Of course, beneath the surface, that sense of tension remained.

The crackdown was still underway.

Having lost two of their key organizations, the Upper Evil Sect and the Dark Hall, the forces of the Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect were starting to show signs of exhaustion.

Many of their members had been slain by the Observatory, and with the Government Office’s cooperation, they were truly feeling the heat.

This period was a rare time of peace for Shen Bai.

Shen Bai’s life fell into a regular rhythm.

He would perform Dianmao, banter with Long Yan, chat with Elder Mu, and then grind Skill Level until his shift ended.

After his shift, he would go out for a late-night meal with Qin Shuang, then return home to continue grinding Skill Level.

He rested, too. An hour’s break at noon was enough to replenish his energy at his current realm.

And after such a long and intense grind, Shen Bai finally reaped the rewards.

...

Gazing at the light streaming through his window, Shen Bai took a deep breath. ’Time to begin. The second qualitative change.’

Eighteen wisps of Evil Qi materialized before him, floating in the air.

With a thought from Shen Bai, ten of the wisps vanished, leaving only eight.

As the ten wisps of Evil Qi disappeared, the smoke before Shen Bai’s eyes finally began to change.

The smoke curled gracefully, forming a line of text that hovered before him.

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

In an instant, the smoke that had just appeared transformed into a massive flow of Information that surged into Shen Bai’s mind.

Shen Bai closed his eyes.

The familiar illusory figure appeared in his mind’s eye.

This time, the figure was in a dark environment.

It was pitch-black, so dark one could not see their hand in front of their face.

From the depths of the darkness, terrifying horrors began to emerge one after another.

Each horror was grotesquely shaped and possessed a powerful, suffocating aura.

As the horrors appeared, they seemed to spot the only living being present and lunged toward the illusory figure.

They had crimson eyes, terrifying auras, and a savage desire to tear all living things to shreds.

The countless horrors made the surroundings feel like the apocalypse.

The illusory figure remained seated cross-legged, as Immovable as a mountain even in the face of such terrifying danger.

Just as the countless horrors were about to reach the figure, it finally reacted.

The figure opened its mouth and slowly chanted a Spell that sounded like an Immortal Text.

As it chanted the Spell, Dao Texts materialized one by one, circling the figure’s body.

With the appearance of the Dao Texts, the figure began to emanate the aura of an Immortal.

At the same time, the horrors lunging toward the figure suddenly collapsed, letting out bloodcurdling screams.

The horrors wailed, one after another, as if struck by an invisible force.

In a mere instant, all the horrors before the illusory figure were reduced to nothing but ash.

...

A moment later, the illusory figure vanished, and Shen Bai’s consciousness returned to his room.

"With a heart of jade, I bring chaos to the hearts of the world."

Shen Bai opened his eyes, having absorbed all the Information.

’This Divine Power... it’s a Group Battle Divine Artifact,’ Shen Bai thought with conviction.

The first few Attributes spoke for themselves. They had all doubled to a +16 status, which was incredibly powerful and made his long, arduous grind worthwhile.

As for the last Attribute, it was even more formidable.

The so-called Chaotic Heart was an effect used against his enemies.

When Shen Bai chanted the Mystic Heart Spell, the emergent Dao Texts would disrupt his enemies’ minds.

Any enemy whose resistance fell within the scope of this +16 effect would have their combat prowess severely weakened.

Moreover, this Attribute was an area-of-effect ability.

If Shen Bai willed it, anyone who heard the Chaotic Heart Spell would be affected.

In battle, even the slightest oversight could have massive repercussions, let alone a direct mental attack.

The Chaotic Heart Spell, after its second qualitative change, had truly become another powerful Divine Power in Shen Bai’s arsenal.

’My strength has improved as well,’ Shen Bai noted internally.

The Qi inside him surged, completely coating his lungs in a golden hue.

Not only that, but the remaining Qi continued to wash through him, already beginning to cover parts of his spleen.

’I’m so close to the Meridian Realm,’ he thought.

Gaining a new Divine Power and a boost in strength, Shen Bai had really hit the jackpot this time.

With just two more Divine Powers undergoing their second qualitative change, Shen Bai would be able to reach the Meridian Realm.

By now, it was getting late.

Shen Bai put his thoughts aside for the moment and prepared to head out for Dianmao.

A surge of white light pulsed, and Amber emerged from within Shen Bai’s body, landing in his arms and nuzzling against him affectionately.

After getting his cat fix, Shen Bai carried Amber out the door and headed to a nearby breakfast stall.

After a quick meal, Shen Bai didn’t linger, rushing toward the Observatory.

...

After performing Dianmao at Long Yan’s post and having a brief chat with Elder Mu, Shen Bai prepared to head to the Martial Arts Arena to grind Skill Level.

This had been Shen Bai’s routine recently, and he had grown accustomed to it.

Cradling Amber, he walked along the Observatory’s signature bluestone paths, getting closer and closer to the Martial Arts Arena.

His Mystic Heart Spell had already undergone its second qualitative change to become the Chaotic Heart Spell. Shen Bai’s plan was to continue grinding down his list of skills.

The next Divine Power he planned to grind was Shadow Walk.

Within the Shadow Walk Divine Power, the two Attributes, Shadow-Dispelling and Night Combat, both provided extremely high combat power bonuses.

Although it was situational, shadows were everywhere in this world. And what’s more, at night, it provided even greater bonuses to his combat power.

Either Attribute made it a priority for Shen Bai to grind to its second qualitative change.