Hysteria Forest
Xue Bai was confident in his potential, so while going against this random peak stage Domain Lord Grand Duke wasn't very hard in his mind, he didn't think it was worth his time.
Being on the side of an underdog was fun and all, but if Xue Bai wanted to save time and grow quicker, joining the side of the Grand Duke would accelerate all of his plans.
"No, that wouldn't work. The people here think that I'm some Young Master from the Central Continent or some other great power. If I change sides so quickly, he'd be suspicious of the whole facade." Xue Bai shook the idea out of his head.
If the Grand Duke could manipulate and control the entire empire from the shadows, then he had to be a smart man. So if Xue Bai swapped sides so quickly after awakening, there was no way he wouldn't become suspicious of Xue Bai's origins.
And while Xue Bai did have a huge background, if he died here, no one would know.