“Broken wood chips…could they be from Teacher’s cane?”

Gu Shen frowned.

He couldn't understand this point.

As far as he knew, Teacher had left from the disaster zone of Piyue City Fortress…that was too far from the location marked on the map. If there really were cane fragments, how could Hong Zhong have found them?

“Is this person’s testimony credible?” Gu Shen asked in his mind.

“Judging from Hong Zhong’s file, his testimony is credible. The file is excellent. He joined the Northern Continent military twenty-one years ago and has followed the investigation corps on nearly a hundred missions, steadily rising to the position of elite squad leader,” Chu Ling said slowly. “There’s no reason for this person to lie.”

She knew what Gu Shen was thinking.

“The map outside of the Northern Continent is fragmented, and no one knows where the exit of the Piyue City disaster zone leads…if the snow-capped canyon north of Gu Fort Fortress can really see an ‘oasis,’ then picking up the Tree (Shu) Master’s cane is not impossible,” Chu Ling said in a deep voice. “I re-examined the database calculation process. 【Deep Sea】 gave a 67% probability because it combined Hong Zhong’s psychoanalysis. Every word this guy said underwent a lie detector test, and no abnormal mental fluctuations were produced.”

Gu Shen knew what Chu Ling meant by this: “So…it’s all the truth.”

“Yes.”

Chu Ling added, “But…the truth doesn’t necessarily mean the reality.”

Most of the time, people believe the scenes they see before their eyes.

But…seeing is not necessarily believing.

“The biggest question mark in this case at the moment is the brief disappearance of the elite squad’s ‘spiritual imprint’ some time ago.” Lu Nanzhi gently tapped the table and said seriously, “The Northern Continent military can’t explain this problem either, so they hope that Eastern Continent can provide some technical support.”

“Technical support?”

Gu Shen raised his eyebrows.

“General Bai Xi wrote an email, hoping that the Tree (Shu) Master’s disciples could go to the Northern Continent to identify the spiritual residue on the cane wood chips.” Lu Nanzhi pushed the entire case file to Gu Shen and said slowly, “The best person to carry out this task…is you.”

Gu Shen was a mental-type extraordinary.

Of course, he was the most suitable to identify the spiritual aura of his senior sisters, senior brothers, and Teacher.

However, Gu Shen vaguely felt that this matter was not so simple.

“There’s no need to rush this matter,” Mr. Chen San said softly. “The Northern Continent military is still conducting the final mental examination on Hong Zhong…you still have time to consider. We were originally planning to wait a little longer…”

“It’s alright, my vacation is already over.”

Gu Shen took the case file, stood up, and said, “But before heading to the Northern Continent, I need to go to Nagano first.”

…

…

“Gu Shen, this matter is a bit strange.”

On the way to Nagano in the capital’s heavy aircraft.

Gu Shen activated "Jingzhe," and soon fell into the spiritual world of the breathing technique.

He arrived in carriage zero-zero-one.

Chu Ling frowned and said seriously, “【Deep Sea】 generally wouldn’t participate in the trace identification of such object fragments…”

The material of Tree (Shu) Master's cane was special.

But after leaving the Northern Continent, a large amount of free-roaming source power from the 【Old World】 would erase or cover the spiritual aura on the cane.

In this case, it would become extremely difficult to conduct convincing trace identification.

“Most importantly, 【Deep Sea】 wouldn’t give such a…strange probability.” Chu Ling thought for a moment and said, “If 【Source Code】 were to answer, then the answer would be nothing more than three things.”

Yes. No.

And…unable to determine.

“Agreed.”

Gu Shen also nodded, and said a little uncertainly, “Why do I feel like…the Northern Continent military intentionally wants to contact me?”

Gu Changzhi’s letter had not yet been spread.

Could it be that the Northern Continent’s Queen had anticipated this in advance?

…

…

Landing in Nagano.

The first thing Gu Shen did was to go to Qingzhong Cemetery.

The divine power of the Dou Zhan Fire Seed was suspended in the air of the cemetery. It was a force that made people feel safe. The cemetery had been renovated and reopened to the public. A large amount of extraordinary source power had restored an orderly state, swirling in the air along with the cloud currents.

Due to the protection of the new God Seat.

The atmosphere of the cemetery had undergone earth-shattering changes. Originally, the Dou Zhan Fire Seed had been dormant, so it inevitably had some deathly, twilight intention, but now the tombstones of the deceased no longer gave off a cold chill.

Bai Shu’s Dou Zhan Divine Domain was different from Gu Changzhi’s.

Only those who entered the inner mausoleum could see the “true appearance” of this divine domain…Gu Shen stood on the misty hill, and he saw several “divine domains” that existed simultaneously and overlapped.

That was the miracle of 【Inversion】 combined with the Dou Zhan Fire Seed.

In the same space-time, there were more than one overlapping golden divine domain.

The completed Bai family bloodline was indeed able to bear the name of the God Seat…if the blessing of the Fire Seed was put aside, if Bai Shu and Gu Changzhi continued to cultivate together, in the long run, Bai Shu would actually have some advantages.

Gu Changzhi was like the sun, and while he burned fiercely, his “light period” was destined to be short.

Bai Shu, on the other hand, because of the “power of time” in his bloodline, could walk longer…

Therefore, it was not too late for Bai Shu to melt the Dou Zhan Fire Seed now.

Among the God Seats of the Five Continents.

He could even be said to be at the “peak” of his prime!

As long as he completely melted the Dou Zhan Fire Seed, his killing power would be enough to deter the God Seats of the other continents…for the Eastern Continent, it could be said to be seeing a glimmer of dawn.

Having a person of influence in the Highest Council was extremely important.

Previously, Gu Changzhi was in eternal sleep.

The Eastern Continent had suffered a lot of “unfair” treatment in the Five Continents. This was actually very real. The development between the Five Continents’ councils was not driven by the personal will of the God Seats. Even if the Light God Seat and the Northern Continent Queen had some friendship with Gu Changzhi, it was impossible to protect the development of the Eastern Continent…and under the targeting of the Source Tower, the relatively weaker Eastern Continent would inevitably have to accept more “malice.”

A weak place would first be reduced to a pawn.

Then it would be reduced to a chessboard.

After connecting to 【Deep Sea】, what the Five Continents’ Council wanted to guarantee…was the highest interest of all mankind. There were always regions that had to bear more weight, and after Gu Changzhi took action to kill the Wine God Seat, that region became the Southern Continent.

In the distant mountains, there were bursts of rosy light swirling.

The afterglow of the Dou Zhan Fire Seed gradually converged.

A deep voice sounded—

“Gu Shen, you’re finally back.”

Gu Shen couldn't believe his eyes. The handsome figure standing in front of him at the moment was completely different from the old “shadow” in his previous impression.

Bai Shu had regained his youthful appearance.

He was not as tall as Gu Changzhi, but under the reflection of the Fire Seed, he also gave people a great sense of security.

He looked at Gu Shen and smiled.

Before becoming a God Seat, Bai Shu’s eyes were already deep enough.

Being looked at, gave the feeling of being seen through everything.

Now…needless to say.

Gu Shen smiled wryly and said, "Please help take care of Chu Ling’s matter, Senior."

For the extraordinary in Nagano, Chu Ling was a real person…apart from Li Qingsui and Li Qingci, no one else knew that Chu Ling would disappear.

And now, he was returning to Nagano alone.

Moreover, Chu Ling would not show her face for a "long time" in the future.

This required a reason.

Fortunately…Master Chino had already thought of this reason for Gu Shen and Chu Ling.

There was no better title than "New Mausoleum Guardian."

Now, the cemetery array patterns could not prevent Chu Ling’s "spiritual connection" within carriage zero-zero-one. She only needed to divide a portion of her computing power to master this great array. In a sense, she had indeed become the new guardian of Qingzhong.

Moreover, she did not need to meet anyone.

"It’s a small matter."

Bai Shu said indifferently, “The cemetery has already been shrouded by the Dou Zhan Divine Domain. I will leave a wisp of Fire Seed power to evolve her image. The extraordinary who often enter the mausoleum will see her figure.”

"There’s one more thing I need Senior’s help with."

Gu Shen spoke again and said, "Within Snow Forbidden City, there is a mansion where…some small objects are stored."

Bai Shu smiled slightly, but didn't respond, instead quietly looking at Gu Shen.

Gu Shen said helplessly, “Those small objects are ‘Mountain (Shan) Master’s’ compensation to the former King of the Underworld.”

The initial conversation took place in the cemetery, how could he hide it from Bai Shu’s senses?

From the end of the funeral to the delivery of the goods by Mountain (Shan) Master…every detail was probably seen by this senior.

“You can retrieve your own things,” Bai Shu said calmly. “Since you are the real ‘King of the Underworld,’ why worry about Mountain (Shan) Master and the others discovering anything unusual?”

Gu Shen was slightly stunned upon hearing this.

Immediately afterward, he felt some strangeness in the cemetery.

“The seal…is loosening?”

He looked to the distance in surprise. Under the suppression of the five giant statues, the “King of the Underworld Fire Seed,” which exuded a dark, lacquer-like light, had actually revealed an extremely small crack. Although it was extremely small, it had finally appeared.

This was no small matter.

Gu Shen subconsciously became nervous…a wisp of the “King of the Underworld Fire Seed’s” power, once out of control, would be enough to plunge the entire cemetery into turmoil.

But in just a moment, he realized that this was no longer the previous cemetery battle.

The new God Seat was born.

Bai Shu steadily suppressed this ownerless “King of the Underworld Fire Seed.” Under the shroud of the golden divine domain, the King of the Underworld’s power would not affect other extraordinaries.

As long as…they didn’t get too close.

And within the scope of the divine domain, he could prevent anyone from approaching if he didn’t want them to.

“In the past few days, several ‘gazes’ have swept past this place,” Bai Shu said. “Obviously, the God Seats of other continents are very interested in Qingzhong…and very interested in you and me.”

Gu Shen understood the real reason for the leakage of this wisp of the King of the Underworld’s aura.

The God Seats of other continents had probed with mental power many times…and the aura of the King of the Underworld had not appeared, which was not appropriate.

So Bai Shu opened a crack and released a wisp of the King of the Underworld’s aura, allowing this faint shade and turbidity to be mixed in with the Holy Light of the Dou Zhan Divine Domain. If the God Seats of other continents did not come here in person, they would not be able to see the truth of the cemetery.

This was meant to exert a deterrent effect!

“These mental powers have now retreated.”

Bai Shu smiled and said, “If you calculate carefully, you should get half the credit for this.”

Gu Shen looked at that slit of a vertical pupil.

Perhaps because the power of the Dou Zhan Divine Domain was too great, the sense of “ominousness” in his heart had not risen.

Gu Shen vaguely felt that his connection with that Fire Seed had become a little simpler.

So, with a thought…

In an instant, Yin energy surged.

Black clouds gathered in the sky above the cemetery, and his robe instantly flowed with a layer of black, turning into a King of the Underworld robe, and the "Ruler of Truth" in his hand also flowed into a pool of black arc light.

Black source power covered his cheeks.

A layer of mist enveloped Gu Shen.

He chuckled softly, and the laughter sounded very hoarse at this moment: "So that’s how it is..."

If they didn't fight, just this wisp of Fire Seed aura would be enough to frighten people.

“Tonight, I will spread the divine domain all over Snow Forbidden City."

Bai Shu said lightly, “Whatever you want to do, just go and do it. Most of the little fellows in the prison want to catch a glimpse of the true face of the King of the Underworld. As long as they see it, it will be enough.”

A city where a God Seat resides for a long time is often shrouded in a divine domain.

The Western Continent’s “City of Light” was named because of this.

In a city shrouded in a divine domain, the God Seat could easily sense the “slightest disturbance” in the surrounding area, all the noise, and even subtly feel the stray thoughts of living beings.

Of course, listening to the sounds of all things was not something a God Seat would deliberately do…

These “miracles” all required the consumption of source power.

"Thank you, Senior."

Gu Shen sincerely bowed.

"Senior..."

Bai Shu smiled, murmuring softly, "I hope that you don't have to call me Senior now..."

The owner of the King of the Underworld Fire Seed had been confirmed to be Gu Shen.

This also meant…

Gu Shen would sooner or later stand in the same position as him.

And in the world of the extraordinary, in order to be called "Senior" with true feeling, in addition to being old, one also needed a strong fist. After becoming a God Seat, Gu Shen would instead become the "Senior" and "Lord" in the mouths of many old monsters.

Bai Shu suddenly asked, "Are you currently using the Northern Continent's 'infiltration cultivation method'?"

"Yes."

Gu Shen nodded, without denying it.

He had not logged into the Deep-Sea Zone for more than a year to conduct the so-called extraordinary trials.

"Not bad..." Bai Shu said with satisfaction, "Before the 【Deep-Sea Zone】 existed, extraordinaries had been using the 'infiltration method' to cultivate. This is a cultivation method that is slightly slower, but has a solid foundation."

Before the research and release of 【Deep-Sea】, where did the spiritual trials of the Deep-Sea Zone come from?

Bai Shu and Gu Changzhi had all crossed the river by feeling the stones, step by step.

Now that they had grown up, they naturally preferred this primitive and barbaric cultivation method.

“The spiritual trials in the Deep-Sea Zone…although there are no problems, I always feel that extraordinaries who rely on it will find it difficult to go far,” Bai Shu said in a deep voice, “After reaching the title rank, every step is full of difficulties.”

Now, the 【Deep-Sea Zone】 can only provide twelve levels of trials.

And there are also different levels of title rank after the twelfth level.

This is a macroscopic and huge improvement.

The entire extraordinary group had a more "efficient" cultivation method, and its overall strength had increased by a large margin.

According to the original method, an extraordinary who could only cultivate to the fourth level could cultivate to the sixth level, or even higher, with the help of 【Deep-Sea】…for them, the title rank was something that was out of reach.

"The real geniuses are those who abandon 【Deep-Sea】."

Bai Shu said slowly, "Your current extraordinary aura is probably at the seventh level of the Deep-Sea Zone, but your spiritual realm..."

He narrowed his eyes and carefully looked at Gu Shen.

The brilliance of the Dou Zhan Fire Seed directly shone into Gu Shen’s sea of consciousness.

The scorching fire silently shrank into a ball.

Gu Shen felt this open and warm power. Compared with Mr. Gu Changzhi, Bai Shu’s “Fire Seed power” was not so fiery, but restrained and long-lasting.

Gu Changzhi had studied under the Light God Seat.

Bai Shu had reconstructed the divine domain with 【Inversion】.

The two's fighting styles and the ways they used the Fire Seed were completely different…

After a moment.

Bai Shu was quite surprised, and he said with emotion, "Your spiritual realm is at the level of the ninth level of the Deep-Sea Zone, and your spiritual power is two levels higher than your extraordinary realm…this is the first time I’ve ever seen someone like you.”

The cultivation of extraordinaries generally emphasizes balance.

The natural, strong attack, and mental types each have different cultivation directions, but as they cultivate later, they all converge on the same path.

There are only two points that can measure the strength of an extraordinary.

"Extraordinary source power" and "spiritual power."

The path of cultivating extraordinary source power is a process of quantitative change to qualitative change. Some geniuses cultivate source power very quickly and have excellent physiques, while some geniuses comprehend the methods of using source power extremely quickly.

When the extraordinary source power reaches a certain amount…a huge watershed forms between extraordinaries.

This is the reason why the Deep-Sea Zone is divided into the second, third, and fourth stages.

The extraordinaries in the first stage are just beginning to grasp source power, similar to an infant crawling.

The second stage is being able to skillfully use source power, like a teenager walking.

The third stage is being able to spread source power and form a preliminary “domain,” which is running, the first qualitative change.

The fourth stage is forming a complete "domain," expanding the range and controlling it freely, which is equivalent to "flying."

Therefore…theoretically speaking, there is almost no possibility for an extraordinary in the third stage to cross the power level and challenge the fourth stage.

Of course, there are always exceptions.

The fastest way to end a battle that crosses levels is to take out a strong logic bullet.

Outside of seven steps, the bullet is fast.

Within seven steps, the bullet is accurate and fast.

And Gu Shen’s fighting style has always been simple.

He has never pursued “fairness,” only “victory.”

A newly emerging second-stage extraordinary can take down a title-level overlord, relying on a Collapsing Snow bullet that can directly destroy extraordinary logic!

However, the heavens are fair.

There are only one or two Collapsing Snow bullets like that which defy the heavens.

If everyone had a Collapsing Snow bullet…what a crazy world that would become?

“So, would this be considered a serious imbalance?” Gu Shen sighed rather helplessly.

"Actually…it's not."

Bai Shu narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Your cultivation speed is already very fast, it’s just that the growth rate of your spirit is faster than I imagined."

The spirit and source power of ordinary people cannot be synchronized.

It is one that is weak and one that is strong.

And Gu Shen is one that is strong, and the other is even stronger…more importantly, the risk of losing control is extremely small when spiritual power is stronger than source power.

The controllable source power in Gu Shen’s body had reached the seventh level.

But he had only been cultivating for less than two years!

This year of spectator mentality had allowed him to cross the threshold of the second stage almost without difficulty.

And spiritual power…had soared to a level that was unattainable by others in the same realm.

Looking at the Five Continents, the extraordinaries who can cultivate their spiritual power to the ninth level in such a short period of time are definitely the rarest of the rare.

"It can only be said that there is a reason why the King of the Underworld Fire Seed took a fancy to you."

Bai Shu said with emotion, "Your current spiritual power strength is already top-notch among third-stage extraordinaries. This cannot be accomplished by simple talent and hard work…this is already a 'miracle.'"

"This is indeed a 'miracle.'"

Gu Shen did not boast, he said with a complex expression, "A year ago, Mr. Gu Changzhi...sent me a complete 'Four Seasons Wilderness' when he descended as a god in the capital."

Yes, this was not just talent and hard work.

It was also luck…among the millions of people, only he had obtained the spiritual domain gifted by the Dou Zhan God Seat.

Gu Shen himself had an extremely good spiritual talent.

Due to the early awakening of the "Four Seasons Wilderness" and the diligent watering of Apostle Tie Wu, after a year of hard work, the "Susuhang Tree" broke through the soil, and he now had such a rich foundation.

Many causes, finally bear fruit.

So that’s how it is…Bai Shu suddenly realized at this moment, no wonder this kid had the anomaly of black brilliance when he was comprehending "Jingzhe" earlier.

Gu Shen thought of something and suddenly asked, "I shouldn't be the only one whose spiritual power exceeds their realm, right?"

“Those who deserve the name ‘genius’ should be able to suppress their current realm with their spiritual power,” Bai Shu said calmly, “Otherwise…it will lead to loss of control. The reason why the Shen kid who often comes to Spring Rain Temple couldn’t control his abilities before was because his spiritual power was too weak.”

And this is actually easier said than done.

For most people, cultivating source power is already very difficult, but cultivating spiritual power is even more difficult.

Hanging ten pounds on the left foot and twenty pounds on the right foot, in this situation…demanding that the right foot take a bigger step than the left foot can indeed only be accomplished by "geniuses."

“It’s just that after he followed you, he found the trick to cultivating spiritual power,” Bai Shu said leisurely, “Now, there will no longer be any loss of control.”

"Then...what about Bai Xiu?"

Gu Shen looked at Bai Shu.

The reason why he mentioned Little Xiu Zi.

Because Gu Shen remembered that in the Safety Committee building, there was a spiritual power safety test report, and Bai Xiu's stability was almost on par with his own.

"He...is also a monster." Bai Shu said meaningfully, "At the seventh level, his spiritual power wasn't as terrifying as yours...but it wasn't far off."

Gu Shen fell into thought.

He had the serendipitous encounter of Gu Changzhi gifting him the "Four Seasons Wilderness"!

"Don't worry...those who can do this are not just due to their own talent. There must be great opportunities."

Bai Shu said indifferently, "The reason why that kid has such powerful spiritual power is because the good fortune he obtained is no less than yours."

Good fortune that is no less than the "Four Seasons Wilderness"?

Gu Shen was a little surprised.

But...this is reasonable.

From the 【Thunder World Walker】 qualities that Bai Xiu showed in the cemetery, the good fortune on him may be more than just one.

Bai Shu looked at Gu Shen and asked with a smile:

“Actually, your spiritual power can be tempered to be more solid. Do you need my help?”

Gu Shen was slightly stunned.

There was such a good thing?

He spoke almost without thinking.

"...Of course!"