Caked in a black, charred shell that was gradually cracking and peeling off, Bubai stood rigidly in place, coughing out a plume of smoke, “Survived.”

Fortunately, his body had gained strength from the nourishment of his mysterious green Qi. If it had been a normal foundation establishment physique, the strike would likely mean death, even if there was a treasure to absorb most of the power.

Nevertheless, the damage was done. Of course, there was a ready-made solution.

The drops of green dew flowed like a river, extravagantly expended to restore his entire body.

Cough. Cough.

Praise the almighty cheat. Still...

Observing the gradual dispersal of the black cloud, Bubai didn’t dare to make any further attempts to provoke it.

He was aware of legendary levels beyond nine strikes, but he wasn't stupid enough to court death without the proper foundation.

So, he respectfully waited for Grandpa Heavens to keep away the feather duster.

When final wisp of stormy tribulation cloud vanished, Bubai finally sensed a surge of energy from the heavens gushing into him, causing an unknown force to gestate within him, yearning to break free.

The urge intensified with each passing moment, and Bubai knew the impossibility of suppressing this natural phenomenon for long!

Swiftly tracing the origin, Bubai sensed the quivering presence of his red leaf in the mysterious space. If it was just this much...

Relaxing the tension, Bubai allowed the sensation to flow, finally allowing the dam to burst-

In an instant, his senses exploded outward from his body, halting only when crashing against the white jade walls, prompting the hidden runes on the walls to gleam briefly, a telltale sign of the extents of his reach...

But this was already enough to completely envelop the entire room!

Immersed in this sensory explosion, Bubai entered a daze, perceiving every detail in the room, down to each book and scroll on the shelves!

Not only that, all this information and data flooded into his memory, briefly overwhelming it.

When Bubai came to his senses once more, he found a plethora of text vividly imprinted in his mind - so clear that even if he wanted to forget, he couldn't!

However, he had no time to sift through them now. There was more pressing matters..

His senses had already detected the heavenly phenomenon that had already extended out into the world beyond.

Though his eyes couldn't physically see it through the walls of the room, Bubai could still sense the entirety of it through their inherent connection...

Outside.

A hush fell over almost all members of the sect as they stopped in place, gazing upward to witness the heavenly phenomenon unfolding above the sect.

A colossal red leaf loomed over the sect like a protective shade, its smallest details magnified many times over due to its immense size! Yet, profound mysteries still seemed to be hidden within the leaf's microscopic structure, unseen by the naked eye!

On the rooftops, many law enforcers who had come to a stop wanted to track the phenomenon's exact location, but a dreamy pink mist enveloped the stem of the leaf, abruptly severing the connection and leaving its origin vague.

“Which district is that from?” “What method could be that powerful?” “Record it, report back to the deacon.”

Alone on a rooftop, a woman played with a jade green dagger, her jade green eyes scanning the Qi fluctuations in the distance, “Totem? Could it be…”

With a tap, she rushed toward the North District.

Plaza. Inner District. Outer District.

Regardless where they were, there was a ruckus amongst the disciples as they exclaimed with awe and shock.

“This is at the level of core disciples, right? If the elders were still in the sect, they would be rushing over by now!”

“What do you know! With this level, even the grand elder would be interested. If he’s lucky, those from the palace could even pay a visit soon!”

“No way, I can’t believe I am witnessing the rise of an evildoer…”

Central District.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Search! Just don’t make too much fuss lest we offend others...”

“Remember, you must find him before anyone else! It’s uncertain if the head could come back, and we need to prepare a back road!”

“Find out who he is. Avoid offending and draw him in if possible. Otherwise…”

As the colossal illusory entity gradually faded away, Bubai's extended senses retracted into his body, now only bearing smudges of black soot-like stains.

Restraining his two-layer Qi-gathering formation, which had turned the surrounding area into a void of Qi, Bubai wore a wry smile. “It seems it’s time to duck and cover…”

Front Desk.

“Young man, even a Saint must respect the heavens. From now on, you will be walking a very rocky road.” Granny Shu shot Bubai a stern glare, her expression subtly furrowed.

Bubai bowed with a solemn expression, “Junior heeds Shu Po Po’s teachings.”

“Hum. It’s good young Bubai understands this old lady’s efforts. Just don’t forget this old lady when you fly up the phoenix’s tree.”

Leaning back into her rocking chair, Granny Shu closed her eyes, waving her hand dismissively, “Go, they should be waiting for you outside.”

Bubai stood there, shuffling his foot.

Still rocking in her chair, Granny Shu opened one eye, “Anything else, young Bubai?”

Bubai bowed slightly, “Junior requests Shu Po Po to take junior in for a couple of days.”

“Hum?” Granny Shu’s squinted eyes scanned him up and down. “It’s rare to see a young man forsaking glory and fame.”

Bubai offered a wry smile, “Junior just hopes to humbly live and work without worries.”

“Fufu, humbly live without worries? This old lady didn’t see this when young Bubai was yelling toward the heavens.” Granny Shu rolled her eyes.

Some embarrassment crossed Bubai’s face. Fortunately, the old granny didn’t poke his sore spot any longer.

“Hum, very well. This old lady won’t make it difficult for you. Classified room, aisle one, Law and Order of the Moon.” Granny Shu gave him his task before she closed her eyes.

Sweet! He found an umbrella! But...

Bubai stood there a bit confused because he noticed the absence of the usual writing supplies on the table.

Granny Shu, with closed eyes, urged him along. “Young Bubai will naturally understand when you find it. Go, before the ones from the palace arrive.”

Understanding her implications, Bubai gave her a quick, respectful bow before briskly jogging off.

Not long after Bubai left the hall, Granny Shu opened her eyes. After her eyes flitted to the side, Granny Shu squinted slightly, a smile playing on her face. “Fufu, indeed, an interesting little brat…”

Then, she turned towards the entrance, her voice echoing out, “There is no need to fuss further.”

A woman’s voice responded from outside, “As you command.”

Shutting her eyes, Granny Shu returned to rocking her chair in silence.

Classified Section.

Aisle one. The bookshelves sitting against the wall.

Based on his recently recorded model in his memory, Bubai quickly found the “Law and Order of the Moon”, located on an isolated shelf in the section.

“Another thick tome...”

Bubai reached to pull it out, but he encountered an abnormal heaviness, unable to take the book completely off the shelf. The book was stuck?

But just when he let go of the book-

Clunk! As if a mechanism had been activated, churning mechanical sounds mixed with a faint grinding sound reached his ears…

To his surprise, the shelf slid away, unveiling a dark tunnel hidden on the wall behind it!

Of course, for cultivators, this darkness meant nothing. For a cultivator who had established a foundation, survival was even less of an issue.

Taking a deep breath, Bubai stepped into the tunnel, where he immediately noticed an antique bronze plate embedded on the white jade wall. From the center of the plate, a metallic chain dangled, fitted with a ring.

Intuitively, Bubai grabbed the ring and gave it a tug, drawing out more of the short chain until it got stuck. Clunk.

Accompanied by the whir of mechanisms, the bookshelf smoothly slid back into place, and a slab of white jade wall rose up from the ground, neatly resealing the tunnel.

Taking this all in, a thought flitted into Bubai’s mind: Cool! Wicked cool!

Seriously, how could a world of cultivation be complete without secret mechanisms and escape tunnels! Now, his adventures finally let him experience one!

Turning away from the wall, Bubai set his sights on the narrow tunnel leading downwards. “Time to see where this leads...”

Following the narrow path downwards, the smooth white walls soon transitioned to rocky sandstone.

At this level, the tunnel wound forward. After a while, Bubai found himself ascending once more.

Habitually reaching toward his green pouch, Bubai pulled out his mask from his hidden storage, slotting it onto his face.

Soon, the tunnel ended in a cylindrical underground chamber with stone steps protruding out from its walls, spiraling upwards like a twisted staircase.

Glancing up at the sealed ceiling, Bubai scanned the small chamber, locating the mechanism ring.

Clunk! The mechanism responded with a series of clicks and whirrs. A low rumble echoed in the chamber and the ceiling above began to split apart. Four curved sections rotated harmoniously, retracting into the wall...

Soon, light filtered in from the circular exit that opened up.

Tearing his gaze away from his goal, Bubai set his sights on the rather unsafe-looking stair, if it can even be called that with all its gaps between each step.

“Well, as long as I don’t slip…”

Hesitating no longer, Bubai nimbly ascended the stairs, leaping from step to step, circling a few times around before reaching the top.

Peeking his head out from the hole, Bubai surveyed the exit location and found himself in the center of a simple study room.

A bookshelf stood on one side of the hole, while a shelf of jade slips decorated the other side. A meditation cushion nestled behind a tea table, facing the only jade door in the room.

Bubai leaped out from the hole, landing softly like a spider. Getting up, he approached the nearby bookshelf, going through the books one by one until… Clunk.

His gaze flitted over to the circular entryway to the secret passage, observing the pin-wheel like segments interlocking once more.

Returning his gaze to the shelf, Bubai extracted another book and casually flipped through its pages.

After a brief moment, seemingly losing interest, he placed the book back on the shelf and shifted his attention to the jade slips on the opposite side.

Ultimately, he resisted the temptation to sneak a peek and turned toward the room's only exit.

Approaching the door with light steps, Bubai gripped the handle and slowly slid it open a tiny crack.

Peeking out with one eye, he immediately noticed the opposite white jade wall carved with a depiction of a blindfolded goddess floating behind a balance.

Letting his newly acquired spiritual senses slip through the crack, Bubai detected no signs of life in the corridor.

Bubai then widened the door a bit more to get a better view. Noting the empty corridor from his angle, he finally poked his head out to scout the situation - only to freeze moments later.

Standing guard on each side of the doorway was a woman - dressed in the black law enforcement uniform!