What If?

Xu Xian’s composure exceeded the expectations of the young girl, Bai Gan.

This remote courtyard, though unremarkable within the vagrant alley, had now become the target of every eye in Min Capital.

Hidden in the shadows, no fewer than several hundred pairs of eyes watched this place at all times.

Every action and every move fell into the view of the Seven Great Heavenly Demon Families. Even the people from the Demon Court had intervened.

She did not believe that someone as vigilant and cautious as Bai Mang could be completely unaware.

Yet he acted as if he knew nothing. He stayed exactly where he was, choosing not to flee. He had even taken the initiative to dismantle the formation previously set in the courtyard.

He had exposed himself completely to the surveillance of others.

She could not understand what he was plotting or what game he was playing.

To be so calm and self-assured, there was only one possibility: he was extremely confident in his backing. His confidence had reached a level of supreme arrogance, where he looked down upon the entire world as trash.

Was there truly a powerful expert hidden within Min Capital that even she could not detect?

Or had he already seen through her identity and was using her as a shield, which was why he acted with such fearlessness?

The answer was likely known only to him.

As undercurrents surged through Min Capital and various factions grew restless, her sister, the Small Priest, was also being drawn in as time passed.

Xu Xian was not ignorant of the schemes and connections involved.

However, for now, the best strategy was to meet all changes with constancy.

Furthermore, the various forces in the shadows were hesitating. No one had dared to make a move yet, not even to test the waters. This only served to confirm his suspicions.

They might have misgivings about the power behind him, but the primary reason they remained still was definitely because they were wary of this young girl.

The answer was obvious.

This girl likely came from the Nether Religion, and she might even be one of the High and Low Priests.

Xu Xian was certain that he had been targeted from the very beginning. Withdrawing unscathed would be extremely difficult.

Moreover, he had to remain in Min Capital. Cultivating his demon art required time, and practicing the primordial demon art, the Nether Fire Secret Art, also required time.

Even the forging of the Shadow Soul Stones thereafter would take time.

Time.

Xu Xian needed time.

He had been troubled about how to deal with the surveillance in the shadows, as he never knew exactly how they had tracked him. Similarly, he didn't know if they would suddenly launch an attack to force out his hidden trump cards.

But now, everything was fine. Bai Gan had arrived, and by using her revenge as a pretext, she had caused such a massive commotion that he was now exposed directly under the eyes of all the heavenly demon race's grand figures.

It wasn't hard for Xu Xian to guess her intentions. She simply wanted to test him and see how he would react.

A normal person would undoubtedly either strike back or run away.

As long as he did that, a conflict would inevitably erupt, allowing her to probe the secrets hidden behind him.

But Xu Xian refused to give her what she wanted. Instead, he pulled her in to serve as his shield.

It was a classic move of turning the enemy's scheme against them, meeting their changes with his own constancy.

...

Days passed one by one. One day, two days, three days... ten days. In the blink of an eye, half a month had gone by.

The people in the shadows grew increasingly restless, many unable to sit still any longer.

The situation became more confusing, and the atmosphere grew more turbulent.

Finally, after days and nights of arduous cultivation, Xu Xian had completely mastered the demon art derived and adapted from the Lan family's cultivation method.

He had taken a shortcut, opening an independent space only within his dantian.

Half was occupied by demon qi and the other half by yin qi. Because time was tight, he had not finished refining the meridians, qi manor, and acupoints all at once.

Instead, he chose to forcibly circulate his dantian, drawing in a massive amount of demon qi in a single burst to break through the meridians, qi manor, and acupoints.

This allowed him to fully adapt to and control the deployment and circulation of demon qi.

To put it simply, it was like a shift in form. He had two modes: a spirit qi form and a demon qi form. Whichever he switched to, he could utilize that specific energy.

This was thanks to the fact that his acquired sword body was sufficiently domineering, and he had the Pupil of Insight to guard his heart and master every detail.

Furthermore, since he was already at the sixth stage soul transformation, he could achieve a free transition between the two forms. The damage he sustained during the process was minimized to almost nothing.

Moreover, when his demon qi was insufficient to support his demon race techniques, he could even mobilize the spirit qi stored in his dantian to forcibly release energy as a boost.

It was like a range-extended hybrid car that could run on fuel or electricity.

Of course, Xu Xian had only just mastered it and was not yet proficient enough to make one plus one equal two.

However, he knew very well in his heart that if he continued to cultivate, he could definitely achieve an effect where one plus one was greater than two during a specific outburst.

Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to delve deeper into it. Furthermore, demon qi only existed within the Demon Abyss. Once he left, he would have to rely on consuming Shadow Soul Stones to replenish his demon qi.

And inside the Demon Abyss, there was no spirit qi, so he could only consume spirit stones and medicinal pills.

Therefore, whether inside or outside the Demon Abyss, using these powers meant he either had to swallow pills, spirit stones, or Shadow Soul Stones.

None of those three things were cheap.

Using them was not cost-effective; it was rather impractical.

If it weren't for the fact that practicing the Nether Fire Secret Art required him to master demon qi, Xu Xian wouldn't have bothered with this hassle. Compared to this time-consuming, labor-intensive, and inconvenient method, it was more practical to just focus on building his Sword Tower.

Bai Gan had settled into a routine of life, washing clothes, cooking, and cleaning without missing a beat. She did a decent job and often went out to buy supplies, returning when all things rested.

Like Xu Xian, she acted as if nothing was wrong.

Occasionally, she would talk with him, asking more than once if they should move. She said this place was too remote and noted that since he clearly didn't lack money, there was no need to mistreat himself by living in a place where he seemed like he couldn't be seen in public.

Xu Xian simply said it was cheap.

She then said that the rainy season was coming soon. When the rains lasted for days, the roof of this courtyard—which was broken in many places—would surely leak. It would be damp and uncomfortable.

Xu Xian still said it was cheap.

No matter what she said, Xu Xian had only one response: it was cheap.

The girl took the hint and shut up. Her assessment was complete: Bai Mang was a miser.

After mastering the demon art, Xu Xian spent a few days consolidating and familiarizing himself before beginning to practice the Nether Fire Secret Art.

When he intentionally pulled out that red secret manual in front of Bai Gan, a clear tremor of emotion flickered in the depths of her eyes.

Even though it was gone in an instant, Xu Xian saw it clearly.

And when he began to practice the Nether Fire Secret Art in earnest, Bai Gan became completely unsettled.

Her gaze fell upon him more frequently. At times, she would fall into a state of deep thought or daydreaming, as if her spirit were wandering far away or traveling through a dream.

She recognized that book. She knew it was the Nether Fire Secret Art. However, she did not know what was written inside.

But...

Bai Mang seemed to understand it.

Those were primordial demon scripts. How could he possibly recognize them?

Was he faking it?

Or did he truly know?

"Could it be that he can actually learn it?"

As soon as the thought popped up, she ruthlessly dismissed it with a self-deprecating smile. "How could that be possible? He is just a third-class demon, and that is the Nether Fire Secret Art..."

The image of a white-haired demon condensing nether fire and becoming a Demon Lord was beyond words.

However...

She furrowed her brows and stole a glance at the youth, murmuring softly, "What if?"