The young man easily emerged from the enormous mass of crystal that had engulfed both him and his opponent, thanks to the Swimming Through Rocks Gu he possessed.
After freeing himself, he swam toward the surface of the lake and raised his hand, declaring his victory.
The match judge announced loudly:
"The winner is Bai Bing Zhe!"
As soon as the victory was announced, the water inside the arena began draining rapidly. Its level gradually dropped until the floor of the arena was revealed once more.
Bai Bing Zhe approached his opponent, who was lying on the ground, then used one of his Gu worms to remove the crystals covering his body and free him.
He then extended his hand toward him and said with a sincere smile:
"You did well. That was an excellent fight."
When the man had first met Bai Bing Zhe a few days earlier, he, along with many others, had assumed that this friendly and humble manner was nothing more than an act.
They believed that Bai Bing Zhe was deliberately cultivating this image to present himself as a righteous-path cultivator and increase his popularity.
But as time passed...everyone began to realize that they had been wrong,It was not a mask that was simply his true nature.
The man respected this aspect of his character.
He therefore accepted Bai Bing Zhe's help and allowed him to pull him to his feet. Once he was standing, he grasped Bai Bing Zhe's hand and raised it high toward the audience, congratulating him on his victory.
The stands erupted in applause.
Cheers rang out from every corner of the arena as the two stood amid the noise—one victorious and the other defeated, yet both receiving the respect of the crowd.
...
"Boy, didn't I tell you not to use your real name in this city? I told you that if your enemy survived, he may have headed either to this city or one of the surrounding cities. If he learns that a member of the Bai Clan is here, he will either try to kill you... or flee."
The old voice inside his mind warned him.
"I won't hide my clan's name. I'm not afraid of anyone. And if he runs away, so be it... I'll find him again."
Bai Bing Zhe spoke with unwavering determination.
"Do you really think finding him will be that easy? If your brother's death had occurred a month ago, we could have used the 'One Month Ago' Time Path Gu to restore the crime scene to how it was a month ago. Then we could have used other investigation Gu worms to trace his tracks and locate him."
The voice paused for a moment before continuing in its usual calm tone:
"But after several months have passed, things have become far more complicated."
"Oh, come on. There is nothing beyond your abilities."
Bai Bing Zhe smiled confidently.
"I won't forget how you guided me in refining those excellent Earth Path Gu worms, using only the resources available on that barren mountain. Nor have I forgotten your vast and precise knowledge of the routes, which allowed us to reach Yanmen City quickly and safely."
But the old voice did not answer him.
At this point, it had realized that arguing with this young man was completely pointless.
...
Outside Yanmen City, in the western fields...
Jian Long stood in front of one of the animal pens as the merchant pointed toward a large white wolf inside.
"This is the Bald Wolf you requested, sir. Do you want to take it with you, or would you prefer to keep it here at our farm? It will cost you five primeval stones per week—one for the space and four for food."
Jian Long answered without hesitation:
"Let it stay here for now."
He then approached the wolf.
The merchant immediately became nervous and warned him,
"Sir, let me bring someone to handle it. It might attack you!"
But Jian Long paid no attention to the warning and continued approaching.
To the merchant's surprise, the wolf showed no hostility toward him.
The merchant smiled in admiration.
"You seem quite good at handling animals."
"Of course. I used to be a hunter before I became a Gu Master."
Jian Long said this as he reached out to pat the white wolf's fur.
But in the next instant, his hand froze.
Instead of touching soft fur, his hand passed straight through it, as though he had plunged it into mist, before finally coming to rest against the wolf's skin.
Jian Long's eyes widened.
"What is this? Its fur... it's like mist, or..."
"Clouds!"
The merchant completed his sentence enthusiastically.
It was obvious that he loved talking about animals, and he continued without waiting for another question:
"This must be your first time dealing with a Bald Wolf. And your deduction is completely correct. Its fur is actually made of clouds."
He pointed toward the illusory layer of fur surrounding the wolf's body.
"It produces these clouds by consuming Mist Nymphs, creatures that live in the White Cloud Plains surrounding Mount Baiyun. They are creatures formed from clouds and feed on the cloud energy that permeates the area."
Jian Long listened to the explanation with interest, but his mind had already begun working rapidly.
"Its fur is made of clouds?"
He looked at the wolf again.
"Then why does its ability to produce lightning disappear when its fur disappears?"
He stared at it for several seconds ,Then a spark of inspiration flashed in his eyes.
"Could it be..."
"Do you have an empty area? I want to fight this wolf. I also need a Gu worm for photography. I'll borrow it for a while."
"What?"
The merchant stared at him in bewilderment, as if he couldn't understand what Jian Long was planning.
.....
Several hours later, in a vast, deserted field...
Jian Long restrained the wolf in place, then used a special Photography Gu to take a clear picture of it.
After that, the battle began.
His goal was not to win, but to test his hypothesis.
He used several methods to force the wolf to release lightning while carefully observing the changes in its fur and recording every alteration.
After the experiment ended, Jian Long showed the merchant two pictures—one of the wolf before the battle and another taken afterward.
"Since you have experience dealing with Bald Wolves, tell me... do you think the amount of fur this wolf lost during this period is normal?"
The merchant took the two pictures and compared them carefully.
Then he shook his head.
"No. A Bald Wolf doesn't lose this much of its fur unless it has gone several days without eating Mist Nymph meat."
He frowned in confusion.
"But why did this happen?"
Jian Long did not answer immediately.
His mind was replaying the previous battle, analyzing it step by step.
During the fight, the Bald Wolf had released numerous bolts of lightning And every time...Its cloudy fur had shrunk slightly ,Jian Long's eyes gradually widened.
"So...The lightning it releases consumes the clouds covering its body!"
"Then in this world clouds themselves transforms into lightning? it would also explain why these wolves are capable of producing lightning!"