Tang Wen didn't touch anything.
He personally went down and restored everything to its original state.
Then he quietly left the beast taming park, and the Sand Wolf also returned to its den to sleep.
A safe house?
Whose could it be?
Lying in bed, Tang Wen was wide awake, not a hint of sleepiness in him.
The owner of the safe house had left no traces behind.
As for his identity, Tang Wen could only speculate.
His first thought was the original owner of the courtyard.
Perhaps it was left by the elderly Deputy Commander.
But upon closer consideration, that didn't make sense.
The secret room contained medicine, money, and clothing.
Clearly, it was set up as a "safe house" for an escape.
If it was a safe house.
Then it should be placed in a secure enough location.
What was the point of setting it up in one's own home?
Could it belong to Wu Hao or one of his subordinates?
If one of them needed a safe house, it would imply that their identities were also questionable.
Recalling his recent interactions and understanding of them, Tang Wen felt this possibility was unlikely.
That left only one final scenario: someone unknown.
This was the most plausible explanation.
The beast taming park was located in a remote area, within the territory of the Blackwater Gang, making it sufficiently secure.
The original owner of the courtyard was an old man.
Though he held the title of Deputy Commander, it was merely a courtesy from the gang.
In terms of actual combat strength, he was just a Martial Practitioner.
Considering all these factors together.
Tang Wen even thought about setting up a safe house in his own home.
Thinking this, he pondered whether he should also establish a few similar locations.
Even if he didn't need them now, he would definitely need them later when he started investigating the Bai family's exploration team.
However, this matter wasn't urgent.
It could be put on the back burner for now.
From the very beginning, he hadn't expected to uncover anything significant here.
He wondered if Young Mistress Bai Youruo would be furious enough to want to bite him to death if she knew his thoughts.
In Tang Wen's mind, the most pressing matters at the moment were twofold.
First, he needed to figure out what kind of person could be considered a perfect Transcendent, capable of fighting above their level.
Second, he wanted to see if there was a way to obtain Extraordinary Blood Essence.
He had consumed it before, after killing the Alligator Turtle alongside the Sand Wolf King.
After enduring the intense medicinal effects, his physique had significantly improved.
Later, he learned that consuming raw Extraordinary Blood Essence was extremely dangerous.
A single misstep could result in a fatal explosion.
Even Transcendents didn't do such a thing.
After all, Extraordinary Blood Essence had many uses, and risking death by consuming it raw was a waste, even if one's body could handle it.
The next day.
Tang Wen sought out a few well-informed members of the team and asked them to find out what Chief Instructor Zhang of the Martial Arts Academy was usually fond of.
Chief Instructor Zhang was an elderly Transcendent.
He had long since retired from the frontlines and now served as the chief instructor at the Martial Arts Academy.
But though he held the title of chief instructor, he rarely made appearances.
Holding one major lecture a month was considered good.
He was somewhat like the most renowned professor at a university—once the lecture was over, you wouldn't even have a chance to ask questions. He would leave the campus to attend to other matters.
After making some inquiries within the gang, Tang Wen learned that this Transcendent chief instructor wasn't easy to talk to.
He was strong, held a high status, and had many students and disciples both inside and outside the gang.
If it weren't for his disinterest in power struggles, he might well have become a Deputy Gang Lord by now.
Facing such an elder.
Tang Wen thought it over and realized that if he wanted to get any real information out of him, he would have to offer gifts!
Gifts that catered to his preferences!
Upon returning home, Tang Wen counted the few remaining silver notes he had.
He had to temporarily set aside his plans for secluded cultivation and, along with Wu Hao and a few subordinates, made a trip outside the city.
They secretly brought back two mid-level exotic beasts and a group of low-level exotic beasts.
The mid-level beasts were kept for breeding.
The low-level beasts were all disposed of.
Although individually they didn't fetch a high price, the sheer quantity made up for it.
Once his wallet was sufficiently padded,
Tang Wen finally managed to live a semi-secluded life as he wished.
He immersed himself in martial arts every day.
Only in the early morning and late evening did he make a trip to the neighboring beast taming park.
There, he would put on a show of doing some beast taming work.
In reality, the three mid-level exotic beasts had long been tamed.
"Commander Tang, we've found out about Chief Instructor Zhang's hobbies."
During lunch that day, a well-informed subordinate reported to Tang Wen.
After listening, Tang Wen couldn't help but furrow his brows deeply.
Chief Instructor Zhang didn't lack hobbies; in fact, he had too many of them.
He loved beautiful women.
But not the kind from the Slave Pavilion.
He preferred wild beauties, preferably those with a certain status.
In other words, the stronger they were, the more indifferent they were to him, the better.
Tang Wen summarized: Isn't this just an old simp?
What?
Grown tired of gentle play.
Now in his old age, his tastes have become even more extreme?
Apart from beautiful women, Chief Instructor Zhang also loved fine wine, luxurious clothing, fancy cars, and exotic beast pets...
Fine wine was out of the question.
Anything Tang Wen could get his hands on, Chief Instructor Zhang had probably already grown tired of.
His students and disciples, eager to curry favor, had undoubtedly sent him plenty.
Luxurious clothing and fancy cars were also not worth considering.
Tang Wen had no knowledge of such things, and just hearing the names suggested they weren't cheap.
Finally, there were exotic beast pets, but there wasn't much room for maneuver here either.
Over the years, this Transcendent had already amassed quite a collection of pets and exotic beasts.
Superior exotic beasts like the Black Wind Horse, the Sky Soaring Eagle, and the Saddle Wolf...
Not only were they powerful, but each was also exceptionally majestic.
Well, there goes the idea of giving gifts.
There's simply no way to approach this.
Tang Wen felt quite helpless.
A few days later, there was an opportunity to attend a lecture.
Elder Li had specifically sent someone to notify Tang Wen.
The lecturer was also a Transcendent powerhouse.
The topic of the lecture was how to comprehend the "Dark Night Divine Fist."
Those attending the lecture were all at the "Peak Martial Practitioner" level, just like Tang Wen's apparent strength.
The content of the lecture was quite basic.
But Tang Wen listened very attentively.
Every Transcendent had their own understanding of the Dark Night Divine Fist.
Even if it didn't directly enhance combat power, it would still be of immediate help to him.
After the lecture, he practiced diligently for seven days.
His Dark Night Divine Fist realm broke through.
[Meditation Martial Art, Dark Night Divine Fist, Beginner → Proficient (1/3000)]
What surprised Tang Wen even more was the change in his Martial Arts Realm.
[Martial Arts Realm: Initial Transcendent (Transforming)]
[Transcendent Ability: Darkness (Awakening Progress 3.01%)]
A 3% progress means Transcendent?
In an instant, Tang Wen seemed to grasp the path to achieving "Perfect Transcendent."
"Shutting oneself off from the world won't work."
"Maybe I should ask someone?"
Two people popped into his mind: Bai Youruo and the female manager of the Four Seas Inn, who had the "Wei Wu style," Li Miao.
After some thought, he decided to write a letter to each.
Sitting down, he spread out paper and brush.
The first letter was to Bai Youruo.
He first recounted his experiences within Mountain Chasing City, then wrote about what she would be most concerned about:
["During my investigation into the Bai family's missing Exploration Team, I discovered a safe house containing gold, medical supplies, spare clothes... Finally, I must ask—is this the typical modus operandi of the Bai family's Exploration Team?"]
Tang Wen certainly knew about this safe house and could almost definitively confirm it had nothing to do with the Bai family.
But it wouldn't do for him to admit in the letter whether he had even begun investigating yet, would it?
After writing this, he posed the questions he truly wanted to ask at the very bottom of the letter.
["What should one pay attention to during Transcendent cultivation?"]
["How does one become a 'perfectly transformed Transcendent' powerhouse?"]
[...]
Questions like these filled half the page.
That night, as per their agreed method of contact, he summoned the Blood Raven and sent the letter off.
The second letter was for Li Miao.
For this one, he would cater to her interests.
Time to get down to the real substance!