Tonight was another dark and windy night.
The howling wind was as shrill as an off-key chant from a wandering bard, making one feel that werewolves might be prowling about on a night like this.
Before departing from the school, Bai Zhou made a special trip back to his office to handle some mysterious preparations.
Then, transforming into a black cat, Bai Zhou bounded westward on all fours, making a beeline straight for Tinghai City's West District.
Because the South District and North District had both been bombed, the authorities were keeping an extremely close eye on those areas. Skilled and cautious, Bai Zhou had no intention of braving the storm to commit another crime there.
Compared to the underdeveloped South District and the bustling North District, the West District was designated as a new industrial zone, packed with industrial parks everywhere.
Paper mills, steel plants, chemical parks, logistics and transport companies...
Those residing nearby were Tinghai City's wealthy business owners and nouveau riche. Usually, they owned an apartment in the West District and several in the East District, staying in the West District whenever work got busy.
These people were rolling in cash and spent lavishly. Thus, although the West District was not necessarily all that bustling, the cost of dining and daily living was tailored to gouge the wealthy, soaring to absurd heights.
—As an industrial hub, it was also the place where fire safety regulations were enforced most stringently; the authorities under no circumstances could tolerate a fire breaking out.
...And then, Bai Zhou arrived.
With limited time, Bai Zhou hastily found an abandoned, empty building and began setting up his rituals.
The silhouettes of various structures loomed nearby, with several conspicuous, towering smokestacks standing tall against the night.
Bai Zhou had no idea what the factory next door produced, only that the very air carried a bizarre, sweet scent like corn candy. Crow had told him this was some sort of polluting gas being discharged.
...Arranging a ritual required quiet and concentration, but the process of focusing was also what grounded a person's heart best.
After a frantic day, Bai Zhou needed this tranquility, taking advantage of the lulls while laying out the ritual to review everything he had encountered today.
Tomorrow night, he would infiltrate the Reflected Ruin Realm's Yuanmeng Middle School. But with Bai Zhou's current strength, this journey was bound to be perilous.
He needed to grow stronger.
Yet he was already stuck at the peak of Rank 2 Extraordinary, having awakened the various "instincts" unique to a Destined at this stage.
As Bai Zhou's trump-card secret art all along, Moon Cinder Holy Oath Slash had indeed helped him immensely, but to progress further...
Bai Zhou needed new secret arts!
Trying to obtain an appropriate secret art for the Adventurer pathway in the real world was practically a fool's daydream. In other words...
Standing beside an empty window frame devoid of glass beneath the pure moonlight, Bai Zhou drew the token from his robes, gently brushing his fingertips across it.
Hum!
Sensing the spirituality within Bai Zhou's body, the token trembled slightly.
Then, a translucent white radiance surged and bloomed across the token as if brimming to the edge, originating from the same source as the spirituality within Bai Zhou.
Ever since recovering from his injuries, Bai Zhou had persistently poured spirituality into the token, finally filling it to capacity.
Thanks to Bai Zhou being a Destined with a talent height of five chi five cun, his spiritual reserves were already nearly twice those of Extraordinaries of the same rank.
After drinking the Tears of the Moon Goddess, his spirituality had advanced even further, increasing by another notch.
Otherwise, this Adventurer Token leading to the divine temple really wouldn't have been activated in time for such a critical moment...
—Tonight, if he could return smoothly, Bai Zhou absolutely had to make a trip to the Deep Ruin Realm.
If he couldn't acquire the secret art legacy for the subsequent pathway, Bai Zhou felt he lacked any real security for his upcoming adventures.
Like the heroes in storybooks who gathered their companions and secured holy swords before setting off to slay the demon king.
Yet Bai Zhou had neither a holy dagger harboring a silver-haired anime girl artifact spirit nor a Knight King's cloak warmer than a quilt;
nor did he have a rogue companion with auto-loot, an apprentice cleric striving to pass the civil service exam and secure a stable job, or an elven saint archer who solo-cleared goblin nests...
All he could rely on were the "Finalities" in the Deep Ruin Realm that only he could witness.
As he was pondering this, the hands of his wristwatch pointed to eleven o'clock.
The Major was likely in the middle of pinpointing his location.
Bai Zhou suddenly felt an inexplicable unease.
It was like a damp, freezing boulder lodged in his chest, or a sheet of paper completely soaked through with water. He couldn't pinpoint when it began, but by the time he noticed, it had already silently submerged his chest, leaving him breathless.
This was an instinctive warning from deep within his body, brushing against the edge of danger even before his intellect could register it. Every hair on Bai Zhou's arms stood on end.
"This is..."
Bai Zhou froze for a moment, then pursed his lips.
A warning sent by the power of the mind!
Bai Zhou hadn't experienced this sensation last night, which meant tonight's danger might far exceed his expectations.
Bai Zhou chose to trust this warning; after all, it had saved his life more than once.
According to Crow, this was also a key reason why the Destined were called "Destined."
Previously, Bai Zhou had assumed everyone possessed this capability. Only later did he learn that ordinary Extraordinaries could only channel the power of the mind to empower themselves when executing Rank 2 secret arts.
Pursuing fortune and evading calamity, an instinctual sense for life and death...
This variant application of "mind power" was an inexplicable "instinct" that only a Destined had a chance of randomly unlocking at Rank 2.
In the eyes of other Extraordinaries, it became an incomprehensible mantle of "destiny bestowed"!
There was even a theory...
That most secret arts used by Extraordinaries were, in essence, imitations of the "instincts" belonging to high-ranking Destined!
Lifting his head, he glanced at the room, where the ritual setup was nearly complete. Bai Zhou turned to gaze out at the quiet street outside the window, lost in thought.
Perhaps he ought to change his tactics.
...
Ten minutes later.
The abandoned building Bai Zhou had prepared was indeed attacked.
This time, however, not a single person infiltrated the premises.
Crack!
Rumble! Boom, rumble, rumble...
Following a crisp snap, the building groaned, tilted, and collapsed.
Dust billowed into the sky.
Everything was buried, the thunderous roaring shaking the streets.
The Black Warriors surrounded the perimeter, strictly containing the fallout while cautiously yet murderously scouring the ruins inch by inch.
Several Black Warriors stood on the outer perimeter, carefully cradling two large black boxes.
Evidently, they had even deployed "Black Boxes" for Bai Zhou!
The building's collapse was the result of one of those Black Boxes.
It seemed that this time, even if they assumed Bai Zhou hadn't had the time to set up rituals, the Black Warriors had no intention of wading into another of his traps.
The head of the Inspection Team had already warned the Major, so this time, the Major had ordered the Black Warriors to resolve the matter swiftly without leaving a trace.
To that end, he had even secretly diverted two "Black Boxes" here!
If it came to a head-on confrontation, Bai Zhou wouldn't survive with ten lives to spare against these Black Warriors.
Fortunately...
"So fierce, so brutal!"
Two streets away, Bai Zhou, cloaked in black, poked his head out from the window of an abandoned old villa.
Watching the distant collapsing building vanish from sight, Bai Zhou let out a slow, lingering breath, feeling a lingering dread.
Ever since setting up the ritual, having estimated that they had locked onto his location, Bai Zhou had slipped away ahead of time.
His current distance was the maximum range from which he could control his detonation rituals.
Yet right now...
Bai Zhou could no longer sense any of his detonation rituals or alchemy-furnace rituals at all.
Evidently, the other side had come prepared.
Thank goodness for himself, and thank goodness for the mind's warning...
Though it was a pity he hadn't managed to make the Major bleed again, survival came first.
"Is something still wrong?"
Bai Zhou was just about to transform into a black cat and leave, but the inexplicable unease in his heart hadn't vanished; on the contrary, it grew even more intense.
This time was different from before. A chilly sensation crawled up his spine, as though a venomous serpent were lurking in the shadows, sizing him up.
It's not over yet...
This made Bai Zhou hesitate to transform into a cat. Instead, he drew his saber from behind his waist with a backhand grip, looking around to scrutinize the surrounding darkness.
The abandoned villa was pitch-black. In the tranquil silence lay only broken furniture, with an occasional rat scurrying past.
Frowning, Bai Zhou held his saber and stood his ground, slowly closing his eyes in the dark.
"..."
His expression was calm and his muscles appeared relaxed, so much so that an onlooker might have thought he had fallen asleep on his feet.
Yet within his perception, the surrounding darkness had ebbed away like a receding tide.
Inexplicable sounds buzzed by his ears—frenzied, disjointed murmurs, like countless hushed whispers urgently trying to say something.
Then, even those voices faded.
Everything ceased to exist in its original form, replaced by abstract lines.
Red, green, blue... Mountains were no longer mountains, water was no longer water. Everything within the abandoned villa was reduced to the three "primary colors" that constructed the world.
"Eye of the Mind!"
An "instinct" awakened after Bai Zhou reached the peak of Rank 2; the power of the mind seemed to serve as Bai Zhou's third eye.
According to Crow, even among the Destined, awakening such a rare "instinct" was exceptionally uncommon. Perhaps his talent height of five chi five cun had played a role once more.
Amid these flowing three primary colors, a point of discord gradually emerged.
There, the hues were dimmer, their movement stiffer, as though masked by a faint shadow.
That was...!
The next instant—
Bai Zhou snapped his eyes open. He reversed the grip on his saber and infused it with spirituality.
A terrifying saber glow flared dramatically, cutting through the air like a purple-gold crescent moon.
Illuminating the gloom of the abandoned villa, the crescent flashed toward an old, peeling leather sofa nearby.
Slash—
Like slicing through tofu, the purple-gold saber light extending from the weapon sheared the sofa in two in the blink of an eye.
Sparks flew as the saber energy was deflected; an alloy walking cane was sliced in two and clattered to the floor.
"You... actually managed to discover me?"
An astonished female voice drifted out faintly. From the darkness emerged a blurred, warped shadow, which gradually solidified into a human figure.
"To discover me simply by closing your eyes... What kind of secret art is that?"
A woman clad in an identical black cloak limped forward, yet her gait did not diminish the elegance and pride inherent in her demeanor.
With a hint of surprise, the eyes behind her mask scrutinized Bai Zhou with keen interest.
"And that sharp saber glow, what was that? A special property of the weapon?"
"I'm truly curious where you acquired such an Extraordinary weapon."
As her gaze brushed past the ornate purple-gold saber in Bai Zhou's hand, a faint heat flickered discreetly in her eyes.
"You are..."
The familiar voice and limping gait gave Bai Zhou pause, but he soon recognized her identity.
"The one who jumped off the building last time!"
"...?"
The woman's expression froze.
Is that all you remember?
"My name is [Sofonisba Anguissola]!"
With a rustle, her black cloak was slowly shed.
An alluring, voluptuous figure with proud, curvaceous lines, dressed in a striking crimson gown, came into Bai Zhou's view.
If an acquaintance were present, they would have recognized her illustrious "public persona" in Tinghai City at a glance, even with the mask.
The elegance rooted deep within her manners and gestures was impossible to imitate. In Tinghai City's high society, she was a renowned art connoisseur and a prominent socialite boasting extensive connections among elite families.
...Naturally, this also allowed her to approach heavily guarded, prominent targets and obtain intelligence far beyond ordinary reach.
Among all the Rank 4 assassins in the Fine Arts Society, she had eliminated the greatest number of scions from noble houses, and the wealth she had accumulated was the most staggering!
Lifting her fair chin slightly, the female assassin wearing a three-set crown mask introduced herself to Bai Zhou:
"Remember this name, for the [Fine Arts Society] always leaves its signature before painting."
"And this time, the author of this canvas is [Sofonisba Anguissola]!"
Painting...
To the Fine Arts Society, the ultimate pigment for painting was, naturally, "life"!
And to Bai Zhou, this was all too familiar rhetoric, because Van Gogh had said the exact same thing last time.
"Is your entire Fine Arts Society just a bunch of copycats and forgers?"
Bai Zhou guessed casually, though his muscles and nerves were coiled taut as he quietly stepped back a few paces to put some distance between them.
"Come to think of it, your headquarters wouldn't happen to be some psychiatric hospital, would it?"
Anguissola: "?"
Choked for words, it took the female assassin quite a while to find her voice again:
"Has anyone ever told you that you're terrible at making conversation?"
She frowned, looking at Bai Zhou with distaste.
"I despise this calm demeanor of yours. You ought to be terrified of me; otherwise, I'll start thinking you have a way to escape again."
"Yet last time, you were the one who jumped out the window and got away."
"—Where can you run this time?"
"Are you going to repeat your old trick? Didn't you just arrive here yourself? Could you possibly have had the time to set up any rituals?"
As she spoke, Anguissola swept her gaze carefully over the surroundings and immediately cast the dispel curse for detonation rituals that she had used last time!
Evidently, regardless of what she claimed, facing a cunning and dangerous figure like Bai Zhou, she remained on high alert and thoroughly cautious!
Yet at her words, Bai Zhou curled his lips into a meaningful smile beneath his cloak:
"At what point did you get the impression that there were no rituals here?"
"...?"
Clack! Clack!
The sound of high heels echoed.
Anguissola abruptly retreated two steps, her brow furrowed as she scanned her surroundings vigilantly.
"Did you paint it in some hidden corner? Or perhaps in another room?" Her meticulous gaze searched every nook and cranny, her voice chilly.
"Although I don't know how you managed to find me... you don't want to go down with me either, right?" Pulling his black cloak tighter around himself, Bai Zhou pointed at the nearby window. "How about you let me leave first?"
Thinking about it, Bai Zhou added, "Or you could leave instead—ladies first."
"...No one wants to go down with you!"
Her gaze lowered, and the female assassin suddenly regained her composure.
"Perhaps I misjudged you; your speed in drawing rituals is far faster than any other ritualist I've ever encountered!"
"However..."
"As I said, if I didn't have a way to deal with you, I wouldn't have come here at all!"
With that, the female assassin slowly opened her arms.
Twisting, archaic incantations spilled softly from her lips.
"What?" Bai Zhou backed away warily.
In the next instant, he sensed something dripping onto his head.
Reaching up, he wiped his cloak.
It was...
Green oil paint?
Then came red, blue, black...
Drip, drop... Splat!
The air turned humid. Drops of colored moisture gathered into droplets and fell from the ceiling.
Eventually, these droplets converged into a downpour.
A rain of paint!
Even though it was perfectly clear outside, a kaleidoscopic torrential downpour broke out inside the villa!
The paint soaked and stained the floors and furniture throughout the villa, transforming everything into a vibrant, multi-colored oil painting in the blink of an eye.
Everything before him turned absurd, the riot of colors feeling like a bizarre dream or an abstract canvas.
The rain of paint fell upon Bai Zhou's black cloak, staining it with colors.
Only upon touching the red-gowned female assassin did the colors dissolve on their own, unable to leave a single stain.
They were like pure water falling upon the composed Anguissola, as if the colors had originated from her in the first place.
"[Rain of Mannerism], the secret art I gained upon advancing to Rank 2, turns the kaleidoscope in my heart into colors that warp reality!"
The female assassin stated calmly:
"Though you are always adept at adapting your rituals to local materials, doing so leaves a fatal flaw... and I have uncovered it."
Rain of Mannerism!
Bai Zhou's pupils narrowed slightly, his heart tightening.
A flaw... What flaw could I possibly have?
"Beneath their seemingly formidable veneer, every ritualist possesses a fatal weakness."
The female assassin continued:
"A ritualist like you, no matter how prodigiously talented, has a vulnerability you cannot bear... and that is being poor!"
"Because you are poor, you lack specialized materials to set up your rituals."
"Others might not be able to dismantle your rituals directly, but so long as the materials used to construct them are contaminated and erased, the ritual will be ruined just the same, won't it?"
"—And as it happens, I possess just the secret art for that!"
Spreading her hands, drenched in the downpour such that her scarlet gown clung tightly to her curves, the female assassin curled her red lips into a smirk beneath her mask:
"Those rituals of yours drawn haphazardly with red bricks and pebbles, no matter how stealthily they're hidden..."
"Upon meeting my torrential rain, they will all be dyed in my colors and reshaped into my likeness!"
Splash! Splash!
Accompanied by her soft murmurs, her high heels splashed crisply into the puddles on the floor.
Like a glamorous assassin freshly emerged from a bath, her long hair fell over her shoulders as she slowly closed in on Bai Zhou.
Her tone was faint, yet her approaching figure exerted a terrifying pressure:
"—Master, what will you do now?"
"..."
His clear eyes blinked twice.
"You seem to think you understand ritualists very well."
"The truth is..."
Bai Zhou's expression grew exceedingly peculiar:
"I lied. I didn't set up any rituals in this villa at all."
Anguissola: "?"
"However, there really is a ritual here."
Bai Zhou's demeanor appeared entirely sincere, though his expression was hidden beneath the rainbow-stained cloak where no one could see clearly.
Saying that, he seemed to let out a sigh of relief:
"And here I was wondering what flaw you had figured out. So that's all it was."
"But when did you ever get the illusion... that I could only draw rituals with red bricks and pebbles?"
The next second.
With a swoosh—
Bai Zhou raised his hands and, as if flashing someone, slowly pulled open his black cloak toward her.
Clack!
Anguissola came to an abrupt halt.
The rushing rain drenched her frozen face. Her eyes went wide, pupils contracting.
"This is...!"
Lining the inside of Bai Zhou's black cloak in dense rows were stickers drawn with black-and-white runes!
The contents looked both familiar and foreign. While some couldn't be identified, part of them unmistakably resembled the "furnace-exploding ritual" Bai Zhou had used last time—
Whoosh!
Amid the torrential rain.
In Anguissola's eyes, these tiny stickers fluttering in the wind and rain were nothing less than live grenades with their pins already pulled, ready to detonate at any second!
—How dare this madman carry these bombs on his person?! What was he planning to do?!
"You're right. Setting up rituals does take time."
"I left in a hurry and didn't have time to set up too many rituals."
"So I figured I'd print some stickers and carry them with me."
Bai Zhou gave a light cough and offered a friendly heads-up:
"By the way, I stuck them on with waterproof tape."
"Very cheap, not expensive at all. Even poor people can afford it."
As the kaleidoscopic downpour pelted down, the little stickers hanging from the inner lining of the black cloak rustled and fluttered.
Though drenched in color, the pigmented paint somehow began to slide right off, leaving the original runes underneath completely unaffected.
...In a teacher's office, the things in greatest supply were waterproof tape and printers.
Perhaps other ritualists were money-burning "aristocrats."
Yet his lineage marched to the beat of its own drum, consistently pursuing maximum cost-effectiveness.
—What was wrong with being a little poor? Were poor people doomed to die?
How much could a few stickers, cucumbers, and vegetables possibly cost?
"What era are we in, big sis? Extraordinaries have to keep up with the times, too."
With that, Bai Zhou blinked.
A shy smile formed on his lips as he declared:
"—How could rituals be such inconvenient things!"
Chapter 92