In the subconscious world, a great fire burned everything to ashes.

Li Fei was startled, but immediately realized what this was—the Oath Technique!

The other party had established a secrecy-preserving Oath Technique. When the memories of the heart and mind suffered an 'invasion,' the Oath Technique planted deep in the psyche would be triggered, thus directly destroying that segment of memory.

From the current scene, the Oath Technique that the person had set up was obviously the most severe kind. Once triggered, it would even destroy the entire person's psyche, utterly domineering!

Li Fei hastened to extinguish the great fire with the magic of the Nightmare Sect.

He had now reached the Possession Stage and could resonate with the Dream Command, doubling the power of his magic, and ultimately he successfully put out the fire.

But even though his actions had been swift, the fire had already burnt many things, especially the most critical pieces of information.

Li Fei could only try to retrieve what was left of the remaining information...

Creak—

The door of the cell was opened, and Li Fei walked out.

"Has the Marquis finished the interrogation?" Zhuang Kun asked.

Li Fei nodded, "Keep a close watch, don't let the suspect die."

"Rest assured, Marquis." Zhuang Kun nodded in response.

Afterward, Li Fei left the dungeon of the Inspection Department and walked into the workspace of He Jian and others.

A group of people was examining files.

"Mr. He."

Li Fei approached He Jian.

"Did Lord Li have any findings from interrogating the suspect?" He Jian glanced at Li Fei and asked casually.

He hadn't really expected Li Fei to get anything out of the suspect, and he planned to interrogate the person himself next.

"The suspect is a member of an organization called the New Heaven Association," Li Fei said.

"The New Heaven Association?" He Jian put down the file in his hand, raised his head, and looked at Li Fei in surprise.

"New Heaven, meaning daring to call for the replacement of the sun and moon to usher in a new heaven. The purpose of this organization is to overthrow the existing rule and establish a new order," Li Fei explained succinctly.

He Jian nodded, not surprised. Since the Da Lan Dynasty had been established, organizations like this had never ceased to exist.

"What else did Lord Li find out?"

"The person's name is Liu Jiehui, a famous expert from the World of Gan Province. It was with the support of the New Heaven Association that he managed to break through to the Tao Foundation Stage eight years ago."

"Eight years ago..." He Jian nodded and recorded this critical piece of information.

A secret organization that had existed in the shadows for at least eight years had enough resources to help someone advance to the Tao Foundation Stage. Combined with the two people Li Fei had encountered previously in Datong Prefecture,

a Tao Foundation Stage Peak expert so young and another being a Great Mage with a Flying Escape Magic Tool.

Such an organization could indeed plan a case like the assassination at the Heavenly Altar.

"Anything else?"

"I wasn't able to retrieve the most crucial information in time; we can't confirm the organization's connection with the Heavenly Altar assassination case yet."

"Not in time?"

"I used a secret technique to forcibly search the suspect's memory, but he had implanted an Oath Technique; his psyche has been destroyed, and many key memories are missing."

"Why didn't you inform me before taking action on your own, Lord Li?!" Upon hearing this, visible anger appeared on He Jian's face.

Li Fei straightforwardly admitted his oversight, "Indeed, I was negligent; I didn't expect the Oath Technique the other party had implanted to be so domineering."

But He Jian still didn't seem inclined to let him off the hook. He would not spare the face of the Inspector General of the Inspection Department, nor the face of the Marquis:

"Lord Li! I know you are an unparalleled prodigy, but that's in Martial Arts. When it comes to investigating cases, I hope you can leave the professional matters to the professionals!"

His words were quite rude, and Li Fei fell silent.

The rest of the people in the room tensed up.

"Teacher..." Yuan Mengfei quickly grabbed He Jian, looking apologetically at Li Fei and trying to smooth things over, "Marquis, please don't mind it, my teacher speaks frankly about the case..."

"The lack of consideration was indeed on my part, and from now on, I'll discuss any case-related matters with Mr. He first," Li Fei said sincerely, waving his hand.

He was, in fact, reflecting on his own behavior.

Although no longer impetuous as in his youth, from being ennobled in front of the palace to his current position, his entire journey had been one of triumph.

Before he went to question Liu Jiehui, he naturally felt that he could solve the problem with the "Gate of Dream Realm" and was full of confidence in himself.

It was indeed a lack of thorough consideration.

He Jian was taken aback.

He had regretted his words the moment he uttered them, not because he was worried about offending Li Fei, but because Li Fei was the main person in charge of this case. If he caused a fallout with him, it would not be conducive to the investigation ahead.

That was the kind of person he was, always conceding for the sake of the case.

But he hadn't expected Li Fei to readily admit his mistake.

He Jian's expression softened, and he saluted Li Fei, "I hope Lord Li doesn't take offense to my impertinence."

"It doesn't matter," Li Fei said calmly.

He was not someone without temper; it was just that his edge only showed itself in the presence of enemies.

The atmosphere in the room relaxed.

Just as Yuan Mengfei was about to crack a joke to lighten the mood, Li Fei spoke again:

"However, I did not come away empty-handed. I retrieved a piece of information from the suspect's memory, and I think we can set a trap to lure the snake out of the hole."

"Oh?"

He Jian perked up immediately, "How so?"

...

The day after Li Fei arrived in Gan Province, almost everyone in the city knew that the Marquis Jing'an had come to the provincial capital.

There was no helping it; Li Fei's fame was simply too immense now.

Therefore, the people of the Jianghu in the provincial capital were all discussing one matter—

Would Li Fei fight Shen Tuyue?

Fengyun Leaderboard third VS second!

This was undoubtedly a grand event in the World, attracting the attention of tens of thousands.

However, according to the customs of the World, duels between the experts on the Fengyun List usually involved those with lower rankings challenging those above them.

Currently, Li Fei's ranking was lower than Shen Tuyue's, but his status was higher than hers, so it would be best if he were the one to initiate the duel. Shen Tuyue, on the other hand, couldn't properly issue a challenge herself.

Yet, after a good five days had passed, Li Fei showed no intention whatsoever of inviting Shen Tuyue for a match.

This inevitably led to disappointment among the masses. UploadedbytheM|V|L(EMPYR)team.

Some believed that Li Fei, now a Marquis, valued his reputation even more and felt unsure about defeating Shen Tuyue, thus he did not issue a challenge.

Others thought that Li Fei, now of high position and power, no longer deigned to vie for fame with the people of the Jianghu.

Because Shen Tuyue was from Gan Province, most of the speculation was biased in her favor, believing that Li Fei had no confidence in winning, which was why he hadn't challenged her.

February 21st.

It was the sixth day since Li Fei came to the city of Gan Province.

These days, he had been staying in the Inspection Department, either cultivating or discussing cases with He Jian.

Suddenly, Lv Wenxing came to Li Fei with an invitation.

"Inviting me?"

Li Fei took the invitation and glanced at it, a bit surprised, "Didn't we announce to everyone that I'm here to investigate cases?"

After he had arrived in the city of Gan Province, he had Lv Wenxing immediately announce that he was focusing on the investigation and declined all invitations.

Thus, he didn't understand why Lv Wenxing would bother to bring him an invitation now.

"Marquis, this person's identity is no ordinary matter, and this banquet is related to the recent hot topic of discussion, hence I thought it necessary to inform you," explained Lv Wenxing.

Li Fei looked at the signature on the invitation—Chief of the Zhi Ge Department, Chi Chengyu.

A cabinet official, and also a Martial Arts Master.

Of high rank and power, indeed he carried some clout, yet not enough to compel Li Fei to abandon his current duties for the banquet.

"Chi Chengyu also holds another position, as the vice president of the Entry World Conference," Lv Wenxing said.

"Entry World Conference?"

Li Fei was momentarily taken aback, then remembered something.

The Red Dust Pavilion could become one of the most prominent Jianghu sects not just because they were under the protection of a Martial Saint on earth, but also due to their Entry World Conference.

The Red Dust Pavilion's cultivation techniques are quite unique, emphasizing the importance of first integrating into the secular world, then withdrawing from it.

Their founding ancestor created the 'Red Dust Heart Cleansing Technique', requiring practitioners to temper their hearts with the trials and tribulations of the mundane world, ultimately transcending it to comprehend the Dao.

For this purpose, the Red Dust Pavilion established an 'Entry World Conference' in the secular realm, allowing all disciples undergoing worldly trials to support one another.

The methods of worldly trials for disciples of the Red Dust Pavilion varied greatly:

Some entered the world as physicians, healing the suffering.

Some became officials, vowing to rescue the common people.

Some joined the military to gain fame and honors on the battlefield.

Some went into business, aspiring to be the wealthiest under the heavens...

Disciples of the Red Dust Pavilion were all exceptional individuals, so they each managed to make their mark upon entering the secular world.

Over time, this Entry World Conference developed significant influence in secular society!

Whether in business, the civil service, the military, or any other industry, the Entry World Conference had industry leaders ready to lend their support.

Due to the existence of the Entry World Conference, the Red Dust Pavilion's influence in the secular world was second only to the Taoists!

Chi Chengyu, a disciple of the Red Dust Pavilion, chose to become an official upon entering the secular world, and now he had become a Fifth Rank cabinet official and the Chief of the Zhi Ge Department for a province.

But these roles paled in comparison to his position as the vice president of the Entry World Conference.

In fact, it could be said that even the provincial Inspector Su Xuesong couldn't match Chi Chengyu in terms of influence and the resources at his command!

Chi Chengyu's invitation to Li Fei indeed carried a different weight than invitations from others.

"Apart from inviting you, Marquis, Chi Chengyu has also invited Shen Tuyue. It seems he might want to create an opportunity for the two of you to fight," Lv Wenxing shared his conjecture.

"Oh?"

Li Fei had been out of touch with the outside world these past few days, unaware of the fervent discussions.

Consequently, Lv Wenxing briefed him on what people had been talking about.

"Perhaps Shen Tuyue believes she can defeat the Marquis, but since you have not initiated it yourself, she has used this method to find an opportunity for a match," Lv Wenxing said.

Shen Tuyue, of course, had also joined the Entry World Conference and, as the Closed-door Disciple of the Red Dust Pavilion Master, was held in high favor within. All the big shots were willing to provide all possible help for this peerless talent.

Li Fei nodded after hearing this.

He wasn't averse to fighting Shen Tuyue; it was just that he was currently preoccupied with solving cases and thus had no mind for it.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, his eyes lit up, and he walked out of the room holding the invitation, finding He Jian.

He handed the invitation directly to He Jian, and after reading it, He Jian immediately understood Li Fei's thoughts:

"Mr. Li is considering using this banquet as a trap?"

"Isn't it just perfect? It even saves us a lot of trouble."

He Jian gave it some thought and nodded:

"It is indeed an excellent opportunity."

"Then it's settled!"

Li Fei turned to Lv Wenxing:

"Tell Chief Chi that I will definitely attend this banquet!"

...