Green emotionless eyes stared down deeply into XA Dayun's black eyes. The tension was still high but Xa Dayu seemed shielded against it, her smile was still there, gentle and warmth.

It was the same smile she gave when asking Zhi Rui to be friends.

"Is this how you find friends? By spreading their secrets?" Zhi Rui said curtly.

But Xa DAyun smiled even brighter and chukled, She gave Zhi Rui a last meaningful smile, and walked back to her seat.

'No, I become friends by coordinating with my friend's plan.' That's the message on the girl's eyes. A small chill swirled on her stomach.

Xa Dayu resembles Zheng Li when Zhi Rui had first met him.

And her conclusion is the same as that time.

'Crazy might be useful, but they are volatile, they love you right now, but one hour later, they're hanging your head on a spike because of that same love.....' But thinking of the oath she made. Zhi Rui wasn't so apprehensive.

Zhi Rui thought deeply. While the only sound on the room was of Bain Bengwan's mocking laughter.

Thoughts of how to use the girl flash by Zhi Rui continuously. But seeing the girl's smile, she left it for later, 'Too little information on her.' Zhi Rui made a note to herself to read Xa Dayu's file from top to bottom.

Then her eyes went to the silent Gao Fang. was still in the position of pleading for forgiveness.

"I can't accept your apology, you sinned against God, I'm merely his child."

She said.

Making Gao Fang's mouth twitch. 'She just had her injury known to every single enemy of hers, yet she chose to admonish him on the religious matters instead of excusing him and try to make friends. She's really a fanatic.'

Seconds ago, on their exchange, he managed to send a micro lightning snake into Zhi Rui's hand. He couldn't penetrate her body with his mind but he felt the state of her body through the skin, and it was quite obvious she was hurt badly. He planned to keep quiet about it and torment her with that information until he had his fill. But in the next second Xa Dayu announced it to the whole world.

He had even prepared a hidden Hope rock on his neck that recorded voice and not images. so as to put Zhi Rui's guard down and made her show her true face as an atheist, but, alas, that also didn't work. There's really a fanatic freak beneath that beautiful face.

He found it too odd, for her to be a fanatic. If he could prove otherwise on her with proof, then everyone who admires her would start questioning her every deed and all the words that have ever come out of her mouth.

He sighed with heavy dissatisfaction on his heart. 'This girl is more problem than I thought...'

He looked a ther in the eyes. "I'm completely in the wrong today and will personally make twenty offerings to his sanctity, the god of light."

He said with his chest puffed.

Zhi Rui nodded "Good!"

"But, I still have to speak of the main issue." He said solemnly.

Zhi Rui's eyes turned to the laughing monkey, Bain Bengwan. He wasn't even laughing naturally right now, he was completely forcing the laugh out of him. Just for the sake of hurting her somehow. He was really draining this rare chance of mocking Zhi Rui.

She shook her head in disdain, and raised her palm high, to slap his mouth.

"Bain Bengnwan!" The strick voice made the monkey stop at once.

"Zhi Rui's my guest, you laughed enough already, let me at least finish this conversation." Gao FAng's cold face etched itself on Bain Bengwan' mind.

For a second he froze. He didn' know what to do, and acted on his instinct.

"I-I-I'm sorry brother Gao Fang, i-it wasn't my intention!" He got up and bowed in a hurry.

Zhi Rui saw that and sighed with a certain pleasure, although she didn' like Gao fang and his tricks But when it's aimed at these kinds of people, she couldn't care less.

His eyes were cold and his tone rigid, but inwardly, he was ready to burst out laughing, one week ago they were nearly strangers, then they talked in equal terms, by the end of that meeting, Bain Bengwan had utmost respect for Gao Fang, and in these last weeks they talked more, after a few carrots and stick conversations. Now, Bengwan turned completely submissive.

That's the phase Gao Fang liked the most, when people are like that, they crave for approval of a figure they respect. That's even more of truth for someone neglected like Bain Bengwan. To make a person like that completely dependent on your approval was easy and even easier is make them squirm. Gao Fang mused on his mind.

Hiding the twisted feelings inside of him Gao Fan looked back at Zhi Rui.

"As you know, the time for hope-rock transmission has extended to fifteen more days. And we noticed you were preparing your base. So I figured, that maybe you could explore around with us, each with his own area. we're sharing your part of the loot since you're not with us for these days, but if you start coming with us, we'll finish it faster and it'll be safer. We also made a bet, the one who gets more contribution credits with the sect, gets five percent of the rest's total credit."

ZH Rui sighed and walked out. She stopped at the door and looked back at Xa Dayu. "I want to walk on that cloud."

"Okay~~" Xa Dayu laughed.

Then Zhi Rui gave Gao FAng a last glance. "I'll participate."

"Great!" He laughed.

----

-----

----

Above the pink cloud, Zhi Rui smirked with disdain. 'Want to invite me to a competition that'll be shown to every disciple? Your motives are as clear the skies.'

Xa DAyu chukled. "We arrived." She then popped Zhi Rui's pink cloud with the tip of her finger.

Zhi Rui lost her ground and hurried to materialize her energy, but she was already on the ground.

"thump."

Her feets touched the ground. She looked on as Xa DAyu went away laughing.

'That one has water for a brain... But she's kind of cute...' Zhi Rui mused. She said that, but she knew very well, that no dumb person could reach their level.

Inside her base, Zhi Rui greeted everyone, went to the bottommost level of their base. She was alone there, and walked to the side and knocked on the wall. after seconds, the wall was pried open. The rats she tamed appeared and led Zhi Rui to another place even lower than the one she was in. Approximately seventy meters below.

The soil there was ten times tougher than the ones on the surface.

In that small room. Silvery stood cross-legged reading a book. She took her eye out of the scrolls and looked at Zhi Rui. Without a word, they both closed their eyes at the same time. Everything the Silvery comprehended form the scroll was transmitted to Zhi Rui.

While one worked, the other practiced and lived. They both wanted pleasure, they both wanted power. So an arrangement was easy.

They were both utilizing the method of Salomon and the Method of Lust.

Except, silvery's main attribute is fire, and she has yet to evolve to a significant level.

'With the way things are going, it should be fine right now...' Zhi Rui squinted her eyes at Silvery. "Tomorrow, you can run amock." Zhi Rui said and sat crosslegged.

Understanding her meaning, Silvery beamed with glee. "Can I go out?"

Zhi Rui nodded. "There are elders taking the weaker disciples on a tour in the more secure areas. Tomorrow you'll assume one of those disciple's identity, and will go back to the sect, you'll satiate your lust in any and every way you crave, Once you're strong enough, go to the interconnected store and buy your second core. When you reach the third level, you can come back here."

In the end, SIlvery's eyes were watering with anticipation, her heart-beat went crazy.

As a cherry on top, Zhi Rui threw a storage pouch to her. Silvery didn' bother with meaningless thanks and ran away like an arrow from the bow.

Zhi Rui smiled at her disappearing back. She was not naive and knew that Silvery was plotting her own ideas.

But her heart-beat accelerated thinking of how their relationships and plots will turn out in the end, will she be locked up in a cell by silvery? Will she manage to steal the loyalty of my subordinates to herself? How will she do it? These kinds of thoughts passed through her mind.

But the smile never left her face and the glint in her squinted eyes showed amusement.

'What kind of schemes will she concoct against me?'