All this time.
She wanted to find the characteristics of the Dark Demon sequence, but had made no progress.
But at this moment.
She suddenly understood.
Dark Demon, the name of Sequence Seven in the Black Moon Sequence. This sequence requires merging thoroughly with darkness.
The Moon Lady kept analyzing and inferring in her mind.
To the extent that for a moment, her entire person seemed frozen in place, as if she had lost her soul.
Baiyu was not in a hurry.
The Moon Lady's reaction indicated that his ability was effective. Now, he just needed to patiently wait for her to wake up.
However.
This "Enlightenment" consumed a considerable amount of energy.
Even though Baiyu had a strong spirituality and incredibly resilient spirit, he still couldn't sustain it for long.
It only took a few minutes.
Before a feeling of exhaustion set in.
Fortunately, the Moon Lady did not remain in that dazed state for long; she recovered after a short while.
As soon as she recovered.
She excitedly said to Baiyu, "Brother Bai, it works, it really works. I've grasped it! How did you do it?"
Baiyu smiled mysteriously, "It's a secret, remember not to tell anyone. Now you should go back and prepare to advance to Sequence Seven. Once you complete the advancement, come back to me for guidance."
"Alright!"
The Moon Lady agreed with great excitement, her face beaming with joy.
And at this moment.
Baiyu also felt that his Magic Elixir digestion suddenly took a leap forward.
It seems Cang Yan's method is truly effective; the Magic Elixir is digested both bodily and mentally, gradually transforming a person into the extraordinary.
Mere physical changes are insufficient.
The mind must keep pace.
Just like walking, one foot is hard to move forward, only with both feet can one stride and run.
The digestion of the Magic Elixir follows the same principle.
Only by simultaneously digesting physically and mentally can one achieve the fastest efficiency.
And what Baiyu was doing now was digesting the Magic Elixir from the spiritual and mental level, accepting his new ability from the spirit.
In other words.
While helping the Moon Lady, Baiyu could also speed up his own Magic Elixir digestion.
If he could teach a few more students, perhaps his rate of digestion would increase dramatically, although this would be too troublesome, Baiyu only entertained the thought.
"At the current pace, I should need at least two months; this speed is already impressive."
Baiyu looked at the Moon Lady's eager figure as she left, hastily returning to comprehend, and thought to himself.
The digestion of the Magic Elixir cannot be rushed.
It must be done slowly.
There are more important matters to attend to now.
...
After staying at the Earl's Mansion for two days and guiding the Moon Lady's cultivation, Xu Qiu arrived early in the morning with news about the Dragon Head.
The other party agreed to cooperate.
Currently, the news of the Dragon Head's capture hasn't leaked out.
With his influence, fabricating an enticing title could indeed attract a lot of underground martial artists and extraordinaries to come.
These people, who usually hide and scurry around like rats.
There's bound to be spies and informants among them.
With just a little use of lie-detection devices, they could be ferreted out.
The tricky part of dealing with underground martial artists.
Is tracing their whereabouts and finding their hiding places.
Even if they aren't spies, they're likely involved in shady activities. Nine out of ten underground martial artists have criminal records.
After all, martial artists require a lot of cultivation resources.
And the underground martial artists have no legitimate means to make money, nor do they receive any Imperial funding; many turn to rapidly lucrative jobs like being assassins.
Even civilian martial artists receive Imperial subsidies, have various foundations, sponsorships, and organizations like the Bounty Hunter Association offering jobs, but underground martial artists have nothing of the sort.
Becoming an underground martial artist.
Means they are either wanted by the Empire, forced to hide their identity, or have committed unforgivable offenses.
Anyway, among this lot.
There aren't many good ones.
The Empire has always wanted to rectify this but hasn't found many opportunities, given that manpower is limited, and rectifying these underground martial artists is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and not worth the effort.
However.
Baiyu intended to seize this opportunity to tackle this tough issue.
According to his knowledge, Longyuan was renowned and held high prestige in the underground martial arts world.
In recent years, his prestige has been particularly high among them.
So Baiyu had great confidence in this operation.
Upon arriving at the Anomaly Bureau.
The Dragon Head met him and got straight to the point, requiring Baiyu to agree to three conditions, otherwise, he wouldn't help.
"What conditions?"
Baiyu asked.
"First, you must promise to release my people. Also, ensure our safe departure."
"Second, ensure the safety of every underground martial artist who comes."
"Third, you must ensure to follow through with your plan; even if they don't wish to join an official organization, you cannot force them."
"If you swear by the name of the God of Justice on these three points, I'll agree to help you."
The Dragon Head initially thought Baiyu would hesitate and haggle over terms.
But after he finished speaking, Baiyu agreed without hesitation and swore by the name of the God of Justice on the spot.
It is known.
The God of Justice, also called the Contract God; swearing by His name is an absolute commitment.
Otherwise.
It would invite divine wrath.
Even a martial artist at the Grandmaster Level wouldn't dare to take divine punishment lightly.
"Are you sure you're not deceiving me?"
The Dragon Head was somewhat doubtful, seeing how smoothly Baiyu agreed.
Baiyu replied, "I swore right in front of you. If I deceive you, a divine punishment will naturally befall me,
I wouldn't dare to play around even with ten lives on the line.
What worries could you have?
Dragon Head, an eminent figure and bound by the God of Justice as you are, do you still fear I'll deceive you?"
Upon hearing this.
The Dragon Head nodded inwardly.
Indeed.
With the constraints of the God of Justice, it was impossible for Baiyu to stir up any trouble.
For so many years.
He had never heard of anyone circumventing the oaths bound by the God of Justice.
After the two completed their discussion.
The Dragon Head donned a heavy trench coat and hat and headed to the Outer City District of Mountain City.
The Outer City spanned a vast area.
The buildings were disorderly.
Many places had complex geographical features.
Streets and alleys intertwined like a complex beehive.
The Dragon Head visited several places, engraving symbols on the walls.
He also quietly went to several bars linked to the underground world, notifying the underground martial artists that Longyuan would be hosting a major event in Mountain City, inviting them to attend.
With Longyuan's reputation and influence.
And the Dragon Head's personal invitation.
The underground martial artists would have no reason to doubt.
Thusly.
Three days later.
The Green Forest Bar.
The second underground floor.
No one would have imagined that beneath such a tiny bar lay a space the size of a football field.
Moreover, powerful Protective Spirit Arrays surrounded it.
Safeguarding the underground second floor very well.
Therefore, it had remained undiscovered in Mountain City for so long.
After all, no one would randomly venture underground, and as long as it was shielded from Spiritual Qi detections, it would be a world unto itself.
The very fact he discovered an underground martial artist's secret gathering place this time made Baiyu feel the trip was worthwhile.
But.
This was just the appetizer.
The Green Forest Bar's owner belonged to the Guang Family, a local powerful family in Mountain City, with many martial artists under their employ.
As the saying goes, the deeper the roots, the sturdier the tree.
Ordinary small figures generally dared not investigate the Guang Family's bar.
"Let's go, today's gathering is downstairs."
The Dragon Head coldly glanced at Baiyu, observing nothing amiss with his expression, finally exhaling a sigh of relief.
Since early this morning.
He had felt uneasy, sensing a trap, but now it seemed he was overly cautious.
"Dragon Head, how should we proceed?"
Baiyu turned his head, looking towards the Dragon Head.
"I will introduce you to them, and of course, I'll ensure your safety. Your solo presence represents your sincerity."
The Dragon Head gently stated, "At this gathering, you can recruit them. Many among them surely desire amnesty and to join the official ranks.
But for the remaining ones.
You must not coerce them."
The Dragon Head repeatedly emphasized this point.
For underground martial artists lead lives on the edge, and applying force would likely cause chaos.
