After declaring that an Evil Celestial Master is behind the concubine's death, Merin leaves the Yang Family estate without hesitation, making it clear he has no wish to be entangled in the matter.
Evil Celestial Masters are those who fuse with evil creatures to prolong their lives.
The path of a Celestial Master is powerful but finite, because even reaching the ninth ring does not extend life beyond that of a mortal.
Only by stepping into the Divine Soul Realm can one gain a longer lifespan.
Yet among a hundred ninth-ring Celestial Masters, perhaps only one manages to break through.
The others, seeing their end approach, refuse to accept death as mortals do.
Some turn to evil out of arrogance—because if a single thought can decide the fate of thousands, how can such a person accept they will die like the very mortals they consider beneath them.
Some turn out of fear—because once one becomes a Celestial Master, one can sense their own lifespan, a ticking clock etched into their soul.
Merin himself feels that his body's span will end around seventy years, the awareness faint but unmistakable.
The higher the realm, the clearer the measure of remaining time, and the harder it is to keep one's heart steady while counting down every second to death.
Merin knows with certainty that if he were reincarnated as a native of this world, he too would one day choose to become an Evil Celestial Master.
He pushes the thought away and starts wondering which rune to buy next.
He already has five: purify, shield, sharp, capture, and detect.
Stepping back inside the Four Gate building, he notices Li Mei behind the counter.
She spots him immediately and waves him over.
Merin stops on the other side of the counter.
She asks, "Did you find out who killed the concubine?"
Merin nods, "An Evil Celestial Master."
Hearing this, Li Mei freezes, disbelief flashing in her eyes.
"Are you mistaken?" she asks, her voice trembling, because when an Evil Celestial Master appears in human cities, nothing good follows.
Merin shakes his head." I used the detect rune. Grey energy came out of the concubine's body."
Li Mei goes silent in shock.
Merin nudges her shoulder, bringing her back to her senses.
She says," Come with me to meet the head."
Before Merin can reply, she grabs his arm and pulls him upstairs to a heavy wooden door.
Li Mei knocks, and a calm voice from inside says," Come in."
She pushes the door open and drags Merin along.
Inside, she gestures at him." Tell the head."
The head, a middle-aged man exuding the calm but oppressive aura of a Six Ring Celestial Master, turns his gaze on Merin.
Merin acts hesitantly, flustered, and recounts the discovery of the Yang family concubine's death as though unsure of himself.
The head falls silent.
Merin quickly adds," It could also be from an evil instrument."
Li Mei seizes on his words immediately." Yes, it can be from an evil instrument! she blurts, her tone almost desperate."
Merin glances at her with puzzlement. "Why is she so shaken? Does she have some trauma against Evil Celestial Masters?"
The head finally speaks. "You can leave."
Merin nods and steps out, closing the door behind him.
Inside, Li Mei turns to the man." Uncle Tei, I think the murder was done by someone using an evil instrument."
Tei studies her face, his expression heavy. He has raised Li Mei for ten years, considering her his own daughter.
Softly, he mutters to himself,' I wish it were only an evil instrument'.
Because the reports he read from nearby towns speak of bizarre deaths, all sharing one detail—a grey aura, and bodies with a constitution matching Li Mei's dead mother.
This only means one thing.
Tu Zhen has returned.
Merin comes down the stairs and enters the corridor leading to the exchange room at the back.
Behind the counter sits an old woman, her hair grey, her expression calm but sharp.
Merin stops on the opposite side of the counter. "Madam, I want to buy some basic runes."
The old woman studies him for a moment, then hands him a paper.
Merin unfolds it and reads through the list—Spirit Ray rune, Speed rune, Converge rune, Fire Arrow rune, and many more.
He wants to take many, but his merit only allows for two.
He weighs the choices carefully before deciding.
"Agility rune, for running away when needed."
"Lightning Palm rune, the most powerful attack among the basic runes."
The old woman raises her brows when she hears his choice. "Are you sure?"
Her question is not about the Agility rune, but about Lightning Palm.
In the rune's introduction, it is written clearly—during training, one may suffer serious injury.
Merin doesn't hesitate. "Yes, I am sure."
Confidence fills his voice because how could a demigod fear training a basic rune?
The old woman studies his face, surprised by the firmness in his eyes, then nods. "Ok."
She hands him two pamphlets, each filled with instructions for cultivating the runes.
Merin passes her six green chips, then slips the pamphlets into his robes.
"How much merit to acquire the cultivation technique to break through Four Rings?" he asks.
The old woman answers without pause. "500 merits."
Merin nods, turns, and walks out of the room.
The old woman watches his back with a sigh.
Many were confident like him when choosing Lightning Palm.
Most ended up crippled for life.
The few who succeeded all became at least Six Rings Celestial Masters.
Lightning Palm is not a rune—it is a test.
A trial to see if one has the potential to reach the top.
Now it will be his turn.
To rise like a butterfly—or fall to the ground, never to rise again.
Merin returns home and is joyously greeted by his brother and sister.
After eating the food his sister prepared, they left together to buy furniture and bedding.
While shopping, they also inquire about martial arts training schools in the city.
When they return with their purchases, they set everything up while their sister cooks for the night.
Later, after eating in the living room, Merin turns to his brother. "Which martial art school do you want to join?"
His brother falls into silence, thinking deeply.
Merin suggests, "I think you should choose among the Zhou, Zhang, and Wang martial art schools. Their chiefs are Blood Yang realm martial artists."
But his brother shakes his head. "Brother, I want to enter the Xiao Martial Art School."
Merin recalls what he's heard about Xiao.
Thirty years ago, they dominated Mulin City's martial circle, but during a mission, all of their Blood Yang realm martial artists died. Since then, they never recovered, and no new Blood Yang realm martial artists have emerged.
Rumours spread three years ago that the young leader, Xiao Yun, advanced to the Blood Yang realm at only fourteen, but it was later revealed he was only a third realm martial artist.
The lie made Xiao Martial Art School a laughingstock, and now few join them—only those with little money but some inspiration.
Merin doesn't refuse his brother but asks, "Why?"
His brother answers, "Brother, it is very hard to get the full training method to the Blood Yang realm from the three schools, but Xiao Martial Art School sells it once you reach the first realm."
Merin nods. "Ok. Tomorrow I will take you to join Xiao Martial Art School."
He has no confidence his brother can reach the first realm, but he has abundant confidence in himself—enough to ensure his brother succeeds with his help.
That night, they went to sleep in the only bedroom of the house.
Lying on the bed, Merin begins thinking about the Evil Celestial Master who killed the Yang family concubine.
Then he remembers—he still has an evil creature with him.
His consciousness sinks into his dream space, a small black void with a glowing light ball at its centre.
There, he begins to analyse the ghost.
While he does, elsewhere inside a darkened room, an old man roars, "Incompetent!"
A green ray bursts from his palm, slamming a young man against the wall.
The other two young men and a woman bow their heads, shivering in fear.
The old man snarls, "I told you—when killing the Yang family's third master's concubine, don't leave behind any aura! Because of your stupidity, the Yang family now questions me. They want to cancel the cooperation."
The injured young man coughs blood, his voice trembling. "Master, I thought they were a great family. Like all great families, I believed they would suppress the news."
The old man hmmmms coldly, then turns to the two standing young men. "You two."
He produces a vial filled with blood-red liquid. "Take this to the Yang family head. Apologise for your incompetent brother, and assure them it will never happen again."
The vial floats into their hands. They bow deeply. "Master, we take our leave."
The old man nods and watches them go. Then he waves toward his remaining disciples. "You two can leave as well."
The young woman rushes to support the injured man. His chest wounds creepily begin to knit themselves back together.
They walk out slowly, and minutes later, arrive at the young man's room.
At the doorway, he whispers, "Thank you, sister, for helping me."
She opens the door and leads him to the bed. "It is nothing, brother. You would have done the same for me."
The young man exhales sharply. "Sister, I'll be fine. You can leave."
She nods, though her eyes linger on his twisted chest. "Ok, brother. But this is all because of Celestial Master Lin Yu. If he hadn't interfered, the master wouldn't have found out."
The young man grits his teeth, hatred burning in his eyes. He cannot defy his master—but a celestial master is another matter.
The young woman frowns. "I would have taken revenge for you already, but the master forbids targeting the celestial master in the city."
The young man growls low. "Yes. I will wait for the master's plan to be complete."
The young woman closes the door behind her, her steps slow and heavy.
She recalls the hatred in her senior brother's eyes, then whispers to something unseen, "Soon… you will eat your fill."
As she walks, she wonders if she will see her brother's corpse first—or Celestial Master Lin Yu's.
It doesn't matter. The heart of either one will do.