"Mmm…"
Even though Bai Jue's movement had been extremely gentle, Changxi was still a Ghost King—and a fourth-rank one at that. Her eyelashes trembled lightly, and in the next moment, she slowly opened her eyes.
When she saw Bai Jue in front of her, a bright, happy smile appeared on her face.
" Husband."
"Mm. Get up,"
Bai Jue nodded.
He climbed out of bed, put on his clothes, stretched his body a little, then walked over and pulled the curtains open.
The camp outside was still lively.
Many of the street lamps had been lit. Though the surroundings were still dim, there was at least a hint of light now—something that felt long overdue.
"Hoo…"
Bai Jue let out a comfortable breath.
Then, with a thought, he opened Yama's Underworld once more.
The moment it appeared, his eyes widened in surprise.
"This is… the Fiend Tiger? That's a huge change."
Hearing his voice, Changxi drifted over as well. When she saw the current state of the tiger, surprise flickered across her eyes too.
"It's amazing,"
she said softly.
"I can feel that its potential has become terrifyingly high."
"Of course,"
Bai Jue smiled.
"Strictly speaking, it now possesses White Tiger bloodline."
Within the Underworld—
Below the city gate, a colossal tiger lay there in rest, its body as massive as a mammoth. White breath puffed steadily from its nostrils, radiating an intense, ferocious aura.
Its body was enormous and majestic.
Pure white fur covered its frame, streaked with a few black markings. On its forehead, the black character 'King' (王) stood out prominently.
Its claws were sharp, glinting coldly.
More importantly—
Bai Jue could clearly sense that this tiger's strength had reached Second Rank.
Without question, this was the Fiend Tiger.
Originally a soul beast—something belonging purely to the realm of spirits—after absorbing a drop of White Tiger essence blood, it had actually regained a flesh-and-blood body.
That fact alone was astonishing.
After all, forming a physical body was something only terrifyingly powerful existences could accomplish.
And yet a single drop of White Tiger essence blood had achieved this.
It could only be said that the White Tiger truly lived up to its status as a legendary divine beast—though it also likely had much to do with how perfectly compatible the essence blood was with the Fiend Tiger itself.
"Roar."
As if sensing Bai Jue and Changxi's gazes, the tiger opened its eyes. When it noticed Bai Jue, it let out a pleased growl.
But seeing those eyes up close, Bai Jue froze for a moment—then laughed.
"Looks like I can't call you Fiend Tiger anymore,"
he said.
"From now on, you'll be called Evil-Eyed White Tiger."
Its eyes were extremely sinister.
Just looking into them felt as though one might fall into a trance, unconsciously sinking into its control.
"System, can I check the Evil-Eyed White Tiger's current information?"
Bai Jue thought to himself.
The moment the thought formed, a panel appeared before him.
Evil-Eyed White Tiger
Strength: Second Rank, Early Stage
Bloodline: White Tiger
Abilities:
– White Tiger Body
– Evil Eyes
– Metal-Aspect Claws
– Evil Tiger Roar
Description:
An exotic beast reborn after a soul beast absorbed a drop of divine White Tiger essence blood. Possesses exceptional talent and potential. A top-tier existence among those of the same rank. Its body is immensely resilient, nearly impervious to blades, while its claws can tear through almost anything.
"Impressive."
Bai Jue's eyes lit up as he praised it.
A mount should be powerful—only then would it be worthy of him.
And as an existence born from the Ghost Festival, even with a physical body, the Evil-Eyed White Tiger still fundamentally counted as a malevolent entity. It retained all the advantages that came with that.
Perfect compatibility.
Bai Jue nodded in satisfaction.
Just then—
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
With a thought, Bai Jue dismissed Yama's Underworld.
Changxi returned to it with a soft laugh.
Bai Jue opened the door and looked down at Di Yao, smiling.
"Teacher."
"Sleep enough?"
the little girl asked, lollipop in her mouth.
"Plenty."
"Then let's go. Eat something—we're leaving after that."
"Alright."
Bai Jue agreed without hesitation.
After packing up, the two left the inn, had another hearty meal, and then departed from the camp.
From here on out, Bai Jue's training would continue.
The main focus would be combat techniques and scythe mastery.
Time passed quickly.
Outside Tiankui City.
At the massive Sequence-Seven Spirit Domain space gate, light flashed as two battered figures emerged.
Raising a hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight, the young man's face filled with comfort and delight.
"Ah… it's been so long since I felt sunlight like this."
"Tch, what's so great about it?"
The underage-looking little girl beside him kicked his leg.
"You'll just get darker. Let's go."
She walked toward a dust-covered off-road vehicle nearby.
The unusual pairing of a boy and a loli was, of course, Bai Jue and Di Yao.
It had been twenty days since Bai Jue entered the spirit domain.
Originally, he had planned to stay a full month.
But in just over half a month, he had already mastered everything he needed. If not for deliberately staying longer to collect more malevolent entities, he would have left much earlier.
Bai Jue
Rank: Second Rank, High Stage Festival Bearer
Festival: Zhongyuan
Festival Recognition:95%
Weapon: Soul-Reaping Scythe
Zhongyuan Abilities:
– Yama's Underworld
– Yin Fire
– Malevolent Judgment
– ???
Abilities:
Danger Perception, Focus, Ghost Eyes, Devour Soul, Scythe Mastery, Lethal Combat Technique…
Looking at his current status panel while sitting in the passenger seat, Bai Jue's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
Strength was secondary.
What truly mattered to him was festival recognition.
Ninety-five percent.
That meant—
Only the final five percent remained.
Once he crossed that threshold, he could attempt to awaken another festival ability.
What would it be?
Qingming?
A quiet sense of anticipation rose in Bai Jue's heart.
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