By the end of August, autumn had set in. The osmanthus flowers had not long since faded, and the deciduous broadleaf forests around the Divine Capital had already begun to turn yellow.
Looking at the vivid yellow before his eyes, Wang Qi's thoughts beca more lively. Having been holed up in the Empirical Departnt for an extended period without stepping outside had caused his mind to beco sowhat rigid, but this direct visual stimulation swept away the gloom that had been accumulating over the past two months.
The direct stimulation of the senses also had this sort of effect, huh...
Leisurely admiring the familiar path that had changed its appearance, Wang Qi had such a thought flash through his mind and recalled Chen Feng's words regarding two kinds of illusion techniques.
The most ingenious illusion techniques are of two kinds, one being, "Even though you know it's fake, you can't help but be fooled."
Wang Qi had wanted to exclaim a few tis, "Ah, I feel sowhat human again," but imdiately found his own thoughts ridiculous: Tsk tsk, I'm only in my late teens, the sa age as young students in their pri, full of scholar's spirit, ready to command armies and triumph over chiefs. How did I co to feel like I'm about to beco an immortal?
Wang Qi thought over it and canceled four or five thought threads in his mind, shifting more of his attention to the present and then took several deep breaths of fresh air.
Zhen Chan popped out and asked, "What's wrong? Not talking anymore?"
Just now, Wang Qi had one thread discussing with Zhen Chan, talking about the application of spells and tactical deductions. Having plentiful combat experience was one of his few strengths, and Wang Qi naturally made good use of it.
"It's been too suffocating lately," Wang Qi explained a bit, then added, "Alternating relaxation with tension is the way to long-term endurance."
"Suffocating?" Zhen Chan was quite puzzled: "I heard from your companion that you just published a major paper not long ago, aren't you happy?"
Wang Qi, however, showed a sowhat complex expression, "Not that happy."
"That girl Chen Youjia seed like she was about to go mad with joy."
"Yeah, she almost forgot to eat her late-night snack," Wang Qi joked, but the brilliance in his eyes made Zhen Chan sowhat puzzled.
Despite achieving the sa results, Chen Youjia felt the thrill of "discovering a new continent," while Wang Qi only felt the thrill of "traveling to the United States," a difference of an order of magnitude. Traveling to the United States was indeed fun and prestigious, but compared to Columbus discovering a new continent and pioneering a new world, it just wasn't on the sa level.
The benefits brought by the paper made Wang Qi very happy, but it didn't ignite the burning passion of a scientist within him. Subconsciously, he felt that it was soone else's theory.
However, from Chen Feng and Chen Youjia's perspectives, it seed quite different. That a Modern Cultivator was able to calm his mind, nestle in a small study in the Divine Capital, and continuously produce results that would go down in history was impressive. Yet he himself remained unmoved, occasionally only chuckling as he looked at his bank account, calculating how much resources he could invest in research for the next phase...
Regardless of how Daoist Fellow Wang Qi might appear whimsical and unrestrained, at heart, he was actually so down-to-earth, never prideful of his fa or disheartened by setbacks!
Along the way, Wang Qi sotis strolled slowly, enjoying the forest scenery, and at other tis he flew swiftly, feeling the sensation of the autumn air sweeping across his face.
Spirit Awakening Village was not very far; soon, Wang Qi could see the village in the distance. However, he slightly furrowed his brow. His intuition told him that the little village was covered by several vast "fields." Such spirit power fields signified the presence of several individuals with strong cultivation cramming into this place. Most of them were people Wang Qi preferred not to deal with, and even seven or eight of the auras surpassed his own by a level.
The widespread spirit power field was one of the hallmarks of a Modern Cultivator. Wang Qi did not understand why so many people would gather at such a small Taming Base. A sense of unease flitted through his heart, and he launched into his movent technique, speeding towards the destination.
When he saw a group of people dressed in the black robes of the Bi'an, the Law Enforcent Officers, he realized sothing serious had indeed happened here.
Security Guardians and Law Enforcent Officers are two clearly delineated teams. The forr are nurous, and their nature is similar to a combination of regular police and militia; their duties include diating civil matters, patrolling their jurisdiction, forest and road protection, slaying demon beasts that have beco spiritual beings without permission, and maintaining public safety. Law Enforcent Officers, on the other hand, control the prison and re-education systems; possessing judicial powers, they are only responsible for dealing with serious criminal offenses caused by cultivators.
In other words, sothing major had happened here.
Wang Qi accelerated his pace, and after a few quick leaps, he flew to the entrance of Spirit Awakening Village. Soone had already spotted him, and a Law Enforcent Officer who was a Late-Stage Foundation Establishnt Cultivator stopped him and demanded, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Wang Qi looked past him toward the small village while taking out his Immortal Registration Token, "I am… I'm the Spirit Awakening Master of this place. This… What happened here?"
Wang Qi's question was rhetorical. With Law Enforcent Officers of the Golden Core Stage in action, whatever had occurred here was certainly no trivial matter.
A glint of sympathy flashed in that Law Enforcent Officer's eyes. He gently said, "Your colleagues are injured; go take a look." With that, he pointed to a nearby array.
"There are also so children…" Wang Qi began, but upon seeing the other's expression, he found he couldn't finish his question.
The autumn wind was bleak, swirling up a cloud of fallen leaves.
——————————————————————————————
Chen Feng arrived at the scene disheveled and unkempt, with his Bi'an robe hanging loosely on him.
Although many had the impression that scientists are often untidy, most who frequented labs still paid great attention to personal hygiene. Chen Feng rarely ventured out like this; he must have been in a real hurry.
A severe case, unprecedented, necessitated his presence.
Upon reaching the cri scene, he didn't delay and imdiately inquired, "What happened?"
"Our initial deduction is that it was that guy's doing," a Law Enforcent Officer familiar to Chen Feng, Xian Tianwei, approached and murmured: "The casualties are heavy; two guards are slightly injured, one Spirit Awakening Master slightly and another seriously injured; and the Spirit Awakening Demon Clan… all exterminated."
Chen Feng paused before asking, "Why is there one seriously injured?"
"Both guards and the Spirit Awakening Master were knocked down by a single hit, not severely wounded," Xian Tianwei explained. "But the Spirit Awakening Master, You ngran, was a disciple of Tianling Ridge, with strong vitality. He tried to call for help and then was gravely injured by a sword strike."
"What about the Spirit Awakening Demons?"
Xian Tianwei shook his head, "I'd advise against asking… Even though their differing forms prevent you from feeling empathy, but…"
"What happened?"
"It was a massacre." The three words that Xian Tianwei uttered felt like three stones pressing on Chen Feng's chest, causing considerable discomfort. Xian Tianwei shook his head, "Soone as kind-hearted as you is really not cut out to be a Law Enforcent Officer."
Chen Feng suddenly rembered Wang Qi and asked, "I have another friend who is also a Spirit Awakening Master. He was supposed to be here today…"
Xian Tianwei pointed to the side, "The earliest Spirit Awakening Master who arrived this morning reported the incident. And then… they all gathered over there. If your friend is one of them, go and talk to him. Oh, right, one of the Spirit Awakening Masters also offered to help with the investigation…"
Chen Feng quickly walked in that direction, only to see Wang Qi sitting on the threshold of a house, holding a transparent, sealed flask in his hand, while a ring of Holy Light shimred around his left hand. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welco to vote for it with recomndation tickets and monthly tickets on QiDian. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to read.)
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