It was a normal sunny afternoon in the Azure Profound Sect.

The usual bullies would be seen spawn camping outside the affairs hall, patiently laying in wait for any young and unsuspecting daoists to ambush and wholeheartedly 'request' of them to 'donate' their monthly spirit stone rations.

The occasional hidden elder unburrowing himself from his seclusion could be seen comfortably laying down on a rocking chair with their eyes shut, basking in the gentle rays of the sun, waiting in anticipation for an unsuspecting MC to...well...catch their eye.

And of course, the bog standard swarms of disciples in identical robes were shuffling along the roads of the sect, some hurrying on with their tasks at hand hoping to quickly get it over with so that they could get back to doing some sweet sweet cultivation, others rushing to the lecture hall to receive teaching, some even complaining to another about the price of spirit cheese, and so on and so forth.

The common point here was that almost everything was going as would be expected, normally, so to speak.

...Almost.

Incongruous to the scene, and sticking out like a sore thumb, was a valiant-looking young man who elegantly and steadily swaggered through the bustling sect with a rigid posture that made him as straight as a sword, as well as an indifferent expression that seemed to project as if he was above all.

He had a certain suffocating aura around him that commanded respect, leading to the floods of people parting and giving him way instinctually.

But perhaps the strangest thing about the boy was that, although nobody seemed to notice or pay any attention, he was speaking to himself!

Loud, clear and unabashedly, the young man complained in a solemn tone tinged with slight nervousness,

"Old man, is this dragon bloodline meant to change your personality as well?!

"I-I'm not sure how to accurately describe it, but it's as if certain things I once perceived as meaningful, such as treating people as equals, not acting like a stuck-up prick, and the likes, have dulled in importance!

"Not only that!

"If I don't walk in a dignified manner at all times like I've got a stick up my ass, and permanently keep an unwaveringly expressionless expression on my face, then my body instinctively seems to ache as if my muscles were doing such a thing for the first time!"

Hearing the worries of Lin Fan, the boy he was currently soul-bound to, Old Man Yi responded in a careless tone,

You dumb brat, dragons are intrinsically a prideful and dignified race!

Obviously, some of your previous ideologies and feelings will be altered slightly due to the bloodline's influence. However, this is but a mere drop in the ocean compared to the innumerable benefits!

Plus, once you adapt to the bloodline better I'm sure its influence will dissipate to some extent.

So stop fretting about the small stuff and focus on finding out clues on where this spontaneous increase in demonic ki has arisen from, because, let me tell you now, it doesn't just appear from thin air!

In the worst-case scenario, this may even lead to the doom of this sect and by extension, us!

So, as someone who is perfectly capable enough of traversing through a forest that is riddled with rampaging beasts, get yourself out there and find something!

Hearing how blatantly his pseudo-mentor had dismissed his woes, internally, Lin Fan's anger flared due to the fact that the old man seemed to undermine the importance of his own psyche and he couldn't help but curse the old man's lack of sympathy.

Externally, however, a disgruntled scowl could be seen adorning his face and his eyebrows were furrowed to the extreme- Seemingly, the draconic bloodline was having none of the fact that it was receiving orders and being told what to do.

After a few grumbles and a couple of deep breaths, Lin Fan calmed down and reluctantly admitted to himself that what the old man was saying had some substance to it. Therefore, he squandered time no longer and spearheaded towards the entrance of the sect ready to seek out the source of all this.

...

*BANG*

"Fuck you, Zhang Wei!

"We're around chapter 58 currently, ten chapters away from 'The Demon Sovereign Awakens', and now is the time you've come to tell me we should abandon our previous plan and follow your revised plan?!

"Is this some joke to you?!"

The sonorous sound of a fist slamming a table reverberated throughout the spacious living room of Fan Lin's abode, as his azure blue eyes stared daggers whilst looking down at the boy who was sitting opposite him in a lackadaisical manner, with one leg over the other and his back leaning comfortably on the backrest.

Glancing up at his partner-in-crime, his collaborator, Zhang Wei's relaxed expression couldn't help but turn into a smirk as he said with sarcasm tinging every word,

"Wow, I didn't realise I had to report everything instantly to Elder Fan, please do forgive this impudent one for his presumptuousness."

Hearing the witty reprisal, Fan Lin's eyes narrowed and he sat back down whilst saying,

"So let me get this straight.

"You want me to somehow subtly disseminate the fact that imminent death is upon all of us, in the form of a bloodthirsty demon, throughout the entire sect, and then you want me to ensure that this information reaches the ears of that insufferably brainless Sect Elder, Wang Fu?

"Then under the assumption that he does, in fact, hear of this, he would then take the bait and head off in search of this sealed demon in order to free him and try to take control of him by using his long-time concealed forbidden technique, Demon Entrancing Scripture.

"After which he finds the demon, just as depicted in the novel, the technique would fail to take control of the half-step transcendent realm being and then the demon would be completely freed, effectively speeding up the awakening.

"And meanwhile all this is happening, you are going to bait the second boss of the novel over to the battlefield and make it duel the demon sovereign to the death."

After he finished talking, Fan Lin stared at Zhang Wei with a deadpan look in his eyes and said with complete seriousness,

"Are you insane?

"Do you not understand how unbelievably flawed this entire plan is?

"First of all, even though Wang Fu is dumb enough to attempt to subdue the demon sovereign, it's not a certainty that he'll actually believe that such a being exists until there is proof. Even in the novel, that man was absurdly sceptical about the existence of the demon sovereign until the bastard was knocking on his front door!

"Secondly, how in the high heaven's name are you ever going to survive baiting a spiritual beast on the level of a Fourteen-Yin Netherworld Fox?

"I know that the novel provides the location of the fox and what types of herbs or items can garner its attention, but I'm pretty sure one misplaced sigh from the thing and your soul would dissipate!

"Even in the novel, the organisation that succeeded had ended up frenzying the beast whilst trying and had to sacrifice numerous Nascent Soul Realm and Soul Transformation Realm cultivators to get it to where the organisation wanted it!"

The more thought Fan Lin put into the whole plan, the more issues and uncertainties he popped up!

Doomed. They were absolutely doomed if they followed that plan! Fan Lin believed.

But even as he persistently continued on listing the innumerable number of problems, Zhang Wei seemed to be unmoved and unphased as if this didn't concern his life in the slightest!

Zhang Wei only ever responded in two ways to his cries for answers:

-One, be dismissive about the point and say that it will all come in place.

-Two... bring up the common-sense defying protagonist of fate- Lin fan.

Until...

"You know, Zhang Wei, even the damn objective you are trying to achieve is flawed!

"No matter who it is, no one, and I mean no one, can control the beast into brawling a demon sovereign that is bordering ascension!

"So even if you refuse to fill me in on anything else, at least answer me about how you are planning on handling the fox, or else, it'll be impossible for me to trust you on this!"

Fan Lin, realising nothing he was saying to Zhang Wei would make him budge, set his bottom line as the answer to this one question.

Even though there were one hundred and one things wrong with this plan in his eyes, it could still be somewhat plausible, but this one segment had to have flawless execution and strategy!

He had to know how Zhang Wei planned on subduing the fox, how he planned on making it do his bidding, and how reliable this was.

Otherwise, even though their previous plan was a cowardly retreat into a hidden area with their tails tucked between their legs, it would at least keep them, their friends, and some other disciples safe. Which was a whole lot better than getting directly involved in the fight recklessly and dying meaningless death.

Seeing that Fan Lin was serious, and knowing that without his assistance the plan would be difficult, Zhang Wei gave in and said casually,

"See, Fan Lin, you really need to use your listening ears better because you've got it all wrong.

"Although I said I would bring the fox to the demon, via you bearing a tracking pendant and keeping track of the guy, I never said I'd be the one to subdue the thing, did I?

"No.

"Now, what I might say to you now may make you think I'm spouting bullshit, but hear me out.

"We both have read the novel and know Lin Fan has awakened his draconic bloodline that had buffed it an insane amount, however, what hasn't been shown definitively in the novel is that there is another perk to it.

"The dragon, the epitome of beasts, can dominate and influence other beasts to an incredible degree.

"It wasn't obvious, but many times during the Lin Fan vs Furious Fox battle, the only reason he was able to reach victory was that despite the outraged fox's desperate attempts to kill him, it couldn't as every time it got such an opportunity the bloodline suppression forced it to remain passive.

"If a fox of that level wasn't drunk in rage then it would have never even dreamed of fighting Lin Fan!

"This is all because of the bloodline!

"So if I'm able to bring in the fox whilst Lin Fan is participating in battle, it wouldn't be so far-fetched to say that it could help Lin Fan deal with the demon if he is able to utilise his bloodline ability properly!"

Hearing what Zhang Wei had to say, Fan Lin brought his fingers to his chin and pondered for a moment before blurting out,

"What if he doesn't utilise it properly?"

This reply only elicited a long, deep stare from Zhang Wei which seemed to scream...

'Was that really a serious question?'

To which Fan Lin couldn't help but become ashamed of himself, as he forgot for a second that the one in question here, was someone even the heavens bent over backwards for.

Since the discussion had finally come to a wrap, Zhang Wei stood up from his seat and patted Fan Lin on the shoulder then walked towards the exit. As he opened the door leading outside, Zhang Wei turned back one last time and said with a meaningful grin on his face,

"I'll throw you one last bone of assurance, something to keep the blood pressure down.

"Did you happen to know that the protagonist has already conquered heroine no.1?

"If I remember correctly, wasn't that meant to happen a few chapters later?"

Listening to the seemingly random words of his friend, and the indecipherable meaning behind that smile of his, Fan Lin could only squint his eyes in confusion and say with annoyance,

"If you're going to give me some more assurance here, then tell me where I can get life-saving items in bulk instead of whatever that's supposed to change.

"Preferably, the kind that can block the blows of a demon sovereign that's half a step from ascension!

"If not, then fuck off and let me figure out how I'm going to do my part the best I can!"

Zhang Wei's mouth curled upwards upon hearing Fan Lin's reply, and he scurried off, slamming the door behind him.

Upon his exit, the seated Fan Lin couldn't help but slump down over the table and ask himself if he was still in his right mind for agreeing to whatever plan that bastard had concocted!

...

Yes, finally!

With this, I can now escape the fox's senses with ease.

In the grassy back garden of his abode, Zhang Wei was ecstatic and couldn't help but glance over at the magical scripture once more with absolute awe in his eyes.

'Heavenly Concealement'

As its pompous name suggested, the technique was sublime.

It was simple and incredibly easy to learn, to such an extent that even the untalented Zhang Wei could get a hang of it in a short span of time.

Its ways of use varied broadly, spanning from being able to freakily erase the presence of your pinky- It wasn't only once that Zhang Wei forgot he even had a pinky, and walked around with one finger down.

To it being able to even affect intangible areas such as the soul, or even one's future- As in, in the unlikely scenario that someone with the means to divine his future tried to do so, he would unremarkably fail or be given a false result.

At the highest level of manipulation, it can even hide someone from concepts like fate and luck!

Of course, Zhang Wei wasn't anywhere near the epitome of the technique, however, he had been able to reach his goal of learning how to hide his soul!

This was vitally important, as in order to not get decimated the instant he even tried to approach the ridiculously powerful demon, he needed to hide his presence completely.

Now, this may beg the question, 'Can't the fox just use its eyes?'

Ha!

That's the joke!

The poor bastard doesn't have any eyes!

One reason for the Netherworld Fox species not having eyes is that they have the innate ability to directly sense the souls of every living being around them as a cosy substitute.

Yes, even those spiritually aware strands of grasses, that normally one would not give even a fleeting glance, are fully exposed underneath the fox's senses.

Although this does leave them prone to the aforementioned, veiling of the soul, even foregoing the fact that techniques regarding the soul are quite rare in this realm, the number of techniques which can fool the innate ability of the Netherworld Fox could be counted on one hand- So this weakness basically wasn't an issue.

But Zhang Wei was keen on the fact that if this technique couldn't hide him from some soul-seeing fox, no technique could.

Wasting no more time, Zhang Wei rushed back into his abode and shoved some necessities into his spiritual ring, then resolutely headed towards the entrance gates with the intention to leave.

Before taking a step beyond the archway, signifying that he'd exited the sect grounds, Zhang Wei's head cranked back towards the sect and he couldn't help but let out a gulp.

Though Zhang Wei loved to joke that he was a well-prepared and cautious person, deep down he knew he was actually just a bit of a coward.

In honesty he was scared.

He didn't want to set out to try and guide a terrifying fox over here, just so it could stop the demon which was out to destroy the sect.

But... he had to.

In a novel he read in his past life, Zhang Wei remembered a certain monologue which had always struck a chord in him every time he revisited it.

Though my standing in this world's hierarchy, inconsequential.

My understanding of the world's vastness, shallow.

My words hold not but a candle to a single hymn of the world.

This one's ambitions are boundless!

Unrestricted by consequentiality, broadness, rhyme or reason, it clashes against the tides of time creating a resplendent ring that confronts the world!

Shaking off the jitteriness, Zhang Wei took a step forward leaving the sect and didn't turn back.

...Oh wait.

Didn't I leave my spiritual compass back at home?

Fuck!

After all that set-up, I was vaguely feeling an underdog MC aura starting to condense over here, but this just had to ruin it!

Seems like I have no choice but to go back and get it!

While I'm at it, I might as well grab a few more things for the trip and say goodbye to my neighbours for good measure.

...Like that, Zhang Wei's foot unhesitantly breached the archway back into the sect for the second time today, marking the end of his arduous journey for today.

...

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Author's Notes:

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed the chapter.

Any suggestions, feedback or the like would be appreciated as I am actively aiming to improve my writing.