Shen Bai decided to first grind the Mixed Element Array-Breaking Technique to Level 4.

As for the Spirit Casting Technique, he would decide later whether to grind it to Level 4 or find a new Divine Power to grind to its second qualitative change.

Before long, Shen Bai started grinding in the Martial Arts Arena.

From time to time, the aura of an Array would flare up around his body as he formed arrays with his Qi, and his Skill Level slowly increased.

...

Time slowly trickled by. In the blink of an eye, many more days had passed.

During this period, Fenglin State remained as tranquil as ever, but beneath this calm facade, the members of the Observatory had begun to stir into action.

Liu Wufeng had assigned a portion of the Observatory’s members a special task: in addition to their daily duties, they were to burn a stick of Dream-Entering Incense every day, hoping to use it to find traces of the Nightmare.

Unfortunately, even after so many days of trying, they still hadn’t found any sign of the Nightmare.

If Shen Bai hadn’t been the one to bring back this information, Liu Wufeng might have even thought it was fake.

But having reached his position, he certainly understood the importance of being cautious.

Thus, the daily work was never neglected.

During this time, the surveillance on the Peach Opera Garden also continued unabated. However, the intelligence brought back daily by Observatory members indicated that everything was normal.

Aside from the daily opera changing to a comedy in the morning and a tragedy in the evening, nothing new happened.

The thorough investigation into the Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddhas yielded some minor clues, and a few people were captured, but they were all insignificant.

The calmer things seemed, the bigger the storm brewing beneath the surface.

Shen Bai received quite a few messages from Liu Wufeng, but they didn’t hinder his pace of grinding his Skill Level.

Getting from Level 3 to Level 4 only required five thousand points.

Shen Bai had a rare period of downtime, so he achieved a huge gain without spending much time at all.

A special line of smoke appeared before Shen Bai’s eyes. It swirled gracefully, forming new words that floated in front of him.

[Mixed Element Array-Breaking Technique Level 4 (Array +8, Gathering Array +8, Primordial +8, Resistance +8): 0/10000]

In addition to the previous Attributes doubling, Shen Bai gained the Resistance +8 Attribute.

This Attribute didn’t provide any substantial increase in combat power, but it gave Shen Bai an unconventional boost when it came to Arrays.

As everyone knows, some Arrays are for creating illusions, but others are for direct attacks.

Things like flames and ice shards, or the classic "heaven of ice and fire," are all actual offensive Arrays.

But with this new Attribute, as long as an attack from an Array was within the scope of Resistance +8, it would feel no different from being tickled.

Shen Bai wouldn’t even need to activate his Bright Jade Evil Body. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

For Shen Bai, this Attribute could prove immensely useful in specific situations.

’Let’s put the Attributes aside for now. I think I’m about to level up.’

Shen Bai thought as he felt the Qi within his body.

The next moment, as his Qi circulated, a layer of Golden Qi enveloped Shen Bai’s lungs.

After enveloping his lungs, that layer of Golden Qi actually began advancing toward his liver.

A moment later, the Golden Qi vanished without a trace.

’I’m not far from the Meridian Realm.’

Shen Bai stretched.

The increase in strength brought a greater ability for Overcoming Adversity and Attacking Upward, which was also another benefit of the Liver Divine Power.

It was about time.

It was now daytime.

After a moment of thought, Shen Bai went out for breakfast and then headed toward the Observatory.

The Observatory was, as usual, bustling with activity.

Shen Bai’s original plan was to check in with Long Yan for Dianmao, then, instead of going to the Martial Arts Arena, he would first visit a blacksmith’s shop to buy some smithing tools.

His stipend was large enough to buy a conventional set of blacksmithing tools.

On his way over, Shen Bai had figured it out.

Currently, only his Spirit Casting Technique had not yet reached Level 4.

His OCD practically demanded that he grind this Divine Power to Level 4 first.

On his way to Dianmao, he naturally ran into some colleagues.

From time to time, Shen Bai would exchange greetings with them.

Before long, he arrived at the registration room.

Inside the registration room, Long Yan was sitting at her desk, handling Dianmao for several Observatory members.

Shen Bai waited in line, looking around, and before long, it was his turn in front of Long Yan.

"Landlord Long, I’m here for Dianmao," Shen Bai said.

Long Yan, however, didn’t engage in their usual back-and-forth banter.

’Perhaps as long as the Peach Opera Garden remains, Long Yan will never return to normal,’ Shen Bai thought.

After all, the Peach Opera Garden was like a Heart Demon to Long Yan.

"Alright, you’re all set."

Long Yan made a simple note and gestured for Shen Bai to leave.

Shen Bai didn’t linger either. He was about to turn and leave the registration room to go buy a set of tools from the blacksmith’s shop.

But just as he was about to leave, he subconsciously glanced at Long Yan and stopped in his tracks.

"Landlord Long, something seems off about you today." Shen Bai placed his hands on the desk, leaned slowly toward Long Yan, and studied her face with a frown.

Long Yan seemed startled for a moment, then shook her head. "I just haven’t been resting well these past few days. That’s probably why."

Shen Bai’s frown deepened. "Landlord Long, for a cultivator, even going a month without sleep is no big deal. Why do your eyes look so tired?"

Although Long Yan’s expression hadn’t changed and she had no dark circles under her eyes, Shen Bai’s gaze was sharp. He could see that her every look was tinged with exhaustion.

Hearing this, Long Yan took out a mirror from the side to have a look. "No," she said, puzzled. "I don’t feel any different. In fact, my spirits have been great lately."

Shen Bai considered this for a moment, then said nothing more and turned to leave.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with Long Yan.

Coupled with the recent situation, where many clues pointed to a larger issue, he was unwilling to overlook any detail.

With this in mind, Shen Bai abandoned his previous plan. He didn’t head for the blacksmith’s shop, but went to Liu Wufeng’s room instead.