Zhong Shenxiu was seated cross-legged when he summoned the Heavenly Show System:
[Chess & Painting: Third Level]
[Spirit Turtle Breathing Skill: Third Level (Not Upgradable)]
[Azure Dragon Cloud-Exploring Hand: Third Level]
[Profound Yin Soul Fragment: Second Level]
[Heavenly Show Points: 2 (32%)]
"Defeating Shangguan publicly and making him lose face was stirring up trouble and was quite like courting death. Ah, it's a familiar feeling... That's exactly how I courted death in my previous life."
"But for the sake of Heavenly Show Points, I had no choice. The cultivation upgrade of Profound Yin Soul Fragment needed two points."
He took a deep breath and focused his thoughts:
[Would you like to consume 2 Heavenly Show Points to upgrade Profound Yin Soul Fragment?]
[Profound Yin Soul Fragment upgraded!]
[Profound Yin Soul Fragment: Third Level (Not Upgradable)]
Insights from various cultivation techniques suddenly appeared in Zhong Shenxiu's mind, letting him know he had cultivated this incomplete technique to its peak.
Even at this stage, he had a faint perception that the chant of the technique he received was missing something.
Without the True Inheritance, he could progress no further.
"Actually... it's an illusion. What 'not upgradable'? That means it cannot be upgraded normally. The system has always been teasing. Otherwise, how would my Primordial Qigong from my past life have come about?"
"But without subsequent cultivation techniques, forced upgrades would require at least ten times more Heavenly Show Points. For example, a normal progression would be 2 points, but breaking through without a path would cost 20! It is simply impossible in the short term, not to mention the techniques of the Fourth Level, which may not be able to subdue the Headless Earl..."
Zhong Shenxiu suddenly felt a sense of despair.
Blood Moon Night was approaching, and he really had no confidence that he could survive.
At this moment, he gritted his teeth, looked upon himself and saw the Headless Earl.
As he did this, a ring of dark radiance suddenly emanated from around his body, devouring the surrounding light.
In a daze, Zhong Shenxiu seemed to become that legendary original Earl, and performed many deeds.
Among these were many mundane tasks like reviewing documents and inspecting farmland.
But occasionally, there were also some secret acts.
He seemed to see 'himself' ordering a few farmers to bury something in a cave, then drawing a Knight's sword to slay them all...
He saw 'himself' in a study, reading mysterious books filled with evil content and esoteric knowledge...
He saw 'himself' dressed in a splendid attire, standing in a dim dungeon, conducting some cruel experiments...
Beyond these memories, more fragmented and disparate knowledge swarmed in.
Rituals, keys, Blood Moon... the Gates of Thousands!
Zhong Shenxiu shuddered and instantly snapped back to reality.
"So that was the Earl's plan..."
He glimpsed a part of the Headless Earl's memory and his knowledge of the mystic slightly improved. He now had some insight into the opponent's rituals and preparations.
"The birth of the Headless Earl was ultimately influenced by that presence... Starting from that aspect may well be a method of restraint. It's extremely risky, but now, I have no other choice."
Zhong Shenxiu sighed.
At this moment, although the upgraded cultivation technique of the Third Level couldn't control the resentful spirit in his body, a sensation suddenly emerged out of nowhere.
He paused slightly, then stepped out of his room and began to patrol the military camp.
Suddenly, Zhong Shenxiu stopped, looking towards a specific place.
Ahead, the residences in Black Mountain Castle military camp were considered quite good. There was an independent courtyard that only those ranked squad leader or above could have.
Zhong Shenxiu wondered which squad leader this person was when the door of the courtyard creaked open with a bang, and several people came out.
Leading them was naturally the squad leader Fei She, followed by two ordinary-looking bodyguards.
Zhong Shenxiu stepped aside, his eyes flickering with a dark light.
He utilized the breath of the resentful spirit within him to obtain a temporary effect of Spiritual Vision.
Within his current field of vision, one of the bodyguards behind Fei She's original face became blurred—although not clear, she seemed to be a woman.
And in her eyes, there was the deep blue of the ocean.
'A descendant of the Felix Family, hidden within the military camp? This is truly what they call 'the darkest place is under the candlestick.' And, I wouldn't believe for a second there is no cover from this squad leader!'
Zhong Shenxiu felt as if he had hooked a big fish: 'Not only that... Something about this woman is responding to the Headless Earl inside me... If I hadn't viewed her with Eastern cultivation techniques and contained this resentful spirit, she might have noticed.'
He didn't plan to report this discovery directly.
Reporting now would, at most, earn him some merit and have Feng Xixi bestow upon him a few sections of the Ten Directions Beast Skill. It would be of no use in improving his physical condition.
Instead, he might gain more from this group of people.
"Just now, that person..."
Fei She and his two companions walked to an area, and upon seeing no outsiders around, Delia asked in a low voice, "He doesn't seem to be wandering aimlessly, but rather, he came specifically for us. Although he disguised himself, I have a feeling something's off."
"Miss, he is Su Daoshi, a mere convict. He's been in our camp for a few years..."
Fei She replied softly but then felt something was not right: "I hadn't heard much about him before, but lately, he has been quite prominent, doing a few outstanding things, giving the impression that his personality has changed drastically."
As an infiltrator, he had long adapted to the Yan Han people's lifestyle and tone. His way of thinking had become more and more like theirs.
He had not paid much attention before, but now that he thought about it, something seemed amiss.
"We are hiding here, which is our greatest secret. If he is an influence, we should remove him as soon as possible," Delia made a swift decision without hesitation.
"He is the Colonel's bodyguard, not within my jurisdiction; it's a bit troublesome. Besides, he might not know about us."
Fei She pondered and responded: "However... he has offended many people recently. I will secretly take action and test him."
Delia clutched her wrist, her emotions fluctuating.
Really, at the sight of that man, her feelings had been even more peculiar.
She vaguely felt that the man was very attractive to her.
'Delia, what are you thinking? You are of noble Felix lineage; your future partner must also be of equal bloodline. How could you possibly fall for an Eastern monkey?'
She chastised herself silently, doubting whether her frequent disguises had confused her own sense of beauty.
How could she be attracted to that yellow-skinned monkey? Although, admittedly, he was a rather handsome monkey!