Chapter Twenty-Four: Lights On, Lights Off

Within the Tower of Glory, Xu Zhe sat calmly in his chair, watching Qi Ming’s figure recede into the distance. After a moment, he quietly drew a small notebook from his breast. He opened it; inside, three full pages of names were neatly written. Xu Zhe searched for a while, and soon found the name “Qi Ming” among the others, marking it with a cross. This list had been compiled last night, after he returned to the Tower of Glory and spent a long time recalling, writing out the names of ninety-nine people from memory.

For “Lin Keyi,” Xu Que drew a horizontal line—this signified that the two of them would likely have little further interaction. But for “Qi Ming,” the cross meant that this person had, in all likelihood, become irredeemable, now standing in opposition to him.

The remaining names, including Chu Xiaotong, were yet unmarked. Xu Zhe had not interacted with them personally, and thus could not say whether they had truly remained unchanged. The human heart is complex, not easily withstands trials—especially those of time and self-interest.

After some contemplation, Xu Zhe took out a red pen and drew a flower beside “Chu Xiaotong.” Based on his earlier contact with Qu Hongxiu, Xu Zhe felt Chu Xiaotong deserved a small red flower, believing the person had not changed much, at least retaining a righteous heart.

As for those whose hearts had already gone astray...

With a snap, Xu Zhe closed the notebook, his deep gaze sweeping toward the doorway—Qi Ming’s recent path. “Leaving Tianhe City is considered delusional? Yet for me, returning to the Realm of Heaven is the only true fantasy at present.” Shaking his head, Xu Zhe murmured to himself and rose, slowly ascending the stairs once more. Qi Ming’s cutting words had left little impression; who ruled Tianhe City was of no import to him. Only his own departure, and its timing, were his to decide.

Outside the Tower of Glory, the crowd of cultivators who had gathered along the street had already dispersed. Two squads of Cold Crow Army remained standing in place. Qi Ming emerged from the tower with a faint smile. Then, a Cold Crow soldier hurried from the city gates, kneeling before Qi Ming, speaking softly: “General Qi, those two disappeared after leaving the city. Their presence erased, not a trace left.”

“Let it be. Two nameless pawns—one came to assassinate Xu Zhe, the other to rescue him. Hah, if we can’t trace them, so be it. As long as Xu Zhe cannot leave Tianhe City, whoever tries to kill or save him is irrelevant. In fact, his death would be less trouble.” Qi Ming smiled, then lowered his voice, “Pass the word: forbid Xu Zhe from leaving the city. And tell the others to hurry—I want to see ten thousand blood sacrifices on the ship before dawn tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.”

Night soon fell. Tianhe City was no longer as silent as it had been the previous evening; instead, it was unusually lively and noisy.

Tonight marked the second night after the Soul-Calming Night ended. Many cultivators living in the city had declared this day “Peace Night,” to celebrate the end of Soul-Calming Night and the impending century of peace. Though no one knew if this peace would truly last a hundred years, the tradition of Peace Night endured, and everyone celebrated accordingly.

The ancient city buzzed with festivities, but the Tower of Glory remained dark and quiet. Zhang Chang and his guards had yet to return. The waiters who had fled in fear did not come back, leaving the tower especially deserted, with only one room illuminated.

Xu Zhe sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed, his expression grave. Spiritual energy surged within him, and soon, strands of pitch-black matter followed his meridians, seeping out through his pores.

“Hoo—” After several breaths, Xu Zhe exhaled deeply, opening his eyes. He took out the storage ring given by Lin Keyi, his expression complicated.

“A few Qi-Condensing Pills, all containing impurities. If I hadn’t realized in time and expelled them, it might have affected my cultivation.” Xu Zhe frowned, murmuring.

These pills were not difficult to refine—the formulas similar, using spiritual herbs to condense energy into pills. Yet each alchemist’s product varied in quality, judged by the amount of impurities within. The fewer impurities, the higher the quality.

In the Realm of Heaven, pills were ranked from ninth to first grade. Ninth being the lowest, first passable. The pills Lin Keyi gave could be considered first grade, containing minimal impurities. But above first grade were “Heavenly” and “Supreme” levels. “Heavenly” meant impurities were negligible; “Supreme” was pure and flawless.

“First grade pills are little better than poison. Indeed, just as with takeout food on Earth—never as good as homemade. Back in the Immortal Emperor’s family, the pills were pure and flawless. If time allows, I’ll refine my own supreme pills—they’re safer to consume.” With that, Xu Zhe tossed several bottles of pills into the trash and headed to the washroom.

He had been cultivating all afternoon; the spiritual energy in his dantian had reached the stage of gathering and condensing into clouds. When the dantian was fully charged, it signified completion of Qi-Condensing. For Xu Zhe, whose absorption capacity was vast, this was easily achieved.

Once the energy was full, it had to be condensed into clouds—signifying entry into the Foundation-Building stage. This step was crucial.

Xu Zhe focused, clearing his mind, cultivating with full effort for two hours, finally condensing most of his spiritual energy into cloud form. Unfortunately, he discovered midway that the pills he’d consumed during his fight with Hou Shanyue contained impurities, forcing him to halt energy absorption and switch to cleansing his body.

The cleansing succeeded, expelling all impurities, but left his body coated in sticky grime. Xu Zhe decided to bathe before resuming cultivation.

If nothing unexpected occurred, he would step into the Foundation-Building stage before dawn. At that point, his strength on paper would undergo a complete transformation—from defeating fifty Qi-Condensing opponents to defeating fifty Foundation-Building ones.

But life is filled with uncertainties; no one knows whether accident or tomorrow will arrive first.

Xu Zhe pushed open the washroom door, his expression suddenly changing as he quickly retreated a step.

The washroom had vanished! In its place was pitch darkness—a vast, boundless void. A cold wind blew, chilling to the bone.

Click.

Xu Zhe pressed the light switch for the washroom. Suddenly, the room was ablaze with light. The washroom was there, with its sink, toilet, showerhead—all perfectly normal, as if the previous darkness had been mere illusion.

“What’s going on?” Xu Zhe frowned, clicking the light switch again.

The room plunged into darkness. The cold, biting wind returned. This time, the washroom was not empty. In the depths of the blackness stood a gaunt figure hundreds of meters away, motionless, staring at Xu Zhe.

Xu Zhe could not discern the face, nor the gender, but he could feel the gaze fixed on him.

Click.

Xu Zhe immediately pressed the switch. The light returned, everything normal, only a few square meters, no figure lurking hundreds of meters away.

Click.

Xu Zhe turned the light off again.

Darkness enveloped the room; the skeletal figure was now only dozens of meters away, staring at Xu Zhe.

Click.

Xu Zhe swiftly turned the light on.

Then, click—he turned it off again.

Whoosh!

A skull, wrapped in parchment-thin skin, appeared directly before Xu Zhe. Two enormous eyeballs, veined with red, stared fixedly at him.

…