"Mansion Master, when did you get back?" The Great Elder and the others breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Yi Tianyun return.

It was a good thing Yi Tianyun returned in time. Otherwise, things would have become very troublesome. If he had disappeared with so many spies watching, they would have framed him for something even if he’d done nothing wrong.

"I just got back. They almost came to investigate our place. We would’ve been in deep trouble then."

Yi Tianyun also felt it had been a close call. ’If they had barged in and didn’t see me, it would have been a huge mess. Unless I silenced them all, I’d definitely be a suspect. Disappearing just like that with so many eyes watching... they would’ve concluded I had some special means of slipping away.’

As for what he did, the Netherworld Empire would surely want to interrogate him thoroughly. Especially now that Cheng Fen was dead, things were even more complicated.

"Mansion Master, what were you doing just now?" the Great Elder whispered.

"You’ll find out tomorrow," Yi Tianyun said with a smile, turning to walk inside. "I’m going to get some rest. Call me if anything comes up."

They exchanged glances, not understanding why Yi Tianyun was being so mysterious. But since he wasn’t telling, they didn’t feel it was right to press him.

Yi Tianyun went to a corner of the room and sat down to meditate. He hadn’t come in to sleep, but to cultivate. Once settled, he selected the Spirit Pill Stage Upgrade Card. If his cultivation level surpassed this stage, he wouldn’t be able to use it.

’Use the Upgrade Card!’

"Ding! Successfully used Upgrade Card!"

"Ding! Congratulations to Player ’Yi Tianyun’ for successfully breaking through to the first level of the Core Formation Stage!"

In an instant, Yi Tianyun felt his power increase immensely as he stepped into a brand new realm. His ability to control Spiritual Power was greatly enhanced; upon reaching this level, one could essentially fly.

This was also the perfect time to use the Phoenix Wings to their greatest effect, multiplying his speed several times over.

’Check my overall Combat Power...’

Yi Tianyun checked his Combat Power. At the ninth level of the Spirit Pill Stage, his Combat Power was roughly 500,000, a number that seemed a bit low. However, in an actual fight, his Combat Power would naturally be far greater than this figure. After all, there were bonuses from multiple sources, including weapons, armor, and Martial Arts.

The sum of all these bonuses brought his power to an astonishing level. However, Madness Mode was only based on this fundamental Combat Power. So, no matter how overpowered his weapons were, if his cultivation level didn’t increase, his power couldn’t explode.

’At the ninth level of the Spirit Pill Stage, it’s about 500,000. At the peak of the Spirit Pill Stage, it’s apparently around 550,000 Combat Power, an increase of tens of thousands. One can only imagine how significant this level-up is. An extra few tens of thousands, when multiplied by eight, makes a completely different impact.’

As for now, at the first level of the Core Formation Stage, it had reached a terrifying value—800,000!

’That’s an increase of 250,000 Combat Power in one go; this is a true qualitative leap.’ He sucked in a cold breath. ’No wonder that Cheng Fen had nearly two million Combat Power even without wearing any significant equipment. Subtracting some bonuses, an increase of two to three hundred thousand per level is pretty normal. By the fifth level of the Core Formation Stage, he would indeed have had over two million Combat Power.’

’No wonder they say the further you go, the harder it is to fight above your level. The increase in Combat Power with each level is just too astonishing. A single level difference is like an unbridgeable chasm. The only way to close that gap is with weapons—an extremely powerful weapon enhanced with an extremely powerful Divine Rune could instantly add several hundred thousand Combat Power. That’s why it’s a crucial method for fighting above one’s level.’

Besides that, there were also things like Elixir Pills, which could also quickly close the gap in Combat Power between two people.

’800,000 Combat Power... and if I use Madness Mode...’ Yi Tianyun’s eyes lit up. With his current strength, he could have easily suppressed even Cheng Fen. A simple burst would reach 6.4 million Combat Power—truly terrifying!

This just went to show the importance of levels. The higher the level, the stronger the foundation for explosive power.

’Whatever. Time to open the Level 41 Upgrade Gift Pack and see what’s inside!’

Yi Tianyun was now more focused on this Level 41 Upgrade Gift Pack. These things always contained quite a few goodies, and this time should be no exception.

"Ding! Successfully opened the Level 41 Upgrade Gift Pack. Obtained: Thirtyfold Experience Card, Fivefold Skill Card, Fivefold Madness Value Card, Double Sin Value Card, and a Level 51 Upgrade Gift Pack. Successfully learned: Beginner Pet Capture Mastery!"

A whole bunch of Experience Cards popped out, but the most crucial part was the new Pet Capture Mastery!

Beginner Pet Capture Mastery: Allows the user to Capture any creature other than humans as a pet. The higher the skill’s level, the higher the Capture probability and the higher the level of creatures that can be Captured.

’So it’s finally here...’

He had relatively few pets, just two at the moment: the Snow Wolf King and the Black Dragon. Both were powerful, but it still felt like too few. Now that he had a pet Capture skill, things would be different. He could go on a spree and Capture Demon Beasts to be his pets.

There were also Beast Tamers in this world, but they had to raise a Demon Beast from a young age for it to become their close companion. Adult ones could also be tamed, but the difficulty was extremely high, though some people could still manage it.

Generally speaking, most were tamed from a young age, and their numbers were relatively small. It was impossible to control many at the same time.

Yi Tianyun’s Pet Capture Mastery, however, was different. Once caught, they were ready to use! This meant that in the future, if he saw a Demon Beast he liked, he could just Capture it on the spot. It would be great even if he just used it to guard a door!

’As expected, it didn’t disappoint. The stuff in this Level 41 pack is great... I wonder what the next level’s gift pack will have?’ Yi Tianyun was full of anticipation.

Next, he opened the Enhanced Lottery Wheel. He had obtained one lottery chance before, and he couldn’t let it go to waste. After activating his Luck Aura, the lottery wheel began to spin rapidly, a dazzling blur.

’I’m not picky this time. I’ll take whatever I get!’

Yi Tianyun felt that it didn’t matter what he got; it was all free anyway.

Soon, the Enhanced Lottery Wheel came to a stop on the "Weapon" slot. This was the first time he had ever drawn a weapon. With a DING, a Jade Box fell out. After he opened it, a weapon appeared before his eyes.

Ice Divine Bow: High-Grade Soul Artifact (Upgradeable). Can fire a Frozen Arrow to freeze enemies into ice sculptures. Maximum range increases with the user’s cultivation level. Special Effect: Consume 5,000 Madness Value to unleash an Ultimate Ice Arrow with double the power, double the speed, and double the distance, covering the entire area within a one-li radius!

"What a great item!"

Yi Tianyun’s eyes lit up. He had a great appreciation for ranged weapons. Being able to stand in one spot and take an enemy’s head from a thousand li away—now that was the supreme way to fight!

Mu Xian’Er and the others glanced over. Seeing Yi Tianyun laughing uncontrollably, they revealed puzzled expressions. ’What on earth is wrong with our Mansion Master?’