This is the author. Before starting the chapter, I would like to thank everyone who supports the book. From those who support PS and GT to those who donate. I won''t hide it, if it weren''t for this, I would have abandoned this work altogether.


    I am a bit tired, but at least I will try to finish the book and then I can rest. Until then, please don''t forget to support the book. It really gives me strength.


    Thank you for your attention and sorry for the inconvenience.


    ====


    The painful night of the gloomy sky was so unappealing that even the romantic mood vanished as if someone had waved their hand.


    Not far from where Hao Shen was imprisoned, special artifacts were used to quickly construct a dormitory where people tasked with surveince and giving orders would live.


    The bitter truth was that soldiers had to stay in tents. Even if they wanted to, building barracks on the battlefield was too inefficient. All these guys were driven by a special contract that promised mary rewards, their ownnd, and a chance to enter one of the four sects.


    For most cultivators, these were already quite good conditions, and for those who were already in a sect, a status upgrade was promised. For example, an outer court disciple could be an inner court disciple and so on.


    With his strength, Xie Qing could easily take the position of the chiefmander, but Xu Mei, Zhang Mei, and the others asked him not to think about it.


    The thing was, his body had already begun to absorb Qi and form aw within itself. If he dyed this and missed the precious opportunity, it was quite possible that he would never get it again in his life.


    Therefore, he was now sitting in his room and meditating. The interior was very modest – a bed, a nightstand, a small window, and a table with a chair.


    Although he was entitled to a more luxurious setup as one of the most talented cultivators, Xie Qing preferred this arrangement.


    Over time, he had matured. In his youth, he liked wealth, extravagance, and the like. However, since the beginning of the n to spy in the devilish world, he had be indifferent to such things.


    Moreover, as Xie Qing said: "The fewer things that distract me, the better."


    "Hmm…"


    Letting out an inarticte groan, the man opened his eyes. There was a slight spark and indifference in his eyes, and his eyes glowed gold – the color was much purer and brighter than usual.


    "How difficult…" escaped his lips, which immediately twisted into a displeased grimace, as if he had swallowed something distasteful: "Forming aw is quite a difficult task. Simply imagining its form is not enough; one must understand the studiedw down to the smallest details. If wepare my opponents, one had me, and the other had Darkness.


    And their level of control was very terrifying, clearly showing that thew was fully mastered."


    What, first of all, was thew of nature? In Xie Qing''s opinion, it was the natural order of things, and if we take darkness as an example, it was omnipresent.


    However, when it came to exnations – detailed exnations, the man fell into a stupor.


    "I know what a shadow is and have a small understanding of how it appears. But is that enough?" Xie Qing bit his lower lip, and his right index finger tapped on the nightstand, creating a special rhythm that partially matched his heartbeat: "It''s hard. I think I''m still immature. For me, things have only a superficial appearance, and their depth I, unfortunately, cannot yetprehend…"


    Feeling bitterness, Xie Qing decided this time to stop his meditation and attempts to understand how thew works. The most bitter thing was that even Xu Mei and the others, who had gone through this path, could not exin it to him.


    After all, everyone''s Dao is unique. And trying to repeat someone else''s sess often leads to failure, and most likely, Divine Transformation will be his stopping point.


    Turning his gaze to the window, the man''s eyes fell upon the gloomy night sky, devoid of stars. It was such a depressing sight that it even affected him slightly.


    Curling his lips, Xie Qingy down on the bed and stared nkly at the ceiling. Feeling the soft mattress and pillow, he sighed.


    "When was thest time I slept? I can''t even remember. Now, it''s a luxury for me to close my eyes for a few minutes," Xie Qing thought, rubbing his tired eyes.


    He was a cultivator, a physical force that could destroy mountains with ease and changendscapes. However, even so, he had to deal with stress for a long time.


    Was it an unpleasant experience? Yes. Was it a bad experience? No.


    It allowed him to grow up, rethink, and change his outlook on life. Much of his philosophy had changed. Before, he tried to run away, chasing the unknown like a headless chicken.


    However, now? It would be more urate to say that he stopped running and took a step back. Looking back at the past, he did not ignore it but took it into ount and analyzed it. And then he looked to the future, carefully considering his steps.


    "Maybe... I really have grown up..."


    ***


    Xie Qing was writing when the door to his room burst open with such force that it flew off and mmed into the wall. The man finished writing and turned his gaze to the door. His eyebrows furrowed.


    "Master, why do you break the doors? By the way, recing them every time is too much trouble. I feel sorry for those workers who can''t sleep because of the frequent rampages of cultivators," Xie Qing said, putting down his pen and ink, and getting up from his seat.


    "Uh..."


    Xu Mei was embarrassed, finally realizing her mistake. Her cheeks flushed as the realization dawned on her. Because the woman was too excited, her brain stopped functioning for a moment.


    "I''m sorry..." was all she could say with a dejected look.


    "Oh? It''s okay. Just try not to break the door next time," Xie Qing replied in a rather rxed tone. He simply couldn''t be angry at her when the Master made such a puppy face. "Sit on the bed while I fix the door."


    "Y-yes? Okay!"


    As soon as Xu Mei heard Xie Qing, a bright smile appeared on her face, and she excitedly sat on the edge of the bed, looking around like a junior school student going on an excursion for the first time.


    "How cute," Xie Qing thought and silently began to fix the door.


    He could have called the servants, but...tely, the man wanted to be more down-to-earth. This was good for his Dao.


    Quite surprisingly, he fixed everything rather quickly. However, this was not surprising, as he often read books on craftsmanship, and fixing a door with such knowledge was a breeze.


    "Hmm. Seems to work fine," Xie Qing thought, moving the door back and forth. Satisfied that everything was in order, he muttered something under his breath, and the walls of the room turned white.


    This was a formation responsible for maintaining the personal space of the dormitory residents. Thanks to the Sect of Starry Stream, this became possible.


    "And how was your day?" Xie Qing asked, flopping down on the bed. He looked at his Master, and his face softened. "I heard that you now have to spend almost all your free time every day watching to make sure Hao Shen doesn''t escape."


    "Good," Xu Mei replied to the man''s first question with a smile, but when he said the following words, her face immediately turned sour, and she leaned over, falling into his arms. Then, taking on an aggrieved look, she began toin, "I have to stand next to that jerk all my free time. I''m so bored! And I miss you so much, and they don''t even let me see you! It''s so cruel!"


    Xie Qing smiled, and his hands gently caressed Xu Mei''s soft face. He brushed the hair away from her face as he responded.


    "There''s nothing to be done. Lady Lian must prepare before devouring Hao Shen. This will take a week or even a month, which is already quite fast," he replied, seeing Xu Mei''s sour expression. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, gently rubbing her cheek. "And I greatly appreciate that, despite your annoyance, you are still fulfilling your duties."


    "A-ah..."


    Xu Mei blushed deeply, like an innocent maiden who had just been kissed by her beloved for the first time. Her hands went to her forehead, to the spot where Xie Qing had kissed her. Her heart was pounding wildly.


    If Xie Qing''s words were to be believed, he had spent an additional five years in the special space of the Nine-Tailed Fox, making him already 27 years old. Moreover, the trials he had gone through helped him be more mature.


    And this feeling...


    Xu Mei liked it very much.


    "He''s so cool!"