After all, Daoist Chongling had come all the way to the Observatory. It was only natural for them to have some information on him.

This was just standard procedure, nothing more.

Liu Wufeng nodded. "Things have been quiet lately, so you can go with Daoist Chongling."

Ever since the last incident, the Observatory had grown increasingly peaceful.

Aside from a few minor matters, there hadn’t been a single major incident.

Shen Bai said thoughtfully, "The Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect hate me to the bone. If I leave Fenglin State, they might make a move."

He didn’t say this because he was afraid. Rather, Shen Bai was wondering if he could use this trip to coordinate a plan with the Observatory and make those two Demonic Forces suffer some losses.

However, after he spoke, Liu Wufeng simply shook his head.

"There’s no need."

Shen Bai rubbed his chin and asked, "Why not?"

Liu Wufeng explained, "Although the Celestial Purity Daoist Temple has fallen into decline, not one of the nine remaining members is weak. Among them, Daoist Chongling and the Chang Mei Daoist are figures no weaker than Elder Mu."

"Those two forces wouldn’t dare to cross them."

A top-tier Daoist temple was leagues beyond the now-decimated Qingyun Cloud Temple.

Even in its decline, it was not short on top-tier experts.

’I see,’ Shen Bai thought. ’If what Liu Wufeng said is true, then those nine remaining disciples are no pushovers. The Wild Taoist Sect and Wild Buddha Sect probably won’t dare to make a move at all.’

"Then I’ll leave tomorrow," Shen Bai said.

Liu Wufeng nodded, then suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right. A date has been set for the internal exam. It’s in three months."

"Three months?"

Shen Bai mused, ’That’s not very long.’

Three months might seem long to an ordinary person, but for a Cultivator, it was merely the blink of an eye.

Liu Wufeng smiled. "This time, you will surely shine and show everyone that Fenglin State has produced an unparalleled genius."

Shen Bai waved his hand dismissively. "You flatter me, Lord Liu."

...

With the matter settled, Shen Bai didn’t linger on the second floor. He went to the Martial Arts Arena and started grinding the Skill Level for his Mystic Heart Spell.

Originally, Shen Bai had considered grinding his Water Control Technique.

But on second thought, that technique needed 5,000 Skill Level points to reach Level 4. It would be better to grind the Mystic Heart Spell sooner and push it to its second qualitative transformation.

After all, the Mystic Heart Spell could clear his mind and provide a blessing. The bonuses would multiply even more after its second transformation, which was a much better deal for him.

A line of mist materialized before his eyes, displaying the latest progress of his Mystic Heart Spell.

[Mystic Heart Spell Level 4 (Clear Heart +8, Neutral +8, blessing +8, Non-Invasion +8): 3,000/10,000]

’Time to grind!’

Shen Bai looked at the Mystic Heart Spell, rubbed his hands together, and began to grind without hesitation.

Streams of characters appeared and circled around him as he silently chanted, filling the air with the transcendent Qi of the Daoist Sect and making Shen Bai look just like a Daoist master...

The entire afternoon passed in a blur of furious grinding.

Not until the time for Scattering Value arrived did Shen Bai finally leave the Observatory. He stopped at a streetside stall for a meal before heading home.

He didn’t linger. With the internal exam approaching, Shen Bai was wondering if he could raise his strength to the Meridian Realm before it began.

After all, at this rate, reaching the Meridian Realm was still a possibility.

Shen Bai hadn’t expected to encounter anything unusual on his way home from the Observatory, but to his surprise, he saw a person standing at his front door when he arrived.

The man was dressed in the attire of Jianghu People, carrying a Mo Saber in his hand, and was pacing back and forth in front of Shen Bai’s house.

Under the silvery moonlight, Shen Bai could see a dark red glint flash across the Mo Saber—a stain left from being steeped in blood for a long time.

In particular, the man had a long scar on his face that ran from his left brow bone all the way down to his right chin, making him look rather fierce.

’Meridian Realm?’

Shen Bai rubbed his chin, sensing an unusual aura from the middle-aged, scarred man.

As the street was nearly deserted, Shen Bai’s arrival also caught the attention of the scarred man.

Upon seeing Shen Bai, the man was taken aback for a moment, then hefted his Mo Saber and walked toward him.

Shen Bai narrowed his eyes, holding Amber in one arm while his other hand rested on Cold Moon. "If you take another step closer without speaking, I will take your head."

The simple words were filled with a chilling aura, causing the middle-aged, scarred man to halt in his tracks.

He then realized his previous actions might have been a bit presumptuous. He cupped his fists and said, "I am Ouyang Wu. Greetings, Lord Shen."

Shen Bai said flatly, "A name alone might not be enough."

Ouyang Wu lowered his hands. "I am a Close Guard under the Third Prince. By his order, I am traveling to various cities to visit the geniuses of each one. I happened to be passing through Fenglin State, so I came to pay a visit."

After speaking, Ouyang Wu took a token from his waist to prove his identity.

Shen Bai looked at the token before him, rubbed his chin, and said, "I see."

In the Great Zhou Country, the Emperor had a total of eighteen sons.

For an Emperor, this really wasn’t a large number.

But due to the dynasty’s instability, coupled with the covetous eyes of other nations, the Emperor found it difficult to trust outsiders and sent his own sons to carry out his tasks.

Of the eighteen sons, many had died, most of them in conflicts with other countries.

Now, only the Eldest Prince, Second Prince, and Third Prince remained.

The Eldest Prince had been sent to the Border Region, living among the troops and supervising the various army camps.