Chapter 215: Eye of the Northwest

Bai Zi explained, "They found a wormhole created by a Cave Beast in the deep wilderness outside the city. This wormhole leads directly to the coastal regions of Jiepeng. The official records have named it the Eye of the Northwest."

Cave Beasts were an incredibly rare, king-grade star beast species. They were one of the few high-level star beasts that were harmless. But they possessed a unique and extraordinary ability—space consumption.

Much like a worm burrowing through an apple, Cave Beasts aimlessly gnawed through space, leaving behind stable wormholes that remained open for up to a century. These wormholes could be used by humans to travel vast distances, functioning much like teleportation arrays. They were safe and efficient, which, during this era when star beasts dominated the oceans, made them the only means for humans to conduct trade across vast waters.

The discovery of a wormhole outside Liuhe Base City that led to the coastal regions of Jiepeng meant that this city was almost directly connected to the Jiepeng Empire.

"This region, being in the northwest, hasn't suffered as much from Jiepeng’s infiltration as the eastern coastal areas. So, while there are anti-Jiepeng sentiments among the people, they aren't as intense. Moreover, the major martial arts families in this city are welcoming to the Jiepeng people. There couldn’t be a better testing ground for the Jiepeng."

Bai Zi seemed to be explaining matters to Twelfth Lady, but it was almost as if he was also musing out loud.

After a pause, he continued, "Perhaps Uncle Tan is reluctant to leave right now because he doesn’t want to see the city he poured his heart into becoming a testing ground for Jiepeng’s New Martial Arts."

"Young Master, what's so bad about New Martial Arts?" Twelfth Lady asked, twirling a lock of her hair around her finger. This question had been troubling her for a long time.

"If it allows for the quick and safe mass production of powerful martial artists, even those without natural talent could gain strength. Liuhe Base City has millions of people—if everyone underwent the New Martial Arts surgery, wouldn’t that mean we could have an army of millions of martial artists in a short time? That would be enough to handle any beast tide."

"Your perspective is flawed," Bai Zi shook his head. "First, not everyone is fit to undergo New Martial Arts surgery. If your body isn't up to the required standard, you can't proceed. Second, even with the most advanced techniques, not all surgeries are successful. Every New Martial Arts surgery carries a risk of failure. Third, even if the surgery is successful, there are often significant side effects. The Inscribed Treasure Bones are, after all, beast bones, and the human body can and will reject them. This isn’t something that can be easily resolved with medication or willpower. Lastly, these bones can erode a person's mind; it’s highly likely that the recipient's mental state can be compromised. Over time, this could result in the person becoming more beast than human—a monster. And all of these outcomes have happened before."

"Really?" Twelfth Lady was shocked. "But isn’t it said that Jiepeng’s New Martial Arts surgery is highly advanced? Why haven’t I heard about these issues?"

Bai Zi chuckled and tapped her on the head with the book in his hand, saying, "That’s why you need to read more."

"Ah! Young Master, you hit my head again," Twelfth Lady complained, hopping away in annoyance.

Bai Zi continued, "The Jiepeng Empire’s ambitions toward the Great Xia Republic are well-known. This treacherous nation has always been our most dangerous neighbor. Just think about it—if their New Martial Arts surgery was truly flawless, wouldn’t they have kept it as a closely guarded national secret? Why would they willingly share such technology with us? Even if we assume, for argument’s sake, that the surgery is without flaws, how can you be sure they haven’t hidden some other agenda during the surgical process?"

Twelfth Lady considered this and nodded. "True, even dogs don’t trust the Jiepeng people."

Bai Zi seemed in a reflective mood as he sighed and continued, "The Jiepeng Empire is confined to its island, with limited territory and a population too small to support the extensive trials needed for their New Martial Arts surgery. That’s why they’ve resorted to kidnapping and trafficking people from other countries to use in their experiments. Their so-called mature New Martial Arts surgery is built on the suffering and bloodshed of countless foreign victims. Now, when the Eye of the Northwest was discovered, they’ve set their sights on Liuhe Base City. After offering enough benefits, they quickly found willing partners among the local families. If the Jiepeng-Ye family alliance successfully takes control of this city, the millions of Great Xia citizens living here could face a catastrophic fate."

Twelfth Lady was taken aback. Bai Zi had never shared such details with her before.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"Isn’t there anyone who can stop this?" she asked urgently. "The government, the Star Council—they wouldn’t allow something like this to happen, would they?"

Bai Zi shook his head and said, "When the pressure of survival becomes overwhelming, moral boundaries start to erode."

After a brief pause, he added, "According to research published by the Star Council, the global star beast population is expected to surge dramatically within the next ten years. Humanity is facing a new survival crisis. As a result, domestic support for New Martial Arts is growing stronger. Many in positions of power now believe that a certain cost is necessary to perfect and ensure the success of the New Martial Arts surgery."

Twelfth Lady shivered, understanding all too well what the cost Bai Zi mentioned truly meant. It would be countless lives; the destruction of numerous families. It would mean the loss of many fathers, mothers, children, and grandparents.

"Young Master, what is your true purpose in coming to Liuhe Base City?" She suddenly asked. It was a question that had just formed in her mind.

Bai Zi smiled, his expression as gentle and warm as ever. "What could a useless scholar like me possibly do?"

He sat back down and resumed reading his book. The room fell into a deep, almost eerie silence. Twelfth Lady watched him, her gaze fixed on the alluring profile of his face illuminated by the light. It was a face she could never tire of looking at.

As one of the most elite warriors the Bai family had ever trained, Twelfth Lady’s decision to become this seemingly incompetent scholar’s protector had always puzzled others. But in her heart, the reason was perfectly clear. He was just that handsome.

***

At exactly 10 p.m., Li Xiaofei hurriedly returned to the slums where he received one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.