Exorcist's Self-Cultivation

"Your Excellency the Duke, you must understand that the members of our organization are all very busy, and most of the time, we are not together. Recently, if it weren't for your matter, we might have been elsewhere, dealing with our own affairs."

"Even I would be very busy under normal circumstances."

"How could anyone possibly find the time to work with you to handle the Demon Spirit and bring back the mask?"

"I'm sorry if my tone wasn't quite right."

"What I mean is, either someone else takes on this task, or you do it yourself."

...

Mercer looked at Du Wei, a hint of contempt rising in his heart.

Even though he was very well aware that he was no match for this His Excellency the Duke.

After all, he had been beaten up by the man before him and Matthew like a child, and his body was still very honest about it.

But if the other party thought the Vanity Sect would act as he imagined—

That would simply be too foolish.

Any organization that has existed for such a long time has its own set of rules.

And no one would break them.

And no one could break them.

However.

Du Wei still wore a smile on his face as he said, "I still think we should give it a try. After all, this is the first step for me to integrate into the Vanity Sect, and I would very much like to maintain a relatively friendly relationship with everyone."

A member within the Vanity Sect, who knows that Alex is the reincarnation of Minette—

Surely also knows about the relationship between His Excellency the Duke and Minette.

The other is in the shadows.

And I am in the open; just throwing out bait is sure to hook them.

Even if they don't act with me, they will reveal some slip-ups.

By then, once the target becomes clear—

It would be time for me to act.

Mercer shook his head at Du Wei: "If you insist, I have no objections."

"By the way, may I know to what extent your power has been restored now?"

"I had heard about your peak in the past, which seems to have surpassed the Demon Spirit Strangeness, but I am not clear about how strong you actually are."

Upon hearing this.

Du Wei thought for a moment before saying, "It's not easy for me to gauge. Apart from Matthew, who can make me feel danger, there are only the Demon Gods."

"Also, I'm not clear about how strong I was at my peak."

"Because in my era, I was the peak."

Of course, these words were bluffs.

The power of Du Wei was just so-so, relying entirely on external forces.

The strongest was always the Evil Spirit Du Wei.

In that Victorian Era beyond Hell's Gate, the Evil Spirit Du Wei truly stood at the peak of the era, and unlike His Excellency the Duke, he never failed.

Instead, he really slaughtered a Demon God.

Of course, Mercer did not know any of this, but he agreed with Du Wei's words.

Indeed, your strength is very formidable, and you would be considered upper-middle in the Vanity Sect."

"Alright, I'll end my questioning here. Next, I will take you to headquarters to meet the others."

"You can consider it our welcoming ritual for newcomers."

Upon hearing these words.

Du Wei said with a smile, "I'm looking forward to it."

Mercer also forced a smile, "Then Your Excellency, would it be possible for you to have your Demon Spirit subordinates hold back a bit? I always feel like it really wants to slaughter me."

At this moment, the malice from the shadow was completely unmasked.

And there was an indescribable sense of crisis, as if two Daggers were hidden in the shadows, ready to stab into his heart at any moment.

Du Wei hummed in acknowledgment and whispered, "Come back."

Immediately, the shadow quietly disappeared, once again becoming his own shadow.

From the beginning to the end.

Mercer had never figured out how the shadow had appeared in the first place.

Logically speaking, the shadow is Du Wei's shadow, so when the shadow and darkness overlap, all shadows are part of the shadow.

From the very beginning, he had entered the attack range of the shadow.

…

Lake Island.

That very night.

Rowing a small boat, Mercer brought Du Wei here.

Looking around.

The entire island was shrouded in darkness.

Only that huge square-shaped building had spots of light shimmering, yet it also seemed so dim.

The buildings on the island had no trace of modern industrial atmosphere.

Electricity and such were non-existent.

"This is the headquarters of our Vanity Sect, if you come here in the future, you should not see other people because we rarely gather together,"

"Also, we are not used to exposing our true faces. Although everyone knows your information, I still suggest you wear a mask so that you do not look much different from us."

Leading the way, Mercer whispered to Du Wei behind him, "Another thing, everyone uses fake names, so you needn't delve too much into it."

"I understand."

Du Wei nodded, his face calm as he took out a mask from inside his coat and put it on his face.

Upon seeing this, Mercer spoke in a complex tone, "Your mask is somewhat different from ours, but it's sufficient."

The masks of the Vanity Sect are Primitive Masks.

What Du Wei wore was a replica produced by an unnamed entity after the founding of the Vanity Sect, not too much inferior to the original.

Du Wei was well aware of this.

He followed Mercer into the square building.

Once inside, they ascended the winding stairs to the fourth floor.

The view suddenly opened up.

The entire fourth floor space was open, quite large with no walls or obstructions, allowing one to see the end at a glance.

It seemed exceptionally chill.

In the center, there was a conference table.

Eleven individuals dressed in black robes, donning hoods, with their faces concealed by masks, were already seated.

When Du Wei and Mercer appeared,

everyone slightly lifted their heads, looking over with an indifferent gaze.

"Welcome, Your Excellency the Duke."

"All shall return to Vanity, as well as to us."

"We are thirteen in number."

"This number represents the sins not acknowledged by ordinary people."

"Yet for us, it signifies the medal of our existence."

Everyone's attitude was indescribably cold.

Wary and sensitive.

Du Wei was even colder.

He directly said, "Only Vanity shall last forever."

As he spoke, he walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down with utmost composure.

His demeanor was unspeakably graceful, as if he were a gentleman noble from the medieval era.

Seeing this, others could not help but believe more firmly that Du Wei was His Excellency the Duke.

Such a blend of coldness and elegance in temperament.

It was not something an ordinary person could emulate.

It signified the sediment of an era.

Then, they all turned their heads, along with Du Wei, to look at Mercer, who was standing in place.

Including Du Wei, their gazes were exceptionally calm, nearly as if they were one entity.

It was Mercer, however,

who found himself somewhat out of place…