"Yes, Lord City Master!"
The students answered loudly, then scattered to get to work.
Shui Bing'er did not leave.
Clutching the ice-blue staff in her hand, she walked over to Venti and looked at the hideous Demon Scythe on the Sky Curtain. A flicker of worry crossed her eyes.
"Venti... City Master."
She paused, but still changed how she addressed him.
"Bibi Dong has an artifact like that, on top of the foundation of Spirit Hall."
"We've thoroughly offended the Heaven Dou Empire this time. And the Tang Sect..."
Shui Bing'er knew Tang San's temperament all too well.
He was the sort who would repay the slightest grudge a hundredfold.
Now that Godwind City was attracting so much attention, what if the Tang Sect joined forces with Spirit Hall, or some other factions, to attack...
"Are you worried they'll come back to settle the score?"
Venti found a comfortable spot and sat right down on the roof tiles, an apple somehow appearing in his hand.
Crunch.
He took a bite and said through a mouthful of apple:
"Don't worry."
"They're busy looking at the rankings right now. They don't have time to bother with us."
"Besides."
Venti swallowed the bite. His blue-green eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed toward the distant horizon.
"Since the Sky Curtain has exposed Godwind City..."
"That means living a quiet, peaceful life is no longer possible."
"I couldn't be bothered to act before."
"But now..."
Venti stretched, and his bones gave a series of soft cracks.
"I'll take it as a chance to stretch my limbs."
"Drinking and sleeping all day has left my bones practically rusting."
Seeing Venti so relaxed and carefree, Shui Bing'er's previously anxious heart settled for no apparent reason.
That was right.
With him around...
Even if a god descended, what was there to fear?
At the thought, Shui Bing'er's gaze fell to Venti's waist.
A glass-bead-sized ornament hung there, emanating a faint ripple of wind elemental energy.
She knew the thing well.
She wasn't the only one. Back then, every one of the finest students at Godwind Academy had received one.
It was the "welcome gift" Venti had given them when he first took charge of the academy.
"By the way, City Master."
As if remembering something, Shui Bing'er asked curiously:
"That... Vision you gave us back then."
"Going by the rules of this Rare Treasure Ranking..."
"What rank would it get?"
Shui Bing'er remembered clearly.
After receiving the Vision, she had gained control over wind elements, much like having a Second Martial Soul. Even her cultivation speed had increased several times over.
It was unquestionably a peerless treasure.
Venti paused at her words.
He lowered his head and glanced at the glass bead around his waist. It was just a little trinket he had casually condensed with divine power.
"Well..."
Venti stroked his chin, a playful smile curling his lips.
"If we're judging by quantity, it probably wouldn't make the list."
"After all, I've given away dozens of them."
"But..."
"If we're judging by quality..."
Venti blinked and left the thought unfinished.
Only a smile remained, hiding a meaning even Shui Bing'er could not decipher.
Just then.
The reward for the tenth place was finally issued on the Sky Curtain.
[Given that the Rakshasa Demon Scythe is a Super Divine Artifact, yet ranked last.]
[Compensatory reward hereby granted—Artifact Ascension!]
[Reward One: The Rakshasa Demon Scythe gains the "Bloodthirsty" trait!]
[Effect: The artifact can absorb blood and souls through slaughter, endlessly increasing its quality and might! No limit!]
[Reward Two: Unity of Man and Weapon!]
[Effect: The compatibility between its wielder, Bibi Dong, and the artifact rises to 100%. Slaughter will not only strengthen the artifact, but also directly feed back into her cultivation, increasing the wielder's Soul Power!]
Boom!
A blood-red pillar of light shot down from the Sky Curtain, landing directly inside the Pope Palace in Spirit City.
Bibi Dong, still seething with anger, was enveloped by the sudden red light.
The Rakshasa Demon Scythe in her hand seemed to come alive.
Buzz—
An excited tremor rang through the great hall.
The eye sockets of the skulls on the scythe lit up with a scarlet glow.
A will, ravenous for blood, traveled up the handle and entered Bibi Dong's mind.
The feeling was no longer coldness and resistance.
It was intimacy.
As if the scythe had become a part of her body.
Bibi Dong felt the Soul Power within her, which had long been stagnant, begin to boil and surge as the red light poured into her.
"This..."
The fury in Bibi Dong's eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by an ecstasy she could scarcely conceal.
She could feel it clearly.
As long as she wanted...
As long as she swung the scythe and reaped lives...
She could grow stronger!
She might even... break through that final step and truly become a god!
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Bibi Dong could not help bursting into laughter, wild and unrestrained.
"Good! Well done, Sky Curtain!"
"I may not be satisfied with the ranking, but this reward..."
"It's practically tailor-made for me!"
She was the inheritor of the Rakshasa God, following the path of slaughter and destruction.
This Bloodthirsty trait had practically paved her road to cultivation!
Bibi Dong lovingly stroked the scythe, a dangerous gleam in her eyes.
"So what if I'm tenth?"
"As long as I kill enough, this scythe will sooner or later evolve into the number one artifact!"
At the Tang Sect's headquarters in Jialing Pass.
Tang San sat in the seat of honor, his face so dark it looked ready to drip water.
He stared intently at the lines of text about the reward on the Sky Curtain.
"Bloodthirsty... gaining strength by killing..."
"They're actually giving out such an evil reward?"
Tang San clenched his fists, his heart in turmoil.
The Spirit Hall Empire was already difficult enough to deal with.
If Bibi Dong received this kind of power boost, who could hold her back on the battlefield?
"Xiao San, this is bad."
Oscar wore a worried frown beside him.
"That madwoman Bibi Dong will surely wage war even more recklessly with this reward."
"Won't our Heaven Dou Empire soldiers end up as her nourishment?"
Ma Hongjun cursed as well:
"Is the Sky Curtain blind or something?"
"It's handing out rewards that help evil flourish?"
Tang San took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his unease.
He raised a hand and touched the Sea God Trident mark between his brows.
It was the symbol of the Sea God—and the greatest source of his confidence.
"Don't panic."
Tang San's voice was steady and strong, as if to reassure both the others and himself.
"Bibi Dong's artifact is only tenth."
"That means there are nine even more powerful treasures ranked above it."
"My Sea God Trident weighs one hundred and eight thousand jin. It's a genuine weapon of the Sea God."
"There's no way it ranks below that busted scythe."
A hint of pride flashed in Tang San's eyes.
He had absolute confidence in his own strength and the divine artifact in his hands.
"Besides, as for Godwind City..."
Tang San turned toward Godwind City, a trace of disdain flickering in his eyes.
"Though that Venti is putting on an act and somehow got first place on the Power Ranking..."
"In my opinion, he only relied on some strange ability to catch Grandmaster and Mu Bai off guard."