, and then flitted past Xiang Beifei, disappearing behind him. Xiang Beifei waved his hand¡ª Whoosh! A stone pillar abruptly appeared behind the Flood Dragon, floating in midair. At this moment, the man and woman immediately shattered the trees in front of them, but when they collided with the stone pillar, they paused and suddenly stopped. Recoil in Fear. Xiang Beifei quickly cast a wave of spiritual power to scatter the lingering scent of the Flood Dragon, then withdrew the stone pillar, leaped onto a nearby branch, and his powerful spiritual power instantly rendered himself invisible again. The man and woman on the other side were only confined by the "Recoil in Fear" ability for five seconds, but in just five seconds, the Flood Dragon had vanished, disappearing into a river deep in the dense woods. "It''s gone!" The two hovered in midair, looking around. The scent of the Flood Dragon stopped here as if it had been interrupted by something. For a moment, they had no idea where to go. "How careless! To think that a Flood Dragon transforming into a dragon escaped!" The man showed his sharp teeth and looked extremely angry. At this time, they were ugly, with grotesque expressions. Unwilling to give up, the two Meat-Winged Monsters searched the surroundings at high speed, hoping to find traces of the Flood Dragon again and to kill it while it was severely injured. However, after scouring an area of a hundred miles, the Meat-Winged Monsters still couldn''t find a trace of the Flood Dragon! This made the Meat-Winged Monsters look even angrier. However, just at that moment, a voice suddenly came from the forest. "Hehe, I wondered what was happening here. It turns out the two Divine Envoys are busy at work," a sharp, mocking laugh cut through as a figure flashed into view from among the trees. This was a tall man with numerous thumb-sized bloody holes in his head, as if some sharp claws had violently stabbed him many times, piercing into his brain and killing him. It was Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage! Xiang Beifei, who was watching the excitement from a distance, slightly furrowed his brow. Why do these guys never go away? Wherever I go, there they are! Seeing the man''s appearance, with holes in his head, Xiang Beifei had initially named him "Brain Hole," but remembering that he had already dealt with a Brain Hole among the Stone Race, he pondered for a moment and decided to rename this Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage to: Brain Deficient. "Ri An the Envoy, Ye Ji the Envoy, I trust you''re both unharmed," Brain Deficient said leisurely, leaning against a tree branch, looking at the two hallowed figures before him with a sardonic smile playing on his lips. Ri An was the woman''s name, and Ye Ji was the man''s. When Ri An and Ye Ji saw Brain Deficient, their pitch-black eyes grew even colder. "Why have you come here?" Ri An asked, her expression unfriendly. "With such a huge commotion occurring here, I happened to be passing by and came over to have a look, to see if there was anything I could help with." Brain Deficient sized up Ri An and Ye Ji, who, at the moment, looked extremely ugly, their bodies covered with swollen lumps, giving them a fierce and terrifying appearance. He laughed again with a click of his tongue. "I like the evil side of your Moon God Race. The fallen version of you is more pleasing to the eye, no need to hide behind that hypocritical facade every day. Isn''t it better this way? Why the pretense?" Brain Deficient mocked. "Are you looking for death?" Ri An said, her eyes chilling as she regarded Brain Deficient. But Brain Deficient continued to wear a mocking face, not taking Ri An''s threat very seriously. Ye Ji held back Ri An, eyeing Brain Deficient, and with a cold snort, whispered to his companion, "Contain your murderous intent. We''ve caused quite a stir here, be wary of others seeing this side of us." After saying this, Ye Ji''s aura rapidly dissipated, and the holy light fell back upon him. Divine white feathers grew back on his yellow flesh wings, the lumps on his body retracted, and his skin smooth once more. He was once again the graceful, ethereal, and handsome celestial man. Ri An also forcefully suppressed her anger. As she calmed down, the disturbances around her settled, and she once again appeared as an approachable, pure celestial woman, untainted by the dust of the mundane world. "Ji Li, did you see where that Flood Dragon ran off to just now?" Ri An''s voice regained its melodious and enchanting tone, a celestial music that brought tranquility to one''s heart upon listening. She looked at Brain Deficient with sparkling eyes, her demeanor gentle and friendly, making it hard for anyone to imagine that just moments ago, she had been a wingless lump of flesh. Brain Deficient said scornfully, "What? Are you planning to redeem the Flood Dragon''s spirit this time?" "Do you need my forgiveness for your soul as well with the way you speak to us?" Ye Ji said amicably, as a holy white light radiated from his body, intensifying slightly in a threatening manner. A hint of wariness appeared in Brain Deficient''s eyes. "No, I encountered you as soon as I arrived," said Brain Deficient. Ri An and Ye Ji lightly furrowed their brows and glanced back at the trees that had been destroyed, saying, "Something definitely intervened to help that Flood Dragon just now. These trees didn''t grow on their own; they were controlled." "Isn''t your white moonlight capable of resurrecting all things? Why not restore these trees to see?" Brain Deficient asked as he leaned on a tree branch. "Ri An, use the Holy Light to restore it and let''s see who dares interfere with our affairs here," Ye Ji instructed. Ri An approached the trees that she had shattered, and the hallowed light shone upon them! Her Holy Light was not only capable of purifying turbid energies but could also recreate the essence of moonlight, temporarily restoring the broken objects and reflecting who had acted just now. Normally, as long as the trees were bathed in her Holy Light, they would revive into a forest! However, Ri An''s expression soon stiffened slightly. For the sliced trees, cloaked in her hallowed light, began to wither away, as if that Holy Light was some form of contaminating light that scathed the trees to death! "How can this be?" Ri An''s frown deepened. Chapter 701 - 518: Cooperation and Differences "Tsk tsk, it seems your sacred moonlight is useless now, huh! Hehe," Brain Deficient said with a mocking tone. Whoosh! A beam of white light shot out from Ri An''s body, instantly landing on Brain Deficient''s foot. Brain Deficient''s expression drastically changed as he darted upward into the sky, retreating a great step back. "It still works." Ri An calmly looked at Brain Deficient''s foot, where the toes had been hit by the light and the flesh was directly scorched, exposing a section of ghastly white bone. Brain Deficient''s expression darkened, not expecting this man to act so decisively against him. "Is this all your Moon God Race is capable of?" Brain Deficient asked. At that moment, Ye Ji flashed behind Brain Deficient, his speed so fast that Brain Deficient had no chance to react. In the blink of an eye, Ye Ji had grabbed his neck and lifted him up. "Our Moon God Race''s capabilities are more than you can imagine." Ye Ji''s voice was as crisp as the sound of jade striking, his expression still carrying a smile, as if this was a very polite way to greet someone. "I don''t like your attitude. You filthy Demon Tentacles should show more respect to our Moon God Race," Ri An said, his eyes showing a hint of contempt. Strangely enough, even though Ri An looked at Brain Deficient with contempt, he seemed inherently right¡ªit was the disdain of a god, rightfully so. Brain Deficient did not seem panicked, still scoffing, "Your Moon God Race is really interesting, hiding your dirty sides and using our Demon Tentacle Race to take over Shepherd City, yet you despise us for being filthy?" "Don''t think I won''t kill you." Once again, a murderous intent flowed from Ye Ji, and yellowish tumors surfaced on his arm, emitting a putrid scent. Brain Deficient sneered, "Never mind whether you dare to kill me, even if you had the intention, you would need to have the ability to do so." Whoosh! Brain Deficient''s neck broke off directly, black tentacles attached to his head, lifting it up, and twisting free from Ye Ji''s hands in the blink of an eye. Brain Deficient retreated like a ghost, landing on a tree branch. The black tentacles rolled his head back in place on his neck, unharmed. He slightly turned his neck, a creaking sound emerging: "You don''t need to try these tricks with me. Since your Moon God Race treasures your appearance so much and does not want others to see your ugly side, you better cooperate with us. Isn''t a win-win cooperation good enough?" Ri An and Ye Ji exchanged glances, their eyes flickering slightly, and furrowed their brows again. Clearly, Brain Deficient was not just an ordinary character; if he did not have some skills, he would not dare come here to provoke them like this. Ye Ji pondered for a moment, understanding the current situation. There was no need for mutual provocations; they were temporarily on the same boat, so they couldn''t just push each other off. "You Demon Tentacles better not mess things up," Ye Ji said coldly. "That''s what I should be saying to you." Brain Deficient adjusted his head straight, sneered again, then turned and leaped away, vanishing into the forest. "Trusting the Demon Tentacle Race¡ªthis idea isn''t great," Ri An said. "We have no choice." Ye Ji sheathed his sacred sword and turned to look toward the headless eight-armed black ape, saying, "The Flood Dragon ran away, luckily it didn''t manage to take the Beast Pill from the eight-armed black ape; at least our presence here wasn''t for nothing." He smiled faintly, took a step, and floated down beside the body of the eight-armed black ape, but soon his expression suddenly changed! "What''s going on? Where is the Beast Pill!" Ye Ji asked darkly. Ri An also paused slightly, his expression becoming uncertain. "Could it be Ji Li, that guy pulling tricks?" Ri An said grimly. "Damn it! I will never spare him next time! Demon Tentacle Race, wait for me!" Ye Ji clenched his fists! ¡ª¡ª The Beast Pill obviously wasn''t taken by Brain Deficient. If Brain Deficient had acted, with Ri An and Ye Ji''s Perception, it would have been impossible to deceive them. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei, holding the Beast Pill of the eight-armed black ape, joyfully tossed it to Xiang Beifei. "This is a good thing." Xiang Beifei smiled, took the Beast Pill of the eight-armed black ape, and looked it over with satisfaction. The eight-armed black ape, possessing late-stage orifice transforming abilities, was very powerful, making this Beast Pill extremely precious! Xiang Beifei stored away the Beast Pill, then looked towards Ri An and Ye Ji in the distance, these two strikingly handsome men and women of great strength. What did this so-called Moon God Race mean? What was Shepherd City? What were they planning to do in cooperation with the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage? At that moment, Ri An and Ye Ji, unable to find the Beast Pill of the eight-armed black ape, appeared very annoyed, muttered a few curses under their breath, and then left. Xiang Beifei did not go after them. "Awooo?" Erha looked around, searching for the trace of the Flood Dragon, urging Xiang Beifei to find the young Flood Dragon; it wanted to recruit a follower. "Recruit a ghost, will you?" Xiang Beifei said irritably as he flicked Erha''s head, "Can you still smell the Flood Dragon?" The Flood Dragon had late-stage orifice transforming abilities and was a desolate beast with spiritual intelligence not inferior to the Human Race. During its escape, it utilized its special abilities to disrupt and shield its scent to prevent tracking. Erha sniffling with its nose, realized it couldn''t detect the scent of the Flood Dragon and felt somewhat disheartened. "Alright, you wanted to save it, and I saved it too. Whatever happens to that desolate beast next is no longer our concern. Let it fend for itself!" The purpose of Xiang Beifei''s journey was to head to Si Hou, focusing on his own goals first. As for what the Moon God Race wanted to do with the Demon Tentacle Race, that was their business, and there was no need for him to muddy the waters. He immediately turned and following the stone from Chen Hou, headed north. After flying for two more days, Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but mutter; Chen Hou was indeed far from Si Hou. On the third day, Xiang Beifei stopped amidst a range of mountains, gazing at the undulating peaks in deep thought. The mountains stood tall, with peaks lush and verdant, numerous towering peaks in sight, and various large flying creatures rising and falling in the distance. The air was thick with miasma, surrounding the mountains. This miasma was purple, visibly toxic. The compass from Chen Hou constantly pointed deep into the mountain range. "Strange. Isn''t this the mountain I just crossed?" Xiang Beifei looked at the tall mountain in front of him in surprise. He had actually already crossed this mountain range, initially following the compass northward. However, the compass took a turn midway, and he turned as well. After an hour of turning, he unexpectedly found himself back where he started! It was as if he had been made to circle this mountain range! Chapter 702 - 519: The Circuitous Mountain Range "It seems Si Hou should be within this mountain range," Xiang Beifei sat on the cliff''s edge, surveying the mountain range where miasma continuously surged forth, carefully contemplating the situation in front of him. He had circled around once again and ended up back where he started; if he continued following the direction of the compass, he might circle back again. Logically, the direction of the compass should not be wrong, but for some reason, he had followed the compass''s direction for quite a while, only to find himself going in circles here. This was nothing like the time he went to Chen Hou. When he went to Chen Hou, upon reaching the entrance, the compass had stopped moving, but here the compass just kept spinning in this area. "No, no, it can''t be that simple." Xiang Beifei leaned against a rock, propping his chin in his hand, looking at the stone in the palm of his right hand, fiddling with it nonstop. "Woof woof?" Xiaohei asked, puzzled. "Right, it should be like this, this place is probably similar to Zi Hou," Xiang Beifei said. Zi Hou''s entrance had initially been a projection from a formation, something like a blood altar which had very strong projecting teleportation capabilities, enough to detour people around it. And here, it was very likely that there was a similar formation concealing Si Hou. Unfortunately, Xiang Beifei could not determine where this formation was because, without controlling the blood altar, this formation also imposed strong limitations on him, just like when he previously searched in vain for Unrestrained''s base. "This is troublesome, I can''t keep spinning in circles forever." Xiang Beifei was somewhat perplexed, seeing that Si Hou was nearby, yet he simply couldn''t find the entrance. "Let''s split up and search together to see if there''s anything unusual about this mountain range. We''ll regroup here later," Xiang Beifei said. "Woof woof!" "Aoow! Aoow!" Xiaohei and the Wooden Kirin immediately understood and each chose a direction to bound away. "You!" Youmong was eager to try and was about to hop away. "You Three-Ha," Xiang Beifei saw Youmong wanting to search and immediately his face darkened as he grabbed it back. "Are you planning on turning into dead grass if you don''t follow me?" Xiang Beifei said. Youmong paused, a bit embarrassed as it scratched its head, having forgotten that it would wither if it strayed too far from Xiang Beifei. These days, because it followed Xiaohei and Erha, it had become much livelier and had forgotten that it couldn''t just leave on a whim. "Youmong Youmong!" Youmong muttered. It consumed Xiang Beifei''s Spiritual Power every day and wanted to be helpful, feeling embarrassed to always be a freeloader. "You are so small and weak, don''t get swallowed in one bite by some desolate beast after running a few steps," Xiang Beifei said. Youmong pouted and then climbed back onto Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, looking somewhat dejected. Xiang Beifei looked at Youmong with a wry smile and after a while, he patted its little head and said, "Maybe next time we''ll need your help too." Youmong blinked in confusion. "You''ve forgotten that you can communicate with Zhang Yu, right? Perhaps Si Hou will need your help as well." During the time at Chen Hou, one of the main reasons Zhang Yu had trusted him was because Youmong had come out and communicated with Zhang Yu. If Si Hou, like Chen Hou, also had some special species as protectors, then Youmong could act as an ambassador for communication. Youmong nodded, indicating that it would definitely help when the time came. Xiang Beifei shifted his focus back to the mountain range ahead. He had no plans to continue following the compass in circles but decided to delve directly into this mountain range to try his luck. He carefully leaped down from the cliff and then flew towards the depths of the mountain range. Blankets of miasma obscured the visibility, limiting how far he could see. Strange noises occasionally emanated and disappeared among the trees, their source unknown¡ªsome desolate beast''s cry, perhaps. Xiang Beifei landed in a valley overgrown with wild grass. On both sides of the cliff, dense thistle trees grew, their leaves black as if dipped in ink. After two steps forward, he found that the ground was a swamp, pitch-black, emitting a foul smell as if from rotting corpses, making it difficult to tread, so he flew up again, intending to cross over it. But just as he flew over the swamp, he felt a strong force tugging at him, trying to pull him down as if there was a sinister power lurking within the swamp that specifically targeted passersby. This pulling force was, of course, of little use to Xiang Beifei. With a slight shake, the field he respected as a criterion spread out, neutralizing the pulling force. In his surroundings, the direction of gravity moved at his control. Xiang Beifei continued flying over the swamp but countless bubbles started churning from within, as if something was burning the swamp, boiling it to tumult. "What''s going on?" Xiang Beifei stared at the swamp below, intending to investigate what exactly was the deal with this swamp. But at that moment, he suddenly heard some creaking noises from the bottom of the swamp. Next, some bones flipped up from beneath the earth. These bones seemed to float up from the bottom of the swamp. The bones'' condition made it hard to tell what kind of desolate beast they belonged to, as there was no complete skeletal frame left, making it difficult to recognize. But in just a moment, the surface of the swamp was suddenly covered with various white bones, as if the swamp had turned into a battlefield of white bones out of nowhere. Xiang Beifei didn''t understand what was happening to the swamp; he stopped and stood in mid-air, pondering over the piles of bones below. Then, he suddenly saw several human skeletons. These bones were definitely human, no doubt about it! How far from Jiuzhou was this place to find human bones? "Could it be the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage?" Xiang Beifei thought deeply. People from the Jiuzhou continent couldn''t possibly have traveled this far, so the most likely explanation would be the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. The Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage often killed humans on the Jiuzhou continent and then used their bodies as hosts. If they discarded the human corpses here, it would make sense for the bodies to decompose into white skeletons. However, as Xiang Beifei walked a few more steps, something felt off because the bones here were incredibly hard. Some of the beast bones were black as if forged from steel, and others were emerald green, resembling jade artifacts. Xiang Beifei had never seen such bones, nor could he identify from which desolate beast they came. He carefully wrapped up a piece of bone with breath soil, trying to get a closer look. But just then, the valley was suddenly swept by wind. The wind whistled through the stone crevices, echoing in the valley, sounding particularly grating. And at that moment¡ª Crack! The sound of bone joints moving echoed as a hand bone on the swamp slowly rose to stand, flexing gently. A little distance away, a triangular skull flashed with a dim purple light in the depth of its hollow eye sockets. Chapter 703 - 520: Skeleton Swish! Swish! Another bony hand emerged from the ground; both hands only had their upper arms and were not attached to a body. These hands groped around before slowly propelling themselves towards the triangular skull. This triangular skull, a remnant of some unknown desolate beast, emanated a faint glow from its eye sockets, like tiny purple flames flickering gently, seemingly controlling the flames. The two hands reached the side of the triangular skull, and one hand clumsily searched before quickly grabbing the skull''s lower jaw, lifting the skull into mid-air. The hands continuously adjusted the skull''s direction, allowing it to look around. The flames in the skull''s eye sockets flickered again as if discovering something, and the other hand immediately crawled over, searching laboriously through a pile of bones, and dug out a connected spine. The spine was straight, about a meter long; one hand dragged the spine back and then planted it into the ground. The other hand then mounted the triangular skull onto this spine segment. A thin strand of purple flames flowed from the skull''s eye sockets along the lower jaw, connecting itself with the spine. The skull began searching around, incessantly directing the two hands to look for suitable bones in the swamp''s bone piles. Soon, ribs, pelvis, leg bones... various bones were gathered, and quickly, the skull commanded its bony hands to assemble its skeletal body! Xiang Beifei floated on a stone beside the swamp, observing this skeleton with considerable astonishment. It was his first time witnessing a skeleton that had become sentient; indeed, all sorts of bizarre occurrences were possible in this foreign desolate realm. "This guy, couldn''t he be from the Si Hou species?" Xiang Beifei grew increasingly intrigued by the skeleton, perhaps because he had seen various humanoid creatures¡ªthe half-tree, half-human Youmong, the stone-built Zhang Yu, and so on. Thus, seeing a skeleton built from different bones didn''t strike him as strange anymore. The skeleton was peculiar; although the bones it collected were from various sizes of desolate beasts, when assembled, they were arranged in a human configuration, resulting in a very strange sight. The ribs were interspersed green and white, the two leg bones were mismatched ¨C the left seemed to be from a large gorilla, while the other was an inch shorter and red. One shoulder blade was very pronounced, like a sharp bone spur, while the other was recessed. The creature''s body was like building blocks, pieced together from bones of different desolate beasts, yet it awkwardly tried to mimic a human skeleton, creating a bizarre creature. Yet, this hodgepodge of bones allowed it to move. After fully assembling itself, the skull seemed dissatisfied with its body. It began walking around in the bone piles of the swamp, continually digging up bones. Suddenly, the flames in its eye sockets flickered intensely, as if excited upon spotting two human leg bones. It quickly dug them out and broke off its own desolate beast leg bones to attach the human ones. However, after attaching them, it realized it now had bow legs. It walked a few steps, perhaps feeling the bow legs were unsightly, and then stopped to forcefully twist its leg bones, finally managing to adjust the alignment of its joints after much effort. The skull started walking along the swamp, pausing and resuming, searching for various bones like a scavenger; every time it found something suitable, it would stop to attach it to itself, spending a long time until it gradually started resembling a human. Its head was still triangular, resembling some kind of serpentine desolate beast. It constantly touched its head, seemingly displeased with its own head. Just then, it suddenly spotted a human skull and the purple light in its eyes flickered anew! Although the swamp was littered with various desolate beast bones, including human bones, intact human skulls were rare, either being only half a skull or being completely split open. The skull had barely found an intact skull when the flames in its eyes flickered rapidly, appearing overjoyed. It hurriedly removed its triangular skull and then, using its hand bone, poked around the eye sockets, scooping out two balls of purple fire from its sockets and placing them into the human skull. Then, it reattached the human skull back onto its shoulders. This action left Xiang Beifei completely dumbfounded. "Is this the Head-Swapping Technique?" Xiang Beifei found it incredibly bizarre; it was his first time seeing a skull swap bodies like this, scooping its eyes out and inserting them into another skull. The skilled maneuver definitely suggested it was an experienced hand, probably having done it numerous times. However, Xiang Beifei also fell into deep thought because he noticed that the skull was constantly adjusting its bones to align more with a human structure, especially the two balls of purple fire in the eyes, which seemed very eerie. Regardless of how its body''s bones transformed, the most critical part had to be the two balls of fire in the eye sockets. Did it really enjoy making itself look human? At this moment, the skeleton had already started moving forward, and Xiang Beifei silently followed behind, curious about where the skeleton was heading. It kept moving forward, and after about ten minutes, it finally exited the valley. However, there were mountains everywhere, and once it left one valley, it continued running along the mountain path. Oddly enough, despite being haphazardly put together, the skeleton moved swiftly, striding confidently through the steep woodland. Xiang Beifei was quite curious, but since he couldn''t locate Si Hou at the moment and wasn''t sure if this creature belonged to Si Hou''s species, he decided to see where it was headed first. Along the way, he could see various desolate beast bones scattered throughout the mountain range. It seemed as though the area had once experienced a great battle with countless desolate beasts dying here, their bones piling up like mountains. What puzzled Xiang Beifei was that the desolate beasts he saw along the way didn''t seem very powerful, and even shrank back quietly when they saw the skeleton, seemingly unwilling to engage with it. It made sense, considering anyone capable of assembling desolate beast bones was not someone living desolate beasts would dare to provoke, fearing their bones might be dismantled for parts accidentally. But just then, Xiang Beifei suddenly sensed something off. He furrowed his brows, turned his head, and noticed a figure stealthily trailing the skeleton in a secluded woodland on the mid-slope. He immediately recognized who it was. It was Brain Deficient. Chapter 704 - 521: The Bone Nest "That guy just won''t leave me alone," Xiang Beifei muttered. He had last seen Brain Deficient two days ago and had flown tens of thousands of kilometers since then, yet he had not expected to see Brain Deficient here again. Wasn''t Brain Deficient supposed to be joining forces with the so-called Moon God Race to deal with Shepherd City? What was he doing here? Xiang Beifei reined in his aura, slowed his pace, and positioned himself half a beat behind Brain Deficient, ready to react promptly if Brain Deficient tried anything sneaky. Just then, Xiaohei''s voice echoed in Xiang Beifei''s mind. "Are you sure?" Xiang Beifei asked in surprise. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei responded affirmatively. Xiang Beifei''s expression grew grave. Xiaohei and Erha had split up earlier to survey the surroundings and identify Si Hou''s location. During his search, Xiaohei had uncovered many hidden Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage in the mountain range, with a count of at least one hundred! With over a hundred Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage converging here, well-hidden yet diligently uncovered one by one by the alert Xiaohei. Connecting this to the consultations between Ghost Whiskers and the Moon God Race about targeting Shepherd City, Xiang Beifei grew increasingly astonished. Could it be that this Si Hou was actually the so-called Shepherd City? Brain Deficient was following this skeleton¡ªcould it be that they too were unable to locate Si Hou, and thus had to rely on this skeleton? "Go find Erha and then head my way," Xiang Beifei instructed Xiaohei. Xiaohei, who could sense Xiang Beifei''s location, would not have any trouble navigating his way. ¡ª¡ª The skeleton kept moving forward, occasionally stopping to search for bones. The area was littered with countless bones, most of which were from desolate beasts. Some were half-buried in the ground, while others were oddly hung from branches! However, at that moment, a loud, echoing bird call suddenly filled the sky, causing the flames in the skeleton''s eye sockets to flicker again. Xiang Beifei deduced that this creature''s eye-socket flames seemed to flash continuously whenever it was happy. Upon hearing the bird call, the skeleton headed towards the sound, scaling branches with agility. It peered around briefly and then swung from branch to branch like a monkey, moving at incredible speed. This creature was clearly assembled from segments of bones, but its movements were astoundingly nimble. It darted swiftly through the towering trees and soon came to a stop in a mountain valley. The mountains here were steep, several hundred meters high, but the gap between them was narrow, perhaps only about ten meters wide. The mountain sides were incredibly straight, as if a gigantic sword had cleaved the mountain in two. Then, Xiang Beifei saw a very peculiar scene. Above the valley, there was an enormous bird nest spanning over ten meters. It was enormous. If it were a giant bird, it wouldn''t be too surprising, given the countless large desolate beasts Xiang Beifei had encountered since arriving from the Jiuzhou continent. Seeing a giant bird would not have been too shocking. But the problem was, this massive bird nest was constructed entirely out of bones! These bones, large ones being up to 10 meters long, small ones about one to two meters, countless dry bones intertwining haphazardly, yet tightly fused together, sprawled between the valleys, forming a giant, coarse, yet tightly constructed bird nest, with a length and width both spanning over ten meters, and a height even exceeding twenty meters. This was truly a magnificent and eerie construction! Xiang Beifei had no idea which type of desolate beast bird used bones to construct its nest, but he soon witnessed it, as a giant pale eagle, equally eerie, its wingspan over fifty meters long, descended from the sky towards the valley''s bird nest, darkening the sky like a small mountain. The flapping of its wings stirred up whirlwinds, causing many rocks to shake. He finally understood why the great pale eagle used bones to build its nest because if it had used branches, they would likely have been blown away by the gale forced by the bird''s wingspread; only desolate beast bones, which were tough and relatively good at slotting together, could be used to construct the nest. The pale eagle landed like a small mountain, still carrying a giant desolate beast in its beak, which seemed to be a double-winged tiger at the Meridian Opening stage. It settled in its nest and started to peel the skin off the double-winged tiger, consuming its flesh. It ate very quickly, soon leaving only the bones. The long wing bones and the spine of the double-winged tiger were kept to reinforce the nest, whereas other limbs were thrown down into the valley below. As soon as the double-winged tiger''s corpse dropped, a thick fog seemed to rise in the valley, corroding the flesh and bones of the corpse until only the skeleton remained. Beneath its nest was a vast collection of various desolate beast bones, like a giant bone graveyard, a sight to behold! The skeleton, as if discovering the New World, quickly ran towards the pile of bones beneath the bird nest. The flesh-corroding fog fell on it but caused it no harm. It rummaged through the bones, found some new ones, and started replacing parts of its own body. The great pale eagle seemed to notice this uninvited guest, but it only glanced at the skeleton and then ignored it, probably because there was no conflict of interest or threat, so it did not bother. The skeleton scoured the valley, and as it continued, it suddenly discovered something and ran forward in surprise. A hundred meters from the pale eagle''s nest lay countless human bones! Xiang Beifei was also slightly startled! There were no fewer than a hundred human skeletons here! The skeletons had been completely corroded by the miasma in the valley, scattered about haphazardly, and it seemed they had only been thrown there recently because the skeletons were not disordered, with only some bones possibly displaced by the wind, but none missing. Xiang Beifei confirmed repeatedly that they were indeed human bones. "How could there be so many human skeletons here?" Xiang Beifei furrowed his brows. This place was tens of thousands of leagues from the Jiuzhou continent, and hardly any humans dared venture so far, making it impossible for a large number of humans to appear here. He turned his gaze toward Brain Deficient, hidden on one side, already understanding that only Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage could manage to kill so many humans and dump their bones here. Indeed, Brain Deficient was watching the skeleton with a cold smirk, looking utterly triumphant. "Did this guy deliberately lure the skeleton here?" Xiang Beifei realized, staring intently at Brain Deficient. This guy had killed countless humans and dumped so many bones here, certainly not by chance, definitely scheming something. Chapter 705 - 522: Magma The light in the eye sockets of the skeleton flickered faster and faster, clearly excited upon seeing so many people''s bone parts. It immediately began rummaging through the pile of human bones to find ones suitable for itself. Soon, it chose what it considered the perfect skeleton for itself, tidied itself up, then dug out the flame from its own skull and stuffed it into another skeleton''s skull which had a larger forehead, then secured its own skull in place. This time, it finally looked like a normal human skeleton, no longer a motley collection of assembled parts. It appeared much more orthodox, examining its body up and down, the flame in its eye sockets flickering as if it were satisfied with its own appearance. After all these preparations, it seemed to remember something, immediately grabbed a skull, turned, and ran outside without stopping. Xiang Beifei did not know where it was running to, but Brain Deficient had already followed it again, and naturally, he could not fall behind. After hiding his presence, he followed slowly behind Brain Deficient. The skeleton ran through the deep mountain forests for about twenty minutes and soon arrived in front of an inconspicuous small mountain. This mountain was ordinary, bland compared to the surrounding mountains, nothing to make anyone look twice. Such mountains could be found in abundance in this range. The skeleton walked along the trail of this mountain, quickly climbed halfway up the slope, and then leaped into the forest, jumping towards a dense thicket overgrown with weeds. Xiang Beifei and Brain Deficient maintained a distance, following from another direction. He landed softly among the trees, then saw a very hidden pit in the ground. The pit looked as if the ground had collapsed, containing a large cave that was only tens of meters wide at the opening but expanded to several hundred meters in diameter inside, pitch dark, and impossible to see to the end. The mouth of the cave was covered by dense foliage. In the spots where sunlight could penetrate, many desolate beast bones were spread out, many shattered and scattered all over. After the skeleton jumped into this cave, it quickly disappeared into the darkness. Brain Deficient silently followed behind, with Xiang Beifei close on his heels. The skeleton followed a narrow passage forward, and after about two or three minutes of turning, the surrounding temperature gradually began to rise, even becoming hotter. Suddenly, the view opened up, and firelight illuminated the surroundings. Xiang Beifei realized that this place was a lava cave, seemingly part of a volcano. Ten meters below was magma, the searing lava bubbling continuously, emitting bubbles, and sparks flickered, the temperature reaching thousands of degrees. The skeleton walked up to the mouth of the volcano, stared at the boiling magma, and then, as if ignoring it, jumped right into the lava! Splash! The skeleton disappeared into the magma in the blink of an eye. "This?" Xiang Beifei was quite surprised. He turned his head to look at Brain Deficient not far away, noticing Brain Deficient was also frowning at the lava. It was clear they dared not jump into such violent magma flames because the magma here was definitely not as simple as ordinary magma; jumping into it, not to mention bones, even iron would melt instantly. When the skeleton had just jumped down, the purple flame in its eye sockets immediately burst forth, covering its skeletal frame, as if it didn''t care at all about the terrifyingly high temperature of the lava. "Could Si Hou be here?" Xiang Beifei glanced at Brain Deficient and then took out his compass stone, but the compass stone did not provide any directions, continuing to spin aimlessly. Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage had also been trying to locate the positions of the Hou all this time, but from what Xiang Beifei had gathered, each Hou was different, with Zi Hou being a snowy mountain, Chou Hou being earth, Mao Hou being a withered forest and Yin Hou being stone. Could it be that Si Hou was in the lava? No matter what, he had to figure it out. Xiang Beifei silently transformed his spiritual power into a thin thread and trailed it along the cave''s rock wall downward. As soon as it touched the molten rock, the scorching lava immediately incinerated his spiritual power. He was somewhat surprised; the lava here was clearly different from normal lava, as it was capable of devouring Spiritual Power! It really was Si Hou! Xiang Beifei''s eyes lit up. His current basis for finding the Hou was to see if he could find anything that devoured Spiritual Power. Clearly, this lava was similar to stream water, cold air, and earth, all of which were elements used by Xiang Beifei to direct him to the next Hou. No wonder Brain Deficient stopped following here; he must have found this place a long time ago but couldn''t get past the layer of lava. Even the Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage would perish immediately upon encountering these spirit-devouring substances. There''s no denying, the lava at Si Hou was a truly formidable defense. Just like Zi Hou''s cold air wrapping around the snowy mountain. Last time, the Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage, even at their base, found it very hard to reach Zi Hou''s snowy summit. Xiang Beifei did not dare to try rashly. The temperature here was probably around a thousand degrees; if it were normal lava, he might have been able to use Spiritual Power to shield himself from the heat. With his current strength, he could withstand the lava. However, since this lava could devour Spiritual Power, diving in recklessly would be fatal once the Spiritual Power failed. There wouldn''t even be a need for a crematorium; he would be incinerated on the spot! But he wasn''t completely out of options since he possessed the incredibly strong and hard "breath soil," of which he had nurtured a significant amount. As long as he relied on the breath soil''s protection to forcibly carve a path through the lava, entering the lava inside the breath soil would be no problem. Of course, he had to ascertain what would happen once he entered the lava, such as where the path through the lava was and how one might reach Si Hou because the lava clearly would devour his perception ability. Getting lost in it while groping around in the dark would be quite awkward. Brain Deficient was still standing at the edge of the lava pit, looking down at the lava below. He didn''t jump down but rather stood there as if waiting for something. Xiang Beifei was also not in a hurry. He leaped from the entrance passage to a relatively protruding stone on the cave wall, deciding to watch and wait. However, at that moment, Brain Deficient seemed to sense something and turned away from the lava cave, heading outside. Xiang Beifei immediately followed him out. Brain Deficient appeared on a stone halfway up the mountain where two people were already waiting for him. Xiang Beifei also recognized these two, they were the same Ri An and Ye Ji he had met two days ago! Both were still radiating a divine light, Holy Light embodied, like pure angels, making anyone feel a genuine fondness toward them. "How is the progress?" Ye Ji asked gently. "All is going well, the skeleton has gone back to Shepherd City. Should there be no accidents, it will surely bring peers." Brain Deficient sneered. Ri An kindly asked, "Are you sure this plan will succeed?" Chapter 706 - 523: The Plan "Don''t worry, the Fire Spirit Race trusts humans a lot. Haven''t you seen how they like to use human skeletons as their own bodies? I specifically had my companion secretly hunt down a large batch of humans from the Jiuzhou continent, transported their corpses here, and turned them into bones to lure these skeletons," Brain Deficient stated confidently. Ye Ji replied, "Just because they like human bones doesn''t necessarily mean they like humans." "You are wrong; these skeletons want human bones for their bodies because they like humans, wanting to emulate human behavior. Since you look the most like humans, it''s easier for you to win the trust of the young skeletons," Brain Deficient corrected him. Ye Ji sized up Brain Deficient, speaking meaningfully, "You also look like a human. Why don''t the skeletons like you then?" Brain Deficient''s face darkened slightly but remained silent. Ri An laughed, "I get it now, those little skeletons can tell the stench of your Demon Tentacle Race and don''t trust you." "Don''t forget who has the big meat tumors," Brain Deficient retorted. Both Ri An and Ye Ji narrowed their eyes, anger apparent in their gaze. Brain Deficient continued, "We all have our own goals. If we want to cooperate, talk less! That Purple Fire Skeleton will surely go back and summon the other skeletons to move those human bones. We will then attack them, and you will just have to show up at the right moment, pretending to drive us away. The skeletons will definitely be grateful to you, and they should let you into Shepherd City. You can cooperate from inside and out then." Ye Ji spoke eagerly, "Then I can''t wait to tear you to pieces." Brain Deficient narrowed his eyes, looking quite unpleasant. "If the act isn''t convincing enough, how would they believe it?" Ri An smiled. When she smiled, it was like a breath of spring, warm and pleasant. "Since it''s a play, you should also understand, if I don''t injure you, why would they take you back for treatment?" Brain Deficient replied with a cold laugh. Both Ye Ji and Ri An exchanged looks, uncertain, and snorted coldly after a moment. The two of them stopped talking and walked away. ¡ª¡ª "So it was a plan to feign weakness." Xiang Beifei roughly understood the plan of the Demon Tentacle Race and the Moon God Race; both species seemed eager to get inside Si Hou, but clearly, with boiling magma as a defensive barrier, neither the Meat-Winged Monsters nor the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage could break through. That meant, a frontal assault was almost impossible. So the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage and the Meat-Winged Monsters intended to unite, using the young skeletons'' affinity for humans to infiltrate Si Hou and internally break down the skeletons'' defenses. It was a perfect plan. The Moon God Race, looking saintly and beautiful, had a strong power of persuasion. Xiang Beifei glared coldly at Brain Deficient, outraged that for this plan, he went as far as to slaughter so many on the Jiuzhou continent! Those hundreds of skeletons, at the very least, were hundreds of human lives, all lost at the hands of this group of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. Truly malevolent! Xiang Beifei fell silent for a moment before returning to the magma cave. ¡ª¡ª "Xiaohei, you and Erha follow my plan," Xiang Beifei had explained his next moves to Xiaohei and Erha in his mind. Since the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage and the Meat-Winged Monster wanted to join forces, it was only natural he got involved. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei expressed that there was no problem at all. Xiaohei had already located Erha, and the two sneaks were now tallying the deployment locations and numbers of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. Each with their natural advantages¡ªone could become invisible, and the other could control trees¡ªthey had nothing to worry about in these mountains. "Keep an eye on Erha, it''s a bit jittery; don''t let anything go awry," Xiang Beifei warned again. "Woof!" Brain Deficient didn''t return to the cave but instead headed towards the canyon where the giant eagle had been, planning to lie in wait there. Xiang Beifei, however, stayed by the cave. He had originally wanted to try using the breath soil on the magma, but after a moment''s thought, he chose not to proceed with that idea. Half an hour later, bubbles emerged gurgling again within the magma, and soon the purple fire skeleton''s head reappeared from the magma, flapping towards the cave''s glowing red wall of rocks. The skeleton moved in the magma as effortlessly as a person swims through water, its eye sockets glowing with a faint purple flame that protected it. Plop! Plop! But Beifei soon realized that it wasn''t just the purple fire skeleton in the magma this time¡ªother skulls began to pop up as well! These skulls were of various kinds¡ªsome cracked wide open, their bones loosely scattered. Apart from their skulls being human-like, the other bones were from desolate beasts. However, uniquely, the flames within these skulls'' eye sockets varied in color; red, yellow, green, blue, cyan, and purple¡ªthey all sparkled with different lights, quite peculiarly. The first purple fire skeleton had skillfully climbed up the cliff and reached the edge of the cave, beckoning the other skeletons. They quickly climbed up, the light in their eyes flickering continuously. It seemed that the skeletons communicated through the frequency of their flames'' flickers; Xiang Beifei couldn''t quite make out what the little skeletons were saying, but he guessed that the faster the flickering, the more excited they were. In total, there were now twenty skeletons. Apart from the human bones that composed the body of the purple fire skeleton, the others were mostly made of desolate beast bones. To make themselves look more like humans, some skeletons had even ground their desolate beast bones into shapes resembling human bones¡ªthey looked somewhat odd but were clearly striving to appear human. The skeletons proceeded boldly along the passage, leapt out of the mountain pit, and began to quickly leap forward in the forest like monkeys. It was an eerily bizarre scene¡ªso many skeletons hopping around in the forest as if hurrying to a fair, quite lively. However, some skeletons clearly didn''t have perfect control over their bones, and during their leaps, a few managed to dislodge their own toe bones. But the skeletons didn''t stop to pick them up; there were better parts ahead, and these little bones weren''t worth the trouble! Soon, the purple fire skeleton led its kinsmen to the giant eagle''s nest, and all the skeletons'' flames in their skull sockets began to flicker excitedly at the sight of the pile of bones! The other skeletons were already impatient to start scavenging through that stack of bones, the complete human skeletons attracting them immensely. At that moment, in the dense woods above the valley, Brain Deficient and other Ghostly Visage operatives stood on tree branches, using the leaves as cover, watching the group of skeletons. On the other side, Ri An and Ye Ji were also standing afar and observing. "They''re finally here," Brain Deficient said with a cold smile. Chapter 707 - 524: Skeleton Formation At first, the Purple Fire Skeleton was pointing at the pile of bones, the flames in its eye sockets flickering constantly. Then, it pointed at its own bones as if to show its companions that its bones were from that same pile. The other skeletons, too, flickered the flames in their eye sockets in response, engaging in some unknown discussion. They all seemed eager to rush for the bones, but at that moment, one relatively tall skeleton stopped them. This skeleton was taller than all others, with strangely shaped bones that were milky white and smooth, as if crafted from an art piece. The flames in its eye sockets were white and incredibly bright, seeming almost about to burst out of the sockets. Among the group of skeletons, this one appeared to be the most rational and was not continuously flailing about like the others. The White Flame Skeleton seemed to be the leader of this troupe; it motioned with its hand and all the other skeletons quietened down. The White Flame Skeleton closely examined the pile of human bones and cautiously surveyed the surroundings, evaluating the terrain of the valley and the great eagle that had just flown away, as if assessing something. After a while, it shook its head, indicating to the others not to approach the pile of human bones. The other skeletons looked perplexed, desperately gesturing, the flames in their eye sockets even making a whooshing sound. Yet the White Flame Skeleton still insisted everyone back away, appearing to have detected something. Meanwhile, atop the valley, Brain Deficient narrowed his eyes, "What keen senses!" But then he sneered, "However, since you''re here, leaving won''t be so easy!" He waved his hand! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage hidden in the forest immediately sprang out. The black tendrils, like venomous snakes winding through the dense woods, moved along the branches, soared into the sky, and enveloped the valley from above! All the skeletons began shaking their heads and looking around at the black tendrils, immediately huddling together. The skeletons had no expressions, but the frequency of the flames flickering in their eye sockets became extremely unstable, as if they were astounded by the sudden change. "Drawing you out wasn''t easy!" Brain Deficient''s figure appeared midair, looking coldly at the group of skeletons trapped like turtles in a jar. The leading skeleton looked grimly at Brain Deficient, suddenly clutching its hand bones tightly, the white flames in its eye sockets almost shooting up a foot high, emitting a howling sound. Brain Deficient said, "I hate communicating with you, your despicable species. Just quietly submit beneath our feet!" Whoosh! Whoosh! More and more black tendrils started to whip around in the air, rushing towards the skeletons. The White Flame Skeleton stood at the forefront, the white flames in its eye sockets suddenly spurted out, radiating intense heat. These white flames, like lava, penetrated through the ribcage, flowing into every crevice of the skeleton''s bones, enveloping its bony framework tightly like white fiery meridians. Hoo! Hoo! Not just the White Flame Skeleton, but other skeletons'' flames also began spurting out, albeit with varying temperatures, seemingly using these temperature differences as a measure of their own strength. Clearly, the White Flame Skeleton''s flames were the hottest. The White Flame Skeleton watched the oncoming black tendrils, white flames covering its bony hand, chopping down at the black tendrils! Whiz! Whiz! The white flames on the White Flame Skeleton''s bony hand condensed into sharp blades, the fearsome high temperature directly slicing through the black tendrils! The skeletons were also enveloped in flames of various colors; they, like the White Flame Skeletons, fought by using the flames that flowed from their eye sockets. Although this group of skeletons looked somewhat comical, they were clearly well-trained. As they dodged swiftly, one palm strike followed another with exquisite timing, each palm wind crisp and decisive, shattering all the incoming black tendrils! Xiang Beifei watched these skeletons from a distance, astonished. The technique of their palm strikes was very familiar to him; every strike was incredibly deft. Not only that, each skeleton seemed well-practiced, their dodging movements, lifting legs, throwing punches, chopping, and turning... There was a method to their movements, power correctly concentrated into each punch, solid and genuine, without any superfluous flair. If he hadn''t seen their skeletal bodies, Xiang Beifei might have thought these techniques were performed by humans. However, the black tendrils were far too numerous, countless of them converging to form a dense mass, almost obscuring the sky, and pushing the skeletons to their limits. At that moment, the White Flame Skeleton waved his hand, and the flames on his body burst forth fiercely! "Gather!" A sharp, muffled sound exploded like a blast of flames, similar to the sounding of a horn, prompting all skeletons to swiftly get into action. Clank! Clank! Clank! All the skeletons pulled out two ribs from their rib cages and clutched them in their hands to use as weapons! Immediately, each skeleton gathered around the White Flame Skeleton, forming a formation around him as the nucleus, with some even jumping atop other skeletons. The group of skeletons moved as if marshalling in battle, the flames on each skeleton connecting together. When the black tendrils attacked, the entire formation merged like a Bagua, the various bone-bladed flames instantly blocking all the incoming black tendrils. "Skeleton Bagua Formation?" Xiang Beifei was quite amazed. These skeletons, appearing as if they had undergone professional training, presented a defense formation centered on the Bagua with extremely strong defensive power. Whenever black tendrils approached from all directions, they were slashed apart by the skeletons stationed at the outermost layer! Even the tendrils pressing down from above were blocked, as there were specific skeletons within the Bagua dedicated to dealing with the overhead black tendrils. The flames from each skeleton merged together, creating an aura that made it impossible for the black tendrils to approach! "Arrow!" The White Flame Skeleton, acting as the commander, let out another sharp blast of flame, subtly different from the earlier sounds. Xiang Beifei wondered if he was delusional, but for a moment, the sound of the flames bursting from the White Flame Skeleton seemed to change into the tone of "Arrow." As soon as the sound of the explosion passed, the entire formation rapidly shifted, beginning from a Bagua and quickly transforming into the shape of an arrow. The front of the formation, shaped like a triangle, began charging towards the valley exterior! "Is this the Arrowfront Formation?" Xiang Beifei appeared astounded, recognizing this formation used to repel beast tides, as a pioneer himself. Chapter 708 - 525 White Flame Skeleton Elite universities develop their curricula based on cultivating pioneers who combat desolate beasts, including how to cooperate with team members, how to maximize their own abilities, and how to change various battle formations on the desolate beast battlefield through joint efforts, charging into battle. Of course, there is much to consider with the pioneers'' battle formations, as everyone''s system abilities differ. Thus, in a team, there are martial artists specifically responsible for defense, advancing, forging a path, master escape techniques... The skeletons before them didn''t have so many abilities; they relied on their own flames and bone blades to charge forward. The power they unleashed was by no means negligible, as the black tentacles attempting to block their path were utterly unable to hold back, all of them being shattered by this formation. The powerful Arrowfront Formation plowed forward like a bulldozer, unstoppable as it surged toward the valley. "Hehe, petty tricks!" Brain Deficient joined the battle, directly targeting the commanding White Flame Skeleton. His goal was clear; the White Flame Skeleton was the commander of this group of skeletons, and if he could bring down the White Flame Skeleton, the entire formation would naturally collapse on its own. Swoosh! Brain Deficient''s tentacles were black and gold, glistening darkly. These tentacles were even more formidable than the rest, like long whips mixed with a powerful howling noise, swiftly lashing at the White Flame Skeleton! This strike was the power of a late-stage Orifice Transforming! Buzz! The Arrowfront Formation led by the White Flame Skeleton managed to withstand the blow, but Brain Deficient''s power was extremely formidable. With this strike, the entire Arrowfront Formation trembled, and the skeletons had to halt. Bang! Bang! Bang! Countless black tentacles extended from Brain Deficient, relentlessly whipping the Arrowfront Formation. The overwhelming force seemed to send the skeletons into a panic, as they simply couldn''t block such a powerful attack. "Defend!" The White Flame Skeleton''s flames erupted once more with a sharp pitch¡ªat least that''s what it sounded like to Xiang Beifei. Then, the White Flame Skeleton leaped out; his body ablaze with fire seemed to burst with explosive power, emitting sounds of whooshing, and charged toward Brain Deficient. With the White Flame Skeleton gone, the remaining skeleton formation switched from offense to defense, reverting to the Eight Trigrams Array, continuing to resist the black tentacles in place, waiting for the White Flame Skeleton to rejoin. Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! The leading White Flame Skeleton was now clashing with Brain Deficient. The two ribs drawn out made crisp sounds as they crossed through the air, sharpened with extreme precision and resembling long bone blades. The blades flickered with a sharp flame, and a single slash even turned their radiance into Sword Qi, tearing through the encroaching black tentacles into pieces! Yet, when such bone blades struck Brain Deficient''s tentacles, they only produced a metallic clang, with sparks even flying on impact. Brain Deficient''s tentacles were not on the same level as the others, each one as sturdy and potent as a weapon. As they furiously whipped about, the air itself seemed to warp and twist. But the White Flame Skeleton itself was no slouch, either. When one attack missed, he immediately leaped up, and the white flames on his body began to spiral and converged onto his bone blade again. Then, with a slash, "crack!" the tentacle of Brain Deficient was severed. "You''re quite capable!" The loss of a single tentacle was of little concern to him; with his strength, he could conjure up millions of black tentacles! Swoosh! Swoosh! Black tentacles kept spreading from Brain Deficient, nearly enveloping every possible angle of advance for the White Flame Skeleton. However, the White Flame Skeleton was agile, lightly touching the black tentacles as he dashed towards Brain Deficient''s main body. The White Flame Skeleton knew that clashing with these black tentacles was futile; the focus should be on targeting Brain Deficient''s main body. But Brain Deficient didn''t give him any chances. The black tentacles made a whooshing sound in the air, and as the White Flame Skeleton lost focus, one whipped across his chest. He was sent flying backward. As he flew out, many black tentacles took the opportunity to sweep toward him, trying to engulf him; however, the White Flame Skeleton''s skeleton suddenly scattered into countless fragments. These bone fragments, drawn by thin flames, dodged the black tentacle attacks. Swish! Swish! Swish! Every bone in the air congealed again, reforming into the skeleton! ¡ª¡ª "This is indeed a bizarre way of fighting!" Xiang Beifei also widened his eyes; he had never seen combat that relied on disarticulating one''s own skeleton to dodge attacks. The strength of the White Flame Skeleton wasn''t as weak as he had imagined. At the very least, it possessed the strength of the Orifice Transforming stage, and this race could even be said to be well-trained. Even the Purple Fire Skeletons from earlier seemed to have the strength of the God Refining stage. However, Xiang Beifei was very clear that this group of skeletons would definitely not be able to defeat Brain Deficient, as Brain Deficient had very powerful trump cards in hand, the most bizarre of which were those so-called priest incarnations. Those had the strength of the Heavenly Connection realm! Xiang Beifei turned his gaze toward Ri An and Ye Ji, the two Meat-Winged Monsters who were watching from a distance. These two guys were just waiting for Brain Deficient to take down the White Flame Skeleton, then they would pretend to come out as heroes to the rescue, and, with Brain Deficient''s cooperation, use Holy Light to repel the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, thereby earning the Skeleton Race''s gratitude and trust. "Xiaohei, how is your plan progressing?" Xiang Beifei asked in his mind. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei indicated that everything was ready. "Then I am off." Xiang Beifei took a step and vanished from his original spot. ¡ª¡ª Ri An and Ye Ji were standing among the dense foliage on the branches, observing the battle. They stood there like exiled immortals, holy and noble. "Ji Li should be finishing the battle soon," Ye Ji said in his gentle and refined manner. "It''s a pity to be played by him again." Ri An always looked at the Demon Tentacle Race with suspicion and did not like Brain Deficient. "It''s fine, once we sneak into Shepherd City and do what we need to, all will be well," Ye Ji continued with his usual unruffled demeanor. Meanwhile, the battle between the Ghostly Visage and the Skeleton Race had reached a fever pitch. With the loss of the White Flame Skeleton as the commander, the Skeleton Bagua Formation lost its core and shifted to passive defense, but there were too many black tentacles in the sky. Although these black tentacles were not very hard, they were relentless. Cut one down, and countless more took its place, overwhelming the skeletons. Nevertheless, the White Flame Skeleton was not immediately defeated; it was still contending with Brain Deficient, who no longer wanted to drag on the fight. He let out a cold laugh and said, "As I said, you skeletons and the Human Race of Jiuzhou will always be nothing but lowly races! Break them for me!" Boom! A red tentacle swept out from the space, bearing a destructive aura as it pressed towards the White Flame Skeleton! The White Flame Skeleton''s expression changed immediately! Chapter 709 - 526 The Performance Begins The power of that red tentacle far exceeded the White Flame Skeleton''s imagination. As it pressed down, the flames that scattered over the skeleton''s body were instantly squished back, unable to sustain. Bang! Instantly, the White Flame Skeleton was struck by the red tentacle, its bones scattered, crumbling into a heap of debris that fell to the ground. This powerful attack had dealt a severe blow to the White Flame Skeleton, who struggled to rise. The flames on its skull scattered again, attempting to pick up its fallen bones, but to no avail; the white flames in the eye sockets seemed unstable. "Is that all?" Brain Deficient sneered coldly, then waved his hand once more, and the red tentacle immediately whirled towards another skeleton formation on the other side. Boom! A fierce roar was heard, and the powerful surge created by the red tentacle broke through the skeleton formation instantly! The skeletons were blasted to pieces, their bones flying everywhere. Although they tried hard to rise and reattach their bones, countless black tentacles had already sprouted from below, wrapping up the skeletons'' bones. Too numerous and chaotic, like a mess of weeds, these black tentacles came not just from the air but also from the ground, exploiting the chaos to climb onto the skeletons'' chests, binding their bodies securely. Brain Deficient sneered in secret, then shifted his gaze towards Ri An and Ye Ji, who were watching the battle, thinking, "It''s your turn to make a move." He didn''t kill the skeletons just yet, as there was no hurry; it would at least wait until after finding a way into Shepherd City before the slaughter could begin. By now, the skeletons had been beaten into a disorderly retreat. Most of them had their bones shattered, and some had only their skull left, faintly glowing with a weak flame. Ri An and Ye Ji were also prepared. They knew this was the best time to strike, their bodies already illuminating with Holy Light, ready to rush out and repel the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage with it! However, just as they were about to act, something seemed to whoosh through the air behind them at high speed. With their strength at the late stage of orifice transforming, Ri An and Ye Ji were extremely sensitive to the surroundings. The object approached incredibly fast, nearly hitting their necks, but they reacted in an instant, dodging to the side. Turning to look, they saw a flash of golden patterns vanish in midair! "What was that?" Ri An said with a slight deepening of his voice. "Seemed like two bricks?" Ye Ji only caught a glimpse of two bricks stuck together, appearing abruptly, disappearing again after missing its target. This put them both on high alert, for they were both formidable experts with keen perception, yet they had no clue when the bricks had appeared behind them. Hum! While they pondered, another breath came from behind, as the bricks smashed towards them again! "Child''s play!" Ri An, seeing the two bricks reappear, wasn''t flustered as they had already made their preparations this time and wouldn''t be so easily hit. Although she felt disdain in her heart, she was not negligent; anything that could appear so silently at their side was definitely not simple! In the instant the bricks swept towards them, Ri An''s holy sword had already struck out, cleaving towards the brick! The sanctity of the light faintly illuminated the surroundings, and the holy sword''s light emitted a sword aura both rigid and supple, as if it was the most righteous sword in the world, capable of destroying all the evil. Thud! The sacred sword struck the golden tiles in the blink of an eye! However, the tiles were not directly shattered, nor were they even bounced off. Quite the contrary, they clung to Ri An''s sacred sword like a dogskin plaster. The golden array patterns spread out like a spider web in an instant, extending along the sacred sword towards the front! Ri An''s originally calm and gentle expression changed slightly. She discovered that after the golden array patterns had spread onto her sacred sword, it seemed as though something had stopped it, rendering it immovable. She wanted to mobilize the power within her body to resist the golden array patterns, but she found that she couldn''t do so! The golden array patterns gave her a very dangerous sensation! Do not touch! She made a decisive decision and immediately severed her sacred sword. Whoosh! Ri An took two steps back and looked suspiciously at the sacred sword, which had been fixed in the air onto the tile, completely clueless about what had just happened. "What is that thing?" Ye Ji immediately released a gentle beam of Holy Light from her body. This Holy Light was incredibly vast, rushing toward the two tiles like a long rainbow piercing the sun. Such powerful Holy Light was enough to destroy anything, and even a master in the orifice transforming phase would have to face it with all their might. However, the tiles remained immovable as a mountain in mid-air, like a section of the Calming Sea Divine Needle in the ocean, completely unaffected by the Holy Light. What''s more, a segment of black tentacle suddenly appeared out of thin air on the sacred sword that was fixed on the tiles, landing on the hilt. Then, the black tentacle on the handle was also covered with a layer of golden array patterns, as if this segment of golden array patterned black tentacle was controlling everything. Then the black tentacle covered in golden array patterns twisted the hilt and the tip, pointing the tip at Ye Ji, and immediately, the sacred sword carrying the golden patterns swung towards Ye Ji! "It''s the Demon Tentacle! What is Ji Li that bastard doing!" Ye Ji let out a low shout! ¡ª¡ª Brain Deficient was not aware of what had happened between Ri An and Ye Ji. He turned his head towards that direction, where there seemed to be some faint fluctuations coming through. Brain Deficient was familiar with these fluctuations; they were indeed the auras of the two members of the Moon God Race. He was also very calm and didn''t think too much about it. "You shameless Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage! Don''t be presumptuous!" A voice echoed in the valley! This voice was unmistakably Ye Ji''s voice. Her voice rolled like a tolling bell, righteous and full of conviction! "Ready to take action, huh?" Brain Deficient snorted coldly. Although he was very reluctant to be defeated by the two members of the Moon God Race, he had to consider the bigger picture and would temporarily cooperate later. Being defeated by Ye Ji and Ri An and then fleeing in embarrassment would be enough. The other Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage, hearing this voice, also understood the intention. These Ghost Mustaches knew their mission before making their move and were aware that they had to throw the fight to let the two from the Moon God Race complete their mission. With this in mind, the aggressiveness of all Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage''s tendrils diminished by a third. They planned to begin retreating as soon as the Holy Light appeared! And indeed, at that moment, the sky suddenly lit up with beams of sacred radiance, illuminating the entire canyon, and also casting light upon each of the Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage. This light was extremely pure, appearing as though a Heavenly God was descending, solemn and august! It was the Holy Light! All the Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage, upon sensing the arrival of this Holy Light, knew that the two envoys of the Moon God Race were about to make their move! Chapter 710 - 527: Lava Power! Brain Deficient looked at the dazzling Holy Light with some confusion in his heart. He was somewhat familiar with the capabilities of the Moon God Race and their aura wasn''t strange to him. Although the Holy Light before him was indeed similar to the light emitted by Ri An and Ye Ji, he always felt something was off. "Am I overthinking?" Brain Deficient pondered softly. However, at this moment, the trees on both sides of the valley suddenly began to shake rustlingly as if they had come to life. The branches started to curl and clasp around the hidden Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, trapping them firmly. Not only that, under the cover of the Holy Light, countless clay tubes spread out on the branches. These tubes were scorching hot as they twisted around the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. When the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage were entwined by the branches, they hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to resist or not. But remembering that today''s task was to play along with Ri An and Ye Ji of the Moon God Race in acting, they only symbolically resisted twice before preparing to retreat. However, just then, those thin clay tubes burst open, revealing boiling hot magma inside! The magma gushed out, splashing directly onto the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage entwined by the branches! When the scorching magma landed on the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, it terrified them, for this was the magma from Si Hou! In the eyes of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, the magma from Si Hou was known as the "holy relic of Fubei"! This magma could not only devour human Spiritual Power but also was the nemesis of these Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage! Just like back on the withered mountain in the forest, led by Shi Renmei, the originally invincible Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage were completely wiped out by Xiaohei, who wielded a breath soil water gun using stream water as bullets! The magma at this time was akin to the stream water of Chen Hou, erupting suddenly from the breath soil tubes, catching these Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage off guard. They had initially been thinking about how the Moon God Race was going to make their move but never expected the Moon God Race to employ magma against them! "Ah! It''s the holy relic of Fubei!" "Ah! The Moon God Race is actually using magma against us!" "Ah! Weren''t we supposed to be just acting?" Screams continuously erupted as many Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage cried out in agonizing pain and immense anger. They had thought they were merely collaborating with the Moon God Race in an act, never imagining that the act would require them to stake their own lives! The terrifying magma instantly swallowed the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. Some had magma poured over their heads, and the searing temperature instantly melted their bodies. The black tentacles didn''t even manage to escape; they were immediately gone. In the blink of an eye, scores of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage were reduced to heaps of blackened charcoal, even their bones burned to ash. They had no time to react, not to mention resist. "Your cooperative demise sure saves a lot of trouble," said Xiang Beifei, appearing very calm on both sides of the valley, controlling the magma in the breath soil tubes as if he was watering plants, targeting any Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage trying to flee and blasting them on the spot. No Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage could survive the explosive burst from the breath soil tubes! This magma was painstakingly transported by Xiaohei. Actually, the transportation wasn''t difficult; it was thanks to the breath soil''s unmatched destructiveness and its strong malleability that they were able to scoop out the magma from the cavern, transporting it through pipelines to this valley. Of course, the range of the magma was limited, and Xiang Beifei had initially pondered whether this plan would work, as the holy relic of Fubei was only effective near the Hou. However, it was clear that the coverage of Si Hou included this mountain range, so transporting the magma to any corner of this mountain range was feasible! As for the earlier Holy Light and sounds, for Xiang Beifei, who possessed strong spiritual power, mimicking them wasn''t difficult. All this happened within a mere ten seconds. On the other hand, Brain Deficient, who was up in the sky preparing to play along in the act, also realized something was amiss. At first, he thought his subordinates were screaming just to compliment Ri An and Ye Ji''s heroic rescue. But when his Orifice Perception touched his nearby subordinates, his face turned drastically pale! His subordinates had died in droves in just an instant! "Ri An! Ye Ji! You really have some nerve!" Brain Deficient was beyond furious! I played along with your act to the best of my abilities, yet deceitfully, you''ve shamelessly crossed the line! We agreed to stage a show, but you turned it into reality, which is unforgivable! By this time, Brain Deficient was steaming with rage, his black tentacles wildly lashing out. However, just as his tentacles emerged to confront Ri An and Ye Ji, a deluge of magma was immediately splashed over him. The sudden appearance of the magma drastically changed Brain Deficient''s expression, for his once rock-solid tentacles melted like snow upon contact, instantaneously dissolving and sending waves of intense pain throughout his body, making Brain Deficient involuntarily gasp in pain! Still, as an adept of Orifice Transforming, he reacted extremely quickly. The moment the magma made contact, he immediately retreated, avoiding full-body exposure to the magma. He leaped high into the air, but when he steadied his gaze, he found not a trace of the Skeleton Race in the valley. The skeletons, initially defeated and incapacitated on the ground, had vanished in just a blink of an eye right under his nose? Had Ri An and Ye Ji rescued them? Brain Deficient flew into a towering rage¡ªthose two bastards were so utterly ruthless in their actions! Just then, a crisp, bell-like yet deadly voice came from afar, "Ji Li, does the Demon Tentacle Race still wish to cooperate after ambushing us?!" As Ri An spoke, he was already on the scene, glaring furiously at Brain Deficient! The two gold-patterned bricks that just appeared were clearly controlled by a section of black tentacles, capable of manipulating the bricks and vanishing mysteriously, which had delayed them for a minute. Even Ri An''s holy sword was snatched away! After the disappearance of the two bricks, both were severely infuriated and came demanding an explanation. But upon seeing the valley filled with black smoke and magma everywhere, still not fully solidified, the two Meat-Winged Monsters were slightly taken aback! "What happened here?" Ye Ji asked instinctively. "You still dare to show up!" However, Brain Deficient was already overwhelmed with fury. Seeing Ri An and Ye Ji appearing there, the rage in his chest surpassed even that of the scorching magma. "Killing so many of my men, you''re courting death!" Red tentacles materialized behind Brain Deficient, their powerful presence sweeping towards Ri An and Ye Ji like a storm! "Ji Li, are you sick?!" Ri An and Ye Ji''s faces grew pale! Chapter 711 - 528: Both Sides Lose (Two Chapters Combined) The red tentacles slammed down viciously, and this time Brain Deficient showed no mercy whatsoever. The blow from the red tentacles, powered by Heavenly Connection, darkened the sky and the crushing force nearly collapsed the entire valley in an instant. Ri An and Ye Ji, although both in the later stages of orifice transforming, couldn''t withstand such a powerful attack at all. Facing such ferocious assaults, there was no way for them to remain composed, and the intense force sent them flying! Bang! Bang! Ri An and Ye Ji were like two sandbags, smashing into the sides of the valley and creating huge, deep pits resembling ears. "¡ªYou dare to take this farce too far. How could I not play along!" Brain Deficient seethed inwardly, showing no sympathy for these two at all. He remembered how, before the plan, Ri An and Ye Ji mentioned dismembering him elaborately to make it look more convincing, fueling his anger even more! Two-thirds of his underlings had died for no reason at all. This act had become blatant exploitation by the Moon God Race to massacre their Demon Tentacle Race under the guise of public strategy. The Demon Tentacle Race and the Moon God Race were roughly equal in tribal power, locked in constant open and covert strife. They would occasionally ally for common interests, but each harbored their own schemes, none willing to suffer a loss. Brain Deficient even began to suspect that these two from the Moon God Race feigned an alliance to confront the Skeleton Race, but in reality, they sought an opportunity to strike the Demon Tentacle Race from behind! If he could tolerate such a thing, he might as well be a minotaur! Brain Deficient, in his fury, still remembered the original alliance plan. Up to now, he still believed that Ri An and Ye Ji had rescued the Skeleton Race and were now returning to defeat him, to put on a show for that group of skeletons. But how could he swallow his pride after his followers were slaughtered like that? He definitely had to admit defeat later, but even in defeat, he had to teach these two a lesson, to beat them up first! Brain Deficient, enraged, swung his arm again, and the red tentacles violently smashed down towards the two. Ye Ji, facing these red tentacles, was also furious, "Ji Li, you are Brain Deficient, is your mind also deficient? Don''t you see something fishy here!" He had already realized something was wrong when he heard Brain Deficient mention "taking the act too seriously." He knew things weren''t right. He and Ri An had seen two bricks that didn''t seem to be the work of the Demon Tentacle Race, because the Demon Tentacle Race had no reason for such actions. They had always been trying to enter Shepherd City, and everything was planned, with no reason to disrupt the schedule. Now it appeared as though many underlings of the Demon Tentacle Race had been killed, yet Brain Deficient was accusing the Moon God Race of this atrocity, clearly framing them. Both sides were accusing the other of being at fault, making it highly likely that a third party was causing dissent! However, facing these red tentacles, Ri An and Ye Ji had no choice but to resist with all their might. The Holy Light on their bodies was gone, and they once again grew tumorous lumps, and the sacred feathers also fell off, turning into two fleshy, massive wings, looking exceptionally fierce. Ye Ji was restraining himself, while Ri An on the other side was extremely irritable. "Do you truly think we, the Moon God Race, would crush you?" Ri An, less given to pondering than Ye Ji, was completely infuriated by Brain Deficient and growled resentfully. Then, his body lit up with dark yellow glows, and he suddenly opened his sharp mouth, spewing out a stream of yellow fluid, like boiling, turbulent yellow spring water, surging towards Brain Deficient! This huge column of water roared through the air, filled with strong corrosiveness and a foul stench. Wherever it went, foulness spread, accompanied by the screaming of tormented souls and the agony of various eerie creatures within! "Stop, all of you stop! You two idiots! It''s definitely not as simple as it seems! There might be a third party meddling!" Ye Ji bellowed. Just as Ri An expelled that stream of yellow spring water, Brain Deficient also heard Ye Ji''s words and suddenly realized something, a shock going through his mind! "Something''s not right! How could they reveal their true form at this moment?" Brain Deficient suddenly came to his senses! He knew the reason for his alliance with the Moon God Race was because of the Moon God Race''s normally saintly and approachable appearance, indistinguishable from ordinary humans except for an extra pair of holy wings. The Skeleton Race was sympathetic to humans, but if they knew that Ri An and Ye Ji were not humans but Meat-Winged Monsters, then their plan would be utterly unfeasible! Wait, could it be that things were not as they seemed, and Ri An and Ye Ji were not acting according to plan? Brain Deficient had been blinded by rage, but upon seeing Ri An and Ye Ji revert to their true forms, he immediately calmed down and recalled the voice and Holy Light of "Ye Ji" during the magma explosion, feeling that something was off! However, just as he wanted to stop and clear things up, Ri An had already unleashed that stream of yellow spring water with full force, barreling towards him. He couldn''t retract the red tentacles either; tentacles of the Heavenly Connection realm were extremely hard to control, not something he could just retract at will in his orifice transforming phase. He could only let the red tentacles strike, colliding with the corrosive yellow spring water! For a moment, the heavens and earth underwent a drastic change, and the entire valley became extremely dim and oppressive as if it had been sealed by something! Bang! Bang! Bang! The valley where the great eagle resided had completely crumbled apart, reduced to flat ground, with the surrounding mountains trembling within a ten-mile radius. Chapter 712 - 528: Both Sides Lose (Two Chapters Combined)_2 Ri An spewed out Yellow Springs Water that was apparently also quite formidable, able to clash head-on with the red tentacles powered by Heavenly Connection, causing two terrifying presences to shake heaven and earth as they trembled through the world. Boom! Ri An and Brain Deficient, both relying on external forces, were also affected by this powerful presence, spitting out blood as they were thrown backwards by the equally matched forces! Brain Deficient and Ri An both slammed heavily onto the ground, blasting a huge crater in the earth, their bodies mangled by the blast. Brain Deficient was missing half his body, only black tentacles writhing, while Ri An''s one wing was completely charred. Ye Ji was also caught in the blast and was sent flying into a mountain and out of sight. ¡ª "Woof woof woof!" "Awoo awoo awoo!" Xiaohei and Erha were grinning and laughing loudly. Just now, Xiaohei had been responsible for using two bricks to delay Ri An and Ye Ji, while Erha controlled the branches on both sides of the valley, coordinating with Xiang Beifei''s breath soil to strike Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage head-on! Xiaohei, who was always mischievous, had the most tricks up his sleeve. While delaying the two Meat-Winged Monsters with bricks, he didn''t forget to pick up a section of black tentacle that had been chopped off, wrapping it around the hilt of the holy sword, pretending to be Ghost Whiskers controlling it, causing the two Meat-Winged Monsters to mistake it for the Ghostly Visage intervening. With Erha''s assistance, Xiang Beifei had used the trees to conceal the breath soil tubes early on. The Ghost Whiskers had thought it was Ri An and Ye Ji of the Moon God Race attacking and didn''t resist much, which allowed the scorching magma to wipe out two-thirds of them! The whole process lasted only a mere few minutes. If it weren''t for Xiang Beifei not wanting to engage Brain Deficient head-on, he definitely would''ve taken more time to eliminate the rest of the Ghost Whiskers. The Demon Tentacle Race and the Moon God Race were only temporary allies, with a relationship as fragile as paper. Even when meeting face to face, they would mock each other, so a little instigation at this time would certainly lead to a falling out. Xiang Beifei couldn''t care less what would happen if the Meat-Winged Monsters and the Ghost Whiskers started fighting each other. He wasn''t very concerned, hoping for the best that they would both suffer losses, which would leave him in peace. At this moment, they were inside a lava cave. While Brain Deficient hadn''t reacted, Xiang Beifei had rescued the skeletons that had been battered to pieces. A group of skeletons sat uncertainly beside the magma, looking at Xiang Beifei. These skeletons looked quite pitiful at the moment, most missing half their bodies, and a few had only a skull left with no body, resting on the skeletons of their companions. Temporarily using their companion''s skeletons, it seemed as if one skeleton had grown two heads. "These are your bones." Xiang Beifei threw their fallen bones onto the ground, which scattered all over. Seeing the bones on the ground, the skeletons'' eyes lit up with flames, but they hesitated about whether to pick them up and turned to the White Flame Skeleton for advice. The group of skeletons was still very disciplined. Having just encountered an ambush by Ghostly Visage, the situation was quite dire, so they asked for White Flame Skeleton''s opinion before acting. The leading White Flame Skeleton''s flames flickered in its eye sockets as it realigned its disjointed bones. Staring at Xiang Beifei while reattaching its bones, the flickering flames appeared to be conveying something. "I don''t know what you''re saying." Xiang Beifei was pondering how to communicate with the skeletons because they communicated through the frequency of flames in their eye sockets. Different flashing frequencies of flames might represent different meanings, which was akin to Morse code without a key to understand. He was getting a headache. Why did he always have to worry about language issues? The White Flame Skeleton''s flaming aura still cloaked its body, wary of Xiang Beifei. It was probably because it had seen Ghost Whiskers disguised as humans and didn''t trust Xiang Beifei so easily. "I am human, not Ghostly Visage¡ªnot from the Demon Tentacle Race." Xiang Beifei clarified his identity, then added after a moment, "I saw the Demon Tentacle Race''s Brain Deficient set a trap for you guys, so I just took the opportunity to lend a hand." He walked to the mouth of the cave and waved his hand, and the breath soil instantly filled in the cave entrance to prevent Brain Deficient and the others from chasing after them. The White Flame Skeleton blinked twice. Xiang Beifei didn''t understand what it meant and said, "I don''t know if you can understand my words, but I will assume you do¡ªI feel like the whole world understands me. Those guys from the Demon Tentacle Race deliberately placed our human bones in the valley to lure you in." The White Flame Skeleton''s eyes flickered again. "You make it very difficult for me to communicate." Xiang Beifei spread his hands. Youmong, although only able to say two words, could still communicate without barriers through intonation, unlike the White Flame Skeleton. "I need to learn your Flame language first, so our communication will be a bit more convenient. Please cooperate with me, and if you understand, give a nod. Then, use the Flame language to indicate what ''you are handsome'' means; don''t worry, I learn languages very quickly." Xiang Beifei said with earnest hand gestures. He wasn''t even sure why he was gesturing while speaking, perhaps he felt that communicating with the skeletons was like using sign language: frustrating when the other side was merely blinking flames without sound. But at that moment, the flames in the eye sockets of the White Flame Skeleton flowed down from the skull, converging into a circle at the jaw, and then the flames roared to life, forming a voice. "I understand what you''re saying." A dull and hoarse voice came from the White Flame Skeleton''s jaw. The voice was purely a result of flames producing a booming sound, and though it sounded rumbling and was not very standard, it was completely understandable. "Eh? You can speak like this?" Xiang Beifei found it utterly astonishing, as it was the first time he had seen the control of flame and air friction to create human speech. Strangest of all, the White Flame Skeleton spoke as if it was very practiced, making it sound quite realistic! "If you can speak the human language, then that''s great," Xiang Beifei heaved a sigh of relief, as it saved him the trouble of learning Skeleton language. "Are you a human?" the White Flame Skeleton asked. "Yes, from the Jiuzhou continent," Xiang Beifei nodded. "Jiuzhou continent!" The White Flame Skeleton''s eyes flickered again, the flames becoming noticeably brighter. Upon hearing the words "Jiuzhou continent," the flames in the eye sockets of the other skeletons also flickered violently, as if they found these words very interesting. "You truly come from the Jiuzhou continent?" the White Flame Skeleton asked again. "I''m a human. If not from Jiuzhou continent, where else could I come from?" Xiang Beifei said. After exchanging glances with its companions, the White Flame Skeleton asked after a moment, "Can I verify it?" "How will you verify?" Xiang Beifei asked. The White Flame Skeleton extended a bony finger, with a tuft of flame appearing on it, and then placed that fiery finger on Xiang Beifei''s heart. Thump! Thump! Thump! The flame on the White Flame Skeleton''s finger pulsed with the rhythm of Xiang Beifei''s heartbeat. The White Flame Skeleton soon spoke up, "You have a heartbeat!" "No kidding, I''m human." Xiang Beifei felt it was absurd. Wasn''t having a heartbeat normal? Didn''t desolate beasts also have heartbeats? "We welcome humans here!" The White Flame Skeleton''s voice had noticeably changed in tone, sounding somewhat excited. The other skeletons also seemed excited, hesitantly surrounding Xiang Beifei then extending their fingers to poke at his skin, even giving him a pinch. "Why does everything feel so strange?" Xiang Beifei felt uncomfortable all over, as if he was a rare treasure being observed by these skeletons, who seemed very interested in the flesh growing on his skeletal frame. These creatures'' interest in him was unsettling ¨C hopefully, they weren''t coveting the bones in his body? Xiang Beifei was aware that these creatures specialized in collecting human bones to augment their own body parts. But he wasn''t really worried; according to Brain Deficient, these skeletons should have no ill will towards humans. Chapter 713 - 529: Fire Ancestor (Two Chapters Combined) "Be polite to humans!" The White Flame Skeleton extended a bony hand and waved, blocking its kin from touching Xiang Beifei indiscriminately. "Thank you for saving us. You are as kind as the other humans we have met," the White Flame Skeleton said roughly. "You''ve met other humans?" Xiang Beifei exclaimed in surprise. The White Flame Skeleton nodded. Then, it turned its head toward the entrance of the cave, which although blocked by Xiang Beifei with breath soil, still seemed somewhat concerning, and said, "This place isn''t safe. Please, follow us." The other skeletons had already reassembled their bones, flames emerging from their eye sockets, covering every corner of their bodies, and then jumped into the lava. Several skeletons floated and sank in the lava, seeming to swim leisurely, and looked up waiting for Xiang Beifei to jump in. "The lava here is fierce and can harm humans. I can help you." The White Flame Skeleton extended a bony hand, its fingertips flickering with white flames. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly, "All right." The flames on the White Flame Skeleton''s fingers quickly spread over Xiang Beifei''s body. This flame seemed relatively gentle, enveloping Xiang Beifei tightly as if a thin membrane isolated the air. To be cautious, Xiang Beifei applied his breath soil over his body, checked thrice to ensure his safety, and then leaped into the scalding lava. The boiling high-temperature lava pressed against him, and he felt somewhat apprehensive, rightfully so, for such heat capable of corroding Spiritual Power could also harm him if he wasn''t careful. However, the high temperature was pushed back by the white flames, which precisely blocked the lava, and many skeletons dived into it, beginning to swim toward the underground. Xiang Beifei followed behind, surrounded by the scalding lava, its red hue making one''s heart flutter. Swimming in lava could be attempted in a typical volcano, but he dared not take this lava lightly. In front of him, Xiang Beifei couldn''t tell where the path was, so he simply stayed close to the White Flame Skeleton, tightly shielded by the breath soil. Fortunately, the White Flame Skeleton also stayed with him, constantly monitoring the white flames on his body, worried about Xiang Beifei''s safety. They dived under the lava for ten minutes without reaching their destination. The layer of lava was thick, winding along. All that could be seen were layers of intense pressure and high temperature, a normal person could never dive here. No wonder the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage and the Meat-Winged Monsters were helpless against this place. But soon, a strange fluctuation appeared ahead. The temperature of the lava seemed to become milder. Suddenly, the group turned and started to swim upward toward what seemed like a crevice in the rock, bound tightly by a strange Formation that firmly held the layer of lava. They passed through the Formation and emerged from the lava. "We''ve arrived." The White Flame Skeleton reached out and grabbed Xiang Beifei, pulling him out of the lava. Only now did the layer of white flames on Xiang Beifei dissipate. The temperature here was still high, but Xiang Beifei could now resist the heat with his Spiritual Power. He surveyed his surroundings, then expressed mild surprise. For he was actually in a familiar cave! It was exactly Si Hou''s cave! However, this cave seemed special because the Formation patterns all around were lit up, flowing not with blood on the ground''s Formation lines but with scalding lava. Skillfully augmented by the Formation, this created a very mysterious restraint. The lava in the center of the cave formed a red circle about two meters wide, emitting fluctuations of Spiritual Power. Inside was a light resembling water ripples, seemingly a gateway to another world. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei, on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, poked his ear in surprise. "This aura¡ªit couldn''t be¡ª" Xiang Beifei noticed it too. It was a System artifact! Xiang Beifei and Xiaohei looked at each other, both quite astonished! Since they had left the continent of Jiuzhou several months ago, they encountered various ruthless desolate beasts on their journey. Apart from his own repertoire of System abilities, they had barely encountered any System artifacts. So when they saw an artifact emanating intense System energy here, they were profoundly shocked! Xiang Beifei and Xiaohei were like ancestors to the System, recognizing the capabilities of this System artifact as spatial. That is, inside this circle was a world created by the System! The other skeletons excitedly ran toward the red circle and disappeared behind it. The White Flame Skeleton stood there, turned to look at Xiang Beifei, and said, "This is where we live." "This place resembles the masterpieces of our Jiuzhou humans," Xiang Beifei said. "Indeed," nodded the White Flame Skeleton, "The place where we live was established by a great Human Race ancestor from Jiuzhou. He named it Shepherd City, a human who saved our entire Fire Race, and therefore, we have always held great respect for humans." Xiang Beifei examined the circle world. Normally, System artifacts were formed through the condensation of Spiritual Power, but not one could exist permanently because Spiritual Power would gradually dissipate. If it didn''t receive a replenishment of Spiritual Power, the System artifact would vanish. But this circle world was connected by an altar, where the surging power cleverly transformed into Spiritual Power was used to replenish the circle world. Chapter 714: 529 This way of existence greatly broadened Xiang Beifei''s horizons. "Who created this world of Shepherd City?" Xiang Beifei asked. "We respectfully call him the Fire Ancestor, this way please," the White Flame Skeleton even courteously gestured with a hand, appearing very thorough in etiquette. Xiang Beifei pondered for a moment, then stepped into the circle. Familiar system fluctuations were almost entirely under his control; he could completely take over this place if he wished. Beyond the red circle emerged a scene resembling a quaint little mountain village, with blue skies and white clouds, and leisurely sunshine. There were many odd houses arranged here, all made from skeletal bones; however, these houses had no roofs, and each seemed to emit a faint smoke, as if they were on fire. Xiang Beifei glanced at the house nearest to him and discovered numerous pits within, all flickering with flames at the bottom. In the village, lots of little skeletons ran about as if playing. The bones on these skeletons were made from polished desolate beast bones, multicolored and awkward-looking. Yet no matter how colorful the bones, every skeleton strove to make themselves look human. In the distance, some skeletons were practicing, making "humph" and "hah" sounds. Upon closer inspection, these skeletons were clearly learning various human martial arts. "That is the benefactor who saved our Si Fire Tribe, and the Fire Ancestor whom we have always worshipped," the White Flame Skeleton turned his gaze toward a massive statue at the center of the village. When he mentioned the Fire Ancestor, his voice, though he had no expressions, became extremely solemn. Xiang Beifei followed his gaze and saw the statue that stood over ten meters tall. It depicted an elder with flowing long whiskers, serene in demeanor, with a gaze wise and modest, standing with his hands behind his back, looking in Xiang Beifei''s direction. Xiang Beifei was suddenly taken aback! This statue¡ªit was actually his grandfather! Xiang Qingde! "How can this be?" Xiang Beifei was very surprised. To get a clearer view, he stepped forward, already arriving at the base of the statue, and looked up at the towering figure, reconfirming over again, utterly shocked! It was truly his grandfather! Every building in the entire village was rather crudely constructed, only this statue was remarkably refined, detailed down to every single whisker visible, even the direction of a few strands of hair curling at his grandfather''s temples was exactly the same. "This is our Fire Ancestor," the White Flame Skeleton approached, respectfully bowed to the statue, showing profound reverence for the man. Xiang Beifei suppressed the shock in his heart and asked, "Why do you call him the Fire Ancestor?" "Because he saved our Si Fire Tribe," explained the White Flame Skeleton. "Many years ago, we faced a crisis that nearly wiped us out. This predecessor created this world, utilizing lava to protect us, allowing us to survive here. He gave our Si Fire Tribe a new life, so we all revere him as the Fire Ancestor, and after he left, we found a stone to erect this statue of him." The White Flame Skeleton looked up at the towering statue and continued, "Before the Fire Ancestor came here, we didn''t live as bones; we were bundles of fire, born from the flames. Yet that formless state, other than emanating high heat, couldn''t effectively counter various desolate beasts, because our form could be easily dispersed." There are many powerful desolate beasts in the alien wilderness beyond our domain, many of which possess formidable defenses, almost all unafraid of flames. Existing purely as flames, we were easily destroyed by desolate beasts. "So was it also the Fire Ancestor who taught you how to use formations to defend against enemies?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Yes, the Fire Ancestor taught us how to parasitize bones and use their durability to protect ourselves. He also taught us how humans defend against desolate beasts. Those formations were engraved on stone by him and have been passed down to this day; we are still training in them," the skeleton replied. The White Flame Skeleton pointed out a stele to Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei looked at the stele, which was inscribed with dense text and diagrams. They were all principles of various defensive formations, and there were modifications to adapt to the abilities of these skeletons, making them more conducive to the skeletons'' use of fire power. This stele was composed of powerful systemic abilities; a single tap could turn the page, much like an encyclopedia, containing many human texts, an introduction to the characteristics of the desolate beasts in this region, the topography, with special emphasis on the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage race, even pinpointing the origins of this race. [Demon Tentacle Race: A species from the Lost Abyss, with extremely tenacious vitality, can parasitize any desolate beast corpse, and uses the body as a vehicle for movement. Since the human form is the most balanced and perfect existence in this world, they typically use human corpses for parasitism. According to the Si Fire Tribe''s identification method, their body temperature after parasitism is below 10 degrees Celsius. Human body temperature is between 35 to 50 degrees Celsius (powerful martial artists can reach thousands of degrees under the influence of Spiritual Power, to correctly identify humans, one must measure from the temperature of their heart, which is unaffected).] "No wonder you tested my heartbeat," Xiang Beifei said thoughtfully. "We are very sensitive to temperature and rely on it to identify people. Every part of your body has a different temperature, and even the smallest difference is perceptible to us," the White Flame Skeleton explained. "So your eyes are like thermal imagers?" Xiang Beifei asked. "What is that?" The White Flame Skeleton didn''t quite understand. "It''s a type of temperature detection device we have." "Really? Is it an invention of your humans? How does it work?" The White Flame Skeleton was very interested in human things. "It''s hard to explain, but it''s probably not as refined as your flame perception." Xiang Beifei finally understood why Brain Deficient and the other Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage were cooperating with the Meat-Winged Monster; even if they could parasitize, their inherent body temperature was still a problem. Clearly, no matter how Brain Deficient tried to disguise himself, he would be exposed by these skeletons, as his grandfather''s information had described the characteristics of the Demon Tentacle Race in detail. He continued to read the introduction to the origins of the Demon Tentacle Race; most of the knowledge was already familiar to him, but there was also information he hadn''t uncovered before: [In addition to the fear of the mound spirits here (which the Demon Tentacle Race calls "holy relic of Fubei"), their Perception is greatly limited in deep water. At a depth of 400 meters under high pressure, their Perception and combat abilities weaken by sevenfold. So, if the mound spirit''s defenses are breached by the Demon Tentacle Race, one must hide in the hot springs to the north; the hot spring is the second barrier protecting your species.] "The Fire Ancestor taught us many things, so we all strive to emulate humans. Today, you have helped us, which strengthens my belief that humans are the most perfect, benevolent, and trustworthy species in this world!" The voice of the White Flame Skeleton conveyed great respect for Xiang Beifei. Was that so? As the White Flame Skeleton spoke these words, Xiang Beifei even felt a touch of embarrassment. The White Flame Skeleton held an adoration for humans. Since they were unable to leave this area and had not seen many humans, they did not understand humanity. They simply believed in the goodness and perfection of humans because the Fire Ancestor, who was a human, had helped them. But not all humans were like that, especially those from the Jiuzhou Alliance, a place steeped in noxious fumes. There, people were concerned only with self-interest and system rankings; power was highly concentrated in the hands of high-level Awakeners, who could manipulate outcomes to their liking. People like Lady Qiu and He Caiwei could engage in treachery and even murder for personal gain, and such things were trivial to them. If those humans ever had the chance to come here, they could easily destroy this place. "Not all humans are benevolent. You should understand that even in the most outstanding species, there are some dark individuals. Humans are like that too. So, if you see humans or species akin to humans, don''t blindly trust them. At least learn to distinguish them first, then decide whether they are worthy of trust," Xiang Beifei cautioned. Chapter 715 530: Consciousness of the Past (Two in One) "But most humans are still good, right?" the White Flame Skeleton inquired. Xiang Beifei hesitated for a moment before nodding, "Yes." "Then I still trust humans," the White Flame Skeleton said, looking very optimistic. "Yes! Humans have helped us a lot!" another small skeleton with a broken arm also spoke with flames. The other skeletons also expressed their opinions, but when they spoke with their flame control, their language was not as fluent as that of the White Flame Skeleton, though they were still trying hard to speak correctly. "At least so far, including you, the eight humans I''ve met have all been very friendly!" the White Flame Skeleton said. Eight humans, that was indeed quite a few. Xiang Beifei was quite curious about who the other humans were. He pondered for a moment, his family should have all been here, so who could the remaining few be? "By the way, when did the Fire Ancestor come here?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Thirty-four years ago!" the White Flame Skeleton replied. "Is that year by your reckoning?" "No, it''s according to the Jiuzhou calendar. The day and night here are the same as in Jiuzhou; it was the Fire Ancestor who taught us," the White Flame Skeleton said. Xiang Beifei rubbed his chin, thinking about his grandfather''s matters. So far, many secrets about his grandfather were still unclear. He had problems with the system, lost his memories, possessed formidable strength, and was guarding Si Hou, searching for the so-called answers... In Xiang Beifei''s memory, his grandfather had always been an old man who lived life optimistically, never losing hope in life, but he''d never shown any special abilities either. So what exactly had he experienced? Xiang Beifei really wanted to figure it all out. "Is the Fire Ancestor famous in Jiuzhou?" the White Flame Skeleton inquired. Xiang Beifei looked at his grandfather''s statue and shook his head, "No one in Jiuzhou knows about his past, but many people know of him." Many people in Jiuzhou knew the name "Xiang Qingde" because of Xiang Beifei. Most people across Jiuzhou knew that Xiang Beifei was raised by his grandfather. "So do you know him too? Is he also a big shot in Jiuzhou?" the White Flame Skeleton asked. After a moment of silence, Xiang Beifei said, "He is my grandfather." The White Flame Skeleton was taken aback, and inquired, "You are the Fire Ancestor''s grandson?" "Yes," Xiang Beifei replied. Many skeletons looked at one another, their eye sockets'' flames seemed to flare up. The White Flame Skeleton''s eye flames burned even more fiercely. After a long shock, he said gruffly, "I need to verify this." "How do you want to verify? See a photo?" Xiang Beifei took out his cell phone. He hadn''t used it since arriving in the Outer Domain Wilderness. It had been kept in Xiaohei''s bubble, and with no signal here and a lot of interferences, electronic products didn''t work well. However, turning it on was still possible. It didn''t matter if there was a battery or not; Xiaohei was enough. He pulled up the photo album on his phone, showing a photo of himself and his grandfather. It was taken right after he received the admission notice from Liangzhou University, with his grandfather holding up the admission notice to take a picture with him. In the photo, his grandfather''s face was full of joy, brimming with happiness and pride, holding the admission notice with both hands, more excited than Xiang Beifei himself, pressing it tightly to his body as if he himself had been admitted to the elite university. The White Flame Skeleton''s eyes lit up again! "It''s the Fire Ancestor!" A group of skeletons crowded around, pointing at and discussing the photo on the phone. Xiang Beifei also showed them videos of his grandfather. He hadn''t taken many videos, most from the surveillance of Kong Daming''s shop. However, last time Xiaohei did capture a video screen of him dining with his grandfather. But soon a skeleton eagerly asked, "Why do you have the Fire Ancestor locked up in there?" "Fire Ancestor, are you all right? Did he lock you up?" another skeleton asked, tapping the screen. "Quick, let him out! Or I''ll fight you!" The first Purple Fire Skeleton Xiang Beifei met said anxiously. "Wait, why are you locked up in the box too?" Another Red Fire Skeleton looked at the phone and then at Xiang Beifei. "Uh... that''s a good question." Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but chuckle. He had forgotten what the cell phone meant to these skeletons. These skeletons had always lived in this mountain range, unable to leave the range of Si Hou, unaware of what the outside world was like, their understanding of Jiuzhou restricted to certain knowledge, completely ignorant about technologies like cell phones common everywhere. Not to mention that the pictures and videos inside were lifelike, much more vivid than the simple images carved on steles. A few skeletons even reached out their hands impatiently to tap the screen, trying to shatter the phone and rescue the Fire Ancestor inside, but their bony hands didn''t work on the touchscreen. Xiang Beifei briefly explained what a photo was and ended up recording a video of the Purple Fire Skeleton with his phone as a demonstration, then handed the phone over to the group of skeletons to watch. "Ah! I''ve been locked up too!" The Purple Fire Skeleton, seeing himself in the photo, hugged his arms and exclaimed, retreating several steps back. Xiang Beifei rubbed his forehead. What a naive dope. After another half a day of explanation, he finally made the group of skeletons understand what a cell phone was. Looking at the photo of Xiang Qingde on the phone with excitement, the White Flame Skeleton said, "I met him thirty-one years ago. I didn''t expect he hasn''t changed at all until now. He truly is a great man." After a while, he added, "However, the Fire Ancestor said that if any human comes here, they must undergo his test." Chapter 716 716: 530 "What test?" Xiang Beifei asked. "I''m not sure, the test wasn''t for us; it directed you to enter this stele. We have never entered it." The White Flame Skeleton tapped on the stele as it spoke. Xiang Beifei examined the stele, which was formed by the system, but inside there was a mysterious array pattern fluctuating. He then realized it was a hidden consciousness, incredibly powerful and well-concealed. If one didn''t look closely, it would be impossible to detect. "Is it Grandfather''s consciousness?" His eyes lit up. At the moment, he needed answers desperately. If it was the consciousness his grandfather had left behind, he had to talk to him. Xiang Beifei immediately placed his hand on the stele and sent his Spiritual Power along the stele toward that consciousness. Soon after, a flash of light burst before his eyes, and he was pulled into another world. ¡ª¡ª The world before him was fiery red, with seething magma boiling all around, emitting scorching heat that made it difficult to endure, even Xiang Beifei felt the threat of the flames. He knew well that this wasn''t real magma, nor did it reach the level that could devour Spiritual Power like the mound spirit outside. He could still resist the Si Hou''s magma, but he had no means to defend against this mental magma! This magma was not the mound spirit, yet it was infinitely more terrifying than the throat! It was an absolute power that captivated the soul, rendering Xiang Beifei completely immobile. "Who''s there!" A deep and solid voice exploded in the air like thunder, creating reverberating waves that struck the heart, causing Xiang Beifei''s Orifice Soul to tremble slightly, and even his mind became unstable. "Such immense spiritual power." Xiang Beifei was secretly shocked. This terrifying spiritual power was even stronger than Elder Luo from the Heavenly Connection realm! Then, he saw that familiar figure. Clad in a gray long-sleeve shirt and black linen pants, wearing simple black cloth shoes, unadorned and plain, the old man looked no different from an ordinary elderly person. Standing there, his mustache somewhat unkempt and hair graying, with a few strands rebelliously sticking up on the left side of his temple. But the old man''s demeanor was extremely sharp, tall and majestic in stature, standing there as if he was the sky itself, making the heavens and earth pale in comparison. Who else could it be but Xiang Beifei''s grandfather? Xiang Qingde''s eyes were bright and deep, staring into them was like looking through his eyes at the vast starry sky. Xiang Beifei found himself briefly entranced with just one glance. He quickly gathered his spiritual power to resist the strong oppression and clear his mind. "It''s me, Xiang Beifei." Xiang Beifei felt a headache coming on; this consciousness was from over thirty years ago. At that time, he wasn''t even a cell, how could his grandfather recognize him? "Xiang Beifei?" Xiang Qingde pondered this name, then seemed to remember something, waved his hand, and pulled Xiang Beifei over, examining him solemnly as he said, "Why would you have this name?" "What if I told you, I am your grandson, would you believe me?" Xiang Beifei pointed to the strand of hair sticking out on the left side of his head to indicate. The Xiang family genes were somewhat strong; comrade Xiang Tianxing also had a rebellious strand of hair sticking up on the left temple, the grandfather did as well, and so did Xiang Beifei. A family should be neat and uniform. "You are my grandson?" Xiang Qingde looked at Xiang Beifei''s hair, his brows slightly furrowed. But clearly, this hair wasn''t very convincing; he just stared at Xiang Beifei, deep in thought. "Your Spiritual Power is different from what I know," Xiang Qingde said, "If you are my grandson, you should have inherited my Cultivation Technique, so your Spiritual Power should be consistent with mine." "That''s a long story," Xiang Beifei said. He stretched out his hand, and his Spiritual Power condensed in his palm, then split into two flames, one black and one white. "Assuming you have taught me, that is," Xiang Beifei said. "I would never not teach my descendants the corresponding Cultivation Technique." Xiang Qingde focused on the Spiritual Power in Xiang Beifei''s palm, and after a long while, his eyes shone with golden light, sweeping directly towards Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei''s heart turned cold, this seemed to be an exploration of his memory. He knew well how he had come to Jiuzhou, and some secrets couldn''t be discovered. Immediately he fortified the memories in his brain. However, Xiang Qingde did not attempt to probe his memories; the golden light fell on Xiang Beifei and quickly dissipated. Suddenly, Xiang Qingde''s eyes revealed an incredulous expression. "You don''t have a system!" he exclaimed in surprise. Xiang Beifei became alert. As far as he knew, only Elder Luo knew about the system, and Elder Luo had inferred its existence from the matter of the Unrestrained, but how did Grandpa find out? "Woof woof!" Xiaohei on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder was also surprised. "This little dog is very special." Xiang Qingde''s gaze fell on Xiaohei. Xiang Beifei and Xiaohei were both slightly startled. He could actually see Xiaohei! Xiaohei, though not much of a fighter, was always invisible to ordinary people; it could choose whether to be seen or not, and clearly, in this situation, it had not chosen to be visible to Xiang Qingde. However, Xiang Qingde had immediately noticed Xiaohei''s extraordinariness. This struck Xiang Beifei and Xiaohei as strange. Xiang Qingde was sizing up Xiang Beifei, his eyes becoming increasingly surprised, "Are you really my grandson?" "I don''t understand," Xiang Beifei countered, "You can confirm my identity without the system?" Xiang Qingde''s authoritative aura subsided, a photo appearing in his hand. He compared the young man in front of him with the person in the photo for a long time before a delighted expression emerged in his eyes. "You really are my grandchild," Xiang Qingde muttered. It was a photo. A photo of Xiang Beifei at fifteen, young, immature, his expression cold and eyes full of rebellion. The present Xiang Beifei had matured a lot, and though very different from the boy in the photo, the contours of his face were still recognizable. "They left this behind?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Yes, they told me I had a grandson named Xiang Beifei." Xiang Qingde looked at his grandson, a rare look of affection in his eyes. "You''ve grown up so much," he seemed eager to take a longer look at Xiang Beifei, stepping a bit closer. "They did their job well," Xiang Beifei said blandly. Xiang Qingde hesitated, then after a long pause asked, "You''ve come here, so does that mean I''m no longer around?" Xiang Beifei was silent for a moment before asking, "Why do you ask that?" "You seem unaware of many things, so it seems I must have had an accident," Xiang Qingde sighed, then smiled resignedly, "I''ve come to regard life and death lightly. Managing to take care of you until you''ve grown up... that''s worth it." "I''m here to figure out what happened," Xiang Beifei didn''t clarify directly, "I need answers." "I can''t give you the answers," Xiang Qingde shook his head. "Then at least tell me, why did you come here! What were you planning to do at that time?" Xiang Beifei asked. "The consciousness I left behind is limited, I can''t give you those answers," Xiang Qingde said. "Then what can you give me?" Xiang Beifei asked, "What about my parents? They came here looking for answers, what were they seeking? What lies at the end of the wilderness beyond the domain?" "The end of the wilderness beyond the domain..." Xiang Qingde seemed to recall something, a hint of confusion in his eyes, then after a moment his expression firmed, "You can''t go there, it''s too dangerous, I won''t let you." "What if I insist on going?" Xiang Beifei asked. "You''ll have to defeat me first." Xiang Qingde''s presence suddenly surged, a majestic and powerful pressure emerging once more, an overwhelming essence bearing down on Xiang Beifei like a great mountain collapsing thunderously upon him. Xiang Beifei fell silent for a moment, he neither shrank back nor showed fear. Humm! A black and a white spiritual power spiraled out from his body, intertwining around him. "I am here to find the answers." His fist suddenly lit up with flames, throwing a punch toward that terrifying pressure! Chapter 717 531 Two Memories (Two Chapters Combined) Xiang Beifei didn''t care about anything; he had come all this way and it was impossible to turn back just because of a past consciousness¡ªhe had to obtain the answers he wanted. So, he made his move. Even though he was no match for his opponent, he felt no fear. The bursting intent of his punch roared forward and smashed into Xiang Qingde, stirring up a violent gust. However, the aura emanating from Xiang Qingde was incredibly potent, resembling an insurmountable wall. He simply extended his hand and effortlessly caught Xiang Beifei''s fist, the terrifying fluctuations exploding in his palm, yet failing to elicit even a small splash. "Are those answers so important to you?" Xiang Qingde inquired. "I just want to know why I''m the only one without a system," Xiang Beifei said, "or tell me directly, what exactly do you know?" He thought that his lack of a system was due to him being a transmigrator. But the words of Comrade Xiang Tianxing that day were hard for him to let go of. Because Comrade Xiang Tianxing had asked him if he had awakened to a system during the awakening ceremony. That meant Xiang Tianxing knew he would not awaken to a system. In the continent of Jiuzhou, it was abnormal to not awaken to a system. But Comrade Xiang Tianxing acted as though it was only to be expected. Linking this to the Unrestrained philosophy, the actions of the Xiang Tianxing couple, and his grandfather''s snowy system interface, Xiang Beifei began to harbor great doubts about his own identity. "I don''t know," Xiang Qingde shook his head. "Then why are you so sure that without a system, I am still Xiang Beifei?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiang Qingde was silent for a long time before slowly saying, "In your mind, there are two starkly different memories, aren''t there?" Xiang Beifei was slightly stunned! "I think you''ve fused two starkly different memories, and the dominant memory is from after you turned eighteen. Your memory holds a strong sense of tearing, causing you to doubt your existence and think you are two different people," Xiang Qingde continued. Xiang Beifei''s heart grew even more astonished. He stared intently at Xiang Qingde, "What do you know?" "I''m just telling you, no matter what your memories were before you turned eighteen, or what they became afterward, no matter how you doubt your identity, one thing is certain¡ªyou are my grandson, you are not two people, but one complete individual," Xiang Qingde said, his expression complex as he held onto Xiang Beifei''s fist, "That''s why I can''t watch something happen to you." Xiang Beifei''s inner world was tumultuous! He had never been so astonished! He thought he was just a transmigrator from another world, an outsider who occupied another''s body and memory, therefore his existence did not fit into this world. Without a system, he could still cope with all system powers through his unique abilities. But now Xiang Beifei was uncertain. It was as if he was being controlled by someone else, made to have two starkly different pasts; for a moment, he even questioned if he was still himself? "What have you done to me?" Xiang Beifei had never mentioned to anyone that he was a transmigrator. He felt no sense of belonging to this world, so he wanted to find out the truth of the wilderness beyond the domains. However, the old man''s words had now overturned his understanding. He didn''t understand what he had experienced in the past, but clearly, if someone else knew he had two sets of memories, that person must be aware of this fact. But Xiang Qingde did not give a straight answer, instead, he said, "If this is the extent of your strength, going on like this will only harm yourself." In the orifice-transforming phase, Xiang Beifei facing him was still like an ant trying to shake a tree. Xiang Beifei''s fist hitting Xiang Qingde''s palm was firmly blocked, and he couldn''t even pull it back. He knew his grandfather had been strong in the past, but he had never known just how strong. Yet Xiang Beifei still didn''t give up¡ªhe needed answers! The aura of "Return to the Original State" surged violently from his body, traveling along his fist straight to Xiang Qingde''s palm. He knew that the person before him was just a consciousness, a consciousness that was not a real person. Even with formidable power, it would have limitations. If "Return to the Original State" could repair the consciousness left by Comrade Xiang Tianxing in the pioneering stone, then it could naturally also destroy a consciousness! Hum! The terrifying power in Xiang Qingde''s palm began to disintegrate under "Return to the Original State," and the force that had been irresistible to Xiang Beifei finally started to waver! "Is this¡ª" Xiang Qingde looked at Xiang Beifei with surprise. Xiang Beifei shouted, "What have you done to me!" Boom! The wild fist flame on his body burst out, the power of Return to the Original State pouring into Xiang Qingde''s authority, disintegrating Xiang Qingde''s consciousness. However, in just an instant, Xiang Beifei was sent tumbling by the powerful aura from Xiang Qingde! Xiang Beifei''s "Return to the Original State" was very powerful, but the consciousness left by Xiang Qingde was still superior. Using his formidable power, it resisted "Return to the Original State" and repelled Xiang Beifei. Thump! Xiang Beifei fell heavily to the ground. "Go back to Jiuzhou, that''s where it''s safe for you," said Xiang Qingde. "I don''t need anyone to tell me where it''s safe." Xiang Beifei quickly got up again and charged forward. He couldn''t calm down. He always thought he had encroached upon someone else''s life, taken over another family''s child''s body and memory, so he worked hard to compensate for this, protecting the boy''s grandfather, seeking out the Xiang Tianxing couple, helping the once rebellious boy make up for past regrets, and giving the boy who always waited at the window for his parents'' return an explanation. Chapter 718 531 Two Memories (Two Chapters Combined)_2 But now someone was telling him that both memories belonged to him! This made him feel deceived! He didn''t understand what had happened to him, but it was clear that the old man knew! That person had always known! Xiang Beifei was extremely angry, his aura incredibly strong, with the Spiritual Power throughout his body burning and leaping with powerful flames. Whoosh! His Spiritual Power once again burst forth wildly, like a slumbering volcano erupting, with black and white flames intertwining and assaulting everything in their path. Boom! In front of Xiang Qingde, a series of golden barriers appeared, thick and solid, instantly blocking Xiang Beifei''s assault. "You can''t even break through such a level of defense, how are you going to face the dangers that lie ahead?" These golden barriers were extremely tough, possessing the defenses of the Heavenly Connection realm, already beyond the scope of what Xiang Beifei could break through. Xiang Qingde only wanted to make Xiang Beifei realize the difficulty and back down. Xiang Beifei''s eyes flickered with light as all the qi and blood in his body burned. He raised his fist again and smashed it against that unbreakable barrier! The black and white Spiritual Power collided violently with each other, clinging to the golden barrier! Hum! Strong vibrations spread out, and the two colors of light blossomed across the space, instantly shattering all the illusions of magma that had formed around them, leaving the entire space a vast expanse of white, with no end in sight. His Spiritual Power was extremely peculiar; after entering the orifice transforming phase, the Spiritual Power within his body had been divided into black and white under the influence of the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula. To this day, Xiang Beifei still hadn''t fully grasped these two distinct types of Spiritual Power, but when he separated the black from the white, the abilities each possessed changed completely. The black Spiritual Power, with its tremendous devouring force, furiously assaulted the golden barrier, while the white Spiritual Power, which possessed a very gentle vitality, continued to pour into the golden barrier, propping it up in a very small area to its limit! Crack! Under the influence of two completely different forces, a crack appeared in the golden barrier. Xiang Beifei added another punch, instantly shattering the barrier into dust! The defenses of the Heavenly Connection realm were thus destroyed by the infuriated Xiang Beifei! "I need an answer!" Boom! Xiang Beifei raised his fist again and hammered it into the next barrier! He gathered all his strength, holding nothing back, punching again and again, causing the barrier to tremble continuously until it cracked! Xiang Qingde sighed softly, "Why put yourself through all this?" "You went, and so did they!" Xiang Beifei threw another punch, shattering the next barrier, and gritted his teeth as he shouted, "If you all knew it was dangerous, why didn''t you stop them? You didn''t prevent them!" "They are adults, and they have the right to seek their own answers!" "So I don''t have the right to know the answers?" Xiang Beifei retorted. Xiang Qingde pursed his lips. "I don''t like being kept in the dark." Xiang Beifei''s "Return to the Original State" continued to destroy the formidable barrier. "I only wish to prevent you from getting hurt," he said with heartfelt gravity. Boom! Xiang Beifei broke through the last golden barrier and charged towards Xiang Qingde. But Xiang Qingde again stretched out his hand, grasping Xiang Beifei''s fury-driven punch, which could no longer advance an inch forward. "You need to understand, everything we do is for your own good!" said Xiang Qingde. "So I was supposed to live in a daze for an entire lifetime on the Jiuzhou continent?" Xiang Beifei bellowed, "Since you knew I lacked the system, you should have understood that the continent couldn''t contain me; I was bound to leave it someday." Xiang Qingde was taken aback. He had never considered this point. He was very clear, however, about how difficult the road ahead would be. The thought of those matters only solidified his resolve to prevent his grandson from continuing down that path. "You''re not ready, and I won''t let you go on, it will only harm you," he said. Xiang Qingde''s aura grew increasingly powerful, exuding a terrifying dominance as if all creatures in the world should submit at his feet. It was an oppressive force coming from the depths of the soul, one that no one could withstand. Xiang Beifei was once again sent flying. "Surviving is the most important thing," Xiang Qingde said, somewhat reluctantly. He was already holding back his power, ensuring that each time he sent Xiang Beifei flying, the force was just enough to cause pain but not real harm. Xiang Beifei slowly got up, his aura condensing. He looked at Xiang Qingde, then forcefully hid his presence with his powerful Orifice Perception. Xiang Qingde was slightly taken aback! He could no longer perceive Xiang Beifei''s existence! Xiang Beifei was clearly standing right there, his figure visible, his features clear, yet Qingde could not sense him. It was as if Xiang Beifei had instantly become an illusory projection, untouchable. This was a capability he gained after condensing his Orifice Soul. He could completely conceal all traces of his aura, making it nearly impossible for any living person to detect him, let alone a residual consciousness that relied on perception to act! "Whether or not I can continue, at least I''ve strived to do so," he said. Xiang Beifei took a step forward! Buzz! He vanished completely! Xiang Qingde frowned slightly as his consciousness rapidly expanded, searching for Xiang Beifei''s whereabouts. But Beifei was too peculiar, as if he had stepped out of this space altogether. As Qingde hesitated, a bursting fist flame struck out from behind him! Xiang Qingde''s heart chilled; despite being much stronger than Beifei, he had not noticed how Beifei had appeared behind him! Boom! He struck back with his palm, creating a rolling palm wind that turned into a huge wave, sending Beifei flying once again. But when he turned around, where was Xiang Beifei''s figure? "Such formidable Orifice Perception!" Xiang Qingde couldn''t help but exclaim. His remaining consciousness was very powerful, yet it seemed to meet its match against Beifei''s Orifice Perception, which completely suppressed his consciousness. Boom! Xiang Beifei appeared again, this time on Qingde''s right side. His fist was enveloped in golden runes, mysterious patterns covering it, altering his aura in a way that even Qingde could not fully comprehend. "Five Pieces of Stone?" Xiang Qingde looked extremely surprised, "You found this?" But Beifei''s punch had already landed in the palm of Qingde''s hand, the golden patterns swiftly spreading out. This time, the aura of "Return to the Original State" mixed in, disrupting Qingde''s consciousness. Furthermore, the black and white Spiritual Power on Beifei''s fist seemed to perfectly integrate with these elements, causing severe interference when unleashed at full power. Crack crack! Xiang Qingde appeared to dread these things, taking a step back to dodge the sharp edge, and with a wave of his hand, a surging Spiritual Power swept Beifei away. Xiang Beifei fell to the ground in the distance, barely able to get up. He was simply no match, no matter how hard he tried, he could not defeat this man. Yet he raised his head again, gathering Spiritual Power in his hand. "Even with these things, you are still no match for me. Give up," Xiang Qingde said with a sigh. "None of you truly understand me," Xiang Beifei retorted. "I am just trying to protect you!" Xiang Qingde emphasized. "Protect with what? Your life? Or their lives? What have I experienced alone these years? When I was being mocked and ridiculed, where were you? When I was being framed by the alliance and nearly lost my life, where were you? When I fought desolate beasts alone, where were you? How much have you helped me? You did nothing. You two left the family, leaving an old man with no memories and cultivation to ''protect'' me, but he was helpless. I had to deal with all the trouble on my own. Is this your so-called protection?" Xiang Beifei''s figure charged forward once more; he was slender but never relinquished hope, constantly striving towards his goal, fighting desperately for the answer in his heart. He must obtain that answer! Chapter 719 532 Wufeng (Two Chapters Combined) Xiang Qingde was stunned. He watched as Xiang Beifei was knocked down time and again, yet each time he got back up. The child was so strong, simply to figure things out. This perseverance astonished him. Xiang Qingde didn''t know what Xiang Beifei had experienced in the past, nor what had sustained Xiang Beifei to this point, but now he understood what his grandson had endured over the years. The spiritual power in the air conjured a terrifying aura, crashing over as Xiang Beifei''s fist came at him once more. Xiang Qingde''s hand stopped mid-air, and this time he did not block the incoming punch, allowing Xiang Beifei''s fist to fall toward his face. Even though he could have blocked the punch, he still gave up. Perhaps out of guilt or owing a debt, he hoped to make amends, even if it meant taking a punch from his own grandson. At least it could let the child vent the resentment in his heart. But Xiang Beifei''s fist stopped an inch from Xiang Qingde''s face. He didn''t strike, simply looked at Xiang Qingde coldly. He could let go yet also restrain himself. Xiang Qingde sighed and asked, "Why didn''t you strike?" Xiang Beifei withdrew his hand, gasping for breath, his chest heaving. There were some people he would never harm. Like the old man before him. Even if it was only a consciousness from over thirty years ago, he had always been in close contact with this old man. "I came here to find an answer." There are many ways to let off steam, but this way, he would not do it. "I''m sorry," Xiang Qingde said, "I didn''t know you went through so much." "I don''t need an apology, I just want an explanation," Xiang Beifei said in a low voice, "Why do I have two memories?" Xiang Qingde shook his head slightly, "I am a consciousness of the past, existing before you were born, unable to determine what I did to you afterward. I just realized from the fact that you didn''t have a system that you would have two memories." "Why?" "I can''t answer that question. I''m not a complete person, just a consciousness left here to inspect the alien races that sneak in. I can''t give you an answer," Xiang Qingde stated. Xiang Beifei pursed his lips. A residual consciousness, existing only for a specific purpose, wouldn''t have the original owner''s complete memories and thus couldn''t explain many things. Xiang Beifei already figured this out from the Pioneer Stone left by Xiang Tianxing. "I thought I was a transmigrator," Xiang Beifei said softly, "coming from another world to the Jiuzhou continent, replacing another person named Xiang Beifei." "You didn''t replace him, you are him," Xiang Qingde stated. Xiang Beifei clenched his fists, "How is that possible?" Xiang Qingde shook his head, "I don''t know yet, but the other me should understand." Xiang Beifei fell silent. He recalled the old man with memory loss and the system interface filled with static, feeling an unpleasant sensation within. What did that old man do? Divide himself into two people? He felt as if he was treated like an experimental subject, becoming unnatural in his existence. Yet he couldn''t hate it. Because without the system, he was nearly invincible on the Jiuzhou continent. He could overpower all the System Awakeners. Even Lady Qiu and Zhu Yiji, those masters of the Heavenly Connection realm, suffered greatly in front of him. This ability was like a gift from his grandfather. It was the strongest and most perfect protection his grandfather had given him. "I will figure this out," Xiang Beifei took a deep breath, slowly calming his emotions, and said softly, "No matter what tries to stop me, I will keep going." His ability was invincible in Jiuzhou, but Jiuzhou was like a cage, restraining everyone. He wanted to break free from this cage and understand what this world truly meant. Xiang Qingde sighed again. He walked towards Xiang Beifei, looking at his grandson as though he had much to say, but he held back. After a long pause, he said, "Tianxing told me I lost my memory. That means you didn''t learn my cultivation technique, right?" "Nobody taught me." "I''ll teach you." Xiang Qingde looked at Xiaohei, and with a wave of his hand, something suddenly sprang from Xiaohei. It was a kitchen knife! The object that had jumped out of Xiang Qingde''s system interface initially, but the amnesiac Xiang Qingde didn''t take it seriously, simply using it as a common kitchen knife, day in and day out for cooking. Xiang Beifei had always kept this kitchen knife with Xiaohei. The knife looked ordinary, barely a foot long, with a wooden handle and an iron blade, unremarkable in appearance. But Xiang Beifei was well aware of the knife''s uniqueness; although it came from his grandfather''s system interface, it wasn''t a system item. It didn''t sustain any spiritual power, even Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power couldn''t penetrate it. Xiang Qingde caressed the kitchen knife, a wistful expression on his face, "Is it already broken?" "Broken?" "This is a stone sword." Xiang Qingde ran his finger over the knife, gave it a light flick, and the blade emitted a crisp tremor, vibrating intensely. Crack! The wooden handle broke apart, and the blade started to warp. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a stone sword, with a blade no longer than a foot. Both the hilt and the blade were very rough, as if someone had attempted to carve a sword out of stone but only managed to shape the raw form, too lazy to polish or finish it. "What happened that caused such a stone sword to break?" Xiang Qingde''s expression was somewhat gloomy. Chapter 720 720: 532 When his consciousness existed, the sword was still intact, but what happened afterward, he couldn''t be certain. Xiang Beifei looked at the stone sword, his brows slightly furrowed. The stone sword did not emit any fluctuations, yet it gave one a sense of ancient vicissitudes as if it had experienced countless battles and seen through the rise and fall of the world, becoming heavy and restrained. Most importantly, it didn''t emit any aura. To outsiders, it might look like a simple broken sword made of stone, but Xiang Beifei was certain that the sword would not be effective against Spiritual Power. "It''s called Wufeng." A golden light flashed in Xiang Qingde''s hand, as he simulated the lost blade of the broken stone sword with Spiritual Power. A faint shadow appeared on the blade, the complete stone sword measuring four feet long, with a very blunt tip and a rough, dull edge, as if it had not been sharpened. The stone sword was very thin, thinner than the thickness of a pinky finger. At the center of the sword, there was a rough pattern, a simple symbol resembling a "three," divided in the middle to form six horizontal lines. "This is what it looked like when it was whole, but where the other half of the blade went is unknown." Xiang Qingde waved his hand, and the golden light scattered again, the simulated blade disappearing, reverting back to its broken state. "This sword is very powerful because it disregards Spiritual Power." "Disregards Spiritual Power?" "Yes, no type of Spiritual Power can block it," said Xiang Qingde. Every martial artist relies on Spiritual Power to attack, and the scope of this Spiritual Power is extremely broad, including system items, Beast Pills, spiritual power, Formations... Essentially, they are all Spiritual Power. Desolate beasts have various abilities, which are also considered Spiritual Power, just manifested in a different way. "Then what can stop it?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Stones, trees, steel... anything not made from Spiritual Power can counter it. Whether it can be blocked is another matter, but it''s worth trying," said Xiang Qingde. "Like a mound spirit?" "Something like that." The stream waters of Chen Hou could not be manipulated by ordinary system items, and only common wood could be used to contain them; the principle was the same. Xiang Qingde held the broken sword in his hand and gently waved, a resolute Sword Intent traversing the air. Hum! Xiang Qingde executed a stroke with the sword, and a sword slash seemed to tear a rift in space, exploding with a powerful glow in the air. When he held the sword, it was as if he held the entire world. "The sharpness of the sword lies not in the edge, but in the heart. When the heart harbors a sword, the entire world is within that sword," he said. Xiang Qingde pointed the stone sword at Xiang Beifei. For a moment, Xiang Beifei felt as if the only thing left in the world was this stone sword. The sword moved with his heart, its edge emerging from nothingness, and wherever he looked, everything was a part of this sword. Xiang Beifei was not unfamiliar with the sword because back in school, Ye Changfeng had taught him swordsmanship, and he quickly grasped the Sword Intent. As long as he could learn Sword Intent, under the principle of "Learn by Analogy," he could almost understand all forms of swordsmanship. However, the sword in front of him was so strange that its Sword Intent was something Xiang Beifei could not grasp immediately. The swordsmanship was extremely foreign to him, and Learn by Analogy seemed ineffective against this Sword Intent. Xiang Qingde stood there, holding the broken sword, simply holding it, without guiding it further, just watching Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei also looked at the broken sword in Xiang Qingde''s hand, frowning and pondering. In his eyes, there were invisible sword energies hidden all around, intangible and yet omnipresent. After a long while, he seemed thoughtful and reached out, gently grasping at the void. Hum! He drew the broken sword out of thin air. He looked surprised at the broken sword in his grandfather''s hand, then at his own, the two swords identical. "The highest realm of Wufeng, swords everywhere," said Xiang Qingde, "It doesn''t require you to master any particular swordsmanship; as long as you can draw Wufeng out from the vast Sword Realm, any stroke you slash will be the most powerful swordsmanship in the world." "Wufeng surpasses swords with edges; formlessness surpasses form. It can integrate with all your abilities, including the Cultivation Techniques you have learned so far, without any conflict," he explained. Xiang Beifei looked thoughtfully at the broken sword in his hand and gave it a slight shake, as a fierce Sword Qi vibrated out from his grip. The stone sword wasn''t utilizing his spiritual power as a medium. Instead, it relied solely on the most primal Sword Qi contained within itself, as black and white flames flickered rapidly along its blade! These flames were not burning his spiritual power, but the Sword Qi of the stone sword itself, which was extremely strange. He swung the sword forward, and the entire space of consciousness trembled violently, as if it were about to split apart. However, Xiang Qingde quickly placed the stone sword horizontally in his hand to block Xiang Beifei''s sharp edge, steadying the space and preventing it from collapsing. "Wufeng, grasp this well," Xiang Qingde''s stone sword disappeared from his hand, and he sighed slightly, "If you can find the broken sword''s blade, its power will rise by a notch." Xiang Beifei put away the stone sword and nodded silently. "I know your determination is unshakable, but I have only one request," Xiang Qingde said. "What is it?" "Stay here and cultivate for a while." Xiang Qingde looked at his grandson and said, "Your strength is not enough, at least nowhere near that of your parents. I will teach you everything I must, and besides, you also need to understand the Shepherd City I''ve established here. It''s not as simple as it seems on the surface. At least, the Shepherd City is not just Si Hou. Many different races are eyeing this place for a reason." Xiang Beifei hesitated for a moment and said, "Alright." At the stage of orifice transforming, one simply doesn''t qualify in this foreign desolate wilderness. Whether it''s Brain Deficient, or the two meat-winged monsters, Ri An and Ye Ji, their strength was far greater than Xiang Beifei''s. This was the first time his grandfather was truly teaching him cultivation, and he would seize any opportunity to become stronger. ---- Inside the lava caverns. Brain Deficient, Ri An, and Ye Ji stood apart at a great distance, facing each other with extremely angry expressions. They were now in a sorry state with wounds all over their bodies that had not yet fully healed. Without thinking things through earlier, they had been manipulated into fighting each other, resulting in both sides getting severely injured. "Your Ghostly Visage really are stupid, can''t even differentiate between what''s real and what''s fake!" Ri An vented fiercely, her wings now destroyed, her body covered in blood. "Cut the crap. Have you figured out who struck from the shadows?" Brain Deficient asked coldly. Up to now, they still hadn''t caught a glimpse of the troublemaker who had meddled. "Could it be that group from the Extremity Abyss?" Ye Ji asked gravely. At the mention of the Extremity Abyss, both Brain Deficient and Ri An''s faces changed color slightly! "Doesn''t your Moon God Race claim to control half of the foreign desolate wilderness? Why then was that group from the Extremity Abyss unguarded?" Brain Deficient asked. "What about your Demon Tentacle Race? Weren''t you also wiped out by them?" Ri An shot back sharply. Brain Deficient narrowed his eyes, and the tension escalated once more. But at that moment, Ye Ji spoke up, "Enough, now''s not the time to quarrel. It seems these skeletons definitely won''t trust us again. The priority is that we need to find a way to get through this layer of lava." "If it were so easy to enter the lava, would we need you?" Brain Deficient retorted. Ye Ji snorted coldly and said, "You shouldn''t say that; I do indeed have another method." "What method?" "You should know that lava belongs to the holy relic of Fubei; it devours any spiritual power, rendering it ineffective. So none of our spiritual powers can resist it. But on the reverse, the holy relic of Fubei, if protected by something non-spiritual, then it''s just ordinary lava," Ye Ji explained. "So what?" Brain Deficient inquired. "You''ve heard of Yin Ice, right?" Ye Ji said. Brain Deficient''s brows furrowed slightly, "Do you have that stuff?" "I just happen to know where it is," Ye Ji said, the corners of her mouth lifting in a slight cold smile. Chapter 721 533: Ineffective Magma (Two Chapters Combined) For an entire week, Xiang Beifei had been cultivating his spiritual power while Xiaohei and the others simply roamed around Skeleton Village, following the skeletons everywhere. Life for the skeletons in Skeleton Village was quite leisurely¡ªit felt like another Shangri-La, where each skeleton lived very comfortably. Their true forms were actually flames, living within skeletal bodies, and their lifestyle followed human customs. Erha had always been curious about how these flame skeletons managed to have baby skeletons. According to the White Flame Skeleton, reproduction for their species was quite difficult¡ªwith pregnancies lasting about a decade, and the whole tribe having fewer than ten baby skeletons born each year. But each skeleton''s lifespan was very long; as long as the flame did not extinguish, they would hardly ever die. Currently, the population in this Skeleton Village had already surpassed two thousand. These past few days coincided with a pair of skeletons in the village having offspring, so the three little fellows, unable to contain their curiosity, had been peeking into the couple''s house every day, and eventually, they witnessed the birth of a little fire sprout. The process of giving birth to the next generation was also very simple. Currently, a Red Flame Skeleton and a Green Flame Skeleton were becoming parents. Both skeletons'' flames emerged and then fused together; the flames crackled as they burned, and once the two clusters of flames separated, with a ''pop'', a small, red-and-green fire sprout was born. Quick and efficient! "Awoo?" Erha asked if this process was a bit too hasty? "Youyu?" Little Youmeng asked Xiaohei, since the skeletons all learned human ways, if humans also had children this way? "Woof! Woof!" Being well-versed from watching numerous online videos, Xiaohei explained to Little Youmeng in detail that when humans prepare to have babies, the positions are numerous and it''s more intense, almost like fighting. "Youyu?" Little Youmeng asked why having a baby required fighting? Couldn''t it be like planting a seed in the ground and sprouting on its own? This question stumped Xiaohei too. Erha chimed in, saying that there''s a human saying: "No fight, no acquaintance." Without fighting, they wouldn''t recognize their own child. "Youyu!" Little Youmeng had an epiphany! So that was why! The three little fellows enjoyed discussing these strange and odd matters, earnestly analyzing them. After the village welcomed the new fire sprout, the White Flame Skeleton, as the leader of the village, had to find a skeleton to host the little fire sprout. He chose a palm-sized bird skeleton as a temporary host, and once it grew bigger, it would be transferred to a larger skeleton. The skeletons also needed to find food, relying on the system established in the Si Hou caves. Since skeletons were not native to the system world, they could not be self-sufficient; thus, they needed to venture to the mountain ranges outside the magma for food. The skeletons'' diet was different from humans''. For these flame skeletons, anything that could burn constituted their food. Dry branches and leaves were their most common food, but finding coal, oil, or natural gas was like getting an extra meal. The way these skeletons ate was also bizarre. Because they favored human customs, they imitated humans during meals, grabbing a handful of leaves and stuffing them into their mouths. Then, the flames in their eye sockets would ignite the leaves, letting the food burn inside their mouths. After burning, the flames would slowly turn back to their eye sockets, making the flames there slightly more vigorous. To more closely resemble humans, they even mimicked the human action of chewing by moving their jaws and sometimes even emitted puffs of smoke from their nostrils during meals. If the freshly born baby skeletons, unaware of manners, directly stuffed food into their eye sockets to burn, the older skeletons would correct them, reminding them to maintain proper eating decorum. Dropping food directly into their eye sockets wasn''t proper; they should put it in their mouths to burn before it flowed toward their eye sockets. This method also left Erha utterly baffled. "Awoo? Awoo?" The Wooden Kirin asked if these skeletons were being overly redundant? "Woof! Woof!" Xiaohei was quite composed as he responded: "You don''t understand, Erha! Humans even observe dining etiquette. Life needs a sense of ceremony!" The Wooden Kirin rolled its eyes, indicating that as long as it had spiritual power crystals, it wouldn''t mind eating them through its nostrils. Little Youmeng was quite displeased, probably because these skeletons habitually ate dry branches and leaves, which made Little Youmeng uncomfortable since it was essentially half a tree that would wither whenever it was away from Si Hou or Xiang Beifei. It always worried about accidentally being used as food. However, the skeletons didn''t think much of it and were quite friendly to the three little ones. Seeing that they did nothing all day and didn''t eat, they even offered them dried cow dung, asking if they wanted to try some freshly dried with magma, which they claimed tasted very good when burnt. Xiaohei and Erha widened their eyes, looked at each other, and then vigorously shook their heads. ... When Xiang Beifei was away, the three little ones actually got along well with the skeletons of Skeleton Village, frequently following them outside to look for food and collect bone parts. The demand for bones was high within the entire village, as they were consumables. The members of the Si Fire Tribe had specific requirements for bones because the fire flames'' control over the bones varied with their ages. Smaller fire sprouts needed smaller skeletons, but as the fire sprouts grew, they needed more powerful skeletons to contain the force of their flames. Chapter 722 533: Ineffective Magma (Two in One)_2 Now, with the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage and the Meat-Winged Monster outside, the White Flame Skeleton needed to act with much more caution. Fortunately, they were not limited to just one magma exit, as this vast mountain range concealed many volcanoes with numerous magma exits. With Xiaohei and Erha''s help, locating skeletons and food became much simpler. Erha could control all trees, so finding twigs and fallen leaves was a piece of cake, and they could even directly find some seeds to bring back to Skeleton Village to let them take root, sprout, and wither. Xiaohei was very clever, knew too much about the matter, and always provided insightful suggestions on how to choose bones. He even taught the skeletons what kinds of bones could achieve more effective camouflage. But soon, they realized that the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage was still lingering like a persistent specter. "Woof?" Erha detected the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage hiding among the trees in several places and was asking Xiaohei if they should tie these guys up. Xiaohei stroked his chin, then nodded. Xiang Beifei was not around, but Xiaohei could also control the breath soil. As long as they followed the same method, transporting magma with the breath soil, they could easily wipe out these Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage! "Where are they?" the White Flame Skeleton asked in a gruff voice. Erha immediately gave them the direction. The White Flame Skeleton wanted to check it out, but Xiaohei stopped him, stating seriously, "Woof woof!" Xiaohei had his own invisibility skills, and Erha could take advantage of the trees for cover so he would not be detected, but the White Flame Skeletons could not hide themselves. If they got too close, they would be discovered by these Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage. Brain Deficient was very strong, and if it really came down to a fight, the White Flame Skeletons would be no match for him. "We must not act recklessly." The flames in the White Flame Skeleton''s eyes flickered rapidly, looking very angry. He knew about the last conspiracy of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage and the Meat-Winged Monster and felt a strong aversion towards these cunning creatures. "Woof!" Xiaohei had the White Flame Skeleton wait here; without Xiang Beifei around, Xiaohei decided to take on the task himself! He immediately sprang into action, flying towards the location of the other Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage. Youmong, as long as he was within Si Hou''s domain, would not wither, but for the sake of convenience, Erha still handed Youmong to the White Flame Skeleton and followed along. Youmong wanted to protest, for it still held a deep grudge against the White Flame Skeleton and was worried about being eaten by it later. However, the White Flame Skeleton was actually quite nice to Youmong. He extended his bony palm, patted Youmong''s head, and placed Youmong on his shoulder: "I will protect you." Youmong felt uncomfortable, but there was nothing it could do about it; it had no say in the matter. ¡ª¡ª Xiaohei''s figure was quick, moving unimpeded through the forest, and soon arrived inside a cave. He used breath soil to draw in the magma, then transferred it to the trees. Erha quickly manipulated the trees, hiding the magma isolated by the breath soil within them and, using the trees as cover, transported the breath soil magma into the forest. Last time, a large number of Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage had been wiped out, but there were still quite a few left, and from their appearance, they seemed to be on standby on a cliff, waiting for Brain Deficient''s instructions. Brain Deficient stood at the entrance to a stream of magma, gazing inside. Soon, a howling sound came from within, and bright, sacred light flashed. Ri An and Ye Ji had both appeared on the rocks. "Is it taken care of?" Brain Deficient asked. "Of course," Ye Ji replied politely. "How long will it take?" "Not long," said Ye Ji. Brain Deficient nodded slightly, "Then, let us take care of the next step." With a wave of his hand¡ª Swish! Swish! Swish! Countless Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage leaped from the forest and descended toward the cave. Xiaohei and Erha seized the moment¡ªit was now or never! Whirl! Erha quickly controlled the trees near the cave, and the trees there swiftly began to grow, their slender branches coiling like agile snakes and entwining tightly around the Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage that had just fallen. Simultaneously, Xiaohei immediately broke apart the breath soil hidden in the branches, sprinkling it like fairy scattering flowers towards these Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage! The Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage obviously hadn''t anticipated such a turn of events, and even Brain Deficient and his group hadn''t had a chance to react! "Not the lava again!" Brain Deficient was very wary of the molten lava, because last time it was this lava that killed two-thirds of his subordinates. He didn''t expect that the same method would be used again! "Don''t panic! Resist with all your might!" But Ye Ji on the side called out calmly. Splash! The Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage, who were about to be splashed by the lava, felt fear at the sight of the sparks. Having narrowly escaped death in the previous incident, they were well aware of the power of this lava. In response, each of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage summoned all their strength, channeling all their Spiritual Power onto their whiskers! Sssss! The molten lava, which would normally burn the whiskers upon contact and lead to death, was now blocked by these whiskers! "It actually didn''t work?" Many of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage were slightly startled, then their faces lit up with joy as they raised their whiskers, sweeping away the suddenly erupting lava! "Woof?" Xiaohei and Erha were both stunned. They exchanged looks, both puzzled. Hadn''t this lava been able to kill the group of Ghostly Visage with a single touch before? Why was it ineffective now? But Xiaohei soon realized that the lava he had summoned with breath soil seemed to have lost its powerful devouring ability, leaving only scorching heat. The mound spirit of Si Hou had somehow turned into ordinary lava! And even if ordinary lava was extremely hot, it was something the Ghostly Visage could withstand! "Yin Ice is truly effective. Now I want to see who''s behind this meddling!" Brain Deficient shouted coldly, his gaze immediately locking onto the breath soil that had exploded in the air. With a wave of his hand, a powerful Spiritual Power spread out instantly, reaching for the breath soil in all directions! "Woof!" Xiaohei silently cursed at the bad turn of events because the brick was with Xiang Beifei, and he couldn''t use it to defend right now. He quickly jumped onto Erha''s back, and Erha turned and ran. Boom! Boom! Boom! Brain Deficient''s presence was overwhelming. With a single palm strike, he shattered all the nearby trees at the entrance of the cave. In the blink of an eye, all the trees had been completely destroyed! Erha quickly darted out from the trees, avoiding the terrifying attack. However, the moment it came out, its figure was instantly exposed. "Is that a Kylin?" When Ri An and Ye Ji saw Erha, they recognized its true form at a glance. Both Meat-Winged Monsters were quite shocked! "We''ve been searching for the Wooden Kirin for so many years and haven''t found it. I didn''t expect our luck to be this good! To encounter a Kylin here! Quick, capture this Kylin, the Moon God has ordered us to seize it!" Ye Ji commanded. "Understood!" When Ri An saw the Kylin, the holy radiance on his body had already vanished, growing out yellow-brown tumors again, and with sharp claws, he charged at Erha! Erha, with only the strength of a late-stage God Refining, was no match for Ri An. It swung its tail, and immediately, more verdant trees sprung up in the air, blocking the front. "It really is the Jianmu Qilin, the origin of all trees, capable of controlling trees. We must not let it escape this time!" Ye Ji also revealed his hideous true form, a hint of frenzy in his eyes. They seemed to clearly recognize Erha''s identity and catching Erha seemed more important than entering Shepherd City. Brain Deficient frowned slightly to the side, surprised by the Meat-Winged Monsters'' sudden interest in this strange desolate beast. With a turn of his eye, he didn''t hesitate at all and immediately reached for Erha. This Kylin was of extraordinary significance, and how could Brain Deficient possibly let the Meat-Winged Monsters succeed? He had to capture the Kylin first so that the two from the Moon God Race would obediently comply. "Annihilation! Crimson Shadow Lock Sky!" Brain Deficient brought his hands together and chanted in a low voice! Chapter 723 534: Tentacles and Netherwater (Combined Chapter) Red tentacles appeared out of thin air, their dark red hue emitting terrifying fluctuations. Countless red lights spread out, completely sealing off an area of a hundred li! Crash! The trees that Erha had just summoned were destroyed in the blink of an eye, leaving the entire mountaintop bare, with not a single plant remaining. Erha was firmly trapped! This is bad! Both of the little guys sensed that something terrible was happening! Xiaohei was still okay; if he couldn''t overpower them, he could just quickly lie down in a corner and play dead. After all, this bunch couldn''t see him and would never find his location. But it wasn''t the same for Erha. He didn''t possess Xiaohei''s natural Invisibility Ability, nor could he escape through space! Brain Deficient''s strength was a whole realm higher than Erha''s, who was in the late stage of God Refining. It was out of the question for Erha to deal with him. By now, the entire space had been sealed off. All the visible plants had been eliminated, with even the mountains near the caves being directly demolished. The boiling lava even overflowed. The lava, which originally lay hidden under the ground, began to surge out as the terrain was destroyed. The scorching lava, like a flood, spread out, submerging the surrounding mountains. Dense smoke billowed up, and the air was somewhat blurred by the high temperatures of the lava. Xiaohei, tugging at Erha''s ear, urged him to run into the lava below. Erha hesitated¡ªthe lava wasn''t a joke. If he jumped in, he''d be reduced to ashes. Only after Xiaohei shouted that the lava had lost its devouring ability, did Erha react. With a flick of his tail, he took a splashy leap into the lava. Xiaohei quickly wrapped Erha with breath soil and sank into the lava with him. The fierce high temperature wasn''t a big problem for them. In fact, the devouring ability was useless against Xiaohei because he was naturally thick-skinned and could even take a bath in the streams of Chen Hou Mountain. "This way!" At this moment, the White Flame Skeleton quickly arrived, white flames steaming out of its eye sockets, wrapping around Xiaohei and dragging them down. Brain Deficient''s face darkened; he hadn''t anticipated this move because the magma deep underground was everywhere and complicated in its flow and he hadn''t managed to completely seal off the magma below while sealing the space. "Trying to escape? You''ll need to get past us!" Ri An and Ye Ji, both Meat-Winged Monsters, spat out yellow spring water, surging forth with a foul odor, covering everything below and quickly plunging into the lava. Now that the lava had lost its devouring ability, the yellow spring water could flow unobstructed like nobody''s business, swirling toward the White Flame Skeleton. The white fire on the White Flame Skeleton''s body erupted, attempting to meet the oncoming yellow spring water. Crash! White flames and yellow spring water intermingled in the air, yet the yellow spring water had a bizarre corrosive force. It was extremely powerful, swiftly engulfing the white flames. "This isn''t good!" The White Flame Skeleton was inwardly shocked. For some reason, the lava had lost its protective ability, and he couldn''t hold off the yellow spring water at all. Ri An and Ye Ji relentlessly pursued the White Flame Skeleton through the lava, their speed matching his. Fortunately, the White Flame Skeleton was more familiar with the labyrinthine lava channels. Using the twisted paths, he led Erha and Xiaohei swiftly away. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei loudly protested against running toward the blood altar, lest they draw the snake out of its hole. He had been trying his best to call for Xiang Beifei in his mind, but there had been no response yet. If Xiang Beifei didn''t show up soon, it was unthinkable what would happen if the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage charged into Skeleton Village. The White Flame Skeleton tried to head to the outer edges of the mountain range, with Ri An and Ye Ji hot on his trail. The White Flame Skeleton ran for a long time and had reached the edge of Si Hou Mountain Range. He could only move within this area; if he ran any further outside, he would be visible. He had no choice but to detour in another direction. But before he got far, he noticed something wrong with the lava behind him. The lava seemed to have been frozen, its temperature dropping and its fluidity worsening. "The lava is solidifying." The White Flame Skeleton gasped with urgency, the flames in his eye sockets flickering faster, looking very grave. If the lava solidified, it meant that their path was blocked, and they would have no way to escape underground. Once they lost the advantage of the lava, they would have to run to the surface to confront Ri An and the others directly, with virtually no chance of winning! The White Flame Skeleton was anxiously considering his options, but just then, a red tentacle violently sprang forth in front of him, reaching out to grab him! He quickly somersaulted to dodge the tentacle. "Now you''ve got nowhere to run!" Brain Deficient blocked the White Flame Skeleton''s escape route from the other side. The red tentacles burst forth with a powerful oppression, the horrific pressure causing the surrounding lava to be squeezed apart! "Awoo!" Erha''s tail swiftly lashed out at the red tentacle, but before it could make contact, he was sent flying. Brain Deficient let out a cold laugh as the red tentacles caught up with Erha. The White Flame Skeleton emitted a white flame, but as it struck the red tentacle, it was broken instantly, failing to cause even the slightest ripple. Chapter 724 534: Tentacles and Netherwater (Two in One)_2 "Just with that level of strength, you think you can stop our Priest Lord''s avatar?" Brain Deficient looked at those white flames with contempt, his eyes full of disdain. His red tentacles possessed the powerful strength of a Heavenly Connection realm, a being that could walk sideways even in deeper regions, let alone this area! Even when facing the trump cards of the Moon God Race, his red tentacles were not the least bit weaker! "The red tentacles of Heavenly Connection realm, not only can they disregard all flames, their hardness is extremely formidable too. Up to now, there hasn''t been anyone who can shatter my red tentacles¡ª" Whoosh! A streak of white light sliced through the air from the lava, cleaving the red tentacles! The red tentacles were severed at the sound! Brain Deficient hadn''t even finished his sentence when his expression froze, and then his eyes incredulously widened! His seemingly indestructible, powerful Heavenly Connection realm Priest Lord''s avatar had been cut off just like that? How could this be possible? Just a few days ago, he had fought a both-sides-suffered battle with Ri An of the Moon God Race. Although they both were injured, the red tentacles weren''t seriously damaged, so how could they be abruptly severed at this moment? Not to mention, he had just been boasting about how formidable the Priest Lord''s avatar was, and he hadn''t even finished his praise before it was destroyed! "Who is it?" Brain Deficient snapped back to reality, his gaze warily sweeping around, looking for the person who made the move. Soon, his eyes landed on a person who had suddenly appeared, standing amidst the lava. It was a calm and collected young man, elegant and dashing, standing in the lava as if merging with it, without any sense of abruptness, everything seeming so natural. It was indeed Xiang Beifei! "Woof woof!" Xiaohei and Erha breathed a sigh of relief. With Xiang Beifei here, the situation was different. The two little creatures immediately leaped onto Xiang Beifei''s shoulders, looking at the opponent spiritedly. The White Flame Skeleton also hurriedly jumped beside Xiang Beifei, looking at him with astonishment. It had only been a few days apart, and he didn''t understand why Xiang Beifei seemed to have changed completely. Although he was still the familiar person, his aura had become somewhat elusive. "A human?" Brain Deficient did not recognize Xiang Beifei, and this was the first time he had seen this young man, feeling very surprised! "No, it''s impossible for a human to have come here. Is it someone from the Moon God Race?" The young man''s temperament was in no way inferior to Ye Ji or Ri An, but the carefree air about him was something the two from the Moon God Race fell far short of. Besides, although the Moon God Race is very cunning, they usually have a faint shining effect when they appear, especially those holy white wings on their backs. However, the young man who had suddenly appeared did not have white light effects when he appeared, let alone wings. For Brain Deficient, identifying a race only required the use of powerful Perception ability to analyze the target''s aura, which would usually reveal the target''s identity. But no matter how hard Brain Deficient tried to perceive the man before him, the other seemed like just a projection, standing there, visible but imperceptible! Meanwhile, Ri An and Ye Ji had also arrived. They too, upon seeing the severed piece of the red tentacle in the lava, were slightly taken aback. Soon after, their gaze turned to the Erha on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder. "Ji Li, what''s going on? Is this one of your Demon Tentacle Race?" Ri An asked with a serious tone. She could not perceive Xiang Beifei''s aura either, but given his appearance, her first thought was that he might be from the Demon Tentacle Race, parasitizing a human host. "It''s not! I thought he was one of your Moon God Race," Brain Deficient clenched his gaze on Xiang Beifei, extremely wary inside. He didn''t even know Xiang Beifei''s origins, let alone his level of cultivation. Could he really be a human? But humans hardly ever venture far from the Jiuzhou continent. They tend to nestle there, and those who appear here are mostly dead, just husks parasitized by creatures like Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. Ri An, looking at the tentacle fragment dissolving in the lava and then at Brain Deficient, asked, "How did your Priest avatar get severed? Weren''t you claiming that the avatar was invincible? How did it end up being cleaved in two?" Brain Deficient knew Ri An was mocking him, he snorted coldly, and said, "This guy is not simple!" Ye Ji remained silent, calmly observing Xiang Beifei. He was relatively composed compared to the others and still unsure of Xiang Beifei''s identity, not underestimating his opponent at all. However, Ri An on the side was already impatient. "No matter who it is, let''s deal with them first! We must capture that Kylin!" All of Ri An''s attention was focused on the Kylin that had shrunk on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, which was her current target. She would mercilessly slay anyone who dared to stand in her way! Whoosh! Ri An flashed instantly, her figure speeding past, leaving a lingering afterimage in the air. Sharp black claws burst forth from her withered yellow hands, like fearsome blades, slashing towards Xiang Beifei! "Hold on! Don''t be careless!" Ye Ji shouted in a low voice. "Relax! I''m not as useless as those Demon Tentacle Race." Ri An grinned fiercely, spitting out yellow spring water from her mouth. The stench spread far and wide, causing even the surrounding lava to lose its luster. "The water of the Yellow Springs is taken from the dead tombs of the ultra-negative lands, possessing the most powerful corrosive ability. It''s not something that cooked octopus tentacles can compare with!" During her last confrontation with Brain Deficient, Ri An lost a wing and hadn''t fully recovered yet, but even with only one wing, it did not affect her ability to deploy her strong cards! However, Xiang Beifei just looked indifferent, lifting his head and gripping the broken sword in his hand! Whoosh! A barely visible ripple shone on Wufeng, a faint light circling the blade as he slashed down towards the foul-smelling yellow water! Splash! The seemingly unstoppable yellow water was actually split into two by the sword''s light, vanishing into the air! "What?" Ri An''s face changed drastically! Her pride, the Yellow Springs water, had been cleaved away? How was that possible! She suddenly seemed to understand why Brain Deficient''s similarly Heavenly Connection realm tentacles were cut off. The man in front of her was very strange! But after Xiang Beifei''s sword light shattered the yellow water, it did not stop but continued to fall towards her. The sword seemed plain and unremarkable, and it didn''t seem to hold much power. But Ri An didn''t dare to underestimate it. A sword light that could shatter red tentacles and her pride, the Yellow Springs water¡ªif she underestimated it again, that would mean she was brain damaged! But the sword was too fast, Ri An had no chance to dodge. She gritted her teeth, prepared to take the strike head-on, when Ye Ji already rushed forward, grabbed Ri An, and dragged her backward! Whoosh! The sword light brushed past Ri An''s back! "Ah!" Ri An let out a scream as her last remaining wing was struck, falling into the magma and instantly turning into ash, with not even a single bubble rising. Now she had become a wingless monster with her wings cut off. This was all thanks to Ye Ji for pulling her back. Otherwise, Ri An would have suffered more than just a cut wing ¨C she would have been cleaved in half! Ri An, gasping for breath, looked at Xiang Beifei with horror on her face, feeling both pain and humiliation from the wound on her back. "How could this guy be so strong?" Ri An couldn''t help but exclaim in shock,"Could he be from the Extremity Abyss?" "No, I would recognize those guys from the Extremity Abyss." Brain Deficient was truly astonished. Although he always opposed them from the Extremity Abyss, he could recognize what their race looked like at a glance. The man in front of him had none of the Extremity Abyss''s aura! "Could he really be human?" Ye Ji said in a low voice. The moment those words were spoken, both Brain Deficient and the two Meat-Winged Monsters felt it was incredible, because there were very few humans who could make it this far! Of course, it wasn''t unheard of. "Whether he''s human or not, let''s join forces and kill him first!" Ri An commanded. Her only target was the Kylin on Xiang Beifei''s shoulder! Chapter 725 535: One Against Three! (4000 words) Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage and Meat-Winged Monster, although both had bad intentions and constantly mocked each other, always reached an agreement on principle issues. Even Brain Deficient had no objection. The guy before their eyes was powerful! They had to join forces. Swish! Swish! Swish! Brain Deficient and the other two unleashed a powerful aura from their bodies, forcibly creating a gap in the surrounding lava, turning the scalding magma into mere decoration. Once it lost its devouring ability, it couldn''t block anything at all. Three masters in the advanced stages of orifice transforming were united, and with the trump card left by a practitioner of Heavenly Connection, their strength was terrifying. They could face an early-stage Heavenly Connection expert without much fear. Xiang Beifei''s expression remained unruffled, and no aura exuded from his body. He seemed like an ordinary person without any cultivation level, visible but undetectable by Perception. "Watch his sword!" Ri An said sharply. Brain Deficient and Ye Ji were aware of this, but when they looked again, they couldn''t help frowning because Xiang Beifei''s hands were empty. "Don''t be careless!" Ri An and Ye Ji swiftly moved, their bodies glowing with a yellow light. The lights quickly converged, emitting a stench that even the all-consuming magma was repelled by this yellow spiritual power. Brain Deficient held nothing back, his body unleashing countless tentacles that, with the cover of the magma, disappeared into the surroundings and shortly surrounded Xiang Beifei! "Nine Nether Sealing Curse!" As Brain Deficient shouted softly, many tentacles rapidly extended from the magma, each tip lighting up with a dark spiritual power vortex, each vortex seeming to contain suppressed beastly roars. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! All the tentacles shot out grey strands that interconnected like a spider web, forming a dense spherical space with a terrifying and sinister aura circulating among the tentacles, sealing Xiang Beifei inside! At the same time, a red tentacle, having snapped off, rapidly spread out a red glow, forming red patterns on the outside, clinging to the black spiritual power vortexes and instantly enhancing the strength of the sealing curse! The Nine Nether Sealing Curse, a very powerful ability of the Demon Tentacle Race, is used to seal space and can also directly suppress an opponent''s cultivation base, preventing them from exerting their normal strength! In this sealed space, one is almost invincible! Of course, this ability consumes a lot of spiritual power, and normal Ghost Whiskers with lower cultivation levels can''t perform this ability, only able to lock the space, preventing their opponents from breaking through it. Brain Deficient was at the advanced stage of orifice transforming, and since he couldn''t see through Xiang Beifei, he didn''t hesitate to go all out from the start! "Netherworld Chant!" On the other side, Ri An and Ye Ji''s bodies, the Meat-Winged Monsters, were surrounded by yellow-brown spring water flying everywhere, merging with the magma. This water seemed alive, gently oscillating in the magma. The Netherworld water kept changing forms, seemingly made up of countless souls, blood, and bones, with various ferocious beasts intermixed in the water, screaming as if to break free from the water''s constraints and devour their enemies. From within, one could faintly hear the sounds of desolate beasts. The shrill cries seemed chaotic, but when mixed together, they became exceedingly strange, as if ensnaring souls, capable of shaking one''s spirit and causing befuddlement! The Netherworld Chant of the Meat-Winged Monsters was sufficient to scatter an opponent''s attention, and even weaker-spirited desolate beasts could be directly dragged by the pitiful screams into committing suicide. Once dead in the Netherworld Chant, their consciousness would be absorbed into the Netherworld water, becoming part of the Netherworld Chant. This was one of the most relied upon abilities of the Meat-Winged Monsters; with the Netherworld Chant, Ri An and Ye Ji moved unhindered in this wasteland. Last time when they encountered the Flood Dragon, they hadn''t used it as they intended to capture the Flood Dragon alive. But this time, facing Xiang Beifei, they had no such concerns and charged fiercely! "Die!" Ri An roared ferociously, and an even more terrifying aura emanated from the Netherworld water. For a moment, the lava surged, and yellow lights blazed forth, sinister and abnormal. From within the Netherworld water, powerful desolate beasts rapidly differentiated themselves and charged ferociously into Brain Deficient''s Nine Nether Sealing Curse. The two powerful attacks were perfectly synchronized, creating immense force. Even a practitioner in the early stages of Heavenly Connection had to tread carefully! But Xiang Beifei merely lifted his head indifferently, observing the black and red sealing space before him and the ferocious Netherworld desolate beasts, then slowly took a step forward. Hum! A black and a white aura spread out from beneath his feet, encircling him like the grand ultimate yin and yang fish, quickly splitting into golden patterns branching out from him and dispersing in all directions. Swish! The golden patterns vanished into thin air, but in the next instant, they attached to all the Netherworld desolate beasts and the black tentacles forming the Nine Nether Sealing Curse! The previously formidable and majestic Netherworld desolate beasts and Nine Nether Sealing Curse suddenly frozen in the magma, unable to advance even half an inch! Chapter 726 535: One Against Three! (4000 words)_2 "This¡ª" Brain Deficient and the two Meat-Winged Monsters were all shocked! They had bolstered the Nine Nether Sealing Curse with the power of the Heavenly Connection realm, and even the desolate beast from the Netherworld chant was directly blocked in front of Xiang Beifei? But what surprised them even more was yet to come. Xiang Beifei reached out and pulled forward, drawing a broken sword from the magma with a casual swing! Crack! Whether it was the tendrils condensed with the Nine Nether Sealing Curse or the evil soul of the desolate beast summoned by the Netherworld chant, they were effortlessly cleaved by Xiang Beifei, shattering like porcelain into pieces of spiritual power fragments, which were all consumed by the surrounding magma in the blink of an eye! The strongest attacks of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage and the Meat-Winged Monster were instantly broken and reduced to nothing! Whether it was Brain Deficient, Ri An, or Ye Ji, their expressions changed drastically! "Is that all?" Xiang Beifei inquired. The three of them were stunned! Then their expressions turned even more furious! As three late-phase orifice-transforming experts united, with each possessing their bottom-line Heavenly Connection realm powers, not only were they unbeatable in the late phase of orifice transforming, but even early-phase Heavenly Connection realm experts would not defeat them. However, their attacks, which they took pride in, were treated like fancy but ineffective moves by Xiang Beifei, so easily shattered, which was a tremendous insult to them! "Let''s go, we can''t fight here, he can control these Hou! These golden patterns cannot be taken head-on!" Ye Ji saw those golden patterns and was the first to realize, whispering urgently. He clearly knew his stuff and was extremely wary of the golden patterns. Without any hesitation, he turned and leapt upward! Boom! His action bursting through the magma was very brusque, shattering the layer of rock above and creating a massive passage, surging into the sky. Ri An and Brain Deficient also realized the situation and quickly turned around, breaking a pathway and flying outwards. The scalding magma followed the breaking of the ground and squeezed out through the exit. However, these flowing magmas did not extend far as if consciously controlled, the golden patterns flickered amidst them, and then they stopped spreading outward. "Leave this mountain range! Quick! Hou have a distance limit!" Brain Deficient yelled at his subordinates. He knew a bit about the Hou, having once occupied the Zi Hou near the Jiuzhou continent. He was aware of the strangeness of such places, so the moment he discovered that Xiang Beifei could actually control the Hou, he immediately ordered his subordinates to retreat. Many Ghostly Visage members were in the magma; since the magma here could no longer affect them, they were searching for a way into Shepherd City. Hearing Brain Deficient''s voice, they didn''t hesitate and immediately began to return the way they came. Some Ghostly Visages wanted to break open a hole directly upwards like Brain Deficient did. However, the rock layer here was very thick. Just as they were about to crash into it, they were immediately wrapped by the golden patterns! Before they could react, they were entangled by the suddenly appearing golden patterns so tightly they couldn''t free themselves, and they were terrifiedly fixed within the magma. Xiang Beifei took a step out, and when he appeared again, he was already in the air above the mountain range. He calmly looked at the three fellows in front of him and casually waved his hand¡ª Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! All of the Ghostly Visage within the magma were brought into mid-air by the golden patterns! These Ghostly Visage looked at Xiang Beifei with terror, completely unable to move as if they were statues, utterly incapable of confronting Xiang Beifei, and were firmly controlled by him. "I didn''t say you could leave." Xiang Beifei said blandly in mid-air. He twirled his finger lightly, and the breath soil wrapped in Chou Hou mud rapidly gathered together in the air, turning into numerous earthen swords that directly pierced into the bodies of the Ghostly Visages! Even though the magma had temporarily lost its devouring ability, the Chou Hou mud mixed with breath soil still maintained a very strong devouring ability in this area, which happened to be the bane of the Ghostly Visage! "Ah¡ª" The nearest Ghostly Visage let out a piercing scream, unable to withstand the devouring of the Chou Hou mud. Its black tentacles frantically retracted, leaving the parasitized body and shrinking back into a white Beast Pill! Xiang Beifei clenched his hand! Hum! A wave of powerful Spiritual Power fluctuated, and the white Beast Pill was instantly refined into a spiritual power crystal! "How dare you!" Brain Deficient roared furiously! Xiang Beifei actually dared to kill his subordinates right in front of him, which was a naked provocation to him! However, Xiang Beifei just looked at Brain Deficient indifferently, while the breath soil in the air showed no mercy, whizzing through the sky and piercing all of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage! These Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage could not move and had no way to block the attack of the breath soil, and within moments, all of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage let out screams of terror, stimulated by the mud from Chou Hou, they couldn''t help but retract. Xiaohei immediately exhaled! In just the blink of an eye, the air was filled with seventy to eighty spiritual power crystals! "You¡ª" Brain Deficient was furious! He hadn''t expected Xiang Beifei to act so decisively and wipe out his subordinates! He even refined all of his subordinates into spiritual power crystals right in front of him, swiftly and efficiently! Ye Ji suddenly remembered something and exclaimed, "It was you who muddled the waters last time!" Brain Deficient and Ri An also realized, a few days ago they had collaborated to use a feign injury tactic to gain the trust of the White Flame Skeletons, in order to find a way into Shepherd City and wipe out these skeletons. An accident happened later, and the two sides even fought each other, with Brain Deficient and Ri An both suffering. At that time, they couldn''t find the instigator, but now they understood who had acted. "You dare to play us!" Ri An was extremely angry when she recalled the incident, not only because she had been accidentally wounded by Brain Deficient last time, injuring one of her wings, but today she had lost another wing, her anger was indescribable. But even angrier than Ri An was Brain Deficient, who had carelessly lost two-thirds of his subordinates to the lava last time, and today the remaining third was wiped out. Now the Demon Tentacle Race was left with only Brain Deficient, a lone commander! "You little brat, I will never forgive you!" Brain Deficient shouted in anger¡ª And then turned around and ran! His speed was at its limit, with the boost from the red tentacles, he disappeared in the blink of an eye! The Meat-Winged Monsters, Ri An and Ye Ji, were also stunned! What a guy! Talking tough but acting cowardly! He''d just made bold threats, only to flee right after! Could you at least put up a fight! Even they couldn''t help but twitch at the corner of their eyes, ashamed to be teammates with such a creature! "What a coward!" Ri An and Ye Ji inwardly scorned Brain Deficient viciously¡ª And then they turned and ran too! What a joke! Although Brain Deficient was quick-tempered, he still had brains. Seeing those golden patterns that appeared out of nowhere, he was well aware that he had no chance fighting, and escaping from this mountain range was the best choice. As long as the green hills are still there, one needn''t fear running out of firewood. Ri An and Ye Ji understood this too, so without any hesitation, they also rushed towards the outside of the mountain range with Brain Deficient! Their speed was very fast, all of them had the protection of powerful Heavenly Connection realm abilities enhancing their speed to the limit, because engaging in combat with Xiang Beifei in this area seemed to have no prospects of victory. From the situation just now, Xiang Beifei was able to directly cut off the priest''s clone and destroy the Netherworld water, his strength was very likely that of the Heavenly Connection realm! That was an existence they couldn''t afford to provoke! Xiang Beifei waved his hand, and all the martial cultivators'' bodies parasitized by the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage were collected by Xiaohei into bubbles. These martial cultivators were the humans who had been cruelly killed by the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage while encircling Jiuzhou or executing missions in the outer wastelands, then turned into puppet shells. For the purpose of parasitizing human bodies, the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage must have ambushed and killed countless humans in secret, and Xiang Beifei had never forgotten this debt. Xiang Beifei had no way to save these people. He could only collect these martial cultivators, and if he could ever return to Jiuzhou, he would bury them back in the Jiuzhou continent, letting the souls of these martial cultivators return to their homeland. But before that, there was one thing he intended to do ¡ª to kill these three guys, whether it was to avenge these martial cultivators or to protect the skeletons, he didn''t plan to let these three leave alive! Chapter 727 536: Beast Tide (4000 words) "Now that you''ve come, there''s no need to rush off." Xiang Beifei stretched out his hand, and the Wufeng broken sword was drawn out from the void! Hum! The golden sword radiance flickered to life, cleaving upon the mountain range ahead as if traversing the vast emptiness; when it appeared again, it had already reached the forefront, slashing towards Brain Deficient! Brain Deficient''s heart grew cold. He had been desperately charging forward, believing that with his speed, Xiang Beifei couldn''t possibly catch up. However, Xiang Beifei''s speed had reached its limit, and somehow he had already flashed in front of him! This sword was terrifying as if it could shatter the void itself, making Brain Deficient shudder involuntarily, but his reaction was extremely quick, without any hesitation, he mustered all his strength and turned to dodge! Ye Ji had been following Brain Deficient closely, always observing the movements ahead. When Brain Deficient dodged, he had already perceived the sword radiance that terrified him, and he swiftly avoided it as well. But Ri An wasn''t so lucky. Having already lost two pairs of meat wings, her strength was severely damaged, and she ran the slowest among the three. When both Ye Ji and Brain Deficient in front of her had dodged, she failed to react in time! Sss! The sword radiance struck Ri An; the Huangquan water that had risen from her body unexpectedly failed to block the sword radiance, and she was cut down directly! Ri An''s figure halted sharply in mid-air, hovering there. Her eyes filled with disbelief and fury, her throat moved as if she wanted to say something, but her eyes widened to the extreme and she could no longer make a sound! Hiss! Ri An''s body was cleaved in two from the middle, tipping to each side. Xiang Beifei''s hand holding the sword shook slightly, and with a flash of sword radiance, Ri An''s unsightly corpse exploded in mid-air, turning into a cloud of blood mist! Within this cloud of blood, a pool of Huangquan water spread out, emitting a fishy stench. Soon after, streaks of yellow light flashed, directly absorbing the blood mist that Ri An had exploded into. "Ri An!" Ye Ji cried out in shock, intending to save Ri An, but it was already too late. Ri An''s corporeal blood mist had been devoured by the Huangquan water, on the verge of losing control. The Huangquan desolate beasts inside seemed to start roaring violently, preparing to burst forth. He gritted his teeth, without any solution, he could only open his mouth and spit out his own Huangquan water, enveloping the about-to-go-rogue pool of Huangquan water. Inside, various desolate beasts were still roaring. Within this pool, the most noticeable was a ferocious Meat-Winged Monster struggling to come out, upon closer inspection, it was shockingly the contour of Ri An''s terrified face. She appeared to be wrapped in a thin membrane, trying to struggle free but blocked by the Huangquan water. Inside the water, other fierce desolate beasts pounced on her, grabbing her and dragging her into the depths. Ri An screamed in terror, her voice transforming into a different tone, "Ye Ji, save me! Quick! Dispel these damned Huangquan desolate beasts, I need to get out..." Ye Ji looked at Ri An wrapped up by the Huangquan desolate beasts with a shocked gaze, fell silent for a long while, then shook his head and said, "Sorry, Ri An, you know the ferocity of Huangquan. If you die while wielding Huangquan, you can only become one of the desolate beasts in the water." Huangquan water, sinister and powerful, could enhance its own strength by feeding on the creatures that die in it. The Moon God Race could rely on the power of the Huangquan water, but they also had to endure its backlash. This meant that Ri An could no longer leave the Huangquan water and would gradually be assimilated by those desolate beasts that had lost their spirit, retaining only their vicious instincts, and then become a puppet manipulated by others! "No¡ª¡ªno! I can''t die, you should die..." Ri An''s eyes were filled with extreme fear. She glared at Xiang Beifei, filled with venomous hatred as if wanting to tear him apart limb from limb. But she was powerless to do anything, soon overwhelmed by those Huangquan desolate beasts and vanishing in the waters of Huangquan. Ye Ji took a deep breath and then swallowed Ri An''s pool of Huangquan water with a gulp, merging it with his own. Simultaneously, the aura within Ye Ji grew significantly more intense; his own aura was now more than twice as strong as before! Whoosh! Whoosh! While Xiang Beifei dealt with Ri An, Brain Deficient and Ye Ji had seized the opportunity and rushed out of the range of Si Hou''s mountain range, "Once out of Hou, his control over it becomes ineffective! This time, we must join forces to slay him!" Brain Deficient shouted lowly. Ye Ji clearly knew this as well, from the beginning until now, Xiang Beifei had almost relied on the strong abilities of the Hou to deal with them. That unpredictable golden array pattern had left them at a loss, but once they were out of Hou''s range, they could devote their full attention to the fight. They were right; without the Hou, Xiang Beifei could no longer use the breath soil mixed with Chou Hou''s mud to suppress his opponents, nor rely on Si Hou''s blood altar''s teleportation ability to instantly appear anywhere. Ye Ji exchanged glances with Brain Deficient, nodding slightly, then with a thundering noise, Brain Deficient''s body burst forth with a formidable aura once again. Black tentacles and red tendrils merged together in the air, forming powerful arcs, casting the air itself in a sinister black and red glow. Ye Ji''s wings spread out behind him, Huangquan water surged forth from his back, corroding the dark aura covering the sky as if staining it yellow, enveloping the area for miles around! Chapter 728 - 536: Beast Tide (4000 words) The Styx water this time was clearly more powerful than the Styx water Ri An had used on his own earlier. Without the constraints of the mound spirit and having devoured Ri An''s Styx water, its might was even more formidable. In the sky, ghastly howls and wolfish wails filled the air, as desolate beasts of all sizes devoured by the Styx roared. Some beasts were dozens of meters tall, incredibly strong, while others were as small as a toothpick, but even those tiny as a toothpick were immensely terrifying! At this moment, a familiar figure appeared in the Styx water, shockingly transforming into the Meat-Winged Monster that was Ri An! But at this time, Ri An, like the desolate beasts around him, had fallen into madness, his eyes filled only with endless rage and resentment, having lost all intelligence. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The Styx desolate beasts roared again as they charged forward. The sky turned oppressively gloomy and morbid, with ghastly Phoenix cries echoing, the air almost solidified by the Styx water. Xiang Beifei wore an indifferent expression as he once again drew the Wufeng broken sword in his hand. Wufeng sparkled with a cold gleam. With one lift of the blade, his Sword Qi burst forth, instantly shattering the Styx desolate beasts in front! The radiance of the Wufeng sword was overpowering, as if tearing a bright rift through the dull sky. Not a single Styx desolate beast could withstand his strike and were instantly shattered to pieces. Yet, Ye Ji remained unflustered, manipulating the Styx desolate beasts. All the Styx desolate beasts roared, pouncing on Ri An who had been assimilated by the Styx water! Ri An himself was a master of the orifice transforming stage. After merging with so many desolate beasts, he became even more formidable, his aura soaring. Ri An''s figure grew massive, towering hundreds of meters tall, resembling a composite ferocious beast. His arms sported desolate beast heads, revealing sharp fangs, and his back bore seven or eight pairs of wings, each with desolate beast heads that were still wriggling mouths, and eyes that seemed to bulge out. Hiss! Various powerful sonar waves converged together, quickly forming in mid-air, and by the sheer intensity of their presence, managed to grasp Xiang Beifei''s Wufeng blade light! Xiang Beifei frowned slightly. Wufeng could ignore any gathering of Spiritual Power, much like the mound spirit. Only some of the most common materials could slightly block Wufeng, such as simple stones or trees. However, it seemed that this Styx water could also block Wufeng''s blade light! "Roar!" Ri An''s body seemed wrapped in a thin yellow film, but it still couldn''t hide his ferocity as he spat a fishy breath at Xiang Beifei. This breath corroded the surrounding air as if melting a large hole into it. But at this moment, Brain Deficient''s tentacles had already rushed over. His tentacles had transformed into a new pattern, black and red intertwined, merging together, their aura becoming even more bizarre! Whoosh! As Xiang Beifei swung his sword, the black and red tentacles swept toward his back from another angle. These tentacles flitted wildly, like sharp spikes in the air, arriving in an instant, stabbing toward Xiang Beifei''s back! The tentacles struck extremely swiftly. Brain Deficient and Ye Ji, both very powerful, showed no mercy as their attacks were nearly in perfect sync, leaving Xiang Beifei no chance to counter! "Die!" Brain Deficient uttered in a low voice, a savage smile curling at his lips. But Xiang Beifei still did not move. It was as if he did not care for Brain Deficient''s black and red tentacles, or rather, he simply ignored the tentacle attack, his focus solely on Ye Ji before him. This further exhilarated Brain Deficient! He was acutely aware of the power of his move. Merging the red tentacles with his own was equivalent to fusing a Heavenly Connection stage Priest Lord''s avatar into his own body, a process that greatly strained him. Once used, the avatar''s power would likely be exhausted. But now, to deal with Xiang Beifei, he had cast aside all concerns. If he couldn''t kill Xiang Beifei, it was highly probable that he would be the one to die! Thus, Brain Deficient showed no mercy! The black and red tentacles, at a tricky angle, bombarded Xiang Beifei''s back in an instant! However, to Brain Deficient''s surprise, the scene he imagined, where Xiang Beifei would be pierced through by his black and red tentacles, did not happen. Instead, a powerful swirling Spiritual Power rose on Xiang Beifei''s back. This spiritual power, one black and one white, continually intertwined, dissolving the powerful force created by the black and red tentacles. This force was then enveloped by the spiritual power emanating from Xiang Beifei, mingling with the sword in his hand! Counterattack! The strongest defense is a counterattack! Swoosh! Xiang Beifei continuously converted the immense force of the red and black tendrils hammering against him, transferring it into his hands, and the power of his sword''s glow grew unwittingly stronger. The sword glow, originally wielded by Ri An transformed from a desolate beast, broke free from the monster''s grasp after fusing with the power of the red and black tendrils! Crash! In an instant, Ri An''s giant hand, covered in eyes, was severed by the Sword Qi! "Ahh¡ª" The massive monster let out a shrill cry, utterly chilling to the core, its soundwaves so powerful they twisted the space around them, making the area seem as though it was about to overturn, reverberating for miles! All desolate beasts within miles, upon hearing this cry, seemed as though their heads had been struck by something, their spirits scattering, their bodies convulsing, growing restless and anxious, as their pupils gradually became covered by a yellow light. Swoosh! Swoosh! Roar! Roar! All beasts that heard the cry immediately sprang into action, heading in the direction of the Ri An monster. Those that could fly took to the skies, those that could run did so, charging madly while roaring, as if in response to the distant Ri An monster. You should know that relative to Jiuzhou, this place lies deep in the outer wilderness where the desolate beasts dwelling here are extremely powerful. One can stumble upon God Refining stage and even orifice transforming stage beasts anywhere! Yet these powerful desolate beasts, upon hearing the bellow of Ri An, seemed as if bewitched, losing their own wills and only acknowledging Ri An as their leader! Ri An was like the King of Desolate Beasts within miles, one command, and thousands of beasts bowed in reverence. The sky was dense with various kinds of formidable desolate beasts. A rough count showed hundreds in the God Refining stage and dozens in the orifice transforming stage! Xiang Beifei frowned slightly; these Meat-Winged Monsters were more peculiar than he had anticipated. The water from the realm of the dead was also unknown in its origin, and compared to before, it was eerily more sinister, able to control all the desolate beasts here, making him feel surrounded by a horde of beasts, with countless desolate beasts targeting him! Especially the dozens of powerful orifice transforming stage beasts. If it were a month ago, he would not have easily provoked them since the fight would be very troublesome and any carelessness could lead him into trouble. But now he had to take it seriously! Countless desolate beasts swarmed in, wind blades, poison stingers, bizarre toxins, and even beasts that moved with sound waves, relying on Ri An monster''s cries as a beacon and instantly leaping in front of Xiang Beifei. The formidable beasts, as if brain deficient, were uncontrollably savage, pouncing one after another. Their strange abilities interwove, even bending swathes of space, seeking to shred Xiang Beifei into pieces! All of a sudden, Xiang Beifei seemed to understand what a beast tide truly was! He had studied pioneer knowledge for a year in the Jiuzhou continent, mastering various techniques against desolate beasts, and had even seen the scale of several past beast tides that had invaded Jiuzhou, witnessing them in simulation classes as well. However, he had never really faced a beast tide head-on! This was his first time. "So this is what a beast tide is like?" mused Xiang Beifei. The current beast tide was indeed horrific to the extreme, for Jiuzhou''s desolate beasts included various lower-level ones, but the beast tide that had suddenly converged here was comprised entirely of incredibly powerful ones. If all of them were to surround Jiuzhou, the impact would be terrifying! The Jiuzhou continent was protected by that mighty wall, but here, there was only Xiang Beifei! Chapter 729 - 537: Yin Ice (4000 words) The beast tide, having lost its senses, came raging towards them, menacing and terrifying, almost completely sealing off the air around them; their target was directly pointed at Xiang Beifei. Ri An, this powerful Yellow Springs monster, let out a shrill cry that gathered together these powerful attacks, even intensifying them a notch. Xiang Beifei calmly observed these ferocious desolate beasts, the Spiritual Power surging rapidly over his body, a powerful pattern of water crisscrossing around him, giving rise to barely visible ripples that spread outwards. The primary target of these ripples was the Ri An monster ahead! Meanwhile, the beast tide''s powerful attack fell squarely on Xiang Beifei! Boom! Boom! Boom! The dense onslaught of desolate beasts slammed down towards Xiang Beifei, the entire area felt as if it were being torn asunder, the powerful aura nearly shattering the space itself! However, Xiang Beifei''s figure was like a phantom, with the terrible and powerful attacks of the beast tide all passing through his body. He stood there, visible to all the desolate beasts, but somehow they couldn''t touch him. "This¡ª" Whether it was Brain Deficient or Ye Ji, their pupils shrank! The combined attack of countless powerful desolate beasts was daunting; even they dared not claim they could easily withstand it, because the attacks of the desolate beasts weren''t all of one type but consisted of countless varieties: tangible, intangible, flames, extreme ice, space-ignoring, sonic attacks, nightmares, illusions... These large-scale attacks chaotically combined together, driven by the Ri An monster, became even more ferocious, reaching an incredible level of power. Even turning one''s body ethereal or into a shadow would be useless! Not to mention that Xiang Beifei also had to cope with the attacks of Brain Deficient and Ye Ji, who were of similar realms. Yet he just ignored them with a nonchalant breeze! Even if this human had raised a strong Spiritual Power barrier to withstand it, Brain Deficient and Ye Ji could accept that, but why was he able to directly sweep past? Brain Deficient and Ye Ji had underestimated Xiang Beifei; they would never know just how many powerful abilities he had. Stand Aside! This was an ability he rarely used, but it was incredibly effective! This ability allowed him to prevent unwanted targets from participating in his battle! By making the Yellow Springs monster led by Ri An his target, it meant this was his battleground with that monster, and other desolate beasts could do nothing but Stand Aside, no matter how hard they tried! However, he didn''t exclude Ye Ji and Brain Deficient, because these two''s strength was almost on par with his own, and Stand Aside could still be broken by them. But this was enough; even if the Yellow Springs monster could control more desolate beasts to join the battle, it basically had no effect on him! Swish! Xiang Beifei''s Wufeng sword was raised again, its blade''s aura drawn through the air creating another ripple, continuing to slash down towards the Yellow Springs monster! In an instant, another arm of the Yellow Springs monster was severed, eliciting a sharp, agonized scream! "This is bad!" Ye Ji quickly realized that his Yellow Springs monster was weakening! Yellow Springs water originated from a very mysterious place, but once it left its origin, its effectiveness would diminish entirely, meaning its power was limited! Just like Brain Deficient''s red tendrils, although they were, after all, an extension of the Priest, they were formidable but at this moment were also running on fumes, unable to last much longer! "Ye Ji! We must make a quick decision! Bring out your Yin Ice, or we''re both dead!" Brain Deficient roared. "You should know how taxing it is to use Yin Ice!" Ye Ji''s expression slightly soured at the mention of Yin Ice. Yin Ice could combat the magma of Si Hou, temporarily disabling its devouring ability, but Yin Ice had significant downsides. Otherwise, they would have sought Yin Ice right from the start when facing Si Hou''s magma instead of going through a complicated charade to gain the trust of the skeletons. "Aren''t these desolate beasts enough for you to use it on!" Brain Deficient exclaimed. Ye Ji gritted his teeth and shouted, "Coordinate with me!" He leaped up and stood above Ri An, the Yellow Springs monster, who continued its piercing screams, the sound painfully shrill. Ye Ji drew a wound on his arm, dark yellow blood flowing from his arm, hovering in mid-air and lingering in front of him, as a block of ice emanating dark cold air appeared in his hand. The moment the ice crystal revealed itself, a black gas immediately surged out, sweeping towards Ye Ji, but Ye Ji was prepared, and promptly wrapped the Yin Ice with his own blood! Crack! Crack! Crack! In an instant, Ye Ji''s blood was devoured by the Yin Ice, the originally dark yellow blood instantly solidified, sprouting sharp ice thorns like those of a hedgehog! Ye Ji''s face turned pale; Yin Ice could suppress mound spirits, but it required a substantial blood sacrifice. To control the extent of Yin Ice''s coverage, the blood had to come from Ye Ji himself! He had been bleeding himself all these days to nourish the Yin Ice, barely sustaining enough to neutralize Si Hou''s magma. This vampiric nourishment inflicted tremendous damage on Ye Ji himself. He had been maintaining a balance so as not to hurt himself, but using it again would freeze and damage his own core, possibly taking years to recover! Chapter 730 - 537 Yin Ice (4000 words)_2 But Ye Ji could no longer afford to care about so much now, as both his Netherworld Water and Brain Deficient''s tendrils were nearly exhausted of energy. This was the last resort! Clenching his teeth, Ye Ji now extracted nearly half of his own blood, causing his entire aura to wither away! Yet, his actions were very decisive, his foot stomping directly onto one of Ri An''s monstrous eyes! Squish! The colossal Netherworld monster''s eye instantly burst into a mist of blood. It roared furiously again, and the piercing sound waves rolled out like huge waves, crashing into the desolate beasts that had been surrounding Xiang Beifei. These desolate beasts, controlled by the Netherworld monster''s voice, writhed and twisted on the spot as if enduring immense pain. All of them let out sharp wails. At that moment, Brain Deficient also flashed into action, his red and black tendrils densely entwining in the air. He grabbed onto each desolate beast, coiling around and crushing them with force¡ª Bang! Bang! Bang! The bodies of tens of thousands of desolate beasts were crushed by Brain Deficient''s tendrils, exploding into clouds of blood! The blood of every type of desolate beast varied, red, yellow, blue, green, and for a moment, the sky seemed ablaze with colorful fireworks, the smell of blood encompassing the heavens. In an instant, it became a hellish slaughterfield for desolate beasts! Just in an instant, all the desolate beasts were annihilated! This mist of blood did not dissipate in the air, quickly transforming into streams of blood that drifted toward Ri An, the massive Netherworld monster. Ri An opened its mouth and inhaled, swallowing the blood mist created from the exploded desolate beasts. Soon, its entire aura began to surge. Having killed so many desolate beasts for replenishment, its previously withered aura started to climb step by step. The monsters enveloped by the Netherworld Water seemed to grow increasingly active too. Ye Ji reached out a hand from above, straight up grabbing a tendril of the Netherworld monster, and bit into it with his sharp teeth, consuming the transformed blood energy to compensate for his own depleted blood energy. From the desolate beasts turned into mist, to the Netherworld monster, and then to Ye Ji, and finally to the Yin Ice above, this cycle underwent numerous transformations. However, these transformations were not in vain, for the icicles forming on the chunk of Yin Ice in Ye Ji''s hand grew larger and more eerie. Around this chunk of Yin Ice, the surrounding air seemed to freeze completely, not flowing at all, with only cold, sinister chills drifting about, hovering around Ye Ji. Ye Ji still looked pale, obviously controlling the Yin Ice took a tremendous toll on him. He was on the verge of collapse. Brain Deficient also landed behind Ye Ji, his red and black tendrils suddenly piercing into Ye Ji''s body! Whoosh! With Brain Deficient''s power infusion, Ye Ji''s spirit revived a bit. He turned his grim gaze towards Xiang Beifei and suddenly bellowed, "Yin-Sealed Cold Abyss!" The black cold air furiously spread, enveloping the space where Xiang Beifei stood in an instant. Beifei found it impossible to traverse through the void. Within this region, any vapor, including sweat, body fluids, blood... even the Spiritual Energy, spirit, Orifice Soul, and life of a human would freeze. Under such absolute cold, even those strong in the Heavenly Connection realm would not dare to underestimate it. Once wrapped in this cold air, there was no escape! Crack! Crack! Crack! In the blink of an eye, Beifei was frozen within the ice, utterly unable to move. He stood like a statue, erect in midair. The world returned to silence once again! ¡ª¡ª "Finally dealt with him!" Brain Deficient glared fiercely at the now-frozen Beifei, breathing a huge sigh of relief. "Who would''ve thought this human would be so troublesome!" Ye Ji''s voice was somewhat hollow, but a weight had finally been lifted off his heart, as this was the first time he had been pushed to such an embarrassing state by a human. "Such a pity for Ri An." Ye Ji looked down at Ri An, which had been assimilated by the Netherworld monster, his gaze filled with venomous resentment. Ri An had been his old partner, and they usually acted together, but this time, a human had managed to kill him, which fueled his rage. Brain Deficient spoke coldly, "Anyway, that guy was brainless. It''s just as well that his death has boosted your strength. It''s not too unfair." "Shut up," Ye Ji snapped back. Brain Deficient let out a cold smile, but he did not dare to dwell on the matter of Ri An any further, because Ye Ji still controlled the Yin Ice, something he did not dare provoke. "What a disgrace! Humans, such a lowly species, were meant to exist like animals, yet possess such formidable power." Brain Deficient spat contemptuously, seeing humans as mere lambs to the slaughter, ready to be hunted whenever they needed a new shell. They would head over to the Jiuzhou continent to kill humans, and the majority of mankind stood no chance against them. But this time, Xiang Beifei was clearly too powerful and caused him a lot of suffering. "How did this lowly human race manage to come here?" Ye Ji inquired. "He must be relying on something. Let''s see what he has on him first, considering he''s already been frozen to death. That broken sword looks familiar. I think I''ve seen it somewhere. Let''s take it first," Brain Deficient stated. "Alright." With a wave of his hand, Ye Ji freed himself from Brain Deficient''s tentacles. Protected by Yin Ice cold air, he took steps toward Xiang Beifei, eyeing the human before him. Xiang Beifei''s body was encased in a thick layer of ice, but curiously, his expression remained calm and his eyes were bright, showing no signs of being frozen. Brain Deficient''s gaze fell on the broken sword in Xiang Beifei''s hand, and after a long pause, he said, "Now that we mention it, have you ever seen the aura of the sword in his hand?" "Edge Corner Airspace!" Ye Ji declared solemnly. "Edge Corner... right! Edge Corner Airspace! That''s it!" When Brain Deficient mentioned this place, it was as if he remembered something, and a look of fear appeared in his eyes! He seemed incredulous as he said, "Could this human have been to the Edge Corner Airspace?" "I don''t know." Ye Ji was also wary of the broken sword. Brain Deficient still had considerable reservations, looking into Xiang Beifei''s eyes through the ice, he felt a tinge of apprehension. "Are you sure he''s been frozen?" The impression Xiang Beifei had left on Brain Deficient was too profound, and even though he verbally dismissed humans as a lowly race, he was deeply wary of this particular human before him. If Xiang Beifei had indeed been to the Edge Corner Airspace, caution was the order of the day! Ye Ji controlled the Yin Ice, methodically thawing the space, and snorted coldly, "Nonsense! Aren''t you aware of what Yin Ice is capable of? Do you know the great lengths I went to use this power? Do you think it''s a joke? He''s dead, completely dead! He''ll shatter at a touch!" "That''s a relief!" Brain Deficient gradually moved closer to Xiang Beifei, still eyeing his eyes, but he hesitated slightly, feeling as if Xiang Beifei''s eyes had just moved. An illusion? Brain Deficient sensed something was off and became alert, wanting to hastily retreat. But at that moment¡ª Crack! A crack appeared in the Yin Ice up ahead! A vast and ancient Sword Qi suddenly burst out from within the Yin Ice, splitting the frozen void with its powerful and fierce strength. The chilling might of the Sword Qi was swift and unstoppable, catching Brain Deficient completely off guard. Whoosh! The Sword Qi pierced into his body! "You¡ª" Brain Deficient''s whole body suddenly shook! His throat moved as if he were about to say something, but when he opened his mouth, only a stream of Sword Qi came out! Puff! Puff! Puff! The Sword Qi roamed within Brain Deficient''s body, reaching a peak, and from every single pore on his body spewed forth strands of piercing Sword Qi! The red and black tentacles within Brain Deficient''s body seemed unable to withstand the Sword Qi, frantically emerging from the top of his head, forming a dense mass of tentacles in the air, with Sword Qi weaving through them. Boom! A mass of tentacles in the air was directly crushed by the Sword Qi, then compressed into a spiritual power crystal! Chapter 731 - 538: Eternal Night Sovereign (4000 words) Ye Ji was stunned in an instant! The power of Brain Deficient was on par with his, yet he had exploded on the spot! Such an unforeseen event was something he had never anticipated! You see, this time, he had relied on the fusion of numerous desolate beast blood energies to cast the extreme Yin Ice, an ice that could freeze everything and was extremely powerful. Even Xiang Beifei had been frozen, but he burst out of the ice and killed Brain Deficient straightaway! This started to panic him. Bang! Xiang Beifei shattered the Yin Ice around him, with black and white flames burning on his body, along with a stone tower that emerged in front of him. The tower had nine layers, and each layer manifested flames, ancient and time-worn. An ability from the Gathering Spirit Book''s Wei Constellation. Originally, the stone tower had flames on the second to eighth layers, while the flames on the first and ninth layers seemed to have been extinguished. But now, the spiritual power that became the black and white flames on Xiang Beifei''s body lit up the first and ninth layers of the stone tower. As the flames on each layer rekindled, there was no change to the tower; its aura withdrew inward, and it still appeared as an unadorned, plain tower on the outside. But it was this very stone tower that had withstood the attack of Yin Ice! Xiang Beifei looked up indifferently, gazing at the horrified Ye Ji in front of him, and once again raised the blunt sword in his hands! Hum! The sword rose through the air, a rainbow descending like thunder! Ye Ji''s complexion had completely changed, the terrifying Sword Qi made him feel as if he was plunged into an ice cellar, and he desperately drove the blood energy inside of him, trying to cast Yin Ice again to deal with Xiang Beifei. Yin Ice''s black cold air once again enveloped the area, coalescing into layers of frost. This time it was placed in front of himself, intending to block that Sword Qi! However, Xiang Beifei''s white Sword Qi, like a long river falling from the ninth heaven and covered in black and white flames, cut down fiercely. The solidified black frost cracked like brittle skin under its slash. "No¡ª¡ª" Ye Ji shouted in horror, trying to dodge the sword, but casting Yin Ice had drained him of too much blood energy, and at this point, he couldn''t dodge at all. He could only watch helplessly as the sword landed on his head! Whoosh! Xiang Beifei''s sword split Ye Ji in half! The cloven Ye Ji''s throat moved, but he couldn''t utter a word. Soon after, the Ri An beast he controlled seemed to sense something, its crimson eyes turning insanely wild. A yellow tentacle swept out from the Ri An beast''s body, entangling Ye Ji and swallowing him whole! The Meat-Winged Monster that controlled the cursed water, once deceased, would become part of the cursed water, as if cursed, forever unable to escape. Ye Ji, just like Ri An, ended up being consumed by the backlash of the cursed water! After Ye Ji''s death, the cursed water went out of control. The monsters sealed inside began to fight for dominance, killing each other. This was a peculiar situation, as if they were tearing each other apart behind a thin yellow membrane of water. Ye Ji had just been swept in, and at this time, he still maintained the last shred of consciousness¡ªhe was the only one among those desolate beasts who still had his own will. But his consciousness was fading, struggling to push away those maddened desolate beasts. However, more and more beasts grabbed hold of him, tearing at him, ripping apart the last bit of his consciousness. In a mere moment, Ye Ji was completely assimilated by the cursed desolate beasts, losing his consciousness and turning into a frenzied cursed monster, starting to fight for control over that out-of-control cursed water. The cursed water fell from the sky, smashing onto the ground, corroding a hole into the soil underneath. They kept shifting shapes, rolling around, and various ferocious beasts continued to seize the initiative, only to be suppressed by another beast. The cursed water soon merged into the river, swallowing all of the river water and drying it up in an instant. Xiang Beifei frowned, he waved his sword, and black and white spiritual power swept out, instantly enveloping the cursed water and isolating it, lifting it into the air. "This cursed water is a bit strange." After pondering for a moment, Xiang Beifei thought that if his current spiritual power wasn''t special, he probably would''ve been consumed by the cursed water as well. His mind stirred, and Sword Qi surged out once again, directly suppressing the cursed water. "Xiaohei, see if you can refine it into a spiritual power crystal." Xiang Beifei turned to call out to Xiaohei. "Woof!" Xiaohei quickly leapt into the air, examining the cursed water. Even though it had already been compressed much smaller than before, the cursed beasts inside were still struggling and roaring. It exhaled a bubble that enveloped the cursed water. Then, the bubble began to squeeze, trying to compress it further. However, Xiaohei soon let out a surprised bark and scratched its head with a little paw. "No way?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiaohei shook its head. Brain Deficient''s red tentacles couldn''t block Xiang Beifei''s Wufeng because it was considered a Priestly incarnation. Although it held the power of Heavenly Connection, the incarnation was condensed from spiritual power, so when faced with Wufeng, a slash would sever it. But the cursed water wasn''t like a spiritual power entity; it was a very peculiar existence. At least, it was able to withstand Wufeng just now, which was why Xiaohei couldn''t refine it into a spiritual power crystal. Remembering the scene of Ye Ji controlling the cursed water, Xiang Beifei seemed unsurprised. "That''s the cursed water from the Moon Realm, a naturally occurring substance. It''s normal for it to block Wufeng." Chapter 732 - 538: Eternal Night Sovereign (4000 words)_2 A phantom shadow appeared beside Xiang Beifei, which turned out to be Xiang Qingde. "The Yellow Springs water of the Moon Realm?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "Legend has it that the Yellow Springs water is formed from the flesh and blood of countless beings; it''s a great river that leads to the very end of the Abyss of Death, filled with a vast amount of deathly aura. This aura has naturally formed over millions of years and is not composed of Spiritual Power," Xiang Qingde explained. "Grandfather, have you been there?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Once, and I had some issues with the guy in there." Xiang Qingde nodded slightly. "Who is this guy?" "Someone who calls himself the ''Eternal Night Sovereign,'' the leader of the Moon God Race," Xiang Qingde replied. Xiang Beifei wasn''t very familiar with the Moon God Race and was quite curious. "How powerful is this Eternal Night Sovereign?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "Above the Heavenly Connection realm," Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei was slightly startled! The strongest martial artist on the Jiuzhou continent is currently Elder Luo, but his power is only at the Heavenly Connection realm. Yet the power of this Eternal Night Sovereign is above the Heavenly Connection realm! "What issue did Grandfather have with this Eternal Night Sovereign?" Xiang Beifei asked in surprise. Xiang Qingde looked at the Yellow Springs water and said, ""The power of the Moon God Race comes from the moon and the Yellow Springs water. The Moon God Race willingly sacrifices their souls to the Yellow Springs, becoming its slaves, to draw powerful forces from the springs. You have seen the kind of power they possess; relying on the late-stage orifice transforming realm, they are able to exert the power of the Heavenly Connection realm. That is to say, this race has a natural advantage! With the help of the Yellow Springs water, they are able to exert the power above their own realm. In the late stage of God Refining, they can contend with the early stage of orifice transforming." Xiang Beifei was extremely surprised; it was as if each Meat-Winged Monster was born able to battle across realms, making this group of monsters terrifyingly powerful! Xiang Qingde continued, ""However, the Yellow Springs require the shattered flesh and blood of countless beings to fill it, so these members of the Moon God Race travel everywhere to find powerful beings, to kill them, and turn their bodies into bloody water to pour into the Yellow Springs. The stronger the being is in life, the more it can enhance the Yellow Springs. These monsters roam the desolate lands searching for various races, capturing and slaughtering them, blending them into the Yellow Springs¡ªuntil one day, they discovered the existence of humanity." "Though they always claim that humans are a despicable race, deep down they know very well that humans are the most perfect race in this world. Just look at the form they use for disguise, all races mainly target human form for evolution¡ªThere''s a huge number of humans on the Jiuzhou continent, and both their bodies and souls are very powerful. Sacrificing a human is equivalent to killing dozens of desolate beasts, which to them is a tempting offering. Thus, they set their sights on the Jiuzhou continent and launched an attack." "When did this happen?" "Over a hundred years ago, the Eternal Night Sovereign led the Moon God Race to enslave the Jiuzhou continent, treating humans as sacrificial offerings to the Yellow Springs. I had no choice but to take action," Xiang Qingde recounted. "It''s not written in the history books." Xiang Beifei remembered the history of the Jiuzhou continent well, but he didn''t recall such a battle with the Rain Moon God Race in its history. After a moment of silence, Xiang Qingde slowly said: "Because I was the only one in that battle." Xiang Beifei was extremely shocked! "Grandfather defeated the Meat-Winged Monster race alone?" Xiang Beifei was staggeringly astounded. Xiang Qingde smiled faintly: "I detected it in advance and didn''t let them get close to Jiuzhou because I knew Jiuzhou''s walls couldn''t stop that guy from the Eternal Night. If the battle were near Jiuzhou, it would have destroyed the continent, so I intercepted those fellows in the outer areas." He reminisced about the past with a touch of sentiment, saying, ""The Yellow Springs water is much stronger in the hands of the Eternal Night than ordinary people, but I still managed to defeat him. Unfortunately, I didn''t kill him; he escaped with the help of the Yellow Springs water." Xiang Qingde spoke of it lightly, as if such a battle was a matter of no importance. However, Xiang Beifei could imagine just how terrifying that battle was! A terror from the Immortal Realm, not something to be mentioned lightly! Such a level of battle was beyond Xiang Beifei''s imagination, akin to an upheaval of heaven and earth. If it weren''t for his grandfather''s intervention, the entire Jiuzhou might have been destroyed long ago! Yet all of this, nobody on the Jiuzhou continent knew! They didn''t even know that a powerful master named "Xiang Qingde" saved the Jiuzhou continent a hundred years ago! Xiang Beifei pursed his lips and said, "No one in Jiuzhou is clear about this matter." Xiang Qingde smiled calmly and said, "What would it change if they knew? It would only increase panic unnecessarily." Such a degree of battle was beyond the capability of anyone in Jiuzhou to intervene; knowing wouldn''t help. For a master of his caliber, fame and fortune were like passing clouds. "What happened after?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "I sent Eternal Night back, and I reckon he won''t consider attacking Jiuzhou for a long time. It will take him centuries to recover. Even if he does, as long as I am here, he wouldn''t dare to come," Xiang Qingde explained. "But Grandfather''s strength is no longer there!" Xiang Beifei said in a grave voice. Xiang Qingde was slightly taken aback. "I always forget that fact." He sighed lightly; the him before them was just a powerful consciousness left from the past. When he left this consciousness, his strength was still intact, and he feared nothing, even if he were to battle Eternal Night again. However, the latter-day him had no knowledge of what had transpired. The only thing that he could be certain of now was that he no longer had his former strength. If the Moon God Race''s Eternal Night were to revive and make a comeback, then the current Jiuzhou would absolutely be unable to withstand the onslaught! "However, they probably still don''t know that something has happened to me. I think, until Eternal Night is certain of this, he wouldn''t dare to come carelessly," said Xiang Qingde. This was indeed true. As long as this matter remained secret, Eternal Night would always be wary of Xiang Qingde and wouldn''t make a move. If Eternal Night decided to act against Jiuzhou, he would have to ensure Xiang Qingde wasn''t present. But Xiang Beifei couldn''t completely guarantee that such a thing wouldn''t happen because the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage race had already infiltrated Jiuzhou, and now, with the Meat-Winged Monster and the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage potentially joining forces, there was no telling what information they might uncover. Xiang Qingde said, "If you encounter these Meat-Winged Monsters you spoke of, make sure not to engage them at night, because they can draw on the power of moonlight and their strength will double. You were quite fortunate today." "I understand." Xiang Beifei had a basic understanding of the Meat-Winged Monsters, which would be a great help to him as he moved forward. Xiaohei was circling around the Huangquan water. Since Huangquan water isn''t Spiritual Power, it couldn''t be treated like a spiritual power crystal, which made it somewhat disillusioned. But then it seemed to remember something, stretched out a little dog paw, and dipped it into the Huangquan water as if trying to catch something. "Be careful, Huangquan water is highly corrosive," Xiang Beifei warned. "Woof woof!" But Xiaohei didn''t seem to care much. It desperately scratched at the Huangquan water for a long time as if trying to grasp something, but its paws were too short to reach. Finally, it simply dunked its head into the water, leaving only its round butt and short legs outside, twisting about. The highly corrosive Huangquan water couldn''t harm Xiaohei at all! Xiang Beifei touched his forehead, almost forgetting Xiaohei''s tough and thick-skinned nature. This little fellow''s combat capability wasn''t high on ordinary days, but its thick skin was impervious even to a mound spirit. Realizing it still couldn''t reach, Xiaohei simply climbed into the Huangquan water. The eerie creatures started to grab at it, pulling its fur. Seemingly annoyed by the grabbing, Xiaohei opened its mouth wide and snapped randomly¡ªbiting at whoever grabbed it! This scene also left Xiang Beifei torn between laughter and tears. The Huangquan monsters probably never dreamed that this dog would be more bizarre than they were. With a single bite, Xiaohei would sever their limbs, and the monsters, in shock and terror, recoiled away in retreat. Xiaohei fought its way through the creatures. Within that mass of Huangquan, it was fiercer than the monsters themselves, and soon burrowed into the middle, disappearing from sight. Xiaohei was like a catfish diving into a school of sardines. The monsters in the Huangquan worried less about harming each other and were disturbed by Xiaohei, frantically trying to squeeze their way out. The whole pool of Huangquan water became extremely chaotic; it seemed the creatures feared Xiaohei and were unwilling to stay with it. Xiang Beifei and Xiang Qingde looked at each other in bewilderment. "What is the little guy looking for?" Xiang Qingde asked with interest. "I don''t know; it said it seemed to have seen something," Xiang Beifei replied, not very sure himself. Chapter 733 - 539: After the Battle (4000 words) Xiaohei dog-paddled in the underworld water, and the underworld monsters bound within it were tormented by Xiaohei, unable to escape, looking utterly disgraced and resentful. Ten minutes later, Xiaohei finally stuck his head out of the underworld water, satisfied, with two shiny yellow stones in his mouth. "What are these?" Xiang Beifei exclaimed in surprise. After examining them closely for a moment, Xiang Qingde said, "They should be the crystal cores of those two underworld monsters." "Crystal cores? Not Beast Pills?" In his heart, Xiang Beifei still thought of the Meat-Winged Monster as a desolate beast, but when he had killed the Meat-Winged Monster, he hadn''t seen any Beast Pill. "When the Moon God Race sacrifices themselves to the underworld, it means they''ve also offered their Beast Pills. The Beast Pills in the underworld water are eroded into crystal cores. They''re not spiritual power crystals but a more special existence, considered the essence left behind after the corrosion by the underworld water," Xiang Qingde explained. "What use are they?" Xiang Beifei asked. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei barked twice, then bit a specific part of the crystal core, and a slight ripple spread out. Immediately after, the monsters in the patch of underworld water all froze, becoming very dumb and dazed. "It''s for controlling this." Xiang Qingde looked at Xiaohei with appreciation and smiled. "So with these crystal cores, we can control this patch of underworld water?" Xiang Beifei inquired. "As I understand it, it should only be possible to control them temporarily. Since the Moon God Race dedicated themselves to the underworld, the controlling power of the main underworld river surpasses all else. Before you encounter the true underworld, these crystal cores can control these patches of underworld water. Additionally, they probably also use these to identify their own kind," Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei took the underworld crystal core in hand, tried it out, and made the monsters perform some actions, discovering that controlling the underworld monsters was actually so simple. This was a good thing; with his powerful spiritual power, perhaps he could use the underworld crystal core to disguise himself as one of them and gather some intelligence. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei dug around in the underworld water again, dragging out an arm. This was a severed arm made of stone, as if it were broken off from some stone sculpture, very crude, and its origin unknown. "This arm..." Xiang Qingde looked at the stone arm, seemingly taken aback. Xiang Beifei also noticed something special about the stone arm. The corrosive ability of the underworld water was very strong, with ordinary objects being eroded away, stone included, yet this stone arm was perfectly fine! He tapped the stone arm, which emitted a crisp sound, indistinguishable from ordinary stone. However, when Xiang Beifei channeled spiritual power into the stone arm, he found that it elicited no response. "This stone arm''s feeling... why does it feel like Wufeng?" Xiang Beifei said in astonishment. "Woof!" Xiaohei indicated that the stone arm was not only like Wufeng but also resembled the Stele of Wei Constellation and the Stele of Void Constellation! This revelation shocked Xiang Beifei even more. Xiang Qingde had a serious expression, as if deep in thought while staring at the stone arm. "Where did grandpa''s Wufeng come from?" Xiang Beifei asked. Xiang Qingde was silent for a moment, then said, "Acquired from a certain place." "Edge Corner Airspace?" Xiang Beifei recalled the words of Brain Deficient and Ye Ji just before they were killed. When they saw Wufeng, it made them think of that place, and they seemed very fearful, as if they dreaded the Edge Corner Airspace! "Perhaps." "Perhaps?" "Not many memories were left behind." The present Xiang Qingde was just a past consciousness, and the things consciousness knew were limited. "When I set down this consciousness, I generally wouldn''t leave any memories behind that I thought needed to be kept secret," Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei didn''t dwell further on the matter; he couldn''t expect a past consciousness to know much. The stone arm might have been something the two Meat-Winged Monsters, Ye Ji and Ri An, inadvertently found somewhere. Its specific functions were undetermined, so he decided to take it with him for now. Xiang Beifei turned his attention to the Yin Ice in the air only after dealing with the underworld water. After Ye Ji was killed, all that remained of the Yin Ice in the air was a cloud of black gas, which emitted a cold breath. The air within ten meters was frozen, unable to flow at all. This thing was very sinister; it could neutralize the devouring power of the mound spirit and freeze many things, including spiritual power and Orifice Soul. Clearly, using it required a great deal of vital energy and was very lethal. "Grandpa, what is Yin Ice? Why can it counter the devouring power of the mound spirit?" Xiang Beifei had never seen anything capable of countering the mound spirit''s devouring power before. Up to now, the only one not afraid of the devouring power was Xiaohei, with his thick skin and flesh. Xiang Qingde pondered for a moment, then said, "It''s from a place with heavy Yin energy, but I''m not very clear on the specifics." "You don''t know either, grandpa?" "Nothing in this world is absolutely invincible. Although the mound spirit can overwhelm all spiritual power, it also has its bane, and not just the mound spirit. Even your Five Pieces of Stone formation patterns will eventually come across something that can overcome them. That''s why in the outside wastelands, one must always maintain a heart of respect," Xiang Qingde explained. The Five Pieces of Stone referred to the two bricks that Xiang Beifei possessed. Currently, these two bricks were invincible for him as many things bound by the golden formation patterns would get immobilized. Xiang Beifei had already resolved many difficulties with these two bricks. However, Xiang Qingde''s words gave Xiang Beifei a clear understanding of the path ahead, realizing that he still had much to improve in terms of his own strength. Chapter 734 - 539 Post-War (4000 words)_2 ¡ª¡ª After taking care of all the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage and the Meat-Winged Monsters, Xiang Beifei collected the Yin Ice, using a bubble to contain it. Regardless of where this mass of black mist originated, it was certainly a good thing. When Xiang Beifei returned within the range of the mound spirit, the White Flame Skeleton, unable to leave the range of the mound spirit, had been anxiously waiting on the periphery for them. "Fire Ancestor, sir! I have seen the Fire Ancestor!" The moment he saw Xiang Qingde, his whole being became excited. He hurried over and knelt down respectfully, performing a devout greeting to Xiang Qingde. "Rise, I never taught you this formality; there''s no need for this," Xiang Qingde, who naturally recognized the White Flame Skeleton, said. His consciousness usually just stayed dormant. The White Flame Skeleton said in a rough and gruff voice, "You are our entire tribe''s lifesaver; this is the highest form of respect we could think of to express to you." After saying this, he also performed a courtesy to Xiang Beifei and said, "And thank you, for helping us fend off a formidable enemy." "No need, it was just a helping hand," Xiang Beifei replied. He went back to the vicinity of the magma. By now, the power of the Yin Ice was fading away, and the magma was surging once again. This magma could be controlled using the blood altar. Now, he also needed to think of a way to counter the Yin Ice. Clearly, magma was no longer an invincible defense; if they found Yin Ice to attack again next time, the skeletons probably wouldn''t be able to hold them off. However, fortunately, the use of Yin Ice seemed to carry a significant cost. Judging by Ye Ji''s condition, he apparently wasn''t able to completely control the Yin Ice, which was the reason they initially didn''t intend to use it. After all, without Xiang Beifei intervening, using a feigned retreat to deceive those nai?ve skeletons was the easiest choice, not needing the troublesome effort of using Yin Ice. ¡ª¡ª Skeleton Village held a grand bonfire celebration to commemorate their victory, and the appearance of the Fire Ancestor excited the entire village. Xiang Beifei, being the Fire Ancestor''s grandson, received immense respect. The bonfire event was magical, the most unique bonfire celebration Xiang Beifei had ever seen. Whereas others celebrate around the bonfire with singing and dancing, the skeletons danced directly in the flames, each scooping out a bit of fire from their eye sockets to join together into a sea of fire. The sea of fire was colorful, with flames of every hue that wouldn''t merge with each other, creating a dazzling spectacle. In celebration, every Skeleton Village villager also lit various foods as part of the evening feast, burning leaves, ores, plants, and such, consuming the flames of these burning foods. It was natural for Xiang Beifei and his companions not to eat flames; they needed to eat meat. Since all the desolate beasts within a thousand miles had been slain, Erha excitedly ran beyond a thousand miles to catch many two-headed cows to slaughter and feast on beef. Erha quickly discovered that the quality of the meat grilled with different colored flames was actually different. Beef grilled with orange fire was rich without being greasy, red fire gave the meat a fragrant spicy taste, green fire made the meat taste like it was steamed, and beef grilled with blue fire was tender and tingling, as if electrifying the tongue... All night, Erha excitedly grilled meat with skeletons of various colors, studying its recipes, which made him extremely happy. Xiaohei, on the other hand, played in the flames everywhere, finding that being toasted by the skeletons'' flames was quite comfortable, akin to taking a fire bath. It had every skeleton burn it a bit to experience the sensation of being engulfed in flames. Different colored flames burned with different sensations, and Xiaohei greatly enjoyed this process, feeling much more spirited. In the end, it set its sights on the village chief of Skeleton Village, the White Flame Skeleton, wanting to try out the White Flame Skeleton''s white fire. The White Flame Skeleton, being the most powerful, took burning seriously and was worried about hurting Xiaohei, so he hesitated to perform the action. "Woof woof¡ªwoof woof!" But Xiaohei persistently nagged and pleaded, claiming it often had an itchy hide that only burning could relieve. Now that itchy problem had recurred, and it wanted to see if the white fire had any effect on relieving the itch. Unable to resist Xiaohei''s insistence, the White Flame Skeleton spoke in his coarse language, "Alright then! If it helps you, but the temperature of the flame¡ªmine is quite high, so brace yourself." Xiaohei indicated that this was no problem at all, and the White Flame Skeleton carefully breathed white fire onto Xiaohei. Seeing that Xiaohei was unharmed, he gradually increased the intensity of the flame. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei comfortably rubbed its fur, signaling that the white flame was very comforting to roast around, as if the body was being punctured by toothpicks or electrified by electric eels, with a mix of numbness and crispness, utterly delightful. The entire bonfire celebration was very lively, some skeletons even shot flames from their eye sockets to set off fireworks, performing various extraordinary acrobatic acts to show their gratitude to the Fire Ancestor and his grandson. After thinking for a while, Xiaohei felt it couldn''t just watch others perform and had to contribute an act itself, so it controlled the monsters in the Yellow Springs water, letting those ferocious and evil spirits, full of murderous aura, do a set of broadcast exercises and even dance a square dance. This left every skeleton utterly dumbfounded. Those brainless monsters from the Yellow Springs probably never dreamed that one day they would obediently perform a dance for everyone to see. A group of Yellow Springs monsters clumsily stretched their hands and feet, spinning, jumping, doing splits, standing on one foot... That being said, if one didn''t consider the true nature of these monsters, their broadcast exercise routine was actually quite cute. Youmong didn''t like flames and kept following Xiang Beifei around, and it wasn''t until Xiaohei told it that green flames could promote its growth that it cautiously went to get burned by the green flame and then joyfully discovered that it had indeed sprouted tender branches! The Green Flame Skeleton was also very friendly towards Youmong, thus it held Youmong and burned it for an entire night. ¡ª¡ª The celebration lasted an entire day and night before it ended, but Xiang Beifei had left early; he needed to cultivate. His current cultivation level was actually only at the mid-stage of Orifice Transforming, and his ability to deal with Ye Ji and Brain Deficient relied on his trump cards and his grandfather''s guidance. Xiang Qingde required him to continue cultivating, and he was not allowed to proceed further if his cultivation didn''t reach the Heavenly Connection realm. Xiang Beifei didn''t haggle over this point with his grandfather; he was now in the desolate outlands far beyond Jiuzhou, where he faced very powerful opponents; strength was indeed very important. He returned to his cultivation. Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had passed. Warming the Orifice Soul didn''t pose much difficulty for Xiang Beifei; in his journey of cultivation, he had always progressed faster than others, not to mention now that he had the guidance of a powerful figure like Xiang Qingde. Through absorbing spiritual power crystals, Xiang Beifei''s Orifice Soul was cultivated to a very harmonious state. His body only had two Orifice Perceptions, but these two Orifice Perceptions kept his strength always in a balanced position. Xiang Qingde seemed unsurprised by Xiang Beifei having only two Orifice Perceptions, as his own Orifice Perceptions were also different from others. In Jiuzhou, martial artists typically opened seven orifices, yet Xiang Qingde opened nine orifices! That''s two more than ordinary people. Xiang Beifei was even more peculiar; he only had two orifices! "Why are our Orifice Perceptions different from others?" Xiang Beifei, sitting cross-legged in the void, asked in confusion. Xiang Qingde looked up at the stars in the sky and shook his head slightly. "Now that you''ve cultivated to the later stage of Orifice Transforming, the next step is to prepare to step into the Heavenly Connection realm," Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei''s spirits lifted! During this half year, Xiang Beifei had been immersed in arduous cultivation, not going out, without rest, and his cultivation had reached the Great Perfection of the late Orifice Transforming stage! He was just a step away from the Heavenly Connection realm! "Grandfather, how should I step into the Heavenly Connection realm?" Xiang Beifei asked. It was a very serious question and one that frequently troubled him. Just as he didn''t understand how to perform Meridian Opening, how to do God Refining, how to do Orifice Transforming, without systematic help, he still didn''t know how to become a strong practitioner of the Heavenly Connection realm. All martial artists in Jiuzhou had systematic plans for improving their cultivation, but Xiang Beifei was different; this was an unknown weakness of his. But fortunately, this time he had a grandfather with him. Chapter 735 - 540: The So-Called Heavenly Connection (4000 words) "Heavenly Connection realm requires one to comprehend on their own. Grasp the essence of the heavens and the earth, this world, there are various rules between heaven and earth. You know what rules are, as someone who can control the system of everyone, you surely understand better than anyone else," said Xiang Qingde. "I understand," Xiang Beifei replied with a slight nod. This world is filled with unique rules, and many martial artists manage to wield their rule abilities through systems. The most typical one is Gao Zhuo, who possesses the Unparalleled Chess Player System. To defeat him, one must play according to the rules of his chess game; only through playing chess can one overcome him. That is a most representative system of the rule type. But not limited to this system alone, Xiang Beifei had encountered nearly every type in Jiuzhou, each with its unique set of rules. Xiang Qingde slowly said, "You clearly understand what rules are, but upon reaching a certain realm, we usually do not call it ''rules'' but refer to it as: Heavenly Dao Laws." "Heavenly Dao Laws?" Xiang Beifei found this term quite novel. "Yes, there are various laws in this world. The Heavenly Connection realm involves learning to commune with the heavens, to understand the laws between heaven and earth. If you can master one such law, you can step into the Heavenly Connection realm," Xiang Qingde explained, pausing before continuing, "Many of the strongest and most gifted Awakeners find their paths clearly laid out once they reach the later stages of orifice transforming. Their systems help them identify the most suitable paths to commune with the Heavenly Dao Laws. This process isn''t difficult for them, but for you, it could be very challenging, even tremendously so." Xiang Beifei was momentarily stunned. "So I can''t commune with the heavens and become a strong practitioner of the Heavenly Connection realm?" "That''s for you to figure out. What are you most skilled at, what do you desire most? You''re someone without a system; there''s no system to plan for you, you must rely on yourself," Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei had thought his grandfather would be able to help him, but he had not expected such a response. "But I have no clue at all, you should at least point me in a direction," said Xiang Beifei. "Although you lack a system, you possess a very special Spiritual Power. Realize that you can surpass all systems, and this is certainly not by chance. I''m sure it signifies something; perhaps the future me already knows why you lack a system, but the current me has little knowledge or memory about these matters," Xiang Qingde pondered for a moment, then added, "But over these past six months, I''ve researched your black and white Spiritual Power. I can infer that the two Orifice Perceptions within you are the key to stepping into the Heavenly Connection realm. You should follow this lead of the black and white Spiritual Power to find a breakthrough into the Heavenly Connection realm." "Not having a system really is a bit troublesome," Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but say. Black and white Spiritual Power, this was a transformation that occurred to Xiang Beifei after entering the stage of orifice transforming, and it was also the most indecipherable matter for him. With no precedent and no system, he had to fumble through everything on his own, which was extremely challenging. Xiang Qingde said, "I have a feeling, however vague, that everything, whether it''s why you have two memories, what your parents were seeking, or why I''ve lost my memory... is tied to human systems. Perhaps by unraveling the origin of systems, all mysteries will be uncovered." To Xiang Qingde, why humans possess systems is key to understanding everything. "What about your system, Grandfather?" Xiang Beifei asked. The Xiang Qingde before him was merely a consciousness with no system interface, but the real Xiang Qingde had a system, even if it was just a snowy screen. Xiang Beifei still did not understand why his grandfather''s system interface was a snowy screen, what kind of situation could lead to such a phenomenon, which had puzzled him all this time without an answer. Xiang Qingde shook his head again; the consciousness did not contain memories about these matters, he didn''t even know what his own system was. "What about my parents'' systems? Didn''t you ask them the last time they were here?" Xiang Beifei asked. "They had already reached the Heavenly Connection realm when they came here; I didn''t pay much attention to those details," Xiang Qingde responded. Those two, irresponsibly hidden in their true strength. Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but grumble internally. After a pause, Xiang Qingde suddenly became very serious and said, "Although I lack future memories, the person who understands me the best must be myself. I can vaguely guess that you being without a system is to avoid some terrible calamity! Perhaps at the ends of the Outer Domain Wasteland, I encountered something extremely horrifying, for¡ª" He was silent for a long time before he finally spoke softly, "If even I felt hopeless, then it certainly isn''t anything good." Xiang Beifei remembered, during his time at Chou Hou, the strange words spoken by the one who transported him to Chen Hou, constantly talking of hopelessness. Those points were clear to Xiang Qingde, but he could not confirm what exactly he had encountered afterward. Xiang Beifei did not press further because questioning a consciousness from over thirty years ago was utterly meaningless; he hadn''t even been born thirty years ago, and too many things could have changed since. His own path, perhaps it lies deeper within the Outer Domain Wasteland; as to what exactly it might be, he couldn''t clearly say. Yet, he understood that to enter the Heavenly Connection realm, he must continue moving forward. For his parents were forever treading ahead of him. Chapter 736 - 540 The So-Called Heavenly Connection (4000 Words)_2 ¡ª¡ª Although he couldn''t be certain about achieving the Heavenly Connection realm, the good news was that he now was a martial artist in the late stages of orifice transforming, which meant he could light up another constellation. The Chamber Constellation he encountered last time was particularly sly, with a total of nine seals. Xiang Beifei had only unlocked seven, leaving two that he had not yet attempted to break. However, it was obvious that something inside the Chamber Constellation was restlessly stirring. Now that Xiang Beifei''s strength had reached another level, he should be sufficient to suppress whatever was inside. It was time to see exactly what sort of entity it was. He called Xiaohei over, took out the Spirit Gathering Book, and flipped to the page of the Chamber Constellation. Then he used two spiritual power crystals from the mid-stage of orifice transforming and unlocked the last two seals of the Chamber Constellation! Hum! A vague white fog slowly materialized and hovered in front of him. This mass of fog was too ordinary. If Xiang Beifei had to describe it, it seemed just like a common, unremarkable mist that could be seen anywhere on a moist morning. Without a specific shape or any apparent abilities, it was just a clump of fog ¨C simple and plain. Xiang Beifei''s eyebrows slightly furrowed as he stared at the mass of fog. Since the fog had clearly tried to attack him last time, he wouldn''t really treat it as just any ordinary fog. However, the fog seemed to know its place; after being unsealed, unlike Erha that would become all restless and eager for a fight, it stayed quiet, shrinking in its spot like a well-behaved baby. If it weren''t for Xiang Beifei knowing there was something off about this fog last time, he might have indeed let his guard down. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei scratched its head in surprise, pointing at the words in the Spirit Gathering Book. This time, the Spirit Gathering Book had some markings: [Chamber Constellation: Mustard Seed in Palm] Beyond that, there seemed to be no further description, but the name alone was enough to astound him. "Mustard Seed in Palm!" Xiang Beifei was extremely surprised! Last time at Zi Hou, that mysterious woman who took Zhao Ruizhong to Zi Hou deliberately came up to him, sniffed him, and said he carried the scent of Mustard Seed in Palm! At the time, Xiang Beifei was pondering what Mustard Seed in Palm could be. Yet, he had never imagined that his very own Chamber Constellation enclosed it! But here came the problem again, even if Mustard Seed in Palm was sealed within, he still didn''t know what it was used for! "Grandpa, do you know about Mustard Seed in Palm?" Xiang Beifei turned and asked. "Mustard Seed in Palm?" Xiang Qingde frowned slightly and shook his head after a moment. "However, grandpa''s system interface did show the words Mustard Seed in Palm." Xiang Beifei recounted in detail the words that appeared on his grandfather''s system interface last time. "That must have been something that happened later on," Xiang Qingde said. Xiang Beifei felt somewhat disappointed; he poked the mass of fog. It felt soft and elusive, and it lacked even a scent. Xiang Beifei could not smell the "scent of Mustard Seed in Palm" mentioned by the mysterious woman. The fog seemed to be playing dead, completely ignoring Xiang Beifei, and he had no idea how to control it. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei, on the other hand, was quite impolite as it jumped on top of the fog and kneaded it like clay, pinching here and there, shaping it into an image of Erha, looking somewhat dim-witted. Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but laugh. However, even after Xiaohei''s kneading, the Mustard Seed in Palm did not resist in the slightest, which was entirely different from the situation before it was completely unsealed. Xiang Beifei tried for a long time but still could not get it to move. In the end, he could only resignedly stuff it back into the Spirit Gathering Book, caution was necessary, after all. Afterward, he turned his attention to the next constellation, the Bi constellation. Bi constellation, there were only two orifice transforming late-stage seals. Xiang Beifei had quite a few spiritual power crystals from the orifice transforming period; two late-stage seals weren''t much of a concern. Illuminating the Bi constellation became routine. [Bi constellation: Abundant Seal] A square, black jade stone, just like a stamp. The stamp was no more than an inch wide, and underneath was a strange pattern that resembled a whirling vortex. Beyond that, there was no detailed introduction, and he didn''t even know how to handle this stamp. "What the hell is this Abundant Seal?" Xiang Beifei rubbed his forehead, increasingly helpless. He didn''t want to complain anymore; up to now, the closer he got to the end of the twenty-eight constellations, the more puzzling the unlocked items were¡ªthe kind where he had absolutely no clue. Xiang Qingde furrowed his brow slightly; even he had not seen many of the items from Xiang Beifei''s twenty-eight constellations, not even the Five Pieces of Stone¡ªhe could only name them but knew not their origin. This was a headache for Xiang Beifei. "Well, better than nothing." Xiang Beifei wasn''t too concerned; he directly tossed it back into the Spirit Gathering Book to see if it would be of use in the future. However, his attention was more on Mustard Seed in Palm. Because of the Mustard Seed in Palm, he felt it was very strange; in his eyes, it definitely meant something. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei eventually set out, departing from Skeleton Village. After half a year in Skeleton Village, Xiaohei and Erha had become familiar with the skeletons. Erha, especially, was quite reluctant to leave; after all, it had been catching desolate beasts for barbecuing, tirelessly experimenting with recipes, and even created dishes with different flavors based on different flames. For example, Erha''s current favorites were the white, red, green, and purple flames¡ªfour types of flames that produced a mix of four different flavors. Before leaving, it took a large amount of this flame-mixed roasted beef, storing it in Xiaohei''s bubbles. Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but be reminded of Kong Daming''s Gluttonous Feast System. When he was a pioneer, he possessed culinary skills, and he had a special ability named "Samadhi Fire," which allowed him to infuse the flavor of cumin, spicy hot, and five-spice into the fire when roasting desolate beasts. His ability seemed to be not much different from the flames used by the skeletons; perhaps the essence of this world was interconnected after all. "Young master Xiang, please take care. On behalf of the Si Fire Tribe, I thank you once again!" The White Flame Skeleton accompanied Xiang Beifei all the way to the border of Si Hou, bowing solemnly. "No need to thank me; I''ve reorganized this place, and the formations I''ve laid down are sufficient for dealing with those Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage. The conscious my grandfather left behind will protect you," Xiang Beifei stated. Xiang Qingde watched his departing grandson, with worry and reluctance in his eyes. He was merely an independent consciousness that remained, bound to this land and unable to stray too far; otherwise, he would have followed Xiang Beifei on his journey no matter what. "Be careful." Xiang Qingde patted Xiang Beifei''s shoulder. "I will," Xiang Beifei replied. He was going to seek the end of the outer wilds, to find the Dao that belonged to him. Youmong scampered out from the embrace of a Green Flame Skeleton, where it had been rooted among the bones for the past half-year, growing robustly. Yet, compared to them, it still preferred Xiang Beifei''s spiritual power. All the skeletons stood there, watching Xiang Beifei, then each of their eye sockets flashed with a faint flame. These flames, varying in color, swirled in the air like fireworks, converging around Xiang Beifei. "This is a little bit of the life essence fire from all our tribespeople, hoping to be of some assistance to you. Our very existence is to nourish and nurture this essence fire," the White Flame Skeleton bowed and said. The life essence fire was fundamental to the skeletons'' existence, a race born from these fires¡ªextinguishment meant their life''s end. This was similar to the life essence stones of the stone people encountered earlier. The life essence fire possessed immense power; to the Moon God Race, it was a supreme offering to exchange for greater might from the underworld. It was also a sought-after prize by the Moon God Race and the Ghostly Visage. For Xiang Beifei, having the life essence fire''s use was unknown, but to Erha, it was a condiment, and thus it was more overjoyed than anyone else, happily accepting it. After farewells, Xiang Beifei continued on his way to the next mound. He had controlled the mound spirit of the blood altar with two bricks, transforming the mound spirit into a compass. The compass pointed the direction very accurately. Next target: Wu Hou! Chapter 737 - 541 Black and White Spiritual Power (4000 words) The boundless Gobi desert exhaled white-hot vapors as the temperature soared over a hundred degrees Celsius, hot enough to boil water. Bizarrely, there were two suns in the sky above, so when one looked up, it was as if seeing two enormous grindstones, red and glowing. These suns were four or five times larger than the ordinary sun, seemingly pulled closer to Earth, no wonder it was hot enough to steam sweet potatoes. Such giant suns were worrisome indeed, with scorching heat waves rolling over the desert, making every step feel like a sauna. Despite the extraordinary heat, some plants still managed to grow here, though most were wilted from the sun, only countless cacti stood strong and unwavering. Cacti were the most common sight in this desert, growing exceptionally tall, most over ten meters, with girths so large it would take two or three people to encircle one. To withstand such high temperatures, these were undoubtedly not simple plants, but powerful plant-type desolate beasts. Xiang Beifei had been trekking across this barren wilderness for who knows how long, yet could not see any end to it. Since traveling also required Spiritual Power, he decided to rest for a moment. "Let''s rest a bit." He found the most robust cactus, which offered a large shadow underneath it for rest. He simply used the breath soil to separate the ground below, creating a small, cool pavilion. "Woof woof!" Xiaohei, feeling thirsty, wanted a drink of water. It saw bulging pouches on the cactus, mistaking them for water storage, so it poked one, rupturing the inflated pouch. Pfft! A foul-smelling, corrosive ink sprayed towards Xiaohei, who narrowed its eyes and leapt to safety. The ink hit the ground, hissing as black smoke rose. But the cactus came to life, shooting out myriad spines with a "whoosh whoosh whoosh". Unable to see Xiaohei, it redirected its aim towards Xiang Beifei, countless thorns hurtled his way. "Take it easy." Xiang Beifei lazily lifted his eyelids, and "Abruptly Stop" emerged effortlessly, halting all the spines mid-air. "Woof!" Xiaohei bared its teeth at the cactus in a fierce grin. "Awoo!" Erha, often ridiculed by Xiaohei for being silly, finally found its chance to return the favor. With a proud swish of its tail, the cactus that had been violently targeting Xiang Beifei suddenly froze mid-assault, then obediently extended an inconspicuous root in their direction. The root split open to reveal a clear water sac, the laboriously stored water of the cactus. "Awoo!" Erha patted the cactus contentedly and took the stored water. After a thought, feeling it shouldn''t take the water for nothing, it swished its tail again, a green light rippling from its tail to the cactus. The cactus seemed utterly comfortable as it shuddered, becoming noticeably thicker. Erha had the ability to control all plants and was kindly regarded as the king of plants, usually friendly towards plant-type desolate beasts. Xiang Beifei sat beneath the cactus, pondering over the two massive suns in the sky. "But come to think of it, why are there two suns here?" He found it very strange since there had only been one sun in the sky when he started his journey. As he moved forth and the heat intensively grew, suddenly a second sun appeared. The sun being directly overhead, Xiang Beifei didn''t pay much heed and didn''t even notice when the second sun appeared. "Woof woof?" Xiaohei felt there was something sinister about that second sun and asked Xiang Beifei if they should ascend and attempt to pluck this thing from the sky to examine it. "You can give it a try," Xiang Beifei said. He had tried such a thing before; the skies of the outer realm wasteland were incredibly high, and one couldn''t fly out of this space even after ascending tens of thousands of kilometers. The higher one went, the stronger the oppressive force, which even Xiang Beifei couldn''t withstand. Xiaohei wagged its tail listlessly. Xiang Beifei sat cross-legged on the ground and began cultivating. His grandfather had mentioned that to become a master of the Heavenly Connection realm, he must focus on comprehending the Orifice Perception of black and white. The Chaos Yin-Yang Formula circulated slowly, flowing through his entire body, shrouded in alternating black and white energies. These energies flowed through every meridian, nurturing his soul. "To comprehend the cosmic laws, how should one go about it?" Xiang Beifei pondered the elusive cosmic laws. They were too abstract for him to grasp. His grandfather said the key lay in the Yin and Yang Spiritual Power, but he wasn''t yet sure how to comprehend it. Xiang Beifei manipulated his Spiritual Power, letting it spread outwards to sense everything around him. Hot blasts of air permeated the surroundings, their scorching touch unbearable against the skin. He felt the surrounding heat waves and let his Spiritual Power ripple with them, merging seamlessly, indistinguishable from one another. The desert winds were strong and carried heat due to the high temperatures. Xiang Beifei suddenly had an idea; he swiftly merged his Spiritual Power into these heat waves, then rapidly transformed the power into black and white energies. The black Spiritual Power quickly enveloped the hot air within the wind, while the white Spiritual Power clung to the wind itself. The black and white energies spiraled around, and as the howling hot winds blew through this Spiritual Power, they were filtered and emerged as cool breezes. Chapter 738 - 541 Black and White Spiritual Power (4000 words)_2 The temperature around gradually dropped, becoming cool and crisp. "Huh? Spiritual Power can actually be used like this." Xiang Beifei found it quite refreshing. He had flown all the way here, facing the hundred-degree temperatures of this place. He had simply used Spiritual Power to keep them at bay, meaning any wind that blew his way was repelled and couldn''t touch him. But when he used the black and white Spiritual Power, he separated the heat from the hot wind with the black Spiritual Power and only allowed the normal wind to pass through. In this way, his black and white Spiritual Power was like having a portable air conditioner. So the current situation was that, although Xiang Beifei was in the desert with hot winds blowing at temperatures over one hundred degrees, after passing through the black and white Spiritual Power barrier in front of Xiang Beifei, the wind turned into twenty degrees, feeling a bit cool when blowing. "Youyou!" Little Youmeng quite enjoyed these cool breezes because the high temperatures outside could easily dry it out, so it clung tightly to Xiang Beifei''s shoulder, letting the cool wind rustle the leaves on its head, feeling very comfortable. "Then does the black and white Spiritual Power have other uses?" Xiang Beifei pondered, then looked back at the cactus that had just shot spines at him, patted the cactus, and said, "Hey, big guy, try spitting ink at me again." However, the cactus obviously trembled, daring not to move an inch. This cactus, although having been tamed by Erha just now, was actually quite powerful. Although it was just a plant, if it really fought, the spines it sprayed were not weaker than a desolate beast in the late God Refining stage, so it had intelligence. This cactus couldn''t talk, but it could perceive Xiang Beifei''s strength. Hearing what Xiang Beifei said, it even thought he was threatening it. It dared not challenge Xiang Beifei. "Erha, let it spray some ink, I want to do an experiment," Xiang Beifei said. "Ao wu!" The Wooden Kirin happily wagged its tail, and the cactus trembled before reluctantly spraying a stream of black ink with a strong corrosive nature towards Xiang Beifei! The black ink landed on Xiang Beifei''s Spiritual Power barrier quickly, and the black and white Spiritual Power immediately swept out. The black Spiritual Power clung to the ink, intercepting all the corrosive energy, while the white Spiritual Power stuck to the remaining material. Whir! After the black ink sprayed over, it surprisingly turned into a clump of pure water! Xiang Beifei''s eyes lit up! He carefully gathered the pure water together, stirred it gently, and found no impurities within¡ªtruly pure water. All the impurities were blocked by the black Spiritual Power! "Goodness, this black and white Spiritual Power even comes with purification!" Xiang Beifei was increasingly astonished. He asked the cactus to spray more ink and conducted several experiments. He found that as long as he controlled the black and white Spiritual Power well, he could allow different components of the ink to come through. For example, if he let only the white Spiritual Power attach to the pure water, he could block the pure water outside and let only the corrosive substances rush in. If used well, this ability could even be applied elsewhere. For instance, in the face of an opponent, if the opponent brought all kinds of powerful attacks made of Spiritual Power, he would only need to erect a barrier of black and white Spiritual Power in front of him. By filtering through the opponent''s Spiritual Power, the attacking part of the force could be blocked, allowing only non-aggressive power to come through, which equated to dismantling the opponent''s attack! With this idea in mind, Xiang Beifei decided to begin trying, this time with the cactus''s spine attack! Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! Countless finger-long spines hit Xiang Beifei''s Spiritual Power and were instantly softened and decomposed. By the time they reached Xiang Beifei, they were just soft, fluffy fibrous scraps. Afterward, he sought out Erha for experiments. Erha had been in Skeleton Village for half a year, claiming to research cooking recipes, so it often traveled far and wide with Xiaohei to hunt down desolate beasts for barbecuing. Sometimes they encountered desolate beasts they couldn''t beat, and they were always solved invisibly by Xiaohei. They slaughtered quite a number of desolate beasts even in the early Orifice Transforming stage. Now, by digesting spiritual power crystals, Erha''s strength had reached the Orifice Transforming period! "Erha, come on, let your Spiritual Power hit me," Xiang Beifei was eager to try. "Ao wu!" Erha, being naturally active, heard about the fight and immediately wagged its tail joyfully, leaping into mid-air. A strong green Spiritual Power rapidly bombarded towards Xiang Beifei! This green Spiritual Power was full of vitality but very aggressive, carrying a hint of daftness. Hum! Erha''s Spiritual Power crashed into Xiang Beifei''s Spiritual Power, the black and white Spiritual Power circulated again, separating and lightly attaching itself to Erha''s Spiritual Power! The black Spiritual Power immediately clung to the violent green Spiritual Power, dissolving Erha''s Spiritual Power. By the time Erha''s aggressive Spiritual Power came through, it was like a pure breeze, brushing against the skin without causing any pain or itchiness! "Huh? It even filtered out Erha''s natural silly demeanor." Xiang Beifei was very surprised, "Erha, after my treatment, your Spiritual Power has lost its silliness!" "Ao wu?" Erha didn''t quite understand. "It means your Spiritual Power has become smarter!" "Ao wu!" Erha suddenly realized and smugly raised its head, indicating: Of course, I''m not a fool! Xiaohei snickered with a "woof woof" beside them, this blockhead didn''t understand the hidden meaning in Xiang Beifei''s words. "Black and white Spiritual Power, it''s actually this profound." He seemed to vaguely understand why the black and white Spiritual Power was special. In this world, everything has a dual nature ¨C there''s evil where there''s good, negative where there''s positive, and even Erha''s attacks were no exception. The Wooden Kirin''s Spiritual Power actually contained an immense vitality, which could encourage plants to grow more vigorously, but when this vitality gathered in excess, it could cause great destructive power, something not even plants could withstand. And what Xiang Beifei needed to do was to use his own black and white Spiritual Power to differentiate the dual nature of the target, and then selectively filter out one aspect, thereby weakening the target''s strength! "Yin Yang Two Qi, so this is how it should be utilized." With a thoughtful look, Xiang Beifei pondered if that was the case, then the Heavenly Dao Laws he needed to comprehend upon entering Heavenly Connection might definitely be the way of black and white, Yin and Yang. He decided to take some time to study it thoroughly. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei continued to cultivate his black and white Spiritual Power under the cactus for hundreds of hours. According to Jiuzhou''s time, this amounted to more than ten days. However, the peculiar thing about this desert was that it hadn''t gotten dark even after hundreds of hours. The two suns in the sky looked very diligent, as if they were reluctant to set. But he didn''t mind much, since he was already accustomed to all sorts of strange geographical phenomena in the wilderness beyond the domain. How long the daylight of the Gobi desert lasted didn''t really bother him. While Xiang Beifei was cultivating, Youmong indulged himself by swallowing the overflowing Spiritual Power from Xiang Beifei, without any worry. Erha and Xiaohei were sound asleep. The three of them were always relaxed, and with Xiang Beifei filtering out the heat, sleeping was incredibly comfortable. The cactus behind him also possessed its own intelligence. It did not dare disturb Xiang Beifei, but nevertheless followed Youmong''s lead, swallowing the Spiritual Power that Xiang Beifei emitted. If not differentiated, Xiang Beifei''s Spiritual Power was a very profound thing, a tonic for the cactus. Xiang Beifei knew that the cactus was secretly siphoning his Spiritual Power, but he didn''t mind and continued his cultivation. However, soon the sky above the Gobi gradually darkened, and instead of setting in the west, the two suns slowly faded away as if suddenly turning from the bright sun to a red moon! The light around them gradually disappeared, and twilight finally descended, bringing the Gobi to night. At that moment, the violent wind that had been blowing through the Gobi suddenly quieted down. All the winds ceased, the sand stopped moving, and the whole world seemed to come to a standstill, deathly silent. Dong! Dong! Dong! Deep in the desert, suddenly there came the sound of a bell, deep and sonorous, carrying a hint of ancientness, reverberating far and wide. The sound brought Xiang Beifei out of his meditation. He frowned slightly and looked in the direction of the noise while listening carefully. "Kill!" "With our bodies, rebuild the glory of our ancestors!" ... In the darkness, it seemed as if countless people were screaming and fighting fiercely. Boom! Boom! Boom! The ground also trembled slightly, and waves of Spiritual Power traveled from afar. The atmosphere of the Gobi suddenly became charged with a sense of impending battle. "This fluctuation of Spiritual Power, is it human?" Xiang Beifei was quite surprised! Chapter 739 - 542: Desert Island (4000 words) In the wilderness beyond where desolate beasts roam, if Xiang Beifei heard human speech, he wouldn''t necessarily consider the other party human, for there were creatures like the Meat-Winged Monster and the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. However, he could clearly distinguish the lingering spirit waves of a human. In this vast desert, the sudden voice of a person and the human spiritual power fluctuations were a long-missed feeling that surprised him greatly. Apart from his grandfather, it had been more than half a year since he last saw a real person. "Let''s go have a look," Xiang Beifei said. He immediately stood up and shook Xiaohei and Erha, who were fast asleep next to him. Erha lay on its back with all four feet in the air, with Xiaohei lying on Erha''s belly. Erha embraced Xiaohei with its hooves, a touching sight in their sleep. Probably because Xiang Beifei provided such a comfortable sleeping environment, and there was no danger nearby, the two of them slept soundly. When shaken awake, they were still drowsily hugging each other. Xiang Beifei then dragged the two creatures up and tossed them onto his shoulders. Youmong was always vigilant. While Xiang Beifei practiced, it quietly absorbed the spiritual power he emitted, and when Xiang Beifei finished his cultivation, it consciously crawled into his shirt pocket and then poked out its little head. Xiang Beifei turned his head to look at the cactus. Whether it was because it had absorbed his spiritual power or not, the cactus had grown much more robust but seemed to have shrunk. Looking closely, he noticed the cactus was retracting into the ground. "What are you afraid of?" Xiang Beifei asked the cactus in surprise. The cactus couldn''t speak; it paused, then shook its spikes as if it wanted to tell Xiang Beifei something, then it continued to burrow downwards as if in a hurry. In the blink of an eye, the cactus that was originally over ten meters high had retreated underground, leaving only a palm-sized bud tip visible. Xiang Beifei looked at the other cacti and saw many of them also shrinking downwards in a hurry. The vast swaths of tall cactus groves nearly disappeared entirely. There must be something wrong with the desert night; things might not be so simple. Xiang Beifei packed up the pavilion made of breath soil, smoothed over any traces of their presence in the area, and then stealthily followed the direction of the voice. After the two suns set, the temperature of the whole desert had dropped. There were now two moons in the sky, which had turned from red to pale white, as if they had faded. The two celestial objects in the sky were very strange; during the day, they blazed with scorching radiance, but at night they resembled two icy orbs, bringing bitter cold to the desert and raising a cool wind. At this moment, the sound of a bell "dong, dong, dong" became louder and seemed very close. The ground vibrated more violently, and the spiritual power fluctuations were exceptionally distinct. To avoid drawing attention, Xiang Beifei intentionally limited the range of his spiritual power while staying alert to his surroundings, always ready to flee at a moment''s notice. About ten minutes into flying, he saw a vast expanse of Gobi up ahead, reaching hundreds of meters high. The cracks in the Gobi were evident; it looked as if something had shattered half of it. The bell''s ringing came from behind the Gobi. Xiang Beifei leaped to the top of the Gobi peak and looked forward. Beyond the Gobi was an endless desert, but not far from the Gobi in the air was a huge stone gate built from large stone slabs. The two stone slabs were very long, about thirty to forty meters, standing straight in the desert. Another stone slab lay horizontally across them, forming a towering door. This door had a chain attached with an ancient stone bell hanging from it. The stone bell was enormous. It was roughly estimated to be about ten meters tall and three to four meters thick, with some carvings on it. It reflected the cold light under the moonlight from the two moons in the sky. Dong! Dong! Dong! The stone bell was gently swaying as if an invisible mallet was slowly striking it, sending a vast, ancient sound rolling forth. "What is this?" Xiang Beifei said as he gazed at the stone bell. The bell emitted a strange aura, one that he couldn''t quite identify. Because of this uncertainty, he didn''t rashly approach. The waves of the bell rolled out one after the other. When the sound spread, it seemed to lift a wave in the desert. The sand moved like the waves of the sea, rhythmically undulating with the bell''s toll, continuously rolling onto the Gobi where Xiang Beifei was, hitting the rocks and then kicking up dust-like spray. "Woof?" Xiaohei yawned and stood on the rock, inquisitively asking. "I haven''t seen this before, just be careful," Xiang Beifei said cautiously as he landed, standing next to the rolling sand waves, noticing that the desert sands seemed to come alive, with each grain rolling. "Quicksand," Xiang Beifei muttered as he grabbed a handful of sand. He glanced at the mound spirit; its direction didn''t point here, meaning this wasn''t his destination. "Ao woo," Erha, curious about what quicksand was, poked his buttocks out and began to paw at the sand. Xiaohei let out a mischievous bark and kicked Erha into the sand. Before Erha could lift its head, it was engulfed by the sand. A moment later, Erha''s paw-like tail swiftly rolled out from the quicksand, grabbing Xiaohei and then using the leverage to climb out. "Ao ao ao!" Erha was not angry but rather excitedly yelling. "What did you see under the sand?" Xiang Beifei asked. Erha stood on the Gobi and stretched its tail back into the sand. Its tail was rather special, able to stretch very long. It burrowed underneath the sand for a while, as if fishing. After a while, its face lit up with joy, and then it quickly retracted its tail, clutching a rusty iron sword in its grasp. Chapter 740 - 542: Desert Island (4000 words)_2 "Eh?" Xiang Beifei examined the iron sword covered in rust and wrapped in dust. Brushing away the sand, he saw a character etched on the sword, but it seemed that due to the long passage of time, a corner was missing, and he could only faintly discern the character "ºÌ". After contemplating for a moment, the aura of "Return to the Original State" surged in his hand, restoring the iron sword. To Xiang Beifei''s surprise, the restoration under the influence of "Return to the Original State" took quite a long time, very slowly, and finally took about half an hour to fully restore the sword. This was unexpected, because usually restoring a damaged item would take only a minute or two. The more recent the era, the shorter the time needed to "Revert to Simplicity". This sword took half an hour, so how ancient might it be? Once it was completely "Reverted to Simplicity", the missing part of the sword was clear to see. It bore the character "Àè", a script definitely human, and not to be mistaken. But how far have they come from the Jiuzhou Continent, and who might have brought it here? Xiang Beifei couldn''t determine the age of the sword, but one thing he was certain of was that the material of the sword was very ancient. It was an ordinary sword, yet it seemed to have a trace of very strange energy within, an energy he didn''t fully understand. At this moment, Erha was fishing with its large tail, quickly pulling up several swords of the same material. Their conditions varied, but all were rusted. If restored, they appeared to be swords from the same batch. After a while, Erha suddenly muttered to itself, then flicked its tail, and this time, it fished up a copper axe with a missing corner from the sand! The whole axe was made of copper, its handle broken off as well. Despite being covered in verdigris, the pattern on it was faintly discernible. With the tolling of the bells, the sand waves in front became increasingly turbulent. There was no need for Erha to use its tail to fish for them, as many damaged weapons were being swept up into the sand waves, bobbing up and down, half-buried, half-exposed. "What on earth is this place..." The more Xiang Beifei looked, the more bewildering it became; it seemed to resemble an ancient battlefield, yet these damaged weapons were clearly of human use. He decided to go forward to check, immediately heading towards the grand stone bell. But just as he stepped over the yellow sands, the sword in his hand, restored moments before, suddenly decayed again as if affected by the years, and reverted back to a rusty, broken sword. This turn of events deepened Xiang Beifei''s confusion. He stored the broken sword and continued flying forward. As he neared the stone bell, the desert''s windswept sands became more and more intense. The entire desert floor rose and fell tumultuously, and the airborne sands were ferocious, with nightfall making it almost impossible to see the path ahead, only a vague silhouette. The sand here felt extremely bizarre, and even Xiang Beifei couldn''t see it clearly. He cautiously landed on a dune, but the sand dune was constantly shifting, and stepping on it would cause him to sink, so he could only stay afloat. At that moment, Xiaohei suddenly cried out in alarm, pointing to the right. Xiang Beifei looked to the right and saw, a few hundred meters away from the stone bell, what seemed to be a corner of eaves rising, colored green and somewhat damaged. It appeared to be the eaves of an ancient building, buried under the yellow sand. Then¡ªBoom! The trembling of the ground grew more violent, the dunes were being turned over, and something seemed to be crawling up from beneath the earth. Gradually, chunks of stone rose from the desert, the sand raining down, revealing the damaged eave''s outline. It was half a collapsed house, like a house with two walls destroyed, causing the roof to lean to one side, but the roof was not completely ruined and still maintained its collapsed posture. Next to this house were several huge rocks scattered about, with the ruins of buildings visible. They were covered in sand and hard to discern clearly. But the ground continued to rise, lifting higher and higher until, at last, it even floated into the air! From a distance, it looked like a giant island, supported by some mysterious force into midair, continuously ascending, rising about a hundred meters above the ground! Not just this island, but from all directions, various islands rose into the midair. Counted carefully, there were exactly eight! These eight large islands circled around the stone bell and then began to slowly move. After reaching a certain position, they stopped and did not move again, with only the yellow sand flowing down, falling from the ruins on the islands back into the desert below, like water. Xiang Beifei gazed at the eight islands, thoroughly awestruck! Each of the islands here was massive, no less than a thousand acres each; they obscured the sky like a dark curtain, and standing underneath, one could feel the impressive might of these islands¡ªsuch gargantuan islands were actually suspended mid-air! What kind of power could have created such a spectacle? "Terrifying," he couldn''t help but exclaim. Even with his advanced orifice-transforming strength, lifting such islands seemed impossible, even if he employed "Light as a Feather." As he was marveling, suddenly a shadow flashed across the sky far away, darting out like a nimble bird, before vanishing into the desert. Xiang Beifei wanted to check it out, but there was nothing, just the endless expanse of yellow sand on the right. The object darted too fast and disappeared from sight in an instant. "What was that?" Xiang Beifei became alert. "Awoo," Erha asked if perhaps some broken weapon had been swept away by the sand. "Unlikely, it felt like a person." Although the shadow was fast, as it darted across, it distinctly carried the fluctuations of human Spiritual Power, and Xiang Beifei was not mistaken about that. But how could there be someone here? Thinking of the howling and clashing he heard earlier, this made him suspicious. Immediately, he lightly touched his toes on the dune and soared up, descending towards the nearest floating island. He stood on a piece of stone, and what met his eyes was a scene of ruins; there was a broken wall ahead, with its sand covering slowly fading away, revealing the traces of the broken wall. He reached out to touch the edge of the wall, which was clearly still quite new, as if it had just been destroyed recently. It seemed that a fierce battle had taken place here, with deep cuts from various weapons on the walls, and faint traces of lingering Spiritual Power, as if the battle had occurred just a few hours before. He carefully walked forward, attentive to his surroundings, even in these ruins there were trees that had been split, their branches and foliage destroyed, buried in the yellow sand for so long, yet still uncorroded, which was very strange. Erha''s gaze firmly fixated on those trees, as if sensing something, it let out a low "Awoo." "You can''t control these trees?" Xiang Beifei asked in surprise. "Awoo." Erha quickly jumped onto the trees, scraping at the dead wood with its hooves, but the wood could not be awakened, which displeased Erha. Xiang Beifei tried using his "Return to the Original State" to restore the withered tree, but soon realized that his "Return to the Original State" had no effect upon contact with the dry wood. In this ruin, there seemed to be an invisible force resisting his "Return to the Original State," preventing him from fully manifesting his abilities. This was the first time he had encountered such a thing! "Let''s not worry about this now." Xiang Beifei had a vague feeling that in the darkness, there seemed to be an unseen pair of eyes watching him, yet he just couldn''t sense where this presence was. He continued walking through the ruins but at this moment, a deep moaning sound faintly emanated from the darkness, making Xiang Beifei more alert. He saw that the moan was coming from behind a wall, so he carefully leapt up, landed on the other side, and then peeked out. Chapter 741 - 543: Its You Again (4000 words) Under the hazy moonlight, a man with a bloodstained face was sitting against the wall, clutching his abdomen tightly. There was a bloody hole there, oozing purple blood that resembled the result of a severe poisoning. His aura was extremely chaotic, his life force weak, seemingly at the end of his tether. It was a human! Even though Xiang Beifei couldn''t see the other''s system interface, he was certain this was a human! A living human! This shocked Xiang Beifei considerably! He hesitated about whether to go over and ask about the situation, but at this moment, the middle-aged man gave a miserable smile and sighed, "To think that our grand Hanxia Human Race has come to such a pass, alas! Alas!" Sounds of battle came from afar. He slightly raised his head to look at the sky, then it seemed as if several shadows sped across the twin moons above, disappearing into the distance. "I must ensure the Dao embryo survives..." The middle-aged man murmured with hope in his gaze, but the light in his eyes gradually faded. Encountering a human in such a place was extremely surprising for Xiang Beifei, even if this human wasn''t quite the same as those he had encountered before. Nevertheless, Xiang Beifei decided to step forward and find out what was going on. So, he dispelled the Spiritual Power concealing himself and materialized beside the middle-aged man. "Who?" Just as Xiang Beifei had revealed himself and hadn''t yet had the chance to speak, the bloodstained man suddenly looked up, staring intently at Xiang Beifei, then burst out in a low growl, "It''s you again!" ¡ª It''s you again? Xiang Beifei looked around; there was no one else, only him. "Are you talking about me?" He found it strange, as it seemed like the first time he had seen this person before him. Why did it sound like the other recognized him? "May I ask who you are..." Xiang Beifei was just about to ask politely, when suddenly an incredibly terrifying aura burst forth from the man. This aura was so powerful, like surging floodwaters, violently sweeping upward, booming in the air, pressing down on Xiang Beifei. It seemed as though the sky itself was collapsing. He inhaled sharply. The last time he encountered such a terrifying aura was from his grandfather! Immortal Realm! Without any hesitation, Xiang Beifei immediately retreated! He hadn''t expected to meet someone so eerie and terrifying! The middle-aged man held a sword in one hand, using it to prop himself up as he stood. Despite being at death''s door, he looked at Xiang Beifei angrily, as if Xiang Beifei had committed some heinous crime. "You must be mistaken?" Xiang Beifei called out as he retreated. "Your aura, even if it turned to ashes, I would recognize it!" the bloodstained man thundered, his eyes becoming extremely red as if viewing Xiang Beifei as a mortal enemy. However, the middle-aged man did not attack; he just stood there, seeming to have exhausted all his strength, unable even to make a final strike. His aura gradually dissipated and quieted down until the last bit of life force completely extinguished. It was like a gust of wind had passed; the man''s flesh and clothes gradually corroded away into a wisp of white light and dissipated in the moonlight, leaving nothing but a pile of dry bones. Xiang Beifei leaped back onto the broken city wall and breathed a sigh of relief. Why had that man said, "It''s you again," earlier? He found it very odd, as he didn''t recall knowing such a person. Could it be a case of mistaken identity? But that didn''t seem right either. How could someone so powerful be mistaken? Moreover, it seemed the other party recognized his aura. For someone with such formidable strength, it was certainly not an ordinary encounter, which made it even stranger. Xiang Beifei stood on the wall, staring at the skeleton until he was sure there was no danger, and then he stepped forward, approaching the middle-aged man''s bones to inspect them. The bones were jade white, different in texture from those of ordinary people, sculpted like a work of art, inspiring admiration. "Has he trained his bones specially?" Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but think. Even though the man had turned into a skeleton, he still maintained his standing posture, still clutching his sword, and still exuded an aura of resoluteness mixed with a chilling kill intent, prompting a Strategic Retreat. Xiang Beifei found it impossible to approach the skeleton because its fierce aura hadn''t entirely faded and was still intimidating. "So powerful! I never expected even a skeleton after death to possess such terrifying might!" Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but sigh inwardly. He himself was an expert in the later stages of orifice transforming, not necessarily afraid even in the Heavenly Connection, but this middle-aged man gave him a profound sense of oppression and threat. His grandfather''s aura was very strong as well, but he always contained it around his grandson, not affecting Xiang Beifei. However, the skeleton before him was fully baring its sharp edge! Xiang Beifei observed the skeleton from a distance, noticing a grayish-white ring on the finger of the skeleton. Under the illumination of the twin moons, he could barely make out its rough texture. Unable to approach the skeleton but still wanting to take the ring to examine it, he began to contemplate how to deal with the threatening aura emanating from the bones. Soon, he thought of his own black and white Spiritual Power, which he had just recently begun to explore, realizing it might not be a bad idea to test it out now. Without delay, he unleashed his black and white Spiritual Power, extending it forward to block what was ahead. A black and a white stream of Spiritual Power immediately spiraled out, latching onto the fierce aura. Chapter 742 - 543: Its You Again (4000 words)_2 Gradually, the fierce aura emanating from the bones was absorbed by Xiang Beifei''s black Spiritual Power. And as Xiang Beifei drew near, the aura released by the skeleton felt like a gentle breeze brushing against his face, posing no threat whatsoever. However, purifying such an aura clearly required some time. Although he was only twenty meters away from the skeleton, it took him half an hour to approach it. When Xiang Beifei arrived in front of the ominous skeleton, he finally got a clear view of the stone ring. Its patterns were intricately interwoven, resembling a snowflake, and it looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before. He reached out to remove the ring, but as soon as his fingertips touched the stone ring, it suddenly emitted a strange white light that flashed and disappeared. Xiang Beifei was on high alert, feeling as though something was changing around him. At that moment, a rustling sound suddenly came from the darkness ahead, as if something was rapidly climbing, bustling and spreading quickly; he immediately became vigilant. Then he saw the sand covering this area come to life once again, rolling along the ground, climbing up the broken walls, and covering all the remnants as though it intended to bury them again. The two moons in the sky grew increasingly bright, with their pale light shining on the sand. The white glow became so intense that it was impossible to see with the eyes, and Xiang Beifei felt as though he was enveloped in a white radiance, unable to distinguish north from south, east from west. However, this sensation didn''t last long. It was merely a moment before the light in front of his eyes dissipated completely. When he came to his senses, he found himself standing inside an ancient and quaint room! The room contained a carved wooden bed, an exquisite round table, and the floor was covered with a rug, reminiscent of ancient times. "What''s going on? An illusion?" Xiang Beifei frowned slightly and couldn''t help but reach out to touch the furniture in the room, trying to ascertain the situation. But the furniture felt very real and given his powerful spiritual power, this was definitely not an illusion. "Awoo!" But Erha muttered something, realizing that it could once again control the wood here, meaning the wood was real. "That''s strange." Xiang Beifei grew more puzzled, and at that moment, there were sounds coming from outside the room, as if someone was calling out. Carefully, he approached the lattice window and looked outside. There appeared to be a courtyard outside, with a winding stone path extending to a front arch. The delicate rockery was surrounded by multicolored flowers and plants. A man hurriedly walked along the garden path, muttering to himself, "Big trouble, I must go and ask the master." This man had an air of vigor, his hair tied into a Daoist knot, dressed in a light blue silk robe, his waist cinched with a grey-brown linen belt, adorned with a jade pendant and wearing a pair of black cloth boots. He was clearly dressed in ancient attire. The man seemed in a hurry, as if he was eager to find someone, and quickly disappeared at the end of the path. Xiang Beifei opened a crack in the window and then stepped out, quietly landing on the outside corridor, sizing up his surroundings. The corridor was supported by vermillion pillars, and the roof was adorned with intricate carvings, quite elegant indeed. The floor was made of smoothed bluestone, perfectly polished. He walked to the end of the corridor, and seeing no one around, he leaped up, trying to fly to the roof to get a better view. Just then, several whooshing sounds passed through the air, causing him to halt his motion and land on a banyan tree next to the rockery. It was a group of young men and women, traveling on flying swords, their clothes fluttering elegantly in the wind. These people didn''t notice Xiang Beifei. They were discussing something among themselves, hurrying toward the northern direction. Xiang Beifei climbed to the treetop and looked out to see rows upon rows of green-tiled rooftops, numerous courtyards overlapping each other. In the sky, cranes flew by leisurely, and from time to time, people traveled on swords. In the distance stood towering mountains, and at the highest point, a solemn and ancient hall stood, within which lurked strong and powerful auras. There was a plaza ahead where many people were landing. "Where exactly am I?" Xiang Beifei was baffled. He had clearly encountered a suddenly rising island in the desert, so how had he come to this place? He carefully surveyed the layout of this complex, finding it very similar to the island he had just been on. To confirm this, he immediately used his spiritual power to conceal himself and then followed the path in the complex toward the outside. Along the way, he encountered many people hurrying, mostly dressed in ancient attire, but he saw no system interface and felt no system fluctuations. This place was not the world of the system; it seemed more like a land of immortals. Suddenly, the path ahead cleared, and in the distance, several other islands floated in the air, shrouded in mist and clouds. Towering pavilions and terraces stood erect among them, with celestial lights flickering in and out of existence. Counting carefully, including the one under Xiang Beifei''s feet, there were exactly eight! He arrived at the edge of the island and looked down. Below was no longer the desolate desert he had seen before, but a vast city with houses of all sizes arranged in an orderly fashion, resembling a bustling ancient metropolis with no end in sight. "Is this the former glory of the desert?" Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but ponder, what was this before his eyes? An image left from the past? In the outer realms, many terrains are quite unique and can record past images with various magnetic fields. During his Meridian Opening phase, he had encountered a desolate beast that killed using images left from the past. However, Xiang Beifei was clear on how to deal with this situation, which only required his powerful spiritual power to resolve. He immediately gathered his spiritual power and hurled it at a stone in front of him! Crack! The stone shattered directly! But before him still lay a harmonious land of immortals. Xiang Beifei was slightly taken aback! Something was amiss, this was not an illusion created by spiritual power, it looked like a real stone breaking! "Who are you!" Just then, a booming voice came from behind Xiang Beifei. He turned to look and saw a young man with sword-like brows and eyes, tall and majestic, dressed in a moon-white robe, exuding a valiant spirit in every gesture. "That attire of yours, are you from the Yi Tribe?" The young man became alert upon seeing Xiang Beifei''s strange attire. "Yi Tribe?" Xiang Beifei was pondering what this term meant when the young man already made a move against him. What surprised him even more was that he was clearly disguised with his spiritual power, so how could this person see him? Why had his disguise failed? "How dare the Yi Tribe infiltrate our sacred Hanxia lands, seeking death!" Seeing that Xiang Beifei didn''t respond, the young man seemed even more convinced that Xiang Beifei was from the so-called Yi Tribe, and immediately drew a sword from thin air. The blade glittered fiercely as he thrust it straight toward him! Hum! Sword light dazzling, Sword Qi piercing! The young man was extremely strong in Spiritual Power, his cultivation actually also in the later stage of orifice transforming, the same realm as Xiang Beifei! Xiang Beifei frowned slightly. The sword thrust by the young man was powerful, steady, filled with an aggressive Sword Qi, indicating he was well-versed in Sword Dao. His swordsmanship was even comparable to Xiang Beifei''s. This was a powerful Sword Cultivator! But he wasn''t flustered, calmly watching the Sword Qi that came flying unexpectedly. The black and white Spiritual Power quickly swirled out from his body, forming a vortex in front of him, enveloping the adversary''s sword gleam! The black and white Spiritual Power swiftly twisted around the unstoppable long sword, the black Spiritual Power instantly stripping away the fierce Sword Qi, leaving only the sword tip. But without the Sword Qi, the sword tip seemed to Xiang Beifei like a child stabbing with a wooden sword. Xiang Beifei casually extended two fingers, gently pinching and firmly trapping the young man''s sword! Chapter 743 - 544 Floating Immortal Isles (4000 words) "What?" The expression of the young man changed. He was already a Sword Cultivator in the late stage of orifice transforming, and though the burst of Sword Qi was extremely strong, he didn''t expect that it would be so easily clamped by the opponent! The strangest thing was, the sword he controlled seemed to only extend its Qi to the blade, while the tip of the sword felt as if it had lost control, utterly devoid of strength, and no matter how he drove his Spiritual Power, he couldn''t manage it. "I am not the so-called member of the Yi Trib, if you can understand my words," Xiang Beifei said calmly. "Still daring to argue! With your strange attire, you are not one of us from the Floating Immortal Isles, but you sneak around and damage our Formation Stones. Just surrender now!" the young man shouted again. Xiang Beifei touched his forehead, now in an awkward situation. He had recognized that the stone was part of a Formation, so he had wanted to test it, but he hadn''t expected that the people here could actually see him, catching him red-handed and leading to this misunderstanding. The young man tried to pull back his sword to attack Xiang Beifei again, but as soon as he exerted force, he found his sword wouldn''t budge, and his hand slipped off the hilt. "So powerful! This person has a very high cultivation! He must be a spy from the Yi Trib; no, I must notify others!" The young man''s thoughts raced, and with a loud shout, a powerful fluctuation emanated from his body, accompanied by a sharp cry that exploded above him and traveled far. The signal dispersed, alarming the passersby in the vicinity. "An intruder?" "Quick! Jing Hong is over there!" Many who originally flew past on their swords turned their heads towards this direction upon sensing the disturbance, and saw the figure of Xiang Beifei, immediately turning and rushing over. At that time, several terrifying presences also burst out from a majestic hall in the distance, pressing towards this area! "So powerful!" Xiang Beifei felt a slight shock in his heart, recognizing them as masters of the Heavenly Connection realm! Not only that, but among those presences, there seemed to be an overwhelming force, like dark clouds over the city, making him feel extremely oppressed! It was that force again! The Immortal Realm! "Damn!" Without any hesitation, Xiang Beifei immediately dropped his sword and turned around to flash away, flying towards the outside of the isles. If this young man in the orifice transforming stage could deploy Spiritual Power against him, it meant that other masters of the Heavenly Connection realm could as well. Facing masters of the Heavenly Connection realm, he had no chance of winning, let alone when there was also a terrifying great power present. "Sect Leader, hurry! There''s a Yi Trib impersonator invading our Floating Immortal Isles!" the young man shouted urgently. Humm! A powerful presence instantly locked down the entire floating isle. Just as Xiang Beifei thought of leaping off the isle, he saw a terrifying wave of Spiritual Power blocking his path. Not daring to confront it, he turned and flew towards a vast courtyard, disappearing among the buildings. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Almost at the moment Xiang Beifei had fled, numerous powerful figures appeared in the air, landing beside the young man. Each of these individuals had an extraordinary aura, led by several older men with flying beards, looking like immortal elders, vigorous and spirited, but now with solemn expressions. "Jing Hong, what happened?" an elder in a gray Daoist robe asked in a deep voice. The young man, addressed as Jing Hong, immediately responded respectfully, "To the elders, just now, an intruder destroyed our Formation Stone of the Floating Immortal Isles! Look!" Jing Hong pointed to the stone that Xiang Beifei had shattered. The elder in the gray robe said, "Each Formation Stone of the Floating Immortal Isles is interconnected, with very powerful defenses. To just destroy one is not easy..." But as his gaze fell on the destroyed stone, his expression changed drastically, exclaiming, "How is this possible? Even someone in the late stages of Heavenly Connection shouldn''t be able to destroy a Formation Stone!" The Formation between each stone was integral, solid as rock. Attempting to destroy one would face the full resistance of the Formation, making it practically impossible for ordinary people to break one. Yet this Formation Stone had been shattered just like that! Among the crowd, a tall middle-aged man wearing a purple-gold crown stepped forward, appearing beside the broken stone. This man had a robust and upright stature, an impressive demeanor, and an extremely deep and restrained aura, making it difficult to gauge his strength. He carefully examined the shattered stone, his expression growing more serious. "This is a very strange type of Spiritual Power, never seen before. This force seems to have blocked and cut off other spiritual energies of the Formation, then destroyed this stone," the middle-aged man observed sharply, having spotted how Xiang Beifei had demolished the stone. "Who would possess such formidable capabilities that could block and cut off the Formation of our Floating Immortal Isles?" the elder in the gray robe exclaimed in surprise. "Jing Hong, where did the intruder go now?" the middle-aged man turned and inquired. Feeling the gravity of the situation, a person capable of destroying a Formation Stone was not ordinary! "Sect Leader, just after I sent the signal, he immediately fled with great speed. I couldn''t stop him!" Jing Hong said. "I''ve sealed the Floating Immortal Isles, so he might still be inside!" A horrifying Orifice Perception swept out from the middle-aged man, scanning the area in search of Xiang Beifei. His Perception was like a vast ocean, flooding into every corner of the Floating Immortal Isles; no living creature on the island could escape his detection. Chapter 744 - 544 Floating Immortal Isles (4000 words)_2 But very soon, his expression grew increasingly astonished. "No one?" Orifice Perception had searched every nook and cranny of this Floating Immortal Isle, but surprisingly, no one was found? He had actually let him escape! "Send the order, lock down the entire Floating Immortal Isles, and enter alert status," the middle-aged man said with a heavy voice. "Yes!" All the people responded in unison, leaving with serious expressions. The middle-aged man looked at the broken Formation Stone, lost in thought. ¡ª¡ª Xiang Beifei was hiding inside a large tree, where Erha had created a vacuum and then healed the tree without any damage. He then used his black and white Orifice Perception to protect himself, restoring the tree to its normal appearance. When that terrifying Perception had probed just now, it had nearly discovered him. This floating isle was equipped with a very powerful Formation, which basically linked all things together, including the trees. Any slight variation in the Formation would cause fluctuations. Fortunately, Xiang Beifei relied on a brick and his own black and white Spiritual Power to infiltrate the Formation within the tree and then swiftly restore normality. The other party probably didn''t expect Xiang Beifei to hide inside the tree. The abnormality of the tree was not detected, as the Orifice Perception merely rippled over it without lingering too much. "That was close." The Perception just now was so strong that even he wasn''t sure whether he could evade it. He had used his powerful spiritual power to hide himself, yet he was still seen by that young man. And that young man wasn''t even as strong as him! Not to mention the master of that powerful Orifice Perception. There was definitely something strange about this place. "Owo?" Erha inquired. "I don''t know how I got here either, it was just touching that ring, maybe the ring signifies something," Xiang Beifei speculated. It seemed that the ring had transported him to this place. If the ring had induced an illusion, that would be one thing, but what was weird was that he was actually able to fight with the other person and even alert them. This didn''t seem like something an illusion could achieve. For now, they were trapped here with no better way out. They could only hide in the tree for a while to avoid the immediate danger and think about how to leave the isle. The Floating Immortal Isles seemed to have entered a state of alert, as everyone was searching for the intruder. To find Xiang Beifei, the "Yi Tribes'' insider," they searched for two whole days, leaving no stone unturned. During this time, they even came to inspect Xiang Beifei''s hiding spot¡ªthe tree¡ªto check whether it was still part of the Formation. After confirming that it was still connected, they left, for there were thousands of trees on the island, and they couldn''t possibly focus only on this one. But during these two days, Xiang Beifei wasn''t just hiding. He sent Xiaohei out to gather information. Fortunately, Xiaohei''s ability to become invisible was still unbeatable, allowing it to roam everywhere without being detected, as long as it was careful not to disturb the Formation. Xiang Beifei also relied on his own Perception to stealthily eavesdrop on conversations outside. Many people went back and forth, discussing the search. Piecing together bits of conversation with Xiaohei''s intelligence, he finally got a preliminary grasp of the place. This was a sect of immortal cultivators named the Floating Immortal Sect, located on eight massive floating isles which they called the Floating Immortal Isles. At this moment, Xiang Beifei was on one of them, which seemed to be the main isle. The Floating Immortal Isles were full of powerful cultivators who also called themselves Daoists. The sect was teeming with masters. Leaving aside those with relatively lower strength, just within these few days, Xiang Beifei had perceived three hundred twenty-one experts in the orifice transforming stage, sixty-three in the Heavenly Connection realm, and their Sect Leader¡ªDaoist Qingyang¡ªwas an expert in the Immortal Realm! But that was just the number of masters on one isle. Because an intruder had been detected here, many masters had specifically come from other isles. With a total of eight isles, multiplying the number of the orifice transforming and Heavenly Connection realm experts by a few times was not an unreasonable estimate by Xiang Beifei! Beneath the Floating Immortal Isles was a large Human Race country named Hanxia. Hanxia Kingdom was inhabited by countless ordinary humans, most of whom were ordinary people without cultivation. The Floating Immortal Isles'' immortals protected Hanxia Kingdom. In this vast wilderness, numerous Yi Tribes would invade Hanxia Kingdom. It was the duty of the Floating Immortal Sect to resist the Yi Tribes and protect the people of Hanxia. As for what "Yi Tribe" meant, Xiang Beifei was not entirely sure. Over these past two days of hiding, everyone had been searching for him as a member of the "Yi Tribe," but he was not quite clear on why he was called a "Yi Tribe." Was it simply because he was wearing clothes completely different from those of these ancient people? "The Human Race of this place is actually also this strong," Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but think to himself. Overall, it seemed that the strength of the Floating Immortal Isles was about the same as that of Jiuzhou, perhaps even stronger. Jiuzhou also had many Orifice Transforming stage experts, probably in the thousands, while there were fewer Heavenly Connection realm masters, roughly fifty to sixty people, mostly in the alliance and elite universities. But there were no Immortal Realm masters in Jiuzhou¡ª Strictly speaking, there might be one, if the amnesic Xiang Qingde could be counted. The similarity in strength scale between this ancient immortal sect and Jiuzhou greatly surprised Xiang Beifei. Other than these people''s ancient clothing, behavior, and etiquette, as well as the lack of a system, relying solely on self-cultivation, many things were very similar to the people of Jiuzhou. He had also not expected to encounter such a strange place in the foreign wilderness. Xiang Beifei really wanted to go out and ask, but considering he had inexplicably become a fugitive, and with so many experts outside, he was certain he wouldn''t be able to clear things up if he did go out, so he opted to cultivate within the tree and wait for the situation to die down before venturing out. However, he didn''t have to wait long. On the fourth day of hiding in the tree, the outside suddenly became very noisy, as if something important had happened. "Quick! Block them off!" "How did the Yi Tribe get in here?" "It must be that Yi Tribe spy who sneaked in the other day causing trouble; we can''t let them destroy us Hanxia Human Race!" Countless cultivators were shouting in alarm and anger, intense Spiritual Power fluctuations spreading to every corner of the isle; it was as if there was a huge impact from outside, the whole isle rumbling, even the ground trembling. "Qingyang, you Hanxia Human Race have violated the Heavenly Dao, insulted the Heavenly Might, the deities are outraged, and we are here on behalf of the Heavenly God to punish you!" A gloomy voice rolled in like muffled thunder, deafening, echoing through the skies, resounding in every corner of the Floating Immortal Isles. "How dare you! Eternal Night, you Yi Tribe are seeking death!" The dignified voice of Daoist Qingyang, the Sect Leader of the Floating Immortal Sect, also rose to the heavens, breaking the clouds above the Floating Immortal Isles, a terrifying pressure spreading to every corner of the Isle. Boom! Boom! Boom! Two powerful auras collided in the sky, the explosive impact causing the massive Floating Immortal Isles to shake. But at that moment, seven or eight powerful pressures suddenly burst forth in the sky, trembling like thunder, striking towards Daoist Qingyang''s momentum. His momentum became unstable at once, and the previously immensely powerful Formation of the Floating Immortal Isles shook violently, trembling fiercely again. "It seems you hold me, Qingyang, in high regard, mobilizing such a grand force!" The voice of Daoist Qingyang was full of anger. "Hahaha! Qingyang, the Human Race has violated the Heavenly Dao, we of the Moon God Race are commanded by the heavens, specifically here to carry out the Heavenly Dao!" A chilling laughter spread ominously across the entire sky. "What audacity to ''carry out the Heavenly Dao''! How many races have you, a group only capable of destruction, annihilated under the pretense of carrying out the Heavenly Dao! If you desire the Dao embryo, just say it outright, why beat around the bush!" Qingyang shouted angrily. "Human Race, you are the next race that needs to face justice! Enough talk, hand over the Dao embryo!" "We''ll have to see if you have the ability!" Boom! Boom! Boom! The terrifying auras intertwined again in the sky, shaking the heavens and the earth, causing the Formation of the Floating Immortal Isles to start cracking, with the sound of snaps and cracks. Countless trees and buildings collapsed, and the tree where Xiang Beifei had been hiding also shattered, forcing him to burrow out. Chapter 745 - 545 Battle (4000 words) Xiang Beifei had just emerged from the trees when the battle outside seemed to have already begun. Many people on Floating Immortal Isles had rushed out. Those with high strength had gone outside to resist the powerful enemies, while those with lower strength had gone below to rescue the civilians. No one had time to pay attention to him anymore. He dusted himself off and looked outside. Beyond Floating Immortal Isles, it seemed to have become very chaotic. The sky was no longer filled with drifting white clouds and faint immortal aura but was covered with dense dark clouds. Powerful spiritual power stirred within the clouds, creating vortex after vortex, with purple lightning continuously flashing, shrouding the air with a layer of gloom. In order not to draw attention to his unusual attire, he ran into a room and found a similar set of clothes to put on, dressing in an old-fashioned manner, before he blended into the crowd and flew towards the outside. As soon as he left Floating Immortal Isles, Xiang Beifei realized that the scene in front of him was one of devastation. Various shapes and colors of desolate beasts filled the sky, most of which were beings very familiar to Xiang Beifei. Ugly monsters with yellow meat wings, together with a sky full of black demon tentacles, continuously attacked the humans holding swords. Meat-Winged Monsters and Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage! "These creatures!" Xiang Beifei slightly furrowed his brow. When he had heard the words "Eternal Night" earlier, he realized that it was the "Eternal Night Sovereign" who had made a pact with Huangquan. He hadn''t expected these ugly creatures to come here. Boom! Boom! Boom! The cities of Hanxia Kingdom were shrouded in smoke, with many innocent people wailing and screaming. Facing the Yi Tribe, they were completely helpless and terrified. They were just ordinary people who could only watch as the Meat-Winged Monsters'' springs of the netherworld submerged houses, devouring them whole. The tentacles of the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage wreaked havoc in the towns within the city, destroying one house after another. Calls for help from humans were heard everywhere. The cultivators of Floating Immortal Sect did their best to combat these Meat-Winged Monsters and tentacle monsters, while also trying to rescue the ordinary people. However, due to their divided attention, many cultivators were pierced through the body by sudden tentacle attacks, then torn apart, dying at the hands of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. The battle was extremely fierce, with flesh and blood flying everywhere. Many Meat-Winged Monsters and Ghost Mustaches of Remnant Visage were also killed, but not nearly as many as the defenseless civilians. In the distance, two Demon Gods were terrifying to the extreme. A yellow aura stretched for thousands of miles, covering the entire sky, radiating an astonishingly powerful aura. On the other side was a horrifying red tentacle mass, like a massive monster with countless octopus legs, encircling another part of the sky. Daoist Qingyang, the head of the Floating Immortal Sect, stood there alone, facing the two Demon Gods. He wielded only a sword, his figure slim, his face resolute. The most powerful person of the Hanxia human race was only him, and no one else could intervene in that battlefield. Three cultivators of the Immortal Realm! At that moment, Daoist Qingyang had a shocking wound on his chest, having obviously already exchanged blows. Facing the two Demon Gods, he had suffered a setback, but the auras of Eternal Night Sovereign and Demon Tentacle King were also greatly disturbed, having gained no advantage. "Woof?" Xiaohei turned its head and asked if they should go help. Erha also couldn''t wait to have a fight with these creatures. Xiang Beifei was silent for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "Perhaps we cannot change anything." From a distance, he had noticed Daoist Qingyang''s familiar sword, as well as the hand that grasped the sword. On the ring finger of his right hand, he wore a stone ring! It was the person with a face smeared in blood whom he had first met in the ruins of the island! Xiang Beifei could not be certain what his arrival here meant, whether it was an illusion or a memory of the past of Floating Immortal Isles. But he clearly knew, whether it had once been a relic of the human race or not, Hanxia Kingdom and Floating Immortal Sect had been destroyed, leaving nothing but bones buried in yellow sand, a sinking wasteland. If he was just entering a past illusion now, then it would be useless to take action. It would be unwise to put his energy into an illusion of the past. Seeing those defenseless humans being slaughtered by Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage and Meat-Winged Monsters truly pained his heart. After all, he was human, and no matter what, these were his own race, being slaughtered like livestock, which made him involuntarily clench his fists. Still, he took a deep breath and reminded himself not to act impulsively. He could not save these people, because the outcome had already been decided. Even if he wanted to avenge these people, he had to aim to kill the real Meat-Winged Monsters and Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. This was a battle of uneven strength. The human race''s combat power was actually very strong, but the battle power of the Meat-Winged Monsters and Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage was not weak at all. Clearly well-prepared, they somehow breached the defenses of Hanxia Kingdom, invading and massacring the unarmed civilians, catching all the cultivators of Floating Immortal Sect off guard. The battle was brutal, with the stench of blood permeating the air, swords shining, and spiritual power sweeping. The clash between Daoist Qingyang and the two Demon Gods was the focus of the battlefield. All members of Floating Immortal Sect were aware that their master was the key to this battle. Only if Daoist Qingyang could defeat Demon Tentacle King and Eternal Night Sovereign could he save the entire Hanxia Kingdom. "Qingyang, hand over the Dao embryo of your human race, and I can grant you a swift end," Eternal Night Sovereign gestured, and a sky full of netherworld water mixed with a ghastly corrosive aura pressed down towards Daoist Qingyang. Chapter 746 - 545 Battle (4000 words)_2 Daoist Qingyang brandished his long sword fearlessly, his Sword Intent fierce as a divine rainbow, slicing through the Netherworld Water Curtain. However, the red Demon Tentacles from above thundered down, blocking Daoist Qingyang''s Sword Qi. The tentacles were as hard as steel, matching Daoist Qingyang''s strength. Boom! An explosion erupted from within the waters of the Netherworld, as countless monstrous creatures struggled and burst forth, lunging at Daoist Qingyang. But with just a cold shout, a divine light spread from his body, transforming into mysterious ripples that completely shattered the creatures. Daoist Qingyang pushed out a palm in return; the palm wind turned into a massive force, like a great mountain crashing down on the monsters, suppressing them all. Facing two adversaries, he was by no means weaker, truly a formidable force to be reckoned with. "What exactly is a Dao embryo?" Xiang Beifei was very puzzled. He did not understand the meaning of Dao embryo, but the Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage and the Meat-Winged Monster clearly aimed to usurp it under the guise of enforcing justice. How important could this thing be to the Yi Tribe? But the battle situation grew increasingly tragic, and the Human Race was on the verge of collapse. Countless people were slain, and the remaining cultivators retreated, bringing the survivors toward the Floating Immortal Isles, which now served as their last line of defense. The commoners without cultivation were trembling on the Floating Immortal Isles. Originally a domain of immortals, a place they would never dream of setting foot in, yet their first visit unfolded amid the survival crisis of the Human Race. "Qingde, activate the Floating Immortal Formation! Protect everyone!" Daoist Qingyang turned and shouted. Amidst the battlefield, one person bravely charged out. With a wave of his hand, he tore three Demon Tentacles of Heavenly Connection realm to shreds, anxiously looking towards Daoist Qingyang. "Senior brother! Could it be that you¡ª" "I''ll hold them back, protect everyone! Protect the Dao embryo! It''s the hope of the Human Race, it must not fall into the hands of the Yi Tribe!" Daoist Qingyang shouted. With gritted teeth, the man once again raised his sword, smashing two Meat-Winged Monsters, and charged toward the Floating Immortal Isles. Xiang Beifei paused for a moment when he saw the stone sword in the man''s hand! Why did that stone sword look so familiar? He glanced at the broken Wufeng sword in his own hand, then at the intact stone sword of the other person, taking in a sharp breath before looking at the sword''s owner. The man had an extraordinary bearing, appeared to be in his thirties, and was exceptionally handsome. On closer inspection, his features bore a seven parts resemblance to Xiang Beifei''s own. Then, Xiang Beifei realized¡ªwas that his grandfather in his younger days? Xiang Beifei hadn''t recognized his grandfather initially; the difference between the aged, white-haired old man and a young man was too stark. He had never before imagined what his grandfather might have looked like in his youth. But why was his grandfather here? Xiang Beifei had no time to think further because Daoist Qingde rushed into the ruins, lifting seven or eight people who still breathed and flying toward the Floating Immortal Isles. Meanwhile, the eight Floating Immortal Isles had already begun to move, emanating intense Formation fluctuations. Golden lights shone forth from the eight isles, interlinking with one another, preparing to seal off the Floating Immortal Isles. Other Meat-Winged Monsters and Ghostly Visages approached the Floating Immortal Isles, attempting to overrun them. But the cultivators on the isles fought valiantly at the edges to fend off these invaders. Waves of foul-smelling Netherworld water engulfed person after person, yet the cultivators fought back without fear, defending their last inch of territory. Xiang Beifei saw a Ghostly Visage snatch away a cultivator in the God Refining stage. He slapped the Ghostly Visage to pieces, saving the cultivator, and then withdrew to the Floating Immortal Isles. "Thank you!" The young, pale-faced cultivator who bore invisible wounds expressed his gratitude to Xiang Beifei. Xiang Beifei shook his head slightly; unsure if saving people now was the right choice, but there was no time for doubt¡ªthe most pressing matter was to figure out this "Daoist Qingde" situation. He had a feeling the answer he had sought for so long might be found here. The young man did not concern himself with why Xiang Beifei seemed unfamiliar; the scene was too chaotic with so many people around. As long as Xiang Beifei wasn''t dressed in modern clothing, no one paid him any extra attention. Xiang Beifei wove through the crowd, running towards Daoist Qingde and soon arrived in front of the grand hall on the main isle of the Floating Immortal Isles. At that moment, Daoist Qingde was hovering mid-air, hands interwoven, rotating and releasing golden Formation patterns from his palms. These patterns linked the eight Floating Immortal Isles together, creating an Eight Trigrams pattern resembling unbreakable Bagua defenses. Golden ripples appeared and spread out, firmly protecting the eight isles. The Ghost Whiskers and Meat-Winged Monsters were kept outside the isles, unwilling to give up easily. They gathered formidable Spiritual Power, bombarding the defenses, trying to breach them. And within the island, numerous Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage and Meat-Winged Monsters were still wantonly slaughtering humans; many people had been disemboweled and met their fate at the hands of these Yi Trib creatures. "Kill all the Yi Trib on the island!" Daoist Qingde commanded. "Kill!" Human Race cultivators, in order to protect their people, roared with rage, their Sword Qi sharp and their brilliance covering the sky, fighting to the death against these Yi Trib invaders. But there were too many Meat-Winged Monsters and Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage on the island, with dozens of them at the Heavenly Connection level. Seeing that Daoist Qingde had sealed off the Floating Immortal Isles, they immediately gathered their Spiritual Power and launched a fierce attack on Daoist Qingde. Other Heavenly Connection elders rushed forward, blocking these Ghost Whiskers of Remnant Visage, but three managed to break through the other elders'' defenses and charged at Daoist Qingde, who was maintaining the formation. Pu-chi! Daoist Qingde had to maintain the Eight Trigrams Array and couldn''t dodge; his back was eroded by Netherworld Water, creating a deep wound exposing bone, and he couldn''t help but spit out a mouthful of fresh blood. At that moment, he seemed to be only at the Heavenly Connection level of cultivation; facing two opponents of the same realm was by no means an easy feat. "Daoist Qingde, you might as well die!" A Heavenly Connection level Ghost Whisker of Remnant Visage sneered with sinister glee, its body surrounded by strong, red Demon Tentacles as it surged toward Daoist Qingde again. "Damn beast!" Xiang Beifei rushed over hastily. Although deep down he knew he might not change anything, when it came to his grandfather, he still decided to take action. Since he could converse with the people here, perhaps he could learn some things about the past. The air was filled with the pungent odor of Netherworld Water. Xiang Beifei waved his Wufeng broken sword, splitting a Meat-Winged Monster in half, then immediately turned towards the formation of the Floating Immortal Isles. In recent days, he had not been idle and had continuously studied formations, looking for a quiet way to leave. He understood the construction features of the Floating Immortal Isles'' formation. Presently, he took out two bricks and struck them together! Dong! With a muffled sound, golden formation patterns surged rapidly, spreading out like a spiderweb, adhering to the formation. Then, utilizing the formation''s propagation, it surged towards where Daoist Qingde was. Daoist Qingde knew he could not let go, otherwise the Floating Immortal Isles'' formation would collapse directly, and the situation would worsen if the outside Yi Trib charged in again. He initially planned to withstand the blow, but at that instant, the golden formation patterns spread rapidly, attaching to his hands. "What is this..." Daoist Qingde was taken aback. Hum! Daoist Qingde found the formation patterns being forcefully reinforced, as if a powerful presence was aiding him. He thought it might be Daoist Qingyang, but Daoist Qingyang was still fighting two Demon Gods outside; it was not him. So where did this powerful formation come from? Without time to ponder, seeing the Floating Immortal Isles'' formation reinforced meant he didn''t need to withstand the attack. He turned around and reached into the air, pulling out the Wufeng stone sword from midair and slashing at the sweeping red tentacles! Crack! The Heavenly Connection level red tentacles shattered on contact, turning into dust. "Those who offend Hanxia shall be killed without mercy!" Daoist Qingde growled, his fierce and formidable aura vibrating through the air. He thrust his Wufeng stone sword out plainly, without any superfluous flair. However, the Heavenly Connection level red Ghost Whisker of Remnant Visage was horror-struck, overcome by the edge of the Wufeng sword''s aura. Crack! Crack! Crack! The red tentacles on that Ghost Whisker of Remnant Visage each cracked like porcelain and burst into powder with a bang! Heavenly Connection late-stage Ghost Whisker of Remnant Visage, slain with a single sword strike! Chapter 747 - 546: Defense Battle (4000 words) Enraged, Daoist Qingde displayed a terrifying level of strength. After killing one of the Ghostly Visage Ghost Whiskers, the other two Heavenly Connection realm Ghostly Visage Ghost Whiskers and Meat-Winged Monster were greatly shocked and realized this man should not be provoked. They immediately joined forces to confront Daoist Qingde. Yet, with his Wufeng stone sword, Daoist Qingde was able to suppress these two creatures from the Yi Tribe. At this time, on the other side, two Heavenly Connection realm elders from the Human Race were ambushed by four Meat-Winged Monsters, screaming in horror as they were entangled by Netherworld creatures and dragged into the river of souls, meeting their demise at once! After killing the two human experts, the four Heavenly Connection realm Meat-Winged Monsters immediately turned their attention to Daoist Qingde. Not only that, the two Human Race elders who perished in the Netherworld water transformed into Netherworld beasts with immense strength. Gradually losing their sanity, they began to wreak havoc on their own kind. Suddenly, Daoist Qingde found himself besieged by eight Heavenly Connection realm experts. Even with his late-stage Heavenly Connection realm ability, he soon began to falter, retreating step by step under the onslaught. Boom! Boom! Red tentacles and Netherworld water twisted in the air, encircling Daoist Qingde. These monsters collaborated closely, creating spiritual power fluctuations that were truly terrifying. In the heart of the island, Daoist Qingde knew he had to ensure his fight with these monsters wouldn''t affect everyone else; thus, he controlled his Spiritual Power, which made him even more constrained in battle. Whoosh! Seven or eight powerful Netherworld beasts roared and lunged at Daoist Qingde, engaging in a fight to the death since they had already died once and feared nothing. Even as the Wufeng stone sword slew them, the creatures behind fearlessly pressed on. The stone sword in Daoist Qingde''s hand flashed with a green gleam as Sword Qi slashed everywhere. Below was the island where countless humans were locked in combat with the remaining Yi Tribe. He could completely eliminate the Netherworld beasts before him with a full-force strike, but those people below would be caught in the crossfire. Left with no choice, he directed the edge of his sword elsewhere, giving another Ghostly Visage Ghost Whiskers the chance to strike. Its red tentacles, strong as iron, slammed into Daoist Qingde. Splurt! Daoist Qingde''s ribs broke in several places, his blood pouring freely. Clenching his teeth, he was suddenly pounced upon from behind by another Netherworld beast, which bared its sharp teeth at Daoist Qingde''s neck. But at that moment, golden Formation patterns surged upwards, blocking the creature. As the beast''s fanged teeth touched the golden Formation, the patterns rapidly spread across its body, causing its bite to pause momentarily. This beast was of the Heavenly Connection realm and stronger than Xiang Beifei; it immediately began to resist this binding power. However, it gave Daoist Qingde the chance to react. With a sweep of Wufeng, the Netherworld beast was cleaved into dust. "I''ve got your back!" Xiang Beifei''s voice rang out beside Daoist Qingde''s ear, and soon after, the Formation of the Floating Immortal Isles, carrying golden patterns, appeared in front of them, separating their battleground so the spiritual power of the fight would not reach the people below. Surprise flickered in Daoist Qingde''s eyes as he now saw Xiang Beifei holding a brick, astonished by his abilities. However, without time to ponder further, his spirits lifted, and the Sword Qi of Wufeng surged anew! Hum! Daoist Qingde once again shattered a Netherworld beast, the scattering Sword Qi spreading towards the crowd below, but soon, golden Formation patterns swirled in the air catching these strands. The power of the late-stage Heavenly Connection realm was formidable. Even the residual waves of Sword Qi were formidable, and not even the brick''s golden Formation could completely withstand them. Nonetheless, the Formation weakened their might, which then fell onto a mass of black and white Spiritual Power that went on to further dissolve the Sword Qi. By the time the Sword Qi passed through the black and white Spiritual Power, its dispersal had weakened to nothing more than a strong breeze, harmless to the people below. "Unleash your full strength!" shouted Xiang Beifei. Confident that Xiang Beifei could handle the residual Sword Qi, Daoist Qingde''s eyes brightened. No longer holding back, his expression filled with murderous intent, he lunged at one of the Meat-Winged Monsters! Rustle! Another Meat-Winged Monster was torn apart and devoured by its own Netherworld water! Once Daoist Qingde could fight unhindered, his momentum surged, and he began to turn the tide against the eight or nine Heavenly Connection realm experts. "Incredible!" Xiang Beifei couldn''t help but inwardly exclaim as he watched Daoist Qingde fight more and more valiantly. Such a battle was beyond his current level of Cultivation; he could only rely on Daoist Qingde himself to resolve it. Yet after a moment''s consideration, he turned his gaze to other Meat-Winged Monsters and Ghostly Visage Ghost Whiskers elsewhere on the island. Numerous Yi Tribe members remained on the island, striking without restraint to annihilate the Human Race, but the Cultivators had to protect their people, thus fighting with their hands tied and suffering heavy casualties. Xiang Beifei immediately began manipulating his black and white Spiritual Power to attempt to transform the Sword Qi overflow from Daoist Qingde. Counter-strike! The Cultivation Technique taught to him by Professor Guo was modified by his black and white Spiritual Power, and put into full effect. The stray Sword Qi was potent; a complete counter-strike was impractical. Therefore, he filtered a portion of the lethal intent with his black and white Spiritual Power to the extent that he could bear, then used the flow of Spiritual Power to start converting it into his own offensive might. Chapter 748 - 546 Defense Battle (4000 words)_2 When Daoist Qingde''s Sword Qi reached a limit in its circulation, he immediately redirected the Sword Qi back out! Below, a mid-stage orifice transforming Meat-Winged Monster was cackling sinisterly, surrounding two human race experts of the same realm; both were mid-stage orifice transforming elders, already very powerful. However, having sold themselves as slaves to the underworld, these creatures gained strength beyond their realm by utilizing the waters of the underworld. Thus, a mid-stage orifice transforming Meat-Winged Monster was equivalent to a late-stage orifice transforming master, thrashing the two human masters terribly. Both were elderly warriors from the Floating Immortal Sect, their hair white as snow, with vast combat experience. Unfortunately, their strength was still not enough, and one of the elders even had his arm torn off. "Die!" The Meat-Winged Monster laughed triumphantly, controlling the underworld creatures, and grabbed the two elders from the Floating Immortal Sect, intending to tear them apart. But just then, a powerful Sword Qi swept through the air! Whoosh! The head of the Meat-Winged Monster flew off, tracing an arc through the air, constantly rotating, with a smile still on its face, but a hint of shock appeared in its eyes, not understanding why its head had flown off. The underworld creatures, initially about to tear apart the elders, suddenly lost control and immediately turned their attention to the headless Meat-Winged Monster. To them, devouring the master that controlled them was clearly more tempting than tearing apart a human, so all the underworld creatures rushed toward the headless Meat-Winged Monster. The two elders from the Floating Immortal Sect, having narrowly escaped death, looked at the headless Meat-Winged Monster being revolted by the underworld creatures, feeling fortunate but also wondering who had saved them. Without hesitation, they immediately swung their swords and attacked the out-of-control underworld creatures, aiming to destroy them while they were fighting amongst themselves. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! In the skies above the Floating Immortal Isles, Daoist Qingde was using all his might to duel with a Heavenly Connection realm monster, while below, Xiang Beifei utilized the redirected Sword Qi that spilled out to strike at other Meat-Winged Monsters and Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. Daiost Qingde, a late-stage Heavenly Connection realm cultivator, was an extremely strong practitioner. Although the qi that spilled from him was ineffective against experts of the Heavenly Connection realm, it was lethal for Meat-Winged Monsters and Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage in the orifice transforming realm and below! Especially those in the God Refining and Meridian Opening stages of the Yi Tribe, merely getting grazed by a bit of Qingde''s leaked Sword Qi would obliterate them! As Qingde dealt with other Heavenly Connection realm adversaries of the Yi Tribe, Xiang Beifei recycled his leaked Sword Qi, precisely guiding and striking, immediately annihilating a large group of Meat-Winged Monsters and Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. The Wooden Kirin and Xiaohei also charged out, joining the battlefield. Erha, now stepping into the orifice transforming phase, had his strength greatly enhanced, wielding his large tail like a fly swatter in the air, with a series of slaps! With each slap precise, more flexible than the tentacles of Ghost Mustache of Remnant Visage. Since this wasn''t a mound, Xiaohei couldn''t use mound spirits to combat these creatures, but that didn''t stop Xiaohei from riding atop Erha''s head, barking encouragements. After barking twice, Xiaohei remembered his thick skin and flesh, not afraid of the corrosive underworld water, then boldly barked loudly, charging into the underworld waters to fight the underworld creatures. Bang! Bang! Bang! Inside the underworld waters, Xiaohei, like a wolf among sheep, a plague descending, made the normally ferocious underworld creatures inexplicably fear him. Xiaohei wildly bit at them in the waters, causing them to panic and become utterly disorganized. And with the underworld creatures in disarray, the strength of the Meat-Winged Monsters was greatly reduced. Meanwhile, the cultivators seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack! Crack! Crack! Many Meat-Winged Monsters were immediately slain by the cultivators! The Meat-Winged Monsters relied on the netherworld water''s enhancement to exhibit strength beyond their own realm, so they specifically targeted opponents within their realm, allowing them to outnumber and dominate. However, once the netherworld creatures lost control, their strength reverted, and they were essentially getting beaten up. As long as Xiaohei dived into the netherworld water controlled by any Meat-Winged Monster, the creatures in the water would go into disarray, leading to more and more Meat-Winged Monsters being taken down by the cultivators. Apart from the netherworld creatures, there were also several extremely troublesome Ghost Whiskers. With dense tentacles that just kept regenerating no matter how many were cut off, it''s tough to handle them. But fortunately, as the number of Meat-Winged Monsters sharply decreased, more cultivators became available to tackle the Ghost Whiskers. With Xiaohei''s covert operations against the netherworld creatures, Xiang Beifei focused all his energy on the Ghost Whiskers. Dealing with these tentacled beasts was his area of expertise, and he didn''t even need mound spirits, just overpowered them directly with Sword Qi! Bang! Bang! Bang! Another large batch of Ghost Whiskers was wiped out by Xiang Beifei, and the situation on the island gradually turned in his favor. Above, Daoist Qingde and the remaining Heavenly Connection Realm warriors of the Yi Tribe were fiercely battling. Although they had the upper hand, the Meat-Winged Monsters and Ghost Whiskers were resisting stubbornly like cockroaches. "Xiaohei, go help!" Xiang Beifei shouted. "Woof!" Xiaohei was busy biting off a netherworld monster''s nose in a pool of netherworld water, and the creature didn''t even dare to resist. Upon hearing the command, Xiaohei bit off the monster''s nose and leaped out, dashing towards the battlefield above. Nobody noticed a white little ghost head flashing across the sky, not even those Heavenly Connection Realm Meat-Winged Monsters and Ghost Whiskers. Daoist Qingde was locked in combat with waves of netherworld creatures. These creatures were formidable, and under the Meat-Winged Monsters'' command, they were not easily killed by Daoist Qingde. All the netherworld creatures had learned to cooperate; they fought closely together. Even if one was smashed to bits, another would immediately shield it. At that moment, Xiaohei bared his teeth as he emerged. The strong fluctuations of Spiritual Power in the air prevented Xiaohei from getting close. Xiang Beifei immediately directed the golden formations towards a Meat-Winged Monster. The Heavenly Connection Realm Meat-Winged Monster was clearly unafraid of these golden formations, forcibly smashing through the golden patterns with its own strength. But Xiaohei took advantage of the situation, leaping from the golden formation into the netherworld water and charging at those netherworld creatures. The netherworld monsters, originally fiercely surrounding Daoist Qingde, suddenly felt something amiss and turned their heads. "Woof!" Xiaohei let out a milky bark! The sound, though akin to a whining puppy, struck the netherworld monsters like a dull thunder, making them involuntarily shudder. Xiaohei pounced, frightening the netherworld monsters so much that they no longer cared about attacking Daoist Qingde and turned to flee. This sudden turn stunned the Meat-Winged Monsters controlling the netherworld creatures. They didn''t even understand what was happening or why their netherworld monsters were suddenly out of control. But Daoist Qingde didn''t give the Meat-Winged Monsters time to react. Seizing the moment he noticed the anomaly, he immediately took his chance with a sword strike, cleaving four Meat-Winged Monsters apart! With the Meat-Winged Monsters slain, the strength of the Heavenly Connection Realm Ghost Whiskers on the other side instantly diminished. They were no match for Daoist Qingde who, with his overwhelming strength, eradicated the remaining Ghost Whiskers in moments. All the Ghost Whiskers and Meat-Winged Monsters on the Floating Immortal Isles had been utterly annihilated. Yet, outside, countless more Meat-Winged Monsters and Ghost Whiskers were eagerly attacking, attempting to break through the defense of the eight Floating Immortal Isles. However, the islands'' formations, flickering with golden patterns, acted like a solid barrier keeping the dangers at bay. These formations protected the Floating Immortal Isles, the last refuge of the Hanxia Human Race. Xiang Beifei also breathed a sigh of relief, sitting down on a stone to rest, as the dispersed Sword Qi from earlier had exhausted him. However, it wasn''t long before Daoist Qingde had already landed in front of him, staring at him intently.