Li Hao had already sensed that his heart, mind, and other major areas were sealed away. What if there were other locks in his body? The light of envy dawned in his eyes.
Inherent Starlight! How lucky, how nice that must be!
Although innate Starlight was just Slayer of Tens, they were still supernatural with limitless potential. Martial masters paled in comparison as they were capped at Dominator of Thousands in present day society.
âThatâs enough, chief, what are you talking like that for? Are you trying to shatter Little Hao Haoâs confidence?â Liu Yan smiled radiantly. âLittle Hao Hao is talented enough alreadyâto think that the bait we dragged into our fold is a genius! Big sis isnât willing to let you be bait anymore!â
Li Hao chuckled drily. Seriously, what could he do about this one? One did not hit a smiling face, not to mention that he wouldnât win in a fight!
âLi Hao, although you seem to have improved again,â the quiet Yun Yao suddenly spoke up. âI have to remind you that your constitution is getting stronger and stronger. If this continues and you fail to become Starlight after a few more tries, youâll end up following in Brother Liu and your teacherâs footsteps!â
Everyone blinkedâthe merry Liu Long snapped out of his joy and frowned at Li Hao.
âI forgot about this. Li Hao⦠you⦠should make the crossover as soon as possible! The end of the road is nigh for martial masters!â
He was reluctant, yet had to admit that there was no future for martial masters. Dominators hadnât appeared for many years and there werenât even many Sunderers in Silver Moon. Sunderers were only the equivalent of Darkmoon. How many of those existed?
While there wasnât a specific number, they outnumbered martial masters by at least tenfold! Even he himself, the deputy chief of the Inspectorate, toiled to become supernatural and not a Dominator of Thousands.
There was no light at the end of the martial master tunnel. A practitioner of martial dao for decades, Liu Long regretted having to forsake his path. And yet, how many more years would it take to reach Dominator if he didnât pursue the supernatural?
Ten or twenty years if all went well? What if it took the rest of his life?
If he ascended to the other side, he could instantly be Sunflareâthe equivalent of a Dominator.
The man sighed again, suddenly finding Li Haoâs blood transfusion not necessarily a good thing. A stronger physique meant a more difficult crossover, such was the rule.
Li Hao, however, didnât care. He didnât feel kindly toward supernaturals and looked much more favorably upon martial masters. His teacher was a martial master and Captain Liu Long was a martial master. Although the latter wanted him to be bait, the man had also given him substantial presents. The deputy chief also protected himâmartial masters were wonderful! The rest of the team were also martial mastersâthey were the best!
As for the dying path of martial cultivation, Dominator of Thousands was the limit. Having broken through to Slayer of Tens as soon as he set foot on the path, Li Hao didnât think there was anything bad about it as he was far removed from Dominator. Neither did he feel that martial masters were any way worse than supernaturals.
He couldnât empathize with Liu Longâs despair. The young man had also seen a true Dominator in actionâthat caliber of strength was incredible! Thus, his response demonstrated his youth.
âChief, whatâs so bad about martial masters? Is the supernatural really that strong? My teacher punched the lights out of two Darkmoon with one move!â
Liu Long laughed wordlesslyâah, to be young again!
âI donât have a good impression of supernaturals!â Li Hao continued. That group had killed his friends and possibly even his parents. They were also probably responsible for many of the cases that heâd sorted through.
Those who lacked the psyche and mental fortitude necessary for their newfound strength easily diverted onto a deviant path. Martial masters, however, were different!
They toiled for every step of progress. Of the Demon Hunters, the most experienced had cultivated for several decades and the least had at least eight years under their belt. Even Li Hao was three years into his practice.
Meanwhile, Heaven Favored might be supernatural at just a few years old and wield the strength of a Slayer. An inflated sense of self worth seemed inevitable for one who could easily kill dozens of soldiers at a young age
âDevelopment commenced in the supernatural field only twenty years ago, which is also the maximum tenure for its earliest batch. Twenty years to develop the next generation of supernaturals means that many of them lack a basic comprehension of humanity!
âMartial masters conduct a holistic review to see if students are worthy of inheriting the masterâs legacy. But for the supernatural side, I think they only look at talent. They only care about inducting energy and nothing else.â Li Hao had gleaned a thing or two about the supernatural selection from Wang Mingâit was pure assessment of genius and nothing else!
One could be a criminal, but still find supernatural organizations willing to provide shelter. All could be overlooked so long as one becomes larger than life!
Liu Long smiled, but didnât say anything. It was Liu Yan whose dimples deepened eerily; she grinned so brilliantly that even the young man found something amiss.
âLittle Hao Hao is very correct!â Liu Yanâs smile was almost a leer. âTwenty years ago, even martial masters were taken to task if they committed a crime. The death sentence was carried out whenever deemed proper. So what if the accused was a mighty martial master? A wrongdoer was a wrongdoer!
âBut now, certain supernatural organizations recruit such criminals and transgressors in large numbers! They find that criminals possess the requisite focus and are less afraid of death. Theyâre more reckless and willing to conduct mysterious power into their bodies. It has resulted in overwhelming numbers of convicted supernaturals in these organizations!
âOr, it might be that it doesnât matter if youâve killed someone. So long as you successfully cross over and donât join the Night Watchers, there is an organization willing to harbor you and shield you from the rest of the world!â Liu Yan grew more agitated as she spoke and sneered through clenched teeth. âThey aid and abet lawbreakers, yet happily enjoy the taste of freedom. Not even the Night Watchers can do anything about it!
âAlthough Night Watchers are on the side of good, they struggle with too many restrictions and cannot silence the world. They must take the route of compromise and permit certain organizations to go unchecked in exchange for the latterâs support. So long as these organizations are not too far over the line, they will not be held accountable for their actions. However, that serves to embolden certain people!â
It was Li Haoâs first time hearing of such analysis and inside knowledge. It was both surprising and perfectly reasonable.
âMortal hot weapons lose their deterrence once a personâs strength surpasses mundane limits. This kind of disorder we see is only natural if a governmental organization like the Night Watchers cannot subdue all sides!â Liu Yan sneered. âTherefore, we must become supernatural if we wish to break the restrictions of the ordinary. Remember this, Li Haoâyou will be fine if you break the law, so long as you are supernatural! The Night Watchers will ignore small transgressions and if you commit a large one, just join the other organizations for a good life!â
âNuh uh, Sis Liu.â Li Hao shook his head with a smile. âIâm different from them. Iâve received higher education and been part of the Inspectorate for a year. No matter how you slice it, Iâm on the side of good and justice. Those who have fallen to depravity are on the side of evil. How can you view me through the same lens?â
âThe more highly educated you are, the easier it is to deviate onto the wrong path!â Liu Yan snorted.
Well then, I have nothing to say. Not to mention, it wasnât set in stone that he could make the crossover in the future. Li Hao dropped the conversation and the six walked out of the treasury.
â¦â¦
As Li Haoâs strength increased, so did his confidence and assurance in things to come. He piped up with a question as the team walked.
âChief, do we have any plans for the killer behind the self-immolation cases?â
He wouldâve never asked before and Liu Long wouldnât have answered. But now, the team captain thought for a bit.
âThe plan is simpleâlure them out of hiding and make them suffer from their own scheme! Hot weapons will be the main offensive force. Weâll lay mines and spray a few rounds with machine guns. The enemy will outright die if theyâre weak or be injured if theyâre strong. That will create the perfect opening!â
âThey canât possibly be unaware of this possibility.â Li Hao frowned. âI even suspect that they have moles in the law enforcement team. Theyâll understand the might of hot weapons and youâre already exposed, chief, because they followed me before! They likely know about the Demon Hunters and probably even how many supernaturals youâve killedâ¦â
Was Liu Long overconfident? Although Li Haoâs trump card was his teacher, he didnât want massive casualties to result from the teamâs carelessness. There were only so many of them left.
âI know.â A smiling Liu Long nodded. âThere are some additional preparations in the works too, but itâs not good for you to know too much. Just know that there are other details in addition to this!
âYour mission is simpleâfind a way to lure them to our predesignated spot when the rains come. All you need to do afterward is wait for them to set foot into the trap!â
Li Hao started to speak, then stopped.
âDo you think itâs dangerous?â chuckled the deputy chief.
âA little.â
âUnfortunately, this is it,â Liu Long continued chuckling. âDo you have any better ideas? Iâd love to suppress the enemy by force and kill them that way, but we lack sufficient strength. We canât even pin down their movements for an ambush, so we might as well opt for a more straightforward way. If they want to kill you, they must step into a snare.â
He waved to the others. âYou guys go first, I have some words for Li Hao.â
The rest of the team left without question.
âLiu Yanâ¦â sighed the captain when the rest were far away. âYou saw for yourself just now. She was once marriedâa supernatural killed her husband. There was no recourse for her as the murderer joined a supernatural organization. The Night Watchers could only pretend ignorance and drop the issue, which is why she was agitated.â
I see! No⦠wonderâ¦
âI tell you this only to say that itâs against her will that sheâs out of control and sometimes impossible to understand. Sheâs the most fearless of us in the field and even I pale in comparison when she goes berserk. She didnât join the Demon Hunters with much thought other than to become supernatural and hunt down her husbandâs murderer. Sadly, she is yet to succeedâ¦â
Liu Long decided to give a brief overview of Liu Yanâs background because the madwoman had fixated on Li Hao. He didnât wish the young man to form a bad impression.
âShe hounds you not because she really wants to start anything with you,â Liu Long laughed. âSheâs very enthusiastic to all newcomers because she hopes that they can make the crossover. To put things crudely, she might really be willing to do anything you want if you can ascend. Her only goal is revenge!
âI give the same talk to every newcomer so they wonât refuse to own their debt if they take advantage of her. She bears a blood feud on her shoulders and is a rose with thorns. She is not one for the fainthearted!â