Kind and approachable

"Did he go in?"

"Yes! He had a mask on his face, but he couldn't change his build. It was him!"

"Good, call everyone over. That little bastard hid in his courtyard for over a month. He's finally come out."

Outside the [Ninefold Hall], the gatekeeping disciple who had been yawning incessantly and looking utterly indolent just moments ago now seemed like a different person. His face brimmed with mercenary shrewdness as he rubbed his hands together and reported in a low voice to several Outer Mansion disciples with menacing presences.

Because Black Mountain True Person had singled him out, everyone in the Outer Mansion knew that Qi Yun had become the Human Origin Champion, and he had consequently drawn the envy and hatred of many.

Most of them were the unlucky souls he had ambushed and killed during the assessment.

But a small number were simply "venting their anger on him."

They were all Outer Mansion disciples. What right did an unremarkable nobody with no backing and an unorthodox background have to become the champion?

With such thoughts at work, Qi Yun had inexplicably gained quite a few more enemies.

And more importantly...

The Human Origin Champion-such an enormous honor had to come with some sort of reward, didn't it?

Partly for wealth, partly out of resentment.

Before long, informants had been planted in every hall, both to keep track of his movements and to find out exactly what benefits he had received.

Soon, some seven or eight Outer Mansion disciples gathered outside the [Ninefold Hall], exchanging knowing looks.

"Let's go!"

Pieces of Sacred Yuan fell into the bronze basin with crisp clinks, and seven or eight figures filed inside, stepping into the [Ninefold Hall].

Within the third space of the [Ninefold Hall].

This was a vast, boundless, desolate desert, but all its sand was an eerie bright red. Paired with the dim black sun overhead, it felt all the more oppressive and unsettling.

"Wangcai! Get it!"

Qi Yun pointed at a resentment fiend before him, a vaguely human monstrosity with disheveled hair and sinister Yin Qi shrouding its entire body.

Beside him, the bronze wolfhound had already wrinkled its muzzle, bared its teeth, and begun growling. It thrust off all four legs and charged fearlessly at the resentment fiend, tearing into it.

Resentment fiends were evil creatures formed when resentment and Sha Qi gathered into spirits and took shape. They possessed boundless strength, and the Yin Qi surrounding them had a powerful corrosive effect on flesh and blood.

Ordinary Qi Refining cultivators did not dare engage them in close combat, as Yin Qi could easily invade their bodies.

The bronze wolfhound Wangcai, however, completely disregarded this. It clamped its jaws around the resentment fiend's left arm and shook its head wildly, ripping and tearing. Distinct tearing sounds kept coming from the resentment fiend's shoulder, while billowing black Qi gushed from the wound.

"Fearless in the face of death, impervious to blades and spears, with iron teeth and bronze fangs, a bite force of over a thousand jin, and even a casual swipe of its claws carrying several hundred jin of force.

"If there were enough creatures like this, the threat they posed would multiply!"

Watching Wangcai battle the resentment fiend with a keen gleam in his eyes, Qi Yun summoned the Law Technique Panel and looked at the progress bar for [Profound Communion and Life Seizure].

This Law Technique came from the "Mystic Firmament Return to Origin Demon-Refining True Talisman Register." To find a spiritual object corresponding to its Dao intent, he would also need to consult this true scripture.

Spirit summoning... god invocation... beast taming... demon subjugation... all these Dao intents seemed to have some connection.

But these Dao intents were all too profound. Very few Outer Mansion disciples likely came into contact with them, and spiritual objects and Law Artifacts possessing such Dao intents were even rarer.

Qi Yun frowned slightly.

This was also why, despite carrying a fortune, he had not gone to learn advanced Law Techniques.

The Dao intents of advanced Law Techniques were often even more mysterious and far-reaching, making matching spiritual objects far too difficult to find.

If he relied solely on automatic updates, grinding away with time.

Then the cost would be far too great. Learning Law Techniques took time, and updating Law Techniques took time too.

But what he lacked most right now... was time!

"Spirit summoning, god invocation, demon subjugation—there probably aren't any spiritual objects like those to be found in the Outer Mansion. Even if there are, they'll cost a fortune."

"For now... I can only try the path of beast taming."

Having gained a rough understanding of the bronze wolfhound's strength, Qi Yun raised his sword and killed the resentment fiend fighting it with a single stroke. He tidied up and prepared to head home.

But just as he was about to leave, a paper crane folded from talisman paper descended from the sky and landed on his shoulder.

Tilting his ear slightly to listen to the voice coming from the paper crane, Qi Yun raised his brows a little, an unsurprised expression appearing on his face.

"Sure enough, someone followed me."

Putting the paper crane away in his robes, Qi Yun recalled the bronze wolfhound with a thought.

Ever since Black Mountain True Person had screwed him over, he had known that many people would have their eyes on him.

This [Talisman Spirit Crane] was a precaution he had purchased to monitor his surroundings and guard against trouble before it arose.

He had not expected it to come in handy so soon.

"Just as well. My Wangcai hasn't tasted meat yet. Today, you can give it a little feast." A cold glint flashed through Qi Yun's eyes. He formed a Method Formula with his fingers, and his body burst into countless streams of air, vanishing without a trace.

"That little bastard does have some ability. He actually made it to the third level."

The group arrived in the third hall. At their head, Wu Tianming's eyes were cold, but a trace of solemnity could not help rising in his heart.

Within the nine heavens, the resentment fiends grew stronger and more numerous with each successive level.

Had the eight of them not been traveling together, none of them would have ventured here alone lightly.

"Brother Wu, look! He's over there!"

At his companion's low cry, Wu Tianming hurriedly turned his head and immediately spotted a figure on a sand dune to one side, his back turned to them.

Who else could it be but Qi Yun!

"Hahaha, this fellow's far too careless! Junior brothers, come with me at once. Let's seize this little bastard."

Laughing with delight, Wu Tianming immediately called everyone forward, ready to act.

"Isn't this too much of a coincidence? Could it be a trap..." someone said hesitantly.

"Even if it is a trap, can he take down all eight of us by himself?" Wu Tianming asked, raising an eyebrow.

At these words, everyone nodded slightly.

Suspecting nothing further, Wu Tianming and the other seven immediately rushed toward Qi Yun's position.

"This fellow specializes in techniques that create illusory bodies and conceal his form. Did you bring the Tracking Compass?" Wu Tianming asked as they advanced.

"I did." Someone raised a brass compass with magical light flowing across it. It was precisely the Tracking Compass, which could defeat techniques that created illusory bodies and concealed one's form.

"Good. Today, we'll make sure he comes here but never leaves."

As Wu Tianming and the others rapidly approached, "Qi Yun" atop the dune seemed to notice something as well. He immediately turned into a wisp of fresh breeze and vanished without a trace.

"Hmph, I knew you had that trick. The compass!"

Seeing Qi Yun use an illusory-body concealment technique just as he had expected, Wu Tianming gave a smug, cold snort.

"Found him," replied the man holding the compass, immediately activating the Tracking Compass.

Countless rays of magical light spilled out and landed on the eight men's hands, forming arrows that pointed in a certain direction.

The arrows shifted from time to time, as though the person they were tracking kept changing direction, trying to shake them off.

"He's fast. Split up and chase him. Form a pouch around him and trap him inside."

A sharp gleam in his eyes, Wu Tianming decisively issued his orders. The eight immediately split up, each heading in a different direction.

But just as they scattered, each thinking of surrounding and capturing this so-called Human Origin Champion.

The tracking light on their hands suddenly flashed, then began spinning wildly, evidently unable to track its target any longer.

"What's going on?"

Frowning, the man holding the Tracking Compass scratched his head in confusion, unable to understand why the Law Artifact had suddenly stopped working.

And just as he lowered his head to fiddle with the compass, countless streams of air rapidly gathered behind him, coalescing into a figure standing with his hands behind his back.

On that shadow-shrouded face, a "kind and approachable" smile was slowly emerging.