The longer they dragged this out, the more prepared they would be.

If he stuck to his usual routine of clocking in and out, he could also create an opportunity for them.

If Long Yan didn’t make a move, everyone else was just cannon fodder.

Of course, it didn’t matter if they managed to restrain themselves.

Even if they stalled for time, it was more beneficial for Shen Bai.

After all, his power was growing much faster.

With that in mind, Shen Bai left the second floor of his small house and headed for the Martial Arts Arena.

’My Spirit Casting Technique is almost Level 4. Soon I’ll be able to get all my skills to Level 4 or higher.’

Thinking this, Shen Bai pushed open the doors to the Martial Arts Arena and walked inside.

Without any fuss, Shen Bai used the equipment he had prepared at the blacksmith’s forge and began to grind.

Before long, the entire room was filled with the CLANGING and BANGING of his hammering.

The Skill Level for his Spirit Casting Technique was also increasing at a visible rate.

...

Time passed gradually, and it wasn’t until dusk was about to fall that Shen Bai emerged from the Martial Arts Arena.

He stretched and happened to run into Huang Guang and Kong Fang as they were getting off work.

They had their arms around each other’s shoulders, clearly on their way to the Music Bureau for some fun.

They greeted Shen Bai when they saw him.

"Lord Shen, want to come with us? My treat today."

Shen Bai shook his head. "I’ve got a tight schedule with my missions lately. You two should try not to wear yourselves out."

Kong Fang nodded and chuckled. "Just looking, not touching. We’ll be fine."

With that, the two of them left the Observatory.

Shen Bai watched their retreating figures and shook his head.

A familiar line of smoke appeared before his eyes.

After the smoke appeared, it condensed into text that floated in mid-air.

[Spirit Casting Technique Level 4 (Casting +8, Fault Tolerance +8, Commander +8, Soul Absorption +8): 0/10000]

By the time the smoke before him appeared and then vanished, Shen Bai had completely mastered the skill. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Shen Bai opened his eyes and looked at Cold Moon hanging at his waist, a hint of pleasant surprise in his gaze.

’This Attribute is interesting.’

After reaching Level 4, the Spirit Casting Technique not only doubled its previous Attributes but also added a new one: Soul Absorption.

The so-called Soul Absorption didn’t require him to re-forge Cold Moon. Instead, when Shen Bai used Cold Moon, he could absorb Qi from his opponent’s body.

Of course, there was one prerequisite: he had to make contact with the opponent.

The definition of "contact" was quite broad.

When Shen Bai unleashed his Sword Qi, as long as the opponent moved to disperse it, he could absorb their Qi as subtly as a silent drizzle.

It was a combat Attribute, just like the Commander Attribute from before.

And Shen Bai could use the Qi he absorbed for himself.

It was, in a sense, a method of recovery during battle.

’This means that as long as I use the Anti-Demon Blood Sword Dance, I can drastically reduce my Qi consumption,’ Shen Bai thought.

Shen Bai was naturally pleased to have obtained an attribute that boosted his staying power.

Stretching, Shen Bai gazed at the deepening twilight as the smoke before his eyes condensed once more, forming his latest Attributes.

[Blood Sword Dance Level 5 (Swordsmanship +16, Anti-Demon +16, Vibration +16, Sword Qi +16, Spirituality/16): 0/15000]

[Vajra Dharma Form Fist Level 5 (Fist Technique +16, Buddha’s Light +16, Power Dao +16, Fist Gang +16, Dharma Aspect +16): 0/15000]

[Bright Jade Evil Body Level 4 (Hardness +8, Resilience +8, Counter Damage +8, Anti-Sealing +8): 0/10000]

[Mystic Heart Spell Level 4 (Clear Heart +8, Neutral +8, blessing +8, Non-Invasion +8): 0/10000]

[Shadow Walk Level 4 (Hidden +8, Hidden Track +8, Shadow-Dispelling +8, Night Combat +8): 0/10000]

[Divine Hundred Miles Level 4 (Speed +8, Endurance +8, Evasion +8, Burst Charge +8): 0/10000]

[Poison Avoidance and Rejuvenation Skill Level 4 (Healing +8, Recovery +8, Antitoxic +8, Poison Attachment +8): 0/10000]

[Mixed Element Array-Breaking Technique Level 4 (Array +48, Gathering Array +8, Primordial +8, Resistance +8): 0/10000]

[Spirit Casting Technique Level 4 (Casting +8, Fault Tolerance +8, Commander +8, Soul Absorption +8): 0/10000]

This time, he had finally succeeded in getting all his Divine Powers to Level 4 or higher.

And the Qi inside his body had dyed half of his lungs gold.

’So, the next Divine Power I’ll grind is Bright Jade Evil Body,’ Shen Bai thought.

There wasn’t much choice in the matter now. He just had to grind his way down the list.

Once one Divine Power reached its second qualitative transformation, he would grind the next one.

This way, he didn’t need to worry about the order.

With that thought, Shen Bai started walking home.

He planned to continue grinding his Divine Powers’ Skill Levels once he got home.

...

The night outside was beautiful. Moonlight spilled from the sky, blanketing everything in a layer of silver frost.

Bathed in the beautiful moonlight, Shen Bai drew closer and closer to his home.

But just then, when he was only two streets away from his house, Shen Bai stopped and turned his head.

At his level of power, with his senses so sharp, he could hear even the slightest movements with perfect clarity.

At that moment, Shen Bai heard a flurry of chaotic footsteps coming from a house on the side of the street.

These footsteps didn’t belong to a Cultivator; they were from an ordinary person.

At this hour, ordinary people should already be resting. Even if someone were just getting up in the middle of the night, their footsteps shouldn’t be so frantic.

’Looks like something’s happening.’

With this thought, Shen Bai walked toward the house and pressed his ear against it.

Nowadays, Shen Bai took any abnormality to heart.

After all, with the way things were going, everything was directed at him.

Inside the house, the footsteps were still chaotic, now accompanied by some unintelligible murmuring.

The house was very old and dilapidated.

There was a small crack in the middle of the tightly shut door, through which the moonlight revealed a glimpse of the scene inside.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Bai peered through the small crack.

The room was pitch-black, but to Shen Bai, the darkness was like daylight, having no effect on his vision at all.

In Shen Bai’s line of sight, a commoner in plain clothes was moving with stiff, shuffling steps, their arms held out straight and their eyes shut tight, as if they were a corpse.

And a cold, sinister aura swirled around the commoner’s body.

"MEOW!"

Amber, who was in his arms, let out a low growl, its fur standing on end.