Chapter 9 Zhou Shengtai arrives at the door, without a proper robe!

Chu Prefecture City, Yun Bai's small courtyard.

Morning light, faint and weak, pierced through the sparse bamboo leaves, casting mottled light and shadows on the bluestone slabs.

Yun Bai sat cross-legged in the courtyard, eyes slightly closed, Spiritual Qi flowing slowly around his body like a stream.

A steady, powerful sound of footsteps approached from afar, breaking the tranquility of the courtyard.

The visitor seemed completely unceremonious; before anyone announced him, a loud, hearty voice pierced through the courtyard wall and reached Yun Bai's ears:

"Brother Yun! Have you fully recovered from your injuries? Your older brother here is shamelessly coming over to sponge some wine!"

Hearing this, Yun Bai opened his eyes. He saw Supervisor Zhou Shengtai at the courtyard gate, his signature bald head shining like a mirror in the sunlight. He walked in with a dragon-like, tiger-like stride, actually carrying an old, mud-sealed wine jar in his hand.

"Big Brother Zhou!?" Yun Bai hurriedly stood up, cupping his hands in greeting, "Why have you come in person? Please, come in. It was just a minor injury, it's already no big deal, thank you for your concern."

He felt a slight warmth in his heart; this powerful figure in Chu Prefecture City was always so unconstrained, yet sincere.

"Hey!" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai waved his large hand, walked straight to the stone table in the courtyard, and sat down without ceremony. He casually set the jar of old wine onto the stone table with a "thud," causing a little dust to rise.

"You kid really won face for our Chu Prefecture City State Religion this time! Passing the third level of the Black Tower! Even the Holy City was alarmed! Come, come, drink a bowl first, to celebrate your victory and to soothe your shock!"

As he spoke, he deftly slapped open the mud seal. Immediately, a mellow, rich fragrance of wine, carrying the scent of aged time, permeated the air, instantly filling the small courtyard.

He picked up the coarse pottery bowl on the table, poured two full bowls of amber-colored wine, pushed one in front of Yun Bai, and picked up the other himself. He tilted his head back and gulped down a large mouthful, then let out a long breath of wine vapor, a look of immense comfort on his face: "Ha—refreshing!"

Yun Bai took the bowl and took a sip as well. A warm current, spicy yet with a sweet aftertaste, went straight down his throat, instantly igniting his Dantian and dispelling the morning chill. "Brother... Brother Zhou, you flatter me." He put down the bowl, his tone sincere, "The situation forced my hand, I had no other choice, it was just luck."

"Eh!" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai put down his wine bowl, tapped the table with his thick knuckles, his expression becoming a bit more serious, "Brother, excessive humility is pride! That place, the Black Tower, although it has no life-threatening danger, it has even less to do with luck. You were able to pass it by relying on real, solid ability! You kid, you are real gold!"

He looked at Yun Bai with burning eyes, as if admiring a peerless piece of unpolished jade.

"I heard from Elder Yin Xin that you have advanced to the Golden Core? Hmm, First Realm Late Stage, that's right!" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai nodded with satisfaction.

Then, Supervisor Zhou Shengtai solemnly took out a scroll from his bosom.

The material of this scroll was peculiar, neither silk nor brocade, and a faint golden halo flowed across its entire body; one could tell at a glance that it was no ordinary item. He placed it gently on the stone table and pushed it toward Yun Bai.

"This is?" Yun Bai's gaze fell on the scroll, feeling the majestic aura and a certain rhythmic contract contained within it.

"A Heaven-Grade Special Contract!" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai's voice carried an unquestionable weight, his eyes flashing with sharp light, "The Grand Elder approved it personally! Sign it, and you will be in the core training sequence of the State Religion! Top-tier Cultivation resources, lost Cultivation Techniques, guidance from famous masters—you will have everything! Your future will be limitless!" He paused, pointing to the scroll, "Take a look at the terms, if you have no objections, you just need to imprint it with your Divine Sense."

Yun Bai took a deep breath and focused, probing the scroll with his Divine Sense. In an instant, a massive amount of information flooded his mind—the perks were shockingly generous, the access rights unprecedented...

These conditions were countless times better than his previous Earth-Grade contract! Almost without hesitation, Yun Bai had a thought, and a powerful force of Divine Sense surged out, pouring into the scroll.

Buzz—!

The golden light on the scroll suddenly surged, like a small sun lighting up in the small courtyard, and then quickly retracted, turning into a concentrated stream of golden light that "whooshed" into the center of Yun Bai's eyebrows and disappeared.

A mysterious connection was established between him and the scroll.

"Good! Refreshing!" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai clapped his hands and laughed, the sound shaking the roof tiles, "From now on, we are truly brothers of the same family!" The smile on his face became even more sincere, and then he took out several things from an unremarkable Storage Pouch at his waist, placing them on the stone table one by one.

"Since we are family, I won't stand on ceremony with you. These are a little token of appreciation prepared for you by Chu Prefecture City and myself, you must accept them!" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai pointed to the items on the table, introducing them one by one.

The first item: A piece of inner armor as thin as a cicada's wing, almost completely transparent, and almost impossible to detect in the sunlight.

"'formless robe'!" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai's tone carried a hint of pride, "After you drip blood to recognize it as your master, it can hide under your skin at your will, directly bound to your Divine Sense. If activated at a critical moment, it can withstand a full-force blow from a Third Realm Early Stage Cultivator! A Divine Artifact for saving your life!" He changed the subject, reminding him, "However, this item consumes a huge amount of energy and needs to be driven by both Divine Sense and High-Grade Spirit Stone. Do not use it unless it is a matter of life and death!"

The second item: An iron-gray short sword with an exquisite design and smooth lines. The material seemed neither wood nor metal, exuding a cold metallic luster.

"Fifth-grade Spirit Sword 'iron kite'!" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai picked up this small Flying Sword and injected a trace of Spiritual Qi. The Flying Sword instantly came alive, vibrating its wings like a bird and emitting a crisp buzzing sound. "This Flying Sword was designed by both a mechanism master and an Artifact Refiner. It has a built-in micro-spirit furnace, is extremely fast, and can be controlled as flexibly as your own arm. By embedding a Top-Grade Spirit Stone into it, you can significantly reduce the consumption of controlling the Flying Sword. For a low-Realm Sword Cultivator, it is undoubtedly a Sharp Weapon in battle."

Yun Bai was shocked.

He understood Supervisor Zhou Shengtai's meaning very well. It could be said that this Flying Sword was simply a semi-automatic mechanical creation. Compared to ordinary Flying Swords, which were just dead objects, this Flying Sword was a guided rocket.

The third item: Two warm Jade Slips, one flashing with fine purple thunder patterns, and the other flowing with sword shadows like ripples.

"Cultivation Techniques!" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai pointed to the Jade Slips, "This one is the subsequent essence and lethal thunder techniques of the 'Five Thunders Righteous Method'. Since you have already entered the door of thunder techniques, you must not give up halfway; you must forge ahead bravely. The other one is the accompanying sword technique for the 'Huaying Sword Manual'. We already know that you chose the huaying sword in the Black Tower and even mastered the Divine Ability of Sword Light Division. Since you are fated with that huaying sword, this complete sword manual is yours."

Yun Bai's eyes lit up.

He was just worrying about this! He had comprehended the general outline of the Huaying Sword Manual in the Black Tower, but he was troubled by not having the specific accompanying sword technique. The State Religion was literally sending a pillow just as he was getting sleepy!

The fourth item: An unremarkable black jade pendant, simple and unadorned, even a bit rough.

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai picked up this jade pendant, his voice subconsciously lowering a bit: "This is the most important one, 'Breath Concealment Technique'! By cultivating this method, you can perfectly hide your true cultivation level and aura fluctuations. As long as the person is not of a much higher Realm than you and specifically probing, ordinary Cultivators cannot see through your background at all. When you are out and about, hiding your strength is the way to protect yourself, remember that!"

Looking at these precious gifts, any one of which would be enough to make ordinary Cultivators fight to the death, a strong sense of warmth and heavy gratitude surged in Yun Bai's heart.

He stood up abruptly and bowed deeply to Supervisor Zhou Shengtai: "Big Brother Zhou! Such a generous gift from the State Religion, Yun Bai... is unworthy of it! I really don't know how to repay you!"

"Don't say that!" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai grabbed Yun Bai's arm, his grip steady, his eyes extremely serious, "You are worth this price! That Chu Prefecture City can produce a Qilin child like you is a blessing for the entire Northwest Region!"

He paused, the hearty smile on his face faded, and a trace of gravity appeared, "And... Brother, the reason I came today, besides giving you things, is that there is indeed a difficult matter, and I want to ask you to help me in a personal capacity."

Yun Bai thought to himself, as expected.

But Yun Bai did not refuse: "Big Brother, please speak!"

In his mind, he instantly recalled how Supervisor Zhou Shengtai had helped without hesitation when he was seeking the soul-stabilizing pill for his sister. Since he had so many Karma in this world, Yun Bai would not refuse things he could do.

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai sighed, picked up the wine bowl, and gulped down another large mouthful, as if to suppress the gloom in his heart with wine. He dipped his finger in the remaining wine in the bowl and drew a crooked line on the stone table.

"It's still the old problem on the Cang Plains, and... it's worse." His voice was low, "The Demon Race has increased the intensity of their harassment, especially in the air! They don't know what evil method they used to spawn a large number of ferocious Demon Birds never seen before, covering the sky and the earth, attacking our teams and strongholds that are opening up the 'Aerial Thoroughfare' crazily."

He tapped that wine line heavily with his finger, "This thoroughfare concerns the logistics, supplies, and troop deployment of the entire Northwest front line; it is a lifeline! Now the progress is seriously dragged down, and every day we are bleeding! Our manpower is stretched thin, especially the experts who can go to the sky and are good at air combat; the losses... are too great."

He slapped his thigh heavily, making a "pop" sound, "Brother... I am truly overwhelmed, I can't hold on anymore!"

"Demon Birds..." Yun Bai frowned.

"I know you have just experienced the Black Tower trial, you are physically and mentally exhausted, and your sister also needs care." Supervisor Zhou Shengtai looked at Yun Bai, his eyes filled with apology and pleading, "But Brother is really... sigh! There is no one else to use!"

"Brother, as long as you are willing to help, the Chu Prefecture City State Religion, and even the entire Chu Prefecture City, will be your strongest backing! Whatever resources you need, whatever information you need, whatever ground support you need, we will do our best to help you. I swear with my personality, Brother! Yun Bai, all of this is for the stability of Chu Prefecture and the stability of the border."

He paused for a moment, staring at Yun Bai with burning eyes:

"Besides this, Yun Bai, I must tell you. The Holy City State Religion is the hub, coordinating the overall situation, with abundant resources, high above. But our local State Religion is more like the soldiers who have taken root in one place, born and raised here! What we can give you is the most concrete, heartfelt support from the elders of your hometown! Here will always be your roots, your home!"

His voice was clangorous and powerful, "Even if you soar to the Nine Heavens in the future, no matter how high you fly, if you want to come back and take a look, or want to do something for your hometown, the position of Chu Prefecture Inspector, Brother will leave it for you! Here, there will always be a place for you!"

These words could be described as heartfelt.

After a little deliberation, Yun Bai nodded heavily: "Big Brother Zhou, say no more! I accept this matter! For public or private reasons, Yun Bai is duty-bound!"