As Xiao Bai's perspective broke through the energy barrier, more than ten rooms, similar in size to the one outside, appeared in his vision. Each energy barrier seemed to function as a door to a room.
Inside these rooms, rows of neatly arranged shelves stood, sparsely adorned with glowing orbs of various sizes. Scanning his surroundings, Xiao Bai realized that the total number of glowing orbs in these rooms was about the same as those in the outer room. He was astonished—he had initially thought that the outer room was already filled with an overwhelming number of glowing orbs, but it turned out that only half had been sent out.
In each room, there were dark figures moving back and forth between the shelves. Suddenly, Xiao Bai's attention was drawn to one figure that had stopped in place. He watched as it extended its dark hands and formed a simple hand seal over a yellow glowing orb on one of the shelves.
"Whoosh!"
A piercing sound broke through the air as the yellow glowing orb instantly lifted from the shelf and shot toward the energy barrier. In just a moment, it passed through the barrier and appeared in the outer room.
Xiao Bai suddenly understood—these glowing orbs must be bound by some kind of restriction that allowed them to fly when activated, while the shelves held a separate restraining force that required these puppets to operate them.
By comparing both areas, Xiao Bai realized that not only was the number of glowing orbs in both sections about the same, but their quality was also nearly identical. The only difference lay in their attributes.
"So, Jia Nan Academy is using these puppets to randomly select half of the glowing orbs and send them out. No wonder Elder Huo said that finding the right one depends on luck!" Xiao Bai thought to himself.
He had already spotted the glowing orb containing the Di Class poison attribute cultivation method—it was in the room behind the energy barrier on the right. However, the puppet inside was standing still, as if its task was complete, like a worker clocking out after a shift. Seeing this, Xiao Bai felt both frustrated and amused.
"This won't do. The puppet isn't moving at all—I can't keep waiting!" Feeling the time running out and the excessive soul power consumption of his current state, Xiao Bai decided to take matters into his own hands. He couldn't rely on these foolish puppets any longer.
His mind raced as he glanced in the direction of Qian Mu and Bai Lie, gritting his teeth. His current state wasn't merely an extension of his soul power for perception; instead, he was using his soul power to activate the vertical eye on his forehead, as if tapping into some mysterious authority of heaven and earth. His perspective lifted, granting him a god-like view over the entire space, as if he held dominion over all within this realm.
Although he could only see and not manipulate anything directly with his soul power, that didn't mean he was out of options.
Focusing his gaze on a gray mist-covered glowing orb within the room, he sensed that its energy fluctuations were even stronger than those of the Nine-Layered Phoenix Flame Art from earlier. With a single thought, a streak of golden lightning flashed across his body and, following the strange connection granted by the vertical eye, instantly appeared above the gray glowing orb.
"Crack!"
Threads of golden lightning struck the restrictive force on the shelf. With a faint sound, the restriction shattered without causing much commotion. The gray glowing orb, now freed, shot outward with momentum similar to the Nine-Layered Phoenix Flame Art from before.
At the very moment the faint sound echoed through the room, the previously motionless puppet suddenly emitted a mechanical creaking noise from its neck. Its head turned, red light flickering in its eyes as it locked onto the escaping gray glowing orb. In the next instant, its figure flashed forward, reaching out in an attempt to stop the orb from escaping through the energy barrier.
"I've come this far—how could I let a mere Dou Wang-level puppet stop me? This technique is mine!" Xiao Bai snorted coldly. Another streak of golden lightning surfaced on his body, vanishing in a flash before reappearing in the puppet's path.
Devoid of intelligence, the puppet seemed to operate solely on programmed commands. It showed no hesitation or fear as it ignored the golden lightning and remained fixated on the glowing orb. Without pause, it continued its charge toward its target.
"Boom!"
Golden lightning clashed fiercely against the puppet, striking a certain spot on its chest. Whatever was located there was instantly reduced to ashes. The puppet's bulky body was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall of the inner room. A ripple spread across the light barrier of the wall, but it remained undamaged.
The puppet fell to the ground, the red glow in its eyes flickering unsteadily. After a brief moment, it returned to normal, stood up, and attempted to chase after the gray glowing orb. However, it was utterly confused to find that the orb had completely vanished from the room.
After scanning its surroundings and finding nothing, the puppet returned to its original position. The red light in its eyes gradually dimmed, as if nothing had ever happened.
Seeing that the puppet was unharmed, Xiao Bai let out a long sigh of relief. He had only intended to stop it, not destroy it. Earlier, he had feared that even a single strand of Geng Metal Tribulation Lightning might completely obliterate the puppet, so he had carefully controlled its power. Fortunately, the result had turned out well.
Suddenly, Xiao Bai "saw" a strange disturbance in space, precisely in the direction of the Book Collection Hall's main entrance. His expression changed, and he quickly withdrew from his current state. His vision instantly returned, and the vertical eye on his forehead slowly closed. As his consciousness returned to his body, darkness momentarily overtook his vision, and a strong wave of dizziness struck his mind. His face suddenly turned slightly pale.
This feeling was all too familiar—it was the aftereffect of excessive soul power consumption. His vertical eye, given his current soul strength, could not be sustained for long.
The combination of the vertical eye and Geng Metal Tribulation Lightning was a concept Xiao Bai had devised after studying their properties. It carried a faint trace of the power of heavenly punishment—an ability that should only be controlled by the heavens themselves. Even though it was only the slightest shadow of that power, not even a true prototype, it was already beyond what his current strength could endure.
"Xiao Bai-gege (Xiao Bai), are you alright?"
Xun Er and Xiao Yi Xian had been by his side the whole time. Seeing Xiao Bai's slightly pale complexion, their delicate faces were filled with concern.
The moment the vertical eye on Xiao Bai's forehead opened, Xun Er, whose heart had always been attuned to him, immediately sensed it.
That chaotic-colored pupil didn't seem like a human eye at all. It was more like the gaze of the heavens—cold, indifferent, overlooking all living beings.
This was the first time Xun Er had seen such a transformation in the vertical mark on Xiao Bai's forehead. It was completely different from the Dou Di Clan's bloodline mark she was familiar with. She was both shocked and puzzled, but upon seeing his pale face and the faint fatigue between his brows, all the questions in her heart eventually turned into a deep sense of worry.
"I'm fine!"
Xiao Bai rubbed his forehead. As the intense dizziness gradually subsided, he saw the deep concern in their beautiful eyes. A warmth spread through his heart, and he waved his hand slightly, reassuring them in a soft voice, "Don't worry! It's just excessive soul power depletion. A few days of rest will be enough."
"Xiao Bai, did you exhaust yourself trying to find a technique for me?"
Xiao Yi Xian's gaze locked onto him, her eyes filled with suspicion. Then, as if realizing something, she quickly added, "Don't lie to me!"
With Xiao Bai's strength, there was no way his soul would suddenly be so drained unless he had done something.
To keep her from worrying, Xiao Bai initially wanted to deny it. But looking at Xiao Yi Xian's slightly serious expression—and knowing that she would find out eventually—he could only nod in response.
"You're such an idiot!"
Seeing him confirm it, Xiao Yi Xian's eyes turned slightly red, and she snapped angrily, "It's just a technique! If we can't find one here, we can look elsewhere. What if… What would Xun Er and I do if something happened to you?"
"Uh…"
Xiao Bai was momentarily stunned, not knowing how to respond. Xiao Yi Xian, who was usually so gentle, had suddenly lost her temper.
"Idiot!"
Without warning, Xiao Yi Xian threw herself into Xiao Bai's arms, hugging him tightly. Her heart swelled with deep emotion.
This man might be a bit of a flirt, but his love for each of them was genuine. Xun'er was proof, and so was she.
Any lingering reservations in her heart vanished in that instant. As long as he was with her, as long as it was him—that was enough.
Feeling the soft, delicate body in his arms, Xiao Bai's gaze met a pair of clear, limpid eyes. He blinked in confusion, only to receive a playful eye-roll from Xun'er.
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