It was late at night.
The city at one in the morning.
Only dim yellow streetlights illuminated the cold, silent streets.
Everyone was fast asleep.
Or rather-
Everyone had returned to Death Planet.
Only the occasional dreamer would reach Earth again.
And so things were different now.
In a dark alley.
The void opened.
Shen Ye landed silently.
"Ah-"
He yawned, stretched, slipped his hands into his pockets, and walked toward the mouth of the alley in utter boredom.
At first, the alley was silent.
But by the time he reached its mouth, three people were already standing outside.
"Who are you?"
Shen Ye asked.
Dressed in black trench coats, they looked him up and down.
"He doesn't look good enough."
"Yes, his basic attributes barely exceed an ordinary person's."
"He probably hasn't even unlocked his Dharma Form."
They turned and left.
Shen Ye-
Or rather, Shen Ye's original body on Earth stood there, stunned for a while, unable to make sense of it.
"Are those people nuts?"
He muttered to himself.
Then he continued forward, but after barely two steps, he saw two crows perched on a streetlight.
"No good."
"Not enough potential."
Having delivered their assessments, the two crows flew away.
Shen Ye paid them no mind either. He casually scanned a shared bicycle by the roadside, got on, and rode toward a certain place in the city.
A few minutes earlier.
The church.
The three Truth Constructs fled in disarray, vanishing in an instant.
Shen Ye remained where he was, carefully reading the newly appeared lines of Faint Glowing Text:
``` "Your trait 'Vampire Demon Lord' has advanced to:"
"Mandala Ouroboros."
"The pinnacle of traits, the name of Truth's crown, unparalleled Dharma Realm authority."
"Description: Draw out a target's elements, or use the target directly, converting it