The Hunter’s Eye activated silently, overlaid by his Alchemy Circuits. He placed his left hand on his longsword, the blade slightly drawn from its sheath.

But in the end, he pushed the sword back into its sheath.

Just then, Yalilan and the others, having sensed the fluctuation of Spiritual Power, also arrived.

Stephen shook his head at them. "He got away."

...

Baron lay gasping on the bed, the ferocious look on his face gone. He was drenched in a cold sweat, his skin clammy as if he had spent a whole day standing under the eaves during the damp season.

He gasped for breath and put away the Traveler’s Journal.

A wave of residual fear washed over him, seeping from his back into his very soul.

’So this is the bloodlust of a Blood Faction Demon Hunter.’

It was nothing like the addictive pull he felt when he first joined the Blood Faction. Baron had assumed his smooth transition was thanks to his exceptional talent and firm willpower. Now, it seemed he could only thank his lucky stars that the urge hadn’t fully erupted back then.

If it had, the final outcome wouldn’t have been him charging at that beast of judgment with his blade. It would have been a competition between him and that beast to see which of them was the true monster.

’And the pressure from a Silver Demon Hunter... If I hadn’t forcibly dispersed the shadows, Stephen would have probably followed them right to me and cut me down with a single slash.’

’So this is a Silver Demon Hunter. A single glance was enough to give me a premonition of death.’

’I have to get stronger. Strong enough to take revenge on those bastards from the Outer and Inner Sides who made me their scapegoat.’

After only a moment’s rest, fueled by the memory of his panic when facing the Silver Demon Hunter’s killing intent, and by the rage from being hunted for so long, Baron took out the playing card that housed the Dream Master’s right hand.

He closed his eyes and was asleep in an instant.

When he woke again, he was already in the Flower Sea.

Just like last time at the Black Moon Church, the Shepherdess was already waiting for him.

Unlike before, however, she was no longer in her Hunting Outfit. This time, she wore a crimson silk gown, its hem adorned with petals of an ethereal blue, and beneath it, a pair of chocolate-colored boots.

The only thing unchanged was her Bonnet Hat. Beneath it, her long hair was silver-white, her face was as pale as her hair, and her eyes held a lifeless chill. The only splash of color was her lips.

Like her gown, they were rose-red—the color of blood.

Baron had just opened his mouth to speak, but the Shepherdess spoke first, just as she had before:

"Following the Dream Master’s instructions, I shall show you the art of the hunt."

Baron expected the Shepherdess to kick a sword to his feet again. Instead, she simply produced a sheepskin scroll. Baron recognized it at once—it was the scroll from Yalilan, the one detailing a Silver Sect Secret Technique.

He felt for his Soluble Ring. Sure enough, the scroll was gone.

’The dream can ignore the rules and just take things?’

’Does this mean I can bring other restricted items into the dream and have the Shepherdess unlock them? I can just say it’s all for the sake of the Dream Master’s grand revival.’

Baron’s mind raced, but he didn’t forget to observe the Shepherdess’s movements.

He had to prevent her from suddenly attacking him with a sword like last time.

As for why he didn’t look at her expression...

To be honest, the Shepherdess was the living embodiment of a "poker face." Whether talking, drinking tea, or fighting, her expression was always one of apathy, a total disregard for everything, as if nothing in this world could cause a ripple in her heart.

If Baron had to use a metaphor, she was like a beautiful face carved onto a doll.

The Shepherdess, oblivious to the schemes swirling in Baron’s mind, simply held the scroll and said:

"Now, following the Dream Master’s instructions, I will teach you the Secret Technique of [Burning Blood]."

"But that’s a Silver Sect Secret Technique," Baron said blankly.

The primary method for using a Secret Technique was to alter one’s Alchemy Circuits. But as a member of the Blood Faction, Baron had only acquired three skills in total, even counting the Hunter’s Eye. They were:

[Hunter’s Eye] (the special Blood Faction version is red), [Blood Control] (to manipulate one’s own blood upon contact and change its shape), and [Blood Food] (to recover from injuries by absorbing blood).

He completely lacked the Alchemy Circuits that only Silver Faction Demon Hunters possessed.

This was like Yue Buqun trying to practice the Nine Yang Divine Skill—it made no sense at all.

Then, he watched as the red pupils and sharp fangs unique to a Blood Faction Demon Hunter appeared on the Shepherdess’s face.

Before Baron’s dumbfounded eyes, she used her suddenly sharpened fingernails to slice open her forearm. Blood oozed out and coalesced on her body, forming intricate, crimson [Alchemy Circuits].

With a single glance, Baron recognized the complex and profound pattern of the Alchemy Circuits—[Burning Blood].

’Never mind how the Shepherdess knows the Blood Faction’s Blood Control—and seems way more skilled with it than I am—but using blood to form Alchemy Circuits... It’s a novel idea, but... is that really possible?’

As if sensing his thoughts.

The Shepherdess said impassively, "In this dream, aside from the powers granted by the Dream Master, all of my abilities are extensions of what you yourself possess in reality."

"No," she added, "it would be more accurate to say this entire dream exists because of you. The only reason you are unaware of this is because your own power is still too weak."

"Once you become strong enough to defeat me, the secrets of the dream will be laid bare before you."

"In short."

An ethereal blue Dragon Flame ignited on one of the Shepherdess’s hands, while the blood she touched with her other hand morphed into a long, sharp blade.

Her pupils turned, one crimson and the other gold. "In the Trials to come, whatever you possess, I shall possess as well."

A tidal wave of shock crashed through Baron’s mind.

’It... works like that?’

The Shepherdess said, "Next, I will attack you using the speed of [Burning Blood]. Once you are able to dodge me, it will mean one of two things: either you have mastered [Burning Blood] yourself, or you are now capable of fighting a Demon Hunter of the same rank who has."

Baron wanted to say more, but before he could open his mouth, his head was suddenly rolling through the Flower Sea.

Damp petals clung to his cheek as his vision turned completely red.

Out of his sight, the Shepherdess sheathed her blade. Their mixed blood splattered and vanished into the field of flowers.

A black sheep ambled over from the distance and lowered its head, chewing on the plants stained with the blood of the two.

The Shepherdess looked at the black sheep and said in a low voice: "Did I... kill him too quickly?"

The black sheep glanced up at her, sneezed, then went back to nibbling on the plants.

In the next moment, a "brand-new" Baron reappeared, the hesitant look on his face replaced by resolve.

The Shepherdess, her body now covered in Blood Patterns, turned and said softly, "Please, kill me."

"Or be killed by me."

"Since you’ve put it that way, what reason do I have to refuse?"

Baron sliced open his palm with a small knife, letting the blood flow.

He used [Blood Control], simultaneously emulating the Shepherdess by forming twisted [Blood Patterns] on his body and condensing a Blood Blade in his hand.

Under his control, the bloody Alchemy Circuits began to twist and turn, forming the pattern he remembered from the sheepskin scroll.

The Blood Blade took shape as well.

All the while, the Shepherdess remained quietly in place, not drawing her blade to behead him at the drop of a hat as she had before.

It seemed she understood that Baron needed time to form the [Blood Patterns].

She just watched patiently, her blood-red pupils cold and vacant.

Cold sweat beaded on Baron’s forehead, and his face took on an unnatural pallor from the blood loss.

’Using blood to inscribe the "Alchemy Circuits" is proving more time-consuming and difficult than I imagined.’

The Blood Patterns below his neck would coalesce only to dissipate again. Just as they were about to take shape, some profound, intangible barrier would obstruct his control.

In the end, he abandoned the Blood Blade entirely, focusing all his effort on forming the [Blood Patterns].

The blood, infused with Spiritual Power, slithered across the Outer Side of his body like small serpents.

Following the diagram of the [Alchemy Circuits] from the scroll in his mind’s eye, the blood began to slide and trace, its strokes forming a complex and exquisite pattern.

As the pattern formed, so did the majestic Spiritual Power it contained. A surging wave of Spiritual Power began to emerge and coalesce on his body along with the [Blood Patterns].

It faintly surpassed the level of a Black Iron rank, nearing the Spiritual Power possessed only by a Bronze rank Law Enforcer.