Stirling's heart pounded as he watched Master Kim stride towards him.

  Master Kim was a genuine Blood Boiling Realm samurai. He was the highest-level cultivator Stirling had met so far.

  A test of strength now would be out of the question; he still had the manual hidden in his crotch!

  Thinking this, Stirling called out straight away: "Master, today is not the time. I have other matters to attend to at Night Watch. So, I asked for leave and came all the way to ask you for advice!"

  Seeing Stirling's perfunctory attitude, Master Kim didn't insist further and said sullenly: "Sucks! Everyone treats me as a tiger. It's boring."

  Stirling knew that Master Kim was letting him off the hook this time; then he asked: "Master, do you know where in the outer city a statue of a deity can be hidden?"

  Upon hearing this; Master Kim's expression immediately turned cold. "Luis, are you planning to worship the deities?"

  "Let me make this clear: any disciples of mine who worship gods will be doomed to death. I will execute in person."

  Master Kim stared at Stirling, his eyes narrowing, and said with a chill.

  "Master, how could I?!" Stirling further explained.

  "The Pathos Malice incident has caused chaos in Night Watch lately, and we still haven't found a clue. So, I thought I'd ask Master if someone took the statue; where might they hide it."

  "Of course, it would be best to mention places where malice might be present as well. Maybe it hides in those places; otherwise, why haven't we found it yet?"

  This explanation sounded reasonable, and Master Kim's expression relaxed just enough. He looked at Stirling with deep sincerity and said: "We samurai work hard and face hardships that others can't bear, so we can grow each day."

  "Worshipping gods is a simple journey, which is as easy as drinking water and eating."

  "The key to this is nothing more than malice."

  "The statue is the major source of this malice. Yet, these statues are treasures from many divine palaces and celestial temples. You won't encounter them. And in the outer city, there aren't many places to hide a complete statue, after all, malice... The energy is too strong; the target is too obvious. If we could have found it, we would have found it long ago."

  Stirling frowned upon hearing this, then asked: "Then aren't there any methods?"

  "Not entirely. This complete statue is too easy to expose. Breaking it into fragments makes it easier to hide."

  "However, this statue cannot be easily destroyed. If not, the surge of malice will become a disaster, forming a harmful malice domain. You must remember this."

  "As for the places you mentioned where malice is still normal, those are only the blacksmith's shop and the alchemy lab."

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  "Some weapons used in worship hold malice, and so some malice beasts do." Master Kim said, thinking as he spoke.

  "Malice beasts?" Stirling had never come across this term before. Yet, he couldn't shake the image of two three-eyed demon elephants pulling the special carriage of the Yearning Palace. They are like worshippers of gods. And they are malice beasts that use malice to grow. But they differ from humans and beasts, who have been corrupted by it. The latter, as victims, do not hold malice; their minds and bodies are nothing more than altered by it. The former, however, uses malice for growth. They are the ones responsible and share the same path as those who worship gods.

  After Kim finished speaking, he noticed Stirling's solemn expression. So, he assumed he was still concerned and said,

  "We samurai may live in a disadvantaged world, but we are no less than those cultists. No worries."

  Stirling, upon hearing this, bowed with great respect and said, "Thank you, Master. I have learned much!"

  "It's okay to talk about worshipping gods in front of me, but be careful saying it outside. It could offend the Yearning Palace, and that wouldn't be good."

  "You have reached the Bone Forging Realm. Now, you can get three doses of medicinal bath materials from the dojo each month. Since you are here today, take them home!" Master Kim added.

  "Ah? Surprise!" Stirling appreciated.

  " Don't mention it; you are my disciple. Yet, the medicine for the Bone Forging Realm is expensive; you only get three doses a month. The rest is up to yourself." Master Kim said in a huff.

  "Master, what about the hematopoietic pill? Does the dojo have a supply of this?" Stirling, remembering the most troublesome issue of pill supply, hurried to ask.

  "No, the hematopoietic pill differs from ordinary medicinal herbs. They are made from the flesh and blood of demonic beasts. They aid martial arts improvement a lot. So, they are all iron-fisted by the major families in the inner city." Master Kim shook his head.

  "Alright, if there's nothing else, investigate posthaste. But remember what I said: never, ever underestimate the God Worshippers. On paper, they are no longer human. Most of all, stay away from the Malice Domain forever. This is a dead end that even the God Worshippers themselves cannot solve!" Master Kim finished speaking and waved to Stirling.

  Stirling's heart skipped a beat. He wanted to ask more questions, but he saw Master Kim walking to the tea table. It meant the day's discussion was over. He could only call out, "See you, Master," before leaving. Anyway, Stirling was in high spirits when he left the training grounds. He had found a few likely places of malice hiding.

  He wasn't worshipping any gods, but he was refining malice like the worshipers. In theory, as long as there was a steady supply of malice, he could cultivate for all time. To achieve a true lifelong struggle.

  Last night, Stirling tried to create a statue filled with malice out of the air. Yet, he needed a full 20 years for the enhancement!

  To be blunt, Stirling gained only about 16 years of lifespan by absorbing a white statue. This result shattered his plan to make a statue from nothing to harness malice!

  The alchemy lab and blacksmith shop Master Kim talked about were both in the inner city. Stirling can't enter the inner city right now, so these two places are not accessible.

  After thinking it over, Stirling chose to explore the outer city as an alternative. He wanted to see if he could find any clues about the fragments.

  Soon, Stirling arrived at a two-story building called

  The Treasure Pavilion was quite famous in the outer city, selling rare items. In the rumors, the owner has a deep background.

  Upon entering the building, Stirling saw several casual shoppers strolling around. They were all dressed in fine silk and satin, obviously not from poor families.

  The shop attendant saw Stirling in his official robes. His face changed, and he rushed over.

  "Welcome to the Treasure Pavillion." The attendant looked about sixteen or seventeen. His appropriate wording showed he had been there for a while.

  "Where's your boss?" Stirling glanced around before speaking.

  Upon hearing this, the attendant immediately smiled and said, "Sir, tell me what you want; I can serve you. Calling the boss here is time-consuming."

  Stirling frowned and shouted, "Hurry."

  "Okay, sir, please wait for a while; I'll go right now!" The attendant saw Stirling wasn't there to buy anything. So, he apologized at once and ran to the back room of the hall.