Mission Summary (continued)

The same applies to other aspects. As long as Si Ming has seen a Painting School's entire painting process, he can copy an exact replica of the work, guaranteeing that even the spirit of the painting is similar. However, if he were to create his own work without that painting, it would be at most the level of a primary school student's doodle.

In short, even if one learns martial arts by using a sudden enlightenment talent, one can progress rapidly and easily master the skills, but without the corresponding level of understanding, one will forever remain at the level of merely imitating others.

Si Ming suddenly realized that his master Yan Jinghong's advice to restrain himself and not to use his talent to learn too many martial arts was probably because he hoped that Si Ming would discover the drawbacks of it himself, because the more he learned, the more he would be deceived.

If Si Ming had happened to have learned a martial art that could counter such situations when he was caught in Lin Qingtong's scheme, and thus escaped the predicament, then he would not have been able to reflect on himself and discover the drawbacks of his sudden enlightenment talent.

"In short, both trial missions have been completed. Although the results weren't perfect, they were sufficient to get by."

Although no cure for Rust Disease has been found to date, the original mission that Si Ming was assigned was to investigate the truth about Rust Disease. Discovering a cure would be the perfect outcome, but it would only be icing on the cake. Not discovering one would not hinder the completion of the mission.

Si Ming turned his gaze to Yu Shuying, asking for her opinion. If she was a Virgo, she might insist on staying until a treatment method was developed before leaving.

"Whatever. There's nothing to do here anyway. Staying here would just be a waste of my life. Going back would be the same waste, but I'd rather waste the life I have to breathe fresh air."

Yu Shuying spoke sullenly, seemingly indicating that she wasn't a Virgo.

Since her battle with Wei Chunxi, Yu Shuying has remained in this state. She has lost her former aggressive demeanor and appears somewhat dejected, like a rose with its thorns removed. She no longer takes the initiative in her speech and instead seems to drift along with the tide.

Clearly, she had suffered a considerable psychological blow and was not as strong as she had appeared during the battle; she still cared deeply about what Wei Chunxi had said.

Si Ming initially wanted to offer some comfort, but due to their unfamiliar relationship and lack of knowledge about each other's past, he didn't know what to say.

Looking back, Yu Shuying, who wasn't covered in thorns, was actually quite nice. At least she wouldn't prick people, and it was easier to get along with her. It seemed there was no need to comfort her; let her continue to be so dejected. So, the matter was left unresolved.

Finally, Si Ming sighed and concluded, "This was a mission that was neither a success nor a failure. We discovered the mastermind, but we couldn't capture them. It's a regret, but also a driving force for future progress. Remember this lesson; it will become valuable experience for the next trial. We must never make the same mistake again!"

Nameless Dark Maiden in a Parallel World

(This future side quest will begin when Lin Qingxiang fails to kill his father.)

As far as the eye can see, there is a vast, desolate wilderness. It is a gray expanse, so plain that it is not even wrinkled. It is bleak, empty, barren, and cold, shrouded in a leaden dome.

Standing on the wasteland was a man of ordinary temperament, build, clothes, and appearance. He had a bronze face and no beard; he would be easily lost in a crowd. He stood there with his eyes closed, like a bare tree, as if waiting for someone.

Standing beside him were three people: a gaunt old man, a beautiful woman, and a smiling child. What they had in common was that none of them respected life. In their eyes, human life was no different from that of an insect on a tree or grass on the ground, which could be trampled on at will.

If outsiders were here, they would tremble with fear upon seeing these three, for they are three of the most famous of the Four Blood Gods of the Blood Pupil Society. No one knows their real names, only their code names: Blood-Handed Butcher, Netherworld Blood Slave, and Yama Blood Child. Countless martial arts masters have died at their hands, including two Nascent Spirit Transformation experts.

In the distance, the faint sounds of weapons clashing could be heard, as if many people were engaged in fierce combat. Among them were experts who could cause celestial anomalies. Thirty miles away, dark clouds could be seen covering the sky, with tornadoes swirling and lightning Blink, and the Sword Qi swords and blades roaring like a tidal wave.

Based on these unusual celestial phenomena, it's not hard to see that the four people present have been surrounded. They are right in the center of the battlefield, and the enemy clearly intends to eliminate them as the main villains to be left until the end.

But the four remained unmoved, quietly staying in place, feeling the passage of time.

"You've come."

The man suddenly opened his eyes, and this opening was like the finishing touch of a masterpiece, instantly illuminating the rest of his features. His appearance immediately changed from ordinary to extraordinary. His eyes were as cold and stern as the wilderness and the sky, his nose was as sharp as a knife and as hard as an axe, his lips were no thicker than the edge of a sword, and the muscles hidden under the coarse cloth were as rugged as the desolate land beneath his feet.

The three Blood God assassins followed the man's gaze but found nothing unusual. There was no one, nothing had changed, and even the Primal Qi of heaven and earth continued to circulate as usual, without any fluctuations.

However, the three did not doubt the man's words. They knew very well what a terrifying level his cultivation had reached. He had single-handedly supported the Blood Pupil Society and fought against the Mohist Knight Guard to this day. Although they had been suppressed, they had not been eliminated. This achievement was enough to make countless evil sect leaders look up to him.

The power of the Mohist Knight Guard is self-evident. It is the most powerful organization High Antiquity the history of the Sea Continent, without exception. It has more than 30 registered Spirit Transformation experts, more than the number of Spirit Transformation experts in many countries. The Crimson Eye Society, once the largest assassin organization, offended it and was listed as a target. Ten years later, the Crimson Eye Society became dust of history.

The Blood Pupil Society took over from the Crimson Eye Society and publicly declared its intention to resist the tyranny of the Mohist Knight Guard. Yet, the Blood Pupil Society still thriving to this day, all thanks to its leader, the ordinary-looking man before us, a former member of the Shadow Hero Guard, known as "Dark Realm Overlord" Lin Xiu.

Lin Xiu had been hunted down by many Nascent Spirit Transformation experts of the Mohist Knight Guard, but he always managed to escape successfully. Moreover, he grew stronger with each battle, and even managed to turn the tables on three of them, personally killing three Nascent Spirit Transformation experts. The former Grandmaster Xiao Xuan once came to hunt him down, but he was eventually wounded and escaped.

It is precisely because of Lin Xiu's leadership that every time a branch of the Crimson Eye Society is destroyed, the members will regroup under his command and will never be wiped out.

Since he said someone was coming, then someone must have come. If you didn't notice, it must be because you're too incompetent.

After observing for a while longer without finding anything, Yama Blood Child changed his observation method. He took out something similar to night vision goggles, which could perform infrared scanning to detect biological heat, and then he finally found the target.

She was a young woman, about twenty years old, who looked somewhat like Lin Xiu. She had a kind of approachable beauty, like a girl next door. She was less than four hundred meters away from the three of them and was getting closer step by step.

After Yama Blood Child spotted the target, Blood-Handed Butcher and Netherworld Blood Slave also sensed each other's presence at the same time. The feeling was hard to describe, as if a figure had suddenly appeared on the canvas.

I didn't even notice how close we were!

What shocked the three even more was that the young woman was holding a blood-dripping human head, leaving a long trail of blood. Such a conspicuous sight would be impossible for any normal person to ignore, but the three recalled what had just happened. They had clearly seen the other person, but subconsciously took it as part of the natural world, thinking it was perfectly normal and not worth paying attention to at all. It was as if their rationality had been deceived, and even their martial arts intuition had been blinded.

"That head... is that the Captain's?"

The Netherworld Blood Slave saw the head clearly and recognized its identity.

The Captain was the first to establish the Blood Pupil Society, but unfortunately, Lin Xiu quickly usurped his position as leader and relegated him to a subordinate role. He was the last of the Four Blood Gods, ranking last in strength, but his strength lay in his intellect. He was like a strategist within the Blood Pupil Society, responsible for devising plans and possessing considerable skill. More experts died because of his schemes than the other three combined.

"He's finally dead! Now we can find someone with 'blood' in their title to fill the vacancy!" Despite the death of his companion, Yama Blood Child felt no sadness. Instead, he clapped his hands and cheered, "I've disliked him for a long time. As one of the Four Blood Gods, his title was completely unrelated. He wouldn't even change it, insisting on highlighting his specialness. Now, no one can compete with him anymore."

The young woman casually tossed the severed head aside and said, "No, you'll be arguing again soon."

Blood-Handed Butcher coughed and said coldly, "Anyone can talk big. Just because you killed a second-rate martial artist, do you think you can look down on all the heroes in the world?"

Yama Blood Child toyed with the Captain's head, chuckling, "He's just the weakest of the Four Blood Gods. If you use his strength to judge us, you're sorely mistaken!"

Before he finished speaking, he threw the Captain's head towards the young woman. The head exploded in mid-air, turning into a cloud of blood mist. This blood mist was extremely acidic; anyone who touched it would immediately rot and die.

However, the young woman neither dodged nor avoided the blood mist, and nothing seemed amiss.

Yama Blood Child was not surprised by this. If he didn't even have this much skill, the other party would never dare to come and provoke him alone. However, the next moment, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Another severed head appeared in the young woman's hand!

Wasn't the Captain's head destroyed by the God-Corroding Corpse Poison? Whose head is this?

Suddenly, he heard a heavy thud next to him. He turned around and saw the headless corpse of the Blood-Handed Butcher, with blood gushing out from his severed neck.