I Can Extract Divine Power

Chapter 335 - 151: Chicken Dinner: Xuanhuan Version

The bustling streets teemed with people moving to and fro.

Members of the Observatory blended into the crowd, occasionally stopping at one stall or another.

The vibrant atmosphere of Yunxi State was particularly unique.

"The mole is hidden among the members participating in the internal exam," Ouyang Wu said.

A hint of surprise appeared in Shen Bai’s eyes as Ouyang Wu finished speaking.

"Has Xinhua Academy already managed to plant a mole within the Observatory?"

Shen Bai was well aware of how strict the Observatory’s recruitment process was. The multiple layers of screening alone were enough to eliminate a vast majority of candidates.

Furthermore, every person who joined the Observatory had their background investigated for several generations back to ensure their lineage was clean.

Even Shen Bai himself, who had entered the Observatory through his connection to Qin Shuang, had his past meticulously investigated by the Fenglin State Observatory.

Only after they were certain there were no issues did Liu Wufeng proceed with his special recruitment.

And yet, Ouyang Wu was now telling him that such a strict organization had a mole.

It was no wonder Shen Bai was shocked.

Ouyang Wu sighed and said, "The Great Zhou Dynasty is currently in turmoil. If such a behemoth is on the verge of collapse, what does that mean for the Observatory? Even though the screening process is incredibly strict, some people inevitably succumb to corruption after joining and align themselves with evil forces."

What he said was true.

Some people had clean records and morals before joining the Observatory, but with the passage of time, they are gradually corrupted by power and desire, turning toward evil.

Shen Bai tapped his fingers on the table. After a moment of thought, he asked, "With only this lead, you haven’t been able to find out who the mole is?"

Ouyang Wu shook his head. "We haven’t. But as Lord Shen just said, Xinhua Academy plans to make a big move during this internal exam. If that’s the case, it’s highly likely this mole will be activated."

Shen Bai nodded. "That’s certainly a possibility. It seems it’s not just the Third Prince who knows; even the Yunxi State Observatory is well aware of what Xinhua Academy is up to."

Now that everything was laid out so plainly, Shen Bai was able to infer some of the inside story.

’The Third Prince isn’t part of the Observatory. His intelligence network can’t compare to theirs.’

’And yet, he still managed to find out about Xinhua Academy’s mole. A behemoth like the Observatory must surely know as well.’

Ouyang Wu nodded. "The Observatory is likely already aware of this matter. The Third Prince hasn’t asked about it, so they have probably devised their own countermeasures. The Third Prince is only here to be a judge; it wouldn’t be proper for him to get too involved."

Even though the Emperor of Great Zhou had delegated authority to the three Princes, they still couldn’t overstep their bounds when it came to certain special institutions.

After all, for the Third Prince, interfering in the affairs of the Observatory would be overstepping his authority.

Shen Bai gathered himself and stood up. "Alright, I understand."

Ouyang Wu asked, slightly curious, "How does Lord Shen intend to handle this?"

Shen Bai looked back and said, "I’ll deal with it as the situation requires. The internal exam hasn’t even started yet; it’s too early to be talking about this."

"We’ll see what happens during the exam and adapt as needed."

Ouyang Wu mulled over Shen Bai’s words. "Since Lord Shen has his own ideas, I won’t press the matter. The Third Prince has many things to attend to, so I’ll take my leave. I look forward to seeing Lord Shen at the internal exam."

Shen Bai nodded. "I won’t see you out."

Without any more pleasantries, Ouyang Wu waved, gave Ouyang Sword a few parting words of instruction to seize the time to practice his Swordsmanship and improve his strength, and then left the street.

Ouyang Sword watched Ouyang Wu’s retreating back until his older brother’s figure disappeared around a corner. Only then did he turn to Shen Bai and speak.

"Shall we go back and prepare?"

Shen Bai nodded, agreeing that it was a good time to return.

Without hesitation, the two left the breakfast shop and hurried home.

On the way back, Shen Bai naturally drew the attention of many passing Observatory members.

Fortunately, these men knew how formidable Shen Bai was. With the internal exam the next day, none of them wanted to cause trouble, so they all actively avoided his path.

After returning to their rented rooms, Ouyang Sword went to his room to study his Swordsmanship, while Shen Bai returned to his own bedroom and closed the door.

Shen Bai looked at the precious Bead in his hand. After a moment’s thought, he crushed it.

The Bead looked extremely solid, but in reality, it would shatter on its own with just a sliver of Qi injected into it.

As the Bead shattered, Shen Bai felt the sinister, cold aura within it rapidly being obliterated, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

The Bead itself turned to smoke in mid-air and vanished.

A plume of smoke appeared before Shen Bai, gradually condensing into eight strands of Evil Qi that he absorbed into his body.

’I just need two more strands of Evil Qi to meet the conditions for the second qualitative change,’ Shen Bai thought, watching the smoke and sensing the eight new strands of Evil Qi within him.

Since the Observatory’s internal exam was the next day, Shen Bai and Ouyang Sword didn’t chat any further, instead focusing on their own preparations.

The night passed in the blink of an eye.

...

Shen Bai didn’t waste the night. He spared no effort, grinding his Skill Level for the Water Control Technique.

Thanks to the double bonus from Amber, his Skill Level increased at an impressive rate.