Chen Xu successfully killed the Demon Puppet, and his feelings at this moment were quite unsettled.

Killing the Demon Puppet was nothing special, but to do so with such ease—

Compared to the previous arduous battle in the Village of the Deity Lord, it was clear to see how much Chen Xu's power had progressed.

He was even unsure of the upper limit of his own strength.

Yet considering the many mysteries of this world, he felt it was still necessary to remain vigilant, to strive diligently in cultivation, and never to become complacent.

"Meow, meow..."

Outside the window, the faint sound of cats meowing could still be heard, and just then, the door was pushed open by two classmates.

"Brother Chen, we are all discussing the examination questions. There are many points we are unsure about, and ultimately, we need to consult you, Brother Chen."

Both classmates spoke with voices tinged with post-exam tension.

The door opened, revealing Xu Wenyuan and another classmate from the County School, Fang Ji.

Xu Wenyuan's demeanor was somewhat tense, while Fang Ji was smiling with eyes curved like a Maitreya Buddha.

The meowing from outside the window continued, like the Demon Puppet, yet not quite the same.

Chen Xu responded to his classmates, "I'll go downstairs for breakfast later, no need to wait for me.

As for the exam questions, I'm sure the Master will soon gather us together to explain.

I am uncertain about some questions too, so it's a good opportunity for us to discuss together later."

Xu Wenyuan remained silent, lost in thought, appearing somewhat distracted.

Fang Ji, however, said with a laugh, "Brother Chen, you're too modest. With your literary skills, what could you be uncertain about?

Yesterday at the courtyard examination, we saw the smoke rise again. Although no one expressly said who composed this poem, who among us couldn't have guessed?

This poem must have been by your hand, Brother Chen!

You've got the Bookworm striking the bell at the palace examination, and now the Cyan Smoke Poem at the courtyard examination.

This time, the top of the courtyard exam, I'm afraid, is none other than you."

Fang Ji's words were laced with both admiration and flattery.

As he spoke, he even reached out, intending to lightly pat Chen Xu on the shoulder.

This action wasn't actually inappropriate, as friends with good relationships often have such physical gestures.

"Meow!"

Just then, another cat call sounded outside the window.

Chen Xu immediately stepped back, moving over to the window.

"I wonder why there are so many cats in this alley?" he said in an astonished tone.

In truth, Chen Xu's feelings were indeed filled with suspicion, as he noticed that after killing the Demon Puppet, more and more cats were gathering in the alley outside the window.

Some of the bigger, stronger cats even twitched their noses, seemingly sniffing the ground for something.

Among them, a Tiger Striped Cat appeared with grace, its paw striking down, causing the other cats to scatter to the sides.

It then landed lightly, with a stride like a noble tiger, and walked to the place where the Demon Puppet had died.

Then, it lowered its head to sniff around.

After that sniff, it suddenly tilted its head, followed by a powerful call: "Meow!"

With an urgent yowl, it kicked the ground with its four paws and leapt towards the window where Chen Xu was!

Chen Xu, by the window, witnessed it all clearly.

At that moment, his Microscopic ability was activated swiftly, and his Divine Thought Sensing was exceptionally keen.

He sensed that the rushing Tiger Striped Cat was not the Demon Puppet—

There was no Chaotic Demonic Qi emanating from it.

However, this was clearly not an ordinary domesticated cat; it undoubtedly carried the wild ferocity and vibrancy of a beast.

This was a wild cat!

The Tiger Striped Cat's leaping ability was extraordinary; it caught hold of a small protrusion under the window of the second floor, exerted its forelimbs, and with a swift flip of its entire body, it was about to spring through the window and land on the room's floor.

"Ah!" In the room, Fang Ji let out a cry of surprise.

"Brother Chen, Brother Chen, the cat!"

The frail scholar was actually afraid of the cat.

Fang Ji hurriedly retreated, dragging Xu Wenyuan with him as he moved back.

Xu Wenyuan, slightly startled, did not retreat with Fang Ji but called out loudly, "Brother Chen, dodge."

Saying this, he rushed forward, intending to catch the Tiger Striped Cat as it flew and leapt.

"Meow, meow!" The Tiger Striped Cat landed in the room, agilely darting back and forth, and after sniffing around, suddenly charged at Chen Xu.

As it leapt, about to swipe its claws at Chen Xu, Chen Xu quickly extended his hand.

With a single grab, he seized the scruff of the wild cat's neck.

"Meow meow meow!" The Tiger Striped Cat yowled angrily, its paws flailing in struggle.

But what could it do? Chen Xu controlled its life force, rendering all struggles futile.

The two classmates watched in astonishment.

Xu Wenyuan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's fortunate you're so quick, Brother Chen. It's quite frightening that the cat outside could break into the house."

Fang Ji stood at the door, slowly turning his head, face smiling, and said leisurely:

"Indeed, it's quite frightening. We should talk to the shopkeeper about controlling these wild cats outside."

The commotion here had alarmed many people staying on the second floor, who all came over to see.

People chattered about the cat cries being a disturbance, insisting on asking the shopkeeper to take action.

Later, the shopkeeper rushed up, full of apologies and promises, needless to say.

The shopkeeper even offered to take over the cat from Chen Xu's hands. Chen Xu laughed and said, "This wild cat is spirited. I find it somewhat interesting.

Perhaps I should reason with it, teach it how to coexist with people in the city."

These words left the shopkeeper dumbfounded.

Until Chen Xu closed the door and everyone dispersed, the shopkeeper shook his head as he descended the stairs, saying, "No wonder he's an extraordinary scholar; he even wants to reason with a wild cat.

Well, how is this different from... playing a lute to a cow?"

The door closed, and Chen Xu, holding the cat, watched the Tiger Striped Cat bristle and glare, its limbs dangling, a look of defiance on its face.

Chen Xu shook his head, pondering why the cat would scale the wall and leap into his room?

Upon reflection, it seemed highly likely that the cat was attracted by the death of the Demon Puppet.

But Chen Xu had indeed already possessed the ability of the Tribulation Mirror—

Wait, that's not right.

Although Chen Xu could employ "Tribulation Mirror," this was merely the first level of "Severing the Karmic Tie," preventing the death imprint of the Demon Puppet from attaching to him.

Yet shortly after the Demon Puppet died, Chen Xu summoned the Mud Ball Daoist Soldier to retrieve the Puppet's corpse nearby.

During this, it was inevitable that some of the Puppet's aura would have leaked, and although the Demon Puppet was eventually collected back into the Fire and Smoke Kitchen along with the Daoist Soldier, the lingering aura along the path was not cleared by Chen Xu.

Chen Xu suddenly had an epiphany, recognizing a significant flaw in the Tribulation Mirror.

Could it be possible to actively mitigate this flaw?

Should he avoid collecting spoils of war in future long-range kills, or was there another application of the Tribulation Mirror?

Chen Xu pondered this, holding the Tiger Striped Cat in his left hand, while his right hand suddenly made a gentle pushing gesture forward.

A stream of clear wind suddenly arose, carrying an unusual, ethereal force, sweeping across all paths the Demon Puppet had come.

In the alley, an attendant had been waving a broom to drive away the gathered cats: "Go, go, don't linger here, there's no food in the back alley!"

"Meow meow meow!"

The wild cats dodged and hid but refused to leave the back alley completely.

It wasn't until that ethereal wind swept through that the once-tenacious wild cats suddenly seemed to lose their target, momentarily dazed.

"Meow..."

This time, without the attendant needing to chase them forcefully, the wild cats scattered on their own, not returning.

So that's how it is!

Chen Xu understood.

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