Wang Jie wanted to invite Han Qiubai to take charge, but she refused.

In truth, Han Qiubai had little faith in the Martial Arts Administration Bureau’s investigative abilities. She would conduct the investigation herself; the bureau’s only job was to help clean up the aftermath.

The path of a Martial Artist is one of transcendence. Beginning with tempering the skin, a Martial Artist gradually sheds their mortality. She was an Inner Qi Realm Martial Artist, a level where one began to possess many mystical abilities. In a small county like this, if she truly wanted to investigate something, nothing could possibly escape her notice.

Besides, based on past experience, she couldn’t rule out the possibility of moles on the inside.

But for now, these were minor matters. Her most important task was to submit the investigation report on Yu Fei. This junior of hers was more than just a prodigy.

"Sword Intent!"

Han Qiubai felt a twinge of jealousy. A prodigy who possessed Sword Intent wasn’t just a prodigy anymore; they were a monster.

The reason Sword Intent was one of the most powerful offensive arts on the martial path was that it possessed both physical and spiritual attack capabilities.

Before the Grandmaster Realm, Martial Artists had no effective methods of spiritual defense. Unless one was born with powerful Spiritual Power or practiced a special Cultivation Technique, they could only take the hit head-on.

’But how could anyone take it?’ Before you even made physical contact, your mind would be slashed, turning you into an imbecile. One touch and you were dead.

’I wonder how Mr. Yan taught him.’

In her investigation report, Han Qiubai detailed the fight between Yu Fei and the cultist, placing special emphasis on the fact that Yu Fei possessed Sword Intent.

She had barely submitted her report when her mentor called.

...

"Master, it’s true. There’s no way I was mistaken."

Han Qiubai shot to her feet, phone in her left hand. Agitated, she gestured wildly in the air with her right.

Mr. Zhuang carefully read through Han Qiubai’s report once more.

"Are you certain? Yu Fei’s cultivation hasn’t even passed the five stages, yet he’s already grasped Sword Intent?"

"Yes, Master. I’ve confirmed it multiple times."

Mr. Zhuang fell silent for a moment before asking, "Have you found out who his teacher is? High school students typically only learn foundational techniques and rarely choose to practice other Cultivation Techniques."

Han Qiubai quickly replied, "His teacher’s name is Yan Sea. He seems to be in the Body Tempering Realm, but his Qi Blood is exceptionally profound. I’ve never seen anyone in the Body Tempering Realm with such immense Qi Blood."

"Yan Sea... That name rings a bell, but I can’t quite place it."

Mr. Zhuang frowned, but after a moment of thought, he still came up with nothing.

"Bai, keep an eye on things for now. Do your best to maintain a good relationship with them. I’m going to find Mr. Kong and see if he’s interested."

Han Qiubai’s voice rose in pitch. "You mean *the* Mr. Kong? The one known for the Soul-Breaking Sword?"

"Yes. He’s always been looking for an heir to inherit his ultimate technique. I think this Yu Fei might be a good fit."

Han Qiubai suddenly asked, a hint of caution in her voice, "Master, what about me?"

Mr. Zhuang gave a wry laugh. "Ah, Bai, I wrote you a letter of recommendation last time, telling you to go learn Swordsmanship from Mr. Kong. What happened then?"

Han Qiubai sounded dejected. "Mr. Kong taught me three moves on the spot, then had me perform them."

"And then?"

"After I performed them, Mr. Kong told me to close the door on my way out."

Mr. Zhuang said gently, "So you see, Bai, I have plenty of powerful Cultivation Techniques too. You don’t have to be so fixated on Swordsmanship, right?"

Han Qiubai flopped onto the sofa in frustration. "I knoooow, Master..."

"Alright. Be careful out there. The Illuminati may have been scattered, but there are still some dangerous characters left."

"Okay, Master. I’ve been practicing the Six Imperial Qi Transformation Skill you taught me diligently. I’ve already reached the initial stage, you know."

Mr. Zhuang smiled. "Not bad. Keep up the good work!"

After hanging up, Han Qiubai sat in silence for a while. She then went downstairs for a simple meal, waiting until sunset to begin her investigation into the cultists’ identities.

Han Qiubai’s first target was the local gray area. In a small town, places like that—gangs, gambling, and the flesh trade—were often interconnected.

It was easy for outside cultists to target these areas to build their power base.

Under the cover of darkness, Han Qiubai moved like a silent ghost, flitting past brightly lit entertainment venues.

...

「Anju District, Apartment 504.」

Di Yunliang and the others wore grave expressions.

At the beginning of the year, the higher-ups had set a strategy of lying low. But getting a bunch of mentally unstable cultists to murder, commit arson, and stir up trouble was one thing. Lying low, on the other hand...

A month ago, their comrades in Fengtai County couldn’t hold back and caused a major incident, attracting the attention of the Security Bureau. According to the latest news, a mission to purge Illuminati members in Y-City had been posted on the "Pacify the World" mission board. Already, Merit Hounds from the Seven Greats had accepted it.

The enemy struck Fengtai County first, and the losses were devastating. Only one peripheral, third-realm member survived, having been away on business at the time.

Qiangwei had already gone to stop them, but it was a no-win situation. Win or lose, the fallout would be a huge headache.

They were rats, forced to live in the shadows. If they were exposed to the light, they would be hunted down and killed, no matter how powerful they were. Killing that one Merit Hound would only attract more, drawn by the scent of blood.

Di Yunliang passed a cigarette to Baldy, ignoring Cheng YuanYu.

Thick smoke billowed up. Di Yunliang looked at the handful of people left and felt his chest tighten with frustration.

He knew that getting a group of psychopaths to lie low was a fool’s errand. That’s why he’d let them eat Guangzai—it had been part of his plan. He’d hoped it would placate them and keep them calm for a while, but in the end, it was fucking useless.

Those two bastards, Mr. Qian and Gangdao, had acted on their own and gotten themselves killed. Now, they were suddenly short-handed.

Mrs. Li was useless. She was certainly demented enough, but she was just too weak.

Miss Lanhua wasn’t weak, but her... personal tastes were too extreme. If she weren’t kept in check, she’d find the next "Guangzai" within the squad.

Gangdao and Mr. Qian had all sorts of problems, but at least they were useful. A pity...

"Go back and pack your things tonight. We move out tomorrow. We’ll rendezvous at the designated location as ordered, and then we’ll break out." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Di Yunliang flicked the ash from his cigarette and continued.

"Baldy, you stay behind and keep running your breakfast shop. If we end up breaking out to the east, you’ll be our escape route. If we go another way, I’ll let you know ahead of time."

Three voices replied in unison, "Okay."

"Okey-dokey."

The bizarre response drew everyone’s attention. Di Yunliang looked at Cheng YuanYu’s innocent face, was suddenly reminded of his swiped "Black Emperor" cigarette, and his anger boiled over.

’That animal!’ He’d been saving that thing for ages. Every time his nicotine craving hit, he’d just take it out for a sniff before carefully putting it away again. He never imagined that bastard would swipe it.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He snatched the ashtray and hurled it at him, but Cheng YuanYu dodged it nimbly.

"You son of a bitch! I’m telling you, if you don’t give me back that cigarette, this isn’t over between us."

"Uh... I’ve never seen it..."

"Fuck..."