《Calamity of Tomorro》 Chapter 1 - System Failed to Start Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Zhou Bai was in his pajamas, still wearing slippers. He raced through the long, dark hallway, a horrible shriek coming from behind him. ¡°F*ck!¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s brain was a mess; all sorts of wild thoughts flashed through his mind. ¡°What the hell is going on? I was just sleeping at home and got up to use the bathroom! How did I end up here? And I even ran into an absurd monster!¡± Zhou Bai deliberately kicked off his slippers and ran barefoot. He was so nervous that he didn¡¯t realize his body was becoming younger. He turned from a young man in his 20s into a teenager around 17 or 18. He saw himself running slower and slower. His chest felt like it was on fire, and the screeching behind him drew nearer and nearer. Zhou Bai focused and saw that he was at the end of the hallway. A large open metal door stood before him. With no time to think, Zhou Bai charged into the door. What appeared before his eyes was a small room fewer than ten square meters in size, and there was no second exit in sight. ¡°F*ck!¡± Zhou Bai cursed. The approaching screeching behind him stood his hair on end. He quickly turned and shut the metal door to the tiny room, then locked it. Only then did he feel a tiny bit safer. I wonder if this metal door can block him¡­ But even if the metal door could stop him, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t stay in this empty room forever. Right as Zhou Bai¡¯s forehead was bathed in sweat and he was thinking about what to do next, a female voice rang in his mind. ¡°You¡¯re Zhou Bai?¡± ¡°Who?¡± Zhou Bai looked all around but didn¡¯t see anyone. ¡°Stop looking. You can¡¯t see me,¡± the female voice continued, ¡°Do you want to live?¡± Zhou Bai hesitated for a moment then said quickly, ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Then take this. Remember not to resist, not to reject.¡± As she spoke, a small white light floated in mid-air before Zhou Bai. At this moment, a giant thump came from behind his head. Zhou Bai was taken aback. He turned around and looked at the big metal door that was slowly distorting from the ramming. He asked frantically, ¡°What is this thing?¡± ¡°Your plug-in. With this, you might be able to beat the guy outside.¡± ¡°Plug-in?¡± Countless scenarios from novels, manga, and games flashed through Zhou Bai¡¯s mind. He hesitantly grabbed the white light before him. In an instant, a string of white characters drifted through his cognitive sea. Please wait¡­ Deva Nine Disasters Auxiliary System is starting¡­ Please practice safely under the auxiliary system¡¯s instruction. ¡°Deva Nine Disasters?¡± Zhou Bai exclaimed, ¡°Even the name sounds awesome. It must be very powerful.¡± Failed to start, system error (The connection has timed out) Read for details (Click here) Seeing the characters that drifted through his mind, Zhou Bai was speechless, ¡°What a scam! The system had an error? You can¡¯t even click to see the details!¡± The female voice came again. She didn¡¯t seem to be able to see what was going on in Zhou Bai¡¯s brain and asked in confusion, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? What happened?¡± ¡°It says there¡¯s a system error! It failed to start!¡± Zhou Bai continued. ¡°What now? What now? What now?¡± He turned to look in the direction of the door and saw it had already become deformed. A pale hand reached into the room through a gap to feel around the wall, picking off pieces of plaster. Zhou Bai felt a pain in his head, then quickly turned to dodge, but he still felt like something was hitting his head. ¡°Don¡¯t dodge!¡± the female voice said. ¡°I¡¯m the one knocking.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to see if I can fix you.¡± ¡°You think you¡¯re fixing an electronic? This is too rash!¡± The female voice ignored him. Zhou Bai felt his head knocked several times. System start successful¡­ ¡°F*ck!¡± Zhou Bai didn¡¯t get a chance to complain about this system. He quickly read the contents that appeared in his mind, looking for a way to defeat the opponent. Deva Nine Disasters Auxiliary Practice System aids and leads practitioners to practice Deva Nine Disasters. Current Condition: Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 0 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 0 ¡°What the heck are these?¡± Zhou Bai didn¡¯t understand anything that appeared in his mind, yet the big metal door before him already had a giant hole in it. A thick, white arm reached in. The entire door squeaked, as if it was going to break any moment now. The female voice came again, ¡°What happened? What did you see? Is it easy to use?¡± ¡°Easy my a**!¡± Zhou Bai quickly recited everything he¡¯d seen and said frantically, ¡°What do I do now?¡± The female voice said, ¡°Degree of Taoification is realm, Primordial Spirit Value is power, Divine Map is the method of practice, but what is this Laziness? Wait, let me look through the Operation Manual¡­¡± Zhou Bai looked at the big metal door that was about to fall apart and listened to the continuous screeching. Sweat covered his face. ¡°Are you kidding me? We don¡¯t have time for operation manuals right now!¡± ¡°There¡¯s no explanation about Laziness¡­what if you try focusing on those words?¡± When Zhou Bai focused his attention on Laziness, a string of information appeared in his mind. Sloth is the nature of man. But if every man can turn sloth into treasure, it can help the human race advance for generation after generation. This is the first Disaster of Deva Nine Disasters: Sloth. You advance your skills by absorbing laziness. Method of earning Laziness, example 1: Lie down¡­too lazy to say the rest. ¡°Wha¡­?¡± Zhou Bai said. The female voice asked, ¡°How is it? Is there a solution?¡± Zhou Bai described what he saw, and the female voice quickly said, ¡°Then what are you waiting for? Lie down! Remember to raise your Primordial Spirit Value first¡ªthat¡¯s power. Degree of Taoification is realm; you can¡¯t use it in combat yet.¡± Zhou Bai was confused, but he looked at the door that was continuously rammed and about to fall apart, and he lay down obediently. The moment he lay on the ground, the number representing Laziness value in his consciousness began rising. Laziness +1 Laziness +1 Laziness +1 Laziness increased by an average of one point per second and quickly reached 10 points. As Laziness increased, plus signs appeared next to Degree of Taoification and Primordial Spirit Value. Zhou Bai thought about what the woman said and focused his will on the plus sign next to Primordial Spirit Value. A moment later, he saw the value 0 flash and turn into 1. Laziness also decreased. At the same time, Zhou Bai felt a thundering sound in his brain. An indescribable, mysterious power crept out from his brain, then withdrew itself. Zhou Bai screamed and sat up. Chapter 2 - Awakening Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio The female voice rang in Zhou Bai¡¯s ears, ¡°How is it? Did you succeed? Primordial Spirit power can be used to move things in the air and to attack people without a trace. You can do whatever you want with it¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this just telekinesis?¡± Zhou Bai twitched his will and felt a shapeless power sprawl out from his consciousness, extending into the real world. Boom! The big metal door finally rammed open. A monster that looked like it was pieced together from rotten flesh walked in. It locked its white pupils in Zhou Bai¡¯s direction. Zhou Bai subconsciously started Primordial Spirit power and saw the air distort slightly. A shapeless power had already swept onto the monster¡¯s body with a light breeze, tightly binding the monster before him. Zhou Bai said gleefully, ¡°Success?¡± But the next moment, the monster¡¯s body paused for only a bit before it charged toward Zhou Bai against the Primordial Spirit power. Its movement was somewhat slower, but it continued to close in on Zhou Bai step by step. Zhou Bai¡¯s face fell, and he immediately came to a realization. Looking at the board in his mind, he added all the remaining 9 points of Laziness onto Primordial Spirit Value. He saw the number behind Primordial Spirit Value quickly change. In a blink, it had gone from 1 to 10. Boom! Primordial Spirit power rose sharply. The strength it asserted on the monster compressed the air, creating a light thump, followed by an explosion. It sent the monster flying outward like a toy. Zhou Bai watched this scene unfold in excitement, but before he could give it more thought, his vision went black, and he passed out. *** Zhou Bai opened his eyes in a daze. Waves of pain came from his brain. Before him was an unfamiliar ceiling, and he seemed to smell disinfectant. He heard the sound of chewing. Zhou Bai raised his head intuitively to look, and he saw a blond girl wearing a white dress. The little girl held a cookie on the side of the bed, crumbs all over her mouth. Her sapphire-like eyes were wide open. She put a hand over her little mouth and looked at Zhou Bai in panic. ¡°I didn¡¯t eat your cookies!¡± Looking at the foreign environment and the person in front of him, Zhou Bai went blank for a second, then asked out of instinct, ¡°Who are you? Where am I?¡± But the little girl acted like she hadn¡¯t heard what he said. She ran out of the room in a flurry and yelled, ¡°He¡¯s awake! The person you picked up is awake! He ate all the cookies!¡± Zhou Bai pursed his lips, slowly sitting up on the bed, and felt the change in his body. ¡°My body¡­¡± He abruptly lifted the white robe, and an unfamiliar body appeared before him. It looked thin and lanky. He turned to look at the mirror on the side and saw a younger, 17- or 18-year-old version of himself. ¡°What the heck¡­how did I become so much younger?¡± Zhou Bai intuitively felt his face and was bewildered. ¡°But frankly, I was handsome when I was younger.¡± Right then, the door opened again. The little girl dragged a black-haired, black-eyed, middle-aged man into the room. The middle-aged man was tall and thin, but he looked gloomy. He looked at Zhou Bai with a cold expression and said, ¡°You¡¯re up? Then come check in¡­¡± ¡°Wait¡­¡± Zhou Bai got up from the bed and asked, ¡°Where is this? How did I become like this? Do you have a phone I can borrow? I want to make a call¡­¡± The gloomy man frowned, ¡°Check in and get an inspection first¡­¡± As he said this, he turned to leave, muttering to himself, ¡°Another one gone mad¡­¡± Zhou Bai could only follow him. The blond girl studied him curiously. She walked all around Zhou Bai, ¡°Big brother, did you come from the outside? ¡°Big brother, do you have any more cookies? ¡°Big brother, why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Zhou Bai wasn¡¯t in the mood to answer the little girl¡¯s mutterings. His head was a mess. He¡¯d suddenly arrived at an unfamiliar place, met unfamiliar people, in this unfamiliar body, and the things that happened before he fainted¡ª He felt at a loss. Suddenly, he raised his head, looking at the sides of the hallway. Doors slowly opened one by one. Children poked their little heads out to look at Zhou Bai, who walked in the middle. They carefully examined Zhou Bai, their gazes full of curiosity and caution. Zhou Bai noticed the youngest were seven or eight, and the oldest only 15 or 16. And there were Asians, white people, and black people¡­all different races. What was this place? Speaking of, before he passed out¡­Zhou Bai recalled what happened before he fainted, concentrating his attention on his mind. As expected, the Deva Nine Disasters Auxiliary Practice System appeared again. Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 10 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 0 This thing¡­seems to have been invented to assist in the practice of so-called Deva Nine Disasters, he figured. Judging from Laziness, this thing might be a super plug-in. But after Zhou Bai saw the 0 next to Laziness in his mind, he went blank for a moment. That¡¯s not right, he thought. I lay for so long on the patient¡¯s bed. Why is it still 0? He didn¡¯t have time to think further; he had already arrived at a white door with the gloomy man. The man turned and said to the blond girl, ¡°Elsa, wait here for us.¡± Then he turned to look at Zhou Bai, ¡°Follow me.¡± The blond girl named Elsa nodded but said, ¡°Teacher, I¡¯m hungry.¡± The gloomy man¡¯s face fell as he said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just eat lunch?¡± Elsa went blank, a strong hint of doubt flashed across her eyes. ¡°But why am I still hungry?¡± The gloomy man sighed helplessly and said, ¡°You wait here. I¡¯ll make you something to eat when I come out.¡± Zhou Bai followed the gloomy man into the room and found it was an office. The gloomy man sat behind the desk, gesturing at the chair in front of him for Zhou Bai to take a seat. Then he took out a stack of documents and asked Zhou Bai, ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Zhou Bai.¡± ¡°Age?¡± Zhou Bai looked at his much younger body. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Where are you from?¡± ¡°China.¡± The gloomy man raised his head, frowning. ¡°China? Where is China?¡± Zhou Bai went blank for a second and said with a laugh, ¡°You don¡¯t know where China is?¡± But the next moment he became stupefied because he suddenly found that the language he spoke, including the sentence he¡¯d just said, wasn¡¯t Chinese. It was a language he theoretically had never learned, but he somehow knew all the vocabulary and grammar and spoke it with the same proficiency as Chinese. He didn¡¯t realize this when he just woke up, but now that he paid attention to it, he suddenly became aware of this language issue. What¡­language is this? he wondered. It¡¯s not in my memory at all¡­This guy doesn¡¯t even know China¡ªis it a problem with translation? Or¡­? Although he had a million questions, Zhou Bai looked at the unfamiliar man¡¯s suspicious expression and forced down the matters in his mind. He smiled and said, ¡°Just a small place. Maybe you don¡¯t know it.¡± Chapter 3 - Doomsday? Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Zhou Bai no longer answered the rest of the gloomy man¡¯s questions honestly. He simply said, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± to most of them, and said that he seemed to have lost his memory and didn¡¯t recall many recent events. What surprised Zhou Bai was that the gloomy man seemed to believe what he said easily. He just recorded his basic information. Then he asked Zhou Bai some psychological questions. Zhou Bai felt like he was confirming his mental state. ¡°All right. There are no problems. Just live a good life here.¡± The gloomy man muttered, ¡°There might not be many good days left¡­¡± Zhou Bai questioned, ¡°What are you saying?¡± The gloomy man glanced at Zhou Bai with pity and said, ¡°Don¡¯t you know? This world is done for. The last remaining humans on Earth are the forty-two people in this base. Oh¡­if we count you, it¡¯s forty-three.¡± Zhou Bai was shocked. He looked at the man incredulously. ¡°How is that possible?¡± The gloomy man patted Zhou Bai¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let me show you your room. As for Doomsday, you¡¯ll learn later.¡± What the gloomy man just said continued to ring in Zhou Bai¡¯s mind. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to believe it. But this unfamiliar place, this strange body, and the language that abruptly appeared in his brain, as well as the Deva Nine Disasters and his encounter with the monster¡­this series of strange events made him suppress the impulses in his heart. He decided to wait and see and slowly understand the situation. The gloomy man opened the door to see Elsa waiting outside obediently, like a little dog waiting for its owner to come home. The moment she saw the door open, Elsa¡¯s eyes glowed. ¡°Teacher! I¡¯ve been waiting outside like you asked!¡± The gloomy man flashed a rare smile. ¡°Good, Elsa. Let me show Zhou Bai around the place first, then I¡¯ll make you food.¡± Then the three walked down the hallway. This time, Zhou Bai carefully observed the building before him and found that there were no windows anywhere, and he couldn¡¯t see outside at all. He couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is this base underground?¡± The gloomy man looked at Zhou Bai and said slowly, ¡°You¡¯re very sharp. This is an underground sanctuary. It¡¯s the last land of promise I made.¡± Zhou Bai asked, ¡°What happened¡­outside?¡± The gloomy man said coldly, ¡°The outside world has become hell. This base is the last hope for our survival.¡± He no longer paid attention to Zhou Bai. He brought him to a room and opened the metal door. ¡°This is your and Elsa¡¯s room. Elsa, show him around. I¡¯ll bring something for you to eat.¡± ¡°Okay, okay.¡± Elsa nodded happily and followed the gloomy man with drool running down her chin. The man had to hold her shoulders, pushing her back into the room. ¡°Wait for me here.¡± Elsa¡¯s eyes beamed. ¡°Okay, okay.¡± After the man left, Zhou Bai somehow felt relieved. He looked at the room before him. The furniture was simple: two single beds on the left and right, as well as two desks, a sink, and a toilet. It looked more like a prison cell than a bedroom. Zhou Bai looked at the messy bed and sat on the other neat single bed. He looked in the direction of the door. The blond girl Elsa was crouching by the door, her big blue eyes locked on it. Recalling what the gloomy man said, Zhou Bai looked at the little girl before him, thinking to himself, This kid looks dull; why don¡¯t I try to pry some information from her? ¡°Elsa, how long have you been here?¡± Elsa said without turning around, ¡°How would I know? I haven¡¯t learned how to count yet!¡± This kid¡­Why is she so confident about the fact that she can¡¯t count? Zhou Bai asked again, ¡°Do you know about Doomsday?¡± Elsa nodded. ¡°I do, I do!¡± She said with a solemn expression, ¡°Teacher says there¡¯s no more food outside! How scary is that?¡± Zhou Bai asked again, ¡°Then how did I get here? You said that I was picked up¡­¡± ¡°Yes, teacher picked you up outside!¡± Elsa rubbed her stomach, ¡°I¡¯m so hungry¡­why did teacher bring back a person? I wish he had brought back a pig; it¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve had pork.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Teacher goes out on his own?¡± Elsa lay on the ground, ¡°So hungry¡­¡± ¡°Elsa?¡± ¡°So hungry.¡± Zhou Bai muttered under his breath, ¡°I can¡¯t communicate with this simpleton at all.¡± A moment later, the door opened again. The gloomy man walked in with two plates in his hand. He put one plate in front of Elsa. ¡°Eat.¡± Then he put another plate in front of Zhou Bai. ¡°You eat something too.¡± Zhou Bai looked at the gooey lump on the plate and instinctively frowned. The gloomy man saw his expression and said, ¡°Resources are in short supply in the base; we can only eat synthetic food or nutrition cookies.¡± Zhou Bai took over the plate and took a scoop with the spoon on the plate. He took a bite, and his face immediately squeezed into a frown. He lightly set the plate to the side. The gloomy man said, ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll live with Elsa. She¡¯ll show you around here.¡± Zhou Bai looked at Elsa, who was enjoying the lump of goo, and couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°Is she reliable?¡± The gloomy man scratched his head. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with Elsa¡¯s intelligence; she¡¯s just too naive.¡± Elsa raised her head, eyeing with greed the plate Zhou Bai put down. The gloomy man quickly stopped her. ¡°All right, Elsa, you¡¯ve eaten enough today. Did you forget the last time you threw up from eating too much? Your stomach is full. Your brain just has yet to react.¡± Elsa was unconvinced. ¡°If my brain doesn¡¯t even realize I¡¯m full, how can I be sure my stomach is full?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t eat any more. You¡¯ll throw up.¡± The gloomy man grabbed her plate. As he walked away, he turned around, ¡°Oh right. I haven¡¯t introduced myself. My last name is Zhuang. You may call me Professor Zhuang. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it! I¡¯m not full yet!¡± Elsa jumped around her teacher, trying to snatch the plate. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s fine for me to live with her? Will she eat me at night?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s just a little gluttonous. Why would she eat humans?¡± ¡°Are you really sure? She¡¯s biting your hand! You¡¯re bleeding!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. She¡¯s just protective of food¡­¡± In the following days, Zhou Bai lived in this base. Under his deliberate investigation, he had an understanding of the entire base. This base had five levels underground. The first was the buffer zone. According to Professor Zhuang, that place was filled with the aura of hell. Without special protection, normal humans would die in there. The second and third levels were daily residential zones. They were used by 43 people, including Zhou Bai. Zhou Bai also found something peculiar: everyone in the entire base, aside from Professor Zhuang, were children between seven and 15. The fourth layer was a warehouse, containing plenty of living necessities. The fifth layer was a laboratory that only Professor Zhuang could enter; no one else could go inside. Chapter 4 - Someone Outside the Door? Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio At night, Zhou Bai got into bed early. The room and the hallway outside were both dark. To conserve resources, the entire base cut off power early at night, falling into total darkness. Only the small night light at the head of the bed gave off a faint glow. The children also got into their beds and went to sleep early. Lying on the bed, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t fall asleep. He was still thinking about the base. It¡¯s too strange, this base¡­no matter how I think about it, it¡¯s too strange, he pondered. He narrowed his eyes and glanced at Elsa, who was snoring on the side. If it was a Doomsday base, why were all the people here children? Compared to adults, children have weaker physical strength, he noted. They have no skills and weaker immune systems. The only advantage with children is that they¡¯re easier to control. There were so many children, yet not a single one of their parents or relatives came to this base. It was simply too much of a coincidence. And besides, they knew nothing about China, the United States, or Britain¡­ Zhou Bai recalled the information he¡¯d obtained from chatting with these children over the past few days. He continuously summarized and categorized them in his mind. Many of the things they know are completely different from what I know, he said to himself. They¡¯ve never heard of the history and geography that I¡¯m familiar with either. But as far as knowledge goes, the math, physics, and natural sciences these children learn in the base are the same as what I know. Many of the things this base uses aren¡¯t much different from what¡¯s used in modern society. The so-called Doomsday, is it real? At this thought, he remembered Professor Zhuang. Not only did he build this base to avoid the so-called Doomsday, but he also taught children various knowledge in the base. But all this could be explained. Maybe it was just a madman fiddling around. Maybe the world outside was still the normal Earth. The biggest problem was¡­ Zhou Bai raised his palm, which looked much younger, pale and thin. His eyes took on an overcast expression. I became younger, yet I didn¡¯t become more handsome, he noted. I can¡¯t understand this at all. Furthermore¡­ Zhou Bai looked at the Laziness value on the board that hadn¡¯t changed at all. He was irritated. He thought, How come no matter how much I lie around, Laziness doesn¡¯t increase anymore? Am I lying with incorrect posture? In the past couple of days, Zhou Bai had found that the auxiliary system couldn¡¯t be used, but the 10 points of Primordial Spirit Value were still there, which gave Zhou Bai some self-defense ability. Zhou Bai tried to use Primordial Spirit power to lift the desk and chair on the side through telekinesis. He estimated that 10 points of Primordial Spirit power were roughly around the strength of four or five adults. He sighed and thought, If only I had this ability in the original world! Then when I¡¯m playing games on my bed, I don¡¯t have to get up to grab things¡­ A tapping sound came from outside the door. He heard footsteps. Was someone outside? He was about to get up and open the door when he suddenly remembered what Elsa had said to him. Elsa had been chewing on her sheets as she warned him, ¡°Zhou Bai¡ªremember never to go out after you sleep at night, no matter what noises you hear.¡± Noises? What noises could there be at night? Were there are a lot of people going to the bathroom? Elsa went blank for a moment and frowned. She chewed on her sheets as she fell into thought. ¡°I forget¡­¡± Zhou Bai turned around to look at the neighboring bed. Elsa kicked off her blankets and was sprawled out on the bed. She smacked her lips and said in her sleep, ¡°Zhou Bai¡­I¡¯m only licking it! I won¡¯t eat it! I¡¯m not hungry¡­¡± Zhou Bai thought, This rice bucket sleeps like a pig every night. No wonder she can¡¯t hear the noise outside. At this moment, the footsteps in the hall drew closer and closer. They seemed to have reached Zhou Bai¡¯s door. Then the sound vanished. They¡¯re at my door, Zhou Bai thought. In the silence, Zhou Bai felt like he could hear his heartbeat. But he didn¡¯t hear the sound of footsteps again. Was someone standing behind the door? Feeling the quiet in the darkness, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t resist getting out of bed. He walked to the door and cocked his ears, listening for any sounds outside. In the eerie silence, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t help growing nervous. As he thought about what to do next, the entire door shook. Then came the sound of the doorknob turning continuously. Someone was opening the door? But because Elsa had locked the door, although the doorknob kept turning, the door was never opened. The rustling stopped after a while. Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump! It was the sound of a hand slamming the door. The door thumped and shook continuously from the impact. Zhou Bai was terrified. ¡°Who is it?¡± he shouted to the door. ¡°Who¡¯s outside?¡± Hearing Zhou Bai¡¯s shouting, whatever it was behind the door suddenly ceased. Zhou Bai gulped. He stood still in place and cocked his ears, continuing to listen for any noise from the door. In the quiet darkness, everything was silent. The person behind the door seemed to have gone away. Zhou Bai wanted to wake Elsa, but the moment he turned his head, a furry white face appeared before him. It glared at him with crimson eyes. In the last moments of Zhou Bai¡¯s consciousness, he only remembered the wild Primordial Spirit power extending from his mind and attacking the opponent. ¡­ The next morning, in a daze, Zhou Bai felt someone pushing him forcefully. ¡°Zhou Bai! Zhou Bai! Stop sleeping in! If you keep sleeping, I¡¯m going to finish your breakfast!¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes shot open, the impression of the strange face still in his mind. He said with some shock, ¡°Last night¡­something came in last night!¡± ¡°Really?¡± Elsa was confused. ¡°I was sleeping soundly. I didn¡¯t hear anyone come in.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a person!¡± Zhou Bai said with horror. ¡°It¡¯s something else¡­I¡­¡± He looked at the bed beneath him. ¡°You carried me back to my bed?¡± ¡°No, when I woke up this morning, I saw you sleeping in your own bed. You were sleeping soundly,¡± said Elsa. ¡°I locked the door yesterday. How could anyone get in?¡± As she said this, Elsa walked to the door and examined it. ¡°The door is still locked. Did you have a nightmare, Zhou Bai?¡± Zhou Bai got up, walked over to inspect the door, and found it was indeed locked. This made him suspicious. He pondered. Was that really my nightmare yesterday? Only Elsa and I were in the room? Wait¡­ His eyebrows suddenly twitched, and he looked at Elsa, a possibility forming in his mind. If the door hadn¡¯t opened last night, and only the two of them were in the room, then that strange white face¡­could it be Elsa? At this thought, he got goosebumps all over his body. But with more thought, he realized he had been lying soundly on his bed. Could that have been a nightmare? But the dream was so realistic. Chapter 5 - Nightmare? Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Elsa looked at Zhou Bai curiously. She asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Zhou Bai? You don¡¯t look so good.¡± ¡°No¡­nothing.¡± Once again, he suppressed the suspicions in his mind. Zhou Bai said to Elsa, ¡°What did you just say? We have to go to class?¡± ¡°Right, right!¡± Elsa jumped up, yelling, ¡°Go eat breakfast! After you eat, we¡¯re going to class! If we¡¯re late, we won¡¯t be allowed to eat lunch!¡± Elsa dragged Zhou Bai all the way to the cafeteria. He thought, Class¡­speaking of, the kids here seem to have to attend class with Professor Zhuang every day. I wonder what they learn in class? Because Zhou Bai had just arrived at the base, Professor Zhuang had let him rest for a few days and get used to life here. He didn¡¯t make Zhou Bai come to class. But yesterday, he came to remind him to get ready for class today. After eating the sticky and unsavory breakfast, Zhou Bai followed Elsa into a large room and found the other children had already sat in rows in the classroom. Elsa brought Zhou Bai to an empty seat. A black-haired girl sitting on the side looked at Zhou Bai with interest. She waved her little hand and said, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Alice. Are you the newcomer, Zhou Bai?¡± Zhou Bai nodded. Although he¡¯d spoken with some people over the past few days, he still didn¡¯t recognize everyone in the base. Alice asked with anticipation, ¡°What¡¯s it like outside? Is there a blue sky? Is there an ocean?¡± Zhou Bai went blank for a second and asked, ¡°You¡¯ve never gone outside?¡± Alice nodded. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been in this base ever since birth. I¡¯ve never seen the outside world.¡± ¡°Me neither.¡± ¡°Nor I.¡± Little heads poked over one after another, looking at Zhou Bai with intrigue and anticipation. ¡°Zhou Bai, have you always lived outside?¡± ¡°Have you ever owned a dog?¡± ¡°Have you seen mountains?¡± ¡°Is it really uninhabitable outside?¡± ¡°So hungry¡­Zhou Bai, aren¡¯t you hungry?¡± The students threw questions at Zhou Bai one after another. He was stupefied. After a moment, he said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve lost my memory. I don¡¯t remember what it¡¯s like outside now. But I remember the blue sky, white clouds, oceans, and mountains.¡± Zhou Bai told everyone about the Earth in his memory. His words made Elsa, Alice, and the rest¡¯s eyes beam with yearning expressions. In the ensuing conversation, Zhou Bai found out that these children had all lived on the base for as long as they could remember. This strange situation made Zhou Bai even more suspicious of the base. That meant that the oldest child had been here for more than 10 years, and the teacher had continued to bring children in. As Zhou Bai was chatting with Alice and the rest, the door to the classroom opened. Professor Zhuang walked in with an icy expression. ¡°We¡¯re starting class now¡­¡± Professor Zhuang said coldly. ¡°We will learn language arts and math this morning. First graders listen to the lecture first, second graders do the homework on page nine of the workbook, third graders get ready for the quiz¡­Students in other grades self-study¡­Right, Zhou Bai, you listen along first, then I¡¯ll assign your grade according to your level.¡± Zhou Bai suppressed the countless questions in his head and obediently listened to what Professor Zhuang taught. The language arts Professor Zhuang taught were just ordinary grammar and vocabulary, as well as reading comprehension. But the content was in the language that Zhou Bai somehow had learned. And in the process of teaching, there were no references to history at all. The math was nearly identical to what Zhou Bai had learned before, just divided into different grades. While he listened to the lecture, Zhou Bai thought about his plans, No matter what, this base had too many questionable aspects. He had to find a way to go outside. Was it really Doomsday? If it was really Doomsday¡­then how were his mom and dad? Was this still his world?¡¯ Zhou Bai thought about how he had studied hard in school and always competed to be the first in his class. He vigorously applied to college, worked hard, and finally could rest peacefully at home and play games, watch anime, read novels¡­ But now he was in this place. Thinking of the games he had just bought this month, the updated anime and novels, and the endless good food¡­Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t help being irritated. In this moment, he missed the blissful life of modern society. The morning class passed quickly. After having they all had lunch together, Zhou Bai followed Elsa and the rest to another big room to proceed with the afternoon courses. The moment Zhou Bai entered the room, he saw giant statues on either side of the room. They were strange-looking humanoid statues that gave off a chilling aura. Zhou Bai looked at one of the statues. It was a glaring man who held a spear in his hands. He was covered in armor, and his mouth was open as if roaring in rage. There was an eyeball on his stuck-out tongue, and a canine head grew on his left shoulder, giving off a distorted impression. The remaining statues were also like that, all deformed and strange. They didn¡¯t look like ordinary humans at all. Zhou Bai had been frowning since the moment he entered the room. The atmosphere here made him uncomfortable. The others seemed to be used to it. They each found seats and sat down, waiting for Professor Zhuang to arrive. By now, Professor Zhuang had changed into a long, loose robe. He walked into the room with a solemn expression and said to everyone, ¡°Doomsday has come, and demons have overtaken the outside world. You must master the power to yield to the demons. In our demon class today, we¡¯ll continue talking about the Three-Eyed Demon Wolf General¡­¡± ¡°Demon class?¡± Zhou Bai listened to Professor Zhuang¡¯s lecture in shock. He didn¡¯t expect the class would be on demons. On the other side, Professor Zhuang walked to the statue Zhou Bai saw before, pointing at its features. ¡°An eyeball on its tongue, a wolf head on its shoulder¡ªthese are the characteristics of the Three-Eyed Demon Wolf General that we talked about in the last class. ¡°This demon loves to fight, slaughter, and can be death-proof and ever-changing¡­ ¡°The key to yielding to this demon is to have a firm heart and not be corroded by bloodlust. Do not fear death, nor slaughter¡­¡± Listening to Professor Zhuang¡¯s narration, Zhou Bai saw Elsa, Alice, and the rest listen closely, even taking notes. A sense of absurdity rose in Zhou Bai¡¯s heart. What are they doing? he thought. Zhou Bai recalled again the strange white furry face he saw last night and the auxiliary system on his body and couldn¡¯t help thinking: Could there really be demons in this world? No, I must go and see the outside world, and see what¡¯s really going on, he determined. This moment, Zhou Bai desperately wanted to go out and see what the Earth had become. Was it really Doomsday? Were there really so-called demons? If so, what happened to his parents and family? Or did he travel to another world? Chapter 6 - Goblin? Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio The lecture passed slowly while Zhou Bai sat in a daze. When Professor Zhuang was getting ready to leave after class, Elsa raised her hand and yelled, ¡°Teacher! Zhou Bai had a nightmare yesterday! Help him out!¡± They all turned their heads to look at Zhou Bai. Alice asked with concern, ¡°Zhou Bai, are you okay?¡± ¡°Are you still scared? Do you want me to sleep with you tonight?¡± ¡°Haha, you¡¯re so old, and you¡¯re still having nightmares?¡± As he listened to their concerns, Zhou Bai¡¯s face took on a helpless expression. He couldn¡¯t decide whether to tell Professor Zhuang about what had happened last night because of the strange atmosphere at the base. He hadn¡¯t expected that Elsa would tell Professor Zhuang first. Zhou Bai could only smile awkwardly. When he saw Professor Zhuang¡¯s cold gaze, he felt nervous. Without waiting for Zhou Bai to speak, Professor Zhuang asked, ¡°You had a nightmare?¡± Professor Zhuang¡¯s solemn gaze surprised Zhou Bai. Before he could answer, Professor Zhuang continued. ¡°Remember, don¡¯t open your door at night, and don¡¯t leave your room. Come with me later to the warehouse to get incense. Light it tonight before you sleep. If you continue to have nightmares, let me know tomorrow.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s heart thumped. Professor Zhang acted as if he knew something was up. That night, when he lay in bed again, Zhou Bai looked at Elsa on the other bed. He couldn¡¯t sleep again. He still recalled the strange white furry face he saw last night. Had it been a dream? If it wasn¡¯t a dream, could it have been Elsa? Zhou Bai locked his eyes on Elsa the minute he lay down. He couldn¡¯t calm down. Yet across the room, Elsa had already begun snoring. She opened her mouth wide to bite down on her blanket. She looked like she was dreaming about food again and kept drooling, wetting her blanket. This kid, Zhou Bai thought¡­there¡¯s no way she could be that strange thing. Zhou Bai continued staring at Elsa. The aroma of incense continuously rushed into his nose. As time passed, nothing unexpected happened that night. Zhou Bai only felt his eyes get heavier and heavier, his brain become more and more exhausted. Finally, he fell asleep. When he was half-asleep, Zhou Bai felt something furry rub against his cheek. He frowned, slowly opening his eyes. A strange face full of white fur appeared before him, staring at him. Astonished, Zhou Bai quickly backed up¡ªand saw the full body of the strange face. His shock slowly faded. What appeared before him was a long-haired white cat. The cat¡¯s eyes reflected red light, and it stared at Zhou Bai. Was what I saw last night this cat too? Zhou Bai wondered. It was up against my face, and I couldn¡¯t see its full body. Is that why I thought it was a monster? Zhou Bai glanced at the door and in Elsa¡¯s direction. He found the door still closed and Elsa still sleeping. The man and cat looked at each other. Although the cat was cute, and Zhou Bai was slightly less scared, when he thought about how a white cat somehow had entered his locked room at night in this underground base, he still felt alert. But since it was a cat, he didn¡¯t know how to communicate with it. Zhou Bai focused his will. The shapeless primordial spirit power invaded reality again from his mind, standing guard against the strange cat before him. At that moment, the long-haired white cat blinked. A female voice suddenly sounded in Zhou Bai¡¯s mind. ¡°Are you Zhou Bai?¡± Zhou Bai was surprised. He looked around, then stared at the cat and asked, ¡°Are¡­are you talking to me?¡± The cat¡¯s expression was one of disdain. It narrowed its crimson glowing eyes. ¡°Your spirit is blocked, and you have no apparent Taoification. You¡¯re the epitome of mediocre. Why are you the chosen one? Did you have someone pull strings for you?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Zhou Bai asked. ¡°What do you mean by that? Wait¡­are you that woman?¡± With some shock, he suddenly remembered the female voice he¡¯d heard when he first got the auxiliary system. The cat¡¯s eyes showed confusion and hesitation. After taking a long look at Zhou Bai, she said, ¡°Yes, I was the one who contacted you before.¡± Zhou Bai was suddenly ecstatic, ¡°What is going on here? Where is this? How do I go back? Why did I become younger? How come I can¡¯t use Laziness anymore?¡± Hearing this string of questions, the white cat furrowed her brows, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about these for now. You have to try to find me first and rescue me.¡± ¡°Rescue you?¡± Zhou Bai was confused, ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°What you see now is just a dream I¡¯m showing you with a fragment of my primordial spirit power,¡± the white cat said. ¡°If you want to start your plug-in¡­want to know what happened¡­you must find my original form¡­It¡¯s in this underground¡­base¡¯s¡­¡± In the end, the white cat¡¯s voice gradually became intermittent and finally disappeared with her body. Zhou Bai frowned. The next instant, his eyes shot open. He sat up in bed, looking at the space before him. Then he slowly lay back down on his bed. He closed his eyes and began contemplating. *** The morning courses the next day were physics and chemistry. The afternoon course was still demon class. In today¡¯s demon class, Professor Zhuang pointed to a distorted, absurd humanoid sculpture and said, ¡°This is the Hundred-Armed Demon Child. Countless arms and heads grow on his body. Each arm has the power to overturn rivers and seas. Each head, for as long as it exists, is immortal. Also, he holds different types of weapons in his hands¡­¡± Zhou Bai looked at the sinister faces on the sculpture. The child¡¯s heads were lively. They looked like they were staring at him. But both the Hundred-Armed Demon Child and yesterday¡¯s Three-Eyed Demon Wolf General gave him a strange sense of familiarity. Zhou Bai thought, These are kind of like Erlang Shen and Nezha, re-created based on Chinese mythology. He turned to look at the other deformed sculptures, thinking that the other ones also look like the Giant Spirit God, the Fire God, the Water God¡­they were just uglier. After class, Zhou Bai found Professor Zhuang and asked him about the talking cat. ¡°A talking cat?¡± Professor Zhuang frowned. ¡°There are indeed such things, but they¡¯re goblins. Why are you suddenly asking about this?¡± Zhou Bai had already thought of an excuse. He responded, ¡°I saw a talking cat in the outside world before. What are goblins?¡± ¡°Goblins are goblins,¡± Professor Zhuang said somberly. ¡°They¡¯re all monsters who want to eat people and are the natural enemies of humans. If you meet on in the future, you must be very cautious. In a while, I¡¯ll introduce goblins in demon class. You¡¯ll understand then.¡± ¡°Then will they find the base?¡± Professor Zhuang glanced at Zhou Bai with suspicion. Zhou Bai said hurriedly, ¡°I¡¯m just worried the demons outside will find the base. What if they discover us?¡± Professor Zhuang said faintly, ¡°Then we can only die, and human history would be over.¡± Chapter 7 - Reception Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Zhou Bai thought Professor Zhuang would have a plan, but he hadn¡¯t expected him to say this. ¡°Let¡¯s pray we have better luck and never get discovered¡­We are the last hope of humanity.¡± Professor Zhuang patted Zhou Bai¡¯s shoulder then left. Zhou Bai looked at Professor Zhuang¡¯s lonely back. Recalling the cat from yesterday, he couldn¡¯t help thinking, Goblins? If that white cat¡¯s original form is in the base, then does Professor Zhuang know¡­or not? With this thought, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t help thinking further. Should I tell him about the cat? Both the white cat and the auxiliary system she brought were suspicious, and they linked to Zhou Bai¡¯s current situation. Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t help suspecting their goal since he didn¡¯t believe in free lunches. But Professor Zhuang was even more suspicious. Whether it was the underground base, Doomsday rumors, or the strange demon class¡ªthey all gave off a wicked aura. Should I tell Professor Zhuang everything? He wondered. Or go looking for that cat that might be a goblin on my own? After some thought, Zhou Bai made a decision: There are too few clues. I¡¯ll look by myself for now. At least if I can use this auxiliary system, I¡¯ll be able to defend myself better. At that moment, Zhou Bai felt this shoulder bumped forcefully. A boy who was nearly 1.8 meters tall walked past him with a cold expression. Elsa ran up and yelled, ¡°Hey! Bando! What are you doing? Can¡¯t you watch where you¡¯re walking?¡± The boy named Bando turned around, glaring coldly at Elsa and Zhou Bai. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to get bumped, then don¡¯t stand in my way.¡± Seeing Bando walk away, Zhou Bai¡¯s lips twitched. He thought, Damn, that kid¡¯s arrogant. Elsa jumped angrily and yelled at Bando¡¯s back. ¡°Can¡¯t you say something if he¡¯s in your way?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the point¡­¡± Zhou Bai helplessly patted Elsa¡¯s shoulder and said, ¡°All right, Elsa. Let¡¯s go eat.¡± When she heard they were going to eat, Elsa¡¯s eyes glowed, and she quickly forgot about what had just happened. She happily followed Zhou Bai to the cafeteria. The two got their food and sat down. Zhou Bai considered his plans. I¡¯ve walked through the second and third residential levels underground. If that cat is really in the underground base, then she¡¯s probably in level four or five. At this thought, Zhou Bai asked, ¡°Elsa, have you been in every part of the base? Have you been in levels four or five?¡± Elsa had buried her head in the synthetic nutrition gel in her bowl, and she didn¡¯t hear Zhou Bai¡¯s question. Zhou Bai asked several more times. Seeing that she still didn¡¯t hear him, he snatched her bowl, then watched Elsa stretch her head and follow the bowl with her mouth. ¡°This kid¡­¡± Zhou Bai knew what Elsa was like after living with her the past few days, so he waited to ask until after she finished eating. ¡°In the past, when we helped teacher carry things, we¡¯ve gone to level four, but not to level five. No one can go to level five except teacher.¡± Then Elsa told Zhou Bai about the things she saw in level four. In the chair behind Zhou Bai, Alice, appearing deep in thought, quietly listened in on their conversation. *** A few days later, after demon class ended, Professor Zhuang picked some students to help him carry things. Zhou Bai volunteered to help. A dozen students followed Professor Zhuang down to level four. An enormous warehouse appeared before Zhou Bai. Resources the base needed were organized into different sections. Under Professor Zhuang¡¯s direction, the students each went off to different sections to carry the resources. After Zhou Bai put two boxes up on the shelves and came back down to take more, he looked around to check that no one noticed him, then walked to the back of the warehouse. I¡¯ll search level four first to see if she¡¯s here, he thought. If not, I can only try to find a way to search in level five. Zhou Bai walked down the aisles of resources. He saw vast numbers of nutrition gels, hardtack, purified water, as well as all sorts of medicines, medical instruments, and common tools. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s nothing special here¡­¡± Zhou Bai paused. He saw a clearing on the ground with all sorts of old equipment. ¡°This¡­¡± Zhou Bai picked up a cylinder-shaped item, fiddling with it and guessing. ¡°Is this a flashlight?¡± The next moment, his eyes lit up. He grabbed a small piece of electronics to the side. ¡°This looks like a radio.¡± Zhou Bai tried pressing the power button, but there was no reaction. ¡°Is it broken? Is it out of batteries?¡± Zhou Bai rummaged around and found two batteries from another electronic item. After putting the batteries into the radio, Zhou Bai turned it on again. He immediately heard static coming from the radio. After going through a couple of channels and hearing nothing, Zhou Bai suddenly remembered. ¡°This is underground. There¡¯s probably no signal here.¡± Just as Zhou Bai was feeling disappointed, the sound in the radio suddenly focused. ¡°This is Paradise Rescue Team. This is Paradise Rescue Team. We are rescuing humans all around the globe. ¡°Survivors who receive this message, please¡­¡± Zhou Bai looked at the radio in his hand in shock, but the voice in it vanished halfway through its sentence. The radio became staticky again. No matter how Zhou Bai tinkered with it, he couldn¡¯t receive the voice from before. Right then, a light clang sounded behind Zhou Bai. He immediately turned nervously and found it was Alice standing behind him. She had accidentally kicked a metal pipe. Seeing Zhou Bai turn around, Alice raised a finger and put it to her lips. ¡°Shh, don¡¯t fret. I won¡¯t tell teacher.¡± ¡°You¡­heard it?¡± Zhou Bai asked. Alice nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve always doubted the so-called Doomsday. There¡¯s something you might want to take a look at.¡± Zhou Bai followed Alice to a corner of the warehouse and saw rows of bookshelves before him. His eyes glowed, and he walked up quickly. ¡°Language arts¡­math¡­chemistry¡­physics¡­Are these all knowledge-based books?¡± Alice said on the side, ¡°Come take a look at this.¡± Alice flipped open a book. She took out a piece of paper and handed it to Zhou Bai. Zhou Bai looked over the page and saw that writing covered it. ¡°Don¡¯t open the door. He just wants to eat us¡­ ¡°It hurts¡­my chest is hurting more and more. Something¡¯s about to come out¡­ ¡°Jack is gone too. He must have been eaten¡­What shall we do?¡± Chapter 8 - Diary Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio The text on the paper was intermittent as if the writer¡¯s mental state was deteriorating. But what he could read made Zhou Bai feel very strange: Mike sits up every night to look at the door. His condition is worsening; will he eat him? Today, Mike didn¡¯t sleep again. He just stood at the door, as if he would go out at any moment. I was too scared to get up¡­I think he already found out. Mike tried the door, opening it and going out. I hugged my blanket close, forcing myself not to look outside. Mike didn¡¯t return the next day. Another person is gone. What shall we do? I¡¯m so dizzy. I feel like I¡¯m in a daze every day. I¡¯m sleeping more and more. He keeps staring at me in class. I think I¡¯ve been discovered. This morning when I got up, I found the paper I put on the doorknob fell. Who moved the doorknob last night? My chest is hurting more and more. I can feel something inside¡­ I¡¯m too tired. I didn¡¯t go to class. He came to see me. Everyone will be eaten; we¡¯ve lost hope. He¡¯s watching me. At night, he watches me through the keyhole. He¡¯s waiting for me to come out! I¡¯ve decided not to sleep. I can¡¯t be eaten! Not sleeping is the right decision. I feel better and better¡­ *** Zhou Bai furrowed his brows. This person was an insomniac. The rest of the text was mostly babble and was hard to understand. Alice asked, ¡°What are your thoughts?¡± Zhou Bai glanced at the girl who was only 12 or 13 and said softly, ¡°Don¡¯t stay up. Sleep more.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking,¡± Alice said with a harrumph. ¡°Who do you think the ¡®he¡¯ on there is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. There are too few clues. It could even be you.¡± Alice pursed her lips. ¡°Don¡¯t you think teacher and the entire base are suspicious? I found this piece of diary between the bedboards. This person probably used to sleep in my bed.¡± Zhou Bai looked at her in surprise. This little girl had grown up in this underground base¡ªthis environment had shaped her entire worldview¡ªyet she still suspected something. How unusual. But Zhou Bai wasn¡¯t planning to discuss it with a child. He nodded and said, ¡°Sleep early at night. Don¡¯t be like him; he¡¯s turning into a god.¡± Seeing Zhou Bai was about to leave, Alice stomped her feet in anger. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to leave the base? Don¡¯t you want to see what¡¯s outside? Maybe there¡¯s no Doomsday out there!¡± When Zhou Bai continued to ignore her, Alice said, ¡°Since last month, Bando¡¯s personality has completely changed, as if he¡¯s a different person. He saw this diary before too, but when I asked him again, he¡¯d forgotten about it.¡± Zhou Bai paused and looked at Alice. ¡°What else do you know?¡± ¡°The laboratory at level five¡ªBando went there,¡± Alice explained. ¡°After he came back, he was a completely different person. I even suspect he¡¯s not Bando!¡± ¡°How did he get to level five?¡± Zhou Bai rubbed his chin. ¡°I asked Elsa. The door there has a fingerprint sensor. Only teacher can enter.¡± Alice said, ¡°If we want to go out, we have to open the alloy door in level one. If you want to open the alloy door, you need an electronic card. Bando and I looked over the entire base and couldn¡¯t find it so that electronic card can only be in the lab. ¡°We found a vent duct that connects to level five. Bando and I spent months cutting the bars inside. ¡°But after Bando came back from the lab that day, he was like a different person. The bars in the vent duct were also fixed.¡± Alice¡¯s continued, horrified. ¡°We wondered what happened. Did teacher find us out?¡± Zhou Bai was deep in thought. ¡°Do you want to go outside?¡± ¡°You¡­¡± ¡°Then take me to that vent.¡± Whether it was the electronic card or the cat associated with the auxiliary system or teacher¡¯s secret¡ªthey all seemed to link to the underground laboratory. Zhou Bai decided to see for himself. So with Alice¡¯s lead, he came to a vent duct on the ceiling of the cafeteria. Then he told Alice to go back. *** That night, after glancing at Elsa, who was sound asleep, Zhou Bai quietly got out of bed. As expected, he had to go at night.¡± But the moment he reached to open the door, Elsa¡¯s warnings flashed across his mind: ¡°Don¡¯t go out at night.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, the strange face I saw before was just that cat,¡± Zhou Bai comforted himself. ¡°And I¡¯m a man capable of telekinesis. Alice and Bando cut open the vent duct at night too. What am I afraid of?¡± Walking out of the room, he closed the door softly. Looking into the pitch-black hallway, Zhou Bai frowned. Because there was no light underground, the hallway was completely dark. Zhou Bai realized he couldn¡¯t see anything. He had to reach out and feel the wall, walking to the cafeteria from memory. Zhou Bai swallowed. In the silence and nearly absolute darkness, each second was harder to bear than he had imagined. After a few steps, Zhou Bai felt like something was watching him in the dark. After he finally made it to the cafeteria, Zhou Bai felt his way to the vent duct. In the darkness, Zhou Bai¡¯s hands inched up the sturdy wall. Suddenly, he felt something soft on his fingers. Zhou Bai was shocked. What was this? His palm climbed up the soft thing, and a hand grabbed Zhou Bai¡¯s mouth. He was so scared he nearly used telekinesis. ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Alice whispered. ¡°I figured you would come at night. How do you plan to go down? I¡¯m coming with you this time.¡± Zhou Bai rolled his eyes. Alice continued. ¡°This time, I must see what¡¯s going on with my own eyes. If you don¡¯t take me there, I¡¯m yelling¡­¡± ¡°All right, all right. I¡¯ll take you along,¡± Zhou Bai said helplessly. ¡°Loosen your hand. You¡¯re hurting my neck.¡± Alice went blank, then said slowly, ¡°I¡¯m not grabbing your neck.¡± In the darkness, Zhou Bai¡¯s hair stood on end. He used Primordial Spirit power to push off the palm on his neck. Then he reached out and grabbed Alice, nervously looking around in the darkness. Alice said fearfully, ¡°What? What happened?¡± Zhou Bai asked, ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± He looked at the pitch-black space, his Primordial Spirit power sweeping the space around him. But he didn¡¯t feel anyone else¡¯s existence again. ¡°Come out.¡± In the silent darkness, no one answered Zhou Bai. Chapter 9 - Found Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio ¡°Don¡¯t scare me!¡± Alice hugged Zhou Bai, her voice trembling as if she was about to burst into tears. ¡°Why did you come out if you¡¯re so scared?¡± Zhou Bai shook her off and used his Primordial Spirit power to extend himself outward. In his free time in the past few days, he had tested the limits of his Primordial Spirit power. The farthest it could reach was about ten meters from his body, and it could return tactile sensations the way hands did, letting him know if Primordial Spirit power touched anything. But Primordial Spirit power wasn¡¯t inexhaustible either. Just like running, walking, or swimming, when you used it a lot, you got tired and needed to rest. That¡¯s why Zhou Bai didn¡¯t use it carelessly. Using Primordial Spirit power to sweep the area, he found no one within a ten-meter radius. Zhou Bai swallowed, recalling the size, appearance, and setup of the cafeteria. Our current location is the right corner of the cafeteria, he noted. If they¡¯re outside the ten-meter radius¡­ Zhou Bai suppressed the fear in his heart, dragging Alice to the door of the cafeteria a few steps away. ¡°This is the only exit. If I block it, then he¡¯s still in this cafeteria¡­¡± Zhou Bai planned a route in his head. He used his Primordial Spirit power to lift chairs and tables, then put them down. He needed to sweep this entire cafeteria inch by inch, cornering and finding the opponent. Alice stayed in the darkness but didn¡¯t know what was happening. She could only hug Zhou Bai tightly and listen to the noise of Zhou Bai pushing the tables and chairs in the darkness. She asked nervously, ¡°What¡¯s happening? What¡¯s that noise?¡± Zhou Bai felt her thin body shaking against him. He was a little scared too, but he bucked up and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Stay with me.¡± But after Zhou Bai used the cafeteria furniture to block the door and used his Primordial Spirit power to search the entire cafeteria, he still found no trace of anyone else. ¡°Gone?¡± Zhou Bai felt uneasy. ¡°Who is it? I blocked the door as soon as I could; how did he get out?¡± Alice didn¡¯t know about Primordial Spirit power, but while she followed Zhou Bai, she figured out what he was doing. She said, ¡°You¡¯re looking for that person? Do you want to look in the vent duct?¡± Zhou Bai was alert. With the assistance of Primordial Spirit power, he quickly walked to the location of the vent duct. As Primordial Spirit power reached into the vent duct, his heart skipped a beat. Zhou Bai said, ¡°The bars we saw in the daytime have been torn off.¡± ¡°Does that mean that guy might have come up from the lab in level five? And walked into us? Then went back?¡± Zhou Bai looked with alarm in Alice¡¯s direction, but he saw nothing but darkness. Still, he was surprised this teenage girl reacted so quickly. Even in this environment, she could suppress her fear and think. Alice asked, ¡°What do we do now? Have we been discovered? Does teacher know?¡± Zhou Bai rubbed his chin and said, ¡°You come down with me.¡± ¡°Huh? You still want to go down? But we¡¯ve already been¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen if we get discovered, but if we rush down now, we¡¯ll have a chance to find what we¡¯re seeking before they can react.¡± Zhou Bai looked at Alice, who was standing to the side. ¡°I¡¯m worried you¡¯ll be in danger if you stay here alone, so either you come down with me, or I¡¯ll walk you back now.¡± Alice fell silent for a few seconds, then nodded firmly, ¡°Walking me back will waste too much time. I¡¯ll come with you.¡± ¡°Come up. I¡¯ll carry you¡­.¡± Alice¡¯s thin body approached. For Zhou Bai¡¯s current 18-year-old body, this girl was light. He could even feel her ribs pressing against him. The base provided basic food and water. But to conserve resources, they gave too little for a growing girl like Alice. This situation was also the reason Elsa always said she was hungry. Of course, Zhou Bai thought that aside from there being too little food, the reason this rice bucket always said she was hungry was that she had a huge appetite. Carrying Alice, Zhou Bai climbed into the vent duct. With the help of Primordial Spirit power, his journey downward was easy. Not long after, they went down and saw light. Exiting the vent in level five, they saw a long passage that appeared before them. Faint night lights were scattered on the sides of the passage; it was no longer total darkness before them. Alice and Zhou Bai hadn¡¯t been there before, so Zhou Bai set Alice down and picked a random direction to walk in. ¡°Follow me closely.¡± A screech came from the depths of the passage, stunning Alice and Zhou Bai. They looked at each other and quickly ran in the direction of the screech. Soon, brighter and brighter lights appeared before Zhou Bai and Alice. A giant laboratory appeared before them. The two of them knelt, hiding in the shadows behind a table. In the center of the laboratory, a distorted person was locked inside a transparent cultivation tank. He kept knocking on the glass, making a growling sound. ¡°Ban¡­Bando!¡± Alice looked at the deformed person in the cultivation tank in shock, but she recognized him from his remaining facial features. Seeing Alice was about to run up, Zhou Bai grabbed her. ¡°Don¡¯t be rash.¡± He frowned, looking around the laboratory, but didn¡¯t see Professor Zhuang. Tears streamed down Alice¡¯s face. Looking at Bando inside the cultivation tank, she asked, ¡°Why did Bando become like this? What happened?¡± In the cultivation tank, the space below Bando¡¯s belly button was empty. His remaining upper torso was swollen and distorted. Zhou Bai sighed. Alice was just a teenager, so it was normal she couldn¡¯t control her emotions. In fact, she was being calm enough by not screaming. But why am I so calm too? Zhou Bai wondered. In this eerie situation, he couldn¡¯t help entertaining the idea of whether he had the qualities of being calm in urgent situations, and being witty and brave like a main character in a story. As Zhou Bai fell into reverie under pressure, a female voice rang in his head. ¡°What are you waiting for? Come save me!¡± Zhou Bai went blank for a second, and the female voice sounded again. ¡°Look behind the table to your left!¡± Zhou Bai ran over with Alice and saw a long-haired white cat in the glass cover behind the table. She looked at them, jumping and talking in Zhou Bai¡¯s mind. ¡°Let me out! That guy¡¯s about to return!¡± Hearing this, Zhou Bai used his Primordial Spirit power to lift a chair on the side and smash the glass. After a few hits, cracks slowly appeared on the glass cover. Then his Primordial Spirit power pressed downward and instantly made a hole. The white cat jumped out of the hole, pouncing at Zhou Bai. ¡°Hahaha! Idiot! It¡¯s all mine!¡± Chapter 10 - Charge Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio The white long-haired cat pounced on Zhou Bai. ¡°Meowhahaha, I¡¯ll never admit you¡¯re the chosen one! I¡¯m going to take over your body and steal your plug-in!¡± But Zhou Bai was already prepared against this white cat. Layers of Primordial Spirit power spread in the air, catching her almost instantly. The cat slammed on the floor with a slap, as if an invisible hand had grabbed its tail, dragging it up, then swinging it forcefully on the ground. Thump! Thump! Thump! Alice watched in awe as the white cat was slammed like a pancake. Even from the cultivation tank on the side, Bando watched the white cat get thrown around. Zhou Bai slowly moved the half-dead white cat over and scoffed. ¡°Hmph, I knew something was up. You want to play tricks on me?¡± Although he said this, Zhou Bai somehow had a natural affection toward her, as if she would never hurt him. ¡°You little brat! I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± The white cat bared her fangs and brandished her claws, wanting to pounce on Zhou Bai, but couldn¡¯t get an inch closer under the control of his Primordial Spirit power. Zhou Bai controlled the white cat with his power, carefully examining her. He could feel a faint Primordial Spirit power seeping out of her continuously, but it posed no threat to him. Alice also came over, exclaiming, ¡°Zhou Bai, what is this?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± As Zhou Bai contemplated how to explain, footsteps came from the direction of the hallway. His and Alice¡¯s expressions both changed. Zhou Bai immediately pulled Alice and the white cat into the corner to hide. He felt the white cat struggle against his Primordial Spirit power. Zhou Bai began feeling anxious. But the next moment, his brows relaxed. He saw the white cat¡¯s body shift, then turn into a puff of smoke that merged into his forehead. Zhou Bai was surprised. But right now, he didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to her. He grabbed Alice and crouched in the shadows, watching Professor Zhuang stride into the laboratory. My current Primordial Spirit power is around the strength of four or five adults, Zhou Bai figured. But this Professor Zhuang is so strange, it¡¯s best not to go up against him directly. He cautiously hid in Professor Zhuang¡¯s blindspot. Zhou Bai wanted to leave the laboratory with Alice. Suddenly, Alice yanked him. He turned around and saw Alice approaching a low cabinet, reaching her hand toward it. Zhou Bai was irritated. What was she doing? Just as he was about to pull her away, he saw Alice point above the cabinet. She moved her mouth silently, as if saying something. Zhou Bai looked above the low cabinet. Was it an electronic card? The electronic card to the door? He hadn¡¯t expected Alice to remember her goal in this situation, and even to find the electronic card! Zhou Bai focused his will. Primordial Spirit power lifted the card and put it in Alice¡¯s hand. The white cat¡¯s female voice rang again in his mind, ¡°Little brat! Take my gem too.¡± Zhou Bai was too lazy to mind the white cat in his head. He wanted to leave with Alice. But the white cat kept going off. ¡°Idiot! Go get it! That thing is much more important than you can imagine!¡± Seeing Zhou Bai was still ignoring her, the white cat could only lie. ¡°Without that, the auxiliary system can¡¯t start!¡± Zhou Bai frowned. He patted Alice¡¯s shoulder and pointed in the direction of the door, signaling her to leave first. He inched over in the direction where the white cat said he¡¯d find the gem. Alice wanted to grab Zhou Bai and run, but she couldn¡¯t pull Zhou Bai away. The gem the white cat talked about was a blue cone the size of a thumb. It was currently on the workbench close behind Professor Zhuang. It looked like Professor Zhuang had recently studied it. Right when Zhou Bai got within a ten-meter radius and was about to use Primordial Spirit power to grab the gem, he heard loud thumps. Zhou Bai looked up and saw Bando hitting the glass forcefully inside the cultivation tank, looking in his direction. ¡°Shh!¡± Zhou Bai saw he didn¡¯t stop at all, and even pointed in his direction. He used his Primordial Spirit power and grabbed the gem, then turned to flee. ¡°What are you looking at! They¡¯re gone!¡± Professor Zhuang turned around, looking with a cold expression at Zhou Bai and Alice, who had escaped. Zhou Bai grabbed Alice, who was stupefied. He used his Primordial Spirit power again, lifting all the surrounding tables and chairs, and sent them toward Professor Zhuang. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! ¡°Run! Run! Run!¡± The white cat¡¯s voice screamed in Zhou Bai¡¯s head. ¡°That guy is skilled; you can¡¯t kill him with that!¡± But Zhou Bai didn¡¯t easily believe in the white cat. Instead, he glanced and saw the tables and chairs he threw all floated in the air when they got near Professor Zhuang and were put back into place one by one. He has Primordial Spirit power too? Zhou Bai thought. And it looks stronger than mine¡­and more practiced¡­ Zhou Bai was anxious; he no longer looked behind himself but used Primordial Spirit power to its limits. It lifted him and Alice into the air. They shot into the distance, as if they were flying. In the past few days, Zhou Bai had tested the uses of Primordial Spirit power on his own. Primordial Spirit power was like an invisible arm. It could lift Zhou Bai up, up to the limits of its reach, which was ten meters. Of course, this wasn¡¯t flying, but it looked a lot like flying, and its speed was extremely fast. And when used to its extremes, the Primordial Spirit power was like invisible tentacles that helped Zhou Bai feel his surroundings. Even in the darkness, he could charge forward at full speed. Alice watched this scene in shock, but suppressed her curiosity and didn¡¯t ask. She held the electronic card to her body tightly, asking, ¡°Zhou Bai! What do we do? Teacher saw us!¡± ¡°Leave the base,¡± Zhou Bai said as he flew forward. ¡°Didn¡¯t you get the electronic card? Let¡¯s get out first.¡± Alice went blank for a second, then said with concern, ¡°Then what about Bando? And Elsa¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯ll go out and find people to rescue them. We have to ensure our own lives first,¡± Zhou Bai said. ¡°You heard¡ªthere¡¯s a rescue team out there. I know this might be difficult for you, but this is our only option for now.¡± Alice struggled. For a kid who grew up in the base and stayed here for so many years, abandoning everyone and escaping was a lot of psychological pressure. Although she always had wanted to see the outside world, when this day truly came, and so suddenly too, it terrified Alice. She could only hold on to Zhou Bai tightly, suppressing the panic in her heart. On the other hand, Zhou Bai looked concerned and accelerated his speed. He didn¡¯t think that after operating this base for so long, Professor Zhuang would let them leave so easily. But to his surprise, the entire process of racing, swiping the card, and advancing was smooth and unobstructed. Zhou Bai and Alice opened the door in the buffer zone on level one and arrived outside the base. Chapter 11 - Doomsday Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio The moment Zhou Bai and Alice charged out the door, dazzling starlight scattered down on them, Zhou Bai and Alice both showed expressions of awe. When they looked at the surrounding scenery, their eyes lit up with joy. What appeared before them was a boundless starry sky and a green field beneath it. ¡°This doesn¡¯t look like Doomsday at all.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s heart thumped, he recalled the rescue team he heard on the radio previously. He carried Alice and continued running outside. ¡°Is this the sky?¡± Alice looked up at the sky in awe, seeming rather intoxicated by the sight. But after running for only 200 meters, Zhou Bai felt a dull pain in his brain. His primordial spirit power retracted into his cognitive sea like tides, making both him and Alice fall to the ground. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Zhou Bai wanted to start his primordial spirit power again but felt stabbing pains in his brain. It was as if his primordial spirit power was exhausted and couldn¡¯t sprawl out no matter what. After falling on the floor, Alice wanted to get up but felt her body go weak. She fell to the ground again. Alice¡¯s face was pale, and she put a hand on her chest feebly, ¡°My¡­my chest hurts so much. Zhou Bai, what¡¯s going on? What happened?¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s expression changed. He instinctively touched his own chest and found the same painful sensation. However, it seemed to be less severe than Alice¡¯s. ¡°I told you. Doomsday has descended on Earth. The environment outside the base is no longer suitable for human inhabitation.¡± Hearing the man¡¯s voice, Zhou Bai looked up. He saw Professor Zhuang, who was clad in a black combat suit, walk over slowly. He sighed as he looked at the two of them, ¡°Currently, Earth is basically Doomsday for humans. All the Spark in the world has been completely polluted. You can stay outside for half an hour at most before you die.¡± ¡°Come back with me, only the protective measures of the base can prevent your bodies from being invaded by polluted Spark.¡± Zhou Bai held his chest in shock, looking at Alice, who was on the ground. She looked like she was getting weaker and weaker, her eyes losing focus. He asked, ¡°Why did this happen?¡± Professor Zhuang sighed, controlling his primordial spirit power to lift Zhou Bai and Alice. He took the two and slowly walked towards the entrance of the base. Zhou Bai was brought back without any ability to resist. He was still reflecting on the entire situation rapidly. ¡®The chest pain in the diary¡­it¡¯s like what we¡¯re experiencing now¡­is it because he went outside the base?¡¯ ¡®But Bando¡­¡¯ Zhou Bai still had many things he didn¡¯t understand. He asked Professor Zhuang, ¡°Bando¡­did he come outside too?¡± Professor Zhuang glanced at Zhou Bai in surprise, ¡°You¡¯re very sharp. After Bando stole the electronic card, he was afraid it really was dangerous outside, so he decided to go out alone first. If it was safe, he would return and bring Alice outside.¡± As he said this, Professor Zhuang couldn¡¯t help sighing, ¡°I¡¯m currently in a critical period of my research, and I couldn¡¯t discover Bando¡¯s actions in time. When I found him outside, he had already been outside for an hour. I tried everything, but I couldn¡¯t heal him.¡± Zhou Bai asked, ¡°Can Alice still be saved?¡± Professor Zhuang: ¡°You only stayed outside for a short period of time. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± Zhou Bai: ¡°Why did you let us out? With your power, you probably could have stopped us.¡± Professor Zhuang: ¡°Since you already have primordial spirit power, then you have the right to look at the situation outside with your own eyes. Otherwise, with your primordial spirit power, you¡¯ll still think about going outside and going against me. That¡¯s troublesome too. I can¡¯t watch you every second of the day.¡± The white cat spoke in Zhou Bai¡¯s brain, ¡°So he¡¯s a good person after all. You¡¯ve wronged him. If he didn¡¯t save you, you might be dead by now.¡± Zhou Bai: ¡°Who was the one who told me to run before?¡± White cat: ¡°I¡¯m just a cat! As a human, you listen to a cat for directions? Isn¡¯t that embarrassing?¡± Zhou Bai: ¡°You have the nerve to say that? Where is this? Why am I here? What is with all of this?¡± White cat said quietly, ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­I¡¯ve lost my memory. All I remember is that I was here when I woke up.¡± Zhou Bai said angrily, ¡°Lost your memory? Didn¡¯t you say if I rescued you, you¡¯d let me know everything that happened?¡± White cat: ¡°I was lying to you. Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t come save me so quickly.¡± Zhou Bai: ¡°You d*mn cat!!¡± The conversation between man and cat happened in Zhou Bai¡¯s mind. The people around them couldn¡¯t hear it at all. Professor Zhuang used primordial spirit power to carry the two of them into the door of the underground base. Noticing Zhou Bai¡¯s agitation, he said, ¡°Rest assured, you were only outside for a few minutes. You¡¯ll recover after a little rest. Especially someone like you, whose primordial spirit power has awakened, you have better immunity.¡± Zhou Bai suddenly remembered something. He inquired, ¡°You discovered us in the cafeteria? You let us in intentionally?¡± Professor Zhuang paused his steps, and he asked, ¡°What cafeteria?¡± Zhou Bai immediately told Professor Zhuang about his neck being seized in the cafeteria. A hint of unease flashed across Professor Zhuang¡¯s face, ¡°It wasn¡¯t me, I¡¯ve been in the underground laboratory all day¡­.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zhou Bai was perplexed, ¡°Then who is it?¡± Professor Zhuang didn¡¯t speak, but his expression became grave. After walking Zhou Bai and Alice back to their rooms, he left in a hurry. As Professor Zhuang and Zhou Bai returned to the base, a black wind blew across the sky above the door of the base. It hovered for a while, then vanished. Zhou Bai returned to his room, remembering everything that happened today. It felt like his brain was boiling like a kettle, and it couldn¡¯t cool down at all. ¡°Doomsday¡­how annoying¡­.¡± He heard the sound of snoring. Zhou Bai turned to look and saw Elsa curled up in a ball on her bed, soundly asleep. ¡°How great to be carefree.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± Zhou Bai looked at his auxiliary system again, asking with anticipation, ¡°D*mn cat, can I use this auxiliary system now?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me that. I have a name. Call me Christina, the cutest and most important cat¡­bah¡­girl in the world!¡± Christina stayed in Zhou Bai¡¯s mind, and she looked very displeased. She doesn¡¯t remember much about her past. All she remembers is that the moment she woke up, she got into contact with Zhou Bai, and the only thing she remembered she has to do is to hand the auxiliary system and gem to Zhou Bai, the chosen one. Christina: ¡°Let me out first! Your brain is full of filthy things, and I¡¯m grossed out.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s face flushed red. With a shift of his will, he saw a puff of white mist come out of his forehead, slowly taking on the shape of a white cat. Christina looked at her own body curiously, exclaiming, ¡°Haha, I¡¯m out!¡± Zhou Bai controlled his will and saw the white cat turn into the white fog again and return into his forehead. Then he controlled his will again, and she came out again. After trying this a couple of times, watching Christina go in and out of his forehead, Zhou Bai understood the process. He can control the white cat¡¯s return and release it at will. Chapter 12 - Mad Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio After being manipulated by Zhou Bai, Christina got angry, ¡°Are you done playing around? Do you know what you¡¯re doing?¡± Zhou Bai: ¡°Playing with a cat.¡± ¡°Play with yourself!¡± Christina was infuriated, ¡°Cats don¡¯t need to be played with.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± Zhou Bai hastily asked, ¡°Can I use the auxiliary system yet? Or are there procedures that need to be taken?¡± Christina¡¯s lips twitched, swishing her tails as she jumped onto Zhou Bai¡¯s shoulder. Then she forcefully slammed the back of Zhou Bai¡¯s head three times. ¡°Try it again?¡± ¡°Seriously? Does this work?¡± Zhou Bai was doubtful, ¡°You¡¯re not playing around with me, are you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s what¡¯s written on the Operation Manual. But I have to be the one to hit you, it doesn¡¯t work if you hit yourself,¡± Christina said, ¡°It¡¯s up to you if you want to believe me or not.¡± Zhou Bai rubbed his chin and decided not to think about this. He¡¯s going to lie down first. As he lay on the bed again, this time in the auxiliary system, Laziness finally began increasing. Looking at the Laziness value increase 1 point per second, Zhou Bai¡¯s bad mood from the Doomsday situation lightened greatly. He watched Laziness grow with content. Zhou Bai looked at the cat who was also lying on the bed and smiled. Then he kicked Christina off the bed. ¡°Cats aren¡¯t allowed on the bed in my house.¡± ¡°Hiss¡­.¡± Christina glared at Zhou Bai, who was on the bed, ¡°I only look like a cat. My true nature is much nobler than cats or humans like yourself.¡± ¡°This cat is always lying, good thing she¡¯s stupid,¡± he thought. Zhou Bai paid no mind to Christina¡¯s boasting. But the auxiliary system did come with her, so he had many questions he wanted to ask Christina. The first thing was about this world. Zhou Bai urgently wanted to know if this world was his world. This Doomsday world, is it an alternate world, or did his original Earth enter Doomsday? But it seems like Christina really did lose her memory about this. She knew nothing about this world either. After getting no answers, Zhou Bai started asking about the auxiliary system. Christina: ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, the Operation Manual I was given had only one sentence¡­If there¡¯s a problem, slam your head.¡± Zhou Bai: ¡°Huh? Then this Degree of Taoification, Primordial Spirit Value, Divine Map, what do they mean? Explain to me.¡± Christina: ¡°That I know.¡± She swung her tail, saying with discontent, ¡°But it¡¯s so cold on the floor¡­¡± Zhou Bai controlled his primordial spirit power and threw Christina onto Elsa¡¯s bed. Elsa was still fast asleep. She didn¡¯t look like she was going to wake up at all. Christina rolled around comfortably, collapsing into a cat rug. Zhou Bai: ¡°Tell me about the Degree of Taoification, Primordial Spirit Value, and Divine Map. What are they really?¡± Previously, when Zhou Bai first used the auxiliary system, Christina already said Degree of Taoification represented realm, and Divine Map represented method of practice. ¡°If I go into detail, Degree of Taoification represents your synchronization with the Heavenly Tao. The more in sync you are, the greater the power you can obtain, and the stronger the divine skills you can practice.¡± ¡°You probably know a little about Primordial Spirit Value, that¡¯s the quantification of primordial spirit power. Primordial spirit power is the power that a practitioner develops after breathing the Spark and conforming to Heaven. When you¡¯re more practiced, you¡¯ll have many uses for it. It¡¯s the basic power for practitioners.¡± ¡°As for Divine Map, that¡¯s the method of practice. It¡¯s pretty much the same as secret scrolls and magical techniques. The Divine Map is different for every realm of practice. They each have different focuses for strengthening and different divine skills, which are the means of combat.¡± Christina said with a smile, ¡°Do you want to learn how to practice? I can teach you.¡± She thought to herself, ¡®Hehe, if you want to learn, then treat me as a teacher, and I¡¯ll slowly gain back my autonomy¡­.¡¯ ¡°Not interested.¡± Zhou Bai turned around. He saw his Laziness had broken through 100 points, and said with glee, ¡°I can get stronger just by lying down. Only a fool would practice.¡± Christina gritted her teeth, baring her fangs, ¡°This guy¡­I¡¯m so annoyed!¡± The next moment, her body had turned into a cloud of white mist, which Zhou Bai put back into his consciousness again. Zhou Bai continued lying on the other bed. Because he exhausted himself too much today, he drifted into sleep. The next day, Zhou Bai woke up very early because he was very excited. All he thought about was how much Laziness would have increased overnight. But after taking a look at the board, he looked very disappointed. Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 10 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 200 ¡°Why is Laziness only at 200? I lay for an entire night!¡± Zhou Bai said angrily, ¡°Did I lie around for nothing?¡± Christina¡¯s voice sneered in Zhou Bai¡¯s head, ¡°You can get stronger just from sleeping, what are you unhappy about?¡± Zhou Bai asked her, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Why is your auxiliary system giving me less than I deserve?¡± ¡°How would I know?¡± Christina muttered, ¡°But after some thought, it probably has a limit. This might be the maximum amount of Laziness you can gain from lying around each day.¡± In his later attempts, Zhou Bai slowly realized that there was a limit to different methods of gaining Laziness each day. The amount that you could gain just by lying around was 200 points. Zhou Bai didn¡¯t fuss over this, for now. He was impatient to gain more points. ¡°I¡¯ll add them to primordial spirit power. Professor Zhuang¡¯s primordial spirit power is distinctly stronger than mine. Ten points of Primordial Spirit Value is still too little.¡± With this thought, Zhou Bai concentrated on the plus sign behind Primordial Spirit Value. Instantly, Primordial Spirit Value changed from 10 points to 11 points, while Laziness decreased by 10 points. Zhou Bai complained, ¡°Sh*t, increasing Primordial Spirit Value above 10 points use ten times its value in Laziness?¡± Christina: ¡°What do you know? You can¡¯t just get primordial spirit power randomly. Normal people have to train very hard to even raise it by one point, how many of them have it as easy as you? And the higher it gets, the harder it becomes to increase it further. It¡¯s not like no matter it only takes one Laziness point to increase your Primordial Spirit Value no matter how high it is.¡± Zhou Bai came to realization too. Just like when normal people do bench presses, when you go from 30 kilograms to 50 kilograms, compared to going from 100 kilograms to 120 kilograms, although they both increase by 20 kilograms, the time and energy they use is different. Zhou Bai continued increasing his Primordial Spirit Value. He increased Primordial Spirit Value all the way to 20 points, and his Laziness decreased by 100 points. After abruptly raising 10 points of Primordial Spirit Value, Zhou Bai felt slightly dizzy. Christina said, ¡°Watch out, don¡¯t add too much Primordial Spirit Value at a time. Increase it little by little, and take a break in between to get used to it. Last time, when you added 10 points at a time, you made yourself pass out.¡± ¡°I got picked up by Professor Zhuang after passing out? Then why did you get caught by him too?¡± Christina: ¡°It¡¯s because I couldn¡¯t contact you, so I wanted to go look for you, and got caught by him! Ugh, he thought I was a cat, and he wanted to perform experiments on me. How foolish!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Zhou Bai nodded, ¡°I increased Primordial Spirit Value to 20. Should I try increasing Degree of Taoification?¡± ¡°No!¡± Christina screamed, saying hastily, ¡°Don¡¯t increase Degree of Taoification carelessly! This is different from Primordial Spirit Value. The auxiliary system increases your strength when you increase Primordial Spirit Value. It¡¯s all pure and harmless.¡± ¡°But Degree of Taoification is realm. It¡¯s your synchronization with the Heavenly Tao. After you increase it, it¡¯ll connect you to the Heavenly Tao. If you carelessly increase it without preparations and are unable to adapt to it, you¡¯ll go mad.¡± ¡°Mad?¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes glowed, seeming to remember something. Chapter 13 - Lying Makes Me Feel at Ease Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio ¡°Mad?¡± Zhou Bai stroked his chin, a hint of contemplation in his eyes. A moment later, Christina asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Zhou Bai shook his head, ¡°Then what about this Divine Map? Can I increase it?¡± Christina said, ¡°Theoretically, you can only practice Divine Maps after your primordial spirit power has reached a certain level. You probably can¡¯t right now.¡± ¡°Anyway, just increase primordial spirit power for now, until you can¡¯t anymore. This is called setting a solid foundation, which will make your future practice much easier.¡± Zhou Bai gave it a try and found he couldn¡¯t increase it. So he didn¡¯t give it any more thought, after resting for half an hour, he added another 5 points of primordial spirit power. Instantly, he felt his brain get dizzy again. He decided not to add any more primordial spirit power and just rest for the morning. ¡°Right, I forgot to ask you yesterday, how did you get that gem? What does it do?¡± Zhou Bai looked at the white cat in his mind. A gem hung on her neck right now. It was the gem that Zhou Bai stole from the laboratory yesterday. Christina began wailing, ¡°After you fell asleep last night, the gem came into your mind by itself. And that was my gem anyway. This gem is much more powerful than your stupid system. It¡¯s the standard of dimension and quality, the balance of the universe, the entanglement of cause and effect¨C its significance exceeds the sum of anything you¡¯ve seen by far, to the point where it cannot be described by the word ¡®significance¡¯¡­.¡± ¡°Yeah, whatever,¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s mouth twitched, ¡°Didn¡¯t you lose your memory? How can you brag so much still?¡± ¡°Hmph, the moment I retrieved the stone, I remembered all this.¡± Christina deducted, ¡°My memory will probably recover, as long as I come into contact with things I¡¯m familiar with.¡± Zhou Bai: ¡°So what does this gem actually do?¡± Christina: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­but it¡¯s very important, super important.¡± Zhou Bai dragged Elsa to class in the morning. Halfway there, he saw Alice, who looked very nervous. The two of them glanced at each other, and both nodded slightly. Their operation yesterday and the moment they witnessed the outside world together made Alice trust Zhou Bai more and more. Elsa: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Zhou Bai? Why did you stop walking?¡± Alice walked in front of Elsa, rubbing her head, ¡°Good Elsa,¡± she took out a cookie, ¡°Sit.¡± Elsa sat down obediently. Alice put the cookie on Elsa¡¯s head and said, ¡°Stay here, good Elsa. If the cookie is still on your head when Zhou Bai and I return later, you may eat it.¡± Zhou Bai: ¡°¡­¡± Elsa struggled and nodded her head, ¡°Okay.¡± Alice pulled Zhou Bai a few steps to the side. She said, ¡°Zhou Bai, Bando is¡­¡± Zhou Bai interrupted Alice, ¡°I know, let¡¯s not talk about this for now. If you trust me, then let us wait a few more days. I think of something by then.¡± Although when they left the base and went to the outside world, everything seemed to be the same as Professor Zhuang described. There were still many suspicious points. The most suspicious of them all is the fact that there are two Bandos. There was one in the laboratory and one attending class and living upstairs. And whether it was due to negligence or some other reason, Professor Zhuang didn¡¯t explain the issue of two Bandos to Alice and Zhou Bai yesterday. He didn¡¯t even come to ask Zhou Bai about the cat or the gem as if he had something more urgent he was rushing to do. But Zhou Bai was happy about this, and he didn¡¯t want to think about those matters for now since his operation to the underground laboratory in level 5 allowed him to use the auxiliary system again. Given some time, he can strengthen very quickly. Once he became stronger than Professor Zhuang, naturally, he¡¯ll be able to find out the answers to all his questions regarding the base. Before that happens, Zhou Bai plans to keep quiet and not trigger the professor¡¯s attention. After comforting Alice, the two came back to Elsa and saw the cookie on her head had already disappeared. Elsa said frantically, ¡°I didn¡¯t eat it! I just lifted my head to look, and the cookie fell on the ground and disappeared!¡± Then the three of them went to class together. Zhou Bai switched between resting and increasing points. During the afternoon demon class today, Zhou Bai finally raised his primordial spirit power to 30 points. Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 30 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 0 ¡°I feel much stronger than before,¡± Zhou Bai thought, ¡°But in the Doomsday environment, with the so-called demons, I must be even stronger.¡± Zhou Bai thought, ¡°The auxiliary system only told me one method, which is lying down. That means there are probably other ways to increase Laziness.¡± As Zhou Bai was thinking about this, with the rise in his primordial spirit power, he seemed to hear a quiet muttering. He went blank for a second, and then the muttering went away. Zhou Bai looked around at the surrounding demon sculptures. He somehow felt the sculptures seemed even more lively than before. The first time she saw these sculptures, Christina frowned too. Her voice rang in Zhou Bai¡¯s ears, ¡°Don¡¯t look at those sculptures, there seems to be something off about them.¡± Zhou Bai: ¡°What¡¯s off about them?¡± Christina: ¡°I can¡¯t remember. Just don¡¯t look. Your primordial spirit power increased abruptly, so your primordial spirit is very sensitive. Don¡¯t look at things carelessly.¡± So in the ensuing demon class, Zhou Bai no longer looked at the demon sculptures, and he didn¡¯t hear the muttering again. When demon class ended, Professor Zhuang said from the podium, ¡°After organizing the resources last time, I made a count. We¡¯re depleting our food too quickly. From now on, everyone¡¯s nutrition gel and hardtack rations will decrease again¡­.¡± Hearing Professor Zhuang¡¯s announcement, the underground kids all looked disappointed. Elsa opened her eyes wide. It looked like she was starting to tear up. The news hit her like a thunderbolt on a clear day, and she was stupefied. Professor Zhuang sighed, ¡°I believe everyone knows the resources in this base are limited. Although I often go out to seek new food sources, there are demons outside, so the food source is not stable.¡± ¡°In order to keep the base running for longer, we can only cut rations for now. My own ration will decrease by half, and each of your rations will have to decrease by a fourth.¡± Seeing the children¡¯s concerned faces, Professor Zhuang consoled them, ¡°No need to fear, everyone. Once I find a new food source, everything will get better.¡± Hearing Professor Zhuang¡¯s words, Zhou Bai sighed to himself. Christina said, ¡°You won¡¯t last like this. You have to find a way to increase your strength. I think higher level primordial spirit power can probably resist against the so-called Doomsday environment and help you avoid getting infected by polluted Spark. Staying here will only mean certain death.¡± Zhou Bai thought, ¡°In this situation, it¡¯s very hard¡­for humans to live¡­.¡± Zhou Bai sighed. Everything continued to be the same. At first, he thought Professor Zhuang would seek him out to talk about primordial spirit power and the cat and gem, but he didn¡¯t. Instead, Professor Zhuang left in a hurry as soon as class ended. That night, Zhou Bai lay on his bed impatiently. Although he was in Doomsday, seeing the Laziness increase point by point in his auxiliary system, he felt at ease. Chapter 14 - All of a Sudden Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio ¡°Zhou Bai.¡± Zhou Bai turned to look and found that Elsa wasn¡¯t sleeping like usual. She looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Elsa said with an expression of guilt, ¡°Zhou Bai, do I eat too much? Is that why the base has so little food now?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zhou Bai saw how serious Elsa was, and realized that ever since class ended today, Elsa looked rather distracted. Even during dinner, she didn¡¯t ask Professor Zhuang for a few more spoons of food. Zhou Bai was quiet for a while, then said, ¡°Elsa, it has nothing to do with you. It¡¯s because the food in the entire base has decreased, so everyone has to eat less every day, so there¡¯s more time for Professor Zhuang to find a new food source.¡± Elsa: ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of course,¡± Zhou Bai consoled her, ¡°That¡¯s why Elsa must endure it a little longer. In a while, you¡¯ll be able to eat more food.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Elsa nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll eat a little less every day. I¡¯ll never steal your food again, Zhou Bai.¡± After putting Elsa to sleep, Zhou Bai tried experimenting with his primordial spirit power again. The invisible power extended out of Zhou Bai¡¯s mind with his will. Zhou Bai raised a palm, feeling the power that continuously compressed the air before him. He could even see, through the glow given off by the night light, faint ripples in the air. ¡°30 points of Primordial Spirit Value. If I only consider its strength, it feels like that of several dozen strong men.¡± Christina scorned, ¡°What¡¯s special about a little strength? Your primordial spirit power is very basic. It has no special uses. There¡¯s nothing to be proud of.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the rush, can¡¯t you see how fast I advance? Just wait until I lie around for a while more.¡­¡± With a content smile, Zhou Bai slowly drifted into sleep. Boom! His eyes shot open, endless explosions and vibrations rang in Zhou Bai¡¯s ears. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Zhou Bai jumped out of bed. It felt like the entire upper portion of the base was being bombarded. In the sound of explosions, the entire floor, walls, and ceiling continuously swayed. He hastily opened the door to look outside and saw the hallway that was pitch black glow red from the emergency lights. Doors opened one after another, children¡¯s heads peaked out with expressions of unease. Elsa rubbed her eyes and sat up on her bed. She looked at Zhou Bai with confusion, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Zhou Bai?¡± At this moment, Professor Zhuang broadcasted his voice to the hallway through the intercom. ¡°Zhou Bai¡­.¡± Violent crashing sounds were mixed in the broadcast, ¡°Take everyone to the laboratory¡­don¡¯t come out without my orders¡­protect everyone¡­.¡± Boom! They heard another violent explosion. Professor Zhuang yelled over the intercom, ¡°Go!¡± ¡®Could it be¡­the so-called demons?¡¯ Zhou Bai went blank for a moment, then grabbed Elsa and dashed out, shouting to the kids who were still hiding in their rooms, ¡°Everyone come out!¡± ¡°Hurry up and come out! Follow me downstairs.¡± Zhou Bai knew he didn¡¯t have time to explain right now. He even used his primordial spirit power to open the doors that some kids had locked themselves in and yanked the kids out. Looking at the children who were panicking and running around, Zhou Bai used his primordial spirit power to halt them. He shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, everyone. We¡¯ll hide downstairs first. After Professor Zhuang has taken care of the problem, he¡¯ll come to find us.¡± Alice stood out too, yelling at everyone, ¡°Everyone rest assured. Teacher trusts Zhou Bai. That¡¯s where he learned all his powers. Teacher will definitely protect us. We just have to wait downstairs for Teacher to return.¡± Clearly, Alice had a pretty good reputation, and popularity with the children, plus Zhou Bai was the oldest and showed extraordinary primordial spirit power. The children present were still very scared, but they each climbed through the vent duct in the cafeteria under Zhou Bai¡¯s lead, and went into the laboratory in level 5. Zhou Bai used his primordial spirit power to distort the bars, closing off the vent duct. Everyone else waited in the hall outside the laboratory. Listening to the loud thumps overhead, they all looked very concerned and uneasy. At that moment, Alice ran over to Zhou Bai¡¯s side. She said, ¡°Zhou Bai, we¡¯re missing one person. No matter how many times I count, there are only 41. Teacher is up there. The one missing is Bando.¡± At that moment, a light thump came from the vent duct. Everyone raised their heads to look in terror. The next moment, they saw a black shadow shoot out, it was an expressionless Bando. Bando took a look at everyone, his gaze falling on Alice, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Alice, let¡¯s run while Teacher is distracted.¡± Watching him about to go and take Alice away, Zhou Bai stepped forward, standing between them. Alice hid behind Zhou Bai, she shook her head and said, ¡°You¡¯re not Bando¡­.¡± Bando explained, ¡°Alice, I was purposely disguising myself before so that teacher wouldn¡¯t realize my abnormality and suspect me.¡± ¡°In fact, the last time I escaped the base, I sent a signal to the rescue team. They¡¯re the ones coming to save us now.¡± ¡°Come with me, Alice, it¡¯s too dangerous to stay here. Teacher might come here any second. We should go and unite with the rescue team now¡­.¡± Alice shook her head, ¡°No, it¡¯s already Doomsday out there. We¡¯ll die if we go out.¡± ¡°Lies! It¡¯s all lies!¡± Bando said with agitation, ¡°Teacher is lying! The humans outside have already found a way to resist Doomsday! Keeping us here is just for his personal desires.¡± Everyone looked at each other when they heard Bando¡¯s words, but as the commotion above got louder and louder, Bando frowned, ¡°I don¡¯t have time to explain. Come with me.¡± As he said this, Zhou Bai felt a primordial spirit power rising from Bando¡¯s body, wanting to push him away and take Alice. That was Bando at his maximum strength, 5 points of primordial spirit power. Zhou Bai controlled his will, his primordial spirit power also burst, blocking Bando¡¯s attack. Although Bando had 5 points of primordial spirit power, Zhou Bai worked very hard to lie around and raised his primordial spirit power all the way to 30 points. Not only did he easily block Bando¡¯s attack, he even went against it and pushed Bando out. ¡°You¡¯ve practiced primordial spirit power too?¡± Bando looked at Zhou Bai in shock, realizing he wasn¡¯t Zhou Bai¡¯s match. He thought for a moment and said, ¡°I understand you can¡¯t trust me in this short amount of time, but I can lead you to see the evidence¡­.¡± Zhou Bai narrowed his eyes, ¡°Alice, you wait here for us; I¡¯ll go with him.¡± Alice had a lot going on in her head right now. She didn¡¯t know whether she should believe in Bando¡¯s words at all. When she heard Zhou Bai¡¯s orders, she intuitively nodded. ¡ª Number of survivors: 43 Chapter 15 - Secret Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Under Bando¡¯s lead, Zhou Bai followed him into the laboratory. Bando looked at the Bando inside the cultivation tank that only had its upper torso and said coldly, ¡°That was the old me.¡± ¡°Practicing primordial spirit power requires breathing Spark, but nowadays, the Heavenly Tao has been distorted, and the Spark has been contaminated. Breathing Spark and conforming to Heaven means gradually synchronizing with the distorted Heavenly Tao. If your will is not strong enough, you might end up like that¡­.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why,¡± said Christina. ¡°No wonder you¡¯re fine, Zhou Bai. Your primordial spirit power is raised directly by the system. You didn¡¯t practice it yourself.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s mouth twitched as he looked at Bando with caution. The situation is unclear right now. He¡¯ll increase some Primordial Spirit Value later to calm down. ¡°Teacher cut off an undamaged part and replicated a new me.¡± Bando sighed after glancing at the deformed person inside the cultivation tank and then turned to look at Zhou Bai. Halfway through his sentence, he paused and stared at Zhou Bai, who was lying on the floor. He sounded very perplexed. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Zhou Bai said casually, ¡°Nothing, I¡¯m tired, so I¡¯m resting. Don¡¯t mind me. Please continue.¡± ¡°Looks like you¡¯re about to go mad too¡­¡± Bando shook his head. ¡°The cost of obtaining primordial spirit power is too great.¡± As he said this, he walked over to a spot on the wall, which opened into a secret door. ¡°When Teacher sliced me off, he didn¡¯t expect I still had a lingering consciousness and saw the secret he tried so hard to hide.¡± As the secret door opened, Zhou Bai¡¯s vision focused. In his sight, dense corpses filled the secret room. Children¡¯s corpses were piled neatly in the secret room. Zhou Bai could even see several corpses of Elsa, Alice, and Bando. Bando said eerily, ¡°Teacher has been using us to experiment with primordial spirit power secretly.¡± ¡°During demon class, without us knowing, he made us directly face the extremely dangerous distorted Heavenly way. Just by being in contact with the sculptures made based on twisted, evil, fallen Heavenly way makes us practice subconsciously.¡± ¡°And as soon as we mutate, he will slice off the undamaged portion, and use it to cultivate a new clone person, which inherits the memories from before they mutated.¡± ¡°But is the cloned me, still me?¡± ¡°Zhou Bai, you and Alice leave with me. Staying here means certain death.¡± Zhou Bai looked at the contents of the secret room in horror, many clues linked together in his mind. ¡®The crazy talk in the diary¡­what the professor said about madness¡­and Bando¡¯s situation.¡± ¡®Christina also said practicing randomly could turn you mad. Is this the situation she was talking about?¡¯ Christina began tossing about in Zhou Bai¡¯s mind. ¡°I think what this Bando said is true. Let¡¯s run away. That Professor Zhuang looks so scary. He¡¯s definitely not a good person.¡± Seeing Zhou Bai was still hesitating while lying on the ground, Bando said, ¡°It¡¯s up to you whether you want to leave or not, but I have to take Alice with me. I won¡¯t allow her to continue living in this hell-like world.¡± At that moment, shrill cries came from the direction of the hallway. Bando and Zhou Bai¡¯s expressions both changed, and they ran in the direction of the hallway. In the hallway, under the flickering lights, children¡¯s bodies lay in a pool of blood. None of them were breathing. Alice was trembling. She stood in the center of the hallway, looking at Bando and Zhou Bai, who rushed over. Her lips were tightly pursed, holding back tears, an expression of fear on her face. ¡°Alice!¡± Bando reached out his hand, his primordial spirit power bursting. But before his primordial spirit power could reach Alice, he saw Alice¡¯s expression freeze. Her head fell to the ground with a thump. ¡°Ahh!!¡± Bando raced over, roaring. ¡­ The little boy walked up to the little black-haired girl who was crying. ¡°My name is Bando, what¡¯s your name?¡± The little black-haired girl wiped the tears on her face and said, ¡°My name is Alice¡­I¡¯m so hungry¡­.¡± Bando took out a piece of hardtack from his pocket. ¡°Here, have this.¡± He watched Alice wolf down her food and said, ¡°Don¡¯t cry. I¡¯ll give you some of my food every day.¡± ¡°Really? Then what about yourself?¡± ¡°I¡¯m grown up now, and I eat less. And it¡¯ll get better in the base in the future. I¡¯ll bring everyone out to look for food. No one has to go hungry again.¡± ¡°Really?¡± said Alice. ¡°You¡¯re amazing!¡± ¡­ Invisible blades shot through the darkness. Bando had already turned into a lump of indistinct flesh, spraying all over Alice. A hissing sound came from the shadows. Zhou Bai watched this scene in shock, quickly enclosing his body with primordial spirit power, then controlling it to reach outwards. Primordial spirit power passed over the corpses on the ground. Bando, Alice, Elsa¡­familiar children lay in a pool of blood. After passing over all the bodies, Zhou Bai¡¯s primordial spirit power came in contact with a rigid, cold, and slippery thing. Hiss~ hiss~ In the darkness, it slithered on the ground like a snake monster. The monster shrouded in a faint black smoke slithered out, a pair of yellow snake eyes looking at Zhou Bai. It said with some surprise, ¡°Hiss~ hiss¡­A kid with a high Primordial Spirit Value? I guess this trip wasn¡¯t fruitless.¡± Zhou Bai trembled as he looked at the snake, saying coldly, ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°Rescue team. I¡¯m the rescue team¡­Weren¡¯t you the ones who called us over?¡± The snake monster sized up Zhou Bai curiously, the black smoke around it continuously rolling. ¡°You¡¯re angry? Or scared? Given that you¡¯re pretty strong, I¡¯ll let you have a few last words.¡± ¡°Run!¡± In Zhou Bai¡¯s mind, Christina¡¯s voice began screaming wildly. ¡°Mara! It¡¯s Mara! I remembered! Run away! You can¡¯t beat it!¡± Zhou Bai smiled bitterly. The snake monster had already blocked off the path to the door and vent duct. Even if he wanted to run away, he couldn¡¯t. ¡°You¡¯re Mara?¡± Zhou Bai tried to buy some time. ¡°Why did you kill them?¡± ¡°Does killing¡­need a reason?¡± The snake monster laughed. ¡°Just a bunch of useless pigs. I can kill them as I please. You too, just a pig. Why am I even talking to you?¡± Whoosh! The black mist turned into countless blades, stabbing towards Zhou Bai. His primordial spirit power reached its peak immediately, forming a shield-like barrier that stood in front of Zhou Bai. In the cracks of explosions, Zhou Bai¡¯s body flew out with the primordial spirit power, then split up into pieces, dropping on the ground. Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes were wide open, looking at the world that got dimmer and dimmer. Finally, he lost all signs of life. ¡ª Number of survivors: 1 Chapter 16 - Rewind Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio The moment Zhou Bai headed toward death, the gem hanging on Christina¡¯s neck released a brilliant radiance. In an instant, Zhou Bai felt everything around him stop. Then, as if a video being rewound, his body reassembled, recovered, and the blood on the ground returned to his body. Bando, Alice, Elsa, and the rest¨C their blood all flowed backward, and they stood back up. That snake-shaped Mara also slithered backward, turning into a cloud of black smoke, and withdrew into the vent duct. All of this, the entire world rewound quickly, back to what it was five minutes ago. When Zhou Bai felt time flow normally again, he saw before him an unscathed Bando. Behind him, Alice said, ¡°No, it¡¯s already Doomsday out there. We¡¯ll die if we go out.¡± ¡°Lies! It¡¯s all lies!¡± Bando said with agitation, ¡°Teacher is lying! The humans outside have already found a way to resist Doomsday! Keeping us here is just for his personal desires.¡± Watching the two of them talk, Zhou Bai came to a realization. He screamed in his mind, ¡°What¡¯s going on? Christina! What just happened?¡± Christina screamed back, ¡°We went back in time? Or did we foresee the future? I told you, this gem is very important. I told you it¡¯s important!¡± Zhou Bai looked at the gem that hung on Christina¡¯s neck. The rhombus-shaped gem was now grey, and it even had tiny cracks creeping on its surface. It looks like it has exhausted its powers. Christina almost broke into tears, ¡°Ah! My gem! My gem is broken!¡± Zhou Bai: ¡°There¡¯s no time.¡± Recalling the future he saw before, Zhou Bai¡¯s expression changed. He used his primordial spirit power to lift Bando up against his resistance. ¡°Everyone, follow me, hurry!¡± Zhou Bai saw those who were still hesitating and said, ¡°Teacher set up a secret room in here. Everyone come over.¡± Zhou Bai rapidly contemplated what he could do right now. ¡®If that future is real, the main door hasn¡¯t broken nor been opened. That means that the monster will come in through the vent duct. Neither Bando nor I am that monster¡¯s match¡­crap.¡¯ Then, in Bando¡¯s shocked gaze, Zhou Bai brought everyone into the laboratory and opened the secret door with familiarity. ¡®There¡¯s no other option. Level 5 underground is a dead end. If we escape through the vent duct, we¡¯ll run into that monster. The main door requires Professor Zhuang¡¯s fingerprint to open¡­d*mn it.¡¯ When the children saw the rows of corpses in the secret room, they all looked astonished. Alice crouched on the ground, tears streaming down her face. She asked, ¡°What¡­what is all of this?¡± Elsa: ¡°What¡¯s going on? Am I dreaming?¡± Bando scoffed and wanted to say something, but Zhou Bai didn¡¯t want him to make the crowd that was already terrified even more shaken, so he used primordial spirit power to shut Bando¡¯s mouth. Zhou Bai thought to himself, ¡°Everything in the secret room is real, which means that Mara is real too¡­.¡¯ As he thought this, he quickly lay on the ground. He needs to raise some Laziness first. Zhou Bai, who was lying on the ground, looked at the children and said, ¡°The enemy might attack us soon, everyone hide in the secret room¡­and mix yourself in with these corpses.¡± As he said this, he ignored the children who were still opposed to the idea and used his primordial spirit power to sweep everyone up into the secret room. Then he closed the secret door. Currently, Zhou Bai¡¯s primordial spirit power was at 30 points. Although it still only had a 10-meter transmission range, it equated the strength of a few dozen adults, enough to control the children before him. Yet how could these teenage children stay calm when they looked at the rows of corpses in the secret room? Especially those who looked exactly the same as themselves? No matter what Zhou Bai said, most of them were lost in despair, fear, and hysteria. Christina: ¡°This won¡¯t work, Zhou Bai. Their view of the world that has been shaped over so many years just got broken. How can they stay calm? You should knock them out.¡± Zhou Bai sighed. He used his primordial spirit power to knock out all the children, including Bando. He left only a tearful Alice and a befuddled Elsa. Alice cried and sniffled, ¡°Zhou Bai¡­knock us out too, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t control myself.¡± Zhou Bai nodded. After knocking Alice out, he put her into the pile of corpses, then turned to look at Elsa, who looked very lost. Elsa hugged her head and looked very distressed, ¡°What the hell, did everyone starve to death?!¡± The sound of a click. Elsa was also knocked out on the floor. After Zhou Bai stuffed her into the corpses too, he found a place to lie on the ground. Zhou Bai: ¡°Christina, can this¡­fool the Mara?¡± Christina: ¡°It depends on what kind of Mara. You probably can¡¯t fool the stronger kind.¡± Zhou Bai no longer spoke. His ears twitched, hearing a dull thump from a distance. He knew the Mara had probably already slithered out of the vent duct. ¡®The only one we can depend on is probably Professor Zhuang. Hopefully, I can buy enough time for him to come to save us.¡± ¡®If I went out now to attract that Mara¡¯s attention, maybe I could help everyone get a better chance of survival?¡¯ ¡®But I¡¯m scared¡­I¡¯m so scared¡­I don¡¯t want to die¡­¡¯ Zhou Bai grit his teeth. He hated his current predicament. He wanted so much to live, but he had no power to do it. Bravery, wisdom, power¨C he didn¡¯t have enough of any of those¡­. This feeling of helplessness was truly awful. Boom boom! The sound of tables and chairs being kicked around came from outside the door. Zhou Bai¡¯s chest tightened, quickly controlling his own breathing, pretending to be dead¡­ Time passed second by second, but Zhou Bai was so nervous he could hardly feel the passage of time. He heard the rummaging sounds continue for a while, followed by the sound of crashing and growling, which slowly faded into the distance. Zhou Bai let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Phew¡­it¡¯s finally gone.¡± Christina: ¡°That scared me to death. All my fur was about to fall off. I thought I was going to die. It looks like this Mara isn¡¯t very strong¡­.¡± Before Christina even finished her sentence, the door to the secret room was instantly broken through with a loud thump. The Mara that looked like a snake monster slithered in slowly, the black smoke on its body filling the entire secret room. The bloodlust and chill it gave off raised goosebumps all over Zhou Bai¡¯s body. The Mara chuckled, ¡°What¡¯s the point of hiding? You pigs¡¯ heartbeats and body heat stand out like fire in the dark to my eyes.¡± ¡°Oh, no!¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s heart jumped, rapidly adding all the Laziness he obtained from lying down onto Primordial Spirit Value. In the few minutes that just passed, Zhou Bai had been lying down and increased his Laziness to the 200 point limit for today. Right now, he used all of his Laziness, Primordial Spirit Value immediately began rising from 30 all the way to 50 points. After abruptly raising 20 points of primordial spirit power, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t adapt at all. Blood spurt out of his nose, his head hurt as if it was being stabbed by needles. At the same time, the black smoke that spread through the secret room rippled, turning into countless sharp, black blades that stabbed at everyone hiding among the corpses. The sound of stabbing rang in the room, one after another child lost their lives in a stupor. ¡ª Number of survivors: 12 Chapter 17 - Live On Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Bando¡¯s neck was cut right open. Bloody holes opened on Alice¡¯s chest. Children lay in pools of blood. With an angry roar, Zhou Bai used 50 points of primordial spirit power. Blood streamed out of his ears and eyes continuously. Bang! A violent power attacked the Mara but was totally ineffective. It only made the Mara scoff. ¡°As a pig¡­why do you resist?¡± The black smoke turned into a long snake, sweeping directly towards Zhou Bai. Primordial spirit power broke down and faded away the moment it came into contact with that long snake. The black smoke that had lost some of its force passed over Zhou Bai¡¯s body. His vision blackened, and he crashed into the wall, slowly slipping to the ground, his consciousness becoming blurry. Mara: ¡°Pigs who only know how to eat and defecate, I¡¯m going to kill you all!¡± In the light whooshing sounds, one after another person was pierced through. Bang! A steel pipe was thrown onto the Mara. The Mara turned around with a cold expression and saw Elsa stand up, glaring at it with rage. But her thin legs trembled, and she spoke with a tone of unease. As she spoke, tears streamed down her face. ¡°Stop¡­stop it! Why do you have to kill everyone? Everyone¡­everyone tried so hard to live¡­even I eat so much less!!¡± Whoosh! ¡°Noisy.¡± The sharp blades formed by black mist pierced through Elsa¡¯s body, pinning her to the wall. Zhou Bai gritted his teeth. His primordial spirit power was being continuously stimulated and wanted to burst out of his body, but it couldn¡¯t move at all. Both his primordial spirit and physical body were heavily injured, he¡¯s lost his combat capacity. He could only watch all of this happen without being able to do anything. ¡°The last one¡­.¡± The snake monster lightly swayed its head. The black smoke gathered into a black blade, which shot towards Zhou Bai. ¡®Am I¡­about to die¡­.¡¯ At this moment, Zhou Bai¡¯s head was a giant mess. There was no anger, no revulsion, no hatred¡­only one thought occupied his entire brain. ¡°I really¡­don¡¯t want to die¡­.¡± The fear of death reached the ends of every nerve in his body. At this moment, Zhou Bai suddenly understood death¨C disappearance, losing contact with the entire world, no longer having any hope or future. How terrifying was this for a living being? Sizzle¡­ He heard violent clashing and rubbing noises. He didn¡¯t know when Professor Zhuang appeared. He stood in front of Zhou Bai, tightly holding a black blade that thrust in Zhou Bai¡¯s direction. Streams of blood ran down from his palm. Zhou Bai watched this scene with wide eyes. Professor Zhuang said calmly, ¡°Zhou Bai, do you feel scared? Hopeless? Angry? Yet you can¡¯t do anything about it? Engrave this feeling in your memory. This is called ¡®helplessness.¡¯ Don¡¯t let yourself experience it ever again¡­.¡± Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh! More black blades flew towards them, and a golden glimmer flashed in Professor Zhuang¡¯s eyes. Among the noisy crackling, Professor Zhuang threw out the black blade he was holding in his right hand, striking down all the other black blades like a bolt of black thunder. Snake monster: ¡°Tch, Malla was killed by someone like you? How useless.¡± ¡°Are you talking about your companion?¡± Professor Zhuang said, ¡°I¡¯ll send you to keep him company.¡± The snake monster looked at Professor Zhuang¡¯s other hand, which had broken at the elbow, and his thigh that had a huge hole pierced through. It sneered, ¡°You¡¯re so heavily injured, you can¡¯t even use primordial spirit power. Yet, instead of running away, you came down here to save them?¡± ¡°Pigs will be pigs, foolish beyond comparison.¡± The next moment, all the black blades flashed and became covered in black flames. Even the black blade in Professor Zhuang¡¯s hand did the same. The black fire spread onto his hand, forcing him to drop the black blade. ¡°Zhou Bai¡­this planet may no longer be suitable for human survival¡­.¡± Bang! Dozens of black blades formed a cyclone of blades, forcing Professor Zhuang all the way to the wall, letting out a deafening thump. ¡°Earth may yield¡­¡± Boom! Threads of golden light hovered from Professor Zhuang¡¯s body. The hair on his head turned into golden animal fur, and a tail grew out from the end of his spine. The next moment, he broke through the surrounding black blades, and once again stood in front of Zhou Bai, cutting off the black blades that shot towards Zhou Bai. ¡°But humans will never surrender.¡± Then, Zhou Bai saw Professor Zhuang staring at the torrents of black blade rain and a golden silhouette that crashed into the Mara, pressing its head against the wall with a single hand. ¡°Zhou Bai, this is my final lesson: live on, no matter how lowly, how afraid, how hopeless¡­live on.¡± ¡°Primordial spirit self-explosion?¡± The Mara watched Professor Zhuang with resentment, ¡°And demon¡­ification¡­.¡± Golden flames flared from Professor Zhuang¡¯s body. The Mara¡¯s snake body struggled wildly. Black blades penetrated Professor Zhuang¡¯s body, but it couldn¡¯t escape his constraint. Professor Zhuang: ¡°As the last human, don¡¯t let our civilization end here¡­.¡± The next moment, blinding golden flames filled Zhou Bai¡¯s entire vision. It spread towards the laboratory, level 4, level 3, level 2, engulfing the entire base. The golden flames burned down everything in the base. When the fire finally died down, Professor Zhuang and Mara¡¯s bodies were already nowhere to be found. Zhou Bai was already heavily injured. He passed out on the ground. ¡­ When Zhou Bai came to, the entire base had almost been completely destroyed. Only he and the children around him weren¡¯t burnt at all. Clearly, Professor Zhuang controlled it intentionally. ¡®What should I do now¡­¡± His entire body ached, he couldn¡¯t move a single muscle. Zhou Bai had no choice but to rest for a while and try again after he recovered a bit. Half an hour later, Zhou Bai tried using his primordial spirit power to prop his body up little by little. He sat upon the ground. In this process, he felt like something had been placed on his chest. He opened it and saw it looked like a little book. Zhou Bai¡¯s vision focused, ¡°Who put it here? Could it be Professor Zhuang?¡± Zhou Bai asked in his mind, ¡°Christina, do you know?¡± ¡°Professor Zhuang might have given it to you secretly during battle. He¡¯s quite strong, so it¡¯s not difficult for him to do something like this.¡± Zhou Bai continued reading what he saw were pages of a diary. But the entire diary had many sections that were torn off or crossed out. ¡­ The atmosphere in the base is getting more and more oppressive. There seems to be something watching me in the dark. Jack started talking in his sleep. I told him not to tell the others. I¡¯m worried about his condition. I don¡¯t know if our direction is right or wrong. May Paradise bless and protect us. ¨CA lot of crossing out. Our research continues. Li Zhengdao has lost his mind, and we can only shut him in solitary confinement. He talks loudly in a language no one can understand. We¡¯re all very dejected. Perhaps our method was really wrong. I¡¯m a little worried about him. I hope he will be okay. ¨CConsecutive missing pages. Ever since I stopped sleeping, I¡¯ve never heard the muttering again. Perhaps this method is correct. I should tell others to do it. ¡ª Number of survivors: 2 Chapter 18 - Diary Continuation Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio The results of today¡¯s research were very interesting. We found that the information contained in the Heavenly Tao had become more direct. Although the information was a little illogical, somewhat strange, and rather baffling, compared to the indescribable, ineffable ¡°Tao¡± from the past, perhaps the current Heavenly Tao was easier to comprehend. Haha, Liu Yuan and Alice are getting married. Everyone is delighted. This might be a rare piece of good news in these awful times. We decided to rest for half a day to congratulate this newly married couple. ¨CLots of meaningless writing and disorderly words ¡­ At this point, Zhou Bai frowned, suddenly remembering the page of diary that Alice showed him before. Recalling that page¡¯s size, appearance, handwriting, and contents, he thought to himself, ¡°That diary page seems to have been torn from here.¡± He gave it some more thought and speculated in his mind. Then he continued reading. ¡­ That knowledge is very useful. It contained lots of information to speed up the progress of our practice. We¡¯re all excited. If we continue like this, we might even be able to find a way to resist polluted Spark completely. No, we can do even better. We will be able to analyze the entire Heavenly Tao. Humankind may reach an unprecedented height. Another thing to be happy about¨C Mike is back. I thought he had been eaten. It looks like I¡¯m too tired, perhaps I should find time to rest. ¨CSome disturbing curves and shapes that were hard to understand. Li Zhengdao is awake. We healed him using the information we obtained from the Heavenly Tao. But I feel like something is wrong. My chest is starting to hurt again. Maybe I should let Mike and the others treat me too. ¨CLots of crossing out in bright red ink. There were also some deformed portraits that made Zhou Bai¡¯s hair stand on end. Wrong, everything is wrong. This is all a conspiracy. We have lost from the start. It¡¯s a complete failure, and there¡¯s no hope at all. The information contained in the Heavenly Tao cannot be used directly. It will turn humans into distorted monsters. Does Paradise know about this? Conflict arose between Li Zhengdao and Mike. Who should I trust? If human practitioners who comprehend the distorted Heavenly Tao will go insane, then what about all the deities in Paradise? Have they, who are closest to the Heavenly Tao, already become distorted and mad? If they have already gone insane, then who are the ones making orders in Paradise? ¨CConsecutive missing pages. War broke out too suddenly. I don¡¯t know who started it. Demonification not only will lead the body to become deformed but will also cause the primordial spirit to be infected and the human mind to be twisted and crazy. Everyone is dead except for me. I seem not to be completely insane. In fact, I feel even more clear-headed. The past is like a nightmare to me. I should seek out the reason. ¨CSome words Zhou Bai could not understand. I decide to go find other survivors. I need more test subjects. This is all for humankind. The Heavenly Tao is becoming more and more obscure and blurry. The level of polluted Spark is increasing every day. Each time I practice is like walking a tightrope. I am heading north, avoiding the demons¡¯ search. The world is in tatters, and the situation is much worse than I imagined. ¨CA lot of indistinguishable doodling, seeming to describe things he saw on his journey. In a few days, I¡¯ll reach the edge of the Eastern Continent. I have searched through the entire continent. On this journey, I only found less than 100 survivors. I hope they can make it to the base with me alive. But the adults have already mastered primordial spirit power, and their level of infection far exceeds that of the children. I must make a choice. After all, we are the only humans left. This is all for humankind. ¨CConsecutive blank pages followed. ¡­ Zhou Bai took a deep breath. ¡°Is this¡­Professor Zhuang¡¯s diary?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the author of the diary to be him. But where are the other missing pages? And who tore them off?¡± Although the diary raised many questions, it also answered many of Zhou Bai¡¯s initial doubts. Clearly, this base was built by Professor Zhuang and a group of other people. It seemed that they were researching a way to practice when the Spark was polluted, and the Heavenly Tao was twisted. Their ending was very tragic. It seemed like Professor Zhuang was the only one to survive for some reason. Then he looked for the other survivors and brought them back to the base. And just as Bando described, he tried to make them practice. ¡°That¡¯s probably what happened.¡± Zhou Bai nodded to himself, but he still had many questions. But Zhou Bai knew way too little. He didn¡¯t even fully know the concepts of Paradise and deities in this world. He could only put away his doubts for now and wait to answer them in the future. ¡°There are still many things that remain unclear. What are the contents that were torn off and crossed out? Who touched my neck that night in the cafeteria? Was it Bando? Or was it someone else? And what are the effects of the contents taught in demon class? Why did Bando successfully awaken his primordial spirit power¡­¡± Zhou Bai sighed. Everyone was dead now, and he probably could no longer find the answers to many secrets. Zhou Bai continued flipping through the diary. After many blank pages, he was surprised to find there were a series of coordinates. ¡°In regards to the battle between Mara and Paradise, it seems like everything is not as simple as we once thought. Perhaps (lots of crossing out)¡± ¡°I preserved all the secrets I know in this location.¡± Zhou Bai closed his eyes. He really wanted to know what Professor Zhuang found out in the end, but clearly right now was not the time to look for that place. What he needed to do at the moment was to live on and become stronger. After resting for a while more, Zhou Bai tried to stand up but found he still couldn¡¯t. ¡°But my primordial spirit power seems to be recovering more quickly. I¡¯ll rest a little more and try to see if I can float using primordial spirit power.¡± After another half hour, he heard loud human voices from above. ¡°Who is it?¡± Zhou Bai thought for a bit, then committed the coordinate numbers in the diary to memory. He used his recovered primordial spirit power to destroy the diary, and then closed his eyes and played dead. ¡­ ¡°Captain! There¡¯s still one person alive.¡± ¡°He survived all this! How resilient. Bring him up.¡± ¡°Did you find any clues?¡± ¡°Even if there were, they must be burnt up by now. But this base seems to have many small children and testing equipment.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s the survivors¡¯ underground laboratory?¡± ¡°Captain! This is bad. Two survivors were unable to adapt to the distorted Spark. It looks like they are old humans who were delivered naturally.¡± ¡°How troublesome. There are still surviving old humans in this day and age? Put anti-infection suits on them. Whether they¡¯ll survive will be up to their fate.¡± Swaying bodies, clamorous sounds, all kinds of hollering, transporting, and machine noises rang endlessly in Zhou Bai¡¯s ears. When everything settled down, his eyelashes trembled, and then he slowly opened his eyes. He found that his body seemed to be wrapped in clothing made from some sort of special material. Outside the suit was a steel ceiling. He looked outside and found that he seemed to be on some sort of transportation vehicle. The scenery around him ran backward. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t move around if I were you.¡± Zhou Bai heard a husky man¡¯s voice to his side. ¡°Your body is so tattered it looks like you got hit by a car. What the hell did you guys encounter?¡± Christina rapidly said in Zhou Bai¡¯s mind, ¡°I don¡¯t know where these people came from. They turned the entire base inside out and rescued you as well¡­.¡± While Zhou Bai was pretending to be unconscious, Christina still retained her full senses in his mind and was able to observe everything around them carefully. Chapter 19 - Rescue Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Zhou Bai listened to everything Christina said, then asked in a low voice, ¡°Who are you?¡± A burly man with a great beard poked his head out. ¡°We¡¯re from Paradise Rescue Team. We¡¯re currently taking you to our closest fort. Don¡¯t worry. You guys are safe now.¡± ¡°You guys?¡± Zhou Bai went blank for a second. ¡°There are other survivors besides myself?¡± ¡°Yeah, a little girl,¡± the bearded man furrowed his brows. ¡°But her condition doesn¡¯t look too optimistic. Your primordial spirit power has awakened, so you¡¯re taking it a little better. That little girl¡¯s body was infected by polluted Spark, and she demonized. She¡¯s in a rather dangerous condition.¡± He didn¡¯t expect anyone besides himself to have survived. Zhou Bai asked excitedly, ¡°Can I go see her?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be impatient. After we reach the fort, you¡¯ll have plenty of chances to see each other.¡± The man consoled Zhou Bai, but there were some things that he refrained from telling him. ¡°Less than 10% of people who go through demonization can survive healthily. It¡¯s even harder for them to retain a sane mind in addition to being healthy. Whether that little girl can live, that¡¯s up to fate.¡± ¡°Polluted Spark¡­¡± Zhou Bai saw the man was only wearing a t-shirt, yet dared to stay outside, and he seemed to be unscathed. He asked hastily, ¡°Can you guys avoid being infected by polluted Spark?¡± The bearded man knew exactly what Zhou Bai was thinking. He explained, ¡°We¡¯re different from you. Before we were born, we¡¯ve gone through primordial spirit adjustment using Taoist technology. After birth, we were given rune vaccines. That¡¯s why we can move about freely in the outside world.¡± ¡°But even so, there are still dangers when we practice. It¡¯s best to practice in locations that have large formations, and we can¡¯t stay outside for too long.¡± ¡®Primordial spirit adjustment¡­rune vaccines¡­then why did Professor Zhuang¡­?¡¯ Zhou Bai shook his head, trying his best to understand what the man¡¯s words meant. ¡°Then, can we go through primordial spirit adjustment and get rune vaccines?¡± The bearded man said, ¡°Primordial spirit adjustment can only be performed before birth. As for rune vaccines, you¡¯ll get them as soon as you return. Rest assured, flying cars are very fast, we¡¯ll be there in a jiffy. You¡¯re not severely infected, and you¡¯re wearing an anti-infection suit. With your primordial spirit power, you¡¯ll probably be fine.¡± Zhou Bai became a little more assured. The other man in the car looked at him with intrigue, and he asked, ¡°Were you guys attacked by a Mara?¡± Hearing the word ¡°Mara,¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s expression changed slightly. He remembered what happened back then again, his face becoming overcast. He nodded. ¡°Our teacher self-exploded his primordial spirit and killed the Mara, saving us.¡± The bearded man went blank at this, then shook his head. ¡°I respect your teacher very much, but to be honest, Mara cannot be killed.¡± Noticing Zhou Bai¡¯s perplexion, the bearded man continued. ¡°The nature of Mara¡¯s life is unique. It doesn¡¯t belong to any form of life that we currently know of. It is said that as long as the Mara Empress lives, then no matter how many times they die, they will be reborn in the Mara Pond.¡± Thinking about the fact that the snake monster Mara still lives, Zhou Bai clenched his fists. He asked, ¡°How is that possible?¡± ¡°In these times¡­even the Heavenly Tao can be distorted, what else is impossible?¡± The bearded man shrugged. He saw Zhou Bai clenching his teeth and asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you angry? This is how this world is now. Paradise has been fighting against Mara for centuries, but the situation only gets worse and worse.¡± Zhou Bai said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll kill the Mara Empress, and overturn that Mara Pond.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The bearded man looked at Zhou Bai and said with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s youth¡­others have tried that in the past, but they only managed to turn Earth into Doomsday. The fact that we¡¯re even still alive now our fortune. As for killing them¡­¡± The bearded man shook his head, an indescribable sorrow in his eyes. ¡°You don¡¯t know the horror of Mara at all.¡± ¡°I will kill them all.¡± Zhou Bai clenched his fists, remembering the rivers of blood in the base. Then he looked at the auxiliary system in his mind, thinking to himself, ¡°Mara¡­let me lie around a few more years, and then I¡¯ll annihilate you.¡± The bearded man rolled his eyes, not taking Zhou Bai¡¯s words to heart at all. He looked at the scenery outside, and said, ¡°We¡¯re here, get ready to step off.¡± After Zhou Bai got off the car, he found that the ¡°flying car¡± he was sitting on was a bronze vehicle. The bronze horse pulling the vehicle stomped, and the entire car rose one meter off the ground and hovered into the distance. ¡®What kind of black technology is this?¡¯ Zhou Bai watched this scene in shock. ¡®A magnetic suspension wagon?¡¯ Looking at the wagon before him, he didn¡¯t know whether it was advanced or backward. Elsa was carried down on a stretcher from the other wagon. Her entire body was covered in golden fur. Many rectangular charms covered the outside of her fur as if binding her like a layer of chains. ¡°Elsa!¡± Seeing Zhou Bai was about to run up, the bearded man stopped him and said, ¡°Rest assured, we¡¯ll try our best to save her. If you run up now, you¡¯ll only impede them from doing their job. Once she¡¯s well, I¡¯ll take you to see her.¡± Zhou Bai repressed his agitation and nodded, following the bearded man¡¯s arrangement. Zhou Bai followed the bearded man into a base. He saw rows of white bungalows with white walls. Everything looked very minimalistic. What followed was a series of examinations, inquiry, vaccination, and treatment. When an elder injected the rune vaccine into Zhou Bai¡¯s forehead with his primordial spirit power, Zhou Bai immediately felt a fine, smooth power enter his mind. It quickly multiplied and replicated until it finally became countless runes, forming chains that enveloped his cognitive sea. Christina was deep in thought as she looked at this rune vaccine. She said, ¡°They are indeed protective runes. They should be able to protect you from being infected by polluted Spark in the outside world.¡± The elder who injected the vaccine into Zhou Bai looked at him and said, ¡°Remember, vaccines aren¡¯t invincible. The longer you stay outside, the more it depletes the power of the runes, and the higher your chances of infection. Usually, in at most seven days, you must return to the safe zone to rest, and let the rune vaccine rest.¡± Zhou Bai nodded. Then he was pushed out to receive treatment. If it were in the modern society of the past, his injuries would probably take months to heal. But in this world where you can practice and have supernatural powers such as sorcery, runes, and formations, Zhou Bai¡¯s injuries were stabilized after only taking a few elixirs. He only needed to rest for a week or two before he can fully recover. After repeatedly confirming Zhou Bai was okay, he was assigned a room and got his clothes back. The entire examination-vaccine-treatment procedure was very quick and simple. There were a few unnecessary procedures. Zhou Bai found that this seemed to be a characteristic of this society: everything is as fast, simple, and efficient as possible. There¡¯s no unnecessary waste of either time or material resources. Zhou Bai thought to himself, ¡®Is it the long period of war that brought about this style of putting efficiency first?¡¯ ¡®But such a massive human force, did Professor Zhuang not know of their existence? Why did he keep calling us the last humans?¡¯ Chapter 20 - Future Choice Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio After the bearded man sent Zhou Bai to his room, he stood outside the door. He said to Zhou Bai, ¡°Your primordial spirit power has already awakened, so you¡¯ll have many more options from now on. You can join the military and fight against the demons. You can also join some small sects. They pay well and have practice-related knowledge for you to study. Or you can wait for Paradise to assign a job to you.¡± ¡°But if you want to hear what I think, compared to all of those, I would recommend you to study at a Tao academy,¡± the bearded man said, ¡°If you study at a Tao academy, you¡¯ll have the opportunity to pursue advanced studies. The practice resources you¡¯ll obtain can¡¯t be paralleled by other venues. You can participate in the Tao academy¡¯s entrance exam and try your luck.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll consider it,¡± said Zhou Bai, ¡°Thank you. By the way, I still don¡¯t know your name¡­¡± ¡°Zhang Aidao¡­¡± The bearded man¡¯s lips twitched, ¡°But I don¡¯t really like this name. I don¡¯t like the Heavenly Tao. You can just call me Old Zhang. Tomorrow, an official will come to speak to you and decide where you¡¯ll go next. Don¡¯t rush it. Think it over thoroughly.¡± After Zhang Aidao left, Zhou Bai lay on the bed, looking at the Laziness value that didn¡¯t increase. He knew this was because it wasn¡¯t past midnight yet. Zhou Bai thought, ¡°Christina, why haven¡¯t you been talking?¡± ¡°I¡¯m organizing my memories,¡± Christina said with a rare seriousness, ¡°After arriving here today, I¡¯ve recovered a lot of my memories about humans. Meow, I know so much, could it be I used to be a leader of humankind?¡± Christina: ¡°Right, Zhou Bai, tomorrow, you must choose to pursue your studies at a Tao academy.¡± Zhou Bai: ¡°Why?¡± Christina: ¡°How can you laze around in the military or sects? Aren¡¯t you afraid of being beaten to death? School is the only place for you to shine. Given how lazy you are, you¡¯ll soar into the sky at school.¡± Zhou Bai: ¡°Why do I feel like you¡¯re insulting me?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Christina thought to herself: ¡®Hmph, Tao academy is probably not very strict, they won¡¯t discover me. Watch me slowly take control over you, guide you, and finally steal your auxiliary system. I¡¯ll definitely be much stronger than this stupid kid if I had the auxiliary system.¡¯ Zhou Bai thought, ¡®Hmph, this d*mn cat, she¡¯s probably not thinking of anything good. Watch me make you tell me everything you know. I¡¯ll wring you dry.¡¯ ¡­ After a good night¡¯s sleep, when Zhou Bai got up the next day, he felt his injuries got much better again. It seemed to no longer affect ordinary walking and tossing. Then he impatiently looked at the auxiliary system board again. He exerted 100 Laziness points to increase his Primordial Spirit Value by 10 points. His primordial spirit power reached 60 points. Perhaps because he already had the foundation of 50 points from before, when Zhou Bai abruptly added 10 points of primordial spirit power, he only felt a quick bout of dizziness. He recovered after only half a minute. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m getting stronger and stronger. Let¡¯s try adding a little more.¡± Excited, Zhou Bai added all the remaining Laziness onto Primordial Spirit Value. Primordial Spirit Value instantly reached 70 points. This time, his dizziness was even more trivial. He was only dizzy for a dozen seconds before Zhou Bai felt himself return to normal. With a force of his will, a nearby chair was suddenly lifted up. Then, in the sound of crackling, the steel chair was squeezed into a ball and dropped on the ground like a piece of trash. ¡°Phew¡­70 points of primordial spirit power. If this were in the original world, I would be rich.¡± After raising his primordial spirit power in the morning, Zhou Bai looked at Christina, who was in his mind. He saw her lying on her back, fast asleep with her feet in the air in a twisted position. Bang! With a move of his will, he pulled the dumb cat out and tossed her onto the ground. She jumped from shock. ¡°What are you doing? I was sleeping!¡± ¡°Stop sleeping. It¡¯s not like you have a system, why are you sleeping so much every day?¡± Zhou Bai yanked her over, looking at the gem hanging on her neck, then frowned. Ever since it either turned back time or foresaw the future that time, this gem has turned grey. It hasn¡¯t changed a bit since then. Zhou Bai: ¡°Can this gem not recover?¡± ¡°It should be able to recover,¡± Christina thought for a while in silence, ¡°I think if you let me use your auxiliary system, I might be able to use Laziness to restore the gem¡¯s power!¡± Zhou Bai controlled his will, and his primordial spirit power grabbed Christina, stroking her in his chest. Christina thought to herself, angrily, ¡°This b*stard, just wait and see. I¡¯m going to strike you dead in the future!¡± Zhou Bai tried for a while but couldn¡¯t find any way to restore the gem or use the gem, so he just gave up trying. ¡°If the gem can¡¯t be used for now, then my biggest advantage is the system,¡± Zhou Bai thought as he rubbed his chin, ¡°I have to find other ways to increase Laziness.¡± As Zhou Bai thought about this, he went out to look for some food, then returned to the room to await the officer¡¯s arrival. The officer came very quickly. Just like the examination and treatment Zhou Bai went through yesterday, there was no unnecessary small talk or probing. After asking about Zhou Bai¡¯s plans, he recommended Zhou Bai participate in the entrance exam taking place in a week. If he can pass the exam, he would be qualified to enter the Tao academy. What¡¯s worth mentioning is that the conversation with the officer allowed Zhou Bai to understand the basic situation roughly. Earth today is still having a global war between humans and Mara. Most of the regions on Earth have been occupied by Mara. The Western Continent has fallen completely, and the humans on the Eastern Continent are only defending the last one-third of their territory. Where Zhou Bai and the rest were now was the south-east corner of the remaining territory. In order to be more efficient and concentrate their resources on resisting against Mara, humans have united all the countries and sects to be governed by Paradise 500 years ago. In order to respond to the distortion of the Heavenly Tao, and to foster strong human individuals to resist against the Mara, Paradise gathered the most powerful sects at that time and allowed them to create four Tao academies¨C East, West, North, and South. They each exchanged methods of practice and all sorts of resources. Although some small sects still exist, the most powerful practitioners generally come from the Tao academies. But because resources are limited, they cannot foster students without restriction. So you must pass the entrance exam to enter the four big Tao academies. The one closest to Zhou Bai right now was Donghua Tao Academy, located on the eastern coast of human territory. ¡°The entrance exam for Donghua Tao Academy is in a week. I¡¯ll arrange a flying car for you to ride to Donghua City tomorrow, but the rest is up to you.¡± Zhou Bai nodded. He understood this was the most the officer could do. Then he asked, ¡°What does the entrance exam for Donghua Tao Academy test? I want to prepare myself.¡± The officer smiled and said, ¡°You can go ask Old Zhang, oh¡­that is, Zhang Aidao, who brought you back yesterday. He took the entrance exam before. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t pass, but he knows what they test.¡± Chapter 21 - Dog? Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Knock, knock, knock! ¡°Come in.¡± Zhang Aidao, who was reading a book in his room, looked up and saw the boy he had saved yesterday standing in the door. ¡°Oh? Zhou Bai?¡± Zhang Aidao scratched his head helplessly. ¡°I guess someone told you about my identity as a failed applicant.¡± Zhou Bai smiled and said sincerely, ¡°Old Zhang, I wanted to ask you about the Donghua Tao Academy entrance exam.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time. I helped you yesterday out of duty,¡± said Zhang Aidao. ¡°Today is my only day off this month, and I¡¯ve already made plans.¡± Zhou Bai smiled awkwardly, thinking to himself, ¡°A chosen one like me is destined to save humankind in the future. Shouldn¡¯t beautiful women and handsome men stand in line to see me off? And any random door I open should lead me to some wise sage?¡± Christina exclaimed, ¡°Me! Me! I¡¯m pretty and cute, and I have the qualities of a sage! I¡¯ll instruct you for the entrance exam!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t trust this silly cat at all,¡± Zhou Bai thought. He then looked at Zhang Aidao¡¯s messy room and asked tentatively, ¡°Old Zhang, do you need someone to clean your room?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Zhang Aidao raised his head to look at Zhou Bai. ¡°Will you wash underwear?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zhou Bai responded. ¡°You already have flying bronze horses. Don¡¯t you have a machine for washing underwear?¡± Zhang Aidao nodded. ¡°It¡¯s wartime, and Paradise sent all the experts on Taoist technology to work on weapons, so they haven¡¯t been doing much as far as daily life goes. Will you wash them or not?¡± Zhou Bai sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll wash them.¡± Zhou Bai then got busy cleaning Zhang Aidao¡¯s room, washing his laundry, and mopping the floor, all while listening to his tutelage on the Donghua Tao Academy entrance exam. ¡°As one of the four big Tao academies, Donghua Tao Academy only recruits the cream of the crop, the genius practitioners, the strong individuals who will play a vital role in future battles. ¡°Therefore, there are two hard requirements for enrollment. One is that your bone age must be below 20, and the other is that your Primordial Spirit Value must be above 30.¡± Zhang Aidao looked at Zhou Bai and said, ¡°Yesterday when we performed the examinations, we found your age to be 18, which meets the requirement. As for a 30-point Primordial Spirit Value, you probably have that, right?¡± Zhou Bai nodded. He didn¡¯t want to tell him his Primordial Spirit Value had actually reached 70 earlier that morning, reasoning, ¡°By the time I take the entrance exam, it¡¯ll probably be even higher.¡± Zhou Bai then couldn¡¯t contain his glee. ¡°Hehe, will I amaze everyone there? Will I be the top genius to enter the school?¡± At this thought, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t help but ask Zhang Aidao, ¡°What level is 30 points of Primordial Spirit Value?¡± ¡°Paradise categorizes practitioners into 11 levels, from Primordial Realm to Universal Realm,¡± replied Zhang Aidao. ¡°To put it simply, a 0 to 9% Degree of Taoification belongs to the zeroth level, the Primordial Realm; 10 to 19% to the first level, the One Qi Realm; 20 to 29% to the second level, and 30 to 39% to the third level.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same for all the following levels. Every 10% increase in Degree of Taoification counts as a level, and 100% is a level by itself. So, from level 0 to level 10, there¡¯s a total of 11 levels, 11 realms. ¡°But before you officially increase the Degree of Taoification, your Degree of Taoification remains at 0%, and your Primordial Spirit Value can only reach 99 at most.¡± At this, Zhang Aidao suddenly pointed at Zhou Bai and said, ¡°Why are you mopping the same spot over and over? Mop another spot¡­ Here¡­ There¡­ You have to mop the entire floor to get it clean.¡± ¡°Oh, oh, oh.¡± Zhou Bai unleashed his primordial spirit power, controlling the mop to swish in every direction. Zhang Aidao went back to the topic. ¡°I remember when I took the entrance exam. There were some 20,000 people who met the requirements. Most of them had around 30 to 60 points of Primordial Spirit Value. There was also a dozen who reached 99 points.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Zhou Bai then thought, ¡°I wonder if the Primordial Spirit Value in my auxiliary system will also stop at 99 points.¡± ¡°The auxiliary system can definitely do it,¡± Christina said. ¡°It directly adds to your Primordial Spirit Value. As long as you can bear it, it can probably be raised.¡± Zhou Bai nodded, controlling his primordial spirit power to scrub Zhang Aidao¡¯s underwear. He felt like his prospects were better now. Zhang Aidao continued. ¡°After meeting the hard requirements, the rest of the exam tests you on willpower and learning capacity¡­ Ever since the Heavenly Tao became distorted, practice efficiency has increased a lot from before, but it has also gotten more dangerous. Even with protective formations and rune vaccines, practice can still lead to deformation and insanity.¡± ¡°Therefore, practitioners need a strong willpower to endure these,¡± Zhang Aidao finished. Zhou Bai asked, ¡°But how do you test one¡¯s willpower?¡± ¡°Back then, I had to squat in an illusion formation,¡± Zhang Aidao replied. ¡°The demand was to be one of the last 5,000 standing.¡± Zhou Bai uttered, ¡°How horrifying¡­¡± Zhang Aidao nodded in agreement. ¡°I squatted for seven hours. I almost felt like my legs weren¡¯t my own anymore.¡± Zhou Bai inquired further, ¡°Then what about learning capacity?¡± ¡°Learning capacity is one¡¯s gift for practicing Tao,¡± said Zhang Aidao. ¡°After all, the resources are limited. Although it¡¯s a little cruel, the best resources have to be provided to the most gifted people, so as they become stronger they can use them to protect us.¡± ¡°When I was tested on learning capacity, I remember it was a written test,¡± said Zhang Aidao. ¡°They showed us an ancient Taoist scripture, and then we had to write one sentence summarizing its meaning.¡± ¡°That ancient Taoist scripture was probably a product from before the Heavenly Tao became distorted. It described the Heavenly Tao in an indirect, metaphysical manner. I suppose the better you understood it, the greater your gift for practicing Tao. That was the round that I got eliminated in.¡± Zhou Bai nodded and asked, ¡°Then how do I prepare?¡± Zhang Aidao shrugged. ¡°Primordial Spirit Value can¡¯t be increased over a couple days, so there is no way to prepare. As for willpower, I don¡¯t know how you could strengthen that.¡± ¡°As for learning capacity, it¡¯s half talent and half accumulation. If you¡¯ve been reading Taoist books and ancient Taoist scriptures since childhood, that might be useful. But it¡¯s too late to do that now.¡± Zhou Bai asked, ¡°Huh? Then I can only sit around and wait for the test? This conversation has been completely useless!¡± Zhang Aidao objected. ¡°How can you say that? At least you¡¯ve confirmed there¡¯s no use in preparation, and you can go into the exam without any burden.¡± Zhou Bai continued complaining while Zhang Aidao put on a white outfit and looked at himself in the mirror. He opened the door and said to Zhou Bai, ¡°That¡¯s all you need to know about the exam. And now, I have a date.¡± He waved dramatically to Zhou Bai. ¡°Once you finish cleaning everything, go back and rest.¡± After watching Zhang Aidao leave, Zhou Bai ¡°humphed,¡± stopped working, and fell on the sofa to rest. ¡°If I can¡¯t prepare for this entrance exam, doesn¡¯t that mean I have to rely purely on luck?¡± Immediately, Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes glowed. He saw in his auxiliary system that his Primordial Spirit Value had increased. He looked at the time and noted that it wasn¡¯t past midnight yet. ¡°Is that so? Slacking off and not doing the cleaning can increase Laziness too?!¡± Zhou Bai was ecstatic. He continued lying on the couch and watched Laziness in his auxiliary system rise. It increased by 1 point almost every minute. Ten minutes later, it had increased by 10 points but then stopped rising. Pleased with himself, Zhou Bai converted the 10 points of Laziness into Primordial Spirit Value and then went deep into thought while watching it reach 71 points. ¡­ After having slacked off for long enough, Zhou Bai got up to finish the rest of the chores. When he returned to his room, he found someone waiting for him¡ªan elder with a yellow shiba inu at his door. ¡°Hello, are you Zhou Bai?¡± Zhou Bai nodded. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Your companion has been recovered. You can see her now.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Zhou Bai happily exclaimed. ¡°Then let¡¯s go. Take me to see Elsa. What¡¯s her situation?¡± The elder rubbed his chin awkwardly. ¡°She¡¯s pretty good. She¡¯s a big eater.¡± Then he pointed at the shiba inu on the floor and said, ¡°That¡¯s her. Take a look and see if there are any problems.¡± The shiba inu widened her mouth, gazing at Zhou Bai with joy. Zhou Bai was in shock. Chapter 22 - The Correct Usage of Cats Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio ¡°Old man, are you fooling around with me?¡± Zhou Bai looked at the elder before him with discontent and then pointed at the shiba inu next to his feet and said, ¡°This is Elsa?¡± Seeing Zhou Bai point at her, the shiba inu stood up happily, wagging her tail. Her mouth widened into something resembling a smile. The elder explained awkwardly, ¡°She was infected by polluted Spark and showed signs of demonification. We¡¯ve tried our best to suppress its level, and we were finally able to make her non-hazardous.¡± ¡°Huh?!¡± Zhou Bai shouted, ¡°I gave you guys a human, and you return a dog to me? And you say you tried your best?!¡± The elder coughed. ¡°She won¡¯t be a dog forever. If her will is strong enough, she might be able to turn back into a human.¡± At that moment, they saw the shiba inu stand up. She looked like she wanted to jump on Zhou Bai. After seeing him look at her with surprise, she opened her mouth and spoke in a raspy voice. ¡°Zhou~~ Bai~~¡± Zhou Bai looked at her in shock, responding, ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m~~ hungry~~¡± Zhou Bai went blank for a second and then crouched to rub Elsa¡¯s head. He said in a deep voice, ¡°Don¡¯t be scared, Elsa. I¡¯ll take you to get food in a bit.¡± He looked up at the elder and said, ¡°You come along, too. Tell me about this demonification deal.¡± ¡­ Half an hour later, as Zhou Bai walked back with Elsa, he was still going over what the elder had told him. ¡°Demonification is a special phenomenon that occurs after being infected by polluted Spark. Both the body and mind go through a mutation, and the person becomes a goblin without reason. ¡°Goblins like this almost never recover. Only one or two out of 10,000 will recover a certain degree of reason, but their personalities and cognition of the world have been completely distorted and they cannot be treated as humans. ¡°Of course, if they are saved in time, there¡¯s a 1 in 10,000 chance that the demonified human will continue living in a half-demonified condition, but if that¡¯s not successful, then they might become a full animal like Elsa. ¡°There are examples of those who are half-demonified who restored their human bodies after raising their level of practice. ¡°But for those who turn fully into animals like Elsa, even though they could theoretically restore their human bodies after they raise their level of practice, in reality, their intelligence is too low after turning into animals. So far, there have been no examples of creatures like these who have restored their human bodies.¡± Taking Elsa back to his room, Zhou Bai sat on the ground with furrowed brows. Elsa walked around him a few times and then laid herself on Zhou Bai¡¯s chest. She licked at his cheek while making a whining noise. ¡°Zhou Bai, maybe it¡¯s not as bad as you think,¡± said Christina. ¡°Do you remember when Professor Zhuang fought against that Mara? His body also had signs of demonification.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s vision focused as he realized fully what Christina had said. ¡°I watched Elsa¡¯s body get penetrated by the Mara. An ordinary child couldn¡¯t have survived in that situation.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Christina replied. ¡°And besides, normal children don¡¯t have that big of an appetite. Remember Professor Zhuang¡¯s research goal? To practice without being affected by polluted Spark. Perhaps he¡¯s already succeeded?¡± Zhou Bai looked at Elsa. ¡°She looks smarter than ordinary dogs, but I don¡¯t see human wisdom in her at all.¡± Christina then reminded him, ¡°Don¡¯t forget, it¡¯s the people from the Paradise Rescue Team who saved her. Perhaps their rescue interrupted Elsa¡¯s demonification, and that caused her to not be able to control the power of demonification like Professor Zhuang did.¡± ¡°Then what do I do?¡± asked Zhou Bai. ¡°Should I let Elsa come in contact with polluted Spark? Increase her degree of demonification? And if that doesn¡¯t work, she¡¯s been given the vaccine, so normal contact won¡¯t work. She has to stay outside for a couple weeks¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be rash,¡± said Christina. ¡°We don¡¯t know much about demonification.¡± ¡°And Professor Zhuang¡¯s research regarding practice and demonification might be the only existing research in the world. I think you should just raise her for now. Didn¡¯t Professor Zhuang leave coordinates with all the information? Perhaps he hid the results of his research there. If we find that information, we might be able to heal Elsa.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! You and I are thinking the same thing. I can only focus on taking care of Elsa for now¡­¡± Suddenly, Zhou Bai screamed, ¡°Elsa! Come back!!!¡± Christina watched Elsa raise her leg and pee on the bed. She snickered to herself and said, ¡°That¡¯s the deep-rooted savagery of dogs: They pee on beds. I would never do something like that.¡± Zhou Bai told her, ¡°Shut up, it¡¯s not like you need to eat or poop.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re unhappy, you can think about it from another perspective. Although she looks like a dog, she¡¯s actually a beautiful maiden. Having a beautiful maiden pee on your bed like this¡­ Isn¡¯t that exciting?¡± Zhou Bai tossed Christina out of his mind with a swoosh and then grabbed her tail and flung her onto the ground. ¡°Wait a¡ª¡± she protested, when her head hit the ground. Looking at the dizzy cat in his hand, Zhou Bai pointed at the shiba inu before him and said, ¡°From now on, you¡¯re responsible for raising the dog.¡± Christina responded, ¡°But I¡¯m a cat! You¡¯re humiliating me!¡± Zhou Bai was adamant. ¡°If you won¡¯t do it, I¡¯m going to use you to wipe the pee.¡± Christina walked over to the shiba inu looking very unhappy. The dog and cat barked and meowed at each other for a while. Zhou Bai didn¡¯t understand what they were saying or whether or not they could understand each other at all. Then he watched Christina getting louder and louder until she finally leapt up and slapped the shiba inu¡¯s head with her paw. Elsa whined and began nodding. Zhou Bai looked at the messy bed and laid on the couch. He said to Christina, ¡°Oh yeah, don¡¯t forget to change the sheets for me, and wash them, too, if you can.¡± A few minutes later, Christina cursed Zhou Bai in her mind while she scrubbed the sheets. ¡°Cruel b*stard! You even exploit cats¡­ Is that even human? Wash the sheets¡­ I¡¯m going to make you wash them to death in the future.¡± ¨CLaziness +10¨C As Zhou Bai laid on the bed watching his 10-point increase in Laziness, he was very content. ¡°So that¡¯s how it works¡­¡± He looked at Christina, who was helping him wash the sheets, and then at himself, lying on the couch and getting ready to sleep, when an idea popped into his head. ¡°No wonder when I was given this system it also came with a cat. Is this how I¡¯m supposed to use her?¡± Christina shivered and said to no one, ¡°Why do I feel like something¡¯s wrong? Does someone want to hurt me?¡± Zhou Bai happily used his 10 points of Laziness, and his Primordial Spirit Value increased to 72 points. The next morning, Zhou Bai went out to eat at the arranged time and then waited for the car headed to Donghua City. Christina had already returned into Zhou Bai¡¯s mind, and Elsa followed at Zhou Bai¡¯s side, a dumb smile characteristic of a shiba inu on her face. The vehicle headed to Donghua City was a massive two-story-tall flying car pulled by 12 bronze horses. Although it looked outdated, it could hover three feet off the ground and ran faster than even high-speed rail. With the antipollution formation on the flying car, as well as the passengers¡¯ own primordial spirit adjustments and rune immunities, as long as they didn¡¯t leave cities or forts for more than seven days, they had an extremely low risk of infection. Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t help exclaiming, ¡°This world¡¯s Taoist technologies seem even more primitive than Zhou Bai¡¯s old world in some lifestyle aspects, but they¡¯re much more advanced than his old world in other fields.¡± Chapter 23 - Donghua City Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio He got in the car, and they were rapidly on their way. Elsa sat next to Zhou Bai¡¯s feet, while Christina stood on her head, straightening her body. She placed her paws on the windowsill, looking at the outside world with wide eyes. Under Christina¡¯s strong demands, in addition to the fact that Zhou Bai thought this cat would have to be revealed in the future anyway, Zhou Bai decided to let her out and watch over Elsa for him. Zhou Bai then turned around, watching the scenery along the journey. Everywhere looked barren and desolate. He even saw the sparkle of fire twice, followed by loud bangs. It looked like a battle was taking place. The entire world had become tattered because of the war between the Mara and humankind. It had been said that after humans had retreated into the last one-third of human territory on the Eastern Continent, to defend against the Mara, as well as to respond to Spark infection, aside from some forts, 90 percent of the population was gathered in the five main cities¡ªone in the east, the west, the north, the south, and the center. Nearly all the experts on Taoist technology and warfare had been brought to these locations. Zhou Bai was headed toward Donghua City, one of those five cities. ¡­ Two hours later, Zhou Bai could see colossal black shadows hovering in the sky in the distance. The shadows were densely packed, like fleets of flying ships. ¡°This is totally different from what I had imagined,¡± Zhou Bai thought. Donghua City was supercolossal in size with a population of three million people, but he hadn¡¯t thought it would appear this densely populated. With their advanced Taoist technology, they had been able to levitate many buildings in the air, creating enough city space to accommodate the giant population. All of Donghua City had the residential district at ground level, the military district at 1,500 feet, the administrative district at 3,000 feet, the Tao academy district at 5,000 feet, and so on. Districts were zoned according to function from 250 feet underground to 7,000 feet aboveground. Around the exterior of the city, a membrane of faint, barely distinguishable light enveloped its entirety. That was the enormous formation that protected all of Donghua City from the Mara as well as purified Spark and prevented infection. Under the triple protection of formation, primordial spirit adjustment, and rune vaccination, the risk of Spark infection had been lowered infinitely. ¡°It¡¯s huge!¡± he thought. As the flying car moved closer to Donghua City, Zhou Bai increasingly sensed how enormous and dense the city was. When they finally entered, he raised his head up to see the buildings floating in the hidden sky and covering the sun. All the buildings had the same architectural style. They were all white, gray, or black, without any unnecessary decoration. They were like building blocks that floated back and forth and interlocked in the air. By now, Zhou Bai was looking down on the streets. Because the sky had been blocked out by countless buildings, the streets were very dim, and the crowded houses and streets made everything feel cramped. Zhou Bai got off the car when it stopped and took out the piece of paper that Zhang Aidao had given to him. It had two addresses on it, one for the enrollment location for Donghua Tao Academy and the other for Zhang Aidao¡¯s friend. This was Zhou Bai¡¯s first time in Donghua City and he didn¡¯t have any place to stay, so Zhang Aidao casually wrote down an address, and told him to go stay with one of his friends in Donghua City. So, with a cat and a dog, Zhou Bai made his way to the enrollment location for the entrance exam after asking around, and then he started looking for the address of Zhang Aidao¡¯s friend. Throughout their journey, Christina and Elsa had attracted many people¡¯s attention, as almost no one owned dogs or cats during these times. As the street became abnormally dark before the sun had even set, Zhou Bai sighed. ¡°Donghua City looks magnificent from a distance, but when you actually walk the streets on the ground, you¡¯re probably in the shadows 24/7.¡± Most of the humans on the streets also looked like they were in a hurry. It was rare to see anyone simply strolling or chatting with others. Everyone seemed to be in a rush. The streets were also abnormally clean. Not only was there no trash, but there also was no greenery, landscaping, or neon lights that many big cities had. ¡°Cold¡­ Precise¡­ Just like a machine operated by countless gears.¡± That was Zhou Bai¡¯s first impression of Donghua City. Elsa stuck her tongue out and walked up to Zhou Bai, saying to him out loud, ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± Christina, who was riding on Elsa, slapped her head with her paw and said, ¡°Who let you speak! I told you you¡¯re not allowed to speak when we¡¯re outside.¡± Elsa put her head down with a hurt expression. Perhaps because of the success of Professor Zhuang¡¯s experiment, Elsa, who had fully turned into an animal, could say simple phrases such as ¡°Zhou Bai¡± and ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡± To avoid any trouble, Zhou Bai told her not to speak when they were outside. Hearing Elsa¡¯s words, Zhou Bai patted her head, and Elsa rubbed forcefully against Zhou Bai¡¯s hand. She heard Zhou Bai say, ¡°Alright Elsa, we¡¯re almost there. We¡¯ll have food very soon.¡± He brought the two to a row of little uniformly constructed buildings that stood on the street like metal cans. They were all tiny homes constructed by Paradise and distributed to normal people as residences. Knock, knock, knock! Zhou Bai heard footsteps before a white-haired elder opened the door. He went blank for a second when he saw Zhou Bai before asking, ¡°And you are?¡± ¡°Zhang Aidao told me to come. I¡¯m here to take the entrance exam for Donghua Tao Academy. I don¡¯t have a place to stay, and he told me I could stay here for a few days.¡± ¡°He still remembers his old father?¡± The old man grunted before walking back into the room and saying, ¡°Come inside. Close the door.¡± Zhou Bai walked into the room and found it to be rather messy. Things were scattered all over the table and floor, and many areas were covered in dust and stains, making the place appear old and worn. Although the elder looked serious and spoke with a cold tone, not long after Zhou Bai sat down he brought him a bowl of porridge and pickled vegetables. He even tossed two pieces of bread at Elsa and Christina. Elsa picked up a piece of bread and wolfed it down. Christina, as some sort of special entity, didn¡¯t need to eat or drink, so she patted Elsa¡¯s head and said quietly, ¡°If you obey me in the future, this piece is yours. Do you understand?¡± Elsa cocked her head, looking at Christina with confusion. Ever since Zhou Bai had entered the room, the elder had been examining Zhou Bai¡¯s face. His expression changed continuously¡ªSometimes he smiled, and other times he frowned. After downing a few spoonfuls of porridge, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Old man, is something the matter?¡± ¡°Are you¡­¡± the old man said after examining Zhou Bai, ¡°Zhang Aidao¡¯s son?¡± ¡°Bah!¡± Zhou Bai spit out his mouthful of porridge, continuously shaking his head. The old man smiled at Zhou Bai. ¡°You look so much like myself when I was younger¡­¡± Seeing that Zhou Bai was still denying it, he nodded with understanding. ¡°Alright, alright, I know he doesn¡¯t admit that I¡¯m his father.¡± The old man looked at Zhou Bai with curiosity and goodwill. Suddenly, he sighed and muttered, ¡°I know he hates me. He hates me for making him join the military after he failed the entrance exam. His mother even divorced me over this.¡± ¡°But I was a soldier my entire life. I know how fragile our current lifestyle is. If everyone only thinks about themselves, if everyone¡¯s afraid of danger, and no one steps up, then there will really be nothing left.¡± Zhou Bai responded, ¡°Why are you suddenly telling stories?¡± ¡°Aidao¡­¡± the old man said while looking at Zhou Bai with some worry, ¡°Do you hate dad?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zhou Bai was confused. Christina said to Zhou Bai, ¡°He probably has senile dementia. He¡¯s used primordial spirit power to battle in the past, but his practice level didn¡¯t rise, so there¡¯s a higher chance of him getting dementia as he gets older.¡± ¡°After all, the Heavenly Tao and Spark are distorted. If humans fight using them for an extended period of time, but their practice level doesn¡¯t rise when they¡¯re older yet their will and physical condition have worsened, naturally they¡¯re more prone to disease.¡± Chapter 24 - Practicing Very Hard Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Realizing that Zhang Aidao¡¯s father might have dementia, Zhou Bai shook his head helplessly. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to contact Zhang Aidao, either. All I can do is go to the station tomorrow morning and find someone to deliver a message.¡± Zhou Bai had finished his porridge when he saw the old man was about to get him another bowl. He hastily stopped him. ¡°Mister, don¡¯t bother. I¡¯ll take care of myself.¡± Looking at his somewhat messy and untidy room, Zhou Bai then said, ¡°How about I clean your room for you?¡± The old man responded, ¡°You¡¯re going to help dad with the chores? Daodao is such a good kid.¡± Zhou Bai smiled. ¡°Then I¡¯ll start by doing the dishes.¡± As he said this, he helped the old man onto the couch. Then Zhou Bai turned around and glared at Christina, making a throat-slashing gesture. ¡°Ugh!¡± Christina was infuriated. ¡°Don¡¯t cross the line, Zhou Bai. I¡¯ve only ever seen humans scoop cat poop; I¡¯ve never seen a cat do the dishes for a human. You¡¯re going against the way of Heaven¡ªYou¡¯re digging your own grave!¡± A loud bang rang out. And a moment later, Christina began washing the dishes with tears in her eyes. She cursed, ¡°B*stard! Zhou Bai, you¡¯re inhumane! Cat abuser! I¡¯m going to expose you!¡± Elsa wagged her tail, circling around Christina with intrigue. ¨CLaziness +5¨C After Zhou Bai helped the old man sit down, he laid on the couch himself, happily watching his Laziness increase by 5 points. He rubbed his chin and thought, ¡°Aside from the 200 points I get from lying down every day, it looks like if someone else does what I¡¯m supposed to while I rest, I can also obtain Laziness.¡± ¡°But what if no one does what I¡¯m supposed to?¡± Then Zhou Bai began experimenting with the rules for obtaining Laziness, and within a few hours, the elder was already sleeping in his bed. Christina was lying on the floor, panting. Her tail was limp and flat, while her chin was pressed on the ground, with her mouth open and her tongue sticking out. Elsa was lying next to her, wagging her tail. She imitated Christina by also sticking out her tongue but looking very merry. Zhou Bai slowly got up from the couch and stretched. Yawning, he said, ¡°I¡¯m so tired. I didn¡¯t expect lying on the couch for four hours straight would be this exhausting. D*amn, my back is about to break. Practicing sure is hard.¡± Christina said, ¡°I¡¯m impressed.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, Zhou Bai. Practicing has been tiring, so go to sleep and get some rest.¡± Zhou Bai stretched his neck, and while glancing at the increased Laziness in his auxiliary system, a smile crept across his face. After his attempts over the past four hours, Zhou Bai had figured out some patterns. Not doing what he was supposed to do had increased Laziness. For example, not doing the dishes had added 5 points of Laziness. These tasks didn¡¯t necessarily have to be performed by someone else. Zhou Bai had told the elder that he would help sweep the floor, but he hadn¡¯t ordered Christina to do it. He had just laid on the couch and done nothing, but he still had gotten 5 points of Laziness. ¡°But I have free cat labor, and I can¡¯t bully the old man, so of course I have to make Christina do it,¡± Zhou Bai thought as he rubbed his chin. ¡°But whatever I have to do must be a task that I can perform and is logical. And it seems to be impossible to obtain Laziness by repeating the same tasks in one day.¡± ¡°When I had intentionally said that I would bring Zhang Aidao over, or that I would give him a new house or treat his illness, those impossible tasks also didn¡¯t increase Laziness.¡± Zhou Bai realized that the auxiliary system had its own logic on collecting Laziness, but even though he still didn¡¯t completely understand it, he determined that the best thing to do now was to go with the flow and take advantage of every opportunity. ¡°But what¡¯s the principle of this Laziness? Changing the timeline? Changing the results to collect energy? Creating a parallel universe? Creating a new future to collect some sort of power?¡± Zhou Bai shook his head. The principle of Laziness was too profound for him, and there was no use thinking about it. ¡°Therefore, before the entrance exam officially starts, I¡¯ll try my hardest to raise Laziness and increase my Primordial Spirit Value.¡± Over the next few days, Zhou Bai lived in the old man¡¯s home and practiced hard, continuously raising his Laziness and transferring those points to his Primordial Spirit Value. ¡°Christina! Go wipe the floor!¡± ¡°Christina! Massage my lower back. It¡¯s so sore from lying down.¡± ¡°Christina! I want to eat Buddha Jumps over the Wall for dinner.¡± Christina finally protested. ¡°That¡¯s enough! Buddha Jumps over the Wall? How about I kill myself and make a plate of Tiger Dragon Battle for you?¡± As time passed, Zhou Bai practiced. The night before the entrance exam, he not only had raised his Primordial Spirit Value to 99 points, but he also had an extra 1,000 points of Laziness. As he examined his points, Zhou Bai took on a serious expression. ¡°Should I try to raise my Primordial Spirit Value to 100 points today?¡± ¡°According to Zhang Aidao, when Degree of Taoification is 0%, Primordial Spirit Value can only be raised to 99 points at most before one officially practices Tao. ¡°But the auxiliary system wasn¡¯t conventional practice. It adds points to me directly, so it might be able to let me break through the 99-point limit and stand out during the exam tomorrow.¡± Zhou Bai wanted to give it a try, but just as he was about to raise it, his mind was suddenly flooded with images from his memory. ¡°In the underground base, rows of corpses in the secret room¡­ ¡°Elsa, demonified into a shiba inu¡­ ¡°Bando¡¯s distorted upper torso¡­ ¡°Zhang Aidao¡¯s father, with dementia¡­¡± These images flashed through his mind and extinguished his desires little by little. ¡°Zhou Bai, this is my final lesson: Live on, no matter how lowly, how afraid, how hopeless¡­ Live on¡­¡± He heard a certain man¡¯s voice in his ears again. Zhou Bai shook his head. ¡°Phew, never mind. Safety first, safety first. And besides, exceeding 99 points and attracting everyone¡¯s attention might not be the best move.¡± Therefore, Zhou Bai didn¡¯t raise his Primordial Spirit Value to 100 points in the end, and he left Laziness as is, got in bed, and slept until the next morning. As Zhou Bai got out of bed in the morning, an aroma rushed into his nose. Zhang Aidao¡¯s father walked up with a bowl of noodles, saying, ¡°Daodao, you¡¯re taking the test today. Dad made you some noodles with two poached eggs.¡± Zhou Bai went blank for a moment and then smiled. He took over the noodles and, after his first bite, said in a quiet voice, ¡°Thank you, dad.¡± The elder look surprised at this but also very happy. When he was done eating, Zhou Bai opened the door and walked out while the elder waved at him from behind and said, ¡°Daodao! Good luck!¡± Zhou Bai waved his hand, signaling the elder to go back inside. Christina lounged on the windowsill with a joyous smile on her face. ¡°That devil is finally gone. I must leave quickly. I can¡¯t live like this anymore. If I keep living like this, I¡¯ll meowing die from exhaustion!¡± As she said this and prepared to leave, Elsa appeared before her with a bowl in her mouth and swaying around her. ¡°I don¡¯t have time to feed you!¡± Christina grunted and opened the window to leave, but suddenly she felt her body lighten. She turned into an invisible puff of white smoke and disappeared into Zhou Bai¡¯s forehead, leaving Elsa staring out the window and making whining sounds with a bowl in her mouth. Chapter 25 - The Entrance Exam Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio That morning, the door to Donghua Tao Academy, 5,000 feet above ground level, was already packed with people. Zhou Bai was wedged in the crowd. Looking at all the clamor around him, he thought uncomfortably, ¡°This many people came to take the exam? How long is it going to take?¡± He eventually managed to get in line, check in, and follow the other applicants into the school. The first round was a physical exam, which included height, weight, bone age, health condition, and whether or not they had been infected by Spark. After this basic exam came the main course¡ªtesting of the Primordial Spirit Value. Zhou Bai was in the middle of the line, watching other lines proceed around him as the applicants walked to the primordial spirit detector to get their Primordial Spirit Value tested. While some applicants were pale and nervous, others were calm and collected, some even appearing very confident. Suddenly, Zhou Bai heard a cry: A girl had grabbed onto the teacher and wouldn¡¯t leave the detector. ¡°Please! Please let me get tested again!¡± the girl cried. ¡°I didn¡¯t sleep well last night. I was just too nervous. Give me one more chance. I¡¯ll definitely do better.¡± Out of fairness, everyone¡¯s test results were projected onto a large screen above the detector, including this girl¡¯s results. She had 29 points, 1 point short of the 30-point Primordial Spirit Value minimum. The proctor shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ve already been tested three times. Come again next year.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m already 20 this year¡ªI don¡¯t have a chance next year. Please, please, let me try a¡ª¡± An explosive bang rang out. The proctor had decisively knocked out the girl. Too many people cried their hearts out like this every year because they had failed the exam. Their distress was understandable, as the four big Tao academies¡ªand the only four Tao academies¡ªrepresented the most elite power of humankind. From a material perspective, this place had the best resources for practice. In a spiritual sense, this was the most promising route to realizing one¡¯s dreams of resisting the Mara, protecting the nation, and revitalizing humankind. In this doomsday-like era, it was the place for young people to achieve countless dreams. Zhou Bai shook his head. ¡°If this girl doesn¡¯t pass this time, then she¡¯ll either join the military, join some small sect, or be assigned a job by Paradise. No matter what route she takes, it¡¯ll be far inferior to becoming a Tao academy student.¡± A few minutes later, the applicates began exclaiming. Zhou Bai looked over at the detection equipment and saw a young man standing with the test results shown above him on the screen as 99. Zhou Bai grinned slightly. ¡°Wow, a genius? It¡¯ll be my turn to shine in a bit.¡± As they waited, every now and then, exclamations would rise from the crowd as the genius students whose Primordial Spirit Value had reached 99 points would appear on the screen. Right before it was Zhou Bai¡¯s turn, he heard a commotion louder than all the others. All the applicants looked at the screen, and all appeared astonished. A giant ¡°105¡± appeared with the test results. Everyone lowered their voices and whispered among each other. ¡°Is this for real? Someone¡¯s Primordial Spirit Value is 105?¡± someone loudly asked. Another applicant postured, ¡°Is this some kind of joke? Didn¡¯t they say the highest possible was 99?¡± ¡°Who is that guy? Did he practice Tao before he even entered school? Is he a genius whose Degree of Taoification broke through 0%?¡± The tall, pale man with a ponytail on the platform glanced coldly at the detection results and then casually walked off the platform. Zhou Bai watched the man with the 105-point Primordial Spirit Value with displeasure. ¡°I thought my 99-point Primordial Spirit Value was already at the top of the students this year and would increase my chances of passing, but here¡¯s someone with 105?!¡± ¡°Zhou Bai!¡± Hearing his name called out, Zhou Bai walked up to the equipment area and, with a direction of his will, injected his primordial spirit power into the spherical detector floating in the air before him. Instantly, ¡°99¡± appeared on the large screen, but this time no one exclaimed or otherwise seemed to notice; they were still recovering from the shock of a 105-point Primordial Spirit Value. ¡°Tch!¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s lips twitched before he followed the ranks to the next examination site. ¡­ At the same time, inside an office, several Tao academy teachers were watching the entrance exam through the monitors. ¡°A total of 12,000 students passed the first round of exams,¡± a white-haired elder exclaimed. ¡°There are fewer and fewer children who are gifted at practicing Tao. Heaven is not blessing humankind.¡± ¡°Principal, although there are fewer people, there are more elites,¡± said a young woman with sharp eyes and a ponytail. ¡°The Primordial Spirit Value of 25 students reached 99 points. One of them has even entered the Tao already, and his Primordial Spirit Value is at 105.¡± The female teacher continued thoughtfully. ¡°The distortion of the Heavenly Tao is worsening. For normal people, practicing Tao is becoming increasingly more difficult, but for geniuses it¡¯s become even faster to obtain power.¡± The elder, Zhao Shouyi, who was referred to as ¡°principal¡± but was actually the vice-principal nodded. ¡°His Primordial Spirit Value is 105? Could it be Zuo Dao from the Zuo family?¡± ¡°It¡¯s him. That kid is incredibly gifted. His future is infinitely promising,¡± the female teacher praised. ¡°He might be the top candidate in this year¡¯s exam.¡± ¡­ As the first round of testing ended, the number of qualifying applicants fell to 12,000 people, who were then randomly assigned to different locations to proceed to the second round of testing. Zhou Bai stood with the other students at a square. Although countless buildings still floated overhead, the entire square was bright as day under the radiance of the artificial sunlight. Zhou Bai stood in place, listening to Christina say, ¡°Zhou Bai, I¡¯ve definitely been here before. It feels so familiar to me.¡± Zhou Bai looked at the spacious, clean Tao academy that formed a stark comparison against the lower ground-level district and exclaimed, ¡°This place is like a rich neighborhood compared to the slums of the residential district.¡± At that moment, Zhou Bai heard someone say, ¡°The environment is better up here, but it¡¯s also more dangerous in battle.¡± ¡°Donghua City is structured so that the higher you get, the larger the area of the district and the stronger the individuals are. They protect the lower levels like shields. ¡°This is so that when defending against Mara attacks the strong people above protect the weaker ones below. The ground-level district where the normal population lives is actually the safest place.¡± Zhou Bai turned around and saw a girl with short hair and wearing a tracksuit standing before him. She said with a smile, ¡°My name is Jing Xiu. Are you Zhou Bai?¡± Zhou Bai asked, ¡°Do we know each other?¡± ¡°I was in your line when we tested for Primordial Spirit Value. We both have 99 points.¡± Jing Xiu continued to explain, ¡°Although the second and third rounds of exams still remain, people with a 99-point Primordial Spirit Value are generally never eliminated during those rounds. You should know what kind of willpower and comprehension one needs to reach this level before they turn 20.¡± Zhou Bai agreed, ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°So¡­¡± Jing Xiu reached out a hand and said with a smile, ¡°Hello, classmate.¡± ¡°Hello.¡± Zhou Bai shook her hand. Chapter 26 - The Three Main Codes Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio ¡°And speaking of, I know almost all the Donghua City applicants whose Primordial Spirit Values are 99.¡± Jing Xiu examined Zhou Bai with interest. ¡°How come I don¡¯t know you? Are you new to Donghua City?¡± Zhou Bai nodded. ¡°I used to be a survivor in the wilderness. I was saved by the Rescue Team not long ago.¡± Jing Xiu looked at Zhou Bai with astonishment. ¡°Wilderness? There are still survivors in the wilderness?¡± She then covered her mouth in embarrassment. ¡°Sorry about that. But if you can survive in the wilderness, then the rest of us probably don¡¯t come close to you in terms of willpower, other than that freak Zuo Dao.¡± As she said this, she looked at Zhou Bai with deep respect. Zhou Bai scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. ¡°Not at all, not at all. It was just luck.¡± As Zhou Bai chatted with Jing Xiu, a young teacher hovered above everyone. He looked at the applicants before him and said, ¡°Hello, everyone. I¡¯m the proctor for this round of your exam, and I¡¯m also a teacher for the new class for Tao academy students, Lu Chongyang.¡± ¡°You are all people with hopes of entering the Tao, with practicing Tao as your goal. ¡°Then you probably know that a hundred years ago the great friar of our Donghua University, independent Taoist Qingjing, brought up the three main codes of Tao practice. These have since been used extensively and are now common knowledge among all the practitioners in the Tao realm. No matter what, do not violate these three main codes.¡± The young teacher then said solemnly, ¡°One, you must not face the Heavenly Tao directly.¡± ¡°Two, you must not let your primordial spirit separate from your body. ¡°Three, you must not be greedy for advancement. ¡°Only by following these three codes of Tao practice can we go further on the path of seeking Tao. That¡¯s the only way we can maintain the number of human practitioners we have now and avoid insanity and mutation. ¡°Strictly following these three main codes of Tao practice requires a strong will and incredible self-discipline. That is why our Donghua Tao Academy¡¯s entrance exam always tests the applicant¡¯s willpower to see if he can endure the hardships on the journey of practicing Tao.¡± All the students, looking very disciplined, held their breath and lined up spontaneously as they quietly listened to Lu Chongyang¡¯s words. Someone nodded every now and then, agreeing with Lu Chongyang¡¯s speech. After Christina had withdrawn into Zhou Bai¡¯s mind, she had kept silent out of spite, but when she heard the three main codes of Tao practice, she suddenly nodded and said, ¡°This sounds really familiar. Haven¡¯t I said this in the past?¡± Zhou Bai rolled his eyes and replied, ¡°It was said by someone a hundred years ago. It has nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°Right now, the remaining 12,000 applicants have been divided into four examination sites to go through the second round of testing simultaneously.¡± As Lu Chongyang spoke, he made a Tao seal with his hands. Blue light illuminated beneath everyone¡¯s feet, and then the light joined into lines that formed a wide, long running track. ¡°The subject of this round of exams is running,¡± said Lu Chongyang. ¡°But it¡¯s not ordinary running. This three-mile-long running track is the latest practice talisman that our school has created. It¡¯s called the Heavenly Way.¡± ¡°Running on this Heavenly Way not only demands physical strength but, more importantly, the strength of will. ¡°Every step you take on this track will induce Spark. Therefore, running on it will not only exhaust the body but also quickly exhaust your mind. If your will is not strong enough, you¡¯ll run slower and slower. It¡¯s 10 times harder to run on this track than on normal ground. ¡°You applicants who haven¡¯t entered the Tao haven¡¯t strengthened your bodies yet¡ªYou only have primordial spirit power. But in this test, you¡¯re only allowed to use your physical strength; you may not use primordial spirit power to assist your running. ¡°Therefore, if you want to continue running on the Heavenly Way, you need a strong will. The stronger your will, the farther and faster you can run on the Heavenly Way.¡± Lu Chongyang paused for a moment, giving the applicants time to think. Then he continued. ¡°But inducing Spark will not only bring extra fatigue, but it will also assist you in breathing Spark while you run and increase your primordial spirit power.¡± ¡°The stronger your will, the faster and farther you run. Those with a strong will can increase their primordial spirit power more quickly through this exercise on the Heavenly Way.¡± Hearing Lu Chongyang¡¯s explanation, all the applicants took on an expression of astonishment. They looked at the Heavenly Way running track before them and were eager to have a try. Those who participated in this year¡¯s Donghua Tao Academy entrance exam and passed the first round were naturally confident about their gift and willpower. Looking at the track, they instinctively wanted to enhance their primordial spirit power through running. After hearing Lu Chongyang¡¯s explanation, Christina chuckled in Zhou Bai¡¯s mind but quickly covered her mouth with her paw. Zhou Bai frowned. He said to her, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Christina waved her paw. ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ It¡¯s nothing.¡± At that moment, Lu Chongyang continued. ¡°Therefore, this round of testing asks for everyone to run on this Heavenly Way together. Five minutes after the test starts, those who can no longer run will be eliminated immediately. From then on, I will eliminate the slowest runner on the field every five seconds.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep going until we¡¯re down to the last 300 people. These 300 people are those with the strongest willpower here and are the ones who pass this test.¡± Hearing Lu Chongyang¡¯s words, everyone grew nervous. The 12,000 people who passed the first round were split among four test sites, resulting in 3,000 people at each. Only 300 people could pass this test, which meant only 1 in 10, which was lower than in all the past years. The applicants couldn¡¯t help recalling rumors they had heard. It seemed like it was true that times were hard now and humankind¡¯s resources were becoming scarcer every year. Next, Lu Chongyang controlled his will and his primordial spirit power reached out from his consciousness into the real world. He used it to pick up the wristbands set on the side and precisely put them into the hands of every applicant on the field. ¡°Such strong primordial spirit power,¡± Zhou Bai thought to himself. ¡°And to precisely pick up 3,000 wristbands and put them in everyone¡¯s individual hand¡ªThat sort of control is terrifying, too.¡± Lu Chongyang continued. ¡°This wristband will record your speed. Every five seconds, the slowest runner¡¯s wristband will turn red, signaling that he has been eliminated. If you can¡¯t run anymore and stop, your wristband will also turn red, signaling your elimination.¡± ¡°Everyone, put on your wristbands and prepare.¡± A few minutes later, the 3,000 applicants all set out from the starting line and began the second round of examinations. Zhou Bai ran alongside Jing Xiu. After a few steps, he felt endless waves of power attaching to his body and mind, making him feel 10 times more tired every time he moved. It was not only fatigue of the body but, even more so, fatigue of the mind. Everyone ran at the slowest speed possible in the first five minutes to conserve their strength, but even so, after a minute of running, Zhou Bai was already panting. His body was very healthy after he had become young again. He was fit in his old society and would have stood out among his peers. However, after less than a minute of running, he found it hard to take a single step. He had to push himself forward with pure will. ¡°D*mn it¡­ I¡¯m so tired¡­ I can¡¯t do it¡­¡± Zhou Bai raised his head to look around and found all the other applicants were in the same condition. They were out of breath and dripping with sweat, looking like they could no longer persist. Next to him, Jing Xiu was also covered in sweat, but her gaze was determined, and she still ran with perfect posture. Chapter 27 - Zhou Bais Iron Will Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio After five minutes of running, Lu Chongyang said in a low voice, ¡°Five minutes have passed. We¡¯re starting eliminations.¡± When the applicants heard this, they all became uptight. Five seconds passed quickly, and a girl¡¯s wristband turned red. ¡°Eliminated!¡± Lu Chongyang used his primordial spirit power to pluck her off the track. Everyone suddenly became anxious, and to avoid being eliminated the slowest runners began speeding up. As he ran faster, Zhou Bai felt awful, as if he were enveloped in a layer of concrete. ¡°This is horrible¡­ I can¡¯t do it anymore,¡± he thought. Zhou Bai had never done such difficult exercise before, and he was one of the first few who were considering the idea of giving up, but next to him, Jing Xiu continued running steadily, with not a hint of weakness in her eyes as she thought, ¡°There are two ways to be eliminated. One is if you use up your strength and can¡¯t run anymore; then you get eliminated.¡± ¡°The other is that the slowest person will get eliminated every five seconds.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be the slowest, so I have to speed up, but doing so blindly will deplete my strength. And if I run too slowly, I might fail and get eliminated.¡± Jing Xiu began strategizing. ¡°I can¡¯t be slow, nor too fast. I¡¯ll run at a constant, medium speed. If I find I¡¯m too slow, I¡¯ll speed up accordingly. I need to preserve my strength and balance my speed¡­¡± Jing Xiu turned her head to see what Zhou Bai was planning to do, but her eyes were met by his sloppy, out-of-shape movements that indicated he was about to give up. She took on a strange expression and then frowned, sensing his increasing slowness. She could only say helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m going first. Good luck to you.¡± When you¡¯re running long distances, running at constant speed is the most efficient way. Repeatedly speeding up and slowing down only expends your energy faster, making it harder to endure through this test. Zhou Bai kept slowing down, his steps staggering, but there was no way Jing Xiu could slow down with him. Looking at Jing Xiu getting farther away, Zhou Bai ran slower and slower. He felt like every muscle and nerve in his body weighed a ton. He could only watch as the other applicants overtook him one after another. Suddenly, he felt a cold gaze pass over him. ¡°Too slow. Eliminated.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s heart skipped a beat as he quickly glanced at the band on his wrist. It had not turned red, and he let out a sigh of relief. He then looked to his side and saw that it was a slightly chubby boy who had been eliminated, not him. After this moment of tension, Zhou Bai sped up again, thinking to himself, ¡°No, I can¡¯t be eliminated.¡± As he thought about the destroyed underground base, Alice¡¯s death, Professor Zhuang, and the auxiliary system in his body, his gaze gradually became sharp and focused. ¡°I¡¯m not being arrogant here¡­ But someone who has the auxiliary system I do might be the person with the greatest chance of saving humankind in this world. I can¡¯t be eliminated here.¡± But after running for a while longer, Zhou Bai slowed down again as his body felt like it was about to disintegrate. ¡°This isn¡¯t working¡­ I can¡¯t go on!¡± While Zhou Bai struggled on the edge of elimination, the applicants with the strongest willpower and fittest physiques were calm and collected at the front of the race. And as they continuously ran, they gradually began feeling threads of Spark rush into their bodies and then eject from their bodies with the exercise. Accompanied by the breathing of Spark, their primordial spirit power felt like it was increasing. This feeling got stronger and stronger, and it was more obvious the faster they ran. These applicants all began speeding up, their eyes beaming with excitement. Zhou Bai looked at the applicants who had picked up speed on the track. His face expressed speechlessness. ¡°You lunatics¡­ You¡¯ll die from running.¡± ¡°Hm? Something¡¯s wrong,¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s expression got serious, ¡°Why do I feel like my primordial spirit power is increasing?¡± But when he glanced at his auxiliary system, he found that his primordial spirit power hadn¡¯t increased at all. ¡°It didn¡¯t increase? Never mind¡­ Whatever¡­ It¡¯s difficult enough for me to even pass this meowing test. I¡¯ll just increase it when I lie down at the end. Increasing primordial spirit power by running doesn¡¯t suit me.¡± But more and more applicants continuously sped up, all looking pleasantly surprised and exclaiming their feelings out loud. ¡°I feel like my primordial spirit power is still rising!¡± ¡°Sixty! 70! My primordial spirit power is rising so quickly! Is it because of my gift?¡± ¡°This sensation! I feel like my primordial spirit power is about to break through 99!¡± The applicants who felt their Primordial Spirit Value rise faster ran faster, too. The temptation of actually feeling their power madly increase was too great. And as their speed rose continuously, they even felt like their primordial spirits were about to leave their body, and endless secrets and knowledge were about to open up to them. ¡°Enter the Tao! I feel like I¡¯m about to enter the Tao!¡± ¡°The secrets of the Heavenly Tao are revealing themselves to me!¡± ¡°If I can enter the Tao, even if I fail this test, I can come back again next year! It¡¯s a good deal!¡± The applicants looked ecstatic. ¡°Liu Bai, eliminated.¡± ¡°Song Zhong, eliminated.¡± ¡°Charles, eliminated.¡± As these applicants had run faster and faster, they quickly had used up their strength only to be tragically eliminated. Witnessing them get eliminated one after another, Zhou Bai smiled with glee. At first, he had thought that they would be running for three or four hours before they could get down to 300 people, but as more and more people sped up, more and more of them exhausted their strength. Almost everyone except Zhou Bai had sped up more or less to increase their primordial spirit power. In little more than 10 minutes, only 300 applicants remained on the track. Without caring whether it was healthy or not, Zhou Bai immediately collapsed to the ground gasping for air. Jing Xiu looked around her, noticing that most of the eliminated applicants had used up all their strength. An expression of contemplation flashed across her face. Lu Chongyang looked at everyone and said, ¡°I just told you, the three main codes of Tao practice: You must not face the Heavenly Tao directly, you must not let your primordial spirit separate from your body, and you must not be greedy for advancement. Did you all forget?¡± ¡°The Heavenly Way is indeed a talisman for testing willpower, but running on it won¡¯t actually increase your primordial spirit power. That¡¯s only an illusion. Including the separation of the primordial spirit toward the end, they¡¯re all just illusions. ¡°But faced with the madly increasing temptation of power and knowledge, none of you were able to resist. Instead, you pursued power and unknowingly became immersed in desire. You even forgot the goal of the test itself. ¡°This is just an illusion formation. On the journey of practicing Tao, the temptations you¡¯ll face are 10 times that of the Heavenly Way. ¡°Although most of you did not pass today¡¯s test, I hope that in your future journey of Tao practice, you will remember the three main codes of Tao practice and take every step with caution. Even if the Heavenly Way really could increase your primordial spirit power, you must not be greedy for advancement.¡± The eliminated applicants all looked ashamed for being so intoxicated by the power and pleasure of increasing Primordial Spirit Value. Lu Chongyang shook his head and then, in the next moment, his expression became one of approval. ¡°But there is one applicant here who never sped up for the purpose of increasing his Primordial Spirit Value at all, and he put his whole heart into the test. Let us applaud his iron will. Zhou Bai, you are probably the highest scorer in the second round. Congratulations.¡± Lu Chongyang then led the others in applause as they all followed his gaze to look at Zhou Bai, still lying on the ground, with deep respect. Jing Xiu walked over to Zhou Bai, gazing at him with admiration. ¡°Brother Zhou, at first I thought you couldn¡¯t keep running because your will wasn¡¯t strong enough. I was too dull; you must have understood the true purpose of this test at the start of the race.¡± ¡°The will to run is secondary. What the teachers of Donghua Tao Academy truly value is the willpower to resist the temptation of power and knowledge. That¡¯s what¡¯s most important on the path of practicing Tao. You¡¯re amazing!¡± Zhou Bai sighed, saying, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, it¡¯s nothing.¡± He looked at her and waved his hand. ¡°There are many obstacles on the path of practicing Tao. I¡¯m just a few steps ahead¡­ It¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Brother Zhou is being too humble. My dad always said the cream of the crop is found at Donghua Tao Academy and that there are many people who are more talented than me. He was right¡­ Brother Zhou is so much better than I am.¡± Zhou Bai sighed again. ¡°These are useless¡­ Jing Xiu, can you help me walk to the next examination site?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zhou Bai propped himself on Jing Xiu, cursing in his mind, ¡°F*ck, my legs are weak from running.¡± Christina suddenly piped in, ¡°It¡¯s your fault you¡¯re always lying on the couch. You¡¯re about to turn into a potato.¡± Chapter 28 - You Must Not Face the Heavenly Tao Directly Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio After passing the second round of exams and being commended for having an iron will by Lu Chongyang, Zhou Bai became the center of admiration and attention of many applicants. As he walked to the examination site for the third round with Jing Xiu¡¯s support, he shouted to Christina in his mind the entire way, ¡°Hey, you stupid cat! Did you know something at the beginning of the test?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just a little kitty,¡± Christina said. ¡°What would I know about Tao practice?¡± ¡°Then what were you laughing about?¡± Zhou Bai asked. ¡°And besides, didn¡¯t you say this place felt very familiar?¡± ¡°It does feel familiar,¡± Christina mumbled. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve lived here before¡­ Turn left up ahead¡­ That should be a cafeteria¡­ I remember the food there being pretty good¡­¡± After turning, they stopped and stared at a dumpster before them. Christina said awkwardly, ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­ Did I remember wrong?¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s lips twitched. This isn¡¯t the first time this stupid cat has been wacky. I¡¯ll take everything she says with a grain of salt. ¡°Brother Zhou, are you looking for something?¡± Jing Xiu asked him. ¡°No, no, no,¡± he responded. ¡°Let¡¯s go quickly so we¡¯re not late.¡± The site of the third round of exams was in a large indoor classroom, where 1,200 seats were neatly arranged. In front of the seats, five proctors levitated in the air with their legs crossed. One of them was Lu Chongyang. An elder in the center of them stroked his beard, smiling, and began speaking to the 1,200 applicants. ¡°Everyone, I¡¯m very happy to see you here. I¡¯m the vice-principal of Donghua Tao Academy, Zhao Shouyi. I¡¯m also one of the five judges for this third round of exams.¡± Zhao Shouyi looked kindly at all 1,200 applicants. In his eyes, these people were the future of humankind, the central force in a few decades. With a wave of his hand, a scroll painting slowly unrolled in midair. The moment they saw the contents of the scroll, all 1,200 applicants went into a daze¡ªthey felt as if they saw something on the scroll, but also as if they didn¡¯t. A mysterious, indescribable feeling burst in their hearts, making their hair stand on end, as they felt countless ideas spewing out of them. At the same time, Zhao Shouyi said in a clear voice, ¡°During the last test, everyone reviewed the three main codes of Tao practice. The first one is that you must not face the Heavenly Tao directly. Does everyone know why?¡± A bald young man began to speak. ¡°The Heavenly Tao became distorted and Spark became polluted 120 years ago.¡± ¡°The Heavenly Tao that used to be difficult to summarize and describe with words began releasing vast amounts of information, which could be read and understood directly. ¡°This made the Heavenly Tao less difficult to grasp. It became endless, concrete knowledge that could be described word by word. ¡°But among this knowledge were vast amounts of distorted, evil, and fallen knowledge. Just the act of reading it would cause an ordinary person to go insane. ¡°Even for practitioners, there was great risk in reading it directly. That¡¯s why the big sects united and created Tao academies. They censored all the information spurting out of the Heavenly Tao and compiled it into text that normal people can understand and read safely. ¡°Then independent Taoist Qingjing brought up the three main codes of Tao practice. The first one is that you must not face the Heavenly Tao directly.¡± Hearing the bald man speak, Zhou Bai was deep in thought. Zhao Shouyi nodded at the front and said, ¡°You put it well. Because of the risk involved in directly facing the Heavenly Tao, different sects created different methods for preserving and reading the information inside. My Heaven Usurpation Map records the readings of the distorted Heavenly Tao by our predecessors.¡± At this, Zhao Shouyi smiled and said, ¡°But this is still too dangerous for you, so I won¡¯t let you see the contents directly. What you¡¯ll see is the hard-to-grasp, hard-to-describe, hard-to-understand, and mysterious condition of the original Heavenly Tao.¡± Zhou Bai looked at the Heaven Usurpation Map and felt like he comprehended something when an indescribable flash crossed his mind. The only word he had for the moment was mysterious. Zhao Shouyi pointed at the Heaven Usurpation Map and said, ¡°This third round will test your ability to comprehend Tao. That¡¯s why you¡¯ll now each find a seat and sit down, look at this Heaven Usurpation Map, and write down what you see. The five of us will personally judge and grade them.¡± As he spoke, a big screen lit up behind him with the names of the applicants and their related information. ¡°Apart from this grade, your performance from the previous two rounds will also be graded, including your Primordial Spirit Value, running distance, speed, and change in speed. They¡¯ll all be converted into points according to certain rules. ¡°The sum of these three rounds will be your final grade. The 600 students with the highest grades will pass the entrance exam and become our Donghua Tao Academy¡¯s new entering class. ¡°Well then¡­ Let¡¯s begin.¡± The applicants each took their seats. Jing Xiu looked relaxed as she glanced over at Zhou Bai and said, ¡°Brother Zhou, don¡¯t worry. With your grade from the previous two rounds, even if you do poorly in this round, you¡¯ll definitely get accepted anyway.¡± Zhou Bai looked at the Heaven Usurpation Map in the air with worry. Then he turned around and saw that the applicants around him were either writing with flying strokes or deep in thought. He was the only one who appeared to be constipated. Christina laughed and said, ¡°They all obtained their Primordial Spirit Values from studying hard and breathing Spark. In the process of practice, even if they haven¡¯t Taoified, they naturally have their own understandings of the Heavenly Tao.¡± ¡°This Heaven Usurpation Map contains everything in the universe that they can understand, more or less of it anyway. Everyone will see different information, by perhaps a breathing method, perhaps a way to strengthen their bodies, maybe martial arts techniques, perhaps the reason of purity and turbidity or the separation of yin and yang¡­¡± ¡°But you got your primordial spirit power purely from points¡­ What the hell can you understand? Maybe 36 ways to lie on the couch? Hahahahaha¡­¡± Hearing Christina mock him, Zhou Bai furrowed his brows. ¡°Shut up, you¡¯re interrupting my comprehension of Tao.¡± ¡°Comprehension of Tao?¡± Christina roared with laughter. ¡°What the hell are you comprehending? Do you want me to help you out? I am comprehending something when I look at this Heaven Usurpation Map. If you beg me, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± ¡°Beg you?¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes lit up suddenly. ¡°Watch¡­ Let me show you what the great Tao is.¡± Zhou Bai thought through the risks. ¡°My grades from the previous two rounds were so high anyway, so even if I write randomly, I still won¡¯t have such bad luck as to be one of the 600 applicants eliminated from the 1,200 in this round.¡± ¡°And besides, they said it¡¯s possible to comprehend anything, which means that no matter what I write, there will probably be a base grade.¡± At this thought, Zhou Bai made a decision and put his pen to paper. Christina watched him write with a smile, but in a moment she was shocked. ¡°Renege?¡± Zhou Bai said proudly, ¡°No one in human society can escape the Law of Renege. This is an ultimate law that covers everything in the history of human development. This law expounds the entirety of humanity. How is it? Can I get first place?¡± Christina said furiously, ¡°First place my a**! What the hell are you writing?! Change it now! This is so embarrassing!¡± ¡°Tch,¡± Zhou Bai shook his head. ¡°Stupid cat. Then I¡¯ll write something else.¡± Chapter 29 - What Amazing Talent Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio ¡°The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao?¡± ¡°The Tao, that can be spoken, is not the eternal Tao?¡± ¡°The Tao that can, be spoken is not, the eternal Tao?¡± ¡°The Tao that can be spoken? Is not the eternal Tao?¡± Seeing the random sentence Zhou Bai just wrote, Christina felt the fur on her body explode. As she read it, she felt that this sentence had no pauses, yet it could be read in any way. Each time she read it differently, it had infinite meanings. It was mysterious and indescribable. ¡°What does this mean?¡± Christina asked, ¡°How¡­how did you write something like this? It¡¯s impressive.¡± ¡°Ha¡­this is impressive?¡± Zhou Bai said proudly. ¡°I have many comprehensions of Tao! If the Law of Renege is beyond your understanding, then I¡¯ll write something simple.¡± Then Zhou Bai wrote again, ¡°The name that can be named is not the eternal name. How is that? Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡± Christina¡¯s eyes widened immediately. She breathed slowly out of her nose. Then she frowned as if falling into contemplation. Seeing how he¡¯d amazed this dumb cat, Zhou Bai beamed with glee. ¡°Looks like Tao Te Ching really works. After all, it¡¯s mysterious and indescribable. Just these two sentences already include everything in the universe. The rest is up to you guys to understand.¡± He was pleased with the two sentences he wrote, so that was all he handed in at the end of the test. Then he left the test site with the rest of the applicants and was led to a lounge. A teacher walked out and said to everyone, ¡°Everyone take a break here for now. With the teachers¡¯ levels of practice, they¡¯ll finish grading you guys in less than half an hour. Everyone be patient.¡± The applicants each found a place to sit in the lounge. Long-haired Zuo Dao, whose Primordial Spirit Value had reached 105 points, stood in place without moving. Between his breaths, Spark seemed to toil inside himself. He was taking every opportunity to practice. The bald young man who answered the vice-principal¡¯s question walked next to him. He smiled at Zuo Dao and said, ¡°Zuo Dao, what did you write on the test? Haha, I comprehended a rune, but I¡¯m not sure what it does.¡± Zuo Dao said coldly, ¡°A breathing method.¡± ¡°A breathing method?¡± The bald young man¡¯s eyes glowed. Breathing methods were the foundation for practicing Tao. Breathing Spark using breathing methods would slowly increase your primordial spirit power. ¡°That¡¯s amazing, you managed to comprehend a breathing method from the Heaven Usurpation Map. You probably have the best comprehension capacity in this year¡¯s class.¡± Zuo Dao didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he looked up. He didn¡¯t care about this year¡¯s class at all. He had stronger opponents and a more terrifying goal to pursue. ¡°Stronger, even stronger. I must be even stronger.¡± Seeing Zuo Dao turn to leave, the bald young man asked with surprise, ¡°Why are you leaving?¡± Zuo Dao said coolly, ¡°There¡¯s nothing to see here. I¡¯m definitely going to place first. This year¡¯s class¡­is no good.¡± *** Off to the side, Jing Xiu walked up to Zhou Bai and said happily, ¡°Brother Zhou, I comprehended a song from the Heaven Usurpation Map. What about you?¡± ¡°A song?¡± Zhou Bai was astonished. You could even comprehend that? He only wrote two sentences; was that too little? If he¡¯d known, he would¡¯ve added two more. Zhou Bai was a little regretful, ¡°What a shame. I remembered only the first two lines of Tao Te Ching. I can¡¯t really remember the rest. If I knew, I would have memorized more lines.¡± Jing Xiu looked at Zhou Bai and said, ¡°Brother Zhou?¡± ¡°Oh, I only comprehended two sentences,¡± Zhou Bai said with a frown. ¡°If you comprehended a song¡­if I just randomly wrote something on it, couldn¡¯t I just say I comprehended it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that works,¡± Jing Xiu speculated, ¡°Heaven Usurpation Map is the vice principal¡¯s talisman. He probably knows what can be comprehended from it.¡± At this moment, Christina, who had been silent ever since the test ended, said quietly, ¡°Rest assured, with these two sentences, there¡¯s no way your grade will be low. Where did you hear them from? Someone at your level couldn¡¯t say something like that.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± Zhou Bai laughed, ¡°You¡¯re shocked at these two lines? Let me tell you, I can spout these profound words whenever I please.¡± He remembered another line and recited, ¡°The Tao of heaven, reduces the excessive and adds to the lacking¡­¡± Christina was stunned again, thinking over Zhou Bai¡¯s words in a trance. She said incredulously, ¡°This¡­this sentence. It¡¯s in the style of ancient Taoist scriptures. They¡¯re descriptions of the Heavenly Tao. How are you able to say something like that?¡± She would never believe Zhou Bai could say something like that on his own. Christina asked, ¡°And then? What¡¯s the next line?¡± Zhou Bai gave it some thought and pursed his lips, ¡°I forget the rest.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Even though there was no way Zhou Bai came up with that, his image in Christina¡¯s mind suddenly became greater. He seemed somewhat unfathomable to her. Jing Xiu watched Zhou Bai, who was in a trance (conversing with Christina in his mind), and asked, ¡°Brother Zhou, what sentences did you write?¡± Zhou Bai said carelessly, ¡°The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Jing Xiu couldn¡¯t understand the meaning behind this sentence at all. She asked with a frown, ¡°What does that mean? I can¡¯t understand.¡± *** On the other side, at the site of the exam¡­1,200 tests flew up, drifting up and down around the Heaven Usurpation Map. Of all the tests that approached the Heaven Usurpation Map, some of them drifted next to the proctors, some of them drifted to the ground. They turned into gray sheets and fell neatly into a row. ¡°Don¡¯t make a mistake, guys,¡± Zhao Shouyi said as he stroked his beard. ¡°After the Heaven Usurpation Map exchanges information with the tests, it automatically determines if what these applicants wrote can be comprehended from the Heaven Usurpation Map. Don¡¯t waste your time reading the ones that were written randomly.¡± ¡°Oh? This person comprehended a method of keeping health by breathing and walking.¡± The female proctor with a ponytail smiled as she looked at this test. ¡°That¡¯s pretty good comprehension.¡± Next to the female proctor, a man with piercing eyes put away a test. He said coldly, ¡°Hmph, a bunch of bullsh*t. What are these applicants thinking nowadays?¡± Vice principal Zhao Shouyi smiled and said, ¡°Xing Jun, don¡¯t be so strict. These kids want to get a better grade to pass the entrance exam, so they¡¯ll write a little more. You should try to understand.¡± Then he grabbed over a test and frowned, ¡°What is this?¡± On the test was a drawing of a beauty lazily lying on a bed. ¡°Zero points!¡± Zhao Shouyi was so mad his eyes twitched, ¡°Who allowed them to draw on the test? And they even¡­even¡­¡± The female proctor with a ponytail took over the test and immediately chuckled, ¡°What great drawing skills. It even looks like there¡¯s a method of swordsmanship hidden within.¡± She looked at the name on the test and said, ¡°This Qian Wangsun is not bad. Principal, you shouldn¡¯t give him zero points. With this level, he might rank first in comprehension capacity this year. Oh right, isn¡¯t his Primordial Spirit Value 99 too? He might even be first place.¡± ¡°Hmph, a frivolous kid,¡± Zhao Shouyi said with a cold face. ¡°Look at his previous grades and see what the sum is. Lower it if you have to; we can¡¯t allow someone like this to be in first place.¡± At that moment, Lu Chongyang, who had been silent the entire time, laughed. He said, ¡°Teacher, I don¡¯t think you have to worry about this Qian Wangsun getting first place.¡± As he said this, he handed over the test. ¡°Look at this. This is Zuo Dao¡¯s test. What amazing talent, these young people are truly¡­incredible.¡± Chapter 30 - First Place Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio The proctors all examined Zuo Dao¡¯s test. A moment later, they looked astonished. ¡°This is¡­¡± the female proctor with a ponytail said in shock. ¡°This is the principal¡¯s Pure and Turbid Breathing Method. You taught it to Zuo Dao?¡± Zhao Shouyi shook his head, ¡°The knowledge on the Heaven Usurpation Map can¡¯t rashly be taught to people who aren¡¯t students of the four big Tao academies. I didn¡¯t even teach it to my own grandson. Why would I teach it to him?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the Pure and Turbid Breathing Method,¡± the male proctor with piercing eyes, Xing Jun, said. ¡°Although it¡¯s somewhat similar, it¡¯s rougher and more primitive. It looks like it would only have less than half the potency of the Pure and Turbid Breathing Method.¡± ¡°He comprehended this from the Heaven Usurpation Map.¡± Lu Chongyang sighed. ¡°This kid¡¯s comprehension capacity is incredible. If I remember correctly, teacher, didn¡¯t you learn the Pure and Turbid Breathing Method from the Heaven Usurpation Map?¡± Zhao Shouyi nodded approvingly. The longer he examined Zuo Dao¡¯s test, the more apparent the admiration in his eyes. Then he looked at Zuo Dao¡¯s grades from the previous rounds and treasured this new talent, ¡°Not bad. This gift and ability, it¡¯s comparable to my own in my youth.¡± The female proctor with a ponytail said, ¡°Then he must be in first place this year.¡± Xing Jun nodded, ¡°His Primordial Spirit Value is one hundred five, his Degree of Taofication is one percent. He managed to do this before he even entered the school. There¡¯s no controversy over him being in first place.¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± a proctor who¡¯d not spoken yet said. ¡°Take a look at this.¡± They looked at another test. It contained a short line of words, but it made the five people present go blank. ¡°The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name.¡± A long while later, Zhao Shouyi said slowly, ¡°These two sentences are magnificent and grand. They¡¯re even better than Zuo Dao¡¯s.¡± The female proctor with a ponytail said, ¡°Principal, just this obscure line is better than Zuo Dao¡¯s Tranquil Breathing Method? I don¡¯t think that¡¯s convincing. It¡¯s too mysterious. Who knows what this applicant thought when he wrote it?¡± As she said this, she turned to look at Xing Jun. ¡°Xing Jun, what do you think?¡± ¡°These two sentences¡­¡± Xing Jun pondered as he read the line of words on the test. His expression changed slightly, but he didn¡¯t answer the female proctor. Zhao Shouyi smiled then asked the female proctor, ¡°Yuzhen, what do you think this sentence means?¡± ¡°Although it¡¯s also a breathing method, it¡¯s written so obscurely that I think even he himself doesn¡¯t understand it. There¡¯s no way he can use it to practice. How is it better than Zuo Dao¡¯s? Zhao Shouyi looked at Lu Chongyang on the side and asked, ¡°What about you?¡± Lu Chongyang said with a frown, ¡°It looks like a method of swordsmanship, but it¡¯s only a summary.¡± The other proctor said faintly, ¡°I think he¡¯s talking about the study of runes, but it¡¯s only a vague understanding.¡± Seeing the other four proctors¡¯ astonishment, Zhao Shouyi said in a low voice, ¡°This line of words summarizes the contents of the entire Heaven Usurpation Map. But this applicant¡¯s level isn¡¯t high enough, so he only wrote these two lines. It¡¯s only the beginning of the Heaven Usurpation Map¡¯s description.¡± Lu Chongyang said, ¡°This level of comprehension exceeds Zuo Dao¡¯s. Let me see¡­Zhou Bai. With his grades from the two previous rounds, he can be in first place.¡± Yuzhen with the ponytail said, ¡°It was just a flash of brilliance. Zuo Dao¡¯s Primordial Spirit Value is one hundred and five. He hasn¡¯t attended Tao academy, yet he has already entered the Tao. If he¡¯s not in first place, who else can be in first place?¡± ¡°How can the first place in the entrance exam be determined purely based on the level of practice?¡± Lu Chongyang looked at the name on the test and said, ¡°This Zhou Bai kid has an iron will¡­¡± Lu Chongyang told the rest of the proctors about Zhou Bai¡¯s performance during the second round. The other proctors all showed expressions of approval. Sun Yuzhen said, ¡°The entire Zuo family is brave and loyal. Zuo Dao is the Zuo family¡¯s only child. If he can¡¯t rank first even with a hundred-and-five-point Primordial Spirit Value, we¡¯re going to be drowned in the spit of the military.¡± Lu Chongyang said, ¡°The path of practicing Tao is long. When have we ever considered lineage? Did we ask our parents for help when we practiced?¡± Looking at the two of them get louder and louder in the argument, Zhao Shouyi said, ¡°If we can¡¯t agree, then let¡¯s decide by voting.¡± Then, with a wave of his hand, Zuo Dao¡¯s and Zhou Bai¡¯s grades from the previous two rounds appeared before everyone. Sun Yuzhen said, ¡°I choose Zuo Dao.¡± Lu Chongyang said, ¡°Zhou Bai.¡± The other proctor said, ¡°Zuo Dao.¡± Sun Yuzhen looked at Xing Jun, and Xing Jun glanced at Zhou Bai¡¯s test again. He said in a quiet voice, ¡°Zhou Bai.¡± The next moment, the four proctors all turned their heads to Zhao Shouyi. *** In the lounge, the applicants started to feel confused. ¡°Why is it taking so long?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t they say it¡¯d be over in half an hour?¡± Jing Xiu looked at the big screen with intrigue, ¡°Brother Zhou, it¡¯s been almost an hour. Why do you think the grades aren¡¯t out yet?¡± As she said this, she turned around and saw Zhou Bai lying on the ground. She was befuddled. ¡°Brother Zhou, why are you lying on the ground?¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s lips twitched. He looked at the Laziness value that hadn¡¯t changed, then said, ¡°I have nothing to do anyway, so I might as well practice.¡± Jing Xiu watched him with admiration, ¡°Brother Zhou, you work so hard.¡± At that moment, the big screen lit up. Countless names and numbers flashed on it. Jing Xiu exclaimed, ¡°It¡¯s here! Brother Zhou, they¡¯re releasing the rankings! Your grades from the previous two rounds were so good, you¡¯ll be in the top ten.¡± Zhou Bai looked up too. Although he felt pretty confident when he¡¯d copied the Tao Te Ching, by now he was a little worried that it didn¡¯t suit this place and wouldn¡¯t impress the proctors. He looked at the rankings with overwhelming anxiety. Meanwhile, Jing Xiu said with glee, ¡°Haha, I ranked ninth! I made it into the top ten. Mom and Dad will be so happy!¡± The next moment, Jing Xiu continued reading, ¡°Third place, Qian Wangsun.¡± ¡°Second place, Zuo Dao.¡± ¡°First place¡­Zhou Bai?¡± Jing Xiu looked at Zhou Bai with deep respect, saying with admiration, ¡°Brother Zhou, you ranked first! You¡¯re the top candidate!¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s expression froze for a second, then he said quietly, ¡°Not bad. This year¡¯s proctors are pretty good.¡± ¡°Tch.¡± Christina tsked disapprovingly. ¡°This Zhou Bai, in the first round he used the auxiliary system to add points. He raised it to ninety-nine points in ten days. ¡°In the second round, he relied on the auxiliary system too and confirmed his Primordial Spirit Value didn¡¯t change. Plus he was already running out of strength¡­ ¡°In the third round¡­hmph, who knows where he stole that comprehension from. ¡°He just cheated¡­slacked off, and managed to get first place in the entrance exam¡­Donghua Tao Academy has really gone downhill. Ugh, I didn¡¯t serve any purpose at all. I thought that through this exam, I could make Zhou Bai more dependent on me.¡± After the ranking was released, the top 600 were all very happy. The bottom 600 looked somber and sighed to themselves. Zhao Shouyi walked out with the other four proctors. He said to the applicants in the lounge, ¡°Everyone, this year¡¯s grades are out now. The students who made it, don¡¯t be proud. The ocean of Tao is boundless; getting into school is only the beginning. You still have many hardships to endure. I hope you can continue to work hard and see me on your graduation.¡± Then, he looked at the applicants who failed the exam and said, ¡°Those who have failed, don¡¯t be discouraged. You were able to defeat the other applicants and become one of the twelve hundred people here. That already proves your gift and will. If you have the chance, try again next year. Even if you miss Tao academy, Paradise still has countless positions waiting for you. ¡°To resist against Mara, to take back our home, to protect our family, humankind needs every person¡¯s power. I hope that even if you didn¡¯t get into Tao academy, you can shine in other positions, and fight for the future of humankind.¡± In these times of war, efficiency came first. After a few short words, Zhao Shouyi let the applicants scatter. As for the students who passed the test, they had one day to prepare. They would officially enter the school on the third day and begin their career at the Tao academy. Chapter 31 - Come Over Here Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Zhou Bai cheerfully returned to the old man¡¯s home. Jing Xiu followed him like a lackey the entire way. Christina looked at Jing Xiu, who watched Zhou Bai with admiration, and said, ¡°Zhou Bai, you¡¯re just going to let this woman of dubious background follow us home?¡± Zhou Bai said carelessly, ¡°She admires me and appreciates my talents. Is there anything wrong with her wanting to follow me around?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t judge a book by its cover,¡± Christina said. ¡°This woman doesn¡¯t look so honest. You have so many secrets¡ªdon¡¯t get too close to her.¡± ¡°Secrets? What secrets do I have?¡± Zhou Bai exclaimed. ¡°My biggest secret is my outstanding talent. I¡¯ve only practiced for less than ten days, and I got first place in Donghua Tao Academy¡¯s entrance exam. Even I admire myself¡­¡± Christina gritted her teeth furiously. ¡°This guy is bursting with arrogance.¡± Soon after, Jing Xiu followed Zhou Bai to the old man¡¯s door. Jing Xiu said with a grin, ¡°Brother Zhou, I¡¯ll come here tomorrow and wait for you so we can enter school together.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zhou Bai said with some embarrassment. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that. That¡¯s too much trouble.¡± ¡°Not at all, not at all,¡± said Jing Xiu. ¡°My mom told me to make lots of friends once I got into Tao academy, especially with people who have good grades. Brother Zhou, you have an iron will and the best comprehension capacity in this year¡¯s class, plus you got first place, and you¡¯re so amiable and so hardworking. If my mom knew, she would definitely tell me to be friends with you.¡± Zhou Bai was a little embarrassed by her compliments. He shook his head and said, ¡°What your mom said is reasonable. Rest assured, after we go to school, you can ask me about anything you don¡¯t know.¡± After waving goodbye to Jing Xiu, Zhou Bai knocked on the door and gleefully entered the house. He found that the door to the old man¡¯s house was open. The house was dim, and there seemed to be no lights on. ¡°What the hell! He didn¡¯t even turn the lights on?¡± Zhou Bai walked in and shouted, ¡°I got first place in this year¡¯s Donghua Tao Academy entrance exam. Old man! Come, come, come! Let us celebrate together¡­¡± As he spoke, Zhou Bai sensed something was off. He walked into the house. The clamor and noise of the outside world seemed to grow distant and fade gradually. The entire room was as quiet as a mourning hall. Farther inside the house, he heard the old man coughing continuously. The coughing got louder and louder, as if he was about to cough his lungs out. Zhou Bai furrowed his brows. Christina said, ¡°Something¡¯s wrong. Be careful; don¡¯t get me into trouble.¡± The rooms seemed to get dimmer and dimmer. Only a faint flame burned in the heart of the house, flickering as the old man coughed. Zhou Bai called quietly in the direction of the firelight. ¡°Old man, is it you?¡± Zhang Aidao¡¯s father said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Zhou Bai? You passed the exam?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Zhou Bai directed his primordial spirit power to extend out from his consciousness. ¡°Why did you turn off all the lights?¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m getting old. The lights are too bright. They make my eyes uncomfortable.¡± He started speaking faster. ¡°Zhou Bai, come over here. I have something to tell you.¡± Zhou Bai asked, ¡°Where¡¯s my dog? Elsa! Elsa, where are you?¡± His ears twitched, hearing a chewing sound coming from near him. He turned to look and saw Elsa eating something in the dark. ¡°Elsa! Elsa, stop eating. Come here!¡± Elsa whined. After Zhou Bai repeatedly urged her, she jogged over unwillingly. Zhou Bai stroked her body. He felt something wet around her mouth. ¡°What did you eat? You got it all over your mouth.¡± Elsa¡¯s mouth widened, she stuck her tongue out and tried to lick Zhou Bai. But Zhou Bai smelled something bloody from her mouth. He was taken aback. ¡°F*ck, Elsa, what did you eat?¡± He held down her head. Elsa had a hurt expression, and she didn¡¯t understand why Zhou Bai didn¡¯t let her lick him. At that moment, the old man¡¯s urging came again from the fire. ¡°Zhou Bai, come let me take a look at you. I have something good to give you.¡± Hearing the old man¡¯s voice grow colder and sharper, Zhou Bai retreated toward the door, step by step. The old man¡¯s voice came again. It was cold and eerie, but also filled with a hint of impatience. ¡°Zhou Bai, why are you walking out? Won¡¯t you come and see me?¡± Zhou Bai went blank for a second. He deepened his voice and said, ¡°Sorry, I walked into the wrong house. My name is not Zhou Bai. You have the wrong person!¡± The man suddenly became silent. Zhou Bai grabbed Elsa¡¯s head and walked out faster. But the next moment, Zhou Bai heard a thump behind him. The door slammed shut. Zhou Bai immediately used his primordial spirit power, but only felt his power hit something furry. It couldn¡¯t break open the door at all. ¡°What is that?¡± Zhou Bai asked. ¡°Zhou Bai¡­¡± Inside the room, the elder slowly poked out the right half of his face. He looked at Zhou Bai in the dark with one eye. He said with a cold voice, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you coming over? ¡°Why won¡¯t you come over? ¡°Come over here! ¡°Come over here! ¡°Come over here! Come over here!¡± The elder¡¯s voice got more and more urgent; he spoke faster and faster. Zhou Bai¡¯s primordial spirit power felt around in every direction. He felt nine long furry strands on the door. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t open the door. Hearing the elder¡¯s urgent voice, Zhou Bai shouted, ¡°Shut up! I¡¯m coming.¡± ¡°Take my talisman!¡± The half-face behind the wall froze for a moment. The next instant, it sensed a ball of fur flying at it, hitting his face. Christina, who was thrown at the elder, screamed, ¡°Zhou Bai!! I #£¤%¡­¡± And when she approached the elder, she saw the elder¡¯s entire body clearly. The half-face revealed was not a face. There were only eyes, nose, and mouth growing on a back. The elder¡¯s original head had turned into a lamb¡¯s head. Nine tails extended out from his butt, blocking the door. Seeing Christina fly at him, his nine tails instantly shot up, curling toward the cat in mid-air. At the same time, Zhou Bai took this chance to use his primordial spirit power to break open the door. He charged out with Elsa in his hands. Inside the room, just as Christina was about to be caught by the nine tails, her body lightened, and she turned into a puff of smoke, disappearing into Zhou Bai¡¯s forehead. He retrieved her into his consciousness. The instant he charged out of the house, Zhou Bai screamed at the top of his lungs, ¡°Help!¡± ¡°Murder¡ª¡± A few seconds later, flying blades shot past them, rushing into the elder¡¯s home. He heard growling and crashing. Zhou Bai fell to the ground, dumbfoundedly looking at the house that was in battle, gasping for air. Chapter 32 - The First Lesson Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Dear Mister Zhang Wei, Comrade Zhang Aidao died heroically at the Huadong Battlefield during a Mara strike on December 22, Paradise Year 503. He has been promoted to Demon Opposition Martyr. His Certificate of Martyrship will be issued by Donghua City. We offer our heartfelt sympathy to you and your family members. We hope that you take solace in his brave service, and turn your sorrow into power to strive for the development of civilization and protection of mankind. ¡­ Reading the condolence letter in his hands, reading those short lines, Zhou Bai fell silent for a long time. Then he said slowly, ¡°This world is really in a precarious state.¡± A young man wearing a police uniform sat in front of him. Seeing Zhou Bai¡¯s downcast expression, he said helplessly, ¡°I found this in his room. It was delivered this morning. The old man¡¯s primordial spirit might have become irritated after he read it¡­¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Zhou Bai nodded, then slowly said, ¡°He already had senile dementia.¡± The young man nodded, ¡°That makes sense then. If his mental state was already unstable, and he gets a big shock, there is a chance of being infected by Spark, leading to mutation into a goblin.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s head shot up. He stared at the young man and asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t the Spark in Donghua City purified? Didn¡¯t he get a primordial spirit adjustment? Didn¡¯t he get a rune vaccine? Why¡­why did he still mutate?¡± The young man fell silent for a moment, then said slowly, ¡°None of them are one hundred percent secure. Even within Donghua Tao Academy, there have been incidences of students mutating. The pollution level of Spark has been getting more severe in the past few years¡­¡± Zhou Bai put his head down. ¡°Officer Li, how did Zhang Aidao die?¡± ¡°He encountered Mara during a wilderness patrol. I heard half of his team died. He was one of them.¡± Zhou Bai let out a breath slowly. ¡°Can you¡­can you let me see him?¡± ¡°Sorry, all mutated subjects will be turned over to Paradise to prevent secondary pollution. And by studying their bodies, we can better understand the current situation of Heavenly Tao distortion.¡± ¡°Phew¡­¡± Zhou Bai clenched his fists for a long time before he relaxed them. A few minutes later, Zhou Bai followed Officer Li out. He saw an old woman with a numb expression and tears streaming down her face. Her family members stood around her and consoled her. When Zhou Bai heard their consolations, he paused in his steps. ¡°And she is?¡± Officer Li asked, ¡°She¡¯s Zhang Aidao¡¯s mother, Zhang Wei¡¯s ex-wife. Do you want to see her?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­that¡¯s not necessary.¡± He followed Officer Li to pick up Elsa. Officer Li looked at Zhou Bai, who had his head down the entire time, and said, ¡°You don¡¯t need to feel responsible or guilty. Once the mutation has been completed, and the person turns into a goblin, it¡¯s nonrecoverable and irreversible. Death is the only escape. You were right to call for help immediately.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not feeling guilty,¡± said Zhou Bai. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking about when I can annihilate those Mara.¡± Officer Li went blank for a second. He looked at Zhou Bai with raised eyebrows. When he walked Zhou Bai out of the police station, he gave him a slip of paper. ¡°My name is Li Xiuzhu. This is my contact information and address. If anything happens, you can always come find me.¡± Zhou Bai took Officer Li¡¯s paper slip. He nodded and led Elsa away. Watching Zhou Bai depart, a smile appeared on Li Xiuzhu¡¯s face. *** Zhou Bai walked back to the old man¡¯s apartment with Elsa. The whole apartment was barricaded with quarantine runes by the police. The blue runes lit up like neon lights, enclosing the entire crime scene. Zhou Bai found a place to sit on the side. He rubbed Elsa¡¯s head and said, ¡°Good Elsa. There¡¯s nothing for you to eat today. It¡¯ll be dawn in a few hours. I¡¯ll find you something to eat at school. ¡°Speaking of¡­you can probably keep dogs in Tao academy, right?¡± Zhou Bai looked at Christina in his mind, but saw Christina curled up in a ball, rolling around. Ever since Zhou Bai threw her out, Christina had never spoken again. She closed herself up until now. Seeing how she was, Zhou Bai said helplessly, ¡°All right, Nana. Don¡¯t be angry. I was just trying to save everyone.¡± ¡°Who are you calling Nana?¡± Christina grunted, ¡°How could you throw me over? Never mind¡ªmy heart is cold.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t actually throwing you out, I was just throwing you to attract his attention, and then I brought you back.¡± ¡°Ha! It¡¯s not a problem of whether or not you took me back. The important thing is you threw me out!¡± Zhou Bai rolled his eyes, ¡°Why are you being so petty?¡± ¡°Petty? I¡¯m petty?¡± Christina was infuriated. ¡°You threw out your cat when you encountered danger, and now you¡¯re calling me petty?¡± ¡°All right, all right all right. It was my bad.¡± He was too lazy to argue with her. Zhou Bai said, ¡°I¡¯ll never throw you out again. Is that okay?¡± Laziness +1 Laziness +1 Laziness +1 Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes lit up. He didn¡¯t expect that Laziness would increase when he was too lazy to argue with Christina. On the other side, Christina nodded. ¡°It¡¯s agreed. If you throw me out again in the future, we¡¯ll cut ties and never see each other again!¡± Seeing Zhou Bai agree, Christina hastily added, ¡°I want to come out! I don¡¯t want to stay in your mind all the time.¡± Zhou Bai nodded and agreed to that too. He was planning on showing Christina as his pet cat anyway. Otherwise, it would be too troublesome. If Christina had to hide in his mind all day, she wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything. Thus, he let Christina out of his mind. She ran around cheerfully. Zhou Bai yawned, slowly lying down. He closed his eyes and watched Laziness increase point by point. Elsa sat on the side for a while, then leaned over. She squeezed into Zhou Bai¡¯s embrace, then lay down. Zhou Bai stroked Elsa¡¯s fur. He thought, I must¡­become stronger. Strong enough that I will never be helpless in any situation, I¡¯ll never¡­not be able to do anything. After Zhou Bai fell asleep, Christina walked over too. She sat down on his chest and fell asleep. The next morning, Zhou Bai felt someone shake his body. He opened his eyes. Jing Xiu stared at him, ¡°Bro¡­brother Zhou, why are you sleeping on the street? And what happened back there?¡± Zhou Bai sighed and said, ¡°Someone turned into a goblin in the place I was living in. I could only sleep on the street.¡± He didn¡¯t want to explain too much to Jing Xiu, so he summarized the situation. Zhou Bai stood up and stretched his back and neck. He glanced at his board. After another night of lying down, in addition to the Laziness he obtained from being too lazy to argue with Christina: Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 99 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 1,210 Zhou Bai nodded contentedly. He looked at Jing Xiu and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s enter school.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Jing Xiu asked, ¡°Brother Zhou, don¡¯t you need to bring any luggage?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t Tao academy say they would provide it yesterday,¡± Zhou Bai said with Elsa¡¯s leash in his hand, ¡°I have nothing else to bring besides this dog and this cat. Oh right, can I keep pets in Tao academy?¡± Jing Xiu said, ¡°¡­I think you can.¡± The Tao academy was extremely efficient. It finished assigning rooms, student IDs, and other living necessities to the 600 entering students that morning. Zhou Bai was assigned a single dorm. He left Elsa in the room while Christina hid in his mind and went with him to the first class that afternoon. Chapter 33 - Divine Maps Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio After Zhou Bai left his dorm, he was about to look for Jing Xiu so they could go to class together. A figure waited in front of him. Zhou Bai squinted and saw a man with a piercing gaze. He searched through his memory and recognized him to be one of the five judges during the third round of the entrance exam. Xing Jun nodded at Zhou Bai and cracked an unnatural smile. ¡°You probably recognize me. My name is Xing Jun. I¡¯m a teacher at Donghua Tao Academy and a practitioner in the fifth realm. You got first place in the entrance exam. I voted for you.¡± Fifth realm? Then he has a Degree of Taoification above fifty percent? Zhou Bai went blank for a second, then nodded. ¡°Thank you, sir.¡± ¡°No need to thank me. It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve seen a student with as much potential as you. Here is my contact information; you can find me if you have any questions in the future. ¡°Good luck. I have high hopes for you.¡± The two talked for a bit, then Zhou Bai left. He recalled what Xing Jun said and thought, Was he¡­cozying up with me? Winning me over? He didn¡¯t have more time to think because Jing Xiu waved at him from a distance. ¡°Brother Zhou! I¡¯m over here!¡± The Tao academy was efficient as usual. There was no opening ceremony, and there was no encouragement or advice for these distinguished students. They started teaching Tao practice in the first class. Sun Yuzhen, Xing Jun, and Lu Chongyang stood in front of the 600 students. Sun Yuzhen, who wore a ponytail, waved. ¡°In Donghua Tao Academy, no matter what class you are in, you get instructed according to your progress. However, there is a test every two months. Students who cannot pass the test will be expelled. ¡°All right, students whose Primordial Spirit Power is below ninety-nine, follow me.¡± The majority of the 600 students left. Then, Xing Jun said, ¡°Zuo Dao, you come with me.¡± After Zuo Dao left, there were still 24 people remaining, including Zhou Bai. They were all students with a Primordial Spirit Power of 99. Lu Chongyang said with a kind expression, ¡°You¡¯re all people whose Primordial Spirit Power has reached ninety-nine. When your Degree of Taoification is zero percent, ninety-nine is already the limit. ¡°In your future lessons, I will instruct you on entering the Tao¡ªthat is, increasing your Degree of Taoification. This will allow your Primordial Spirit Power to break through the limit of ninety-nine points and continue to increase.¡± Everyone present was thrilled. Zhou Bai was even more excited. He had more than 1,000 points in his auxiliary system that he hadn¡¯t used. He was waiting to break through that limit. Lu Chongyang said, ¡°In ancient times, the Heavenly Tao was gentle and mysterious. Back then, as long as practitioners trained their primordial spirits wholeheartedly and increased their Degree of Taoification, they could obtain divine skills that could churn the seas. ¡°But nowadays, the Heavenly Tao has distorted, and Spark has become polluted. Practicing Tao is hundreds, thousands of times more dangerous than in the past. Only training your Primordial Spirit and Degree of Taoification is anywhere near enough.¡± Lu Chongyang said, ¡°Because every increase of Degree of Taoification increases your synchronization with the Heavenly Tao, the more you raise it, the more deeply affected you are by the distorted Heavenly Tao. To lower this risk, you need strong primordial spirit power, as well as a strong will and body. ¡°Your primordial spirit powers have reached the limit that you can reach as of now, so I won¡¯t teach you new breathing methods or techniques for increasing primordial spirit power.¡± Lu Chongyang continued. ¡°From now on, your main task is to increase your willpower and physique. And the best way to increase willpower and physique is to choose a Divine Map to practice. This will be your opportunity to enter the Tao.¡± Zhou Bai thought to himself, Divine Map? He had seen a Divine Map in his auxiliary system before, but never practiced it. He could finally start now. He saw Lu Chongyang use his primordial spirit power. Nine pictures appeared before everyone. Six of them were pictures of a knife, a spear, a sword, a bow, an ax, and a rune. The other three were of the sky, the earth, and a human. Lu Chongyang said, ¡°Some of you might have heard of it; others might not have. I¡¯ll explain it to everyone. ¡°Ever since the Heavenly Tao distorted, countless predecessors sacrificed themselves to extract, refine, and organize the knowledge from the millions of distorted, evil bits of knowledge. They compiled them into Divine Maps, which are shortcuts of Tao practice. ¡°There are eleven realms to Tao practice. You choose a corresponding Divine Map in every realm, which lasts throughout your practice and allows you to improve continuously.¡± As he said this, Lu Chongyang magnified the nine Divine Maps, ¡°The nine Divine Maps before you are the nine basic Divine Maps that you can choose in Primordial Realm, when your Degree of Taoification is between zero percent and nine percent. ¡°Which Divine Map you choose out of the nine will determine your path for Tao practice in the future. The Divine Maps that you can choose in later realms will also differ completely. ¡°Everyone can choose only one basic Divine Map in their whole life. They cannot practice anything else. Therefore, you must choose carefully. Now, I¡¯ll explain the differences between these nine Divine Maps¡­¡± Zhou Bai was listening to Lu Chongyang¡¯s narration when Christina, who had been balled up previously, said in his mind, ¡°Zhou Bai, choose the Sword Map.¡± ¡°Why?¡± asked Zhou Bai. ¡°I wanted to ask you before. In my auxiliary system, the Divine Map is Deva Nine Disasters. Can I still practice other Divine Maps?¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t practice any other Divine Maps,¡± shouted Christina. ¡°But I remembered, and I can practice them. And my Divine Map equals your Divine Map. If I practice it, then it¡¯s the same as you practicing it.¡± ¡°Is it true?¡± Zhou Bai looked dubious. ¡°That sounds incredible.¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s true!¡± Christina promised. ¡°Why would someone as cute as me lie to you?¡± Zhou Bai didn¡¯t agree with Christina immediately. He decided to choose after he listened to Lu Chongyang¡¯s lesson. He heard Lu Chongyang describe the special characteristics and future directions of the nine basic Divine Maps. Then he explained the method of practice for the Divine Maps. ¡°Each Divine Map is not just a mere drawing. It¡¯s the fruit of the collaborative effort of deities in Paradise and distinguished human practitioners. They expended enormous amounts of energy and resources to condense the knowledge of the Heavenly Tao. ¡°Only in sacred lands for practice like Donghua Tao Academy can we provide a Divine Map to every student. ¡°Even these nine basic Divine Maps are worth tens of thousands in the outside world. These Maps cannot be bought with money because they represent the door to entering the Tao.¡± As he said this, Lu Chongyang made a Knife Map float out. The next moment, the Divine Map became scattered light spots. Then the light spots swirled and formed into a Divine Map again. ¡°After injecting the Divine Maps into your cognitive seas, they will combine with your primordial spirits and turn into Taiyi Discs. After you inject primordial spirit power into the Taiyi Disc, you can¡­¡± Hearing Lu Chongyang¡¯s detailed narration, Zhou Bai finally understood how you practice with Divine Maps. It was indeed a simplified method of practice. It saved a lot of time for the practitioners. It was like allowing the practitioners to run on a set path. They just had to choose different Divine Maps in every realm and improve according to the Divine Maps. The class gradually listened to Lu Chongyang¡¯s narration. Finally, it was time to choose their Divine Maps. The other students had been practicing Tao for years. They knew more or less the importance of Divine Maps, and most had already chosen a Divine Map to practice. Lu Chongyang pulled out the Divine Maps and injected them into the students¡¯ cognitive seas one by one. Then he sat with his legs crossed and eyes shut, sensing the changes in their cognitive seas. Only Zhou Bai looked at the nine Divine Maps before him with an expression of contemplation. In the end, when Zhou Bai was the only one who hadn¡¯t made a decision, Lu Chongyang looked at Zhou Bai and smiled kindly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Zhou Bai? You still haven¡¯t decided which one to choose?¡± Zhou Bai recalled the descriptions of the Divine Maps, ¡°Best for slaughter, speed is its specialty¡­¡± ¡°Teacher, I choose the Sword Map.¡± Chapter 34 - Taiyi Disc Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio If I really can¡¯t practice it, then I¡¯ll give it to Christina to practice, Zhou Bai thought. If I can practice it, then I like the developmental path of the Sword Map anyway. It has great offensive power, he noted. If you can¡¯t beat the opponent, you can run away. It suits me perfectly. As the Sword Map was injected into Zhou Bai¡¯s cognitive sea, his primordial spirit power instantly boiled. But it wasn¡¯t accepting the Divine Map as Lu Chongyang described. Instead, it was showing great resistance, wanting to spit out the Divine Map. Zhou Bai furrowed his brows. He thought, It really doesn¡¯t work? Christina cheered. She shot over to the Sword Map that entered Zhou Bai¡¯s cognitive sea and said, ¡°If you can¡¯t do it, then give it to me. I¡¯ve been wanting to be a sword god forever.¡± He saw Christina merge with the Sword Map, turning into a small disc that hovered in Zhou Bai¡¯s cognitive sea. A moment later, Christina floated out of the disc. She puffed out her cheeks and said bitterly, ¡°Ugh, my primordial spirit power is not high enough. I started the Taiyi Disc but I can¡¯t practice at all. Zhou Bai, find me a good breathing method, I¡¯m going to raise my primordial spirit power to ninety-nine points!¡± Zhou Bai knew that Christina had primordial spirit power. Back when they were in the underground base, she showed him a dream with her primordial spirit power. However, Christina¡¯s primordial spirit power was weak. She couldn¡¯t even defeat Zhou Bai when he had only 30 points. But today was the first time Zhou Bai found out Christina could practice too. If Christina already was able to form aTaiyi Disc from her Divine Map, where is my Taiyi Disc? he wondered. Isn¡¯t my Divine Map Deva Nine Disasters? Zhou Bai frowned. After using his primordial spirit power for so long, he¡¯d never found a Divine Map or Taiyi Disc in his cognitive sea. Suddenly, his eyes glowed. Could it be¡­ He looked at the Divine Map on his auxiliary system. Back when his Primordial Spirit Value was lower, he had tried to increase it with Laziness, but it never worked. He never tried increasing it again after that. At this moment, Zhou Bai tried to put his Laziness on the Divine Map. His Laziness suddenly fell by 500 points, turning into 710 points. His primordial spirit gathered together and turned into a minuscule dot, then suddenly blew up, turning into a giant disc that floated in Zhou Bai¡¯s cognitive sea. This Taiyi Disc was more than ten times the size of Christina¡¯s Taiyi Disc. The moment it appeared, it took over the center of Zhou Bai¡¯s cognitive sea. Christina¡¯s Taiyi Disc could only spin around his. ¡°Is this the Deva Nine Disasters Divine Map?¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes lit up, focusing his vision on the giant Taiyi Disc before him. He immediately sensed the condition of the entire disc. He saw on the enormous disc that the outermost layer gave off a faint glow¡ªnine dim star points scattered on this layer in a certain order. Only one of the star points accepted Zhou Bai¡¯s observation. Zhou Bai focused his attention on that one, and a message entered his brain. Fragmentary: Accumulate Spark, enhance physique. Method of Practice: Internally, inject primordial spirit power into the star point. Externally, breathe Spark. Use it to densely cover your body and arrange it in the following formation¡­form an atmosphere, use water and fire to stimulate and refine¡­ Zhou Bai read the information that flowed out. It talked about the use of this star point and the method of practice. It was tens of thousands of characters long. So that¡¯s how it is, he thought. You inject primordial spirit power into the star point on the disc, then use a special method to assist in practice externally¡­ Zhou Bai looked at the different formations and methods of refinement and stimulation. The more he read, the more worried he became. But then he smiled because on the bottom of it all, he saw ¡°Laziness (0/300).¡± Does that mean that if I inject 300 points of Laziness, I can complete the practice of this ¡®Fragmentary¡¯ star point? He wondered. Zhou Bai was itching for a try, but he didn¡¯t do it immediately. There were so many people around, it would be troublesome if he made too great of a commotion injecting Laziness. But now he had a better understanding of the practice of Divine Maps. ¡°After the Divine Map is inserted, it combines with the primordial spirit to form the Taiyi Disc. ¡°The Taiyi Disc is also divided into eleven layers according to the eleven realms of practice. They correspond to the zeroth to tenth realms of Tao practice. ¡°There are many star points in each realm. Injecting your primordial spirit power and practicing according to the methods on there will illuminate your star points, allowing you to improve in different aspects. ¡°The star points are ordered. You can¡¯t go on to the next star point before you finish practicing the current one. ¡°Depending on the Divine Map, the number and contents of star points are different too, so every practitioner has different fields of strength.¡± Zhou Bai looked into the disk and saw ten layers of a dark area. He couldn¡¯t see their contents at all. He would have to inject a higher level of Divine Map into the Taiyi Disc to illuminate those layers of darkness. He turned his gaze to the outermost layer of the Taiyi Disc, which was the zeroth layer that corresponded to the zeroth realm of Tao practice. He counted a total of nine star points that hadn¡¯t been illuminated on the zeroth layer. If he illuminated all of them, then he was done practicing this layer. ¡°Each time you light up a star point, it requires painstaking practice. As you gain strength, you also sublimate your will. That¡¯s why after you practice Divine Maps, you can consider raising your Degree of Taoification. ¡°After raising the Degree of Taoification, you can increase the upper limit of your primordial spirit power. ¡°Practicing Divine Maps expends a lot of primordial spirit power. If you raise the upper limit of primordial spirit power, then you¡¯ll increase the efficiency of practicing Divine Maps. ¡°Divine Map, Degree of Taoification, primordial spirit power¡ªthese three are closely linked, and none are dispensable.¡± A look of understanding appeared on Zhou Bai¡¯s face. Just as Zhou Bai was dreaming about his future practice, Lu Chongyang¡¯s voice sounded again next to his ear. ¡°How is it? Zhou Bai? Did you succeed?¡± Zhou Bai opened his eyes and exhaled, ¡°The Taiyi Disc is complete. I was trying to absorb the knowledge within it. I got too captivated.¡± ¡°That¡¯s normal.¡± Lu Chongyang smiled, then said to everyone, ¡°The practice of Divine Maps is the guiding principle on the path of Tao practice. It condenses the experience of countless predecessors, allowing you to proceed quickly on the paths they¡¯ve taken. ¡°However, Divine Maps are not omnipotent. If you want to go further on the path of Tao practice, you must not be satisfied by the contents of the Divine Map. These are the classes for tomorrow¡­ ¡°Also, even the practice of Divine Maps isn¡¯t one hundred percent safe. There are obstacles to the practice of every star point. If you encounter any difficulties or questions, you can always ask me. Don¡¯t try to shut yourself up and do everything alone¡­¡± The first class of Tao academy passed in Lu Chongyang¡¯s instruction. Although there were many things he didn¡¯t understand, Zhou Bai summarized it to a few key points: Degree of Taoification is the rank limit, Primordial Spirit Value is a basic attribute, Divine Map can increase all sorts of passive and active techniques. After Zhou Bai got out of class, he rushed back to his room impatiently, wanting to light the star point on the Taiyi Disc with Laziness. He even ignored Jing Xiu¡¯s shouting. Zhou Bai waved and ran back to his dorm in a hurry. Once he returned, Elsa pounced on him. ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡± ¡°Be good, Elsa. I¡¯ll take you to get food later.¡± Zhou Bai licked his lips, held down Elsa¡¯s head, and consoled her. Then he sat down with his legs crossed, once again focusing on the enormous disc in his cognitive sea, on the first star of the zeroth layer, Fragmentary. Chapter 35 - Fragmentary Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Fragmentary: Accumulate Spark, enhance physique Method of practice: (Zhou Bai skipped over this) Laziness (0/300) Zhou Bai directed his will. Laziness was quickly depleted. It instantly fell by 300 points, turning into 410 points. Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 99 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 410 At the same time, the star point named Fragmentary instantly lit up. It gave off a scorching glow. It was apparent on the Taiyi Disc. At the moment the star point was lit up, Zhou Bai felt all the muscles, flesh, and bones in his body infiltrated by a vast amount of Spark, as if he were being blown up like a balloon. His body felt like it was continuously expanding, about to explode. But as this feeling of near-explosion reached its limit, Zhou Bai felt his body gradually tighten. Surging power spilled out of his muscles, filling his body. He couldn¡¯t help letting out a roar. A long while later, the abnormalities of his body finally ceased. Zhou Bai let out a deep breath. He looked at his body, which was covered in sweat. Even his clothes were drenched. Zhou Bai slowly stood up, looking at his palms. He clenched them lightly and felt a strength many times greater than he¡¯d felt previously surging between his palms and arms. After he finished practicing the star point Fragmentary, Zhou Bai felt his strength, speed, explosive power, and stamina all increase immensely. When he took punches, they made whipping noises in the air. ¡°Awesome!¡± Zhou Bai waved his fists excitedly but felt his body sway and almost fell to the ground. Oh no, my physique improved too quickly, he thought. It¡¯s at least twice as fit as before. I¡¯m a little unused to it. At this thought, Zhou Bai slowly moved his limbs, getting used to his newly improved physique. He walked a few steps and accidentally kicked a chair. The wooden chair fell apart. In reality, when normal people practiced the first star point according to the given method, they could finish practicing after as little as two weeks or as long as two months. But Zhou Bai did it in an instant. ¡°D*mn it, this guy¡¯s getting stronger and stronger. I have to practice hard too.¡± Christina saw this and thought for a while. She urged, ¡°Zhou Bai, when are you going to get me a breathing method? I have to practice my primordial spirit power.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know one?¡± ¡°I do, but I want something more advanced. Donghua Tao Academy must have a lot of breathing methods. Can¡¯t you borrow one for me?¡± ¡°Gotcha. Wait up; let me train a little more.¡± Zhou Bai rubbed his chin and focused his attention on the Taiyi Disc. He looked at the information for the next star point. Fragmentary-Foundation: Improve the body¡¯s adaptability to Spark. Being in contact with Spark can increase the body¡¯s speed of recovery, slightly increase strength and explosive power. Method of Practice: (Zhou Bai skipped over this) Laziness (0/600) ¡°It requires 600 points of Laziness.¡± Zhou Bai looked at his board. He had only 410 points of Laziness remaining. He locked his gaze on Christina. Should I try to gain some from Christina? wondered Zhou Bai. But I just offended her yesterday. If I do this today, will she become less and less cooperative in the future? At that moment, Elsa started whining, making painful crying noises. Zhou Bai rushed up to her, hugging her head and asking, ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Elsa?¡± Elsa opened her mouth wide, continuing to make weird sounds. It worried Zhou Bai. Just as Zhou Bai picked up the Shiba Inu and was about to go to get help, Elsa spat out a ball of something from her mouth. She immediately looked relieved and smiled again. Zhou Bai looked at the thing Elsa spat out. It was a ball of torn-up fabric. It looked like¡­ ¡°Isn¡¯t this the towel the school gave me?¡± Zhou Bai went to the bathroom to check. His towel was indeed gone. Not only his towel, but even the paper and toiletries were also all over the place. ¡°Elsa¡­¡± Zhou Bai sighed, turned around to look for her, but Elsa was nowhere to be found. Only a small segment of her tail peeked out from beneath the couch, and it trembled. ¡°You little¡­¡± Zhou Bai shook his head. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s get you something to eat.¡± He rubbed his stomach. ¡°I¡¯m very hungry too.¡± In an instant, Elsa shot out from beneath the couch, dashing to Zhou Bai with a happy smile. She barked and ran in circles around him. Zhou Bai took only his student ID and the dog. He left the cat home to train on her own and headed to the nearby cafeteria. Looking at the student ID in his hand, Zhou Bai thought, Because we¡¯re in a time of war, almost all the resources are distributed by Paradise. There¡¯s no more currency. Instead, each citizen gets around the same number of points each month according to their job. The points can be exchanged for different living necessities. But according to Jing Xiu, there were even more things you could exchange points for in Donghua Tao Academy. I remember when we checked into the school, they said everyone could get 200 points every month. I wonder how much food I can exchange that for. He walked into the cafeteria. It was the dinner rush; vast numbers of students and teachers filled the area. Zhou Bai strolled around the serving area. After reading the descriptions of the food, he was astonished. Crystal Demon Core: Increases reaction speed, 20 points. Hundred Medicine Stew: Improves physique by a small degree, increases the efficiency of breathing Spark, 30 points. Crimson Fish Stew: Improves fireproof ability after extended consumption, 100 points. Looking at the medicinal foods made from different herbs, mutated beasts, or even the bodies of Mara, Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes gleamed. They even have mutated beasts? he wondered. I heard mutated beasts are the product of mutated animals. Only Paradise has mastered the way to tame and breed them. I can¡¯t believe Donghua Tao Academy even uses them to make food. Zhou Bai wanted to try all the medicinal food in the cafeteria, but after looking at the points written after their names, he was dejected. Two hundred points are so little, he thought. There¡¯s nothing I can eat. But looking at how quickly the students consumed the medicinal foods, Zhou Bai understood that even though they were so expensive, they were probably in short supply and would be finished quickly. In fact, if you exchanged for these medicinal foods outside the school, you would have to pay five to ten times the points. The low prices here were benefits for the students and staff of Donghua Tao Academy. Zhou Bai looked at the medicinal foods wistfully. He could only keep walking. Suddenly, he felt his hand tighten. Elsa wasn¡¯t willing to keep walking. He saw Elsa widen her eyes to stare at a gigantic bone. Her eyes beamed like lightbulbs. Bashe Bone Soup: After consumption, it can increase explosive power and improve stamina by a small degree. 120 points. Zhou Bai sighed, pulling on the leash, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Elsa. We can¡¯t afford this.¡± But no matter how much Zhou Bai tugged, even though the Shiba Inu¡¯s face was squeezed out of shape by the leash, Elsa still wouldn¡¯t leave. She yanked on the leash and locked her eyes on the Bashe Bone Soup. Zhou Bai had no choice but to pick Elsa up and walk away. Elsa put her head on Zhou Bai¡¯s shoulder, looking at the bone in the distance with sorrow. She whined sadly. A few minutes later, Zhou Bai sat down at a table, Elsa sat on the ground next to him. Zhou Bai took out the food bowl he brought for Elsa and placed it in front of her. He dumped a bowl of rice into it. At the serving area near them, there was a description of this rice. Humanfeed: Supplements basic nutritional needs, increases the speed of recovery of mental and physical energy. 1 point. Chapter 36 - Eating Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Zhou Bai saw how upset Elsa was, and he tried to convince her. ¡°Elsa, don¡¯t throw a tantrum. We¡¯re so poor right now, we¡¯re lucky enough that we can eat this.¡± Elsa sobbed. ¡°Don¡¯t think two hundred points are a lot. I only get two hundred points a month. If I eat three meals a day, that¡¯s three points. You eat three meals too, which adds up to six points between the two of us. That means we have to spend one hundred eighty points each month.¡± Elsa sobbed some more. ¡°That¡¯s just considering meals too, not including the other expenses of clothing and living necessities. It¡¯s a good thing Christina doesn¡¯t need to eat. Otherwise the two of you would eat me out of house and home.¡± As he said this, Zhou Bai downed a few mouthfuls of rice. A content smile appeared on his face, and he said to Elsa, ¡°It¡¯s so good, Elsa. Eat it. This rice is delicious.¡± Elsa sniffed it for a while and finally couldn¡¯t resist opening her mouth and wolfing down her food. Watching Elsa down her food, Zhou Bai smiled. He finished the rice in his bowl. He instantly felt his body and mind recover after a day of exhaustion. He even felt like a completely new person. ¡°This is great. This costs only one point, and it probably can¡¯t be exchanged for outside the school.¡± Zhou Bai blinked. The same point could exchange for only a bowl or two of rice outside the school, but that definitely wouldn¡¯t have any special effects. Being able to exchange for this type of food that quickly restored mental and physical strength with one point was a benefit of attending Tao academy. Outside the school, the civilian population probably got only 100 to 200 points a month too. It seemed similar to the Tao academy students, but the quality of their lifestyles was completely different. Zhou Bai had just finished eating when he saw Elsa walk over to him with the food bowl in her mouth. She set her food bowl in front of him. ¡°Elsa, what¡¯s the matter?¡± Zhou Bai saw the half-finished rice in the food bowl and looked at Elsa strangely. Elsa moved her head to point at Zhou Bai and then at the rice. ¡°You want me¡­to eat more?¡± Elsa immediately widened her mouth and wagged her tail. Zhou Bai patted Elsa¡¯s head, looking at her drool and said, ¡°That¡¯s all right, Elsa. I¡¯m full. You finish your food.¡± Elsa still wouldn¡¯t. She kept pushing the food bowl toward Zhou Bai. Zhou Bai thought silently for a while. He looked at Elsa¡¯s wide eyes and said slowly, ¡°Elsa, what happened at the base has nothing to do with you. They¡­they didn¡¯t die because you ate too much. ¡°Rest assured¡ªeat. I¡¯ll think of ways to earn more points in the future. When that time comes, the two of us will eat everything in this cafeteria until we vomit.¡± Watching Elsa eat the rest of the rice obediently, Zhou Bai nodded with contentment. Suddenly, a shadow loomed over him. A figure sat across from him with a tray of food. Zhou Bai examined him. It was a young man with long blond hair, pale skin, and a beauty mark beneath his eye. Zhou Bai looked at his plate, then swallowed. Crystal Demon Core 20 points, Hundred Grass Porridge 20 points, Simmered Luan Wings 30 points. These three dishes were already 70 points¡ªnot including the Bashe Bone Soup that cost 120 points. Elsa opened her mouth, dumbfoundedly staring at the bone soup on the table. She didn¡¯t even notice the rice falling out of her mouth. ¡°One hundred ninety points¡­¡± Zhou Bai swallowed again. He asked the blond young man in front of him, ¡°Aren¡¯t you in our class too? You used up one hundred ninety points so carelessly. Are you planning to starve for the rest of the month?¡± The blond young man ate a spoon of Hundred Grass Porridge, and he looked at Zhou Bai with a smile. ¡°Hello, first place. How unusual for a genius like you to recognize me. My name is Qian Wangsun, third place in the entering class.¡± He looked at the food on the table and said with a casual expression, ¡°Points are for spending. Rather than eating just to fill my stomach every day, I¡¯d rather convert my points into strength.¡± ¡°Then what are you going to do afterward?¡± Qian Wangsun gave it some thought, then said casually, ¡°There¡¯s always a way. I don¡¯t think the school will just let us starve to death.¡± ¡°Whatever makes you happy.¡± Zhou Bai turned away, forcing himself to stop staring at the pile of points on the table. He lifted his bowl and got ready to leave. But he heard Qian Wangsun say, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t be impatient to leave! I have something to tell you!¡± Seeing how Zhou Bai didn¡¯t turn around, Qian Wangsun sighed. ¡°Guess I can¡¯t get any free meals from him.¡± Zhou Bai pulled Elsa away. He didn¡¯t want to see Qian Wangsun feasting to his heart¡¯s content. But on the way back to his dorm, Zhou Bai saw two young men stand in front of him. Seeing one of the long-haired men, Zhou Bai asked, ¡°Zuo Dao?¡± Zuo Dao looked at Zhou Bai and said in a low voice, ¡°Zhou Bai, I came to tell you, you better try your hardest to become stronger in the next two months. I don¡¯t want you to have any excuses when I defeat you in the next test.¡± Zuo Dao took a long look at Zhou Bai, then turned and left. Zhou Bai thought, This guy is so juvenile. Next to Zuo Dao, a bald young man smiled with embarrassment. ¡°Sorry about that, Zhou Bai. Zuo Dao is¡­sigh, I don¡¯t know what to say. He¡¯s actually a good person. He¡¯s just too persistent sometimes. Don¡¯t take it to heart. He means no harm.¡± As he said this, the baldy reached out his hand, ¡°My name is Jian Xing.¡± Zhou Bai reached out too, shaking his hand. ¡°That¡¯s okay, I didn¡¯t take it to heart.¡± Jian Xing smiled then looked at Elsa. ¡°I saw you take your dog to the cafeteria. It must be very important to you.¡± Zhou Bai went blank for a second, then nodded. Jian Xing said, ¡°Times are getting harder. The Tao academy¡¯s resources have become scarcer too. With a dog, two hundred points might not be enough to get by, but it¡¯s not impossible to do.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes lit up, and he asked, ¡°What can I do?¡± Jian Xing said, ¡°The purpose of Tao academies is to nurture talented practitioners. The students with greater potential naturally get more points. The following tests every two months will decide how many points you can get each month.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± Zhou Bai suddenly frowned, ¡°Speaking of, I got first place in the entrance exam. Why didn¡¯t I get more points?¡± Jian Xing smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯m going now. Bye.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± After he bid farewell to Jian Xing, the sky appeared darker. The artificial light overhead also slowly became dimmer. Zhou Bai led Elsa back to the dorm building. He didn¡¯t know if it was his imagination, but when he returned to the dorm building, he felt the corridors looked a little too dark. He also caught a whiff of something nasty. ¡°What the hell. Did someone pee in the corridor?¡± Zhou Bai frowned and walked toward his door. He suddenly froze. The door was open. ¡°Christina? Are you there?¡± Zhou Bai lightly pushed the door open. Chapter 37 - Caution Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio ¡°It should be safe inside Tao academy, right?¡± Zhou Bai frowned, but after experiencing the series of events that occurred after he came to this world, he was cautious. He carefully walked into the room. Inside the room, he saw a white furball on the floor. It was Christina. Zhou Bai immediately unleashed his primordial spirit power, searching through the entire room. After finding there no one in hiding, he lifted Christina. He rubbed her head and asked, ¡°Christina? What happened here? Why are you on the floor?¡± The M-shaped gray pattern on Christina¡¯s forehead furrowed as she slowly came to. She stared at Zhou Bai with wide eyes and asked in confusion, ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you remember falling asleep? The door was open when I came back.¡± Christina froze for a moment, trying to recall what had happened. ¡°I remember I was practicing a basic breathing method and strengthening my primordial spirit power, and then¡­¡± She stared ahead. ¡°I drifted off to sleep?¡± Zhou Bai walked to his desk. He held up a scrap of paper from the desk and said, ¡°Seems like someone did come in.¡± He saw two large words on the paper written in red. ¡°Watch out.¡± ¡°Watch out?¡± Zhou Bai was perplexed. ¡°Watch out for whom? Watch out for what? I¡¯ve only been here for a day. I don¡¯t think I offended anyone.¡± Christina¡¯s head popped up on Zhou Bai¡¯s shoulder. Reading the words on the paper, she scoffed, ¡°Hmph, they even knocked me out when they came in. How annoying. I have to get stronger! Zhou Bai! Hurry up and find me a more advanced breathing method. I¡¯m going to raise my primordial spirit power to ninety-nine! I¡¯m going to open the Divine Map!¡± Zhou Bai stroked his chin. He picked up the scrap of paper and tossed it into the trash bin on the side. There was no way to track who left it. He could only wait and see. ¡°The most urgent task at hand is to increase my level of practice.¡± Within a couple of weeks, Zhou Bai already had experienced countless dangers. He felt a heavy burden on his shoulders every second. And now that he looked at it, Tao academy wasn¡¯t as safe as he imagined. ¡°There¡¯s no use in worrying,¡± Zhou Bai said to Christina. ¡°I¡¯ll just continue practicing. As long as I¡¯m strong enough, I can be active rather than passive when I encounter dangers.¡± At this thought, a hint of determination flashed in Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes. He lay down on the couch and said to Christina, ¡°Tina, mop the floor for me.¡± Christina¡¯s ears twitched, and she said unhappily, ¡°I don¡¯t have time. Don¡¯t interrupt my practice.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want a breathing method?¡± Zhou Bai said. ¡°Do some more chores for me tonight, so I can increase my Laziness, and I¡¯ll get you a breathing method tomorrow. How¡¯s that?¡± Christina swayed her tail. Although she didn¡¯t want to do chores, her current method of breathing Spark and increasing primordial spirit power was not very effective. If she had a better breathing method, her efficiency might improve by five to ten times. At this thought, Christina stood up with a helpless expression. ¡°How annoying. I knew you would have to depend on me for everything.¡± So Zhou Bai lay on the couch and ordered Christina to do the chores. She cleaned everything there was to clean in the room. Laziness +1 Laziness +1 ¡­ Laziness +1 They kept going until midnight. When there was absolutely nothing left to do, Christina curled up into a ball and went off to practice her primordial spirit value. Watching Christina, whose body rose and fell as she breathed, Zhou Bai thought to himself on the couch, This cat is really hardworking. I can¡¯t slack off either. Zhou Bai continued lying on the couch. After midnight, a new day came. He quickly gained the 200 points from lying down on the new day. Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 99 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 660 After checking his Laziness, Zhou Bai looked at the next star point on the Taiyi Disc. Fragmentary-Foundation: Improve the body¡¯s adaptability to Spark. Being in contact with Spark can increase the body¡¯s speed of recovery, slightly increases strength and explosive power. Method of Practice: (Zhou Bai skipped over this) Laziness (0/600) ¡°Awesome! It¡¯s enough.¡± Zhou Bai smiled when he saw this and immediately injected 600 Laziness points into it. Boom! A loud blast came from his body. All the flesh on Zhou Bai¡¯s body began quivering rapidly. Zhou Bai felt his body continuously crushed, then reconstructed. Almost every second he was being rapidly forged, becoming stronger in a certain direction. Every tissue of muscle, every nerve behaved as if time were sped up. They became stronger and more resilient at a visible rate. A full 20 minutes later, the abnormalities on Zhou Bai¡¯s body slowly ceased. He fell to the floor on his knees, gasping for breath. ¡°I¡¯m so tired.¡± Zhou Bai stood up slowly. Although he instantaneously finished the practice of the second star point by injecting Laziness, this accelerated method of practice massively depleted his physical and mental strength. It only exhausted him afterward rather than filling him with energy. After a short break, Zhou Bai felt his physical strength recover. He tried moving his body. He jumped a bit and made a few punches. ¡°I feel like my strength didn¡¯t increase by that much, but this star point was mainly to increase the speed at which the body heals¡­which probably includes the recovery of strength and injuries.¡± Zhou Bai thought for a bit, and he swung his fist. His clothes hit the air and made a loud crack. He continued making punches. In the loud cracking, Zhou Bai¡¯s punches got faster and faster. You could see only shadows of his fist. Only after several hundred punches did his arms get sore and his breath short. Then, Zhou Bai walked while violently inhaling and exhaling. Christina¡¯s fur was blown up by his exhales. His vital capacity had increased by a lot too. After taking a few steps, Zhou Bai felt his strength recover by half. He couldn¡¯t help exclaiming, ¡°It¡¯s gotten easier to recover my strength. I was so tired just a moment ago.¡± After experiencing the benefit of becoming stronger, Zhou Bai immediately looked to the next star point. Fragmentary-Skin: Changes nature of skin and flesh, increases surface ability to withstand attacks. Method of Practice: (Zhou Bai skipped over this) Laziness (0/1,200) Seeing it demanded 1,200 points of Laziness, Zhou Bai frowned. ¡°It¡¯s requiring more and more Laziness. And from three hundred to six hundred to twelve hundred points, it¡¯s multiplying.¡± Zhou Bai looked at the interface of his auxiliary system. There were only 60 points of Laziness remaining. It wasn¡¯t enough to practice at all. Just lying around and depending on Christina is still too ineffective, he thought. I have to find a way to get Laziness faster. As he thought this, Zhou Bai felt his stomach churn, and he felt pangs of hunger. I¡¯m so hungry, I¡¯m so hungry¡­Zhou Bai thought for a while. I think the Tao academy cafeteria is open 24/7 to meet practitioners¡¯ needs. He glanced at Christina, who was practicing, and Elsa, who stared at him from the floor. Zhou Bai said, ¡°I¡¯m going to take a walk. You guys sleep if you¡¯re tired.¡± Chapter 38 - Zhou Bai Attending Class Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio When Zhou Bai arrived at the cafeteria, half of the cafeteria was shut down. There were only a few serving windows left open for students to exchange points for cheap food. A few people ate at the tables. Apart from the three main meals, the cafeteria usually only provided the most basic food. After eating a bowl of humanfeed, Zhou Bai¡¯s physical and mental strength recovered immediately. His stomach was warm, and he felt satisfied. He strolled back to his dorm slowly. Zhou Bai was still thinking about how to increase Laziness. Right before he reached his door, he saw that the door to the dorm next to his own was open. A bright red light shot out from the room. The red light radiated like blood, making Zhou Bai frown. Zhou Bai thought, Who is this reckless? They have this kind of light on at night? Can they even fall asleep? He walked up, curiously inspecting the room. But he only saw a pallid face. It was a girl¡¯s head poking out from behind the door. She asked, ¡°Is anything the matter?¡± Zhou Bai went blank for a second, then scratched his head and said, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I live next door. Say, your light is rather special.¡± The girl stared at Zhou Bai with wide eyes, and she said slowly, ¡°I¡¯m used to it.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± Zhou Bai nodded. He pointed at his own door and said, ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep then¡­¡± ¡°Goodbye.¡± Bang! Looking at the shut door, Zhou Bai frowned. So hard to get along, he mused. He scratched his head and returned to his room. Elsa immediately jumped on him. Zhou Bai stroked her and got into bed to rest. The humanfeed he¡¯d just eaten had the effect of restoring energy and wiping out his exhaustion. After eating, Zhou Bai lay slumberless on his bed. He looked at Christina, who still curled up in a ball. She seemed to be practicing still. Zhou Bai thought, What a hard-working cat. He watched her for a while. In a daze, Zhou Bai finally felt sleepy. But a sudden thump came from the wall and jerked Zhou Bai awake. ¡°What the hell?¡± Zhou Bai looked in the direction the sound came from and heard a series of thumping noises. When he was about to get up and interrogate his neighbor, the thumping stopped again. Zhou Bai went back to sleep. He closed his eyes, tossed and turned, accumulating sleepiness little by little. Just when he finally felt sleepy¡­ Thump! Thump! Thump! Continuous loud collisions came. Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes shot open, and he shouted in the direction of the wall, ¡°What the hell are you doing in the middle of the night? Aren¡¯t you going to sleep?!¡± The thumping sounds stopped. Zhou Bai exhaled angrily, then lay down again. But after lying down for a while, he realized he couldn¡¯t fall asleep. ¡°F*ck.¡± The next morning, Zhou Bai got up looking bitter. After taking Elsa to the cafeteria for breakfast, he brought her back to the room and went to class alone. He restored his energy after a bowl of humanfeed. When he walked into the classroom, Zhou Bai saw Jing Xiu wave at him from a distance. He walked over and sat down next to her. Soon the class began. Lu Chongyang still taught this morning¡¯s class. It was a continuation of yesterday¡¯s lesson on practicing Divine Maps. He talked about the balance between Divine Maps, Degree of Taoification, and primordial spirit power. ¡°Remember, you must not be greedy on the path of Tao practice. Whether it be Divine Maps, Degree of Taoification, or primordial spirit power, you can¡¯t be greedy for advancement in any of these fields. Instead, you have to find the balance between the three. Today, we will be learning about the change of the five elements and yin yang, and use them to judge whether we have lost our balance on the path of practicing Tao¡­¡± An hour later, they took a five-minute break between classes. Zhou Bai stared at Jing Xiu blankly. She had taken a dozen pages of notes. He asked tentatively, ¡°Jing Xiu, how well do you think teacher Lu Chongyang taught?¡± ¡°Teacher taught very well!¡± Jing Xiu said happily, ¡°I feel like I improved immensely. What do you think, Brother Zhou?¡± ¡°Mm, me too.¡± Zhou Bai nodded, but he screamed in his mind, I can¡¯t understand anything! What the heck did he talk about? In their first class yesterday, Lu Chongyang briefly explained the nine basic Divine Maps and the process of injecting Divine Maps into the body. Zhou Bai understood that, but today¡¯s class on theories was simply confusing to him. This made him recall the method of practice written on the star points yesterday. He couldn¡¯t understand that all at either. If not for the fact he could just add Laziness to them, there was no way he could practice successfully. That¡¯s when Zhou Bai suddenly came to a realization. Compared to Jing Xiu and the rest who had practiced breathing methods, read Taoist scriptures, and prepared for Tao practice since childhood, Zhou Bai¡¯s theoretical foundation was weak. But Zhou Bai naturally had his own advantages. That is, he had the auxiliary practice system. This is bad, he thought. Going to class is completely useless for me. My foundation is too weak. Unless it¡¯s an easy operation class like the one yesterday, I can¡¯t understand theory classes like today¡¯s at all. Rather than waste time listening to lectures, it¡¯s better for me to just self-study outside of class. As for during class¡­ Thus, a few minutes later, Zhou Bai unknowingly put his head on the desk. He relaxed and started feeling sleepy. Laziness +1 Laziness +1 Laziness +1 The moment he saw Laziness increase, Zhou Bai slept with ease. He let himself relax completely, falling into a deep slumber. Jing Xiu watched Zhou Bai with shock, ¡°Bro¡­Brother Zhou is sleeping?¡± That was unimaginable to her. ¡°Someone is sleeping during class? And it¡¯s Brother Zhou!¡± The scene before her overturned the world of a good student like Jing Xiu. There were only 24 students whose Primordial Spirit Value had reached 99 in the classroom. After developing their primordial spirits and practicing Divine Maps, they all had great sight and hearing and quickly found out Zhou Bai was sleeping in class. They were all surprised and incredulous. Some showed it; others didn¡¯t. This was Donghua Tao Academy, one of the four big Tao academies, where the elite human practitioners gathered. In these times, under the pressure of death and annihilation, few students slept in class, even outside of Tao academies. Someone sleeping in class at Tao academy was unfathomable to them. Qian Wangsun thought, F*ck! He¡¯s sleeping on the second day of class. What an idiot! Jian Xing rubbed his bald head. ¡°Zhou Bai truly has¡­a unique personality.¡± The students were all aware of Zhou Bai¡¯s abnormal behavior. Naturally, Lu Chongyang knew too. He directed his will and slapped Zhou Bai on the head with his primordial spirit power. After the slap on the head, Zhou Bai didn¡¯t move an inch. After he woke up, he focused his attention on the board of the auxiliary system. Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 99 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 70 He thought, Laziness increased from 60 points to 70 points. It increased by 10 points in such a short amount of time? Zhou Bai was pleasantly surprised, Sleeping in class was this effective? Chapter 39 - Zhou Bai Studying Hard Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Lu Chongyang¡¯s voice came from the podium. ¡°Zhou Bai, I¡¯ve taught for twelve years at Donghua Tao Academy. You¡¯re the first one to sleep in my class. Get up!¡± Hearing the anger in Lu Chongyang¡¯s tone, Zhou Bai raised his head. But seeing that his Laziness immediately ceased to rise, he felt a pain in his heart. Looking at Lu Chongyang at the front, then at the auxiliary practice system in his mind, images from his past flashed in Zhou Bai¡¯s brain. The shattered underground base¡­the children killed by Mara¡­Zhang Aidao¡¯s sacrifice¡­the mutated old man¡­ Zhou Bai sighed to himself. This is all for humankind¡­to defeat the Mara! In order to obtain the power to annihilate Mara, I must bear all the blame. Zhou Bai looked at Lu Chongyang, who stood in the front, and tried to explain, ¡°Teacher, I¡¯m not actually sleeping. I¡¯m just listening to your lecture with my head down. I think really well when my head is on the table, so it¡¯s efficient. If it¡¯s getting in the way of your teaching, I¡¯ll just leave class.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s boldness shocked everyone in the classroom. Lu Chongyang also froze for a moment on the podium, then immediately reproached him. ¡°Ridiculous! Absurd! How dare you say that? Donghua Tao Academy has never had such a lazy student!¡± Hearing Lu Chongyang¡¯s angry tone, Zhou Bai filled with glee. He thought to himself, That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, just like that, hurry up and kick me out. Let me cut class! Or even let me sleep outside! Sleeping in class can increase Laziness, so cutting class must add even more! Lu Chongyang said, ¡°From now on, you will listen to the lecture standing up! Zhou Bai, I know you¡¯re a genius. You have an incredible gift, and you got first place in the entrance exam. But don¡¯t assume you can sleep without anxiety. The journey of Tao practice is very long. Many geniuses fall halfway.¡± Zhou Bai thought, But I¡¯m not a genius! I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with you if I actually listened in class! ¡°With your current attitude, you won¡¯t even pass the test in two months¡­.¡± Zhou Bai thought, If I waste all my time on lectures in the next two months, then I really won¡¯t pass! ¡°The balance of the three key elements of Tao practice¡ªdo you know how important this class is? The entire lecture is full of key points. You¡¯ll be tested on them in two months. The rest of you too! Anyone who doesn¡¯t listen, wait to get expelled¡­. ¡°Zhou Bai! Listen up, in the twelve years I have taught at Donghua Tao Academy, not a single student has dared to sleep in my class. From now on, I¡¯ll watch you in every class. You better not slack off a single second.¡± Lu Chongyang forcibly lifted Zhou Bai, making him stand on the side. Hearing Lu Chongyang¡¯s reproach, Zhou Bai¡¯s heart immediately went cold. Holy sh*t¡­Zhou Bai lamented silently. Why the heck did I say that¡­why did I infuriate him¡­? Lu Chongyang forced Zhou Bai to stand the entire morning. After listening to a morning of theory classes, he still didn¡¯t understand anything. His brain was empty, and he didn¡¯t gain any Laziness points. After class, Lu Chongyang called him out again. He did his best for half an hour to convince Zhou Bai of the need for his attention. Then he liberated Zhou Bai. ¡°Holy cr*p!¡± Zhou Bai exclaimed, ¡°I can¡¯t keep going to this class. I¡¯ll be over with everything if I keep going.¡± His brain turned quickly, thinking of a solution. Jing Xiu walked over and said to Zhou Bai, ¡°Brother Zhou, are you all right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m all right. I¡¯m all right,¡± Zhou Bai said. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let us eat first.¡± During his entire meal at the cafeteria, Zhou Bai thought about his plans, contemplation in his eyes. When they walked out of the cafeteria, Zhou Bai said to Jing Xiu, ¡°Jing Xiu, I have to go back to my dorm to feed my dog. You go to class first.¡± Jing Xiu didn¡¯t suspect anything and went to class. After Zhou Bai got Elsa¡¯s food and went back to the dorm, he lay down on the couch and didn¡¯t plan on going out again at all. No, I really can¡¯t keep going to class. I¡¯ll just cut the afternoon classes. Zhou Bai stroked his chin and thought, I wonder how much Laziness I can gain from cutting class? Could I earn enough points to light up the next star point in an afternoon? At this thought, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t help but smile. Suddenly, his expression changed again, and he thought, But I haven¡¯t learned how to practice Degree of Taoification yet. I¡¯m afraid it might be dangerous to add it directly. He thought about Jing Xiu, who took careful notes. Yes. I¡¯ll find a time to borrow Jing Xiu¡¯s notes. If that doesn¡¯t work, then I¡¯ll go find Old Lu after class¡­ But after recalling how Lu Chongyang went on for half an hour, Zhou Bai looked hesitant again. At that moment, Christina, who had been curled into a ball for an entire day, slowly unfurled. She stretched herself, glared at Zhou Bai, and asked, ¡°Zhou Bai! Where¡¯s my breathing method?¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Right¡ªthere are complete study resources in the library. With my current situation, I should start learning from the basics while I cut class. I can¡¯t always rely on the auxiliary practice system to add points. That makes me uneasy.¡± If he were in a tranquil world of practice, Zhou Bai might just promote himself by adding points. But in a world where the Heavenly Tao was distorted, and the higher your level of practice, the more likely you were to lose your mind, Zhou Bai felt uneasy about promoting himself purely by adding points. After lying on the dorm couch for a while, Zhou Bai saw Laziness really did increase after he cut class. Zhou Bai took Christina into his consciousness and brought her to the library to find textbooks and a breathing method. When he walked into the library, he found the entire library was divided into sections based on the level of practice. They were strictly guarded. At the door of the library was a list of safety precautions for Tao practice that covered an entire wall. Zhou Bai took them in at a glance. They all reminded practitioners not to touch knowledge that exceeded their realms recklessly. After all, the Heavenly Tao was distorted. Each promotion was like walking on ice for practitioners. Low-level practitioners coming into contact with high-level Heavenly Tao knowledge massively increased their chance of insanity and mutation. The school¡¯s library allowed students to borrow and read books freely, but made strict divisions of the type of material they were allowed to read. People like Zhou Bai could only borrow the most basic of content. But that was exactly what he wanted. Zhou Bai borrowed some of the most basic materials on Tao practice from the library. He also helped Christina pick the breathing method book with the most borrowers. Zhou Bai wanted to find a place to study in the library. That¡¯s when he realized that he couldn¡¯t study at all while cutting class, because the moment he started studying, his Laziness stopped increasing. Then should I go back? He gave it some thought. Zhou Bai decided not to return to his room. He was afraid Lu Chongyang would find out he was cutting class and look for him in his dorm. If he went back now, he¡¯d be walking right into a trap. Zhou Bai had no choice but to hold back his desire to study and to nap on the table. After Christina read the breathing method he got for her, she regained much of the breathing-related information in her memory. She sat in Zhou Bai¡¯s mind and started practicing a breathing method, silently breathing Spark, slowly increasing her primordial spirit power. Chapter 40 - Zhou Bais Study Plan Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Zhou Bai napped in the corner of the library until almost an hour after class ended. He slowly woke up from his sleep and sat up straight, yawning. When he glanced at the clock in the library, he went blank for a second. ¡°It¡¯s this late already?¡± ¡°Christina,¡± Zhou Bai said to the cat in his consciousness. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me,¡± Christina said. ¡°You¡¯re going to make me lose my mind! From now on, don¡¯t disturb me. I¡¯m going to raise my Primordial Spirit Value to ninety-nine!¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s lips twitched. He looked at the auxiliary practice system and immediately beamed with joy. Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 99 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 270 ¡°I got two hundred in the course of one afternoon.¡± Zhou Bai nodded contentedly. He took the textbook material he borrowed and left the library. ¡°If I cut class every day, I¡¯ll make tremendous progress in Tao practice.¡± Zhou Bai stroked the textbook materials in his hand, thinking to himself, Yeah, the best plan from now on is to cut class in the day and raise my Laziness. Then at night, I¡¯ll self-study, little by little. Even if I can¡¯t keep up with Jing Xiu and the rest, I won¡¯t be too much behind in terms of basic theories. Once he had a concrete plan, Zhou Bai felt even more at ease. On the way back, he had dinner and brought a bowl of rice for Elsa from the cafeteria. Once he walked into the dorm building, Zhou Bai¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°What¡¯s that smell? Why do I feel like this dorm is getting more and more stinky? Is someone pooping outside?¡± When he arrived at the door, Zhou Bai felt his heart go cold. There was a message from Lu Chongyang. ¡°Zhou Bai, I don¡¯t know what reason you have to choose this path of cutting class, but practicing Tao is ultimately the choice of one¡¯s will. I won¡¯t force you by violence. I hope you won¡¯t waste your gifts and the investment the Tao academy has made in you.¡± Reading the message on the paper, Zhou Bai felt slightly guilty. What he was doing must disappoint Lu Chongyang. He seemed to have had high hopes for him. But he couldn¡¯t not do this. Cutting class and self-studying was the method that suited Zhou Bai best. He let out a quiet sigh. Zhou Bai put the note away and walked into the room. Good thing Old Lu probably gave up trying to force me to go to class, he thought. After all, personal will is the most important thing in Tao practice. If I¡¯m being so uncooperative, there¡¯s no point in forcing me. That must be what he¡¯s thinking. He shook his head, clearing away his thoughts. Zhou Bai fed Elsa, then took out his notes and began studying the textbooks. Elsa crouched on the side obediently, watching Zhou Bai with interest. Every time Zhou Bai moved, she stood up excitedly, thinking Zhou Bai was about to play with her. But she when saw Zhou Bai immediately go back to reading, she sat down again in disappointment. Zhou Bai ardently read the textbook in his hand, thinking it was much easier to comprehend than what was taught in class today. It was a basic textbook, explaining a lot of the fundamental knowledge required for practicing Tao, such as what Spark was, how to breathe Spark, how to sense Spark, and the patterns of primordial spirit power¡ªhow to start it, related principles, sensation of primordial spirit power¡­ Studying these basic materials would greatly remedy the gaps in Zhou Bai¡¯s knowledge, allowing him to not always rely on the auxiliary system in his future journey of Tao practice to the point of creating latent issues. ¡°Aaah¡ª¡± Zhou Bai stretched his back and stood up from the chair. Unknowingly, he had studied from 6:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., nearly six hours. Zhou Bai didn¡¯t feel tired, though, thanks to the changes in his body after he practiced Tao. Zhou Bai¡¯s physique and primordial spirit had both far exceeded the standards of ordinary humans. After studying for six hours straight, he felt only a little tired. He decided to take a break and continue later. ¡°I¡¯m going to skip class during the day anyway. From now on, I¡¯ll sleep during the day and study at night.¡± Seeing Zhou Bai get up and walk around, Elsa ran up hastily, wagging her tail and gazing at Zhou Bai with anticipation. ¡°No, Elsa, I can¡¯t play with you. I¡¯m taking a short break and continuing my studies in a bit,¡± Zhou Bai said as he rubbed Elsa¡¯s head. ¡°If you have to pee, don¡¯t forget to go to the bathroom. Christina must have taught you.¡± After midnight, Zhou Bai decided to lie down and rest for a while and increase his Laziness. Then he went back to his desk and self-studied until the next morning. But in the latter half of the night, he felt a little hungry. His brain couldn¡¯t keep up either. Zhou Bai decided to go to the cafeteria. After he returned from eating, he found the room next to his was open again. In the pitch-black corridor, a man and a woman stood at the door, bathed in the bright red light. Their faces looked flushed with blood. The woman was the pale girl next door that Zhou Bai had met before. The man was a buff man with a square face and a serious expression, who was saying something to the girl. As Zhou Bai approached them, with his improved hearing and sight, he faintly overheard their conversation. ¡°Sakurako, with your current level, you won¡¯t pass the test in two months. If you can¡¯t pass, you¡¯ll be expelled.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my hardest.¡± ¡°Trying hard isn¡¯t enough. To put it frankly, Sakurako, practicing Tao requires a natural gift. Some people have a limited gift and reach their limits at twenty or thirty. The results from your last test were already¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try my hardest!¡± The square-faced man sighed. ¡°All right. I understand what you told me, and I¡¯ll make preparations. But don¡¯t force yourself. The practice of Tao cannot be forced. You should know after so many years at Tao academy.¡± The pale-faced girl bowed to the square-faced man and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± As Zhou Bai approached, the two of them suddenly turned their heads, looking at Zhou Bai without expression. Zhou Bai went blank for a moment, then said, ¡°I just came back from eating¡­you guys continue.¡± Zhou Bai returned to his room, but he didn¡¯t hear anyone speaking outside again, as if they had already left. Zhou Bai continued studying hard until the morning, then lay down on the bed and started to sleep, waiting for his Laziness to increase. But not long after he fell asleep, Zhou Bai woke up to the sound of knocking. He heard a female voice yell, ¡°Zhou Bai! When will you stop hiding? Come to class with me!¡± ¡°Who is that?¡± Zhou Bai decided to play dead but heard constant pounding on his door. The female voice shouted, ¡°Zhou Bai! If you don¡¯t come out, I¡¯m going to abort the child!¡± ¡°F*ck!¡± Zhou Bai jumped out of his bed. He had no choice but to put on his clothes and open the door. Chapter 41 - Practicing Tao Means Not Being Distracted by External Factors Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio When he opened the door, Zhou Bai saw a red-haired girl in a black track suit standing at his door. She was less than 1.4 meters tall and stared at him with an upset expression. ¡°You¡¯re¡­Shirley?¡± Zhou Bai remembered who she was. The girl, who looked to be only 14 or 15, was one of the students in the entering class whose Primordial Spirit Value reached 99. She ranked tenth in the entrance exam. Although she ranked tenth, Shirley was too young, so from another perspective, she might have a greater gift for practicing Tao than the rest of them. Shirley said to Zhou Bai, ¡°Teacher Lu told me to come to get you to class¡­¡± Zhou Bai gave it some thought, then slammed the door shut. Shirley pounded the door furiously. ¡°Zhou Bai! Get out! Did you hear me? ¡°If you don¡¯t come out, I¡¯m going to abort the child!¡± Zhou Bai stuffed tissues into his ears, then lay down on the bed to continue sleeping. He heard others discussing him outside, and he reminded himself, Inner demons, they¡¯re all inner demons! Don¡¯t try to disrupt my practice. Shirley pounded on the door for another ten minutes, but at least didn¡¯t break the school¡¯s dorm door. Seeing class was about to start, Shirley kicked the door a few times and yelled at Zhou Bai before she left. ¡°B*stard!¡± ¡°Idiot!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so angry!¡± Hearing her leave, Zhou Bai let out a sigh of relief, then fell into a deep slumber. He slept until dusk, when a starving Elsa leaped on him and licked him awake. ¡°Zhou¡­Bai¡­ ¡°I¡¯m¡­hungry¡­¡± ¡°All right, all right. I¡¯ll get you food right now.¡± Zhou Bai glanced at this auxiliary practice system. Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 99 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 850 ¡°Not bad. Looks like I can light up the third star point by tomorrow.¡± Zhou Bai headed to the cafeteria to eat and bring food for Elsa, but Shirley intercepted him on the way there. ¡°Zhou Bai! Why aren¡¯t you going to class?¡± Shirley pointed at him and said, ¡°Do you know what your place at this school represents? Do you know how many people are silently making sacrifices out there so that we can have the time and resources to practice? And yet look at what you¡¯re doing.¡± Zhou Bai could only pretend like she didn¡¯t exist. After all, she was trying to persuade him to go to class out of good intentions. He could only silently eat and silently go back to his room. Seeing Zhou Bai ignore her, Shirley yelled angrily, ¡°Zhou Bai! You big b*stard!!¡± After he returned to his room, he continued to self-study. Zhou Bai read through the basic textbook materials on his desk, writing and drawing in his notebook now and then, taking notes. Since he was already bearing the blame anyway, Zhou Bai held his breath too. Aside from gaining Laziness points every day, he would also need a solid foundation and to bridge all the gaps in his Tao practice knowledge. ¡°The understanding of differentiation of five elements in Spark¡­is an abstract concept, rather than actual matter such as water and fire¡­¡± He self-studied for another night. The next day, seeing the break of dawn illuminated by the artificial light, Zhou Bai exhaled and got into bed. ¡°The Laziness I get during the day should be enough to light the next star point.¡± So he slept until that night. When Zhou Bai opened his eyes, he read the auxiliary practice system board with anticipation. Laziness had reached 1,360. ¡°Great!¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes lit up, immediately focusing his consciousness on the Taiyi Disc, injecting 1,200 points of Laziness into the third star point. Fragmentary-Skin: Changes nature of skin and flesh, increases surface ability to withstand attacks. Method of Practice: (Zhou Bai skipped over this) Laziness (0/1,200) As he injected Laziness, Zhou Bai felt an incredible itch, as if countless ants and bugs were crawling under his skin, biting him endlessly. Just as Zhou Bai was about to scratch himself, the skin on his body quickly split open, bled, withered, and fell off. Like a giant snake shedding its skin, the skin on Zhou Bai¡¯s body turned into layers of arid cuticles, dropping to the floor. Very soon, all the skin on his body had been replaced. It had a faint black glow that gave off an inhuman aura. But as time passed, this aura went away. Zhou Bai took a deep breath, slowly standing up. He looked at his skin and pressed it with force. It seemed to be more durable. Next, he tried punching his own chest and felt like his body was being protected by an invisible armor. His skin itself was also as tough as rhino skin, more resilient than before. When Zhou Bai punched himself with 50% force, he could barely feel any pain. Only after he punched with 70% force did he feel like the invisible barrier was broken, but the rest of the punch was blocked by his skin as well. Then he punched with 90% force. That finally broke through his own barrier and slightly damaged his chest muscles and bones. This level of defensive power¡­Zhou Bai thought to himself. Cold weapons that normal people use are probably no longer of concern. By now, Zhou Bai had gone through three stages of enhancement with Fragmentary, Fragmentary-Foundation, and Fragmentary-Skin. His physical abilities would be that of a little superhero on earth. If he were born in ancient China, he would be a peerless general mightier than 10,000 men. If you counted his 99 points of primordial spirit power too, then normal guns might also be useless against him. ¡°Although my physique has been continuously enhanced, my primordial spirit power is still stronger in terms of combat capacity. But if I enhance my physique, then at least I won¡¯t get easily injured in battle.¡± Zhou Bai was happy about the enhancements of his body, so he looked at the next star point. Fragmentary-Bone: Transform the bone marrow, enhance quality of bones, strengthen physical power. Method of Practice: (Zhou Bai skipped over this) Laziness (0/1,600) Seeing the 1,600-point Laziness requirement, Zhou Bai let out a sigh of relief. At least it didn¡¯t multiply. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have nearly enough. In the following few days, Zhou Bai continued his routine of cutting class during the day and self-studying during the night. Shirley, who tried to convince him to go to class, slowly lost hope in him and stopped coming. Zhou Bai immersed himself in his practice. *** ¡°Teacher! Zhou Bai is completely beyond salvation!¡± Shirley stood in a courtyard. Lu Chongyang was controlling clouds of steam on the side, watering the herbs in the courtyard with them. Shirley shouted, ¡°I asked the residential adviser. This guy stays in his room all day, and he goes out to eat at midnight every day. He never comes out during the day. His schedule must be totally inverted, and he¡¯s just wasting his life away!¡± When he heard this, Lu Chongyang frowned. He couldn¡¯t understand why Zhou Bai was skipping class at all, given his gift and comprehension capacity. Could he be dealing with some sort of problem? Shirley continued. ¡°And skipping class every day is affecting the other students too! Many of the students in our class are unhappy with him and think he¡¯s wasting resources and his place at school!¡± Chapter 42 - Overturn Heaven Shirley said, ¡°We should just expel students who cut class like this!¡± Lu Chongyang said with a low voice, ¡°If he can¡¯t pass the test in two months, he¡¯ll naturally get expelled.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Lu Chongyang said, ¡°Tao academy has its own rules. He ranked first in the entrance exam. Sometimes geniuses have strange personalities. Two months is not a long time. We¡¯ll give it to him. If he¡¯s really beyond salvation, he¡¯ll naturally get expelled by that time.¡± Shirley¡¯s lips twitched. She was still unhappy about it. She clenched her fists and said unwillingly, ¡°My dad and mom are still fighting on the front line. They haven¡¯t come back for the New Year in five years. ¡°It¡¯s frontline warriors like that who fight day and night to buy us the time to practice. ¡°The civilians fifteen hundred meters below us have to pinch and scrape every day to have the resources we use to practice. ¡°I¡¯ll never approve of people like Zhou Bai who waste their slot at Tao academy!¡± Watching Shirley leave, Lu Chongyang let out a sigh. ¡°Zhou Bai, you¡¯ve really given me a tough problem.¡± *** Zhou Bai didn¡¯t know about the school¡¯s and students¡¯ attitude toward him, but he knew it couldn¡¯t be anything good. He could only pour his whole heart and soul into his studies so that he could have the opportunity to prove himself in the future. That night, Zhou Bai self-studied until almost midnight. He was going to take a break and wait for the 200 points of Laziness of the new day. He looked at Christina, curled up in a ball, in his mind. Ever since she¡¯d obtained the advanced breathing method, she¡¯d been in this practice mode. She hadn¡¯t gotten up a single time. Even the cat is working so hard, he thought. I can¡¯t fall behind. A moment later, the second it passed midnight, thumping sounds came from next door again, but Zhou Bai ignored them In the past few days, after midnight every day, thumping noises would come from next door. Zhou Bai didn¡¯t know what was going on, but he was immersed in his studies, so he didn¡¯t waste his time checking it out. But this time, the thumping seemed to be more violent than any other time in the past. It seemed to be accompanied by the crisp sound of cracking, as if something were snapping. Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t help looking in that direction, but he didn¡¯t see anything. Yet the thumping noise came again, and it felt even closer than before, as if it was inside his room. Zhou Bai turned over suddenly, his primordial spirit rolling, his body tightening, instantly raising his guard. After experiencing so many dangers, Zhou Bai was cautious. The pounding sounds suddenly disappeared, as if nothing had happened. *** Thump. Jian Xing frowned. He seemed to hear something. Thump-thump. He heard it clearly this time. Was someone knocking on the wall? Thump-thump-thump. Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump! The knocking got faster and faster, more and more aggressive, like the beating of a drum. Just as he was about to get up to take a look at what was going on, he heard the crisp noise of cracking, as if the wall was broken through. His eyes widened. He wanted to get up, but felt a strange power bind his entire body. He couldn¡¯t move or open his mouth. The thumping sound came again, but this time, it was from under his bed. A wispy voice came up. ¡°Are you asleep? ¡°Did you fall asleep?¡± As he listened to that wispy voice, Jian Xing¡¯s eyes widened with fear and shock. He opened his mouth to scream, but he couldn¡¯t make a single sound. The next moment, in Jian Xing¡¯s vision, a strange black shadow slowly crawled out from beneath his bed. It put a pitch-black palm on the bed, slowly feeling its way toward Jian Xing¡¯s shoulder. The black palm looked rather peculiar; it had a slight curve to it, like long twigs. It reached out from Jian Xing¡¯s shoulder to his entire body. Jian Xing felt the shadow cover his body, It became heavier and heavier. Terror flashed in his eyes. *** After another night of studying, Zhou Bai was planning on going straight to sleep. But he saw Elsa¡¯s expression of longing and thought about how he had been immersed in his studies every day, and Elsa could only lie on the side with boredom. He decided to bring Elsa out for some food and to walk her. Seeing Zhou Bai pick up the leash, Elsa jumped up in excitement, dashing in circles around Zhou Bai. Finally, she put her head into the leash. Seeing what Elsa did, Zhou Bai didn¡¯t know how to feel about it. He stroked her head and said, ¡°Elsa, why are you becoming more and more like a dog? Don¡¯t be like a dog. Remember, you¡¯re a human.¡± Elsa gazed at Zhou Bai with a blank expression, unsure if she¡¯d understood what he said. Zhou Bai walked Elsa around. On his way back to the dorm, he saw one dorm building with many people gathered outside it. Zhou Bai frowned. He didn¡¯t want to approach at first, but noticed many people in his class were over there. He walked over. Soon he saw someone covered in a white sheet and being carried out of the dorm. ¡°What the hell? Was there an incident?¡± Zhou Bai watched this scene in shock. Then he heard someone say quietly, ¡°I think someone died.¡± Another person said, ¡°Yeah, someone died. I heard it¡¯s a student from the new class. They got attacked by something.¡± ¡°How is that possible? How can you get attacked in Tao academy?¡± ¡°How isn¡¯t it possible?¡± That person scoffed. ¡°Did you forget what happened five years ago?¡± Zhou Bai frowned. He saw Lu Chongyang rush over too. He looked at the corpse on the stretcher with an overcast expression. Another person was carried out of the dorm building. It was Jian Xing, who was covered in blood and injured all over. He opened his eyes and glanced at Lu Chongyang before he passed out. Then Lu Chongyang took him away. Zhou Bai said, ¡°Someone was attacked in Tao academy? What in the world happened?¡± He saw Jing Xiu standing not far away. Zhou Bai walked over and asked, ¡°Jing Xiu, you¡¯re here too?¡± Jing Xiu looked at Zhou Bai with surprise, ¡°Brother Zhou, you¡¯re finally out?¡± Zhou Bai smiled awkwardly. He didn¡¯t answer Jing Xiu¡¯s question. Instead, he asked, ¡°What happened here? Do you know, Jing Xiu?¡± Jing Xiu nodded and said, ¡°Two students in our class got attacked. Sun Chuan, who got seventh place in the entrance exam, died. Jian Xing, who placed fourth, was deeply injured and is now unconscious.¡± Jing Xiu said with a somewhat solemn expression, ¡°I heard there were marks of Overturn Heaven Cult at the scene.¡± Overturn Heaven Cult? Zhou Bai thought to himself. I¡¯ve never heard of it¡­ Jing Xiu sighed, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect Overturn Heaven¡¯s forces to spread into the Tao academies. Brother Zhou, you must be careful too. By the way¡­¡± As she spoke, Jing Xiu reached into her backpack and took out a notebook, handing it to Zhou Bai, ¡°Brother Zhou, here are the notes I¡¯ve been taking in class. Take a look at them.¡± ¡°Jing Xiu¡­¡± Zhou Bai didn¡¯t expect her to remember this still. Jing Xiu said seriously, ¡°Brother Zhou, I know you have an extraordinary gift and comprehension capacity, but my dad always tells me, even if you have amazing comprehension, you still have to listen to lectures. You must learn from others¡¯ experiences when you practice Tao. You can¡¯t just do everything alone. Come back to class soon.¡± Zhou Bai nodded. ¡°Your dad is right. You go to class, watch out, and stay safe. As for me¡­it¡¯s not time for me to go to class yet.¡± Chapter 43 - Call the Police Jing Xiu found it strange. ¡°Not time for you to go to class?¡± Zhou Bai sighed and said, ¡°Sigh, it¡¯s because you guys are simply¡­too far behind me!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Zhou Bai told her all the excuses he thought of. ¡°The contents you learn in class are too shallow and boring for me. They¡¯re so boring that I fell asleep. I can¡¯t help it. Going to class is a waste of time for me. It¡¯s better if I study on my own.¡± ¡°Is¡­is that so?¡± Jing Xiu looked at Zhou Bai skeptically. ¡°Brother Zhou isn¡¯t going to class because you¡¯re too far ahead of us?¡± Zhou Bai waved his hand, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t take it to heart. It¡¯s normal that you guys can¡¯t keep up with geniuses like me. It¡¯s enough for you to keep improving on the path of practicing Tao.¡± Jing Xiu suspected the truth in Zhou Bai¡¯s words, but became convinced when she recalled the gift he exhibited during the exam. Seeing her expression, Zhou Bai knew she was still skeptical, but that was enough. Although he cut class every day, with the help of Laziness, his improvements had been tremendous. In less than a week¡¯s time, he finished practicing three star points on the Taiyi Disc. His future level of practice would increase rapidly as well. He couldn¡¯t expose the auxiliary practice system. The only thing he could do was to pretend he was a genius. That was also an excuse for cutting class. Of course, with these short words, his classmates and teachers naturally wouldn¡¯t believe him. But he was going to study at Tao academy for a long time. As long as he could show them the fruit of his practice and deepen his impression as a genius, they¡¯d have to believe him sooner or later. Zhou Bai asked, ¡°What¡¯s the Overturn Heaven Cult you just mentioned?¡± ¡°Overturn Heaven Cult is an organization that opposes Paradise¡­¡± as she spoke, Jing Xiu, who had always been amiable, took on a faint expression of disgust. ¡°They¡¯re a bunch of lunatics. They want to overthrow Paradise and are completely unrestrained. They even kill civilians.¡± Zhou Bai nodded. It was just an anti-governmental weaponized force, and apparently the kind that attacked civilians and students. But if an organization like this could kill in Tao academy, it showed the organization wan¡¯t weak, and Tao academy wasn¡¯t as safe as they had imagined. What a turbulent world. At this thought, Zhou Bai went blank for a second, recalling his next-door neighbor. The girl next door seems suspicious. Zhou Bai recalled the events that happened next door, especially the pounding sounds that spread into his room last night. With my current primordial spirit power, it¡¯s unlikely I had a hallucination. Which means¡­there really have been abnormal things happening, Zhou Bai thought to himself, Although I¡¯m unsure if it has to do with Overturn Heaven Cult, it might very likely be unrelated, but still¡­ When Zhou Bai recalled the old man¡¯s mutation, his face fell. Zhou Bai gave it some thought. Safety should come first; he shouldn¡¯t let it go on. So after he bid goodbye to Jing Xiu, he went to the public phone booth in the Tao academy and took out the contact information Officer Li Xiu Zhu had left him. The humans in this world hadn¡¯t popularized mobile phones yet. It was said that the military and higher-level strong individuals had the Taoist technology for mobile communication, but clearly Zhou Bai didn¡¯t have that power. So he went to the public phone booth and called Li Xiuzhu. Approximately one hour later, Zhou Bai saw Li Xiuzhu, dressed in a black jacket and sweatpants like a student, outside his dorm building. Li Xiuzhu walked in front of Zhou Bai and smiled, but what he said was very serious, ¡°What did you discover?¡± Zhou Bai gave it some thought, then told him about everything that had happened next door. Li Xiuzhu fell into thought for a while, then asked, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell the teachers?¡± Zhou Bai remembered the conversation he overheard a few days ago. He said, ¡°The girl next door seems to be at risk of being expelled. If I told the teachers, but it was a wrong suspicion, it would probably affect her practice. So I gave it some consideration and decided to tell you first. Can we try to investigate the truth without making too much of a commotion?¡± Seeing how silent Li Xiuzhu was, Zhou Bai added, ¡°If you can¡¯t, then never mind. After all, safety comes first. If she really mutated, we must stop her as soon as possible¡­¡± Li Xiuzhu smiled and signaled Zhou Bai to stop. ¡°It¡¯s good that you can consider so much. You¡¯re not as reckless as you appear. Let¡¯s go; let¡¯s take a look at what¡¯s going on.¡± Seeing Li Xiuzhu head toward the dorm, Zhou Bai ran up and said, ¡°Just the two of us? Don¡¯t we have to make any preparations? I mean¡­do you want to call your colleagues?¡± ¡°Rest assured, rest assured,¡± Li Xiuzhu said calmly, ¡°Don¡¯t judge me by my appearance. I¡¯m very strong. This might not even be a mutation. Donghua Tao Academy is Donghua Tao Academy after all. If a student really mutated here, the chances that they can fool the teachers are way too low.¡± Zhou Bai nodded and followed Li Xiuzhu. Li Xiuzhu came with Zhou Bai to the dorm next to his. Li Xiuzhu placed a hand on the door. Primordial spirit power seeped out of his body, extending into the room through the door gap. After learning basic Tao knowledge, Zhou Bai was no longer clueless about Tao practice. He could sense the existence of others¡¯ primordial spirit power. Watching Li Xiuzhu do this, he thought to himself, Such delicate manipulation. If it were me, I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to make my primordial spirit power go through the door gap without damaging the door. Li Xiuzhu used his primordial spirit power to probe around for a while, a hint of surprise on his face. He thought for a bit and said, ¡°There¡¯s a formation set up inside. It¡¯s blocking my primordial spirit power¡¯s senses. ¡°This formation¡­is somewhat peculiar. I don¡¯t recognize it. If I try to intervene by force, it might break the formation. Without ample evidence, I suggest we don¡¯t break other people¡¯s things. They might be very precious to them.¡± ¡°Then what do we do?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say the abnormal phenomena occur at night?¡± Li Xiuzhu said with a smile. ¡°Do you mind if I sleep with you tonight?¡± So the two of them decided on a time to meet that night. Zhou Bai returned to his room to cut class and sleep. Li Xiuzhu went back to work, waiting to return that night. He slept through the entire day. After he woke up, Zhou Bai looked at the board of the auxiliary practice system. Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 99 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 1,660 ¡°Great! I can light up the next star point.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes beamed, focusing his attention on the fourth star point on the outermost layer of the Taiyi Disc. Chapter 44 - The Fifth Star Point Fragmentary-Bone: Transform the bone marrow, enhance quality of bones, strengthen physical power. Method of Practice: (Zhou Bai skipped over this) Laziness (0/1,600) As he injected 1,600 points of Laziness onto the fourth star point, Zhou Bai felt a stabbing pain in all the bones in his body. He nearly let out a scream. If he practiced at a normal speed, practicing Fragmentary-Bone required completely transforming the bone structure, changing out the marrow, and altering the bones to make the body more durable and resilient. For normal practitioners, changing the bone structure little by little could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Since bones included the skull, it must be practiced with caution. But Zhou Bai injected 1,600 points of Laziness in an instant and needed to complete the transformation over a few minutes, so the process was accompanied by excruciating pain. Watching Zhou Bai fall on the floor and convulse, his face pallid, Elsa ran around frantically, continuously barking. At that moment, all the bones in Zhou Bai¡¯s body felt like they were shattered inch by inch and then reconstructed. The pain was so unbearable he couldn¡¯t even make a sound. Just as he thought he was about to die, at the point of extreme pain, his brain chose to protect itself out of instinct. Zhou Bai passed out. A long time later, with a wet sensation on his face and a tingling sensation all over his body, Zhou Bai slowly opened his eyes. Holy cr*p¡­almost died from the pain. Zhou Bai stood up and rubbed Elsa¡¯s head. Then he moved his body. He felt like all the bones in his body were itching, wanting to vent. Thump! Thump! He made a few casual punches and kicks. Zhou Bai could feel his physical strength get intensify again. His punches and kicks felt heavier¡ªno, his entire body felt heavier than before. Were my bones transformed? he wondered. Zhou Bai gave it some thought, then made a few more punches, feeling the change in his body. My strength improved again, but because my bones got heavier, I couldn¡¯t tell at first, he thought. My bones strengthened, so they must be more resilient now. Too bad I don¡¯t have any equipment to test how much force I can exert. Although he couldn¡¯t test the specific force, after Zhou Bai became familiar with his body, he estimated that he had the strength to overturn a small car. With his current bone strength, in addition to the enhancement of his skin, one punch could probably break through the wall, and the reaction force wouldn¡¯t even hurt him. ¡°Hehe, after around a week, I finished practicing four of the nine stars on the outermost layer of the Taiyi Disc. Everyone else must be so far behind me.¡± Suppressing his enthusiasm, Zhou Bai looked at the fifth star point on the disc. Sumeru: Stand like iron, sit like steel, lie like a mountain. Adjusts the perception of Spark around the body depending on posture in order to form a defensive barrier. Method of Practice: (Zhou Bai skipped over this) Laziness (0/2,200) This description¡­Zhou Bai went blank for a second, then came to a realization: This means that my defense gets stronger when I go from standing to sitting to lying down? Is this a joke? My defense is strongest when I lie down? Does that mean I have to fight on my back in the future? When Zhou Bai added star points before, he found it rather strange. After all, his Divine Map wasn¡¯t one of the nine basic Divine Maps. The star points to practice on there were also completely different from the nine Divine Maps. His Divine Map was Deva Nine Disasters. Even his auxiliary practice system¡¯s full name was Deva Nine Disasters Auxiliary Practice System. And the first of the nine disasters was Sloth. But after practicing four star points, he didn¡¯t feel like they had anything to do with Deva Nine Disasters or Sloth. He only felt himself getting buffer. But now, he understood. So it was waiting for me all this time, he thought. Zhou Bai looked at the new star point, Sumeru. He didn¡¯t know how to feel about it. It¡¯s stronger, but lying down during combat is a little too¡­ Wait, if I¡¯m stronger lying down, then doesn¡¯t that mean¡­ Ugh, I wonder if the later star points will be even more¡­ Zhou Bai frowned, suddenly having a bad feeling in his stomach. But it was useless to think about it now. The fifth star point demanded 2,200 points of Laziness. Zhou Bai probably needed to work hard for an entire week to get that. He made up his mind: Never mind, I¡¯ll study. Zhou Bai sat back at his desk, planning on studying while he waited for Li Xiuzhu to arrive. But after a while, he felt like he couldn¡¯t study anymore. Ideas popped into his mind. I¡¯ve been working hard for so many days, how about I take a break? I¡¯ve practiced up to the fourth star point on the zeroth level of the Divine Map. I probably surpassed the others by a lot; what¡¯s wrong with taking a break? With my current progress, even if I took a day or two off, I would probably still be way ahead of them. No, I can¡¯t slack off. I have to persevere! Zhou Bai shook his head violently. He knew it was bad. His illness was acting up. Intermittent exertion syndrome was an illness that usually acted up after one to five days of ardent study. Symptoms lasted anywhere from a day to a year. A terminal illness, once it acted up, the patient needed extremely strong willpower to fight against the illness for the rest of their life. Sigh! After working so hard all this time, it should be fine to relax for a bit. As he thought about this, Zhou Bai stood up from the desk and unknowingly reclined on the couch. A few minutes later¡­ I¡¯m so bored¡­ No phone! No laptop! No Internet! I can¡¯t do anything¡­ But I still don¡¯t want to study. Laziness +1 ¡°Huh?¡± Zhou Bai thought he was hallucinating. Laziness +1 Laziness +1 Laziness +1 Laziness +1 Laziness +1 Seeing Laziness rise endlessly, he knew that he wasn¡¯t hallucinating. Laziness was increasing! What is going on? Could it be¡­ A long time later, after Zhou Bai repeatedly experimented, he finally understood the mechanisms. After studying for consecutive days with resolution, if he suddenly became lazy and didn¡¯t study, his Laziness would increase. Watching Laziness rise continuously, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t help shaking his head and exclaiming, ¡°I just wanted to relax, but even now my level of practice is increasing. I¡¯m really just a prodigy. Donghua Tao Academy, you¡¯ve found yourself a treasure.¡± On the side, Elsa looked at Zhou Bai with her head cocked. She didn¡¯t understand what he was doing. So Zhou Bai just lay on the couch righteously, watching his Laziness rise little by little. It gradually increased slower and slower. He lay down until almost midnight. Laziness had stopped increasing half an hour ago. Zhou Bai gained nearly 200 points of Laziness. Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 99 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 250 Seeing it was about to turn midnight, yet Li Xiuzhu still didn¡¯t appear, Zhou Bai furrowed his brows. Why isn¡¯t he here yet? he wondered. Did this guy stand me up? Just as Zhou Bai thought this, the pounding sounds on the wall from next door came again. Crack¡­. Fragmentary-Bone: Transform the bone marrow, enhance quality of bones, strengthen physical power. Method of Practice: (Zhou Bai skipped over this) Laziness (0/1600) As he injected 1600 points of Laziness onto the fourth star point, Zhou Bai felt a stabbing pain in all the bones in his body. He nearly let out a screaming. If he practiced at a normal speed, practicing Fragmentary-Bone requires completely transforming the bone structure, changing out marrow, and altering the bones to make the body more durable and resilient. For normal practitioners, changing the bone structure little by little could take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Since bones included the skull, it must be practiced with caution. But Zhou Bai injected 1600 points of Laziness in an instant and needs to complete the transformation over the course of a few minutes, so the process was accompanied by excruciating pain. Watching Zhou Bai fall on the floor and continuously convulse, his face pallid, Elsa ran around frantically, continuously barking. At that moment, all the bones in Zhou Bai¡¯s body felt like they were shattered inch by inch and then reconstructed. The pain was so unbearable he couldn¡¯t even make a sound. Just as he thought he was about to die, at the point of extreme pain, his brain chose to protect itself out of instinct. Zhou Bai passed out. A long time later, with a wet sensation on his face and a tingling sensation all over his body, Zhou Bai slowly opened his eyes. ¡°Holy cr*p¡­almost died from the pain.¡± Zhou Bai stood up and rubbed Elsa¡¯s head. Then he moved his body, he felt like all the bones in his body were itching, wanting to vent. Thump! Thump! He made a few casual punches and kicks. Zhou Bai could feel his physical strength got stronger again. His punches and kicks felt heavier¨C no, his entire body felt heavier than before. ¡°Were my bones transformed?¡± Zhou Bai gave it some thought, then made a few more punches, feeling the change in his body. ¡°My strength improved again, but because my bones got heavier, I couldn¡¯t tell at first.¡± My bones strengthened, so they must be more resilient now.¡± ¡°Too bad I don¡¯t have any equipment to test how much force I can exert.¡± Although he couldn¡¯t test the specific force, after Zhou Bai became familiar with his body, he estimated that he had the strength to overthrow a small car. With his current bone strength, in addition to the enhancement of his skin, one punch could probably break through the wall, and he wouldn¡¯t even be hurt by the reaction force. ¡°Hehe, after around a week, I finished practicing four of the nine stars on the outermost layer of the Taiyi Disc. Everyone else must be so far behind me.¡± Suppressing his enthusiasm, Zhou Bai looked at the fifth star point on the disc. Sumeru: Stand like iron, sit like steel, lie like a mountain. Adjusts the perception of Spark around the body depending on posture in order to form a defensive barrier. Method of Practice: (Zhou Bai skipped over this) Laziness (0/2200) ¡°This description¡­.¡± Zhou Bai went blank for a second, then came to realization, ¡°This means that my defense gets stronger when I go from standing to sitting to lying down?¡± ¡°Is this a joke???¡± ¡°My defense is strongest when I lie down?¡± ¡°Does that mean I have to fight on my back in the future??¡± When Zhou Bai added star points before, he found it rather strange. After all, his Divine Map wasn¡¯t one of the nine basic Divine Maps. The star points to practice on there were also completely different from the nine Divine Maps. His Divine Map was Deva Nine Disasters. Even his auxiliary practice system¡¯s full name was Deva Nine Disasters Auxiliary Practice System. And the first of the nine disasters was Sloth. But after practicing four star points, he didn¡¯t feel like they had anything to do with Deva Nine Disasters or Sloth. He only felt himself getting buffer. But now, he understood. ¡°So it was waiting for me all this time.¡± Zhou Bai looked at the new star point, Sumeru. He didn¡¯t know how to feel about it. ¡°It¡¯s stronger, but lying down during combat is a little too¡­¡± ¡°Wait, if I¡¯m stronger lying down, then doesn¡¯t that mean¡­¡± ¡°Ugh, I wonder if the later star points will be even more¡­¡± Zhou Bai frowned, suddenly having a bad feeling in his stomach. But it was useless to think about it now. The fifth star point demanded 2200 points of Laziness. Zhou Bai probably needs to work hard for an entire week to get that. ¡°Nevermind, I¡¯ll study.¡± Zhou Bai sat back at his desk, planning on studying while he waited for Li Xiuzhu to arrive. But after a while, he felt like he couldn¡¯t study anymore. Ideas popped into his mind. ¡°I¡¯ve been working hard for so many days, how about I take a break?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve practiced up to the fourth star point on the zeroth level of the Divine Map, I probably surpassed the others by a lot, what¡¯s wrong with taking a break?¡± ¡°With my current progress, even if I took a day or two off, I would probably still be way ahead of them.¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t slack off, I have to persevere!!¡± Zhou Bai shook his head violently. He knew it was bad, his illness was acting up. Intermittent inexertion syndrome, an illness that usually acts up after one to five days of ardent studying. Symptoms last anywhere from a day to a year. A terminal illness, once it acts up, the patient needs extremely strong willpower to fight against the illness for the rest of their lives. ¡°Sigh, after working so hard all this time, it should be fine to relax for a bit.¡± As he thought about this, Zhou Bai already stood up from the desk and unknowingly reclined on the couch. A few minutes later¡­ ¡°I¡¯m so bored¡­.¡± ¡°No phone! No laptop! No internet!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do anything¡­¡± ¡°But I still don¡¯t want to study.¡± Laziness +1 ¡°Huh?¡± Zhou Bai thought he was hallucinating. Laziness +1 Laziness +1 Laziness +1 Laziness +1 Laziness +1 Seeing Laziness rise endlessly, he knew that he wasn¡¯t hallucinating. Laziness was increasing!! ¡°What is going on? Could it be¡­¡± A long time later, after Zhou Bai repeatedly experimented, he finally understood the mechanisms. After studying for consecutive days with resolution, if he suddenly becomes lazy and doesn¡¯t study, his Laziness will increase. Watching Laziness rise continuously, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t help shaking his head and exclaiming, ¡°I just wanted to relax, but even now my level of practice is increasing. I¡¯m really just a prodigy. Donghua Tao Academy, you¡¯ve found yourself a treasure.¡± On the side, Elsa looked at Zhou Bai with her head cocked. She didn¡¯t understand what he was doing. So Zhou Bai just lay on the couch righteously, watching his Laziness rise little by little. It gradually increased slower and slower. He lay down until almost midnight, Laziness stopped increasing half an hour ago. Zhou Bai gained nearly 200 points of Laziness. Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 99 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 250 Seeing it was about to turn 12, yet Li Xiuzhu still didn¡¯t appear, Zhou Bai furrowed his brows. ¡°Why isn¡¯t he here yet? Did this guy stand me up?¡± Just as Zhou Bai thought this, the pounding sounds on the wall from next door came again. Crack¡­. Chapter 45 - Paper Illusion When he heard the sudden clamor, Zhou Bai shot up from his bed. He looked in the direction the sound came from but saw the wall was completely undamaged. However, Zhou Bai didn¡¯t let down his guard at all, because the moment he heard the sound, a strong stench suddenly filled the room, making him extremely alert. Zhou Bai¡¯s first thought wasn¡¯t to fight. Instead, he walked over to his door and wanted to go outside. After all, this was Donghua Tao Academy. If he encountered some monster, the best retaliation was to call for help immediately. But when Zhou Bai put his hand on the doorknob, his heart skipped a beat. The door was locked. Zhou Bai used his primordial spirit power without hesitation. He smashed the wooden door with a strength that could overturn a small car. But with a loud bang, the wooden door remained in place, completely undamaged. ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°Given this wooden door¡¯s quality, my primordial spirit power should be able to break through it instantaneously!¡± Zhou Bai widened his eyes, and all the power in his body burst. His bones shook, his muscles twisted, his body collided into the door again with primordial spirit power. With a loud boom, the door continued to remain unmoved, but his body was nearly numb from the impact. Theoretically, after he made such a big commotion, someone should have come. But it remained tranquil inside the room and even in the corridor outside, as if he were in an alternate world, completely isolated from the outside. Zhou Bai frowned, inspecting the situation inside the room. This is bad, he said to himself. This sort of measure is probably way beyond the range of what I can fight. Li Xiuzhu is so unreliable. I hope he¡¯s just late and not standing me up. At that moment, the stink in the air got stronger and stronger. Elsa suddenly started barking loudly in the direction of the bathroom door. Zhou Bai turned to look in the direction of the bathroom. The students at Donghua Tao Academy had living conditions that were all pretty good. They each had an independent bathroom in their rooms. But seeing Elsa bark wildly like that, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t help suspecting something was hiding inside the bathroom. Just as he was thinking that, he heard a loud thump. The closed bathroom door shook. ¡°Something¡¯s in there!¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He shouted to Christina, who was curled in a ball in his mind, ¡°Stupid cat! Hurry up and wake up! Something¡¯s really wrong here!¡± But Christina was unresponsive. She was still curled up in a ball, floating in Zhou Bai¡¯s mind. But the pounding on the bathroom door got louder and more urgent, as if something was ramming against the door, wanting to enter from the bathroom. Zhou Bai hastily pulled Elsa behind him. His brows furrowed as he quickly thought of a plan to deal with the situation. ¡°No, this sort of measure of completely isolating my small room is too peculiar. It¡¯s way beyond my current level. Against measures like this, I have no way to retaliate¡­ Wait¡­no way to retaliate? Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes narrowed as he thought, If they can manage something like this, killing me would be like slaughtering a pig. Then why are they being so roundabout and scaring me by ramming things? They could just kill me with a single Tao technique. Unless¡­they¡¯re not as powerful as they seem. Zhou Bai gradually calmed down, thinking about the things he¡¯d learned recently. ¡°All Tao processes can be traced,¡± he said. Zhou Bai tried to perceive the changes in Spark around him according to the methods described in the basic textbook materials. Formless, colorless ripples glimmered in his eyes. When he looked at the entire room again, he found that everything he saw had a hazy veil over it. ¡°No¡­¡± Zhou Bai glanced at Elsa and realized her body didn¡¯t have a single hint of Spark. She looked like an ordinary dog. ¡°Something¡¯s off. Could this be¡­a delusion?¡± He recalled the delusion during the second round of the entrance exam. In order to prove his suspicion, Zhou Bai lay down on the floor. Theoretically, it should be past midnight now. If I lie down, Laziness should increase, but¡­ Zhou Bai saw that Laziness didn¡¯t change on his board and came to a realization: It¡¯s really just a delusion. I can¡¯t even tell if I¡¯m lying down or not without the board. It looks like it¡¯s a very powerful delusion. Zhou Bai raised an eyebrow. The basic textbook materials also explained delusions. So-called delusions are ways of using Spark to affect sensory perception. Whether it is a delusion or not, I just have to make a judgment. Zhou Bai operated his primordial spirit, directing his power to sprawl out of his body. He immediately felt the difference. Primordial spirit power can directly perceive Spark. Zhou Bai used primordial spirit power to touch the surrounding matter. He immediately felt the air was brimming with lively Spark, way exceeding the room¡¯s normal conditions. They even distorted his primordial spirit power¡¯s senses. So it really is a delusion. Zhou Bai looked at the bathroom door that was getting quieter and quieter. Then are all these measures just to terrify me? As he contemplated, Zhou Bai became calmer and calmer. He saw the ramming against the bathroom door slow down too, then finally stop and cease to move. Zhou Bai let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Seems like I was right.¡± The next moment, Zhou Bai felt the entire world shake, followed by waves of swaying. He intuitively closed his eyes. ¡°Zhou Bai? Are you awake?¡± Zhou Bai opened his eyes and saw Li Xiuzhu standing in front of him with an overcast expression. He had a deep frown on his face. ¡°You¡¯re here?¡± Zhou Bai said. ¡°I was just pulled into a delusion before. I¡­¡± Li Xiuzhu said, ¡°I know. I stopped them; that¡¯s why the delusion you were in got resolved.¡± ¡°Them? The person next door?¡± Li Xiuzhu nodded. ¡°I suppose. You¡¯ll understand once you take a glance.¡± Zhou Bai froze for a moment. Li Xiuzhu didn¡¯t appear to be in a good mood. He walked out of the room and looked at the room next door. He saw the door to that room was now open. A crimson light shot out of it, illuminating Zhou Bai in red. A stench hit their noses. Zhou Bai finally knew where the smell from before came from. When he walked into the room, Zhou Bai saw red paper charms stuck all over the wall. Bright red blood glimmered on the paper charms. They were the source of the red light. But what was most eye-catching was a young girl ¡°stuck¡± to the wall. As he saw the young girl¡¯s appearance, Zhou Bai¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He saw the girl¡¯s face was incredibly pale, as white as a sheet of paper. And from her neck downward, her skin got paler and paler, until it looked completely unnatural, as if it were made from paper. But a stench came from her body, like the smell of something that had been rotting for months. Chapter 46 - A Serious Zhou Bai Everything from the young girl¡¯s neck down had turned into paper. Her limbs were nailed to the wall. She hung there like a painting. Zhou Bai lowered his head and said in a deep voice, ¡°Who did this?¡± Li Xiuzhu walked up next to Zhou Bai. He gazed at the girl on the wall and said, ¡°Probably herself.¡± ¡°What?¡± Zhou Bai said incredulously, ¡°Why would she do that to herself?¡± ¡°To increase her Degree of Taoification.¡± Li Xiuzhu sighed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say she was about to get expelled? From what I¡¯ve heard, Donghua Tao Academy holds a test every two months. Once a student is found to have no visible improvement after consecutive tests, they get expelled. The conserved resources are used to foster students with greater potential. ¡°This girl¡­clearly didn¡¯t have enough gift. Mutation is the result of forcibly improving. ¡°The sound you heard before was probably the sound of her ramming her head into the wall. Her body has completely mutated below her neck. She¡¯s become something like a paper person. She can even pass through walls. ¡°But because her head still retains its human shape, when she¡¯s passing through the wall, her head gets stuck and makes the sounds of a collision.¡± Zhou Bai looked at the girl before him, who had lost all vitality. He sighed, ¡°Why¡­why must she insist on improving¡­¡± ¡°The path of Tao practice¡ªif you don¡¯t advance, you¡¯ll retreat. Especially under the influence of the distorted Heavenly Tao, sometimes advancing doesn¡¯t necessarily mean success.¡± Li Xiuzhu shook his head. ¡°To take a step forward or to take a step backward, the delicate decision between them is something you must learn while practicing Tao. ¡°You need the courage to press forward with an indomitable will, but also the resolution to break it off when you must.¡± Zhou Bai frowned after he heard this. Practicing Tao¡­was too difficult. ¡°Good thing I have the auxiliary practice system.¡± Zhou Bai looked at the girl on the wall and asked, ¡°Did you kill her?¡± Li Xiuzhu shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve been lying in ambush outside. When I realized you passed out, I barged in here. But she killed herself right after I broke through her Tao technique.¡± Looking at the girl before him who was pale as paper, Li Xiuzhu sighed and said. ¡°She probably had a single thread of consciousness remaining, that¡¯s why she chose to kill herself. And it was probably thanks to this thread of remaining consciousness that she didn¡¯t kill you last night.¡± What followed was a series of aftermath procedures. The teachers at the school, police from the outside, and all sorts of practitioners came to the scene to analyze, inspect, and seal off the site. Li Xiuzhu also brought Zhou Bai back to the police station to file a report. Before he left, Zhou Bai told him about everything he saw, ¡°I saw a square-faced man speaking with her before. He promised to prepare something for her, and they¡­¡± Hearing Zhou Bai¡¯s description of what happened, Li Xiuzhu narrowed his eyes, ¡°Square-faced man? I¡¯ll have someone look into it. Your teacher is looking for you; go speak with him.¡± *** When Zhou Bai left the police station, he encountered Lu Chongyang, who had been waiting for him outside. ¡°Zhou Bai,¡± Lu Chongyang asked with concern. ¡°Are you all right? I can¡¯t believe a student mutated at school.¡± ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± Zhou Bai felt like a mouse who had just seen a cat. The more Lu Chongyang cared about him, the more awkward he felt. It was just like that time in his senior year of high school when he cut class to go to an Internet cafe. When the homeroom teacher came to get him, he didn¡¯t scold him at all. He just sighed. What touched Zhou Bai the most iwas not scolding, cursing, or disdain, but disappointment¡­. But when he remembered he was doing this to become stronger and fight for the future of humankind, Zhou Bai straightened himself up. Lu Chongyang couldn¡¯t tell Zhou Bai¡¯s change of emotions. He just said, ¡°Zhou Bai, you haven¡¯t been coming to class recently. Is it because of what¡¯s been happening next door? Since it has been resolved, come to class tomorrow.¡± Zhou Bai looked at Lu Chongyang, who stood in front of him. Although he felt nervous, he summoned up his courage and said, ¡°Teacher¡­I think I still won¡¯t be coming to class.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Zhou Bai felt a monumental aura pressing down on him, making him feel like a small boat in the middle of a hurricane. The raging storm crashed against him, and he felt as if he would fall apart at any moment. But Zhou Bai took a deep breath and said earnestly, ¡°Teacher, I have my own way of practicing Tao. The usual procedures don¡¯t suit me. I want to go at my own pace.¡± Lu Chongyang focused his gaze, and he said slowly, ¡°Donghua Tao Academy has been established for more than one hundred years. Thousands of predecessors have died just to compile the ninety-nine chapters of the Taoist Sutra. We¡¯ve paid an incredible price to create the materials and classes you have now to practice Tao. ¡°Although I¡¯m not as great as the predecessors, I¡¯m also a practitioner with a 56% Degree of Taoification in the fifth realm. You think learning on your own will be more productive than studying with us?¡± Hearing what Lu Chongyang said, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t think of anything convincing to refute him. Everything he said was correct. Ordinary students, no matter how gifted, couldn¡¯t exceed the accumulated experience of Donghua Tao Academy just by working on their own. As Lu Chongyang spoke, an aura of the fifth realm hit him. It was like substantial air pressure, cracking down on Zhou Bai¡¯s body and spirit. Zhou Bai even felt his bones make light cracking sounds. That heavy sensation was enough to make normal people bow down in worship. But Zhou Bai was not a normal person. He had already practiced four star points on the Taiyi Disc. His body had gone through four rounds of enhancement. It was no longer what it used to be. His 99-point Primordial Spirit Value also gave him a strong mental immunity. Plus with help from the auxiliary system, he was able to stand against Lu Chongyang¡¯s pressure and answer seriously. ¡°Teacher, the uniform classes¡­are too slow. I can practice faster by self-studying. I don¡¯t want to waste time going to class. ¡°I want to become stronger faster, faster, faster. I want to have the power to slaughter Mara and resist goblins.¡± Zhou Bai gazed at Lu Chongyang. He told him the real reason in another fashion. ¡°If I go to class obediently now, it will indeed be much safer, and I can become stronger safely¡­¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s fists clenched tighter and tighter. Countless dark memories flashed in his mind, ¡°But¡­this is not the path I want to take. I have a gift. I have the ability. I should be able to advance faster and farther. I can withstand more. I can become stronger. ¡°I don¡¯t want to remain the way I was today, and in the past, always being protected by others, unable to do anything myself.¡± Zhou Bai stuck out his chest, staring at Lu Chongyang. An aura like never before rose from his body. ¡°If I don¡¯t place first in the test in two months, it means this is the limit of my gift. Then I promise never to cut class again.¡± Lu Chongyang stared at Zhou Bai. He saw an earnestness that exceeded all his peers in Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes. Lu Chongyang said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re cutting class for two months. If you don¡¯t pass the test, it won¡¯t be as easy as simply returning to class. You¡¯ll get expelled.¡± An even greater pressure was thrown at him. Zhou Bai felt like he was tossed into the bottom of the ocean. The air around him heaved. Thoughts of surrender popped up endlessly in his mind. He took a deep breath, then said decisively, ¡°If I don¡¯t succeed, I¡¯m willing to accept the school¡¯s arrangements.¡± Seeing Zhou Bai say this against his aura, Lu Chongyang finally realized something at that moment. ¡°This kid¡­he¡¯s serious. He really thinks that even if he doesn¡¯t go to class for two months, he can still pass the test and get first place, when he doesn¡¯t even know what he¡¯ll be tested on.¡± Lu Chongyang was a little surprised at Zhou Bai¡¯s determination. He was planning on using his aura to pressure him and make Zhou Bai aware of his errors so that he would turn back on his wrong path and go back to class. But he didn¡¯t expect that under the pressure of his aura, Zhou Bai wouldn¡¯t yield. Instead, he showed Lu Chongyang the determination and earnestness in his heart. His sincere expression from before really shocked Lu Chongyang. At that moment, Lu Chongyang remembered something someone once said. ¡°The path of Tao practice depends on one¡¯s will. It¡¯s one personal choice after another. What the future holds, only they can control it. ¡°I¡¯ll reserve your seat in class for you, but you only have two months.¡± Chapter 47 - Did She Do Anything Wrong? Finally, against Lu Chongyang¡¯s great pressure, Zhou Bai temporarily got his consent. Watching Old Lu leave, Zhou Bai let sighed with relief. He thought, In two months¡­I must succeed. Not long after Lu Chongyang left, a paper crane flew in front of Lu Chongyang. It gave off an inkling of primordial spirit power. ¡°Chongyang, how is Zhou Bai? ¡°What? You agreed to let him cut class for two months? What are you doing? Do you know you might ruin a genius like this? ¡°You¡¯re being too irresponsible¡­ ¡°Sigh. All right, I understand. You¡¯re¡­really too soft. During the second round of exams, you were the only one to tell them about the three main codes of Tao practice. ¡°And now you¡¯re being so lenient with Zhou Bai.¡± Lu Chongyang responded quietly. ¡°As I said once, Tao practice depends on one¡¯s will. It¡¯s one¡¯s personal choice. Since Zhou Bai chose this path himself, then there¡¯s no meaning in forcing him to take another path.¡± The paper crane said, ¡°What if he fails?¡± ¡°Then that means he chose the wrong path. Every practitioner has to pay the price for their choices.¡± *** On the other side, behind the window of the police station, Li Xiuzhu watched with an intriguing smile on his face as Zhou Bai and Lu Chongyang went their separate ways. One of his colleagues walked up behind him, ¡°We found it. The man who was in contact with Sakurako is named Wei Dong. According to the records at the frontier inspection station, he left Donghua City this morning in a car.¡± Li Xiuzhu asked, ¡°Where did he go?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. According to the driver, he disappeared halfway. They couldn¡¯t find him after searching.¡± Li Xiuzhu asked, ¡°Did he escape into the wilderness? Show me the route of that flying car.¡± ¡°What are you going to do? There are traces of a second person helping to set up the formation at the dorm, and we found paper charms made by Wei Dong.¡± ¡°Wei Dong hasn¡¯t returned to his dorm since last night, and now he¡¯s escaped into the wilderness. He¡¯s fleeing to escape punishment.¡± Li Xiuzhu looked at the information and said, ¡°Escape into the wilderness? Don¡¯t you find that peculiar? With his practice level in the first realm, there¡¯s no way he can survive out there.¡± ¡°Who knows? Maybe there are people from Overturn Heaven waiting to receive him.¡± Lu Chongyang said, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t Sakurako¡¯s room have signs from Overturn Heaven? If they left marks in Jian Xing¡¯s and Sun Chuan¡¯s rooms, why didn¡¯t they leave them in Sakurako¡¯s room?¡± ¡°Who knows? Maybe they forgot. Hey, you¡¯re not thinking of continuing the investigation, are you?¡± Li Xiuzhu said, ¡°Get me a flying car¡­no, buy me a ticket for the flying car Wei Dong took.¡± ¡°What are you planning on doing?¡± Li Xiuzhu smiled. ¡°I think there¡¯s something wrong with this Wei Dong. Why don¡¯t I go ask him in person?¡± *** Zhou Bai returned to his dorm, relieved. After a whole night, it was almost dawn. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep first, then get up at night to self-study.¡± Zhou Bai sighed. ¡°Two months from now, I must get first place.¡± Elsa didn¡¯t know what happened, but seeing how determined Zhou Bai looked, she started barking. But once Zhou Bai lay down, he realized that he seemed to be too excited. He couldn¡¯t fall asleep at all. Christina, who had been curled up in practice in his mind, finally unfurled her body. She yawned while stretching her back. Whoosh! Seeing Christina come out from his mind, Zhou Bai said, ¡°You¡¯re finally awake. Do you know how much danger I was in last night? You were sleeping like a pig.¡± Christina rolled her eyes at Zhou Bai. ¡°How can you say that? What do you mean sleeping like a pig? Have you ever seen a pig as pretty as me? Don¡¯t you know I¡¯m practicing?¡± As she said this, her tail perked up tall. Christina looked at Zhou Bai with pride, her primordial spirit power spread out of her body and surged toward Zhou Bai. Zhou Bai also unleashed his primordial spirit power, blocking Christina¡¯s attack. Then he exclaimed, ¡°Your primordial spirit power¡­¡± ¡°Hahahaha!¡± Christina roared with laughter. ¡°Ninety-nine! This genius has only practiced in lock-in for a couple of days, and I managed to raise my primordial spirit power to ninety-nine. Zhou Bai! Don¡¯t ever think about¡­¡± Thump! Zhou Bai wrapped his body in primordial spirit power, then used his body and primordial spirit power to crash through Christina¡¯s primordial spirit power. ¡°Silly cat, I¡¯ve already practiced four star points on the Divine Map.¡± ¡°What?¡± The next moment, Zhou Bai withdrew Christina into his cognitive sea. She jumped onto Zhou Bai¡¯s Taiyi Disc and inspected the four illuminated star points carefully. She turned her head to the side bitterly. ¡°Tch, cheater.¡± She thought that she would subdue Zhou Bai with her amazing practice speed once she came out, but this kid was very strong with his plug-in. Christina had no choice but to adjust her arrogance and slowly search for new opportunities. So that night, while Zhou Bai was looking frustrated as he read the basic textbook materials, Christina¡¯s eyes lit up. The white cat jumped lightly and leaped onto Zhou Bai¡¯s desk. With her tail high in the air, she walked back and forth in front of Zhou Bai. Zhou Bai swept Christina off the table. ¡°Don¡¯t disrupt my studying.¡± Christina harrumphed, then said, ¡°I see you¡¯re not having much success studying. How about it? Do you want me to teach you?¡± Zhou Bai scoffed, too lazy to pay any mind to Christina. Hearing Zhou Bai¡¯s scoff, Christina¡¯s fur exploded. She jumped onto the desk with a meow. ¡°Listen up, after my primordial spirit power reached ninety-nine, I recalled a lot of things! My knowledge of Tao practice theories is much stronger than yours!¡± Seeing Zhou Bai¡¯s expression of disbelief, Christina jumped onto Zhou Bai¡¯s book. She set her paw on a section of writing and said, ¡°Hmph, the notes you took here are wrong! The concept of five elements in Spark refers to the five conditions¡ªbirth, growth, fruition, decline, and extinction¡ªof Spark, not the five elements you understand!¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes glimmered. His confusion over the past few days finally resolved itself. Then Christina explained more. She put the difficult concepts into simple words. Zhou Bai immediately understood everything. ¡°What about the rest?¡± Zhou Bai asked Christina. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you continuing?¡± Christina lay on the desk like a rug. She swayed her tail and sighed. ¡°I¡¯m too tired. I don¡¯t want to continue.¡± Zhou Bai quickly reached out his palms to massage Christina¡¯s neck and back. Seeing the cat close her eyes in pleasure, he said, ¡°Tina, let me give you a massage. Look how tired you are. You¡¯ve been curled up for almost a week. How can you not be exhausted? How is this? Is this the right strength?¡± Zhou Bai felt he had learned the same from what Christina just told him as what he would by reading books for several days. Studying was really most effective with instruction. Unfortunately, he had to conceal the existence of his auxiliary system and hide the fact that his level of practice was rising so quickly. Naturally, he couldn¡¯t expose the fact his foundations were poor. Hearing Zhou Bai¡¯s words, Christina sighed. ¡°A cute little girl, a little girl who lost her memories, turned into a cat and fell into the hands of a stupid kid. Did she do anything wrong?¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± said Zhou Bai. Christina went on. ¡°Yet such a poor little girl is forced to mop the floor, clean the bathroom, walk the dog, wash the underwear. She even has to cook as a cat, isn¡¯t that excessive?¡± ¡°This¡­was all just a misunderstanding.¡± Chapter 48 - Sword Aura ¡°At first, I just¡­I thought that¡­I thought that I could only increase Laziness in the auxiliary system by making you do chores.¡± Watching Zhou Bai explain, Christina scoffed and said, ¡°Elsa.¡± Slam. Seeing the broom Elsa brought over in her mouth, Zhou Bai smiled. ¡°This is truly¡­amazing. Christina, when did you teach Elsa how to fetch things?¡± Christina looked at the floor and said slowly, ¡°The floor in the room has gotten dirtier in the days I¡¯ve been in lock-in.¡± Seeing Christina stare at him, Zhou Bai took a deep breath and shouted, ¡°What do you mean, Tina?¡± He grabbed the broom and yelled at Christina. ¡°Do I need a dog to fetch it for me? I can get it myself! ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll be sweeping this room. Nobody try to take my job.¡± Watching Zhou Bai sweep and mop the floor and do the chores, Christina immediately became content. ¡°Not bad. Hm, let me see where you¡¯re up to now¡­¡± Zhou Bai did his chores while listening to Christina¡¯s instructions. It was apparent that after Christina¡¯s Primordial Spirit Value increased to 99, she remembered part of her knowledge on Tao practice. Her knowledge of theories rose incredibly. She was more than sufficient to be Zhou Bai¡¯s teacher. Under her instruction, Zhou Bai felt himself improving visibly every day. He became familiar with the basic theories of Tao practice, all sorts of keywords, common phrases, and basic theories. Just like that, Zhou Bai practiced Laziness while Christina began practicing her Divine Map. At night, she would teach Zhou Bai. Several days passed like this. ¡°It¡¯s finally enough.¡± Zhou Bai looked at the board of the auxiliary practice system and smiled contently. Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 99 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 2,250 Then he looked at the Taiyi Disc. Sumeru: Stand like iron, sit like steel, lie like a mountain. Adjusts the perception of Spark around the body depending on posture to form a defensive barrier. Method of Practice: (Zhou Bai skipped over this) Laziness (0/2,200) Recalling the pain of his bones reconstructing last time, Zhou Bai lay on the bed this time and put a towel in his mouth. Then he injected 2,200 points of Laziness into the star point. Instantly, Zhou Bai felt his body tremble as if electricity shot through it. An invisible power surged through his body, spiraling around in a special pattern. It seemed to leave something in his body. Then Zhou Bai felt his primordial spirit tremble. A towering, empty yet vigorous aura spread out from his mind. Zhou Bai thought, Huh? This time it only took such a short amount of time? That must mean that it¡¯s not just enhancement of the physical body this time. But Zhou Bai looked at his condition. He happened to be lying down anyway, so he thought he might as well test out his defense. Zhou Bai looked at Christina. ¡°Tina, try to attack me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I told you to attack me. I want to¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who asked for it!¡± Christina roared with laughter, jumping into the air. She opened her mouth and spit out a ray of sword aura. ¡°Meowhahahaha! I can test out the power of the first star point I practiced, sword aura.¡± Christina had been applying herself to practicing her Divine Map. Finally, after her Primordial Spirit Value reached 99, she finished practicing the first star point. Regarding Christina¡¯s practice speed: Ordinary practitioners need at least half a month to practice this first star point, but she only used a few days. If you ignored this cheater Zhou Bai, she might be the most gifted one in this entering class. Unlike Zhou Bai¡¯s star points that enhanced his physique and defense, the first star point on Christina¡¯s Sword Map created a sword aura. This sword aura was usually stored in her body. As she breathed Spark, she continuously fostered this sword aura with primordial spirit power and Spark, making it stronger and stronger. The sword aura could also regurgitate on the body, slightly enhancing her physique. When she heard Zhou Bai ask her to attack, Christina immediately spat out her sword aura, stabbing at Zhou Bai. But she wasn¡¯t trying to hurt Zhou Bai. She just shot it at Zhou Bai¡¯s shoulder, wanting to leave a wound and show off her power. When the sword aura was an inch away from Zhou Bai¡¯s shoulder, it hit an invisible barrier, but quickly tore through it. Ripping through the barrier, the sword aura became slightly weaker. It continued to charge at Zhou Bai¡¯s shoulder. But when the sword aura hit Zhou Bai¡¯s shoulder, it made a deafening clang. Christina felt like her sword aura crashed into a large block of diamond it couldn¡¯t pierce. Zhou Bai rubbed his shoulder, then said as he continued to lie on the bed, ¡°Put some muscle into it. I don¡¯t feel anything.¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Christina waved her paws again. After the sword aura spiraled around for a bit, it charged at accelerated speed, shooting at Zhou Bai¡¯s shoulder like a flash of lightning. Another clang, but it still didn¡¯t break Zhou Bai¡¯s skin. Christina meowed in anger. She injected all of her primordial spirit power into the sword aura, sending it forth with all her might, but it still didn¡¯t break through Zhou Bai¡¯s defense. After she depleted her sword aura, it became completely dejected and went limp. It slowly returned to Christina¡¯s mouth, and she swallowed it in one gulp. Christina watched Zhou Bai in astonishment. ¡°What kind of defense is this? How can you have such a dominant defensive power when you¡¯re only in the zeroth realm of Tao practice?¡± Zhou Bai was rather satisfied with the effect of the fifth star point, Sumeru. The only regrettable thing was that he could get that kind of defensive power only while lying down. Zhou Bai tested out his defense when he sat and stood. When he sat, Christina could break through his barrier with one puncture of her sword aura, but only the second jab in the same spot inflicted damage. When he stood, his defense was even weaker. Zhou Bai felt he should be able to withstand a small-caliber gun, but when Christina used her sword aura at full force, she could pierce through him in one jab. ¡°This star point¡¯s effect is pretty good,¡± Zhou Bai said to Christina. ¡°This way, I¡¯m buff enough, and I have your sword aura for offense. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a single student in the entering class who can match me.¡± Christina¡¯s sword aura didn¡¯t seem too effective against Zhou Bai, but this sword aura was much more powerful than ordinary guns. It was only because Zhou Bai had such a strong defense that he could take her hits. ¡°I chose the Sword Map, and the teachers and classmates all think that¡¯s what I¡¯m practicing. I can conceal my defense in normal times. however¡­¡± Zhou Bai looked at the sword aura Christina released. He asked helplessly, ¡°Why did you have to make your sword aura pink?¡± Christina slurped, retrieving her sword aura into her mouth. She said with discontent, ¡°Isn¡¯t pink a good color? I think a pink sword aura is really cute; it suits me perfectly.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s lips twitched. Although he was unhappy with the color of the sword aura, he acquiesced because of its power. Christina would continue practicing her Divine Map in the future, and she could stay in his cognitive sea. Didn¡¯t that mean he could utilize the powers from two Divine Maps? He appeared to be practicing the Sword Map but was in fact practicing Deva Nine Disasters. Christina looked at Zhou Bai bitterly. ¡°I can practice the first star point on the Sword Map on my own, but the remaining six star points all demand elixirs and the use of all sorts of runes and formations. Zhou Bai, you have to help me out!¡± Unlike the nine star points on the zeroth layer of Deva Nine Disasters, the zeroth layers of the Sword Map had seven star points. They all enhanced the sword aura to make it more and more lethal. Hearing Christina¡¯s cries, Zhou Bai nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll think of something. Speaking of¡­I chose the Sword Map. Tao academy probably prepared related materials for my practice. I¡¯ll go look for them tomorrow.¡± Then Zhou Bai looked at the next star point, wanting to see its contents. But at that moment, a knock came from the door. He heard Jian Xing¡¯s voice. ¡°Zhou Bai, are you there? There¡¯s something I want to talk with you about.¡± Chapter 49 - Im Definitely Going to Be Your Friend Jian Xing? he wondered. Why is he here for me? Also, isn¡¯t he severely injured? After some thought, he decided he wasn¡¯t that familiar with Jian Xing. Zhou Bai decided to look at the contents of the next star point first to satisfy his curiosity. Sumeru-Unmoving: Keeping still, turning into the point of Spark convergence. Greatly increases physical strength, mental strength, and recovery of injuries. Method of Practice: (Zhou Bai skipped over this) Laziness (?) (Primordial Spirit Value not high enough, can¡¯t be practiced) When he saw the description of Sumeru-Unmoving, Zhou Bai was surprised. It¡¯s taking me further down the path of a flesh shield, he thought. But it¡¯s useful for recovering physical and mental energy for daily purposes. But when he saw the note behind it (Primordial Spirit Value not high enough, can¡¯t be practiced), Zhou Bai furrowed his brow. Christina said with a snicker, ¡°You¡¯re at a bottleneck.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Christina explained. ¡°The practice of Divine Maps demands the support of Primordial Spirit Value. The later star points on the Taiyi Disc require strong primordial spirit power. If primordial spirit power is high enough, practicing Divine Map will get faster too. ¡°Your injection of Laziness seems to me like it¡¯s accelerating your practice speed by hundreds and thousands of times. It allows you to finish practicing immediately, but that doesn¡¯t mean you can ignore the conditions for practicing. For example, a ninety-nine-point Primordial Spirit Value is clearly no longer enough for your sixth star point.¡± Zhou Bai said, ¡°So that means my next goal is to raise my Degree of Taoification?¡± Zhou Bai recalled the Tao practice structure of the current world: Degree of Taoification was realm, Primordial Spirit Value was basic attribute, Divine Map represented different passive and active techniques. In order to practice his Divine Map, he needed sufficient Primordial Spirit Value. When Primordial Spirit Value had reached its limit, and he wanted to raise it, he¡¯d have to raise his Degree of Taoification. ¡°This is troublesome.¡± Zhou Bai frowned. ¡°I haven¡¯t gone to class for so many days, I don¡¯t know how to raise Degree of Taoification yet. Do I have to ask Old Lu tomorrow? ¡°But I just boasted in front of him. It would look bad if I sought his help so soon.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you increase it directly with Laziness?¡± Christina asked. ¡°Your level of practice was too low before. It¡¯s better now. I think it¡¯ll be fine to raise it by 0.1¨C0.2%.¡± Zhou Bai wasn¡¯t as nonchalant as Christina. After witnessing people mutate in front of him, the horror of the distorted Heavenly Tao was deeply engraved in his mind. Before he studied the related knowledge, he wouldn¡¯t use Laziness to increase his Degree of Taoification. Just as Zhou Bai was hesitating, the knocking sound came again. Jian Xing said, ¡°Hey¡­Zhou Bai, when can you come get the door?¡± Zhou Bai remembered then that someone was looking for him. But Jian Xing wasn¡¯t familiar with him at all, so why was he looking for him¡ªand so soon after he got gravely injured too? Zhou Bai found it kind of strange. After all the strange things that had happened after he came to this world, he was cautious. He retrieved Christina into his cognitive sea and walked to the door. ¡°If I lie down¡­that¡¯s too weird.¡± After some consideration, Zhou Bai grabbed a chair and sat at the door. Then he opened the door and saw Jian Xing. ¡°Jian Xing, is anything the matter?¡± Seeing Zhou Bai sit at the door, Jian Xing froze for a moment, but immediately said, ¡°Zhou Bai, I have something important I want to speak with you about.¡± ¡°Yeah, talk. I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°No, there are so many people here. They¡¯re all practitioners. Let¡¯s go find a quiet place to talk.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not convenient.¡± Zhou Bai scratched his head. ¡°I¡¯m so busy every day, I don¡¯t have time to go out.¡± ¡°I can treat you to a meal after we finish.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk about treating me. We¡¯re classmates. You¡¯re too kind.¡± Zhou Bai stood up with a bright smile. He suddenly stomped and yelled at Elsa. ¡°Elsa, why are you rubbing against me? Even if you rub against me, I can¡¯t bring you along. My classmate is taking me. Would it be suitable to bring a dog?¡± Elsa, who did absolutely nothing, looked at Zhou Bai quizzically. Zhou Bai looked at Jian Xing with embarrassment. ¡°This dog grew up with me, she eats and lives with me. Now that she sees I¡¯m going out to eat, she wants to go too. Ugh, she¡¯s so ill-behaved. I¡¯ve spoiled her too much.¡± Zhou Bai turned around and glared at Elsa. ¡°Why are you rubbing against me again? I told you I can¡¯t bring you along. Just go hungry for tonight. I can¡¯t help you even if you starve.¡± Jian Xing waved and interrupted Zhou Bai¡¯s sentence. He said, ¡°Say no more. I¡¯ll treat both you and the dog. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°See what happened? Sigh, I¡¯m so embarrassed,¡± as Zhou Bai said this, he quickly put the leash on Elsa. He grabbed Jian Xing¡¯s hand and exclaimed, ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to be your friend.¡± Right now, Jian Xing looked like a giant meal ticket in Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes. Jian Xing smiled awkwardly, leading Zhou Bai out of the dorm. They headed towards an obscure valley in the north. Seeing there were fewer and fewer people around them, Zhou Bai asked, ¡°Is this place okay? Jian Xing, what do you have to tell me?¡± Jian Xing sighed and said, ¡°Zhou Bai, you¡¯re very fortunate.¡± ¡°Fortunate?¡± Jian Xing¡¯s clothes billowed in the wind. He said in a slight daze, ¡°Your gift is the subject of admiration. Given the same amount of practice time, you could probably easily achieve ten times what a normal person can.¡± ¡°Uh, it¡¯s probably more than ten times. I think it¡¯s at least twenty times.¡± Jian Xing suddenly turned around, staring at Zhou Bai. Zhou Bai was so embarrassed by his stare he turned away. The atmosphere became silent again. Zhou Bai saw how far off the path they¡¯ve wandered and paused his steps. ¡°Is here okay? What is it, Jian Xing?¡± Jian Xing stopped walking too. His entire body seemed to become a little darker. ¡°Just a little more ahead; I know the scenery there is quite nice.¡± Zhou Bai waved. ¡°Let¡¯s talk here. I¡¯m already hungry. Let¡¯s go eat right as soon as we finish talking.¡± Jian Xing¡¯s body shook slightly. His clothes billowed up and down, as if something was fluctuating beneath them. Jian Xing¡¯s voice became raspy: ¡°Zhou Bai¡­I¡¯m very concerned¡­ ¡°Why¡­why did things turn out like this¡­?¡± Zhou Bai went blank for a second. The next moment, he felt a turbulent primordial spirit power charge right at his body. Zhou Bai¡¯s body flew backward, then fell to the floor with a thump. Jian Xing turned around, revealing a face with muscles that continuously warped and rippled, as if something was about to break out of it. ¡°That¡¯s weird, I didn¡¯t¡­even touch him, but he¡¯s on the ground already?¡± Watching the Shiba Inu run away into the distance, whining, Jian Xing paid no mind to the dog. He just stretched his neck. For safety¡¯s sake, his primordial spirit power started fluctuating again, transforming into an invisible palm that descended from the sky, slamming toward Zhou Bai. In an explosion, the ground around them seemed to quake, but Jian Xing watched Zhou Bai in astonishment. Dust rose from the ground around Zhou Bai, but there was not a single scratch on him. In fact, in Jian Xing¡¯s perception, his attack that used 99 points of primordial spirit powers didn¡¯t inflict a single wound on Zhou Bai. Chapter 50 - You Must Not Let Your Primordial Spirit Separate From Your Body Right as Jian Xing was feeling puzzled, a force of primordial spirit power suddenly punched toward him. The 99-point primordial spirit power collided into his in mid-air, at a stalemate. ¡°Hmph.¡± The moment he felt they were at a stalemate, Jian Xing scoffed. Clouds of black smoke seeped out of Jian Xing¡¯s face. Jian Xing¡¯s primordial spirit power suddenly broke through the 99-point limit and instantly rose to 200 points. It broke through Zhou Bai¡¯s primordial spirit power. ¡°Zhou Bai, surrender now. I don¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± Bang! Another force of primordial spirit power unexpectedly hit Jian Xing¡¯s head. It snapped his neck, and his head hung on his neck in a distorted manner. That was Christina¡¯s primordial spirit power. Zhou Bai and Christina both had 99 points of primordial spirit power. They combined to explode at this moment. But what surprised Zhou Bai was this strike didn¡¯t kill Jian Xing. Instead, even more black smoke seeped out from all over his body. On his broken head, a pair of crimson-glowing eyes locked their gaze on Zhou Bai. A human face made of black smoke rose out from Jian Xing¡¯s face, as if it was going to break through the constraint of the body at any moment. ¡°Zhou Bai! You little¡­¡± Jian Xing was just about to speak but froze the next moment. In his vision, Zhou Bai lay on the floor, moving his limbs. He crawled while lying down the entire way, and he was extremely fast. His arms and legs moved so quickly you could only see their afterimages. The whole scene looked indescribably creepy. Seeing this eerie sight, Jian Xing couldn¡¯t help but think, Did Zhou Bai just mutate? He didn¡¯t have time to think about this. Jian Xing took a step and ran over. At the same time, he directed his will. Black smoke rolled, and 300 points of primordial spirit power slammed down on Zhou Bai. Boom! Three hundred points of primordial spirit power were enough to flatten a car. But now they hit Zhou Bai¡¯s body and made Zhou Bai halt for only a moment. Then he continued to scurry out while lying down, leaving only his shadow. Hahahaha! Zhou Bai laughed in his mind. ¡°Christina, didn¡¯t I tell you? Moving rapidly while lying down is completely possible with the cooperation of my physique and primordial spirit power.¡± Christina said coldly, ¡°You look so creepy right now. Don¡¯t talk to me.¡± In the distance, Elsa ran for a bit and wanted to come back, but Zhou Bai yelled at her to leave. He could still fight against Jian Xing for a while, but if Elsa came, she would be heading toward certain death. Zhou Bai shouted in his mind, I have to run. This guy¡¯s primordial spirit power is triple that of mine. He¡¯s not Jian Xing at all! The ¡°Jian Xing¡± behind them didn¡¯t look like he wanted to chase after a dog either. He just attacked Zhou Bai with 300 points of primordial spirit power over and over. But it was like stepping on a cockroach. One full-strength attack after another still couldn¡¯t kill Zhou Bai. Jian Xing could only watch Zhou Bai get farther and farther away. He even started screaming, calling for help. ¡°B*stard. ¡°Why? ¡°Why do all of you¡­always try to stop me?¡± In the deafening screams, an incredibly dark, filthy aura gushed out of Jian Xing¡¯s body. Jian Xing¡¯s body fell to the floor limply. The black aura condensed into a female figure. She opened her mouth wide and roared at Zhou Bai. The moment the sound reached Zhou Bai, he knew something was awful. If the ¡°Jian Xing¡± from before was only making normal attacks with 300 points of primordial spirit power, then the ¡°Jian Xing¡± that had now abandoned its unsuitable body was using 300 points of primordial spirit power to launch new techniques. Even with Zhou Bai¡¯s defense lying down, he couldn¡¯t completely avoid this attack. After all, his primordial spirit power was only 99 points, less than a third of his opponent¡¯s. This sound wave attack instantly made Zhou Bai¡¯s blood boil in his veins. He fell to the ground, unable to move. The black shadow charged at him. Lines of black smoke were about to shoot at Zhou Bai. But the next moment, ¡°Jian Xing¡± saw Zhou Bai open his mouth and spit out¡­spit out a cat? Watching the white cat fly toward him, Jian Xing went blank for a second. He was just about to use his primordial spirit power to grab that cat¡­when he saw that cat also open its mouth and spit a ray of pink light at him. ¡°What kind of stupid Tao technique is this?¡± ¡°Jian Xing¡± couldn¡¯t understand the logic behind spitting out a cat that spat out a pink light. But this pink sword aura Christina spit out traveled faster than ¡°Jian Xing¡± expected. And he raced at Zhou Bai so fast that he was so close to Zhou Bai. Almost instantaneously, the sword aura pierced through the black shadow, ripping a large hole in it. ¡°Ahh!¡± Christina¡¯s pink sword aura condensed 99 points of her primordial spirit power. She put everything into it. That black shadow was clearly bad at handling attacks. The pink sword pierced through the body and started screeching. On the other hand, Zhou Bai didn¡¯t dare hesitate. He continuously used his primordial spirit power to drag himself farther away. The black shadow had a distorted expression. Seeing Zhou Bai was out of her range and was probably going to get help, she had an unwilling expression on her face. She would never have thought that with her primordial spirit power that was triple that of Zhou Bai¡¯s, he could still escape. But within Donghua Tao Academy, she didn¡¯t dare to be too reckless. Seeing she couldn¡¯t catch Zhou Bai, she could only retreat and prepare to escape. But just as she was about to escape, she turned around and saw a young man crouching next to Jian Xing¡¯s limp body. He reached out a hand to examine Jian Xing¡¯s condition. This young man was Li Xiuzhu, the one who investigated Zhou Bai¡¯s next-door neighbor previously. Li Xiuzhu raised his head, looking at the black shadow before him. He said in a low voice, ¡°Sakurako, you faked your death and overtook someone else¡¯s body. You nearly succeeded. Why did you have to attack Zhou Bai?¡± The female shadow didn¡¯t answer. She paused, then flew into the distance, wanting to escape. But Li Xiuzhu¡¯s body shifted. He appeared before her at a speed that was nearly teleportation, then punched. Boom! The female shadow¡¯s body tore. More than half of it shattered. After letting out a shrill cry, she turned into a cloud of black smoke, continuing to hover in place. Sometimes the smoke formed a woman¡¯s head, glaring at Li Xiuzhu with hatred. ¡°More than a thousand points of primordial spirit power! And so young!¡± The black smoke formed by Sakurako continuously roiled. She was extremely envious. ¡°Yet another genius.¡± Li Xiuzhu glanced at the woman before he looked in the other direction. Zhou Bai, who had just run away, had come back. He looked in this direction while sitting on the ground. Li Xiuzhu didn¡¯t pay it any mind. He smiled at Zhou Bai and said, ¡°Rest assured, it¡¯s fine now.¡± Then he looked at the shadow, saying with intrigue, ¡°So it really was primordial spirit separation. You tried to separate your primordial spirit from your body to pass the test. Did you want to use your primordial spirit to directly contact Spark and increase your Degree of Taoification?¡± Li Xiuzhu shook his head, ¡°But just like all those who have attempted the same thing before you, you failed. That¡¯s why you made a backup plan¡ªfake your death and possess someone else¡¯s body.¡± Chapter 51 - Suspicious ¡°You think you know everything?¡± The black mist Sakurako formed let out a growl. ¡°Geniuses like you¡­ You don¡¯t know anything at all!¡± Li Xiuzhu said slowly, ¡°Letting your primordial spirit separate from your body has already violated the three main codes of Tao practice. And you tried to possess someone else¡¯s body. That was even more unscrupulous. What do you want to do? Possess someone else¡¯s body to practice with a better gift? This is taboo; you shouldn¡¯t have violated it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Sakurako questioned. ¡°I¡¯ve been reading Taoist scriptures since I was three, started to breathe Spark since I was ten, and read through the classics by fifteen. Do you have any idea how much I gave to practice Tao? ¡°I¡¯m more diligent than all of you! I work harder than all of you! ¡°But why? Why do geniuses like you make the same progress I take months to make with just a little practice? Why?¡± ¡°The gift for practicing Tao is destined. No one can change it,¡± said Li Xiuzhu. ¡°And the higher your level of practice, the more dangerous it is. They die in worse ways than people like you¡­¡± ¡°Stop mocking me!¡± Sakurako sneered. ¡°You people who are always high above the masses. You don¡¯t know the pain of not a single ounce of progress in weeks¡ªmonths¡ªno matter how hard you work. ¡°Cut the crap, just kill me now,¡± Sakurako said in a low voice. ¡°Kill all the mutants, isn¡¯t that what you like to do most?¡± ¡°I still have some questions to ask you,¡± Li Xiuzhu said with interest. ¡°There are still many points I don¡¯t understand about this case.¡± He looked at her and said, ¡°First of all, when you were living next door to Zhou Bai, you purposely showed signs so that he could report you to the teachers or police so you could fake your death and escape. ¡°During this period, you chose the subject for your primordial spirit possession, and you wanted to continue practicing with Jian Xing¡¯s gift and identity.¡± Listening to his words, Sakurako didn¡¯t say anything. She just glanced at Zhou Bai. Her gaze seemed to have some special meaning. She cursed to herself, ¡°This idiot! I tried so many ways to alert him, yet he sleeps so soundly every night. What an idiot, idiot, idiot!¡± ¡°But if that¡¯s so, there are suspicious points,¡± Li Xiuzhu said. ¡°Why did you use Zhou Bai to witness your fake death, but now attack him?¡± ¡°Hmph, I just dislike this guy. He has extraordinary talent but wastes it recklessly¡­¡± Li Xiuzhu shook his head, seeming to disagree with her. ¡°And another thing I don¡¯t have an answer to: both the method to separate your primordial spirit and the method to possess with primordial spirit are extremely taboo. ¡°Even teachers above the fifth realm can¡¯t casually learn of these methods, not to mention students like you. How did you get them?¡± Sakurako said casually, ¡°Idiot, did you forget Overturn Heaven Cult? Naturally, they¡¯re the ones who gave it to me.¡± Li Xiuzhu said, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you leave marks at the site of your fake death to link the three cases together? And I looked into your records. You¡¯ve been at school this whole time. How did you get in contact with Overturn Heaven Cult? Or are there people from Overturn Heaven Cult in this school?¡± The black smoke formed by Sakurako continuously twisted, and she laughed. ¡°Why should I answer you? After all, I¡¯m already¡­¡± At that moment, rays of light shot over from somewhere in the distance. Clearly, Donghua Tao Academy had discovered the situation. Li Xiuzhu hastily cried, ¡°Seniors, please take care, this suspect still has¡­¡± ¡°Kill the demons! Kill!¡± A giant silver hand grabbed at Sakurako. Li Xiuzhu quickly pointed a finger and drew a rune to block the giant silver palm. ¡°Hold your horses.¡± But the giant silver palm instantly broke through Li Xiuzhu¡¯s rune, pinching Sakurako¡¯s primordial spirit. It crushed the pitch-black primordial spirit with a boom, scattering it in the air. Xing Jun descended from the sky with a grave expression. He looked at the burst primordial spirit and nodded. Then he looked at Li Xiuzhu and asked, ¡°Who are you? Why did you protect this fiend?¡± As he spoke, silver lights glimmered around him, as if endless primordial spirit power were pushing on the space around him. The monumental force nearly crushed the air into a solid. Li Xiuzhu exclaimed, ¡°The fifth realm of the Human Map? Giant Spirit Map? The Human Map route is known for its strong primordial spirit power. The primordial spirit power of the fifth realm of Giant Spirit Map can nearly compete against some primordial spirit powers in the sixth realm.¡± Zhou Bai said on the side, ¡°Look at that. Human Map looks so much more awesome. Why did you make me choose Sword Map?¡± Christina said, ¡°It¡¯s just brute force. What¡¯s the point in practicing that? Strong people all need to learn sword!¡± On the other side, Li Xiuzhu said against the pressure, ¡°I was just at a critical point of my inquiries. Did you kill her so she couldn¡¯t provide any evidence?¡± Xing Jun raised his eyebrows. He glanced at Li Xiuzhu with his piercing eyes and said, ¡°Impudence.¡± Seeing the two going against each other, Zhou Bai quickly walked over and said, ¡°Teacher Xing Jun, this is Officer Li Xiuzhu. He¡¯s the one who just saved me.¡± Xing Jun looked at Zhou Bai. His gaze suddenly became softer. ¡°Zhou Bai, are you all right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m all right.¡± He was a little unused to Xing Jun¡¯s tender gaze. Zhou Bai waved his hand and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t even get injured when Li Xiuzhu rushed over.¡± More academy staff and police arrived at the scene. Zhou Bai assisted in the police investigation again. The entire time, Li Xiuzhu and Xing Jun were head to head. The atmosphere blazed. After a series of questions, they asked Zhou Bai to keep what happened today secret. When Zhou Bai finally made it out of the police station, it was nearly dawn. He stretched his back, planning to take Elsa home. Then he saw Xing Jun walking toward him. ¡°Teacher Xing Jun.¡± Xing Jun said with a kind expression, ¡°Zhou Bai, this was too dangerous. You must watch out in the future. Even in Donghua Tao Academy, there are all kinds of people. Some students can¡¯t resist the temptation and end up mutating.¡± He left a few more words with Zhou Bai, then Xing Jun shot into the sky and flew in the direction of the school. Zhou Bai let out a sigh. Speaking with Teacher Xing Jun always made him feel very stressed. And besides¡­ ¡°It¡¯s so strange. Xing Jun and I shouldn¡¯t have anything to do with each other. And these teachers should know I cut class every day. As my lecturer, Lu Chongyang can¡¯t even speak to me benignly, so why is Xing Jun so kind to me? Theoretically, he should hate me and despise me.¡± Zhou Bai cocked his head, thinking to himself, Something feels very strange. Christina said, ¡°You think it¡¯s strange that he talks to you politely? You want him to despise you?¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± Zhou Bai said. ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s logical.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go talk to Li Xiuzhu?¡± Christina said. ¡°If not for him, you probably couldn¡¯t have caught that lunatic.¡± ¡°Li Xiuzhu¡­¡± Zhou Bai said. ¡°Zhou Bai.¡± At that moment, Li Xiuzhu walked out from behind Zhou Bai. ¡°You brat! You¡¯re great at getting yourself into trouble. Stay alert in the future; be more cautious. You won¡¯t have such good luck next time.¡± Zhou Bai nodded. Li Xiuzhu added quietly, ¡°According to my deductions, the person behind Sakurako was clearly aiming to possess your body at first. But Sakurako played a trick to break away from their control. She purposely warned you and wanted to use you to fake her death and escape. She chose Jian Xing as her true target for possession. ¡°But the person behind the scenes realized her tricks, and made her attack you in the end.¡± Li Xiuzhu said solemnly, ¡°This one giving her instructions is probably the one who taught her how to separate her primordial spirit. This person is clearly interested in you. You must be more alert.¡± Zhou Bai nodded. After Li Xiuzhu warned him some more, he asked, ¡°Oh right, how is Jian Xing?¡± ¡°He¡¯s heavily injured, but he¡¯s still alive. Fortunately, Sakurako sealed his primordial spirit. It wasn¡¯t annihilated.¡± After Li Xiuzhu had a few more words with Zhou Bai, he patted Zhou Bai¡¯s shoulder and left. Christina said, ¡°Officer Li is so cool, and he cares so much about you. Why didn¡¯t you tell him about what you found peculiar about Xing Jun? That Xing Jun was clearly killing the witness! He seems super suspicious!¡± Zhou Bai shook his head. He said to Christina slowly in his mind, ¡°How did Li Xiuzhu come at just the right moment?¡± ¡°He probably expected you¡¯d get attacked again.¡± ¡°If he¡¯s not the mastermind behind this, how did he know Sakurako would attack me again?¡± A chill rose in Zhou Bai¡¯s heart. ¡°If he¡¯s really not the mastermind, then¡­ ¡°Is he watching me?¡± Chapter 52 - Exchanging Practice Resources ¡°And you said there¡¯s something wrong with Xing Jun. But think about it: is it really suspicious that a teacher who saw a mutant attacking students at school would kill the mutant?¡± Hearing Zhou Bai¡¯s questions, Christina closed her eyes and fell deep in thought. Finally, she sighed. ¡°Humans are so complicated.¡± ¡°All right, my urgent task at hand is to continue training and obtain stronger power more quickly, to have the ability to defend myself. There¡¯s no point in putting any more thought into these matters. I don¡¯t have enough power to change these things.¡± He glanced at the clock; it was nearly time for class. Zhou Bai remembered what he needed to do. Christina needs things like elixirs and runes to proceed in her practice of the Divine Map, he thought. I remember the school prepared these things for me since I said I was practicing the Sword Map. In the zeroth realm, the school provided for free all the resources required for practicing the zeroth layer of the Divine Map. After all, students were only getting started at this stage. They had gifts but lacked power, so they needed the school to allow them to grow and realize their potential. Zhou Bai was thinking of providing Christina with resources, then he remembered his tasks. Currently, his star point and Primordial Spirit Value were all at their bottlenecks. His next problem was Degree of Taoifiction. Although Primordial Spirit Value could be directly added with the auxiliary system, Zhou Bai didn¡¯t plan on doing that. ¡°Raise Degree of Taoification¡­¡± Zhou Bai said. ¡°Tina, do you know how to do it?¡± ¡°Of course I do.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°How do you raise it?¡± Christina said confidently, ¡°I¡¯ve just forgotten, but I know it.¡± Zhou Bai said, ¡°You good-for-nothing.¡± He walked in the direction of the academic building and thought to himself, Perhaps I have to ask Old Lu, or should I go borrow Jing Xiu¡¯s notes first and see if they¡¯ve learned how to increase Degree of Taoification yet. Technically, I can increase Degree of Taoification with Laziness, but raising it is too dangerous. I should try to prepare myself as well as I can. Recalling the heavy price Sakurako paid to increase Degree of Taoification, Zhou Bai warned himself not to let down his guard. He would have to be extremely alert about this, even if he had the auxiliary system to raise it. Zhou Bai asked around and finally found the place that provided the materials for practice¡ªthe Logistics Department. When he arrived at the Practice Materials Management Office in the Logistics Department, Zhou Bai took out his student ID to check in. The person responsible for distributing resources was a middle-aged man in a suit. He glanced at Zhou Bai and said, ¡°Student, I have to let you know, even the practice resources for the zeroth realm can¡¯t be carelessly given to you when you ask, even if we provide them for free. ¡°Which point have you practiced up to on the Sword Map? Usually, we provide resources depending on which point you¡¯re on according to a list of practice necessities.¡± Zhou Bai nodded. That was reasonable. They couldn¡¯t provide everything at once. Thus Zhou Bai said, ¡°I¡¯ve already finished practicing the first star point, Sword Aura.¡± ¡°Oh? It¡¯s only been two weeks since school started. Let me see¡­you had a 99-point Primordial Spirit Value when you entered school? No wonder.¡± The middle-aged man reviewed Zhou Bai¡¯s materials while praising him, ¡°It¡¯s only been two weeks since school started, and you¡¯ve already finished practicing the first star point. Not bad. You¡¯re quite gifted. Keep up the good work.¡± Christina yelled in Zhou Bai¡¯s brain, ¡°Five days! It was five days! I finished practicing the first star point in five days! I¡¯m the most gifted person in this entering class.¡± Zhou Bai knocked his head, saying with a frown, ¡°Stop shouting. My head hurts.¡± The middle-aged man led Zhou Bai to a room. A row of metal stakes neatly lined up there. ¡°It¡¯s very easy to test the first star point, Sword Aura. Just unleash your sword aura, and cut a metal stake.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Zhou Bai nodded. He said to Christina in his mind, ¡°Draw your sword.¡± A pink sword aura shot out from Zhou Bai¡¯s forehead, lightly revolved around Zhou Bai, then stopped in front of him. The middle-aged man was a little shocked when he saw this pink sword aura. He gave a strange look to Zhou Bai. He didn¡¯t ask him why his sword aura was pink, but he had his speculations. ¡°Sword aura is fostered in the cognitive sea. The color of the sword aura has to do with the practitioner¡¯s inner world and personality. This kid¡­¡± The middle-aged man frowned. ¡°¡­is probably gay. Tsk tsk, Heavenly Tao¡ªhow wondrous.¡± Zhou Bai looked at the middle-aged man in embarrassment and said, ¡°This sword aura somehow became pink. This path of practicing Tao is certainly everchanging, hahahaha.¡± The middle-aged man agreed, ¡°Yes, the Heavenly Tao is wondrous.¡± Zhou Bai then pretended to control his sword aura. In a few flashes, the pink sword aura cut the metal stakes in half. Zhou Bai turned around and asked, ¡°Teacher, is this okay?¡± The middle-aged man nodded. ¡°Follow me. The second star point on the Sword Map is Tai White, if I remember correctly.¡± As they spoke, Zhou Bai followed the man into a massive basement. Rows of endless shelves appeared before him. They moved continuously, opening and closing with flashing lights. ¡°Isn¡¯t it magnificent?¡± the middle-aged man said with a smile. ¡°This is the place where our Donghua Tao Academy stores different material resources¡ªthe Genpin Vault. Be careful not to get too close. The protective formation here is the strongest in all of Donghua City. Even practitioners in the eighth and ninth realms can¡¯t break through it.¡± The glow of runes glimmered on the middle-aged man¡¯s fingers. Soon, several chests moved in front of Zhou Bai. Then the chest opened, and rations of resources flew in front of the middle-aged man. ¡°Let me see¡ªTai White requires thirty detoxication pills, fifteen grams of Tai Gold, thirty grams of refined gold, fifty grams of special alloy steel¡­and five first-aid runes. ¡°That¡¯s everything.¡± The middle-aged man counted and wrapped the materials in front of him, then gave them to Zhou Bai. ¡°All the resources required for practicing Tai White star point are here. See if they¡¯re correct.¡± Zhou Bai checked under Christina¡¯s instruction. Christina said, ¡°The practice of Tai White is to slowly integrate special metals that easily conduct primordial spirit power into the sword aura little by little and turn it into a half-substantial existence. That way, the sword aura gets stronger and sharper and can regurgitate on the body, allowing the body to have a thread of refined gold attribute. It increases strength and improves physique. ¡°Let me see the metals required¡­yep, it¡¯s all here. ¡°And the medicine for preventing metal poisoning, and first-aid runes for emergencies¡­¡± Christina read the resources written on the Taiyi Disc while making Zhou Bai check. Zhou Bai said, ¡°It¡¯s all here, teacher. Thank you.¡± ¡°No need to thank me. It¡¯s what you deserve. Now that you got what you came here for, you should leave.¡± The middle-aged man led Zhou Bai out. Zhou Bai then wanted to go to the classroom to find Jing Xiu first, but Christina couldn¡¯t stay in his mind. ¡°Take me back first! I¡¯m going to practice the next star point!¡± Christina rolled around in Zhou Bai¡¯s mind, shouting, ¡°I want to go home to practice! I want to go home to practice!¡± So Zhou Bai had no choice but to take Christina, who was working hard on practicing, back to his room. The stupid cat opened the packages of resources and was about to start practicing. ¡°Elsa! Don¡¯t sniff around. This isn¡¯t for you. Get away! This isn¡¯t for you to eat!¡± Seeing the cat and dog fight, Zhou Bai shook his head. He headed to the classroom, wanting to ask about the method to increase Degree of Taoification. At the very least, he wanted to find out if Jing Xiu and the rest were learning about it. Zhou Bai even decided that if all else failed, he¡¯d go to class for a few days. But once Zhou Bai entered the academic building, he found they were still in class. He thought to himself, ¡°If I go in right now, that would look bad for Old Lu¡­¡± Helplessly, Zhou Bai waited until the class break. Then he walked next to Jing Xiu under everyone¡¯s peculiar gaze. Chapter 53 - The Classmates There¡¯s an old saying: Public clamor can melt metals; accumulated defamation wears the bones. His classmates didn¡¯t come up to scold him, provoke him, criticize him, despise him, or eschew him. But the moment Zhou Bai walked into the classroom after cutting classes for two weeks, he subconsciously felt gazes poking holes in him, making him uncomfortable. ¡°Brother Zhou, are you here for class?¡± Jing Xiu saw Zhou Bai walking over and looked surprised. ¡°Come, come, come, sit next to me.¡± Seeing Jing Xiu make room for him, Zhou Bai said with some embarrassment, ¡°I¡¯m not here to attend class. It¡¯s just¡­it¡¯s just that, Jing Xiu, can you lend me your notes? I want to see where you guys are up to now.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Jing Xiu didn¡¯t get to answer because Shirley, who sat in front of Jing Xiu, turned around. After knocking on Zhou Bai¡¯s door for consecutive days and getting ignored, Shirley found Zhou Bai more and more disagreeable¡ªespecially when she remembered her parents were fighting on the front lines to strive for the practice time and resources for people like him. She got even angrier when she saw him. She glared at Zhou Bai. ¡°Weren¡¯t you cutting class? Why are you asking Jing Xiu for her notes?¡± ¡°What does it have to do with you? I¡¯m talking to Jing Xiu.¡± Shirley hastily said, ¡°Jing Xiu, don¡¯t lend your notes to this guy. Then he will have to come to class.¡± Jing Xiu looked at Shirley, then at Zhou Bai. She faced a dilemma. At that moment, a figure walked in front of Zhou Bai. It was a buff guy who was two meters tall. His robust stature made him look more like a member of organized crime than a student. Zhou Bai recalled his name. ¡°Du Bing, the ripped guy who placed eighth in the entrance exam.¡± Du Bing glanced at Zhou Bai. He said slowly, ¡°Zhou Bai, you¡¯ve disgraced the entire five-oh-three Class.¡± It was currently Paradise Year 503, so the 503 Class was naturally Zhou Bai¡¯s class. Hearing Du Bing¡¯s words, Zhou Bai looked helpless because he knew Du Bing was right. With a student who cut class like him in this entering year, people would naturally say the 503 Class was no good. They¡¯d say, ¡°Even the first place cuts class. Each generation just gets worse and worse¡­¡± and so on and so forth. Zhou Bai didn¡¯t have a solution to this. He couldn¡¯t just come to class because of these discussions. So he looked at Du Bing and shook his head. ¡°Du Bing, I actually¡­¡± Without giving Zhou Bai a chance to speak, Du Bing stared at him with a serious expression, ¡°Zhou Bai, although you¡¯ve disgraced the entire five-oh-three Class, I won¡¯t give up on you. ¡°What I hate to see the most is my classmate being thrown out and becoming everyone¡¯s laughingstock. That¡¯s why no matter how far you lag, how weak or useless you are, I, Du Bing, will never give up on you.¡± Du Bing had a passionate expression and was about to embrace Zhou Bai. Zhou Bai quickly took a few steps back, and said with embarrassment, ¡°Don¡¯t be like this¡­¡± Du Bing said, ¡°Zhou Bai, don¡¯t be afraid. Take my hand, let us explore the journey of Tao practice together¡­¡± Zhou Bai shook off his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t grab me! I¡¯m here for Jing Xiu. It has nothing to do with you!¡± Watching Du Bing leave in disappointment, Zhou Bai continued his conversation with Jing Xiu. ¡°Jing Xiu, I just want to borrow your notes, but if it¡¯s not convenient for you, then forget it¡­¡± Jing Xiu lowered her head in shame, ¡°Brother Zhou, I think I still can¡¯t lend you my notebook. Just come to class. Learning from my notes is too dangerous. Lending you my notes would only harm you.¡± Shirley roared with laughter. She jumped onto the desk and cupped Jing Xiu¡¯s face. ¡°Jing Xiu, good job! Don¡¯t lend this guy anything!¡± Then, she made a face at Zhou Bai and said, ¡°Go away. If you don¡¯t attend class, then you¡¯re not welcome here.¡± Jing Xiu looked at Zhou Bai awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Zhou Bai sighed, and he turned to look at the other classmates. Although they didn¡¯t say anything, Zhou Bai knew that there was no way he could borrow notes from the rest of them. Just as he was about to exit the classroom, Qian Wangsun waved at him from nearby. Zhou Bai walked over with some surprise. Qian Wangsun lent him his notes with a smile. ¡°Here are my notes; you may borrow them.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°You¡­¡± Qian Wangsun smiled. He flipped his long blond hair and said, ¡°It¡¯s an investment. If you manage to do well, I will profit.¡± Zhou Bai was touched. He gazed at Qian Wangsun and said, ¡°Thank you,¡± but after flipping through the notebook, his face fell. There were sparse text notes in the notebook, and they all looked like they were missing something. Qian Wangsun wrote ¡°omitted¡± in several places as well, and there were scribbles that Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t make out at all. The notes were extremely insincere, a stark comparison against Jing Xiu¡¯s neat notes. Instead, there were vivid drawings of all sorts of naked women. Even Zhou Bai gasped in admiration. ¡°Trash.¡± Zhou Bai tossed the notebook back to Qian Wangsun and walked out of the classroom. Qian Wangsun said, ¡°Hey, hey, hey, it¡¯s good stuff. It¡¯s all my learnings! You don¡¯t want it? You don¡¯t have to repay me in the future. Treat me to a meal¡­¡± He left the classroom in disappointment. Zhou Bai thought to himself, Do I have to come to class after all? I don¡¯t even know where they are now¡­Sigh, nevermind, nevermind. It¡¯s fine to lose face. It¡¯s fine to lose Laziness. Safety comes first on the path of Tao practice. Zhou Bai contemplated this while he walked through the academic building, thinking about when to attend class. Suddenly, he heard a voice. ¡°Zhou Bai, I heard you haven¡¯t been attending class?¡± Zhou Bai raised his head, Zuo Dao had been watching him from a corner ¡°Holy sh*t, you¡¯re one to talk.¡± Seeing Zuo Dao, Zhou Bai hastily said, ¡°It¡¯s class time right now. You¡¯re not in class either.¡± Zuo Dao¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Teacher Xing Jun is out today. I don¡¯t have class.¡± As he spoke, he slowly walked in front of Zhou Bai, staring at him with cold eyes. He said without expression, ¡°You beat me and got first place in the entrance exam. You shouldn¡¯t be rubbish.¡± Zhou Bai had a helpless expression¡ªanother one here to despise him! ¡°Darn it, everyone¡¯s reprimanding me. I¡¯m going to lie down and beat the crap out of all of you.¡± Zuo Dao took something out from his chest and threw it in front of Zhou Bai. ¡°These are my learnings from before I entered school that raised my Degree of Taoification from zero to one precent. Take them and study them well.¡± Then, he walked in front of Zhou Bai and used his finger to poke Zhou Bai¡¯s chest, saying coldly, ¡°If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, come look for me in my dorm at night. I¡¯ll assist you. ¡°The person who beat me can¡¯t be a good-for-nothing. In another month and a half, the person I¡¯m going to beat is a powerful you, a victory without any blemishes. Do you understand?¡± There¡¯s an old saying: Public clamor can melt metals, accumulated defamation wears the bones. Although the classmates in the classroom didn¡¯t come up to scold him, provoke him, criticize him, despise him, or eschew him. But the moment Zhou Bai walked into the classroom after cutting classes for two weeks, he subconsciously felt gazes poking holes on him, making him very uncomfortable. ¡°Brother Zhou, are you here for class?¡± Jing Xiu saw Zhou Bai walking over and looked very surprised, ¡°Come come come, sit next to me.¡± Seeing Jing Xiu make room for him, Zhou Bai said with some embarrassment, ¡°I¡¯m actually not here to attend class, it¡¯s just¡­it¡¯s just that, Jing Xiu, can you lend me your notes? I want to see where you guys are up to now.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Jing Xiu didn¡¯t get to answer when Shirley, who sat in front of Jing Xiu, turned around. After knocking on Zhou Bai¡¯s door for consecutive days and getting ignored, Shirley found Zhou Bai more and more disagreeable. Especially when she remembered her parents were fighting on the front line in order to strive for the practice time and resources for people like him, she got even more angry when she saw him. She glared at Zhou Bai, ¡°Weren¡¯t you cutting class? Why are you asking Jing Xiu for her notes?¡± Zhou Bai: ¡°What does it have to do with you? I¡¯m talking to Jing Xiu.¡± Shirley hastily said to Jing Xiu, ¡°Jing Xiu, don¡¯t lend your notes to this guy, then he would have to come to class.¡± Jing Xiu looked at Shirley, then at Zhou Bai. She fell into a dilemma. At that moment, a figure walked in front of Zhou Bai. It was a buff guy who was two meters tall. His robust stature made him look more like the mafia than a student. Zhou Bai recalled his name, ¡°Du Bing, the ripped guy who placed eight in the entrance exam.¡± Du Bing glanced at Zhou Bai, he said slowly, ¡°Zhou Bai, you¡¯ve disgraced the entire 503 Class.¡± It was currently Paradise Year 503, so the 503 Class was naturally Zhou Bai¡¯s class. Hearing Du Bing¡¯s words, Zhou Bai had a helpless expression because he knew Du Bing was right. With a student who cuts class like him in this entering year, people would naturally say the 503 Class is no good. Things like ¡°Even the first place cuts class, each generation just gets worse and worse¡­¡± and so on and so forth. Zhou Bai didn¡¯t have a solution to this, he couldn¡¯t just actually come to class because of these discussions. So he looked at Du Bing and shook his head, ¡°Du Bing, I actually¡­¡± Without giving Zhou Bai a chance to speak, Du Bing stared at Zhou Bai with a serious expression, ¡°Zhou Bai, although you¡¯ve disgraced the entire 503 Class, I won¡¯t give up on you.¡± ¡°What I hate to see the most is my classmate being thrown out and becoming everyone¡¯s laughing stock. That¡¯s why no matter how far you lag behind, how weak or useless you are, I, Du Bing, will never give up on you.¡± Du Bing had a passionate expression and was about to embrace Zhou Bai. Zhou Bai quickly took a few steps back, and said with embarrassment, ¡°Don¡¯t be like this¡­¡± Du Bing: ¡°Zhou Bai, don¡¯t be afraid. Take my hand, let us explore the journey of Tao practice together¡­¡± Zhou Bai shook off his hand, ¡°Don¡¯t grab me! I¡¯m here for Jing Xiu, it has nothing to do with you!!¡± Watching Du Bing leave in disappointment, Zhou Bai continued his conversation with Jing Xiu. ¡°Jing Xiu, I just want to borrow your notes, but if it¡¯s not convenient for you, then forget it¡­¡± Jing Xiu lowered her head in shame, ¡°Brother Zhou, I think I still can¡¯t lend you my notebook. Just come to class, learning from my notes is too dangerous. Lending you my notes would only harm you.¡± Shirley roared with laughter. She jumped onto the desk and cupped Jing Xiu¡¯s face, ¡°Jing Xiu, good job! Don¡¯t lend this guy anything!¡± Then, she made a face at Zhou Bai and said, ¡°Go away. If you don¡¯t attend class, then you¡¯re not welcome here.¡± Jing Xiu looked at Zhou Bai awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Zhou Bai sighed, he turned and looked at the other classmates. Although they didn¡¯t say anything, Zhou Bai knew that there was no way he could borrow notes from the rest of them. Just as he was about to exit the classroom, Qian Wangsun waved at him from nearby. Zhou Bai walked over with some surprise. Qian Wangsun lent him his notes with a smile, ¡°Here are my notes, you may borrow them.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°You¡­¡± Qian Wangsun smiled, he flipped his long, blond hair and said, ¡°It¡¯s investment, if you manage to do really well, I would profit.¡± Zhou Bai was very touched. He gazed at Qian Wangsun and said, ¡°Thank you,¡± but after flipping through the notebook, his face fell. There were very sparse text notes in the notebook, and they all looked like they were missing something. Qian Wangsun wrote ¡°omitted¡± in several places as well, and there were scribbles that Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t make out at all. The notes were extremely insincere, a stark comparison against Jing Xiu¡¯s neat notes. Instead, there were vivid drawings of all sorts of naked women. Even Zhou Bai gasped in admiration. ¡°Trash.¡± Zhou Bai tossed the notebook back to Qian Wangsun and walked out of the classroom. Qian Wangsun said, ¡°Hey hey hey, it¡¯s good stuff, it¡¯s all my learnings! You really don¡¯t want it? You don¡¯t have to repay me in the future, just treat me to a meal¡­¡± He left the classroom in disappointment. Zhou Bai thought to himself, ¡°Do I really have to come to class after all? I don¡¯t even know where they are now¡­. Sigh, nevermind, nevermind, it¡¯s fine to lose face, it¡¯s fine to lose Laziness. Safety comes first on the path of Tao practice.¡± Zhou Bai contemplated this while he walked through the academic building, thinking about when to attend class. Suddenly, he heard a voice. ¡°Zhou Bai, I heard you haven¡¯t been attending class?¡± Zhou Bai raised his head, Zuo Dao had been watching him from a corner ¡°Holy sh*t, you¡¯re one to talk.¡± Seeing Zuo Dao, Zhou Bai hastily said, ¡°It¡¯s class time right now, you¡¯re not in class either.¡± Zuo Dao¡¯s lips twitched, ¡°Teacher Xing Jun is out today, I don¡¯t have class today.¡± As he spoke, he slowly walked in front of Zhou Bai, staring at Zhou Bai with cold eyes. He said without expression, ¡°You beat me and got first place in the entrance exam. You shouldn¡¯t be rubbish.¡± Zhou Bai had a helpless expression, another one here to despise him. ¡°Darn it, everyone¡¯s reprimanding me. I¡¯m going to lie down and beat the crap out of all of you.¡± Zuo Dao took something out from his chest and threw it in front of Zhou Bai, ¡°These are my learnings from before I entered school that raised my Degree of Taoification from 0% to 1%. Take it and study it well.¡± Then, he walked in front of Zhou Bai and used his finger to poke Zhou Bai¡¯s chest, saying coldly, ¡°If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t understand, come look for me in my dorm at night, I¡¯ll assist you.¡± ¡°The person who beat me can¡¯t be a good-for-nothing. In another month and a half, the person I¡¯m going to beat is a powerful you, a victory without any blemishes. Do you understand?¡± Chapter 54 - : Taoist Sutra 00 Zhou Bai thought to himself, You¡¯ve really made a sudden turn. Watching Zuo Dao leave, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t help muttering, ¡°You didn¡¯t even tell me your room number¡­¡± Zuo Dao turned around and said coldly, ¡°I wrote it on the notebook. You better work hard and stop disgracing us.¡± Although the process was a little beyond Zhou Bai¡¯s expectations, the results were gratifying. Especially after Zhou Bai returned to his dorm and flipped through the learning notes Zuo Dao gave him, he couldn¡¯t help exclaiming at how detailed these notes were. Not only did they explain every step of the process in increasing Degree of Taoification in detail, they also briefly explained all the related theories and even had notes on which textbooks to reference. Zhou Bai was shocked at their detail. He¡¯s really a nerd, Zhou Bai thought. He could probably sell these study notes as textbook material. In the following days, Christina quietly practiced the second star point, Tai White, while Zhou Bai cut class during the day to raise Laziness and read Zuo Dao¡¯s notes at night with Christina. Now and then, he went to the library to borrow related textbooks to read. As for Zuo Dao, Zhou Bai didn¡¯t go to him; after all, he didn¡¯t want others to know his current skill level. And besides, Zuo Dao¡¯s notes were detailed enough, plus he had Christina to help fill the gaps in his basic theories. Christina learned even faster than Zhou Bai, as if she was continuously recovering her memory. Zhou Bai had a lot of confidence in raising his Degree of Taoifcation. *** A whole week passed like this. Not only did Zhou Bai make tremendous improvements in his knowledge of Degree of Taoification, but his Laziness also increased greatly, exceeding 3,000. Degree of Taoification: 0% Primordial Spirit Value: 99 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 3,450 ¡°The so-called Degree of Taoification measures the synchronization of humans with the Heavenly Tao. The more synchronized they are, the greater primordial spirit power they can master, and the more they can improve and become more powerful in all aspects¡­¡± Zhou Bai closed Zuo Dao¡¯s notes. He slowly shut his eyes. The comprehension of Degree of Taoification lingered in his mind. Before the Heavenly Tao became distorted, when practitioners wanted to raise Degree of Taoification, they just had to meditate and breathe every day. In the process of breathing Spark, they would naturally gain information little by little regarding the Heavenly Tao, increasing their comprehension of it. This information was hazy and hard to describe, but at the same time practitioners were safe and harmless. In this kind of hazy Heavenly Tao, practitioners needed to continuously comprehend, summarize, describe, and turn the information into their own understandings in order to raise Degree of Taoification After the Heavenly Tao distorted, this process became completely different. In order to prevent practitioners from being infected in the process of practice, the entire Donghua City was enveloped in a protective formation. Almost all the practitioners had gone through primordial spirit adjustment since birth and had gotten rune vaccines. That¡¯s why the practitioners practicing inside Donghua City today basically couldn¡¯t come into contact with Heavenly Tao information through breathing Spark. The triple protection blocked it all. The new method Tao academies gave them was to directly read their summarized contents. From Taoist Sutra 00 to Taoist Sutra 99 corresponded to Degree of Taoification 1¨C99%. They each represented the necessary knowledge and comprehension for each point of Degree of Taoification. But they had been transformed into text that generations of strong individuals compiled using countless ciphers and metaphors that could be read and understood little by little. The text was much less harmless than contacting the Heavenly Tao directly. But even so, when you actually increased your Degree of Taoification and synchronized with the Heavenly Tao, there were still many dangers. Because the Heavenly Tao¡­is ubiquitous. ¡°Making an attempt shouldn¡¯t be very dangerous. If you sense danger, just stop,¡± said Christina. ¡°All sorts of learning, mental establishments, methods for clearing your mind¡ªdidn¡¯t Zuo Dao write them down? You also memorized all sorts of methods to decode the ciphers and metaphors. ¡°And anyway, you¡¯ve practiced up to the fifth star point. You have a strong physique, so your mental strength is naturally stronger too.¡± Zhou Bai nodded. When students had strong physiques and vigorous energy, their mentality would naturally strengthen too as an effect. His willpower was stronger than in the past. Plus with Zuo Dao¡¯s notes, trying to increase his Degree of Taoification was within reason. So the next day, Zhou Bai went to library management early in the morning and applied to read Taoist Sutra 00. Taoist Sutras 00 to 99 were forbidden from circulation because they involved knowledge for entering the Taoi. Zhou Bai could only read them by registering with his student ID. Before you could read them, you had to go through a mental evaluation. Only after making sure there were no problems could you start reading. But the entire process was simple, fast, and efficient as usual. Zhou Bai¡¯s mentality was normal. After Zhou Bai registered with his student ID and went through the application process, he was brought into a meditation room. Dense runes covered the room¡¯s walls. Someone had written a giant ¡°Calm¡± on the wall. Just seeing it gave Zhou Bai a sense of peace and concentration. Zhou Bai slowly walked to the center of the quiet room and sat down. Before him was a completely black book. It was Taoist Sutra 00. ¡°Phew¡­¡± Zhou Bai kept recalling the different mutated subjects he had witnessed in his mind; he couldn¡¯t help growing nervous. Christina encouraged him. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous! If you die, I¡¯ll take care of your dog. I¡¯ll also take good care of your auxiliary system.¡± ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t interrupt my practice.¡± Zhou Bai didn¡¯t immediately open Taoist Sutra 00. Instead, he followed the method that countless people concluded in Zuo Dao¡¯s notes: he sat in front of Taoist Sutra 00 and quieted his mind. When practitioners saw the Taoist Sutra 00 for the first time, knowing that they were about to increase their Degree of Taoification, they inevitably got excited. However, this was bad for their ensuing practice. That¡¯s why Zhou Bai needed to sit quietly for a while and settle down before he read the Taoist Sutra. He sat like that for half an hour. Zhou Bai felt like his emotions had calmed down. Then he reached out his hands and opened Taoist Sutra 00. ¡°The way of going into hiding has true impacts. Clear air is hazy and dim. The shadows of the heart silently judge the soul¡­¡± Reading through the first page, Zhou Bai felt his primordial spirit quiver. Although he didn¡¯t understand the meaning behind the words of the book, a mysterious, indescribable feeling had already filled his heart. It was different from the information read directly from the current Heavenly Tao. This was the compilation of comprehension of the Heavenly Tao. This was a human summary of knowledge of the Divine Tao. But even after using countless metaphors and ciphers to analyze it into human language, it still had supernatural power. Countless practitioners sacrificed themselves to compile this Taoist Sutra 00. Zhou Bai quickly repressed the trembling in his heart. He followed the method described by Zuo Dao and countless textbooks, controlled his primordial spirit, controlled his breathing, and breathed Spark while reading. His body and primordial spirit were breathing Spark, but Zhou Bai¡¯s brain continually decoded the metaphors and ciphers written in Taoist Sutra 00 according to Zuo Dao¡¯s notes and the knowledge he had learned from textbooks. Just like past practitioners who breathed Spark and comprehended the Heavenly Tao, right now Zhou Bai used a method special to the era of distorted Heavenly Tao to breathe Spark and comprehend the Heavenly Tao. As he analyzed more and more of the contents of Taoist Sutra 00, Zhou Bai felt his primordial spirit becoming more vibrant. Degree of Taoification +0.1%! With the increase in Degree of Taoification, he began hearing loud and quiet murmurings in his ears. Chapter 55 - Murmuring ¡°Is it here? This murmuring¡­¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s heart thumped. Both Zuo Dao¡¯s notes and all sorts of textbook materials explained the occurrence of this phenomenon. In the process of reading Taoist Sutra and gaining comprehension of the Heavenly Tao, even if he made all these preparations and protections in advance, as long as he gradually got into the condition of synchronizing with the Heavenly Tao, there would still be distorted knowledge trying to infiltrate his primordial spirit. Zhou Bai curbed his desire. He paid no mind to the murmuring and didn¡¯t try to remember it. He tried his best to act like he didn¡¯t hear it at all. But the next moment, in this silent meditation room, the lights seemed to get dimmer slowly. The edges of the room even gradually fell into darkness. White light enveloped only the spot where Zhou Bai sat. As darkness gradually descended, the meditation room became quieter and quieter. Only the sound of Zhou Bai reading the Taoist Sutra echoed in the room, as if a second person were reading along. Zhou Bai forced himself not to look at those strange places. He continued to read the Taoist Sutra. The thumping of footsteps sounded in the dark. Zhou Bai suddenly paused his reading. Then, without care, he continued to read. As Zhou Bai read, footsteps constantly sounded around him, as if a dozen children ran and played in the darkness. ¡°Hehe.¡± Zhou Bai could even hear their laughter, and sometimes he heard whispering. Cold sweat continuously ran down his forehead. After a mere ten minutes of reading Taoist Sutra 00, although he didn¡¯t even finish reading its contents, Zhou Bai felt the murmuring in his ears get louder and louder, clearer and clearer. ¡°Zhou¡­Bai¡­¡± With a light gasp, Zhou Bai immediately stopped reading. He closed the book, shut his eyes, slowed his breathing, and calmed down. As he paused his reading and closed Taoist Sutra 00, the entire meditation room returned to normal again. The dimness and darkness from before vanished, as if they were just a hallucination. A long while later, Zhou Bai slowly opened his eyes. ¡°Tina, those things¡­did you see them?¡± In his cognitive sea, Christina, who had been practicing quietly, said, ¡°See what? Weren¡¯t you just reading the Taoist Sutra?¡± Was it a hallucination? It was so realistic, Zhou Bai thought to himself. If I paid any attention to it, what would have happened? He quickly cleared his head, shaking off this thought. All textbook materials on Taoist Sutras stated that when you read a Taoist Sutra, you must ignore any abnormal phenomena. Zhou Bai shook his head, then looked at the board. When he was reading Taoist Sutra 00, he saw his Degree of Taoification on the board rise to 0.1%, but when he looked again now, he found his Degree of Taoification had already returned to 0%. Zhou Bai knew this was a normal phenomenon. Increasing Degree of Taoification required reading Taoist Sutra 00 over and over again and slowly synchronizing with the Heavenly Tao in the process. If his Degree of Taoification could reach 0.1% even when he was not reading Taoist Sutra, that would be the first step to success. At the same time, he recalled the contents he just read and analyzed, and he realized he gradually forgot the contents of Taoist Sutra 00. In only a dozen seconds, he had already forgotten everything he had just read. Only a faint comprehension of it remained. That was a feature of comprehending the Heavenly Tao through the Taoist Sutras. Even if they were just words, they contained supernatural powers. They were mysterious and indescribable. If any passage from there were leaked and read by normal people, it might cause mutation and lunacy. Even if a practitioner read it, if their realm was not high enough, they might not even be able to organize the contents into words and remember them by heart. The contents of the Taoist Sutras alone symbolized the extraordinary. Only by reading the Taoist Sutras over and over again and raising Degree of Taoification could one slowly engrave in memory the comprehensions of the Heavenly Tao. ¡°Zhou Bai? Are you done?¡± Christina asked in Zhou Bai¡¯s head. She wasn¡¯t ready to increase Degree of Taoification yet, so when Zhou Bai was reading Taoist Sutra 00, Christina was practicing quietly on her own. She didn¡¯t read the scripture, so she didn¡¯t feel any abnormalities. Zhou Bai nodded. ¡°This is so difficult. Let me try again.¡± Thus Zhou Bai repeated his reading of Taoist Sutra 00. He started from the beginning each time. The time that he was able to read increased from the initial ten minutes, gradually to 12 minutes, 15 minutes, and 20 minutes. He did this until four in the afternoon, when he read for 25 minutes at a time. Only then was he unable to endure the influence of the murmuring and had to close Taoist Sutra 00. But when he looked at the board, his Degree of Taoification returned to 0% again at the moment he stopped reading. F*ck, it¡¯s this hard? Zhou Bai stroked his chin, thinking to himself. Or is it because¡­I¡¯m not a genius practitioner? Zuo Dao¡¯s notes said that¡­¡± *** Zuo Dao¡¯s notes: ¡°Today was my first time reading the Taoist Sutra 00 sealed at home. It¡¯s a little more difficult than I imagined; I spent approximately half an hour to finally keep my Degree of Taoification steady at 0.1%. It looks like it¡¯ll take a long time for me to increase Degree of Taoification to 10% and enter the first realm¡­¡± *** What the hell! Half an hour? Zhou Bai thought. I¡¯ve been at it for nearly four hours, and I haven¡¯t even reached 0.1%! If I keep practicing like this, I feel like I¡¯m about to get a heart attack from the hallucinations. This thought made Zhou Bai angry. He looked again at his auxiliary system board, considering whether he should increase Degree of Taoification with Laziness. But he still couldn¡¯t read Taoist Sutra 00 for an extensive period of time. He couldn¡¯t resist the long periods of murmuring. If he were to directly increase Degree of Taoification now¡­ Wait, Zhou Bai thought to himself, Stand like iron, sit like steel, lie like a mountain¡­I¡¯ve been reading Taoist Sutra 00 in a sitting posture this entire time. Would it be easier for me to do it while lying down? At this thought, Zhou Bai immediately became excited, then calmed himself again. When he felt that he was at peace, he lay on the floor and began reading with the Taoist Sutra in his hands. A moment later, Zhou Bai heard the murmuring come again, but this time it was faint to the point of being negligible. There were no other abnormal phenomena. Zhou Bai felt as if he had turned into a mountain. Whether it be the comprehensions of the Heavenly Tao he analyzed from Taoist Sutra 00 or the endless murmuring in his ears, he was completely indifferent to them. They made no ripples in his heart. He read like this for half an hour, finishing the entire Taoist Sutra 00, and Zhou Bai didn¡¯t feel a single bit of influence from the murmuring. He closed Taoist Sutra 00. When he looked again at the auxiliary practice system board, his Degree of Taoification had already reached 0.2%. ¡°So that¡¯s how it works! That¡¯s how it works!¡± Zhou Bai cried out in realization. ¡°The true use of star point Sumeru¡¯s ¡®lie like a mountain¡¯ is not to defend in battle, but to defend against the contamination of distorted Heavenly Tao when reading Taoist Sutra 00 and increasing Degree of Taoification.¡± Zhou Bai was ecstatic at this realization. Christina asked curiously in his mind, ¡°How come you read for so long this time? Have you gone mad?¡± Zhou Bai told Christina about the effect of lying like a mountain. The little cat had a face of envy; she kept stretching out and retracting her claws. ¡°D*mn it! I wish I could steal Zhou Bai¡¯s plug-in! What do I have to do to steal his plug-in?¡± On the other hand, after Zhou Bai understood the true effect of lying like a mountain, he lay down on the floor and repeatedly read the contents of Taoist Sutra 00. He read like this until 11 at night. Each time he read, he went through it faster and faster. Now he only needed an hour and a half to finish the book, and his Degree of Taoification had increased to 0.7%. Degree of Taoification got harder to increase as you progressed, which meant it was easiest to increase when it was low. It wouldn¡¯t be possible for Zhou Bai to increase Degree of Taoification by 0.7% in a single sitting like he did today. Zhou Bai glanced at the time. It was nearly midnight. Although the library of Tao academy was open 24 hours a day, he had to eat. And even if he didn¡¯t have to eat, Elsa needed to eat. So Zhou Bai stood up, planning to leave and take care of his and his dog¡¯s meal. But the moment he stood up, the murmuring in his ears rushed into his mind as if it were tangible, making his entire primordial spirit quiver endlessly, as if it were about to emerge from his body at any moment. The light around him became dim. Faint footsteps sounded again. Feeling all this, Zhou Bai immediately sat down. His quaking primordial spirit immediately quieted down. Although there was still murmuring in his ears, it was not so hard to bear anymore. Zhou Bai stroked his chin and thought, So that¡¯s how it is? Since I raised my Degree of Taoification when I was lying down, whenever I sit or stand, I¡¯m still a little unaccustomed to it? But the next moment, Zhou Bai¡¯s gaze shifted, and his body suddenly froze. He stared at a corner of the room. A small red footprint had appeared there out of nowhere. But when Zhou Bai looked there again, the footprint had disappeared. Zhou Bai exhaled deeply. ¡°Is it possible¡­it¡¯s not just a hallucination?¡± Then he looked at the empty floor again, and said in a low voice, ¡°It should be¡­just a hallucination.¡± So Zhou Bai continued to sit for half an hour before he slowly stood up, gradually getting accustomed to his spiked Degree of Taoification. He tried his best to ignore the murmuring in his ears. Zhou Bai thought to himself, This is bad, I shouldn¡¯t have raised my Degree of Taoification by so much in one session. Starting tomorrow, I must increase it little by little. He spent more than two hours repeatedly lying down and sitting back up to ease his discomfort. Only then did Zhou Bai regain his freedom of movement. He tried to launch his primordial spirit power and immediately felt the difference. After his Degree of Taoification increased to 0.7%, he felt his primordial spirit power seemed to be more agile, more rounded, and easier to control compared to before. Its range seemed to have increased beyond 10 meters as well, now reaching as far as 11 or 12 meters. His launching speed became faster too, and he still felt unsatisfied after he used it. As he entered the Tao, Primordial Spirit Value also broke through its bottleneck, and he could now continue to raise it. Chapter 56 - Big Dog Increase of Degree of Taoification was naturally not just the potential of the primordial power improving. It was more expansion from inside out, in all aspects. But for now, Zhou Bai¡¯s Degree of Taoification had only increased by 0.7%, so it wasn¡¯t as apparent. Feeling he shouldn¡¯t increase Degree of Taoification any more today, Zhou Bai prepared to leave the meditation room and end his practice of Degree of Taoification today. The procedures for leaving were another series of examinations of his mental state and Spark infection. After making sure Zhou Bai was fine, they let him out. While walking, Zhou Bai smiled to himself. Although it¡¯s a bit troublesome, this level of productivity is probably better than most people¡¯s. Hmph, I have to wait only another month and a half for my turn to shine. As he thought this, Zhou Bai walked toward his dorm with Elsa¡¯s food in his hands. ¡°It¡¯s nearly two in the morning now. Elsa must be starving to death.¡± There was a faint smile on Zhou Bai¡¯s lips. He opened the door to his dorm but felt a nasty wind hit his face. A giant figure pounced on him. Woof! Seeing the giant figure that charged toward him, Zhou Bai¡¯s expression changed, and he subconsciously released his primordial spirit power, lifting the figure off the ground. Then he took a closer look and realized that what pounced at him was a Shiba Inu that was four to five times its normal size. The Shiba Inu was suspended in mid-air, looking at Zhou Bai with a face of distress. ¡°Elsa?¡± Zhou Bai was shocked. ¡°How did you become so big after just one day?¡± Woof-woof! Elsa barked a few times, continuously eyeing the humanfeed in Zhou Bai¡¯s hands, as if urging him to hand over the food. Zhou Bai didn¡¯t understand Elsa¡¯s current condition. He put her down for now and tossed the food at her. The bigger Elsa hastily leaped toward the humanfeed, wolfing down the rice in a few bites. She stuck out her tongue and licked the bowl. At this sight, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t help covering his face, ¡°This can¡¯t be right. Not just the fact that you suddenly got bigger¡ªyour appetite got bigger too. How am I going to feed you in the future?¡± ¡°Try to see if you can turn this stupid dog back,¡± said Christina. ¡°I think her increased appetite is probably due to her transformation.¡± ¡°Could it be¡­she¡¯s growing up?¡± Zhou Bai said while stroking his chin. Christina said, ¡°Growing up? If this dog can get this big from eating just three bowls of rice a day, isn¡¯t she too easy to take care of?¡± Elsa didn¡¯t know what the human and cat were thinking. She only knew her stomach was still empty. She walked up and rubbed against Zhou Bai so he would give her more food. But Elsa forgot how large she was and how powerful. Just this gesture of walking up and rubbing against him nearly sent Zhou Bai flying from the impact. ¡°Holy sh*t! My current strength is enough to overturn a small car. This dog is this strong now?¡± Zhou Bai quickly launched his primordial spirit power, holding down the somewhat agitated Elsa. He held her head and shouted, ¡°All right, Elsa! Stop moving around!¡± Elsa crouched in place, gazing at Zhou Bai with hunger and aggrievement, not understanding why he was so mean. Christina popped out from Zhou Bai¡¯s forehead. In fact, as long as Zhou Bai was willing, Christina could freely enter and exit Zhou Bai¡¯s cognitive sea herself. She circled once around Elsa, then jumped on her head. She said with some hesitation, ¡°This kid¡­looks even bigger now?¡± ¡°Does she?¡± Zhou Bai was appalled. ¡°She got even bigger?¡± Zhou Bai quickly put a chair next to Elsa for comparison. A minute later, he exclaimed, ¡°She got bigger! What is going on? Elsa, did you eat something you¡¯re not supposed to eat?¡± Elsa barked at Zhou Bai with distress. Zhou Bai covered his face and broke down. ¡°You¡¯re growing so fast, I can¡¯t afford to keep you in the future.¡± Christina said, ¡°What you should be worried about now is if Tao academy will take her away to experiment on. She¡¯s way too noticeable now.¡± Zhou Bai frowned. Elsa had a record of demonification. If the school found out her abnormalities, they might lock Elsa away out of concern that she might mutate. ¡°Elsa, looks like I can¡¯t let you eat too much in the future. You¡¯re growing up way too fast. It¡¯s so troublesome. Even your current size is too big.¡± Zhou Bai stroked his chin and said, ¡°How about we shave off all your fur and claim that you¡¯re a pig?¡± Elsa shook her head violently, retreating backward. But they heard a crisp snap, and the bed behind her was crushed. ¡°Wait,¡± Christina said with surprise. ¡°This kid looks like she¡¯s still getting bigger.¡± Zhou Bai was overwhelmed. How could he keep her like this? Would he have to ask others for food every day? A hint of contemplation flashed in Christina¡¯s eyes. ¡°It looks like this kid is getting bigger little by little. Only when she was eating was there no change.¡± Zhou Bai said with disbelief, ¡°You¡¯re trying to say that this kid¡­this kid gets bigger when she¡¯s hungry?¡± Christina said without confidence, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ve never heard of a transformation like this, and besides, she was fine the previous times we let her go hungry.¡± Although it was hard to believe, Zhou Bai had no other choice now. He had to try all his options. He raced to the cafeteria and brought home ten bowls of rice. But the moment he opened the bedroom door, Elsa had already become the size of nearly half the bedroom. She stared at Zhou Bai in anticipation with wide eyes and her tongue sticking out. ¡°How could she get so big? Is there no limit to it?¡± Zhou Bai quickly threw the rice into the big dog¡¯s mouth. Elsa curled her tongue and swallowed the ten bowls of rice. Then, under Zhou Bai and Christina¡¯s gaze, she got smaller at a visible rate. Looking at Elsa, who was still five to six times the size of a normal Shiba Inu, Zhou Bai went and bought a few more bowls of rice, and finally fed Elsa back to her original size. Elsa¡¯s belly was round and sticking out. She lay on the ground with a face of satisfaction. Zhou Bai sighed deeply. ¡°I used nearly twenty points today. Our days will get harder from now on. And Elsa, I can¡¯t believe she gets bigger just from being hungry. We really can¡¯t miss a single meal for her in the future.¡± Helplessly, Zhou Bai could only go buy an additional three bowls of rice from the cafeteria and leave them in his room to stock up for Elsa. In the future, he¡¯d have to keep humanfeed in the dorm constantly. Watching Elsa run around the humanfeed, Zhou Bai said, ¡°All right, Elsa, stop running around it. This is for your next meal. Don¡¯t think about it for now.¡± After finally resolving Elsa¡¯s issue, Zhou Bai had time to lie down on the bed. He increased his Laziness as he looked at the auxiliary board. Next to Zhou Bai, Christina spit out her sword aura, slowly integrating the practice materials for Tai White into it. She inhaled and exhaled, polishing the sword aura sharper and sharper. Zhou Bai looked at the board. As he got the 200 points of Laziness today, his Laziness reached 3,650 points. Degree of Taoification: 0.7% Primordial Spirit Value: 99 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 3,650 Chapter 57 - Rapid Improvement Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio Zhou Bai thought, I¡¯ll increase Degree of Taoification through reading Taoist Sutras. I¡¯ll think of something else when I get to a bottleneck again. Right now, my concern is not that it won¡¯t rise, but that I won¡¯t be able to adapt if it gets too high. As for Primordial Spirit Value¡­I can continue raising that. After entering the Tao, his Degree of Taoification broke through the 0% threshold. His Primordial Spirit Value was no longer limited to 99 and could be increased further, but there was still an upper limit. The upper limit for Primordial Spirit Value at the zeroth realm was 999 points. If you wanted to break through the 999 Primordial Spirit Value limit, you would have to increase your Degree of Taoification to 10%. When you reached the first realm, you could exceed the limit of 999 points of Primordial Spirit Value. Zhou Bai directed his will. His primordial spirit power extended outward faster than in the past, and it was more lively and agile. Zhou Bai focused his attention on the Primordial Spirit Value on the board. He immediately depleted 10 points of Laziness, increasing Primordial Spirit Value from 99 points to 100 points. Zhou Bai smacked his lips, reveling in the feeling. He didn¡¯t sense that he had broken through a limit. It looked like the 99-point Primordial Spirit Value limit was only because of Degree of Taoification. It had nothing to do with Primordial Spirit Value itself. Then, Zhou Bai tried to increase some Primordial Spirit Value again, and he raised his value to 101. Just as he expected, it used 100 points of Laziness this time. When I increase Primordial Spirit Value above one hundred, he noted to himself, each point uses up a hundred points of Laziness. With some unwillingness, Zhou Bai added all his remaining Laziness onto his Primordial Spirit Value. The 3,650 points of Laziness instantly lowered to 40 points. Zhou Bai¡¯s Primordial Spirit Value reached 136 points. With his will, the newly increased 136 points of Primordial Spirit Value swept outward, crackling in the air. It was even more aggressive than before. Right now, I can at least beat two of myself from the past, he thought. I really want to experiment. Zhou Bai smiled contentedly, but after thinking about Sakurako, who had mutated, and the snake-shaped Mara in the underground base, the smile on his face slowly faded. It¡¯s still not enough. I¡¯m still too weak. I must be a little stronger. I don¡¯t want to face the threat of death again, and I want to have my own choice, to have the power to protect others. Zhou Bai jumped off the bed and walked to his desk to begin studying basic textbook materials. He planned to go back to sleep tomorrow morning. So in the following days, Zhou Bai increased Laziness when he slept during the day and went to the library to read the Taoist Sutras at night, then came back to the dorm to self-study textbook materials. Time passed quickly. The entire Tao academy seemed to have returned to its tranquil state, and no abnormalities occurred around Zhou Bai again. Two weeks passed like this. There was only one month left before the test. Zhou Bai didn¡¯t continue practicing the Divine Map during these two weeks. He put all his energy into increasing Degree of Taoification and Primordial Spirit Value. Every night, he read the Taoist Sutra, raising Degree of Taoification by 0.1% or 0.2%, then slowly adapting to it. The Laziness he got from sleeping every day and cutting class was all used toward increasing Primordial Spirit Value. Degree of Taoification: 2.4% Primordial Spirit Value: 221 Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters Laziness: 70 That night, in a small building in the northeast direction of the Tao academy, Zhou Bai was in one of a vast number of completely sealed practice rooms covered in layers of protective formations. In this era where everyone resisted Mara, the combat capacity of practitioners was important. Naturally, they needed extremely solid practice rooms to assess their levels of practice, combat ability, and destructive power. At this moment, inside a certain locked practice room, Zhou Bai gripped his palm lightly. Twenty meters ahead of him, steel armor was instantly crushed, turning into a ball of useless metal that hovered in mid-air. Then, Zhou Bai¡¯s primordial spirit power pulled again, flattening the crushed armor, tearing it, and turning it into dozens of pieces that floated in the air. Zhou Bai thought, Two point four percent Degree of Taoification, 221 primordial spirit power. My destructive power is two to three times that of before, and my range is now over 20 meters. And my primordial spirit power is more agile and easier to control. Is it because of the increase in Degree of Taoification? He manipulated the dozens of shards to shoot out in every direction. The shards hit the walls, exploding as if bullets had hit them. And not only his strength increased, he noted. I feel like after my primordial spirit power increased, my memory got better, and I can think more clearly now. Memories of the past few weeks flashed in Zhou Bai¡¯s mind. He found that they were incredibly clear. Even his memories from when he used to be a normal person became much clearer. He looked at the results of his work with satisfaction. Zhou Bai continued to test out the limits of his primordial spirit power, then left the practice room and walked toward the cafeteria. It was dinnertime, and people filled the cafeteria. Zhou Bai saw this, thought about his points, and sighed. With the 20 points he had spent on Elsa¡¯s food that day, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to taste anything aside from humanfeed before the next test. ¡°Hm? Isn¡¯t this the genius first place in the entrance exam?¡± Zhou Bai frowned when he heard this. He turned to look and saw two boys and a girl standing not far away, examining him curiously. ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s him. First place in the entrance exam, but he hasn¡¯t even gone to a full day of class.¡± The boy had slicked-back hair. He walked toward Zhou Bai and said, ¡°I¡¯m curious. What level of practice could you have without attending a single day of classes? How about we test our skills in the practice room?¡± Over 100 points of primordial spirit power sprawled out from his cognitive sea, faintly rippling the air. Liu Xian had placed fifth in the entrance exam and had successfully entered the Tao and broken through the 99-point limit. His confidence seemed to be bursting right now. He seemed to want to challenge Zhou Bai. Zhou Bai sensed the primordial spirit power and thought to himself, One-fifty? Or is it 160? It looks like I¡¯ve gotten far ahead of my classmates. At that moment, a bulky figure walked in front of Zhou Bai. Du Bing looked at the people before him and said, ¡°Hey, Liu Xian, are you guys trying to bully Zhou Bai? ¡°You¡¯ve already successfully entered the Tao, but Zhou Bai hasn¡¯t participated in a single Taoist Sutra class. Aside from the fact that the school prohibits private battles, what I can¡¯t stand the most is practitioners bullying the weak.¡± Around 150 points of primordial spirit power sprawled out of Du Bing¡¯s body. When Liu Xian saw this, his lips twitched. ¡°I was just eager for a try and wanted to test my skills against Zhou Bai. The gift of getting first place in the entrance exam¡ªI admire it very much. ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous, Du Bing. I¡¯ll leave. I¡¯ll leave. All right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right now, Zhou Bai. I¡­¡± Du Bing turned around but found Zhou Bai had already vanished. ¡°Hm? Where did he go?¡± *** ¡°I nearly got caught by the slicked-back-hair boy and the ripped boy. It would¡¯ve been a total waste of time.¡± Zhou Bai walked to the serving window and raised two fingers. ¡°Two bowls of humanfeed, please.¡± The cafeteria lady glanced at Zhou Bai and said with a smile, ¡°Young man, you eat humanfeed every day. Do you want to try something else today? You¡¯re so young, and in your prime age to practice Tao, you should eat better food.¡± Zhou Bai smiled awkwardly. ¡°That¡¯s all right; just give me some humanfeed, please.¡± The cafeteria lady shook her head. When she got the food, her hand slipped, and a few pieces of meat fell into Zhou Bai¡¯s bowl. She said, ¡°Aiya, I gave you the wrong food by accident. Whatever¡ªI guess I¡¯m treating you today.¡± Braised Lili Meat: Slightly increases stamina, 5 points. Looking at the meat in his bowl, Zhou Bai nearly drooled. He raised his head to look at the cafeteria lady and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Thank me for what? I said it was an accident. Hurry up and leave. Don¡¯t let the others see.¡± Zhou Bai left quietly with the rice and meat, thinking to himself, It must be because I¡¯m so handsome. He found an obscure spot to sit down. Zhou Bai wolfed down the rice and meat. The taste and juices of the meat burst in his mouth, mixed with the aroma of the rice. Zhou Bai looked intoxicated. It had been more than a month since Zhou Bai had eaten meat. When he suddenly tasted meat again, he felt like he¡¯d never had any meat that tasted this delicious. Especially after he ate the Braised Lili Meat, he felt a warm aura continuously circulating in his body. His entire body felt extremely comfortable, as if he were in a hot spring. And his physical energy and stamina also increased slightly as he digested the Braised Lili Meat. In a blink, he finished his bowl of rice. There was less than a quarter of the Braised Lili Meat left. Looking at the remaining meat, Zhou Bai held back his desire and decided to bring it back for Elsa. Just as Zhou Bai was about to leave, a somewhat familiar figure sat in front of him, ¡°Hehe. Isn¡¯t this Zhou? What a coincidence; we see each other again.¡± Zhou Bai looked up. The person before him with a head of bright blond hair, a beauty mark below his eyes, and a playful look was Qian Wangsun. Seeing the bowl of rice in his plate, Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t help a smile that climbed up his face. ¡°You¡¯re only eating humanfeed too.¡± Qian Wangsun smiled, saying as he ate, ¡°Can¡¯t be helped. The points at Tao academy are harder to obtain than I expected. It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve eaten anything else.¡± As he said this, he approached Zhou Bai, saying with a mysterious expression, ¡°Zhou, are you interested in earning some points with me?¡± ¡°Earning points?¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes instantly lit up, but quickly dimmed again. ¡°Tell me what plan you have first.¡± Qian Wangsun smiled, taking out a piece of paper from his pocket and placing it in front of Zhou Bai. Zhou Bai took it and read it. On the first page, it said: ¡°Eight: The highest goodness resembles water. Water greatly benefits myriad things without contention. It stays in places that people dislike; therefore it is similar to the Tao. Dwelling with the right location; feeling with great depth; giving with great kindness; speaking with great integrity; governing with great administration; handling with great capability; moving with great timing. Because it does not contend, it is therefore beyond reproach.¡± Chapter 58 - Taoist Sutra 100 Reading the contents on the page, Zhou Bai suddenly felt himself getting warm. Countless scenes flashed in his memory. His primordial spirit intuitively started operating. He quickly set the page down on the table. Only then did he feel like he regained control over his primordial spirit and calmed down. Zhou Bai stared at Qian Wangsun with wide eyes. ¡°What is this thing?¡± Qian Wangsun grinned. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it¡¯s not just some ordinary item. The moment I read this line, I felt myself get heated and my primordial spirit shake. But when this line is written elsewhere, it has no effect. Although this isn¡¯t as scary as Taoist Sutras, where they can induce supernatural phenomena anywhere they¡¯re written, it¡¯s still pretty amazing. ¡°I found this thing in a special place. I suspect that this could very likely be something left behind by independent Taoist Qingjing.¡± ¡°Independent Taoist Qingjing?¡± Zhou Bai looked expressionless, but he was secretly shocked. If he had to write Tao Te Ching from memory, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to write a lot. But seeing these lines in front of him, he suddenly remembered this was from Tao Te Ching. Especially the beginning line¡ª¡±The highest goodness resembles water; water greatly benefits myriad things without contention¡±¡ª this line is way too well known. Qian Wangsun continued, ¡°More than a hundred years ago, after independent Taoist Qingjing from Donghua Tao Academy brought up the three main codes of Tao practice, she participated in the compilation of Taoist Sutras. ¡°Although independent Taoist Qingjing wasn¡¯t the one with the highest level of practice and combat capacity at the time, she was the one who had the most thorough understanding of Tao practice theories, so she led the compilation of Taoist Sutras at the time.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes glimmered. ¡°Compilation of Taoist Sutras?¡± Zhou Bai had read a Taoist Sutra. Just by reading and increasing Degree of Taoification, he experienced so many obstacles. To compile the Taoist Sutras from nothing into something, he could only imagine how hard that must have been. Qian Wangsun looked at Zhou Bai and said, ¡°Of course, one hundred years ago, the four big Tao academies were established. Too many people died from practicing under the distorted Heavenly Tao. To lower the occurrence of this situation, they invented one by one formations for purifying Spark, primordial spirit adjustment, and rune vaccines. ¡°But the most important invention was the Taoist Sutras. ¡°From Taoist Sutra 00 to Taoist Sutra 99, it took a total of more than forty years by the vast deities of Paradise and the top practitioners. Tens of thousands of practitioners and deities died in the process of compiling them.¡± At this, Qian Wangsun sighed faintly. ¡°Unfortunately, after forty years of compiling the Taoist Sutras, independent Taoist Qingjing went missing. Taoist Sutra 100 still hasn¡¯t been compiled as of today.¡± Zhou Bai knew about this from some Tao practice history books he¡¯d read while studying basic textbook materials. The process of increasing Degree of Taoification from 0% to 99% is the process of increasing synchronization with the Heavenly Tao. It was said that when Degree of Taoification reached 100%, life would go through a metamorphosis of its essence, and humans would rise to godhood, enter Paradise, and become deities. But Taoist Sutra 99 could only increase Degree of Taoification to 99.9% at most. And ever since the compilation of Taoist Sutras, writing Taoist Sutra 100 had never succeeded. Plus, the higher your Degree of Taoification, the greater risk you¡¯re in when you increase it. This led to the phenomenon that 100 years after the Heavenly Tao distorted, there hasn¡¯t been another practitioner who successfully increased Degree of Taoification to 100%, ascended to heaven and became immortal, and became one of the deities. Given that Mara never die and are immortal, it has made the human predicament more and more difficult. Qian Wangsun said to Zhou Bai in a low voice, ¡°There are many rumors surrounding the disappearance of independent Taoist Qingjing. Some say that the Mara assassinated her in order to prevent the creation of Taoist Sutra 100. ¡°Others say it¡¯s because her research failed. She went through a mutation one time while writing Taoist Sutra 100 and turned into a goblin. ¡°Others say Taoist Sutra 100 has already been written, but independent Taoist Qingjing took it with her.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way these kinds of rumors are true.¡± Zhou Bai looked at Qian Wangsun with discontent and said, ¡°Stop making me guess. What do you want to say?¡± Qian Wangsun chuckled. ¡°Independent Taoist Qingjing was a peerless erudite who led the compilation of Taoist Sutra 00 to Taoist Sutra 99. Anything she left behind, even if they¡¯re just a few isolated words and phrases, must have special qualities. Perhaps they have some practice learning hidden in them. Even if we have no use for it, if we hand it in to the school, they must reward us with some points.¡± Zhou Bai looked at the page he held on the table, and said casually, ¡°If they could be found, they would have been found long ago. There wouldn¡¯t be anything left for us to find.¡± Qian Wangsun said, ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily true. Independent Taoist Qingjing left many notes of her learnings and comprehension of the Heavenly Tao over the course of her life. Maybe there are some that haven¡¯t been found, for example, this¡­¡± Looking at the page Qian Wangsun held up, Zhou Bai had many conflicting thoughts. If this was just content from Tao Te Ching, why would people from this world know it? Did other people travel to this world before him? If Tao Te Ching already existed here, then how did Zhou Bai get first place when he wrote Tao Te Ching during the exam? All sorts of questions arose in his mind. Zhou Bai looked at Qian Wangsun and asked, ¡°What are you planning to do?¡± Qian Wangsun said, ¡°This page is clearly just the first page from a certain notebook. If we can find the entire notebook by independent Taoist Qingjing, then we would be rich. When we hand it in to the school, they¡¯d give us at least a couple thousand points.¡± Hearing about a couple of thousand points, Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes instantly lit up. But the next moment, his cautious instinct took over again. He looked at Qian Wangsun and said, ¡°Why did you show it to me? Why don¡¯t you go look for it yourself?¡± Qian Wangsun laughed. ¡°I already asked the teacher. If I hand in this page of notes, they can reward me with ten points. After all, this thing is kind of strange, but you can¡¯t tell what uses it has yet. So I plan on finding a couple more pages ¡­¡± Qian Wangsun sighed and said, ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to tell you. I found this in the abandoned dorm building on the north side. Now that I¡¯ve mentioned it to the teacher, they¡¯ll probably send in workers tomorrow to search it inch-by-inch. Then we won¡¯t get a share. ¡°But that place is too big, and we only have one night, I can¡¯t manage it on my own. That¡¯s why I remembered my good classmate.¡± Qian Wangsun thought to himself, Tch, if it weren¡¯t for the fact that Du Bing, Shirley, and Jing Xiu all have no interest and only care about spending all their time on practicing, why would I seek you out? It¡¯s just looking for things. Strength and level of practice don¡¯t matter. Zhou Bai should be fine. Qian Wangsun looked at Zhou Bai with a smile, ¡°How about it? Do you want to come with me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just picking out trash. It shouldn¡¯t be too dangerous. And this Tao Te Ching¡­¡± Zhou Bai had many doubts. This Tao Te Ching was quite important to him; it had to do with his definition and ideas of this world. So after some consideration, Zhou Bai said, ¡°All right, when are we going? I have to go back to my dorm first.¡± Zhou Bai naturally planned on taking Christina along. Although an abandoned dorm building should theoretically not be dangerous, if he brought Christina along, it¡¯d definitely be much safer when man and cat worked together. Thus, half an hour later, in the already somewhat dim campus, Christina rolled around in Zhou Bai¡¯s cognitive sea unwillingly. She complained, ¡°I don¡¯t want to go out. I just want to practice. I feel like I¡¯m about to finish practicing the fourth star point!¡± Zhou Bai said, ¡°As a cat, you can¡¯t just stay home and practice every day. What¡¯s most important is to walk around like I do every day. You have to alternate the tension, strike a proper balance between work and leisure; that¡¯s how you can practice more quickly.¡± Christina said with jealousy and disdain, ¡°Cheater.¡± ¡°What are you saying? Who said I was cheating? I¡¯m not cheating!¡± Zhou Bai said, unconvinced. ¡°Is using the auxiliary practice system cheating?¡± Two weeks passed, Zhou Bai was not the only one improving. Christina also finished practicing the second star point, Tai White, and the third star point, Luster. The speed, sharpness, and lethality of her sword aura had all improved immensely. Now, she had already begun practicing the fourth star point of the Sword Map, Sword Nurture. It was a star point that improved the flexibility and recovery speed of her sword aura. Qian Wangsun looked back at Zhou Bai. ¡°Hey, come up. We¡¯re here.¡± Chapter 59 - Old Buildings Zhou Bai walked next to Qian Wangsun. What appeared before him were 13 dorm buildings that had an average of seven stories each. But these dorm buildings were all dark, without a hint of light. They¡¯d clearly been abandoned. Zhou Bai asked curiously, ¡°These dorm buildings look fine. Why were they abandoned?¡± ¡°I heard it¡¯s because a fifth-year student went off while practicing and had a mutation, but he was too afraid to tell anyone else and tried his best to hide it. Finally, one night¡­he ate all the students on his floor.¡± ¡°Fifth-year student?¡± Zhou Bai frowned slightly. Tao academies foster their students for a total of five years, which means that there are usually students from the first year to the fifth year, a total of five classes. Qian Wangsun said with an eerie face,¡±It¡¯s said that every night, people hear the sound of chewing from these empty rooms, so they sealed them off.¡± Seeing Zhou Bai¡¯s solemn expression, Qian Wangsun laughed. ¡°You can¡¯t believe that. It¡¯s just a campus myth. These dorms were discarded because their formations are outdated. After all, our dorms all have formations to balance Spark for the ease of our practice. ¡°Ten years ago, the formation for balancing Spark was renovated. It was too time-consuming and troublesome to change the formations in the old dorms, so they just built new ones. Tao academy has a large enough area. They didn¡¯t even have to take down the old buildings.¡± Qian Wangsun looked at Zhou Bai with a smile, ¡°I¡¯ve researched it, back when independent Taoist Qingjing was teaching at Tao academy, she used to live on the second floor of the seventh building. I found this page of notes there too. I¡¯m pretty sure independent Taoist Qingjing wrote this.¡± ¡°If independent Taoist Qingjing wrote it, the teachers probably would have taken it long ago. It wouldn¡¯t be here for you to find.¡± Zhou Bai shook his head. He didn¡¯t think independent Taoist Qingjing wrote this. But no matter who wrote it, since it has to do with Tao Te Ching, he wanted to look into it and see what was going on. ¡°Wait, why did you come here?¡± Zhou Bai looked at Qian Wangsun strangely. ¡°How can you find something in this kind of place?¡± Qian Wangsun said, ¡°I practice the Bow Map. Observation comes first. And I like to walk around in my free time. I¡¯ve pretty much explored the entire campus aside from some forbidden areas. This was where I made the most gains.¡± The two of them arrived before 13 dorm buildings. Qian Wangsun looked to the left and said, ¡°I¡¯ll search the six buildings on the left, you¡¯ll search the six buildings on the right, then we¡¯ll meet in the middle, and we¡¯ll look through building number seven, where independent Taoist Qingjing used to live. Is that all right?¡± ¡°You search numbers eight through thirteen, I search numbers one through six, and we¡¯ll search number seven together?¡± Zhou Bai nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s fine; let¡¯s get started.¡± Qian Wangsun tossed out a crystal, which hovered next to him and suddenly lit up. It gave off a bright glow, illuminating the space around them. Zhou Bai could see countless glowing threads that formed different shapes inside the crystal. These lines were what gave off the glow, like lamp filaments. Qian Wangsun said, ¡°This is an Illuminating Formation Stone. You operate it with primordial spirit power. It can convert primordial spirit power into light energy.¡± Then, he tossed one at Zhou Bai. ¡°I¡¯m lending this to you. Don¡¯t forget to return it when we¡¯re done.¡± Zhou Bai took an Illuminating Formation Stone and tried to inject primordial spirit power into it. Light immediately glowed from the crystal. Another thing invented by this world¡¯s Taoist technology? Zhou Bai thought to himself, This is so convenient. I think it¡¯ll last a long time with my primordial spirit power. He watched Qian Wangsun walk to a building before them and slowly disappear into the pitch-black doorway. Zhou Bai used his primordial spirit power to control the crystal and walked toward another building in the opposite direction. Seeing the number six on the door, Zhou Bai lightly pushed it open. As the door opened, it gave off a creaking sound. The dark hallway and rooms looked like giant, formless mouths. Christina shivered and said, ¡°Why did you come to this sort of place? It looks so scary. I think my fur is falling off.¡± ¡°What is there to be afraid of? It¡¯s just a dorm building, and no one lives here, meaning no students will mutate. From this perspective, it might be even safer than the dorm buildings currently in use.¡± Zhou Bai strolled along the hallway as he spoke. The light from the crystal swept over each room. He could see all the rooms had been emptied and had nothing left behind. In the darkness, only the crystal gave off a gentle glow, and the tapping of his footsteps sounded in the empty hallway. ¡°There¡¯s nothing here. How did Qian Wangsun find that?¡± Zhou Bai watched empty rooms pass by him one after another; they all looked the same. He gradually grew bored and slowly picked up his pace, watching the rooms pass by him quickly. At that moment, he felt his vision blur, as if a white shadow flashed before him. Ah! He heard a sudden shrill cry, and Zhou Bai¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He complained, ¡°Why are you screaming for nothing? I¡¯ll be scared to death.¡± Christina held her chest and said, ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m a little scared. What was that thing that just passed?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably just something remaining in the last room.¡± Zhou Bai turned around and bravely walked toward the room they¡¯d just passed. A white figure appeared before Zhou Bai. Ah! Zhou Bai held his chest, saying angrily, ¡°Is that enough?¡± Christina covered her eyes with her paws, trembling. ¡°That was so scary.¡± Zhou Bai rolled his eyes. Then he looked at the white thing that appeared before them. It was a white sphere graffitied on the wall. In the middle of the ball was a black square. Underneath the square were red lines hanging down from the square, making the entire image look like a bleeding eye. Zhou Bai couldn¡¯t understand what it meant. He frowned, walked inside, and looked around. He found the entire room was empty. There was nothing besides this eerie graffiti. Christina¡¯s body curled into a ball, and she kept trembling, ¡°This is bad, Zhou Bai. I¡¯m so scared. Something seems off; let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°You¡¯re way too cowardly,¡± said Zhou Bai. ¡°If you can¡¯t handle it, close your eyes. I¡¯ll call you if there¡¯s any danger.¡± Zhou Bai shook his head. He felt like there was nothing in this room. He walked out and continued to inspect this dorm building. But he didn¡¯t see anything strange during the rest of his search: an entire building of empty rooms, covered in dust. You could tell it had been abandoned for a long time. Zhou Bai returned to the first floor. When he passed by the room with the graffiti again, he couldn¡¯t help taking another look at it to see if he could make any discoveries. He stared at the pattern, then said with a frown, ¡°Why do I feel like there are more red lines on this graffiti? Did I remember wrong?¡± He couldn¡¯t confirm it, and he didn¡¯t see any problem with it, so Zhou Bai left building number six and walked toward the next building, number five. He took a look at the building sign for number five, then pushed the door open. The moment he entered, Zhou Bai felt a strong moldy smell hit his face. The light from the crystal illuminated the place; black mildew covered the walls of the hallway. The plaster peeled from the walls, and the entire hallway looked like it was drenched in water. Chapter 60 - Search ¡°What the hell! Why is this building so moldy?¡± ¡°Hiss!¡± Christina¡¯s whiskers twitched, and she tried to persuade him. ¡°Zhou Bai! This house looks completely off. Let¡¯s not go inside!¡± Zhou Bai didn¡¯t say anything. He just continued walking. As he walked, he said in his mind, What are you afraid of? The two of us have more than 300 points of Primordial Spirit Value combined. With my defense and your offense, if we meet another mutant like the old man or Sakurako, we¡¯ll win them easily. With Zhou Bai¡¯s footsteps, creaking came from the floor. He looked down and found that all the flooring in this building was wooden. Because of the mold and dampness, the floorboards all stuck up. Every step he took made creaking sounds, echoing in the darkness. Zhou Bai walked and inspected this building,. This building was different from the previous building. Zhou Bai manipulated the crystal to float into the rooms. He could see that the wooden beds, desks, chairs, and even closets were still present in the rooms, but they were all empty and looked uninhabited. They were also all moldy. Black mildew was everywhere. Drip. Zhou Bai looked up and found the ceiling leaking. Drops of water gathered on the ceiling. In the end, they either dropped to the ground or streamed down the wall. ¡°Why is there so much water?¡± Zhou Bai frowned. Donghua Tao Academy was 1,500 meters above Donghua City. The sky and ground around it were all man-made. Theoretically, it wouldn¡¯t rain in any season. Then where did this water come from? Zhou Bai walked up floor by floor. The light from the crystal illuminated every room, but he found no other abnormalities. Looking at Christina, who shut her eyes and curled up in his mind, he said helplessly, ¡°All right, aside from being a little damp, there¡¯s nothing wrong with this building. What are you afraid of?¡± Christina said, ¡°It¡¯s too dark in here!¡± ¡°You¡¯re a cat. Why are you afraid of the dark?¡± He walked back down the stairs. Zhou Bai teased Christina in his mind. Seeing how the dumb cat was trembling from fear, he couldn¡¯t help chuckling to himself. They exited building five, and Zhou Bai entered building four. From the exterior, building four was already densely covered in ivy. Zhou Bai walked inside and found that some of the walls already had cracks where vines creeped out. Zhou Bai looked toward the first room. He found the door closed. He tried to push the door, then heard a thump. He had pushed the entire door to the floor. Dense shadows in the room were exposed. They looked like thousands of hands that reached toward Zhou Bai. When he saw this, Zhou Bai was shocked too. He immediately covered himself in primordial spirit power. But the next moment, he let out a sigh of relief. The things that looked like thousands of hands reaching towards him weren¡¯t actual hands. They were countless leaves that grew out of the cracks in the wall. They filled the entire room. If not for the fact that the door was closed, they would probably have grown into the hallway. ¡°They¡¯re growing so quickly.¡± Zhou Bai glanced around and didn¡¯t find anything, then he walked toward the next room. He found building four was different from the damp building five. There was still furniture in the rooms in building five. Most of it hadn¡¯t been moved out. Building four not only had furniture, but Zhou Bai also found that there were leftover tattered bedsheets, ragged clothes, even some old hangers, cups, and such. It looked like people left a lot of trash behind while moving. But this was a better situation for Zhou Bai. At least he had hopes of finding clues. So he walked into the dorms, used his primordial spirit power to open all sorts of drawers and lift clothes, looking for anything of value. After going through several floors like this, Zhou Bai finally found a notebook inside one dorm room. He saw on the cover of the notebook: ¡°There¡¯s not enough time. They¡¯re about to come. ¡°I¡¯ve hidden everything inside Tao Te Ching. If you find it, you will have the answer. ¡°Don¡¯t hate me, child.¡± Zhou Bai¡¯s vision focused. He flipped through it and saw contents from the Tao Te Ching, from chapter 1 to chapter 40, whole and complete. Zhou Bai was shocked when he read them. But he just glanced at them. He didn¡¯t look closely, so Christina didn¡¯t see the contents of the Tao Te Ching clearly. How did this happen? he wondered. Why is Tao Te Ching here? Who is the person who left this note? Why do the others seem like they don¡¯t know anything about Tao Te Ching? Zhou Bai exhaled deeply, continuing to read the rest. He found there were many blank pages in the back. Suddenly, one page fell. Zhou Bai¡¯s eyes lit up. He saw written on the page: ¡°16: Attain the ultimate emptiness, hold on to the truest tranquility. The myriad things are all active, I therefore watch their return. Everything flourishes, each returns to its root¡­¡± ¡°This is chapter sixteen of Tao Te Ching?¡± Zhou Bai was surprised. Looking at the page in his hand, his primordial spirit became restless again. Images flashed in his vision. Zhou Bai quickly closed the book; only then did his restlessness slowly fade. ¡°Tao¡­Te¡­Ching¡­¡± Zhou Bai continued to searching building four. He quickly found more pages. Almost every page was a chapter of the Tao Te Ching. He found a total of seven pages. Sensing there seemed to be some secret hidden in this Tao Te Ching, Zhou Bai went down and left building four and headed to building three. Christina¡¯s curiosity was roused by what happened, ¡°What is Tao Te Ching? This thing¡¯s been inside this building for so long. Did the school not find it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Zhou Bai. ¡°Let¡¯s just find it first.¡± Stepping into building three, Zhou Bai felt a burnt stench enter his nose. He opened a random room and went blank for a moment, then walked toward the next room. He found that all the rooms in building three had bright red paper charms stuck on their walls. They were bright red runes, as if written with blood. He could even see a red glow coming off them. Zhou Bai went up to inspect them. He found that these charms seemed to not have any extraordinary power; they were just normal paper charms. Suddenly, Zhou Bai¡¯s vision focused. He lifted the paper charms on the wall and found there seemed to be something behind them. He directed his will and his primordial spirit power swept toward the entire wall. As the runes were removed, a page drifted down from the wall. ¡°1: The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth, the named is the mother of myriad things¡­¡± Seeing that it had not only the line he wrote on the entrance exam but also the rest of the first chapter, Zhou Bai put the page into his pocket before his primordial spirit became uneasy. Christina exclaimed, ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you wrote on the entrance exam? You copied this Tao Te Ching!¡± At that moment, a light tap sounded in the hallway outside. It echoed throughout the dark abandoned building. Christina exclaimed, ¡°Someone¡¯s here!¡±