Qu Jianlei decided to target the factory, just as someone from the Norton Clan predicted, aiming to hit their heavy assets.

Because Little Lake suggested to let the opponent live in constant anxiety, Qu Jianlei also enjoyed this psychological tactic.

First take out two factories, then after some time, target other industries, slowly and methodically.

Since your clan likes to disgust people, experience being disgusted yourself.

Strictly speaking, Qu Jianlei wasn't idle; it was simply the impending Lord title for the opponent that left him feeling unease.

He's targeted City Guard, Patrol Guard, and Military multiple times, but doing so again now would ruin his alias.

Given his current situation, cultivating an alias that can show its face is really challenging.

Otherwise, why would he reconcile with Sheriff and even accompany the other for foot massage?

Being someone who has lived two lives, Qu Jianlei rarely socializes so closely.

In the end, the 8384 ship could openly land on the Transfer Star, making it convenient for him to integrate into normal society and obtain necessary resources.

Lanyun Market can also provide related resources, but it's a black market, not a legitimate place at all.

Occasional visits are fine, but frequent visits are unsuitable, and prolonged visits can even affect one's mindset.

Moreover, everyone there is highly wary, making it nearly impossible to obtain any information related to cultivation.

Unlike normal society, where even though the government's information barrier is strict, the atmosphere is relatively friendly, and there are more channels to obtain information.

Simply put, he hasn't yet figured out a way to completely and safely take down the Norton Clan.

So just continue to torment them, since he's not the one suffering anyway.

After taking down these two factories, he spent two days returning to his rented inn.

He arrived at night and found that Xiang Xue was still staying there; he wasn't much surprised and directly meditated into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, Little Lake informed him of some news: Rhine is currently not on Celestial Handle Star.

It discovered a communication sent from the Rhein Watch, and the signal source from the watch was at a relay station.

Qu Jianlei felt somewhat disappointed upon hearing this; he thought if he had no other options, he would seek help from the Haiyin Family to deal with the Norton Family.

After all, they're an Earl, even a dispossessed one; dealing with a Lord should be no problem.

However, if they're not there, they're not, and he hasn't figured out how to approach Rhine yet anyway.

While he was making breakfast, Xiang Xue came over, "When did you come back?"

"Last night, noticed you were resting, so I didn't disturb... Wait a bit, breakfast will be ready soon."

"The two Norton family factories... was it you?" Xiang Xue leaned against the door frame, watching him cook.

"Probably related to me," Qu Jianlei replied casually, "Anyway, it was restrained, didn't kill innocent people recklessly."

"How many innocent ones could there be?" Xiang Xue expressed indifferently, as she viewed life and death very lightly.

The next moment, she raised her eyebrows, "By the way, there's some good news, want to hear it?"

"Of course, let's hear it," Qu Jianlei didn't stop his work, "Hope it's truly good news."

Xiang Xue blinked her large eyes twice, "Definitely good news... This year's Imperial ceremonies will be held uniformly on the Capital Star."

Qu Jianlei froze upon hearing this, and it wasn't until a slight burned aroma came from the dish in the pot that he realized.

"Little Lake, did you collect this news?"

The Big Head Butterfly slowly turned twice, "I did, it's available online, but why is this good news?"

"You…" Qu Jianlei was a bit speechless.

However, he reconsidered; artificial intelligence can't compare to a True Master, and the path of evolution is still long.

Anyway, he responded instantly; if the Capital Star holds a unified ceremony, the Norton family must personally go to the Capital Star.

This can't be done half-heartedly; other matters might be delegated, but how significant is the conferral ceremony?

If you dare not to show up, the Empire dares not to grant you the title, that's obvious!

But for Norton family to travel to Capital Star, they must take a starship, giving him the opportunity to make a move.

Truly not boasting, unless the opponent invites a military ship with a rank above battalion for escort, Qu Jianlei is confident to keep them in space.

Even if they secretly escape, he's confident to intercept them on the return journey.

Whether the recipient is Supreme or accompanied by one doesn't matter to him.

Moreover, a Lord title cannot be inherited, nor passed on; if he kills the holder, the Norton family loses their title again.

A family without a Lord, will the government look after them? Clearly not possible.

That night, upon receiving the news, the Norton family were all stunned like Ruo Wood, for this reason.

Not attending the ceremony is waiting for death, attending is seeking death!

Qu Jianlei quietly asked Little Lake, "When does the ceremony start?"

The Big Head Butterfly turns its body lazily, "In half a year... By the way, why is this good news?"

"I'll explain it to you in detail later," Qu Jianlei answered casually.

Then he looked at Xiang Xue, "It seems you have quite a bit of confidence in my space capabilities?"

"Of course," Xiang Xue answered proudly, "I did some digging on this topic in the past couple of days. My information channels are pretty decent."

Of course they wouldn't be bad! Qu Jianlei had no doubt about that. Could Earth Scholar's organization have poor information capabilities?

Even the things donated by the Norton Family, they could find out, but the Little Lake could not.

However, he still stated, "Don't keep digging. The Divine Text Association will never fully give up monitoring you, it's easy to bring trouble onto yourself."

The reason he kept his distance from Xiang Xue was precisely because of this, worried that the Divine Text Association might analyze all the people contacting Xiang Xue.

He wasn't afraid of the Divine Text Association; even if two or three Supremes came, he wouldn't mind going on a killing spree.

But Xiang Xue would suffer. Last time, because of him, the Cyan Blade Commerce Association had already dealt with Xiang Xue once.

"Alright," Xiang Xue also knew she was a burden, but couldn't help feeling downcast.

"Didn't expect a B-level to cause so much trouble, I'm planning on Breaking Through soon, can you watch over me?"

Qu Jianlei hesitated for a moment before replying, "Isn't there a dedicated person for that in the Awakened Management Division?"

This truly wasn't shirking; if Xiang Xue needed him as a Dharma Protector to safely advance, he certainly wouldn't refuse.

But in reality, Awakened Management Division indeed offers such a service.

If issues arise during the process, they even have to trace the responsibility of relevant personnel—Awakened are considered the Imperial's wealth after all!

Xiang Xue was part of the system, qualified to apply for this kind of protection.

So Qu Jianlei wasn't shirking responsibility; quite the opposite, he envied the fact that Xiang Xue had that kind of right.

Like a lonely wanderer, he could only face the dangers of advancement alone.

Of course, it's just a thought; if he truly had such a right, he might forgo it anyway.

After all, his reactions during advancement aren't the same as ordinary Awakened.

But such advancement is only below A-level; when advancing to Supreme, he should indeed have someone watching over him.

A Supreme-level combat power is enough to alter power dynamics in a significant area; someone might truly risk everything to plot against it.

Xiang Xue, hearing his refusal, couldn't hide the disappointment on her face, "Aren't you going to stand guard on Celestial Handle Star, waiting for the Norton Family to leave?"

"Not standing guard," Qu Jianlei shook his head, "Some may think we will, but we choose to be unpredictable."

"Isn't this a bit unprofessional?" Xiang Xue was astonished, "The Norton Family might change their appearance and head to Capital Star ahead of time."

Of course he knew this, Qu Jianlei was well aware. He smiled slightly, "We have a way to handle it."

To be honest, he truly didn't need to stand guard.

Keeping pressure on the other party, intentionally or unintentionally, was certainly enjoyable, but he wasn't without other matters.

Anyhow, with that message leaked, the Norton Family would certainly worry, thinking that someone was patiently standing guard.

In fact, even if he skips this step and the opponent becomes a Lord, he wouldn't worry—at worst, he could seek Rhine's help.

For an Earl to deal with a Lord, it wouldn't be too difficult; he just needed to consider how to ask.

Realistically, with that news, there's no need for him to wait indefinitely anymore; he could free up time to do other things.

By the time he returns, Rhine should have come back. Not only could they talk about the Norton Family, but also other aspects of cooperation.

Xiang Xue, seeing his confidence, sighed after a while, "In the end, it seems I'll still be alone."

Qu Jianlei glared at her with dissatisfaction, "Do you even know what solitude is?"

"Forget it, I can't be bothered with you. I'm leaving. The rent here is paid up for the next eight days; after that, it's on you."

Xiang Xue's eyes twinkled as she said, "That little beauty sought you twice, Wind Attribute, aren't you taking her along?"

Qu Jianlei shook his head, "I've already settled her bill. Just tell her I've already left if she comes again."

He indeed left, very decisively, taking a direct flight to the Transfer Star on the same day, bypassing Celestial Blade.

Upon arriving at Blue Elf, he didn't rush to leave. There was no need to go to Gedel now; he didn't have to rush between places so anxiously.

Actually, when destroying those two factories, his Spiritual Qi was somewhat consumed, and it hadn't fully recovered even now.

He planned to return to his own territory, have a proper rest and set out in the fullest state.

Arriving at the coastal little stone cave, he vaguely detected something was off again, which made him very curious.

People lacking a sense of security might tend to be paranoid, yet this marked the third occurrence.

This time he had ample time, inspecting inside and out over three days, finding nothing unusual.

As time went by, that unsettling feeling gradually faded, leaving him thinking it perhaps was just an illusion.

Nevertheless, he continued perceiving the area for half a day, ensuring there was no issue before setting up the Spirit Gathering Array.

At the moment the array began, due to the emergence of Spiritual Qi, the entire space seemed to tremble slightly.

Qu Jianlei furrowed his brows slightly but still stepped into the Spirit Gathering Array.