The bearded master sat slouched in his chair, rubbing at his temples as if the weight of both day and night had been pressing down on him for too long. His voice carried a tone of weary frustration as he finally muttered,
"Anyway, I've already given my opinion. Whether Ethan can be persuaded or tricked by you—it's all up to you now."
Truthfully, the bearded master didn't want to take responsibility for what might happen. The last thing he wanted was another spike in his blood pressure from dealing with that stubborn kid.
After a pause, he added thoughtfully, "I don't think that boy is without desires. With his strength, he doesn't even need college if he doesn't want to, yet it looks like he's still planning to continue his studies."
The janitor narrowed his eyes slightly, a flicker of understanding passing over his face. "You mean… it's a lure?"
The bearded master gave a small shrug. When he thought about Ethan's potential, both as an individual and because of the two mysterious figures standing behind him, it didn't seem unreasonable. Yes, a lure might just work.
"Well then," the janitor said at last, "contact him directly. Bring him to me, and I'll give it a try."
The bearded master's expression lit up with relief. "Good! That's exactly what I wanted to hear."
But his relief didn't last long. As soon as he remembered the villainous Instructor Charles earlier, unease crept back. Still, he pulled out his phone and dialed Ethan's number.
"Hello? Ethan, my boy. My immediate boss wants to see you. Do you have time right now? I'll come pick you up."
"What, no time?"
"Don't brush me off. Let me put it this way—my boss is Yatu, a man who's changed jobs four times. Surely you've heard the name."
The moment the call ended, the bearded master clapped his hands together with satisfaction. "It's done!"
But when he glanced at the gatekeeper, his stomach tightened. The man's face had darkened, a murderous look flashing in his eyes. His fists clenched, knuckles cracking audibly.
"Tu Wuji," the gatekeeper hissed, "you've gone too far this time. You're using me as a threat to rope that boy in? Do you have any idea what kind of pit of fire you're throwing me into?"
The bearded master only smirked and spread his hands in mock innocence. "Don't say it like that. The kid won't refuse. He's not the type."
The gatekeeper gritted his teeth, but Tu Wuji kept going. "That boy has a good heart. He could've left on his own before, but he stayed behind to help the son of the Lord of Ravenshade City. That's the only reason I recommended him to join us in the first place."
Before his boss could retaliate, Tu Wuji wisely made himself scarce. "I'll go pick him up. You think about how to lure him into joining us. Bye now."
Meanwhile, Ethan had just reached the front door of his house. He was planning to spend some time experimenting with alienation—the strange, mysterious process he had discovered that let him enhance his summoned beasts—when his phone rang.
It was Tu Wuji.
Ethan listened to the invitation, brows furrowed. A four-turn professional wanted to meet him?
He weighed his options quickly. He had no interest in wasting time at Darun's marketplace. The vendors there wouldn't be able to handle the dark-gold equipment he had collected, nor could they provide the rare materials he needed. Gold coins weren't much use when you had nowhere to spend them.
So instead, he decided to return home. But the call from Tu Wuji lingered in his mind.
Four-turn professional, huh…
Ethan wasn't entirely opposed. He wasn't thrilled by their organization, but he wasn't naïve either. If they wanted to see him now, they'd surely come with sincerity. And if they offered enough benefits, it might not be a bad thing to join. Multiple backers could only strengthen his position.
Besides, they had already promised there would be no conflict with his university studies. Four years of classes wouldn't matter much if he became invincible before graduation.
So, with his decision made, Ethan stood calmly at the intersection near his house, waiting for Tu Wuji to arrive.
In the meantime, Ethan began experimenting with alienation once more. Over his half-month dungeon expedition, he had collected two valuable materials: the fangs of two massive pythons.
The first, a Wind Blade Python, had traits of strength, constitution, and agility. Its attributes were decent, but nothing extraordinary. Mediocre, really. He felt it didn't perfectly match any of his summoned beasts.
"What should I do with this…" Ethan muttered.
He glanced at his most trusted companion, Da Dao Zai, the mantis-like summoned beast. On a whim, he dragged the creature's token into his talent box. With a swipe of his finger, Da Dao Zai vanished into it, smooth as water flowing into a stream.
A moment later, Ethan changed his mind and dragged him back out again.
Shh—!
Da Dao Zai appeared at his side, back in his usual place.
Ethan blinked. "Wait a second… This might actually work."
He realized he had stumbled upon a new trick: if Da Dao Zai were ever in danger or unable to move, Ethan could simply drag him into the talent box to keep him safe. Later, he could release him back into battle.
Excited, Ethan tested it again and again, experimenting with the distance limit. To his delight, he discovered the range was surprisingly long.
A hidden function? Interesting.
And more than that, it could also be used offensively—summoning Da Dao Zai suddenly right behind an opponent to catch them off guard.
After a few more experiments, Ethan noticed something new. When he clicked on Da Dao Zai inside the talent box, a faint light spot appeared at the exact place he touched. If he let go, the spot remained.
Testing further, he realized he could choose different parts of Da Dao Zai's body: the forelimbs, hind limbs, torso, wings, even the face.
His eyes widened with realization.
Could it be… that alienation isn't just random? Could I actually choose which part of a summoned beast to strengthen?
The discovery sent a thrill of excitement through him. Da Dao Zai was already excellent at stealth—so good that even Tu Wuji hadn't noticed him before. But his lethality still lagged behind.
Ethan didn't hesitate. He lit up Da Dao Zai's front and rear limbs, then placed all the materials from the Wind Blade Python into the enhancement frame—over a thousand pieces in total.
A glowing prompt appeared before him:
"Do you want to perform infinite alienation, focusing on the alienation of the front and rear limbs?"
"Yes," Ethan confirmed immediately.
Another message appeared, giving him three distinct choices:
**a. Focus on strengthening the strength of the front and rear limbs, gaining the passive skill Tough Scale Armor (Purple). **
**b. Focus on enhancing the cutting power of the front and rear limbs, gaining the skill Cutting Gold and Breaking Stones (Purple). **
c. Focus on improving grip with the forelimbs, upgrading Clamp (Blue) to Purple.
Ethan leaned back and considered carefully.
Option a would improve Da Dao Zai's survivability. Tough scales like those of a giant python would make him much harder to injure. A solid choice, but not what Ethan needed right now. He had other summoned beasts better suited for tanking.
Option c, strengthening grip, was tempting. Mantises excelled at grabbing prey and eating them alive. But Da Dao Zai wasn't a grappler—he was an assassin. His role was to strike fast and kill instantly, not wrestle enemies.
That left option b.
The words alone—Cutting Gold and Breaking Stones—radiated deadly efficiency. It was an attack skill through and through, the kind of power Da Dao Zai needed to complement his stealth.
"Perfect," Ethan murmured.
He chose option b.
This discovery thrilled him. For the first time, he had proof that alienation could be directed, not random. He could sculpt his summoned beasts into specialized weapons, tailoring them for battle exactly how he wanted.
The possibilities stretched out before him like an open horizon, endless and waiting.
And as he closed the interface, a grin tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Looks like I've just found my real edge."
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