Thunderclap

The other books on the table ignited the moment they touched the flame!

Zhang You was shocked and quickly grabbed some tea to douse the fire, trying to save the books, but the flames were unaffected.

With quick hands, he pulled out "Old Wang of Guangling's Mountain Climbing Record," which was farthest away, and threw it on the ground, stomping on it a few times.

Finally, he had to use a trace of his qi and blood to put out the flames, but only the latter half of the book remained.

The three books on the table had all turned to ash!

Strangely, the wooden table itself wasn't ignited, only a patch of black char remained.

Fortunately, he had already memorized those three books thoroughly; otherwise, he would have faced a huge loss.

Since the deed was done, although he didn't understand why, he still felt it was best to clean up the ashes on the table first.

"Hmm? What's this..."

As he was clearing the ashes, he suddenly discovered an unknown animal hide among them.

The animal hide was blank, and he couldn't tell what it was.

However, it was extremely tough, impossible to tear, and impervious to water and fire.

After putting it away, Zhang You remembered the several marks within his body.

He could now erase these marks if he wanted to, though it would take some effort.

But doing so might alert the enemy, and they might make a move prematurely.

Instead, he could lie low and grow stronger.

Moreover, he could monitor these marks at any time, so he wasn't worried about anything uncontrollable happening.

Therefore, he decided to wait and see!

After another short rest, Zhang You looked at the remaining half of "Old Wang's Travelogue."

This was because he had seen the words "Cultivation" in the burnt section!

After flipping through it, he found that most of it was still travelogue entries, with only a few mentions of cultivation.

The book only mentioned two realms of cultivation: Qi Refining Realm and Foundation Establishment Realm.

He also noticed the term "Spiritual Root."

There were no other mentions; perhaps they were in the burnt section.

Cultivation was still too far away from him!

Shaking off the doubts in his mind, Zhang You continued to meditate, familiarizing himself with his only move, "Shatter Void."

Inside the Tang Family's grand estate.

Shopkeeper Li, Pang Biao, Boss Ren, the Tang Family Head Tang Julou, and the City Lord Qin Fengtian were having a secret discussion in a hidden chamber.

These five were the same people who had a fierce fight in Zhang You's room two days prior.

Pang Biao's disguise had been torn off then, so Zhang You knew his identity.

As for the three people besides Shopkeeper Li, they were all masked, and Zhang You didn't know who they were specifically.

"The grand formation is still being set up; it will be completed tomorrow!"

City Lord Qin Fengtian, a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair, a square face, and a stern, unsmiling expression, had a scar on his left eye.

"The Qinhuayan has been prepared. As long as it's not someone in the Half-step Foundation Establishment Realm, they'll be completely subdued!"

Boss Ren looked quite old, and like Shopkeeper Li, no one knew his real name.

Although this person maintained a stern expression when out in public, it was all an act. In reality, he was bloodthirsty and a ruthless killer.

"The evil spirits within ten miles outside the city have all been mostly cleared. I will deal with that Wild Boar Demon as soon as possible!"

Pang Biao had kept his eyes closed, resting since arriving here. No one knew what he was thinking.

"I've noticed that little fellow has been a bit strange lately. Although I don't know what methods he possesses, he seems capable of killing some low-level Yin Souls. But it's not a major issue; the seed has matured and is ready to be harvested at any time!"

Shopkeeper Li closed his eyes and sensed Zhang You's general location. He didn't think much of it.

He had indeed placed a curse on Zhang You, but he could only sense his approximate location.

Furthermore, Qin Fengtian and the others had means to monitor the situation inside and outside the city. As long as Zhang You ventured too far from Xiaolin City, he would be discovered instantly!

"Three days from now is the full moon, which will enhance the formation's effectiveness. As for that Wild Boar Demon, try to lure it farther away."

The person sitting in the main seat was the renowned benevolent elder of the region, Tang Julou.

He was an elder with a kind face, graying hair, a goatee, and exceptionally long eyebrows that almost reached his chin. His face was full of wrinkles, and he wore a faint smile.

They continued their discussion until almost dawn before dispersing.

On Zhang You's side, despite cultivating all night, he was full of energy.

A person in good spirits is naturally invigorated!

"There are still three days left!"

Zhang You opened the teahouse early, and soon the place began to fill up.

The most talked-about cases were still the headless murders and the mummified corpses. Rumor had it that several more incidents had occurred last night.

Due to the rampaging Wild Boar Demon outside the city, the Demon Suppression Bureau was already overwhelmed. Therefore, the officials had invited an old Daoist from the Qingshan Daoist Temple to assist with the investigation. He had already examined the crime scenes and reportedly had some leads.

Additionally, the officials had captured several rebels, who were scheduled to be beheaded at the marketplace at noon today.

As noon approached, the teahouse gradually emptied as everyone headed to the marketplace.

Throughout the morning, Zhang You had gained insight into the second move of the White Tiger Illusion through contemplation.

When it was time for lunch, Delicious Restaurant delivered his meal, which was only enough for one person.

"Damn it, I've lost several pounds from not eating meat for days!"

After secretly dumping the food again, he filled his stomach with steamed buns.

When returning the bowls and chopsticks, he took the opportunity to visit the marketplace.

As it turned out, the executions had already concluded. On a pole next to the marketplace, ten headless corpses were hanging.

Although the ground had been cleaned, the smell of blood was still pungent.

Even though Zhang You had killed some Yin Souls and malevolent spirits and had seen corpses harmed by them, seeing these ten headless bodies made his stomach churn. He was glad he hadn't eaten much at lunch, otherwise, he might have made a fool of himself!

Looking at the original residents pointing and discussing the corpses all around, as if accustomed to everything, Zhang You couldn't say anything.

He just felt that in this place, human lives seemed to be the cheapest commodity!

He recalled that he could no longer sense the portal between worlds, and perhaps he would have to settle in this world from now on.

He needed to integrate into this world!

Half a day later, Zhang You finally recovered. He suddenly felt much more relaxed, and surprisingly, he mastered the second stance of the White Tiger as a matter of course.

He named it "Thunderclap"!

After one last look at the headless corpses hanging on the pole, he shook his head and slowly made his way back to the teahouse.

Feeling hungry on the way, he bought over a dozen meat buns.

In the afternoon, there weren't many customers in the teahouse. Zhang You was happy to be idle, so he took the opportunity to familiarize himself with the second stance of the White Tiger, simulating it several times in his mind, preparing to test it out at the mass grave that night.

After this period of cultivation, Zhang You could now control his blood energy to be contained within, appearing no different from an ordinary person.

Suddenly, Zhang You felt a stir within his Dantian!

He quickly looked inward and discovered that the streak of green energy he had seen last night had actually entered his Dantian!

And it was undergoing a huge transformation!

Upon closer inspection, he found that the green energy was not pure and harbored hidden complexities!