Night fell, and a gentle, chilly breeze swept by.
The breeze carried with it a faint sense of bustle.
It was nighttime, and the streets teemed with people.
Moving against the crowd, Li Ang walked slowly, admiring the cityscape as he went.
But once he entered the downtown area, it took only a little over ten minutes for him to reach the City Police Station.
After arriving, Li Ang didn't rush to act. Instead, he waited quietly off to the side.
Only when he saw the officers inside beginning their shift change did Li Ang calmly take a step forward.
In an instant, his body turned into a mass of sand and dust, then sank into the ground.
Using the Earth Escape Technique, he headed straight inside.
In the dim room, Guang Long sat with his hands cuffed. His wounds had been given basic treatment.
Though he was still gravely injured, he was not dead.
A top organization like the Spirit Pagoda had openly declared that they wanted him dead. But as long as Guang Long hadn't been killed on the spot and Guang Biao hadn't been taken into official custody, these Federation police officers wouldn't dare play any tricks.
After all, whether it was Guang Biao, the Mecha Brigade's commander, or a terrifying organization like the Spirit Pagoda, neither was someone they could afford to offend.
So all they could do was avoid offending either side.
In the dim cell, Guang Long sat with his gaze dark as could be.
Feeling his severe injuries, which had nearly left his internal organs damaged, he narrowed his eyes.
"You little bastard. Just you wait until my brother gets here. Once he does, I'll kill you with my own hands."
"And that blond brat, and that guy surnamed Li—I'll kill your whole families when the time comes."
Guang Long spoke through gritted teeth.
His brother was Guang Biao, commander of the Mecha Brigade and a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, one of the most powerful figures in all of Eastsea City.
It was precisely because he had that kind of backing that he could collect protection money here and act like a thug.
After all, five thousand dollars was a hefty protection fee. Even many other thugs wouldn't dare demand such a large sum.
It was obvious that he had a certain status and powerful connections to get away with that.
Yet someone had dared lay hands on him, leaving him so badly injured that he had nearly lost his life. Guang Long couldn't accept it.
Just as Guang Long's eyes flickered and he began planning how to retaliate with his brother once he arrived, the ground beside him gave a faint shudder.
Then a figure appeared out of nowhere.
At the sight of him, Guang Long froze for a moment, then his pupils suddenly widened.
It wasn't that the person was unfamiliar. It was that not even a single floor tile had cracked, yet the other party had appeared right in front of him.
Looking at the youth who had gravely injured him, Guang Long's expression turned complicated.
But before he could say a word, Li Ang's pale fingers had already begun to gather power.
Terrifying force coalesced in an instant, then punched straight through Guang Long's chest.
Feeling the life draining rapidly from his body, Guang Long parted his lips.
He wanted to shout, even call for help, but in the end, he couldn't utter a single word.
As Guang Long fell to the ground, dead, Li Ang casually raised his hand. His pale palm lifted slightly.
The little black dog appeared again, then opened its jaws wide.
A terrifying bite came down, and it swallowed Guang Long's corpse whole.
After erasing every trace of the body, Li Ang remained calm.
He used his earth-burrowing power again and quickly left, emerging outside the police station.
Guang Long and Guang Biao's deaths might attract the police's attention, perhaps even trigger a widespread search by the Federation's procuratorate.
But with no bodies to be found and no evidence at all, no one could determine what had happened.
By then, Li Ang had already returned to school, calm as ever.
It was already around nine or ten at night. He returned to his dorm room and sat down.
Li Ang looked perfectly calm.
Everything had gone very smoothly today.
Even if Tang Wulin and Xie Xie sensed that something was off, there was little chance they'd suspect him of murder.
After all, they didn't like Guang Long either, and they wouldn't have any further involvement in the matter.
After the night passed, Li Ang managed to get some sleep, which was unusual for him.
When he woke up, the dark circles under his eyes had faded considerably, and he looked a little better.
After washing up, he went to the cafeteria for breakfast.
The next couple of days were fairly uneventful, but Wang Jinxi was so badly injured that he couldn't come to school at all.
In class, Leng Yaozhu lectured at the front while Li Ang studied on his own below.
Days passed in this peaceful routine, and before long, a week had gone by.
Li Ang had finished designing the Battle Armor for his right arm and was preparing to design the armor for his chest and abdomen.
Just then, a message from Ming Yue arrived.
"Young Pagoda Master, sorry to trouble you, but could you please come back? Something has come up here. A major figure has arrived and specifically asked to see you."
Ming Yue's message was very polite.
But as Li Ang looked at it, his eyes still flickered.
There were many important figures in the Spirit Pagoda, but the only one who would specifically ask for him was Leng Yaozhu.
"I seem to have become this Vice Pagoda Master Leng's disciple... I think... Never mind, I'll go take a look. I wonder what it's about."
As Li Ang spoke, there was a trace of confusion in his eyes.
He wasn't even sure whether he was Leng Yaozhu's disciple now.
Although it seemed that he was, she had never come to see him, not even once.
Aside from giving him some resources each month as compensation, she hadn't come to teach him anything. Most of his lessons had been given by other people.
But he'd already planned to go back today anyway. He needed to discuss a new training method with Uncle Li.
His current training method was no longer keeping up with the condition of his body.
Even though he was doing his best to suppress and conceal his strength, his physical improvement had already become almost impossible to keep under control.
In these circumstances, he would have to find a way to improve faster.
He could see if he could learn the third level of body tempering from Uncle Li.
As he thought this over, Li Ang didn't plan to linger.
He stood up, put the completed right-arm Battle Armor blueprint into his storage ring, and headed downstairs.
A vehicle belonging to the Spirit Pagoda was parked at the entrance. Someone was there around the clock to make sure Li Ang could return whenever he wanted.
When Li Ang got in, the driver, who had been listening to music, visibly froze.
He hurriedly took off his headphones, then started the vehicle and drove toward the Spirit Pagoda.
Inside the car, Li Ang's eyes were slightly closed as he sensed the way power flowed through his body.
He was certain there was nothing wrong with his physical condition.
Whether Leng Yaozhu's arrival was good or bad, she had most likely come to see him.
So making sure he was in good shape was the most important thing.
Before you continue