Eighth District.

Tuk. Tuk. Tuk.

In a dark, empty sandstone residence, Bubai’s knuckles hammered in the final nails into the cloth, sealing the window to ward off any intrusive sight.

Taking a step back to observe his work, he couldn’t help but leak a complaint, “Seriously, these jerks in the outer sect doesn’t even let go of a scrap of cloth! It’s really annoying to have to do this every time I come…”

Fortunately, this was just a temporary base for him.

After he threw a final glance at the door barricaded by a slab of stone, he made his way toward the bed.

Seating himself on the sandstone block, Bubai's gaze shifted towards the woman laying beside him.

With a thought, his divine sense extended toward her, gradually seeping into the recesses of her refined body, navigating through the layers until he located the essence brimming with vitality nestled within her stomach.

A frown creased his brow, “Now, how do I get that out?”

This was the reason he took the risk to rob the intelligence agency.

Offending one of the most influential clans for a mere doll and some trifling intel… was it worth it? No.

But, after calculating the risks, he still did it.

There were many reasons. It could have been greed for the beauty... or maybe he was unwilling to eat a loss.

But rationally…

He was already reluctant to part with a spirit stone, but little did he anticipate the unique charge from Hei Hua Lou.

Thanks to his mysterious green Qi, his essence was rather special, even more so after his recent promotion.

He was still not entirely clear regarding all the attractive secrets his essence holds, but the possible involvement of the Jia clan alone was already troublesome enough.

So, he certainly wasn’t willing to let his special essence leak out anywhere else.

Besides, to leave even a trace of essence, that could become a medium for tracking him, would only compromise the very essence of his disguise.

As for coming with his true identity…

Let’s just say the reputation of this intelligence agency was rather bad...

The inner and outer disciples secretly betrayed and sold by this outer sect agency were probably countless. Its survival against retaliation was owed to its powerful backers, rather than any trustworthiness.

So, only an idiot would believe this outer sect intelligence agency could be trusted to keep identities a secret.

Perhaps after his intel purchase, his details might even find their way to the desk of Wu Dawei!

If his true identity is exposed to his opponent, it would completely disrupt his upcoming plans and even put him at risk.

Thus, carrying his inner disciple token was a no-go. It’s also impossible to acquire the token of another inner disciple.

Therefore, his handy outer disciple token was the only answer.

Alas, while the price for the intel was indeed cheap, it was apparent that the agency showed no favor to low-status customers, and their methods, in some matters, were rather underhanded.

So, don’t blame him for playing his cards differently. They were just asking for it.

“Hey, he did say I could leave after the normal payment if I had the ability. Well, my normal payment is no payment. Heh.”

Now, the deposit, the payment, the intel, and the added perks were all in his grasp. A worthwhile trade-off for the risks involved.

However, leaving his essence in this woman will definitely pose a problem.

Even if he were to simply throw her away, the essence inside her won’t disappear. This was a puppet refined for the purpose of collecting and storing this specialty.

Initially, he thought he could just conveniently stash her away in his storage space.

Well, this situation taught him another lesson: Can’t always believe what you read.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Of course, maybe the pre-existing knowledge was indeed true. It could be his own storage space’s peculiarities that rejected this strange life form.

Regardless of the root cause, he knew he can’t keep her like this.

Falling into a deep state of thought, Bubai eventually rested his gaze on her forehead. “Refine it first, see if there are any changes...”

After his divine sense pinpointed the dimmed control core that lingered even after the spiritual brand had been eradicated, Bubai aimed his finger at the teardrop gem on the woman's forehead and began channeling his true Qi…

Guiding it, he injected his true Qi into the core, attempting to refine it.

One strand seemed to have no effect. So, he tried another. Strand after strand, he blended them seamlessly with the dormant core.

Half an hour passed, and there was suddenly a subtle reaction.

Bubai’s eyes lit up with a spark of triumph when he felt a vague connection being established. “Almost refined.”

So, he continued the infusion.

After another half-hour, the control core finally appeared to stir to life, the gem at its center pulsating with a subtle hue of green vitality. The connection had been firmly established!

On the bed, the woman began to awaken, her once-dull eyes exhibiting a glint of awareness as she sat up.

Her gaze turned towards Bubai, before mechanically sliding off the bed and kneeling in a display of utmost respect, “My lord, please give Wang Fei your orders.”

Bubai’s hand reached out to her chin and raised her head, his gaze boring into the beauty kneeling before him, with intense desire simmering in his eyes.

However, it wasn’t the beauty that captivated his attention. It was the gemstone on her forehead!

Upon establishing the connection with the awakened gem, an unusual urge stirred within him – an intensifying desire to eat it!

He knew this impulse didn't originate from his own physical body’s instincts but rather echoed a whimsical induction from his mysterious seed, just like the moments when he faced the tribulation lightning!

Just that his current gluttonous urge was comparatively weaker. In fact, he couldn’t even feel it before he refined the gemstone.

Now that he did, it let him know there was something housed within the gem that his seed unmistakably desires! This gemstone was most likely a treasure!

“Could this be the rumored Sunstone monopolized by the Taiyin clan?”

Sunstone – he was unsure of its specific mysteries, but any disciple who gets their hands on one could sell it to the Shadow Sun clan for a hefty sum, ranging from a couple of low-grade spirit stones to even a mid-grade spirit stone!

Bubai’s fingers gently rubbed the gem on her forehead, attempting to store it-

Nope. It refused to budge.

Now what to do? This was a treasure he was really unwilling to let go.

As Bubai’s desires intensified, a sudden whim struck him, “Maybe that can do the job…”

With a thought, a small seed appeared in Bubai’s palm. This was the tribulation seed of the lowest quality!

The next second, he pressed the seed against the gemstone!

Oom. He immediately sensed the reaction from his seed, pulsing subtly as it became illusory, sinking into the gemstone in the process!

The tiny seed drilled inward, soon taking root at the very core of the gem, where it began to absorb his spiritual brand.

As this transpired, Wang Fei began to spasm, and Bubai quickly caught her before she toppled over.

Laying her on the bed, Bubai observed the color gradually draining from the gem, all drawn toward the seed at its core.

Not only that, tiny mysterious runes were also siphoned from the gemstone itself, converging toward the seed before being absorbed!

It didn’t take long for the gemstone to lose all of its color, and his connection with it intermittently fizzled like a bad signal before breaking off all together.

Uh… did he just break it? Even the desire to eat the gem had vanished without a trace...

However, Bubai soon felt a vague feedback from the gemstone- no, it was from another entity within the gemstone itself!

“The seed? No, there's still a distinct, separate connection with it. It seems there is something else inside the seed, and the seed is suppressing it! But…”

He could sense the seed’s hunger, an intense craving for nutrients, as if it was a hungry soldier fighting a tough battle.

He was unaware of the mysteries of the internal struggle, but he wasn’t willing to let his seed lose and go to waste!

So, Bubai pressed his finger on the gem and channeled his Qi. This time, he brought out the green dew!

The ethereal liquid gradually seeped into the gemstone, driven toward the seed, feeding the little desperate fighter.

With the infusion of the green dew, the seed began to pulse subtly, gaining a bit of vibrancy.

“Not enough.” Without hesitation, another drop of green dew appeared.

Drop after drop, Bubai invested into the pit with an unknown depth.

He didn’t feel reluctant though because he knew this wasn’t just an investment; it was also an experiment! Some of the mysteries of the seed may be unveiled this time!

Time seemed to elongate while Bubai persisted...

Deep into the night, just when Bubai invested another drop, there was finally a change in the pulsating seed!

It finally became calm, as if the internal struggle was finally over.

Tapping into his innate connection with the tribulation seed, Bubai felt the seed and the entity within had somehow become one, as if the seed had assimilated the other!

“Success?” Bubai curiously stared at the seed, “What now?”

Should he take back the seed and return it to his storage space?

Then, with a thought, he commanded, “Come out?”

Contrary to his expectations, the seed didn’t drill back out from the gemstone at his command.

Instead, a green mist rapidly diffused from the seed, bleeding the gemstone green like food coloring dropped into water.

Soon, the emerald gemstone shimmered subtly, and the woman's eyelids fluttered open, a gleam of brilliance injecting into her dull eyes.

Shortly after, her vivid eyes stared up at Bubai's face, initially dazed, but the lost look gradually transformed into one of worship.

A smile crept onto the beauty’s face as she languidly sat up, gracefully tucking her knees beneath her body.

Crossing her arm over her hills, she performed a slight bow, “An Jali, Queen of the At’nuk tribe. It’s a pleasure to be graced with my king’s presence.”

“…” Bubai stared back at the beauty tightly wrapped in her fishnet outfit, waiting for more…

But, there was still no more.

Uh… a name change? That’s it?

Was his seed's ability limited to merely unlocking a character's background story?

No, it probably wasn’t so simple.

For one, he could sense a strong connection with this An Jali, similar to his bond with the small tribulation seed, but now, it was no longer just an inactive seed...

Maybe… he could issue commands?

Utilizing the mysterious link established between them, Bubai sent a message as a test, “Tell me what you can do.”

Her hazel eyes responded to his command with a meaningful eye contact. “As you wish... my king.”