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Xu Mo walked out, aware that someone had tried to use their spiritual sense on him, which in the end resulted in it being devoured by his Dao. He could feel that somewhere, something inside his body had grown slightly stronger—almost on the cusp of a breakthrough.

'I really need to tame this hungry beast, or else one day…' Xu Mo shivered, thinking that if some relatively powerful cultivator tried to use their divine sense to envelop him, his Dao would only result in him getting killed or used as a subject of experimentation if he was unable to tame it.

'I apologize, it wasn't my intention to hurt you.' Xu Mo apologized to the unknown person who had helped him increase his strength but must have suffered damage to their soul in return.

What Xu Mo didn't realize was that he was already on the radar of someone whose strength had surpassed the plane in which he resided.

Xu Mo no longer had anything to do in the city, so he departed just as quickly as he had come. He was a little disheartened that he had been unable to recruit a talent of protagonist-level, but it was okay. Let the Verdant Sky Hall face their difficulties as all the protagonists gathered there. It was concerning for him to have two or three protagonists and villains gathered in a normal sect like the Hidden Dragon Sect—always afraid that they might offend an enemy, or that some foe from their past might come to the sect to settle the score with them.

He walked aimlessly, not sure whether to return to the sect or travel a little more.

Xu Mo had been back at the sect for months now. He was afraid he might encounter another scene from the scripts of villains, heroes, or heroines. It was best to stay cooped up inside his residence within the Hidden Dragon Sect, where he had enough people around him whom he could mobilize indirectly to deal with the sect's problems.

Though the ultimate decision-making power rested in his hands.

He didn't inform the Sect Master or the Ancestor about his encounter with an Immortal Clan young lord. It was better to remain tight-lipped about this. On the other hand, he knew that whether it was Sect Master Bai Xu or the Ancestor, both were helpless in the face of that person's power.

Though his Ancestor had been a well-known and powerful figure in his prime, with friends spanning the entire world, one person was still no match for an entire clan—especially when that clan had managed to produce a true immortal among them, while the elders and the clan head were all at the peak power of this world.

And from what he had experienced, friends were just people tied together through the bond of interest. Sitting on his chair, he rustled his hair, trying to make his brain stop thinking about what had happened back then.

Sigh—

In front of him lay a plain piece of paper on which a few familiar names had been written by him. Since he didn't have anything like a system to store information about all the villains and protagonists who had appeared until now, he had to record all the names and what type they were, so he could navigate his way through difficulties if he encountered them.

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Though he trusted his memory as a Golden Core Realm cultivator, what if one day he became conceited because of his strength?

Immediately, he sat up straight, holding the pen and dipping it in ink. He refocused on the paper in front of him and dived back into the days of his ignorance and early youth, when he first met them—and when he had also gotten the system from the ex-protagonist, Jiang Ren, who had tried to frame him but was ultimately unable to prove Xu Mo guilty. Instead, thanks to the system he had gotten from Jiang Ren, he was able to use its video feature to reveal Jiang Ren's deeds against him, which resulted in Jiang Ren being kicked out of the sect.

He did not dare to take any chances and still wrote down Jiang Ren's name with red-colored ink made from saffron. The other name he wrote in the same color was Long Chen, since he didn't know much about that enigma.

One moment, Long Chen would show camaraderie, and the next, he would give up on you if you became a burden.

Long Chen—the ring protagonist. Xu Mo still remembered how insecure Long Chen used to be whenever he accidentally glanced at his middle finger, on which rested a rusted ancient engraved ring.

There wasn't much to write about Long Chen since Xu Mo would be able to get updates on him whenever he wished, as he knew where he was for now.

Jin Meiyu was also just mentioned, and he wrote down what her talents were, but that was all. He had a neutral relationship with her, so he was safe for now. Also, by the time he left this domain… 'I don't wish to ever leave this place though.' His inner thoughts desired one thing, but he also wanted to see how his own end would be. For that, he wanted to continue slowly advancing and trying not to lose his emotions in the process.

Next up was Mei Xueyin. Before, she and Xu Mo had a good relationship—could even be called acquaintances. She used to feel nothing when talking to him, and he too just treated her as an equal. But after the secret realm incident, where she had somehow obtained a drop of dragon blood, she had become extremely dangerous. Since she believed Xu Mo had been involved in what had happened to her within the underground tomb in the secret realm, she had kept her distance—

In the end, finally leaving the sect abruptly.

Xu Mo had just watched it all happen as the misunderstandings deepened. He knew he could go and clarify things somehow, and she might even believe him, but then again, they weren't even that close. Why would he give proof and explanations for something he hadn't even done—to someone who had already chosen to announce him guilty in her heart?

Xu Mo didn't lack love. He had a Sect Master who was like a father, an Ancestor who was like a grandfather, and even Lan Yuehai—Aunt of Jin Meiyu—who, before she left to return to her sect, had been like a mother to him. They had all taken care of him without asking anything in return.

He didn't know how they would treat him after he lost his strength or talent, but for now, he wanted to preserve these precious memories. On the other hand, he always reminded his narrow mind and heart that all this would one day vanish if he lost his talent—like the said protagonists—but he didn't mind. In the long life of cultivators, such experiences were important in shaping who one became in the end. Though he would try his best to sail through such an event as calmly as he could if it occurred.

Next, he wrote the name of the person he feared most—even more than Long Chen and Jiang Ren: Xue Lingxi, the Reborn Immortal. He had only seen the might of the Immortal Clan and how much influence they held; he couldn't even fathom how much strength a true immortal would possess. And someone had been able to slay her up there, somewhere. Xu Mo gazed upward, his eyes passing through the ceiling of his residence as he looked at the dark black night, dotted with uncountable stars.

Looking from here, his mind couldn't even imagine a plane above this world. This world was already so vast, and yet there existed an Immortal Plane somewhere beyond. His mind resisted imagining anything beyond the firmament, but it was true that outside this world, there was only darkness—from what the Ancestor had told him. Despite being a Golden Core Realm cultivator and a Ninth Grade Core Former, he was still unable to look beyond the sky the way he could look beyond the ceiling of his room.

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