Those who had been mocking just a moment ago suddenly fell silent, their eyes darting around in panic, not daring to speak another word.
Quite a few of these people actually knew Bai Ze; several of them were his former classmates.
Yet these classmates didn't dare make a sound. Their relationships hadn't been great to begin with, and now, needless to say...
The entire venue lapsed into an eerie silence, but Sun Tai was looking quite pleased with himself, exuding the distinct aura of someone who had finally cleared their name and raised their head in pride.
Bai Ze placed a hand on Sun Tai's shoulder and said, "The mockery of the weak is just like the impotent barking of stray dogs at the roadside. There's no need to care about them."
With that, the two of them walked toward the lounge inside the Abyss Hall.
Bai Ze was in a good mood at the moment, because he sensed that his current experience points were enough to elevate him to level 5, granting him a free low-level life-sculpting opportunity!
...
In the Capital City Bai Family.
Seated in the seat of honor, a young man with Double Pupils shot out a terrifyingly chilling murderous intent from his eyes. Clad in a silver python robe, he stood there imposing like a youthful heavenly deity!
Like an insurmountable mountain, he emanated only coldness and a murderous aura!
His eyes cold, he scrolled through his phone, repeatedly checking the news that had already spread across the entire Professionals Forum...
"Thirty-eight minutes, Divine Artisan of Tian-Gong, heh..."
Below the young man, the middle-aged man Bai Haodong knelt on both knees, trembling with terror, not daring to meet the young man's Double Pupils...
"Third Uncle, didn't I tell you to kill him?"
"Yes..."
"Then what on earth were you doing? You just gave him a lecture, even returned his mother's photograph to him, and then just came back like this!?"
"You know I didn't want to see him..." The young man's aura pressed down upon the entire hall like the descent of a demon god, causing almost the entire Bai Family to tremble!
Yet his voice instantly grew even more lethal:
"Within three days, bring me the head of that cripple!"
"If you can't bring it back, bring your own head to me!"
"Yes..."
Bai Haodong agreed with a tremble, then his figure vanished at lightning speed, fleeing far away from the Capital City in an instant.
It wasn't until he had flown for over half an hour that he finally caught his breath, reaching back to touch his sweat-drenched back...
"That little beast Bai Sha! Just because he's gained a little bit of power, he bullies an elder like me! If he's so capable, why doesn't he stop using someone else's eyes?!
"Such a disrespectful, unfilial beast!!"
...
...
Back inside the lounge, Bai Ze took stock of the equipment he had just acquired. The others were plastic and Black Iron gear, with only a single Bronze-tier item.
There was also a Bronze-tier treasure chest, but he would open that later. Right now, he was ready to start leveling up!
Bai Ze beckoned with his hand, using up all the experience packs at once!
[You have leveled up!]
[Lv2 → Lv5!]
[Name: Bai Ze]
[Level: Lv5]
[Profession: Divine Artisan of Tian-Gong]
[Comprehensive Combat Power: 88]
[Professional Skill: Soul-Engraving Life-Summoning]
[Skills: None]
[Equipment & Items: Five Senses Gem]
[Special: One free zero-cost low-level life-sculpting opportunity]
"Not bad..." He silently felt it out. His physical body had grown increasingly resilient, and his senses—particularly touch, smell, and hearing—had improved to a massive degree.
The imagery in his mind grew sharper and clearer; he felt more like a bat now...
"The Great Sage's stats..."
[Great Sage Equal to Heaven — Sun Wukong]
[Level: Lv5]
[Comprehensive Combat Power: 3,888~]
[Talents: Fiery Eyes of Truth, Immortality, Poison and Disease Resistance]
[Skills: Seventy-Two Transformations, Body Outside the Body, Lawful Tianxiang, Peak Martial Arts, Bronze Head and Iron Arms, Summon Wind and Rain, Earth-Shrinking Technique...]
[Weapon: Mysterious Iron Long Staff (Damaged)]
[Items: None yet]
"A combat power of 3,800, maxing out at 40,000..."
Bai Ze rubbed his palms together. Since the Great Sage was currently in slumber, it was time for him to start carving his next target!
"Sun Tai, go outside and keep watch. Don't let anyone disturb me."
"You got it!"
He summoned his Professionals panel and tapped into the store, casually purchasing a large block of wood.
"Time to start carving!"
"As for a low-level lifeform, who should I choose?"
Bai Ze began to ponder. In his impression, there weren't many low-level lifeforms in Heaven; most low-level entities were mountain spirits and wild monsters.
Take Benbaba, the Yellow Wind Great Sage, or the Black Mountain Old Demon—characters from *A Chinese Ghost Story* should all belong to the low-level tier.
However, the personalities of the few characters he thought of didn't seem very pleasant.
The only one with a slightly better personality was from *A Chinese Ghost Story*, but he wasn't too fond of her either—she was a female ghost, after all.
Just as he was deep in thought, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he thought of a character he liked immensely!
"You're the one!"
A brilliant flash of inspiration burst in Bai Ze's mind, and he immediately pulled out his rusted carving knife to begin!
Instantly, wood chips flew everywhere, and a majestic surge of willpower poured out from within his body, flowing continuously through the carving knife and into the wooden prototype...
However, because this was the carving of a low-level lifeform, the expenditure of willpower was nowhere near as monumental as when he carved the Great Sage.
It took merely two hours to carve out a lifelike statue.
This statue was quite a bit larger than the Great Sage's, but Bai Ze didn't feel nearly as tired, seeing as it consumed much less willpower.
Of course, this statue really was much taller than the Great Sage's, standing at a full four meters, and it even carried an ultra-large banner bearing the character for "Command"!
A bell hung from its waist, tied with a club!
Bai Ze smiled with satisfaction, then reached out to touch it and initiated the summoning!
"Whoosh—"
The outer layer of the statue shed away, and Little Diamond Wind's eyes began to regain their luster as he instantly came back to life and looked around his surroundings.
"Greetings! Great King!"
He knew how to read the room; the very first thing he did was call him Great King. Yet, true to being a low-level lifeform, he looked thoroughly devoid of any intelligence.
Bai Ze gave an awkward smile and nodded, then pulled up Little Diamond Wind's stats in his mind.
[Little Diamond Wind]
[Level: Lv5]
[Comprehensive Combat Power: 6,588]
[Talent: Wind Control]
[Skills: Transformation, Soul-Suppressing Bell, Martial Arts Mastery]
[Weapon: None yet]
[Items: None yet]
"Not bad, this combat power is genuinely strong! Though his skills are a bit lacking, and he only has one talent..."
Bai Ze frowned slightly. A minor demon was still a minor demon; he couldn't compare to the Great Sage.
At that moment, he noticed Little Diamond Wind poking him on the shoulder.
"What is it?" Bai Ze asked.
"I want to eat incense offerings..." Little Diamond Wind shrank back timidly, looking like a little glutton.
"Huh?"
Bai Ze was slightly dazed. Do demons eat incense too?
"If I don't eat incense, how can I help you, Great King? Without incense, I can only return to slumber..."
"Boom—"
Bai Ze's heart jolted violently!
Only then did he realize: why did the Great Sage say he was feeling a bit sleepy earlier? It turned out he hadn't offered incense!
Overwhelmed with emotion, Bai Ze immediately went to fetch a stick of incense, grabbed a bowl, filled it with ash, and stuck the incense in.
Who would have thought that Little Diamond Wind, while picking his nose, would say, "This kind of incense is useless. You need to soak it in your own blood and burn it..."
"Don't worry, though. Even waste blood works just fine; it won't cost you much at all."
Bai Ze's expression stirred, and he asked, "Then how long can a stick of incense soaked in my blood keep you around?"
"A year..." Little Diamond Wind answered without hesitation.
"What about the Great Sage? If I summon him, how long can a stick of incense keep him around?" Bai Ze asked.
"The Great Sage is immensely powerful, so he can probably only last for about 10 days..."
"Got it!"
Bai Ze nodded. This wasn't a problem at all, not even a difficulty—it was simply an oversight on his part due to the lack of system prompts.
Without the slightest hesitation, he slashed his finger open, squeezed out a generous amount of fresh blood, and thoroughly soaked five or six sticks of incense in it until they were evenly coated.
Immediately after, he burned the incense and offered a prayer.
Little Diamond Wind greedily inhaled the fragrant smoke, and after a single stick, he was stuffed full—his belly actually puffed out round and full!
Meanwhile, the Great Sage transformed into a small cuckoo bird on Bai Ze's shoulder, swallowing the remaining incense smoke straight into his belly...
At that moment, Little Diamond Wind looked a bit dazed. He stared blankly at the little cuckoo bird resting on Bai Ze's shoulder.
Then he obediently sat down on the ground, even lowering the volume of his breathing—a cautiousness that starkly contrasted with his massive physique.
"You blockhead, I figured you were blind and pitiful, which is why I didn't mention this to you," the cuckoo bird chirped in the Great Sage's voice. "Still, this little demon you summoned actually has some strength to him. He looks rather familiar..."
Hearing this, Little Diamond Wind began to tremble...