Once the trio reappeared, Weiqi looked around and noticed he was in the shadow of a tall building.

The streetlamps didn't fully penetrate the darkness, and the moon was gone from the sky, leaving only a blanket of stars to light the way. Everything looked painted in shades of gray and black.

The shuffling of steps could be heard as people made their way through the dimly lit alley. At a glance, this didn't look like a safe neighborhood.

Heng Taio pointed them in a direction, and they silently followed. He doesn't know how he did it, but Heng Taio seemed to blend with the darkness not a corner of his clothes could be seen.

Weiqi lowered his voice. "Where is this place?"

Heng Taio didn't answer, and Shi Huizhong filled the silence. "The Supervisors can sense once malevolent energy accumulates, and he can take us there. I'm not sure even Heng Taio knows the exact location." Then glancing at the sky, he continued, "but we should still be in the city, just in one of the less friendly areas."

The deeper they walked into the alley, the more oppressive the darkness seemed, until only barely discerning shadows were all that became of the people.

As they turned a corner, Weiqi noticed a shadow.

The shadow was startled by their movement and froze in the middle of the alley, looking warily at them.

Then, as if receiving a signal, the shadow dashed to the right, straight into a wall. Yes, as in a wall, there were no doors and windows where the shadow disappeared, and Weiqi looked at Shi Huizhong in question.

"That was a soul, but not malevolent, just a wondering one by the looks of it. Once he sensed the Underworld aura on us, he was probably frightened away." Shi Huizhong explained.

"Wait, you mean we actually scared a soul?" Weiqi felt both amusement and surprise.

"The seal bestowed on us by the Supervisors carries the Underworld aura, and souls tend to run away. Only malevolent souls have enough power to resist the fear and oppression from the Underworld." Shi Huizhong then cautioned.

"Malevolent souls have a lot of Oppressive and Negative Qi that is harmful to us. Supervisors can somewhat handle them, but usually, the malevolent souls possess a living body, and they cannot touch them. That is where we Administrators come in. We fight the soul and force it out of the host, then the Supervisor can collect it. "

"Be careful and protect yourself. Negative Qi attacks can cause injuries and even harm and erode your Qi."

Weiqi listened and nodded obediently. His grandpa had already told him this, but if he wanted to repeat it, then Weiqi would listen. He understood that this was how Shi Huizhong expressed his care.

After ten more minutes, the alley eventually coughed them up in front of a worn-out building. The darkness looked alive and engulfed the building as if indulging on a delicacy.

Strands of Negative Qi could be seen intertwined in the darkness, making Weiqi's hair stand up and his own Qi churned restlessly. He had never felt such a sensation and was momentarily caught off guard.

Shi Huizhong patted Weiqi's shoulder, releasing him from his daze.

As they approached the building, they could hear voices through the door, rough and boisterous. Although Weiqi couldn't piece together the conversation, a sense of malice could be felt in the tone.

Weiqi and Shi Huizhong walked in. Heng Taio stayed back in the shadow of the door.

The hall suddenly became quiet, and five pairs of eyes turned to look at them.

The men were seated at a table, and drinks and food were strewn across. Weiqi could tell immediately where the malevolent soul was.

At the end of the table sat a robust man, but the Negative Qi enveloping him was as thick as a curtain, and he could barely discern the other party's features. A pair of squinty eyes flashed red for a minute, and a sneer was heard.

"Looks like we got ourselves some uninvited guests."

"Why don't you all make them feel really welcomed." The man said, addressing the other four at the table.

The four men laughed boisterously and slowly got up, shooting menacing looks at Weiqi and Shi Huizhong.

They were pretty strong martial artists, and their boss was the fiercest. They had nothing to fear and wanted to play for a little. In their eyes, a young boy and an old man showed up at their own funeral.

As the four men slowly approached the duo, Shi Huizhong hurled a round disc in the air. A pressure was felt, and the men were pinned to the ground.

Only the person enveloped by the malevolent Qi was standing, unaffected and unconcerned.

That person then flung the table with a wave of Negative Qi as he attacked the duo, but Weiqi quickly tossed a defense talisman, stopping the Qi. The table fell down and splintered apart in front of Weiqi.

Weiqi quickly flung out 3 more talismans infused with Qi toward the figure.

Only then the malevolent soul seemed affected, casting an evil look in his direction with hate.

The figure then unleashed a burst attack of negative Qi at Weiqi, as if wanting to impale him where he stands.

Weiqi swerved and avoided the attack, the pitiful wood floor however was unable to take the pressure, splintering in the wake of the assault. Shi Huizhong to the side, instinctively grabbed his head, and groaned, falling to one knee.

Weiqi then threw out his most powerful attack talisman, it took him all night to infuse this one with Qi, and he was left weakened for a week after creating it.

Once the talisman hit the Negative Qi, a tsunami-like force spread out, and his ears rang. The Negative Qi then quickly exploded like a volcano, surrounding everything in darkness.

A fine sheen of sweat shone on Weiqi's forehead as he whirled around in a circle looking for the malevolent Qi, the pressure fell all around, and he could not discern anything as darkness had engulfed him.

Weiqi concentrated on gathering his Qi. At that moment, it was as if he could sense every nerve, cell, muscle, drop of blood, and hair being infused with Qi.

He then shot up and directed all the Qi in a certain direction. He was unsure if it was the right direction, but his Qi pointed him there, like an arrow clamoring to be released.

A shriek was heard. A sudden and forceful tremor sent Weiqi sprawling on all fours as the figure seemed to unleash a last-minute attack, and Weiqi felt his defense talisman flash warm for a second.

Then the figure dashed toward the back window in an attempt to escape.

Heng Taio suddenly appeared and grabbed the figure by the neck. It was only then that Weiqi noticed that the figure was just darkness, and the unconscious burly man that was its previous host lay on the floor.

His lungs ached with the struggle, and his legs cramped, but he held himself strong and checked on Shi Huizhong.

"I'm fine." Gasped Shi Huizhong as he stood. "I was hit by a bit of Negative Qi, but I already neutralized it, and my Qi has calmed."

Then he patted Weiqi's head and smiled. "You did so well for your first time. But of course, I expect nothing less from my grandson."

Weiqi smiled foolishly and looked down at his jacket. This white jacket was a favorite, but now the shredded material looked like he robbed a mummy and tried wearing its clothes.

He kept trying to put the scraps back together, but it was as futile as drinking tea with a fork.

Ah, forget it, he thought, and looked toward the window. But both Heng Taio and the malevolent soul were nowhere to be seen.

"Where did they go?" Weiqi turned around and scanned the room but no shadow of the other two could be seen.

"The Supervisor usually goes straight to the Underworld after he captures the soul. Let's head back out, we can hopefully grab a taxi." Shi Huizhong pats his pants, then also wants to pat Weiqi's jacket, but he is afraid one more touch will make it disintegrate, so his hand just hangs in the air.

"What? He is just too unreliable. Heng Taio, I wanted a round trip, not a one-way ticket. This is too irresponsible." Weiqi yells in the air.

Just as he is about to turn around, Heng Taio suddenly appears in front of him, startling him on his butt. After the fight, his nerves were drawn tight, and his legs finally gave in.

"I knew Brother Taio wouldn't leave us stranded. Truly the best employee of the month." Weiqi gives Heng Taio two thumbs up, and when the latter just stares at him, he rubs his nose in embarrassment.

"You didn't hear what I said earlier, right?"

Heng Taio just stared, and as soon as Weiqi got up, the trio disappeared again, leaving the 5 men on the ground unconscious.

The room looked like a tornado had blown through it and left a couple of frat guys in its wake.

Once back at their house, Weiqi felt rejuvenated and said, "Thank you, Brother Taio."

"Of course, I am not an irresponsible Supervisor."

Weiqi laughs weakly, and Heng Taio disappears before he can say anything.

"Do you think he is mad?" Weiqi whispers.

Shi Huizhong shakes his head and heads up the stairs calling behind him.

"Just go and take a bath and rest early. You used a lot of Qi tonight, and you need to recover."

Weiqi didn't feel like he used a lot of Qi at all. All his talismans were prepared in advance, so all he did was throw them around. If anything, his body was sore from all the dodging. That part was strenuous, and he set a small goal for himself. He needed to increase his physical fitness.

Weiqi had a very deep sleep, and his body was still a bit sore when he woke up in the morning. He heard his grandpa call him for breakfast, so he stiffly got ready and walked downstairs.

When he got to school, his muscles felt a little better. He then heard Dong Bin's laughter.

"Ah, Brother Weiqi, you walk like my grandpa when it rains." Looking at the sky, he continued, "but it doesn't look like rain. So, what happened? Did you party too hard last night?"

Dong Bin wiggled his eyebrows, and Weiqi finally laughed.

Yes, I partied hard with a malevolent soul, but the latter was a poor dancer, Weiqi thought.

The new teacher for their Fundamental Talisman Defense class was Master Lu. She was a petite woman who was very charming. Weiqi liked her as soon as he saw her. She had a calming aura and didn't seem prejudiced.

"All right class, we will have a school-wide assessment in about a month. In this assessment, we will test your knowledge and your teamwork."

"A team will consist of nine students. Two from our Talisman department, two from the Martial Arts department, and one from the Divination, Feng Shui, Alchemy, Healing, and Refining departments, respectively."

"Learning how to work with others is something we all must learn to do. It will benefit you greatly in life and in cultivation."

"Seeing another's path may give you inspiration and further your own cultivation, so I hope all of you will strive and get along with your fellow students."

Master Lu was lecturing seriously. Not all students in the class were keen on the idea, but they had no choice.

Of course, some oddballs were excited.

"How will we be paired up?" An animated voice rang out.

Weiqi turned and saw Yan Lanfen's eyes shine in anticipation.

"There will be a random draw by the school. In a week, we will announce the teams.”

“You will have an hour each day assigned with your team to promote your cooperation so you can all be ready by the assessment time.”

“All right, class dismissed."

And the teacher and TA both walked out, leaving the students chatting or grumbling behind.

Weiqi wasn't sure how to feel about this team. He hoped he wouldn't be assigned to a group with young Master Tao. For some reason, he had a bad feeling. He ran into Tao Fenhua ever since his rebirth, and they seemed destined to be enemies meeting on a narrow road.

Yan Lanfen, on the other side, was too excited and hoped to be teamed up with her God, and that's all she could talk about the whole day.

A week passed quickly, and the day the teams was announced arrived, which left some people happy and some crestfallen.

Yan Lanfen was in the crestfallen category, as she did not get paired up with her cold God and didn't know anyone on her team.

Weiqi was firmly stuck in the middle. To his joy, the second classmate from the Talisman department happened to be Dong Bin.

To his dismay, he also saw another familiar face. And though it was not Tao Fenhua, it was nearly just as bad.

The teammate from the Divination department happened to be Feng Chunhua.

Feng Chunhua was shyly looking around, twisting a lock of her hair around her finger and smiling innocently.

The rest of the boys in the group were all trying to line up and introduce themselves, as she was the only approachable flower in the group.

There was another girl in the group from the Healing department. However, she was a cold beauty that froze you with just a stare if you dared to gaze in her direction for longer than a second.

As she was far from approachable, the boys all clamored up to Feng Chunhua as she timidly made their acquaintance, smiling warmly at each boy.

Feng Chunhua would shoot Weiqi a glance from under her lashes every now and then, but he pretended not to see and just looked around.

Dong Bin was originally planning to also greet Feng Chunhua. He is a fan of pretty flowers as well. But he just remembered this girl was part of Tao Fenhua's group when they ran into them that first day, so he decided to stick to his brother.

Weiqi wanted to be friendly but refused to approach Feng Chunhua and her entourage. He still had mistrust towards this shameless possible ex-girlfriend of this body's.

Therefore, he approached the cold beauty.

"Hello classmate, my name is Hu Weiqi, and I'm from the Talismans and Formations department."

The girl's eyes widened imperceptibly as she heard his name but soon regained her demeanor and smiled slightly.

"Hello, my name is Zhang Meilin, and I'm from the Healing and Meditation department."

Dong Bin also excitedly introduced himself and then started guessing about how the assessment would be graded.

Feng Chunhua and her group were ignored. The 5 boys surrounding her didn't mind as it meant less competition for them, but Feng Chunhua was displeased.

Weiqi used to be a timid and gloomy little nobody, but as soon as he got the Tao family treasure, he shed that shell and turned into an accomplished and happy boy.

Yes, Feng Chunhua also believed that Weiqi stole the treasure. Especially after hearing how Master Liu was hurt and was still unconscious. The Weiqi she knew didn’t have that sort of power or ability.

She secretly clenched her fists. After Hu Weiqi told the Tao family about her, she was questioned by them relentlessly. She told them all she knew of Weiqi in hopes to appease them.

Of course, to this date, neither Feng Chunhua nor Tao Fenhua ever admitted that it all started because they wanted to steal Hu Weiqi's Feng Shui coins.

As no one but Tao Fenhua knew about it, and the latter still had positive feelings about her, she was safe.

If it was ever disclosed that she instigated Tao Fenhua to steal Weiqi's treasure, which resulted in this catastrophe for the Tao family, she does not think she will escape punishment. Even without their sacred treasure, the Tao clan was still powerful, and she feared them.

"All right class. Now we will discuss what the assessment will be."

A clap followed by a booming voice was heard.

All students stopped their introduction, and looked at the feeble-looking old man standing on the podium whose voice most definitely didn't match his stature.