Lust, like Vengeance, Demands Red 72 When You Point You Finger at Someone, There's at Least Ten Pointing at You.

The chill was seeping into the bones. Xunhue walked scratching her left arm, nervousness startled her. She rushed a little ahead and stood behind Guan Jing. Han Fei scoffed inwardly. 'Slut. If I was the one at level three, you'd be currying favor with me instead.' He looked at them with venom in his eyes.

'Step.'

He turned around. Zhi Rui was beside him. His stomach froze. Zhi Rui smirked passing him by. "Envy is the everyday meal for the weak. You shouldn't beat yourself over it."

His face turned purple, clenching his fist, he resumed walking.

Looking ahead. Zhi Rui narrowed her eyes. One Undead from each entrance started to move. Guan Jing was the first to walk, so he was the nearest. an undead came straight toward him.

Xunhue trembled, her legs were unsteady. She prepared a spell to buff Guan Jing. All the undead around the gates had an aura of a level three on them. The main strength would obviously be guan jing.

It walked towards them without stopping. Guang Jing whispered."When I pat your hand, you do it alright?"

Xunhue nodded and moved her hands next to his. Guang Jing lightly squeezed her hand. She felt more secure.

The undead around the gates were all humans wearing black armors. It could be felt from their aura, they were no weaker than outer elders.

Guan Jing prepared to his light blade. The creature came closer. When it came in three steps distance, Guan Jing gave the signal. Steeling herself Xunhue shoved her palm on his back while chanting. "With my blessing, strength!"

Thump!

Guan Jing widened his eyes fiercely every muscle on his body burst with power. In the time the spell was chanted the creature came one step closer. now it was two steps away from them.

Xunhue's eyes widened, the tall, reliable back in front of her. Suddenly flew above her head. She could only hear the dull sound something brutally hitting the ground. She stood helplessly in front of the undead. In that second. She thought her time had come. And she did not acted.

The undead was now a step away, Xunhue closed her eyes to wait for death.

one second, two seconds...

Nothing happened.

Xunhue could only hear a muffled laugh. she thought it death was mocking her. But then she reckoned that voice was a lot like Han Fei's. She snapped her eyes open.

The undead was still in front of her, bowing with a hand pointing to the gates direction as if politely asking her to follow him.

Before she could make head or tails of it. She remembered Guan Jing being thrown away like a kite with its string cut. She turned around in a second. slapped her storage pouch and healing pallet appeared. "We need to save Him! Cover m-" her words were cut short.

Her eyes looked caught Guang Jing in a crouched stance with his blade of light shining in his right arm.

"PfftHhaahahahahahaha!!" Han Fei couldn't hold it anymore and held his belly and laughed with fervor.

Zhi Rui watched as the light faded from Xunhue's eyes. The vermilion shame covering Guan Jing's frozen complexion. And the relish on Han Fei's envious eyes.

A subtle nostalgic feeling blossomed on her chest. In her time as the tower Maiden, all she had as entertainment, was the people around her, almost always they were struggling to be more than the other, to have more respect, to own the rarest and best things, to conquest the most looked up to partners.

Zhi Rui did not condemn these acts. it's ingrained into human nature after all. Zhi Rui herself feel that she's prone to those acts, except, she does things, to enjoy them. What others see of it, if they despise or condone it; Doesn't matter.

Seeing something like that again, Zhi Rui smiled softly. She looked at the undead coming her way and walked towards it.

The undead stopped, turned and walked back, Zhi Rui smiled.

Through what she understood of the spiritual energy controlling the undead, they were not hostile.

She walked behind it until one of the four entrances, the undead bowed and the doors opened. Green and White energy fog emanated from it. Zhi Rui entered. The doors closed behind her.

Han Fei could barely contain himself. He stared at Xunhue and laughed loudly.

The lifeless girl looked at him with indifference. He made an effort to show even more relish at their blunder.

Xunhue stared at him dead on the eyes. "Even with what Guan Jing just did, I'd still choose him over you. And even if you were a level three, I wouldn't think twice before rejecting any idea to curry favor with you. I saw your true face long ago."

Han Fei laughed stopped. His face froze.

Xunhue laughed and continued "You think of yourself so talented, but the only thing you have is the common quick wit and some talent with the sword, without your brother who you despise so much, you're barely average. That's why you stick with him, that's why you made friends with dim-witted people. You're a parasite despising the host you cannot live without.

Finished, Xunhue turned to Guang Jing. her eyes emotionless.

"Clearly, no affection can shake your ego. let's do it like this then; You'll give me a good image on your report, and fifty green crystals. In turn, I won't say a word about this on my report. Zhi Rui can be dealt with, and Han Fei is a wimp. He's too much of a coward to offend a level three inner disciple like you."

Guan Jing barely contained his rage at the amount she demanded. fifty green crystals represented 5000 common crystals. But thinking of his reputation, he clenched his teeth and nodded.

Xunhue did not delay any longer. She turned and followed her undead. Guan Jing looked at the humiliated Han Fei and scoffed. "Don't chew on it too much, just focus on the task at hand." After kicking the dog to recuperate a little self-esteem Guan Jing entered the pagoda.

Han Fei stood frozen for at least five minutes. His mind flashed thoughts at an absurd speed. All kinds of curses and vengeance fantasies. all kinds of plots formed on his head, but only a thought crushed everything to bits. the words of Xunhue sounded on his head.

Everything she said was true, He knows himself better, after all. He came to accept that part of him a long time ago. Yet, her words were too much. with bloodshot eyes, He also entered the pagoda.

-------

The doors closed. And the room shined with light. Zhi Rui covered her eyes. The sudden bright light almost blinded her.

Slowly she opened her eyes. All around her was white; No walls, floor or roof. Only unlimited white space.

The hairs on her body stood up and Zhi Rui sidestepped. She couldn't see it. But she could feel it, just fine. She immediately focused her energy on the eyes and saw it. An evil spirit, dark and ugly. Without a clear form,

Zhi Rui used her materialized energy and tied it in place. Ethereal energy interacted better with the mystic and the immaterial. it struggled. But Zhi Rui kept her guard up, looking around to try and find signals of another attack, yet everything was stale. With a gleam of understanding in her eyes, Zhi Rui sat cross-legged in the place she was standing and used her inner energy to connect with the evil spirit.

The spirit's mind was filled with hate and heavy emotions. Zhi Rui speared through it. Suddenly the spirit became silent. slowly it glowed with a red color. the process seemed fast but it took around one hour. With a sweaty forehead, Zhi Rui sighed in relief.

She ordered and the spirit condensed itself and entered her core. As soon as it happened the white space disappeared and what seemed like the top floor of a pagoda took its place.

in the middle of the room, a two meter long and half meter wide stone stele shined. The light cut letters onto it.

Squinting her eyes because of the light, Zhi Rui read:

Elemental affinities: Extreme compatible with the ethereal element. No affinity with other elements.

Reaction speed and observation skills: High.

Inner energy, quality: Extremely high.

Manipulation of inner energy and main element: Masterful.

Overall cultivation talent: Prodigy.

The reward for completing the first stage: A level two Deranged ghost core.

Zhi Rui looked at the end of the text, The was a square compartment. with a black core lying inside. Zhi Rui took it up.

'Crack', The stele, moved down the ground and formed a downward stairway.

'A detailed assessment of a person's inner energy. And a reward meticulously is chosen based on the person's data. Not overcompensating nor under-rewarding. Just the right amount to fix the need.

'The white and green energy fog roaming outside the pagoda, and this way of rewarding...'

It reminded Zhi Rui of a certain virtue doctrine she saw on the encyclopedia.

Zhi Rui sighed 'Not enough to be sure.'

She crossed her arms and walked down the stairway.

Chapter end