Aslan flies under the night sky, stars twinkling faintly above.
He sees light ahead, and slowly, Yunhe City comes into view.
He flies closer and stops, hovering over the city within the clouds.
Lying beside the Yun River, the city basks in an ethereal glow.
Cloud-like mist surrounds the city walls, giving an air of mystery and majesty.
The mist seeps inside, enveloping rooftop gardens like a fairy garden.
But Aslan is not staring at the beauty or grandeur.
Yunhe is important because it will help him become an official Black Magician.
The ranks of Black Magicians are divided into five tiers:
Apprentice Black Magician, Official Black Magician, Great Black Magician, Master Black Magician, and Archmage.
Each rank further divides into sub-realms:
Apprentice — Low, Middle, Late, and Peak.
Official — Gaseous, Liquid, and Crystal.
Great Black Magician — Lunar Moon, Shining Star, and Dark Sun.
Master Black Magician — Phantom, Virtual, and Truth.
Archmage — Domain.
Aslan is now an Apprentice Black Magician, a zero-star profession.
The life of an apprentice is no different from any mortal.
He didn't do anything special to become an apprentice.
To become an apprentice, one only needs to open their sea of consciousness and feel their spirit.
Aslan was born with this ability.
But climbing the ranks from a lower apprentice to a Peak Apprentice, and then becoming an Official Black Magician, is challenging.
The key is absorbing magical energy.
However, this world lacks the magic energy that Black Magicians require.
So, one alternative way to cultivate and rise to higher realms is by absorbing the Seven Sin Emotions, Death Energy, or both.
Aslan plans to harness both.
For this, Yunhe City is central to his plan.
Yunhe has the largest population and attracts people from all over the world.
He will open a black market in the city where people indulge in the Seven Sins.
Additionally, many people die naturally daily in the city, providing Death Energy that he can absorb.
Aslan is not in a rush.
The Black Magician profession is an evil path.
Cultivating quickly in such a path is a direct path to death.
He has read many novels and understands that antagonists who cultivate recklessly eventually die.
As an Innate Demon, Aslan cannot die but can be sealed.
Therefore, he must remain hidden and patient while executing his plan.
What worries him most is his mother — the World itself.
The World created him an Innate Demon; she can also unmake him.
He thinks, "She shouldn't care if I'm not directly connected to it."
Many will die in the black market, but he won't be directly involved.
He will always remain hidden.
Slowly, he lowers himself, his figure vanishing into the mist.
He appears in a narrow alley in the city.
Aslan looks around, knowing his next step is to find a place for himself to stay.
His spirit sense scans the entire city and finds several empty houses.
He starts moving toward one.
As he walks, his thoughts turn to the Qi Refiners he discovered in the city.
He reflects on the cultivation methods of this world and considers the Professional Wheel.
The Professional Wheel had been damaged.
He doesn't know who or why, but the most terrifying thought is who might be responsible.
If someone damaged the Professional Wheel, they may come after it again.
He doubts anyone could find it across the vast Void Ocean in this world.
But now is not the time to risk such matters—he is still weak.
If he cannot practice the profession, what will he do?
His entire plan would be wasted before it even begins.
He sees no other way to gain strength quickly.
The three Disasters are out of the question for now—too risky, too dangerous.
But he cannot let the knowledge of professions go to waste.
He wonders if he should use the Qi Refiners' cultivation method to practice the profession.
He regrets not learning it when the five Qi Refiners first entered his forest.
Now, he will have to rob the Qi Refiners in the city of their cultivation method.
First, he plans to enter the old, empty house he chose at the outskirts of the city near the Yun River.
His plan changes slightly—first, find a safe and quiet place to live where he can practice the Qi Refining technique and consider integrating the extraordinary profession practice methods.
With purpose, he walks, crossing streets and alleys.
Suddenly, a man collides with him and falls dead on the street.
Aslan halts.
The crowd notices and gathers.
They confirm the man is dead.
"He is dead."
"The man collided with him," someone points at Aslan.
With a tremor in his voice, Aslan acts innocent, accused of murder:
"I didn't do anything. I came out of the alley," Aslan says, showing the alley behind him, "and this man collided with me and fell down."
Unnoticed by the crowd, Aslan leaves behind a spore clone in his place.
For a few seconds, he hypnotises those around, making them unaware of his true disappearance.
His clone continues to maintain his innocence, calmly explaining the situation.
Some people believe the clone, while others accuse him fiercely.
Aslan does not waste time on the murder.
Leaving suddenly, however, might attract unwanted mortal attention.
They are of little concern to him, but a few quiet days ahead are necessary for his cultivation.
He wants no disruptions from anyone.
While his real body walks toward the house he chose—an old, empty home near the Yun River—his clone handles the crowd.
Soon, city guards arrive.
Despite the clone's explanations, Aslan is taken to the guard station.
He is locked inside a jail cell.
----
Inside the training ground, a figure clad in armour from head to toe rides a horse with a bow in hand.
She expertly shoots arrows at wooden dummies as she circles the field.
Near the training ground, two maids stand silently by the entrance.
With them stands a man—Zhou Pi, the captain of the guard, whom the rider instantly recognises.
The figure turns her horse toward them and rides quickly over.
Stopping in front of them, she removes her helmet, revealing long flowing black hair and a face both beautiful and heroic.
Zhou Pi does not dare to stare; he bows his head in respect before her.
She is the beloved sister of the Yun Emperor and his superior, charged with the protection of the city guards.
Her voice commands attention as she asks, "Did you catch the spy?"
Nervously, Zhou Pi answers, "No, Princess."
A moment of silence falls before the princess rebukes harshly, "Zhou Pi, are you and your men useless? How could you lose even a single man?"
Zhou Pi replies, "Princess, we didn't lose the spy. The spy is dead."
Curious, the princess dismounts her horse and asks, "How?"
Zhou Pi explains, "A poison needle pierced the belly of the spy."
The princess steps toward the guard captain, her gaze sharp.
"Did you catch the murderer or at least a suspect?"
Zhou Pi says, "A man collided with the spy before he died. That man is now in jail, waiting to be questioned."
The princess nods firmly, "Wait for me. I will be present during the questioning."
Zhou Pi bows sharply, "Yes, Princess."
The princess enters the building by the training field with her maids.
After a short while, she emerges wearing a white-golden dress and a veil that hides her face.
Her voice is calm but resolute: "Let's go."
----
Inside the jail, Aslan consciously descends in his spore clone and frowns as his heightened senses and spirit sense disappear.
His senses return to those of a mortal.
The vibrant colours visible only to heightened senses fade into ordinary sight.
Smells, sounds, and tastes lose their intensity, reverting to mortal levels.
Most noticeably, his spirit sense vanishes completely.
Overwhelmed by the chaotic flow of information inside the city, Aslan had closed his spirit sense earlier.
With it closed, he could no longer detect the murderer.
His focus now is not on catching the murderer but on proving his innocence.
He reflects that the man was killed by a poison needle—meaning the poison had entered his body seconds before death.
At that moment, a guard enters the cell.
"Get up and follow me," the guard commands.
He follows the guard into a bare room containing only a table with two chairs on either side and a curtain on one end.
Aslan glances at the curtain, sensing that people are likely hidden behind it.
The guard orders him to sit, and Aslan complies.
The guard exits, leaving him alone for ten minutes.
During this time, Aslan's conscious mind fully returns to his body, leaving a partial consciousness behind to control the spore clone.
After ten minutes, a man enters wearing a guard uniform, though slightly different.
The man sits across from him and asks, "What is your name?"
The spore clone answers, "Aslan."