Bubai noticed strange signs were hung on many of the bug stalls, proclaiming their intentions to make a rather atypical purchase.

"Three spirit stones for a vitalized scorpion?" Bubai muttered to himself, eyebrow raised in disbelief.

What kind of rare scorpion could garner such a high price?

Curiosity piqued, he approached one of the larger stalls, greeted lazily by the inner disciple manning the stall.

“Welcome fellow daoist. Looking to capture a new companion? My little cuties will do the job to keep them obedient.”

The stall owner gestured toward the collection of scorpions, centipedes, spiders, and beetles on display that all had nothing to do with the word “cute”.

“Which do you need? Just say the word and I’ll pack it up for you."

Bubai shook his head, pointing to the sign, "This..."

The stall owner immediately straightened up, his eyes gleaming with interest. "Ah, does brother have one for sale?"

Shaking his head, Bubai replied, "No, just wondering why all the stalls are paying so much for it."

“Oh... Another curious fella.” The stall owner sighed, his interest deflating.

After eyeing the inner disciple token on Bubai’s waist, he still made an effort to explain.

"This. It's a new rare breed of scorpion that's been circulating in the market lately. It's caught the attention of some higher-level folks, so everyone's scrambling to collect them. Fellow daoist should keep an eye out for it."

"A new rare breed, you say?" Bubai echoed, his gaze flickering over the assortment of cages and terrariums that lined the stall. "Do you have a sample here?"

The stall owner shook his head, “I’ve only seen it, but haven’t gotten my hands on one yet.”

Bubai arched a brow, “Fellow daoist, mind telling me how it looks like?”

“Sure, it’s no big deal.” The stall owner nodded before describing casually.

"It's much like the death scorpion you may have seen before. But if you were to peel back its abdomen or examine its eyes closely, you'd notice the unmistakable green vibrancy. If fellow daoist has a vitality sensing technique, you can certainly detect the unmistakable strange vitality within the little bugger."

Absorbing the stall owner's description of the vitalized scorpion, Bubai’s heart skipped a beat, but he betrayed no signs of surprise on his face.

“Interesting… fellow daoist, do you happen to know the origins of this new species?”

"Who knows?” The stall owner shrugged, a bemused smile playing on his lips.

“Rumors abound, but the truth is elusive. All I can say is that they began appearing in the market during the lull when we all went to the secret realm. Now, the remaining ones should be among the outer disciples lucky enough to have snagged one."

Merlin’s beard, this setting sounded awfully familiar, doesn’t it?

The clues clicked the switch in Bubai’s mind, and a flurry of trepidation stung his heart, but he masked it well, maintaining his interested expression.

"I see," Bubai replied evenly. "Well, I'll be sure to keep an eye out, and if I manage to acquire any, I'll be sure to come to fellow daoist as thanks for your information."

"Oh well said, brother!” The stall owner's smile widened, “Name’s Mo Tianhe. Come find me at anytime. Trust me, my prices are already the best around."

Bubai gave the man a nod before calmly walking away.

Blending back into the bustling crowd, Bubai’s face still donned the mask of calmness, but his mind was already churning with thoughts of the repercussions of his actions.

It took some time, but when the empty positions were filled and the sect gradually got back on track, those in positions of power could finally spend time looking into other matters, such as the scorpions he leaked out.

Now that they had finally taken notice, Bubai couldn't shake the nagging question of whether they would trace it back to him.

Lost in his thoughts, Bubai was abruptly jolted back to reality by the sound of a growing commotion up ahead.

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The crowd of disciples began to bunch together, forming a tight circle as if anticipating a spectacle.

Curiosity piqued, Bubai’s spiritual senses edged out like many of the other inner disciples, all straining to catch a glimpse of what was causing the disturbance.

Ahead, tension crackled in the air as two inner disciples faced off. Behind each of them, a group of outer disciples stood like loyal lackeys, their animosity visible as they traded barbs and glares.

"Are you picking a fight?" one of the inner disciples growled, the annoyance simmering on his face.

"So what if I am?" his adversary shot back, a sneer twisting his lips.

“Nutcase.” The man attempted to sidestep the confrontation, only to be blocked again by the other.

"Do you think you can just walk away like nothing happened?"

“Why? Got a problem?”

"Problem?” His opponent snarled in a voice thick with barely-contained rage. “If it wasn’t for a selfish prick like you, Brother Jin wouldn’t have died!"

"So what? It’s every man for themselves.” The accused disciple scoffed and shot back callously, his tone dripping with disdain.

"If you want to play brotherhood, scram to the other territories. There’s no place for you here in the Sun Furnace Sect."

With a dismissive shove, he attempted moved past the man, but his words ignited a fiery response from the other disciple. Clenching his fists, he shouted, "Go on, walk away! Your mother will roll in her grave for giving birth to a coward like you."

His word were like a dagger accurately piercing the other's pride. The departing disciple halted in his tracks, his eyes flashing with fury as he turned back to face his accuser.

"Don’t bring my mother into this," he growled, his voice low and menacing.

But the other disciple’s bravado was unwavering. "So what if I do, mommyboy?"

"Do you think I don’t have a temper?" The man’s hand became claws with Qi emanating from them.

Seeing this, the lackeys behind him raised their weapons, bristling with hostility.

The other side didn’t falter, taking a step forward in unison to guard their boss, who sneered back, cracking his fists, “Hah! Do you dare… turtle boy?”

“Why you little…”

The crowd of onlookers hushed, like watching a powder keg about to explode...

Boom! Fists and weapons collided. The brawl erupted, the crowd erupting into a frenzy of cheers and shouts, egging on the fighters!

“Fight! Fight! Fight!”

But just moments after the chorus reached its fever pitch, a sudden hush fell over the once-excited crowd as if their throats were clamped by an iron grip.

The reason?

Cloaked in black that radiated an aura of authority, a group of female law enforcers glided effortlessly over the heads of the masses, using the disciples below as stepping stones.

Yet, not a single member of the crowd dared to protest even if they were stepped upon, instead collectively retreating like a tide before them, prompting the ring formed by the onlookers to grow larger, creating a space for the enforcers to intervene.

The law enforcers’ whips and weapons immediately unsheathed, and they sprang into action!

“I hit! I hit! I- Gah!” “Ow! Who dare- Oof!”

“I-I-It’s those female tyrants from the Punishment Hall! Brothers, ru- UGH!”

In the blink of an eye, the chaos of the brawl was quelled, the unruly outer disciples left sprawled on the ground, groaning in pain, while the two inner disciples were brought to their knees at the mercy of sharp blades pressed against their necks.

At this moment, Bubai sensed the crowd behind him parting like a sea.

He cast a quick glance over his shoulder and caught sight of a familiar female officer striding down the opened road, her ponytail billowing behind her like a flag of authority.

Her again?! Instinctively, Bubai immediately stepped aside and joined the throng of onlookers, instinctively lowering his presence.

Yet, as she passed by, her jade green eyes, hidden behind her mask, seemed to briefly land on him in the crowd, causing his heart to pound in his chest!

Luckily, she moved on without a second glance, much to his relief.

Reaching the center of the ring, Officer Ponytail's cold gaze swept over the gathered disciples, prompting many to avoid her gaze by bowing their heads.

With a voice that brooked no argument, she declared, "All grievances can be resolved on stage. All violators will be punished."

With a wave of her hand, she signaled for the law enforcers to take action.

“Bring them back to squat.”

Wasting no time, the law enforcers sprang into motion, efficiently and ruthlessly rounding up the brawlers and herding them back to their feet, their painful groans stifled by the oppressive atmosphere.

Turning on her heel, Officer Ponytail led the entourage away, the group of law enforcers escorting the disciples and trailing behind her like shadows to an idol.

As they passed by in front of him, Bubai saw the two inner disciples, their faces marked with bruises from the brawl, exchange another round of heated words.

"Lucky you, you get to live two more weeks," one of them issued a thinly veiled threat through clenched teeth, his gaze locked fiercely on his adversary.

The other disciple shot back with equal defiance and venom. "Just wait and see-”

“Silence!” A brutal kick from one of the female law enforcers brought both disciples back to reality with a grunt of pain.

The two disciple’s angry glares landed on the masked females escorting them, ultimately redirecting to the stern Officer Ponytail leading the pack, after which they still begrudgingly complied.

After the troop of enforcers marched away, the crowd gradually dispersed, yet the animosity still lingered like a heavy fog in some pockets of the crowd.

Bubai couldn’t help but notice the clenched fists and hostile glares among some disciples, betraying the simmering anger beneath the surface.

Yet, despite the urge to lash out, their bottled-up emotions tempered by the law enforcers that killed the chicken to scare the monkey.

So, most eventually turned and departed, setting aside their grudges for the event looming on the horizon, just a little more than two weeks away.

With a determination set to his jaw, Bubai turned away from the plaza, his mind already racing with the myriad tasks that lay ahead.

Seriously, there wasn’t much time left. But... there was still so much to do.

Contribution points to be earned, rigorous Qi control training, technique practice, cultivation, experiments, and-

In short, it’s just a lot of grinding. Well, he won’t complain because this was a good spot to be in, but...

“I may temporarily be in a comfort zone, but the situation is ever-changing. There are still a lot of matters on my plate that has not yet been set in stone. Now the question is...”

What role would he play in the events that were unfolding around him? Would he be content to remain a passive nobody, or would he seize the opportunity to shape his own destiny?