As they spoke, Edward Clark couldn’t help but become entranced, simply gazing at her under the lamp, his face unconsciously showing tenderness.

When Alice Bennett glanced up, she caught this expression, and her face instantly flushed red, though her heart was filled with joy—after so many years of waiting, this fool finally looks at me this way; my feelings have not been in vain.

While she was pondering this, she heard Edward Clark begin to ask about her situation.

“…I originally thought those who had old ties with my father would remember the past, but I didn’t expect that once a person is gone, the tea cools.” Now that things had come to this, Alice Bennett no longer concealed anything and told him in detail about searching for people in the city.

Edward Clark listened calmly, finding it all rather ordinary, simply tapping his fingers on the table.

“Sigh, let’s not talk about it. In short, they kept making excuses.” Alice Bennett looked downcast, then suddenly fixed her gaze on Edward Clark, speaking word by word: “Senior brother, if it really doesn’t work, let’s just leave. I don’t want the property in this temple anymore. We’ll find a way to survive elsewhere. What do you think?”

After she finished, Alice Bennett stared intently at Edward Clark, waiting for his reply.

“No, this is our homeland. Besides, our master entrusted the temple to me. If I lose it, how could I face our master and you?” Edward Clark said resolutely.

However, in the next moment, Edward Clark’s expression softened, and he shared his thoughts: “The first step now is to go to Qingyang Palace for the assessment. Once I obtain the Daoist certificate and receive the talisman, only then will we have room to maneuver.”

“Senior brother, that’s reasonable, but I’ve heard the assessment is very difficult,” Alice Bennett said in a daze.

“Don’t worry. As long as you give me master’s verification, I can pass the assessment. With this status, we’ll have options. Besides, there may be other ways.”

“The River God’s wedding—Lord Wei only asks that I guard the bride for one night. I don’t have to enter the island; I can just find a place on the edge and endure the night. At dawn, I’ll return. Even if the task isn’t completed, Lord Wei may not be pleased, but my life will be safe.” Although he knew things wouldn’t be so simple, Edward Clark still tried to reassure her.

Seeing Edward Clark so determined to protect the legacy left by her grandfather, Alice Bennett felt both sorrow and joy. After a moment, she lifted her head and said, “Since you won’t leave, senior brother, then I’ll wait for you.”

If anything were to happen to you, I wouldn’t want to live alone either—but this, she did not say aloud.

When Edward Clark saw her agree, he couldn’t help but feel happy and said, “Mm, it’s getting late. Junior sister, get some rest. Tomorrow I’ll go into the city and submit master’s verification at Qingyang Palace to get my Daoist certificate processed.”

Alice Bennett thought for a moment and said, “Mm, that’s good. Senior brother, you should also rest early. You’ve had a long day!”

Edward Clark returned to his room, lit a lamp, and immediately pulled out a scroll from the scriptures he had purchased, unfolding it to read. He calmed his mind and focused, and after reading over ten thousand words, he quickly closed his eyes to reflect.

At that moment, the tortoise shell appeared again, emitting a beam of clear light. Instantly, a scroll of scripture materialized, each character shining with golden light, eight corners radiating beams, countless profound meanings flowing through his mind, and soon, all this energy condensed into a single character.

As soon as this character formed, it shone brilliantly and emitted a strange sound. Edward Clark stepped forward and touched it, immediately sensing the mysteries contained within the character, all of which became clear to him.

“In the Thirteen Classics, every one truly contains the authentic script!” Edward Clark was both surprised and delighted. “I wonder, with my current energy, how many can I decipher?”

This clear energy was actually the manifestation of his own vitality. Even to interpret the most basic authentic script, there were still limits.

Without hesitation, he continued to be guided by the clear light, each classic transforming into an authentic character, countless profound meanings flowing through his mind. But after the ninth character formed, the clear light vanished with a “boom,” and Edward Clark felt a wave of dizziness, instantly realizing he had reached his limit.

Struggling, he wolfed down the dried meat he had bought, climbed into bed, and immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter Eight: Suppression

The jade rabbit set in the west, and the sky began to brighten with the dawn.

Edward Clark opened his eyes. Every day, he woke at this time; it had become a bodily instinct, even though his energy had been greatly depleted the day before.

He checked himself and found that about half of his vitality had been restored. He thought to himself, truly, a young body recovers quickly.

After washing up, he changed into a new Daoist robe of cloud-patterned, dark blue, and left the temple, quietly waiting on the cloud cliff for the moment when the red sun would burst forth.

The clouds shifted and brightened, and a red sun burst from the horizon. Instantly, purple energy spread across the sky. This was the moment Edward Clark had been waiting for. Not daring to be negligent, he began his breathing exercises, drawing strands of purple energy into his body, intertwining with his own energy, and absorbing spiritual energy.

After ten breaths, the sun leapt above the horizon, and the purple energy was spent and could no longer be used. Edward Clark slowly exhaled and began practicing the Six Yang Diagram, performing various postures.

He recited incantations as he moved through thirty-six actions. When he finished, Edward Clark felt his whole body tremble, a tingling sensation like an electric current coursing through him, and a thread of internal energy was produced.

He repeated the thirty-six movements again and again, reciting continuously. Edward Clark felt the internal energy within his body steadily increasing.

At first, it was just a faint thread, barely perceptible. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but Edward Clark could now clearly sense the internal energy within his body.