Wearing a baseball cap and a mask, Kristina wandered the streets, the corners of her mouth lifted in a smug arc.

"Huang Quan wants to find me?" she muttered to herself. "In his dreams!"

Ever since arriving in the county town, Kristina hadn’t even stayed in a hotel to avoid being found by Huang Quan. She never remained in one place for more than an hour. When she got tired, she would find a deserted corner for a quick nap; when she was hungry, she’d buy a couple of steamed buns and eat them as she roamed.

As long as I keep moving and frequently changing my clothes, even Huang Quan’s dense intelligence network will never be able to find me.

Glancing at the time, Kristina muttered to herself, "Reinforcements have already begun arriving in Xuanse’s various City Mansions from all over the world. They’ll secretly infiltrate Nanjing next, and then I won’t have to live this life of constant hiding anymore." Her voice was tinged with weariness, and her eyes, once as bright as the moon, were now bloodshot.

"Kristina!"

Just then, a familiar voice called out from behind her.

Huang Quan? Kristina instantly recognized his voice and was so frightened her soul nearly left her body. One moment she was smugly thinking he couldn’t find her, and the next, he was here. Is he just here to slap me in the face?

Without a second thought, Kristina bolted.

THWACK!

She hadn’t run more than a few steps before a sharp pain flared at the back of her head, and she lost consciousness.

Ye Xiu smoothly caught Kristina as she collapsed. A van immediately pulled up beside them, its door sliding open. He helped the unconscious Kristina inside. The entire incident happened so quickly that passersby didn’t even notice someone had been "kidnapped" on the street.

"Young Master, where to?" the driver asked.

"Take me to Ming Yue’s hotel!"

Ye Xiu quickly took out blood-drawing equipment from his bag. He had made a special trip to a hospital beforehand to get syringes, Blood Storage Bags, and other supplies.

As her blood was drawn, Ye Xiu was shocked. Kristina’s blood was actually golden! He had killed her twice before but had somehow never noticed. Soon, a pound of her blood was collected.

Time for a taste!

Ye Xiu eagerly tasted a single drop of the Golden Blood.

BOOM!

The moment the golden liquid touched his tongue, it felt as if he had swallowed a massive spoonful of wasabi. An explosive sensation erupted in his mouth, violently stimulating his taste buds.

The next moment, a torrential power surged from his mouth into his body, circulating through his Eight Extraordinary Meridians. Ye Xiu felt as if every cell in his body was a starving, dehydrated beggar, frantically absorbing the energy from the Golden Blood. Instantly, his cells began to transform. In less than a second, the transformation was complete. At that moment, Ye Xiu felt as if he had been completely reborn.

CRACK!

Suddenly, Ye Xiu heard something fracture inside his body. The next moment, he felt his Life Totem advance from the Second Stage to the Third Stage! The Earth System Totem, however, remained unchanged.

It’s that magical?

Ye Xiu’s eyes lit up. He decisively drank another drop, intending to enhance his Earth System Totem’s power as well. This time, however, ingesting the Golden Blood produced no change at all.

It seems one drop is the limit for each person.

Ye Xiu was incredibly disappointed. Compared to the Life Totem, he was far more eager to awaken a higher level of the Earth System Totem, especially since he had already obtained the method to use it from Lin Xin. As for the Life Totem, he hadn’t even figured out its Second Stage abilities, yet he had already awakened the Third Stage.

"Young Master, we’re at the hotel. Ming Yue is in room 503!" the driver said.

Ye Xiu nodded. He packed the extracted Golden Blood into his bag, shouldered it, and carried the unconscious Kristina out of the car and into the hotel.

***

Meanwhile, Ming Yue was in her hotel room, deep in cultivation. Ever since she had absorbed the martial prowess of the thousand-man brigade, her Evil Technique had undergone a dramatic transformation. Coupled with the Cultivation Technique taught by Er Gouzi, her strength had been improving by leaps and bounds.

"Open the door!"

A familiar voice sounded from outside.

Ye Xiu?

Ming Yue tensed instantly. This was the first time Ye Xiu had shown himself since she arrived in Nanjing. She hurried to open the door.

Seeing Ye Xiu holding Kristina, Ming Yue froze for a moment. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Ye Xiu didn’t answer. Instead, he sized up Ming Yue and said with satisfaction as he carried Kristina inside, "Not bad. You truly are a martial arts prodigy, having reached the level of a Third Realm War God in such a short time."

Ming Yue was horrified. Ye Xiu saw through my strength with just a glance! It seems I’ve still underestimated how terrifying he is.

She closed the door and confessed, "My strength only improved so much thanks to you letting me absorb the martial prowess of that thousand-man brigade."

Ye Xiu nodded, took a seat, and said, "I’m going to give you another opportunity to increase your strength."

Ming Yue’s eyes lit up. "What kind of opportunity?"

Ye Xiu thought for a moment. "When Kristina wakes up, tell her you were out shopping and happened to find her unconscious in a corner, so you rescued her. Then, casually reveal to her your grudge against me, your hatred for me. Do whatever it takes to gain her trust and get her to take you to the Arbiter Families."

Ming Yue was baffled. Her clever intellect couldn’t keep up with Ye Xiu’s line of thinking. She asked, "You spared me, didn’t torture me, helped me grow stronger, and now you want to send me to the Arbiter Families. What is your goal?"

She used to think Ye Xiu had kept her alive because she was useful, but he hadn’t used her at all in all this time, which made her realize he must have some other purpose.

"The Evil Technique you practice is extremely sinister," Ye Xiu said frankly, looking the beautiful Ming Yue up and down. "Normally, its practitioners become crazed and bloodthirsty, eventually devolving into murderous fiends. But after you began your cultivation, besides your hair turning red, you haven’t changed much at all.

"So, I want to see how far you can cultivate the Evil Technique. But your version is incomplete. I suspect the Arbiter Families may possess the complete Cultivation Technique, and that is why I want you to go to them."

Ming Yue didn’t believe a single word. "Aren’t you afraid that I’ll grow strong enough to threaten you one day?" she asked.

"I am giving you the time and the opportunity to grow strong enough to kill me," Ye Xiu replied with a cold smile before standing up and leaving.

Ming Yue’s thoughts were a complete mess. She suddenly had the feeling that Ye Xiu was trying to groom her into his rival.

What the hell? Is he so invincible and without a rival that he feels the need to create one himself? What a freak!

「Back at the Wu Family Manor」

Ye Xiu didn’t go to the film set immediately. First, he summoned the Blood Cloth Guards and gave each of them a drop of Golden Blood. Afterward, he called over Tang Bo, An Dongye, Dong Fangbai, and everyone from Medicine King Valley and the Dongfang Family, giving them each a drop of Golden Blood as well.

As expected, their Totem powers all advanced one level.

It seems the Golden Blood is only effective during the initial stages of a Totem’s awakening. As a Totem’s power grows, the blood’s effect becomes negligible.

Just then, a message arrived from Chen Yang: "Young Master, Zong Rui brought the Sect Leader of the Mad Blade Sect from the Northern Territory. Do I need to reveal my strength?"

A cold glint flashed in Ye Xiu’s eyes. That Zong Rui was really courting death.

He replied, "Don’t reveal anything unless it’s absolutely necessary. I’m on my way."

Chen Yang: "Understood!"