While I was chanting a curse, the system said I was Xiao Yan?

He grabbed the last cursed spirit by the neck with one hand and lifted it up.

It was a newly formed level four cursed spirit, its appearance as blurry as a cloud of black mist, without even a complete form yet.

It struggled in Tianyan's hand, making tiny, mouse-like squeaking noises.

Tianyan glanced down at it.

"You're too weak. Even the crystal core wouldn't bother absorbing your magical power, would it?"

He clenched his five fingers together and crushed the black mist.

The last bit of magical power drifted toward the crystal core and was completely absorbed.

The cellar fell completely silent.

In the darkness, only Tianyan stood there, with the slowly dissipating remains of the cursed spirit beneath his feet, and the air filled with the lingering power of the curse.

He reached into his waist and took out the crystal core.

"Full?"

[Tier 1 Monster Core (Full): A core containing abundant energy, which can be used to refine Foundation Building Elixir or for other purposes.]

"pretty!"

Tianyan put the crystal core away with satisfaction, then his gaze swept around in the darkness, landing on the piles of cursed energy remnants that had not yet completely dissipated.

After some cursed spirits die, their "cores" are not absorbed by the crystal core, but are scattered on the ground.

Tianyan strode over and crouched down to search through the clump of dark gray residue.

A moment later, two more crystal cores appeared in his palm.

One was smaller than the previous one, and its shape was not very regular. Only half of the surface of the milky white luster was full, while the other half remained in a grayish-white and cloudy state.

The other one was even smaller, only the size of a little fingernail, grayish in color, with almost no energy fluctuations inside, barely condensed into a crystal shape.

"One full, one half full, one empty..."

Tianyan weighed the three crystal cores in his hand, a look of satisfaction mixed with regret on his face.

What's satisfying is that he obtained three crystal cores from a single trip to the "Beast Cage." According to the system's rule of "resubmission is allowed," this means he can exchange them for at least three more bottles of Foundation Establishment Elixir.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a single cursed spirit left in the cellar.

He looked around. The underground space, which had once imprisoned thirty or forty cursed spirits, was now as clean as a licked-on plate.

He even easily cleaned up the lowest-level fourth-grade cursed spirits.

"That's it?"

Undeterred, Tianyan circled around again, even turning over the pebbles in the corners, before finally letting out a reluctant sigh after confirming that no fish had escaped.

"I should have been more careful with the killing..."

It takes a near-level 2 curse spirit plus dozens of level 3 and 4 curse spirits to create a one-and-a-half-level crystal core.

Based on the power of the curse, roughly one level-two curse spirit is considered one. In the system's eyes, a level-two curse spirit is equivalent to a first-tier magical beast.

I wonder what a level one cursed spirit is in the system's eyes...

Second-order? Or third-order?

He muttered to himself, carefully put the three crystal cores into his pocket, then took his coat off the wall, shook it out, put it on, and went outside.

As soon as I pushed open the door, I found two familiar figures standing outside.

Zen temple fan.

His adoptive father stood atop the stone steps, his back straight as a drawn katana, his face so somber it seemed to drip water. His cold, hard eyes held no warmth whatsoever, and he looked at Tianyan as if he were a complete stranger.

And at his feet—

Yamada, the member of the Kujuru team who was punished in place of Tianyan yesterday, was kneeling on the ground, trembling all over, his face as pale as paper. His forehead was pressed against the ground, and he dared not raise his head, his shoulders shaking violently.

"Godfather?"

Tianyan was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously took a step forward: "What's wrong with you...?"

Zen Temple Fan did not answer his question. His gaze swept over Tian Yan and landed on the half-open iron gate behind him.

The lingering scent of cursed remnants from the cellar hadn't completely dissipated when it was carried out by the morning breeze.

"You went into the animal cage?"

Zen Fan's voice was calm, but Tian Yan could hear the anger suppressed beneath that calm.

"Yes." Tianyan didn't hide anything. "I went in and dealt with some cursed spirits."

"Dealing with the cursed spirit?"

Zen Temple Fan snorted coldly, his gaze returning to Tianyan's face: "Your spell power is only at level four. What kind of hero are you trying to be in the beast cage? Do you want to die even faster?"

"Godfather, my magical power has recovered to level three," Tianyan calmly corrected. "And the magical spirits in the beast cage..."

"Level three?"

Zen Temple Fan interrupted him, his voice suddenly rising a notch: "So what if you're level three? You're sixteen, Tianyan! A sixteen-year-old level three mage isn't even worth a dog in the Zen Temple family!"

That's a very strong statement.

Tianyan paused for a moment, then looked at the team member on the ground and changed the subject: "Godfather, why did you bring him here...?"

Zenin Sen followed his gaze and glanced at Yamada, who was trembling at his feet, a cold smile curving his lips.

"You took fifty lashes for him yesterday, and you think that's the end of it?"

"Godfather..."

"The rules of the Zen monastery are that mistakes must be punished."

The Zen monk's voice was as cold as ice: "You took those fifty lashes for him, but he shouldn't be spared his share."

A bad feeling welled up in Tianyan's heart: "You mean...?"

Zen Temple Fan did not answer, but simply tilted his head, his gaze falling on the half-open iron gate.

"Have you dealt with all the cursed spirits in the beast cage?"

"......yes."

Tianyan nodded, "Not a single one left."

"Oh."

Zen Temple Fan let out a short, cold laugh, but there was no real joy in it.

He looked down at the kneeling team members, his voice as calm as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.

"Then let's try a different approach."

He reached out and pressed the hilt of the katana at his waist. With a gentle push of his thumb, the tsuba (handguard) slid silently out of the scabbard, revealing a section of its gleaming blade.

"Since there are no more cursed spirits, I'll do it myself."

Tianyan's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Godfather!"

He suddenly stepped forward, blocking Yamada's path: "What are you going to do?"

Zen-in-sen looked at him, his gaze devoid of anger or disappointment, only a cold, unquestionable scrutiny.

"Get out of the way."

"Godfather, he was already punished yesterday!"

Tianyan didn't move, his voice filled with suppressed emotion: "Fifty lashes, I'll take them for him, according to the rules..."

"rule?"

The monk interrupted him with a fan, his voice suddenly turning cold and sharp: "You're talking to me about rules?"

"What is the greatest rule of the Zen family? Strength is paramount! The words of the strong are the rules!"

"He made a mistake, disgracing the Zen temple; you taking the whip for him, disgracing me!"

The Zen monk's voice grew colder: "A useless adopted son whose magical power has waned, and a servant who backed down in the face of battle, you two have somehow ended up together."

"Godfather!"

Tianyan's voice also turned serious: "He's not a waste, he's just..."

"Just what?"

Zen Temple Fan interrupted sharply: "Just afraid? Just backing down? Then he's a piece of trash!"

Zen monasteries don't need useless people! Just like I don't need an adopted son whose magical power is only level three!