Chapter 37 Warmth

Just as Yun Bai finished the trial and left the Black Tower, Supervisor Zhou Shengtai, who had been monitoring the situation at all times, immediately received the news.

"Hmm?" He widened his eyes, "He actually made it to the third level on his first try!"

"Good lad, hiding so much!" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai laughed heartily, "As expected of the talent I've set my eyes on. Next time I run into that fellow Lin, I must show him off properly!"

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai stood up, intending to leave the main hall.

"Hahaha, Brother Zhou, where are you in such a rush to go?" A hearty voice rang out from outside the hall.

"General Yang Cang? Why have you come?" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai looked over upon hearing the voice; it was actually General Yang Cang of Chu Prefecture City.

This General Yang Cang was a local commander of Chu Prefecture City who had experienced the Demon Tide era several decades ago.

He was also once a son-in-law of the Chen family and had close ties with them; he had never stood on the same side as someone like Supervisor Zhou Shengtai, an Elder of the State Religion sent down from above.

"What? Brother Zhou doesn't welcome me?" General Yang Cang smiled.

"Not at all, not at all." Seeing this, Supervisor Zhou Shengtai sat back down and gestured, "Come, please sit. Little Feng, serve tea!"

"Yes." replied Feng Ping, the deacon under Supervisor Zhou Shengtai.

"I wonder what brings Commander Yang to my National Temple?" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai was a straightforward person and asked directly.

"Haha, I wouldn't visit without a reason. I have come this time regarding Yun Bai, the new Genius recruited by your National Temple," General Yang Cang said.

Supervisor Zhou Shengtai felt a bit displeased upon hearing this. He had secretly come to his National Temple last time and was stopped; now he wasn't playing underhanded tricks, but was playing open ones, right!?

"Hmm, we do have such a person at our National Temple, and we just signed a contract with him a few days ago. Commander Yang, what is this regarding?" Supervisor Zhou Shengtai's expression changed, "Could it be that you are blocking me here to secretly send people to poach talent from our State Religion!?"

"Oh, Commander Zhou has misunderstood. It is like this. There is someone named Chen Yuan in my army, and his nephew, Chen Qiang, provoked Yun Bai and his younger sister, Yun Qian." General Yang Cang admired Supervisor Zhou Shengtai's quick-wittedness in his heart, but on the surface, he remained calm and spoke unhurriedly, "The specifics are as follows..."

After General Lin Jian explained the situation in detail, he suggested: "Chen Yuan is unruly and extremely protective of his own. But I have strictly ordered him not to act recklessly. Chen Qiang was in the wrong; if he is in the wrong, he should be punished, and if he has committed a crime, he should face the consequences. Now that Yun Bai is a Genius from our Chu Prefecture City, he will be the pride of our Chu Prefecture City even if he leaves the Northwest in the future. We do not wish to be at odds with him."

"Therefore, I would like for both sides to come forward, have Chen Qiang apologize to Yun Bai and his sister, and have the Chen family provide compensation. If possible, we can mediate so that Yun Bai will no longer pursue the matter. What does Supervisor Zhou think?"

The sun slanted to the west, casting long shadows of those returning home.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, the familiar scent of hearth and home, mingled with the aroma of food, rushed to meet him.

Yun Bai stepped into the small courtyard, and it was soon time for lunch.

Yun Bai had not yet begun to abstain from grains, and compared to sitting alone in the quiet room to meditate and perform breathing exercises, he preferred to sit around that simple square table with his younger sister Yun Qian, Shen Qi, and Yang Peilan.

For him, the crisp clinking of bowls and chopsticks, his younger sister's chirping, bird-like, happy laughter, and the steam rising from the hot food were the warmest embodiments of "home."

Cultivation occupied almost all of his time; the three daily meals, especially this lunch, became the almost only precious time he could consistently spend with Yun Qian.

"Brother!" At the dining table, Yun Qian took a bite of rice, looked at Yun Bai with bright, sparkling eyes, her voice filled with uncontrollable excitement, "I'm all ready! I gave one of the two admission vouchers for Qingya Academy that you gave me to Sister Shen. Starting the day after tomorrow, I will be going to school with Sister Shen!"

Yun Bai's hand, which was in the middle of picking up food, paused. A look of pleasant surprise instantly bloomed in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth lifted unconsciously, "That's a great thing! Why didn't you tell your brother earlier? This is worth a proper celebration." He put down his chopsticks, his gaze landing gently on his younger sister, "Are all the things prepared?"

"Mm-hmm!" Yun Qian nodded vigorously, saying with a grin, "Don't worry, Brother, you don't need to trouble yourself. Auntie Yang is so attentive; she has already helped me and Sister Shen prepare the stationery and books."

Yang Peilan, who was to the side, also put down her chopsticks upon hearing this and looked at Yun Bai with gratitude, "Young Master Yun, these admission vouchers are so precious, we mother and daughter really..."

"Auntie Yang~" Yun Qian drew out her tone, interrupting her with a coquettish pout, "I've told you so many times, my brother doesn't like to hear these polite formalities!"

Yun Bai also laughed, his tone sincere, "Auntie, you are being too formal. In my heart, we have long been one family. If we really want to talk about it, I should be the one thanking you and Miss Shen. I Cultivate all day and often cannot get away; during this time, thanks to you two taking such good care of Qianqian at home, I have been able to have peace of mind."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Shen Qi, who had been eating quietly, "Miss Shen is exceptionally intelligent and gets along so well with Qianqian, like sisters; this is a rare bond. Perhaps there was no opportunity before, but now you should seize it well and go to the academy to try to Cultivate. I believe that with your Aptitude, you will definitely be able to achieve something. If you have any needs in the future, just tell me."

Shen Qi had been keeping her head slightly lowered. Hearing this, her fingertips holding the chopsticks tightened slightly, and her earlobes quietly flushed a faint pink. She let out a soft "Mm," and nodded almost imperceptibly.

After the meal, Yun Bai dove into the practice room to Cultivate diligently.

This trip to the State Religion had greatly stimulated Yun Bai.

The Chen family's bullying and General Lin Jian's words of advice made the desire to become stronger in Yun Bai's heart even more intense.

The biggest gain of this trip was the Black Tower trial.

The Black Tower trial was completely different from what he had imagined.

So high-level battles were this dangerous and terrifying, and the power of the Heavenly Palace was this formidable!

The Black Tower had countless connections to the Heavenly Palace; the fact that the State Religion controlled the Black Tower meant that they must have a way to communicate between the two realms of Heaven and Earth!

Perhaps if he could find a way to get his hands on it, he could try to make contact with the Heavenly Palace.

"Little Six, if I can contact the Heavenly Palace, how can I gain their trust?"

Yun Bai thought about how the other side had insisted on fighting him without explanation during the Black Tower trial, and he couldn't help but get a headache.

He didn't know how much of the Heavenly Palace in the Black Tower trial was real and how much was fake. If the heavenly soldiers and generals were all such reckless and overbearing thugs, then communicating with them would be too much of a hassle!

["Number Six" auxiliary AI will serve as the final proof of identity, carrying the original Universe life imprint]

[However, it is detected that this module is severely damaged, its usability is low, and it may not be able to completely gain the trust of the Heavenly Palace]

Little Six said.

Upon hearing this news, Yun Bai had a rough idea of the situation.

Although the situation was not very optimistic, this was all he could do for now.

Since things had come to this, he should focus his energy on Cultivation and improve his strength first.