If you were asked to identify an item, would you choose to extract magical powers?

Chapter 219 Five Strange Objects
On the street outside the Jiantiansi.

Although Qu Yongfeng looked a little embarrassed, when he raised his hands and spoke, he exuded the elegant air of a scholar.

He lost, but he did not think there was anything shameful about this failure. He even felt that this failure would make his future path smoother.

Encountering difficulties, overcoming difficulties, and solving difficulties has always been one of Qu Yongfeng's principles in life, so he dared to risk failure and have a fair competition with Shen Bai.

Of course, this evenly matched situation only appears to him. In the eyes of others, it is a different situation.

Some things don't need to be said explicitly, everyone understands them.

Just now when he was fighting with Shen Bai in the five-story building, he couldn't even withstand a single move and flew out of the building.

Qu Yongfeng knew very well that Shen Bai had not used his full strength.

That punch was just a random punch.

But he was defeated so completely.

At this moment, all the doubts in Qu Yongfeng's heart were cleared up.

He finally understood why the people from the Tianjiao Savior Society invited Shen Bai twice.

Shen Bai is worth it.

This thought kept flashing in Qu Yongfeng's mind.

Not far away, Xue Caixiang felt numb when she saw Qu Yongfeng admit his failure so decisively.

She looked towards the five-story building with a hint of horror in her eyes.

She knew very well what Qu Yongfeng's strength was.

Even though he is not the top one in the Tianjiao Savior Association, his skill in creating landscape paintings is extremely powerful.

Not to mention anything else, I would definitely not be able to beat Qu Yongfeng.

The artistic conception of the landscape painting will make you immediately immersed in it, forget yourself, and ultimately end up in failure.

However, such a powerful person was defeated in one move when facing Shen Bai.

And Qu Yongfeng is arrogant.

Xue Caixiang saw Qu Yongfeng admit defeat so easily, which proved that he was convinced of his defeat.

At this moment, Xue Caixiang suddenly wanted to slap herself a few times.

She felt that her previous pride and arrogance seemed to be slapping her in the face.

"Let's go, let's leave the Tianjian Division first."

After Qu Yongfeng tidied up the mess on his body, he walked up to Xue Caixiang and said.

Now that we have reached an agreement with Shen Bai, we will wait until the traitor appears, notify Shen Bai, and work together with Shen Bai to capture the traitor and take back the Wanguitu.

Xue Caixiang's expression was somewhat complicated and she said nothing.

Those who can join the Tianjiao Savior Society are all smart people.

Although Qu Yongfeng is a scholar, at this moment, he can see a hint of loneliness in Xue Caixiang's eyes.

"There are always people better than you. There are always mountains better than you. There are countless masters in this world, and there are many who are stronger than you. You have to control your temper in the future." Qu Yongfeng thought for a moment and said.

Even though he didn't like this woman, she was a member of the Tianjiao Savior Society after all, and could be considered a colleague. So at this time, Qu Yongfeng felt that it would be a good idea for him to give her a proper reminder.

At this moment, Xue Caixiang finally let go of her proud temper.

Suddenly, she bowed to the fifth-floor building of the Tianjiansi and said, "If I have offended you before, please forgive me, Lord Shen. I have realized my impulsiveness and will never offend you so easily in the future."

You have to be cowardly when you need to be cowardly. If Xue Caixiang can't even understand this kind of thing, she probably won't live long.

The five-story building was silent, with no response.

But Xue Caixiang knew that for a powerful man like Shen Bai, not replying meant that he had no regard for her previous recklessness.

Xue Caixiang finally breathed a sigh of relief and followed Qu Yongfeng, and the two of them quietly left the street.

As for where they would stay, there were many inns on Lingyun Road, so they could just find a place to stay.

The streets became quiet again.

The members of the Tianjian Division also dispersed and each was busy with their own affairs.

……

No matter how the world changes or how time passes, time always keeps moving forward.

It doesn't wait for others, nor does it speed up.

Qu Yongfeng and Xue Caixiang stayed at the inn on Lingyun Road.

They stay at home every day, waiting all the time.

If a traitor passes by Lingyun Road, they will notify Shen Bai immediately.

On Shen Bai's side, he was immersed in the crazy liver of Wanshui Jue and lived a simple daily life.

Eat, handle the official business of the Tianshi Division, and then work on improving your proficiency.

From time to time, he would do things that ordinary men would do with Amber and Hongzhuang in the space of Yin-Yang Absorption Technique at night.

But in this interesting daily life, there are some different changes.

Anle County, which is affiliated to Lingyun Road, was originally a prosperous small county. The people had enough food and clothing and lived a simple and happy life here.

But now Anle County is shrouded in dark clouds, and corpses are everywhere.

The bodies of the common people were lying all over the ground. In the Anle County government office, the body of the county magistrate was in tatters and the body of the constable was mutilated.

In the courtyard of this yamen, an old man with a dark aura emanating from his entire body was staring at a scroll in front of him with a gloomy face.

The scroll exudes a cold aura, revealing a sense of evil and terrifying fear.

The old man's face was extremely pale, and his wrinkles were like ravines, which made people feel creepy at first sight.

"It's really difficult to release the weirdness in this Wanguitu."

Looking at the scroll floating in the sky, the old man shook his head and said in a gloomy tone.

"I thought that this time, with the help of the power of Lingyun Dao Xinhuo Academy, I could break through safely. However, I never expected that Xinhuo Academy would be completely uprooted. Now, breaking through Lingyun Dao is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Where should I go?"

His name is Qiu Ze, an old guy who has survived from the Wancheng era to the present day.

After surviving in the Wancheng era, he joined the Tianjiao Savior Society.

Although he is not a high-ranking member of the Tianjiao Savior Association, he is doing very well.

But only Qiu Ze knew that he had another identity, that is, one of the subordinates of the mastermind behind the scenes.

His purpose is to hide in the Tianjiao Savior Association and play his own role.

For such a long time, his superiors have not given him any tasks. He knows in his heart that there must be many hidden spies like him in the Tianjiao Savior Association, but he doesn't know any of them.

So I live every day very cautiously.

And just recently, the higher-ups finally sent him a message, asking him to steal the Wanguitu from the Tianjiao Savior Society.

Although Qiu Ze didn't know why he had to do this, since his superiors had issued the task, he could only try his best to steal the Wanguitu.

After stealing the item, he ran all the way and avoided the encirclement and attacks of the Tianjiao Savior Society members several times.

His strength is not strong. After practicing till now, he has only reached the peak level of the Heavenly Spirit Realm.

The reason is that he is not good at fighting and training, and he has achieved his success simply by relying on time.

So when he was facing encirclement and suppression, if he hadn't been smart, he would have been caught long ago.

The reason why he appeared in Anle County today was that he needed the blood of living people to nourish the Wanguitu.

The Wanguitu was originally left in the Tianjiao Savior Association. If the weirdness inside was not nourished with blood, it would go out of control.

The high-ranking members of the Tianjiao Savior Society use their own blood to nourish the Wanguitu every day.

But now, the Wanguitu has fallen into Qiu Ze's hands. Qiu Ze does not have the ability to do it, and can only deal with it with the lives of ordinary people.

There was nothing that could be done about it. After all, if the weirdness inside got out of control, he would be the first to die.

"It's going to get out of control at this very moment."

"This is Lingyun Road. If Shen Bai knew about this, I would definitely die miserably." Qiu Ze thought to himself.

He had heard of Shen Bai's name.

In fact, Shen Bai has now attracted the attention of many senior officials in the Tianjiao Savior Association.

For such a person, Qiu Ze felt that he had to act cautiously.

So when he destroyed the county, he had already thought of a countermeasure.

Qiu Ze raised his left hand, and a jade token appeared in his hand.

Immediately afterwards, all traces of him disappeared from the entire county.

It was precisely because of this jade token that he was able to escape the schemes of the old man in the Tianjiao Savior Association.

With this jade token, he can reduce a lot of dangers.

After doing all this, Qiu Ze left Anle County.

He had to find a way to break through the blockade of Lingyun Road and head to the destination given by the organization.

Soon, Anle County fell into peace, and there was nothing else except the dead air that filled the city.

……

Time flies by.

At this moment, in the five-story building of the Tianjiansi, Shen Bai, Wang Teng and Ma Yuan were sitting in the room.

There was a unique sense of oppression all around.

In Shen Bai's hand, a letter was crushed into ashes.

"Departments A, B, C, and D, quickly investigate any suspicious individuals around Lingyun Road. All state-level cities under Lingyun Road, mobilize and conduct a blanket search. Once this person is found, kill them regardless of life or death."

Shen Bai's tone was extremely cold.

Within a few days, three counties were massacred and all the people died on the spot.

Shen Bai knew who did it without even looking. It must have been the traitor in the Tianjiao Savior Society.

Now, under his governance, the entire Lingyun Dao is as stable as an iron barrel, but now this kind of thing has happened.

But the other party has a way to conceal his breath, and even the Wuji Guashu cannot predict it.

Shen Bai could only take the simplest and most brutal method, which was a carpet search.

Upon hearing this, the leaders of the four tribes, A, B, C, and D, quickly bowed and said, "As you command."

There was a hint of shame on their faces.

Since Lord Shen came to Lingyun Dao, he has eliminated the three major evil forces.

But now these things are happening again.

To be honest, this matter has nothing to do with Lord Shen. It is their fault. It is because they failed to do their job well.

Shen Bai said slowly: "Remember, I said everyone should move. I don't want this to happen again."

A, B, C, and D wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads.

"If this happens again, I will be willing to accept the punishment."

Shen Bai then waved his hand, looked at Wang Teng and Ma Yuan, and said, "You two stay at the Tianjian Division headquarters, I'm going to go out for a while."

Although Wang Teng and Ma Yuan didn't know why Shen Bai went out, they did not raise any objections and also accepted the order respectfully.

Only then did Shen Bai let everyone get busy and left the Tianjian Division alone.

After leaving the Jiantian Division, he walked in one direction.

Soon, they arrived at an inn.

When the innkeeper saw the clothes on Shen Bai, he immediately understood Shen Bai's identity. He didn't dare to say much and just stood respectfully in front of the counter.

Shen Bai approached and said, "Two people should have moved in recently. Their names are Qu Yongfeng and Xue Caixiang. Which room are they in now?"

If someone else came to ask, the innkeeper would not dare to reveal the guest's information, but the person in front of him was the director of the Tianjian Division, and no one dared to hide anything in front of him.

The shopkeeper immediately told Shen Bai.

Shen Bai walked up the stairs to the room and knocked on the door gently.

Soon, footsteps were heard inside the door.

Qu Yongfeng opened the door and was slightly surprised when he saw Shen Bai.

At this time, Xue Caixiang in the next room also heard the noise, opened the door, and saw Shen Bai.

Shen Bai said to the two of them, "Let's go inside and talk."

The two didn't know why Shen Bai came here, but seeing that Shen Bai's face looked a little solemn, they knew that something big must have happened, so they stopped talking and led Shen Bai into the house.

"You still haven't found any clues about that old guy?" Shen Bai said.

Qu Yongfeng had just closed the door when he heard Shen Bai's words. He subconsciously said, "Yu Shi hasn't given any clues or information yet. He's probably stuck in Lingyun Road. He might also know Lord Shen's reputation and dare not set foot there easily."

Shen Bai poured a cup of tea from the table and continued, "In the past few days, three counties have been completely massacred. As far as I know, it was all done by that old guy. Now I have sent members of the Tianjian Division to conduct a carpet search. If you can't find any trace of him, and I find him first, doesn't it seem a bit useless?"

After these words were spoken, Qu Yongfeng immediately knew why Shen Bai came to see him.

A trace of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he could feel the heavy pressure coming from Shen Bai.

The traitor was caused by the Tianjiao Savior Society, but now their Tianjiao Savior Society has not yet captured him.

To put it bluntly, the Tianjiao Savior Association should also be held responsible for the things that happened to that person in Shen Bai's Lingyun Dao.

Although Shen Bai is also a member of the Tianjiao Savior Association, Shen Bai's other identity is the director of Lingyun Dao.

There are some things that Qu Yongfeng understands without Shen Bai explaining them too clearly.

Xue Caixiang looked left and right and said, "Master Shen, we are helpless. Apart from the jade, we have no other way to find him."

Ever since the last incident, Xue Caixiang has put away all her pride.

Facing Shen Bai's questioning, she also felt a huge pressure. They both knew that Shen Bai had gone through two attempts before joining the Tianjiao Savior Society, especially the first time, when Shen Bai was not interested in this organization.

If that old guy causes some trouble again, the favorability of Tianjiao Jiushi Association in Shen Bai's eyes will probably drop to the lowest level.

It is hard to say whether Shen Bai will work for the Tianjiao Savior Association again at that time.

They didn't want to gain Shen Bai's dislike because of this matter, which would delay many of the Tianjiao Savior Association's plans.

"Master Shen, do you have any ideas?"

Qu Yongfeng asked, "If Lord Shen has a solution, we will fully cooperate, even if it means going through fire and water."

I have to say that when it comes to reading people's expressions, Qu Yongfeng is better than Xue Caixiang.

He had already seen some clues. After all, Shen Bai came to them in person, and it was definitely not just a simple question of asking them if they had any clues. He must have a way to deal with it.

Shen Bai nodded and said, "I've already sent people to conduct a blanket search, but that alone is far from enough. Although there are many people in all the state-level cities of the Tianjian Division, the entire Lingyun Road consists of countless states and counties. The area is too large, and a dispersed search will take a lot of time."

"I don't want the people to be threatened in any way anymore."

While Shen Bai was speaking, Qu Yongfeng and Xue Caixiang nodded repeatedly, indicating that what Shen Bai said was correct.

Shen Bai put down the teacup in his hand, and the murderous intent in his eyes gradually gathered: "That old man must die, and he must die at my hands. I have to give an explanation to the people in Lingyun Road, so I thought of another plan. He wants to pass through Lingyun Road, so we should let him pass."

"Let him through?"

After hearing what Shen Bai said, Qu Yongfeng showed a hint of doubt on his face.

He didn't understand why Shen Bai made such a choice, but he knew that Shen Bai must have something else to say, so he didn't say anything and waited patiently.

"He can't stay in Lingyun Road for long."

Shen Bai tapped the table lightly with his fingers and said, "Since that's the case, I'll try to create a breakthrough point by loosening up the outside and tightening up the inside. I've already sent people to search for him. The purpose is to let him know that my Lingyun Dao Jiantian Division has dispersed its forces, and he will definitely use this to find a breakthrough point. I just want to confirm with you whether your jade can cover the entire range of Lingyun Dao."

After hearing this, Qu Yongfeng roughly understood what Shen Bai meant and nodded.

"The jade can cover the entire range of Lingyun Road. Lord Shen means that if the jade is found, the three of us will go and deal with him personally?"

Shen Bai nodded and said, "That's right. I sent all my men out to create an opportunity for him to cross Lingyun Road. If that's the case, he will definitely cross it. After he crosses it, I will use your jade to find his location."

This is Shen Bai’s plan. If we look for it blindly, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack and it would be impossible to find it.

If you encounter this situation, it is better to lure it into the trap you have set.

As long as Qu Yongfeng's jade exists, it will be natural to find that old thing.

After hearing what Shen Bai said, Qu Yongfeng's eyes narrowed slightly and he said, "Don't worry, Master Shen. If he really dares to pass through Lingyun Road, I will definitely be able to find him."

"You don't have to stay in this inn now. Come with me to the Jiantiansi. If we find anything unusual, we can find his location." Shen Bai said.

The two of them quickly agreed and without stopping, followed Shen Bai and left the inn.

……

The underworld was once again in turmoil, and the news of the massacre in three counties gradually spread.

Many people in the martial arts world are worried, not knowing which evil force is causing trouble.

Recently, the Tianjiansi of Lingyundao also heard the news and began to disperse to search for the evildoers who committed such a bloody crime, which made many people in the martial arts world frightened, fearing that they would be affected by this storm.

In this serious and dignified atmosphere, at this moment, Qiu Ze looked at the scattered members of the Tianjian Division and had an idea in his mind.

"I originally wanted to pass through Lingyun Road, but I was worried that Shen Bai would discover my whereabouts. Now it seems that I can pass through it smoothly."

Now, all the people in the Tianjiansi have been dispersed. Although they are looking for him, he has the ability to conceal his breath and erase his tracks, so he is not afraid of being found.

The scattered members of the Tianjian Division gave him a perfect opportunity.

He can find the weakest point and break through the blockade of Lingyun Road.

Once you break through the blockade, the rest will become easy.

Qiu Ze looked at the Wanguitu in his hand, thought for a moment, and then flew in one direction.

Recently, he had not committed any more killing or bloodshed, just to search for the weakest point of Lingyun Dao, and now he finally found it.

On the west side of Lingyun Road, as long as you cross that mountain and move forward for a few days, you will be able to break through the blockade of the entire Lingyun Road.

Qiu Ze has reached the peak of the Heavenly Spirit Realm. He is extremely fast and before long, he is approaching the mountain ahead.

This mountain is not high, but the mountain road inside is extremely winding and steep.

It was precisely because the mountain was not high that Qiu Ze chose this road, as it would not take more time to cross the mountain.

He now had an important task on his shoulders, so he did not linger for long and started to cross the mountain at full speed.

But just as he was about to cross the mountain, Qiu Ze suddenly felt a solemn atmosphere descending from the sky, giving him goose bumps all over his body.

At the same time, he felt a faint murderous aura surrounding him.

Qiu Ze is an old fellow who has survived since the Wancheng era. Although he is not very strong, he has been able to survive until now thanks to his abilities.

In an instant, Qiu Ze knew what he was facing.

"Fell into a trap!"

Three words emerged in his mind.

When these three words appeared, three figures fell from the sky not far in front of Qiu Ze and landed in front of Qiu Ze.

Qiu Ze certainly knew these three people, especially the leader, and was very clear about his identity.

"Shen Bai! Impossible! How could you find me so quickly? Even if the jade can be found, it's impossible with your speed."

Qiu Ze is also an old man who survived the Wancheng era. He is cautious in doing things. He can calculate that Shen Bai's Tianjiansi is very far away from this place.

Even if the jade stone could find him, Shen Bai would not be able to reach such a fast speed if he tried his best.

How did Shen Bai get there across such a long distance?

Faced with Qiu Ze's shock, Shen Bai did not give any response.

However, Qu Yongfeng and Xue Caixiang next to him looked at Shen Bai with a look of horror.

They witnessed another ability of Shen Bai, which was simply amazing.

At that time, they were in the Tianjian Division and suddenly found something wrong with the jade. Qu Yongfeng then found Shen Bai and said that if they rushed over at this distance, the other party would probably escape.

But Shen Bai was not nervous at all about this, and even looked calm.

When Qu Yongfeng and Xue Caixiang felt something was strange, they saw Shen Bai casually draw a line and create a crack in space.

After the space crack appeared, Shen Bai took them into it without saying a word.

Then they came to a vast space.

Shen Bai once again opened a space crack through the space, and they stepped out again and appeared in front of Qiu Ze.

This is long-distance teleportation, one of the inherent properties of the Yin-Yang Object Storage Technique.

For Shen Bai, he rarely uses it because there is no use for it.

But at this moment, it just happened to come in handy.

"It is rumored in the martial arts world that Shen Bai is one of the Twelve Wonders, but now it seems that he is far more than just the Twelve Wonders." Qu Yongfeng thought secretly in his heart.

Xue Caixiang subconsciously muttered to herself, "No wonder the organization invited him to join twice. So that's how it is. As expected, the decision made by the organization's top management was not wrong."

In terms of this variety of abilities, each one is at the pinnacle level.

If such people are not accepted into the organization, Xue Caixiang would even think that the top management of the organization has problems with their brains.

At this moment, her last bit of pride was completely shattered, and she was convinced by Shen Bai, even more so than Qu Yongfeng.

Shen Bai didn't know what these people were thinking. His eyes were fixed on Qiu Ze, and then he slowly pulled out the Hanyue from his waist.

"It's time to die."

A cold murderous aura emerged from his words.

Shen Bai didn't hesitate at all, and the cold moon in his hand burst out with blood-red sword energy.

The sword energy of the Soul-Destroying Sword penetrated his body, densely packed, blocking out the sky and enveloping the entire sky.

Qiu Ze felt a life-and-death crisis coming. He felt cold all over, as if he was being stared at by a terrifying monster.

He could sense the murderous aura from Shen Bai, gritted his teeth, and then raised his left hand.

Qiu Ze activated the Wanguitu, and then the terrifying force of space enveloped the surroundings.

Shen Bai frowned slightly and raised his fingers slightly.

Countless blood-red sword energies fell madly towards Qiu Ze.

Qu Yongfeng and Xue Caixiang, who were standing nearby, were horrified when they saw this.

They suddenly felt like frogs in a well.

After seeing Shen Bai, it was like a mayfly seeing the sky.

"This is Shen Bai's true fighting power. That punch he threw was really just a spontaneous one."

A flash of shock passed through Qu Yongfeng's mind, followed by immense bitterness.

He suddenly understood why the younger generation of the Great Zhou Kingdom passed down that saying.

"There are thousands of geniuses in this world, but even they have to bow their heads and kneel before Shen Bai."

"The younger generation of the entire Great Zhou Kingdom is divided into two levels. The first is Shen Bai, and the second is the numerous geniuses."

He didn't believe it at first, but now he does.

Because every sword energy was enough to wipe him out easily.

Xue Caixiang felt a little scared.

She was really glad that Shen Bai was not a petty person.

If she had been more stingy, she would have probably removed her head from her neck at that time.

Of the two people who were shocked, Qiu Ze felt it the most.

When the terrifying blood-red sword energy fell, he circulated the Qi in his body to the extreme.

In the face of life and death crisis, he activated the Wanguitu.

The next moment, terrifying spatial forces rose from the Wanguitu.

The blood-red sword energy entered the Wanguitu and disappeared quickly.

Shen Bai raised his eyebrows slightly.

This was the first time he had seen such ability.

But before he could say anything, the next moment, a hundred wisps of murderous aura appeared before his eyes and were quickly absorbed by him.

"Ok?"

Shen Bai was slightly surprised. This thing was beyond his imagination. How could there be a hundred more strands of evil spirit out of nowhere?

In his surprise, Qiu Ze looked at the Wanguitu in his hand with his eyes wide open.

"It's over."

“The five strange things at the peak of the Heavenly Spirit Realm were all wiped out by him.”

Qiu Ze just activated the spatial power of the Wanguitu and absorbed all the sword energy into it.

But there were still five monsters at the peak of the Heavenly Spirit Realm in the Wan Gui Tu. The sword energy inside directly killed all five monsters at the Heavenly Spirit Realm.

When Shen Bai saw Qiu Ze's appearance, he already knew what was going on.

"I see. That actually gave me a little surprise."

Shen Bai slowly moved forward, and the blood-red sword energy once again hung in the sky.

Qu Yongfeng finally had the chance to say something.

"Sir Shen, he is a treasure master who specializes in controlling strange objects. Any strange object in his hands will inevitably exert double its power. You must be careful."

Shen Bai did not answer, because the excitement in his eyes was growing stronger and stronger.

Behind Qiu Ze, four strange objects appeared, namely a boxing glove, a green stone, a diamond-shaped jade pendant, and a thin needle.

Together with the Wanguitu, there are a total of five strange creatures floating on it.

"Shen Bai, since we have come to a life-or-death situation, I will completely destroy you and show you that even though I am not good at fighting, I can still achieve unexpected results."

Qiu Ze sneered, as if he had already seen Shen Bai's end.

Their profession of treasure control masters is a very special one.

The reason is that everything about them is related to weird things.

As long as there are many monsters, they will have strong combat power. If there are few monsters, they will be weak.

But now Qiu Ze feels that he has five strange items, which are enough to fight against the peak existence of the Tianling realm.

These five strange creatures have both offensive and defensive capabilities, and when fully activated, they are enough to destroy everything.

He should be able to defeat Shen Bai. Qiu Ze even felt that Shen Bai would be killed instantly by him.

But just as he was speaking, he found that Shen Bai had disappeared.

At the same time, Qiu Ze saw that Shen Bai had arrived in front of the five strange creatures at some point, and he stretched out his hands and gently patted each of them.

Next, a horrifying scene appeared.

Qiu Ze discovered that his five strange objects turned into ordinary objects at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"What's going on?" Qiu Ze's face was full of horror, and he couldn't believe what he saw.

"This is a strange thing, how could it disappear all of a sudden?"

"The aura of the strange creature disappeared, and it turned into an ordinary mortal. What kind of tricks did this person in front of me use?"

Shen Bai smiled as he looked at the smoke in front of him, feeling satisfied.

"You're just being given a pillow when you're sleepy. If that's the case, I'll reluctantly take you to the dungeon of the Heavenly Supervisor and give you a good torture."

(End of this chapter)