A Waste of Time-Chapter 142: Cracked Schemes

Daemon waited until the last of the thousands — Inner Disciples, Outer Disciples, and Applicants alike — had vanished into the Array. He made no move to follow.
Su An and the rest of his followers exchanged uncertain glances. They didn’t know why he lingered, but none of them dared press forward without him. They stood behind him, silent, waiting.
From around the active Array, and from the stage above, Elders and Instructors watched closely. Many of them found themselves admiring the boy’s composure. His patience, his unhurried authority, and the quiet charisma he radiated — all far beyond his tender years — forced them to reevaluate their earlier judgments.
“You guys go ahead and join the fun. I still need to meditate for a while,” Daemon said at last, lowering himself to the ground. He crossed his legs and sat calmly as if the Array were nothing more than a destination he could visit at his leisure.
“Are you sure?” Su An crouched beside him, lowering her voice. Her eyes flicked nervously toward the stage where the Elders sat in judgment.
Before Daemon could reply, Kang Lai smacked Wei Shun on the back of the head. “I’ll crush your record!” he shouted, then sprinted toward the Array. “And when you land in my bracket, I’ll crush you like a bug!” His laughter echoed, then was swallowed as he passed through the curtain of shimmering light.
Luo Han and Sun Kai inhaled deeply, their faces drawn. After a quick nod to each other, they followed. Kang Lai’s confidence came as no surprise to them. Of all their group, he was the only one bold — or foolish — enough to pursue Body-Refinement while cultivating Spirit. During the Mountain-Sunder Trial, he had broken through to the Fifth-Stage and boasted endlessly afterward. By his claim, he had already completed the Blood-Congealing Stage and pushed into Bone-Forging after consuming Daemon’s Life-Blood. He swore he would finish that stage fully once he had time to absorb its benefits.
If he succeeded, he would only be four stages away from attempting to unlock his First Star. Marrow-Washing, Tendon-Fortifying, Muscle-Strengthening, and Innards-Reinforcing still lay ahead, but the path had never seemed so near.
The rest of the group lingered. They looked at Daemon, nodded, then turned toward the Array. Gratitude filled their eyes. None of them could have stood here with even a shred of confidence without his gift of Life-Blood.
“Don’t worry about me,” Daemon said with a wink at Su An. “I’m just as excited to see what this Thousand-Blows Cycle Array has to offer.” He gestured with his chin toward the glowing curtain where runes and glyphs swam like fish through living light. His meaning was clear:
go ahead without me.
Su An hesitated only a moment. Then she smiled, ruffled his hair, and rose to her feet. Without another word, she stepped into the curtain and disappeared after the others.
Now only Daemon remained, sitting cross-legged in the vast emptiness of the Assembly Arena.
“I need help,” he said, looking up at the row of green-robed Elders.
They exchanged amused looks, but not one of them answered.
Daemon’s gaze shifted. His senses had long since picked out the two individuals who kept probing him. Ever since he had formed the Grey-Palace, it was impossible not to notice them sweeping rudely over his body, invasive and constant, as if the ankle bracelet he wore was not already enough to track his every move.
“Can you two,” he said evenly, voice carrying, “please have these Elders arrange a Formation with a Light Stone and a Darkness Stone? I wish to absorb their energies. I have two Stars — useless for now — that I want to awaken. One of my servants used to handle this for me, but without her, I don’t know how to proceed.”
The words struck like a thunderclap.
All around the stage, the Elders flinched. Until now, they had believed the boy oblivious to the countless Spirit Sense sweeps aimed at him. After all, he had only just ascended to the Eight-Palaces Realm as a Body-Refiner. Body-Refiners were famed for their animal-like instincts and ultra-sharp intuition, not for refined Souls.
Yet this boy saw through them all.
Silence stretched across the arena. No Elder spoke, no Instructor moved.
Sigh.
Daemon rose slowly from the floor, his breath leaving him in a helpless sound. It seemed he had lost hope of receiving any assistance from these people.
Then a familiar presence appeared at his side.
The same old woman from the Azure Lock Chamber — Grand Elder Mo. She had often come bearing sweets, her smile gentle, her voice kind. Yet Daemon had never once been fooled. Behind the squint of her wrinkled eyes, ambition burned like a hidden flame. Whatever scheme she plotted, he knew he stood at the center of it, though its shape remained veiled.
Every time she visited, he raised his guard to the utmost, hiding his vigilance behind the mask of a naive, broken-hearted boy. He played the role well — an ignorant child dulled by grief, stripped of passion. But inside, he never forgot that this woman was patient as a hunter, waiting for the right moment to spring her trap.
And he hated dealing with her kind — shadows scheming in the dark while he stumbled blind in the light.
Next to her stood a silver-robed man in his mid-to-late fifties. His gaze was sharp as a blade, his posture radiating command, his face a mask of stone that betrayed nothing. Under that piercing stare, Daemon’s hair bristled, his instincts screamed, and cold sweat prickled across his brow. Before he realized it, his body had fallen into a defensive posture, pure reflex against the feeling of his very Soul being laid bare.
“We greet Chief Shen and Grand Elder Mo.”
The Instructors dropped to half-kneels. The gathered Elders bowed deeply.
The boy’s stomach clenched. Su An had once explained the hierarchy above even Grand Elders: five Chiefs and one Sect Master. At the Mountain Gate, Cuifen had invoked the name of Chief Protector Xi Shenyan. But this man… this was the other. Shen Duan.
The Disciplinary Chief. Leader of the Law-Enforcers. The second-most feared figure on the entire Mountain, surpassed only by the Sect Master himself.
“Humph. Your aura startled the poor child. Was that really necessary?” Mo Qiuya stepped between them, her words sharp, her body shielding Daemon from Shen Duan’s oppressive might. She took out a small piece of candy, wrapping crinkling as she held it out to him. Her tone softened, her smile returning like a mask slipping back into place.
“Greeting, senior.” Daemon cupped his fist, bowing politely. There was no need to act tough here. This was no opponent he could posture against — this was a man who could smite him where he stood. And though he had two clones hidden in distant lands, he valued his life too much to gamble recklessly with it.
“En.” Shen Duan gave a single nod and strode toward the stage. The centermost Elder vacated his seat at once. Another woman shifted aside to make room for Grand Elder Mo.
Only then did Daemon release the tension knotted in his muscles. He wiped the sweat dripping into his eyes, conjured a splash of water to wash his face, then took several greedy gulps to soothe his dry throat. With a curt thanks, he accepted the candy from the cunning hag.
“I never thought anything could scare you,” Mo Qiuya said with a knowing smile. “But it seems you still value your life. Good.” She patted his back before producing three Spirit Stones — one white, one black, one gold.
“I noticed the Star on your left foot still lacks its shine. You’ve never soaked your physique in the Gold Element, have you? That’s an excellent combination. Earth and Metal together… one of the strongest defenses a Body-Refiner can achieve.
“I’m eager to see what surprises await once you’ve linked all Nine Stars to form your Vitality-Nonagon.”
Her excitement spilled into her words, her mask slipping just enough to betray pieces of her hidden designs. Daemon caught every hint.
“You’re so knowledgeable, Auntie Mo.” His eyes lit up with feigned eagerness, his voice rising like that of a boy excited to share in grown-up secrets. “I only learned about the Vitality-Nonagon after reading Kang Lai’s Iron Root Foundation Method
.
”
Her eyelids twitched at the corner. But her smile never faltered.
“Yet you forced a breakthrough to the Eight-Palaces Realm without perfecting the Nine-Stars Realm. That alone speaks volumes of your potential.” Her tone turned stern as she ruffled his hair. “But don’t get cocky. Don’t think you can rest satisfied with what you’ve achieved. The road is still long, still full of hardship. Remember that.”
She lifted her hands. “Now sit. I’ll draw the Formation for you. Calm your mind and prepare.”
Daemon lowered his gaze, eyes curving with a sly smile. He plastered innocence over his face — the same sheepish grin Wei Shun had worn when Kang Lai discovered his betrayal.
“I’ll always remember Auntie Mo’s advice.”
The word
Auntie
rang like a jab, and his smile was all mock innocence. Then he sank down into the lotus position and closed his eyes.
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