In the quiet county town, residents occasionally ambled by, their footsteps echoing through the streets. Standing before Shen Bai, Wang Tianxing cut a bizarre figure, a stark contrast to the surrounding commoners.

"Do you want to know where Long Lang is?"

After saying this, Wang Tianxing repeated himself.

Yang Feng, Xia Yunzhou’s Head of C, stood nearby. The moment Wang Tianxing appeared, he had clenched his fists, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

But Shen Bai remained still, so Yang Feng made no move either, merely standing by in silence.

Shen Bai stroked his chin and said with keen interest, "It seems the people of Xinhua Academy aren’t exactly a harmonious bunch."

Wang Tianxing shrugged. "Too many idiots, and sometimes they drag the academy down. Take Long Lang, for instance. In my opinion, his research is riddled with flaws."

"He extracts fragmented souls, believing they’re the easiest to cleanse, and then uses those souls as vessels to house conscious ones."

"It sounds plausible, but it’s actually a paradox. The very idea of cleansing a soul is impossible because every soul is unique."

"Idiots who waste the academy’s resources deserve to die."

The corner of Shen Bai’s mouth twitched upward. "What’s in it for me?"

Wang Tianxing frowned. "I’m helping you deal with a major threat, and you’re asking *me* what’s in it for you? I should be the one asking for a reward. How about you give me a little blood? Just a vial, for my research?"

Shen Bai shook his head. "Get lost."

Wang Tianxing faltered for a moment. "You don’t need my help?"

"Who knows what your real intentions are?" Shen Bai said. "We are enemies. Who would ever ask an enemy for help?"

Wang Tianxing recovered, a smile playing on his lips. "Such a cautious Lord Shen. But no matter. With your intelligence, Lord Shen, that fellow Long Lang is bound to stumble this time. I should be able to witness his death with my own eyes."

Shen Bai raised an eyebrow. "Frankly, I’d rather witness yours."

Ever since their last encounter on the Life and Death Road, Shen Bai had considered this man a major pain in the ass.

The man was too crazy, and unnervingly intelligent. Back on the Life and Death Road, he had used Marquis Fengjiang as a pawn to execute his own scheme.

If not for Shen Bai, Wang Tianxing might have actually succeeded, and the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Wang Tianxing yawned. "I know, I know. I hope the one to personally end me someday is you, too. But maybe it’ll be the other way around. Who’s to say? I’m off. This is no fun. I need to find some new entertainment."

As soon as he finished speaking, the commoner Wang Tianxing had been controlling changed. The man’s eyes went vacant once more.

"Lord Shen, if that man really is Wang Tianxing, we could be in big trouble," Yang Feng warned from nearby.

Shen Bai asked, "Why? Is he famous?"

Yang Feng nodded. "Xinhua Academy is a power on par with the Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect. Within that organization, Wang Tianxing is a genius of the younger generation. His power is unfathomable. He’s been able to cultivate since birth and is rumored to have already reached the Meridian Realm Peak."

"His personality is treacherous and erratic. Even the academy has a love-hate relationship with him."

Shen Bai stroked his chin. "I can see that."

The proprietress had mentioned that Wang Tianxing was demoted for insubordination, and Shen Bai could see why.

This guy was difficult to deal with, a complete madman, and an absolute headache of an opponent.

Of course, headache or not, Shen Bai almost hoped Wang Tianxing would show up a few more times. That way, he could find a clue and then twist the man’s head off.

"Let’s get back to business," Shen Bai said, his hand closing around Cold Moon at his waist.

With the interlude over, Shen Bai decided to focus on completing the mission at hand.

Not far away, the elderly Soul Master was still searching for clues. It looked like he would need more time.

Shen Bai thought for a moment, then said, "Lord Yang, I have something to take care of over here. Just give me a shout when you have results."

Yang Feng nodded. "Go ahead, Lord Shen. It’s no problem."

Ouyang Sword glanced around, then followed Yang Feng to check on the commoners.

Soon, only Shen Bai remained, the others having moved a good distance away. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

A wisp of smoke materialized before Shen Bai’s eyes, twisting and contorting.

As the smoke swirled, lines of text appeared before him, coalescing into his updated Divine Power panel.

[Anti-Demon 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]

[Flawless Ten-layered Body Level 5 (Hardness +16, Resilience +16, Counter Damage +16, Anti-Sealing +16, Overlapping Waves +16): 0/15000]

[Chaotic Heart Spell Level 5 (Clear Heart +16, Neutral +16, blessing +16, Non-Invasion +16, Chaotic Heart +16): 0/15000]

[Shadow Kill Level 5 (Hidden +16, Hidden Track +16, Shadow-Dispelling +16, Night Combat +16, Creating Shadows +16): 0/15000]

[Divine Thousand Miles Level 5 (Speed +16, Endurance +16, Evasion +16, Burst Charge +16, Flying +16): 0/15000]

[Poison Avoidance and Spirit Recovery Skill Level 5 (Healing +16, Recovery +16, Antitoxic +16, Poison Attachment +16, Spirit Recovery +16): 0/15000]

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

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

[Water Control Technique Level 3 (Water Attribute +4, Water Speed +4, Water Control +4): 0/5000]

...

As the attribute panel appeared before him, Shen Bai stroked his chin, lost in thought.

’My Mixed Element Array-Breaking Technique has already reached the peak of Level 4, but I’m short on Evil Qi, so I can’t undergo its second transformation,’ Shen Bai thought to himself.

He only had two wisps of Evil Qi remaining; he had used all his previous stores for transformations. So, while he had been traveling, he’d ground his Mixed Element Array-Breaking Technique to the peak of Level 4, but had been stuck there ever since.