Night.
Shen Fei had spent the afternoon practicing Wood Release on a barren mountain outside the Imperial Capital, and only headed home now that it was dark.
Soon, thanks to the terrifying speed of the Body Flicker Technique, Shen Fei finally returned to his residential complex.
As soon as he approached his door, he saw three familiar people sitting on the ground, chatting.
They were Li Hongyu, Dong Rouwan, and Bian Zhuyue.
Beside Li Hongyu sat a large black case. Shen Fei sensed powerful fluctuations of spiritual energy from inside it. Presumably, it held the payment Yun Yongfeng had promised him today: Spirit Stones.
Seeing Shen Fei return, all three immediately stood up.
He still comes and goes without a trace. I didn't sense him approaching at all and only saw him when he appeared. He really is a supreme powerhouse capable of fighting and killing someone at Mortal Entry Stage Five... Li Hongyu marveled inwardly as he looked at Shen Fei.
In front of Shen Fei, even my Transcendent A-Rank Esper Ability, Genjutsu, amounts to little... Dong Rouwan felt utterly defeated. Looking at Shen Fei reminded her of the boasts she had made to Li Hongyu and Bian Zhuyue, and now every time she thought of them, she felt mortified.
He's still so handsome. Hehehe... Bian Zhuyue chuckled inwardly at the sight of Shen Fei.
Li Hongyu picked up the black case from the ground and handed it to Shen Fei with both hands. "The director asked me to deliver this to you. He originally planned to give it to you himself, but he had too much to do and couldn't come in person."
"The forty Spirit Stones the director promised you should be in here. Open it and take a look, and then we'll go back and report."
Shen Fei took the black case and set it on the ground to open it.
Instantly, a surge of pure spiritual energy washed over his face.
They were pure, flawless Spirit Stones!
Shen Fei looked them over. Twenty per layer, four layers-eighty Spirit Stones in total!
Hadn't Yun Yongfeng promised forty as payment? Why had he given me forty extra?
Shen Fei was somewhat surprised.
The three watching beside Shen Fei all looked envious as he opened the case.
But when they saw the number of Spirit Stones inside, they grew even more envious.
The director actually gave Shen Fei eighty Spirit Stones?!
That was equivalent to four years of their salaries!
Shen Fei put the case away. He understood Yun Yongfeng's meaning but did not point it out.
Then he opened the door, walked inside, and closed it again.
Li Hongyu sighed. "That's equivalent to four years of my salary as an overseer. Comparing yourself to others really is infuriating."
Dong Rouwan sighed. "People like him are destined to follow a parallel path to ours. As time passes, we'll never be able to cross paths with him again..."
Someone like him was destined to become powerful, hold a lofty position, stand far above others, and leave a deep mark on history. They, meanwhile, would only be dust in history. Hundreds or thousands of years later, no one would remember they had ever existed.
Bian Zhuyue said absently, "Who knows what the future holds... Maybe he and I are meant to be..."
Hearing Bian Zhuyue's words, Dong Rouwan burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! So ordinary, yet so full of yourself. What a turnoff!"
"Heh, who was it that said Shen Fei would become a puppet under her Genjutsu? You even fell for your own Genjutsu, didn't you? You're the one who's ordinary and full of herself!" Bian Zhuyue raised her head and fired back.
Dong Rouwan flushed at those words, feeling utterly mortified.
"Just watch how I teach you a lesson. Today, I'll show you how powerful my Genjutsu is."
"Please don't, Sister Dong!"
"Don't you run!"
Speechless, Li Hongyu followed them away.
Inside his room, Shen Fei took off his Battle Armor and hung it on the wardrobe.
He turned his gaze to the eighty Spirit Stones in the black case.
Shen Fei took one out, placed it in his palm, and gripped it tightly. A surge of pure spiritual energy immediately emerged from the Spirit Stone and entered his body, turning into pure Spiritual Power that gently nourished every part of him.
Eighteen minutes later.
Shen Fei had completely absorbed the spiritual energy within the Spirit Stone. Deprived of its spiritual energy, it became a useless rock, which he casually tossed aside.
Having just finished absorbing one Spirit Stone, Shen Fei felt as though he had grown a little stronger.
Shen Fei frowned. "Looks like I need to find a chance to ask the Transcendent Administration Bureau for a Spiritual Power Tester. Otherwise, I won't even know my own Spiritual Power Value."
Shen Fei looked back at the Spirit Stones in the case and continued absorbing their spiritual energy to strengthen his own Spiritual Power.
A day passed.
It was now the same time the following day.
Shen Fei finally finished absorbing all eighty Spirit Stones, and his Spiritual Power had risen considerably.
Shen Fei guessed that he might have reached around level five or six of Mortal Entry Stage Five.
Of course, that was only an estimate. It was not very precise, but it should not have been far off.
Shen Fei stood and stretched, a series of cracks and pops instantly sounding throughout his body.
Having not moved around for a day, Shen Fei planned to go out for a walk.
Putting on his Battle Armor, Shen Fei used the Body Flicker Technique and headed outside.
Meanwhile, inside the Transcendent Administration Bureau.
The director's office.
Yun Yongfeng and Zhao Tian were waiting for someone.
That person was Lin Qiye.
He would return to the Transcendent Administration Bureau tonight.
Soon, the door to the director's office opened.
A young man dressed in a black combat uniform walked in through the doorway, his expression cold and a keen edge in his eyes.
Yun Yongfeng and Zhao Tian immediately stood, their gazes fixed on the man entering.
Zhao Tian smiled. "You're finally back. We've been waiting ages, Qiye."
The man before them was Lin Qiye.
As Lin Qiye looked at them, his expression softened.
"Zhao Tian, you're still the same. Looks like you haven't made much progress."
Then he looked at Yun Yongfeng. "Director, I'm back."
Yun Yongfeng smiled and nodded, motioning for Lin Qiye to sit.
After the three spent ten minutes catching up, they got down to business.
Yun Yongfeng said, "This time, we must wipe out the entire Heavenly God Cult! The Heavenly God Cult Leader must be dealt with. Zhao Tian, nothing unusual has happened there, has it?"
Zhao Tian nodded. "I've been watching them with ants, birds, and all kinds of insects. Nothing unusual has happened. What's strange is that I saw Zhang San earlier. When he returned to the Heavenly God Cult, the Heavenly God Cult Leader gave him a dressing-down. It seemed he'd acted on his own without orders from the Heavenly God Cult Leader."
Yun Yongfeng frowned. "Could Zhang San have caused yesterday's incident on his own, without instructions from the Heavenly God Cult Leader? Was there anything else?"
Zhao Tian continued, "Anything else... The wealthy residents of the villa district have started contacting the Heavenly God Cult. I'm afraid they might become the cult's hostages when the time comes..."
Beside them, Lin Qiye said indifferently, "Why concern ourselves with whether those people live or die? Destroying the Heavenly God Cult comes first."
Zhao Tian said nothing and looked at Yun Yongfeng.
Yun Yongfeng said slowly, "If sacrificing some people can secure peace within Great Xia, I think it's well worth it."
Clearly, at that moment, Yun Yongfeng had abandoned the wealthy residents of the villa district and already regarded those who had contacted the Heavenly God Cult as accomplices.
While they discussed their plans, discussions were also underway within the Heavenly God Cult.
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