Chapter Fifty-Four: The Senior Sister’s Ambition

Bang!

Zhu Jian felt a tremendous force strike the back of his head, as if it had knocked his very soul out of his body. In an instant, his body became weightless, all emotions plunging into a strange, empty void. He entered a peculiar state, as though he were hovering high above, looking down upon his own body.

Time accelerated within his consciousness. He saw himself using the power of the spirit seed again and again, the black markings on his face deepening, growing ever darker. Eventually, those markings seemed to radiate black light, as if some evil force were devouring his body. At the same time, his thoughts grew wild, a surge of uncontrollable bloodlust rising in his heart.

Kill! Kill! Kill!

Lost in that frenzied urge, he became a bloodthirsty monster. He saw himself rampaging through the streets, slaughtering relentlessly, blood staining the pavement, screams and cries intertwining in the air. In the end, the monster met its inevitable fate, destroyed by a hero.

He collapsed in a pool of blood, the black markings fading away, as if they had never existed.

“No!”

Zhu Jian shouted, his weightless thoughts abruptly becoming solid, as if waking from a long nightmare. Cold sweat trickled from his forehead, his shirt drenched at the back. He gazed at the empty corner before him, an indescribable terror welling up inside.

“The future you saw is what awaits you if you continue to use that power.”

Bai Yujing’s calm voice came from behind. The slap just now was the Po Jun Mie Xiang Palm of the North Star Sacred Fist—injecting a specific spirit pressure into the cranial acupoint, stimulating the brain, plunging the body into a dreamlike state, accelerating the evolution to one’s future death.

When the vision reached the moment of death, the false projection became reality, branding the scene onto the body and causing death. But Bai Yujing had no intention of killing Zhu Jian; he stopped just before the fatal blow, letting him experience the consequences of continued use.

Zhu Jian wanted to refute Bai Yujing, but the experience was so vivid, so real, he could not deceive himself.

“Heh, I knew it. How could such good fortune ever fall to me?”

His voice was bitter. Turning his head, his once fierce, demonic face was now full of defeat. “What do you plan to do with me?”

“This is a matter for the Six Gates to handle.”

Bai Yujing took out his phone and dialed the Six Gates.

…

Soon, several figures swept across the patch of withered grass like the wind, appearing inside the building.

The leader was tall, broad-shouldered, with a square face and thick brows—his righteous aura seemed almost etched onto his features. It was Iron Hand Bao Long.

Normally, a case involving a fifth-grade spirit master would not warrant the attention of this legendary constable. But Zhu Jian’s ascension to fifth-grade was too extraordinary. To transform from an ordinary person into a fifth-grade spirit master was unheard of. If true, it would send shockwaves through high society. The Six Gates had no choice but to proceed with utmost caution.

Bao Long landed, sweeping a stern gaze over the group of young people. “Take them next door for questioning. Once everything checks out, have them sign a confidentiality agreement.”

“Yes.”

Six captains quickly led Zeng Xu and the others away.

Bao Long approached Bai Yujing and Zhu Jian, his expression grave. “Mr. Zhu, please hand over the spirit seed. We will have a dedicated team analyze its principles.”

“Alright.”

Zhu Jian handed it over. Bao Long took it, examining the drop of crimson liquid within the glass vial, his expression growing even more serious. He turned to Bai Yujing. “Master Bai, please maintain absolute confidentiality about today’s events.”

“Rest assured, I don’t gossip.”

Bao Long nodded. “Then I’ll take Mr. Zhu in for a statement. Feel free to depart.”

“Very well. I need to report to my client anyway.”

Bai Yujing didn’t linger. With a silent step, he vanished.

Bao Long’s pupils contracted. He couldn’t even discern Bai Yujing’s movement, nor catch a trace of spirit pressure. What a masterful Yu Step.

He silently praised him, adding Qingyun Sect to the list of future cooperation prospects.

…

The sunset blazed, staining the western skyline crimson, as if the clouds themselves were aflame.

Qingyun Sect ceased taking orders. With today’s commissions counted, since the Sect had risen to Grade C, they had completed 186 Grade D orders and 51 Grade C orders. Bai Yujing was satisfied with this achievement. Looking at the three lined up before him, he said, “That’s enough for today. You may continue cultivating, but not beyond nine o’clock tonight. Understood?”

“Yes.”

The three replied in unison. None were in a hurry to leave, choosing to stay and train further.

At nine o’clock, Liu Shuangling’s phone alarm sounded, interrupting her cultivation.

She set down her Heavenly Craft brush, her forehead beaded with fine sweat. The air was rich with the scent of ink. Unlike the martial arts training room, the scripture chamber was normal in size, not expanded.

Liu Shuangling wiped her brow, the desk piled high with discarded sheets. The Absolute Realm scripture was incredibly difficult to write, testing her spirit pressure, brush control, and speed. And this was only the challenge of writing on paper. Later, she would have to use her soul as parchment and her mind as the pen, engraving the scripture—an ordeal daunting enough to make her scalp tingle, yet it filled her with fierce excitement.

She believed she could master the Absolute Realm. Every failure now was paving the road to success. The only thing she didn’t know was how many more times she would fail before she succeeded.

Taking a deep breath, Liu Shuangling stepped outside the training chamber.

Tonight, the stars shone brilliantly, their radiance eclipsing even the full moon. She walked to the bluestone plaza, her gaze drifting across the main building’s rooftop, where she found Bai Yujing standing.

The night wind blew his sleeves, making them billow. His silhouette beneath the starlight appeared especially solitary.

Watching him, Liu Shuangling recalled her own past. From her early hope of finding someone who understood her, to her later resignation, forging onward alone in darkness. To rule the world was merely to seek something challenging.

Unexpectedly, when she had given up, fate played its greatest trick—bringing her Bai Yujing. A goal perhaps more daunting than mastery of the world.

But she would not surrender so easily. Sooner or later, she would stand at the summit and make him look up to her brilliance.

Liu Shuangling withdrew her gaze, returned to the locker room, changed clothes, and tossed her uniform in the washing machine. She didn’t greet Tiya or Zhu Ying, but with a high-level Yu Step, left the house.

The scenery rushed past as she sped home to her rented apartment.

Dimness filled the living room. Liu Shuangling didn’t hurry to conduct experiments. She brewed black tea, filled the bathtub with hot water, played gentle music on her phone, and immersed herself, occasionally sipping sweet tea, slowly restoring her spirit pressure and easing the mental fatigue from studying the Absolute Realm.

Half an hour later, she left the bathroom, donned a long-sleeved T-shirt and casual pants, then draped herself in a black robe inscribed with hidden scripture, concealing her spirit pressure and appearance.

She vanished from the apartment in a single Yu Step.

Liu Shuangling’s talent was extraordinary. Through her study of the Absolute Realm, she gained a deeper understanding of the soul. Tonight, she had a premonition: she could achieve what she had always wanted—to extract a person’s soul.