Jing Xiu found it strange. âNot time for you to go to class?â
Zhou Bai sighed and said, âSigh, itâs because you guys are simplyâ¦too far behind me!â
âHuh?â
Zhou Bai told her all the excuses he thought of. âThe contents you learn in class are too shallow and boring for me. Theyâre so boring that I fell asleep. I canât help it. Going to class is a waste of time for me. Itâs better if I study on my own.â
âIsâ¦is that so?â Jing Xiu looked at Zhou Bai skeptically. âBrother Zhou isnât going to class because youâre too far ahead of us?â
Zhou Bai waved his hand, âThatâs enough. Donât take it to heart. Itâs normal that you guys canât keep up with geniuses like me. Itâs enough for you to keep improving on the path of practicing Tao.â
Jing Xiu suspected the truth in Zhou Baiâs words, but became convinced when she recalled the gift he exhibited during the exam.
Seeing her expression, Zhou Bai knew she was still skeptical, but that was enough.
Although he cut class every day, with the help of Laziness, his improvements had been tremendous. In less than a weekâs time, he finished practicing three star points on the Taiyi Disc. His future level of practice would increase rapidly as well.
He couldnât expose the auxiliary practice system. The only thing he could do was to pretend he was a genius.
That was also an excuse for cutting class.
Of course, with these short words, his classmates and teachers naturally wouldnât believe him. But he was going to study at Tao academy for a long time. As long as he could show them the fruit of his practice and deepen his impression as a genius, theyâd have to believe him sooner or later.
Zhou Bai asked, âWhatâs the Overturn Heaven Cult you just mentioned?â
âOverturn Heaven Cult is an organization that opposes Paradiseâ¦â as she spoke, Jing Xiu, who had always been amiable, took on a faint expression of disgust. âTheyâre a bunch of lunatics. They want to overthrow Paradise and are completely unrestrained. They even kill civilians.â
Zhou Bai nodded. It was just an anti-governmental weaponized force, and apparently the kind that attacked civilians and students.
But if an organization like this could kill in Tao academy, it showed the organization wanât weak, and Tao academy wasnât as safe as they had imagined.
What a turbulent world. At this thought, Zhou Bai went blank for a second, recalling his next-door neighbor. The girl next door seems suspicious.
Zhou Bai recalled the events that happened next door, especially the pounding sounds that spread into his room last night.
With my current primordial spirit power, itâs unlikely I had a hallucination. Which meansâ¦there really have been abnormal things happening, Zhou Bai thought to himself, Although Iâm unsure if it has to do with Overturn Heaven Cult, it might very likely be unrelated, but stillâ¦
When Zhou Bai recalled the old manâs mutation, his face fell.
Zhou Bai gave it some thought. Safety should come first; he shouldnât let it go on.
So after he bid goodbye to Jing Xiu, he went to the public phone booth in the Tao academy and took out the contact information Officer Li Xiu Zhu had left him.
The humans in this world hadnât popularized mobile phones yet. It was said that the military and higher-level strong individuals had the Taoist technology for mobile communication, but clearly Zhou Bai didnât have that power.
So he went to the public phone booth and called Li Xiuzhu.
Approximately one hour later, Zhou Bai saw Li Xiuzhu, dressed in a black jacket and sweatpants like a student, outside his dorm building.
Li Xiuzhu walked in front of Zhou Bai and smiled, but what he said was very serious, âWhat did you discover?â
Zhou Bai gave it some thought, then told him about everything that had happened next door.
Li Xiuzhu fell into thought for a while, then asked, âWhy didnât you tell the teachers?â
Zhou Bai remembered the conversation he overheard a few days ago. He said, âThe girl next door seems to be at risk of being expelled. If I told the teachers, but it was a wrong suspicion, it would probably affect her practice. So I gave it some consideration and decided to tell you first. Can we try to investigate the truth without making too much of a commotion?â
Seeing how silent Li Xiuzhu was, Zhou Bai added, âIf you canât, then never mind. After all, safety comes first. If she really mutated, we must stop her as soon as possibleâ¦â
Li Xiuzhu smiled and signaled Zhou Bai to stop. âItâs good that you can consider so much. Youâre not as reckless as you appear. Letâs go; letâs take a look at whatâs going on.â
Seeing Li Xiuzhu head toward the dorm, Zhou Bai ran up and said, âJust the two of us? Donât we have to make any preparations? I meanâ¦do you want to call your colleagues?â
âRest assured, rest assured,â Li Xiuzhu said calmly, âDonât judge me by my appearance. Iâm very strong. This might not even be a mutation. Donghua Tao Academy is Donghua Tao Academy after all. If a student really mutated here, the chances that they can fool the teachers are way too low.â
Zhou Bai nodded and followed Li Xiuzhu.
Li Xiuzhu came with Zhou Bai to the dorm next to his. Li Xiuzhu placed a hand on the door. Primordial spirit power seeped out of his body, extending into the room through the door gap.
After learning basic Tao knowledge, Zhou Bai was no longer clueless about Tao practice. He could sense the existence of othersâ primordial spirit power.
Watching Li Xiuzhu do this, he thought to himself, Such delicate manipulation. If it were me, I probably wouldnât be able to make my primordial spirit power go through the door gap without damaging the door.
Li Xiuzhu used his primordial spirit power to probe around for a while, a hint of surprise on his face. He thought for a bit and said, âThereâs a formation set up inside. Itâs blocking my primordial spirit powerâs senses.
âThis formationâ¦is somewhat peculiar. I donât recognize it. If I try to intervene by force, it might break the formation. Without ample evidence, I suggest we donât break other peopleâs things. They might be very precious to them.â
âThen what do we do?â
âDidnât you say the abnormal phenomena occur at night?â Li Xiuzhu said with a smile. âDo you mind if I sleep with you tonight?â
So the two of them decided on a time to meet that night. Zhou Bai returned to his room to cut class and sleep. Li Xiuzhu went back to work, waiting to return that night.
He slept through the entire day. After he woke up, Zhou Bai looked at the board of the auxiliary practice system.
Degree of Taoification: 0%
Primordial Spirit Value: 99
Divine Map: Deva Nine Disasters
Laziness: 1,660
âGreat! I can light up the next star point.â Zhou Baiâs eyes beamed, focusing his attention on the fourth star point on the outermost layer of the Taiyi Disc.