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“Could this top scholar be the reincarnation of a Confucian sage?”

The Civil Judge felt restless and couldn’t help but sigh.

“Who knows? Maybe he is. But even if he isn’t, there will surely be a place for him among the sages who Confucian scholars worship in the future!”

“Indeed, it must be so!”

The Civil Judge agreed unequivocally, and soon afterward, another thought came to him.

“The candidates’ identities are concealed during our Imperial Examination, so how could the examiners distinguish the top scholar’s paper from those of other candidates? Could it be that the rules were broken for him this time? Is he no longer anonymous?”

“Everything was as usual, no rules were broken. One’s name and birthplace can be concealed, but their profound scholarly spirit is something that cannot be hidden. If an examiner is fair in grading papers and can recognize a scholar who possesses such spirit, it would be easy for that scholar to stand out above the rest.”

“Your words make sense, my lord. I am uninformed!” The Civil Judge replied with reverence.

“Is there anything else that remains unclear?”

“I currently have no doubts, thank you for your guidance, Lord City God. I have taken up much of your time, so I shall take my leave now.”

“Hold on, there’s one more thing!”

As the Civil Judge was about to leave, the Yongning City God called out to him.

“Please, my lord, go ahead.”

“I know you admire notable men and scholars and dare to approach them, but this top scholar is different. We ghosts and spirits should admire him from afar and not approach him closely!”

With furrowed brows, the Yongning City God commanded solemnly.

“After listening to your words, my lord, I indeed have developed a profound admiration for this scholar and would like to meet him in person. However, I don’t even have the means to approach his residence!”

The Civil Judge responded helplessly.

Originally, he thought that the strong scholarly spirit within the Feng Family Residence had been intentionally left by the top scholar. But now, it seems it was unintentional. Seeing one part and understanding the whole, such a person was indeed beyond his reach.

“Even watching from afar is unacceptable. As ghosts and spirits, we should distance ourselves when this scholar is present!”

“My lord, why is that?”

Upon hearing this, the Civil Judge became somewhat confused.

There is a divide between yin and yang, the realms of humans and ghosts. Although they as spirits indeed could not interfere with human affairs, in necessary situations, they could directly reveal themselves to officials through dreams. So why couldn’t he even meet this top scholar?

“From my county of Yongning to the Capital, a journey of over two thousand six hundred li, excluding the deity of River Cangjiang, nineteen more Earth Spirits along this route have vanished and their divine seats are vacant.”

The Civil Judge looked up, perplexed, at the Yongning City God, who appeared dignified and radiant.

“Do you seriously think that the deity of River Cangjiang was the only one this scholar had slain?”

The Yongning City God looked down at the Civil Judge, there was a playful curiosity in his voice.

“This, this…

The divine light around the Civil Judge started to flicker, reflecting his inner shock.

“The River Water Monarch was slain only because the City God of Mount Chong happened to see it!”

At this moment, the Civil Judge finally understood what the city god meant by advising him to stay away from this top scholar.

Mountain and water spirits disappearing? That would be laughable!

“Nineteen, this is the number confirmed so far. And because these missing spirits had received the recognition of our Da Jin emperor, the investigation proceeded swiftly. Additionally, there have also been numerous strange and unorthodox offerings and ceremonies held in the countryside that have ceased.

However, it’s impossible to investigate these cases.”

“My lord, how could this scholar harbor such immense hatred?”

At this point, the Civil Judge was feeling frightened. He had intended to meet this scholar, but after learning that even the offspring of the true dragon fell to his blade, he feared that a simple glance from the scholar would be enough to obliterate him.

“No need to panic! It’s not that this scholar is overly murderous but rather that these spirits have been overly indulgent in their actions and have not lived up to their positions. Hence, the disappearance and unknown whereabouts of these spirits, who are mostly powerful Mountain Spirit Demons.”

“I see!”

Upon hearing these words, the Civil Judge finally breathed a sigh of relief. If the scholar was the kind who slays every spirit he sees, then he would have to steer clear of him in the future for sure. “Nevertheless, us spirits should best stay out of this scholar’s way!” “You are absolutely right, my Lord.”

Feng Qing’an, who had guessed about the gathering of entities outside his house, didn’t show up. He felt unease, but there was nothing he could do. Judging by the current calmness and lack of incidents, it probably wasn’t a major problem.

As for the reason why such creatures were attracted to his place, Feng Qing’an had a hunch. He gazed at Black Mountain,

“Assessment!” [Species: Dog-Wolf]

[Attributes: Beast, Demon]

[Potential Level: Spirit Awakening Medium]

[Combat Level: Spirit Awakening Low]

The combat assessment no longer read ‘none’, and another attribute was also added. Each of these changes indicated that this dog had benefited somewhat from his transformation and was no longer an ordinary beast.

“Became a demon, huh!”

Feng Qing’an pondered upon seeing the additional attribute, and after considerable contemplation, he found no solution. He could only keep an eye on changes, as he himself was still merely a man of superior strength.

“Well, one step at a time!”

After thoroughly observing Black Mountain, whose fur now seemed to subtly gleam, Feng Qing’an sighed and nodded.

It would be a cause for celebration to have painstakingly raised a worthy demon pet over several months, were it not for attracting a band of spirits and ghosts. He also didn’t know what their attitude was towards this.

Moreover, apart from the spirits and ghosts, there was another not-so-insignificant problem: that Black Mountain’s potential was becoming inadequate. The power was catching up to the potential, and once potential was depleted, further advancement would be unlikely.

“It looks like I’ll have to work harder in the future. I’ll need to be more open with the Spirit Integration and blood refining. This fellow is more resilient than I thought!”

Feng Qing’an mumbled, pushing the matter of the spirits and ghosts to the back of his mind, arranging his future cultivation. It wasn’t until he heard Yin Shi call him for dinner that he stopped and rushed out of the room.

Days passed peacefully, so much so that Feng Qing’an even took some chances to search for signs in the dawn or dusk hours near his house.

Of course, he found nothing. The towering figures he saw that day seemed like a fleeting illusion, just a fantasy borne out of boredom.

But he would not dismiss them as mere illusions, after all, he managed to raise a demon. So, wouldn’t it be natural for the mud and wooden figurines worshiped with myriad offerings from the common people on the altars to be more than they seemed?

“Does this mean everything is okay now?”

Feng Qing’an optimistically thought to himself. Still, to err on the side of caution, he forbade Black Mountain from hunting at night and ordered it to stay in the yard, not to go anywhere.

Fortunately, Spiritual Qi seemed to replace a portion of Black Mountain’s food, curbing its increasing appetite somewhat. Despite that, Black Mountain was still ravenously hungry.

And this caution persisted until one night,

[Illusion Beast Master: Releasing a Side Quest…. ]