With that, Liu Wufeng handed him the teacup.

Shen Bai nodded, sat down in the room, and drained the cup in one go.

Everyone at the Observatory knew that Liu Wufeng didn’t drink.

Even though alcohol had no side effects on a Cultivator, Liu Wufeng wouldn’t touch a drop, all to maintain a clear head.

Shen Bai wasn’t a big fan of drinking either and took a seat in a nearby chair.

Without any preamble, he got straight to the point, recounting everything that had happened that night.

Liu Wufeng was slightly taken aback. "You uprooted the entire Dark Hall?"

Honestly, upon hearing the news, Liu Wufeng felt more numb than surprised.

Shen Bai was his special recruit, after all.

Back when he had taken his disciple Qin Shuang’s advice, Liu Wufeng had carefully considered the special recruitment order.

He had originally thought that a genius like Shen Bai would need some time to develop after joining the Observatory.

But one incident after another had shown Liu Wufeng the truth of the matter.

Shen Bai didn’t need to grow. Or rather, his growth period was incredibly short, yet it yielded enormous returns.

But Shen Bai destroying the Dark Hall was truly beyond his expectations.

After all, that pack of filthy rats was an even more despicable force than the Upper Evil Sect.

Shen Bai nodded. "The destruction of the Dark Hall is a minor issue. What’s important is the Nightmare, and the group that came after me. They’ve already used special means to enter Fenglin State."

He had come not only to report the events but, more importantly, to see if any useful clues could be found.

Liu Wufeng pondered for a moment, then nodded. "I’ll have people investigate that group. As for this Nightmare you mentioned... that’s a tricky problem."

At this, Liu Wufeng stood up and began rummaging through a wall cabinet beside the desk.

Shen Bai was curious but didn’t say a word, not wanting to disturb him.

After about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Liu Wufeng stopped rummaging and pulled out a stick of yellow incense.

The yellow incense was as thick as a thumb and about a foot long. It looked perfectly ordinary, no different from the sacrificial incense sold in the markets.

Shen Bai asked curiously, "What does this incense do?" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Liu Wufeng placed the yellow incense in Shen Bai’s hand. "It’s Dream-Entering Incense, made through a special process. When you light it, the curling smoke will lull a person into a dream."

"Of course, it can’t force a Cultivator into a dream. It only works if they lower their Resistance and allow themselves to enter."

Shen Bai listened to the explanation, rubbing his chin. "So you’re saying I can use this incense to enter the Dream Realm and eliminate the Nightmare there?"

Connecting the dots, it was an easy conclusion to reach, and Shen Bai was sure he was right.

Sure enough, as soon as he voiced his guess, Liu Wufeng gave a slight nod.

"You’re right. It’s the simplest and most effective way to deal with a Nightmare. They can only be eliminated within the Dream Realm. When this anomaly first appeared, it caused considerable casualties. After all, a unique phenomenon like this is hard to counter until you find a specific method."

"It appeared a few more times after that, and gradually, we figured out its patterns. That’s how the Dream-Entering Incense came to be."

"By Entering the Dream with the incense, you can bring your abilities with you, which gives you a way to fight the Nightmare."

Shen Bai picked up the incense stick, examining it for a moment.

He didn’t know the first thing about this sort of craft, so he couldn’t see anything remarkable about it.

But since Liu Wufeng vouched for it, Shen Bai instinctively put the incense away.

Shen Bai asked, "So, does this mean that from now on, the Observatory will be using Dream-Entering Incense to enter the Dream Realm and fight the Nightmares?"

Liu Wufeng nodded. "That’s right. The Nightmares appear at random, so my plan is to have a portion of our members light a Dream-Entering Incense once a day. If they can get in, they can kill some of the Nightmares."

The reason Liu Wufeng mentioned killing only "some" of them was because this Nightmare anomaly was similar to the Shadow Dressing incident.

They only disappear once a certain number of them have been killed.

Shen Bai thought for a moment. "It sounds a bit like we’re just trying our luck."

Liu Wufeng spread his hands. "But it’s the best method we have right now. By the way, if you want to help, you can go to the resource room and get a bundle of incense. Just light one when you have free time. You won’t be in any danger in the real world. With your strength, you’ll be able to sense any approaching danger and instantly pull yourself out of the dream."

Shen Bai frowned. "Can I still pull out if I encounter a Nightmare in the dream?"

Liu Wufeng nodded. "Of course. For a Cultivator, it only works if you willingly enter the dream, so its hold isn’t strong."

Hearing this, Shen Bai nodded. "I’ll go to the resource room for a bundle of incense later. If I can find a Nightmare, that’s a good thing. I’ll just kill it while I’m at it."

’Those are anomalies,’ he thought. ’And they have Evil Qi.’

And while Shen Bai currently had ten wisps of Evil Qi, it was still an extremely scarce resource for him.

Once that was settled, Shen Bai brought up another matter.

"Those people from the Wild Taoist Sect and Wild Buddha Sect who infiltrated the state... how long will it take to find them?"

Liu Wufeng considered it. "We still need to conduct a thorough investigation. Don’t worry, I’ll inform you the moment we find any useful clues."

With nothing more to discuss on that topic, Shen Bai didn’t press the issue.

He left Liu Wufeng’s room, went to get a bundle of incense from Elder Mu, and then returned to the Martial Arts Arena to start grinding his Skill Levels.

Currently, only his Mixed Element Array-Breaking Technique and Spirit Casting Technique had yet to reach Level 4.