The moment Brian Cooper took out the Shuihuo Bintian Halberd, Catherine immediately recognized it as no ordinary item. Even among the divine weapons stored in the Vatican’s treasury, few could compare. Now, seeing that it could freely change size and be carried around, she realized it was truly a rare artifact. Delighted, she didn’t stand on ceremony.

However, as the saying goes: “One is obliged after accepting favors.”

After receiving the shrunken Shuihuo Bintian Halberd, Catherine felt embarrassed to lose her temper any further and became much more agreeable.

After some discussion, the three of them naturally left the scene of the incident and took a taxi back to Brian Cooper’s residence. With some breathing room, everything could be discussed calmly and peacefully.

As was typical of the European Vatican, Catherine had never thought highly of the Chinese Daoist branch of the Anti-Demon Alliance, believing them to be nothing more than charlatans and tricksters. This kind of religious exclusivity was common, and even among the world’s exorcists and supernatural practitioners, such prejudice was hard to avoid.

Today, however, she received a lesson. After witnessing the strength of William Brooks, and especially Brian Cooper, Catherine realized she had been far too arrogant and dismissive. So, after consulting with William Brooks, she agreed to notify the local Daoist organizations for assistance.

She had no idea that the two youths before her were not human at all—and both had lived quite a long time. Brian Cooper possessed profound cultivation, while William Brooks, with human blood in his veins, had his own ways of blending in.

After returning home, the two arranged for Catherine to stay on the fifth floor, taking over what was originally Brian Cooper’s bed. The two young monsters had to make do with sleeping mats on the fourth floor, and William Brooks didn’t go home either. Fortunately, they had gathered plenty of supplies from the underground palace earlier; William Brooks produced two rattan beds, and Brian Cooper took out two jade pillows. It was late summer, the weather was hot and stuffy, so there was no need for blankets—it was actually quite cool.

By three or four in the morning, dawn was already breaking. The two of them just chatted, waiting for school to start, unable to fall asleep.

“Tomorrow is the first day of school. We definitely have to go.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“What do you think we should do tomorrow? Where can we find practitioners who know magic to help us?”

“How should I know? Don’t ask me. Anyway, I trust my own strength. A few low-level monsters are nothing to worry about,” Brian Cooper replied impatiently.

“Hey, Longmen Daoist Sect, Honglian Southern School—there’s no such sect. The Longmen Daoist Sect doesn’t have branches, it’s just one lineage.”

“Then let’s create our own.”

“Great, let’s do it together. We’ll be the founders. So, can you teach me the techniques you used today?”

Seeing his companion getting more and more excited, Brian Cooper knew there was no way he’d get any peace.

“You don’t mean right now, do you?”

“Can you…”

Sensing William Brooks’s hesitation, Brian Cooper was surprised: “If you have something to say, just say it. I’m not going to eat you. I haven’t eaten human flesh in ages, and I never eat monsters. You don’t need to worry.”

“Can I let my friends learn too?” After making up his mind, William Brooks finally asked the question that had always worried him most.

“Humans? I won’t teach them.”

“They’re half-monsters like me, with human blood. They’ve always lived in normal society, and their parents are even regular humans. It’s just that their impure ancestral blood awakened, turning them into monsters later on. But they look no different from humans, just with a few extra abilities.”

William Brooks rolled over, troubled. “The other day when I went to West Lake, it wasn’t for sightseeing—it was to escape trouble. If I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t have dared come back. The monster factions here are causing us problems, so a few of us have been fleeing in all directions.”

“And yet back then, you still had the nerve to try and teach me a lesson.” Brian Cooper finally had a chance to tease him and wasn’t about to let it go.

“Most of my friends are human. I want to protect them.”

“Well, that depends on whether you have the strength.” Brian Cooper sat up, ready to mock William Brooks and give his new friend a proper lesson.

“Then I’ll call my brothers back.”

“Go ahead, but do you even know where they are? It’s not that easy to find them. Even with my cultivation, I couldn’t pick out a few people from a sea of humanity.”

“Hahaha…”

The serious conversation was suddenly interrupted by William Brooks’s outburst of laughter. He rolled off the bed, rummaged around, and handed something to Brian Cooper.

“A cell phone. I forgot—people have these nowadays.” Scratching his head, Brian Cooper remembered something else: “Didn’t you drink the Tianyi True Water? It should have taken effect by now, and you should be stronger. How come you’re even weaker than when we first met?”

“Heh, I didn’t drink it. I actually hid it all. That day, I was just afraid you’d snatch it, and besides, it doesn’t work instantly. To be reborn, I’d need someone to protect me, or I’d be courting death. Back then, I had no ability to resist at all.”

Brian Cooper nodded, then suddenly remembered something and asked in surprise, “Wait, you didn’t spit it out later, did you? You couldn’t have faked it in front of me—I’d have noticed.”

Heh heh…

Gross.

The first day of high school was extremely routine: paying tuition, receiving textbooks, students and teachers introducing themselves. The morning passed quickly, and with no classes in the afternoon, the real lessons would begin the next day.